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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (April 29, 1908)
8. THE MORMMi ((KWi().MA5. WEDNESDAY. APRIL 20. 190S. (Efje (Drtjrottian nmciuiTin RAT. INVARIABLY IX A lyVANCK I B Mall I flsily, "iriar lnrIu1V nnl y.ar - -. I.aily. truntlay Includ., s months ... 4 lt!, PimUay in-iud.rt. vhr. moruha.. t 1'ailv. Hurray Inhjrtrd, oni inonth.... l-s'ly, wtttiaut r-un1.y. on. jtr Iily. without "iinrtay, aim month. ... a T'ally. alltiout hundav. thrt months.. 1 Ial. without hundar, one month F"irlay. arts yr I w.Kiy. on. ..r I l.u.a Tnursaayi... fcemday and w.klr. one year... 3 0 BV C ARRIFR. Tat!r, Bunrtay 'rn-ltinVd. ore .ar 90 ra'!v autrlav tiv-l -jiled . on nr-nth 75 NOW TO RKMIT f.nJ po.ioftica money 'order, axpreaa order or peraor.al rh.rK on your torai hank - Clamps, coin or currenry p at th sand.r's risk Glv. potoirice ad dr.aa In full. Iniludtna county and ptata, POBTAtiK R4Tt. ttntr at Portland. Oron. poatnfTIca at Frond-i!aK Matter. 10 to 14 Pad's 1 rent 1 to 2 )'tin rent o to 44 Paaea 3 rents a to o rs. 4 c.nts Forean po"tair. doohle rate IMPORTANT Tne postal laws are atrlct. m ra;r nn ahlrh p.'Stsic I not fjl.y prepaid are not foraarded to d.stlnallon. E ATKRX Blf INFJ Or KICK. T"he a. C. Berlth Snrl4 Srrr ffew Tors, rooma 4-." Tribune buiMina. t-nl-rag-o. rooma M0-"12 Tribune building. KEPT ON BALK. fblra4ps Auditorium Annea: Postofrlra NaaaCo., 17 nearbom atreet; Emptra Newa "it1. raol. Minn. N'' 8t. Marie. Commer cial Station 4 olorado Kprliura. rl. H H Bell Imtr-Hm;inn Krndrtrk. WsJ-Pll nentfnlh slre.l. Pratt Hook 6tor. 1214 Fifteenth etreet; H, P. lianaen. 3. Rice, tieorae Carson. KaaM lit. Ma. Rlrkterker "lar Co.. Xirth and Walnut; Toma N lo Minneapolis M J. cavanauH, 60 South " Tfc'rd 1 4 InWnnatl. O. Toma News Co. f C tevelaad, O. James Pushaa-. T Super lor n:reei Washington, IV C. Ebbltt Home. Four teenth and F etreeta; Columbia Newa Co. .; Plttahnnr, Va. Fort Pitt Xcl Co. Philadelphia. Pa. Ryans Theater Ticket OfTK-e. penn Newa Co.; A. P. Kemble. 8735 I.n aeter mtnuf. r York 4 My Hotallntf news atanda. 1 Park Row. sath and Broadaay. 4Jd and Proadaay and Broadway and "Jwth. Tele- Jht.ne :t74. Single copies dellered: L. ones & Co.. Ae-or Hnuw; Broadway The ater News Htand; Eniplra News Stand. Ocden. 1. I.. Boyle; Lowe Bros.. 114 Twnty-nfth street. Oman. -Harkalow Bros.. TTninn Station; alsaeath Stationery Co.; Kemp & Arenson. IK-a Molnew, la. Mose jAcnli. r"rewiM. 4'aJ. Tourist News Co. Hacrsmicnto. a I. Sacramento Newa Co.. 30 K. etreet: Amos News Co. halt laka M'Wti Book sr Stationery Co.. Rosenfeld Hansen: G. W. Jewett, P. O. otner; Klelpetk Bros. , Long Beach. Cal. B. E. Amos. 1 uidftu. 'al. Amos News Co. Nan IHesjw. B. K. Amos. San Joae. Kmerson, W. Houston, Tci. International News Agency lallaa. Tex. Southwestern News Agent. 4 Main street; also two street wagons. Tort "Worth, Teg. Southwestern N. and A. Agency. Amaiilla. Tei.Tlmmoni ft Pope. tan I-Yanclwo. Koater A Orear; Ferry News Stand; Hotel St. Francis News Stand; 1.. Parent; N. Wheatley; Falrmount Hotel News Stand; Amos News Co.; United News Agency. 14H 'ldy street; B. E. Amos, man ager three wagons; Worlds N. S.. 6-5 A. Suiter street. Oakland. "!. H. Jottnson. Fourteenth and Franklin atreets; N. Wheatley; Oakland Ncw-s stand: B. 1. Amos, manager live wagons: welllnghain. B. O. (.nl.ltleld, Nev. Louie Follln. Koreka. 4'sJ. Call-Chronicle Agency: Eu reka News CO. rORTI.ANl, W KDNKSDAY, APK11. 19. 1908. CLASS PRIVILEGE AND CLASS WKOMig. Mr. Roosevelt's latest message to CongM-ess, like the one which preceded It not Ions ago. Is a piece of splendid political eloquence. It is allame with civic honor and devoted patriotism; hut ahove and beyond these qualities it displays a philosophic knowledge, a masterly forethought, for which his tory wiU distlnKuish him above all our former Presidents. Mr. Roosevelt is nol only a statesman learned in the -xperlence of tho past, but he is also a student of those problems which are peculiar to our own times and of t hich the past knew nothing. No one can read this' message attentively without acknowledging that the Pres ident has studied the modern science of sociology deeply and with profit. He is under no illusions, for example, about the dogmas of "individualism" which have for so long' misled the American public with their specious allurements. Huxley pointed out long ago that there is no philosophical dis tinction between what goes by the name "Individualism" and the terrible specter named "anarchy." Mr. Roose velt recalls this lesson in his message, though he is careful to avoid misun derstanding by qualifying the term. He speaks of "exaggerated individual ism." This exaggerated individualism, which is but another name for an archy, or the destruction of law, has led to the results which might natur ally have been expected from such a political philosophy. The strong, com bined in great corporations and syndi cates, have escaped from all authority and the weak have been made to suf fer tyranny and extortion. Such must necessarily be the outcome of the principles of anarchy applied to socU 4ty. If we are determined to be an archists, no matter by what specious name we call pur doctrines, we must expect the inevitable consequences to follow. Rut the President thinks that the country has had enough of those consequences. "In my Judgment," he says, "tho American people have defi nitely made up their minds that the day of the reign of the great law defying corporations is over." The country has resolved that they shall all be subjected to equal and Just law. How to bring the anarchy-loving corporations under the law is a prob lem which it is admittedly difficult to solve. Mr. Roosevelt believes that a National incorporation act, with the restrictions which it might impose, is