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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (May 16, 1910)
TITE MORNING OREGONIAN, 3IONDAY, 3IAT 16, 1910. . PORTLAND, OHEGOX. Kntered at Portland, Oregon. Postofflce m Second-Class Matter. Subscription Bat en Invariably in Advance. (BT MAIL,). tai!y. Sunday included, one year $8 00 Dally, Sunday Included, six months.... 425 Dally. Sunday Included, three month. . 2 25 Dally, Sunday Included, one month. .... -75 Dally, without Sunday, one year 8 00 Dally, without Sunday, six months.... 8 25 Dally, without Sunday, three months.. 1.75 Daily, without Sunday, one month 60 weekly, one year 3.&0 Sunday, one year. ....... 2.50 Sunday and weekly, one year 8.50 By Carrier). Dally, Sunday Included, one year...... 0.00 Dally. Sunday Included, one month 75 How to Remit Send Postofflce money order, express order or personal check on vour local hank. Stamps, coin or currency are at the sender's risk. Give postofflce ad dress in full, including county and state. 1'ostage Rates 10 to 14 pages. 1 cent: Is to 28 pages, 2 cents; 30 to 40 pages, 8 cents: 10 to 60 pages. 4 cents. Foreign postage double rate. i.ern Business Office The S. C. Beck wlth Special Agency New York, rooms 48 60 Tribune building. Chicago, rooms 510 612 Tribune building. PORTLAND, MONDAY, MAY 1, 1010. AN ASSEMBLY OF AN EMJCHTESED PJSOPLK. A if the coming Republican assem bly could force voters in the primaries and then in the election to accept its nominees, whether they shall be good or otherwise, the Sclo News says: This Interference with the prerogative of the primary voter Is simply a gross insult to his intelligence. It is equivalent to saying, we (the assemblyites) are men of superior political sagacity and because of this fact we are more competent to select the men who shall conduct the affairs of state than you of the common herd, we will select the nominees while you, plebeians, may have he privilege of Walking up to the polls and voting for whom we tell you to vote. Not at all, neighbor. The conven tion will offer the primary voter a 'ticket" of candidates, from whom he can select men who' in his judgment are fit; or he can reject the whole list and substitute candidates better to his liking. No "dose" can be forced down his throat nor any sugar-coated bit-" terness. But primary voters can administer the assembly a dose -f they so wish. However, they will not wish to do this, if the assembly ticket shall be made up of worthy candidates. Vot ers of Portland did not wish to re ject the ticket of the city assembly last year. The assembly is a labor-saving im provement of democracy for determin ing policies and selecting candidates for official place. It is used by citi zens in every activity of life and cer tainly is a proper means of political action. It is the moat approved method people have ever devised for adjusting differences of interest and opinion and determining common basis for social movements in their multifarious phases. It is known as the representative or republican method of political action. Assembly can mean no reproach to the Intelli gence of the people, nor to their abil ity to rule themselves and choose their officials. It is one of the most ap proved instrumentalities of political concert. Government is iP limitation on the free will of a people, yet it signifies no impeachment of their in telligence that they cannot exist as a social body without government. But, getting back to the starting point, it is clear that the Republican convention next Summer can force the people to do nothing! It can only ad vise and suggest. The people will take the advice and suggestions for what they are worth and deal with them in the primaries- accordingly. . Self-appointed alarmists affront the electorate when they declare voters will not in telligently deal with the work of the convention. Members of an assembly are, not more intelligent than the people, nor do they pretend to be. They act merely in representative capacity, as a function of enlightened political ac tion. And the more enlightened the people, the more representative w,ill be the assembly. COAST CONTENTION SUSTAINED. The long-and-short-haul clause of the railroai bill, aj' agreed o in t: e U. S. Senate, is strictly in accord with the demands ma".c by people wl.o are not entirely derendent --n railroad transports 'ion, but who object to hav ing the advs-iita-es of natural .ca tion nullified by legislation in the in terest of communities less favorably situated. The wise provision in sec tion 4 of the amend' d 111 givs the Interstate Cot mercc Commission power to authorize cor '.r-. carriers to charge less for a long haul than for a short haul where the "distances and conditions of the long haul are dissimilar to the circumstances and conditions of the shorter haul, wheth er they result from competition by water or rail." This leaves the mat ter in the position where a commun ity favored by "circumstances and conditions"' can appear before the Commission, and on submission of proper proof of its advantages can secure a lower rate for the long haul than for the short haul. Eventually, when the interior points secure a little firmer grasp on the complex factors that enter into the problem, it will be understood that it is not the coast alone that is to profit by a lower rate for the long haul than for the short haul. If the transconti nental roads were to be shut out of the Pacific Coast terminal business, as they surely would be if the interior points were granted a lower rate to Coast terminals, their earning capa