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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (April 3, 1911)
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BLOW TO COXTCySATIOX LAW S. The movement for enactment of workmen' compensation laws In this country has received a aerloua set back In the decision of the New Tork Court of Appeals that the New Tork liability law. which became effective on September 1. 1910. ts unconstitu tional. The scope that such legisla tion mar attain Is now placed In doubt pending a ruling by the United States Supreme Court. The New Tork law defined danger ous occupations and provided that employes engaged therein and Injured In the course of their employment should have the right to recover damages fixed by a schedule graded according to the severity of the In Jury. The law abrogated the "contri butory negligence" rule and greatly narrowed the scope of the "fellow ser vant" doctrine. While the elimination of these two doctrines apparently was not directly Involved, the Court of Appeals Indi cated that the Legislature was within the bounds of Its authority in abro gating or modifying them. The court, however, held that the change by which the employer was made liable for injuries resulting solely from the inherent risks of his business was In violation of the guarantee in the New Tork Stale constitution and also In the Federal constitution that no per son shall be deprived of property without due process of law. The decision will probabry be en couraging to the opponents in Wash ington of the new automatic com pensation law of that state, but it Is perhaps questionable whether the de rision has any bearing- on the new liability law In Oregon. Like the New Tork law the Wash ington act classifies dangerous occupa tions but whereas the New Tork law merely gave the Injured employe the right to recover from his employer on the basis of a fixed schedule of com pensation, the Washington law seeks to eliminate the courts altogether. The Washington law Imposes a tax on the employer based on the amount of his payroll. This tax Is to go Into a fund administered by a state commission from which compensation Is to be paid to the Injured workmen accord ing to a fixed schedule. There are no reservations on the right of an Injured employe to compensation from this fund except that of wilful self-Injury. An Injury resulting from a necessary risk is to be compensated by money pament according to the fixed sched ule. The employers In each classifica tion, at the end of each year, are to be entitled to a proportionate distri bution of the unexpended portion of the fund raised by this tax. It would seem to be obvious, therefore, that If the rule laid down by the New Tork Court of Appeals is sound. Washing ton has also overstepped the constitu tions! line of restriction. It can hard ly be argued with reason that taxa tion to compensate workmen for In juries for which they are not entitled to recover under the constitution, is different In principle from an attempt to extend the right to recover at law to workmen for like Injuries. In Oregon's new liability law there is no schedule of compensation, but the act abrogates the "contributory negligence" rule and restricts the ap plication of the "fellow servant" doctrine. The Oregon statute avoids reference to "assumption of risk" and "Inherent dangers of occupation." It may occur to the lay mind, however, that U neither the "fellow servant" nor the "contributory negligence" rule Is a defense, the right to recover for Injuries arising from the necessary dangers of certain occupations is given by strong Inference. Of course the opinions of the New Tork courts axe not binding on the courts of other states, but state court decisions are Invariably cited and gen erally accepted as guides In other states. In the New Tork case, too. a Federal question is Involved, and a decision on the question involved will undoubtedly be given ultimately by the highest tribunal In the land. It Is notable that the New Tork court has given its opinion with apparent reluctance. The purpose of the act Is commended, but the court 'declares that "In a Government like ours theories of public good or neces sity are often so plausible or sound as to command popular approval, but courts are not permitted to forget that the law Is the only chart by which this ship of state Is to be guided." The Oregonlan has found much to commend In both the Washington and New Tork compensation laws. The end sought to be attained therein is one that Is fair to employer and em ploye. Passion, prejudice and sym pathy as controlling factors In Jury verdicts, excessive costs of litigation, 'unfair division of money Judgments between client and lawyer, corrupt In fluence and public expense are among the things modified or eliminated by proper compulsory compensation laws. In the New Tork and Wash ington state statutes ail these evils were at least modified and in that re spect they were far in advance of the Oregon liability taw. It Is unfortunate if our Constitution Inhibits such legis lation. In a series of articles by Addison Bennett, the first of which was pub lished In The Oregonlan yesterday, a conservative and comprehensive ex position of the resources and opportu nities of Central Oregon will be told. Mr. Bennett, as publisher of The lilies Optimist and In other Journalistic work, has become widely known In the Northwest as an author. Itv en agricultural. horticultural. stock-raising and general farming possibilities In this section. lie has . now allied himself with The Ore-1 miiiii ataff and will travel over what la to him familiar