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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 12, 1911)
TTTE MORNING OREC.ONIAN, TnURSDAT, OCTOBER 12, 1911. 10 rOKTLAVD. OEICOX. Enterad at Portland. Oregon, PeaaofBea Pn-ond-CIiM Walter. , , Subecrlpuoa Hatee Invariably la Advance. CUT MAIX-I Iat r. without Sjnlar. ana year J- 11 j. i:logt jn1ar. month-. - I'ai.r. likotit 9un!ay. thrae aonlM... wttrtttut auoCay, an anonta - Uk! .. . . ....... 1 Skadar. ne yar auauay aad Weekly, oa year.... , 1M .0 IBT CARRIER.) TUtV.y. anday Indued, n yr. .. . . . aee tiiy. Sunday included, oa nwnth..... Hear la Rasnil Sar-d PnatnfOca mony wdr. expraaa order or praonal chark your local bank, etampa, com or currency ra at in Bender rt. Glv prtloff!c idrs la fa,!. Including county aad atal. reals Rales 10 to I parrs. 1 rrnl: 14 to 2 pace. coat: ta to p w. eonta; 0 to v pagaa, 4 cata furciga poatag doub; rata. lailrri Boats OfHeeaVerT Conk. 11 n brm Turk, hniuaick bul.diag. Cat tags, Stacr bslldta. Earssssa OfBea No. I Regent street, M. W. London. POKTLA D, T1IVR-SD IT. OCT. IS. UIL romis ucmuTiox ts cau- Callfornl will no doubt rejoice, In the new power her people nave con ferTed upon themselves by adopting tha Initiative, referendum and recall. nd trill at once begin little voyage of popular Uwmaklcc Indeed It la already announced that the woman suffragists, defeated In the same elec tion that ran the people direct legis lation machinery, will at once clrcu- laxs petitions for another trial of "votea for women" before the electors. In California' case we are prom ised a broader experiment with popu lar government agencies than any heretofore presented, la population and area California ta the largest state that has officially approved direct leg aslatlon. It has been argued that the Initiative, although successful In com paratively small communities, would be found unwieldy and unsatisfactory In large ones. LHversity of occupa tions, resources, climate and people, with the necessity for general laws designed to benefit a particular local ity, have been cited as agencies that would contribute to disaster In the ap plication of the Initiative In large communities. If there la any merit In thla argu ment It surely should be demon strated In California. It U 700 miles from the polling booth of the lumber Jack of Northern California to that of the naturaiUed Mexixcan laborer or "cholo" of Southern California. To each the other's country Is as differ ent from his own as black la from white, as mountain Is from desert, as Winter la from Summer. Each may know his own needs, but be unwilling to grant the needs of the other or the needs of the fisherman, the miner, the fruitgrower, tha oil producer and the other Industrial representative operat ing between. Of course California may utilize Its new power only as a legislative check, er club, or weapon. That la no doubt what the people had In mind when they adopted the now constitutional amendment, Dut It ta unlikely that the Initiative In particular will be con. fined to this chary d commendable use. It has not been protected from the class agitator, the special Interest or the politician. There Is little guard against the petition forger, none against the paid petition circulator. It Is not offered, as Woodrow Wilson. Theodore Roosevelt and other thought leaders would have the Initiative, as an appeal from the Indifference, Inactiv ity. Ignorance or corruption of the Legislature, but as an easy-running vehicle for popular lawmaking and as substitute for the Legislature itself. What the people of California really wanted could have been given them without the evils that are likely to attend their new powers, but the fram era of the amendments ignored experi ence and relied on theory. The peo ple took what was offered aa the near, est possible approach to what they de sired. In nw of the referendum California will likely be somewhat freer from fraud ami conspiracy than Oregon. Appropriation acta for current state exsenses are excepted from the oper ations of the referendum. They are Det In Oregon. Put the Initiative erlth no safeguards put around It may produce Its freaks, its mistakes. Its deceits, aa It has In Oregon, and what ever It produce becomes sacred from the defiling touch of the Legislature. Lasts adopted by the people can only be repealed or amended by the peo ple. A secondary constitution Is. to be created against which the courts must In time measure legislative acta as they now measure them against the original organic law. Another frill not possessed by Ore gon I a form of Imperative mandate. Five per cent of the voter at any time not lews than ten days before any regular session may propose a bill. The amendment continues as follow: Taa law proposal by sufh patltloa shall ehher bo onaotod or raj t.l wit h nit aiar by it- Lllarar wtthin 40 days from tha tra It ta rocoivod bv tha Laeia latur. If any lav ao pottttooed for ahail b oaact4 II halt ) eubvet la refar eadura aa hrlartar provttlad. If any law a pattltttneu f r b rejected, or If no arltoa la takaa ott II by th X.ta1atur wtthta said . dara. ta eWratary of rtate eaeU owomtt it to tha yoeple f.r approval i or rlrtii n at tha int er.ewln a-aaraj I eleetlo. To I.are:etur mar rajeot any Biatwrt so pro?.o4 by Initiative ard pro, P,io a dlffrrrnt ona oa Iti as ma aubja.'