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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 13, 1911)
10 fe (Dmrtmtmt rOKTUAM), OHKGOX. Entered at Pertland. Or ion. roetoSlae aa wond -c'.aae tattr. uaacripuee Hat -a Invariably ta (BT MAIL) tai:v. sancar reii1el. dm year J -i t'ai.y. iuiur IDC.eJed. eia snoothe.... ; Da v. Mui.lar Included, thrae month.. X-;J - - " - . J '" llM ra!iV ItMiui fiitn.!V an fMr VV tliy. without S-jnaar, six month .... a. -3 l-ailr. i:hout Sunday, three month.. . Lai.y. arithout Sunday. M nulla-." jf U,--k!- - - - .... l.M liuauav. tin tr ..$ tuidAf acd Wek!v. aaa Tear e.W mr riRHiEH.) ' Dal'y. Sunday included, ana yaar JO Ia:;y. hun.lijr tnc.uded. one month Haw la Kaoall Sead Poetoflice money or" der. espreaa order ar pareuaal checa on your laeal bank. Stamps. eoinr currency ere at tha xuJtn iiaa. Ola poatotlice addreea us r-j:;. inc.u'llr.g county and etate. Peelaa-e Kalee ll to 14 pagee. 1 cant: JS t 2 (. 2 canta: ta pag-a, a cents: I to pages, a Santa. or.a postage. annKIak aA LMna Baalnsaa OtTlna Varra Conk- lln N.w Vora. Hcanaaa. building- Cbica Korea sea Oflkre No fteaeat etrset. S. W.. l.or. J o fl. rORTLAN O. HIDVbiUAT, DEC. IS. 111 DL WIT-SOX'S KXMOX. The New York Sun baa made public the surprising fact that at the time he retired from the . "residency of Princeton University to become can didate for Governor, of Nw Jersey, Woodrow Wilson amll-vKfor a pen sion from the Carnegie -r'oundatlon, of which he had previously been a trustee. In his letter of withdrawal as trustee Dr. Wilson expressly em phasized the fart that he had given up teaching, after twenty-five years of service, to enter public life. The rule of the foundation had been that "anv nerson who had had a service of twenty-five years as a professor" was entitled to ao allowance: anej the Wilson letter was clearly a gentle re minder to the board that the retiring member was eligible 'to the bounty of the Carnegie charity. - But the board did nothing-, and later a specific application for a pension came- front Dr. Wilson. The board had adopted a new rule, of which the professor-politician "was likely enough unaware, which ' was that a profe.nior or Instructor should have an allowance "in case of disabil ity unman him for the work of a leacher." The Wilson request was promptly denied. The bald facts of this Interesting episode appear to be that Professor "Wilson, on retiring from the teaching profession to go Into . politics, took advantage of a possible opportunity to guarantee him anal tut the finan cial uncertainties of bis new profes sion. He had been geflng 110.000 a year as president of Princeton: he was to get 18000 a year as Governor of New Jersey, and he had In prospect a much greater place paying $75,000 per annum. He as it years of age ind suffering from no physical dis ability. He facet! a future of glowing promise. He had a considerable In come from his books. He was far from Indigent, or helpless, or aged. The sole basis of his claim was his twenty-five year'" record as teacher. Dr. Wilson ought to be a little more jure of himself. He has done well In politics: but it wax not exactly becom ing in him to try as a superannuated teacher to supply the possible defl rlenrles In his Income as a very wealthy officeholder. HI M A VIOLATION or TREATIES. The time has come to cease temper. Izing with Russia's violation of . the passport treaty. If we do not Intend to insist on equal treatment of all our citizens by Russia, we should abandon the pretense, that we have secured it for them and should annul the pass port provision of the treaty. If we. do ntend to Insist upon equal treatment, are should Inform Russia that dlscrlm .nation against the Jews must cease or are shall annul the treaty. This course would not Involve us in war, but would extinguish the treaty rights under which business inter course between the nations Is conduc ted. It would constitute notice to any Americans who visited Russia that they lid so as much at their peril as if they went among savage tribes where no nhite civilization had penetrated. It would, moreover, place Russia on the 3lackllst among nations, as a country here it was unsafe for foreigners to travel, where treaties were openly vio lated. Russia would then be in the ame category with those countries In the hands of whose courts the Western powers refused to trust the rights of their citizens and where consular courts were established to adjudicate disputes between natives and for eigners. It is true, as Andrew D. White says, that we could not annul 'the treaty without some loss or Inconvenience to ourselves and that Russia would find compensation in forfeiting tho Russian Inheritance of Russian Jews natural ised In the United States. But no na tion ever made a flfSt for its rights without some loss or Inconvenience. A nation, like an individual, must at times suffer pecuniary loss In order to maintain its self-respect and be able to hold up its head. If we prefer the routs and Jeers of the world as a nation with which treaties may be violated with impunity, we shall-allow Russia to continue her present course; If not. we shall resent It. even to the extent of severing diplomatic relations. The course of the State Department has shown Its Inability to recognize the real question at Issue. It has assumed that the rights guaranteed to Ameri cans by the treaty are subject to such discrimination between Jews and Rus sians as are made by Russian law, so long as the discrimination against American Jews is no greater than that against Jewish citizens of any other country. This attitude Is assumed by Secretary , Knox in a letter to the American Jewish committee, dated March 10, 1S10. Elihu Root, when Secretary of State, went even further In yielding to Russia, for he issued a circular on January 23, 190S, in which he said: Vnder Russian law a Ruaalan subject who bomfl a rttisen of another country with out tha roneent of tha kuvaian fnvrmmrnt la tlmM to hate com mo led an offene for which be la llahle to arreat. and pun. tohm-nt If a fturni without previously obtaining tba permission of tho Roaaiaa guv trnmrnt. This Government dlaeents from thta pro vleioa of Raaalaa law. but an American rlttaen. formerly a aubje-t of Kuaaia. who returns to that country places hlna!