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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 8, 1909)
6 THE MORXIXG OltEGOXIAN, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1900. PORTLAND, OREGON. Enured . Portland. Oregon. PostofBce as Ceeond-CUuM Matter. subscription &Mtm Invariably In Advance. By Mall.) Tally, Sunday Included, una year Lally. Sunday Included, sks montha.... 4-2 Ially, Sunday Inciudou. three month!. ..l as Lliy. Sunday Included, on month... Dally, without Sunday, om year Lally. without Sunday. sax months..... 2 Dally, without Sunuay. tnree montha.. Dally, without Sunday, one month Vv'eexly, one year. Sunday, one year 1 W Sunday and Weekly, one year (By Carrier.) Pally. Bunday Included, one year . Dally. Sunday Included, on month.... 75 flow to Remit Send poatofflca money rder. expreaa order or personal check on our local bank. Stampa. coin or currency are at the sender's rink. Give postofrlce ad dress In full, including county and state. Postage Rate 10 to 14 pages. 1 cent; 1 to Zs pges. i cents; 10 to 44 pages, 1 cents; 4 to 'J pages, e cents. Foreign postage double rates. . Eastern Hnstneoe Office The 8. C. Beek wllh Special Agency New York, rooms is le Tribune bulldir-g. Chicago, rooms 610-ell Tribune building. PORTLAND. MONDAY, FEB. ft, 11)09. THE PLAY FOR THE RABBLE VOTE. It Is not denied that control of the public schools 1b entirely -within the province of the states. The National Government has its military and naval schools and its schools for Indian chil dren; but the general system of public education belongs to the states. It originated with them and is supported by them. When the Constitution of the United States was formed and established, this subject -was not in cluded -within its powers. It Is a func tion of the states; and each state may exercise It In its own way. The State of California Is therefore within Its powers when It undertakes to say that Chinese or Japanese must not enter its public schools. It can - draw the race line, or the color line, if it wishes; but unless there is good and substantial reason, it would be foolish to. do so. The state might rule out red-headed children if It chose. If Asiatic or African children were very numerous, it might very properly pro vide separate echools for them; and indeed It ought to do so. But where there is but a small number of children of African descent, we allow them in the school with those of the white races. There is no harm. Likewise children of Asiatic descent or origin, where the numbers are but small, might well enough be admitted into the public schools. California, In rais ing an uproar about it, is making a fooi of herself. The objection is merely a concession to the clamor of political demagogues who are on the hunt for the votes of that class of our people who are most excitable on the side of their racial antipathies and ecclal prejudices. These demagogues are making a mountain out of a mole hill. Eut of course the General Gov ernment has no right, no power, to mc.ke or to insist on any regulations for the educational system of a state. Yet when the folly of a- state, or of a grcup cf states, in dealing with this eubject, might draw the whole country ir.to hostilities with a foreign power, Bucgestion, expostulation, remon strance, addressed to such state or Btates, by our General Government, may not merely be in order, but cer tainly will be wise. They who are rais in? this stir in California are not acting with the least good sense. They are playing scurvy polities'. But while the General Government has no constitutional right, power or authority to interpose in this particu lar matter, it has the fullest right and power to remonstrate against the at tempted legislation to forbid Asiatics to buy, hold or lease property in a state. For right here state legislation would come Into conflict .with the ..htgher constitutional powers of the country. The right of aliens to hold property in the United States has al ways existed; nor can it be denied by any state. Moreover, it Is now secured by treaty, which is the paramount law. Secretary Root, than whom there is no higher authority, writing to Governor Glllett, of California, reminds him and his state through him, that the treaties between the United States and foreign nations "have reciprocal provisions for reciprocal rights of citizens as to hold ing real and personal property." More over, "It is perfectly well settled that the making of such reciprocal pro visions is within the treaty-making power, and instead of aliens having in the State of California such rights as are accorded to them by these treaties, except as they may be affected by the provisions of the act or the constitu tion of California, the precise reverse is necessarily true." This is a proper, and should be a sufficient answer to the blatant demagogy of California, and of every other state that may imi tate it. But they who are affecting to de spise Japan wouldn't expect to fight the battle, should war ensue. They are brave only because they would have the Nation to defend our feeble Pacific States against the consequences of their folly. But even with such defense Japan would give us trouble enough. We suppose Japan will not make war; but should she do so the tribute she would levy on San Fran cisco would make her people forget the earthquake right quick. THE NON-TAXPAYER'S INTEREST. Excessively high taxes, due to all kinds of municipal extravaganoe, are laying a heavy burden on the business man and on the wage-earner who owns a little home, the latter not infre quently mortgaged for a sum that ma terially increases the fixed charges of interest and taxes. The less provident "have-nots" view with complacency akin "to Joy this cinching of the "haves." The votes of these non-taxpayers weigh equally with those of the property-owners in election of the men who, by legislation, are distributing the savings of the thrifty with all the fibnndon