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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (May 25, 1912)
r , TTTT; yOItyTXOOBEOOyiAy. SATT7KUAT. 31AY 25, rOBTLAXD. OILEOOX. Bafered at Portland. Onm. roaiottloa as uucnsusa ai larariabiy In Aeooa. BT StAlUl rallr. lata one year. .....J 1 Iiinritr ! month.... 4 -J Lil.r. Sunday U-e. ud.d. lJr moatna.. x a;:x. Siad loeiuJitt. moat t-...y. wit.-.out auaaaj. Tar. J-JJ l-ai.y. without Sunday, aim mania. .. . la;.y. without Suna.r. tnraa moataa... l a.iy. wunom aualaa. aaa saeBie..... . ;. aaa aar rJJ f tfy, ana yr k.Ku aad ealy. aaa " (T CARRIER-) tnr. Sun1r Saelwaos. aaa yaar...... ?? Xsai.ir. auodar laxiudao. aa n-.ontn ... uM to MaaaM aaad Poatof!l-a monar ar S.r. .icraaa ord.r ar serosal ",T1 lacal u. Stamps, coia ar ". J! at th Hit-ri riaa. Ol poatofflca addraaa la fu.L Includis aoaat aad stale, IWace alra l ta 14 aaaa. 1 eant la t. li .... a eean. ta pa-. ""' 4 j to a 4 aula. ror..a pastas, aoabla rata. t a,a,,a ialaia Offlraa Varra Cea tn .V.. Tor. Urunaalca Bttl.'llaa lyS uc. Stecer culldi&aV . a.ajrr'" Oflaro a Resent atraav rORTLVl. ATVSUA1. MAY . !M IkJN. AX OI-D rTt ovm. ,n , or. atey 24. Ta tha (hat lie aid na", la b.l" mad. J ..To.' riVa.';.'sr.ru;5 a.4 taa carruai -"""l.ROORESi,iv E. Before w. holly discard the old Irt u, b reasonably aura of the new. Th. Id regime has aome might, n.m and the record of mighty eda. "e are .11 fond of looking bark at them. Uncoin. Sumner. OranU Beld. Harrison. Seward. reele. Baker and a. hoat of other lllu.trk.ua figures belo-g to th dead-aml-gone p-t of ..Republican part, and but they are living memorla. They ar- more. The, are a of the imperishable history or the re public. Without them the country would not be what It U. With them Ud their great achievement, our. 1. th. brightest Mar In the irre.t firma ment of all overnmenta. pa.t and preaent. . The pat l. or ouaht to be. a cer tain ud. for th. future. I-et unot fore" that. The peril, that ha-, beeo IMy pawed may and will PP-r Mam. t" r n.d," perlenc. U not to be deaplaed and for. gotten. OrlaMT Where would Lincoln and th. re. W often and a f-eUnly quoted In this campalrn. tnd toda. If they were alW.T Would they advleo haat. or moderation, heat or coolr,ei. Impa tlenee or restraint, brake off or brake. o? W. know that they -would aTmontah the pPr. to ful diapaaalonat. and ire before they threw tto. Republkan party Into the discard, lunored and humiliated prac tically all their old leader, and .ought new and .tranite field. That la od advice. It may be old fr,Mh to plead for aSlty and reaaon In "all thlnic but In the lon run aanlty and reaaon are the only afe Ct'iineellora. The UrrconUtn apeak, of the vanish ing Republican party because It ob serve that almoet without an excep tion the name, that have been conplc. nous in if wnrlce It. recent .ervlce. w mean are not allied with the .weeptna- Rooeevelt movement. No wher. will you find th. prominent Republican reader, who were with Rooaerelt a few year, aim aupportlnn him new. with Juat a few exception.. Fven Cabinet U for the mot part oppoad to him. The efficient and i.-tl-r. men In the party have been thrown aaid. by the great Rooeevelt nprtidnf. Th. Republic- .tat. orrn Ixatlon. everywhere are broken and beaten. The bne-e are down and out. and nobody grieve, for them: but th. cyclone ha. carried In It. destructive courw many worthy and wpon-lble party leader, who hav. had lb. temer. Ity to place thcmaelve. In It. path. Th. party hu no accredited leadership any more, for nobody who care, anything about the Republican party h a Tolc In the Kooeerelt kitchen cabinet. It aoay b. time to ring out th. old and ring la th. aew. That time alway. cornea. The moving Hnger write, and having writ point ahead. Progre. caaaot be atayed by enttment. Rut what U prosTW? That I. what Re publican, are row In dl-agreement about. The bosee. whom Colonel Rnoeevelt o aeiwatlonally denounce were doing bulnc. every on. of th.n when he was President. It did not occur to him to fight them until he wanted to be President again. What will h. do when he become. PreslJent for a third, time If h. doe. become Praald.ntT Make peace with the old or depend the new cropT Heaven know. He will d' both, probably. Pcibly we .hall ee the light after the National convention. Rut that Re. publican platform, with Rooeevelt a a candidate, will be a wrofcrt- wonder. It will b. the first document In all American htotory where a Republican candidate for President ha. mad. th. tola baal. of ht. campaign repudiation and rejection of the existing Republi can Admlnlatratlon. But let ua cheer up. We are all pro rreasslng. The down-lde-urper and th. upeettere are In th. majority, but th. train la .till on the track. W. ar. not acared; onlr a trifle nervou.. UtmOS L1AKX CD rRIW DIAL alad.ro evidently learned a lesson in th. revolution h. conducted agalnat piaa. Hta greateat difficulty waa du. to acarclty of artlller". and he realised that, had Diaa been well equipped in that particular. he I.Midrr) would hav. been de feated, or at best hi aticceaa would hav. been long delayed. When Oroxco rebelled MaJero waa .low to move agalnet him. creating an Impression f weakness which enabled th. rebel lion to gain much headway. It now appears that iladero delayed until h. had equipped hla army with an over powering artillery fore, manned by expert gunners. Hi wisdom I proved by Huerta's sucree. In driving th. reb el from one position after another and forcing them to