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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 17, 1909)
tttp! irnnTfi OTtFGON'IAX. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1900. 8 . - , i POBTLAXD, OKEGON. Entered .e Portland, Oregon. Postofnes as 6econd-Class Matter. Subscription Hales InTmrlublT la Advance. (By Mail.) Dally. Sunday Included, one year " J! Ially, Sunday Included, all montha.... (11 Lully, Sunday Included, three months. ..J" Daily, Sunday Included, one month.... . Daily, without Sunday, on year Daily, without Sunday, alx months 1.4 Daily, without Sunday, three month!.. l.5 laily, without Sunday, one month .o Weekly, one year Sunday, one year I-W buoday and Weekly, one rear (By Carrier.) Psllv, Sunday Included, one year . Dally. Sunday Included, one month.... 75 How to Kemlt Send po'stofnee money order, express order or personal check on . our local bank. Stamps, coin or currency are at the sender's risk. Give poetortice ad tren in full. Including county and atate. TiMtace Kates lu to 14 Dages. 1 cent: 1 to 2 pages. 2 cents; 0 to 44 paxes. S cents: 4 to 60 pages. cents. Foreign postage acuble rates. Ka.lrrn Business Oflice The S. C. Beck wlth Special Agency New York, rooms 48 0 Tribune building. Chicago, rooms 10-5U Tribune building. PORTLAND, W EDNESDAY, FEB. 17. 180B. fENTRAL ORKC.ON RAILROAD. After many months of waiting. Gen eral Manager O'Brien of the Harrlman system In the Pacific Northwest, has received authority to proceed with construction of the road to Central Oregon. The definite news of this project Is 6econd only In Importance to the announcement made in this city about three years ago, when James J. Hill declared his intention of building the North Bank road into this city. In some respects, the Cen tral Oregon road 'is of even more Im portance than the North Bank line, for, while the latter brought Into di rect communication with this city an immense extent of territory from which we had previously been barred, except by a roundabout and expensive route, it was all territory in which much development had been made possible. In the Central Oregon territory to be Invaded by the Harriman system, there is practically a virgin field of immense area, rich In possibilities. It Is extremely doubtful if there is any where else in the United States so large an area of rich land on which there has been such meager develop ment. Awaiting the coming of this railroad is an empire of thousands of square miles in which development has progressed no farther than it had In the Willamette Valley fifty years ago. It is an empire in which prac tically every agricultural or horticul tural product that has made the Wil lamette Valley rich and famous can be grown on a wonderful scale, and on land which at the present time can be secured at from one-fifth to one half the prices prevailing in the older settled regions of the Pacific North west. In selecting the route up the Des chutes canyon, the Harriman forces have conformed to the Harriman standards always sought by the emi nent railroad builder and financier, whose hobby Is elimination of grades. This means that the Central Oregon line, as now projected to Bend, is ul timately to continue southward to that other rich territory In the Southeast ern part of the state. The estimated cost of the line is nearly . J5.000.000, and, were the road Intended only as a feeder from the territory north of Bend, it could have been constructed at a much less cost and shorter mile age, either from Shaniko or from Detroit. Now that the Harriman people have decided on the route to be followed and have provided funds for the work, the only obstacle In the way of Im mediate construction is the right-of-way matter. This Is not of sufficient consequence to cause any serious de lay if the Government can be made to understand that a water-level grade railroad into Central Oregon Is of much more value than an Irrigation project, especially when the latter tan probably be handled without Inter fering with the railroad. The opposition of the Oregon Trunk line, which Is accused of placing ob stacles In the way of the Harriman project, can hardly prove serious. It will be remembered that, when Mr. Hill was building his North Bank road down the Columbia River, the Harriman forces, with millions at their command, placed every conceiv able obstacle In the way of Mr. Hill. Yet Mr. Hill continued to push his construction work, and. In spite of the Harriman opposition, completed the road ahead of schedule time. It Is inconceivable that the Oregon Trunk can put up any harder fight against Mr. Harriman's Deschutes line than was put up by Mr. Harriman against the Hill line. In the North Bank case. Mr. Hill had the sympathy and moral support of the people of Port land. In the present case, Mr. Harri man will have the same support. If he proceeds In actual construction work with the same celerity as was displayed In the building of the North Bank line. Not only will Mr. Harriman have the support of the people of Port land and of Central Oregon In his ef forts speedily to settle right-of-way troubles with rival roads which may enter the field, but he should also have the heartiest support at Wash ington In securing approval by the Government for the right-of-way plans. The speedy construction of this road will do more to restore Mr. Har riman to the good graces of the peo ple of Portland and Central Oregon than anything else that he could un dertake at this time. It will also be the means of bringing thousands of homeseekers Into the last remaining region in the great West where cheap land and golden opportunities still can be had In abundance. Best of all . for Portland, there Is no other port In the Pacific North west to which this empire of latent riches is directly tributary, and, as Central Oregon grows in