ground but concerning which there Is now strong public Interest and little general knowledge. As stated In his first let ter, Mr. Bennett will not deal pri marily with the towns of Central Ore gon, but with the country. His articles will undoubtedly gain widespread in terest. rORK PRICE AND RECIPROCITY. In their old gam of fooling the farmer, our anti-reciprocity high tariff friends have made but slight reference to the pork market. Throughout the great corn belt of the Middle West the price of pork and pork products Is of much more im portance to a great many farmers than the price of wheat. Many of the farmers do not grow wheat enough for their own use, but depend exclusively on corn and hogs for a living. , Just at present the politicians who are opposing Canadian reclproc-. Ity are Industriously calling attention to the rather serious slump In wheat prices and are blaming reciprocity talk for the weakness in the market. May wheat In the Chicago market closed Saturday at SS cents per bushel. A year ago on the same day It closed at 11.18 per bushel. Any individual not having a special mercenary Interest In the high tariff system would willingly admit that the prospect for Canadian reciprocity had nothing to do with the world's pro duction in 110 of 160.000.009 bushels more wheat than in 10. This was a big crop, and the present heavy surplus hanging over the market of course caused the prevailing weak ness. N Accepting, however, the fond theory that has proved so useful In fooling the farmer, and for the sake of argu ment placing the blame for the thirty cent decline in wheat at the door of Canadian reciprocity, how are we to reconcile the argument to the caso of the pork producers In the com belt? Last Saturday May pork in Chicago closed at $18.15 per barrel. One year ago on the same date the close was 1:5.85 per barrel. In other words. May pork showed a decline of 41 per cent In the year, while May wheat declined but 26 per cent. These figures, based on actual sales of pork and wheat, show that one farm product against which no dam age by Canadian competition was claimed has declined 41 per cent In price, while wheat, which the stand patters are using as a "horrible ex ample" of the effect of prospective Canadian reciprocity, has declined but Z( per cent. We trust that the American Protec tive Tariff League, the American Economist, or some other friend of the farmers mill hasten to explain the phenomena so that the pork men can rise in their wrath against the injus tice with which they are threatened. ITALIAX CONDITIONS. United Italy has not had a particu larly pleasant road to travel during the first half century of its existence. The celebrations of its semi-centennial have been sufficiently Joyous, but be neath the blltheness there must have been many feelings of apprehension. The relations between the monarchy and the Vatican are less embittered, perhaps, than they were when Victor Emmanuel first took possession or Rome, but still they are far from har monious. The Pope continues to re gard himself as a prisoner and many devout Catholics refuse to vote at the civic elections. This Is singularly unfortunate for the conservative element, since almost all these standpat churchmen are op posed to the radical opinions whlcit pervade the country. The government is willing to go even to the point of compelling them to vote by law. The Immediate purpose of such an enact ment woutd be to checkmate the radi cal movement for universal suffrage, but Its true basis ts the feeling that the stability of the country depends on Inducing the entire conservative population in some way or other to take a hand In publlo affairs. Uni versal suffrage would add many vot ers to the radical ranks, and unless the recalcitrant churchmen were brought out to counteract them the consequences might be startling. The difficult relations with the church constitute but one of the In ternal problems which perplex Italian statesmen. The question of carrying on the routine of the government is almost, as embarrassing. Parties In Italy are not formed as they are In the United States. Here the voters divide Into large bodies m-hlch com prise millions of members and which are relatively stable. Politicians know that the number of Democrats or Re publicans is not likely to vary greatly from year Tear ,n rdnary times, any they can therefore reckon confi dently on continuous support. More over. It Is difficult to establish a new party In the United States. Efforts to do so usually fall. In Italy, on the other hand, parties have no assured existence. The voters regroup them selves on the slightest provocation. A statesman cannot depend on his sup port from one month to another. The party groups are very numerous, more so than in France even, and the only way a minister can maintain a major ity In the Parliament la to combine a number of factions which have no or ganic unity among themselves. Ministries whose power depends on combinations of this kind must neces sarily be short-lived. The frequent chsnges of government In Italy there fore surprise nobody who understands the conditions confronting them. The King Is not supposed to belong to any party, but he naturally prefers to see the conservatives In power since the radicals aim rather definitely at the establishment of a republic. Italy Is also embarrassed by crimi nal problems from which other coun tries are free. What the exact origin of the lawless bands which disturb the country may be need not be consid ered here. It Is sufficient to remark that under one name or another they have been active ever slnoe the middle ages. Before the monarchy