of drunken sailors. It is a good joke on the property-owner. The limit of this penalizing of thrift (would stem to be afar off in the future, in that Utopian era when those who toil not will have succeeded in spinning around us such a web of fantastic salary-raising, park-buying, bridge-building legislation that no one would have any desire to be a property-owner. But a day of reckoning is coming for the non-taxpayer who is so indiffer ent to the boosting of salaries and all other forms of public expenditure. A high tax levy based on excessive valu ation of property increases the amount that must be earned by that property. The voter whose only tangible posses-, sinn is his salaried position at a super ficial glance, may conclude that he has nothing at stake in this matter. Later on he will discover hi error, and it will be made apparent to- him in the tthape of increased house rent and a reduced salary made necessary by larger rents which his employer must pay. This Inflation, which has been so productive of extravagance In Port land, has not yet reached the height to which it has soared in Seattle, but in that city the effect is already being felt by the "have-nots." One of the latter, who held a position as salesman in a large store on Second avenue, was tell ing a Portland friend of the enormous rent which his employer paid for the store building. "I am unable to see how he can stand such a high rent," said the Portlander. "He does not stand it," replied the Seattle man. "Every time the landlord advances the rent the boss just 'passes tho buck' by making a cut in all of ouriwages. In that way we get it 'a-comin' and a-goln',' for house rents are Jacked up in keeping with those for business property." What has already happened in Seat tle will , happen in Portland, unless there shall be a halt in this orgy of ex travagance. The non-taxpayer, who Just at present is enjoying the dance, will be called on to pay his full share to the fiddler. The business man who is endeavoring to do business under the handicap which this municipal ex travagance places on him is about ready to "pass the buck," and, when this is done, the non-taxpayer will sud denly discover that he has an Interest in economical government. DO THE PEOPLE RULE 7 Two years ago Governor Chamber lain made it plain to the Oregon Legis lature that he would veto all bills to which emergency clauses were attached unless the emergency were genuine and obvious. That was a time when it was important for the Governor to cultivate and promote the great doc trine that "the people rule"; for, if any legislative enactment carries an emergency provision the referendum Is thus avoided, and the people geit no chance to rule in that particular case. Now all Is different. The people have so far been permitted to rule, or to think they rule, that Chamberlain goes to the Senate, and there is no present need for humbug or pretense about emergency clauses and such things. Here, for example, is the bill increas ing the membership of the State Su preme Court. It has passed the Sen ate and is now before the Judiciary committee of the House, and the pros pects for favorable action in that body appear to be good. Do we hear from the executive chamber any thunderous demand that the emergency clause be stricken from this bill, so that the peo ple may rule if they desire, through the referendum? No, Indeed; no thun der, no stentorian protest against this unholy invasion of the people's rights; no loud and virtuous call that the measure be permitted to stand on its merits. All we hear is a reverberating whisper through the listening corri dors that the Governor will stand In on the deal, and the people can go hang. Last June the people attempted to rule on this same question of Increase of the Supreme Court by voting it down 60,591 to 36,243, almost two to one. It is argued by the advocates and probable beneficiaries of the scheme that the people did not know what they were voting on, which is a grave reflection on the popular intelli gence by these "friends" of the peo ple. Unquestionably they did know; but, if they did not, what possible ex cuse can there be now to withdraw from them the opportunity to pass on the question, and why is it done? It Is done because it is realized that the people would again refuse to provide more Jobs on the Supreme Bench and for a lot of new hangers-on, and for no other reason. SOME OFFICIAL INFORMATION. Our old friend Carker, of the As torlan newspaper, who, like his proto type In fiction, will argue with the greatest solemnity that black is white and white is black, has, after a pro tracted spell of decency, resumed his attacks on The Oregonlan, Portland and the Columbia River. This latest blast from down where the tide comes in bears the caption "Barrels, Bush els, Dollars." As a preliminary, it of fers the statement that "Secretary John H. Whyte, of the Astoria Cham ber of Commerce, has given the peo ple of Oregon something to think about in his expose of the wide diver gencies in the exports and Imports In uring to the Columbia River and Puget Sound." While no direct charge is made, the inference to be gained from the maze of ambiguous language that follows this statement is that Mr. Whyte's- "expose" consists of figures showing that the Columbia River is not getting its share of "barrels, bush els, dollars," etc. The Astorian finds "very apparent certainties that the grain fleets to the Columbia River are falling off rap idly in numbers and tonnage, and that there is abundant cause for it some where." Mr. Carker is also certain that "it is time the state was waking up to the situation and taking cogniz ance of facts that exist beyond the col umn rules of The Portland Orego nian." This alliterative allegory on "Bushels, Barrels, Dollars" comes to a full stop with the following: The ships must be brought within the Columbia River nnd loaded out of it, even If not a single bottom shall go to the port up on