the ideal to aim at, but he Is con vinced, on the other hand, that the time for demanding such an act has not arrived. Meanwhile he reiteTates the opinion that authority should be given to some executive official to "de termine In the first place whether a given combination is advisable or nec essarily in the interest of the public." If the combination appears to be bene ficial the certificate of the official ex aminer would exempt It from prose cution under the anti-trust law. If not. then it would be left to the mer cies of the courts without protection. The President proposes this scheme merely as a temporary measure until the country shall have grown up to the stature of a National license act for corporations. The Oregonian has already pointed out the obvious objections to this plan. Still it Is questionable whether the re sults would not for a time be excellent. Certainly almost any remedy which promises to break up the lawless hab its of the millionaire syndicates is worth trying. Mr. Roosevelt seems to think that this object, together with equitable legislation for laboring men, should be the main purpose of Con gress until It Is accomplished. If Con gress has any purpose whatever except to win as many votes and lose as few as possible, we are unable to discern . lu but for all that Mr. Aoosevelt is the in- lusl be) ! Junction power of the courts m modified In the interest of Justice to the worklngmen. and that the right to strike peaceably shall be put be yond all doubt. -As to the new em ployers" liability act. his enthusiasm is remarkably temperate. It represents a real advance, he admits, but it come short of what ought to have been done." He assigns two strong reasons why Congrees should cease Its hesitation and quibbling in the matter of Justice to labor. One of. them Is that1 every wrong, especially a wrong to the humbler classes, ought to be righted as soon as possible. The other is that if the rights of working men are not conceded by timely legis lation, an advantage will accrue to the agitator who are striving to stimulate "class-consciousness." So far as we are aware, this is the first time that the portentous phrase "clas-consciousness" has ever been used In an American state paper, but we venture to predict that It is far from being the last. Some people have been In the habit of denying that there are any social classes In this country, but they are mere ostriches who think the danger Is over -when they have hidden their heads. We have classes and we have also an army of propagandists who are striving to excite hostility between them. Class consciousness is the first step toward class warfare. It arises from either of two things, both bad. Special priv ilege excites class-consciousness In those who enjoy It. Special wrongs excite It In those who suffer from them. The latter species of class consciousness Is the more bitter, but. not the more deeply felt. Most Euro pean class distinctions are looted both in privilege and wrong. Our own up to the present depend mostly upon special privileges, but wrongs are by no means lacking. Mr. Roosevelt rea sons that if we do not desire class warfare in the United States we must bollsh both the privileges and the wrongs which stir up hostility. Who has a better thesis to advance? MR. WAUKON AND HIS MOTIVES. The Oregonian Is pained, and a little surprised, to discover that Mr. H. D. Wagnon's manners are no better than his statistics. We have long known that he was perfectly reckless in citing figures, but we had not supposed that mere defeat in an argument would cause him to lose his decency alto gether and resort to billingsgate. Still facts are facts, though they are sometimes sad ones, and It must be admitted that Mr. Wagnon, In the let ter which The Oregonian prints today, gets pretty low down. We have cor rected his grammar and reformed his spelling for a good while out of re spect for the single-taxers, who seem to' have selected him as their. cham pion". Why they did so has always been a mystery. It has seemed to us to impeach their Judgment, which is weak at best; but. inasmuch as Mr. Wagnon was good enough for them, we put up with his wretched grammar and silly logic. But when it comes to calling our remarks "hogwash," mat ters between us verge toward a crisis. In saying that The Oregonian de sires to "fool the people" Mr. Wag non, of course, judges our motives from his own, but we are perfectly willing to allow whatever tve have said concerning this matter of taxation to stand upon its own merits. The public is free to investigate all that we have said and determine whether it Is true or not. Moreover, the inves tigation is easily made. We suggest also that if the railroads and timber lands are not assessed at their proper valuation, the remedy Is exceedingly simple. The people need only elect honest Assessors and the trick is done. There is no need to amend the con stitution to secure honest assessments. Indeed an amendment would not help the case In the slightest degree. Even if we had the single tax. a dishonest Assessor could still undervalue the railroads and timber lands and dis criminate against the farmer ejtaetly as he does now. The truth Is that the only possible remedy for the evils caused by dishon est officials is to elect honest ones. This may seem an unpleasant remedy to men like Mr. Wagnon, but it is un avoidable unless we desire the evils to continue. The ignorant demagogue and the dishonest agitator may well be dispensed with, if we can put honest men In office and secure the benefits of upright administration. Perhaps when that is accomplished the seem ing necessity for many of the proposed new laws and constitutional amend ments will have vanished. THE StETVRX OF CONFIDENCE The most encouraging item of finan cial news that has appeared in the newspapers