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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 16, 1911)
10 nrr ronTrsG okt:goa?c. satttidat, December ig, ion. rOITUM). ORIflOM. a t n ! rrt at Portland. Oragoa. Poatofflca u e-acond-Oaaa Matter. laMcnptloi Ka:a Invariably In A A Tmnra. IBT MAIL) rafv. tnntimy tnclnU ana year .....Me T'at jr. Sun'tar Inc.udrd. a. a mnntha.... Dai. j. Kunrtiy loc:uiel. thr month.. 2 I'al.jr. aimout r.unir. na yar ...... r" T ' . I if ii,lnrf.. . ' . mnnlSl .... a - X'i:r. without 6undar. thraa months., lai r. without touaaay. on month-.... Waaly. n raar ..................... J Sunday, nnn yar Buadas aaJ Wa-kiy. oat yr ......... I BT CARRIER.) T1'T. arda lnrlt:de1. ont ynr 2? Xal jr. Suniay tnr.udl. nna month Maar fa Hemlt s-nd poatftfft'-a monry or r. tiprrti ortlr or personal check on your loeal bank. 9:ampa, com or currency ara ac th f udrr'i raa. Civa poatoriica adarana In f j:l. tnr'-jlnr county and atata. Poalaca Ram ID to ! par". 1 cent: 1" to 24 paa. 2 casta; a to 4'i paiea. S centa; 40 to paean, 4 centa. orea pontasn, doab:e rate. . lLavMerai Ranfaara Offlrea Vary Conk lla .-w Tork. brauakk building. CMca go, Ktraer ba: lnc Europmn Office Ka. I Rrfent Btroet. B. W .. London. ride the means of keeping them con stantly Informed, but he does not pro pose that a Federal charter and th advice of a Federal bureau shall con stitute a grant of perpetual immunity from prosecution for wrong-doln done In spite of all this aid to right living. The Chronicle says: "The great need of the hour la the elimination of poll tics from business." but that "Federal incorporation and Federal reflation would provide for the more complete Identification of the two." Politics can never be eliminated from business so lorn as it remains the function of the Government to regulate commerce and make tariffs, but the Interference o politics with business will become In nocuous so soon as business cheerfully submits to Federal control of railroads and Interstate trade and ceases be- sieging Congress with appeals for tariff favors and subsidies. Let business cease meddling with politics and poll tics will meddle but little with bus! ness. PORTLA " D, LtTTRDIT, PEC. IS. Iflt. A WORD FOR THE CKI BKTAKER. , GIfford Pinchofs article in the Sat urday Evening Post. In which he gives his conclusions from what he saw and heard in Alaska, is an attempt to make the best of a bad case. He went to Alaska In search of evidence to support his own attacks on the Administration and bolster up his own policy of putting Alu.-ka in cold stor age. The remedy for whatever he found amiss has already been announced by the Administration through Secretary Fisher. The greater part of his case against the Government has been destroyed by the mass of irrefutable facts stated by Mr. Fisher in his speech before the American Mining Congress. There, Is one class of men w hom Mr. Plnchot regards with particular aver sion. That class is composed of the men who have furnished the capital without which Alaska could not have been prospected and cannot be devel oped. In order to punish them, he would repeal the l'gal provision for location of mineral claims by power of attorney. No doubt the power of attorney has been abused in Alaska more than In any other Western state or territory, but if its use In filing on mineral claims should be entirely abolished, a paralyzing blow would be struck at the mining Industry. A power of attorney is given to prospector by the man who supplies ;hlm with means for an expedition In 'search of mineral and for that pre liminary work which Is necessary to determine whether a claim, common ly called prospect, will make a mine, Such a man is called a grubstaker, and In return for his grubstake the prospector locates a claim In his name "the two men usually being equal part- ners In two adjoining claims. The his tory of the West is full of heart-interest stories of penniless prospectors. fwhose strong arms, stout hearts and elementary knowledge of minerals were not alone sufficient to accom plish results. Many wheels of prog ress are now humming because the grubstake was possible. When the news of the Klondike dis covery reached Seattle tn 1S97. that city was swarming with men out of work. They called on their more for tunate friends who had money to grubstake them for a trip to the Klon dike. It was a long, costly Journey, and It was not safe for a man to enter that wilderness with less than a year's supplies of all kinds. Men with enough money to grubstake prospector unaided er few in those , hard times, and It waa necessary for prospectors to travel tn twos and threes. Several men. therefore, clubbed together to outfit a party, and rach one of the grubstakers as well as the prospectors became entitled to a :lnlm. The grubstakers had worked hard for the money they had thus Invested, they had denied themselves in order :o save It, and they certainly were rntttled to their reward. Without them the prospector could have done nothing and the development of Alas ka would have gone forward with painful slowness. The large returns hat the few realized were Justified by the risks of capital involved. But Mr. Plnchot considers their con duct highly reprehensible. He calls them "armchair mushers and par lor pioneers." He accuses them of squeezing tears from their eyes over the hardships of the pros ' pectors, though