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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (April 24, 1912)
10 PWKTLATn. OKEflOX. KmW at Portland. Or.oa. PoeloTlce as tataotauus lmrl! la AaTancm. Ij.i.r. i-inu utcindj-u, bib ""'hi IIJ Lal. iur.ii ln..udd. monio.... auouaj' and Ve!y. om yaax (BT CA-BK.t-tt-f . q Dally. Sunday Included, ana .1 Haw tm ltolt '" K ' . lL, o a yo- i tn. a-oaer-. ria. c,VE"2rT to paa"aa antm In w Tar. Unm lass. attfr ftulldm , , ... a. Tiu.s r partTJstion in the xate for tb past litre bl-nnlum: Mll'l R.publK-an lx.ma-rtia " a. il .'O a.-' tl4j" " .he County Multnomah toT t:n- uu follows. 1 tmTUc too-vim nroi?on may Tne strict party wm ;tlon ot fairly bo J!? AbYt. rrc.ldent. The vote th. of Multnomah County I n- principal nJ.d.e. . tial election of Oregon 1.41 xuiuionun ' . v,i,,rIitv In hu shown to b 2- the Vn wiUbV o,ed that the tVmo.-r.tic region for the thr P''- h been pra. tWal!r tatl.nar. and h . on the - hole decreased In the -late. - h ! the Democratic registration n MU nomih County ha, hoT bat a .ht lnTr;f normal Republican P"1" OrTon i. ahot :5.000 and .V'id 30.000 at thLs time. The ten- ity of .63. or more than li' " actual plurality. , , in Mu!tnomah the .Uu.tlon U eren wot The normal B'PW' ralitv from 10.000 to i:.000 The "parent plurality. shown by the "eviration, to 2.S62-more than J.wMe the actual majority. The fmure. peK for twelve. They are unanswerable. Thc tils tl...e a m-owing tendency to abandon the Democratic party in the 'Kr; iion and confine .11 political effort by al! parties to the Republican primary. In other word... Democrats and So cially reciter freely as Republicans In order to influence and control Re publican action. If there Is a remedy. It ourM to be discovered and applied. If there is no remedy, the primary system la super fluous and the only way out Is a sya tem of preferential voting- at air reCu lar elections, without the trouble and ' expense of a preliminary party pri mary. ;Ol.r ANO THB KV-T or I.IVINK- D.rector Roberts, of the Cnited States Mint. Inclines to the opinion that the prices of leading commodi ties, which are generally considered far above the normal range, have simply been returning to normal from the abnormally low level of the mid dle '0a This is cold comfort to the man who is paying present prices but It Is about all the comfort he can find. He mav as well make the most of It. In support of this theory Mr. Rob erts quotes tables of the prices of forty-five staple commodities In Lon don, prepared by a rvi-iBuiu Jtv which show that prices were on a declining scale from 1870 to 189S. Thin authority takes as a basis the prices for the eleven years. 1S67 to I;7. which he call 100. and then gives the ratio which the average price of esch subsequent year down to 1910 bears to that ba.-L.-. ThU shows that, with some fluctuations, there was a steady decline until In 1S9 the mini mum of sixty-one was reached. Then began a gradual recovery, which con tinued until 1900. but In 1901 came another decline, which lasted three years. There followed a recovery un til 1907. when prices reached 80 per cent of tho-e ruling between 187 and 1&77. this being the highest ranee rinre' 18S3. There was a drop to 7 J In 190. since which year there was recoverv to "S In 1910. Hence the eot of living Is still far below the stale of the decade following the Civil War. The 1'nited Ptates Bureau of Labor corroborates these figures for the period from 1S90 to 1910 by statistics, which show that, comparing 190 with 1910. the greatet advance hn.t been in farm products and in lumber and building matrria'.s. much lrs In food and fuel, still less in clothing and metals, only a little In drugs and chemicals and Infinitesimal In house firni.hlng goods. The advance In manufactured goods ha been 10 per cent less than In raw materials, which dearly shows that the manufacturer h;is shared with the consumer the economy resulting from Improved methods, and tht the general advance Is In part at least, due to growing scarcity of raw materials. Mr. Roberts does not agree with those who attribute the rise In prlcea malnlv to Increased production of gold. While he show-." that the world- production of gold Increased from $1.900.000. 000 In the ten years from 190 to 1S99 Inclusive t. t4.0S7.O0O. 000 In the eleven years from 1900 to 1910 Inclusive, he also shows that the Increased supply has been largely ab sorbed by Increased consumption In the arts." In strengthening of bank reserves. In conversion of money to the gold standard. In development of backward countries and In h'wrds held by the Kgypttans. who hide their nioney Instead of depositing It In - ill He believes that whatever In Lai.. witiwul tunday. atx " i.TJ l-ai.y. without Sunday. Uiraa I i r. without Srnidii. oam monia 1 V... y. on. y.ar 'H fluence th Increased supply of money ha had In advancing prices to to be found chiefly In the Increase of $1. 300.000.000 la the gold and uncovered notes of the Cnited Statea. The Increased production of gold In the last few years has been entirely in the Rand. That district has now about reached Its maximum output and Is expected to begin showing a decrease In a few years. Unless new gold fields should be discovered, or new processes should make profitable low grade deposits, a decrease may be expected In the world's output, for the production of the United States la about at a standstill and the Increase Is that of Russia. Canada and Mexico Is nearrv sufficient to offset the de crease In Australia. We may. there fore, expect that whatever Influence Increased gold production has on the cost of livinj will disappear In a few years. THC IMVKK.HITY RKT.KKTIM. When the State Legislature of 1911 was Importuned by the Lan County delegation to make, an exceptionally large appropriation for the University of Oregon. The Oregonlan registered Its protest in the following prophetic language: It la wtlb some reluctance nd at the rlk rt hln mlsandfrstno.! thst The Oregonlsn mmilnni th appropriation tm" rmnif whh-h $.