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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 14, 1911)
10 TITE 31011X1X0 OTCEGOXIAX. THTTRSDAT, DECEMBER 14, 1911. E)t (Dronrotmt rOKTUkXD. CMOOX. ' Entarnl at Porrlaad. Oroa. roatoBlee as i SaMcripuaa Ji InTarlabty ta Aavaaea. inr uiiLi I ai.T. Puidif lr?e.udl- SIS B90lPi..t. y-rr I . KKtar Inc.uJl. thrae months.. 1.1 I-ai.r! witnou ludiF, m'-n moatae JJ I-..r. without Saadar. thrae aoilM.. a. r-k :.n: ::::::: !" euadas sail week??, on yar IBT CARRIER.) r:ir. Bandar larlo'led. aaa year...... JJ Ln t. kus !ar lnc:udl. one month llw MmbII Uad FoaloS lea maaaT ee Car. tiprM er.r ar peraoaal caerk 7" local aaatt. : am pa. cola or utmcT at iba aaadara rlaa- Ola poatoSiea aaaraaa - la f j iac -jdir.c count ana atate, Vaalaaa " - to la Dkffi. 1 at: 1 ta 211 Difa z ranta: h to W oaaaa. S can s-l to w pagaa, a casta, rsralaa poetasa. v. rat . I Win Haalaraa Onteaa Terra .?." 11a .s.w Tor a. kraualU bul.din. ll Earavaaa oaica Na. S Kant mint. rOKTLAND. THl"UAT. IW. 14. IHt rorcutat (noitt It was to be expected, of conm, thai fh Democratic ToIce or tne Follette campaign would declare that th- Republican National Commltt kad defeated" the Presidential pref erence Drlmarles. How has the Re publican committee defeated Presl der.ttal primaries? It has left to th' tales the method of arranginc f the election of delegates to the Na tional convention. It had no alter native. The Democratic Nation 'u..iAn Mill Ark tha aam thlniT. I cannot do otherwise. The electoral machinery In most of the states 1 fixed by statute. The laws cannot b chanred bv mere mandate or recom mentation or suggestion of any po litical party or political Interest. vi-K.r i. ha iJtlmal nuroose of th campaign for Presidential prlmartet In the various mm.. at the National convention It- elf. When we have a direct choice of the Presidential nominee, there will be no ned of a convention, except it 'formulate a party platform: and. II the exampl" of Oregon la a criterion nart r,lif.irn are useless, super- faout. unnecessary. The candidate ! make hi own nlatform. The voter care nothing for the united or organ Jaed expression of party opinion ani , poller- ' t-- ahnnt.t President Taft fear 1 : tart- DlebisciteT We think he does it rinnnt rmf the majority of hla own party In a primary, what poselble chance na ne in "---Vona fould La Koltette carry the Republican primary tn a majority of the states? o. men wny annum k. Homnl that a Presidential prl mary would name delegates to defeat Taft In the National convention r ino South and the East and many states ta the Middle West and South would be for Taft. La. Follette the popular choice of any National Republican primary T Absurd. the rwTornrrs cir. rtEnra. With great labor and great expen diture of money and time, a Govern ment commission has been Inquiring Into the wisdom of a proposed Increase In the econd-cls rate of postage. The Inquiry was unnecessary, for the reports of the Postofflce Department Itself during the last twenty-five years rumkah the answer to the question this commission asks. Those reports show that the total revenue of the depart ment per capita have Increased ster by step with the increase of the toI me of second-class matter mainly newspapers and magaalnea carried by the mails. When that volume of matter ha shown a temporary de crease It wa reflected in coire ipondlns; decrease In the revenue per r a pita. Ia HI the weight of paid second class matter was 10.1.6i pounds and the postal revenue per capita eras 17 cants. In 1911 the weight or such matter had Increased to 1.S0.891 pound and the revenue per capita to 11.53. The volume of business of this rlas ha multiplied over 3 times and the total revenue per capita multiplied three and one-half times, though the population Increased only (1 per cent. That second-class mail business and total postal revenue travel together 1 evident from a decrease of cents In per capita revenue accompanying a decrease of (43. $0? pounds in second class matter in 1S4; a decrease of 3 cents in per capita revenue accom panying an unusually small Increase of 14.vl7.104 pounds of second-clax matter in US'; an Increase of II cents (a per capita revenue accompanying it unusual gain of SS.3SS.603 pounds of second-class matter in 1S03. An other large Increase in business Ir 10 accompanied an increase of 15 cent In revenue, while a decrease In fcosirvess In 190S accompanied & de rrene of 4 cent in revenue. The Volume of business Increased more in lilO and 1111 than In the twenty years preceding 1886 and In those two years the revenue Increased 31 cent per capita as compared with 17 centt Increase In the entire sixteen years preceding 1886. The Inference to be drawn from these figures la so plain that a Federal commission headed by a Justice of the Supreme Court Is not needed to guide Congress to it- The veriest dullard can arrive, at It. Cheap aeoond-class postage Is a developer of business for th postal service. It la the (treat est feeder in existence to the first-class tnal bnslness, which Is fhe real money maker of the postofflce. It stimulates business everywhere and every day of the year by causing people to writ letters and buy money orders. The Oregonlan on an ordinary day has three pages of small advertisements. Each one of those) advertisements causes the writing of all the way from one to 100 letters in reply and then tarts a oorrenpondenoe between the advertiser and those who have replied. By carrying newspapers and maga alnes at the present low rate the Post offlce Department encourages people to subscribe for them, to read them and through them to discover means of supplying their wants. The news papers thus cause ttie writing of many letters where one letter was written before, and each letter contribute 3 