! by a ya aad Mr rota oa eararmae r-:l call, ard la rurh evant both mttiurri shall Ne submitted by in Sacratary ot ttata lo in (lector, ato. It would appear from a literal con struction of thi section that 6 per cent of the voter may Introduce a bill In the Legislature and that the Leg islature must either pass the bill ex actly as presented or enact no lav whatever cn the subject- If the sub ject demands attention and the peo ple's bill Is crudely and Inadequately drawn, the only recourse la to submit a substitute to the people. We fancy the court 111 gat around thl con struction In soma a ay, but the para graph neerthelesa 1 interesting as a characteristic outpnt of the theorist. As an example of an extreme swing ing of the pendulum away from the republican or purely representative form of state government, the Califor nia amendment is Indeed striking. Put there Is check against one form of Initiative activity for which Cali fornia may be thankful. California has 15.004 voters, and per cent of thee 1 about J. 909. It will require SO. 000 came t. validate an Initiative petition, or more than three times a many as are re quired In Oregon. On a money cost basis, where a proposed law can be circulated for about 11000 In Oregon It wtU cost 11000 in California. California has several large centers of population to Oregon's one, o name getting will be somewhat easier. But tbe higher cost la likely to deter Indi vidual faddists. Impecunious dream ers and small group of doctrinaire) from forcing their farjcles before the people for rejection or adoption. These, at least, will be oat of the game. ' LICE'S S. oa DrVKf SHERWOOD. Or, Oct. a. (Ta tha Edi tor. Your objac&lnrjo to lh liquor lleana conditions In Portland make lntarac.lns raadlnr. I don't think you hav any cauaa Ilo complain. If your vote aard with your opinions that yon xprsd In Th Oro I aian prav loua to tha last alactlon you are iuh w u V , vw.au ..... - a. at. KELSO. Would you have The Oregonlan, then, express Its satisfaction with present conditions? The Oregonlan has at no time said that the liquor ' License Is the Ideal solution of tha liquor problem. Abstinence Is the Ideal solution. As between the al ternative of the regulated saloon un der license and the unlicensed dive tinder so-called state-wide prohibi tion. The Oregonlan favors .license aa the leaser evil. The community In Oregon that want prohibition may have prohibi tion under present laws. The law Is Ineffective wherever there 1 no ac tive, persistent and obvious demand for its enforcement; 1t Is effective wherever the people, or a clear ma jority of the people, desire that It be enforced, and elect their public offi cials with that definite understand ing, or on that specific pledge. We have law enough now to de stroy the liquor traffic; but we have not the wish or the will to destroy it. That is what Is the matter. Doe) our friend think that the Portland official who have permitted uch flagrant and offensive trans gression of law by saloon men under the present system would have been more severe against the blind-pig op erators under prohibition XR. CKIDbE'S RIGHT TO EAT. Mr. Crldge, alias Mr. Denton, alias Any-Other-Old-Name, has two letters In the same Issue of one of the local papers, which Is doing pretty well for a mere ISO-a-month Felds-fund-hlred writer. Crldge la a marvel. He works hard at hi job and he works cheap. He would fill the columns of The Oregonlan and all the other pa pers he 1 paid by Fels to write for If they mould print It. Mr. Crldge. alias Fred- Denton, alias Any-Other-Old-Name. defends his employment by the Fels fund on the ground that he has to eat. We sup pose ao. But ha Is one of the kind who bave for years been denying the right of the railroad attorneys and professional lobbyists to eat. drink or live; and he has helped to put a lnw on the Oregon statute books requir ing all lobbyists at tialem to disclose their employment under certain se vere penalties. The Crldges and the Demons and the rest were greatly shocked at the pernicious activity of the hired lobbyists and particularly abhorred the secret and stealthy methods of their operations. The lobbyists at Salem and other capitals had to go. Now LTRen. Crldge and the rest are lobbyists before the people for the single tar. They are the beneficiaries of the great Fels fund. They are given stated salaries. It la their pur pose to get the public to pass a law Mr. Fels wants to have passed. Mr. L"Ken was hired because It was thought by Fels that his strong posi tion as a reformer made him espe cially useful. He converted his tal ents, his prestige and the public con fidence In him Into money for his own pocket. Moreover, he withheld the fact of his employment from the public. Just as the wicked men who filled the lobby at Salem did. or were accused of having done until the VRens got after them. Not a word from ITRen or Crldge or Egglcston or any others of the hired Fela lobby until The Oregonlan made the facts public Not a word, not a breath, not a (vllable. Mr. Fels mistaken benefaction Is a great boon to a lot of thrifty fellows In Oregon. But food, drink and clothes for them are all It will accom plish. The single tax will be over whelmingly repudiated by Oregon next year, a It was In 108. HUrOI AT HEf OLD TRICKS. The old trick of distorting statis tics In order to make a favorable showing for one city In comparison with another has been so often used and so often exposed that It Is sur prising that the Seattle Chamber of Commerce and Industrial Bureau should resort to It. The twisted sta tistics are contained In the current Issue of Washington Manufactures and