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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 9, 1908)
ttte morxtno otjegoxtax, vttdnesdat, dectdfbtek v, idos. lo l'OKTUM), OHEOUX. Entered at Portland. Oregon. FostoBics ScLund-Cluss flatter. riib!-criptioa Kuie Invariably In Adrsnce. tBy Wail.) I'ltlty J 'i i !y 1 Muy 1 a ! v l'.illv Pundny Included, on year. " Sunday Included, six months.... 4.3 Sunday included. Hires months.. ;S Sundny included, one month.... -J wlltfout Sunday, one year R0;J la ith.im Hitndnv. six months.... .i.-o J'aily. without Sunday, three months 1.75 .ttO l'a lv. without bunoay, one month... tv ctkiy, one Sunday, one io eekiyI"oAe'year"IIII.L. s 1..V0 fcui;dy and W i nv Carrier, i Tally, Funday Included, one year...... BOO L)ily. Sunday included, one month.... . How to Kemit Send postoffice money omer, express order or personal check; on vour local bank. Stamps, cotn or currency tire at the sender's rii-k. Give postoffice ad tlress in lull, including pounty and state. I'"Muko Rated 10 to 14 paces. 1 cent; 18 to liases. -J cents; 3 to pases, S cents; et to do puces. cents. Foreiun postage double rates. Kuntrra Bulne Office The S. C. Eeck wuh Spciaj Agency New York, rooms 48 f0 Tribune building-. Chicago, rooms &10-512 TribuLe building. I'OKTLAND, WKONESDAY, IKC , 1908. 1 UK FRESIDEXT'S MESSAGE. Those who expected President Roosevelt's hist annual message to Congress to be a solemn, bro mldic document weighty with, the 3read of offending somebody and paralyzed with insipid compromise must be a terribly disappointed set of people. He has .never written a mess age more direct and pointed in every sentence than this one Is. In none has ho displayed less of the spirit of weak compromise and in none has he hesi tated so little to call a spade a spade. All those qualities of fearless recti tude in language and thought which have endeared him to the American people are exhibited In this great message with surpassing power. Even irony, that dreadful weapon of the literary master, is not shunned. If the reader will turn to what the President has to say about the law which crip pled the secret service, he will dis cover a specimen of irony which is fine as a steel blade. It cuts without bruis ing, but the wound It makes is deadly. "The chief argument in favor of the provision," says the President, "was that tho Congressmen did not them selves wish to be investigated by the secret service men. Very little of puch investigation has been dona in the past, but it is true that the work of the secret service agents was partly responsible for the indictment and conviction of a Senator and a Con gressman for land frauds in Oregon. I do not believe that it is in the public interest to protect criminals in any branch of the public service; but if this is not considered desirable a spe cial exception coultl be made in the law prohibiting tho use of the secret service force in investigating members of Congress." One can imagine the relish with which a certain class of our National lawmakers will peruse tii'-e remarks. In this message, as' in every other he has written, .Mr. Roosevelt indulges his temperamental love of exhorta 'Jon. Indeed, the message is an essay, or perhaps rather a sermon, on a series .f great problems, whose solution he deems of prime importance to the wel fare of the country. Some of them are more than important. Unless they ure solved tho complete desolation of vast areas and the utter extinction of human life in some of the most fer tile sections of the United States is only a question of time. Forest pres ervation is a question of this funda- mental character and Mr. Roosevelt therefore properly devotes a long sec tion of the message to its discussion. Would that his impressive words might awaken a farsighted resolution in the people to take no rest from agitation until adequate measures have been enacted to preserve our remain ing forests and restore those which have been wantonly and barbarously destroyed. Th) preservation of the forests, the maintenance of soil fer tility and the navigation of Inland waters are subjects which are con nected In the most intimate relation. .Mr. Roosevelt reverts with suitable disdain to tho ignorant opinions of certain military engineers that the navigation of rivers, is not concerned with the preservation of the forests about thrir headwaters. He reiterates the truth, which no well-informed person would think of disputing, that there can be no such thing as a per manently navigablo river without for ests to hold the rainfall and distribute it throughout the seasons. Tho lessons of human experience upon this subject of forest preserva tion nre numerous, perfectly well known and thoroughly convincing. Wherever we turn, to Italy, to France, to Northern Africa, to Palestine or to China the same facts confront us, the same fearful truth is enforced that forest destruction entails, first, the trosion of the soil and then the extir pation of human life. Mr. Roosevelt's remark that the temporary profit of a few men should not be permitted to interfere with the lasting welfare of the country in this matter is exceed ingly Just. To enforce his thesis he cites the example of what has been occurring in China during the last few centuries. Sven Iledin, tho famous Swedish traveler, and other learned men have recently told the world how tne Mongolian desert steadily pro gresses eastward. The river3 run dry, the soil of the mountains is washed onwn into the valleys and there, turned to arid .sand, it drifts over the Files of cities and buries them. Sven Hedin tells of finding such cities, once great marts of trade, now lying hidden under shifting billows of glaring desert sand w hile the mountains around them are nothing but pinnacles of bare rock. Once those mountains were clad with fir trees exactly like the moun ts ins of Oregon; but exactly