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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 2, 1911)
nre motiving oregoxian. Monday. October 2. 1011. Z)t (Dmrammt roKTLAXD. OBIOOX. Ittml at Port: m 4. Oresoa. Pe-tofflce aa 6cripuoa Rawe-lavartab ta Advene. (BT HAU.) P!1t. Sonrtar hwluded. one year. - - I-.;lT (dlT lnMiU.1. tnra. mootae. . 1 i t - (iundAV Inc ii'iM one "i"" - m, , wnnoul HumJr. ee year..... I.el.l. nhou Suodar. montae... t-::y without SunJar. three montna Li:y wliaoat Suadaj. mm moaia... w;r. o Sioda?. one year "JJj; iunuj u4 waeair. Jrr CBT CARRIER.) rtexy. sanday Incloded. one year rj:. Sunday Included, ooe nsxata... . -J . 1 7J . . l.M . l.M .71 Bewilt Berd poat"Tnce Tjion-T r niira order or pereonal oa local tk. Stan, pa, coin or ' tn MiLft Mas, OIt, P"ato"lea -eaa ta fu.i. UMlodiac county and atat your trt nddr. a to to 14 pa. 1 root; ta to J pea. 1 oeata; so to 40 to pea. 4 centa. 10 to 40 p -. ronill poaaa doub.e rata. Kaeaera Baataeea Of." Verre Conk !b .w Tora. Hrunaalck Dulidlns. t-ci caao, steger buiidins- Earoea OTOce .No. I Recast eiraet. S W. LMdoo. fOBITAMD. TTIVDAT. OCTOBtS 1. raiwrco: or the ou iats ix CEN TRAL OKE,O.N. To say that Bend and Redmond, with the completion of the railroad, will bid adieu to the stage coach and freight wagon means onlr that these and other towns on the new railways In Central Oregon will bid adieu to their own dependence for transporta tion upon these tedious land caravels of the days of romance and the plc ti enque. The staite coach, or at least the auto stages, are not down and out in Central Oregon. Redmond, Bend. Madras and other railroad towns will see them during perhaps several Tears to come, but It will bo only In witnessing their departure to or arri val from points In a great territory as jet untouched by steel rails. V of Portland, who but a short while ago knew of Bend and Redmond as Isolated towns far In the Interior and to be reached only by long and arduous travel over rough, dusty or muddy roads, do not all realize that the two points are but on the west ern edge of Interior Oregon. Bend, which la to be the railway terminus for the present. Is almost due eaat of Eu gene. Jt Is nearly twice as far from Bend to the Idaho line as It Is from Bend to the Pacific Ocean. It Is ISO miles from Bend to Burns, and Burns Is approximately the geo graphical center of Interior Oregon. A circle drawn with a 150-mile radius, using Burns as a center, would in clude an area but barely penetrated by railroads. The O.-W. R. & N. would touch It In the east at Vale; a narrow gauge road would enter a few miles on the northeast and the new lines would barely brush It at Bend. Here lies a great district as large, aa some of the Eastern states rich in timber, minerals and agricultural land. The new railroads. It Is true, will serve a large and productive country direct ly tributary to them. but. until they are Attended, a still greater country must d.-pend for Ita transportation on the Concord coach, the six-horse freight axon and the automobile. These new railroads, although more than 150 miles long, penetrate less thn miles farther Into Central Oregon than does the Shanlko branch f the O.-W. R. ft N. But In points of rapid service anil elimination of bad sagon roads they have brought Central Oregon the equivalent of several hun dred mile, nearer Portland. The old rage rout from PrlnevlIIe over Gris tly Mountain, up Cow Creek Canyon and acroa the IT miles of Shanlko Flat, which In extremes of weather Sometime held the four-horse stage thirty-six hours In Its adobe clutches, ts .superseded. PrlnevlIIe. still nearly twenty miles from th railroad, will (tin rail access to the outsMe by trav. ellng orer a practically level road. g od the year around, until It gets a railroad of Ita own. And so with the other towns of the unserved Interior. The horse-killing highways may now b avoided and. once a railroad town In. reached, the service found will be direct and rapid. "What the near future holds In store f Central Oregon still depends upon the activities of the railroads. That thry have spent millions In laying rails for 100 miles In the bottom of an unproductive canyon to reach only a strip of territory 60 miles long ts inconceivable. The Deschutes rall rtads are destined to become the back bone of a radiating system. Their builders have wagered a big stake on the value of Interior Oregon as a traffic-producing section. The open coun try now lies ahead In vast productive plains and valleys. To reach Into It Is a simple task In comparison with what they have, accomplished. They must (0 on to protect their original Invest ment. They will go on. But should the railroads stand still awhile, the country will thrive amaz ingly under the added advantages of transportation It now possesses. The driving of the golden sj'lke this week will be the opening of the days of In dustry, civilization and wealth. The lack of railroads In a country Is a bar to ths entrance of many of the things which go to make up modern civilized life. Almost all of those things must b- taken In -from outside." a phrase used in undeveloped sections of coun try which is In Itself eloquent of their Isolation. Settlement l following the railroads Into Central Oreeon and civ ilisation will advance with settlement. It Is pushing back prtmltlve conditions Into more remote sections and depriv ing fiction writers of much material for good stories. But the new condi tion will provide material for many other stories cf a different kind, and na will mourn, except those who harbor a sentimental regret for