their sole Interest In the prospector "Is to take over the results of hl labor with the least pos sible trouble and at the smallest pos sible expense." These men furnished the capital. In large or small quantities, with which Alaska has been prospected, but Mr. Plnchot condemns them for remain ing at home in comfort while the prospector went Into the wilderness to endure hardship and privation. The prospector did not condemn them when he was given the grubstake: he was probably very grateful. After all. it is a trait of human nature that a man does not endure hardship unless necessity, desire for riches or love of adventure impels him. The prospect or's object in going to Alaska was to acquire riches, that he might live In comfort while, some other man who Jiad nothing did the hard work In fact, that he might do just as the grub, taker baa done. A MII.IJONAIKE ART PATRON. Mr. P. A. B. Widener, of Philadel phia, has bought three paintings by Rembrandt, for which he paid $1,000 000. They were obtained for him by his London agents from the collection of a Brititsh nobleman. In our opln Ion the nobleman has a great deal more common sense than the Ameri can millionaire. No painting in the world Is worth the third part of a million dollars, and when the offer of that price was made to him he showed excellent wisdom in accepting it. The craze of our millionaires Ior collecting old pictures Is utterly un intelligent. They do not want the works for their beauty. Nor do they understand why such treasures are Important In the history of art. All they know is that the canvases are expensive and therefore they think they must gather them In. On the same principle they buy the costliest automobiles and send around the world for their dinner courses. Most of these millionaires would not dream of buying a picture from an artist who Is not dead. They will wait until he starves and then bid against each other for the canvases he painted In his misery. It was the glory of the old Floren tine millionaires that they paid big prices to the artists of their own day and their own city. They did not despise the old. but they had Intelli gence enough to value the new. For that reason art throve among them as it never had thriven before except at Athens, where the city did the same thing. Suppose Pericles had sent to Egypt and bought statues at a million dollars apiece for the Parthenon In stead of setting Phidias at work on the frieze and pediment. He would have done in principle exactly what our millionaires are doing. They do not patronize art. They do not know what art is. They buy pictures only to spend their money, and all the painters in the world may go hungry for what they care. The place for the Rembrandt can vases Is in public galleries. The Eu ropean governments onght to bring the power of eminent domain to bear on all the old pictures they can find and place them where they will be safe from plutocratic plunderers. About all the utility they have is for students. The general public does not know any better than the millionaires how to appreciate them, but to shut them up in private galleries Is a scan dal to civilization. wood and Marshall next, and a scat tering support for Kern. Folk, and Foes. A large number would be satisfied with "any good progressive Democrat." Among the Wilson boost ers are Senator Chamberlain and State Chairman Sweek, of Oregon, the latter saying that both Wilson and Harmon have strong followlngs In this state, with Wilson strongly In the lead. Harmon has the support of many Ohio Congressmen, but there is division, even in his own state, for National Committeeman Garber plain ly hints. In these words that Bryan would knife Harmon: The Bryan Influence In the Stare of Ohl' la so great anU universal that no man ca be elected who has not Mr. Bryan's artiv upport. The fact that Mr. Bryan would oppuse eurh a candidate in the conventioi would preclude hla nomination, even. Tariff and trusts are put first as campaign issues by the Democrats, as they probably will be by the Republi cans. The old-line Democrats pi their faith to tariff for revenue only as the winning platform plank. Hall road regulation is mentioned by bu few. That good old stand-by. econ omy In administration. Is made to d duty again. Initiative, referendum and recall receive a liberal sprinkling of Indorsements as good vote-getter, but there Is lack of unanimity on the recall. Governor Cruce, of Oklahoma, denouncing It as "not Democratic, bu thoroughly socialistic." Representa tive Carter, of the same state suggests the planting of bait for Republican votes, saying they must be captured from the progressive wing. All pro fess desire for a progressive policy but many specify a policy which is no more progressive than any platform adopted in the last twenty years. The almost equal division of strength between Wilson and Harmon presages a strong contest in the con vention between progressives and con servatives with a good chance for Clark to slip off with the nomination, or. If he should fall, any one of the tail-enders to seize the prize. Who ever may win, the battle appears likely to be fought on the issue of scientific revision of the tariff with moderate protection as defined by Taft against tariff for revenue only; also on the Issue of control of corporations as denned by the Democrats as against control of corporations as defined by the Republicans. The definition of the rival policies will be made clearer by the debates In Congress. OX1.T IHMTVITT WILL. SATISFY. It seems impossible to satisfy some of the) defenders of the trusts. They have been complaining that under the oil and tobacco decisions it is Impos sible for the corporations to know whether they are within the law until they have undergone prosecution and their cases have been decided by the Supreme Court. This would keep them fn uncertainty for several years. 