cent to the postal revenue. In carrjing newspapers at a mini mum rate the Government Is only do Ing what the railroad do when they carry homeaeekers and their house hold goods at reduced rates to unde veloped country along their lines. By this means the railroad causes the de velopment of the country and perma nently Increases its volume of traffic The grocer pursues the same policy when be sells sugar below cost lq or der to draw customers, who will buy J ether articles on which he will make r profit. By raising the postage on newspa pers the Government would destroy the greatest feeder of the money-making branches of the service and would be acting counter to the practice of every successful business house. Let the Government continue to stimulate this source of postal revenue, not choke It. ADTERTLSIXQ A STATU. Mr. Louis W. Hill, president of the Great Northern Railroad, complains that Governor West has been playing politics during the Governors' tour of the East. The Great Northern Rail road furnished the special train used by the traveling executive, and it would appear that Sir. Hill is entitled to an opinion as to the proper meth ods to be employed y the Governors In advertising the 'Western States. .Governor West played politics by ex ploiting himself through Oregon's po litical system. The Initiative and ref erendum, he said, had made Oregon one of the greatest states in the Union. But what would be said of the Oregon Development League or the Commer cial Club of Portland. If either should advertise the Oregon political system as the greatest attraction Oregon pos sesses for capital or workers? If It was the correct argument for Governor West to use on an advertising tour, all our other promotion agencies, like the Commercial Club, are all wrong in avoiding political subjects in their publicity work. Tet how long would the Commercial Club last if It should embark on that uncertain controver sial sea? RrTVISlOX A1 IMrltOvrMIiT The revising pen of Mrs. Taft has mightily Improved the list of "the world's greatest women" as it came from the "lady highbrows" of Illinois. But It admits of some little rectifica tion still. Queen Ellxabeth now fig ures on the glorious roll, ss she ought, but by what possible distortion of the facta does Victoria find a place there? The mother of Edward VII was a good woman and a model of the conven tional virtues, but she had only the dimmest shadow of a claim to great ness. She was fortunate Indeed, for during her long reign the British Em pire throve as It never had before, and her time was prolific in men of the first rank. Darwin, Huxley. Tenny son, Ulsraeli ana a score more or England's brightest and best belong to the Victorian era, but the Queen herself wa but a sensible, common place woman, not to be compared for a moment with her great predecessor Elizabeth. Joan of Arc also appears In the list as Mrs. Tart ha arranged it. ine women of Illinois forgot all about her. strange to say. though not one of her sex probably ever did more to alter the course of history. By some unaccountable lapse of memory, Madame Kowalewskl. the distin guished mathematician, is still over looked and yet more strangely Susan B. Anthony's name Is allowed to stand side by side with Florence Nightin gale and George Eliot. It Is surpris ing to find Harriet Beecher Stowe there while George Sand is left out. Upon the whole French women fare pretty well with Mrs. Taft for um pire, but the Germans are shockingly slighted and no Scandinavian Is so much as mentioned. Trie great Cath erine of Russia Is also kept In unmer ited obscurity, as are the French dames of revolutionary times. Ger trude Atherton la probably as power ful a novelist a George Eliot, but her name Is overlooked. Not a soli tary woman poet of America is in cluded unless we accord that distinc tion to Harriet Beecher Stowe. Mar garet Fuller Ossoli. who is admitted to Valhalla, wrote some verses, but hey were forgotten long ago. In fact. what did Margaret ever do to entitle her to a distinction which is denied by Mrs. Taft to Jane Addama? THB MI1XJOXTH PATENT. The millionth patent waa issued from the United States patent office a hort time ago. This means that in 121 years (the first patent was Issued In 7 So) the Government has given Its protection to 1.000.000 devices, re corded the Inventions as practicable nd given their inventors the exclusive right to make, sell or fix the limits wherein these' devices should be made or sold. The history of the patent office la distinct chapter In the history, or more properly, in the recorded growth of the Nation. For many years after the first letters patent were Issued there was but one clerk In the patent office, and he. working but a part of the time, was able to handle ever)' application that was made. The first patent wa issued to Samuel Hopkins, of Vermont. July 11. 1790. It Is in teresting to note that it protected a method of making pearlash or potash by refining vegetable matter In a crucible. It so happens that the process protected by this first patent has never been improved upon. The method of numbering patents In the order In which they were filed was not begun until later and it Is thus that the patent bearing num ber one In the files was Issued to John, Rugglos. July IS, 1836. It covered a device for a steam engine. designed to run on an Inclined plane. Unlike the other, "first patent," it has long been outdated by greater devices In traction, engines. The "millionth patent" was Issued August 8, 1911. to Francis H. Holt, of Akron. O., and covered an Invention for a puncture- proof pneumatic time. It Is a far call In traction devices from this earlier date to the later and one that covers an era In the world's advancement In Inventive genius that la nowhere more striking than in the history of