as we are doing in Oregon, the inhabitants cut down the forests without the slightest thought of the consequences. Fire following the axe completed the work of desolation and the time came when upon these Mongolian mountains there t ere no more trees. Then the rains washed the soil from the rocks, the winds blew it from the farms, the r'vers became Winter torrents and hu man life was extinguished over vast areas where it had formerly thriven. We are not exempt in America from the operation of natural laws. What iu'.s happened elsewhere will surely happen here unless by timely fore thought we take measures to prevent it. More pernicious than any other folly of the stupid reactionaries in Congress is their opposition to the Ap $ alachlan reserve project and similar measures for forest preservation. The President's views of the matter are patriotic in the full and true sense of tnat much misapplied word. Instead f a petty touchiness about the Na tional honor and an enger anxiety to 4,-ut some trifling advantage ovr other countries, he thinks of the long future ' and the welfare of unborn generations. AYhen we compare the vast sweep of ! his Intellectual interests and the mighty reach of his statesmanship with the insignificant potterings of some other eo-ealled leaders of tho people, how can we wonder that Mr. Roosevelt is loved and trusted by the Nation as no other man has been since Lincoln? BELACD1NG ORIMK. "A thousand verdicts of guilty on so petty a charge as false swearingto a paltry land claim has no more effect , ln shaking the confidence of this com- i munlty than would a drop of water have in causing the mighty pacinc to overflow Its walls." Thus eloquently ' . .. . ' Ti-1 T A . . 1 r-1 , OTTI aom me .riaiver y iij - - ment on the conviction and belittle the crime of Banker Parker. What does it take to constitute a serious crime in the eyes of the Democrat? If perjury is a "petty" offense, is there any crime in the calendar that is not rettv? In a similar sloppy vein the I South Bend (Wash.) Journal says of a county official convicted for embezzle ment that "he has more mends man ever he had before," and when he re turns from prison "he will have the respect of every right-thinking man," and so on. , Newspapers which print such de based twaddle should be sent to Sun day school to take lessons In element ary morals. To praise men who have committed crime encourages others to imitate them. The strongest deterrent from crime Js public abhorrence for criminals. The newspapers iwe have quoted are doing all they can in their silly way to make lawbreakfng a mat ter for laudation. WHAT ROCKEFELLER VUl NOT TELL. Times change and people change. It Is noted in verification of this state ment which, however, needs no veri fication that old "Standard Oil Johnny," who in his earlier years had no stomach for any country but Amer ica, or for anything un-American, is about to build for himself a pa-lace in London and there spend the few that remain of his declining years. It is moreover, noted that while formerly he was as silent as the Sphinx, he is now actually to turn scribbler and give, or leave to the world, such por tions of his life history as will not embarrass his descendants and will bear general reading. This indicates, not that he can write a readable story. but that he Is anxious to set himself right as far as he can with the world before he takes his final leave of It. in the not distant future. Quite naturally. Rockefeller wants to soften the American people's esti mate of him, and upon the theory that distance lends enchantment to the view, he is going to take himself out of their sight for a while, and inci dentally get out of the wind of the commotion that has been made by the disclosures of Standard Oil Company's methods of piling up money. . Rockefeller's book of 'reminis cences cannot be expected to include the narration of some important events of hfs life. His infirmity of memory relative to matters that It is convenient for him to forget has been fully exploited in recent months. This being true, the autobiography upon, which he is said to be diligently work ing will be notable chiefly for what it does not tell. BARRING OCX HEAL COMPETITION". The Oregon apple has a fixed, un assailable position in the commercial world, not only In this country, but in Europe. It has won its reputation on its merits, and for that reason cannot be injured by any discrimination or unfair tactics on the part of an apple show from which it is barred by han dicapping specifications, not recog nized by the American Pomological Society. An alleged National Apple Show held anywhere in the Pacific North west, without an exhibit of Hood River apples, is in some respects not unlike the play of "Hamlet," with the leading character omitted from the cast. The promoters of the Spokane Apple Show may not have been unduly alarmed over prize-winning competition from a neighboring state, but the peculiar rules which, in effect, barred out Hood River apples, will hardly fail to cre ate unfavorable comment. MAY REGAIN LOST PRESTIGE. In an interesting; communication printed in yesterday's Oregonian, Mr. A. F. Parker, of Grangevillo, Idaho, calls attention to the reopening of a very rich trade field from which Port land was ejected by construction of the Northern Pacific Railroad to Lew iston about ten years ago. As the population of Portland has doubled, trebled and perhaps quadrupled since Portland's commercial interests were supreme in the Idaho Panhandle, we may, as intimated by Mr. Parker, fail to appreciate that time has not stood still in the Grangeville country. Di versified farming in the Willamette Valley, remarkable interest In fruit culture, dairying and small farming, together with tremendous development of the lumbering industry in Portland territory, have brought with them a prosperity the presence of which has