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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (May 11, 1906)
It THE MORNING OREGONIAN, FRIDAY, MAT 11, 1906. Catered at tne Pestofftce at Portland. Or-. aa Second-Claw Matter. y UB8CR1PTIOX RATES. KX. INVAJUABLT IN ADVANCE. (By Mall or Iipnu.) DAILY. 8UNDAI INCLUDED. I Twelve month . ,.$S00 Cia months Thro months.. S-2 On month 75 Xilverea br carrier, per year. . ....... 9.00 Zellvered br carrier, per month. . ....4 .To L-ees time, per week;.... . .20 Sander, one year 50 Weekly, one year (tuned Thureday)..- J-Se under and Weekly, one year VS HOW TO R&HIT Bend postofflee money order, express order or pereonal oheck on pour locei bank. Stamps, cola or ourreacy re at the sender's risk. EASTERN BCBIXE68 OFFICE. The 8. C. Beckwtth Special Agencr Tork. rooms 43-fiO, Tribune building. Cal cego, rooms S10-S12 Tribune building, KEPT ON BALK. Chicago Auditorium Annex, Postottle kiwi Co, 17 Dearborn street. at. Paul, aunn. N. at Marts Commerelal Ctation. bcnirar Bamlltoa Kendrtek. sos-sia Seventeenth streets Pratt Book, Store, UU fifteenth streett 1. Welnsteia. Goldfleld, Mot. Guy Marsh. Kansas City, Mo. Rlckaecker Clear Co., Ninth and Walnut. Minneapolis M. J. Karenaugh. BO Sonth Third. Cleveland. O. James Pushawj T Su perior street. Kew aork City L. Jones a Co, A stor Bouse. Oakland, CaL W. H. Johnston, Four teenth and Franklin streets, Ogden D. L. Boyle. Omaba Barkalow Bros.. 161S Farnam: Mageath Stationery Co.. 1808 Tarnam: 24S South Fourteenth. Sacramento, Cal. Sacramento Mtwi Co, 9 K street. Salt Lake salt Lake News Co., TT West Second street South; Miss U Levin. 24 Church street. Los Anaelee B. B. Amos, manager seven etreet wagons: Berl News Co.. S2tk South Broadway. San Dirge B. B. Amos. Santa Barbara, Cal. B. S. Am OS. Pasadena, Cal. Bsrl News Co. Fan Praaclseo J. K. Cooper Co.. T4 Market street: Goldsmith Bros.. 2S8 Sntter and Hotel St. Francis News Stand: L. B. Lee, Palace Hotel News Stand: Frank Scott. SO Ellis: N. Wheatley Movable News Stand, corner Market and Kearney streets; Foster dt Orear. Ferry News Stand. Wahnton. D. C. Bbbltt House, .Penn sylvania avenue. PORTLAND. OB.. FRIDAY, MAT 11, 1908. THE DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM. To those deluded Individuals who in sist that there Is no difference between the Republican and Democratic parties It Is recommended to read the first sen tence of the platform adopted by the Democracy of Multnomah County by their central committee. "A party ex ists," this platform declares, "to main tain principles." That is, the function of a political party Is to sit perched forever like a fat Buddha on a pedestal and eternally utter abstract proposi tions. It Is never to accomplish, any thing, never even to attempt anything. Its whole mission and purpose are ful filled by the continual repetition of general principles. No matter whether they are true or false; no matter whether they are or are not applica ble to real life. Provided that they are continually and forever repeated, the mission of the party Is fulfilled. What ever else the committee which prepared the platform accomplished, they cer tatnly succeeded in expressing by one brief sentence the spirit and essence of the Democracy, not only of Oregon, but of the whole country.. That spirit Is one of vague theorizing, with little or no thought of the application of the theories to practical affairs. The Republican party, on the other hand, values practice equally with prin ciple. It ha never been satisfied with the. arid maintenance of its doctrines, but has always sought to apply them, It Is the party of effort and achieve ment. The Democratic party Is like a rich millionaire who sits calmly under a tree In his formal garden and wishes the world were better. The Republican party Is like the pioneer who takes his family out into the forest or upon the prairie and sets vigorously to work to make It better. All that Democracy does could as well be done by a ma chine like a prayer which goes on for ever grinding out petitions to a false God. The Republican party is the party of active thought and virile achievement. The mission of the Re publican party, to which Mr. Withy combe referred In his opening speech, is to shun that paralysis of idle theory which always has and always will beset the Democracy, and continue Its rec ord of sound thought and noble deed. So party that i worthy of public con fidence exists merely to maintain prin ciples. The only party tbat counts In the -affaire of men la one that puts principles Into practice. The county Democracy bases Its dec laration of principles upon two funda mental propositions, one of which Is false, and the other a cardinal doctrine or the Republicans. The false proposi tion it this: "That government Is best which governs least." Nothing could be more utterly asinine. Men of all ages and countries have triedx to de scribe In a short sentence the best gov ernment. Goethe said it was the one which taught men to govern them selves: Macaulay, that the best govern ment was that which desired to meke the people happy and know how to do It; Solon, that the best government makes the injury of one man the concern of all; and Pope declared that the best government Is the one that 1s best ad ministered. All these utterances con tain some elements of truth and false hood, but the dictum of the- county De mocracy Is unadulterated folly. When a Democrat announces a glittering gen