rapid transit. The records of the patent office show that in the last twenty years In which rapid tran sit has been to the fore in the devel opment of the country, more patents have been issued than were issued dur ing the entire oentury preceding them. Specifically out of the 1.000,000 pat ents Issued, some 550.000 have been granted In twenty years. The graveyard of many ambitions; the slow death of many ardent hopes, as -well as the happy 'fulfillment of many dreams of success, the Patent Office stands today a monument to th Inventive genius of the American Inventor, representing as he does the most resouroeful. energetic and per sistent class tn all the world. It would, of course, be Interesting to know Just how many of the eager, confident Inventors have won distinc tion and wealth in this ardent quest for something new-In the world. Such reckoning Is. however, practically Impossible. We know In a general way that many men have gained wealth, and some xnea av acquired Xame, through the medium of patents launched or owned by them; that some of the greatest monopolies In the world block the door to competi tion by the protection that the Gov ernment has given them through let ters patent. But the common belief is that Inventors have as a rule lived and died poor even to destitution, while not a few, brooding over their failure to receive recompense and rec ognition in the world of progress, and perhaps seeing the children of their brains the darlings of their ambition hopelessly alienated by purchase, have found refuge for their' disap pointment and failure la asylums for the Insane. The fact Is as stated re cently by a writer upon this subject, that while many have felt called upon to revolutionise the Industries or arts of the country, but few have been chosen to enjoy the fruits of their work. furthermore, the efforts of man? Inventors who received letters patent have been barren of results- statement that is attested by useless articles and Implements that literally cumber the kitchens and clutter the garrets and closets of the land the Inevitable result of the Issuance of something like twenty-two patents day" for a period of 121 years, showing a grand aggregate of a million patents, TOTE MAX, XOT VhB SYSTEM. The Live Wires, a militant organi sation of Oregon City, is much dis turbed over the unenviable reputa tion being given to Clackamas County by single-tax champions, paid and otherwise. Clackamas is the home of the single tax propaganda. Natural enough, since Clackamas has the rare distinction of being the home of Mr. LTRen. Greatness has its penalties. The Live Wires find that many mis representations are being made as to the Clackamas County assessments by the official assessors under the pres ent system. Various illustrations of gross injustice are given. For exam pie, kt is declared that the taxes on one tract of 100 acres are 360, while the assessment against an adjoining tract of 100 acres results In a 316 tax. The Live Wires have Investigated and they find that the statement Is untrue. We are not surprised. The single taxers are hard put fof argumeo. But suppose it were true. What then? It proves nothing against the present system only that the assessor has failed or neglected to do his duty, or has had his own reasons for making an Inequitable assessment. The slngle-taxers purpose to correct dishonesty and discrimination by de vising a new system. But the remedy is new assessors. No system is better than the man behind It. hat new guaranty will single tax give us for fair, equal and full assessments? ' THE STATE CMYF.R.s'IT Y AGAIN. The flurry of excitement Into which some self-styled "friends" of the State University are thrown by any criti cism, however mild, of that institu tion reminds one of the mental state of certain savage tribes when travelers speak dlsrespectlvely of their fet lshes. No less terrible a crime than blasphemy ha been committed. The reckless offender may thank his lucky stars if he escapes with his life. We would recommend the virtues of calm and contrite frame of mind to these excitable champions of "the higher education." as they love to style themselves. With complete duv regard of the plain facts of the case they identify the "higher education" with the university at Eugene and al ways assume that anybody who ven tures to point out any of the failings of their Idol Is an apostlle of Ignor ance and an emissary of darkness. This Is diverting, of course, but It can hardly be said to be profitable. The State University Is a public Institution and Its affairs are matters of public Interest.. If it is well conducted the people of Oregon are entitled to the satisfaction of knowing that It la If, on the other hand. It falls short of what, might fairly be expected, again the people are entitled to know the whys and wherefores. We are moved to make thee reflec tion by the perusal of a letter from Mr. Allen Eaton, of Eugene, which Is printed In The Oregonlan today. Mr. Eaton took his pen in hand to reply to an editorial article on the some what dubious value of modern college training which was published In those columns the other day. The general tone of Mr. Eaton's observations force us to conclude that he thinks it was very, very wicked for us to say what we did about the university. Even if all our remark had been true, he would still have deemed. It our duty to remain silent, on the prin ciple that the best way to treat a cancer Is to deny sturdily that It ex ists. But according to hla lights we did not succeed very well In stating the facts as they were. Mr. Eaton believes, for Instance, that the univer sity has affected the life of the state a great deal more than we made al lowance for. To prove his point, our correspondent runs over a list of half a dozen eminent names, mostly