-.. 000 thtm tn t K.M-.1 in tho 2.V." blrnnlsl lira hre ff r ot1 by th l.-rtltur and approvp'l tkrnaurh llt r-f.-rnliitn hv th tipyra. Tii aorrs!t Is a srrawtng nd bnf'irnt la.tlmtlon. an If It W tn ba malnialn.-d It muat hava art-qut funria. But aub mrt toat I!.!! foe n alnale bl'nnlum la mora than lh atata atwiuld ba callad upon tr provide and auirt to tha active pro notora of ttala rl aporoprlatlon tnnt tn ara taktnc swlous chanc'i wllh anntnor nrtridiim. wlOi laa prope-t of anthualaa fte anpport b many who hara heretofore Ironed, that tha unVvraVt-y ahouid a auf n. lnt fumls for malnli-nance. aqulr.rn.-rt ana butldinra. Thra la too much of lh old fl.ivor of the raprehanalbla logroll about irtts appropriation. But the appropriation was put through bv the practical politicians from the seat of the State University. They did not observe the rising tide of protest against, high taxes; nor were they astute enough to take heed of the delicate position of the unlver sltv before the people. They had made a deal with Oovernor West ana i.-. it..a th hill, rhoueh he made a large noise about his. veto of Innumer able other small appropriation meas ures fathered by unsophisticated leg islator who also thought they had a pull with him. If the State University should be placed upon a fixed financial basis, .. hi, o Sennits Inr-ome. and should be removed from the vicissitudes of poll- tics and the mistaKe or snori-signieu politicians. It would e a boon to the Institution and a relief to the state. MR. I.VCA WANTS TO KNOW. PORTr.A.Vn. Or., aprll S3 (To tha Edi tor i Why don't you print mora about tha ainste tax? What la It. anywajrT I am a limberman and I have some Eastern clients who want to know more about lu No ainsla tax for them: no more money from them If there la mnjrte tax. What la the propo aiUoa. aayway T K- The Oregonian has told over and over about the single tax. It Invites Mr - Lucas to an attentive reading of tta ftlce; or. If that is not practicable, let him send in his subscription and we will do the rest. The people of Oregon rule. Becaufo they rule, they ruled In 1910, through an initiative amendment to the consti tution, for the single (land) tax by counties, and besides they ruled to tie the hands of the Legislature so that It could not hereafter enact any tax laws whatsoever without their specific ap proval. Now it Is up to the counties. If they want the single tax, they may have it. if the sovereign people thereof vote for it. The people in Oregon rule by counties, too. Meanwhile the Legislature has sub mitted to the referendum of the peo ple for their sovereign action a con stitutional amendment repealing the amendment of 1910. If the people rule In 191S (November) that the peo ple In 1910 made a mistake by their rule for the single tax by counties, that settles It. The counties can do nothing, no matter whether they want single tax or not. If Multnomah County, for example, in 1912 should vote for single tax and the state at the same election should wipe out sin gle tax, Multnomah's action counts for nothing. Oregon Is not a single-tax state. The 1910 act was carried through gross deception by its promoters as to Its purpose. Now the people understand, and. when they understand, they act sensibly and safely. Let Mr. Lucas tell his timber friends not to worry too much about Oregon. M-RING IS PAMMXO. The pussy-willows have come and gone. Easter has passed, the dog woods are showing their beauties, the dandelions are dotting the fields, the primaries are over and the voices of the erstwhile campaigners are hushed, the baseball season has been "on" for over a week, frugal housewives may be seen beating carpets tn backyards and all nature seems renewed, rejuvenated and rehabilitated for "Spring Is come." Spring, the time of love-making and mating, the season of the year when the first breath of the morning brings sweetness and calls for activity. Dur ing the Winter we lay. In a measure, dormant. Inactive, dependent and do cile. Now the blood courses more swiftly, the brain seems more active, ambition less halting, the mental hori zon more beautiful. Tes. "Spring Is come." and we, of this splendid Pacific Northwest, where the Spring days are so full, so fine, so splendid and so glorious, ought to be ready to labor as we never did before, All Nature Is busy. The leaves are shooting out, the grasses springing up, the fruit buds are swelling and on many of the cherry, peach, apricot and apple trees the blossoms hang In myriads. Every" seed that has been planted Is swelling or bursting Its tender shoot through the surface of the ground, and the wheat and rye and barley and Fall oats sown last Autumn are covering the ground with a foliage more beautiful than the choicest warp and woof ever woven by looms of man, while the lowlands and meadows show a verdure lovely be yond compare. Go out Into the forest and listen to the bird calling for his- mate hearken to the coy answer of her ladyship. Do you not Imagine her tones, like those of her human sister, express more than her words for the birds of the