population and wealth, this city -will likewise g: .w, as It now grows with the de velopment of the Willamette Valley and other portions of the great North west which have long enjoyed the transportation facilities about to 'be granted Central Oregon. It Is gratifying to learn that the ap propriation for the entrance of the Columbia Kiver is the largest Item in the river and harbor bill, and that the Portland engineering district will receive more than twice the amount carried for any other district In the country. For this favor the Pacific Northwest Is under obligations to the river and harbor committee, and It is with regret that we must note some material changes soon to be made in the personnel of that organization. With the Importance of the work In the Pacific Northwest, It would seem 1 ' . t a necessity that the place made va cant by the retirement of Senator Jones be filled either by an Oregon or a Washington man. The greatest interests of the country,' In river and harbor improvements, lie along our coasts, and for that reason such im portant matters should be in the hands of Coast men, or men who are perfectly familiar with the waters for which appropriations will be asked. MR. KNOX' DIFKICI.-LTY. The provision In the Constitution of the United States which has made It difficult for Mr. Knox to become Sec retary of State is one of those laws so excellent In purpose and so ef ficient in action that people forget all about them. It Is only unreasonable laws and those which fail of their pur pose that are constantly remembered. They are remembered because there Is always something to remind us of them. Either they are cpenly broken with impunity, which always causes more or less scandal, or they irritate th ! public by restricting conduct un necessarily. The Constitution, in for bidding a member of either House of Congress to be appointed to any of-fl- whose salary has been increased during his term of office struck at a crying evil, and struck so effectively .that the evil disappeared altogether from our politics. The provision is so clearly wise and has been lived up to so uniformly that it has slipped out of mind, and even Mr. Taft and Mr. Knox, who are well informed about the Constitution, never thought of It when the appointment was made. The supposition that either of them dreamed of evading the Constitution, or of defying it. Is of course absurd. They were guilty of an oversight and nothing more. Since Mr. Knox' serv ices to the country as Secretary of State would be valuable. It Is well to remove the constitutional difficulty f om the way of his appointment If It can be done. Most people think it can bo and has been. Last year the salaries of- Cabinet Members were raised from $8000 to 112.000 a year, Mr. Knox, being then a Senator. The repeal of this act, so far as it applies to the Secretary of State, would put that office exactly where it was and leave Mr. Knox free to accept It. In 1911, when his term In the Senate would have expired, the salary dould be raised again, but not sooner, .be cause the constitutional provision cov ers the entire "time for which he was elected." We cannot suppose that the salary is of much consequence in itself to Mr. Knox. He Is not ambitious to be Secretary of State for the sake of the pay he will receive. Very likely he would be just as eager for the post as he is now if It carried no salary at all. Men of his age, . character and standing in the world do not labor for money, though they do not despise money, . either. The temporary dim inution of the salary will not be a matter of much moment to him while the opportunity to serve his country In high office and enroll his name among its historical characters he will value greatly. The expedient by which he can be made eligible to appointment ought not to be called an evasion of the Con stitution. It Is, on the contrary, the strictest sort of obedience to it. Sure ly no candid ptrson could object to the removal of a disqualification which is purely accidental from a man. who is admitted by everybody to be in all other respects admirably fitted for the position of Secretary of State. INFORMATION FOB THE UNIX FORMED. Elsewhere 'in this paper The Ore gonian prints a communication from John A. Penton, secretary of the Merchant Marine League. The Ore gonlan has so frequently exposed the fallacies of Merchant Marine League arguments that it Is not surprising to learn that the league has abandoned all hope that anything it can say will have weight with The Oregonian. Re garding the reference made to the Griscom-Morgan-Rockefeller inter ests. The Oregonian Is Indeed sur prised at the ignorance of the "League" In not knowing that it was being used as a catspaw for removing the chestnuts which In the past have burned the paws of the interests men tioned. These interests would profit by a ship subsidy to a greater extent than any others In the United States. They already control more than 660, 000 tons of foreign shipping, in ad dition to a big fleet that flies the American flag, and every dollar in subsidy would be clear profit over and above their present earnings as It would be unnecessary to increase the cost of operation and no individual or Interest outside of these vast com binations of capital would profit in the slightest degree. We trust that In future Mr. Penton and his league will remember for whom they are working. The mall subsidy, or to use the proper terms, our payments for carry ing the mails, are much greater than those of any other country. We pay the American line (Morgan-Griscom et aL) $1.60 per pound for carrying the mail, and the German lines with faster steamers, carry It for us for 44 cents per pound. The American lines are paid 40 per cent more for carrying .our mail than the British lines are paid for carrying British malls. The humiliation of having