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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 22, 1911)
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Stcr bulldln. 1-ORTLA.ND, WEDNESDAY. IXB. 8. 1IL. OTTB TKX SCHOOLA. The Etate of Oregon would profit in many wars If the Agricultural Col lego and tha Stat University war ltuated In tha Mine town and had the fame Board of Regents and faculty. In other words. It would bo of Im mense advantage to students, teach ers, and especially to tha taxpayers. If the two rival Institutions were merged into one. The Oregonlan docs not say this out of hostility to either school. It Is as friendly as possible to both of them. Nor have we any choice of sit uation. It would please us Just as well to see the new and better Insti tution established aX Eugene as at Oorvallla. Perhaps we should be as well satisfied were some third plaoe chosen for the site, but that Is a mat ter of Indifference so far as this paper Is concerned. What w desire Is that Increase of efficiency and economy which would certainly follow upon the union of the competing schools under a single management and : faculty. The students would gain by the union of the two Institutions. Better buildings and apparatus could be pro vided for them. Better Instructors could be employed. They could pur sue their st utiles under more modern conditions. It Is a serious strain upon the resources of the State of Oregon to maintain two state colleges. The taxpayers have responded gener ously to the demand of the rival schools, but In spite of all they can do neither Institution Is properly financed. Neither one can ever be properly financed as long as the avail able funds are divided between them. Indeed It costs the taxpayers a great deal more to support the two colleges Inadequately than It would to support a single one lavishly. The buildings, the apparatus, the libraries, the teach ing force must be duplicated for the most part as things stand. If Eugene gots a new building It soon appears that Corvallls must also have one. It Is not denied that the buildings are usually needed, bat If the schools were united a single structure would suffice In most Instances where now there must be two. The same remark applies to the teaching forces. In languages. In science, in literature the taxpayers maintain competing departments. Two sets of salaries are paid without any real necessity and in consequence of this waste of resources neither fac ulty is as efficient as It might be made were better remuneration possible. One corps of well-paid teachers could do the work which is now undertaken by two and it would be better done. At the same time the taxpayers would save a considerable sum of money. The plea that the two Institutions d not duplicate each other's work is infantile. They must duplicate In or der to give their students an educa tion that Is worth anything. Eugene specialises In literature and languages, perhaps, but It cannot avoid teaching the sciences and their applications. Corvallls specializes In the practical branches, but what would Its teaching be worth If literature and language were not Included? Duplication of studies, buildings, faculties and appa ratus Is simply unavoidable. In spite of all that is said to the contrary, it exists, and must continue to exist, until the two schools are united on tha same site. The union would be better for the faculties. The two schools now em ploy almost twice as many instructors as would be'needod were they com bined. Hence the divisor which fixes Mlaiies Is about twice as large as It ought to be and the quotient only half as large. Corvallls cannot retain I s beat and mot experienced Instruc tors because they are offered higher pay In the industries. The state ought to be In a position to pay a good In structor something near the salary that he can obtain commercially. Oregon cannot do this now, but if the competing schools were combined there would be nothing to hinder The young people of Oregon are en titled to the best attainable instruc tion during their college years. They are deprived of It at present because much of the money which ought to be spent upon a small number of ex perts Is distributed among a large r umber of men who are not experts. This calamitous wast must go oa as long as the schools exist In rivalry. Finally the union of the two schools would b better for the taxpayers. They could save a respectable fraction of the money which is now spent upon the higher education and get vastly more desirable results from their out lay. The states which take the lead in public education hav united their universities and agricultural colleges. Wisconsin and Minnesota are excel lent examples. It la much wiser to follow the lead of such states than to Imitate Washington. The managers of the Carnegie fund severely criticise the practice of dividing and weaken ing the schools. One of the objections which they mad to our Oregon meth ods strikes at the separation of the university and the agricultural col lege. It la not only a wicked waste of money, but tt actual? Impairs the benefits of Instruction. Of course the union of the two schools would cans on of the plants to b used for something else, but that Is comparatively a small matter. The annual saving would amount to at least a quarter of a million dollars today. In the years to come the sav ing win Increase rapidly, since ach school asks more and more from every successive Legislature. Their demands are three or four times as large now as they were ten years ago and ten years bene they will be again quadrupled. Suppose one of the plants were to be abandoned outright. The los