fields and the, beasts of the forests must have, do hsve, some means ot communication, of un derstandable communication equiva lent to words. Do not the tones of the coy maiden signify a Joy that comes only with Spring? Some may think that Spring in a climate like ours, where the Winters are so mild, does not signify as much as It does la sections where the ice TITE aiORJOXG OREGOXIAX, WEDNESDAY, king has held thrall for several months. But Spring Is much tne same in every section where the seasons are at all variable. That Is, It la much the same with all things animate: but here, where Nature robes herself during the month of April In garbs so beautiful Spring means more even than in the frozen north, where night shuts them In for weary sunless weeks. Let us not only make the most of It: that Is, let us not only drink In Its beauties to the very uttermost, but let us start life afresh, "spring" our lives afresh, vowing thst for the good of ourselves and our fellow creatures we will try to keep our hearts as beautiful as the Spring, as pure and sweet as Spring's choicest habiliments the lovely flowers of the field and forest. KlBBIr-H IN TltK IIARBOK. If the report is true that debris of one sort and another from the city streets Is causing Portland's harbor to shallow, the situation Is serious. Some cities are blessed with harbors of depth so great that no amount of rub bish dumped Into them year after year seems to have much effect, but that cannot be the case here. Although the water of the Willamette Is deep enough for all the purposes of com merce, the river Is not bottomless, by any means. Nor can we assume with out evidence that the current washes out of the harbor whatever Is dumped Into it or carried Into It by sewers. In all probability this Is not the case. If the practice of throwing everything Into the harbor which is not wanted on land Is continued Indefinitely, the chances are that a time will come when large vessels will be obliged to anchor some distance below the city and Portlnndera can never again re gale themselves with the spectacle of a first-class ship at the city dorks. Of course the rubbish can be dredged out. but dredging Is an expensive process. and It does not appear lo be the acme of wisdom first to spend money to fill up the harbor and then spend a great deal more to clean it out again. That a harbor may be destroyed by the accumulation of rubbish Is one of the commonplaces of history. There are nccountu of many cities to which in former times large ships had ac cess, but now nothing larger than fish ing boats can reach them. To go some way back In history for an ex ample, thLs is exactly what happened to Tyre, the great commercial metrop olis of the world In the time of King Solomon. Tyre now has virtually no harbor, although In those days It had one of the best on the Mediterranean seaboard. The same thing has hap pened" In many other places. So the prophets of evil are not.slng- ing a meaningless song when they warn Portland to beware of too much dumping into the Willamette. The proper way to dispose of sewage Is to carry It out upon the fields in the vi cinity of the city, as the Parisians do. Rubbish which Is not suitable for fer tilizers can usually be burned. "At any rate the harbor is no place for it and the sooner the city becomes convinced of this the better for Its future pros perity. SAFETY rrOX THE OCEAN. Inquiries concerning the causes of the terrible loss of life when the Ti tanic went down have called attention to the astonishing fact that none of the big Atlantic liners carry ra(ts and lifeboats enough to accommodate more than half their full quota of pas sengers. The Titanic was not more delinquent in this respect than is every large passenger steamer which navi gates the Atlantic, with the exception of the Norwegian and Swedish boats. By the laws of those countries every craft afloat must be provided with life boats, rafts and floating deck seats In sufficient number to take care of every person on board. It seems incredible that every civilized country which has any maritime traffic at all should not have enacted similar laws long ago, but as a matter of fact they have not. It is said that the steamship compa nies, defective as their lifesaving ar rangements are. live fully up to the requirements of the British, German and French statutes. Those of Amer ica are somewhat stricter In appear ance, but In appearance only. Tho rigor of our law is relaxed by a pro vision that Inspection certificates from any country having Inspection laws which "approximate those of the United States" shall be accepted as a matter of course. In this way the re quirements which Congress . made In the Interest of humanity after the no torious Slocum disaster have been In large part nullified. The laxity of the laws of the various nations in this particular may be ac counted for upon certain very simple and obvious principles of psychology. Law In general Is merely an index of public sentiment upon any particular subject, and In this matter of provid ing for the safety of life upon ocean liners the provisions which the stat utes require are fully up to what the public demands. Persons Intending to cross the Atlantic seldom ask how majiy lifeboats a. steamer has or what other lifesaving arrangements will be available In case of accident. Of these things they scarcely ever think. They are anxious to know what lux uries the steamer offers, what the bill of fare Is likely to be, how the state rooms are furnished and situated, and so on. Comfort and