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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 1907)
8 THE -MORS ISC OKLGOMAX, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1907. SIBMRIFTION RATES. ILT INVARIABLY IN ADVANCE, tHy Mall.) rllj-. Sunday Included, on year..... .$8.00 Pally, Sunday Included, six month.... 4-25 raily. Sunday Included, three months.. 2.3 Iaily, Sunday lnclndud, one month.... -73 rally, without Sunday, one year....... e-0 rtally, without Sunday, six months 3.25 Rally, without Sunday, three months.. 1.75 Dally, without Sunday, one month 0 Sunday, one year 2-30 Weekly, one year (lseued Thursday)... 1-50 Eunday and Weekly, one year 8-50 BY" CARRIER. rially, Sunday Included, one year 0 00 Dally, Sunday Included, one month 75 HOW TO REMIT Send postofflce money order, express order or personal check on your local bank. Stamps, coin or currency are at the sender's risk. Give postofflce ad dress In tull, including county and state, POSTAGE RATES. Entered at Portland, Oreeon, Postofflce mm Second-Class Matter. lO to 14 Pages 1 cent 1 to 2S Pubcs 2 cents 30 to 44 Paiees 3 cents (1 to tSO Pages 4 cents Foreign Postage, double rates. IMPORTANT The postal laws are strict. Newspapers on which postage Is not fully prepaid are not forwarded to destination. EASTERN BUSINESS OFFICE. The 8. C. Berkwlth Special Asjency New fork, rooms 43-50 Tribune building. Chi cago, rooms 51U-S12 Tribune building. KEPT ON SALE. Chu-ago Auditorium Annex, Postolllce Jews Co.. ITS Dearboru street. St. Paul, Minn. N. St. Marie, Commercial Station. .Colorado Springs, Colo. Western. News Agency. Denver Hamilton & Hendrlck, 006-912 Seventeenth street; Pratt Book Store, 1214 Fifteenth street; I. Weinsteln; H. P. Han sen. Kansas Clly, Mo. P.lcksecker Cigar Co Ninth and Walnut. Minneapolis M. J. Kavanaugh, 50 South Third. Cleveland, O. Jamea Pushaw, 30T Su perior street. Atluntie City, N. J. Ell Taylor Knr York ily li. 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In his testimony before the Interstate Commerce Commission, In San Fran cisco, Mr. Schwerln placed Portland in rather a poor light by declaring- that the Harriman Oriental line out of this city had been operated at a heavy loss. The natural inference to be drawn from such a statement la that there is in sufficient business In thlt port to sup port an Oriental line. As a matter of .fact, the real reason why the Harri man line from Portland has always shown a loss is that it has been so jioorly managed that the service was, and Is, totally Inadequate to the re quirements of the port. Until quite re cently there has never been a period since the establishment of an Oriental steamship Jine out of Portland when a shipper could book orders more than a month ahead, with assurance that he could secure the space needed. Within the last year there has been some im provement, and the local officials use their best endeavors to take care of the trade. But with the Ilarrtman line it is a case of locking the stable door after the horse was stolen; . The mischief was wrought during the early days of the Schwerln regime. Between Mr. Ilar riman'fl San Francisco line to the Ori ent and his Portland1 line to the Orient there was about the came kind of com petition as ' is in effect between his Southern Pacific and his Union Pacific It was even worse for Portland, for In the case of the steamship line we were from the first given an Insufficient num ber of steamers' for handling the busi ness. Naturally this had a tendency to drive the trade to the Puget Sound lines, and for the past five years we have witnessed shipments aggregating ,Jhousanc of tons annually diverted to Puget Sound territory, where an effi cient steamship service is maintained, regardless of the size of the offerings. In other words, a shipper can sell goods In the Orient for shipment on a given month by way of Seattle with positive assurance that he -can ship on that month. Recently it has been possible to do this to a degree from Portland, but the reform came too late and a large amount of Oregon business has already become settled in the Puget Sound groove and is not easily switched at this late day.. All of this is fully understood by Ore gonians, audi would not be referred to now had air. bchwerin refrained from casting aspersions on a port which he has never treated properly. Mr. Schwerin's Oriental line out of Portland 1s losing' money because It as not oper- a ti ldl statement- but is hnnArl on men who know how to operate a line. One of this cjass, Mr. Frank Water house, of Seattle, has Just established an Oriental line out of Portland to North -China ports, giving a service which the Harriman line should have given us long ago. And Mr. Water house, with no rail connection to help lilni with either inward or outward freight, has booked his space on the Portland steamers well into April; but, unlike Air. Schwerln, he is in readi ness to supply shippers with all of the tonnage that is .needed and will make money out of it. Mr. Schwerin testified that' the Santa Fee trans-Pacific line was discontinued "f -auee the service did not pay. The Principal cause of its failure to pay was the slashing of rates by Mr. Schweiin to Jl per ton. Here also was :"i illustration of his incompetence as "teamshlp man, for, at the time he hegan fighting the China Commercial fctf-amship Company with a $l-per-ton rate, every steamer on the Pacific Coast was taxed to