the Willamette; the Columbia bar must be) deepened, quickly, practically, ade quately, and the people of the Columbia basin, the people of Oregon must do It. If tho Government will do no more than Port land dictates It shall do. That port wants no more water on the bar than will float a ship to her docks; and hence she will cheerfully sacrifice the entire business to the Sound, rather than have it center, in whole or In part. In any other port. This is the primal and vital cause for the tremen dous sag In the shipping Interests on the Columbia River, and it Is time the state was waking to the peril and doing some thing to neutralise the hogglshness that has wrought It. This is really a more serious matter than a nine-foot sheet or a ten-inch hatpin. Let us see how this "tremen dous sag in the shipping interests" has affected us while we were "sacrificing" the business to the Sound. "Debata ble figures are worse than no figures at all," says the Astorian, so in order that there will be no question about the amount of "bushels, barrels, dollars" involved in the Portland, and Puget Sound shipments. The Oregonian will quote from "Bulletin No. 6, issued by the Department of Commerce and La bor," presenting the exports from the principal customs districts of the United States for the year ending De cember 30, 1908. These official figures show that in that year Portland ex ported 13,042,063 bunnels of wheat, a gain over the preceding year of 41 per cent. Puget Sound for the same perioJ exported 11,400,399 bushels, a gain over the preceding year of but 25 per cent. In barrels of flour heavy coastwise shipments cut the Portland foreign exports down materially. There was a heavy decrease from both ports on account of the falling off in the Oriental demand that of Portland be ing 52 per cent, and the loss from Tacoma was 41 per cent. In the Item of "dollars" the bulletin mentioned gives the value of both wheat and flour from Portland at 114, 973,761, a gain of 11,570,152, or more than 11 per cent, -ver the preceding year. From Puget Sound the value of wheat and flour was 117,754,204, a gain over the preceding year of but 522,418, or 8 per cent. These "un debatable" figures were for the twelve months. Those for the current season make a still stronger showing of the increasing prestige of Portland and the Columbia River. For the seven months ending January 31 Portland's wheat exports have decreased but 20 percent, compared with the preceding season, with Its record wheat crop, while for the same period the wheat exports from Puget Sound have decreased 59 per cent. In flour for the seven montha Portland shows a decrease of 31 per cent and Puget Sound a de crease of 4 3 per cent. The Government figures on lumber are available only for the eleven months ending November, 1908. For that period Portland exports showed a loss of 9 per cent and Tacoma's ex ports showed a loss of 45 per cent over the same period In 1907. We trust that the state will take full cognizance of these "facts that exist beyond the Column rules of The Ore gonlan." LINC OLN'S POLITICAL JUDGMENT. It la worth while to recall how plainly, clearly, cogently Lincoln argued against the right and the policy of secession. That such an argument should have been needed fct.any time now seems incredible, but it was not the people of the Southern states alone who held it as a doctrine received from the Jeffersonian interpretation of the Constitution and Government, but Im mense numbers of the Northern people also held it, or more or less acquiesced in It. In his first Inaugural Lincoln addressed those who alleged the right to withdraw from the Union because they had lost an election, thus: If the minority will not acquiesce, the majority must, or the Gpvernment must cense. There Is no alternative for continu ing the Government but acquiescence on the one side or the other. If a minority In such a case will secede rather than ac quiesce, they make a- precedent which. In turn, wilt ruin and divide them, for & mi nority of their own will secede from them whenever a majority refuses to be con trolled by such a miniorlty. Then the argument that, if the states should separate, intercourse be tween them would still be necessary: relations between them on some kind of basis would have to be restored, for they couldn't fight forever, was put In this way: Physically speaking, we cannot separate; we cannot remove our respective sections from each other, nor build an Impassable wall between them. A husband and wife may be divorced, and go out of the pres ence and beyond the reach of each other, but the different parts of our country can not do this. They cannot but remain face to face; and intercourse, either amicable or hostile, must continue between them. Is It possible, then, to make that Inter course more advantageous or more satis factory after separation than before? Can aliens make treaties easier than friends can make laws? Can treaties be more faith fully enforced between aliens than laws can among friends? Suppose you go to war, you cannot tight always; and when, after much loss on both sides and no gain on either, you cease fighting, the identical questions as to terms of intercourse are again upon you. This, in simplicity, in clearness and force, never has been surpassed. Parti san spirit in the North among the opponents of Lincoln, prevented it from being fully understood; and this Northern partisan spirit, with its furi ous and frantic opposition, was as severe a trial to the Lincoln Adminis tration, throughout, as the armed op position of the Confederate States. The "fire in the rear," Indeed, caused the greater anxiety. Its fury Increased with every Confederate victory and with every failure of the National arms. Here was the greatest trial of all; and those who now are loudest In praises of Lincoln are among those who most rancorously opposed him. or the political descendants of those who most rancorously opposed him. COW OR