luxury receive much attention, the safety of life when peril approaches scarcely any, so far as the Inquiring passenger Is con cerned. Knowing this, the companies spend a great deal of money upon luxury and display and save every penny they possibly can In the matter of boats and other devices for saving life. As one official has remarked since the loss of the Titanic. "It would not pay merely to advertise that a liner was safe. What passengers want Is luxury, not safety." It Is scarcely true to say that pas sengers do not want safety; of course they do want It- But it has been as sumed that all the Atlantic liners were immune from accident. Loss of life upon them hast been so uncommon in recent years that a habit of mind has grown up which takes little account of possible peril. The public has toler ated the laxity of the law and the re missness of the companies because it was assumed that precautions were unnecessary. For 'the last ten years passengers - upon the Atlantic liners have regarded lifeboats as matters of curiosity, somewhat antiquated and useless furniture of the ship carried as a matter of form and for which there could be no possible use upon the voyage. The lifebelts have been looked upon as rather awkward In cumbrances occupying space which might better be devoted to other pur poses. This was the state of the pub lic mind. It was the old story of pro longed immunity In the face of danger creating excessive disregard for safety appliances until, "in the hour when ye think1 not." the calamity came with horrors which appalled the sensibility of the world. It was too much to expect that the steamship owners would go beyond what the public demanded or the law required in providing safety appli ances. Why should any company spend money for what appeared to be useless and w'as certainly unprofit able? The rule of giving the public what it wanted was observed in ocean travel as in every other department of business. The companies can there- fore be forgiven for their scant com pliance with the law, but they cannot he forgiven for exerting their Influence to prevent the passage of better laws. They have not only Impeded legisla tion for the public safety, but they have systematically educated travelers to underestimate the perils of the sea. The belief that the modern steamship "could not sink" has been industrious ly propagated by the owners of the great lines, and It has saved them large sums of money. If the ship rould not sink, why go to the expense of providing lifeboats? It was highly profitable to teach the public that, even If an accident should happen, nobody could be In daVger. Now the public knows better. The myth of the unsinkable ship has gone for good and we hear a universal clamor for legis lation which shall secure adequate ap paratus for saving life. The only question Is whether this legislation shall be left to the various nations or be taken in hand by The Hague tri bunal and so made International. The objection to laws passed by the separate countries is that they will very likely be conflicting. Some will be excellent, some mere makeshifts. The American Aaw upon the subject Is admirable as It stands, but. as we have said, it amounts to little or nothing be cause courtesy must be shown to countries which have lax laws. The only way to avoid this Is to allow The Hague tribunal to frame a statute which all civilized nations shall be In duced to adopt. In this manner reg ulations may be, secured which shall safeguard life upon the ocean and sub ordinate luxury and the rage for speed and profits to more Important consid erations. Rules to limit the speed of passenger steamers appear to be al most as essential as lifesaving appli ances. When the Titanic struck the iceberg she was racing forward as recklessly as If there had been every assurance of a clear sea, and this was done although Captain Smith had re ceived repeated warnings of ice ahead. The whole subject of the protection of travel upon the ocean liners sadly needs attention from the legislative bodies of the world. Whatever action Is taken should be taken in concert. As the consumption of wheat in the Eastern states approaches the supply and as the production in the Pacific Northwest Increases In greater ratio than the home consumption, the ex ports will decline almost to the van ishing point at Atlantic ports and will Increase at Pacific ports. The com ing of this condition is foreshadowed by Portland's rise to first place among wheat-exporting ports and by New York's decline to second place. Tho time Is. near when practically all the surplus wheat available for export will be grown west of the Rockies. The volume of Portland's exports will cor respondingly Increase, for wheat will flow through he Columbia gateway to this port Just as surely as every stream In the great Columbia water shed empties into the great river. Portland's primacy as a wheat-shipping port is assured for many years to come. The five lunatics who, after entrap ping their keeper, bound him and es caped from the asylum at Salem have certainly retained some vestiges of ln t IHgence. We should say that, from all appearances, they are fully as bright as their keepers.' If they have wit enough to elude capture, perhaps they have enough to earn their living. In that case It majt be Just as well to leave them at large. The "general strike" idea seems to be spreading in the world of labor as epidemics of the plague used to spread in the Middle Ages. The strike is an antiquated and Ineffectual weapon. Labor uses it only because