( within tha Jurisdiction of Kaaaian law and can not eipect Immunity from Ita operattona. This circular is In direct conflict with the whole contention of the United States in favor of naturalized American citizens. We have upheld the right of any person to renounce allegiance to the country of his birth and to secure full privileges of Amer ican citizenship by naturalization. We have successfully upheld this con tention with other nations and we have by law empowered the President to uphold It by any measures short of war. It received the Indorsement of the Republican. Democratic and Inde pendence parties In the platforms of 10S and It Is our duty to Insist that Russia shall give equal rights under treaty to all American citizens, whether Jew or Gentile, native or naturalized. Russian discrimination has not been confined to the Jews, although It has been greatest in their case. Catholic priests and Protestant missionaries have also been denied admission. MR. DA BROW GOOD NAME. Prosecuting Attorney Fredericks at Los Angeles puts aside with a "wave of his official arm any suggestion that -the relations of Attorney Darrow with the sensational Jury-rlblng epi sode will be, or should be. probed. The public Is not disposed, or ready, to impute to Mr. Darrow any Improper or criminal responsibility for the cor rupt approach to the McNamara Jury by the defense's agents. But why such extraordinary timidity about opening up the subject or such obvi ous resentment of any suggestion that Inquiry ought to be made? Two witnesses at the Los Angeles bribery hearing have mentioned Mr. DarroWs name, more or less directly, as being the author or sponsor of the bribery arrangement. Doubtless this is all hearsay, as the district attorney aava: and likely enough It la false. But a diligent and conscientious prose eutor should follow hearsay evt dence wherever it leads and elthe confirm or explode It. But any Dar row inquisition appears to encounter the stone wall of the prosecuting at tornev's Inertia. It Is surprising that Mr. Darrow Is content to rest under such ugly Insin uations. A rigid investigation ought to clear his good name and it is name that would seem to be worth clearing. No question of ethics, abou which Mr. Darrow appears so tender, Is Involved. His reputation as a citi zen and a moralist is at stake. Yet It Is not the only episode eorH cernlng Mr. DarroWs attitude towar the McNamaras that has caused gene eral wonder. At the time Mr. Darrow knew the McNamaras were guilty he was appealing to the country for sup port, and to the labor unions for help, on the ground that they were inno cent. The conscience of a profession' l friend of the people sometimes plays him strange tricks. VOl'NU GIRLS ASD TIIK LAW. Judge Catena Is not much Impressed by the efforts of the police to renovate the North End. Obviously the Judge deems the North End not worth re forming; or at least he thinks that the virtuous efforts of the officers to ellra Inate the disorderly house by the ar rest and prosecution of the women and their male parasites are not well dl reeled. Doubtless the Judge has the notion that the recent raids In the ten derloin are not the result of any con sistent policy of reform, but come from the differences of the several groups of aspiring politicians that sur round the Mayor. Yet It is a grave matter for a Judge to enunciate the doctrine that tne North End is here to stay and , It should be let alone. If vice is to be eliminated, sexual laxity corrected, of tensive gayety and Indecent conduct repressed, who shall be held responsi ble but the principals? The prosti tute ought not to be persecuted, to be sure; but should she be protected and her occupation made safe by render ing her Immune from police activity? It is a difficult question, not to be solved by refusing to solve It, and let ting It take care of Itself. But no one will question the Justice of Judge Gatens' criticism of the po lice for paying little attention to the chasers of young girls. It Is a grow Ing evil, a shocking condition. One policewoman In Portland has the way ward girls under her charge. Yet one girl saved from ruin Is worth many scarlet women harassed, blackmailed and Jailed. Rl. vr.n-ra, or IVCORPORATKD cnioxs. Every suggestion that labor unions should incorporate has met with op position from Mr. Gompers and other officials of the organizations. They have always contended for the largest degree of liberty of action combined with the smallest degree of legal re sponsibility. Employers have made contracts with the officers of unions. In the hope of. being able to carry on business without disturbance for a fixed period of time, only 'to have the contracts openly repudiated or to see the men whom the union officers rep resented melt 'away, and to be com pelled to recruit a new force of work men. It Is to the credit of employers that, even In face of the impossibility of holding unions legally accountable, they have been willing to enter Into contracts of this kind. It is equally to the credit of many labor unions that. In the absence of any means of legally enforcing such contracts, they have been so often