city would be so seriously impaired that it would immediately become necessary to advance rates on all in termediate traffic. In other words, the roads would to all intents and purposes cease to be transcontinental lines and would become local roads on which Insufficient traffic would be handled to warrant as low rates as would prevail with through traffic to help out the earnings. It is the combination of through traffic and local traffic that enables a railroad system to show the best earnings on all of its terminals, sta tions, track and other equipment. Any loss that results, from curtailing busi ness In one part of the system must be made up on another. If Spokane for example, were to be granted lower rates than those fixed by water com petition at Portland, the railroads would lose the business west of Spo kane and would be forced to make up the deficit by charging a higher rate to Spokane. In the new bill the In terstate Commerce Commission is per mitted to recognize the merits of a lower rate for the long haul than for the short haul by rail, as well as by water. The merit of this provision is also admirably shown hy actual condi tions now prevailing at Spokane. The Great Northern and the Northern Pa cific both reach Spokane from good traffic territory in the Middle West by a route more than 400 miles shorter than that over which the Union Pa cific and Its connections can reach Spokane. Thus the short haul over the Hill roads becomes the long haul over the Harriman road, and . if the latter road were not permitted to charge sufficient to , meet these "circum stances and conditions," its . line into Spokane territory would be left without traffic, i-slde from that originating locally. The problem is of such vast proportions and. is affected by such innumerable complications and conditions that the application of any hard and -fast rule, such as was demanded by interior jobbing centers, would have demoralized the business of the country without offering any thing in the way of comp-nsatlon. In the hands of the Interstate Commerce Commission, the matter will have suf ficient flexibility to prevent disaster. LKSSONS IX NON-PARTISANSHIP. The State Grange of Oregon, said to be a non-partisan organization, last week debated all the political ques tions on the calendar. The Multno mah Bar Association, also non-partisan, declared that only those men should be selected for judges who are chosen by the political party of law yers. The State Federation of Labor, also non-partisan, from time to time announces its political "stand" on is sues and candidates. Very soon the Prohibition and the Socialist parties will make known their political pref erences. So, too, will the Republican party. The point of which is the sham and humbug of "non-partisan." Men de clare themselves non-partisan in re gard to the purposes and policies of opponents, and yet confess themselves partisan as to their own. The Bar As sociation thinks no group of citizens but its own should select judges which is its method of choosing a non partisan judiciary. The Grange thinks that only its policies should be enacted into laws and that only such men should be elected as will carry them out. Likewise the Labor Federation and the Prohibition party. A non-partisan person is one who does not engage in politics, either with oratory, electioneering or ballot. Tet such a person is not classed as a mem ber of desirable citizenship. Truth is, there is ni such thin as non-partisanship, nor are there non partisans. The State Grange and the Labor Federation are hardly non-partisan when they hold assemblies of their own respective parties and de nounce assembly of the Republican party. If any organization is to be consist ently non-partisan, it will have to stay out of politics; also forbear attempt ing leadership or creation of a political group or party f its own. BLIGHT SPOTS IN OREGON. The boom of activity in Oregon is due to railroad and other develop ment; and it shows up marvelously, in spite of the hindrances of Pinchot conservation. Bear in mind that there is no boomin the Government reser vations, which constitute nearly one third the area of the state. Nor is there boom of activity in any of the lands of the West that have been Federalized as great reservations. A total X 875,000 square miles is thus "conserved." And poor Alaska, which has scarcely any activities to make up for this public-land blight, is in sore distress, as Governor Clark and com mercial bodies of the territory have sought to point out to Congress. If Oregon had nothing to depend on for its prosperity save Pinchotism and conservation and land withdrawals, it would now have no boom and but a handful of population. Railroads would go elsewhere, just as thousands of citizens are doing who go to" Can ada. In the past year 100,000 best Amer icans have sought cheap land in Can ada and taken with them $100,000,000. So great has the exodus become that officials of the Departments of Agri culture and Commerce and Labor per ceive the need of some corrective. The Administration has already caused 4,000,000 acres of lands withdrawn to be restored to entry. Yet there re main 240,000,000 acres in reservations of various sorts, or one-eighth the area of the Nation. Were the agricultural lands of the Far West relieved from Pinchotism, Americans would not be hastening to Canada. Could they ob tain land from the Government at J 2.50 an acre, as the laws say they may, a great expanse of now-reserved land in Oregon and other states would be contributing to the boom of activ ity. More than the