the ballot requires more patience and intelligence. But patience and Intelli gence are factors which count heavily in history, while haste and violence are always reactionary. The hilarious traveling man who essayed the other night to kiss every woman he met on the main streets of Portland showed a high order of ap preciation of the beautiful, but woful lack of discretion In not missing a few. He was a hog. not an osculator par excellence. When necessity arises for a judge on the bench to call the attention of the police department to a disorderly house masquerading as a hotel, it is time municipal government awakened to the existence of an evil that dis credits the city. The biennial farce of voting on Ore gon University appropriations will be up to the people In November. This, among other things, emphasizes the need of masterful legislation at Sa lem. This method of sprinkling sand on the smooth streets makes painful walking for tenderfooted people, but the benefit to horses more than bal ances the score. People who have moved in the past few' months will save a number of hard-worked officials much trouble by giving the new address to Postmaster Merrick. Let a stop be put to torture and murder of Americans in Mexico and since talk is wasted upon that govern ment, there must be immediate action. Four lunatics are at large from the asylum, which means much suspicion of many Inoffensive men until the elopers are captured. Mr. Bryan was best man in a cere mony yesterday at Philadelphia, an estimation of him shared by many the four years round. Life at best is a gamble, but the cards are stacked for people who must live In the land of tornado and cy clone. The Colonel will need an astute disbursing agent to get the South from Mr. Taft. The senior Senator from Oregon knows exactly how it happened. Just aol APRIL 24, 191S. BIRKE.M1EAD WRECK RECALLED I Statement of Captain's Son Confirming Heroic Behavior of Men. OAK POINT, Wash., April 19. (To the Editor.) It Is gratifying and in spiring to learn that the men of the Titanic, in the recent irreat ocean dis aster, sustained the traditions of the J sea and went to death after they had given up tha last chance for life simply because it was the thing they ought to do. It is glorious to think that the emi nent men who met their deaths in that greatest of all marine disasters, men who wielded such tremendous power in the world, with their work unfinished, stepped aside In the face of death so that some peasant girl from Central Europe might live. It is rarely that true Anglo-Saxons do otherwise, for no matter how they may live, when the supreme moment comes they rarely, very rarely, fail to know how to die. Remember the story of the Trenton's cheer drifting to death and destruction in that terrible Samoan hurricane as heroes cheered their brother seamen on board the English ship as she steamed past them to the open sea and life. No doubt Major Butt's soldierly in stinct rebelled against accepting any fate other than be the last, with Cap tain Smith, to leave the ship. Major Butt nobly emulated another soldier Major Wright, who, 6S years ago, stood with sword in hand with faptaln Salmond in the gangway of the .Birkenhead and passed the women and rhildren Into the boats when that famous wreck took place nearly 60 years ago, ten miles from shore off the Cape of Good Hope. As the ship broke in two and went down, the troops fired a volley and then sank for ever beneath the waves. I was intimately acquainted with Pedro Gafton Salmond, who was a stu dent at the Royal Naval School at Wool wich, In F.ngland, at the time his father's ship was Jost, and he was ship, mate with me on board the famous New York clipper ship Tornado In '57 and part of '58. He died in my arms In June. 1858, In the Indian Ocean, where he was buried, having been killed by falling from the mlzzen topmast rig ging. I frequently heard him speak of the famous wreck of the Birkenhead and he always spoke of Major Wright and the troops under his command fir ing a volley as the ship went down. The Birkenhead left Plymouth, Eng land. Jn 1852, with part of the 33d Reg iment on board. Some of the soldiers had their wives and children with them, numbering 166 women and children, all of whom were saved, leaving 529 officers and men on board and all of the latter company went down with the ship. Upon the news arriving in Eng land, a meeting was held in Exeter Hall. London, at which many notabla military and naval officers,' Including the Puke of Wellington, Foreign Am bassadors and Cabinet Ministers, were present, and also the American Minis ter to the Court of St. James. Most of the speakers who addressed the meeting spoke of the courage and for titude of the men on the occasion of the historic wreck, but it wos noted that when the Duke of Wellington spoke, he did not mention the courage of the men, but continually referred to the discipline shown on board. WILLIAM NEWEL! i. MAINTAIN LIGHTS ON ICEBERGS. . Extension 'of Cutter Service to Prevent Another Titanic Disaster. HJLLSBORO. Or., April 23. (To the Editor.) The appalling disaster on the Newfoundland Banks has set everyone guessing as to .cause and prevention of such a catastrophe. As usual, those who know the least about the matter, can see farthest in the direction of a remedy. While all are tryir.g their bands at solving the problem, some good Idea may come from the quarter least expected, so I'll hazard my guess. The path of these Iceberg- Is well known, also the period in which they are likely to te encountered. We main