faithfully observed and so seldom violated. But the unions must now face the necessity of being held responsible by public opinion for unlawful acts of their officers and members done In their pretended Interest and with their funds. They say. almost with one voice, that they severely reprobate the crime of the McNamaras and their kind. The public is willing to believe them, but will be fully convinced only by active efforts of the unions to bring to Justice all accomplices of the Mc Namaras. by placing at the head of the unions men who will keep strictly within the law, iwlll sternly repress the very suggestion of dynamiting, slug ging or other forms of violence, and will take the Initiative In bringing to Justice men guilty of such crimes. If the unions will do this, they will And a marked change In their favor In the attitude of employers and the general public. They will find an In creased disposition on the part of em ployers to deal with them, and may find that the vexed question of the open or closed shop will settle Itself through the spontaneous preference given by employers to memjbers of a union which stands firmly against "direct action." The unions, will win more implicit confidence In their good purpose if they will go a step further and. become each a body of men bound together under the law of incorporation for a common end. As they now exist, they are irresponsible, shifting bodies, of men. An employer may make a con tract today with the president, secre tary or executive board of a union, but, when one or more members vio late It. he may be unable to find them or even the men who signed the. con tract on their behalf. He may suffer material loss thereby, but he has no legal redress. Hence the frequent re fusal of employers to deal with work men except as Individuals, or with a committee as representing any but their own employes. By becoming incorporated, the unions would not only inspire confi dence among employers and the pub lic; they would gain the benefits of in corporation together with its responsi bilities. They could hold property and have their officers held legally ac countable to them. They could estab. llsh a system of sick, death, accident and unemployment benefits which would tie their members to them per manently. Incorporation has long been in rogue among the English unions. American labor unions have learned much from their English par ents. Hind can learn yet mote. .- SAM V EL RCOTT. ..."' The Oregonian takes melancholy pleasure in offering a tribute to tlje beloved memory of the late Samuel Scott, for many years one of the teachers In the Lincoln High School. He expired Sunday night. December 10, after a lingering illness which did not entirely deprive him of the ability to meet his classes until near the end but which saddened his life. Not an old man as years are numbered, still his Infirmities made an Impression of age upon his pupils and increased their wonder at his unfailing gentle ness and patience. One of his pupils savs of Samuel Scott that "he was the most patient teacher I ever knew When he had explained a problem In mathematics over and over again he would Inquire of any student who seemed to be puzzled, 'Now do you una derstand It, my boy?' And if It was not understood he would go back to the beginning with tireless kindness and go through the whole once more." No wonder his pupils loved him. Sam uel Scott was one of those rare teach era who win the tffectlon of their stu dents without sacrificing the rigor of their instruction. .tome of . the youths at the High School speak of him as their "lntel- Llecyia? father." He combined a deep jjravlty or demeanor wnn 'w paternal gentleness, which could not fall to find Its way to the hearts of Ingenuous boys., In his young days Samuel Scott was an athlete. In fact, it was as a baseball coach that he first visited the Coast. At Yale.' where he gradu ated, he was a- famous football man and played first base on the baseball team. No doubt the taste for manly games which this evinces aided htm in holding the affectionate respect of his pupils. Manly boys are fond, of a manly teacher. Samuel Scott will be missed at the Lincoln School. The students who have profited by his kindly Instruction will drop a tear to think that they will see him no more in the old class room and never again on earth hear the patient tones of his dear voice. The good teacher-has taught his last lesson. The good man has gone to his reward. His pupils will best prove their loving fealty to his memory by emulating his virtues In their own lives. WHAT TUB PRKS SAYS TKlbTS. or THE President Taft's recommendations for the Federal control of interstate corporations meet with hearty ap proval among all newspapers except those which were opposed in advance, either to any such control or to any Increase thereof, or to any legislation which might further Increase Federal power-, at the expense of the states. Almost every New York newspaper voices the sentiment of the corpora tion magnates: "We want to do as we please." The state rights argu ment against Federal Incorporation is taken up not only by such Democratic! newspapers as the Baltimore Sun, which approves Federal control in principle, but.by th-eNew York Times. This Journal, which has made the largest outcry against the prosecution of the trusts, cites the President's as sertion that the..oil and tobacco decrees-have been -effective as evidence that no-'extehsUm of the Federal pow er Is ncededJ. 