retreat northward. This succession of reverses is calculat ed to demoralise Oroxco's army and mak. Its raststanc. weaker each time a stand Is made until th. retreat may becom. a night, ending only at th. Rio Grand. There American troops mill be waiting to disarm th. fuel Uvea. Judging from th. silence of th. dis patches about th. Zapata revolt In Southern Mexico. It must either hav. been quelled or hav. degenerated Into a guerrilla war. In which th. rurale are running th. rebels down Into their haunts. If Huerta ahould finally de feat Orosco. the army of northern rebels may break up Into similar guer. rilla bands, to be disposed of In th. asm. manner. Madcro la lrcicx a further lesson from th. experience of Diaz, that a government In Mexico, as In other Latin-American countries, can be maintained only by keeping the mili tary arm alway. ready for iw and by using It with extreme severity when disorder or revolt breaks out. Th. discontent which In the Cnlted States Is voiced on the platform and at the polls, in Mexico prompts the malcon tents to take to th. hills and proclaim a revolution. Madero. th. revolution ist, promised to establish freedom of speech and the press, a free ballot and a fair count, hoping thus to remove the excuse for revolutions. But Ma dero. the President, finds the people prefer the revolutionary method of voicing their discontent, and that rifles i -i nrnat ha ever I ana rjiuir a1"1" - r ready. He Is becoming a strong, mlll- tsry ruler. Just line uiax. irora torvo of necessity Bl II DINi rt)R THE IXTTRE. Some months ago there was In Chi cago a convention of that e!f-sacrWc-Ing brotherhood who hav. for reason sufficient to them undertaken to spread to an unenlightened world the salving doctrine of single tax. The Pel. fund was th. magnet that drew together this devoted band, and the war chest was the most Interesting exhibit mad. at the various sessions. Our own great ITRen was there. He gave hl precious testimony, and It waa Interesting. Brethren, he said (we do not pretend to quote the exact lan guage, for we did not hear It. but oth ers did). I am th. magician that gav. to Oregon and th. world th. Initiative and referendum: but don-t think I was moved by any deep desire merely to offer a new scheme of government. Not at all. What I had in mind waa the single tax. The only way to get th. single tax was through th. Initia tive. Therefore I got the Initially, a a means to an end. it Is a mere step to the single tax. We will hav. It now In Oregon. But we never could hav. got It except through th. Initia tive. Her. now w. find Mr. ITRen propos ing a new constitution for Oregon one legislative body, proportfonal rep resentation, cabinet system, and all. What for? The Oovemor under th. cabinet scheme will hav. unprecedent ed power. He appoints most of th. other state officers, all the county Sheriffs and county attorneys, all th. superintendents and all the Important state employes. He will be a political Czar. It Is an amazing and audacious proj ect. Does any on. fancy that ITRen will leave It to run Itself after It ha been adopted? H. will not, for VTR.n is. or will be. a candidate for Gov ernor. W. may b. told otherwise), but that The Oregonlao's belief and prophecy nevertheless. THE ROME Ml'saCAI. JT-TIVAL. The celebration of Rose Sunday on June will "b one of the moat pic turesque and beautiful Incident con nected with th. Rose Festival. Th. Gipsy Smith auditorium will be deco rated for the occasion with a profusion of flowers and the music rendered by two choirs will be most charming. The adult choir Is expected to Include SOO voices. The children will have 1000. Besides these attractions. President David Starr Jordan, of Stanford Uni versity, will speak on Rose Sunday at the tabernacle and Governor West and th. Mayor of the city will participate. In fact, a great civic event 1 antici pated to which the speaking and mu sic will each contribute attractions of their own. The Rose Musical Festival will con tinue for four days. June 7. t. and 11. All th. exercises will b. held at the Olpsy Smith auditorium under the auspices of the Multnomah County Sunday School Association. Th. pro ceeds will be for th. benefit of th. Stste Sunday School Association. Those who attend th. exercise, will therefor, h.-vv. th. double enjoyment of listening to good speeches and excellent music and at the same time aiding a worthy cause. Besides th. two choirs, a Fes tival symphony orchestra will tak. part In the musical programme. This orchestra consists of thirty-six men. Three soloist will also assist. They are well-known singer from New Tork to whom It will b. a privilrg. to listen. Naturally the Musical Festival and th. Ros. Festival which will b. going on at the same time will contribute to each other' success. Those who lov. music will find their tastes grati fied at th. tabernacle. Those who de light In th. floral display and other artistic attractions will see an abun dance upon the streets. It will be a season of merriment for people of all sorts and conditions. Starting from an unpretentious beginning a few years ago. th. Ros. Festival has grown to be tn event of National Interest to which visitors are attracted from all parts of th. country. The Musical Festival la a natural addition which may well become an annual feature. THE PANAMA CANAL plIJ The policy In regard to Panama Ca nal tolls, embodied in th. bill which has passed the Hou... Is sound frofa every standpoint. In exempting from tolls ship