for many weeks was con veyed in a London cable printed In yesterday"s Oregonian. It stated that the $20,000,000 Pennsylvania 4 per cent bonds, which were placed on sale in London, were oversubscribed many times, with such an enormous press of offerings that the subscriptions were closed one hour after they had been opened. The J20, 000,000 allot ted to the American bidders was over subscribed $100,000,000. The heavy oversubscription In this country is not surprising, in view of the manner in which idle funds have been accumu lating at all money centers, and also w hen it is remembered that the Amer icans were in excellent position for judging the merits of the security, while the foreigners were not. The principal cause of the protract ed period of Inactivity in dealings in legitimate bonds and stocks has been due to the fright given the foreign in vestors when good, bad and indifferent securities were attacked with an im partiality that could not do otherwise than convey the Impression thai all of our railroads and Industrial enter prises were in control of thieves and financial thlmble-rlggers. It has taken considerable time to disabuse the minds of foreign Investors on this point, but the avidity with which they took up the Pennsylvania bond Issue is a most encouraging sign that our credit has' been at least partly re-established In the money centers of the Old World. Despite the temporary dullness in traffic and retrenchment on most of the big railroads of the coun try, there Is a general disposition on the part of the managements, wher ever possible, to prepare for the future by building double tracks and exten sions and. adding to the equipment. This, of course, has, except in a few cases, been prevented by lack of funds, which were withheld on account of the unsettled' financial and political situa tion, foreigners in particular objecting to making any further Investments in American railroad securities. . . The right. He Insists again that the eagerness with which th Pennsyl vania offering was taken up now makes It reasonably certain that there will be plenty of money available for more bond issues which other roads desire to put out, and the sentimental effect was felt throughout the list of American railroad securities yesterday and Monday. With the foreigner's fears dispelled and some of the old-time eagerness present for Investing in American rail road securities, there will undoubtedly be a check on the gold exports, and there will also be an Increase In the amount of employment available for both American capital and American labor. With the restoration of confi dence abroad and good crops at home. It Is only a question of a very short time until this country will again be booming along on a new wave of prosperity. MR. STEEL AMD MR. ROr8. Mr. Oeorge A. Steel. State Treasurer, was "yours faithfully" In his letters to Banker Ross, telling about progress in the Legislature as to bills In the Interest of Mr. Ross wildcat' bank. Mr. Steel still was "yours faithfully" In the trial of Mr. Ross, when called by the state to give testimony for coraa viction of the banker. Let Mr. Steel have full credit for his fidelity to Mr. Ross, but let it be remembered that Mr. Ross speculations with school money in defiance of law would have cost the people of this state the greater part of a $288,000 deposit, but for the rescue furnished by a bonding company and the Ladd guarantee. The conviction of Mr. Ross and the ruined political Career of Mr. Steel (if nothing more serious) are the fruits of one more "system" in Oregon. Other systems have ruined several conspicu ous careers in this state. This last one has brought down Mr. Ross and Mr. Steel. It has been practiced before,- but not with disastrous ending. A banker or some other man of in fluence joins political forces with a candidate for State Treasurer, an offi cer who -handles millions of dollars and deposits hundreds of thousands. The candidate is elected, whereupon he places large sums of money on de posit with the banker or favors his business friend with use of It. The successful candidate, on his side, bene fits from the favor by receiving inter est payments for the money and thrusting the proceeds Into his pocket. This system has built up several large fortunes In Oregon. Mr. Steel was elected on a pledge to reform this method. How he carried out his promise the plight of the state funds bears witness. In the case of Ross, for the first time, the public money was loaned by him in speculations from which he could not recover It. A financial crisis came and smashed his bank. The state money not loaned was passed out by the teller in an effort to tide the bank over a "run." Large part of the state money was school fund. The laws say that the State Land Board shall handle tha school fund, and that no other set of persons and no Individ ual shall. For breaking this law rtosa stands convicted. The close alliance between Mr. Ross and Mr. Steel is the continuance of a long chain of political sequences. Many years they stood together In the same political faction. Mr. Ross was Mr. Steel's private banVer. In Mr. Ross' bank Mr. Steel deposited his pri vate money, and from Mr. Ross he borrowed money to make his political campaign two years ago. Mr. Ross organized their old-time political fac tion for his nomination. One of Mr. Steel's first acts as State Treasurer was to deposit large sums of public funds in Mr. Ross' bank. During: the last Legislature Mr. Steel did what he could In the Capitol toward shaping bills for Mr. Ross" Interest for regula tion of banks and for deposits of state funds. When the deposit law became operative. Mr. Steel designated the Ross bank as the state's depository in Oregon. When the Ross bank failed it owed the state $395,000. And final ly, when the state prosecuted