RAILROAD TO BLAME? ' It is reported that in one com munity in Southern Oregon the farm ers asked that the railroad- company be compelled to erect a shed for the shelter of passengers waiting at the cross-roads to take the train. The shed was built, as ordered, and one farmer's cow sought protection therein from the storm. When a train came thundering along she rushed out and hit the track just in time to be run over and killed. Now the farmer alleges that the company built a shed to entice the cows and hold them until they could be run over. Here is a fine case for the lawyers? Did the farmer In ask ing for the shed assume the risk that naturally followed, or was It incum bent upon the railroad company to fence in the shed to keep the cows out? Was this cow guilty of con tributory negligence or should the engineer have foreseen the probability of a cow being scared out of the shed Just as his train came alo.ig? Was the farmer negligent in not training his cow to keep out of sheds intended as shelter for passengers? Possibly there are precedents which will point the answer to all these' legal questions, but if not, there is a splendid opportunity for establishment of Important rules of law regarding the liability of railroads to cow-owners who petition for the erection of waiting sheds, and get them. RE RHINO WORK IN A LEGISLATURE. Notwithstanding there remain but two weeks of the legislative session, a score of new bills were Introduced at Salem Friday and more will be offered this week. These bills, coming so late in the session when the calendar is al ready crowded, must receive hasty and Insufficient consideration, if any at all. To Introduce bills now Is an imposition not only upon the Legislature, but upon the people of the state. If there is need for legislation upon a particu lar subject, that need was known be fore the Legislature met, and It was the duty of the members to provide for Jthe need at once. Long delay In Introduction of bills of an important nature, and affecting the business and industrial affairs of the state, prevents that right of petition and discussion guaranteed by the constitution. Enough time should elapse after intro duction -of an important bill to per mit copies of it to be sent to the peo ple affected by It and to permit expres sions of opinion thereon to be sent by the people to their representatives." It is not only unwise but unjust to intro duce and pass bills without giving time for the public to be heard if it so de sires. A forty-day session is plenty of time for the . consideration of all needed legislation, but it Is not time enough for reasonable study of the great mass of bills introduced. For that reason all bills except those originating with the ways and means committees and providing for the general expenses of the state, should be Introduced and placed before the legislators early in the session. Portland has had an enviable repu tation for the manner In which the sailor boarding-house business has been carried on under the present law. Shanghaiing and shooting scrapes, ex cessive blood money and other bad features of the business have been In evidence north and south of us, but the business here for the past five years has been conducted in an orderly manner, satisfactory to the men who charter ships and to the owners. The only change of any advantage to the port that can be made In the law is to reduce the fee to 320 and insist on licensing the men who engage in the business. If th present satisfactory system is disturbed by too much tin kering with the law, we are certain to get aom --thing much worse. It will be noticed that not. a single large char terer of tonnage has appeared at' Sa lem to urge any material change in the present law. As these charterers are the persons best qualified to deter mine the merits of the matter, it might be well for others less Interested, or not at all interested, to let well enough alone. r The right way to settle the problem of fixing salaries of county officers is to vest this power in the county courts, subject to the limitation that no offi cer's, salary shall be either raised or rinHno- tlm term for which Lhe has been elected. The County Court is composed of three men as many as compose the average delegation in the Legislature. The County Court should know better than the members of the Legislature what is a reasonable salary to be paid and hw many deputies are needed. The provision against changes in salary during the term of office would prevent the County Court from rewarding friends or punishing ene mies. Adoption of such a system would relieve the Legislature from the class of work that has needlessly consumed so much of Its time. The proportional representation bill was killed by the Senate and very properly. Perhaps, as one of the Sena tors declared, we shall have the pro portional representation scheme sub mitted and adopted under the initi ative. If that should prove to be true, we have at least avoided for a time adoption of an experiment which very few understand. If the people desire to try the proportional representation plan of electing members of the Legis lature, there Is nothing to prevent them from doing so. But they will know more about it before they begin to operate under it than they would if the Legislature had enacted a law putting, it into effect. ..Oregon Is al ready conducting too many experi ments in government. Salem newspapers have been con tinually urging the need of new and pure and abundant water supply for their town urging, moreover, that the state ought to join In the undertaking, for the purpose of getting better and larger 6upply-for the public buildings and state institutions. Governor Chamberlain devoted an impressive section" of his recent message to the same theme. The indignation of "Colonel" HoTer and other eminent citizens of Salem against The Orego nlan for its remarks on the subject would seem to be misapplied. Wall street is hearing so