4 Tet, now that President Taft pro poses to reduce this period of uncer tinty to a few weeks in each case by allowing the trusts to obtain Federal charters, which shall start them on a course known to be legal, by clearly defining what they may or may not 0 and by creating a Federal bureau which shall always be ready to resolve their doubts, the Commercial and Fi nancial Chronicle complains that ab solutely nothing would be gained be cause they would not be Immune from prosecution If they should afterwards Violate the law. , Everything would be gained to hich the corporations are Justly en titled. Mr. Taft says. In effect, that. If with all these aids to doing right, any corporation or Its officers should nevertheless do wrong, they should be prosecuted. Their complaint hitherto kas been that the distinction between T'.ght and wrong Is not cleai Mr. Taft BroDoses to make It clear ana to pro- , FERTTN EXT QUESTIONS. The horrible, disnatured crimes that have been committed in this city and vicinity at Intervals during the pres ent year; crimes involving murder by strangulation, by the pistol and the ax: crimes barbarous beyond the con ception of even the ordinary criminal and Inconceivable except from the standpoint of debased and perverted human passion, cry aloud for such retribution and penalty as human law has been able to devise and still keep within the limit set by statute against cruel and unusual punishments. It Is In the presence of such a carni val of crime as this; in the ghastly presence of acts that Included the en tlcement of a child of tender, infantile age by a man to his room in a lodg lug-house for purpose of lust and murder, that Governor West has seen fit to assume the rule of mawkish hu manity toward murderers and to an nounce the abrogation of the death penalty during his term of office, thus arresting the operation of a law which with others he Is sworn to enforce. The constabulary of this city and county has under arrest at this time a man who it is believed Is guilty of the murder of little Barbara Holzman at Albina last Spring, perhaps also of the Hill family at Ardenwald last June, and possibly of others who were slain in a similar manner some weeks later While they slept. Suppose the finger of suspicion now pointed at this man tightens into the clutch of fact. Suppose that this disnatured pervert is convicted of one or more of these crimes, and even that, pushed to the coward's extremity through fear of future punishment, he confesses to the deed or deeds. Is not his life for feit to humanity to society by even precept of Justice, divine and human? Has he any right to live In a world to which he is a menace, even though confined in the state's prison? There can be but one answer to this ques tion by persons whose Judgment is sound upon problems of public policy. Governor West to the contrary not withstanding, the perpetrator of this crime or of these crimes should. If apprehended, tried and convicted, be haaged after as brief an interval as custom will allow between sentence and execution. Why. Indeed, should the Governor set aside this penalty any more than any other that Is prescribed by law as a punishment for evil-doers and a guarantee for the protection of society from acts of violence? oy living to he oi.n. A French man of science. Dr. Le grand, has published some Investiga tions regarding the longevity of hu man beings In the various walks or life. His statistics relate to all times and countries from which facts can be gleaned and his examples of ongevlty or the reverse present all phases of existence from the king to he peasant. Dr. Legrand preferred however, to study the vital statistics of celebrities and for that purpose he hose some 9000 of the best known. From the facts of their careers he raws some Instructive conclusions. For one thing, he has made up his mind that upon the whole intellectual work is less injurious to the physical frame than too much use of the mus ics. Brain workers as a class outlive hand workers. Philosophers, mathe maticians and statesmen are apt to live to old age, while physicians, who have to undergo a good deal of physi cal hardship, die young as a class. Kings are not likely to reach old age because their circumstances are too easy. They rust out, and rust Is more deadly to man than toll. Besides that, kings, and queens as well, eat too much. Dr. Legrand gives a long and portentous list of mon archs, including both sexes, who have shortened their earthly careers by pandering to their palates. King Ed ward VII was one of them, though his mother. Queen Victoria, was one of the few royal personages who have lived to the age of 80 years and more. The Emperor William I of Germany was another. That robust sovereign was 91 years old when he died. But as a rule kings and queens hardly live out half their appointed days, and the reason for it is overeating. Queen