the g.41 old times which owe their charm to he fact that we don't realize how baj they were. HECRXTART FISHER TASav. Secretary of the Interior Flatter has discovered by examination of the rec ords of his office and through his tour of the West how far the administra tion of the land laws has vandered frm law and Justice. He has found tt-.M hi predeceaaora prior to "secre tary Halllnarr had swung from the extreme of laxity to the extreme of se verity and that the efforts of Mr. Bal llncer to strike that happy mean whereby every settler who has com plied with the spirit of the law gets patent without delay, were thwart ed by a body of subordinates who had fallen Into the rut Secretary Hitch rrk and Oarneld had worn for thrm. He has found that great tract of treo land have been included In for est reserves and that, though the law ha provided for elimination of agrl--atularal la&d, from guxh, xsscrves, all I manner of devices are used to prevent I settlers from taking It. He has found ' rnrit -..... r. rofed to conserve coal land and water frontage on Im aginary harbors to guard It against corporations which don t want It. To correct this condition Is the arduous task before Mr. fisher. Many of the evils he cannot remedy until Congress revises he obsolete land laws, but many may be removed by changing the spirit in which the law la administered and the regulations I under which it Is Interpreted. His announced purpose and hLs past deeds are rich promise that he will do all he can In these directions. His declar ation that he Is for "the man on the land" has the right ring. His prom- I Ise to have contests promptly adjudl- cated will renew hope In the breast of many a poor settler wnose applica tion for patent grows yellow with age because of some special agent's mere suspicion. But In order that he may accom plish what he has set out to do. It will be necessary for Mr. Fisher to Infuse a new spirit into the army oT men which actually does the work. A ma jority of these men have never been west of the Mississippi River, many of them never west of the Allegheny Mountains. What can they know about the conditions which confront a homesteader? Had each spent a year on an Oregon farm on the outskirts of settlement, each would know the men and the conditions with which he Is dealing and could Judge Intelligently, Justly and with a due admixture of that human sympathy which should enter Into such decisions. At least the principal officials who have the hand ling of land cases should be required to visit the public land areas of the West and remain long enough to be come familiar with what the settler Is "up against." Then they would be more nearly equipped to decide whether any particular settler ts en titled to a patent. Some of these offi cials are so encrusted with prejudice and are so uninformed that they are ignorant of their own Ignorance. It Is hopeless to attempt to change their methods and they should be removed for the good of the service. In short. .the evils which beset the Land Office are those which beset all bureaucracies and they grow aa the bureau grows, but at a faster pace. They are the strongest argument for state control of the public land, for under that system the officials would be In close touch with the people with whom they deal and would have a clear understanding of the conditions surrounding those people. TWO PARALLEL HORRORS. The story of the flood at Austin reads like that of Johnstown with a few. changes of names. There Is the dam weakened by torrents of rain let ting loose a watery battering ram Into a narrow gorge, where Austin had planted Itself. In the case of Johnstown a country club composed of Pittsburg million aires owned the dam; In the case of Austin a paper company Is guilty. Whether for pleasure or business, the owners of the dam risked the Uvea of thousands of people to save a few thousand dollars. Greed and parsi mony are close akin to murder. At Jobnstown not one of the guilty waa punished: we shall see whether his tory will repeat Itself in this respect at Austin If the blame can be placed. Kven the succeeding fire at Austin had Its parallel at Johnstown, though natural gas there was not the cause. In that case the wreckage. In which were entangled the bodies of many human beings and animals, plied against a stone mllroad bridge and waa burned, but the horrors of people be ing burned alive In sight and hearing of others, as at Austin, were escaped. W AR M IT TAT IN AFRICA. Though Europe la buzzing with pre dictions that Italy's seizure of Tripoli will prove to be but the prelude of a general attack on Turkey by other powers for the purpose of securing compensation. It Is probable that the war will be" localized. Italy's desire for more territory will be gratified by the acquisition of Tripoli and she can capture that country with ease. With her superior fleet. Italy can destroy that of Turkey and prevent the land ing of reinforcements In Tripoli. The coast towns of that country can then be taken and the Arab tribes of the desert can be subjugated at Italy's leisure. Italy's success is only a mat ter of time and perseverance. That Italy will carry the war into European Turkry is Improbable, for such a policy would bring endless en tanglements. The landing of troops at Prevesa would eem to indicate that Intention, but It was more prob ably designed to obtain a base from which arms and supplies could be sent to the rebellious Albanian. The lat ter are the bet fighters In Turkey and would serve to ke-p the Turkish army busy. Aid given them by the Italians may be In the nature of a