tain expensive lighthouse service on all dangerous reefs and shoals, and a slight extension of tho system could be made to take In the Iceberg belt. Why could not vessels, similarly equipped to a revenue cutter or light house tender, be sent out In the late Winter or early Sprina, to find these terrors of the seas and stay with them, maintaining lights either on them or near them, and sending out wireless warnings so that no vessel need ap proach without an exact knowledge of the danger. This might take quite a fleet at times, but the cojt of one Ti tanic would go a long "way toward maintaining It for half a century, to say nothing of the lives that may be saved. Our coast patrol, llghthoust service and life-saving service are the pride and boast of our age. Is it in keeping with our care of fixed perils, to ignore these "floating continents," leaving the latter to rip the bottcms out of our ocean greyhounds that are merely obeying our Insistent demand for faster time. In keeping to the shortest path and going full speed day and night? Of course, for-a few months next Winter, the Atlantic ferries will keep out of the path cf the icebergs, but the memory of these horrors soon fade and we will see the next great steamship shaving tha danger line to satisfy the Insane demand for a few minutes' shorter passage. It seems to me. the true solution of the problem Is to provlne the best safe guards possible hy providing the light ships to hover near tre floes and to send out warnings by every means available. When these, have failed to prevent disaster, be at hand to render the aid that would have done so much good from midnight to 4 o'clock A. M. lasC Monday week. THOMAS S. WILKES. GRANGE PRINCIPLES IGNORED M aalers of State Granges Boost Bourne for Senator. BROWNSVILLE-. Or., April 22. (To the Editor.) I note an editorial in The Oregonian of April 21 that refers to the Order of .Patrons of Husbandry, known as the Grange. The fundamen tal principle laid down by this order is that no grange shall nominate can didates for any political office, and that no grange shall Indorse the candidacy of any man who seeks public or politi cal office. These grange principles of nonpartisan action have held good In Oregon from the time of state grange oritanizatton down until now. The day before the primary election last Friday, I received an electioneering and boosting document, favoring the nomination of Jonathan Bourne, Jr., for U. S. Senator, and urging the necessity for instant, active and continuous ef fort, to arouse the farmers to fight for the retention of Senator Bourne in the Senate. And I was astonished to find that the booster budget was authorized by several state granges through their masters, as follows: C. B. Kegley. mas ter Washington State Grange; Wm. T. Creasy, master Pennsylvania State Grange; C. S. Stetson, master Maine State Grange; C. E. Spence. master Ore gon State Grange; F. P. Walcott, mas ter Kentucky State Grange; George R. Malone. master South Dakota State Grange; John Morris, master Colorado Stale Grange. 4 The above action of state grange masters is centalnly a new departure. I would like to know If the State Grange of Oregon will stand for such DOlitlcal and partisan action? W. M. HTLLEARY. Vorlda Production of Bonks. Baltimore American. A German exporter estimates the total production of hooks throughout the world at 128,SS0 new works a year. WOMAN SEEKS HER TRI E PLACE Demand for Suffrage Due to Dealre to Perform Sex Function. PORTLAND, April 23. (To the Edi tor.) With much satisfaction do we read your able editorial answering the communication entitled "Israay . and Woman Passengers" In The Oregonian of April 22. There are many sidelights that .cast their cross section reflection on the suffrage question and equality of the sexes. We would, however, go you one better when you use the word ab surdity and substitute the word brute or brutality In criticising that letter. Granted that women have taken to the several vocations of life in their struggle to maintain their existence, there Is a cause that lies behind that will prove itself to be the dominant factor for this condition, and we have a right to state It here. Within the proper period of every normal woman's existence there Is a desire, above all others, to reproduce her kind in bearing children. It Is not extinct, as many suppose, but Is crowded out by existing conditions and will reassert Itself when conditions are righted. That she is proceeding dif ferently, as she so eloquently and praiseworthily says. Is because of ab normal conditions that cannot be righted as long as she is forced to economic conditions Into the struggle for her existence that precludes that desirable and natural sex Junction which is only hers to perform. It is Indirectly and unconsciously, perhaps, for permission - to readapt herself to this Sex IUnCllon inai onv ia ucma..iu...e, the ballot. She may not see in this de mand the termination of the issue, but it will develop Itself as soon as condi tions adjust themselves, though it be by way of the franchise right. The tendency of the French as well . i nn,inna to rarf! suicide Is the a9 VLUCI IJOIIUH. . . direct cause of the economic condi tions that afflict coin masses. uui pioneer mothers of this Nation, not having entered the modern struggle for existence, did not fall of their sex function. The ballot placed In the hands of woman will permit her to restore her sex relation, from which she has been taken by the unbalanced advancement of civilization. Having, in the beginning, been the primitive civllizer of the race and find ing It now out of Joint, she uncon sciously, of known purpose, seeks the ballot to restore society to its equili brium, with herself again placed in her natural sphere. This she will do by setting in order the things about her through a so cialization of our lives, and that win be Socialism, with the man and woman reconciled Jointly to themselves Had the dawn of April 15. 