the exposure comes promptly from R. W. Raymond, manager of the Portland Commercial Club Indus trial Bureau. Seattle claims to have passed Port land In value of manufactures In 10 with a total of $50,600,000 against t40.8d.00O for Portland. Seemingly by a typographical error. H.C00.000 have been lopped off Port land's figures In this statement, the census figures being S4a.tsl.000. A note In the census bulletin Is also overlooked, which calls attention to the fact that between ISO and 109 Seattle annexed her populous suburbs, which contain large manufactures, and doubled her area. If the corre sponding suburbs were annexed to Portland, statistics for this city would Include St. Johns with the Portland Woolen Mill; Ltnnton with the Clark & Wilson lumber mill; the Peninsula with Its packing-house and many other Industries; the Sellwood mohair mill, which Is without the city limits. Seattle has annexed suburban In dustrie), employes and all. Portland Ks not annexed her suburban Indus tries, but the employes almost all live within the city. Thus the total of manufactured products for, the city proper Is reduced, but the total of wageworkers Is Increased and the percentage of wageworkers to popu latlon far exceed that of Seattle. In that city 4 1 per cent of the people are wage-earners In factories. In Port land t.9 per cent, the totals being J 11.111 Tor beanie ana 12.21 mr Port land. The per capita value of the output of Portland factories Is also greater, belr.g $:: to $111 for Seat tle, or per cent greater. Once more ha Seattle enthusiasm run away with her Judgment and published figures which, as has been shown, do not tell the truth. Seattle should really be more careful. lest the world refuse to believe her when her tatement are correct. The proposal to raise the annual dues of members of the subordinate Granges does not find favor with the members of Eastern Star Grange, of Multnomah. Plainly speaking, they not only see no need of Increasing this. tax, but one member expressed the belief In .open lodge that such procedure would be dangerous to the order. He cited the fact that there Is now about 115.000 In the treasury of the State Grange, of which very little use Is being made, while In the treasury of the National Grange there is a standing surplus of $100,000. The Inference Is that a useless surplus Ins vltes to extravagance In official sal aries, and to temptation to speculate with the funds of the order. Grangers are but Justifying their record In bringing this matter home to them selves. A needless surplus arising from taxes) Is. In the estimate of thrifty, conservative farmers, to be discountenanced, whether stored In the vaults of the National treasury. In corporation treasuries or In banks to the credit of organizations. Human experience Justifies this view, and we have Holy Writ for It that "where the carcass 1m, there will the vultures be gathered together." - FICTIOSf IN C1ACKAMAS. It seems that the taste for Action is not so lively among the school chil dren of Clackamas County as It was once. - Most of the 18.496 library books which are to be distributed this Fall In that county are scientific. We do not know exactly whether to weep or smile over this report. There Is something forlorn In the thought of all the little boys and girls of a dis trict poring over Spencer's First Prin ciples and Darwin's Origin of Species. Terhaps that klrvd of a mental diet would be good for them, but there Is some danger that It might set up an Indigestion. Fiction Is not half so bad as it is made out to be. All librarians; of whom we ever heard raise paeans of Joy when they can show In their an nual reports that the circulation of fiction Is falling off, but we are not sure that their Joy lb Justified. Fic tion Is literature at any rate and most scientific books are anything but lit erature. A good matny of them are twaddle. Nine out of ten of the so called "nature books." which, we sup pose, are Included among "works of science" contain neither literature nor truth. They are fictions of that peculiarly obnoxious sort which poses as fact. In our opinion there ought to be a consistent and determined effort dur ing school years to make children acquire the habit of reading books which are works of art, no matter whether they are scientific or ficti tious. It stands to reason that young people ought to acquire the funda mental scientific notions on which modern life Is based, but they ought also to cultivate that love of the beau tiful In conduct and art without which the life is a miserable failure. After he leaves school the ordinary boy has small incentive to modify his reading habits. The kind of books he likes on graduation day he will always like. If he hates all books then he will hate them to his dying day. No greater misfortune than the latter could befall him. because books give him access to the best there Is In thought and feeling. Our fear Is that the selection of too many scientific works may destroy the love of liter ature in Clackamas County. COf-rMBl'S. ' Christopher Columbus was an ad venturer of the heroic type. Wash ington Irving calls him a "visionary, but a visionary of an uncommon kind." In our opinion the epithet "visionary" does not apply to him. He had no new theory of the earth's shape to maintain. He simply adopt ed an old one with implicit faith and strove to demonstrate It. Evidently his mind was deeply scientific. Though the story of his university training at Pavla is fictitious, never theless