erality he never troubles himself to think, how it would work Jn practice. In regard to this one, let us do It for him. Consider what would happen If his maxim were adopted as a working rule In publlo affairs. One of the du ties of governments Is to protect human life. That government Is best which protects1 life least, according to the Democratic platform. A 6till better government would cease to Interfere with thieves and burglars; It would re frain from all efforts to enforce the laws, indeed It would enact no laws; It would make no attempt to protect the weak against the strong or to secure that "equal opportunity for all" which the platform demands In Its next sen tence.' Since the best government Is that which governs least, of course the ideal government is that which does not govern at all. This Is the logical out come of the fundamental Democratic principle, and It means that the county Democracy has put Itself on record In favor of anarchy. Any government, no matter how bad. Is preferable to an archy, says Cato, the great Roman statesman, and we are of the opinion that the people of Oregon will agree. with him. Are we prepared to entrust the control of our state to a party which opens Its declaration of principles with a veiled acceptance of anarchism? The maxrm "Equal opportunity.to all. special privilege to none." is only an other way of putting Mr. Roosavelt's demand for the square deal. The county Democracy has swiped the maxim bodily from the Republican President, and to conceal the peccadillo they have decked it out with those frills of rhetoric which are so dear to the hean of the orthodox Jeffersonian the orist. To President Roosevelt It means control of corporations, regulation of rates and reform of the trust-breeding tariff; to the Democrats it is an empty phrase which they wrote into their plat form for the same reason that Dogberry wanted to be written down an ass; they liked the sound of it. What It. meant they neither knew nor cared. In thorough consistency with their principle that anarchy is the best kind of government, the county Democrats declare In favor of wildcat bank cur rency. They know, or ought to know, what terrible evils this nwniclmi. do. vice of Satan has Inflicted upon the country in the past, but your true Bourbon learns nothing from experi ence. The only thing he values is his precious theory. How much destruction and misery it may wreak is of no con cern to him. Wildcat hank ore a ton toward anarchy; therefore he favors mem. iz ne could imagine anything worse In the wav of banks. Via wonirt prefer that; but, as he cannot, he de clares for wildcat banks as the worst thing possible. Such is Democracy. The platform declares that one cause of panics Is the fact that there Is not sumcient money to pay debts In hard times. This Is a new and naionishini- economic principle. Very likely, when n. name uegins capitalists throw ..their money into the Are. If they do not, then there is Just as much money dur ing a panic as at any other time. Credit ib me ming that is annihilated in a panic, not money; and when credit falls money cannot be borrowed. evn If we have a hundred times as many pangs as now. Multiplying banks can not avert panics, and the km, r . wildcat currency would make them all me mul e irequent ana disastrous. The platform denounces the principle of protection on grounds purely theoret ical. "The protective tariff is an un warranted interference with freedom of trade," and so on. Rational thinkers have long since agreed that protection Is sometimes a good thing for a country and sometimes not, according to cir cumstances. No general abstract prin ciple applies to the question. To ad vance the general welfare it Is some times necessary to interfere with the natural course of trade, as it is to in terfere with other natural processes. Civilization has been built up by a long series of Interferences with what Is nat ural. In these matters reason and ex perience must guide us, not wordy the ories. Tariff reform Is one thing; tariff destruction another and very different thing. President Roosevelt and the Re publican party, which he lend a. are for tariff reform; the county Democracy la for tariff destruction with the industrial anarchy which would follow thereupon. The voter may take his choice between the two methods. The platform desires some modifica tion of the present system of land own ership 'Hvhlch will permit unoccupied ana unused land to be given preferen tlally to him who will occupy and nse It." Presumably the county Democracy has never heard of the Republican homestead laws, which aim ait this very result and have largely attained It. How much farther would they go? Would they confiscate all land which the owner does not farm with his own hands? Probably, since this would be another step toward anarchy. How pleasing to the farmer who has an out lying pasture not in every-day use will be the prospect of seeing It sold to fill the pockets of a gang of Democratic state officials. We should fancy that this happy thought of the county De mocracy will vastly increase the rural vote for their ticket. The wordy theoretical paragraph upon railroads and other corporations comes in the end to the point that the Government should control them. This, of course, contradicts the fundamental principle upon which the platform is based, but a little matter like that does not trouble a true Democrat. He revels In contradictions and thrives on incon