diversion for the purpose of Increasing Tur key's difficulties and hastening her concession of Italy's demands. Were Italy to invade European Turkey. Greece would take It as the signal for annexation of Crete and Thessaly and would also reach out after Macedonia; Servla would fight for part of the latter province and Bulgaria would also assert claim by force of arms. Austria would see the necessity of sweeping aside all these petty nations and advancing to her long-desired naval base at Salonika. Then a general scramble for the heri tage of the so-called, "sick man of Europe" would begin. Knowing the desire of the great powers to preserve the much-loved status quo in the Balkan peninsula, which ts the only condition under which a general war can be avoided, Italy has assured them that she will rot extend the war to that quarter. Greece will therefore learn that she Is mobilizing her army in Thessaly to no purpose or. If she goes to war. will do so at the risk of such another disastrous defeat as that In 187. If Turkey should re main obdurate. Italy might be com pelled to extend the war Into the Bal kans, but the united pressure of the powers would probably serve to bring Turkey to reason, as It has on many former occasions. The history of the war In Tripoli ts likely to be a repe tition of that of wars by which Britain took Egypt and France took Tunis. Italy's desire for colonics may have some Indirect relation to this coun try. In order to hold her own among the great powers. Italy must main tain a large army, but she see her military resources reduced by an an nual emigration of hundreds of thou aands of her best young men to this country and South America. Like Japan and Germany", she wishes to find new homes for an overflow popu lation where It will remain under Italian rule and subject to military I riiitv TTee boundaries being too nar row for her population, she wishes to stretch them, that her people may ex 1 pand within them Instead of over- . . 1 . L. U'tialhaf ! m ill UC- II1CIU. " " -.- - 1 ceed Is doubtful, for very majiy Ital- . lans come to the United states noi only to make money but to escape militarism, burdensome taxes and the endless conflicts of class, and religion. Many Italians may emigrate to Tripoli, but the vast majority -of emigrants will continue to flee from Italian rule to new countries. 1U PASTIES BE BOADJCSTEDT The present era of readjustment In politics and business will end In a new . alignment of Dartles Into Radicals and 1 Conservatives, is the opinion of Samuel G. Blythe, expressed in an address at the Montana State Fair at Meiena. zie sees both parties split Into Radical and Conservative faction and foresees the union of Conservatives of both parties as one party and of radicals of both '. parties as another party. The one will be the party of "let well enough alone," the other the party of advance, ine carelessness of the people has let polit ical power pass to the hands of the few, big business abused Its opportuni ties, and the two combined to control the country. In Mr. Blythe's pictur esque phraseology: Power breedt arrogance and arroganca i politics botb sraw eontemptuoua. Each waa 1 so Inflated Ita ryes swelled ahut. Xaltocr could ae. elttiar carea to aee. Then came a protest, which has be come a National protest, causing a par tial readjustment, and it will continue until representative government Is re stored In the hands of the people. Then the people will send to represent them men equal in statesmanship and ability to those who have misrepresented them. He evidently does not think much of some of the pretended pro gressive leaders, for he says: There la ample occasion for Just criticism of many of tho men whom this movement haa put Into office. A good many of them are of no consequence. Mr. Blythe's rebirth of parties would be more likely if the existing parties were not hot rivals as to which shoula comply with the popular demands. The Republicans have done fairly well in the last ten years, and It Is too early to decide that the adverse sentence passed on the Payne-Aldrich( tariff in 1910 will be confirmed as to the Taft Administration In view of President Taft's earnest campaign for real tariff reduction and the blundering attempt made at it In the last session of Con gress. - In two consecutive Presidential elec tions the people have approved the Roosevelt policies, which aim to stop the abuses of big business and to break its grip on politics. Mr. Taft has con tinued those policlea with greater en ergy and has broadened the execution of them until their fulfillment may fairly be said to be In sight. He haa dona more he has added to them 1 tariff reform and monetary reform. which are as essential to the square deal as are the regulation of railroads and dissolution of trusts. There Is a reactionary element in the Republican party, but It has lost ita grip and is struggling for existence in a losing fight against the new political methods which give the people political control. It is becoming of less consequence every day. The hope of the organization of a new radical party rests seemingly In a coalltlpn of Insurgents with Democrats, but neither have shown any desire to sink their Identity in such a coalition. The latter no sooner saw an opportu nity to win without insurgent aid than they threw the Insurgents overboard. No man has more vehemently de nounced Democracy than Senator Cummins, one of the insurgent leaders. The advance Is being led by. Mr. Tsgt as fast as the mass of the people wish to travel and his party advances be hind him. The presence in the ranks of a