Mr. Ross Mr. Steel endeavored to protect him with his testimony. The mournful outcome is the prod uct of a lax public conscience, which once allowed the system to exist, but now of a lax Suite Treasurer, who did not obey the popular demand that the laws be enforced and who strove in the Legislature "against the people's in terest. Will Mr. Steel feel the law's clutches? Perhaps, and yet perhaps not. The next State Treasurer will be a new type of man, -Not soon again will public money be used for private speculation. NAVAL APPROPRIATION BILL. The naval bill, which passed, the Senate Monday, carried appropriations of more than $123,000,000. It pro vides for two new battleships, the building of two new. colliers, tire pur chase of three colliers, the construc tion of submarines and other minor craft, and it. also Increases both the pay and the strength of the entire nayal force of officers and men. This Is the longest stride yet made In the onward march of our Navy toward su premacy on the high seas, but it is not at all out of keeping with the suddenly acquired prestige of the United States as a world power, and where the true position of this' country In relation to other powers, especially those in the Far Fast, is understood, there will be much regret that the President's pro gramme for four battleships was not carried out. Rejection of this proposal for equip ment which would place this Govern ment In a position to dictate the naval policy of the world can hardly be traced to a desire to economise, but, from the temper of the House of Rep resentatives, It had more the appear ance of a studied attempt to oppose the plan because the President had recommended It., Certainly, with a naval bill carrying an appropriation of $123,000,000, the additional cost of a couple of battleships would not have, been overwhelmingly oppressive. It will be a matter of general regret that the bill makes no provision for a new Navy-yard or more drydocks on the Pacific Coast. Now that Congress has at last secured a fairly intelligent understanding of the Importance of an increased Navy and the stationing of a larger portion of it In the Pacific, the fact should not have been overlooked that the facilities for docking, repair ing and coaling these vessels in Pa cific waters are woefully Inadequate. A naval station In the Philippines and another at Hawaii are necessities, and our ships would be at -a serious disadvantage in case of war if these facilities were not available. There should also be at some point on the Pacific Coast a large Navy-yard in which battleships and all other vessels for use In the Navy could be con structed. The experience of the Con necticut demonstrates that the work done Is equal to that of the contract yards, and, in spite of the unbusiness like labor conditions at the Govern ment yards, the cost was but little more than It would have been had the ship been built by contract. There is another decided advantage in building these ships In Government yards, for their construction enables the Govern ment to keep In service a regular force of skilled men who would necessarily wander away If the work was limited to the uncertainty of repair Jobs. The Government is now building two colliers for use as tenders to the fleet, one at Mare Island Navy-yard and the other at New Tork. The in creasing slge of the naval fleet will, of course, make necessary more of these colliers, and a well-equipped .Navy yard on the Pacific Coast of huge pro portions would find profitable employ ment for an Indefinite period In build ing new craft when It was not engaged In repairing the vessels already In service. Regardless of the differences existing between the President and a certain element In the House and Sen ate, the big Navy project has been indorsed by the people, and it may as well be regarded' as an accepted fact, for It has reached a point where there can be no retreat. There are obliga tions and responsibilities that go with the position of being a world power, and the United States has never yet failed to meet any of its obligations. The Board of Education has been furnished with a detailed report of the findings of the committee, of the lire Department that was appointed sev eral weeks ago to inspect the various school buildings of the city in regard to existing danger from fire. The re port calls for alterations In some of the buildings, where furnace pipes were found to be In close proximity with wood used in construction and electric wiring had been carelessly done. These alterations will no doubt be made during the vacation period, now but a few weeks distant, while minor suggestions relative to rubbish In the basements, the storing of sup plies, etc., have . already been fol lowed. The schools will close June 19. The buildings will be but slightly heated. If at all, during the Interven ing time, and teachers and pupils will be spared the noise and confusion at tendant upon such alterations a9 may be necessary to reduce the danger of fire In the buildings. The assertions of the Conservatives in England that the navy is already sufficiently largo seem to be partially borne out by the news dispatches of the past few weeks. At least the navy seems too large to keep out of its own way. Early In the month the torpedo-boat destroyer Tiger was sunk in collision with the British cruiser Berwick off the Isle of Wight, and yesterday the torpedo-boat destroyer Gala was cut in two and sunk in the North Sea by the scout Attentive, an other destroyer being injured at the same time. A boiler explosion on the battleship Britannia is also reported. These recent casualties, together with the sinking of the cruiser Gladiator by the American liner St. Paul last Sat urday, will put a crimp In the appro priations for maintenance, and also disclose the fact that some one may