Dutch, Norwegian, Italian, German and Brit ish ships acting as tenders to our fleet In Its cruise around the world would have been spared, had Amer ican citizens been . permitted to ob tain ships as the Dutch, Norwegians, Italians, Germans and British obtain them. Probably the most foolish statement made by this oracle of the unsalted seas, is that regarding free ships, which he asserts are "never considered now by cnyone who knows anything concerning the subject." ' Every man In the United States who does know anything concerning the subject, knows that in free ships and unrestricted rights regarding their operation lies the solution of the problem. In no manner could this point be more clearly set forth than In the following extract from a speech by Henry Clews before the Merchant Marine Congress in New York a few days ago: We must secure both our ships and our sailors on the best terms possible. That Is the foundation of England's extraordinary success. She buys her ship, her supplies and her labor In the cheapen market. 8s must we. If a ship cost l,o0,0oi here and $750,000 abroad wo must buy abroad. If Americans don't want to go to sea because they can find a more profitable Job ashore, let them do as they prefer and let us em ploy sailors wherever we can get them. We can never succeed in establishing any mer chant marine until we cease depending upon crutches, and get down to tho wne. sound and businesslike methods which have brought success to our rivals. Mr. Penton's "guarantee" that for eign ships will be admitted duty free is on a par with' his other wild state- manta Voithftr Vi nnr the Merchant Marine League has the power to change the present laws. A special act of Congress a number of years ago admitted the steamers Paris and New York to American registry, but made it mandatory that two ships of equal size and speed, the St, Paul and St. Louis, be built in this country. The latter cost $1,100,000 more than they wpuld have erst In a foreign yard, and that immense sum will run against the expense account of the company as long as the steamers are afloat. If Mr. Penton is In position to "guaran tee" free ship advantages to all who desire it, he might remit that $1,100, 000 which his unknown friends, Gris-com-Morgan et al., were obliged to pay before they could get American register for the Paris and New York. The Kroonland and Finland a temporarily under the Belgian flag be cause the foolish restrictions of the American navigation laws Impose bur dens not seriously regarded when freights are high, .but onerous when low. Both of these steamers will be back under the American flag as so as we repeal our present absurd nav igation laws and give shipping a show. DEPENDENT CHILDREN. Charity, like everything else on earth, has its fashions. Twenty-five years ago benevolent people were not content until they had gathered all the helpless and dependent children they could get hold of Into Institutions of one sort and another. Babies' homes, orphans' homes, homes for foundlings, and so on, multiplied and flourished, doing no doubt a great deal of good. But now thoughtful work ers have begun to look at the subject differently. The keynote of Mr. Roosevelt's address at the Conference on tho Care of Dependent Children was the desirability of placing these waifs and playthings of evil fortune in families. For the old-fashioned "home" which, make the best of It, was but a poor substitute for a true home, he had only that faint praise which we accord to a. man whose fu neral we are eager to celebrate. These Institutions are . inevitably attended by a long train of unhappy consequences. The best that can be said for them is that they provide a cheap method of solving an insistent social problem. The worst that can be said is that they solve the problem by hindering the development and crushing the individuality cf the chil dren whom they receive. The poorest apology for a home in a decent fam ily is better than the best institution for most children. Social workers have recognized this somewhat obvi ous truth and they are turning their efforts in the direction of placing or-, phans, foundlings and even delin quents In families, choosing families which live in the country as often as possible. The most direct way to save a boy who has taken his first lesson in crime on a city street Is to place him In a farmer's household where he will be made to go to bed at 9 o'clock, rise at 6 and exercise his muscles in useful work all day. The objections commonly made to child labor do not apply to farm work. In moderation it is the best thing in the world for the body of a boy and for his soul, too. But there ought to be some little emphasis upon the "moder ation." The number of farmers' boys with thin arms, crooked backs and narrow chests shows clearly enough that, like other good things, rural toll can be pushed too far. DANGER FROM DISINTERMENT. The bodies of 5000 Chinese were shipped from Brooklyn, New York, last week by steamer to their final resting places In "far Cathay." These bodies were disinterred from burying grounds all over the United States and placed In sealed caskets which were In turn enclosed in pine boxes and sent on their grewsome journey. Great care was taken to preserve the name and identity of each of the silent oc cupants of the boxes and all were snugly stowed between decks like so many bales of cotton for the long voyage. Upon the arrival of the charnel-house ship the bodies will be sent to places whence they came, and the first chapter In the long ritual of veneration for, or worship of the dead, according to the custom of the centuries In China will be ended. Ordinarily little notice is taken of the custom tf wholesale deportation of the corpses of Chinese. They are as so much rubbish of which cemetery associations are glad to be rid. There