Wilhelmina, of Holland, is an awful warning in this respect. That indis creet young woman always devours five meals a day, beginning with a breakfast of pumpernickel and coffee. She then proceeds to a 10 o'clock re past of cheese, hot biscuits and wine, which, is followed at 2 by a solid lunch. Thus her day opens. It ends with a substantial dinner at 8 o'clock and a luncheon at 10. No wonder she is fat. Very likely she has a doctor with her every day or two to tell her how to grow thin and takes any quan tity of medicine for that purpose. Dr. Legrand adds that men of good habits lived as long, or even longer. In antiquity than they do now. The annals of Greece and Rome abound with instances of philosophers and politicians who died at the age of 80 or 90 years. Cato had so much vigor at 80 that he took up the study of Greek. Socrates would have passed the century mark If he had not been Judicially murdered. The rules of hygiene were pretty well understood in the cities of old and personal habits were good among the Intelligent elates. Hence life was long and pleasant. In the middle ages the world's habits changed In this partic ular. Dirt was cultivated as some thing holy. Personal cleanliness be came a sign of Impiety. Medical knowledge was forgotten for the sake of prayer. In short, faith-healing be came the world's practice. As a con sequence the average length of hu man life among the upper classes fell from the ancient average of 72 down to about 62 years, while Europe was continually swept by plagues like the Black Death. As the confidence of mankind In science has been grtylu and hangs pendulously under the chin in many a scaly fold voluminous and vast. The fat on the body Is an index of the quantity of food we have di gested but did not need. The hapless system stores it away wherever It can be tucked in a vain hope that some time it will be useful. As a general thing death Intervenes long before any such emergency occurs. A benev olent genius takes up the subject of superfluous fat in the current number of the Saturday Evening Post and tells a grateful world how to get rid of It. His prescription is too simple to be followed. Nor is that the only objec tion. It is also too sensible. It requires too much exertion of the will and it is too inexpensive. What we all want of our doctors Is something elaborate, learned and costly. This man tells us that if we want to get rid of superflu ous fat the thing to do is to stop eat ing more than we need. When the body has Just enough food to keep It going comfortably It cannot lay up any surplus in the form of fat. There is the whole subject In a nutshell Our author applied this principle to himself and In a few months reduced, his weight from 250 to 195 pounds. Being naturally a heavy man, he thought this was doing pretty well, and we think so too. The wonder of his case is that he figured out the cure for himself. He had tried all the fads, exercise, diet, dosing, and found them worthless. Then the happy idea of checking his greed LACK OF CrMPTIOX IS DEPLORED Half a Century Ago broke into his mind. He applied it In Monthly. Our hotel men just announced I Samuel Blames Cltiaeae for Lon of fidflc Monthly. PORTLAND. Dec. 14.-(To the Edi- From The 0re,onlan. December 18. ls61. tor.) A brief announcement in The Tho IOIlowins news additional to vregpnian iv aays since miormea uie public that the Pacific Monthly had consolidated with the Sunset Magazine and that the office of publication would thereafter be in San Francisco. The notice in itself does not really convey the information of the great loss which Portland sustains by this so-called con solidation. The editor, artists and other employes of the Pacific Monthly who are residents of the city of Portland and who spend their earnings here, are shelved because the work will hereafter be done by the Sunset force, who live in San Francisco. Oregon printers will no longer do the composition or press work. Oregon engravers will no longer make the plates. Portland trucks will no longer do the hauling, and the thou sands of dollars heretofore rjaid for postage will no longer assist in sweU lng the Portland postal receipts. Even our bank clearings will reflect that a large money-gathering enterprise has ceased to designate Portland as its home city. It is most regrettable that this splen did publication has passed out of ex istence for lack of loyal support. We go on organizing boosters clubs, de velopment leagues and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in getting out advertising pamphlets about Oregon, when for a fact, good as all these things are, we could better afford to dispense with them all than lose the Pacific practice, and Io, the happy result. His advice to everybody who Is fat, par. tlcularly to the women, is "go and do likewise, One's first Impression on reading Senator Bailey's objection to the child labor bureau is that he upholds child labor as having produced the greatest race of people on earth, but this is too obviously absurd, even for Bailey. He is contending for state control of child labor and appeals to local and state pride in Its behalf. It would be very pleasant and flattering to each state's opinion of its own greatness and superior virtue to be lieve Mr. Bailey, but, unfortunately, we cannot do so without lirnorinsr plain facts. Under state control child labor is sapping the vitality