her capacity to hfnl!e the business and with the im mense offerings it would have been an easy matter to advance rates to S lr ton. Failure of the Portland line to pay expenses is not due to lack of fV''ieTht offorinES, or to the rates ob tainable, jt is due to the insufferable niauagi;Uleut, .of Mr. K. P. &chwerin, who is incidentally " responsible for the steamship service to now enjoy on the San Francisco route. JONES HOT AIR AND FREE LOCKS. The Government ought to own and operate the locks at Oregon City. They are, and have been Tor years, an em bargo on all Willamette Valley com merce. Kvery 'pound of freight that comes down or passes up the river must pay toll to the owners of the locks; and the toll conies out of the producer. And every pound of freight from the "Valley that conies by rail must pay the same toll, for rail rates are regulated and con trolled by the water rate. It is axiom atic that free commerce on en open river establishes the transportation charge by all other routes. The present owners of the' locks place aipon them the extravagant valuation of $1,200,000. The Government, in order to "-control the commerce of the river, must either condemn and purchase the locks or build new ones. New locks, with the necessary purchases of right of way, are estimated to co6t approximately $600,000, and probably more, before the work can be completed. It has seemed to The Oregonian that purchase of the old locks, or construc tion of new locks, even at the lesser figure, is too great an undertaking for the state. The Oregonian has not, on that account, and on other accounts, been able to give unqualified approval to the so-called Jones bill, or to any other measure that contemplates so large an expenditure. It thinks, how ever, the House at Salem adopted- the proper course on the Jones bill when it agreed to make a contingent appro priation for the free-locks project, pro vided theGovernment would purchase them. The Oregonian believes that $50,000 ought to be a sufficient sum to demonstrate to the Government the state's good faith and willingness to do its share. If that sum should be the btisis of an appeal to Congress, Repre sentative Hawley outrht to have no dif ficulty in persuading the Government to make a sufficient appropriation to buy the old looks or to build new ones. Representative Jones, at Salem, we hear, has informed) the other members of the House that The Oregonian is op posed to the free-locks project because it "owns stock in the locks company and does not want to be deprived of its holdings." Not true. Neither The Ore gonian nor its proprietors owns a dol lar's worth of stock in the locks com pany or any company that has any pro prietary interest whatever in any en terprise of any kind at the Falls of the Willamette. If it did have such owner ship, it would have had adequate rea son to support Mr. Jones' original locks bill, with the suspicious omissions which Mr. Jones says were inadw "through oversight." No ddubt. It is not Improper to say that The Oregonian called attention to the "oversight." Hence Mr. Jones' anger, false state ments and false charges. It will not be a in Us to remark t hat The Oregonian, knowing something of Mr. Jones, caused his bill to be scrutinized ex pecting to find omissions ."through oversight." It did. 6IN FIT. ART. The letter from the person who signs himself "Rubens" is printed, in spite of its doubtful morality, because it illus trates the point that was made in the editorial note which he quotes. The in cidents which his imagination invents and evidently relishes are not such as would occur to a healthy mind. They reveal precisely that sort of degenerate depravity which finds wrong in works of art. The world cannot and ought not to be regulated for the abnormal, but for the normal, individual. This principle is of the widest application. The tendency is manifest in our legis lation to adapt society to the tastes and needs of the depraved; the unhealthy, the morbid, the weak-willed. Thus temperance legislation, so-called, im poses needless restrictions -upon the normal -man for the sake of the abnor mal. The same may be said of almost all laws which seek to punish some citizens because the mental imbecile lacks volition. It is especially true of regulations which class works of art with indecent books and pictures. These regulations lower the general moral tone of society to the level of the abnormally prurient. They deprive the sane and healthy man of pleasure which Is perfectly legitimate in order to keep degenerate Imaginations within the limits of decency. The pathetic as pect Of the matter is that, while such laws are efficient to destroy art and de prave the national taste, they are per feotly useless as safeguards for the un wholesome individuals whose welfare they aim at. "Rubens" is an exquisite type of the sort of man we have in mind. FREE WATER ONCE MORE. . The Oregonian will say a word or two in reply to Mr. Wagnon's argument for free water; but before doing so it may be better to clear away some possible misconceptions. While opposing free water, we do not favor unfair or dis criminatory rates. It is quite likely that the rates at present charged dis criminate against the small consumer; if they do they should be modified and made uniform. It is also likely that they are higher than necessity or sound policy requires; in that case they should be cut down. The advocates of free water compute that