might be an exigency, however, in which this custom would prove of baleful import. In the event of an epidemic of smallpox, for example, in which a number of Chinamen, more or less, had perished, the public round about these burial places could ill af ford the risk that attends the disin terment of the bodies for shipment. Presumably the health authorities in every locality where Chinese are tem porarily Interred would look after this matter, yet the Chinese might turn such vigilance aside by means for which "the heathen Chinee is pe culiar" and grave results would fol low. The vitality of germs of what may be classed as Oriental diseases, partic ularly those of the bubonic plague. Is said' to outlive time and such other purifying forces of the elements that essay their absorption or destruction following earth burial. In support of this assumption. It is recorded that a violent eruption 'of the plague fol lowed the digging of Regent's Canal In London through a district in which tho dead of that frightful scourge had been buried in trenches more than a hundred years before. The danger of spreading disease through 'the disturbance of burial places Is a real one, and can only be fully guarded against by cremation of those who die from epidemic dis eases. To what extent this danger lurks in the disinterment and ship ment of a cargo of dead bodies, cannot be determined until too late to pre vent the always possible disaster that waits upon, such an utterly useless and disgusting custom, so rigidly ad hered to in the case of Chinese who die outside of their native land. Even President Roosevelt sapient, versatile, positive as he is, finds that there are some things that he has ad vocated with zeal without Judgment. His advocacy of a multiplicity of births as the hope of the race is a matter of public record. He now finds himself face to face with the problem of the care of dependent, de linquent and neglected children, a multitude of whom have- come into the world since his first severe ar raignment of American women upon the indictment of "race-suicide." He finds too many children where but now he declared there were too few, and is driven to suggest ways and means whereby such children may be rescued from the evils of Irresponsi ble parentage and become in the course of time responsible citizens. He calls upon Congress to establish a Federal Children's Bureau, and for legislation whereby a systematic plan for caring for children of irresponsi ble parents may be provided; tells of providing . individual homes for the overplus of children of such parents and of helping such parents to pro vide for their children. All of which will encourage . irresponsible men and women in casting the care of their offspring upon the public and increase Inordinately the burden that thrift is already carrying in the interest of un thrift. It is necessary, of course, that all needful accommodations be provided for the care of the insane at Salem, and no citizen will find the slightest fault with the Legislature for any reasonable expenditure for that pur pose. There are about 1300 of these unfortunate wards ' of the state at Salem, and the burden upon the state is not small. But the public has a duty to perform in their care, and it must be discharged, and It will be. The asylum buildings are perhaps commodious enough for the present, and their equipment is fairly com plete, though It appears singular that adequate fire protection has not here tofore been provided. As the Gov ernor and the asylum superintendent point out, something should be done to repair this oversight, and to remove as far as possible the likelihood that, if fire should ever start, the buildings would be burned, for a great tragedy could not then be avoided. The Ontario gas well, spouting with a force that hurled mud, water and gravel 150 feet into the air is so far ahead of anything that has followed years of effort to find oil and gas in this state that the event may mark an epoch In the Industrial history of the state. The importance of the discov ery can hardly be overestimated, and. If subsequent prospecting on a large and scientific scale, which will, now be assured, should disclose both oil and gas In paying quantities, the entire Eastern Oregon region will witness such a boom as a few years ago swept over the oil regions of Texas and Cali fornia. The announcement of a gas gusher in Eastern Oregon and a rail road to Central Oregon all In one day. Is reaching for the record for good news for Oregon. The Portland Produce Merchants' Association has taken up the matter of Increasing the poultry products of tho state and will offer prizes for the best results obtained. An effort will be made to Interest boys and girls In the Industry and literature giving in structions on the care and breeding of poultry will be distributed by the association. The .project Is a worthy one, for large sum3 of money are sent out of the state every year for poul try, which, with a little more atten tion given the industry, could be se cured at home. While working on this project, the produce dealers might also remember that the supply of butter could be Increased without any danger of overstocking the market. Well-meaning clergymen in a New Jersey town who would open a saloon to sell liquor, with coffee, lemonade and a light luncheon, are wasting time and money. The drinking man is very human. He will buy the real stuff and look with a n-asant contempt at the side dishes. Mr. - Jter brings the news that Mr. H ney will come to try Mr. Hermann when he has done wi... the Calhoun case. As that affair has not pro gressed as far as the jury box, Mr. Hermann could Just as well make that trip to Europe. The Judges of the Second District don't know what they are talking about. They are overworked. They need another Judge. At least some one