of the ris ing generation of the cotton mill towns, particularly of the South, and Is causing them to grow up ignorant and feeble. They develop into sickly weeds instead of vigorous men and women. Some states may have good laws against child labor and may en force them, but, if those states which wreck a large part of their population in its youth are to bo brought up to the standard which this Nation has set, the whip and spur of Federal con trol, directed by the most enlightened opinion, must be applied. At the very time when the tele graph companies are reducing tolls In order to Increase the volume of busi ness and thereby Increase profits, the War Department says It cannot re duce tolls on the Alaska telegraph lines because they are losing money. It is probable that the lines are los ing money because the tolls are so high as to forbid their use. The tel egraph companies have learned that the best way to make money is to keep their lines working all the time. To do so. they must place the cost within reach of everybody. The Post- ofllce Department is a shining ex ample of the success of tho principle of a small percentage of profits and large returns. Although this is the first year In its history that the post offlce has made a profit, every reduc tion In rates has been followed by a reduction in the deficit. The War Department should take a hint from its neighbor. that 110.000 will be sDent bv them In publishing pamphlets to attract tour ists. Millions of pamphlets won't do the work that the Pacific Monthly has done for Oregon hotel men in the past by picturing our matchless scenery. To the best of my recollection only one Oregon hotel ever gave the Pacific Monthly continuous advertising sup port. As a business community we Indi vidually and collectively need many chunks of genuine gumption. It is obtainable to the north of us, also to the south of us. Portland is erowlnar in spite of everything and will continue to grow, nothing can stop the growth which our geographical position, pic turesque location, backed by a health ful climate naturally forces on us. If with these natural advantages we would also use gumption by hanging together namely, give Oregon enter prises preference over those from the outside, we would grow as w-e have never grown before, and as we never can grow without gumption. ine artistic temperament of one of our prominent citizens caused him to make the Pacific Monthly a beautiful publication. It Is said that he exDend- ed a good-sized fortune in this laudable effort and the people of Oregon simply looked on. Liberal advertising patron age which should have gone to the en terprise would have made the Pacific Monthly a financial success as It al ready was an artistic success. Llkelv enough the Sunset will publish pictures of Oregon, but I leave the Intelligent reader to judge whether it Is best to send to California for Oregon Illustra tions ratter than sUDDort the Pacific Monthly, which was made entirely in Oregon and all of its Income was spent in uregon. A short time ago I attended a boost ers' meeting In Eastern Oregon. All the citizens wore big buttons Droclaim- ing mat tney were boosters. After th meeting I walked down Main street. and glancing in the window of prominent rirm, whose members are owners of the mill and members of th local boosters' club, I noticed on dis play a number of sacks of flour manu factured by the firm mentioned. The sacks In which this Oregon flour was put up showed by the imprint that the sacks were manufactured In a city to the north of us. not In the state of Oregon, and there are a number of sack manufactories in Portland. I have never as yet noticed that Washington flour is put up In Orepon sacks. That's be cause over there they have gumption to spare. L. SAMUELS. that we have already published, we copy from the Corvallis Union: "The country between Irwin's Butte and Eugene City, a distance of 30 or 40 miles, has been one vast ocean of water, except here and there, where a knoll, a butte or a patch of timber stood out of the water like an oasis in desert. The Willamette. Long Tom and Muddy, in Benton County, were com mingled in one and presented the ap pearance of a vast lake 10 miles In width, extending far over Into Linn County, on the east, and clear back to the foothills on the west. Several bridges in Benton County have, been carried away, the fine new bridge across Mary's River at this place shar mg in the general disaster. It was carried down the current on Monday with Mr. Dodge upon it, attempting to save it by effecting a landine below town, but he failed and was taken off by a party which went to his relief in a skiff. W have heard of farms between the Long Tom and Willamette being swept as cloan of improvements as they were before a blow of an ax had been struck on them. The drowning of stock, the carrying away of improve ments, the loss of wheat and pork In storehouses and In barns along the river's course have been immense. Hun dreds of sheep, hogs and valuable horses have been lost. Dead stock are found everywhere south of this city, Jammed In among the drifts. "A Mr. Garner, a saloonkeeper of this town was drowned by the upsetting of a boat while trying to save other lives. "From Linn County we understand that Harrisburg and Brownsville have been under water. Eugene City was, we. understand, partially covered but we believe the damage