few Hotspurs, who think the pace too slow, and of a few laggards, who wish to stop and camp every mile, ts no good causa for disbanding the array and attempting to combine its several elements with like elements lri a rival army. If a few leaders should desert, they could only carry a corporal's guard with them and might add strength by removing a source of dis sension. MITHFR CITIZEN JJOR PUBJISCT. la the laudable attempt to Incul cate principles of patriotism or at least of loyalty to the Government under which they live and are being educated, the State of New Jersey has a law requiring pupils of the pub lic schools to salute the American flag and at the beginning of the new school year to renew the oath of al legiance to the Government. Recently, for the first time In Its history, a pupil of the public schools of Perth Amboy. In that state, refused either to salute the flag or renew the oath as required by law. The recal citrant pupil Is a girl of 14. She said that she acted under the Instructions of her father, who, a man of middle age, has nearly all of his life lived in this country, but "claims allegiance to Great Britain and has had his chil dren at. birth registered as British subjects. Upon her refusal to par ticipate In the morning exercises of the school, aa required by law, the Superintendent of Schools, after con sulting the state authorities, sent the girl home pending consideration of the case by the Board of Education. The father, a pugnacious British subject who lives under the protec tion of the Stars and Stripes, mean while hied him to New York, where he laid the case before the British Consul. Pending a decision, the chil dren of the British-American subject citizen are out of school. While this looks like "straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel." or. In common phrase, resembles "a tem pest In a teapot," there is a principle at stake that commands considerate attention. The public schools of the United States are supposed o be. and are hailed as. the cradle of patriotism. The most utterly democratic of all our institutions, a prime object In their establishment and maintenance ts the inculcation of loyalty, which Is the cornerstone of good citizenship. In this view the National flag floats over - tens of thousands of public school houses during the hours when schools are In session and pupils who are tn attendance upon these demo cratic Institutions are required, upon occasion, to "salute" the National emblem. The oath of allegiance, as required of pupils of the public schools of New Jersey, is not a gen eral requirement, but it can scarcely be regarded as an unreasonable, one, since It Is the visible sign, so to speak, of loyalty. In the case cited the children are native-born Americans, the mother is an American by birth, but the father, although he haa lived the greater part of his life In America, scorns to be come a citizen of the great repub lic, steadfastly maintaining his alle giance to the British crown. He has. moreover, taken pains to have his children at birth, or soon thereafter, registered as subjects of Great Britain. Whatever disposition is made of this case, it is certainly a pity that a man so completely subservient to the traditions and ideals of a monarchial government persists in living as an alien in a hospitable land. The Brit ish possessions are wide. Why should so stalwart a son of Britain persist in making his home and bringing up his children outside of them? Cer tainly not for the good of the coun try that is his generous host, even to the extent of educating his children for him, only stipulating that they conform to the rules that govern the public schools. Of course, while there is no law that compels him to go hence, it may with great propriety be suggested to this man and others if there be others of his type of John Bullism that the proper place for him to set up a home and rear a family Is somewhere anywhere un der the British flag. Otherwise he la neither a subject nor a citizen, but simply a political neuter. The McMinnville Walnut Growers' Club "will present ten pounds of first class Yamhill County walnuts to Pres ident Taft on his arrival in this city. J. C. Cooper, president of the club. Is now drilling on a presentation speech suited to the dignity of the recipient of the gift and to the qual ity of the home-grown product. This is proper and complimentary. The club will also present specimens of the best-known varieties of walnuts suited to this climate to the Oregon Agri cultural College as an exhibit. This ts proper and practical. We congratulate the Walnut Club upon ita discern ment and generosity in the matter. Portland commercial bodies may well pay attention to the argument of H. P. Wood, of Honolulu, in favor of a steamship line between Portland and that point. With crops of sugar, pineapples, tobacco and cotton to ex port, that port offers an opportunity to the shipping men and merchants of Portland which should not be neg lected. It can take In exchange our lumber, fruit, salmon, furniture, flour and grain. With such a broad terri tory In which to distribute the Im ports and upon which to gather the exports," Portland should be able to keep a monthly steamer loaded both ways. The Japanese expedition to the South Pole is in trouble and Is un kindly criticised by Japanese'newspa pers. After setting out for the Ant arctic in Winter and losing all Its dogs through Inexperience, it had to put back to Australia, refit and make a fresh start. Its members excu'se the small supply of food carried by say ing the Japanese can ' get along