equivalent areas of Washington, Oregon and California combined are locked up by "conserva tion" in the West. Officials in the Na tional capital need not marvel at the migration to Canada. Heads of the Hill and Harriman railroads in Ore gon know that only part of the land in Oregon is contributing to activity in this commonwealth. The one-third that is locked up is doing nothing. PORTLAND 8TTTJ, LEADS. Portland led all Pacific Coast cities in percentage of gain in bank clear ings last week, the total of more than $10,000,000 showing a gain of 26.7 per cent over the corresponding week last year. Los Angeles was next on the list, with a gain of 20.5 per cent, and San Francisco developed a gain of 14.7 per cent. Seattle showed a de crease of 6.7 per cent, this being the first decrease noted in the Puget Sound city for many months. Not only do the figures indicate that Port land is the best city on the Pacific Coast, but .of all American cities show ing clearings in excess of J10, 000,000 last week, only three others, Atlanta, Galveston and St. Paul, exceeded Port land in percentage of gain. Other unmistakable evidence of the prosper ity of the city was reflected in the real estate transfers and building per mits for the week. Including a large number ' of dollar transactions, in which the actual value ran into the thousands, the total real estate trans fers for the week were $755,059, with building permits well in excess of $400,000. It will hardly fail to be noted that this remarkable showing in bank clearings, building permits and real estate transfers has been made in a period that is usually known as "be tween seasons." Some money is com ing" in for wool, and a little for live stock; but our great resources o grain, fruit, fish, hops and other, sta ples, which run the value of our har vests far up in the million.::, are not now contributing as they will a few months later. The millions that are now going into real estate and build- ings are largely new capital that has but recently been brought Into the state. It has found in Portland and Portland territory exceptional oppor tunities for investment and develop ment and the maximum of this strong upward movement in all industrial lines will not be reached so long as there remain so many opportunities for capital and labor. Later in the season, this money, now being invested in farms, timber and fruit lands, will be reinforced by the returns from what now promises to be one of the largest grain crops ever produced in the Pacific North west. Fish are running well, the out look for hops is favorable, livestock is still commanding record prices, the whole world is hungry for Oregon fruit, and, if there are any clouds in the industrial sky which canopies Or egon, they have not yet assumed size that renders them visible to the naked eye. THB REAL PINCHOTISM. A man named Kerby, a stenogra pher in the office, of the Secretary of the Interior, has made public a state ment to the effect that a memorandum prepared by Assistant Attorney-General Lawler, wltlr the aid of Secretary Ballinger, was used by the President as the real foundation for the letter of the President last Fall exonerating Mr. Ballinger from the various t charges made against him in connection with the Cunningham coal cases and other matters. The muckrakers and yellow newspapers are greatly excited thereat. They profess to think they have un earthed a great conspiracy of some kind between the President, Ballinger and others. To do what? Nobody knows. . Now suppose the President had bod ily adopted th,e Lawler memorandum and issued it as his own document or utterance? What then? It is a con stant practice in the departments for subordinates to prepare letters' and documents for consideration of their superiors, and. for use by them of such materials, in whole or in part, as they may see fit. The materials of every message of every President are pre pared by a multitude of hands. But It is shown that the Taft letter of 3500 words included less than 200 words of the Lawler document of 8000. Taft went over the wholo Bubject carefully, himself, and wrote his exoneration of Ballinger; who, in fact, has not vio lated the law in any particular, but is accused merely of unfriendliness to Pinchot's system of alleged conser vation. The investigation started with the charge that Ballinger had violated the law, but no evidence whatever has been presented, to sustain it. The significant feature of this whole miserable affair is the action of Kerby, who occupied a confidential relation to Ballinger. Who procured Kerby to betray Ballinger? Why? What was the inducement? What the mo tive? It is incredible that so gross and inexcusable a violation of his plain trust could have been inspired by any ordinary consideration. Kerbys silly talk about his "duty to the people" be ing greater than his "duty to Ballin ger" will justify him with no one. He is a snivelling scoundrel who played the spy on Ballinger and now acts the traitor in endeavoring to stir up a nasty mess over nothing at all. Kerby says he expects to be dismissed, but "that he has promises that he "will be taken care of." Now let us see who Is bold enough to care for so craven a rascal. Here is Pinchotism in its real guise. Its so-called motive is to "protect" the people and "save the public domain." Its actual method has been to steal private letters, bribe trusted clerks, sell confidential information to muck raking magazines, and conduct a cam . paign on law-abiding puhlic, officers that for malignity and ferocity has rarely been equaled anywhere. AS TO