undoubtedly blinded us to the loss of other rich territory formerly tributary exclusively to this city. Quite naturally, as stated by Mr. Parker, much of the blame for this loss of Portland business in the Idaho country is due to the fact that the O. R. & X. Co.' "let slip numberless op portunities for substituting railroads for steamboat transportation." Had the railroad company abandoned steamboating on Snake River when it was' abandoned on the Upper Colum bia, and built into the Clearwater country', both Portland and the entire Idaho Panhandle would have been im mensely benefited by the change. However, the belated substitution of the railroad for the steamboat has taken place, and the opening of the line from Lewiston to Grangeville will place Portland in position to do busi ness in the Grangeville country much more advantageously than ever before. The Northern Pacific demonstrated that "a railroad could lift traffic over two mountains and still give a better service than was possible with a steamboat, and from this time forth the rapidly growing traffic of that country will roll down to tidewater on rails laid on a water-level grade. The opening of the immense Nez Perces reservation is so recent that it is difficult to comprehend the possibil ities for agricultural development In the new region. It ha3 already been demonstrated that for grain production the soil is second to none In the en tire Northwest. The acreage available for gTaingrowIng Is so great that the output for many years to come will be more than sufficient to offset the loss . occasioned by withdrawal oj wheat lands for fruit and small farm ing. Grain is mentioned in particular, for the reason that for the first few years it will constitute the greater part of the traffic that will be hauled out of the country; but there Is plenty of other business that will develop as the country grows. The branch roads run ning out of Lewiston reach well up toward the rich timber reserves of the Bitter Root Mountains, and from their termini down to the main line and on into Portland the traffic of the coun try will encounter no grade resistance. The Grangeville country is not the only new territory with which Port land will be favored in the near future. The Wallowa country will begin send ing down an increased tonnage next year, and a year later the Central Ore gon territory will be open for com mercial exploitation. These new fields, together with .the Tillamook country, and possibly rail connection to Coos Bay, will give Portland plenty of busi ness to handle. With two of the finest water-level-grade railroads in the United States leading down to this city, the question of getting the traffic down to tidewater Is no longer serious. From Portland to the sea our position is not yet impregnable. For the ben efit of this city and of the producers of the entire Columbia , Basin, we must center our efforts on river improve ments which will give us forty feet of water on the bar and thirty feet in the river to Portland. Failure to secure this improvement of vital necessity will nullify much of the good resultant from railroad development in the interior. WHERE RESPONSIBILITY LIES. One of the surprising and deplor able features noticeable in the atti tude of lawyers and doctors toward the unscrupulous members of their professions is that reform movements come from the outside. The Bar As sociation has been far behind public sentiment in the demand for elimina tion of the undesirable. Physicians themselves are in the best position to learn of cases of criminal malpractice. and yet prosecutions upon charges of this kind have not often originated with the medical associations. Only when a few of the many criminal operations have become public, and public opinion has demanded that pun ishment be inflicted, has there been aggressive action on the part of the members of the profession. Even then there has been no very pronounced de sire upon the part of the doctors to get rid of the class of practitioners who bring discredit upon the whole profession. There seems to be a remarkable mis conception of what constitutes unpro fessional conduct. If a doctor has particular ability in some one line of practice and wishes to so inform the public by advertising as any other business man has a right to do, he is set down as unprofessional. The ad vertising doctor is an outcast among hia fellow physicians, even though every statement in his advertisement may be absolute truth. Engaging in criminal malpractice has never brought a physician into disrepute un less his acts drew upon him public condemnation. Yet it is quite certain that no physician can long engage In that class of practice iwithout his brother physicians finding it out. Vigilance upon the part of both lawyers and doctors in keeping their ranks free from the truly unprofes sional would soon place those two learned professions upon a higher plane in public opinion. ONE BOARD. OR MANY? It is said that Multnomah County Granges are opposed to the plan of placing all the state institutions of higher education under the manage- ment of one board .of trustees. It must be admitted that the experience of the state with one board for the control of all the normals supports the attitude of the Grange, noth withstand ing the general view that one board of management for all the higher insti tutions would be an improvement over present methods of control. The nor mal school board has not accomplished any of the things that -ere expected of it, except that it established a uni form course of study for all the schools a reform that could have been easily effected by the state board of educa tion at an hour's session, if given the power. It was expected that the one board of trustees for normal schools, being In position to consider normal school problems impartially, would be able to outline and recommend to the Legis lature