to property was not great. Peoria, in Linn County, was high and dry above the water. "The Democrat says the loss of prop erty at Albany was equal to J30.000." It 1s stated that Colonel Justus Steln berger, who arrived In San Francisco by the last steamer, has authority to raise a regiment of infantry in Wash ington Territory. He is empowered to open recruiting offices in California, Oregon and Washington Territory and to appoint his own officers. When the regiment Is organized he Is to re port for orders to General Wright, commanding this department. This regiment is aside from the cavalry regiment to be raised In Oregon ' by Colonel Cornelius S. J. Herald. C. S. Drew, who arrived on the steamer Golden Gate yesterday, we are informed, holds a Major's commission in the regiment of volunteer cavalry to be raised in Oregon. Major Drew is well known in Oregon in connection with the Indian War of 1855-6. In that state. J. S. Rinearson, of Oregon City, will be junior Major of the regiment. San Francisco Herald. Olympla, Wash., Doc. 9 At 2:30 P. M. today the Supreme Court of the territory rendered their decision that Olympla is the seat of government of Washington Territory and that the act locating the capital at Vancouver was void, because it contained no enacting clause. N. Nitts on Booms By Dean Collins. The roadhouse is a revival of the old wayside inn which figures so agreeably early Victorian novels and was haunted by Fielding's heroes. Even Dr. Primrose, pious as he was, found itinerant consolation in the British Inn. But in reviving this good old In stitution we have managed to leave out the' simplicity. Innocence and hos pitable charm and substitute for them I any Congregational Church, on Thirty- vicious debauchery. The mess we titth street near Tenth avenue, West, MR. OTTAnSOSI AND HIS CHURCH. Comment on Christian Science De clared to be by Congregatlunollnt. PORTLAND, Dec. 15. (To the Edit or.) Without wishing to prjlong a con troversy, i believe certain statements made la the letter of Dr. Dyott'& pub lished In today's Issue, should not be allowed to remain unquestioned. Itev. illard F. Ottarson, whose ser mon commending Christian Science is under comment, is pastor of the Beth- have made of the roadhouse does not speak well for our morals. We ought to be able to restore a good thing with out polluting It. Why should the entire Hyde Jury be dismissed because Waldron is crazy? Is his infirmity contagious? Must we Infer that the eleven others are all cracked because Waldron has lost his wits? It would seem like sound prac tice to get a more or less sane Juror In Waldron's place, if Kansas produces such, and go on with the trial. But the law "ain't built that way." New York City. This is several miles from the Bowery district. I am ad vised of this both by telegram from New York City and by a gentleman of this city who has visited Dr. Ottarson's church many times while living in New 1 ork and heard him preach. Dr. Ottar son is designated in the New York orld s Almanac as pastor of this church, which is a substantial brick one and in a populous neighborhood. As to the testimonial of healing of cancer Being discredited because the speaker was not a physician, it is hard ly likely that any one would refer to the healing of such a disease if it had not been known that there had pre viously been a physician In connection with the case, who had diagnosed the People of Oregon must be losing theJ case as such; In fact the account stated DEMOCRATS fit RVE Y THE OCTLOOK. Strengthened by the new roots which grew In the Fall of 1910. Democracy's hope has shot up like a gourd until now it reaches toward tho Presidency. It has received like encouragement in former off-year elections only to be blighted in the succeeding Presidential year, but It grows and withers again with each four-year cycle. A canvass of the Democratic lead ers by the New York World shows them to be bubbling over with confi dence and to disagree only as to the best standard-bearer. The majority of them are for a progressive policy, as they always are before the election. Their first choice as to the best rep resentative of this policy is about equally divided between Woodrow Wilson and Judson Harmon, with Champ Clark a good second. Under- ally restored the length of life has in creased until now it is nearly back to the ancient figure. This remark ap plies only to the comfortable classes. Poor people live now a great deal longer than they did In ancient times, for manifest reasons. They have more to eat and are not driven by slave masters. The average length of life would Increase still faster if it were not for the almost universal habit of eating too much when we can get it. Next to eating too much, our most deadly I practice is eaunjc too nine, uui mat Is usually involuntarily and will cure Itself when circumstances improve. Overeating produces fat, which Is about the worst enemy we have. Dr. Legrand says that it Is not what we eat, but what we digest that nourishes us. but his statement ought to be mod ified a little. A goodly portion of the food we digest does not nourish us. It is deposited round about our fleshly tabernacles In the insidious form of fat. It swathes the abdomen, creeps Into the muscular tissue of the heart, allna ouiatir between the. brain calls State Fair habit, for the last exhibit shows a deficit of nearly 14000. The