be guilty of reckless navigation or careless handling of government prop erty. The big Cunarders Lusitania and Mauretanla have so far distanced the rest of the trans-Atlantic flyers that there is no longer any question as to which is the fastest steamer afloat, and accordingly a new form of adver tising becomes necessary. Hence we see the Hamburg-American line set ting forth the claims of the erstwhile queen of the seas, the Deutschland, as "unbeaten by any arans-Atlantic steamship equipped with reciprocating engines." This opens up quite a field for advertising exploitation, for on similar lines nearly every. liner cross ing the pond could claim some kind of a record. It is now up to the White Star or the North German Lloyd to clam that their crack flyers are "un beaten" by any trans-Atlantic liner equipped with compound engines manufactured by Smith, Jones or Brown, as the case may be. The substantial growth of Multno mah County is shown in the Increased interest in and attendance upon Its rural and sub-rural schools. New buildings, aggregating In cost some $18,000, will be built this Summer in the three districts of Eastern Multno mah, of which Gresham, Rockwood and Terry are the school centers, while the teaching force in these schools will be almost doubled when the school year opens In September. The money for the improvements ordered will be borrowed and paid In two years by di rect taxation." The end In this case Is held by taxpayers to Justify the means. Mr. Cake, we are told, declines to advise the putting up of Independent candidates for the Legislature in coun ties where there are no Republican Statement No. 1 candidates. Natur ally. He is, we believe, the duly nom inated v Republican candidate for United States Senator. It would be extraordinary for htm to aid any movement to defeat'any Republican candidate for the Legislature. The stinted hospitality of the Santa Barbarans In the treatment accorded to the men of the ' battleship fleet seems to have suffered by comparison with the open-handed hospitality of the citizens of Los Angeles. Mr. Jeffrey has beaten Mr. Derby for that Democratic Congressional nomination by five votes. All that is now ahead of Candidate Jeffrey Is about 15,000 Republican majority. The Grass Valley (Cal.) . boy who tried to make his father think he was a burglar was so sticcessful that his funeral occurred the day but one after the attempt. In Chicago they have been having a "clean-up day," and have been turn ing the school children loose to do the cleaning up. No one else Interested, evidently. Mrs. Waymire, it seems, has disap peared. Nobody need worry. She'll turn up in somebody's private office. . Fortunately, Taft will return from the Isthmus before the convention gets together. . - PtLAT(iROIM FOR CHII.DRF.X. OI4-FaMsieat Sasgtvattam for laisnrre snrtat ( HollaeJar Tark. PORTLAND. April (To the F-ditor t We !) believe in playgrounds for chil dren. We are glad and proud to note that the chl'dren of Portland are well supplied with vacant spaces upon which to dis port themselves In childly fashion. So ample are the varaat apacea in and about the rlty that boys are at no loss to find room to play. ball, or rngiuts In other seemly gamrg. without going (rest dist ances from their homes, while the park space Is reasonably ample for family outings. This much for the present. The needs of the future must, however, be reckoned with, if Portland Is to kefp up Its tvputa tton as a progressive city. In this reckon ing let us not ctmfuse the playground with the highly ornamental park. Take Hollsday Park, for example. Nature has lavishly endowed the spare thus desig nated with trees, both evergreen and deciduous. There is room for swings for the children, benches for their caretakers, or any other "grown-up" who may desire to enjoy an hour In the park: and tables upon which the basket lunches may be spread. There gs a drinking fountain hard by. and hydrants In convenient places. There wna a good turf under foot until It was plowed under acme weeks ago. but this can be restored by due process of cultivation and seeding1, and it should be done without delay. Perhaps It would be well to cut out some of the larger trees, as the growth that Nature always prodi gal of her bounty In Oregon has provided Is rather dense. Sunshine is as neressary to the enjoyment of rest and healthful sports as shade. The question, pertinent at this time. Is: What is necessary to make this delightful little park a practical as well ar an Ideal playground? This question, is easily answered. Shade, not too dense: a clean, soft, well-kept turf, plenty of arater for irrigation as well as for drinking, aid swings, benches' and tables properly dis posed about the grounds. If children thus provided for cannot enjoy themselves, it Is idle to attempt to coax them into outdoor enjoyment. We want playgrounds where children can go in their school clothes or garments of every day. swing, tumble about, play tag or hide and seek not flower gardens witli carefully kept hedges and borders, and paths patrolled by trim little boys and girls In-. Sunday garb, forbidden by warn ing signs to step on the grass or pick the flowers. Hnlladay Park, as It is. Is a pretty square of woodland, without undergrowth. It is adequately supplied with water from a drinking fountain in the street hard by. and for greater convenience from faucets on the grounds. -Thin the grove out by removing a few not more than a dosen at most of the more undesirable trees; give it a good carpet of grass, a few swings and benches, and turn the chil dren Into It with such supervision as par ental responsibility must provide, and leave them to. their own devices for play. The freedom and spontaneity that makes play play and a playground a playground worthy of the name is not realized In an