he had all the precision of thought and tenacity of purpose which the best education could have Imparted. Where he obtained his belief that the earth was spherical It Is not difficult to guess. The Idea Is as old as Greek speculation. Most of the learned men of that ingenious country had taught that the earth and In fact all the heavenly bodies were globes. Anaxagoras was perse cuted for Impiety on the ground that he held the sun and moon to be spherical In shape and composed of earthy materials. No doubt the opin ion that the earth was round had persisted among sailors through the dark ages. Nobody who had Seen the shape of its shadow on the moon In an eclipse or observed the constant curve of the horizon .oould take any other view. That the earth was flat was a vul gar idea prevalent among landsmen and chamber theorists who did not see very far from the tips of their noses. To adopt the sperlcal hypoth esis required not much courage or acutcneas of mind. But the confident belief that one could reach land by sailing westward was another matter. Columbus may have obtained the first vague concept of his great proj ect from the Icelanders whom he vis ited la 1477. As everybody knows, the Scandinavians were the real dis coverers, of the western hemisphere. Lelf Ercson had led his vikings to the coast of New England centuries before Columbus was born, but he time was not ripe for their enterprise and the knowledge of their discovery perished. Still their pioneer work ought not to be forgotten, and the stHtue of Lelf Erlcson at Milwaukee. Wis. Is a merited tribute to one of the world's heroes. His adventures were remembered In Iceland and the story of them may have been narrat ed to Columbus. But even If that did not hapren the Idea of sailing west ward to find land may have come to him from other sources. The old fa ble of Atlantis, the western continent which had sunk beneath the ocean, was alive among sailors. In one form or another It was common property throughout Europe and It would fur nish all the suggestion which was needed by an intelligence as active as that of Columbus. Of course he must have perceived also that If the earth was spherical It must be possible to sail round It provided there ""was anything -to pre vent his ships from falling off Into space when fce got to the antipodes. The theory ot universal gravitation was not understood In the time of Columbus. It was accepted as per fet t:y natural that objects should fall earthward In Europe, but what would happen to them on the opposite side of the world? Evidently they would fall away from the earth out Into the abysmal gulfs of emptiness. The fear of this calamity was very lively among Columbus' sailors and com bined with their huge collection of 1 other superstitions to keep them half dead with fear all the way across the Atlantic. How Columbus himself came to the correct conclusion that objects are drawn earthward in one place as much as In another la one of the mysteries of his career. Per haps he did not feel sure of It, but was willing to run the risk. Great heroes of his stamp do not object to taking chances. It required years of I effort on. the part of Columbus to obtain the money he needed to lit out an expedition. He tried the courts of Portugal, England and Spain be fore he received any encouragement. Henry VII. who was .reigning in Eng land at that time, was a great, mon arch, but he was not great enough to appreciate the opportunity which Co lmbus offered him, nor did any other monarch appreciate It except Queen Isabella, ' History rejects the tale that she pawned her Jewels to raise money for Columbus. She had already pawned them to obtain funds to fight the Moors. Still she did - borrow the money, though, as It appears, she had no security to offer. Her Interest In the exploring expedition was wholly religious. Her hope was that the savages whom Columbus might dis cover could be converted to Chris tianity. They were converted after a fashion, but they were also enslaved and worked to death by their pitiless conquerors. Christianity may have benefited them in the other world, but It brought them scant blessings in this one. The Spaniards carried ruin wherever they went in the west ern hemisphere. The story of their career Is an almost unbroken record of lust, avarice and cruelty. On the other hand, their own country suf fered as much, probably, by the fruits of their conquests as did the lands they devastated with Ore and sword. Spain was pauperized by the Influx of gold from America. For a time prosperity aeemed to emanate from the golden stream, but It was an illusion. In reality the decline of Spain dates from the opening, of the American mlnee when Its population began to turn from peaceful Industry to live by adventure and warfare and that scorn of labor grew up which has persisted to this day. The real benefits of Co lumbus' great discovery have been reaped by other nations than Spain. The New World gave the Anglo-Saxons a broad field In which to develop their Ideals of religious and political liberty. The discovery of America made the English language and Eng lish concepts of life the dominant factors In modern civilization. Dr. Lesslng-Bolgar's plan to attract Austrian and Hungarian Immigrants to the Northwest Is eminently prac tical, and should bear good fruit. A radical defect In the Immigration law Is that it does not attempt to put the Immigrant where he Is wanted, but dumps him on the Atlantic Coast, which is already crowded