engaged In the coastwise trad, we do not violate the Hay Pauncefot. treaty, for. foreign ships being excluded from the trade already, we do not discriminate against them In granting thts favor to our ships, which alone ar. admitted to It. By refusing to exempt from toll American ships engaged In foreign trade, w. avoid all danger of being charged with viola tion of th. treaty. W. are continually reminded by th. free canal advocates that, having built th. canal at our own cost, we ar. enti tled to whatever advantages and profit may be derived from It. It must be remembered that w. could not hav. acquired the light to build It. had w. not first obtained th. consent of Gr.at Britain by th. Hay-Pauncefot. treaty. Th. grant of equal tolls and equal treatment to ship of all na tion 1 the price we pay for this con sent. Even while complying with this con. dltton. we shall still be by far th. greatest gainer by th. canal. Th. principal purpose of building; It was to mak. our coast line almost continuous and thereby to cheapen transportation between th. Atlantic and th. Pacific. This motlv. was to cheapen commodi ties to the consumer by developing water competition with th. transconti nental railroads. Increase In th. shipping business waa not the main purpose, though It Is a necessary con sequence, and, as regards traffic be tween our two cnastc th. benefit ac crue solely to American shipowners. Coastwise traffic will b. by far great est In volume If we keep It free from railroad control. Th. foreigner will benefit by the canal In foreign trade, but w shall benefit to far larger ex tent even there, or the proportion of traffic coming to or going from Amer ican ports will certainly he larger than that carried solely between two foreign ports. The foreign shipowner will benefit by the reduced cost of operation and by the increased volume of traffic, but both the American consumer and pro ducer will benefit by the lower freight rate of these foreign ships, if th. great bulk of th. Increased profit of th. shipowner goes to foreigners, that is our fault. Our law have throttled the shipping Industry. By changing thom laws we can revive the Industry and Increase the share of beneilt from th. canal which goe to Americans. In only one way can we be robbed of the benefits of the canal In coastwise trade that Is. by allowing railroads to own or control steamship lines and to use them for the extinction of competi tion on th. sea and for the mainte nance of only illusory competition with the railroads. By forbidding ships owned or controlled by railroads to en gage In coastwise trade, the House bill has guarded against this danger. De fenders of the railroad, complain that this leaves the field clear to railroad owned steamers of Canada or Mexico. Such steamers are already excluded from our coastwise trade, hence noth ing Is gained by them. As to foreign trade, we are prevented by the treaty from discriminating between different classes of foreign ships as well as be tween foreign and American ships. Hence we could not exclude railroad owned Mexican and Canadian ships from the canal. Th. advocates of free tolls will be heard from again when the bill reaches the Senate. The opportunity will then be afforded to meet them with the positive, aggressive policy of free ships as the means of reviving our merchant marine and Insuring that th. American flag will be no stranger to th. Panama Canal. Free ships are at last a live Issue. A WEAK SI BSTITVTK. The technical legal meaning of the word "reverse" was not intended In the article from which Mr. John C. Jenkins quotes In a letter printed to day. In other articles on the subject of recall of decisions The Oregonlan has dlctlnctly proposed amending th. Constitution and re-enacting a desired law previously held unconstitutional as a better plan than the Roosevelt scheme. Mr. Roosevelt propose to apply re call of decisions only In state courts. It Is therefore a tate issue and the difficulties in other states in amending the constitution need not worry Ore gon In discussing the merit of the two plans. Oregon's constitution Is flexi ble. But even If we are interested In the stat'j having a hidebound constitu tion we may still comfort ourselve with the thought that such a state can Just as readily obtain an amendment making subsequent amendments easy as It can obtain an amendment author izing recall of decisions. Recall of de cisions can only be regarded as a weak substitute for the combination of di rect legislation and flexible constitu tion. With the latter in force, recall of decisions would be superfluous. If Mr. Jenkins will read the opinion of the Oregon Supreme Court In the home rule liquor case, he will And an expression by the court which, while possibly obiter dictum, shows a trend of thought that promises to override his objections to re-enacting a nullified law. In brief, the court express" the opinion that an Initiative statute should have the same weight as a con. stltutlonal amendment. Inasmuch as an amendment require, no different pro cedure or greater vote In Its enactment than does a simple statute. If this Is the enunciation of a precedent, the Su preme Court will not declare unconsti tutional any law adopted by the voters. Thus a series of elections and a carry ing up of another case, which Mr. Jen. kins fears, would be unnecessary, for we can Initiate any act of the Legisla ture that the courts annul. It might be argued that this In effect Is recall of decisions. It Is more