sistencies. But no matter about that We wish only to remark that this is exactly what the present Republican Administration Is doing and doing ef fectively. The President and Congress are brlna-lug the corporation under control. Shall we take the work out of their bands and entrust It to a group of theorists whose sincerity la at least doubtful and whose Incompetence la demonatrated by the whole hlatory of the Democratic party? Upon the whole, we may say of this amazing platform that It contains some good things borrowed from the Repub- Means and a large number of bad and dangerous ones which are genuine Democratic doctrine. What Its effect upon the voters will be remains to be seen, but there is so much sound com mon sense distributed among the popu la t ion of Oregon that one cannot expect it to gain a great many converts. ADVANCE IX INSURANCE RATES. The proposed 25 per cent advance In Insurance rates in the congested dis trlcts of Chicago, and of 50 per cent In Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee, will undoubt edly enable the insurance companies to recoup quickly their losses in the San Francisco disaster. There Is nothing in the plan that Indicates that the rights of the policy-holders were considered In the slightest degree, and it aocord Ingly seems strange that the able finan ciers who manage the fire insurance companies were satisfied with a flat advance of 50 per cent when a 100 per cent advance would have refilled their coffers so much sooner. Speaking from a selfish standpont, it is perhaps of Bin all consequence to the Oregon policy holder whether the rates in the Middle West are advanced or remain on the basis In effect before the San Fran cisco disaster made such enormous hauls on the reserve funds. But Oregon has an Interest In the matter, for the same insurance com panies that are doing business In the states mentioned are also doing bus ness in Oregon, and In a large propor tion of the business underwritten there is no difference dn the degree of risk assumed in the states named and In Oregon. If the unreasonable advance can be enforced without restricting or hampering the business of the compa nies interested in the states where It will first be tried, it will be a matter of but a short time until an attempt will be made to enforce the same advance In the Pacific Northwest. Rates in this state, and especially in Portland, are already very high. We have groaned under these excessive premiums for many years, paying them under protest on the assurance that the rate was a necessity in order to admit of the accu mulation of reserves which at any time might be needed to meet such emergen cies as that which finally did arise In San Francisco. San Francisco is more than half a century old, and some handsome sur pluses must have accumulated during that period prior to the disaster. It may also fee a thousand years before another such an emergency will arise. But the accumulating reserves which fifty years of profitable business In San Francisco had piled up, and those which another thousand years of rea sonable premiums would make avail able, are apparently not to be consid ered at this time. Instead there is a disposition to make the policy-holders of the United States pay up these losses at once in the form of Increased premiums, and thus not Interrupt the steady flow of fat dividends to the in surance men. But thete are objections to the plan, and before It has been car ried too far these objections may take the form of a revolt against the old-es tablished companies engaged in a new line of "high finance." An excellent opportunity is offered for the -establishment of local underwriting companies whose promoters will be satisfledrto do business on a moderate margin of profit for the risk Involved. It Is, of course, unreasonable to sup pose that an Insurance company can pay losses until it collects premiums sufficiently large to meet these losses. But the business of underwriting fire risks has become so universal that It requires no great knowledge of mathe matics to enable the underwriter to ascertain almost exactly the degree of risk. involved and the rate necessary to meet it- That the rates in effect prior to the San Francisco fire were suffi cient to admit of a healthy profit for the underwriters 1s well known and un derstood all over the Pacific Coast, and there Is no occasion for any advance at this time. Especially is this true in cities like Portland, where an excellent fire department and' ;ringent building rules have reduced the hazard of fire to a minimum. If the plan now pro posed for the Middle Western States te attempted in Oregon, It will be Ve- sisted, and a large Bhare of the under writing business may drift into the hands of local companies whose rates will be based on the risk Involved, and not on the amount that can be squeezed out of the policy-holders under the guise of an emergency demand. A DILEMMA. Mr. Withycombe's position unon the important matter of public utilities is worthy of especial notice and com mendation. He declares for public own ership and control of franchises, with private operation of the tangible prop erty of the corporations. This is sens! ble and right, and It Is precisely what The Oregonian has contended for these many months. Among the Democrats however, we lament to observe one of those discrepancies in the matter which do not seem to trouble their leaders at all, but which are a source of profound sorrow