the charge to the small consumer need not exceed some $4 a year, and we have seen nothing which refutes their estimate. Unless they are wrong, the water rates should be reduced to this figure. The Orego nian desires Justice in this matter quite as eagerly as Mr. Wagnon or any of his friends; our only difference concerns the proper way to secure justice. Mr. Wagnon thinks it is best to make water free to 'the householder; we do not. With the issue thus clearly stated the case may be argued comfortably and without unnecessary heat. We hold that free water would be a donation to the landlords of its full capitalized value. They would add this amount to the selling price of their holdings and raise rents in the same proportion. A dwelling with free water is worth more than one where water must be paid for. This Is a perfectly obvious fact which cannot be evaded. We think that landlords are neither better nor worse than other men; but they will take all they can get, just as Mr. Wagnon himself would do, and just as everybody does under our Chris tian civilization. Free water Svould give them an opportunity to extort an increase in rent at least equal to the increase in their taxes, and there is no doubt whatever that they would im prove it. To the householder it is per haps indifferent whether he pays water rates directly or in the form of rent and taxes; but capitalized free water would be a bonanza to the man who holds unimproved real estate, since he could immediately adds it to the selling price. We venture to pre dict that the free-water ordinance. If it carries, will be followed almost at once by a rise in the price of suburban lots. The Oregonian agrees with Mr. Wag non that "the Bull Run water system belongs to all the people of Portland, and not to the propertywners." This Is, in- fact, one of our principal reasons for saying that every person should pay for water In proportion "to the quantity he uses. What each individual sepa rates from the common store and de votes to his own use, that he should pay for. If water could be used in common, like the streets or the schools, our argument would fail; but It cannot. The distinction is fundamental and per fectly clear. Mr. Wagnon wishes to know what couldl be done with the extra money collected for .water rates. The answer is plain. Since It would be derived from the sale of common property! should be used- for the common good. Portland needs parks, boulevards, play grounds, fountains and . an improved river front. One need not look far or long to find plenty of uses for surplus funds without donating them to land lords. The Oregonian Joins with Mr. Wag non in his wish for fair play. It only hopes that in the effort to secure fair play the voters may not through lack of thought defeat their own purpose. HOW TO WRITE TO THE PAPER. The Oregonian is obliged! again to admonish, its many correspondents to make their communications as brief as possible. There is heavy -demand on the columns of The Oregonian from all quarters. The news of the day cannot be slighted, and miscellaneous and edi torial articles of timely interest and im portance must be printed. The Legis latures of Oregon, Washington and Idaho are now in session, and must have large attention, because of the many questions of public moment they are considering. For that reason more people than usual desire public hearing through the columns of The Oregonian i hearing that will be cheerfully given if correspondents w-ill observe reasonable conditions as to space, In telligibility, legibility and topical value. The correspondent who makes his ar ticle brief, pointed; and ' pertinent not only commends it to favorable editorial consideration, but he is sure to get niore readers. The writer who sends his letter in with a noni de plume, even when he submits his real name "as a guaranty of good faith," need not be surprised when it does not appear. A genuine signature gives authenticity, authority and character to a communi cation. An anonymous communication, while it may have merit, is not often worthy of much attention. It is a good newspaper rule, which The Oregonian follows as faithfully as it can, to reject all communications where the writers request that their names be withheld. There are justifiable exceptions to this rule, but they are not frequent. An anonymous writer gives to the public the unavoidable impression that he fears to be held accountable for what he says. If his article is accepted and printed, it is an implication at least that the newspaper printing it is will ing to be held accountable. In most cases it is not. When a reputable newspaper has anything to say, the newspaper says it. So should a reputa ble correspondent, although, as we have said, there are cases where anonymity is not only desirable, but proper. A correspondent who insists in ex hausting, his subject before he con cludes it is likely also to exhaust the public before it concludes. He will get few readers unless his letter should be of commanding excellence throughout. Cut it short, then; make it readable and relevant, and your- letter will very likely appear promptly. SITTTS" AND DEMAND AGAIN. For the four days ending January 1 there arrived in San Francisco harbor 83 vessels, carrying 41,863,000 feet of lumber. Since that time more than 50.000,000 feet has been added to the receipts in the Bay City. This is an enormous quantity of. lumber even for reconstruction work in a