and where he has no opportunity to become an independent home-maker on a farm. Oregon should send similar emissaries to- the other European countries whence Immigrants come and direct the right kind of people to this state. We hope Mr. Brewer, of Chehalls County, will not give up teaching. The personality of a man who can make $10,000 a year on a farm must be invaluable In the schoolroom. It would pay the State of Washington hugely to hire him at a million dollars a year to go from district to district and tell how he does it. Of course' that will not be done because the money Is needed for more Important purposes, such as keeping up the Gov ernor's military staff, but perhaps Mr. Brewer Is willing to give his services for smaller pay. What book was it that Mrs, Nich ols, of Spokane, threw at the burglar? The question Is important because the volume, whatever It was,, scared me Intruder away. Others would employ It on similar occasions if they 'knew Its name, was it a Dest seuer or a volume of sermons or a work on the New Thought? We trust Mrs. Nich ols will enlighten the public upon this point and also tell by what miraculous power she was guided to make her happy choice of a weapon. Some men 'can break their necks by falling their own length on a con crete sidewalk; James Nesmith fell even stories In a Tacoraa building and only broke a shoulder. The dif ference consists In how one falls. Probably Nesmith relaxed his mus cles and simply let himself go. Most men, when they find themselves fall ing, try to recover themselves and, by so doing, only aggravate the force of the fall. Nils Florman is more to be con gratulated on having escaped marry-, lng a snob than Helen Stallo is to be congratulated on having escaped mar rying the son of a masseur and mas seuse. The airs assumed by people only two generations removed from poverty are ludicrous. Whenever the future Mrs. Jeffer son Davis, of Arkansas, Is at a loss for light reading, she might refer to the files of the Congressional Record and perusei some of the Senator's fire and brimstone speeches. Despite Secretary Wilson's asser tion, we will not have cheap sugar until we have cheap labor to make It Beet sugar cannot compete with the cane product otherwise. Government figures put the corn crop a quarter of a billion bushels less than last year. That means' bet ter bacon and less grease, anyway. If the coffee trust does not corner the chicory crop, the trust Is doomed. Chicory made a healthy beverage In the years far back. One reason, perhaps, that the wooden block Is not In great favor here Is that It is produced at home. The eleven horrid men on that Vancouver Jury can do no less than agree with the twelfth "man." The minority women of California, like their Oregon sisters, are undaunt ed in defeat. Turkey and Italy are hollering enough!" but not very loud. Mr. Beals knows how, for the weather was Just right. The President never saw a. finer lot of automobiles. . Councilman Magulre baa the gloves on. Gleanings of the Day In Oregon, according to Charles G. Tale, of the United States Geological Snrvey, the' total value of the mine production of gold, silver and copper In 1(10 was $700,670, against $827,001 In 1909. which, however, also Includes the value of the lead produced In that year. The ore treated in 1910 was 82,182 short tons against 69,281 tons In 1909. The production of gold de creased from $781,964 In 1909 to $679. 488 In 1910; that of silver Increased from 27,827 fine ounces, valued at $14, 470, to 86,978 line ounces, valued at $19,428; that of copper fell off from 235,000 pounds, valued at $30,650, to 13,861 pounds, valued at $1760; and that of lead declined from 400 pounds in 1909 to nothing in 1910. Baker County led In gold production with an output of $401,002, mostly from deep mines, followed by Josephine with $160,048 from both placers, and deep mines. All of the copper production end" 29.836 ounces of the silver out put also came from Baker County, whose output of gold, sliver and copper was valued at $418,873 in 1910. The combined gold output from South western Oregon In 1910 was $209,324, of which $130,108 was placer gold. Tha placer gold output of this region de creased $66,149 in 1910. The mines of Northeastern Oregon produced $470, 164 in gold In 1910. of which the placer yield was $40,823 and the deep mine yield $429,342. The placers of this region showed an Increase of $4756 In 1910 and the deep mines a decrease of $42,311. . The total value ot gold, silver, cop per and lead from the State of Wash ington In 1910, according to C. -N. Gerry, of the United States Geological Survey, was $968,249 against $448,966 in 1909. The output for 1910 was the largest In gold, silver and lead and the smallest In copper for six years. The production of gold in 1910 was $788,145 against $362,051 in 1909; that of silver was 205,345 fine ounces, valued at $110,886. against 79.488 ounces, valued at $41,334; that of copper 86,916 pounds, valued at $11,038, against 265, 134 pounds, valued at $33,167; and that of lead 1,322,287 pounds, valued at $58, 180, against 288,700 pounds, valued at $12,414. The number of producing mines In Washington Increased from 11 placers and 35 deep mines in 1909 to 21 placers and 55 deep mines In 1910. The placers produced, however, only $3859 In gold In 1910. The deep mines produced 69,209 tons of ore In 1910, an Increase of 22,901 tons over the output of 1909. The Republic district, in Ferry County, produced the greater part ot tbe