on much less nourishment than white men, though they have no experience as to the amount of food required to sustain life in polar regions. Appa rently there were no Japanese Dr. Cooks in the party. A showroom for the display of American goods Is to be opened by R. L. Romeo, American Vice-Consul at Alexandria, Egypt, who sees In it a means of securing to American man ufacturers a share of the trade in man ufactured goods, of which Egypt now Imports 1100,000.000 worth. The Unit ed .States now supply about 1 per cent of this quantity. As Egypt has Just marketed the most profitable cotton crop In its history, this may be an auspicious time for this enterprise. Governor West has boasted that convicts are not working in competi tion with free labor, but he forgot about the 60 who were ent to pick hops to the exclusion of women and children. Hop-picking Is the regular Summer outing of many poor families, which cannot afford a vacation In which they do not earn something, but they are deprived of it for the sake of West's "honor men." It out of the seven or more tax measures which may be submitted to the people at the next election, two conflicting ones should be adopted, we shall have a muddle equal to that caused by the adoption of the two Co lumbia River fishing bills, which the Legislature will be required to clar ify. The exhibit at the Omaha Land Show by Felix Currin. of Cottage Grove, which won the sliver cup for the best grain and grasses at the Eu gene fair, will convince doubting East erners that what they read of Ore gon In the newspapers has all the elements of truth. The charge of murder against the chauffeur who caused a woman's death by giving her false information of her husband's death Is a novelty in crimi nal annals and will give the lawyers a fine opportunity to exercise their wits. A Malheur County man who set out fruit trees on three acres last Fall, planted potatoes between ' the rows last Spring and has refused an offer of 11000 for the crop. There are thousands of like opportunities await ing grasp next year. "Tim" Woodruff denies that flying comes within the definition of sports forbidden by the New York Sunday law. It doesn't; in too many cases It Is plain suicide. Construction of a $30,000 high school Is in progress at Vale, a little city that indulges In humor by call ing herself "the last frontier." The white-slaver who has gone to McNeil's Island for eight years wjll have proper respect for Uncle Sam when he leaves the place. Paris Is spending millions for a pure water supply, which destroys the popular fiction that Parisians avoid water. Now is the time for every fan to begin to "make medicine" for suc cess of the Beavers. A new Turkish wrestler is coming this way. but the time is not propi tious for Turka The policeman on the corner hard ly knows "where he is at" In these days of Juggle. It is Just as well the Beavers went South, for this is football weather. SFECILATORS 8HOILD BE BARRED, Writer Would Exclude Them From Orrgoa Advertising Pamphlets. PORTLAND, Sept. 28. (To the Edi tor.) In this morning's issue of The hOregonlan Is printed an article on ths value of farm lands in Oregon with particular reference to the Umatilla project. Director Newell, of the Uni ted States Reclamation Service is quoted to the effect that the specu lative values that are being placed on these ' lands and others through the state is doing more to hold back the development of this state than any other one thing. I want to say that this is absolutely a fact. I have bad evidence of it in several ways, both on the ground in personal contact with the people that came to Oregon to settle, and recently In the Eaat in conversation with peo ple who were Interested in this coun try. I did a little missionary work among the farmers of a certain county in Michigan one day In the interest of Oregon. I was seeking information, of several kinds to use in connection with rr.y business, which is along the lines of colonization. I was surprised to find bow well informed these farmers were on conditions here. Over half of those to whom I talked knew some one that had gone from his neighborhood to Oregon and settled. He had corre sponded with him and every one had replied that there -Is some wonderfully good land to be bad but that the specu lators are putting the price up to a point that is Impossible. They there fore had decided to stay where they were rather than sell and go to the ex pense of moving to Oregon and then find themselves with less land than- at the start, and raw land at that. We spend a great deal of time and energy to advertise Oregon to the farmers of the Middle West. We per mit the speculators to undo all our work as fast as we do it by keeping the people out with Impossible prices. We should take some means to stop it. In the latter part of the article D. O. Lively is quoted to the effect that the land Is not being held at too high figures. That if the farmer can net 10 per cent the price is 100, if SO per cent, 1300 an acre. Does Mr. Lively think that the farmers of the Middle West and EastVlll go to the expense and trouble of moving West and tak ing. up some of this land land which he must spend much effort and money on to put under cultivation and pay such prices? Will he permit Mr. Lively and his associates to discount the fu ture for him, and take to themselves the natural profits and Increase ,ln value that by rights goes to the pioneer settlers in a new country? Can we get settlers on our land if we do not offer them a better proposition than they now have back East? Can we ex pect to get settlers If all