than that, for with the power described goes the further power held 'by the people readily to amend the constitution and thereby relieve the Legislature of re strictions on enacting similar law In future. fKEK M"KK H AND THE COlJ.hX.EH. While th. Lawrence strike was go ing' on Mis Vlda Scudder. who 1 as sociate professor of English literature at Wellesley College, spoke at one of the meetings of the striking woman. In the course of her speech she Is re ported to have said that she would rather go without woolen garments all her life than wear them at the ex pense of misery to the toller. She said also that the Lawrence strike was promoting the great end of fraternity among the aliens in the United States and that "on every' man and woman in Lawrence had flashed a vision of a just society based on fair reward to labor and fraternal peace." For these remarks Miss Scudder has been se verely criticised. The timorous East ern mind finds them "violent. Incen diary, calculated to stir up unrest," and so forth. Disapproval of Miss Scud der's speech has gone to the point of demanding her dismissal from Welles ley College. Whether the trustees will yield or stand their ground and defy the clamor of the mob 1 not yet certain. Naturally the storm which ha broken over Miss Scudder' head ha excited new discussion of the old prob lem of academic freedom. On what subject, if any, is it permissible for a college professor to speak in public? Whe"n he docs speak shall he express his own thoughts or those which hap pen to be agreeable to hi hearers? Ought he tj consider the truth alone or allow other motives to tie his tongus and modify his views? A number of college magnates have disclosed their opinions upon these points to the New York Evening Post, which is one of the most consistent advocates of free speech in the United States. The com posite tone of what they have to say may be easily guessed. There 1 no class of men w ho feel less at liberty to think with originality on social top ics and say what they really believe than college presidents. The duty cf keeping a vigilant eye open for en dowment naturally inclines them to speak gently to the erring rich. The impression one gathers from their let ters is that w-hll. they . favor free speech in theory they do not believe It ought to be practiced a great deal The only really courageous letter which the Evening Post print came from President Schurman. of Cornell College. H. says that "freedom of speech and of thought is the llfehood of a university. The Individual who proclaims unpopular truth Is a genuine apostle of civilization." Mr. Schurman believe that It is better for society to let the "champion of new truth abuse the risrht of free speech than to re strict his utterance. The men who have found the truth may be In the minority and may be unpopular, but society cannot afford to repress them." These are noble words. Cornell ought to be proud of a President who enter tains uch opinions and has the cour age to express them without reserva tion. Some of the other correspond ents of the Evening Post begin boldly enough, but before their letters close they grow discreet and begin to hedge. Several take the ground that a college professor like Miss Scudder cannot speak for herself alone. She unavold. ably represents . the Institution with which she Is connected, and if her re marks Incur odium some of it falls upon the college in spite of every thing. Ought an innocent college to be made to suffer for the sins of it professors ? The subject is very perplexing. Dr. R. M. Wenley. of the department of philosophy in the University of Michi gan, says that college faculties enjoy more liberty of thought and speech In England than America. This may arise from the fact that England has more freedom than the United States in all directions. Or it may come from the sturdy disposition of Englishmen to assert their individual right at whatever cost. Briton are so pugna cious when they believe their personal liberty Is Invaded that they have found it expedient to let one another alone. They tolerate great latitude of public speech on all sort of ubjects because they know that Intolerance would bring on a fight. Ibsen make on. of his heroes declare that "the majority is always wrong." If this is so, then th. man who advocates new truth must expect to be in the minority and to ,be unpopular. Nobody likes to hear his cherished opinions confuted. Th. Inclination to mob an orator with whom we do not agree Is perfectly human. If a college permits -its pro fessors to express views which are not commonly held it Is likely to lose stu dents. Timorous parents will not send their sons and daughters where they are In danger of being taught unfash ionable doctrines. Still the question may fairly be asked whether it Is not the duty of a university to stand for free speech to the uttermost and take the consequence whatever they may be. New doctrine can only be tested by discussion and discussion Is worth less unless It Is perfectly untrammeled. Where can this task be performed as well as on platform occupied by scholarly men and women from the universities? They have adequate knowledge and ability. They have the necessary courage. If they are not permitted to express their thoughts without restraint then we may as well resign ourselves to take our new doc trines from the least instructed mem bers of the community. That is what actually happens in too many cases. The principal danger which threatens soma