was es tablished we used to read of the brig ands who made travel dangerous at the very gates of Rome. Now it Is as the "Camorra" that the criminal or ganisation does Its deeds, but the na ture of the difficulty has not essential ly changed. Some writers trace the origin or these lawbreakers back to the condot tlere who formed the soldiery of the Italian republics In the middle ages and later. In course of time they were turned adrift and left to their own resources for subsistence. They quite naturally preferred plunder to starvation and became a menace to public order. .Like the onganas oi very period the Camorrlsis have the TIIE ar01tXI'O n-mni!hT of the Tmllnn populace to such an extent that It is almost Im possible to obtain legal evidence against them even when they are captured, which is not so often as might be desired. What with this la tent popular approval and the terror ism which they maintain, it Is a mat ter of ektreme difficulty to bring one of them to Justice, as the current ac counts of Matteo's trial show. Italy has Its foreign troubles also. Germany, ever hungry for colonial ex pansion, seems to be edging on the Turk to stir up perplexities In Tripoli, where Italy aspires to develop great sources of wealth. Of course If the Italians were to be expelled from Tripoli Germany would logically fall heir to their undertakings. This is all the more provoking because Italy and Germany are both members of the triple alliance. That agreement binds the two countries, with Austria, to assist one another in time of war, but apparently it permits all sorts of mu tual aggressions in time of peace. Austria as well as Germany interprets the agreement li this way. The dual empire Is building dread noughts on the Adriatic In the most menacing manner. They threaten Italian Influence all along the eastern coast, if not even her existence. Aus tria clearly contemplates some future war with Italy, against which the monarchy is in no situation to make an adequate defense. The trouble be tween the countries arises partly from Austria's old ambition to rule down to the extremity of the peninsula, part ly from the fact that she has millions of Italian subjects who aspire to union with their own nation. The hostility Is both political and" racial. It finds Its way everywhere. The universities are not exempt from It. Austria has agreed to establish an Italian faculty at the University of Vienna, but this Is not likely to spread much" balm over either party's wounds. A band of Italian students who went to Vienna last year to promote the measure were unmercifully mobbed by the Germans, while the university authorities looked on with apparent approval. This does not portend harmonious musings over the dreamrf sages to gether. Italy's natural affiliations are with France and England. The chances are that when the triple alli ance expires she will renew it in a form so greatly modified that there will be little to hinder her from Join ing the entente which xlsts between those countries and which 1 likely to continue indefinitely. jon r. STEVENS. The resignation of Mr, John F. Stevens, who has had charge of the Hill system in the Pacific Northwest, will be sincerely 'regretted by every one who Is familiar with the tremen dous work accomplished by him in the comparatively brief period In which he has been with us. Without In any degree discrediting the merits of those who will succeed him. It seems quite clear that In the magni tude of the operations and the rapid ity and skill with which he handled them Mr. Stevens has established a mark that will not easily be reached. Ills appearance in Oregon at a time when the people had used every argu ment and exhausted every influence at their command In an effort to se cure rail connection with Central Ore gon marked the beginning of a new era of prosperity and development In the twenty months following the arrival of Mr. Stevens in this state the changes that have been made on the railroad map have been greater and more Important than any record ed In the previous twenty years. Mr. Stevens has thus stamped his name on the railroad records of the state so plainly that It will never be ef faced. To Mr. Stevens, who has been handling big projects all of his life, his accomplishments since he came to Oregon appear of less Importance than they do to, others. With the modesty which Is characteristic of the world's greatest Industrial chieftains he sees in his wonderful work only the building of so many miles of rail road to open up new- country and widen the traffic field of lines already built. It Is a question of expending a certain amount of money for a certain number of miles of road from which a certain amount of traffic may be expected. All this has been attended to, but In fulfilling his mission as a railroad man he has brought about a situation which has provided an ad vantageous change in the economic and social conditions of thousands of people. Throughout the West, the Govern ment Indian land lotteries had for years been drawing land-hungry set tlers by thousands In an Idle quest for cheap lands which were yearly becom ing scarcer. The average expenditure of one of these "boomers" or "soon ers." who attended the Government lottery drawings, was as great as or greater than would have been neces sary to secure a home In Central Ore gon, but Central Oregon, until the arrival of Mr. Stevens, was too re mote and Inaccessible to be reached by a landseeker. All this has been changed. Over the rails that have been laid down, thousands of new settlers are pouring Into Central Ore gon. Others are swelling the popula tion of the rich