gold and silver In Wash ington, and mines In Stevens County produced nearly all the copper and lead. The Republic district alone pro duced gold, silver, copper and lead valued at $813,686 In 1910. The Hdly Ghost and Us Society has acquired the title of "the panhandlers of the high seas." .Its schooner yacht Coronet, which was once a famous racer, halted the Red Star liner Lap land when she was 926 miles east of Sandy Hook with a string of Interna tional code signals that every skip per with a heart stops for. They read: "Short of provisions and starving." The Holy Ghoster feared to launch a boat In the heavy swell, so the Lapland sent a lifeboat loaded with provisions. Cornell Wooley, of New Tork City, when he learned what the signals meant, had given the command er of the lifeboat two boxes of cigars for the hapless ship's company. Later, when he learned that they were all members of the Holy Ghost and Us Society, he said be feared the Joka was on him. The Holy Ghosters, of whom there were 32, Including eight women and two children, said that they had come from Africa, Intending to call at Greenland, but changed their course to their home port, Portland, Me. Lest the Coronet should panhandle any more ships, the Lapland sent a wireless to President Grant that she needed no more provisions. The Coronet admitted having got provisions from a French steamer same time ago. The barken tlne Kingdom, owned by the same sect, was wrecked on the African coast last May and the Coronet took off all hands and brought them to this country, de pending on th charity of passing ships for provisions. She hoisted the same signals as held up the Lapland. Terre Haute, In a, has for many years made fruitless efforts to bring about the correct pronunciation of Its name, Timothy Jewett, a newspaper man, pro voked renewal of the controversy at a meeting of the Terre Haute Literary Club by pronouncing It "Terry Hut," and was corrected by Spencer F. Ball, once a newspaper man but now a mere capitalist, who said It should be pro nounced "Tare Hote." Then a good natured battle ragad between teachers In th State Normal and Rose Poly technic schools. It lasted all evening and neither party won. A movement was made years ago to promote the .correct pronunciation, which Is "Tare Hote." and a beginning was made with the conductor and brakamen. who had always called It "Terry Hut." but In spite of all the efforts of the Terre Haute Express, It still remains "Terry Hut." The only exceptions are the French and those who hav learned French. A Russian aeronaut Is operating his aeroplane on the basis of a taximeter and 1a doing such a business that he will extend It by getting more ma chines to take passengers on short runa ! Two alternative meanings of the name Siskiyou- are offered by the United 6tates Geological Survey. One Is that it Is a corruption of the name oHven tha Siskiyou district In Califor nia by the French six caillaux, mean ing "six holders." The other .Is tnat it la an Indian word meaning "bob- tailed horse." a famous bobtailed race horse having been lost on the Siskiyou trail. While the United States Is trying to break up the trusts, more of them are being organized In Europe. The Bel gian. Spanish, Austrian and Russian sewing thread factories, driven by. the English firm of J. A P. Coats, have formed a trust with a capltal'of $250. 000,000. The last obstacle to the Ger man pig Iron syndicate has been re moved by the accession of the Luxem bourg and Lorraine producers, who had previously held aloof. The result Is expected to be an advance In prices, both In, Great Britain and Germany. WHERE SIXGLE TAX IS' MISXOMER. I C. K. Heary Finds Vancouver S rat em J Not Fommoied aa George Theory. PORTLAND, Oct. 11. (To the Edi tor.) There is a persistent effort (evi dently backed with plenty of money) on th part of single taxer, so-called, to induce the people of this oounty and state to vote for a single-tax amend ment at tbe coming election, the propaganda .being well financed and urged by plausible and copious writers, who seem to have plenty of space In the dally papers, notwithstanding that some' of the so-called single taxers are not on the tax rolls, and not even In the city directory, and are urging single tax as a panacea for all our tax trouble, declaring that they' want to have all taxes of every kind and character derived from land only. ana not on personal property, income, in heritance or corporation taxes. It would , oe a reversal 01 me entire puuey vl the whole United States. No single city or state is pointed out by them as having adopted this system. They occasionally suggest that New Zealand is prospering under this sys tem, and the least reliable point to Vancouver, B. C, as a city having but single tax and prospering thereunder. The writer hereof recently paid a visit to Vancouver, B. C, and also the Parliament-House at Victoria to study their methods of taxation; and it is clear that the single-taxers pointing to Vancouver, B. C, as a single-tax city are entirely unreliable and not safe guides for the voters to follow. As a matter of fact, taxes are !evie? as follows in the Province of British Columbia, quoting from page 6, chap ter 63, "An act to assess, levy and col lect taxes on property and Income": Property subject to taxation: 1) All land, personal property and Income of every per son in the province. Including th land and personal property within the province of non-residents in the province, shall be liable to taxation. (2) All mines and minerals shall be a Maed and taxed. 