of Investment might amount to $1 000.000, upon which the Interesi at isr cent is JIOO.OO. This meas ures the sacrifice which must be set over against an annual saving of a quarter of a million, at leat, and a probable saving of half a million. The Oregonlan does not approve of any effort to hamper the higher educa tion, or to stint the resources of one good state institution of learning, but we say frankly that to maintain two where one would be better is spend thrift folly. FEAXCT POLITICS? Throughout the recent session of the Legislature there was a formidable political faction hostile to the admin istration of Governor West. It was led by Senator Bowerman. Though numerically - minority. I If was. through the Bowerman personal force and the Bowerman method of organization and power of direction, the strongest single cohesive and ag rr.iv far tor In tha Legislature. It was defeated here and there, but for the most part It was irresistible and had Its way. It was a grievous thorn In the side of the West administration. The West partisans say the Bower man forces played "peanut politics." The Bowermsn following say organi sation behind Bowerman alone pre vented Governor West playing an adroit and successful game of the same "peanut politics. It is a lamous controversy. The Oregonlan will not attempt here to decide It. But we see a way where i.overnor West may demonstrate that he is capable of rising above considerations of political gain or personal advan tage. The Rusk second-choice pri mary election bill is before him for his approval or veto. The Democrats In the Legislature united in opposition to this bill. Senator Bourne sounded it., oiaem and mustered his meager following to Join the agitated Demo crats in opposition. No others or few others could be persuaaea to Join them. The bill passed on Its merits as a wise and effective change In the present method of pluraiity nominations. rvnvmoe West certainly under stands that this measure la approved by the general public sense or tair play to all parties and all factions of all parties. Being above the Influence of "peanut politics,- or the selfish and shortsighted players of "peanut poli tics." he will of course approve me bill. WHAT BOOPtTElT THINKS. The Oreronlan reprints today an editorial article from the Outlook, of which Theodore Roosevelt Is contrib uting editor. In discussion of the plat form of the National progressive League. The Outlook approves the plan and general purposes of the league, wnlcn stanas ior ainrci pri maries, popular election of delegates to National conventions, popular elec tion of United States Senators, refer endum, initiative and recall, and an rrwtiva romiDt-Dractlces act. To these It adds a sixth the short ballot which the Progressive Leagu had omitted from Its sweeping programme of elective reforms. The Outlook does not see, apparent ly, that the "short ballot" Is not In harmony with the perfected plans of the league, for the "short ballot" Is a virtual Impossibility where the Initiative, referendum and recall are In full bloom, it would have taken a-reat mint short ballots at the re cent Oregon election to Include the t.i. ani cnnntv tickets and the thirty-two Initiative and referendum measures submitted for popular con sideration. But the Outlook's sugges tion Is nevertheless In line with the modern social and governmental movement. A hint to Senator Bourne ought to be sufficient to induce that patriot lo and disinterested statesman to organize and finance a Short Bal lot National Federation of Long Bal lot Promoters. The Oregonlan directs attention to the fair and thoughtful consideration given by the Outlook to the New Idea and the Best System of Govern ment in the World. The Outlook is progressive, but It would not alto gether Ignore th tenets of conserva tism, the lessons of history and ex perience. It thinks our forefathers were not altogether Ignorant or imbe cile, and It hesitates to remove at once all the checks, restraints and barriers to popular whims, follies or passion placed by them In the Constitution. It favors the New, but it would not altogether destroy the Old. It Is In deed conservatively progressive as well as progressively conservative. W are going to have In Portland next April from Theodore Roosevelt a personal contribution of his views on current political Innovations. So w suppose. If th people of Oregon are Interested, they may know in ad vance substantially what Colonel Roosevelt will say by reading this ar ticle from the Outlook. MR. HOBSON' DISCOVTRY. "Don Quixote" Ilobaon Is still fight ing the Japanese Invasion windmills. In a typl-'"! Hobsonlaa speech on the v kiii in tha Houae Monday he pic tured "Japanese occupation of th Phil ippines. Hawaii, Guam, oamoa, iu tlan Islands, Alaska. Puget Sound and other parts of th United States and Its possessions." Mr. Hobson has ap parently made some original dUcover lea regarding Japanese finances, which have been withheld from the rest of the world, for he asserts that the Jap anese government already has "financed her next war." No particu lars are glvnn as to who has supplied th money or how much there was of It. There arm so many nations, how ever, that wuld eagerly grasp th op portunity for advancing a few hundred million dollars to a nation already staggering under a $1.8S7.04.1 debt, the loan to b used In fighting a nation wit I) a smaller public debt, four times the annual Income and forty times the wealth, that It Is a matter of Inconsequential detail who supplied the necessary sinews of war. The greatest trouble arising from Mr. Hobson'a excessive use of his long-range mouth Is that it to a con siderable extent aids