a wise normal school policy. Instead of accomplishing that much desired end, the board is hopelessly divided, and two recommendations will go before the Legislature, leaving that body to thresh out the question as has been done In the past. It was also expected that the board would exercise wise discretion in asking for appropriations in order that the ex pense of conducting normals might be reduced to the minimum. But when the board made up its budget it rec ommended an appropriation for a dormitory at each of the normals not withstanding one of the institutions had never thought of asking for such an addition to its equipment. Exactly the same amount was recommended for salaries at each institution notwith standing the fact that the teaching forces vary. It appears that the board desired to avoid giving the friends of any institution an opportunity to say that another institution had been fa vored. The plan adopted was that of placing each Institution on exactly the same basis so far as state appropria tions are concerned, regardless of the actual needs of the schools. Since this has been the result of establishment of one board for the management of the three normals, it is fair to presume that similar results might follow the creation of one board for the manage ment of the University, Agricultural College and Normal Schools. Until a better plan of management can be de vised, the present one will probably be continued. HANDLING A DELIBERATIVE BODY. Whether a candidate for President of the Senate or Speaker of the House is or is not a Statement Number One advocate is of far less importance than whether he has ability to con duct the proceedings of a deliberative body in a business-like manner. Every Senate cannot secure as capable pre siding officers as Joseph Simon and C W. Fulton were, nor can every House succeed as well as that which selected L. T. Harris for Speaker; but each should try to place in the po sition of leadership the best talent at its command. Of course every presiding officer should be a man who is known to be honest in his pur poses; but that is not enough. Prac tical knowledge of rules of procedure. experience in legislation, general understanding of the laws of the state and information concerning the con dition of public affairs, counts for very much and often marks the dis tinction between a leader of a mob and a presiding officer over a deliber atlve body. A Speaker of the House should be a man whose voice can be heard dis tinctly in every part of the large Rep resentative Hall, even when many of the members are whispering to each other. It should be the " effort of every organization to place in po sitions of trust and honor those men whose public and private lives show them to be worthy of trust and honor. Almost any man can occupy the pre siding officer's chair, but there are comparatively few who can fill it. It is quite possible that a man might be lifted from obscurity to the Speaker ship or the Presidency of the Senate and fill either position acceptably; but the chances for such a result are small. It is more probable that a man who has the necessary qualifications for such an important position will have become known already by reason of his service. There are a number of candidates for these two presiding positions now soliciting support from their associates. When a candidate asks a member of the Legislature for his vote, the member should first re ply by inquiring, "What do you know about state laws and rules of proced ure and what experience have you had?" A man who asks for support should be able to demonstrate that he is worthy of it. If he cannot do that he should receive no encourage ment. The efforts of the Tillamook peo pie to enlarge taxable territory af fected by the proposed Port of TJHa-' mook improvements were successful, and at the election, held Monday, there were but fifteen opposing votes cast in Tillamook proper. The new pre cincts taken in, displayed considerable sentiment favorable to continuation of the nresent nlan bv which Tillamook has been paying all the cost of im provements. The vote of these outside precincts was 136 for and 133 against the annexation. An attempt on the part of the Port of Portland to secure help from territory benefited by Port of Portland Improvements, but not now included in the taxable district. would undoubtedly meet with similar opposition. It is easier to find bene ficiaries than burden-bearers in every community. A six days' bicycle race is on at Madison-Square Garden, New York, and the contestants are said to be breaking all kinds of records. With automobiles tearing off miles in thirty seconds or better, it is hardly probable that the antiquated bicycle is attract Ing the attention that it was given a dozen years ago, when the craze was at its height. The fact that one of the entries was fatally Injured the first day may- awaken some interest, but the public with sporting appetite whet ted for something stronger may regard the affair as the Oriental potentate re garded the horse race. "What can there be interesting' in such a perform ance?" said he, "when most any fool knows some horses are faster . than others?" David C. Hatch, whose death oc curred a few days ago, was buried yes terday at Oregon City. He was taken to the old pioneer town, an infant in arms, more than sixty years ago. His father, Peter Hatch, was one of the missionary mechanics who came out with the fathers in the early days, halting by the way at the Sandwich Islands, where David Hatch was born His boyhood and early manhood were passed in and about Oregon City. A somewhat erratic, kindly-disposed man, he went in and out among his fellows for more than three-score years and passed away, leaving behind him the somewhat pathetic memory of a life of simple endeavor, the results of which were ephemeral. It is said that President-elect Taft favors