'It calls. Federal Incor poration '.dangerous, extension of the prticlnisr nf.JIberal ' construction," a source'' aXJlVute as rto the limits of Federal &sd. state Jurisdiction and an act of centralization, which "would make eternal' the question whether the Government- should control the corporations or; the corporations the Government. The New York-Sun assumes the role of captious critic'' by attempting to prove that the President's admission that mere size of a business combina tion is no sin Is in contradiction of his assertion that a contract to elimi nate competition Is illegal and by as suming that "big" nd "stupendous" are synonymous- jit attempts to show the Sherman law to be indefinite, Dut ignores the President's recommenda tion of laws which would meet this ob jection. The Evening Sun , pralsee "the temperate -tone and scrupulously fair attitude" of the message for the sole purpose apparently of contrast ing It with "the threats against the entire corporate Industry pf Attorney-General Wlckersham, whom It calls "that confident revolutionist." Alone among the New York papers. the Mall approves .of. Federal incor poration, saying Federal control is 'logical and necessary, and ad els:. I'pon this damand President Taft should stand firmly, and he ahould Inelet upon the poller with auch determination and ampnaais nat it will aventuauy do maaa a jian ok ba law of tha land. "Mr. Taft writes more like a Judge than a President." says the New York Herald, adding that "the finest thipg about the message Is that it did not cause the fluctuation of stocks a dol lar's worth." But it sneers at the President's plan of supervision, as creating "another of the rapidly-multiplying commissions." . J . Distress and discontent are at tributed by the Brooklyn Eagle to mussing with the law" 'and "Gov ernment Interference with business." It wants the Gevernment to let busi ness alone and let the Sherman law become a dead letter, and as to Taft's recommendations It says: , . Tha naw nostrums sujrtreeted. evan tenta- Iva'.T. by Mr. Tart would In tha and work wone reaulta than tha Interference theory on which bis mesaasa piaya assravatlns arlatlooa. . - ' Gloomy disappointment Is expressed by the New York Globe, which dis parages the message with many phrases and like a wearyt dyspeptic exclaims, as to the new- legislation recommended, that the country "rec ognizes that such nerveless, ..second ary . and unemphatlc ' support kills whatever. .' chance these meritorious measures may have had." '. v Only when we get away from New York, where any.nan who would lay a hand on the sacred trusts is regard ed as anathema, do we begin to find appreciative comment on the mes sage. The Boston Transcript's'' Wash ington correspondent has nothing but praise for the President's plan, but foresees that Federal incorporation will strike an obstacle in those who uphold the right of states to regulate corporations and who would there fore prefer Federal license of state corporations. The Federal license plan he considers rejected by Mr. Taft through his silence about it, but the correspondent doubts whether a ma jority of Congress will vote for Fed eral Incorporation. He says of Mr. Taft: He at least has the advantage of having laid before tha country a clear and states manlike discussion of tha trust question and to have suggested. In phrases which all who read may understand, a remedy. A clear Indication that progress is being made towards a solution of the question Is seen in the message by the Springfield Republican, though It does not hope for much beyond talk at this session, i Yet the message reflects gradual crystallization of public opin ion, which it attributes to the suit against the steel trust more than to any other cause. The Republican applauds the President's defense of the Supreme Court decisions, but it Is skeptical as to the efficacy of the re organization decrees In restoring com petition. It generally approves the new legislation proposed by the Pres ident as "certainly constructive, pro gressive In its way." It foresees con flict between advocates of Federal Incorporation and Federal license, but concludes: If other plans must carry with thera prlce-nxing- as an essential feature, then tha President's policy of Federal charters with incidental regulation la meritorious on ac count of its comparative conservatism. The message Is pronounced temper ate by the Chicago Inter Ocean, which calls on Mr. Taft to "muzzle Wlcker sham." It commends the statement that "mere size Is no sin against the law-" to those who assume that, be cause a corporation Is big. it must be a malefactor, and concludes: In general. Mr. Taft may be said to stand pat on the Sherman law as interpreted by tha Supreme Court. Whether this la wine or not. time alone ran show. Tha test Is being made every day. By next November we all shall know, not aven excepting Wlckersham. . "Satisfactory on the whole, tjut lacking In vigor and snap" is the Chi cago RtJcord-Herald's summing up, but it finds the constructive half of the message "at bne, substantially, with other progrefwive utterances and distinctly in line with the healthy ten dencies and developments of the last several months." It calls on the busi ness community fto prod Congress into action and sums up thus: We need constructive legislation, we need amendments, and we need a bureau or com. mission to administer and regulate well Intentloned combinations. Whv should not I ongrrss proceed to give us what Is almost universally recognlxed aa necessary to in dustrial prosperity and stability T Mr. Taft's view of what can be done under the Sherman law or in the way of amending it is declared indefinite by the Indianapolis Star, and his ref erences to Federal incorporation are held to be hardly more specific than those he made two years ago. It commends the course adopted against tne cash Register Company in seek ing to enjoin certain acts as aimed at monopoly Instead of seeking to