In the defeat of th object he seeks to gain. We note, for example, that the occasion for this latest outburst was the matter of in croaalng the Navy. Hobson, by his frequent declarations, has convinced the country that not much of any thing short of pontoon bridge of full powered battleship extending across the Pacific and from Alaska to Mexico would meet his requirements Tor proper defense. The House showed Its appreciation of his plan by refus ing to sanction th new building pro gramme, which provides for two bat tleships of the super-Dreadnought type, two colliers, eight torpedo-boat destroyers and four submarines. Eliminating Mr. Hobson and his lurid views from the question, there still remains th fact that there Is THE MORXIXG OREGOXIAX, WEDNESDAY. nothing unreasonable In the proposed Increase In the fighting strength of the Navy. It Is somewhat singular, how ever, that while Mr. Hobson and his followers are continually endeavoring to frighten us with the Japanese In vasion bogle, none of them makes any special endeavor to secure the location of the battleship fleet out her on the Pacific, near Japan. On the Pacific Coast, where the physical Impossibil ity of Japan landing a force of any consequence Is understood, there hi not much fear of trouble with the Japan ese, but there is so much less prob ability of a battleship fleet ever be ing needed on the Atlantic than on the Paclflo that practically all the vessels should be stationed here where they would be In easy range of any possible trouble that might arise to demand their presence if not their use. AX OnTEVDKD BROTHER. Brother Corby finds fault, on very trivial grounds, with an article In The Oregonian Monday on the Young Men's Christian Association. It would appear that his grievance is chiefly that the management has not Invited the excellent Unlversalist pastor there to "address the association religious meetings." It is to be assumed that the T. M. C. A. members subscribe, in words or In terms, to the Christian faith. A Toung Men's Christian Association made up of non-Christians would b an anomaly. Tet the organization ad mits all persons of every belief to th benefits of the association, though the "evangelical" Christians It makes ac tive members and all others associate members. Since Brother Corby bases his criti cism ostensibly on what he appears to think The Oregonian said. It is well to make an exact quotation from The Oregonlan's previous editorial article: It (th T. M. C. A.) la not a mora aeo tarlan inatitutlun davoted to the tneulcatlna of a ere1. . . . It la of courae a ra llaloua organisation. In a eenaa. but it la aa brad and liberal a poarlnla. and knows nothing of sectarian reatrlcUona. Which is a little different from what Brother Corby says it was. The Y. M. C. A. is doing good work and there are no sectarian restrictions that limit the benefits of Its teaching and example to all alike. Religious In struction Is not intruded. Would Brother Corby Intrude his particular religious or denominational message? THE AMKKICAX FACE." The Paris correspondent of a Lon don paper bemoans the disappearance of the whiskered face in polite so ciety. Why, asks the Milwaukee Sentinel, this sudden and complete vanishing of facial shrubbery? "Fashion," answers th man wtio sneers at any departure from the easy going custom that permits Na ture to run riot on his chin, neck and face and produce thereon a never harvested because utterly useless crop. "Sanitary knowledge," answers the bacteriologist, who having adjusted his microscope and taken proper ob servations, turns away in disgust at the discovery of the multitude of germs that use the mustache as habitat "Comfort," asserts th man who Irks at unclean ness. The London paper noted Imputes the blow at the multiform and erst while universal whiskers to the ex ample set by Americans, saying, "They (the shorn beaus of the French capi tal) like the Yankee cocktail so much that they have been led to try the American face." Let us rejoice in the assumption that the "American face" Is clean, that It no longer furnishes a burrow for microbes: that its lines of char acter, whatever they may be are no longer masked. And since the Ameri can or "Yankee" face la now assumed to be whlskerless let us Join the Jour nal quoted In the hope that British cad and American cartoonist alike will quit portraying "Uncle Sam" with that slanderous goat beard. "The imme morial mutton chop may still do for pictorial John Bull. But It is the smooth face for ours," says the Senti nel. And Paris follows where It Is accustomed to lead, "th fashion," thus furnishing another Indication that the world is growing better. The broad and self-complacent British sneer" makes no Impression whatever on the "American face" un less It be to cause Its possessor to smile In th consciousness that It is dean. A TIMX-lIONOREn ANNIVERSARY. Preparatloni for th celebration of Washington's birthday In this city cover a wide range or patriotic ana historical review. Masonic organiza tions will take leading part In these Th a nubile schools will be dismissed, though Just what will be gained thereby In Instruction and patriotism for the pupils is not mani fest. The occasion recalls the days of long ago wherein the Washington n.ir(f tha Tiloneer military organiza tion of this city, was wont to parade tha muddy streets In uniform to the stirring strains of "Yankee Doodle," "The Star-fipangled Banner ana "Hail, Columbia." upon this anniver sary. Rain, slush and mud had no deterrent Influence upon thes patriots of early Portland. Captain Mills and his soldiers covered th rout mapped out for them In defiance of th ele with thole full duty done be fore the assembled and admiring cit izens, they marched baca to tneir quarters, urt booted and with three cheera for the Father of His Coun try disbanded to await the coming of the Fourth of July, when patriotic ex hibit No. i would be given in the dusty streets. Recalling those days and scenes earnest, forceful and instinct with the patriotic fervor that still sumvea me nirniiitinn- and the Dantomlme of sol dering that was its chief diversion we are reminded of an exercise "a les son, we callea it iouna in mcuui- fy"s second reader of the generation Just preceding, th opening lines of which were: Oh wars r"t na'or a schoolboy And did TOO nerar train? t-l the awallins of your haart you naar anall feal asalnT no aaenndencv in control of th Gould lines of what Is still known In ..