needs a job- as a third Judge, and the Legislature puts the bill through. If President Van Cleave succeeds In taking the tariff out of pclitics nothing will be left of politics. Yet perhaps the eountry has long since passed the time when it was willing . to be all wrought up over thetariff. Harriman, it seems. Is spending sev eral weeks visiting and recuperating in Texas. What's the matter with Pel ican Bay? There no coarse whistle of the noisy locomotive ever disturbs any one's rest. Senator Bourne's proposal to ar range the working hours of the Sen ate on the plan of tho British Parlia ment Is respectfully referred to Judge Hennessey Murphy for an opinion. Does President Elliott, of the North ern Pacific, think that the most ef fective way to keep open the Seattle gateway to the A. Y. P. Exposition is to keep the Portland gateway closed? Uncle Isaac Stephenson spent 1107, 000 at the Wisconsin primary to be Senator, but "no evidence of cor ruption Is to be found," It Is said. The primary is the poor man's law. Once more we hear that Heney Is about to come to Oregon to try Blnger Hermann. What's ihe hurry? It is only four years ago December 23, 1904 that he was indicted. There Is little need of legislative fooling with local option. Wherever it has come it is to stay, for the people have so ordained. That natural gas outbreak at On tario occurred while the Legislature was far away at Salem; else we might have had doubts. "Nice fellow," tays Mr. Frohman, speaking of Mrs. Frohman's prospec tive second husband. Evidently he's grateful. ' ' This country will never be at the mercy of a powder trust. When it needs powder it will commandeer the mills. No guaranty of bank deposits for Oregon. Some things even an Oregon Legislature will not do. Following Congress and the Legis lature, the annual May-day strike news will hold attention. Those Malheur drillers seem to have got their gas, and It Is not hot air. A VOICE FROM THE BARRACKS. Educate the Public on Japan, but Keep Ont Scandal It Says. VANCOUVER BARRACKS. Wash.. Feb: 16. (To the Editor.) The Orego nlan's editorial article today on ."The United Stares and Japan" Is a most ex cellent statement of the facts of this country's present military nprepared ness for war with Japan; and since, as you say, "Japan has a better estimate of it than the mass of our people have, who think the bigness of a country the measure of Its strength against a smaller, but well-prepared country," it seems a pity that more of such Information is not found in the columns of the press. In view of its great Interest to the eountry at large, and especially to the Paeltlc Coast. The ignorance of the general public In such matters is not small; and such ignorance, and the confusion of the idea of potential military resources (millions of men and money) with avail able, trained effective strength in men, and war material, has from the begin ning of our history as a Nation cost us enormous war debts and overladen pen sion lists; yet the fallacy is constantly repeated in debates in Congress, speeches cn the stump, and addresses on patriotic occasions. These and newspapers are the chief sources of popular Information on this subject. Reading as I do dally the editorials of The Oregonian with the greatest satis faction, and while convinced that you know a great deal more about how to conduct a newspaper than I do, it seems to me it can but "make the Judicious grieve" to note how much space is given In your news columns to the doings of Colonel Tucker and other military and naval delinquents, as compared with the srflall space real news of military value occupies. There are large numbers of our people who seldom read anything ex cept newspapers, and if their mental food as to the Army Is entirely or chiefly made up of the highly spiced dishes pre pared by scandal-mongering reporters in Chicago and elsewhere to be handed around all over the land, and at great expense, for consumption at the break fast tables of the country, what a con dition of mental indigestion the public must be in! Now, were even the half of the troubles of the Tuckers, as reported, true, and they are not. the Interests of truth and publicity would be better served by less encouragement of Imaginative reporters and less space devoted to their concoc tions in the news columns. "One swal low does not make a Summer"; the Tuckers are a very small part of the Army, and not a fair sampled and the prominence given to their domestic in felicities is certainly not in the interest of the country, the Army, and good morals. Perhaps the public wants that sort of stuff you know better than I do but I believe people generally would prefer something of real value on mili tary matters, such as Is contained in your editorial, in relation to our problem with Japan. No right-minded man can desire war with Japan, either now, or possibly at any time; nor should undue prominence be given to military matters; but in view of the race question, the de clared policy of the Government as to the Pacific Ocean and Asiatic trade, all news relating to the military phase would be of greater Interest than the affairs of Tucker, whose whole career is one of the worst examples we have, of misdi rected Senatorial and political influence in the Army, for which the Army at large has been made to suffer, and for which it is in no way responsible. ARMY. The Oregonian has only to say with reference to the Tucker matter, that the indiscretions of that unsavory gentleman, as reported In the newspapers, have a local . Interest, because of his residence here for several yars. His so-called "af finity" likewise Is from Portland, and the Logan family, into which Tucker mar ried, and In which he seems to be having some difficulty in remaining, is known throughout the country. The Oregonian has no predilection for scandal, but