3) Every person shall be assessed and taxed on real property, personal property and Income, subject to the exemptions of this act whlch relates to cemeteries, etc). Quoting from page 11: Tha taxes on all Incomes up to $2000 is 1 per cent; from $2000 to 13O00. 114 per cent; from $3000 to 440O0. 1H per cent, and from $4000 to $7000. 2 per cent; from $7000 and over, 2tt per cent. Is there any single tax about that? There is also taxed In addition to the land tax, personal tax and income tax, the following, quoting from page 14: Every bank doing business In this province shall ba assessed and taxed In addition to the foregoing subsection $1000 per annum, and $123 for each' additional branch. Quoting from page 12: Tha owner of every salmon cannery- in addition to the tax on real property, per sonal property other tiian. salmon and In come, shall be taxed at The rate of two centa on each case of salmon packed by bim during the year ending the 31st day of December, and In addition to such tax a tax of 1 per cent on the total price for which any salmon, other than canned sar mon, has been sold by him during said year. Is there any single tax about that? Quoting from page 15: In addition to their real estate and in come tax. every Insurance company, every life Insurance company, every guarantee company, loan company and trust company, every telegraph, telephone and express com pany, every gas company and every water works company and street railway company is assessed and taxed upon its gross revenue, from all sources derived, arising or accrued from business transacted in the province. How Is that for single tax? As to personal property, the advo cates here say that they have but the land tax, single land tax. At section 5, page 15, is shown: If personal property tax is greater than the Income tax. then they collect from the personal property, and If the income tax is greater, the amount of tax on Income shall be the only tax payable in respect of both income and personal property. Single tax? Oh, yes, Vancouvevr,. B. C, owing to the enor mous revenue derived from its income, personal property, franchise corpora tion and bank taxes, coupled with the poll tax of $3 per head, and in order to stimulate building In the City of Vancouver from 1895' to 1905, taxed improvements on land at 50 per cent of their valuaUon; from 1906 to 1909 at 25 per cent; and In 1910 exempted buildings on land from taxes; but they do assess not only the land but the im provements, although their chief In come is derived from the income tax, which this writer believes to be the most fair and honest way to tax peo ple, as the cost of Government should be contributed by those receiving the benefits of the Government in propor tion to their ability to pay. To Illustrate: A certain doctor in this city receives an Income from $200, 000, Invested in the shape of moneys loaned; and we will say, that I have an income from $200,000, invested in land. Doesn't the doctor yell Just as lustily for police protection as I do; isn't he just as insistent on having well pre pared and lighted streets as I am; and doesn't he demand just as much fire protection as I do? Then, why should n't he pay a like share of the cost for obtaining all these advantages? Oregon is a young and sparsely set tled state, with Immense bodies of land at a very low valuation, and try ing to attract settlers to develop these lands. We should not attempt any more experimental or freak legislation. We have undertaken enough, and we should not attempt anything more for years to come. Let Messrs. Fels, Jackson, U'Ren, Lascomb and other advocates of the single tax measure try their ex periment on some older and more set tled state than Oregon. We cannot stand for It here in Oregon. Even Vancouver on one line of its taxation approached It gradually during a term of 16 years, as above shown. No more radical legislation for Oregon. CHARLES K. HENRY.. Weatoai as Walker Outdone. Springfield Republican. The exploits of Weston, the pedes trian, appear to have been outdone by Marcus Goff, 96, who is reported to have arrived at Stillwater, Okla.. on Friday, after having walked a distance of 1200 miles from Pocatello, Idaho, at the average rate of 33 miles, a day. At Stillwater he drew his quarterly pension after producing the necessary papers. It is stated that he served la the Civil War, the Mexican War, tha Texas war for independence, against Maximilian in Mexico and in ferreting out those responsible for the Mountain Meadow massacre in Utah, while his grandfather fought at the battle of Bunker Hill. He Is on his way to visit his children In Texas. Mr. Weston has done faster and longer continued walk ing than this old soldier is claimed to have done, but It Is doubtful whether Mr Weston can do as well when he One Eeurterm Man' view. PORTLAND, Oct. 10. (To the Editor.) Having Just come from the East, I note everything odd and peculiar and am surprised to see a woman at the head of the Public Library of so large a city as Portland. Why not keep up with the Eastern cities, by having a man as the Librarian? J. B. HAMILTON. Some day the Eastern cities may keep up with Portland and use no dis crimination between sexes In the choice of their librarians. It Is Not. ASTORIA, Or, Oct. 10. (To the Edi tor.) I have a gold piece, five dollars, coined in 1847, without "In God We Trust." Please Inform me through the columns of The Oregonlan If this is worth anything