to their friends. Governor Chamberlain, in his opening pronuncia mento, declared for public ownership, not of the franchises only, but also of the tangible property; while the Mult nomah County Democracy comes out boldly and unmistakably against public ownership of the tangible property. We condole with the Governor In this dilemma of his. It is certainly trying to have one's supporters go back on one In this way and denounce his cherished principles. We hope the rift in the lute may not develop Into an out-and-out quarrel. Why not hold a new conven tion in the interest of party harmony and adopt some compromise, not to say compromising, declaration? THE ANTT-FRATERNITY RULE. The Board of Education of Chicago has taken most stringent measures against fraternities and sororities In its High Schools. The trustees utterly re fuse to temporize further with this evil even to the extent of permitting the continuance of membership in these or ganizations until the close of the cur rent school year. The board is com posed of fifteen members, and ten of these supported the "anti-fraternity rule" by which students must give up the fraternities or the honors of the High Schools. It Is understood that the other five were in favor of less precipi tate action, being inclined, for the sake of the Spring track meets and baseball and oratorical contests, to postpone ac tion against the societies until comple tion of this year's work. While school authorities in a number of cities agree that the Greek-letter so clety craze has been detrimental to the best interests of the schools; that It Is undemocratic and - tends to Jealousy clannishness and Intriguing for school offices, and Is, withal, inimical to the public school purpose, it, seems that Chicago educators have found its influ ence more pernicious than usual. Fail ing to control Its objectionable features, they have, in desperation, determined to stamp it out, even If It depopulates the High Schools. The question as to whether a minority of the pupils of the High Schools or the duly constituted educational authorities shall control 1s one that must be settled sooner or later, Prudent people are of the opinion that AN OVERWORKED SUBJECT. Now comes Dr. Lyman Beecher Sperry, of Oberlln, O., Indorsing before a large audience of men President Roosevelt's views upon race suicide. The half-made-up, miserably-housed, poorly-clad, sadiy-neglected children whose name is legion, that throng the byways of our cities, appear as pitiful exponents of the absurdly overworked theory that all men should be fathers and all women mothers, regardless of physical fitness, mental endowment or material conditions. That many people shirk the obligations of parentage who should take them up and discharge tbem to the benefit of the state Is true. But that many more who have no call to be parents, beyond that urged by Instincts purely selfish, is a fact of much greater Import to the state and the race. It Is the latter class that is influenced by "stale repetition hammered on the ear," regarding the abstract duty of reproduction. Thoughtful, responsible people whose progeny would and will be a benefit to the state, regulate these matters for themselves, regarding ex hortation upon the subject as an im pertinence, while the thoughtless and Irresponsible find in such exhortation indorsement of a numerous progeny for which they are unable to provide, and a challenge to society to come forward and help them clothe, feed and educate their children. Juvenile Courts. Children's Homes. Baby Homes, Refuge Homes and Boys' and Girls' Aid Societies active and populous representatives of each of which are found In this community stand as refutations of the statement that every married couple should bring children into the world, this being their first duty. The truth Is that Irresponsi ble parentage Is a far greater evil than is so-called race suicide, and the man who is the father of numerous children for whom he cannot, will not or does not provide is an nemy to the state, a 6courge upon thrift and a menace to society. A family is a good thing only when well ordered and comfortably provided for, and the parents of such families do not need advice in regard to increas ing or limiting the number of their chil dren. Public teachers will do well to confine their efforts to" the Inculcation and exaltation of personal responsibil ity. This object accomplished, the rest will follow without specific direction. The bill to make denatured alcohol free Is of enormous Importance to Ore gon and Washington. Denatured alco hol is made from potatoes. Potatoes are a staple crop In this section, and would be a source of vast wealth to the farmers if a steady market were as sured. The manufacture of denatured alcohol from, potatoes has enriched the farmers of Germany almost beyond cal culation. It is used, like gasoline, for fuel and light, and, If free, would cut off some of the pickings of Standard Oil. Therefore Aldrich holds up the bill in the Senate. The misdeeds of this pernicious personage have become in tolerable. His sleek subservience to Standard Oil Is not only a disgrace to the country, but a positive menace to the public welfare. The passing of Mrs. Jefferson Davis seems to be near. Even should the venerable widow of the one-time Con federate chief survive her present crit ical illness, her long lease of life must soon end. She was a young woman, full of Southern spirit and bitterness in