- financial world as tha Harriman Interests has had a very stimulating effect on the stocks ana oonas or tne big system for which the late Jay Gould built the foundation. Since th official announcement of th re tirement of George Gould there nas been- a steady advance in stock and k.. migrations for Missouri Pacific and Its allied lines. This is not only hia-n tribute to the ability or tne successors of the late Mr. Harriman but it is an Indication or tne return ing confidence of the public In a well managed railroad. The past two years have been full of trouble for the railroads, but a carefully conducted educational campaign on the part of the roads has resulted in a better un derstanding between them and their patrons. As there has never been a ' period in the history of the country when the people were not prospering or suffering simultaneously with the railroads the. restoration of pleasant relations will be welcomed. The steamship Stanley Dollar, of the new Bates & Cheseborough line, arrived In port yesterday with the first full cargo to come from the Atlantic Coast by the new line across the Isth mus of Panama. Freight rates by this new line are said to be much lower than by either the American-Hawaiian's Tehuantepec route or the Pa cific Mail's Panama route. Quite nat urally, there la a disposition to give the lln a generous patronage. To meet this competition, the older lines have cut rates and will endeavor thus to rid themselves of the newcomer. The matter of maintaining opposition of this character rests entirely with the shippers. The appeal to the Gov ernment to grant favoring rates across the isthmus to the new line and thus discriminate against the older lines is not founded on good business princi ples. If the opposition line now enter ing the field can maintain a service at its present rates, it should be support ed In spite of the cut made by the Pa cific Mall. If it must be fostered and subsidized by the Government, Its per manency is endangered from the be ginning. The Legislature did not abolish the Oregon Conservation Commission; merely refused to make an appropria tion for Its malnterfance. The mem bers are no doubt entitled to, derive what consolation they can out of the situation. The commission was not killed outright: only left to starve slowly to death. But the supporters of the commission have, we hear, bravely resolved to keep on with the work by going without state funds and putting up the money themselves. Very well: let it be understood forever that the Oregon Conservation Associa tion needs no state appropriation hereafter. But that is not the Pinchot ideal, which the commission strives so hard to realize. With him and his fad a public appropriation is vital. He Is about the most liberal spender of Government money in the entire list of free-spenders. Active construction work haa begun on the new railroad from Grants Pass to the Applegate-Wllllams Valleys. This road is a very short line com pared with some of the others now building In the state, but It taps a very rich country and will make accessible much valuable timber and mine prod . in partition to oDenlna ud a very rich agricultural district. This line, like a dozen others now under, con struction or in prospect, will haul In Its share of tribute to Portland as well as to Grants Pass, where it connects with the Southern Pacific. Thanks to the energy and haste of the Harriman and Hill Interests, we are now fairly well provided with trunk lines, but there are still great possibilities for the feeders. Whether long or short, each will aid in the development of the state and assist In the growth of Port land. The last thing in the world one would expect to see explode Is a rub ber shoe, but It seems that It happens sometimes. The accident in Mr. Shil lock's office excites fearful appre hensions of what might ensue when a rubber shoe la brought into violent collision with a small boy by his mother. The alleged practice of mingling dynamite with Mr. Aldrlch's favorite gum ought to be investigated in the Interest of the rising generation. Sergeant Goodrich did a pretty stunt when he captured five Mexicans all by himself last Monday, but one of General Grant's Irish troopers could give him cards and spades and "still win. He came Into camp one day herding twenty rebels. "How did you capture them all?" Inquired the taci turn commander. "I surrounded, 'em, bedad," was Pat's reply with a rever ential salute. In organizing a political party, Mr. Gompers will have as much and as litttle success as his Illustrious prede cessor, Mr. Powderly. The mission of the great federation is not political, and Its members will continue to use u.i. .,.. aa a enrrectlvn Influence fclldl M on the acts of the large parties through the ballot, in mat way uta uoti In the other, odium. Fresno has become a sort of Mecca for the