the Appalachian forest reserve project and will encourage the enact ment of the bill creating the reserve. Out here in the West, where many rorest reserves have been created, peo ple will feel like warning Taft to look out for jokers in the forest reserve bill. Forest reserves are all right but too many of them have been made the means for landgrabbing. Circuit Judge Galloway, of the Third Judicial District, who is a farmer as well as a Judge, tried the experiment of running goats in his young walnut orchard. He still has the goats, but the trees are gone. Another walnut grower will turn in goats, but will first put a woven wire protector around his trees. Here's guessing that the goats will eat the woven wire protectors in order to get at the trees. The preacher who wants state aid for sectarian schools does not sav whether those appropriations for pub lic money for private institutions should be extended to all business col leges, preparatory schools and acade mies. Presumably they would, for, of course, there would be no discrimina tion in the disbursement of Dublic funds. The balmy Chinook stole in softlv from the southwest, Monday night, and back to its fastnesses in the Rocky Mountains precipitately fled the evil East wind that had been vexing Ore- gonians for some days. A dayk soft as the breath of April, succeeded, and Oregon was herself again. If every Republican candidate for the Legislature in Oregon had refused to "take" Statement One, then Oregon would be in no danger of having a Democratic United States Senator. But if Republicans like a Democratic Sen ator, of course, they will all be. satis fied. The Republican campaign man agers showed good sense in not deny ing those Panama Canal graft insinu ations during the campaign. An un supported charge during a campaign hurts no one. When proof is offered it is time for the accused to reply. A DOtato IS inches Inner -la vet Iii-q Hia as a curiosity, but is not very valuable for anything else. Whnt ia iwantod fa a potato about five inches long, about three inches in diameter, smooth sur face, clean Inside and niif.dd nnd plenty of 'em in a hill. .Since Murderer Finch would prob ably have drunk himself to death, the question whether ie will now die of old age is peculiarly pertinent. If Governor-elect Cosgrove were otherwise in a fair way to recovery, the persistence of office-seekers would kill him off. Now you can put your skates away again. It won't freeze up till after the first of the year. What American -will ,now play sec ond fiddle to the Abruzzi money- hunter? ' SUPERIOR COIRTS, NOT CIRCXIT. This Correspondent WanW Oregon to Change ! Judicial System. TILLAM OOK, Or., Dec. 5. (To the Editor.) While it seems to be in or der to change or amend our state con stitution for any and all sorts of whims that happen to come Into the mind of some erratic politician, why not amend our constitution relating to our judic iary and discard our Circuit and Coun ty Courts; let us have Superior Courts as is the ease in California and Wash ington. I know some will say, that it would be more expensive; but would it? .Let us see. There are now 17 Circuit Judges, four of whom receive $4000 each and the remaining 13 a salary of $3000 each per year, making an annual expense to the state of $55.00'); and we have 34 County Judges at an an nual salary of from $400 to $3000, amounting In the aggregate to $34, S70, making a total annual expendi ture for these two separate courts of $89,37V Now ic is true if we were to have a Superior Judge in each county of the state outside of Multnomah, at a sal ary of $3000, and four as we now have in Multnomah at $4000, it would run the expense up to $115,000, being in excess of the present expense by $25, 630. This is as it appears from a purely mathematical calculation, and if this were all, we would say, keep the present system, but it is not. The Bar Association of Portland, is now advocating two more Circuit Judges, and they are no doubt needed, and if the Legislature, does not grant the additional number at the coming session, the next in ail probability will, which of course will add $SO00 to the list. Our Circuit Judges are nearly all overworked and Judge Mc Bride is today doing two men's work, which means that that district will be divided, and it will be only a short time, perhaps at the next meeting of the Legislature that Clatsop County will be demanding a Circuit Judge of its own, thereby adding $H000 more to the list; .the counties of Marion, Linn and vLane are increasing in population at a' rapid rate and In the very near future the business will demand a Judge in each of these three counties. But this is not all, our state is get ting richer, property is increasing in value, estates are beginning to reach up into, the hundreds of thousands and millions. We should have Judges to adjudicate those estates who are not only honest men, but men who are learned in the law as well, for we cannot afford to take the chances of an expensive litigation in the higher courts simply for the reason that a Judge be ever so honest but having no knowledge of law, should make a mis take through lack of legal learning. And again: Outside of Multnomah County, the different counties of the state have from two ,to four terms o the Circuit Court a year. A man is arrested for some., crime, perhaps only a few days after the Circuit Court has adjourned. Of course if he cannot get bail, he must be kept in jail at the state's expense until the next Circuit Court, be it three months or six, then if the Grand Jury brings in a true bill, he is arraigned and may possibly be (but most likely not) tried at that term, while under, the Superior Court system, he could be brought to trial within 30 days, thereby saving extra expense to the people. As it Is now, two or more parties living at a dis tance of from 10 to 40 miles from the county seat have