of our colleges is that dry rot which springs from the suppression of thought and speech. With all due appreciation for the work of the horse on city streets during many strenuous and ill requited years, it has been found that the motor truck and auto mobile furnish the cleanest, quick est and, when carefully handled, even as horse must be to ensure safety, the safest transportation for city streets: The costly Investment in horses and horsepower equipment will delay for a time the complete adoption of inani mate motor power in cities, but only for a time. The wear and tear of traffic will sooner or later reduce the value of this Investment to the mini mum, and once this point Is reached the horse as an element In city traffic will be eliminated from the strenuous game. Every' veteran who talks to the school children next Wednesday is cognizant of some instance of bravery, showing moral or physical courage by a comrade, that will Inspire th. boys who listen, and the girl a well, for they will be the mothers of boys who may some day fight for their country. A little tale well told will make a last ing Impression on the plastic mind. The punishment does not fit the crime of the man passing a worthless check. The first offense may be an Indiscretion, but repetition shows he Is a miserable swindler. A few day ago one wa given a Penitentiary sen tence. He was an habitual offender. Many more can follow for the good of the community. With a big strike In prospect at Lon don, Cuban negroes looting and kill ing whites and Mexican rebels carry ing on a desultory "war." the United States Is getting off easily with Just a Presidential election. If Omnipotent power does not smite Clark County for official countenance of so much miscegenation, many peo ple will be pained as much as sur prised. Recalling of Mayor has become epi demic In the Washington cities. Ho quiam threatens to follow the example set by Seattle and Tacoma. The departure or the Prairie under sealed order with a regiment of ma rines is a note of warning to off-colored rebels and insurgents. There la relief In learning balloting for bishop at Minneapolis ended be fore balloting for President begin at Chicago and Baltimore. There is a type of men which ache for a kicking and calls the American flag a dirty rag as a sure means of getting one. Another indication of Portland's tre mendous retail trade is given in the opening of a big department store to day. When John Stevenson shook the ap ple tree and sold a mill to the steel trust, It was really the consumer who paid. Nothing 1 said to the effect that the Imperator is unslnkable. The first and last unslnkable ship has sunk. Nevada punishes those who attempt suicide and fall. The only way to es cape punishment Is to succeed. Those Cleone dairymen are going ahead In their milky way of Invading the Portland market. There will oon be work for Ameri can troops In Cuba, as well as on the Mexican border. Th. Imperator will profit by the mistake of other monsters of the sea. LAWYER. FAVORS ROOSEVELT PLAN Recall of rjeetsloma Approved ta Prefer raec ta Direct Ameadsaeat. PORTLAND. May 24. (To the Ed itor.) In a recent issue of your paper appeared an article headed. "How to Keep Up to Date," In which was dis cussed the Roosevelt plan for the re versal of such judicial decisions as de clare legislative acts to be in conflict with the state constitution, and, there fore, unconstitutional and void. In that article, after referring to the methods of amending state constitu tions, the writer says: "Under such provisions a Judicial decision which In terprets the constitution as being at variance w-th the popular will as ex pressed by a legislative act, can be, re versed by the adoption of an amend ment which brings the constitution into harmony with that act. By this process not only Is that particular decision re versed, but all others of like tenor, and the rendering of any other such deci sions Is forestalled." The rest of the article Is of like tenor, and Is an at tempt to .how that the Roosevelt plan "does not strike at the root of the evil," and would result In "piecemeal amendment." A State Legislature does not derive Its power from the state constitution, but from the fact that It represents the peopla of the state In their legis lative capacity, and it can pass any act relating to the domestio affairs of the state not prohibited by the state con stitution. The constitution need not authorize the act; If It does not pro hibit It, the act Is valid. In other words, the state constitution Is not a grant of power, but a limitation upon power otherwise possessed. It naturally follows that every act of tha Legislature should be held to be valid unless clearly prohibited, and this was the doctrine announced In the earlier decisions, and it Is still adhered to by the courts as an abstract propo sition. A tendency, however, has de veloped In the courts In recent years to stretch the prohibitions of the consti tution to cover acts framed to meet conditions never contemplated by the constitution makers. It Is a well-recognized fact that the Legislatures, as well as the courts, nave been getting out of touch with the peo ple, and, as a general rule, have become ultra-conservative hence, the demand for the Initiative and referendum. It has been very hard In most states to secure progressive legislation, and after such legislation has been se cured. It has not been unusual for an almost evenly divided court to declare It