the stormy days in which her husband held court In Montgomery. She is now nearly 80 years of age, and the record of her eventful life must soon be closed. The people of the South will mourn her, when the time comes, as a mother; those of the North will remember her with compassion as a woman of high spirit, whose hopes were bitterly dis appointed and who bore her disappoint ment heroically, but without ,the poor pretense of resignation. The Government crop report, which appeared yesterday, shows the acreage of Winter wheat to be 1,700,000 less than that reported sowed last Fall. By the enigmatical system of percentages which no one not in possession of the secret understands, we are Informed, that the condition on May 1 was 89, compared with 92 on May 1, 1905, and 85 the average for the past ten years on a corresponding date. The Chicago mar ket showed its Indifference to the re port with a sustained advance of less than of a cent per bushel. New wheat will be coming Into the markets of the Southwest in a few days, and until the crop is nearer safe than at this time, the future of the market is all a guess. Here are some statistics, easily re membered, to hand to visitors who In quire about the sources of Oregon's wealth: Daily lumber product, J50.0O0; daily flour product, $25,000; daily prod uct of all of Portland's factories, $90,- 000. While the extent of Portland's commerce is well known, the figures on manufacturing will, no doubt, surprise the average person not given to inves tigation. And be it remembered the foregoing statement is not made on the Seattle plan, but; Is based on the official report of the Federal Census Bureau. A growth of over 50 per cent in manu factures In four years is something worth talking about. The longshoremen's strike, which has paralyzed the commerce of the Great Lakes since May 1, has been settled, the men returning to work at the old wages pending a further conference on the subject. The strike, though only nine days old, worked great inconvenience to shippers and caused a loss both to worklngmen and their employers that will absorb a large portion of the sea son's profits. It is the old lesson, often conned but never fully learned, which teaches that concession In industrial differences, to be productive of the best results, should precede active hos tilities. The proposition reported from New Tork to loan San Francisco J50,000,000 in bonds on eteel structures and real estate to the amount of 50 per cent of value of ground and buildings will go a long way toward solving a problem the stricken city has been facing the past three weeks. Criminals do not fare so well on Brit ish soil as in the United States. We may look for quicker results In the way of capturing the trainrobbers who at tacked the Canadian Pacific's crack train than we are accustomed to on this side of the boundary line. Mr. Brown, late of Sing Sing, pre tended to be 3J Pierpont Morgan, Jr., of Astoria, Or., and of course he was caught. Why didn't he avoid all sus picion by pretending to be John Jacob Astor, of Astoria, Or.? Everybody knows that's where Astor comes from Farmers in the Applegate bottom near Kubli, in Josephine County, are planting sorghum extensively this Spring. The experiment last year re sulted in a quantity of first-class syrup. This is a "Made in Oregon" that ought to be fostered. Possibly they won't go to Jail; but somehow the oil trust and the beef trust, and the railroad trust and the coal trust, and a large assortment of other trusts, have reached the conclu slon that it IS some of the public's business. Grant's Pass is soon to vote on a proposition to sell bonds to provide for a fourth-ward schoolhouse of eight rooms. Nothing advertises a town so well as its red brick . schoolhouses. They point its way to progressive peo pie. The drug trust says there Isn't any drug trust. It Js simply the Proprie tary Association of America, banded to gether, no doubt, to keep down prices. Creffield will kn?w better than to try to rise again when he learns how soon Mitchell is likely again to be at liberty, MR. WITHrCOMBE'S CITIZ EN'SHIP Re Baa Voted Republican Ticket Since He Came of Age. PORTLAND. Or.. May 10. To the Edi tor.) I observe that an effort is made on the behalf of the Democratic opposi- lon to my election as Governor to show that I resided In Oregon for 17 years before I became a citizen. I will state the facts, so that the public may understand for all time how utterly baseless and unjust this par ticular fabrication is, and how easily confuted by the simple truth. 1 was born near Plymouth. Ens-land. March 2f, 1854. My father. Thomas Wlthycombe, my mother. Mary Ann Withycombe, my three brothers, John, Thomas and Philip, my sister Mary and myself, constituting the entire Withy- comoe family, came to Oregon in 1871 to become permanent residents and American citizens. Shortly after his arrival my father, Thomas Wlthy combe, declared his Intention of be coming a citizen of the United States. I was then 17 years of age. and 1 was informed that the act of my father naturalized all the minor members of the family. Deeming myself an American citizen I voted for Ruth erford B. Hayes for President in 1876, and I have ever since that time discharged with good conscience and to the best of my ability my full du ties as a loyal citizen of the great American republic. About 1888, a question was raised as to whether Thomas H. Tongue, then a candidate for State Senator, who