much.about the Illness of Mr. Harrlman at this time that it Is not Improbable that he Is about to annex another big railroad system. It will be remembered that it was during h!s last previous spell of bad health that he placed his branding iron on the Gould system and tight ened up his grip on the Erie. The marvelous coups which Mr. Harriman seems able to effect during these peri odical sick spells excite wonder as to what he might do if he wer in good health. "Would you allow Japanese labor to crowd out white labor on the Pacific Coast?" is an inquiry addressed to The Oregonian. Certainly The Oregonian would prefer that it should not. But is white labor efficient? Will it con tinue to be efficient? The crux of the question is here. It 'needn't be ad dressed to The Oregonian. But The Oregonian will address it to represent atives of white labor, as far as it can reach them. When Addison Bennett, of Rabbit vllle and other places, started The Dalles Optimist, he spent much time in choosing a name that would be dis tinctive. A few months later an Op timist was started at Dayton. The "Old Man" demurred at the use of the name and "made medicine." The second Optimist has joined the angels. There is a third Optimist, on the other side of the state, but as its editor is a lady, Mr. Bennett's chivalry ties his hands. Only five bills have passed both houses of the Washington Legislature, but, as four of them carried appropria tions, it is apparent that the lawmak ers of the Evergreen State are attend ing strictly to business. ' If the Ore gon Legislature would confine its op erations to the passage of but four ap propriation bills and then go home, what a psalm of blessing the constitu ents would sing! The people will not mind paying taxes to support fish hatcheries pro vided the fishing laws give the fish a fair chance to propagate nafurally. Owners of seines, wheels, dams and other obstructions must be compelled to give the fish a chance to go to the spawning grounds. Spltzenberg and Yellow Newtowns are the favorites with Oregon apple planters, 'and many nurseries in the state report their stocks of one and two-year-old trees sold out. This will lead the way to setting out others "Just as good." ' A bill for a constitutional convention having been .Introduced in the Legis lature, we shall not find out whether there Is more than- one man in the state who has a right to amend the constitution. Washouts on the line seriously inter fere with the arrival of San Francisco Sunday papers in Portland "on the day of publication." - WHO SHALL TRAVEL WITH INSANE The Sheriffs or Skilled Attendants From the Asylum? PORTLAND. Feb. 7. (To the Editor.) Replying to The Oregonian's criticism of mvself for Introducing, a bill to have the j insane people taken to the Asylum by Sheriffs instead or asylum attendants, i wish to present a few facts. The thing that first brought the need of a change to my attention was that a woman from the country was brought to Portland and committed to the Asylum and had to lie in the County Jail 48 hours, waiting for an attendant to come from Salem, be cause the attendants were all out in other parts of the state when they were called for. Another case' was from Ore gon City, where the patient was violent and injured herself by butting against the steel bars of her cell. She remained there 48 hours before people from the Asylum came to take charge of her. An other case was from Coos County, In which the patient waited two weeks for attendants to come from the Asylum. Other cases could be cited, but the above are enough to illustrate my point. The arguments of my opponents are that they want the patient placed in the care of expert help at the earliest possi ble moment. This is my reason, and only reason, for wanting a change in the law. In two of the cases cited above, the un fortunates would have been in the cara of expert help within three hours after being committed. As it was, they re mained under the care of unskilled help 48 hours before starting to the Asylum. This would have shortened the time of their unskilled help 45 hours. In the case of the patient from Coos County, Instead of remaining under the care of unskilled help for two weeks, if the Sheriff and lady attendant had taken her, she could likely have been in the Asylum in two days. In all cases, the time consumed by the attendant going for the patient would place the patient In the Asylum. Is it any worse Tor untrained help to care for a patient oh the road than it is in jail? In regard to the Sheriffs' fees, I will say that I only intended that the lady at tendant should get pay, as the Sheriff is already drawing his salary. I wanted this subject agitated in the interest of the unfortunate. In regard to the ex pense of the two methods, I will say that this is of least importance, as the wel fare of the patient outweighs every other consideration. At. the same time I think the old plan could be made cheaper than the present one, as the state now keeps attendants who are constantly on pay whether they are at work or not. Under my bill there need be j.o one employed except when a woman was being sent, when a lady attendant would have to be employed. I wish to -say that the only thing that defeated my bill was senti ment. The facts and logic were on the side I proposed. Sentiment will always weigh more than logic witn most people. An examination of the facts will destroy the sentiment now existing in favor of the present plan. The thing that started this sentiment was that some foolish Sheriff, under the old law, took a woman to the Asylum without a lady attendant. This, of course, raised the indignation of every humane person, as it should. But that Is no reason that a better plan than the present cannot be adopted. I wish to say that no Sheriff ever spoke to me about this bill, but I have had it in mind ever since 'I saw that the condi tions could be improved upon. Most of the doctors who are familiar with the