great city like San Francisco, and its effect is noticeable in a decline in prices. With lower prices for lumber must' come lower freight rates, and so, after all, the old law of supply and "demand has again asserted itself. For many months the vessel owners of the Pacific Coast have been enjoying splendid dividends which more than offset some of the lean years of the past. High freights brought-into service a large number of ancient vessels, many of which had been retired to the bone yard, their days of usefulness in or dinary circumstances over. The ex traordinary conditions which have ex isted in the great demand for lumber, and the Inability of the railroads to handle it, also resulted in the building of a large number of steam schooners. Many of these craft are already in service, and have more than paid for themselves since the rise in freights began. Some of the others will be a little late on the market, but the nat ural growth of the country will be sufficient to supply them with consid erable business at living rates, at least, when there is readjustment of rates on a more reasonable basis than that which, has existed for many months. Of course with a decline in the price of lumber there will be a correspond ing reduction in the price of logs un less in the meantime there should be an opportunity for our .manufacturers again to enter the Eastern trade from which the car shortage has barred' them. The situation is remindful of the fact that there are limitations to the prices of any and all commodities, and that, after a certain level is reached, reactions are bound to fallow. It is extremely doubtful if we shall ever again see lumber as cheap as it has been in the past, or freights as low, but there is leeway for a little further decline at this time. A great fire and a heavy sleet storm are practical demonstrators of the coming necessity of placing under ground wires carrying electricity about city streets. The great multiplicity of wires demanded! by the methods of modern life render them an element of danger that cannot much longer be overlooked. The heavy poles, with their many cross-beams and tangled wires, that lie upon many of our thoroughfares emphasize this danger and furnish some excuse for the de claration that the weather conditions that prevailed in this city and vicin ity Monday and Tuesday were never before known in this region. As a mat ter of fact we have had similar storms, now and then, but never before were the people of such a wide area de pendent upon streetcars in getting to and from their homes, and never be fore, when, the sleet king came, did he find such, a maze of wires to coat with his silver mantle, or such a forest of trolley and telephone poles in his path. Trees in parks and! orchards, and shrubbery upon lawns have in other yeais the last time in 1895 suffered as they suffered, this , time. They were here; the forest of poles and the network of wires were not. The United States has notified the Mexican government that a large num ber of Assyrians afflicted! with trach oma and other diseases are sneaking into this country by the Mexican bor der, and that we would like to have Mexico keep them on her own side of the line. As a sore-eyedi Assyrian would not be much more valuable to -Mexico than to the United States, it is hardly probable that the mild remon strance will have much effect. It might also be well for the Government to in timate to the Canadians that we have but" little room over "here for Hindoos, who are so reserved in their manners and customs that it Js impossible to de termine their sex until they, or some of them, give birth to children. Can ada is already remonstrating against the presence of so many of these strange people, and is undoubtedly passing them on to this country when ever opportunity offers. The tariff-reform issue is making progress. In discussing the Berlin tariff conference and the probahlo ac tion of the American Government, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer says that "it may be that both, the Senate and House of Representatives would take the lib eral, progressive view of the matter, in stead of holding tenaciously to the nar row, technical view, in which event a large step would be taken toward the solution of the Nation's tariff prob lems." A little labor on these lines from other newspapers not wholly com mitted to the present unfair and out rageous tariff system might bring re sults and prevent the party in power from falling head over heels into the pit which the high-tariff men have been digging for the party as v eil as them selves. President Roosevelt's Cabinet has, in his five and one-half years of incum bency of the Presidential office, under gone many changes. The retirement of Secretary Hitchcock leaves but one of the original members of the Presi dent's official family James Wilson, Secretary of Agriculture. There has been a total of twenty-six changes' in the Cabinet during this period, many of them being the shifting of members from one department to another. It has been as if, trying strong men, the President has found out the positions for which they were best fitted and placed them therein. This process of Cabinet construction has much to com mend it. It has certainly produced a strong and efficient working body of National counsellors. What's the matter with that Seattle spirit we have read so much about? The Washington Legislature passed a bill giving