MUNICIPAL DOCKS. None of the big shipping interests in Portland needs public docks. Saw mills have their own wharves and do their own shipping; so do flour mills, exporting firms, railroads and river boat companies except one, however, whose representatives have besought the Council and the Mayor to burden taxpayers of Portland with a dock project whose cost will be millions of dollars, and whose best achievement will be a landing place for the steam boat J. N. Teal. If it were necessary for Portland to make itself a great port by such arti ficial means, ti.en expenditure for it would be proper and justifiable. But natural advantages that have made this city the "chief port of the North Pacific are present without prodigious public expenditure of money to make them. Instead, Portland's work has been that of improving the river with channels and with pilotage and tow age. For this end, the city has taxed Itself with satisfactory results. And It will spend much more money in this direction. Public docks, however, would take money from other neces sary improvements; they would add heavily to public debt and taxation; and moreover, they are not needed by the big firms that do the shipping of this port. Further, wharfage charges here are not excessive, never have been, and there is no monopoly of shipping facilities. Mr. James J. Hlir, on Ihls recent visit to this city, said that Portland's greatest need is larger terminal facilities. This is true. And the railroads centering here have set themselves to create the terminal fa cilities that they must have to carry on their business, present and future. No cause for undue excitement about this matter, nor tor ranting by the newspaper organ of persons who own dock sites and might consent to sell them to the . city. That same newspaper is organ of the steamboat company that thinks its own need of docks is the city's; also organ of the clay-pipe and plumbing trust, which desires to ship sewer-pipe up and down river. But these considerations really do not warrant the public's go ing heavily into debt for public docks. The city and its people will first look after their own interests. If this city needed to create an arti ficial harbor, then It could reasonably launch itself upon a mammoth debt project. But it will probably never have to do this, owing to its superior natural advantages. Were it situated like the port annex of Los Angeles, or Genoa, or the i.orthern ports of France, perhaps it would be impelled to do something big. Its chief con cern is that of open river seaward and inland. For .this it has spent money moderately and at the same time lib erally, and will continue so to do. In the immediate -iver frontage of the. city, dredging is the greatest improve ment needed. With the river scooped out there will be no lack of wharfage facilities. Some persons talk as if ocean ves sels) had not been coming to Portland and unloading and receiving cargo for the last sixty years. But for the agitation for municipal docks and the threat of destroying their property, private owners long ago would . have constructed larger and better docks than the city now has. and would do it now, immediate ly, if the menace were removed. All the important shipping firms and houses of the city have docks or wharves of their own, and can handle freight at less cost than the city could do it for them. , But if the city should go Into the business it would desire and expect to monopolize it; which it might do by making the rates low enough and charging the deficit up to those who pay the taxes. 1 The Astoria Chamber of Commerce has taken up with the delegation at Washington the matter of making Astoria a "port of call" for foreign ships coming into the river for orders or "seeking" charters not yet ef fected. It is proposed to exempt these vessels from all tonnage dues, provid ing they depart for a foreign port without taking cargo. It is "believed that the passage of a law extending such favors to foreign vessels which come to the Coast without orders would divert to the Columbia River 'many vessels which no.w go to Royal Roads, B. C, where they are not obliged to pay tonnage or other dues. The change suggested has merit. If it should be made, a further induce ment to attract this stray tonnage to the Columbia River might be made by reducing the towage and pilotage rates on vessels of this class, which will not come here with a free port like Royal Roads so near at hand. The United States, which for the past six months has been trailing along behind the rest of the world with weekly wheat shipments of from 1,500,000 bushels to 2,000,000 bushels, has suddenly discovered that the wheat bins are not all empty. Last week the shipments from this country were more than 2,900,000 bushels, ex ceeding by more than 500,000 bushels the combined shipments of Australia, the Argentine, India and the Danube. A great many of the American far mers who would not sell wheat at the high" prices which -proved so attrac tive to the growers of other countries, are now apparently satisfied with from 20 to SO cents per bushel less than they could have secured when the wheat was ready for market last Fall. Irrigation and timber have worked wonders in the State of Washington. North Takima has advanced from a city of about 3000 people ten years ago to 15,000 population, and Ho quiam, down in the heart of the coun try where the song of the band-saw is never stilled, is also, expecting to reach the 15,000 mark. Portland knows the value of Hoquiam's trade. Perhaps we should urge the comple tion of that Northern Pacific