it prints all matters of human Interest and Importance, for It thlnk3 they should be printed. If no public notice were to be taken of the misdeeds of the Tuckers and the Hainsos and the like, the Army would soon be in a sad way through sheer moral degeneracy. Publicity is the best possible corrective or preventive, of similar misconduct In others. Besides, would not this Army officer prefer to have the truth, and all the truth, known about the Army and Its officers and men? Or would he have them protected from the vulgar knowledge of the public when they err? WHAT SUBSIDY SEEKERS WANT. Merchant Marine Leasrue Furnishes Statements of Its Doctrine. CLEVELAND, O- Feb. 10. (To the Kditor.) While we are very well aware that nothing we can say, or nothing we can point out in the way of error as to the stand always taken by The Ore gonian with reference to the American merchant marine would have any weight, still, we want to correct two very Incorrect statements in The Ore gonian of January 30. In the first place the Merchant Ma rine League Is not identified with what The Oregonian calls the Griscom-Morgan-Rockefeller interests, whatever they may be. This league, a list of officers we enclose herewith. Is com posed only of patriotic Americans, whose sole interest in this matter Is the upbuilding of the American mer chant, marine, and the strength of the American flag. It receives no support whatever, either directly or Indirectly, from any shlp-bullding ship-owning or ship-operating firm or enterprise. It believes that our mails should be car ried in American ships. It helieves that a sufficient number of American ships should be provided to strengthen our Navy to serve as auxiliary transports, collieries and sup ply ships in the event of war; and no one can know better than The Ore gonian the conditions In that respect as they exist today. In the event of war, our Navy would be absolutely useless out of sight of land, because there are not enough American ships to take care of tho Navy as It should be taken care of. Accompanying our fleet on the cruise around the world there is a gathering of Dutch. Norwe gian. Italian, German and British ships, carrying coal, provisions and supplies. And then in the closing paragraph of The Oregonlan's editorial reference Is made to this foolish free ship busi ness, which Is almost entirely extinct, and is never considered now by any one who knows anything concerning the subject. The writer will guarantee in the event that The Oregonian or anybody else in Portland, desires to purchase a foreign ship to go into the foreign trade, that such ship will be brought In duty free, and will be given an American registration and an Amer ican flag, without any difficulty. Two of the largest ships ever con structed in this country, the "Kroon land" and the "Finland." of the Red Star Line, built at Cramp's shipyards In 1902, have given up the American flag within the past three months, and taken the flag of Belgium. Anybody can see that no advantage is to be gained by bringing in foreign ships duty free, as it is not possible to con duct them In competition with' the low priced, cheaply-operated, heavily-subsidized ships of foreign nations. - . JOHN. A- PENTON, Secretary of The Merchant Marine League of the United States. - PUTS BLAME STRAIGHT ON ASSESSOR Slcler', ColoI Blunder In Boosting Valuation. Responsible for Ijwsjrd i'rntt and Fresh Balds Step Jlust Bo Taken Immediately to ITevent In creane of the Orlevoun Burden Portland Is Bearing. PORTLAND, Feb. 15. (To the Edi tor.) Demand by Assessor B. D. Sigler that the Legislature compel him to assess property at one-half its value is definite admission that he has com mitted a great blunder in boosting property In the city and county to such a high notch. .The general trend of Mr. Sigler's reply of Sunday morn ing indicates that while he begins to see the effects of his boosting policy, he has no sympathy whatever with the toiling masses, who must pay for this boosting. It is not to be expected that he should have sympathy with the masses. His associations, which radi ate between the County Courthouse and the clubrooms of this city, and the fraternities, of which he is a member, do not afford him time to mingle with the "common herd," the home builders of this city, and ascertain how they are going to meet the out rageous taxes imposed upon them, for the benefit of grafters and official looters. Sympathy does not usually find a place in the composition of such men. And yet Mr. Sigler may console him self with the reflection that he Is the most popular man In Multnomah; no body could havo beaten him In the last election. It is well known the more you kick and abuse a dog the better he likes you and the more pop ular you become with the dog. Is that the case with the common people of this county the tighter you cinch them the more popular you become? Assessor Sigler begins to realize that the onslaught oh the taxpayers of this city and county is due to high valuation, and is now willing that the Legislature shall compel him to halt in the boosting process, as he has ac cumulated such tremendous momentum in the boosting that he. cannot reach the brake. see Let us see. Our present valuation has stimulated bond issues that no body would have dreamed of project ing. With over $225,000,000 of valua tion avenues for publio expenses have been multiplied in every direction that would not have b.een undertaken, could not have been undertaken, under a reasonable assessable valuation. We have been projected on the high road of public extravagance that will land this city in financial disaster, un less a halt is called at once. Other cities, San Jose, Cal., for example, now feels the weight of overloaded bond Issue. Here $7,000,000 in bonds piled up on 35,000 people, based on' tentative and speculative