conditions agree with me in this matter. C. W. NOTTINGHAM. "The only thing that 'defeated my bill was sentiment," complains Brother Not tingham. Sure enough. There is a sen timent that the transportation of the in sane to the Asylum should be in the hands of skilled and humane attendants, and for that reason their custody was placed there, and for the same reason it may . be hoped it will be kept there. There are soma things in which a decent sentiment 6hould prevail over all other considerations. But in this particular matter sen timent, humanity and economy go hand in hand, for by the present method of transportation the cost to the state has been greatly reduced. By Brother Not tingham's method the Sheriffs' "graft" would be restored, and we should doubt less hav a return to the old system where the taking of the Insane to Salem was a sort of picnic for the Sheriff or some deputy, or political hanger-on, who desired to have a little Junket at the ex pense of the state and earn some pocket money besides. If there Is any merit whatever to the complaint that the insane are kept an undue time in uncomfortable Jails, wait ing the appearance of a keeper or attend ant from the Asylum, the obvious remedy is that the number of attendants or cus todians should be Increased. No one who had knowledge of the practical workings of the old system, where tho plight and miseries of the unhappy in sane were the subject of profitable traffic by mercenary public officials, will arise to demand a return to old ways. The Oregonian thinks Brother Nottingham's quick sympathies have been too easily directed into the wrong channel. Russian Thistle Bothers Kaiuaa, Baltimore News. During a recent windstorm in Kan sas the Russian thistle, t or tumble weeds, which are about the size of a half bushel measure and almost round, blew over the prairie by millions, packing in the cuts along railroad rights of way and delaying traffic. On the streets of the town of Oakley, where the buildings made a shelter from the gale, they were piled to the tops of awnings like an immense hay stack, accumulating over night. Hot Stove Scares Fighting Cat Philadelphia Record. A vicious cat attacked Mrs. J. G. MilJ ler, of Esslngton, Pa., sinking its teeth into the woman's arms, and did not re lease its hold until Mrs. Miller threw the animal on a hot stove, which had the desired effect. t A FEW SQUIBS. Enthusiast (at musical recital) "We shall hear more of this young man. Sufferei Not tonight, I hope. Punch. Little Willie Say. pa, when is a man said to be civilized? Pa When he knows enough to conceal the fact that he Is a savage, my son. Chicago Daily News. Mrs. Bacon My husband is always on the wrong side of & question. Mrs. Egbert How do .you know? Mrs. Bacon Be cause he never agrees with me: Yonkers Statesman. Her mother Mabel, dear, do you ever feel timid about asking your husband for money? The bride No, indeed, mamma; tut he seems to be rather timid about giv ing It to me. Chicago Dally News. "I have been In every civilized country on earth," said the globe trotter, "and, would you believe it. I have met only two really intelligent women." "Two!" echoed the beautiful widow In surprise. "Why, who was the other?" Chicago Daily News. "Is Mrs. Brown at home?" Inquired the caller. "No, ma'am, she Isn't." replied the maid. "Then It was you who was singing so dreadfully out of tune when I turned the corner." said the caller. ' "No, indeed, ma'am," cried the indignant maid; "that was missus!" Cleveland Leader. "I suppose there is a great deal of men tal strain Involved in the conduct of im mense Interests like yours?" "I should say so," answered Mr. Dustln Stax. "It's mighty hard to go on the witness stand and re member the list of things your lawyer told you to forget." Washington 8tar. Josiah (to newly wedded neighbor) I wish you long, happy lives: and I see no reason since you have had experience, why you and Marlah cannot pull tocether as steady and happy and successfully as a team of horses. Obediah No doubt we could, if there was only one tongue be tween us. Judge. I COtlE AGAI, SESATOK. I SiVE TUB xiu jsuvn. "f" Remarks) On the Greatness of Jell of the Osarka. New York Times. Jeff of the Ozarks we refer, of course, to Senator Davis, of Arkansas has taken another fly at the octopus, to empty benches at the Capitol, but to the great rapture and edification of the red necks at home. The ebullition will be circulated as rapidly as possible. The Senator's frank and the. distributing powers of the rural post will in due time bring the Record within reach of the humblest hill billy, and great will v. v., ivnffaire on tha Hfldhnma There were only 35,000 words of it, ai little more or lees, out it was not stun, from first to last, and it will be read In thousands of log cabins along the foothills within the next two months, while the women dip snuff in ecstatic silence and the men slap their legs at proper Intervals. Jeff is doing big things at Washington, as the mountain oracles always said he would. , This was easier in Washington than in Ark ansas, where other bad men prevail and sometimes break walking-sticks and hotel chairs and things over his devot ed head. Events were going all his way on Tuesday at the Capitol. No body could interfere. Even DavfV loyal backer. Senator Johnston, of Alabama, seemed to be laughing at something else In some other place, and so he ranted at the Stock and Cotton Ex changes' in a bleak and uninhabited chamber, with none to make him afraid, while his burning language was taken down, red-hot from the griddle, for sub secfaent distribution In the piney woods of Arkansas. A great moment for Jeff Davis, a great day for all his kind, when he had the octopus bleeding and dismembered beneath his victorious boots and gam bling palaces tottering to ruin all about him. Not an alarmist is Jeff of the Ozarks. Far from it. Calm pexchfcs on his unruffle'd brow, tranquility and fearlessness have marked him