dis solve the corporation. It approves tne recommendation that certain spe cific acts be defined as contrary to the Sherman law, but asks: "Is not tis very recommendation a confes sion that the Sherman law Is not defi nite enough as It stands?" The Baltimore Sun takes alarm at the proposal of Federal Incorporation as likely to Impair the rights of the states to impose taxation and to de prive them of a large source of reve nue aa a dangerous experiment, but considers the message "a masterly de fense and clear exposition of the trust decisions of the Supremo Court." The famous circular argument Is trotted out again to defeat the project for the improvement of Priest Rapids on the Columbia River. The rapids prevent navigation, therefore there is no traffic. Because there is no traf fic. It Is useless to make the river navi 'gable. That is the reasoning of the Board of Army Engineers. If the same position had been taken three centuries ago, there would have been no United States. The same argu ment would have prevented the build ing of any transcontinental railroads or the reclamation of any arid land. The Oregon and Washington delega tions in Congress should be able to convince the committees of its fallacy. Jury service at Tacoma next year promises to be equivalent to attend ance on high society functions. Dames from the "400" are to illumine the box with their beauty and try facts with their keen intelligence. What a flow of soul there will be from the lawyers. They have always lauded and perhaps magnified the honesty and wisdom of Jurors. Now they will chant odes to their beauty. A day in court will be a long, sweet poem. We shall hear of Tacoma men forging checks only to be tried by one of those lovely Juries. Russia shows her contempt for the United States by openly disregarding the provisions of the treaty of 1832 Not Jews alone are deprived of their rights under It, but the missionaries of all the denominations are said to De misused in tne same way. It Is a case where bigotry has Just about gone the length of its rope. The sooner it is brought up short and hard the better. Only one such practical Joke as that played by the prisoners at the County Jail Is allowable. If the prisoners had been members of Governor West's le gion of honor they would have com pleted their escape. The driver of a runaway horse that killed a woman In San Francisco has been held for manslaughter and there is yet hope to catch a reckless chauf feur some time. The story in the news columns yes terday of the death of a boy while beating his way on top of a car is a lesson to youth who find life irksome. The ' money spent on the durbar "would fill many empty stomachs In the empire, but the glitter that goes with royalty Is liked and must be kept up. An Astorlan has devised a clock work machine to feed Ms fowls, and if it works there is a pointer for the lazy man who would breakfast In bed. Raising blue foxes has been a fail ure, but raising the old blue hen puts a balance in the purse. The runaway Juror in the Hyde case may demonstrate the futility of the defense. Alfonso and Victoria are doing as well as if they were poor folks. Race suicide Is not in favor with the King and Queen of Spair ARISTOTLE AXD PEOPLE'S RULE. Aacirat Greek Philosopher Dlaapproveel of ".Modern" Law-Maklnic. PORTLAND. Or., J5ec. 11. (To the Editor. I would ask The Oregonian to reprint the following taken from an ed itorial In the December Forum. I do not believe that It will interest some small-brained statesmen hereabouts, who are a law unto themselves a law that has created in them an hunger for destructible political power not found In the annals of modern constitutional democracy and republican institutions, but it may be of interest to the many others whose notice it may have escaped and who have taken the meas ure of lilliputlans on the throne. This doesn't refer to the Governor of Vir ginia. It Is sometimes supposed that the initi ative, referendum and recall principles are of recent discovery and represent a very modern phase of development. Yet Aris totle, who dealt wisely with so many ques tions, had something to say on this mat ter also; and his remarks seem very perti nent at the present moment. The passage that follows Is taken from Jowett's transla tion of Politics." "A fifth form of democracy. In other re spects the same. Is that which, not the law, but the multitude, have the supreme power, and supersede the law by their de crease. This Is a state of affairs brought about by the demagogues. For in democ racies which are subject to the law the best cltixen holds the first place, and there are no demagogues; out where the laws are not supreme there demagogues spring up. For the people become a monarch, and In many Is one; and the many have the power in their hands, not aa Individuals, but col lectively. Homer says that 'It is not good to have a rule of many." but whether he means by this corporate rule or the rule of many Individuals Is uncertain. And the people, which Is now a monarch, and no longer under the control of law. seeks to exercise monarch lal sway, and grows Into despot; the flatterer Is held In honor; this sort of democracy being relative to other democracies what tyranny la to other forms of monarchy. The spirit of both is the aame. and they alike exercise a despotic rule over the better cltizena Tha decrees of the demos correspond to the edicts of ine tyrants; and the demagogue is to one what the flatterer la to the other. Both have great power; the flatterer with the tyrant, the demagogue with democracies of tne Kind we are describing. The dema gogue makes the decrees of the neoDia over ride the laws and refer all things to the popular assembly. And therefore they grow great, Because the people have all things In their hands, and they hold In their hands the votes of the people, who are too ready to listen to them. Further, those who have any complaint to bring against tne magistrates say. "let the people be juagea. tne people are too happy to ac cept the Invitation, and so the authority of every office Is undermined. Such de mocracy Is fairly- opened to tha objection that It Is not a const Iftir Inn -1 oil- tnw where the lawa have no authority, the're ia .