values, with the result tha.t a blight has fallen on that city. A high valuation of property encour aged bond issues and debts beyond the strength of the people to carry. In Portland we are drifting in that direction. With a tremendous piling up of assessable valuation the people have been led to consider that millions of bonds and debts could be assumed with safety, not taking into considera tion the public grafting and looting that have kept pace with the march of public debt. Lulled Into fancied se curity by the. millions of property val uations they have been blinded to the future pay-day that must come. As the Initial of this boosting we have started in on the first results. As the statements are being received from the Sheriff's office we begin to understand that something, has been going on. .The first pay-day has ar rived. , It is the first taste of what the fu ture has in store for the taxpayers of this city and county. Mr. Sigler, with " all his popularity and suave and polished manners, can not escape his responsibility. When he started on his career of boosting prop erty he was reminded that that course would open up avenues of public ex travagance, but he did say in an Inter view In The Oregonian that he would Insist that the levy would be kept low In proportion to the boosting. If any body heard him protesting against the constantly Increasing levy the past few years, they should come forward now. Property is no longer income-producing. It takes over one-sixth of the rent, or two months' income to meet the taxes. The rest of the income Is absorbed in repairs, sewers and street Improvements. In some states 2 per cent Is fair income on property. This on business property. On residences and houses for rent the taxation this year is tremendously USE OF MILITARY AERONAUTICS. Work of Airships In Actual Warfare From a Scientific Standpoint. New York Times. Here is a summary of the uses of Mr ships in warfare, as inserted in the Congressional Record previous to the vote of the House withholding an ap propriation for $500,000 to support ade quately an aeronautic branoh o: the Army : 1. To gain information In peace time respecting? harbors, fortifications, etc. 2. Patrols and frontier guarriR. 3. For reconnolssance and photographic work. 4. fMspatch work. 5. Checking an enemy's reconnolssance on land or sea. 6. Signaling and wireless telegraph sta tions. 7. Directing- artillery fire and drawing enemy's fire. 8. Destroying the enemy's aerial fleet. 9. Attacking an enemy's baBe line, de stroying stores, etc. 10. Destroying railways and other com munications. . . 11. Raiding the capital of the enemy's country. , 12. Nfaklng night or surprise attacks on Bold forces, using explosives or Incendiary mixtures. . , . 13. Raiding harbors and naval bases. 14. Carrvlng out oversea raids. 15. Locating and capturing or destroying submarines. 16. Locating mines. 17. Following up a victory by land or sea and completing the rout. Russia allotted $1,083,750 to military aeronautics for 19.09. France has a well-organized aeronautical oaiuiiiuu of 24 officers and 432 enlisted men. and has built, and is building, large dirigi ble balloons. The C-erman army has four dirigible airships in actual opera tion and popular subscriptions through out Germany last year raised a million dollars for Zeppelin, his aeronautical plant, and airships. All the first-class European and Asiatic powers at The Hague last year refused to sign the prohibition relative to dropping ex plosives from airships. Military au thorities agree that the only way of effectively opposing military airships is by means of airships. And it has hitheto been the policy of this Nation, not to maintain a large war force, but to furnish its small force with the best and latest types of war material, guns, ammunition and equipment of all kinds. Era of "a Bath With Every Room." Boston Herald. "A bath with every room" is the Ameri can Idea of the ' comfortable" hotel. It would be difficult to knock It out of the public's mind, now it has worked in, but pray remember the days when great-great-grandfather washed in a tin basin no bigger than a finger bowl. Go and look at the tiny corner washstand in the Paul Revere house and see what that hero used for maintaining cleanliness of person! The ablutions of our forefathers were not extensive, It Is true, but they told in the "high thinking" that was kept up In those days of low living. Private residences are not thought first-class un less supplied with elaborate bathrooms on every floor, and the bathtub Itself, hewn from Carrara marble or made of porce lain, must be of heroic size, large, enough to drown any ordinary family I burdensome. A young man bought a lot and built a house last year, no pays $40 taxes on the property, al though it is but a small cottage. Pay ment and taxes fall due together, and how he shall meet both he has not solved. At Sellwood a young man bought a lot for $175 and this year he pays taxes on $250 valuation on this lot. And so it goes in hundreds of cases. Of course, the writer knows that there is no escape from "present con ditions, but there is time to call a halt In the career of public extravagance on which the city and county aro about to embark, and In fact have embarked already. Next year the levy must he increased to meet increased expenses in the mad course of expansion and multiplicity of officials. It is the future In which I am more concerned than for tho present the piling up of a great debt that will result in placing fixed charges on every dollar of the property of this city and county for all time. And the new Courthouse is a new scheme for the exploiting of the tax payers of this caunty the farmers as well as the business institutions of this city. Of course, Mr. Ptgler needs more room for his growing force. The County Clerk needs more