they can make Is a small Interest on their investment and disregard their time? No man except the farmer disregards his time, and the farmer is getting wise now, too, at least the kind that we can hope to attract to Oregon are, I would suggest that the Commercial Club and Chamber of Commerce to gether with the Harriman lines dis criminate agalnBt the land speculators In their advertising literature and In their replies to inquiries. Perhaps then the prices would be reduced to a fair basis, including a fair prof It AN OREGONIAN. CANVAS COVERS IN ORCHARDS Vancouver Grower Think Coat Pro hibitive for Prune Tree. VANCOUVER, Wash., Sept. 30. (To the Editor.) I notice an item in The Oregonlan of September 25 from Vani couver advising the use of canvas cov ering to protect the fruit trees from the effect of rainy weather. Now, to my way of thinking, this is one of the most absurd suggestions I ever heard proposed by a rational be ing. The prune orchards of Clark County contain on an average about 26 acres each, or about 3000 trees to the orchard. Many of these trees are 20 feet In diameter at the top and will probably average a height of not less than 16 feet. To cover this top would require a canvas 20 feet square for each tree, or 6000 square feet of can vas to cover an orchard of 3000 trees. To adjust this canvas would require the labor of half dozen men to the acre, or an army of 160 men for an orchard of 25 acres. As sunlight and air are Important factors in developing perfect fruit, these canvas covers would have to be removed "when the clouds rolled by." The services of these men must be retained until there is no longer danger from storms. It will be seen that the expense of these men would make the scheme impracticable, leaving out of consideration the additional expense of canvas and rope. Will the Vancouver farmer explain to an eager and anxious public his method of adjusting this hood canvas on his fruit trees? If he will show us his scheme Is sensible and the expense not prohibitive, he may yet achieve en during fame. A. J. MILLS, R. F. D. S, Vancouver, Wash. Reflective Quality of Wall Paper. - Exchange. In painting or papering the walls of a room the question often arises what color reflects the most and what the least light. Recent experiments In Ger many gave the following results: Dark blue reflects per cent of the light falling upon It, dark green about 10 per cent, pale red a little more than 16 per cent, dark yellow 20 per cent, pale blue 30 per cent, pale yellow 40 per cent, pale green 46 ft per cent, pale orange nearly. 65 per cent, white 70 per cent. Glossiness and varnish in crease the amount of light reflected. HAZY NOTIONS. When Bobble entered college, A Freshman, green was he. The third day out. the Soph'mores Gave him the "third, degree," And whfcn his hand got well enough, He wrote back home this line of stuff: "Dear Dad I'm strapped. Please send at once A hundred, bucks to me. To settle with the doctor Who set my back and knee. (Said knee received a loving pat From a big Soph'more's baseball bat) "1 'too mnst pay the alienist Who tinkered up my brain. After they'd tied me to the track Before the railroad train My reason flew clean off the track. It cost a lot to put It back. "I need a fifty, too. to pay For the plate glass I broke. When the Sophs flashed a ghost on me A common form of Joke. I dove right through, to dodge the ghost. And broke a castlron hitching post "Also I have a bill to pay For fixing up my stomach. The Sophs fed me tobasco sauce. They say It was real comic. But I was so Incinerated My stomach must be amputated. , "I think from what the doctors say - Of how I'm getting on. That I may leave the hospital Ere many days are gone: In fact It won't be long before I'm strong enough to haze some more." Dean Collins. Portland, October 1. IX DEFENSE OF MIRACLE WHEAT Merit Dne to Selection and Cultivation, No Prayer, Say Writer. PORTLAND, Dec. 30. (To the Edi tor.) In re "Miracle Wheat." the edi torial in The Oregonlan this morning, as the sequence to. a press dispatch published yesterday, appears to de serve some notice, and, possessing some knowledge of the real facta In the case, I presume to offer them. The statement that Pastor Russell is the originator and exploiter of this wheat Is in fault. The originator is J A, Bohnet. of Pittsburg. Pa., who after several years of experiment claims to have developed a wheat of unusual merit This wheat Is not the result ot "prayer" or "bewitchment." as your re ports would seem- to suggest, but is largely the result of "main strength and pure awkwardness," the result of patient effort through a number of years of careful selection and cultiva tion. Its principal claim to attention is due to its being unusually prolific Mr. Bohnet, who is not unknown to many people of Portland and Oregon, having been at one time a resident of this territory, waa a recent visitor in this city, and in conversation with the writer told him considerable of his ex periments. Not, however, being inter ested In agriculture, and never antici pating the notoriety which would be so uddenly thrust upon ths grain. I did not Inquire into the relative merits and demerits of his wheat. We were advised that this year he had secured what he could oall a "crop," In all not exceeding two tons. During the past several years he had raised enough to send some around amongst his friends for further experiments. The progress In the development or the fertility of the soil and productive ness of the various fruits and grains has been a matter of Interest to all those Interested In those