ornamental park. Trust something to Nature; spare the trees that make this little park a sylvan beauty spot In the center of a beautiful and rapidly growing residence district of the city, and let the children have it as a playground of the plain, old-fashioned sort. Let good sense and a wholesome spirit of economy rule in this matter, to the end that Holladay Park may be made a children's play ground, not a fashionable resort. Spare the nature trees, give us grass, and never mind the swimming pool and the woman's gymnasium, the prim Tower beds and foreign shrubs. Let us have s play ground to use not a bit of ornamental landscape to worry over. EASTSIDER. BLAMES CHAMBERLAIN POLITICS Mr. Hume Denies He ;lonta Over Mas ter Warden Van Daaen'i Dlsmlaanl. PORTLAND, Or., April 28. (To the Editor.) There appears in last Sun day's Oregonlsn a statement with re gard to the building of a couple of launches by me, and in connection therewith an inference is drawn that possibly I may, by such investment, show my delight at the dismissal of H. G. Van Dusen from the position of Master Warden for the State of Oregon. To correct such an impression, I de sire to say that I do not consider I had anything to do with the downfall of Mr. Van Dusen, and am not gloating over his removal, for the reason that I believe him the least culpable of the officials to whom was entrusted the preservation of tho salmon supply of the State of Oregon. Mr. Van Dusen was simply a servant of the Fish Com mission of the State of Oregon, of which Governor George E. Chamberlain was the head, and who was backed by the whole power of the state; and who, in spite of, the complaint of the Fish Warden that he could not enforce the laws governing the fishing Industry, the Governor gave no assistance for their due enforcement, although the matter was forcibly brought to his at tention many times. It is a remarkable fact that the Gov. ernor, after flirting with the Fisher man's Union of Astoria, and other simi lar organizations, for a great length of time, should, after seven 5'ears, dis cover the Incapacity of Mr. Van Dusen. It is evident that in summing up his mental calculations on the prospective support he was likely to receive in his pursuit of Senatorial honors, that he found a fractional advantage on the side of the Democracy of Eastern Ore gon. It Is well that the Governor of Ore gon will not represent the state at the coming Advisory Council to be soon held at Washington, D. C, to consider among other Important questions the preservation of the natural resources of the United States of America, for the reason that such an appearance on his part would be an absurdity when his record as head of the Fish Com mission might be considered and the results contemplated. R. D. HUME. BARRETT DECLARES FOR CAKE. Incidentally He Is for People's Choice for United States Senator. HILLSBORO, Or., April 27. (To the Voters of the Twenty-fourth Senatorial District of Oregon.) Having received the nomination of the Republican party for Senator of this joint Senatorial district, comprising Lincoln, Tillamook, Washing ton and Yamhill counties, and also having received the Indorsement of the State-ment-No.-l convention, at McMinnvllle. last Saturday, I deem it' proper for me to make a statement of my position to the votefs of this district. I am a personal friend of Senator Ful ton, and, as such, felt that if he received the nomination, at the primary election, I should support him without regard to the election in June. Mr. Fulton lost out. Mr. Cake was nominated. Mr. Cake made the fight in favor of Statement No. I, that is. in favor of the Legislature elect ing the candidate who received the ma jority vote in June. I had said I would support the Republi can voters' choice for United States Sena tor. Mr. Cake has. in effect said that he does not want the office unless he is the people's choice. As a Republican, I sub mit to the will of the majority, and will support Mr. Cake for United States Sena tor, and the principle upon which he was nominated, in other words, support the candidate who is the people's choice at the June election. In saying this, I have no doubt but what Mr. Cake, with the large Republican ma jority In Oregon, will be elected in June, in which event he will not only be the Republican choice, but also the people's choice, for that position, and that, when the Legislature meets, he will receive the .unanimous vote. W. N. BARRETT. noon t Halt's rot chamberlain Ieai Me Retire. tateseat J. I Relag ow Vladlratea f Raker City Herald. Since the recent primary election, when Cake polled more votes than did both Fulton, on the Republican ticket, and Chamberlain, on th Democratic ticket, there has been an opinion that Governor Chamberlain could not do a more graceful thing than announce to Oregon voters that he will not be a condldate. This would Je in keep ing with tha principle of Statement No. 1. and as the Governor claims to be the pioneer advocate of the Impor tant measure he could add strength to It for the future If he will take the full meaning of the document unto hlmse'f. In an Interview the chief executive of the state made plain his Intention of being a candidate for the Senate airiinst Mr. Cake. He said he had rights in this contest which are bound to be respected, chief of which is the right of discovery, for In his opinion he has been one of the "original" Statement No. 1 men In Oregon. If Chamberlain la the big. broad, magnanlmoua man as represented by Tom Richardson and others of his ar dent admirers, he should ftlke the view of the people as paramount, and that view was expressed at the recent primaries. This Is an opportunity for Chamber lain to show what Is claimed for him by his friends. It Is a chance for him to "make good" In the fullest sense of the term. Why not. Governor, why not? MOVX PALIS DIVORCES SLACKEN Nat So Xamf rons as Tlsey Were Before the "Flannels! Strlaareaey. Chicago Inter Ocean. It would be nonsensical to assert that the hard times, superinduced by the clearing of the atmosphere, have re sulted In no good whatever. Such a statement. If made by the thoughtless or the Intemperate, would immediately be controverted by the news from Sioux Falls, S. D. " The stringency occasioned by the rich man's panic has had a paralyzing effect upon the business of the 68 law yers, the 24 boarding-house keepers, the 40 doctors, and the dozen milliners who have not only subsisted but flour ished on the divorce industry of that city for the last few years. At the present time there is nothing doing in the divorce business at Sioux Falls. 