-uuamuuon. ina law ought to be su preme over all. and the magistracies and Government should Judge of particulars." J. H. M. TATI.VO OP- VSHATCREO TIMBER. Writer Relives It Should Be Exempted to Aid Its Conservation. PORTLAND, Dec 1L (To the Edl-tr-) The system of taxation of tim ber should be modified. Growing tim ber should not be taxed. All matured or merchantable timber should be taxed. If this plan of taxation was followed It would force the cutting of matured timber only. Laws should be enacted designating age or size that timber should reach before It should be classed as mer chantable. The State Forester should have authority to regulate the cutting of all timber In the state, public or private. The timber counters. In esti mating the timber of the county for purposes of taxation, should estimate the matured timber only. The esti mators doing this work should be men qualified to classify the land, designat ing that which should be classed as forest land, best adapted for tree cul ture, and that which should be classed as agricultural land. All lands suited for agricultural pur poses and which will give greater re turns for such purposes than for tree culture, should so be classed, and when the timber is removed settlement should be encouraged so as to get the greatest returns the soil will yield. This would be practical conservation, and would give to all the people the greatest returns the land would pro duce. The greatest problem that will con front the American people In the next century. Is not how to shelter the peo ple, but how. to feed and clothe the multitude. There Is no crop that the soil pro duces that is so terribly slaughtered, that there Is so much waste in, as the tree crop. There is no more reason or necessity in harvesting an unmatured tree crop than there would be for the farmer to cut his wheat, corn, oats or hay before maturity. Why should the growing timber be allowed to be cut, when there Is so much matured timber in our forests deteriorating? The first reason for the cutting of the young, unmatured timber is accessibility. The timber that is easy of access, that will cost the least to operate (at least 80 per cent of the cost of lumber Is la bor) Is cut The second reason is there is no Inducement, no encouragement given for protecting the unmatured timber. Young, unmatured timber should not j be taxed; neither should it be allowed to be cut, but it should be protected until It has a value. Tax the matured timber only, and confine cutting to ma turea timDer, as in any other crop produced from the soil. A SUBSCRIBER. As to Mr. Nltts. PORTLAND. Dec 10. (To the Edi tor.) Will you kindly state where Punkindorf Station, the abode, of iNescius iMitts is located. is Nesclus Nitts a real person? C. W. LOGAN. Mr. Dean Collins, the veracious re corder of Mr. Nitts' philosophy Informs The-Oregonian that generally sneak ing Punkindorf Station Is any cluster of houses that sidles up to a railroad track and demands terminal rates be fore the traffic manager discovers it Is there. Every Punkindorf has its Necius Nitts. While Mr. Collins Inti mates that In spite of these facts he Is chronicling the sage remarks of real Individual, still In order, to protect his aged friend he must decline to be more exact. Mr. Nitts is too busily engaged in solving problems of great public moment to open the numerous notes from feminine admirers or answer the flood of minor questions which would no doubt delufte him were his correct address published. Justice for Criminals. PORTLAND, Dee. 12. (To the Edi tor.) I agree with William E. Tyrrell In every particular. Mr. Barzee, in his articles in The Oregonian, utters a number of platitudes, but signally fails to give one good reason why lustful, murderous brutes should be allowed to cumber the earth and be fed at the expense of the community they have outraged and insulted. Therefore, on the ground that, as is a well-known and established fact, men in prison or penitentiary are in the vast majority of cases there because they belong there, I believe they should re main until they have partially paid tribute to the state for their crimes. Their apparent obedience to the rules of the institution should be regarded with considerable scrutiny before they ae again turned loose to prey upon their helpless kind. J. R, GILSTRAP. A Const of Portuguese C'ltixenn. Boston Herald. Massachusetts has a Portuguese pop ulation of about 15,000, while Rhode Island has 2500. In the whole of North America there are not less than 50,000 of this hardy race. They rarely or never go back to their old land- Half a Century Ago From The Oregonian of Dec. 13, 1S61. Tho well-informed London corres pondent of the New York Commercial writes as follows under date of the 6th Inst: . "Of one thing you may be certain, namely, that all the reports and asser tions put forth in either Northern or Southern Journals about any intention on the part of Eneland to attempt to break up the blockade or to recognize the Southern Confederacy in order to (ret the cotton crop are sheer nonsense. The unanimous desire, both of our peo ple and Government to maintain a strict neutrality, so far from being di minished, is, if possible, stronger than