was born in England and came to this country under circumstances similar to mine, was In fact a qualified American citi zen. It occurred to me then that pos sibly my own naturalization had not been regular, and in my great anxiety and desire to possess an absolutely un clouded title to my American citizen ship 1 went before Judge JLieady ana formally took out naturalization pa pers. I think that there never was me slightest question that from the time my father became a citizen I was my self a citizen. But I simply made as surance doubly sure. That is all there is to it. If I was not a citizen, I beg to sav to all Democratic gentlemen who are so much concerned about my nntlvitv. after my S5 years or con tinuous residence In Oregon, that I will waive the statute of limitations and submit to prosecution and trial for having cast an Illegal vote tor tne Republican ticket in 1876. and at every subsequent election in order that they mav hav? a clear and conclusive de termination of a mat ter that they now consider of real importance. JAMES Wllim;UMBii. REPORT ON STANDARD OIL. New York Sun. President Roosevelt's message of yes terdav has the unqualified approval of the Sun, so far as It publishes a deter, mlnatlon on his part to grapple now di rectly with the most powerful corpora tion in the United states lor emorce- ment of law and punishment of violations of the law. The enterprise Is worthy of the man, and the duty belongs to the office he holds. Everv Dower of the ed eral Government, every foot-pound' of energy In the Administration should be directed fearlessly, through the Depart ment of Justice, for the prosecution 01 the beneficiaries, both givers and taKers, of the enormous system of secret rates described In Commissioner Garfield's re port and exhibited by the President as the basis of his recommenaaxions. Creditable to the Administration, New York World. That Mr. Roosevelt has ventured to grapple with the Standard Oil Company is altogether creditable to him and to his Administration. No other Administration has ever Dresumed to challenge that arro gant corporation, and the President's conduct will surely nelp nis party in me Trn amnaiim. It was Rood politics, as well as good statesmanship; but It will be still better politics If Mr. Roosevelt Insists unon the most rigid entorcement of the present Interstate commerce law against the Standard Oil offend ers, and also recommends to uongress me restoration of the imprisonment clause, which was eliminated 6y tne fc.iKins amendment of 1903. which he signed. . In the matter of preventing the iniqui intia nrartlces exposed In the Garfield re port, it is time the Government of the United States ceaned to take the William Travers Jerome view that no millionaire can do anvthing for which he ought to be sent to Jail. Defiance of the Spirit of Law. Thn New York Tribune has held that a corporation should not be condemned merely on the score nf it immensity or of its colos sal success in overcoming business rival ry. If Its practices did not violate law and morals It was entitled to reap the benefits of business sagacity ana dusi ni foresieht. As we have said, apolo. gists for the Standard Oil Company have contended that its methods in recent years have been entirely legal, and some nf ita officers even now deny that the operations described by Commissioner Garfield actually violate existing stat utes. But It will be difficult to convince the American public tnat tne transac inn. KYimaMi rlo not constitute a defi ance of the spirit. If not the letter, of the law, and do not put the company in Yi unenviable attitude of profiting by practices which Congress has condemned and sought to put an ena 10. Secret Rebate a Coward's Device. i..,,minD- rcarnelrt'a nroofs are ade quate. the country will demand that Justice and the law have their due. We V. . . .-.....- r.h.t.c itinnM gee 1 1 , uuiuii o, . -, . . . ... . . . not be crushed out now for all time. It is a device of the business cowara ana Baain. it ia Aiahnnent and detestable. aooaaai.., w io - mi . v.aAa ( - anH RTrtnnc tnftsft liie nuiiii y . , . . -- c, who have openly condemned it were hypocrites who were an tne nine se cretly giving or receiving it. Here is a ..v. .... , n,oVo it knnwn In the most m . . - conspicuous manner that the American people will no longer wietam nw wn temptible fraud by which men and cor porations have so long sought to gain an Illegitimate advantage over nvuia. Come at n Critical Moment. Thn-irllTif. Press. Both message and report have ' come at the psychological moment. They find the Senate debating. They offer proof of railroad abuses that have been de nled. Public indignation will rise over the whole country. It will be impossible for the Senate longer to delay a meas ure demanded by Justice and the people. -D,i.4An pnAwpit i riKht. The rail roads cannot alone maintain rates against these great trusts, a uovcromunL com mission must stand ready to revise rates. ; i . Tn , ut iA na nnpn to a Fed eral examiner as a bank. Publicity is the only sure guaranty 01 nonesiy. namuau pools must be permitted under Govern ment supervision and approval in order to maintain rates. Shuffle Mixes Thirteen Babies. North American. Among the hundreds of San Francisco refugees who arrived at Denver, Colo and were cared for by the relief commit tee were 13 young babies. While their mothers were at supper last night a wo man In charge of the improvised nursery bathed the infants and