I. W. W. pilgrims from all parts of the country. Their ostensible purpose In heading for that lively California town Is to seek free speech, but their general character makes one suspect that what they are really after Is a free lunch. OrchardlsU In the Payette Valley of Idaho, and no doubt elsewhere, are suffering damage from field mice. The omnivorous coyote has his uses, after all. and "his extermination opens wide fields for peats that are worse. An Tnrilan aald to be 116 years old was found dead near Castle Rock the other day. This, In Itself. Is nothing remarkable. The wonder would be In finding one alive at that age. If Count Apponyl looks like his picture, a bodyguard seems superflu ous. A wag of that head and a "Boo!" should be enough to stam pede any crowd. The one American soldier who cap tured five Mexican rebels Monday riamnnatrated the relative proportion of power in Gringo and Greaser. While the rest of the country Is chilled, the Pacific Northwest is well, this is not good garden weather, but It is seasonal. XTe 'Rockefeller finds a lack of spac in bis house of sixty rooms, but in a few years n will matte no com plaint of less. This Is not only a great day for the Father of His Country, but as well for the boys who bear the famous Initials. The massacre of Britons In New Guinea means more target practice.. Knox Is Interfering again, but Haytl is In the small fry. Spring is In sight, for the smelt are running FEBRUARY 22, 1911. OUTLOOK OX ELECTIVE REFORMS What .the New York Weefcly Says of the Oregon System. From The Outlook. Feb. 18. The Outlook cannot declare itself with equal expllcltness on the refer endum, the initiative, and the recall. They are still in the experimental stage. The results in Switzerland, where they have had a considerable trial, and In Oregon, where the refer endum and the Initiative have appar ently worked well in a rural com munity, are not so conclusive as to prepare us to urge their universal and unqualified acceptance. The same thing may be saia as to me out-:o-ful application of the recall In Los Angeles. It is true, however, that they are not doctrinaire proposals; they have produced some good results where tried, and deserye serious considera tion. All three may be roughly described as devices to make the machinery of popular government more immediately responsive to the popular will. The effect of all three is to remove some of the brakes and hindrances which our fathers thought necessary to pro vent the hasty errors which might be produced by popular prejudice and popular passion. The political history of America Indicates that democracy is less liable to sudden gusts of pas sion and prejudice than, our fathers anticipated. a a a Practically all Americans are agreed that the referendum can be properly and successfully employed in certain cases. It Is almost universally used in the case of Constitutional amend ments In the states, and is extensively used In the adoption of municipal char ters and bond issues. Amendments to the Federal Constitution are not re ferred to the people; but there is no reason why they should not be so re ferred; why, for example, the people of the states Instead of the Legisla tures of tne states should not vote di rectly on such a measure as the pro posed income tax amendment. The ref erendum may also be gradually ex tended to other matters of public im portance and public Interest with prob able advantage, provided great pains are taken to secure an adequate pre sentation of the Issue to the people and an adequate public discussion of it. The existence of such provision has much to make the referendum in Oregon a success; the absence of such provision has made the vote in New York state on Constitutional amend ments very light and frequently not very Intelligent. In France the ques tion whether the people would have an imperial form of government and Louis Napoleon for Emperor was referred to them; but no alternative was pre sented, and the people chose imperial ism rather than anarchy an illustra tion of the fact that the value of a referendum depends largely on the man ner In which the issue referred to the people la framed. a a a The Initiative is a process by which laws are proposed, on the petition of a certain specified proportion of the voters, for action either by the Legis lature or by the direct vote of the peo ple through a referendum. What we have said concerning the referendum applies equally to the initiative. The numerously signed petition for the par don of Charles W. Morse, the convicted banker, illustrates the fact that it is easy to get many signatures to a pe tition if a few men are in earnest to get them. The numerously signed pe tition for the abolition of the canteen illustrates the fact that it Is easy to get a superficial sentiment, not made deliberate by any broad discussion or any publlo sense of responsibility, to overrule the expert Judgment of those who know conditions. We believe that a simple provision enabling a minority of a House, say a fourth of its mem bers to compel any committee to report to the House any measure committed to iU would be more practically effec tive than the initiative in securing public consideration and final adoption of desirable legislation now shelved by secret Influences. But the two reforms are not inconsistent. The initiative, wherever adopted, should be accom panied by some adequate provision for the expert drafting 'of proposed meas ures. a a a The recall enables the people by a special election, ordered on the peti tion of a specified proportion of the voters, to remove from office an elec tive officer before his term expires. The arguments of the