the Queen. City a cool mil lion for her Alaska exposition. This was a greater sum than was appropri ated by any other state that ever held an exposition, and by all rules of prece dent the Seattle papers -should have spread the glad news all over the front pages. Instead the announcement w as tucked away on the Inside pages along with other legislative mention, like the passage of a bill correcting the defini tion of certain legal acts, etc. Seattle missed the greatest opportunity she has yet had for advertising the propor tions of her show. Some ' misgivings are expressed at Washington . over the difficulty in se curing good, men to accept consular po sitions. The requirements under the new rules are much more severe than under the old, and it is feared that there will be an insufficient number of applicants to fill the vacancies. The trouble with Secretary Root's require ments are that they diernand a $300 to $500 per month man for positions where the salary is only $150 to $200. The sal aries paid by the Government to its foreign Consuls would .have no attrac tion' for the commercial travelers who are carrying the trade of the United States around the world. Whatever the opinion of the public may be toward Chester Thompson, on trial for the murder of Judge Emory, nothing but pity can be felt for the aged father whose wonderful eloquence is moving judge, jury and audience to tears at the Tacoma trial. None but a father can appreciate the emotions with which the worn and feeble old man is torn, but few indeed are the fathers, who have been gifted with the power to make such eloquent pleadings for a life which means so much to them and so little to those who demand that the crime be avenged. Mr. Secretary Shaw carefully ex cludes the American consumer from any share in the benefits of his "bond ed territory," where all kinds of raw material are to be admitted free of duty. The products of this free port "should be for export and for export only," he says. How Jong will Ameri cans consent to pay trust -prices at home in order to sell cheap goods to foreigners? Again the evil forces of the air have broken loose and are riding upon the Dakotas and Montana. Let us hope that the breath of riotous old Boreas will be spent by the time the summit of the Rocky Mountains is reached. An other "cold snap" just now in this re gion would be unprecedented as well as depleting to patience and purse. Now the prophets say we are to have another flood and after the flood an other freeze. This dread alternative Is becoming 'wearisome. The Legislature might well pay some little attention to these unrestrained prophets. We do not suggest a tax, but something ought t6 be done to restore the weather to normal equalness. Pittsburg has another title to Immor tal fame. Some, hundreds of her citi zens mustered up courage to pursue one defenseless negro the other day and would have killed him if a police man had not interfered. This is true glory. Give Pittsburg a harp. A railroad to -the summit of Mount Hood would be a. comparatively simple engineering feat in these days." The plan to build It is entirely practicable, and as the country develops the road would probably become a paying piece of property. - ' - - Is the reproach that "the House has no head" equivalent to saying that it has no brains? Not always. " "Very often the more brains a legislative body possesses the less use it finds for a "head." WEALTH CONCENTRATION LESSONS Mr. Call's Views on Indebtedness, Bisk Deposits, Storks, Etc. NEW YORK CITY, Jan. 21. (To the Editor!) I submit the following cor rections of the published reports re lating to my paper, entitled "The Con centration of Wealth," read before the American Association for the Advance ment of Science, at its recent session in New York City. My estimate as to wealth concen tration is that 1 per cent of the popu lation of the United States 'now owns practically 90 per cent of the entire wealth of the Xatlon. My estimate as to Indebtedness Is based upon the cen sus of 1890, giving our mortgage, bond and general Indebtedness, public and private, at that time, as $18,027,170,546. The census of 1900 . is reprehensibly silent upon this Important subject; and. notwithstanding the excessive bonding of our corporations within this period, I have assumed that our indebtedness has increased only in the same propor tion as our National wealth has itself increased; bringing the total at this date to, approximately, $30,000,000,000. I then continue: "But the stocks of our railway, trust and other corpora tions are expected to draw dividends, and constitute as truly an Indebtedness upon the part of the public to the own ers of wealth as do mortgages and bonds themselves; and these, under their present enormous overcapitaliza tion, would perhaps double our debt burden; with trie power given these cor porations to levy a -tax upon the in dustry and property of the nation, as extortionate in extent as were that debt burden to exceed, in fact, all the actual, tangible wealth of the nation." It will be seen, at a glance, that this is a vastly different statement from that attributed to me in the reports, to the effect that this indebtedness does in fact exceed all the actual, tangible wealth of the nation. In disproof of this estimate, as- to wealth concentration, an enumeration is given of farms, homes, savings bank deposits, insurance policies, and even corporation stocks, in the possession