those of old graduates. The list makes pleasant reading. It warms one's heart to be reminded that the univer sity graduated such individuals. We fcei better" so much better that' we are disposed to concede everything our young friend says along this line. Later on In his letter Mr. Eaton really concedes our point, though perhaps he waa not aware of the slip. After quoting our Inquiry why the university, though It has been in op eration for more than thirty years, "has not more deeply affected the life of the community," Mr. Eaton says, "one reason, and one of the strongest. Is that The Oregonlan has been In op eration for more than thirty years." Of course there is no significance to this remark unless the university really has failed to do what might reasonably be expected of it. The Oregonlan cannot be blamed for any crime unless the crime has been com mitted by somebody. In accusing this paper of causing the Inefficiency of the institution at Eturene, Mr. Eaton necessarily grants that the ineffi ciency Is undeniable. So far so good. Now how has The Oregonlan gone about it to produce this lamentable consequence? How has It managed to blight the early promise of the State University? Mr. Eaton explains: "In all that time The Oregonlan has not -been the friend of the university. At times, it is true, it has published favorable news Items and editorials, but many more times they have been unfavorable." In other words. The Oregonlan has printed the facts as they were without regard to influence or favor. According to Mr. Eaton, we should have given only the bright Items and suppressed the dark ones. In the light of this opinion the reader may take his next remark that The Oregonlan "has published many state ment ooncexnins ths university which were false" for what It Is worth. In one sentence he upbraids us for tell ing the ' unvarnished truth. ' In the next he impeaches oar veracity be cause part of the truth happens to be disagreeable. The affair -speaks for Itself. Why should The Oregonlan pose as "a friend to the State University" any more than to the Insane asylum, the school for the blind or any other state Institution? It Is the business of a J newspaper to print the news without regard to the private interests which may be affected by it. Shall the truth be concenled from the taxpayers of the state? If their money is spent without adequate returns It is their right to know it. The higher educa tion is bigger than any Institution. Its fate Is not wrapped op with that of any particular school. One may very well insist that money has been waste. fully spent in this place or that with out being In the least degree opposed to the proper use of public funds for education. When the late referendum was be fore the people The Oreponian stood the friend of the university. Another referendum measure may be submit ted before a great while. This paper has condemned the methods said to have been used In obtaining signatures to the petitions, but it also condemns the methods by which the appropria tion In question was secured. Not only were those methods discreditable in the extreme but according to good Judges the funds were not needed by the university. In such circumstances what can The Oregonlan do but let the people pass upon the subject ac cording to their own best Judgment without interference or argument? There is some real probability that we' shall have only two political par ties In this country' when the present fogs have cleared away. One of the parties may be conservative and the other .radical. This is w hat a great many 'intelligent observers expect, and it is what the experience of other countries teaches us to look for. But it would be absurd to think of one party as being solidly conservative to the same degree throughout. It will be composed of many shades and va rieties of conservatism. Just as the other will Include all types of radi calism. The division between them will be a matter of feeling rather than of strict definition. The socialists may form a powerful wing of the radicals, but they will not be likely to control the .party or to give It their name. Socialists are by the nature qf their minds unable to act with men of milder views and therefore even in the radical party of the future, if there should be one, they will be looked upon as impracticable vision aries. . The men of 'Waterbury deserve some countenance in their contention for streetcars which shall exclude women. They ask for the favor, only during rush hours when women flock to the cars in pitiless .hordes and leave no seats for their chivalrous but weary husbands and sweethearts. At the busy time of day why not have men's cars where smoking Is permit ted? There might also be women's cars, more elegantly conducted, from which tobacco would, of course, be excluded. We commend the Water bury Idea to the nhllanthroplc street car company. The new political party to be com posed of "business men" will never get very far. Business men are too busy to devote themselves consecutively to politics. In order to keep their party going they must Intrust its manage ment to politicians and then at once we should cease to have a "business men's" party. They would occupy In It the same position, relative to con trol, as they do In the parties we have. The announcement that the Inter state Commerce Commission will In vestigate the express companies Is welcomed by the American Banker, which accuses them of Invading the field of the Government by selling money orders, and of the banks by selling bonds. The express companies are becoming an object of general as sault, chiefly through their opposition to a genuine parcels post. Confession of the McNamaras seems likely to be the beginning of a stam pede to save their own necks or lib erty among the dynamiters and