ever, and any recognition of the Con federates, until they had established their independence in a manner that would put all further efforts on the part of the North out of the question, would be universally regarded as a breach of that neutrality. For the Na tional honor and for the sake of com mercial precedent, our Government will doubtless be watchful to protest against action at variance with in ternal and maritime law, but so long as the Federal Government attends to these matters they may pursue their course, so far as this country Is con earned, without troubling themselves to minK even or our existence. ' We might add that the writer of the above is the financial editor of the London Times. The speculations of our British neighbors on the probability of a war witn tne United States and the curt manner in which they say they could taKe possession of the United States j territory on this coast, as well by the assistance of the Secessionists here, as by their own naval forces, enforces upon our attention the necessity of de fending the access to this state through tne LoiumDia tlver by adequate for uncations at its mouth. Occassional," the correspondent of the Philadelphia Press, says, "there is the most positive evidence that the rebels are using poisoned mlnie balls, and evidence is furnished that they are manuiacturea in the North. A rebel, captured by a party of an Indiana retr- lment last week, had in his possession a number of these balls, each of which had a deposit of arsenic In It covered with, tallow. He was asked what the ODject was In using these balls. He ex plained that the contents were a do! son; that they had not many of them yet and were only used by those sent out on picket or scouting duty. He said they came from the North that they had not received many yet, but were promised a larger supply. The Flood. The storehouses at Al bany were bursting with the swelled and sprouted wheat. Mr. Davidson's storehouse, below Salem, bursted while Mr. Shattuck was there, and the large quantity of grain in it was shoveled into the river. He relates a most fearful incident In regard to Mr. Abel George's family, wno resided on an island below Cor vallls. Mr. George endeavored to res cue his wife and four children with a small boat. He had taken them In the boat, when it was upset, throwing tnem all into the water. Three chil dren floated off and were drowned. His wife, with an Infant in her arms, and himself, clung to a tree. He took a belt from his body and fastened his wife to the tree, but In struggling against tne waters the child was car rled off and perished. In a few brief moments four children were gone and tne parents were childless. At a meeting of the citizens of Ore gon City, held on 'Wednesday night lor tne purpose of memorializing Con gress to take some action in regard to establishing the validity of titles to the townite before again Improving it, it was ascertained that the losses sus talned by Oregon City and Linn City Dy tne iiooo. amounted to 176,000. SCIENTISTS NOT PROSELYTING Mr. Van Meter Replies to Dr Dyott'a Criticism of Circulars. PORTLAND, Dec. 11. (To the Edi tor.) Christian Science is mentioned twice in The Oregonian today and wish to ask space to comment upon oom rererences. Dr. Dyott, of the First Contrreeration- ai cnurcn, tnis city, criticises the cir culation of the New York Sun and Her. la accounts of a sermon bv Rev Wlllard F. Ottarson of Bethany Con. gregational Church, New York City, in wnich he said a commendatory word about Christian Science, citing the heal ing of cancer and other diseases. He has an exaggerated sense of the extent of this circulation and utterly falls to recognize the spirit which prompted It.' tne accounts contained no mention of the minister In question as being con nected with an "influential" New York church as Dr. Dyott states, but simply designated the one in which the sermon was delivered. It was thought the Congregational ministers would be in terested to hear that a brother minister had said a friendly word for Christian Science, but It appears from what Dr. Dyott says, that such Information Is highly objectionable and he endeavors to discredit the effect of the story by associating his urotner clergyman with a Bowery mission. Copies of the newspaper accounts were sent to seven or eight members of Congregational churches in the same spirit they were sent the clergy. If this Is considered proselyting a new definition of that word is necessary and a minister's concern for his con gregation might then be justifiable. Rev. Mr. Dunstan. of the West Seat tle Congregational Church, In a recent sermon reported in the Seattle Times, devoted considerable time to a favor able comment upon Christian Science. His hearers did not object, apparently, to this evidence of good will, nor have there appeared objections from readers of the Times. The other instance referred to is the New York dispatch announcing the ar rest of a mother In New York City be cause no physician was in attendance when her child died of diphtheria, she having relied upon the services of a Christian Science practitioner, the case not having been reported to the health authorities. The following statement Is made by Eugene R.' Cox, committee on publica tion for New York: "It is a rule in the Christian Science Church for practitioners to report all their cases to the Health Board. They are a law-abiding ftroup of men and women. In this case the practitioners, because of the opposition of the grand father of the child, recommended that a physician be called In. Therefore, they probably felt they had no further responsibility and did not report the case to tne onicials of the Health Board." HOWARD C. VAN' METER, Committee