for their own. His earlier apprehensions, rule 2 of the Senate, have long been dissipated; the wicked men are all behind him, far behind In distant Arkansas; the hellions and myrmidons of Wall street cannot answer back conceivably they never heard of him; so Ozark Jeff let down his luxuriant back hair, pulled up his defiant "pants," and turned loose upon the vacant Senate chairs and the sparsely-populated galleries a verit able flood of language that ought to fill the provinces at home with rap ture when they get It by muleback or by skiff. Shall we have another inundation7 Why not? There is no reason why Senator Davis should not howl again, some day when the other Senators are busy, when the stenographers have nothing else to do, and when the news paper men are vigilantly eating pie and so on in the restaurant. Nobody in Washington wants to shot at him, and the Public Printing Office stands wide open for, the handling of such stuff. TRAGIC COMEDY OP A NICKEL. Woman Omn Up to Car Conductor That She Made a Mistake. Philadelphia Record. Into the crowded streetcar on an up town line the other day there entered an elderly lady, who handed her fare to the conductor in charge, and, after he had pocketed the coin, demanded her change. "Why, It was only a nickel you gave me," explained the conductor, but the lady became very much excited and Insisted that It was a quarter that she handed him. -. By this time the atten tion of all the passengers was attract ed to the dispute, and the embarrassed conductor, realizing that argument was useless, finally handed her. 20 cents. A few blocks farther on the woman reached in her handbag for her hand kerchief and suddenly colored to the roots of her hair as she called out, sharply: "Conductor, come here! There is some mistake!" The conductor hesi tatingly made his way to where she sat, expecting some further demand, when, to his surprise, .she returned the 20 cents and remarked: "I want to tell you loud enough for everyone to hear that I have found that quarter and that I am a stubborn old tool." Men behind their newspapers smiled; some noticed that tired women were hanging on the straps and hastily relinquished their seats; a stylishly dressed young woman slipped a bonbon into the grimy hand of a thinly-clad little boy, and the relieved conductor, going ahead to the motorman, re marked: "Say, I could Just love that old woman!" What to Do In an Emergency. From Punch. Shipwrecked Go ashore as soon as possible; remove wet clothing and re late your experiences to nearest re porter. Add photograph If possible. Baby, cat asleep on face of Remove cat. Train, run over by Remove train, using force if necessary. Upon release, acquaint nearest station master with the facts and proceed as in case of shipwreck. Pantry, burglar in Procure a copy of the Tariff Reform League's latest pub lication on free food fallacies, and read same to intruder, taking care to eluci date most telling arguments. The con trite cracksman will at once turn over a new leaf, and express his sorrow. Under the circumstances, you will do well to accept his assurance of regret. Crime, having committed, or being suspected of Apply to nearest music hall manager for an engagement. In sist on being put among the "star" turns, and demand a salary proportion ate to the gravity of the crime In ques tion. You nil Oytters Tackle a Crab. x Trenton, N. J., Dispatch. R F. Rutter, of West Creek, N. J., in taking up oysters, found in his tongs a crab that had the appearance of having two horns directly over its eyes. Inves tigation showed that young oysters had uttacned themselves directly over each eye of the crab and would have finally caused its death. Reads New Testament 103'Times. Newcastle, Del., Dispatch. Rev. George W. Burke, of the Wilming ton, Del., Conference, Hying In Smyrna, has read the Bible throu'sh 40 times, and is now reading the New Testament through the 101th time. Mrs. Burke, ms wife, has Just completed reading the Bible through for the 3M time, and has read the New Testament SI times. The Alrfnlrln' I'lrate's Tale. Arthur Chapman In the Denver . Republican. "I us'ter fly In a plrut ship," says the alr- farin' tar, says he; "Bhe was manned by the bloodiest alrynauts thut ever a man did see; She'd winss on her starboard aide, if JL riKhtly recolleck, And I was the cap'n of the craft, and I walked the parachute deck. "We boarded a ship a mile above the top of old Pike's Peak 'Twere a Chinese crew, and they walked the plank too bloody scared to squeak; We found six million taels aboard, and I cached 'em then and there In the midst of a big black cloud that hung like an Island In the air. "The verv next week our plrut ship hit the Flatiron Building Shoal, And grabbln' a parachute saved me but I was the only soul; Sence then I've been a drlftln' round, a-hopin' to strike that cloud, Where I hid the gold in the strenuous days of the airship plrut crowd. "But the cloud ain't near Pike's Peak no more, but it's drlftln' round the earth. And It's le&din' me a merry chase, and I'm lnsin weight and Birth; So take the advice of an airship tar when off on a freebootln' flight Don't hide yer gold upon a cloud unless it la anchored tight." Don't Extend the Hunting; Season. Until March 1, Saya W.L. Flnley. JENNINGS LODGE; )r.. Feb. 6. (To the Editor.) In a communication con cerning the scarcity of wild ducks, print ed in last Sunday's Oregonian, the writer. Dr. Jean Cllne, says that I have inferred that the hunters of this locality are "game hogB." I Intended no such inference. I have always recognized two classes of people who go to the woods with gun or fishing rod. The first is the sportsman, who loves the woods and streams, hunts and fishes fairly, always recognizing that the hunted has some rights over tho hunter. The second is the mere killer of game, who recognizes no rights of crea tures. His efforts would lead to their ex termination were it not for laws that hold him back. From the