slug gers who have cursed union labor. Such "heroes" are always ready to se cure their own safety at the expense of their fellows. There Is hope that, when they are eliminated, reason will rule labor as It has begun to rule capi tal. The editor of the Uklah. Cal., Times Is missing with $500 on his person In Sun Francisco, and there is much alarm. Apprehension seems needless. A rural newspaper man with that amount would simply step out of his class. Jumping to death from a high build ing is proper for men, but a woman has more regard for the looks of the corpse. A political party composed of busi ness men will have too many conflict ing Ideas and opinions to merit suc cess. Now Spokane may be made clean. since 1000 men are to be deputized Into a committee on safety. Anybody can make a list of the world's greatest women if he puts his wife's name at the head. ACly Councilman having been in jured by a motorcyclist, there may be some laws to restrict the fiends. National currency Issued on crops sounds like the white "greenbacks" of the panic period. ' Arizona being new to statehood, de lay In the count is pardonable: Government must coin the picayune to meet the rise in beer. The healthiest sign in Oregon is that eggs are cheaper. Xew Rope of Wire aad Paper. Indianapolis News. A new kind of rope Is on the market, which is said to be 60 per ceat more durable than cotton, being stronger and equally as flexible. It Is made of galvanized steel wire, which Is covered with several layers of paper, making It serviceable for clotheslines and the like. Voting- and Vaccination. Baltimore American. Vaccination ia a voting qualification In Norway, WHAT THE UNIVERSITY HAS DOXE. War Defense by Alumnus of State Institution. EUGENE, Or., Dec. 13. (To the Edi tor.) I have Just read the article in The Oregonlan on "Why Go to College." Before I go to work this morning, I want to reply to It. As to whether or not parents' "sons and daughters get what they ought from the four years of college course," I will not take your valuable space to discuss. On some points we would un doubtedly agree, but the many general ities in which you Indulge are interest ing only as they reflect the opinion of the one who penned the editorial. A reply to them would be only the opin ion of one who did not agree with you. I do not feel free to take the space necessary to discuss what a college graduate should know or how he should perform. Nor am I Interested at this time in debating the question as to whether or not it would have been bet ter to have had the State University located at Portland, or whether or not this may be done in the future. What space I take I want to use to reply briefly and Incompletely to your reference to the University of .Oregon and especially that part which reads "Our un'verslty has been In opjwation for more than 30 years. "Why has it not more deeply" affected the life of the community?" Before proceeding with some reasons why it has not affected deeply the life of the community. I want to give you the name of a few graduates of the in stitution who are in my mind at this moment, as a sort of extemporaneous renly to your conclusion that the unl versity has not vitally affected the l'fe of tho community. There were five members of the first graduating class of the University of Oregon in 1878. One of them was Judge Robert 8. Bean, for several years Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Oregon and now Federal Judge ror this district. I am not prepared to say that Judge Bean could answer your ques tion, "What graduate of the. University of Oregon could, on the spur or the moment, relate the story of Antony and Cleopatra as Shakespeare gives It, or even produce an accurate account of Bernard Shaw s vers'on of Cleopatra, but the editor of The Oregonlan might settle this important point should he make the challenge to Judge Bean in the columns of The Oregonlan. The late Judge Arthur Frazer, a grad uate of the University of Oregon In 1882. and whose noble work In con noctlon with the Juvenile Court was known and appreciated by the people of the United States from one shore to the other, might, if he were here, be embarrassed by The Oregonian's in slstence that he, without previous no tice, nroceed to "speak German or French conversationally." It might itumpi Seymour W. Condon, editor of the Pasadena Daily Isews, ana a graduate of Oregon in 1882, or Horace McClure. of the class of '90, and now associate editor of the Seattle Daily Times, if the editor of The Oregonlan would suddenly Insist that they write "a decent letter In a foreign tongue. The Oregonlan might address a series of notes to some of the following: Rev. Clayborne M. Hill, now president of the Pacific Coast Baptist Theological Seminary, who graduated from the Uni versity in 1881: Rev. Herbert S. John son, pastor of the Bhawmutt-avenue Church. Boston, a member of the class of '87; Rev. William Taylor, of the class of 1884. or Mrs. Elizabeth Logan Ennls of 1902, now doing most effectWe work as a missionary in West Africa. The Oregonlan might repeat its question to these, and some others: "Are they la- mlllar with the Bible?" I will not refer you to F. S. Dunn, '92; Edward H. McAllister, '90, or to a score of others to answer your question Tight off the bat. "Is there a solitary one of them who could take a Latin book and s't down and read It," because, the Joke would be on you; but I think you might embarrass awfully Judge Wallace T. Mount, a graduate or Oregon witn the class of 1883. and now a member of the Supreme Court of the State of Washington, if you should drift In on him some morning and make the de mand before breakfast that he open the book of Lucretius or Ltvy and read the same as he would Faust or Guy Maupassant." But what would absolutely prove the uselessness