cut-off from "Vancouver into the Takima country. Hoquiam, Olympla and Tacoma have all held riotous Jollification meetings in appreciation of the large number of people whom the census man Is supposed to have counted. As yet the only big noise that has been heard from Seattle is the howl of pro test because the census man failed to enumerate as many people as Seattle thought she had. We have great respect for those Labor Federation resolutions on taxa tion, says the State Grange, but, oh! you single tax. The scheme of mak ing the land assume all the burdens of taxation doesn't make a hit with your farmer. Single (land) tax, however, continues to make great progress among citizens who own no lan A. One shudders to think what might have happened to that unfortunate woman bitten by a rattlesnake, whom Mr. Hill heroically carried on to Lake view, if Lake had been a dry county. Or is it? Well, Mr. Hill isn't a dry county. It is clear now that there will also be a Hill road from east to west through Central Oregon, as well as north and south. Central Oregon em braces nearly everything that is now left out of doors. The Polk County Itemizer is to be run this week by church' people "as Christ would edit it." Next week it will resume business at the old stand, as Editor Fiske always runs it. There's a difference. You may have tried to find his name in that list of Western Senators called to the White House to confer with the President, but it wasn't there. Have the palmy days of golf gone glimmer ing? Some say the Hyde jury stands eisht for conviction and others say only one for conviction. Guessing on how a Jury stands before the verdict is mighty uncertain business. Father Vandever, of Walla Walla, permits himself to get a good deal stirred up over the Whitman myth. Whitman didn't save Oregon, he says. Right. It was Jim Hill. A New York man has married the mother of hi3 father's wife. By, and by the problem will be as to who will mind the bahy when the young folks spend an evening out. Kings and comets come and go, but Victoria "of Spain pursues the even tenor of her way. They are again overhauling the baby clothes in the palace. V The chief forecaster of the Weather Bureau has gone where the tempera ture makes no trouble and the ane mometer is at rest. He is dead. Only two more days till May 18, and yet, sad t- say, there are millions of people who have not seen the comet. And won't. There is a new Irish orator in Par liament whom "even Orangemen ad mire." That is blarney, pure and sim ple. Creswell, which is In the newest or chard regiorf, postponed its clean-up day to May 20. to let the comet get by. This is hardly seasonal weather, but it is good for roses Just now and a few weeks later. BHGLAND' OTHER GEORGES. Famous Satirist Famished pen portrait . of Thtm Loic Aaro. From W. M. Thackeray's Contribution ' to. Punch. As the statues of these beloved mon arch s are to be put up in the Parliament Palace, we have been favored by a young lady (connected with the court) with the copies of the inscriptions which are to be engraven under the Images of those Stars of Brunswick. GEORGE THE FIRST STAR OF1 BRUNSWICK. He preferred Hanover to England; He preferred two hideous Mistresses To a beautiful and innocent Wife. He hated Arts and despised Literature; Hut be liked traln-oll in his salads,' And gave an enlightened patronage to bad oysters. And he had Walpole as a Minister Consistent in his Preference for every kind of Corruption. GEORGE II. In most things I did as my father had done, I was false to my wife and I hated my son. My spending was small and my avarice much; My kingdom was English, my heart was High Dutch. At Dettingen fight I was known not to blench, I butchered the Scotch and I bearded the French. I neither had morals, nor manners, nor wit; I wasn't much missed when I died in a fit. Here set up my statue, and make it complete With Pitt pa his knees at my dirty old feet. GEORGE III. Give me a royal niche, it is my due. The virttiousest King the realm e'er knew. I, through a decent, reputable life, Was constant to plain food and a plain wife. Ireland I risked and lost America; But dined on legs of mutton every day. My brain,' perhaps, might be a feeble part; But yet I think I had an English heart. When all the Kings were prostrate, I alone Stood face to face against Napoleon; Nor ever could the ruthless Frenchman forge A fetter for Old England and Old George. I let loose flaming Nelson on his fleets; I met his troops with Wellesley's bayo nets. , Triumphant waved my flag on land and sea Where was the King in Europe like to me? Monarchs exiled found shelter on my shores; My bounty rescued Kings and Era- perors. But what boots victory by land or sea? What boots that Kings found refuge - at my knee? I was conqueror, but yet not proud; And careless even though Napoleon bow'd. The rescued Kings came to kiss my garment's hem; The rescued Kings, I never heeded them. v My guns roared triumph, but I never heard All England thrilled with joy, I never stirred. What care had I of pomp, or fame, or . power A crazy old blind man in Windsor Tower? GEORGES ULTTMUS. He left an example for age and for youth To avoid. He never acted well by Man or Woman, And was as false to his Mistress as to his Wife. He deserted his Friends and his Prin dries. He was so Ignorant that he could scarcely Spell; But he had some Skill in Cutting out Coats, And an undeniable taste for Cookery. He built the Palaces of Brighton and of Buckingham; And for these Qualities and Proofs of Genius An admiring Aristocracy Christened him the ."First Gentleman