1912. found the woman so bereft of her relation to future life as to have forgotten the function of her sex. indeed would there have been "inaugurated a new era for her." It would have absolutely un sexed her, socially, and men might cease "to love and adore her.' Like the conception within her sex, the forces that lie behind the issue of equal suffrage, unseen though they b by other than the student, contain the future perpetuity of the race and ar. not, as many "uppo.e. wholly busj""8 competition in life. C W. BARZEB. VKSIKKABLH SHIP IS POSSIBLE Portland Man Says He Could Make Deck ft Pontoon. TORTLAND, April 21. ITo the Ed itor ) la it possible to build an un sinkable stp? If so. is it Practical In a commercial sense? I think It must occur to nine out of every ten masculine minds who peruse the day s news that It's a matter of the very first importance not only to build an unsinkable type but to do it at once. It is of course quite time that inter national law should study the safety of those traversing the vasty deep 'n pro viding boats etc., but first of all, so far as my theories go 1 believe that It would be quite possible to render every passenger ship unsinkable. I am an amateur yachtsman and I spent nearly three years on the ocean, so 1 shall not be venturing beyond my ex perience. We have Just had an example of the. folly of watertight compart ments. If, as surmised, the boilers ot the Titanic blew up. unless she was bottomed with extraordinary skill, the whole of the heavy fittings engines propellers, boilers and. all the ironwork must have gone through the bottom of the ship. This has been the case in disasters which I need not here cite. If such was the case, should not the vessel, supposing her after bulkheads to' have held, have come to the surface ere now and remained, sTfloat, bottom UPI think if I had to design a ship. I could give sufficient' head room and vet make every floor a pontoon that would easily carry all the passengers and domestic fittings. Of course a certain amount of the present-day. lofty spaciousness would have to be sacrificed. 1 Surely safety should be thought of before elegance. A mind that never served an apprenticeship to La-Urt & Sothis might go further and fill the pontoons with cork as far as buoyancy demands I am not a draughtsman, but I could use a compass or pencil suffi ciently to demonstrate the feasibility of building unsinkable ships and so perhaps could others not nearly enough related to owners, underwrr terete. CALAMITY DEVELOPS HEROES None Nobler Than Mr. and Mrs. Isldor Straus, Who Die 'Together. PORTLAND. April 23. (To the Edi tor ) The heart-rending horrors of the Titanic distaster will-clutch at our hearts less fearfully as time wraps its mantel of passing days about us. Hu manity, having paid the priceless toll of loved human lives, will certainly act In substantial manner to protect the men and women of future days, that a. repetition of the catastrophe be in great measure forestalled. Too soon will the calamity be a mat ter of history, to be spoken of as a remarkable occurrence of a remarkable tlIBut some flashes of human fortitude, of heroism and of love ""-"l 5om men from the chilling deeps that bore to eternity the warm lives of so many hundreds of human beings. Much, Indeed, will be wholly for gotten, but to many of us. no matter what number of years will have passed, there will remain in memory a vivid picture of a dear, old woman clinging to her husband the life companion of perhaps two-score years, refusing the fifeboat that would give life, comfort and ease, choosing death in those awful lev depths, refusing the pleading of the patriarch begging that she may live. History abounds in heroes and hero ism, bravery and self-sacrifice, but none and nothing nobler than that of an old man and woman on the Titanic, clasped In each others arms, the one refusing the succor denied the other, both wait ing for the certain pitiless hand of death. , Too- well do we know that many, many others must have gone down that night the same way. There Is something wonderfully grfeat about us all let us call it godliness, but as our lives pass quickly on, It is so beautiful and helpful to think that greatness may be within us all and to know that there are men and women that can live and die as did Mr. and Mrs. Isidor Straus. OBSERVER. Canal Boat Worked by Trolley. London Tit Bits. Germany has a canal-boat operated by a trolley. It works to perfection. The Unburied By Dean Collins. I wander o'er the landscape And my soul was glad and free: I thought of fishing and baseball. And whistled merrily. "Since primaries are past and gone. With all their din and strife. I'll ditch all politics." I thought, "And lead the simple life." "No more I'll be annoyed by men Who seek to lure my vote. I'll heave their useless cards from out The pockets of my coat. Tra-la! Tra-la!" But here I stopped, For, face to face I found, A dappled fence, and o'er Its sides Were posters posted round. A thousand thousand posters said "Vote for " and showed the faces Of scores of those who got the hook In last week's 'lection races. "Oh. must I gaze at these?" I sighed. And bovyed my head in gloom. Choking a sob, for it was like A message from the tomb. "Oh. must it be that, ten years hence, My mournful eyes must greet Pictures of those who, Just last week. Were swallowed in defeat? Must the dead past unburied leave Its dead on every wall?" The moral Is: Please take "em down At least before next Fall. Half a Century Ago From The Oregonian of April 2. 