of the State University as an educational Institution and the In efficiency of its graduates would be for the editor of The Oregonlan to spring another of his tests upon our State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Lewis R. Alderman, by slipping up sud denly and asking him "to write a gram matical letter in the tongue of Ceasar." Mr. Alderman Is leading the Western States in hie education policies and re forms, in spite of the fact that he was graduated from the University of Ore gon in 1898. But now a word In reply to that pertinent statement and question, "Our university has been In operation for more than 30 years. Why has it not more deeply affected the life of the community?" One reason, and one of the strongest Is that The Oregonlan has been In operation for more than 30 yean. In all that time The Oregonlan has not beer the friend of the university. At times. It is true. It has published favor able news Items and editorials, but many more times they have been un favorable. Not only has this paper, for many years the strongest moulder of public opinion lri the state, been op posed to education at the expense of the state, but it has published many statements concerning the university that were false. This Is strong lan guage, but It Is as true as It Is plain. But It Is not the untrue and unreliable statements that have done the univer sity the most harm. Those could be and have been corrected at times, but It has been the constant note of dis couragement and the repeated endeavor to belittle the State University that has kept It from doing more. I am not making any excuses the University of Oregon has done too much for the state to need any excuses from me. The Oregonlan. for reasons of Its own some of which I could give has never been a steadfast friend of the State University, and that Is one reason why the university has not been able to do what all earnest citizens in the State of Oregon wished it might have done. Let me add that The Oregonlan has, at times, defended the university, but it has never been steadfast and its support has often come at the eleventh hour. It has never led, but has been, in respect to the state school, a tardy follower of public opinion. If The Oregonlan would care to print their names and records. I will take upon myself the task of preparing the story from 1878 to 1911. This I know would be an effective answer to whether or not the state has been Jus tified in the money It has spent for higher education, much of which The Oregonlan has opposed. My opinion, however. Is of little consequence, but for the people of Oregon who have struggled to support the university at great odds I want to challenge the author of the editorial which appeared today. I challenge The Oregonlan to mention any college or university in the United States of the same) age and the same number of graduates whose alumni have been as efficient and as useful to society as the men and women from the University of Oregon. When you have answered this, will you mention to your readers one state university in our country that has labored under such disadvantages as has the University of Oregon in the past 30 years and has succeeded as well or half as well? ALLEN H. EATON. A Hint In Eyesight. Baltimore American. Only one out of every 15 persons has both eyes in good condition. Half a Century Ago From The Oregonlan of December li, 1861. Our naval and military forces are now doing an excellent business. The naval forces and the trops in the South are proceeding very carefully and safe ly. The rebels on the Potomac are moving away from the Federal forces. Our small naval and military force has used up the braggart Bragg's forces in the Bay of Pensacola. Our troops, with a flotilla, are about to make a descent down the Mississippi. Parson Brownlow Is cutting right and left among the rebels of Tennessee. Vessels with supplies for the rebels' are more likely to go Into loyal than rebel ports. Charleston authorities are In the predi cament of not knowing whether it is best to burn or surrender the city (by all means burn It; wipe out the scro fulous concern) and our forces are now within, shelling distance of the de fenses of Savannah. With the excep tion of Missouri, everything is working well. The difficulty there is, we can not catch Price and his gang. He is affected with a running that seems to be constitutional. Government will sustain the seizure of tne traitors, Slldell and -Jason. The remains of Colonel Baker (from the San Francisco Herald of the 6th) At 9 o'clock yesterday morning Alfred Baker, eldest son of the deceased Sen ator; Superintendent Stevens, his son-in-law; Naval Officer Farwell. former ly his private secretary; Colonel Steph enson and a few other Intimate friends of the family, proceeded in car riages to the steamship Golden Gate and took charge of the remains of Colonel E. D. Baker, which arrived yes terday morning from New York under care of Abel Guy and Colonel Harass, of this city, and Mr. Deen, of Oregon. Messrs. Rector, Corbett and Morton, the committee from Oregon to request that the remains might be taken to Oregon for interment, also were pres ent. The friends then proceeded with the remains to the undertaker's. Notwithstanding- the utmost privacy was observed, a large number of persons followed the hearse to the undertaker's. There, In a private room, with none present but the Immediate friends, the large deal case containing the coffin, was opened. Its lid bore the inscrip tion: "The remains of Colonel E. D. Baker, killed In battle near Balls Bluff. Oc tober 21, 1861." Within the deal case was the metal lic coffin, of rosewood color, with silver handles on either side. An oval plate with "Colonel E. D. Baker, killed in battle near Balls Bluff, Virginia, Oc tober 21, 1S61." engraved