dressed them In new clothes provided Dy tne reuei com mittee. She had Just completed her task when the mothers came back. They thought they had los their children, and there was a bedlam of lamentation until they had sorted over the babies and all were Identined. and ciaimea. Modjeska's Ranch as Refuge. Los-Angeles Dispatch. Madame Modjeska, the actress, ha olaced her ranch near here at the dis posal of refugees from San Francisco and other dtiea affected ,by earthquake and fire. - Local Option: Present and Proposed Careful Analysla of the Provlaloaa in the Measure to Be Submitted Vnder the Initiative to the Votere of Oregon .at the Comlag June Election How the Existing; Statute Standa and What Changes Are Intended to he Made. THE proposed amendment of the Ore gon local option law, which will be oted upon by the people at the June election, is a measure that has received quite extensive discussion, but that Is little understood in Its details, for the reason that it is rather long, and tiie average voter cannot take time to com pare the proposed new law with the or iginal. For the information of the voters of Oregon, an effort will be made in this article to present in concise form an im partial statement of the provisions of the present local option law and the pro posed amendment. The existing law was framed by the anti-saloon Interests and was adopted by the people at the gen eral election of 1904. The proposed amend ment was framed by the liquor interests. and will be voted upon June 4. 1906. The bill will appear upon the official ballot under the following title: "For amend ment to the local option law giving anti- prohibitionists and prohibitionists equal privileges." This title will be followed with the words "Yes" and "No." Those who want the present local option law amended will vote "Yes." Those who want the present law to stand will vote No." It is impossible to make a comparison of the proposed new law with the old. Eection by section, for the reason that the sections of the proposed law do not treat of the same subjects as the corres ponding sections of the present law.- The measure proposed by the liquor interests Is practically a repeal of the law drawn by the anti-liquor interests, and the sub. stltution of another law upon the same general subject, but entirely different in Its language and its provisions. The present law provides that an elec tion upon the question of the sale of liquor may be called in any precinct, in any district composed of a number of adjoining precincts, or in a county as a whole. The proposed new law provides for elections by single precincts only. The present law requires the signatures of 10 per cent of the voters of the dis trict affected in order to secure sunmii sion of the question of the sale of intoxi cating liquor. The proposed amendment requires the signaturer. of 30 per cent or the voters. Under the present law a liquor election may be held on the first Monday in June in any year, but when a precinct or ais trict has voted "dry," the question can not be again presented therein for two years, except at an election for the en tire county. When an entire county has gone "dry, the question cannot be presented again in any precinct of the county until the en tire county has again gone "wet." When the election is for an entire county, pro hibition becomes effective in any precinct that votes "dry." Under the proposed law. the elections must be held by pre cincts onlv. arifT when an election has been held, regardless of tne result, tne question cannot be voted upon In that precinct again for four years. Under the present law, an election upon the liquor question may be carried by a majority of the votes cast upon that bud- ject. Under the proposed law. a majority of all the votes cast at the election would be required to carry the election for prohibition. Thus, under the proposed law. If 100 votes were cast at the elec tion but only 80 of them marked upon IN THE OREGON COUNTRY. Viewed From Mount . Tacoma. Ledger. Some of those "Holy Rollers" at Se attle do not seem to have been much better than old Dowie. Women Astride. Walla Walla Union. A woman riding horseback ' "cross saddle" is one of the most awkward and uninspiring figures that mars the landscape Another Truth Self Kvldent. Salem Journal. The pioneers who stepped out at Champoeg half a century ago took de liberate political action to establish self-government by the people. The Small Bores. Salem Journal. God made the country. Men make cities. But men must have the mind to create to be creators. It is mind alone that is capable of greatness, and men of small minds never build great cities. Diagnosing Local Trouble. Baker Democrat. The work of the knockers has be come so strenuous that even the trans portation companies pass ua up as de serving anything like serious consid eration in the present stage of the de velopment game. Craftsmen All. ' Aberdeen Bulletin. As denoting that, after all, there's no particular significance in a name, it is interesting to observe that Mr. Carpenter is president and Mr. Shoemaker is secretary of the Paint ers' Union of this city. May Not Be Slghtlesa. Pendleton Tribune. If the hand of the law is raised against George Mitchell, the slayer of Frank C. Creffield, prophet of Holy Roller! sm, ex-convict, debaucher of women, and beast, then will the old adage be proven that Justice is blind. Caruso Twentieth Century Nero, New York Herald. Judge H. J. Cuthbert