1862. Corvallis, April 18. The so-called Democratic convention assembled In this place on the 16th Inst. There were but four persons present from South ern Oregon. Mr. O'Meara constituted the 12 delegates from Jackson County. The platform presented by Dr. Loryea, amended by Pat Malone. was adopted. It assumes that the present war is an abolition war and, as a necessary im plication, those who support the war are abolitionists. Judge Wait was agreed upon for Congress. Governor Whlteaker was nominated for re-election by Mr. Snelling. Mr. O'Meara and another member objected to Whiteaker, because the people were displeased with his appointment of Stark and his proclamation. John F. Miller was put in nomination and after a few ballots chosen as the candidate. Miller has been a most decided pro-slavery parti san In Oregon. Noltner was nominated for State Printer. The following gentlemen were elected delegates to the Union County conven tion: St. John's precinct. Dr. William Cap'.es; Willamette precinct, Anthony Whltaker and John Powal; Powells Valley. Jackson Dowell, James Wilson, Gilrnore Kelly. The Metropolis Hotel Yesterday we paid a visit to this newly fitted-up ho tel, and we can assure our readers that no pains have been spared by its pro prietors, Messrs. Qulnn & Kinney, to make It a first-class house. Every nom In the house has been newly Tainted and carpeted, and furnishei with beautiful furniture and the best kind of bedding. The kitchen has h:id new hearths and ovens, and the pro prietors promise to supply tho ta'jla with the best the market affords. The friends of the late Mike Mitchell in this city have had made a beautiful tombstone to place at the head of his grave. It can be seen at Young's Mar-tie-yard, Front street. Benefit of Mr. Mortimer This is an nounced for tonight. The great Ameri can tragedians. Mr. and Mrs. Ctiarlea Pope, with Mr. Beatty and the entire com;, any will appear. Mr. George Walling, of Clackamas County, has been troubled recently wllh thieves. The first was a large panther, which visited his farm on Salurlay n:ghi. and began to make sad havoc amxi g a flock of fine sheep. The var mint was soon killed by Mr. W. and by vhis time we suppose it has h. place in Buchtel & , Cardwell's cabinet of curiosities. The' next thief was a two legged one, who entered the house and appropriated several articles of cloth ing, etc.. of not much value, however. Mr. Walling did not succeed In captur ing tho last-named "varmint." As "Ed" Howe Sees Life Can't you get along better with those you habitually wrangle with? Ever try? We are all in favor of reform: why are we unable to put it Into effect? In politics, a thing that should be done promptly, is placed on the table, or ruled out of order, or referred to a committee. If Abe Lincoln had the right to be come the greatest statesman of his time, had John D. Rockefeller the right to become the greatest financier of his time? It may be all right to recall the judges; but give us a chance, also, at the vicious clients and lawyers who bring unjust suits which result fh costs to the public and annoyance to busy men summoned as jurors. You can pleasantly speculate and plan for tomorrow; but in practice, to morrow will turn out very much like today. I can get along with nearly any man until he begins telling that he doesn't care for himself: that it is the general good he Is seeking. With many people, opportunity means no more than a chance to earn $2 a day, providing they work hard. A good many of us don't know much; that's another trouble. AN ECHO OF CIVIL WAR DAYS. Veteran Sailor Gives an Account of Nevr Orleans Attack. SCAPPOOSE, Or., April 23. (To the Editor.) In an editorial in The Ore gonian of recent date, as to the capture of New Orleans, during the Civil War. I don't know what Is meant w;ien It is stated that the Hartford and the Brooklyn "remained behind." I was a seaman on the Harttord and one of the crew of the Independence. The Itaska 'did not break the chain that stretched across the rive-; neither did the fleet proceed to New Orleans on the same day that we passed the forts. In regacds to the Independence, she was a side-wheel boat, not much larger than the Potter, but without guards, except to protect the wheels. She wasj not set on fire by the Impact when she struck the rock. She had but one boiler of the double return flue pat tern and that was placed In the bottom of th hold. When she struck the rock, it broke a hole in her and as soon as they found she was filling, the men threw tallow in the furnaces to make steam to try and beach her. They found a little sand beach some 300 or 400 feet long, which tl.ey ran to nearly head-on. When she was beached, the water was nearly fillins; the lower flue, which led to the smokortake. As soon as that was full it cut off the blaze and smoke, and threw the coa1 out of the furnaces. This set her on fire and she burned up quickly. She did not have more than 500 passengers on board and they reported 125 lost, but I think there were more than that. The survivors were taken off the island hy a whaleship in Magdalena Bay. and taken to San Francisco. G. F. USaBaU