thereon was on the top, and on each side of It wreaths of Immortelles. The metallic lid was then removed and the body, clad In the uniform as Colonel of the California regiment, recognized. The lid was then replaced and the remains were conveyed to the house of Mr. Stevens on Dupont street, near Lom bard, where they will remain until the 11th, the day of burial. The Alta of the 8th says that the re mains of Colonel Baker are to be laid out In state on Monday at Piatt's Music Hall, 'ine funeral is to taffe place on the 11th, and, it is supposed, will be one of the most important pageants ever witnessed in San Francisco. We have had no advices from Messrs. Corbett and Rector by the Cortes, a committee sent by citizens of Oregon to claim the remains of Colonel Baker. We hardly hope for their success, though we feel that Oregon should be the last resting place of the deceased Senator. Miles S. Griswold, Esq., Is elected Representative from Pacific County, Washington Territory, to fill the place of Bally, reslgneu. He was ten days In reaching Olyrapla, and had to swim some of the way. Wheeling, December S. In conven tion Mr. liolman offered a resolution declaring emancipation in the State of Kanawha, which Is under discussion. Qulncy, Dec. 2. Congress met today at noon. In the Senate Trumbull gave notice that he will introduce a bill to morrow to confiscate the property of rebels and give freedom to persons in the slave states. In the House rilalr of Missouri of fered a resolution to expel John W. Reid from the Fifth District In Mis souri, as he had Joined the rebels. Passed. Elliott offered a resolution to the effect that, as the United States was engaged in a war to put down rebel lion, and that, as It was a military necessity, the President has a right, as commander-in-chief to Issue an order for the emancipation of all slaves of rebel masters. The question was post poned one week. Campbell gave notice that he would call up the following resolution next Tuesday: "That In legislating to meet the exi gencies of rebellion. Congress should confiscate all the property of rebels. slaves or otherwise." Other resolutions, all aiming at emancipation and confiscation, were of fered and laid over. Washington, December 4. John C. Breckenrldge was unanimously ex pelled from the Senate. THE WAITER'S LAMENT. A waiter's life is a rotten life. Tls fraught with worry, deceit ana strire. At half past a from his bed he'll rise With bra.ln benumbed and sleepy eyee. His nerves set off like twitching strings By the sudden peal tha alarm clock rings. Into tha cold of the morn he flies With hands outstretched to tne arencning skies. And this Is tha song- the waiter sings As empty street its ecno rings: "Oh, a waiter's life is a rotten life. Ti Iraugni wua worry, utjton aiiu airiia. it A in the morn to his work ha comes To feed long-faced dyspeptic ones. Bagely advises he. at times. His seeming sympathy attracting dimes. Often he'll miss when he sought to score And only make his guest mora sore. Who swears by tha gods at service bum. That he'll start right In to make things hum. So between this grouch and the maltre ri'hntal. The waiter says to himself, "Oh, well. ' This is the song he wearily sings. Back through the halle Its echo rings, Oh. a waiter's Ufa la a rotten life. 'Tia full of worry, deceit and strife. Some errand to go, some comfort to bring; He's e'er at home where the dishes ring; At the back of the man with smile so rare. At the call of tha grouch who scowls to scare. So. this is the theme of the tuna he hums As he peddles a stew to a line of hums, "Oh a waiter's life Is a rotten llfo, Tie full of worry, deceit and strife." By Knott Offton Tipped, Portland, Or., December 1", lull. Because of Her. Mabel Stevens Freer, In Alnslee's Magazine. With bare brown legs and faded gingham gown, I saw her first a lovely little girl. Her slender nngers clasped within my own. With low, sweet laughter, set my heart awhlrl. From out her wondrous eyes of darkest blue fihone forth a soul all pure and undenled. And all things young and beautiful took on An added charm because she waa a child. Again I saw her as a maiden grown. A balf-ope'd blossom, whose rare grace fulfilled The promise of the bud, and yet gave hints Of greater glories, when, if God so willed. Tha half-grown rose should ope to fullest flower I brought my gifts of frankincense and myrrh. To lay them at her feet: and evermore I reverenced Womanhood, because of Her. And now I watch her rocking to and fro. j And crooning low within the dimming j light: A tiny head Is pillowed on her arm, A tiny form Is cuddled warm and tight, A glow Is on her face a light, methinks. That never on the land or sea did rest. All Motherhood Is sacred now to me Because It la my baby at her breast. VERSES OF GOOD COUNSEL By Olaf Gunatvelt. There's a deal of sound advice One had better not despise. If you're used to handle muckrakes don't you go and play the fool. You'll make a sad mistake If you to and trade your rake If you trade your little muckrake for the Golden Rule. If you are a Congressman It is much the better plan To refrain from writing love notes, save to females who are grown. You imy think the school girls sweet As they trip along the street, But you'll save some tall explaining if you don't let on. If a murderer's career Is the one that does appear Most attractive, don't let gallows thoughts put fear Into your bones. Ply your clever snickersnee Where there Is no gallows tree. Where the Governor is weeping yet be cause they hanged Bill Jones. OLAF GUNSTVEIT. Portland. December 12. SHOWIXG SATISFIES SOCIALIST. Only Blot In I.os Angelra Election Is 1 nsratef ulness of Woman. PORTLAND. Dec. 11. (To the Edi tor.) The cartoon in The Oregonlan, December 7, which was no doubt drawn from suggestion of