unconstitutional. The writer of the article above men tioned says that such Judicial decisions can be reversed by the adoption of a constitutional amendment which brings the constitution Into harmony with the act, but such Is not the case. A con stitutional amendment would not re verse that Judicial decision nor any other Judicial decision. An amendment might remove what the court has held to be the prohibitory constltutloral provision, bat that Is all. It would not revive the nullified act nor the rights which had accrued thereunder and which had been swept away by the court. The amendment plan would keep the matter open and before the public for years. In those states where the Initiative has not been secured, a Leg islature must first be secured favor able to the constitutional amendment; then the amendment must be passed by the Legislature and submitted to the people for ratification; when ratified, another Legislature must be elected favorable ta the re-enactment of the nullified law and the passage of the law must be secured: then another case must arise under that law and must wend its weary way through the courts to a final decision of the Supreme Court upholding Its validity before the matter Is finally settled, for who can say that In the latter case tha court would not find some other ground for declaring the act unconstitutional? Under the Roosevelt plan, the nulli fying decision of the court might be submitted to the people and the people should be permitted to say whether the act should stand as law, or whether the decision should be upheld. The people made the constitution and their repre sentatives the act, and why should not they be permitted to say whether or not they Intend to prohibit the act? If the people are competent to make the pro hibitions contained In the constitution, they must be competent to say what they Intended to prohibit. And one election under the Roosevelt plan would settle the matter, as against three or more under the amendment plan. Under the Roosevelt plan. If the act were up held by the people, the rights which had accrued thereunder would be saved Instead of being swept away as under the other plan. The Roosevelt plan is the most sim ple, direct and efficient so far sag- gested. JOHN C. JENKINS. MR. DAVIS TEIXS OF ROOSEVELT Middle West Republicans, He Saya, Are Agalaat Him. PORTLAND. May 1. To the Edi tor.) My family and I have Just re turned from a visit through Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas, where I find the political feelings are as you ex pressed them In the editorial article to day. "Roosevelt vs. Bryan." I talked with many Republicans who declare If Roosevelt gets the nomination they will work and vote for Bryan. They say Teddy Is a swelled-head egotist, wants to break the example that Washington set In not running for a third term, in fact, they said It looked to them as if Teddy wanted to be King, which they never would stand for. They predict ed Roosevelt would be sat down on harder than General Grant was when he ran for the third term. They think Bryan is politically stronger today than he ever was before, and declare they prefer him to Roosevelt. During our travels back there we saw and heard more thunder and lightning than we have known In the past ten years here in Oregon. In Western Kansas our train was but a few hours behind a eyclone that struck Bison, wher. It tore down a large church and many small houses, and the report was two per sons were killed. As we passed through the people war. gathering up the frag ments of their former homes, and pre paring to rebuild. Oregon looked good to ua We never expect to leave It for a home. L- M. DAVIS. H Votes at Recall Meeting. DUFUR, Or- May 2S. (To tha Edi tor ) i wish to correct an erroneous statement published May 22. in regard to the recall talk In Wasco County on the County Court. In your account you state that there were about 20 voters at the meeting held at Dufur. while In reality there were In the neighborhood of 250 voters of Wasco County. This is a very serious proposition to the Tax payers' League, and we do not want any Incorrect statements made as to the proceedings which will take place from now on. The Oregonlan doubtless considered the Information correct as to the at tendance at this meeting, and we, the Taxpayers' League of Wasco County, will consider It a favor If you will cor rect the former statement, rect me w a HANNA. Real Estate Title. ROSEBURO. May 22. (To the Ed itor ) Can a husband deed a place of land to his wife so. In case of his death, she can hold or sell it Independent of other heirs. A READER. Real estate may be held In severalty. That Is the deed may run to Both hus band and wife. In the event of the death of either the survivor gains full title. w wx-wt md iritn iiw r.n- Preamble ta Grange Resolution Orig inally Scored Paid Aaitatora. PORTLAND, May 2S. (To the Edi tor.) The artful insinuation of Cor poral Crldge that "The big tax dodgers and land grabbers," last w-eek. "slipped something over on the Grange In the wee small hours' of the morning." at the Roseburg session Is considerably mystifying to the uninformed. Those who know what he means are the mem bers of the State Grange and a few others who were observant enough to watch the trend of events when the single tax resolution was under con sideration. It was really In the "we small hours" of Saturday morning when the debate was in progress, and there were a few single taxers keeping tab on every move. W. S. U'Ren