of the people. While a distinguished fi nancier disposes of my' estimate as to indebtedness by the assertion that "a share of stock in a corporation is not a debt in the economic sense of the term; but is simply the certificate of title to joint ownership in a valuable property;" and therefore concludes that this estimate is "intrinsically ab surd." But, however, our financiers may settle this question to their own satisfaction, so far as the public is concerned the payment of dividends upon these stocks differs only in name from the payment of interest upon the bonds: and the public it is that pays both interest and dividends; even as it has already paid for the properties themselves, besides contributing to the enormous fortunes of the finan ciers in control. What,. Indeed, is the preponderat ing part of the "valuable property," of which these stocks are "a certificate of title to," but the power given these corporations to tax the public upon all its products, supplies, and public ser vices? This it is that has already com pelled the public not only to pay for the properties, but also to build up the enormous fortunes of the exploiters of these corporations; and that now en ables these financiers to recapitalize the properties at three, or even five times their real worth. The some $40, 000,000,000 of these "securities." thus constitute, in fact, a first lien, or "blanket" mortgage, upon all the prop erty of the nation; and not until this incumbrance is "lifted" can the farmer otj other citizen be said, in any true sense, to own his farm or home; nor, until then, can any enumeration of farms or homes, as being "popularly owned," be considered at all conclu sive upon this subject, or as substan tially affecting my estimate of wealth concentration. Nor yet can the people be said, to an appreciable extent, to be the pro prietors of these corporations. If the wage earner has invested his hard earned and scantily spared savings in a share of corporation stock, it is because he has been lured, as in the case of the United States Steel Cor poration, into the belief that his in vestment would be safe, as well as available in case of need. And with this well-remembered exception, and perhaps two or three other operations of like character, the owners of these corporation stocks will, as a rule, be found very safely included within the 800,000 names, constituting the one per cent of our population designated as the so-called "wealthy class," em braced in my estimate. Nor yet can the items of savings bank deposits, and insurance policies extant, be said to argue the posses- ( slon of wealth in the body of the peo ple, ine lew aouars deposited in ina savings bank, usually constitutes the sole dependence of the toiler and his family against sickness, the loss of employment, or any of the 'thousand and one vicissitudes of life that beset the "hand-td-mouth" existence of the great body of our population; and. it therefore remains, and is increased, as a precious possession; even though the debts of the depositor may exceed, many times, the small pittance depos ited. So also insurance is, again, al most the sole dependence of the toiler's family in case of his death; and is, therefore, taken out, and the premium paid, so long as the holder can bog or borrow a dollar, and regardless of every other obligation. In order, then, to arrive at any Just estimate as to wealth concentration it will be necessary to place over against the farm or home and other assets of every citizen, not only his own Individual liabilities, but also the proportion his property, labor and liv ing are compelled to bear of the enor mous overcapitalization of our trusts, railways and other corporations pos sessing monopoly, or taxing, powers. Such overcapitalization is but the capi talization of the power of these cor porations to compel this contribution, and as well might we omit the mort gage upon farm or home, as to omit this item from our estimate of the owner's solvency. Upon this, the only correct, basis of computation my esti mate of 10 per cent of our national wealth as yet remaining with the body of the people would seem to be a gross exaggeration. By way of personal explanation, I desire to say that I am not a member of the Socialist party, nor in any sense its authorized spokesman. My Interest in economic subjects is solely that of a student and writer, and so little de sirous have I been of enrolling my name with the "would-be famous," or in the archives of "Who's who ln Amer ica,"' that practically all of my writ ings have been under a nom-de-plume. It was because the eminent scientists, in charge of the economic section of the association, were familiar with my writings that a communication was addressed to me requesting me to pre sent a paper before the association. HENRY LAURENS CALL. . The Sailor. Josphtne Dodge Daskara. Toil hold me for a day, my dear, I lose, you for a life. And that's the sailor's way, my aest A love, but not a wife. 