lands along the Ore gon Electric and the United Railways, and rich land embracing thousands of square miles which two years ago was producing nothing. Is now avail able for wealth-producing crops. Mr. Stevens is a big man. big enough for any proposition that tne world has to offer. For that reason he may seek a wider field than Ore gon for his future operations. His name, however, will always bear hon ored place In the annals of the state, for It was first through his recom mendations and second through his actual work that transportation made possible development In that great empire In Central Oregon. BTATCB TO BCTLER. The project of erecting a statue to General Benjamin F. Butler does not meet with much approval from the Intellectual leaders of Massachusetts. The Boston newspapers do not find In him a man of sufficient moral or mili tary caliber to deserve such recogni tion. Thomas Wentworth Hlgglnson goes so far in opposition as to declare that we have enough statues to sol diers; it is time to remember our poets and scientists, he says, and de vote a little monumental marble to them. Certainly it would look odd for Massachusetts to spend $35,000 of the public money for a statue to Butler while Emerson and Longfellow remain uncommemorated except In a private way. Since the Civil War the country seems to have been obsessed with the notion that there Is no real title to fame except the deeds of the OREGONIA 3IOXPAY. soldier or the misdeeds of the poli tician. So we have erected statues, more or less artistic, to about every officer who rose to the rank of Brigadier-General, and every deceased statesman, not omitting Quay, whose picture was printed in the papers during his mortal career. It these men have gained as much In' acute ness as they are supposed to have gained In happiness by their transi tion to a better world, how they must smile at our Infatuation, to say noth ing of our taste in sculpture. The annals of Massachusetts abound In names which are more worthy of commemoration from every point of view than Butler's. It seems half grotesque to select such a char acter for public honor. In some cir cumstances he was a pretty good sol dier and he had certain qualities of decision which other commanders might well have Imitated. His fa mous trick of calling escaped negro slaves "contraband of war" almost amounted to a stroke of genius. It solved instantly and unequivocably a problem which had perplexed every body else In the North, Including Lin coln himself. In such emergencies as this Butler shone, but critics do not call him a great soldter. We need not believe that Butler was quite so vile an Intriguer against Governor Andrew, the great war ruler of Massachusetts, as some writers try to make out, but the fact remains that he usually saw his own interest be fore anything else, la writing his huge autobiography he has evinced a disposition to gather up any little scraps of fame lying around loose no matter to whom they rightfully be long. Thus he calmly takes to him self the credit of getting overcoats for tht volunteers, whereas everybody knows that it belongs entirely to Andrew. Butler certainly enjoyed Lincoln's confidence for a long time. No doubt the President liked his hu morousness and the decision of char acter which was one of his redeeming traits. Th'e coarseness and unscrupu lousness which repelled those who knew him better would naturally not come to the surface in his meetings with Lincoln. The main reason as signed for erecting a statue to Butler Is his sympathy with the common people. This he certainly felt and he showed it on many occasions, but It was a kind of sympathy which the common people are a great deal bet ter off without. Butler belonged to that class of "friends of the masses" who show their good will by encouraging bad tendencies. He exercised his undoubted shrewdness in extracting advantage for himself out of their blunders. The State Forester has issued an appeal to the people asking aid In the protection of the forests from the an nual visitation of fire. The new law makes a closed season for outdoor fires from June 1 to October 1. except under stringent regulations, and peo ple are urged to do all possible burn ing of slashings before the season closes. It will be impossible, how ever, for the state or the Nation or for private timber companies to pre vent some fires being started by care less campers or hunters. The appeal of the State Forester should have spe cial interest for these citixens, and they should go Into the woods with a firm resolution to be more carefuL The annual fire loss of millions each year has an Increasing effect on our economic system and It is full time that' stringent measures be adopted for checking It. The respectable Italians In Chicago are making an effort to get rid of some of the odium that the race is obliged to bear by reason of the acts of the Black Hand. In an article printed In L'ltalla, the leading Italian paper In Chicago, it Is stated that "it Is necessary that the Italians them selves, for their own self respect and for their own protection, organize themselves to liberate the colony here from the criminals staining its name." It Is unquestionable that the number of respectable, law-abiding Italians, in the country Is far In excess of those who come to the country to engage In criminal practices. For that rea son, organized effort on the part of the better element In the race la cer tain fo be of great assistance In stamping out the infamous Black Hand. An effort is being made to weed out the loan sharks from the Government Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Broadly