'Why," said one of the leading attorneys of the place a few days ago. "I have had only two divorce clients since call money went up to 125 per cent in New York. If this keeps on a bunch of Sioux Falls attorneys will be looking for work in the harvest fields this Summer." Last year 220 divorces were granted to nonresidents of the State of South Dakota, and nearly all of these were handled by Sioux Falls attorneys. The divorce business is worth not less than $50,000 a year to the Sioux Falls bar. Those who seek divorce, and are com pelled to take up temporary residence in Sioux Falls, spend in good times considerable money in the town aside from what they pay out In fees. An average divorce seeker, if a woman, is worth, according to a statistician of Sioux Palls. $300 to the grocer. $100 to some physician, $S0O to the dry goods dealers, $30 to the dentist, $300 to the owner of the house in which she takes up her six months' residence, and $25 to the florist. "But," says this statistician, "some women spend several times these amounts during their stay For exam ple, a certain Chicago woman stayed In Sioux Falls just ten days and It cost her JITiOO. She was visited by hor hus band a week after her arrival had been announced by the newspapers, and within 40 minutes he had made his peace with her." Senators Who Don't Speak In Passing;. Washington (D. C.) Herald. While there are comparatively few in stances where Senators have been real chummy, especially where Senators from the same state have enjoyed such close personal relations, there are many where they have dif&ered hotly. These differences are generally denied by both parties, but sometimes become open and well known. For example, the present Senators from Texas Bailey and Culberson hardly speak as tthey pass by. Vice-President Fairbanks, when a Senatror, and his col league. Senator Beveridge, lived a cat and dog political existence. Outwardly they were friendly, but they had frequent whirls In committee romms. Senator For aker and the late Senator Hanna were hardly on sneaking terms. When William E. Chandler was in the Senate there were long Interims when he and Senator Gallipger were entirely obliv ious of one another's presence. They fought and made up again and again. When Senator Rayner. of Maryland, was sworn in he was hardly on speaking terms with the late Senator Gorman. Generally the two Senators from a state come fpom different factions or follow ing, as is the case with Senators Kit tredge whoBe parents still live In his native State of New Hampshire and Gamble, of South Dakota. But there is a long list of states whose Senators are alienated to a greater or less degree by rivalries or jealousies or open quarrels. These are so numerous as to be regarded almost commonplace around the Capitol. Growlag Respect for Our King;. Chicago Tribune. No words spoken by the Secretary of War during his recent visit to Chi cago had more value than those in which he urged respect for the Ameri can flag. He mentioned the rising at the sound of the music of "The Star Spangle Banner." This should bring to attention the allegiance of the citi zen to something , more than mere money getting. It should emphasize the strength of the feeling that leads men to battle or even to certain death for their country. To make patriotism a real religion is the need of the times. His examples from Japan, from the Philippines and from the East Side of New York made every one of his auditors feel the underlying question whether the "Americans" represented in , that conference of members' of patriotic hereditary so cieties were as alive to the importance of respect for the flag as they should be. Where the Mohair Comes From. Grants Pass Pacific Outlook. When riding in a Pullman car in any part of the United States or in a sleeper in Canada and enjoying the nice soft plush seats, or touring about the city or the country in an automo bile covered with a great, thick plush robe, did it ever occur to you that most of the material of which all this plush Is manufactured comes from Oregon? Probably you never thought about it. but nevertheless, such are the facts. Oregon supplies more mo hair from which plush robes and seat coverings are made than any other state in the Union. And the jWorld Is Its Oyster. Detroit Free Press. A State Supreme Court has decided that "clams are not wild animals." but the Standard Oil Company is still an octopus. Initiative and Referendum Measures For th Information of to ton thr vili b puMtih-M on tttta pan from dv to Aav trif nrnmarlrai f th initiative nrl rrlVr tndurn mriurt to t -mbmttitxi to ii) l'.pl at th Juna Hct.on. ttrir m it, a aort tatnrsent f tha arguments fot'ao-J avatntt tach. M MBKIt S. ai-riff amal Covatj Prl The flrat four mrAsurfa submittiM to th. peopl r constitution, it mo ml -rrn m profxrd by th lrnrlxlnt in Thea hvo ben revlwrt-J nlroaily h: thin column. The, next four measur. x re bllla pas-aeri hy the IcffUlAture ami rferred to t,t prnple by the filing of referendum petitions-. The flret of t'.ilw latter class la the bill alTtstlntr Mult nomah County only, and providing thai the Sheriff aha.ll hav th cut-tody of prisoners committed to or confined In the County Jail, and that suoh prison er ahall be worked at auch placen ami for aut h time and In aiuh manner aw the County Court may direct, and that. In count. ea of over 100. 