litigation. In order to be on hand when their case is called, they must be present with their wit nesses on the first or second day of the term, and if the docket is a long one as it very often is, they are often compelled to wait a week and some times much longer at an expense of from $10 to $30 per day. Under the other system the papers in the case are filed" and all dilatory motions can be disposed of before any witnesses need to be subpenaed. When the cause Is at issue and tho day is set for til hearing, the litigants appear with their witnesses; it is their day in court, the case can then be prosecuted to a fin ish without any other case "butting In" in the meantime, and the parties can return to their homes. The Superior Court like our Probate Court would always be open for busi ness and its jurisdiction would extend to probate as well as civil and crim inal actions, and we believe would have tendency to avoid delays in our court proceedings and save expenses to the state and other litigants to an extent that would more than cover the apparent extra cost of the Superior Courts, but it may not be necessary to pay a Superior Judge of every county in the state a salary of from $4000 to $3000 a year, for there are at the pres ent time nearly one-third of the coun ties within the state where from $2000 to $2500 would be a fair salary for a Judge when we consider the work he would have to do. This system of judiciary, as all lawyers know, is not an experiment. California formerly had the old Circuit Court system, but under the new constitution it adopted the Superior Cour:. which gives much better satisfaction to the people, and there is surely no good reason why one Judge in each county In the state, outside of Multnomah, cannot attend to the business of both the Circuit and County Judge. Let there bo three County Commissioners to attend' to the local affairs of the county. C. H. WARREN. This change would require amend ment of the constitution since that in strument plainly puts probate juris diction in the County Court. The change would entail more than $30,000 a year added salary expense. Multnomah County wouia need five Superior Judges to take the place of its four Circuit Judges and its one County or Probate Judge. To take the place of the County Judge on the county boards of commissioners, a third commissioner would have to be put on the salary list. The extra Multnomah Judge and the additional commissioners are hot accounted for in Mr. Warren's computation. As a matter of fact there are Circuit Judges enough in Oregon, if they will but hurry litigation and stop the pal tering of lawyers. Besides, there are too many inconsequential disputes, that could Just as well be settled out of court It will be noted that the law yers are the ones clamoring for more Judges and more litigation. With them it is a matter of business. The agitation for more Judges is bi ennial. Never have as many Juoges been provided for as have been demand ed, yet the channels of justice have been kept open, and the Judicial sys tem of the state has worked well. Tho change to county judicial districts is not yet needed and when It shall bo re quired, there will be time enough to provide for it. Tho system that gets along with the fewest number of of ficeholders is usually the best. Law yers have too many facilities for liti gation already and Judges allow too many delays. If all the Circuit Judges would adopt the hurry-up rules of sev eral Judges that could bo named, Ore gon's present court plan would serve the public's needs with promptness and dispatch. DlMreapectfnl Toward Theodore. . New York World, c protest against Mr. Taffs attribut so much of his success to good luck. YV Ing It I not resriectlui to tne author oi aiy Policies R&BBI WISE'S TERRIFIC ATTACK ON CROKER Noed Intor Vutn Him In a Triumvirate With "IloodHnK" Tweed and the "I'napeakable" Murphy l onimrit on the Indictment by the New York Press Homer Davenport's Tribute, with tt Twist Toward Ore;on. It was at a banquet of the New York Ethical Social League that Rahhi Stephen S. Wise excoriated Richard Croker and the ta-plvp iiuiirpA who ioined in a wel- ' come to the ex-Tammany boss. The i metropolitan press did not allow the Rab- Ibi's indictment to go unnoticed. Dr. Wise's rejoinder to Croker has been published by The Oregonian. This is what he said in the original attack: "Twelve Justices of the Supreme Court dishonored themselves and the city alike last night by joining in this tribute to llr. Croker. "it was to the shame of New York and to us, who are citizens of no mean city, that what happened did happen at the dinner tendered to Mr. Croker. Such an affair could not be called a private function. This testimonial to Mr. Croker was a humiliation to such citizens as have not forgotten or are not likely to forget that the guest of the evening was the second of a trimuvirate, the first of whom was the boodling Tweed, and the third of whom is the unspeakable Mur phy. "Between the two came Croker, more deft and cunning than his successor, but not less hungry nor unscrupulous than his predecessor. "One feels pity for these Justices of the Supreme Court who were present at the gathering, summoned to do honor to the former chieftain of Tammany. I am sorry for Mr. Jerome. I think he had not the courage to stay away. Let us be charitable and assume that all these men did not wish to be present and that none of them had the courage to stay away. "But the citizenship of New York should resolve to do honor to no man who lent himself to a plan to do honor to the one-time betrayer and despoiler of the city lately returned to these shores. "Let the list of guests be published, that we may know who these ever be nignant reverers of Mr. Croker are. We are not singling Mr. Croker out for his obloquy. So long as he had the grace to shut himself up from further scrutiny "by remaining