Pendleton Round-Up, which was some- ing different, made a big profit, which fact may suggest to the State Board that amusement features get the at tendance. The spectacle of La Follette aspir ing to be leader of the Progressive Re publicans who persist In looking up to Roosevelt recalls the fable of the frog which tried to swell himself to the di mensions of the ox. We know what happened to the frog. At the present rate of progress the trial of Schmltz and the other San Francisco grafters may possibly be finished before they are all dead that Is, If the defendants are blessed with unusual longevity. that she (the patient) had said that she had been to famous doctors and they had explained that there was no help. Dr. jjyott and your readers are again reminded that the extent of the circu lation In this city of this account as given In my former letter Is absolutely correct. Furthermore, the articles were not reprinted here, but in New York, the newspapers having exhausted their Issues so it waa not necessary to re print it here for a circulation of 17 or 18. The New York Herald and Sun are not given to sensationalism, but pub lish In a .dignified way items of such Interest as this one. In conclusion I will say that any church appreciates the well-intentioned sympathy of the public based on an un derstanding of its motives. ,The Chris tian Science Church is not alone In de serving this treatment- HOWARD O. VAN METER. Committee on Publication for Oregon. Why not arrest the tree thieves on suspicion? A man cannot conceal a Christmas tree under his coat and possession often is evidence of crime. Naturally the show glrla who shot up Stokes were acquitted. A pretty woman can do almost anything and escape punishment. Already there Is talk of possible low price of Christmas turkey. This is a pleasing delusion that is jarred about December 23. Regardless of weather, the fire drill must be continued. A fire In a school house may occur during the worst storm. Impulsive Editor Roosevelt ar raigns the dynamiters as he is said to have charged up San Juan Hill. Cheering news from Los Angeles is that Dr. Brougher has been given sub stantial Increase In salary. Less dramatics and more study is the new order at the Oregon Agricul tural College Colonel Baker as Preacher. AUMSVILLE, Dec. 14. (To the Ed itor.) A few days ago, In reading in The Oregonian a little sketch of Colo nel Baker's life under the heading of "Colonel Baker and Ball's Bluff." I won dered if it Is generally known that Col onel Baker was at one time a preacher. My grandfather, N. Coffey, who came to Oregon In 1848, was well acquainted with Baker, and was converted under his preaching and baptized by him into the Christian, or what was known at that time as the "Campbelllte" Church. I do not know whether this occurred in Kentucky, where my grandfather was born, or in Illinois, where he. afterward moved. He always spoke of Baker as being an eloquent speaker In the pulpit, and a good man, and I well remember his expressions of sadness and regret when he learned of Colonel Baker's death. H. C. PORTER. Country Town Sayings by Ed Howe When your children become so large that they call you "father," instead of "papa," you will begin to realize that you are becoming old. Do you remember that you once be lieved that If you could accomplish a certain thing you would be a happy man.' And do you remember that with In a few months after accomplishing it, you were as unhappy as ever? And is it not probable that you will be equally restless after accomplishing your next ambition? You 'can't realize how few dollars there are in a five-dollar bill until you breaK it. The experience of the world is worth more than the experience of any one man. Before doing anything as a result of enthusiasm or excitement, see if your enthusiasm or excitement will not wear off. There Is always a controversy going on as to who Is the worst man In town; but nobody, seems to care about the best man in town. Good news travels; not so rapidly as bad news, of course, but do a good thing, and people will hear of it, in time. No one can be entirely satisfactory; Christ, the most perfect man that ever lived, was crucified by a lot of kick ers, and they won't admit to this day that they were In the wrong. A little bad luck has cured many a man of folly. Much as children admire their par ents, at the bottom of tneir hearts the children believe that when they are grown they will be great improvements on them. Nescius Nitts, the chief sage, I pre sume. In Punkindorf's district, glanced over the room And marked a brown moth on the wain scot for doom One shot, and 'twas sealed In a nicotine tomb. Then spake the wise Nitts, at great length, on the boom. "My granddaughter plays, with great vigor and 'soul,' A pianny piece called the 'Turkish Pa trol," Which starts imitatin' of far-away drums. And gets the more crashy the nigher it . comes. This boom of LaFollette's I's watched from the first; It 'pears much like that there 'Patrol' piece reversed. "I 'members how, long 'fore convention year come. The camp of LaFollette, It starts In to hum: His face in the magazines everywhere blooms And he Is fair launched In the loudest of booms; But 'pears like the nigher the real test approaches, The fainter his boom on our hearing . encroaches. "This case of LaFollette reminds me a bit Of the fight fer election that J. Hug gins fit