recall are two: First, the people may elect for a longer term, and so avoid frequent elections. Thui they may, as in Boston, elect a Mayor for four years and provide that he can be recalled after two years, instead-of electing him for two years and requiring him to go before the people for a re-election at the end of that time. Second, the people, if they have made a mistake In electing an of ficer and are convinced of their mis take by his course in office, can correct it by recalling him. The recall should, in our Judgment, be confined to ad ministrative officers, and to municipal, town, and village communities. It should not be extended to legislative or Judicial officers nor to the chief executive of the state until it has been fairly tried in the municipalities; and it should be exercised only for serious malfeasance or neglect In office, not for mere difference of opinion. To sum up: The Outlook regards the referendum, the initiative, and the recall as promising experiments, but as yet only experiments, which are to be measured by their results. The di rect primary, the popular election of United States Senators, an effective corrupt practices act. and the short ballot we regard as already demon strated. The necessity of the direct primary and tha popular election of United States Senators has been dem onstrated by the failure of the present method to give the results the Nation needs. The value of an effective cor rupt practices act has been demonstrat ed by the results of such an act in England: the value of the short ballot by the results of the short ballot In our Federal elections. All Women Beautiful, at Ttmea. New York Morning Telegraph. Rnmanna aakfiri Carle J. Blenner If he ever painted homely women, to which he replied: "Oh, yes, but there Is al ways a mood in which they are at least Interesting, even beautiful." And for tha laat fifteen vears this Dainter and creator of noted beauties has found In a vast number of women well, the "mood," at any rate. There is enough in that to Mil the soul of a "plain" subject with delight. Perhaps no American artist has gained so much reputation as a painter of beautiful American girls as Blenner. His studio In the Sherwood gives an inkling of tha renaon for hla success, because the studio "setting" Is the first essential In rinnlctlna- beauties. Krantlng, of course, that the subject possesses some of the constituent elements or oeauty. New Jersey's Bfrak on Wheels. Paterson, N. J, Dispatch. A bank on wheels Is the latest in fuv Tt la flreDroof. bullet Droof. and is also said to be burglar-proof, and can travel fifty miles an hour. This auto-bank is expected to make radical changes In the banking busi ness, especially in the outlying dis tricts. It is the property of a trust company In this city. The car is fitted with a desk and office equipment, in cluding compartments for books, checks and papers. A solid steel safe t- K..11 in nna corner of the machine. Officials of the trust company are of the opinion that by senaing tne car about the country a number of de positors would be greatly convenlenced, especially those who have no place for keening cash or other valuables. REV. MR. CORBY ON THE Y. M. C. A. Criticise the Institution for Its De nominational Character. PORTLAND, Or., Feb. 21. (To the Editor.) In a strong editorial in The Oregonian of yesterday, a movement is indorsed to endow the Y. M. C. A. It is Btated that the alms and rules of the association are not so well unde stood by the general public as they should be and that "it is not sectarian, not devoted to the inculcation of a creed. While a religious organization. It is as broad and liberal as possible and knows nothing of sectarian re strictions." Even Homer nods and The Orego nian in this editorial is guilty of do ing the very thing it warns the gen eral public about, for evidently It does not wholly understand the aims and rules of the Young Men's Christian As sociation. To make sire that I was not mistaken, I recently stepped to the desk and asked the courteous young man In charge, "What is the cost of membership and what are the require ments to become a member of the Y. M. C. A.?" He assured me that $14 would meet the bills, and that if I was a member of . an evangelical church I could become an active voting member, but if I was not a member of such church, I could not vote nor hold office, but could be an associate mem ber. What about that for an institution that The Oregonlan says knows noth ing of sectarian restrictions? Consulting my dictionary as to the meaning of "evangelical." it is defined as "relating to the gospel, agreeable to, or contained In the gospel." But what is the gospel? It is the good tldinRS, glad tidings. Who proclaims the good tidings, and who, by holding to it, is evantrelical? The conservative or the liberal Christian? Which is good tid ings, eternal love or eternal hate? God eternally sharing his universe with satan. or God all and in all? If any branch of the church is to monopolize the title evangelical. It ought to be the Unlver salists. , , It is an unpleasant task to criticise any beneficent enterprise, unfavorably. But it is only fair that thoee asked to sup port the institution should know that though the money they give is unsec tarlan. the association is not. We are assured that all young men enjoy the benefits of the association equally. That may be true of some departments but not of the religious department. The voung men of the Universal: or the Uni tarian Church are not afforded the priv elege of hearing the gospel, as they un derstand it presented there, while mem bers of orthodox churches have that privilege. Can it be