'Tl never I will blame you, " 'Tis not my eyes are wet, But 'tis I that must remember 'Tis you that will forget. Tou kls me for a night, my dear, I kiss you for the years. And that's the sailor's right, my dear. And life's too short for tears. -Tis never will I stay with you When once the moon has set. But 'tis I that must remember' 'Tis you that will forge). PORTLAND-AIASKA TRADE. Time Ripe to Secure w Customers In Far North. PORTLAND, Jan. 31. (To the Editors Having been a resident of Alaska for a number of years, being at present Post master of Nome, and having lately be come identified with a corporation whose headquarters are at Portland, I am in terested In the material progress of this city and in the matter of ayiirect steam ship line to the Far North, by which I believe Portland could be much benefited. In this connection, I wish to call your at tention to an article taken from a recent number of the Nome Nugget: "Why is Seattle losing Alaska trade? Instances of ill-treatment at the hands of the Seattle merchants are too numerous to mention. Any one merchant can recite enough of them to fill a page. Not only are inferior brands substituted, and goods packed so carelessly that they are dam aged en route, but all kinds of extra charges are worked in. and the local merchants feel specifically fortunate if they get anything as ordered. Goods which would be returned if sold outside are sent here, for the Seattle merchants know, once the freight is paid at this end, that the goods will have to be sold. In fact, Alaska is used as a dumping ground by many of the Seattle mer chants. If the Chamber of Commerce of that town desires direct and conclusive evidence why it is losing trade, let It send a representative here. As long as it is guided by- the views of the Seattle merchants it will continue to lose trade. (Portland, which is a large jobbing center, has a grand opportunity to "cut some ice' in Northern trade, should it establish a line of boats to Northern ports." Now. is there any reason why Port land should not fight for a share of this immense and growing trade? I must con fess I can see none. I admit it will re quire money, energy and determination. But is the trade not worth it? I believe so. Alaska is In its Infancy. The peo ple, to a large degree, are anxious to trade with Portland, and Portland should, for her own sake, seek their trade. If a direct and independent steamship line cannot be secured, would it not be pos sible to arrange for some steamers, such as those of the Pacific Coast Steamship Company, to visit Portland? That com pany is going to have a large fleet on the Alaska run next season, and possioiy ar rangements could be made with them to come to this port. I must confess that being a recent ar rival in this city it is to be presumed that I am not familiar -with all the facts in the, case. But basing my deductions upon the knowledge that I now possess, it is difficult for me to understand why Port land should not have her full share of the Alaskan trade. FRANK W. SKVANTON CHOICE FOR EXPOSITION GRANTS But With Jamestown and Seattle the IjBtter Should Lend. HIU.SDALE. Or.. Jan. 31. (To the Editor.) As was to be expeVted, the Jamestown appropriation was turned down, simply because it c:illcd for more money than the results to be ob tained would warrant. I fool confident that if the amount asked had been a reasonable one, say $15,000 for exhibits and $."O0D for literature, no opposition would have boon made. Personally, I believe Oregon should make an exhibit at Jamestown, if only of our fruits and grains, to induce Im migration and extend our markets. Comparisons are odious, but the James town Kxposition is not the first one, for wo have participated in many oth ers at much less expense, and have achieved magnificent results, as the records show. For instance: Appropriation. Expended. Omnha $l.',,oi.o Jll.ouO ttufralo 20.00 17,000 Charleston B.ooo 4,:uin Japan 4.000 All four of these exhibits together cost less money than either our ex hibits at Chicago or St. Louis. I feel confident that if considered in the ri;ht light -and spirit a small ap propriation will be forthcoming. But If even a small amount for Jamestown would have to be cut out of the ap propriation expected for the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition it had better not be appropriated. For we need a large appropriation for the latter named exposition, as Oregon owes It to herself and the benefits to be de rived from it to be there "with both feet," if you will permit me to use a street phrase. Oregon will derive as much if not more benefit from the Seat tle Exposition than Washington did from the Lewis and Clark Exposition. HENRY E. LOSCH. 'Possum Nearly Kills a Cow. Belalre (Ohio) Dispatch to Cincinnati Enquirer. Leo Crow, Harry La Roch. Nick Wag ner, and Will Phillips, well-known young men, were on the hills back of the city when they saw a large opossum viciously attacking a cow. The animal was Jumping viciously at the cow, biting it about the nose and throat, from which blood was streaming freely. The cow was helpless to defend itself from the attacks of the opossum, which would have killed it had it not been disturbed. It was so engrossed In its fight that it did not notice the approach of the quartet. They rushed In, killed it, and brought the body to town, where it was weighed, tipping the beam at lO'i pounds. Tennessee's New Governor on Review. Denver Post. Representative Malcolm R. Patterson, of Tennessee, who was last month elected Governor of his state, has re signed as a member of the House, In which capacity he gave his state little service. He was absent all of the last session conducting his campaign and has actually served only about two weeks of his. present term in the House. AND ALL TORCHES From tha Indianapolis Nws. Torchlight procefmlon to Olohratw Senator Bafley'KRe-FJectlon. FREE" WATER Mr. Wacnon Shona a Childlike Trust In Benevolent Landlords. PORTLAND, Jan. 31.