Ideas of which Pastor Russell champions, and nat urally a large number of Pastor- Rus sell's so-styled "following" have kept in touch with Bohnet and others In their experiments. After making reserva tions for seed purposes during this present Fall, the balance of this year's "crop" was sent to the Brooklyn office and notice given through the channel of the society's Journal tnai any winn ing to secure this seed could do so. In view of the fact that the price of 11 a pound was placed on this article. It doubtless appeared to the reporter in the light of a "get-rlch-qulck" scheme. The W. T. B. A T. Society gets its sup port, like the other Bible societies, from the voluntary donations of Its supporters. Bohnet's donation of his "miracle wheat" was made In the same manner as -any other, but as the so clty's offices are not a clearing-house for farm products, they arranged for the disposition of this article in the manner more or less accurately stated In your report Those who wished could. Instead of making a cash dona tion, purchase this grain and continue the experlmenta What the virtues of this wheat are, its milling qualities, etc., personally we cannot tell, our knowledge being limited to the exter nal distinction between ordinary wheat and carrot seed. Relative to the testimony from Messrs. Ackerman and Luther, of Dusty, Wash, I would state that these gentle men are level-headed German farmers and experienced wheatmen of that sec tion of the state, and not religious en thusiasts. The fact that they have seemingly Indorsed this wheat gives some weight In my own mind to the claims made for It by Bohnet. That the virtue of this wheat consists in any "blessings" by .Pastor Russell Is ab surd and doubtless the ides; originated in the sanctum of the New York World, whose editorial staff probably thought that they saw an excellent opportunity to amuse the public at Pastor Russell's expense. , That Pastor Russell is "making money" or getting "rich" from the pro ceeds of this sale Is as absurd as it Is mendacious. Those who are engaged with Pastor Russell In the work which he is pursuing cannot be Imposed upon by him or any other, and none know this better than Pastor Russell himself. Tiat his "followers" (whose number amounts to considerable) are not fall ing over each other to secure this wheat or any other, is manifested in the fact that none has been bought In Portland. This may be due to the agricultural element being a negligible quantity at this point Let me aay In closing that those who are buying this seed for experimental purposes at the price of $1 per pound evidently know what they are doing and time alone can tell what they are getting. WILLIAM A. BAKER, Flagmnt Case of Desertion. PORTLAND, Oct i. (To the Editor.) A case of desertion of a nursing mother with several little ones has occurred in the neighborhood of East Seventeenth near Washington. The poor creature appealed to the different homes of the neighborhood, but being unable to speak English, failed to make herself undertood. She finally went to the home of the German gardener who lives apross. . Alder street, with some what better success. Hearts can talk when tongues are silent and the Ger man's wife has an exceptionally large heart. She, too, had been a mother and had once come to a strange country when she could not speak English. It seems that ' the supplicant had been living with a family who had moved away, and since the door was locked has had no other place to sleep and care for her babies than under the porch. Her tidy appearance under such adverse circumstances bears evi dence of birth and breeding. Little is known of the husband and father of this forlorn but apparently delicately-reared family. He was an Indifferent musician who Insisted upon singing during the early morning hours, resulting in much Insomnia among his neighbors. Evidently, like Mary Jane's Pa. -when the duties of parenthood arrived, conjugal love waned and he left for parts unknown. Anyone who will provide a home for a beautiful, blue, maltese cat with small family will be welcomed by its neigh bors, space being somewhat limited In this part of town and all spare rooms taken. MARY ALICE OODEN. Half a Century Ago From The Oregonlan October 2. 1861. The City Council has adopted an or dinance fixing the salary of the City Attorney, J. H. Mitchell, at 31000 per annum. Q. L. Curry, of the Advertiser, has taken into partnership Messrs. Daly, Halloran and Allison In the publica tion of that paper. They were form erly employed as workmen in that of ficetwo of them printers and all very fine young men. State Fair. Oct 1. One thousand en tries have been made. The exhibition of horses will be great. Cattle, hogs and sheep are coming In. So far the rain haa not disturbed us not having been too much to lay the dust. The practice of smuggling diamonds. Jewelry and other valuables from Europe by female passengers has be come so extensive that two female in spectors have been attached to the revenue service at New York whose business It is to search all female pas sengers for concealed dutiable articles. Workmen are engaged in graveling1 Salmon street between First and Front, What's Doing in Oregon Golnar Some. ' Beaverton Reporter. An Oregon Electric car ran over a Jackrabbll near Whlteford- Tuesday evening. News to Busy City People. Hlllsboro Argus. Old Portland Mountain, between hero and the metropolis, is garbed In all the colors of the rainbaw, these days, old Kins ' Autumn being busy with his paint brush. -Other Candidate Frightened f Oreaon City Courier. It is given out from Eugene