upon his Irish estates, we could afford to forget him, but when he returned to these shores, after having sought to use his voice and influence to defeat Governor Hughes at the recent election, and when, moreover, men whom the electorate of New York have lifted to places of honor so far forget public decency as to do honor to Mr. Croker, it is time for New Yorkers who love their city and loathe her shame to take counsel together. "If these men have the prevision to gather together a year before the next municipal contest, regardful of their pri vate interests, let the ethical-social forces of the community unite without delay to save our city from another term of mis rule. Let these forces be in earnest and not squabble about getting the name of God into the Constitution and yet have such a thing as Piatt in the UniLed States Senate." IRONIC COMMENT ON . CROKER Leading? Independent Journal Charges) Dr. Wtfte With Ignoranee. New York Evening Post, Editorial. Mr. Croker does well to be angry with the Rev. Dr. Wise. That imperti nent rabbi has grossly misrepresented the sentiment of New York. Croker knows this city better than does Mr. Wise; he knows Americans better; and his wrath at being so audaciously as sailed at the very moment when his political canonization was almost com plete, Is founded on a long observation of our ways. He understands, If Rabbi Wise does not, how limited Is the American capacity for moral Indigna tion. Our anger at political scoundrels is a briefer madness than that of the proverb. We have a tacit statute of limitations which prevents us from lay ing up political crimes' against any man, after a decent interval. Croker ARRIVAL OF AI-ASKAST KOBINS. IntcreKting Bit of Local Natural His tory Together With a Sermon. PORTLAND, Or., Dec. 6. (To the Editor.) Day before yesterday, after a trip of some 1200 miles from the North, the Alaskan robins arrived on Willam ette Heights to visit a few weeks during the mild Winter. They were shy and timid at first, but today they are fight ing with the juncoes and ground robins for a place at my bird table. Mr. Kermit Roosevelt, official photographer to the African natural history expedition, should have a moving picture of my bird table, as it appeared today; it would show two or three of the greediest of my feather friends on the table dividing their time betewen stuffing themselves with crumbs and fighting off the rest of their fellows who are crowding around in the branches of the tree where the table is set, just waiting for a chance to get a few mouthfuls. Now and then a chap will get so hungry he can't wait and he will dart down and seize a piece of bread and off with it, pursued by an other, determined to make him drop it. Anyone who has a yard who is not feed ing the birds now is missing real amuse ment. A few days ago I attended the funeral of a young man whose life had been sniffed out by another in anger and hatred. While I sat there contemplat ing the awful deed and thinking how horribly cruel it was to kill such a noble young fellow who enjoyed life so thor oughly, my eyes glanced over tho floral tributes until they rested on a specially exquisite design except that a beautiful white bird had been murdered and in artistically and incongruously placed amid the flowers. My mind's eye thon saw another direful tragedy enacted: a pagan hand, luring from the free air with proffered food the unsuspecting and confiding creature, (seizing it; the frantK;. frightened struggle of the helpless bird and then its murder; its beautiful eyes become dull and leaden, its graceful body stiff and cold and another victim is offered up to man's inhumanity to other living creatures. Why do rational persons commit such acts and why does an enlightened pub lic encourase them? Timid, sympathetic, soft-hearted girls and women dress themselves to be admired and yet permit their hats to be decorated with tli-e hr..iiA of uoor feathered creatures who, for this purpose, have met a cruel death at an assassin's hand. Some day we will know better and the one who wears such trophies of rapine and bloodshed will no more be admired than would the fierce savage who dangles his opponent's head at his side, be admired by the president of the Humane Society. JERRY BRONAl'GH. "Legalizing" Lynching-. Cleveland Plain Dealer. If it is impossible to eradicate an evil, legalize it, appears to be the theory in Tennessee. It a moo surruunus a. hoarsely demands the privilege of commit ting murder and refuses to be dissuaded assemble court as hastily as possible and give the crime of the rioters a cloak of legality, a mask of respectability. Just what the moral difference may be between "legalized" lvnching and the ordinary brand, between murder with and without judicial approval, will have to be left to the- apologists to explain. The Tiptonville idea appears to be that if a community Insists on breaking the law, the best thing to do is to lend the dignity of a court to the procedure and call the wan ton act of the mob the "due process of law." Many attacks have been made on the purity of the courts, and serious pro posals offered that would detract from the stability of the Judiciary, but this per formance in. Tennessee outranks them all knows this perfectly, and Is entitled to complain that he should he singled out when other political rogues have been not only forgiven, hut flattered and feted. He has seen the abhorred Plntt of 18S1 become the political leaner whom even Theodore Roosevelt dV lighted to honor. He has seen the ex ecrated David Hill of 1SSS-1S91 ele vated to the position of a party sage in 1908. Why. then, cannot the Croker of 1894 and 1900 come home to inaka merry with his friends the Judges and the District Attorney, without being made tho object of slander? We hold no brief for the Judges who joined in the tribute to Croker, but va can easily see how sound a