speaking, this Is a reform that should extend to every department of Government service In Washington. Usury in these departments is well known to exist; In fact. It has existed so long that it has become a time-honored custom an accepted abuse. The greatest obstacle to its abolishment is found in its victims themselves, who seemingly are as much without Incli nation as without power to shake it off. It is this habit of anticipating his salary, more than anything else, that brings the department clerk down to old age a pitiful pleader for a pension. The statement sounds like humor that the Hood River Applegrowers' Union will place skilled salesmen In the field this year. As there Is only one Hood Rlyer on earth, a few skilled advertisement writers ought to do the work. "Sitting on the back seat (of her father's automobile) was the Coun tess. Count de Beaufort and his wife looked into each other's eyes silently for a few. minutes. Neither spoke. Then he walked away." Alas, the intangibility of the touch! Packer Cudahy looks for a big slump In corn and hogs within the year and gives plausible reasons. This should not deter the Oregon grower from keeping up the effort to raise enough for the Coast market. TTmatilla County expects a five-million-bushel wheat- crop this year. That will apcroxlmata one-third of the state crop and be close to one per cent of the product of the Nation. The Salem Statesman began Its sixty-first year last Tuesday. The Statesman Is like old wine, but not at all cobwebby. There Is something suspicious In the explosion of a baking potato on April Fool's day. It takes a mighty honest man to handle other people's money in a real estate deal. Caruso's conscience, js working overtime. The House caucus looked s-head a year. APRIL' 3. 1911. HEALTH INS HECTOR, irf SCHOOLS Writer Protests Asralnst Methods of Search for AUmenta. PORTLAND, March 3L To the Edi tor.) The school children of this city are suffering indignities at the hands of medical inspectors, on the plea of "pro tecting the public health," which are so outrageous that no possible measure of health secured thereby could compensate for the mischief done. And it remains to be shown, by the testimony of other than interested parties, that the general health of the children is one whit better for medical Inspection. Periodically, these body-Inspectors visit the schools and search for vermin or dis ease on or In the persons of the children. Beginning, a while back, with an exami nation of arms for vaccination scars, mouths and throats for defective teeth and enlarged tonsils, and heads and hair for vermin, the Inspectors have now gone a step further. At the Woodstock school last Thursday the children were required to strip to the waist for examination. The older girls and part of the boys bared only their shoulders and arms, but in some of the rooms all the upper gar menu were removed. Some of the chil dren be It recorded to the credit of their courage protested and strove tq resist; but what could they do in the face of the authority they have been taught to respectT The examination was said by the In spectors to be necessary, In order to check the spread of scarlet fever and measles. The sophistry of the excuse Is apparent the moment one reflects. A child free from sign of Infection one day, may the next day be coming down with an eruptive fever, and at least by the following day may be covered with the eruption. There is not only no reason to believe that the children select the day of the fortnightly visit of the in spector to show signs of fever, but If there is anything in suggestion and the psychological phenomena observed by physicians and others, there would seem to be ground to expect more disease than usual on the few days next succeeding the visit of the Inspector. Dally nfPec; tlon Is as yet In the future one thing for which taxpayers this year may be Even'on grounds of health, we are far from the right track, as may be seen by comparing the school children of today with those of SO or 40 years ago. But there are weightier considerations than health. The Southern negroes before the war were a healthy lot. Curious it Is to observe the various and sundry baits put forth by would-be tyrants to entice us into Try- The Socialist offers us food and "h" and, leisure. The medical hierarchy offers us health. Neither can be expected to de liver the goods. "Pf031!8,1 could, who would knowingly pay the P The' methods used to bring the African under the yoke will not serve with us. The medical way Is: Catch your Yankee young. Quiet his parents' fears by in forming them it is the only way to save the youngster from. say. scarlet fever. Change the argument, wever often enough to Impress upon them the muiu nUclty of dangers that beset the child. The rest Is easy. There grows up under the medical hand a tame, common de pendent creature, with no conception of indit'dual liberty or individual charac- Contrast this future American cltlxen wUh the spirit fire and Impendence of Patrick Henry, of Adams and of Wash EnTan! say whither medical lnspec- t1c!dUTTLE.U3 Francis avenue. Advice fo Democrat"- PORTLAND. April 1. (To the Edi torVIn ancient Roman, poet by call ing, by the name of Terence. vdently an Irishman, has set down: T am a man. and nothing that is human Is alien to me." w-uch has caused the writer to sit up.. Politics is human, rometlme. punk and nothingness, but always human. Our Neighbors, the Democrats, are much perturbed at the incorrigibility of our neighbors the Repub cans, and our neighbors the Republicans are calm, quiet, tranquil and u?"" at the incorrigibility of r hbZ the