returned home HOW RAILROAD the liquor question, it would require 6t to carry the election for prohibition. In a liquor election under the present law, the affirmative is placed first upon the ballot, thus: "For Prohibition." "Against Prohibition." In a liquor election held under the pro posed law, the negative would be placed first upon the ballot, in this manner: "The sale of intoxicating liquors as beverage shall not be prohibited." The sale of Intoxicating liquors as a beverage shall be prohibited." Under the present law, petitions tor submission of the liquor question must bo filed SO days prior to the date of the elec tion. Under the proposed law. the peti tions must be flled 45 days prior to thn date of the election. Under both laws, the signers of the petitions must be regis tered voters. Under the present law. the sale of in toxicating liquor becomes unlawful on the first day of July after the election on the first Monday in June, if prohibition car ries. Under the proposed law, a vote for prohibition would not become effective until after 90 days from the entering of the record of the result of the election. The present law prescribes a penalty of fine of from J50 to $500 or Imprisonment in the county Jail 10 to SO days, or by both fine and imprisonment. The proposed law fixes the penalty at a fine of not mom than S250 for the first offense, ana not. more than $500 for the second offeuse. with no Imprisonment. The present law prohibits the sale or giving away of Intoxicating liquors in a prohibition county or precinct, except pure alcohol for scientific purposes, or wines to church officials for sacramental purposes, or stimulants as medicine li cases of actual sickness, but such stimu lants must be sold only upon the written. prescription of a regularly practicing phy sician, and a prescription can be used but once and must be canceled and placed on file when used. The proposed law would prohibit the sale or giving away of intoxicating liquors, except at whole sale, and except for medicinal, pharma ceutical, scientific or sacramental pur. poses, and when sold for medicinal pur poses they shall be sold only In good faith upon a written prescription by a phy sician 1n active practice, "which pre scription shall not be used but once." "Vlia proposed law expressly provides that the giving away of Intoxicants by a person in his private dwelling, unless such dwelling Is a place of public resort, shall not be a violation of the law. . The present law requires Circuit Judges to call attention of Grand Juries to the prohibition law. and makes It the duty of the District Attorneys to file com plaints against persons Belling liquor un lawfully, and requires the Circuit Judges or magistrates to Issue warrants com manding the Sheriff or Constable to search the place where it is charged liquors are sold, and if admission be re fused he may force his way in and arrest and hold for trial the persons who have violated the law. The present law makes the persons to whom liquor is sold com petent witnesses, and provides that It shall not be necessary to show the knowl edge of the principal in order to convict for the acts of an agent; also that the Issuance of a license or Internal revenue special tax stamp by the Federal Govern ment for the sale of liquor shall be prima facie evidence that such person is selling or giving away intoxicating liquors. The proposed law omits these provisions. last night from San Francisco, and told of his experiences there during the great earthquake. He was in the Palace Hotel when the shock came, end he Immediately jumped from bed. Judge Cuthbert said that al most the first person he saw as ha reached the street was Caruso. H was standing on the corner near the hotel, singing the scales and trying his voice. He Taught Israel Zangwlll. Baltimore News. After a period of 53 years spent in the service of the Jews' Free School, Bell Lane, Spltalnelds, England, L. B. Abra hams, the head master, will shortly re tire. He is 67 years old, Israel Zangwill was one of his pupils. The Jews' Free School is said to be the largest element ary school in the . world, having; 3500 pu pils. When Hobson Comes. B. A. In American Spectator. Captain Richmond Pearson Hobson has been nominated for Congress, the nomina tion Is equivalent to election. News Item. Yea, bang the drums when Hobson comes to Cong-ress, though 'tis true The galleries for ladles will be full the ses sion through : The latest millinery on many a "queen" and "fairy," Will nod approval when he speaks, with unmlstaken vim: And maidens all ecstatic, albeit ungram xnatlc, While chewing fudge will point and nudge and whisper, "There, that's HIM:" They will not let him go, you bet! when his day's work Is o'er: They'll hang around as If It were a mati- nee's stage door: The hero of the Merrlmae will have to give ' the very smack He used when after Spain's defeat be gained such lasting fame. And all old maids pedantic will besiege with antics fantlc. And as they say In service way, will' have Just "same to same." Few will be sad and more be glad when Hobson lifts his voice Aloud in Halls of Congress to proclaim that "Hobson's choice" la a large and well-manned navy, for we're with him there, b' gravy! Here's hoping that 'our Uncle Sam will Join the glad refrain! We'll forgive ail osculation If Hebson puts the Nation Where It will sure hold peace secure by rule of might and main. REBATES WORK From the PiUaburs Diptch.