defense they could urge. Many of them had paid htm the price of their Judgeships. How could they be fastidious about meeting a man from whose hands they had received the ermine? There is a nice question of judicial ethics here, which it is plain that Dr. Wise entire ly overlooked. But it is really impossible to main tain the ironic vein in writing of this public disgrace. Dr. Wise deserves the thanks of the city for speaking out so emphatically the thoughts of many hearts. He, at any rate, would not ex pose himself, with the Judges and Mr. Jerome, to the terrible arraignment of the Scriptures: "When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him." We are convinced that the attempted rehabilitation of Croker that man against whom the city rose as against a brutal tyrant, guilty of unspeakable crimes and responsible for nameless In famies can go no further. One brave utterance has ended that. If any mora of our dignitaries dine with Richard Croker, It will be only at midnight and in disguise. The moral pestilence for which he stood, nil the years, is again fastened upon him; and from that plague men will flee. A TRIBUTE FROM D.VVK.M'OHT Oregon Cartoonint Mnkes Comparisons That Will Please Oregon. On the first page of the New York Evening Mail of December 3 Is an ex cellent portrait of Dr. Wise, drawn by Homer Davenport, who adds this tribute: "This Is the picture of a fighter. How easily you can tell them. It's a strain that never fails, and when the head and upper part of the- face are like Rabbi Vise's, the fight is always for reform. "Could you see young Dr. Wise you would pity Croker in such a man's hands. After all, who Is so great as the man who knows no fear? "I had known of Rabbi Wise for sev eral years, though I had never seen him till today. And he didn't disap point me. He looked as good to me as a Hood River apple fresh from tho orchard, and he had just as much character, and that's saying a good deal. "Rabbi Wise is a young man, tall, well-built, with powerful face and shoulders. He used to live in Port land, where from his window he looked at Mounts Hood and St. Helens. Under that influence, he grew till he was the most influential possibly of all the preachers of Oregon. His pulpit was fearless. He preached what ho thought, not at all times what his list eners might want to hear. But these open, frank expressions won him great renown on the Pacific Coast, aud the absolute freedom of his position at tracted great crowds to hear him. "He was sought by his people In New York, and he came simply to be where the fight was thickest, giving up the greatest offer. In my mind, ever made a preacher, and today we find a sturdy character, striking blows straight from the shoulder." for mischief. A Judge who would so fnr forget his oath of office, his duly to the state and his natural sense of propriety as to convene his court at the command of an armed mob and, with a mere seip blanee of formality, hand over tiireo wretches to meet violent death at tho hands of the outlaws Is not worthy the respect, even of the members of tho moi. Of the two the mob is the more easily excused. Hopeful Outlook for Railways. Philadelhpia Inquirer. The railways have had a hard year, but It is an impressive fact that prac tically no receiverships have been or dered except those which were inevit able before the panic of a year ago. There have been few reductions of dh I dends. Most railways have paid si! ob ligations and carried over a surplus. It Is also true that new loans have been made on favorable terms, so that thorn Is no crisis impending. With the re vival of business, which is certain to come, it is also certain that the rail ways will have no reason to complain. They are not complaining, except 1 hat they fear that Populistic, Socialistic, and almost Anarchistic sentiment In some sections is going to work them III. We think these fears are groundless. Ilut Whnt About the SeniKef Springfield Republican. If the House would fall In with a lih eral tariff bill, wnat would the Senato be likely to do? The question stlgROsIS the lively possibilities w-hich the exist ing situation enfolds. Tho upper branch of Congress has been leavened of lato from the West, where tariff-reform sentiment is strong, and now Senators from Now York and Ohio are to bo reckoned with. .'t is not out of tho question that those who believed Will iam If. Taft to be well fitted to pro mote progress In behalf of the peopio may discover times yielding them a proper vindication. The eyes of th.j people are to be riveted upon Washing ton, the center of Federal Government, as seldom before in a time of peace. A lie's Trip Around the World. New York Morning Telegraph. The wanderlust has again taken pos session of George Ade. the well-know n politician of the Middle West and Hol land house. On December It!, he and his Intimate friend. Ort Wells, will set sail aboard the Lusltanla on a trip that is to take them around thn world. The two globe trotters expect to bo away for nearly six months. Ado will devote a part of bis time to writing a new comedy. "Yes, He Po." Hood River Glacier. Millard O. Lownsdale. of Ifayettc, has been appointed horticultural commission er In place of J. H. Rrld, resigned. Mr. Lownsdale is a zealous worker for the interests of Willamette Valley, even to the extent of trying to make the puhllo believe they can raise apples In that val ley as good as Hood River. Connecticut Challenge Oregon Apples. St. Louis Globe-Democrat. A Connecticut fruitgrower admits that the Oregon apples are fine, but he is ready to show that ho raises better ones on his land worth $20 an aero than the Northwest produces on $300 acre soil. The demonstration ought to boom the price of New England farms. Beware the -Kihthlt A." Some women weep when men deceive. Some are a different sort; One kind will take the thing to heart, The other kind to court.