in Europe." Friends, respect the King whose statue is here. And the generous Aristocracy who ad mired him. What They Say, Detroit News. (When a new family moved into the flat across the hall.) , "I don't know who they- are, but they have some mighty pretty furni ture." "I think I'll just run across and ask if there's anything I can do for them; they seem like nice, quiet people." "That's a mighty good-looking girl that I just saw going in there; I'll have to get next." "I hope that baby isn't one of the kind that squalls all night." "He seems to be pretty well oft, and he never goes to work until almost 9 o'clock; I wonder what he does?" ' "I hear that she entertains a good deal; I'll have to call as soon as they're nicely settled." , "I hope their girl and ours won't get so chummy right away as the one with the last, family did." Balllmser'a Promised Clean-L'p. Yakima Republic. Mr. Ballinger frankly says that if he stays at the head of the Interior De partment he will have loyal men in charge of the work it does. This is taken to mean that the Secretary in tends to dismiss Major Newell and Chief Engineer Davis at his earliest convenience. The people of the West who have had an opportunity to ob serve the manner In which the Gov ernment irrigation work has been han dled will express few regrets when these gentlemen step down and out. Their services seem to be far from in dispensable. The interests of the West, of course, demand loyalty to the head of the department, on the part of those in charge of the work. They also demand a breadth of business judgment which these gentlemen have not dis played up to this time. Willie Knew Belter. Puck. School Trustee Remember, children. Michelangelo often worked for montrjs on a single curve. Willie Watcher glvinus? Never heard of the bush leaguer! Her Explanation. Harper's Bazar. Howard Bridget, did my wife come in a few minutes ago? Bridget No. sir. That's the parrot you heard a-hollerln, . Pinchotism a Reversion to Feudal Days Attempted Revival of Old Method of Leaslnir Public Land. Which Wnm m Prerogative of Royalty This Government Lobe Aro Discarded It. PORTLAND. May It. (To the Editor.) I presume The Oregonian will welcome any reasonable contribution to the general discussion of so-called conservation of our natural resources, for brevity called Pin chotism. I As I understand it. Mr. Pinchot and his followers contend that the Government should retain the title to the mineral and forest lands and water-power sites on the public domain, and lease the same to its citizens, charging a stated royalty or rent, or an annual tax for the use of the prop erty. This is what is really meant by Pinchotism. This true meaning of Pin chotism is constantly confused with that universal idea of conservation which all men approve ; the preservation, guarding and protection of our natural resources This will and can be done as effectively in the hands of private persons as in the hands of the Government. Pinchotism ia a reversion to what is known as the re galian system, winch prevails more or less In the Old World governments; or, in other words, a survival of a portion of the old feudal system and the doctrine of royal mines. In the former case, there was a duty- or service due the lord by custom, and often this pay or royalty was delivered in kind. In the latter case, the mines belonged to the crown, by" virtue of its prerogative, although in lands of sub jects. The King demanded the payment of certain royalties. Whether or not any particular govern mental policy should be imposed upon a people at any particular time, is to be determined by the effect such policy will have upon the people and material devel opment of the common country. Govern, mental policies are like laws they are the result or product of years of social growth or progress. Our laws and gov ernmental policies have been developing all through the years, since the founda tion of our Government. It is known by every student of history, that a people emigrating to a new from an old country carry with them the laws of the mother country, and adopt them in so far as they are adaptable to the wants and needs of the new country. This Is our history. Our forefathers, being largely of English ex traction, planted in this country the Eng lish common law in so far as it was adaptable to the conditions and environ ment of the new country. It is not strange, therefore, that our early statesmen should have attempted to plant in this country some of the Old World's governmental policies. It so hap pened that In legislating Concerning the natural resources, the same thing was at tempted and partly executed, that is be ing advocated by those under the name of Pinchotism. March 3, 1807, Congress passed a law reserving for future disposal of the United States all lead mines in th,e North west Territory and authorizing the Presi dent to lease out such mines for a term not exceeding five years. This legislation Inaugurated the policy of the Government leasing its mineral lands. It was not until 1822 that the Govern ment availed itself of this law, and then confined the leasing to lead and what is known as the base metals, gold, silver and coal not being of sufficient impor tance to be noticed. An inroad upon this policy was first made when Congress in 1S29 authorized the sale of the lead mines in Missouri; and again in 1846 and 1847 Congress authorized the sale of the cop per, lead and iron 'lands, in what are now the States of Michigan, Wisconsin, Minne sota, Iowa. Illinois and Missouri. But mineral lands on the public domain, else