000 Inhabit mitt (which means Multnomnh. two jailers shall be employed at salaries not ex ceeding $90 per month. When the prisoners are worked upon tho county road or engaged in any public work, the Sheriff may. with the approval of the County Court, appoint aa many guards as the Court may derm neen ary. which guards shall receive a sal ary to be fixed by the court. The bill also provides that In such county the Sheriff shall receive 1-S cents per meal f tr boarding ech person con fined li. the County Jail, and the san. price per mral for tho boarding of each person who, because of working on public work, la not confined to tha jail. Persons serving sentence and not working are to be given two meals a day. All other are to be given thru meals a day. This measure had Its origin In the fact that the County Court of .Multno mah County took county prisoner away from the custody of the Sheriff in order to work them on road improve ment, and the County Court arranged for the boarding of the men while s engaged, thus depriving the Sheriff not only of the custody and control of the men committed to his charge, but also of the profit from feeding them. The hill was introduced and passed by friend of Sheriff Stevens, and the ref erendum was demanded by petitions circulated at the Instance of the County Court. It Is of Interest almoei entirely to the people, of Multnomah County, though It In, In its terms, of general character, and must therefore. b voted upon by the people, of the entire state. In behalf of the passage of tho bill. It la argued that the Sheriff should havo the c.utody and control of prisoner; at all times, and that there should be no on who haa authority at any time to take any prisoner away from him except by due process of law, as In the cane of extradition. It Is said that the Sheriff Is the man who In responsible for th safe-keeping of prUsoners, that he knows the criminal records of most of the men In his charge, that he has the best opportunity to judge of their char acters and dispositions, that he an best Judge which of the prisoners can safely be worked out-side the walla of the jail, and, therefore, that he should have sole and exclusive control of V.c prisoners, even when working on th- roads. For these reasons, it Is urged that the bill should pass. Against the enactment of tho meas ure, it is said that the County Court should have charge of men who wo; k upon the highways, that when so en gaged the Sheriff Is relieved from re sponsibility, and that the County Court can arrange for the boarding of pris oners at less expense than would be sutained If the Sheriff boarded the men at the usual rate. SilV YORK'S INDEPENDENT VOTE No Democratic Candidate for President Can Win Without It. New York World (Dem.). No Democratic candidate for Presi dent can be elected without the ote of New York. No Democratic candidate can carry New York without the sup port of the Independent voters. In no other state In the Union Is there so large a body of them. In 1895 Mr. MeKinley'a plurality over Bryan was 268,469, but two years later Roosevelt was elected Governor by only 17,768. In 1300 McKinley's plurality over Bryan was 143.606, but In 1902 Odell was re-elected Governor by a beggarly 8,803. In 1904 Roosevelt's plurality was 17&.562, but Hlggins, the Republican candidate for Governor, had only 80.560. In 1905 Jerome was elected District Attorney in New York County on an independent ticket, polling 126,157 votes. In the whole city that year Heart, running for Mayor on another independent ticket, polled 224,923 votes. Tp 1906 Hughes carried the state by 57,898, although all the rest of the Re publican state ticket was defeated by pluralities ranging from 5000 to 11 O-'-C. In 1907 Tammany, with a county ticket superior to the Fusion ticket and the advantage f a disgruntled Republican vote, carried Manhattan and the Bronx by only 25,000, In place of the 60,000 that was confidently ex pected. It Is the independent vote of New York which foredooms Mr. Bryan to certain defeat If he Is nominated for President by th Democrats. Not only doeo he drive the independent vote away from the ticket in this state, but he himself is still weaker than this weakened ticket. In 1896 Porter polled only 574.524 votes for Governor, but Mr. Bryan was 23.000 below that, hav ing f.51.669. In 1 900 Mr. Bryan had $78,386 votes, but even Stanchfield polled 693,733. Plainly the Democratic party can stand no chance whatever of, carrying New York with Mr. Bryan as Its candidate. Mr. Bryan talks about the possibility of hts carrying New York, New Jersey, West Virginia, Iowa and Illinois, along with Ohio, Indiana, California and North Dakota. He might as well talk about the prospect of his carrying Michigan and Pennsylvania. Wins "Whisky Seven (y-FlTe Years Old. Washington 1. C.) Dispatch to the New York Times. After traveling thousands of miles a bottle of 75-year-old whisky has reached Washington. It came from Ketchikan, Alaska, and now is In the possession of Thomas Cale. Delegate in Congress from that territory. The liquor is In settlement of an election bet made l months ago, against which a dog team was wagered. The whisky waa discovered near the mouth of the Mackenzie River, in tho ruins of what at one time was the northernmost trading post of the Hud son Bay Company. The cask contain ing it was dug out of a cache. Marks upon it showed that it had been taken Into the frozen north In 133, and how long before that time it had been dis tilled cannot be determined.