position I have taken against a certain set of duck hunters, some peo ple have thought I am opposed to hunt ing. This is false. The wild game within . our borders is part of the natural re sources of this state. As a citizen and taxpayer of this state, I am opposed to having it exterminated. Any person who opposes the killing of wild birds and ani mals for food, to be consistent, must op pose the killing of tame birds and ani mals. Any person who sits down and en Joys chicken pie or a good beefsteak cannot logically oppose the true sports man who goes to the woods and kills a pheasant or a deer. I do believe it la the duty of every sportsman to protect the remnant of our wild ducks and keep them from being ex terminated. Dr. Cllne says: "In every in stance one will find, if he takes the trou ble to ask. that the hunters of this seo tion are anxious and willing to secure proper protection for the game that abounds here." In another pl&oe he says: "After an experience of ten yearn as a duck hunter, it la my belief that the birds do not commence breeding until about the first of February, which is now the end of the shooting season." Certain hunters ore using every effort at Salem to extend the hunting season through February to the first of March, which, according to Dr. Cllne's statement, will allow duck hunters to ehoot tha mother bird as as she flushes from her eggs. I hope that Dr. Cllne and the other true sportsmen of this locality are not sitting idly at home. If they are "anxious and willing to seoure proper protection" for wild ducks, they should be using some Influence at Salem to prevent the passage of this outrageous law that cannot help but lead to the extermination of our ducks. WILLIAM L. FINLET. prjnvnvQ down cautious witness "You Know How Tim When Men Axe Fighting," lie aaya to Attorney Pee. Pendleton East Oregonian. Judges, Jury and audience were treated to a diversion yesterday afternoon during the Horseman trial, when Jim Hall was called to the stand and was required to testify in regard to the position, the distance from tho echoolhouse, and tho direction in which each of the fighters was standing during the fight that pre ceded the shooting of McBroom. Hall was being questioned as to tlx position of the fighters and Attorney Fe was demanding that he be more explicit. "Tell me exactly where they wern standing at the time they were fighting," sold Mr. Fee. "Well, sometimes they were standing in one place and sometimes tn another," said the witness. "Well, were they standing directly in front of the schoolhouse?" "Well, I can't exactly say." "Were they to one side of the door and In front?" "Yes, part of the time." "Well, were they a littlo in front of the left side of the schoolhouse?" "Some of the time." "Well, can't you say exactly where Um fighters were at the time you saw them .'" said Attorney Fee. "Well, you know how it is. Judge. Fee, when a couple of men are fighting, they flon't stand in one place all the time, but move first to one place and then to another. You know how that Is your self; you had a fight yourself once." "You're a liar," roared Mr. Foe, losing his temper. s Married Btfore They Could Object. Fairfield, 111., Dispatch to New York World. Peter Schulx and Lola Walters were married before they knew it. The wed ding was set for tomorrow night at Noble. They came together into town and obtained the license. Justice Mc Neal, who was standing by, took the license and told them to Join hands. In loss than a minute they were married. He asked them no questions. All he said was: "I pronounce you man and wife; J5, please." "Hey, stop!" yelled the bridegroom. "We don't want to get married right now. We are going to got married to morrow night, and there's going to be a supper and big doings. The whole county is Invited." "Too late," replied the magistrate. , "Thought you wanted the knot tied. Five, please." The bridegroom paid. "The wedding supper goes, anyhow," he said, "but I don't know about the church business." American Crop Pricea Increaaed. New York Sun. On the strength of reports from cor respondents of the Bureau of Statistics, Department of Agriculture, Crop re porter gives' the average prices received by farmers of the principal crops of the United States on January 1, 1909, as com pared with December 1, 1307, to be: Jnn. 1, Dec. 1, 1909. 14107. Per Bo. yer Bu. Corn .. .607 t .Oltt Wheat - .935 .874 Oat R1 . -- Barley .BW .6t!tl Rva 7:u .781 Buckwheat -74S .ens Flaxseed l.S ' -O.Mi Potatoes .7-0 -BIT Hav, per ton ll.flS ' 9.0a Cotton, per pound... .104 0S4 Playwright Finds Gold Hoard. South Norwalk, Conn., Dispatch to Now York World. Charles Klein, the playwright, struck it rich when his gardener's spado revealed a gold mine in his garden. Close besido the gold wero found human bones. Tha gardener was excavating for a gasoline storage pit in the rear of Shirley Manor, the country home of Mr. Klein at Rowayton. About the gold, some of which is in nuggets and some in crudely modeled coins, were tha remains of a wooden or bark box. "Svtelled-Hends" Increaae In Bontom. Baltimore News. Eustace W. Blossom, a noted crimi nologist and Bertillon expert, says that In Boston there is a larger number of men who suffer from "delirium gran diosum," or in plain slang, "swelled head," than in any city he has visited. Trap By Veins on Hand Surface. Indianapolis News. In Berlin, Germany, the police are studying a new system of identifica tion of criminals by taking the veins at the surface of the hand as the surest test of identity. They Marry Away Front Home. Washington, D. C, Dispatch. There was a decrease In the number of marriages in New York State of 20,000 last year under the new marriage-license law, many couples,, it is supposed, having gone to other states to be united. Rat Skins for Paris Hnnd-Muffa. New York Preps. Most of the muffs now being sold in Paris are lined with skins of rats from Algiers, where the French are making war on rodents. A