Democrats. And for ? ou Jnav call a Republican any deflowered Zt! within the richest vocabu lary, but don't call him a Democrat unless you're looking-for a fight, a l or a run for your life; but you W call a Democrat any mongrel Idiom triat would cause an Insurgent to as sault a regular, but don't call him a mocra Just before the primaries. o 'recoterth. equilibrium of our honored and historic party the under signed has a plan. Over in Britain both Saxon and Celt have a nominat ing committee of three whose .as ' goes. I Respectfully nominate our guished Governor, his individuality, and his eminent . hat. as such a committee for the sake of the party. LeTThe drawing be In the open from the stage of the armory, none but Dmocrau to be admitted within doors. To overcome the obvious. I also re sVecully nominate Dr. WUUamson of Portland; and Drs. Stelner and Tamle fle. of Salem, expert nuttists. to guard the entrance and designate, either lu cidly or lunaticaly. What Is a Demo crat? Shall the people rule, ye skip lacks, mushrooms, parvenus, oscltant isciilatorsT Its "Os" fff Reatrirted District for Hen. PORTLAND, March 81. (To the Editor.) The writer has been very much interested In the letters pub lished in The Oregonlan for and against maintaining chicken yards in such a beautiful city as Portland "drfmni possibly see what reasonable argument can be advanced in favor of that nuis ance, the crowing rooster in a . city of Portland's siie. The city could solve This problem by districting, and thereby eg away with all the ugly features, bad odors and barnyard noises within cer taln llmfuu In this case Justice would be mewd out to all. and the chicken rasr could have his district, and those opposed to chickens In the city their dricts. All, no ut.FlouldpbeASat- Why the House , Fly Moat Go. Cincinnati (Ohro) Times-Star. A common house fly crawled Into the feed pipe of a Baltlmorean's automo bile, stopped the flow of gasoline, stopped the engine and caused a con flagration that destroyed the car. Re lentless war must now be waged upon the house fly. He has ruined our tem pers and assailed our health, yet little has been said. But when he attacks our pleasures it Is high time to sup press him. Separate Wards Approved. , PORTLAND, April L-(To the Editor.)-! desire to express my approval of the effort now being made to provide for the election of our 15 Councilmen from 16 separate wards, for if the half that has been said about several of them by several others of them during the past week is true, a situation which permits even-one Councilman-at-large should not be tolerated a day longer than It can be effectually suppressed, v, than 11 can p. RQSB cITY PARKER. Beebe ta Jail. CASTLE ROCK, Wash., March $1. (To the Editor.) What has been done with the' aged man Beebe. accused of murdering his brother on Clackamas Heights about Christmas time? Beebe Is In Jail at Oregon City await ing action of the grand Jury, which meets in April. The grand Jnry was discharged Just previous to the com mission of the crime. DIFFICULTIES OP ARBITRATION Writer Believes Racial Prejudice ' by Arbiters Would be Felt. ROSEBURG, Or., April L (To the Edi tor.) An article In one of the late issues of The Oregonlan on the question of ar bitration between nations brought up some points worthy of general notice and consideration as to the attitude which the United States should take on the same. But few would question In general the propriety of arbitration, yet it seems to show that it is a question largely as to whether mankind has yet acquired sufficient mental and moral de velopment to make arbitration practical as a means of settling political disputes and other International questions. Some say the moral quality of the race is de teriorating: some say it is not. Others admit the Intellectual quality Is Improv ing, while the moral Is deteriorating, etc International disputes as well as other vital matters concerning mankind re quire, it would seem, high moral as well as mental qualities for their settlement on a permanent basis. Hence arbitra tion courts may fail and it is possible the larger nations may run risks in se curing Justice through them, though the general results of their trial may be beneficial In the end. . The United States has now got the prejudice of all Europe and many South American as well as Eastern nations to overcome and race prejudices are hard to overcome in those who would be chosen from particular nations or races as arbitrators, noneai uwunu be as individuals. Environment and heredity count for much In mental proc esses, and this is a matter worth con sidering in controversies of great im portance submitted for decision to courts composed In the main or almost entirely from individuals of other nations. Hence, while submitting all questions whlcn might arise to such courts (those of or concerning National honor as others), it might be well to allow any such nation at court the right to object to any or all the arbitrators seletced In any case somewhat on the principle followed In private courts. While deprecating war as an evil, there are worse things. JAMES LEBROUX. D I S ARMAMENT AND ITS EFFECT Argument Made That Ansrlo-Amerlcan Paet Would Insure Peace. PORTLAND. April L (To the Editor.) Permit me to take square issue with The Oregonlan's editorial remarks that our. country would be at the mercy of ravening wolves If we consented with other war nations to disarmament. I used The Oregonlan's columns over three years ago In support of such a proposi tion which H. W. Scott discussed edi torially and disapproved of, but we are much nearer this desideratum now than in that