above face value. J. R. HAMILTON. BALLAD OF COLOMBO By Dean Collin. "Look", said the folk of the Spanish inn, "One from Colombo's crew." The torches flared, and the door crashed back. As the sailor swaggered through. "Back! Give place!" the stranger cried. "Mine be the favored seat; For ne'er before have you ope'd your door To a man of Colombo's fleet. "We were three In a death-marked cell. Pedro and Juan and I, Who slit the throat of a wandering monk; And we waited our turn to die. We waited, and heard In the corridor The sound of the gaoler's feet. The Queen gives life. If ye dare to sail In the ships of Colombo's fleet," " "Better," we cried, 'a madman's voy age Over an unknown sea Than to squirm and swing In a hempen string Under the gallows tree." Grim was the voyage of the fated fleet O'er an ocean silent and drear; Sullen and black about our track Hovered the demons of Fear. "West and west, ' on a madman's voy age. Under an unknown sky. Till In the very heavens themselves The star groups hung awry. No sound, no sight, save the heaving sea. Under the moonlit fog, And under our prow the wavelets lapped And lapped, like a thirsty dog. "We cursed the sky and the sea and ships. And each in his' sullen breast. Cursed the dreamer, whose fantasy Dragged us forth on the quest. Better to swing in a hempen string Under the gallows tree,' We snarled, 'than 'rot in our rotting ships. Lost in a waste of sea.' "We listened in fright for the sullen roar Out of the distance hurled. Where pour the floods of the seven seas Over the brim of the world. Back, O Admiral, back!" we cried, 'Ere the last hope be gone," Nay," and his smile was calm and Arm, Colombo will still sail on." "So in a night we rolled the dice. And the high score fell to. me, To slay Colombo, who drove us on Oyer the madman's sea. I crouched behind him there in the prow, But my dagger hand was faint. For the moon was white on his up turned face Ah, God, "twaa the face of a saint, "Well, ye know the tale as well as I; How the commander's will Balked death, balked mutiny, laughed at fear. And lashed us onward still; Lashed us onward, till in the west Under a midnight sky. We saw the gleam -of a floating fire And knew that the land was nigh. "Ye should have seen us, in the morn. Bowing our heads in shame. Kneel on the turf of the new-found world And honor Colombo's name. Hither mine host, and fill the cups! Up to the roof be whirled A siiout, my men, for a king of men: Colombo who , found a world." Portland, October 11. Country Town Sayings by Ed Howe Every man has more pure mischief in his nature than he Is willing to ad mit. When a boy wants a favor from his parents he asks his father's permission and tells his mother he Is going to do It A magazine writer lately made a ter rific attack on the men because they do not control their women folks. That's hard to do; the men have tried, and know. What has become of the old-fashioned man who. was a great Jumper, and who, when he Jumped, held a stone in each hand and threw them behind him? Time seems to demonstrate that the man who was a little selfish was wiser than the man who was too generous. A "revolution is rarely a good thing; one or two in a century is enough. The people always go back to order; this Is the history of every revolution. More men flirt with dishonesty than with women, believing it safe when well managed, but every little while a man is sent to Jail for flirting, and eyery little while a man is shot for it. About the time you reach fifty you begin seeing insults in the papers to the effect that you are old. At some time In his life, every farmer who lives close to a town thinks of laying out a rival burying ground. The man who Is standing up for you soon gets tired and sits down. Men never become so wise that they cannot be seared a little by a bluff. Germany Hears of Webb Cae. The story of the effect of the Bill Jones poem on Governor West has traveled to "furrin parts." The fol lowing account of the Governor's rea son for commuting Murderer Webb's sentence is freely translated from a German weekly, "Das Echo," which is published in Berlin. "Das Echo" gives as its authority a news report from "Governor West, of Oregon, was so moved today by reading a poem en titled 'They Have Hanged Jones,' which he saw In a local paper, that he signed a commutation for Webb, who was to have been executed early this morning. Webb had murdered one of his fellow workmen and hidden the body in a trunk. Up to the moment when the Governor perused this poem he had denied all petitions for mercy to Webb, but the poem wrought such a change of conviction In his soul that he finally saved the murderer from execution. Soon after he had read the verses Governor West confided to the superintendent of the Penitentiary that he had made up his mind to commute Webb's sentence to Imprisonment for life." To a Great Actor. National Magaxln. Tbe night looks with a thousand eyes, they ay The day with on; yet that ona blots th light From all th lesser myriad eyes of night, Makes us forget the dark, and bless the day. A thousand stars upon the stag may lay Bewitching silver on tha guileless sight. But when thy gold proclaims thee on th height They fade to futile pallor, far away. O Pon of Stageland! Greater Is thy power Than that of all the stars' united sheen When thou are glowing none else seem to be; Thy spell enchanteth for a too-brief hour. And when the curtain takes thee from tha scene Thy face. In twilight, clings to memory.