where, were still reserved from sale; and the regallan theory or leasing system was still the policy of the Government. Upon this policy. President Polk in his first Message to Congress, December 2, 1845, had this to say: The present system of managing the min eral lands or the United States Is believed to be radically defective. More than a mil lion acres of the public lands, supposed to contain lead and other minerals, have been reserved from sale, and numerous lease oa them have been granted to individuals' upon a stipulated rent. The system of granting leases has proved to be not only unprofitable to the Government, but unsatisfactory to the cltlsens who have gone upon the lands, and ONE U'REMC FAD EXPLODED. One-Man Government la Too Much for Dear People of Oregon. Eugene Register. U'Ren, the Oregon lawgiver, seems to have found it necessary to "back up" on his proposed initiative measure, to have been submitted to the people at the November election, making the Governor of the state a sort of king and all-powerful in handing out state offices to his friends and favorites. thus taking away from the people their right to rule. A law that would give to the Governor the power to appoint the Secretary of State, State Treasurer ana an otner state officers, as well as County Attorneys and County Sheriffs, would ue the greatest abuse of power a republican form of government could have It is remarkable that U'Ren, whose hue and cry has been for popu lar government, should thus face about in an effort to give this state a cen tralized government on a par with me most centralized form known to the Old World and its monarchs. If one man is to rule the state, where does the people's rule come in? Of what good is the direct pri:.iary and Statement No7 1? If the voice of the people is the voice of God, what right has Mr. U'Ren to attempt absolute re versal of 'his doctrine, which, hereto fore, he has preached with such ve hemence and with some success by set ting up one man in the state as God and the people? The question recurs at this time, when will we have done with U'Renlsm and its attendant fallacies in the state of Oregon? Certainly not until the people, and not one man, and that one a faddist, undertake to run our state affairs. The Comet of 18S2. PORTLAND, May 14. (To the Editor.) Now that we are hearing and read ing so much about Halley's,and other comets, I would like to know and per haps it would interest others to be in formed what comet, appeared about 1882 or 18S3 and whether it will re appear. I was living at that time in Pennsylvania and recollect that it ap peared about September or October in the north and was very brilliant. G. C. K. Probably this was Blela, whose per ihelion passage is recorded as of Sep tember 23, 1882. It appears every six and a half years. Mr. UHen'a "Back-Up." Gervals Star. Two new bills proposed by the Peo ple's Power League, or as they are better known, U'Ren's measures, are virtually dead. They were presented to the people, through pamphlets, who had raised such a protest against their adoption that it endangered the bal ance of - the measures considered val uable by the league that they were dropped. One was" the "State Cabinet" idea and the other was the "County Commission" plan, all vicious legisla tion. No one regrets their demise save the author, and he Is becoming hard ened over the "death loss of his meas ures." Covert Threat. Washington Herald. The Pullman Company calls attention to the fact that "It has not raised its rates In 20 years." Is that a threat? must. If continued, lay the foundation of much future difficulty between the Govern ment and the lessees. According to the of ficial records, the amount of rents received by the Government for the years 1841. 1S12. 1&43 and 144, was S.:i."4.74, while the ex penses of the system during the same pe riod, including salaries of the superintend ents, agents, clerks and incidental expenses, were $24,111.11. the Income being less than one-fourtn of the expense. To this pecuniary loss may be added the Injury sustained by the public in consequence of the destruction of timber, and the careless and wasteful manner of working the mines. The system has given rise to much litigation between the United States and individual citizens, producing agitation and excitement lu- the mineral region, and Involving the Govern ment in heavy additional expenditures. It Is believed that similar losses and embar rassments will continuo to occur while the present system of leasing these lands re mains unchanged. President Fillmore. In his annual' mes sage to Congress December 2, 1S43, re ferred to the subject in the following terms: I also beg leave to call your attention to the propriety of extending at an early day our system of land laws, with such modifica tions as may be necessary, over the State of California and the territories of Utah and Kew Mexico. The mlnerHl Innria nf 1 ' J I i f n r- Pnla will, of course, form an exception to the general system which may be adopted, vari ous methods of disposing of them have been suggested. I was at first inclined to favor the syst-un of leasing, as it seemed to prom ise thq largest revenue to the Government, and to afford the best security against mo nopolists ; but further reflection and our ex perience In leasing the lead mines and sell ing lands upon credit, have brought my mind to the conclusion that there would bo great difficulty In collecting the rents, and that the relation of debtor and creditor be tween the citizens and the Government would be attended with many mischievous