In year '68, when he run agin Wiggins Fer office of May'r 'round the Punkln- dorf digins. He comes out as candidate honest and true A full year, almost, 'fore the 'lection was due "His boom started well, and fer months no one heard In all of the Station a dissentin' word. And Huggins; well, he was the only man mentioned As runnin' fer May'r, or at least, so in- tentloned. And so, for ten months and a half, I presume, All Punkindorf rang with Jem Hug glnses' boom. "But when the election drawed closer each week. Why, Wiggins come out and began fer to speak. And several others, they rlz up and spieled In what had been theretofore Jem's 'sclusive field; Til last, in the face of the rest of the boys. His boom doesn't make scarce a hatful of noise. "It seems a regrettable thing, so to speak, To start In so strong and to end up so weak; To sink to a buzz after startln' at first So loud jest like this here 'Patrol' piece reversed. This shows there's one truth you are . safe in assumin'; A boom booms the loudest when -one else is boomin'." Portland, December 15. Testimonial From Bessie Woods' Home. ASHLAND, Or., Dec. 13. (To the Ed itor.) We, the W. C. T. U., embodying nearly 100 Ashland women, desire to thank The Oregonian for its stand on the "Bessie May Woods" case. She is an Ashland girl, having lived here for more than 16 years. She was a high school pupil, and was never in the least wild, nor ever had a breath of slander on her name. Her mother is highly re spected. We desired to write these facts, which our best citizens would verify, and hope when the trial comes, ' you will give the villain who was her undoing a taste of your pen. W. C. T. U.. ASHALND, OR. Road Bills Opposed. ALBANY, Or., Dec. 14. (To the Ed itor). At the last meeting of the Linn County Pomona Grange the following was unanimously adopted: "To Linn County Pomona Grange The undersigned committee, appointed by the Linn County Council to examine and report to this Pomona Grange on the bills proposed by Governor West's Good Roads Committee, respectfully report that we have carefully read and considered the same and are unani mously opposed to each one of the measures. Fraternally yours. "W. W. FRANCIS, "C. L. SHAW, "A. C. MILLER." SpanlHh War Pensions. VANCOUVER, Wash., Dec. 15. (To the Editor). Please Inform me if Spanish War veterans receive pensions? Also if "Adjutant-General" Is among the state officers of Iowa? C. J. HAYES. 1. Yes; to Invalids, widows, minors and dependents. 2. Yes JUDGE GATEXS AND NORTH END. Writer Criticises Court's Poller and Ad vice to Police Department. PORTLAND, Dec. 14. (To the Edi tor.) I am a personal friend of Judge Gatens. have known him sinco he was very young, value his pleasant ways, high moral conception and honesty, therefore I regret his turning loose of some women of ill-fame and his opin ion about "protection of girls " How cn a policeman interfere about the 'ir.nocent" girls and the loafers at cigar stores without some positive proof, as both "the girls" and "the gentlemen" would resent such "inter ference" and bring charges against the policeman who dared to? The fact is that if the girls do not protect themselves, no one else can do it- Let us not do away with personal responsibility. That would be a calam ity of the worst kind that ever could trike the human race. Girls are not led astray against their will. Are not their fancy dresses calculated to catch men, to marriage or otherwise, and what are many girls good for regarding productive labor, etc.? With a stronger inclination for virtue than man, given them as a protection of nature, "tree of charge," girls do not fall except by their own will. The only ones who can help in this case are the parents, and Judge Gatens is right when ha says parents are re sponsible for the conduct of their chil dren. But to ask the police to be guardians of girls' virtue Is foolish, not to say anything worse. That wom en of Ill-fame are lawbreakers of the worst kind and should be punished as criminals wherever found, ought to be plain to every good citizen. C. O. SMITH. Who Knows? BURNS, Or., Dec 11. (To the Edi tor.) Please Inform me where I can get a machine to teach canary birds to sing. A SUBSCRIBER. She Is Not. VANCOUVER. Wash., Dee. 14 (To the Editor.) Please inform me whether Madam Schuniann-Heink is dead or not A SUBSCRIBER. SPECIAL FEATURES OF THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN George Ade's Latest Fable Mr. Ade -writes a live one in "the fable of everybody's friend and the line-bucker." Russia vs. A Young American The unusual story of M. Morgan Shuster's career in Persia as Treasurer-General. 1 In the Reaper's Trail About the eminent names that have been erased from the life roster dur ing 1911. The Mysterious Card A rip ping short story by Cleveland Moffett. Our Diplomatic Chess Game Something about new players who are setting in. American wives figure prominently at foreign em bassies. Liszt An epitome of new biog raphy of that genius, gallant and master of the piano. Training Animals A veteran trainer tells of equipping dumb brutes for life behind the foot lights. The Wyandotte Shares An other good short story of the realm of business. Eobo 's Monarch A strong short tale about a 6ailor who be came king. Dorothy Deere, Sambo, Slim Jim, Hairbreadth Harry, Mr. Boss, pretty Anna Belle and a Christmas puzzle, all in colors. MANY OTHER FEATURES