-(To the Editor.) In your splendid answer to Frank J. Perkins' article on bonding of the city for the purpose of laying water mains you take occasion to make a fling at. the amendments offered by the Free Water Association. I do not propose at this time to have anything to say against the folly of Mr. Perkins, but when a paper liko The Oregonian says that free water for kitchen, bath and toilet "means a free gift to the landlords of the city and a raise in rent for every tenant," that is a matter that should not pass unnoticed. Does The Oregonian mean to say that the landlords of Portland intend to take at all times every cent that they can got of the sweat and blood of their, tenants'.' Does it think that the -landlords moan to absorb in rent all benefits that may come to humanity? If you place them in that category, are you not making ot them a very dangerous class in this com munity? One point which those who abuse the free water proposition overlook either wilfully or otherwise. Is the fact that the Bull Run water system belongs to all the people of Portland and not to tho property-owners. Another fact is that all industrious men, women and children ara taxpayers, as they must pay all charge on any and all property that they use. That being the case, the people of Port land brought the Bull Run water tor this city and thereby increased the land value at least $30,000,000. Now the people of Portland see that the water system can be run for about $40,000 per year and that that sum will cover all operating ex pensesMr. Dodge and the Water Board to the contrary notwithstanding. All the Free Water Association asks of the property-owner, and that means the men who own tha down-town prop erty which has absorved most of that value, is that they pay the interest ou the bonded debt, which amounts to $160, 000 per annum. Add to that for the sink ing fund and this will mean a tax of about 12 cents on the $100. This will be no more than interest on money that has actually been taken from the water-payer for water and paid out to lay mains for fire protection and other purposes. There can be and has been collected about $75. 000 per year for water for commercial purposes. That will pay all the running expenses ' and leave a handsome balance and give the city free water for municipal purposes. That being the caso, why can anv honest or right-thinking man want to tax the householder, and what would you do with tho extra money collected for water rates? You would have to give it, as has been done in tho pst, to the landlords with which either to pay water mains or to turn it into the general fund for tho purpose of helping him pav his taxes. In either case, jt would be a gratuity to the landlords of Portland. To the people of Portland who wish lair play, wo will give a i lianco to sav whether or not thoy want free water for household purposes. ir. D. WAUNON. Chairman Free Water Association. WHAT MEAT I.W II . no mi Insured Cleanliness nnrt Sanitation In SlniiichterliiK'. PORT TN AT). Jan. 31. (To tho Editor.! In today's Oregonian appears tlin por trait of Px-Cmigrcssman Wadswort h. and also his statement justifying the stand he took on meat Insertion when that Important question was before Con gress, to the effect that results accom plished by the inspection law adopted at that time have proven him to lo right. Now what are those results, and what benefit does the public at large de rive from them? First, that law makes cleanliness and sanitation an absolute necessity in tho handling of meats intended for consump tion by the public. Second, it makes it absolutely impos sible for those complying with the law to put any diseased or Impure moat on the market, and protects the public from unknowingly eating that most dis gusting of all dishes, a piece of a dis eased animal. And why was this legis lation necessary? Simply because men engaged in the meat business became so imbued with the spirit of commercialism that they didn't care anything for the public so long as they made money. Have the people of Portland this protec tion or do they appreciate what It means? If a man engaged in the meat bus iness told you that hogs taken down with tha cholera, if killed right away, were all right to eat, would you trust him to furnish meat for your table? If conditions such as are portrayed in The Jungle were possible with a system of meat Inspection, what is possible where there is no meat Inspection at all? If some one told you there were no land thieves you would say he was a politi cian. When a butcher tells you meat inspection is unnecessary, he must ba wiser than President Roosevelt. E. H. DEKRY, " King Oscar a f"lne Tenor Singer. Baltimore News. King Oscar of Sweden is one of tha most remarkable of European monarch. Besides being a voluminous writer he 13 a first-class musician, an expert linguist, a good speaker and an allround sports man. In his younger days His Majesty was possessed of a'flna tenor voice and, had necessity demanded, he could easily have made a substantial income as a vocalist. He is also devoted to the sea, having been himself reared a sailor. Cheerfulness Is Sanity, ,; Success. Cheerfulness Is a sign of sanity. It i. the person who has no laughter, no fun in his nature, the person who becomes morose and melancholy who is in danger of losing his balance. BURN STANDARD OIL THE ETHICS Ol'