consequences. I therefore recommend that Instead of retaining the mineral lands under the permanent control of the Government, they be divided into small parcels and sold, under such restrictions as to quantity and time as will Insure the beat price and gjar3 most effectually against combinations ol capitalists to obtain monopolies. Hon. Abram S. Hewitt, in an adIres3 before the American Institute of Mining Engineers, quoting from Professor Whit ney's work on metallic wealth of the Uni ted States, has the following to say upon the practical operation of this y?asing system : No leases were issued under the law until 1822. and but a small quantity of lead was raised previous to li25. lirom which time the production began to Increase rapidly. For a few years, the rents were paid with tolerable regularity, but after 1834. In con sequence of the immense number of illegal entries of mineral land with the Wisconsin land ofTice. the smelters and miners refused to make any further payments, and ta Government was entirely unable to collect them. After much trouble and expense. It was. In 1847, finally concluded that the only way was to sell the mineral land and do away with all reserves of lead or any other metal, since they had only been a source of embarrassment to the department. Mean while by a forced construction afterward declared invalid) of the same act. hundreds of leases were granted to speculators in the Lake Superior copper region, which was from 1843 to 184rt the scene of wild and baseless excitement. The bubble burst dur ing the latter year: the issue of permits and leases were suspended as illegal and the act of 1-S47, authorizing the sale of the mineral lands and the geological survey of the dis trict, laid the foundation of a more substan tial prosperity. . It was not until July 26, 1SW, that Con gress passed a law, general in its scope, empowering citizens to gain complete title to mineral land and establishing the prin. ciple that all the mineral lands of the public domain should be free and open to exploration and occupation. This regalian and leasing system, this idea that the Government should retain the title to its mineral lands, prevailed in this country for over 60 years, breeding litigation, ex pense, trouble and dismay, until its com plete overthrow by the act of Congress ol July 26, 1S66. After half a century of growth and ma terial prosperity of our Nation, even be yond the expectations .of the wildest en thusiast, we are confronted by a horde of office-seekers and their syinp-itbizera seeking to inflict this country with a pol. icy, tested, found wanting and repudiated by this Government over GO years atro- S. T. JEFFREYS. OREGON" A LAW-MAKING CI RIO. New York: Newspaper Asks How Long People's Patience Will Last. New York Tribune. Is there no limit to the patience ami industry of the Oregon voter? At the last election he had to pass upon a score of legislative proposals after di gesting a book as big as a "best seller" setting forth their merits and demerits. That was only an appetizer, so to speak. This year he. will have about 30 pro posals before him. The Oregon people are only just learning to use the initiative, and there appears to be a. tendency in every group or locality which has ' soma project at heart that would be hopeless before the Legislature to submit it to the whole people of the state. Normal schools are initiating bills to revive themselves in three different towns. Five new counties are trying to carve themselves out of existing counties. There is an employers' liability meas ure urged by the labor unions to b submitted to the people; also a meas ure creating "people's -inspectors." whatever they may be; another for the payment of expenses of delegates to the National conventions by the tax payers, and another providing for the selection of such delegates and of Presidential electors at direct primaries. We take our hat off to the popular leg islators of Oregon. If they keep up their Interest they will soon vote on election day upon as many bills as come before a Legislature in a session, and the voters: guide on legislative! proposals will be as big-as an una bridged dictionary. Roosevelt Rebuked. Cathlamet Sun. Colonel Roosevelt says: "Timid good men are of little use in this world." Softly, Teddy, softly. If they were all fire-eaters like yourself they would soon have this country In a turmoil and confusion from which it would find it difficult to extract itself. Timid good men do not seek trouble but thc-y are much benefit to the country and often check the over zealous reformers who, if unrestrained, would create havoc with organized institutions, it is a good thing for the country tiiat a large portion of its citizens are "timid" good men rather than "rash" souls who "rush in where angels fear to tread." Such "Excellent Milk. Once a Week. A simple-hearted and truly devout country preacher, who had tasted but few of the drinks of the world, took dinner with a high-toned family, where a glass of milk punch was quietly set down by each plate. In silence and happiness this new Vicar of Wake field quaffed his goblet and added: "Madam, you should daily thank God for such a good cow." . A Impressive Spectacle. New Tork World. Who on ImnroaGlvd ..--.-... 1 . .' . . ' t ... ....... . ... . . .. ...... ial i i ill lit- l have been when Theodore f Roosevelt stood before the tomb .of William the Silent. Hallowed Ground. Atlanta Constitution. Pilgrims will soon be on the way to Napoleon's tomb to view the bpot where Roosevelt was silent lor throo minutes by the town clock.