incipient season. Of course there will be no disarmament until at least three war powers combine In a pact and pay: "By the eternal there shall be no war," and invite all the other nations to Join that pact. How soon would It be before every weak nation would scuttle to get under the panoply afforded, so that the fierce ' war lord" of Germany anointed of Jehovah would have to take notice? It is only the want of such a combina tion that compels us all to build more warships. Its accomplishment would en able ue to forego our fiction of the Mon roe doctrine, which we substantially abandoned by our foolish lodgment in the Philippines. When we made foot hold In Asia, the Monroe doctrine be came an evanescent chimera. Its old potentiality has faded out, and is no longer vital. I believe if England and the United States unite, it will induce France; their united Influence will con strain Japan and thus It will grow. To say that those stalwart polloements on the world s beat cannot compel peace, would be like denying the efficacy of the police in the city of Portland who are doing the same efficient work. There are elements as Inimical to law and order in Portland as there are In the National family. CHARLES P. CHURCH. Early Chrlatlans In New York City. Survey. The Methodists of New Tork City over a hundred years ago started their first organized charity. The record of this early venture is preserved in a volume in the library of the Methodist Historical Society. On November 12, 1808. at a meeting held in the school at Worth and Hudson streets, the Assist ance Society for Relieving and Advis ing Sick and Poor Persons In the City of New Tork was organized. The city was divided Into districts. At first there were four, then five and six, till finally the number became seven. These were called walks. In 1809 the distribution of food, clothing and fuel began. Catharine Graham, of 81 Church street, to whom $1 was given, was the first to be aided. During tlfe war of 1812 the society purchased soup tickets from the Humane Society at $3 a hundred, and distributed 80 loads of wood. In December, 1812, 8499 "suf fering Individuals" were helped, tn- the total for the first four years was 28.000. a Travels Alone at Eight. New Tork Tribune. If a little German boy can go all alone from Los Angeles to Saldwald. Saxony to see an aunt when he is 8 years o'ld, how far may he not travel another day in Spring If his thoughts should turn toward a younger woman not related to him in the least? Julius Herman, 8 years old, applied at the booking desk of the Hamburg American line for a ticket for Hamburg on the next ship out. He explained that he was on his way to visit his aunt, Mrs. M. Herman, at Saldwald, Saxony. About four years ago, when his father was an electrical engineer in the City of Mexico, he sent Julius to Los An geles to school, and as his father was unable to accompany him, he made the trip In the care of the conductor. He came alone across the continent. Colouel Bryan's Lateat Gestures. From the Boston Post. During the eloquent address of Colonel Bryan in Ford Hall Tuesday night It was interesting to watch the gestures he used in giving additional emphasis to the strong points. He frequently struck the palm of his left hand forcibly with hie right hand, and also struck the reading desk with hi right hand. At other times he would stride from one side of the desk to the other or raise his right arm in the air. For a large part of the time he stood easily at the left of the reading desk with his right hand upon the desk. During all the two hours and more that he spoke he never hesitated for a word. Vanished Dangere. Chicago Record-Herald. Ee used to hate the idle rich. And often spoke with dread About the fearful dansera which Were looming up ahead; Ha saw a time when blood would flow. And anarchy ba rife; But that was when his funds were low. He had the luck a year ago To get a wealthy wife. He used to aay the millionaires Were blinded by their greed; He thought the world and Its affaire Were managed wrong, indeed; Ha saw the time when class and mass would wage a bloody atrlfe. When chaos would prevail. Alaa! Since then a change has coma to paas Ha has a wealthy wife. He cannot underatand today Why those who toll complain; The Ills he feared are cleared away. No signs of strife remain. Content to let things drift along. He Uvea an easy life. Forgetting, U sometimes the strong Oppress the weak, that it la wrong Ha baa a wealthy wife. Timely Tales of the Day Sig Sichel. ex-State Senator, Portland merchant and member of Mayor Simon's Executive Board, is a potent factor In tne anairs oi tne ciij rs oiwu-ui mo, w ing a member of several of the important committees of the board. It Is Mr. Sichel who Invariably makes a motion to adjourn at the close of the meetings of the Executive Board, when he is present. His absence recently came near proving decidedly embarrassing to Mayor Simon and the other members. "That Is all the business on the table," read Clerk Grutze. in routine fashion when he had finished the long grist of official papers. Maj'or Simon, out of sheer force of habit, glanced over at Mr. Sichel's chair, which was vacant. He then looked ap peallngly at some of e other members of the board, who, to were waiting to hear the usual motion from Mr. Sichel. "Mr. Sichel is not here today," sug gested the Mayor. "If he were, we might adjourn." "Excuse me," spoke up,L. G. Clarke, who is on the police committee with Mr. Sichel, "but Mr. Sichel authorized me to make his motion for him today; I nearly forgot." Whereat, the board adjourned. A Third-street car was passing the scene of