was there, and he . kept close watch on the small sprinkl ! lng of his cohorts among the grang ers. When the debate waxed warm and everybody was wishing to adjourn they did succeed in "slipping something over on the Grange," that they are now boasting of with poor judgment. It was about 2 o'clock in the morn ing when the final vote was to be taken, and to appease the objections to the resolution someone moved to strike out the entire preamble which was, if anything, stronger than the resolutions printed in The Oregonlan on Sunday morning last. The preamble contained much more than half the blow aimed at single tax by the Grange, but the single taxers succeeded In having that much eliminated, hence their boasts that the Grange was outwitted. The preamble was adopted with the resolutions by a vote of 90 to 6. At S o'clock next morning the preamble was trlcken out by a vote of 27 to 9. The stricken portion of the resolution fol lows: To the officer and members of the Ore gon State Orange. We. your committee on aiementa ana taxation, bes leave to make the following special report; particularly pertaining to the subject of single tax and embodying all of the resolution proposed to ua in the five sat of resolution referred to thl commit tee. The following are the resolution pre sented: Whereas. An attempt ha been and 1 now being made by certain interest outside the tate to force upon' u a change in our ystem of taxation, said change having in contemplation the entire exemption from taxation of all the great combination of capital. Including the great manufacturer, the money trut, and all other form of monopoly In order that the entire burden of taxation may be thrown upon the land with th direct and expres Intent to there by either confiscate the land to the state or enable the great corporation which are promoting th scheme to take over the land of Oregon at a pittance and there after to rnt the same to It former owner: and. , Whreaa, Said public interet have em ployed the most killful attorney and agi tators for the purpose of chloroforming th people and leading them In paths that they have not known; and. Whereas. There wa adopted at the last general election a constitutional amendment known as the county home rule, the con cealed intent and purpose of which wa to open the door of Oregon for the adoption of the single tax ty counties; and. Whereas. Said amendment wa not under stood by the voters to have any bearing up on the single tax, aaid amendment having been given a defective title; and. Whereas, The deception employed In 1910 ha borne fruit in the initiation of both a county bill and a tate bill, both having for their ultimate purpose th confiscation of private property and land without com pensation, therefore, thus robbing the land owner (of which the farmer is the ma jority), of the year of toll and hardship tored up in hie landed property; and. Whereas. These hired manipulators, agi tators and attorneys, aforesaid are holding out delusive promises and assertion of all things to all men. which statements are so cunningly devised as to befog the mind or ao fallacious aato cloud the reason; and. Whereas, Said proposed system is not based upon sound economics, but upon mis representation, duplicity and plausible as surances held out to the unwitting as an anaesthetic until their vote can be secured; and. Whereas, The single taxer o enthusiasti cally condemn land speculation, but con dones, excuses, embraces and exempts from taxation all speculative in the product of the farm, factory and hop to the great dis advantage of the laborer, the farmer and all consumer in general; now, therefore, be It Resolved, By the Oregon State Orange. (Then follow the resolution as heretofore printed). GRANGER. BEAVERS ANNOY TVGH FARMERS. Protected Animal Dams Irrigating Ditches In Prosperous Valley. TTGH VALLEY, Or., May 22. (To the Editor.) Tygh Valley Is one of the most beautiful and productive little val leys to be found anywhere In the West. Much of the land is under irrigation. And since the building of the railroads up the Deschutes more land Is going under water every year. And this Is one valley that has a sufficient water supply for all lands. Now what I want to ask is, what are we going to do with the beavers? They are becoming so numerous along the streams and in the irrigating ditches as to render the ditches almost useless. They build from one to a dozen dams In the ditches somewhere every night. One has no assurance that the water will be running in the morning where he left it at night. It Is not only the expense of taking out dams, but losing the use of the water is a very serious matter. If the state is going to exercise its right of eminent domain and turn this valley Into a beaver park It is going to be-a pretty serious matter for some of us who are trying to raise crops. What remedy have we? A. A. BONNET. As beavers are protected by law the only relief would seem to be a change In the statute. It ought to be practl cable. If conditions are as described, to obtain from the Legislature an amendment excepting Wasco County or a portion thereof from the provisions of the act. Mlx-l'p tn Dining and Leaving. McCall's Magazine. "Waiter," said the traveler in an Erie Railroad restaurant, "did you say 1 had 20 minutes to wait or that It was 20 minutes to 8?" "Nayther. Ol said ye had 20 minutes to ate, an' that's all ye w have, xer train's just gone' Features of The SUNDAY OREGONIAN Decorating Arlington's 22,000 