that anyone fears harm from the message which liberal Christian ministers would bring to the young? In various Y. M. C. A-s in the East. Unlversalist ministers address the Y. M. C. A. religious meetings, under the same conditions as orthodox ministers. If young men are willing to enter the association and have no voice in Its affaire, they seem to admit that they are not as good as their fellows. But we stand for tbe honor of our boys and young men. We are not the country cousins of those In the Christian folds. We should be glad to clasp hands in helpful service with all followers of Our Savior, but we are content to make no intrusion into any fold where we are not wholly welcome. This Vs not the 12th Century. Men s sympathies ase broadening. Prejudice in herited froin darker days may hinder awhile, but God's truth goes marching on like an advancing Summer. After all. we come back to Jesus' words "by their fruit ye shall know them." we must aii meet this test, orthodox and liberal. Mistake of Judgment is what we are ex cluded for, and this crime Is laid to our charge by men as liable to mistake as we are. They may exclude us, but we teach and practice an all inclusive love that will welcome and receive even those who deny us fellowship. JAMES D. CORBY, Pastor of First Unlversalist Church. WHAT'S DOING IX OREGON COUNTRY Running Surprise. Grass Valley Journal. Quite a number of our young people surprised Starr Ruggles and wife, at the Silver farm, after chasing them 45 miles, more or less, Saturday night. Too Cheap for Editor. Blue Mountain American Yet it costs Oregon but $13 per month to maintain its Insane patients. If there is to be any material paring, the writer will certainly continue to do his best to keep out of the asylum. Spoiled by the opulence of a country editor's life, he was never able to exist on $13 per month. Here's a Record for You. Dallas Itemlzer. Hardy Holman told us the other day that he had probably married over 100 couples while acting as Justice of the peace and that in but one Instance had the couples failed to live happily ever afterward. That couple secured a di vorce, but soon regretted it and had the knot retled. Such a record as this Is sure to give any Justice quite a boost in the marrying line, and we expect him to have couples flocking to him every week in order that they may be certain of domestic felicity. Wonder if the Judge will also Insure against fam ily Jars? All Comforts of Home Found. Roseburg Review. Found in a boxcar, the contents of which they had turned topsy-turvey to provide themselves with food, two tramps, giving thier names as Roy lf..,ln a n . I ThftHULq PPIltltT. WfTfl Ef- rested 'by Sheriff Qulne in this city Sunday morning. They will be taken to Oregon City, near which place they ,nat tha nar lust Frldav at mid night, breaking the car seal in doing so, It is alleged. At Junction tjity tne car was again sealed, keeping the tramps prisoners until they reacnea mis city, to where the car was billed. In search of something to appease their hunger, the pair broke into several boxes of consigned goods, which yielded them breakfast food, grape juice, oranges and oysters. Nor was this all. A box of hardware furnished Implements with which other boxes were pried open and one of these, containing crockery, af forded the tramps dishes off of which they ate their food. "AntUShylock" Liir Condemned. PORTLAND, Feb. 21. (To the Editor.) If you will give me the space in The Oregonian.- I want to express myself to the best of my ability regarding the law Just passed by the Oregon legisla ture called a "blow to the Shylocks." To start with, if its anything but a blow to freedom, to American manhood and Independence, I fail to see tt. No man or woman employed by another person In Oregon is a free agent according to this so-called law. "J-his freak of a law is a disgrace to Oregon and a display on the part of its backers of their inability to properly deal with the matter at is sue, and they have only made bad mat ters worse. The only virtues this law has is its utter failure and unconstitutionality. This is worse than Russia; reduces the working man absolutely to a state of servitude; makes his contracts worthless without the consent of his employer. If this law were constitutional Its results would be far-reaching except on the Shylock. It does not disturb him at all. He is still safe. This to as bad as the Washington cigarette law, which I am glad to say is no more. I trust some day there will be some provision to pro tect poor people from such foolish legis lation. I hope to see this go like the Washington cigarette law. D. K. FORRESTER. Timely Tales of the Day "The day of the small farm is upon us," says Editor James Stuart, of Fos sil. "Even in Eastern Oregon, where the first settlers used to claim 'all the land around here,' Irrigation is making It expedient to subdivide the great cat tle ranches, where once the owner rode all day on his own land. "As an illustration of the difference between the old conditions here and those back East, I am reminded of an old Wheeler County pion,eer, who, hav ing made a fortune in cattle, decided to revisit his home in the East, which ha VinA lift -when a hnv. 50 -ears be- ! fore. He took with him his Western- bred son, who had spent all bis life on the range. "When the father and son awoke in their sleeper, somewhere east of Chi cago, one morning, the father observed j his son gazing in astonishment at the landscape that unfolded before them, a check-board arrangement of meadows and fields. At length he said: " 'Is this the stockyards, dad?' " 'Why no, my son. What makes you think that?' " "Then what in the