the building of the new Mult nomah Hotel when the man who looked like a construction engineer spoke: "These are progressive times. What is up to the minute now soon becomes old-fashioned. That building there will some day be out-dated, as others In Port land have been before it. What are they going to do with It then?" "Tear it down and put up another one." volunteered one of the passengers on the rear platform, though the remark had been addressed to no one In particular. "How?" demanded the first man, with the air of having thought It all out be forehand. "Why-er " the second man paused t think and the first went on: "That's Just it. This concrete construc tion makes a building that is Just a solid rock that's what it is, a solid rock. Have you ever thought that It may cost more to tear down those walls than to put them up there? When they were remov ing those old concrete piers from the river, they were able to use explosives, and even then it was no small job. Here In the heart of the city, where dynamite is out of the question, there will be no way but to use drill and pick and chip the stuff off a shovelful at a time. The reinforcement will prevent the workmen from tying a cable to it and pulling it down in blocks. They will just have to chip, chip at it until it is down, and it Is going to take time and time means money. ... "You may have heard the good old bromide that it is easier to tear down than to build up.' But that saying was current before the days of reinforced concrete. It Is diffeernt now." "Well," interposed a third man whose cheerful countenance bespoke optimism, "maybe by the time the Multnomah Hotel Is out-dated a new and easy method of tearing down concrete structures will have been invented. Progress is not all along one line." W. E. Carpenter, of Seattle, super intendent of the Alaska division of the Wells Farso Express Company, was a guest of Harvey Beckwith, president of the Portland Commercial Club, recently. In the Green Room one evening he told this story: "When I eyas auditor of the com pany and had to examine the agents' books In the state of Oregon I ex perienced one of the worst scares of my life. I have been in Alaska and during my career out here on the coast have been in many tight places but the day I kas at Scio, in Linn coun ty, is as firmly embedded in my mem ory as if it was yesterday. And that was ten years ago. I was called ta Scio to audit the books of the agent there. I worked during the afternoon and on into the night.. . "The agent had occasion to go up town The . depot was a sort of dry goods box affair. There was only one door and one window in the express of fice Any person who cama in could block up the entire space by standing in front of the counter. I was work ing hard when suddenly I heard the door slam and looking up saw a man '6-foot-two' in size in front of me. He had a two weeks' beard upon his face; wore a slouch hat and had a breadth of shoulders that made him appear like a giant to me. The dim li"ht given by the kerosene lamp and the fact that there was no way to es cape except through the door In front of which stood the stranger, caused me to wonder what was going to happen. I finally mustered up courage enough to sav: ' 'What can I do for your " 'I'll let you know In time,' said the stranger in a deep cavernous voice and with this statement he reached down In his pocket and pulled out a dangerous-looking knife. Taking the knife he proceeded to make motions as if to sharpen it on his tongue. He ran the knife down and up his tongue, then rolled his eyes as if he was seeking the proper place to run the blade into my b"iy'thought of my whole life ml oi what I had done, the wrongs 1 had committed and of my family. I even went so far as to try to repeat a short prayer. Just when the sweat was pouring down my face the .most the agent came rushing through the door aid, grabbing the big fe How who was two feet taller and weighed a 1W pounds more than the agent, kicked him out tho door. 'Who was that?" I asked breathlessly. " "Oh, that's harmless Jim. he is dippj and he wouldn't hurt anyone. Half a Century Ago From The Oregonlan. April 3. 1861 We have Information from Bittei Root Valley and neighborhood to thfl 2d of March. The settlers there hava already commenced to send in sheep and deer skins to Walla Walla. Th pastoral interests of the country are rapidly growing up. There are 160 1 men in Bitter Root Valley and over 60 In Flint Creek Valley. The attempt of W. W. DeLacey and party to find a pass in the Cascade Range on the headwaters of the N s oually River south of Mount Rainier has failed. The party returned to Olym pla on the 26th of March. The Astoria silver mine is closed for the present. An assay of santiam ore in San Fran cisco fails to pan. It is said that the bills for the organ ization of the territories of Colorado, Nevada and Dakota have been passed and approved. The Pioneer Boat Club of Portland has sent to Victoria for a race boat and some other young men in town have de termined to invest their spare cash in building a boat of Oregon materials to compete with it. One Conservative Groundhog;. Lee (Mass.) Dispatch to the New Tork World. A woodchuck which went Into Its hole near Quigley's Corner in the heart of the town on August 26, 1910, and has not reappeared, is responsible for the posting of several times the amount of Berkshire County money wagered on the Jeffries-Johnson fight, - . . Even money is offered that the wood chuck will come out in due time; money has been placed at 10 to 8 hat it is not In the hole, and there is a brisk busi ness in 10 to 6 bets that the animal is dead.