that Lawrence Harris, Circuit Judge, will become a Republican candidate for United States Senator against Senator Bourne. Several other men, who had been thinking of entering the contest, appear to have had another think. ' "Stormy Petrel" Card Gasoline. Eugene Register. Just about the time the Portland Business Men's Special was getting ready to take its departure for home, Colonel Hofer stepped into the office to telegraph a short story to his paper. While there the train pulled out with out him. The colonel is full of ex pedients, however, and would not allow a little thing like that to cut him out of his fun with the boys. He wired Mr. McMurray to hold the train at Junction a- few minutes, then hired an automobile and kited down the line at a 40-mile an hour speed and caught his train all right.. , Ray Leonard Onee Exposed. Lebanon Criterion. A traveling man by the name of Hunt, traveling for Paul Relgel & Com pany, of San Francisco, was ta Leb anon yesterday and gave quite a bit more history to the Lebanon man-woman Ray Leonard. Mr. Hunt- says he knew Leonard well when he and his uncle, (the man who was with her was hsr uncle and not his or her father), lived in Stockton, California, when he was a boy and for many years con ducted a Bhop there, and that he knew them both well. She passed herself off there for a man, and they were close mouthed people but In some way the story got out that the man shoe maker was a woman and she and her uncle left Stockton one night and dis appeared. He says he had about for gotten all about them until he was in Lebanon a tew years ago after he became a traveling man, and while eating his dinner at Hotel Lebanon he heard that peculiar laugh and looked around and recognized the old Califor nia shoemaker. In California she went by the name of Ray Varnum. He says he mentioned the fact to no one as he did not care to embarrass her. When he knew them in California they were honest, indus trious persons. He says after they left California the life history of the couple became known and that he knows an inter esting story of her life, which he will not tell as long as she lives. Country Town Sayings by Ed Howe A bluff will carry you only a short distance, and Is liable not to work at all; finally the world will know what you can actually do. It takes my son a long time to tell what he Intends to do; but I can soon tell what I have done. - You cannot amount to a great deal until you realize how cheap and worth less flattery Is. The first thing an agent does, when he robs a fool, la to flatter him. You'll never be a great leader until you Invent a lot of giants, and keep them from eating the people. That's the popular thing .these days. ' The most contemptible thing I know of Americans is their hatred of abla men who suoceed in doing that which we are all trying to do. Nine out of ten men are fond of being accused of deviltry with wo men of which they are not guilty. Some people read the riot act and give the guilty parties time to argue, and organize their friends. A better, way is to give them both barrels when they are not expecting it. People seem to have a mania for giv ing me advice. Don't they pursue you with it too? When a man is laughed at it hurts him as much as to be abused. If a loafer is not a nuisance to you, it is a. sign that you are somewhat of a loafer yourself. BAD MANNERS IN STREETCARS. Smokera, Chewer and Manicurists Ar All in Evidence. PORTLAND, Or., Sept 28. (To the Editor.) The Oregonlan today pub lished a letter on streetcar mannerisms that the writer trusts may prove the opening wedge to further discussion on this subject in such manner as to benefit a patient and long - suffering community. The writer's comments, however, apply not alone to Portland, but to every city. Let us start the reform movement at home. The writer proves most conclusively that the cavedweller, the barbarian, the savago are very much in evidence, but Just how to civilize them is certainly a problem. The fellow with the malodorous stub of a punk cigar or cigarette is ever present on our streetcars. The chap who persists in stabbing himself In the mouth with a piece of wood and cleansing said wood on his coat sleeve is quite appetizing, as is his comrade who considers a streetcar the lawful, right and only place to cleanse his foul, yellow fangs with a filthy ex cuse for a handkerchief. But of all the cavedwellers who consider the public streetcar their habitat, the most nauseous and Inex cusable Is . the one who puts In hla whole time on a streetcar manicuring his filthy talons, a happy comrade in the meantime cleansing his ears or ..111- TV..... (h, i m .1. o 1 rolling nuoo ' cave man that spits, the one with the - doir the pDese peraun who hub uu yvru, OBSERVER. Why He Couldn't Live Here. Mrs. Andrew Crosse: "Red Letter Days . of My Life." After sitting an hour or two with Walter Savage Landor, you would for get that he was an old man; he waa such stirring company and at all times there was so much iuggestiveness In his talk. ... I well remember a fine burst of Landor's eloquence in favor of republican Institutions; and when especially praising the Ameri cana among whom he had many friends, he concluded with the remark, "But I could never live In America, because they have no cathedrals and stained glass." - Weight of Oat. PORTLAND, Sept. 28. (To the Edi tor.) How many pounds are there in a bushel of oats in Oregon? Is the weight of a bushel the same through out the United States? A SUBSCRIBER. A bushel of oats in Oregon weight 32 pounds. In other states the weight ranges from 32 to 36 pounds.