on Publication for Oregon Big- Hlxn-rower Wlreleaa riant. London Tit-Bits. The Prime Minister of New Zealand states that it is intended that the new high-power wireless telegraph station to be erected in Wellington shall be among the most powerful in the world. It Is arranged communication should be established over a radius of 1000 miles. There is already a temporary station at the Wellington postofflce which communicates with vessels within 300 miles radius. Stations also are to be erected at Auckland in the north and Invercarglll in the south. Canadian Fair With a Surplus. Chicago Record-Herald. The Central Canada Exhibition at Ottawa reports a fSOOO surplus. N. NITTS ON AFFINITIES By Dean Collins. Nesclus Nitts, philosophical chief. According to Punkindorf Station's be lief. Had drowned, with qulntesence of nicotine leaf, A beetle at play on a tin of smoked beef Then spake of soul-mates, and their burden of grief. "I reads in the papers quite frequent, of late. How someone or other has found a 'soul-mate'; These 'fairs, as a rule, hasn't pestered the masses. But bothers the artist and millionaire classes And sech famous people, whom Fate seems designln' As specially 'dapted to that sort of pinln'. "Two scientifio persons has recently fell. Or so I has read, 'neath the spell. Unity And both of 'em come to the solemn conclusions There's some mystic link 'twlxt their brain convolutions; Which makes me plumb shore Dr. Lan- gevln's not Got guards against 'unities, like I have got. "I 'member, some weeks 'fore the Win ter set in. That Postmaster Higgins come round with a grin And gin me a letter. I starts to peruse. And blamed if it ain't one of them 'billy doos'. The "Hon'rable Nesclus Nitts' it ad dresses; Ifs signed by a lady whose name I represses. "It talks to great length 'bout the In finite We' And the 'Oness of One' and the 'Thou ness of Thee,' And some other matters,, whose mean in' none knows Except Ella W. Wilcox, I s'pose. But somehow I gathers, this here let ter states That this lady Aggers we two is soul mates. "I ain't a denyin', I felt somewhat proud When thus singled out from the gen eral crowd. And rlz to distinction and promi nence, where I might have a soul-mate, like some millionaire; And so I goes home, and I lays all my plans for To have my young grandson to write her an answer. e "My hands Is rheumatlo and can't hold a pen. And so I dictates, and he writes it, and then. While we was a-closin' this soft billy doo. My daughter comes In and draps onto ub two, And finds all about this here soul-mate and well. The sequel ain't any too pleasant to telL " The very idea,' she screams, a soul mate 1 And you at your age why, you old reprobate!' And then she Jest fair turned her tongue loose on me; My daughter is some like her ma used to be. If this furrin doctor bad had sech a one, I'll wager soul-mates wouldn't bother him none." Portland, December 11. Comitiy Town Sayings by Ed Howe It Is unfortunate that at one time there were orators who swayed the multitudes; It is unfortunate because ever since, little men have attempted It, and bored the multitudes mightily. There is comfort for everybody; a big man can carry twice as much, but a little man gets around twice as fast. Put a fine dress, and lace, and pow der, and false hair, and Jewelry on a man and he will look well, too. At a late minstrel show, an impersonator looked exactly like a pretty girl of 16, and a great many said it could not possibly be a man. But it was a man, for he took off his wig, and asked In a h.u voice If anyone in the audience could oblige him with a chew of plug tobacoo. A woman complains that every time she is with men one or tne numutr wants to explain how a steam engine works. i,iva no clotiht hlamed the people of Johnstown for their failure to heed the warning of a rotten dam. Is there no unheeded warning ringing in your ears at the present moment? It is surprising how many people land in the poorhouse. And everyone nf them fooled his money away, as you do, and imagined he would be rich some day. a milliner savs that every woman who tries on a hat in her store, says by way of preparation: "My hair Isn't fixed right." tn a cnimtrv town, a man must be have as well as In heaven, if he hopes to avoid being talked about. tw la one crood thine: about a man who tells all he knows, while you keep quiet: he can't tell all you know. whnt has become of your manners?" old-fashioned women asked their chil dren. And, by the way, what has be come of your manners? Are you polite? What is said by those most Intimately associated with you? Popular Vote the Thins. PORTLAND, Dec. 12. (To the Edi tor.) As a citizen I desire nearmy t indorse the decision ot tne Auanonum Commission to submit to popular voia the location of that buildins. and I am uite sure that decision will give sai- sfaction to the great majority. n the majority shall say, "Put the Audi torium on the old marKet diuuk, m will cheerfully acquiesce. If a major ity shall say by tlieir votes. "Put it on some elevated ami acpaiu: iw,ti, the East Side," that will, no doubt, bo equally satisfactory. It is the right solution of the whole matter. LEVI W. MYERS. THE KIXC.DOM OF HAPPINESS. By Jo. Hartman. I have sought it far and wide. In climes sun-kissed and golden. And where the Northlands frown aus tere As souls of Vikings olden. I have searched through ponderous lore Of Wisdom's ancient pages For this Nivana of the heart 'Twas passing ken of sages. I glimpsed it, I thought, in eyes That smiled and beguiled the hours; Alas, I learned that happiness Was not in lands of flowers. Nor In eyes alight with love. Nor in creeds beneath the sun!. Duty's the Kingdom, lo I found, And the password Is "Well done." i