the leading edi torial concerning the Los Angeles elec tion, with the, heading "A Lesson," in the same issue expresses an alignment which the Socialist movement has been working for since it inception. Any man who Is a Socialist will be well pleased with' the result of the election Just held In Los Angeles, where nearly 40 per cent of the votes cast were Socialist votes. It was fortunate for the movement that in the elimination all votes that were not strictly Social ist were cast with "the allied forces fighting the common Socialistic foe." The one striking feature that is a blot in the cartoon is that of the woman suffragist horrified at the dog Socialism. Notwithstanding the fact that woman In Los Angeles owes a large part of the liberty she has just acquired to the Socialist movement, where members might c;all her an un grateful individual, she will find that while the members may feel chagrined and know she is conservative and re actionary there is the principle of free dom and an equal opportunity involved that will continue to encourage her in holding on to this right and fighting even to enlarge her opportunities for freedom and equal rights. It certainly took a formidable crowd to "can the dog with defeat," but lo! and behold, he is not dead. There certainly must be something extremely potent in a cause that can bring every third person to Its rallying cry under such powerful and adverse opposition. You must not forget that the So cialist movement Is primarily an edu cational organization, founded upon the scientific basis of the class struggle and supported by the theories of the materialist cpneeption of history and surplus value, and that the movement Is forced into the political arena in order to count noses. When a major ity of the heads counted are for So cialism we will pass out of political government into industrial democracy. I might show in this article that it was said many years ago that "capi llists would be their own grave-diggers," but Socialism is a growing and vital question and Is not dead as might be supposed by tho heterogeneous crowd that not only think but would wish they had killed the dog "Social Ism." When every third person in Portland is a Socialist, as Is the case in Los Angeles, the same heterogeneous crowd in Fortland, as shown in the editorial to exist in Los Angeles, will be allied against tho common Social istic foe in Portland. It might be of great interest to The Oresonian's read ers to know that there are today over 1000 Socialists holding various political positions in the United Ptiites and it will be of more interest to them to know that In the coming election to be held In Germany, January 12, it is conceded the Socialists will cast nearly 6,000,000 votes. "Does It require deep intuition to comprehend that man's Ideas, views and conceptions, in one word, man's consciousness changes with every change in the conditions of his material existence, in his social re lations and in his social life?" VALOR SMITH. 1859 Chautauqua Building, Portland. TWO VIEWS OF DEATH PENALTY Dynamiter and Governor Reach Same Opinion by Different Honda. ST. JOHN'S. Or., Dec. 11. (To the Editor.) I am glad that Oswald West and John B. McNamara see eye to eye on the question of capital punishment. West says hanging is a relic of bar Jjarism, and that, so far as he Is con cerned, there will bo no more of it in Oregon. JlcNamara says he confessed in order to save his brother from the noose. He evidently thinks that hang ing is a much worso thing than im prisonment for life. West will learn by and by that bad men dread capital punishment more than any other pun ishment. Webb, no doubt, thought -he was getting off easy when West sub stituted life imprisonment for the death penalty; but Webb would rather be im prisoned a thousand years than be hanged. And West knows this, and for this reason, allowed himself to be in fluenced by a piece of low doggerel rather than comply with the law he was sworn to uphold. I notice another thing that seems a lltlte strange to me: West says that he is opposed to capital punishment. Samuel Gompers, the president of the American Federation of Labor, says he Is opposed to capital punishment under any circumstances, and yet when he read the sentences imposed on these murderous scoundrels, he Faid: "I think the sentences received by both men were appropriate to the crime." Sup pose these men had been sentenced to the penitentiary for five years each, wouldn't Mr. Gompers have been bet ter satisfied? If 15 years is better than death, wouldn't five years be bet ter than 15? Does Governor West really imagine that a sentence of life imprisonment would be as effective In preventing 6uch awful crimes as the cuses now under consideration? If he does, he has read history to very litle purpoee. It is pure folly for the Governor to say that men dread a sentence of life Imprisonment ns much as they would a sentence of death. It isn't the pain of dying they so much fear as dread of something after death The undiscovered country, from whose bourn No traveler returns, puzzles the will. And makes us rutlier bear those ills we have Than fly to others that we know not of. There is nothing bad men with murderous instincts dread so much a the tightening of the noose around their unworthy necks. And there is nothing which well-di.-ipu.sed persons so much dread as prowling vagabonds running at large without let or hin drance. LAW AND ORDER. Seeing Thing at Night. Everybody's Magazine. A man in a very deep state of in toxication was Fltamtins and kicking most vigorously at a lamppost, when the noise attracted a nearby police man. "What's the matter?" he asked the energetic ones "Oh, never mind, mishter. Thash all right." was the reply. "I know she'sh home all right I shee a light up shtairs !". A i