world do tie people do with all those corrals?'" Ralph Dunlway, the noted Broadway bridge obstructionist, was mentioned at a recent meeting of Irvington resi dents who were protesting against the issuance of a franchise to the Mount Hood Railway to pass through Irving ton. Names of property owners to serve upon a committee to visit the City Council were being, suggested, when Attorney James leason suddenly thought of Attorney Dunlway. "I heard Duniway owned property on Siskiyou street," he chipped in. "If that was suggested to the Councilmen I think they would run that Mount Hood line right down Siskiyou." At the Madras celebration over the arrival of the first train upon the plains of that wonderful country, two old-timers were watching the progress of the "broncho busting." An iron gray horse from the range had been put into the ring and each range rider was given a trial on the animal. One ather another was thrown. An old man yelled out that twenty years ago when he was in his prime he could rldo "that wild horse." His friend standing by remarked: "Wake, up, Bill. Be up to date. Don't you know the railroad is here?" "You don't say so." "Yep." "When did she come?" "Jest a bit ago." "By gum, that knocks out broncho busting." State Senator Whitney, of the State of Washington, Is an eloquent speaker, but he la very deaf. In a speech before the convention of the Southwestern Washington Development Association held at Vancouver last week, he was unusually brilliant' and In fine voice. When he had concluded his address he was given great applause. A man whom he knew quite well grasped his hand and congratulated him, and shouted Into his ear, "That was certainly a fine speech. Senator, but I don't suppose you heard it." That the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 has left lasting effects on the nerves of some women who experienced its terrors is made evident by the story told by Mrs. H. Costello. of that city, who recently came to Portland. Mrs. Costello had gone to bed In a sleeping car long before the train to which It was attached left the Oakland mole. It was the first time since the earthquake that Mrs. Costello had taken a night-train Journey, and when she was awakened late In the night by the' swaying of the sleeping car, she forgot where she was and believed for a few moments that another earth quake was disturbing her. Her wild screams brought the porter in haste and also aroused every other occupant of the car. A storm of inquiries was raised much to the embarrassment of the author of the disturbance. Half a Century Ago From The Oroftonian, Feb. 22. 1S61. Today Is the anniversary of the birth of George Waehlngton. May the recol lection of whom have a tendency to quiet the troubled waters of disunion which threaten to overwhelm and destroy the happiness of our country! The members of Willamette. Multno mah and Columbian fire engine companies are requested to meet at their respective engine-houses (in uniform) at 2 o'clock this afternoon for drill. Charles N. Terry. Esq., of Salem, has been appointed corresponding secretary of the State Agricultural Society and m actively engaged in his duties. We hope he will epeedily cause the premium list for the Fall fair to be published. The Oregon farmer congratulates the people of Portland that they are not com pelled to eat Atlantic butter the present Winter or none. We have now plenty of delicious Oregon butter at fair prices. Democratic papers with brazen Impu dence tell their readers that the Republi cans are responsible for the condition of affairs In the South; that it is their duty to maintain the Union by concession or forcewhlle the Democratic Administra tion has withdrawn the troops from the Southern forts and arsenals so that they have become an easy prey to the revolu tionists. J P. Luse, of the Lafayette Journal, has paid a visit to Mr. Lincoln. He says: "Lincoln In conversation is very apt to take what the garcons of the cafes of Paris term the "true American position that is- his feet enormous feet, too are . i m -lA-trotori In a nosition very apt to tre-wui. - --- on a stone or convenient table some ten inches higher than his head. If the French interpretation oi our uuo iu ma turing be correct I am happy to be able to say that J. know Lincoln takes the true . i ' t 1 1 t.irpi it often and American i"1'1' ' readily. When that long form swings itself Into the White Houre door, I doubt but it will create consternation among many of the exquisite habitues of Washington- but before there have been many .i "t- - .iminro-nnt of that miracle of anatomy, respect, fear, fight, flight and terror will have seized the whole tribe, and the precincts of the President's mansion will be for the first time in eight years, ria oi me iioiuts wt "ft'o " miners which has so long Infested it." Teachers in Hawaii. TiADir-ivn tivv ii fTVi the Editor.) Will you kindly tell me, through the ui,-n. sv Tva nrpfrnniHiL the name and WlUUlilff Vi J. V ' - address of the commissioner of schools In Honolulu, or to whom appiicauon ior in the schools there should be made? What are the-possibilities of an American teacher getting a position there? A SUBSCRIBER. rr.v i tiji aaUpii in the foreeoin&T should be submitted to the Superinten dent of Public Instruction, Honolulu. In Wrltinn- Letters. ,,-,,- t-t a x-t- -K-oh 211 ITn the Kflitor.V- ruAiilil' ' Will you kindly advtee through the columns or ine urcsoujaii nuitu is m more formal address in a business letter, wv near Mr. Blank" or "Dear Mr. Blank," and oblige. P. G. STEWARD. Both' salutations Indicate a close acquaintanceship, but "My Dear Mr. Blank" is perhaps the more formal of the two.