Graves An illustrated half page on the Nation's greatest Memorial service. Roll Call This year it sounds on thinning ranks. Seven veterans per hour is reaper's roll, so writer ascertains. Back From Moro Land A timely and interesting full page on Army service in the Philippines as experienced by the newly-returned 21st Infantry. Inside Baseball A discussion by John J. McGraw of baseball strategy. Happy College Days George C. Henderson writes entertainingly of enjoyable incidents and features of Northwest college life. McCutcheon'g Pirate Tales The famous illustrator presents "Morgan's Bluff," the best yet of his pirate tales. Tour McCutcheon drawings illustrate the tale. The Travel Fever Jimmie Jerry Doran tells how the wanderlust keeps him on the go. He spent part of the past week in Portland. The Jnmpups They go motoring and Jim tries to drive. Four pages of color comics. ,.- Two Short Stories Complete. MANY OTHER FEATURES. Order Today From Your Newsdealer. The Hired Girl Problem By Dean Collins. Once a wise suburban matron In review went o'er the past. Marking dates by means of servants Whom she never could hold fast; Counting all the weeks and seasons, And their hist'ry neatly summing In a long, long line of housemaids Either going or a-corn ins. As she viewed the age-old problem. In the paper saw she mention, Of a servant of Carnegie Just retired upon a pension; And in all the wondrous story. The most marvious part appears That she'd stayed with her position Twenty-three successive years. "Twenty-three successive seasons!" Quoth the matron, "Well, I bet That the fabled age of wonders Is not past. It's with us yet. In that time, my humble doorway Saw a thousand maids pass through It, Hired, fired, or simply quitting. How on earth did Andy do it?" Portland, May 24. Half a Century Ago From The Oregonlan of May 2. IS2 George Peabody, an American mer chant, long a resident of London, has placed In the hands of several gentle men as trustees ,750,000. to be used as a fund for the amelioration of the condition of the poor of London. The editor of the Nashville Republi can Banner has been arrested and im prisoned by order of Hon. Andrew Johnson, military Governor of Ten nessee. The cause of the arrest is that the general tone of the paper is in imical to the United States. In conse quence of the arrest, the Banner has been suspended. John C. Heenan. the pugilist, accom panied by his brother, James Heenan, arrived in Liverpool April 3. He was warmly greeted on landing by a large number of friends. The object of Hee nan's second visit to England is to encounter Mace for the belt and cham pionship. Mr. Phelps has Introduced a bill to create a new United States Circuit Court for the Pacific Coast. It pro vides for a new Circuit Court having Jurisdiction over Oregon as well as California. The secest county convention met in the Courthouse in this city on Satur day for the purpose of making nomi nations for county officers. Thirteen members were present and Thomas J. Holmes was elected chairman. Dr. Loryea addressed the meeting to the effect that he perceived a disposition to nominate men who had been placed on the Independent Union ticket and that he hoped the convention would not nominate any but Democrats of the Simon-Fure article. Dr. Black said that if Dr. Loryea meant not to nomi nate Union men, he was out; that he would vote for good Union men. They nominated James B. Stevens for State Senator and John Stephenson and V. 11 liam M. King for Representatives. Here a storm of indignation was raised as to the Democracy of Colonel King and a question was raised as to his acceptance of the nomination. A mes senger was dispatched In quest of the Colonel, but on his return an objec tion was raised to his reporting Colonel King's answer. A motion was made to reconsider the vote by which Colonel King was nominated, and prevailed. A. R. Shipley was then placed In nomi nation. On Friday night some ruffians cut the ropes used to lower the topmast of the city flagstaff and pulled them out of the blocks. It is supposed to have been done by some men who had failed to get the job of putting up the halyards. As "Ed" Howe Sees Life Even the wife of a candidate does what she can and smiles a little more agreeably during the campaign. People dislike the man who is a con stant drain on their sympathy. I never knew a blackguard who was not very critical. Every man who runs believes he had a good reason for his cowardice. What a different world this would be If the rule could be reversed and rich kin would hunt for poor kin in order to help them! Admire a hundred people for every one you hate. When you shake hands with some people It is like putting your hand into the grass, expecting to find a flower and encountering a snake. Many a man who says he loves peac Is really afraid to fight. Bookish people know so many unin teresting things. If you don't intend to marry the girl, young man, keep away and give a more serious man a chance. Amendments to Constitution. PORTLAND, May 23. (To the Ed itor In order to settle a dispute, will you kindly state how many amend ments there are to the constitution of the State of Oregon and oblige CATER THUN. Fourteen amendments to the Oregon constitution have been adopted since its original approval. As one of these amendments amended' a prior amend ment, and another replaced an entire article in which one of the sections had previously been amended, drafts of the constitution show only 12 amend- I ments.