room for his expanding force. More room is needed for Judges of the Circuit Court, and so on and so on. Multiplication of officials in this city and county, al ready shown In a recent issue of The Oregonian to have now reached an army of nearly 1000 and growing rep idly, need more room. This year $350,000 will be raised to erect one corner of the proposed Court house. Next year another $350,000 will be needed for another corner. and by tho time the four corners and the mlddlo are completed with the elegant furni ture that must go with the palace, $2, 000,000 will resemble 30 cents. This has been the history of such enter prises precipitated as this has been done without first elaborating a defin ite policy. Such a building means more officials. Notwithstanding Mr. Slftler's admi ration for Judge L. R. Webster, the Courthouse ought not to be built un der his administration, unless he can be held down to a building that will not cost at the most over $500,000. It ousrht to be submitted to the people first to determine whether they want a new Courthouse, not to Mr. Sigler or Judge Webster, nor hordes of officials, and also the cost of this building ought to be submitted to the people, and not permit the County Court to decide for the people of this county. Judge Webster is an able and bril liant advocate, a gentleman of courtly manners, but he has as much sympathy with the taxpayers as Mr. Sigler him self has shown he holds. Possibly no city in the Union has a more promising outlook than Portland, but it remains to be seen whether them shall be placed a colossal debt on it that will prove a' perpetual blight. More families own homes in this city than any other of the same population In this country. This year they are grievously penalized for their thrift. Next year the penalty on thrift will be increased. Property-owners in Port land are engaged In vast street Im provements and the construction of sewers, and on the top of this comes a 2 per cent levy on a great assessment valuation. Taxation is legitimate for mainten ance of government; it also may be come an Instrument of oppression us it has become in many cities of the United States, and it will be come so in Portland. Out of such conditions toward which Portland Is drifting, are developed the socialist, the anarchist and the dynamiter element, that are growing rapidly in this country be cause of these burdens. Friends, we must face these condi tions whether we want to or not in the city, and it remains to be seen whether the conservative men of affairs will step In and put a stop to the car reer of public extravagance this city seems to have embarked on. Legitimate enterprises and buildings cannot go for ward with such a tremendous handi cap that is portended. Investment of capital must stop under so great a penalty as is portended bv the outlook. JOHN F. WILSON. LAYS 1.10 EfiGS IN 00 ODD DAYS. Wonderful Stunt of New Jersey Hen, Which Doesn't Even t ackle Over It. New York World. If a hen and a half Lay an egg and a half In a day and a half How many will a dozen lay? With this arithmetical problem Mrs. George W. Appiegate's hen concerns herself not at all. This industrious and remunerative hen simply goes on laying eggs. Since December 3, last, this cornucopia hen has laid 130 eggs. Although she lias beaten all records at laying rggs, she is modest and retir ing and, so far from boasting, doesn't emit even a cackle. The hen Kot on the nerves of Sirs. Applcgate, who lives on Beech street, Redbank. N. J. Mrs. Applegate was astounded to find 12 eggs in the hen's nest last Thursday sundown. Mrs. Applegate, jrasplng, stared at the hen; the hen, with a suspicion of a smile on her face, looked at Mrs. Applegate as if saying. "I'm rather fruitful, eh?" Mrs. Applegate began to laugh and she laughed until she cried. Then, laughing and crying alternately, she got hysterical and her family called in Dr. Sayre, who quieted her with tho bromides of sodiifm and potassium. No nervous collapse threatened the hen. She preserved her mental poise and, attending to business strictly, laid seven more eggs during Thursday night. She kept up a continuous per formance during all day Friday; 13 eggs were the outcome. Her fame spread and The World's correspondent at Redbank heat it to Mrs. AppleKate's house. He s:tw the hen but did not get an Interview with Mrs. Appplegato, who is still suffering from nervous ness. Miss Christine Applegate, aged 16, her daughter, said she guessed tho hen had "laid out" and produced no eggs since Friday. The hen appeared to be In a good, condition, but there was a drooping, air about her which seemed to indicate that she was dis appointed at not being able to lay any more eggs. A FEW SQUIBS. "Think of the glories of ancient Rome." "I've seen 'em," answered Senator Sor ghum. "It's terrible to me to consider the graft they must have contended with In F mtting up all those Improvement." Wash ngton Star. The Vanishing Horse-Thief The Con stable Now, gentlemen, we've traced these here cloos tho fut-prlnts o' the ho'se an' the fut-prlnts o' the man to this stump; from here on thar's only the fut-prlnts o' the ,hoes. Now, the question Is Wot's be come o' the man? Life. "You refuse me because I have a title," said the count bitterly, "but I will relin quish It. I will become a plain citizen." "How noble of you." responded the Ameri can heiress. "I. too, feel called upon to make a sacrifice. I will relinquish my for tune, and then Why, he's gone!" Phila delphia Ledger. Three-year-old Norrls is fond of the 23d Psalm, sometimes repeating It Instead of his regular evening proyer. When the name of President-elect Taft was often heard at the dinner table, Norrls uncon sciously fell into the habit of rendering one passage of the Psalm In this reassuring fashion: "Thy rod and thy Taft, they com fort me." Exchange. I