TIIE MORNING OREGONIAN, WEDNESDAY. OCTOBER 23, 1912.
10
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PORTLAND, WEDNESDAY, OCT. 3. 1912.
BOURNE AND THE CAtJCCS.
Mr. Bourne as Senator owes his
committee appointments to the Re
publican majority in the Senate acting
through the Republican caucus. It Is
on that account difficult to be patient
with the downright misrepresentation
of his publicity bureau, which talks
about the day of the party caucus be
ing over and the "merit plan having
been substituted" In the assignment of
Senate committee appointments.
On April 26, 1911. at opening of the
Sixty-second Congress, in special ses
sion, the Republican senatorial caucus
met at Washington to determine the
committees for the period to end
March 4, 1913. when a new Congress
should assemble.
Senator Bourne was a participant in
the proceedings. There had been a
sharp issue between the regulars and
the insurgents in the committee on
committees over the assignments; but
the regulars were in the majority and
dominated the caucus, and the list of
committee assignments, as reported by
Chairman Galllnger (of the Republi
can committee on committees), was
reported and approved. These include
the committees Bourne holds at this
time and will have until the end of
the Sixty-second Congress. The
Democrats later submitted their list
of committee appointments, and the
Senate accepted the assignments made
in the two caucuses, though some of
the insurgents (not Bourne) made an
unsuccessful effort to secure certain
changes desired by them.
All these facts are set forth clearly
and in detail in the current reports of
the proceedings of Congress, April 26
29, 1911. It is extraordinary that
anyone should undertake to controvert
the public record, when the facts are
notorious and incontrovertible.
If Mr. Bourne shall be elected, he
will, go to the Senate as an independ
ent, not as a Republican. The Orego
nian has said, and It repeats with em
phasis, that his status will be uncer
tain, and that the Senate may or may
not permit him to retain his committee
assignments. It does not know, for It
Is a new question. Bourne does not
know. When his managers say they
know, they are absurd. Circumstances
will determine. If the Republicans
are able to control the Senate without
Bourne's aid, he will stand small
chance. if the Democrats control,
what assurance has he that the Repub
lican minority will help him in secur
ing his present assignments, or any
assignments? Would Bourne seek to
ally himself with the majority or the
minority?
But let us see how the Bourne com
mittee admits the facts as to political
and party control of Senate commit
tees while at the same time seeking
to dispute them. The Bourne argu
ment is:
The day of party caucus has passed. Po
sitions on committees are not scattered
around by Republicans among Republicans,
or by Democrats among Democrats. The
caucus has been done away with, for th
United States Senate Is being Infused with
new Ideas. - There was no caucus on com
mittee appointments in the last session of
Congress. Instead of members of a party
getting together behind closed doors and
dividing the pie, the merit plan has been
substituted.
. So the merit plan has been substi
tuted ? It would have been well to end
the statement there, since it is disputed
outright In the following further para
graph from the Bourne article:
Should the Senate become Democratic
during his term of service, he (Bourne)
would lose his chairmanship on the com
mittee on postofflces and post roads, but
would be the ranking Republican member
of the committee and one of the three sen
ate conferees on all bills passed upon by
that committee.
If merit controls, why should Bourne
lose his postofflce chairmanship to a
Democrat, or to anybody? Why
should he be a ranking Republican
member when he is not a Republican?
DR. TAN BISE ON COMPETITION.
Dr. Van Hise, President of the Uni
versity of Wisconsin, has invented a
new maxim to take the place of the
familiar "Competition Is the life of
trade." In his opinion "Combination
is the life of trade." He does not go
so far as to defend actual monopoly
except In the field of public utilities.
Here he believes that monopoly Is nat
ural and proper. Indeed it Is un
avoidable. Most efforts that have
been made to secure and maintain
genuine competition between public
utilities hove been disastrous failures.
As far ao street railways are con
cerned the operation of economic laws
produces monopoly whether the public
wishes It or not. Attempts to keep up
competition between telephone com
panies have apparently been more suc
cessful, but in reality the only effect
of the effort is to compel users to pro
vide two instruments where one would
be enough. Outside of the scope of
public utilities Dr. Van Hlse believes
in competition which, as he sees it,
provides better quality and service for
the consumer than he could get under
conditions of monopoly.
But he wants regulated competition.
Deft to itself. It is destructive. Waste
ful of resources, it secures neither ex-
' cellence In products nor economy in
production, while under suitable guid
ance It reaches the best possible re
sults. Dr. Van Hise would by no
means forbid combination among cor
porations. They ought to be permit
fa! tn form any combinations they
please. Even agreements to fix prices
should be aliowea accoruing to
views. But all these privileges must
be strictly supervised and regulated bi
ll Government commission. It Is Dr.
Van Hise's view that a commission
properly constituted can give as good
service in the field of ordinary cor
porations as the. public has secured
tho stato Railroad Commissions.
Big combinations, of business men, up
to a certain limit, are economical,
they save waste and cheapen produc-
tion. beyond that limit they are, of
course, unwieldy and expensive, as Mr.
Brandeis has shown conclusively.
Hence it ought to be part of the busi
ness of the Government commission
to fix a proper limit; to the Bize of com
binations. The purpose he has in
mind is to secure the best results for
the public with as little sacrifice of
commercial liberty as possible. It may
be that Dr. Van Hise is on the right
track to the solution of the trust prob
lem. It Is probably impossible to de
stroy these huge creatures of the law,
but there is no good reason why they
should not be regulated into docility
and usefulness.
CONGRESSMAN MAWLF.Y. .
Willis C. Hawley is a candidate for a
fourth term as representative In Con
gress for the First Oregon District. He
has served the state well during the
past six years. He Is alert, Industrious,
thorough, honest, careful and efficient.
Hawley's record compares well with
the service of several capable prede
cessors, like Tongue and Hermann. He
gets results for Oregon.
There is no buncombe or guile about
Hawley, or false claims of preponder
ating influence over other members of
the Oregon delegation, or equivocal ac
tion on public questions, or diligent ob
servation of political weather condi
tions. He hews to the .line and pays
small regard to the chips. He believes
in the Oregon system, and supports it
by word and action. He mingles with
the people, breaks bread with them,
linnv them, svmrjathizes with them.
represents them. He can talk with them
face to face, and give to them a faith
ful account of his stewardship. He has
no embarrassing political past to nine,
no doubtful political present to ex
plain. Everything with him all the
time is open and above board.
The people of the ; First District,
trusting Hawley, and knowing what he
has done and can do, will hardly make
the mistake of falling to re-elect him.
LET TIIE VOTER REMEMBEB.
Tn mnsirlerinz the various measures
on the ballot the citizen should not
fall to mark the vital distinction be
tween the initiative and the referen
dum. Tf thA unter Ae.crfrna to nrotest acainst
the overuse or misuse of the initiative,
he should vote NO on any given initi
ative measure.
it tho vntrr should desire to nrotest
against the overuse or abuse of the
referendum, let him vote YES on any
particular measure submitted through
the popular referendum. In the lat
ir .localflnn tlnn are the University of
Oregon appropriations (two bills) and
the Malarkey public utilities Dili, ah
the hallot are there
either through the initiative or through
a legislative referendum.
It should not be forgotten, too, that
certain acts are on the ballot (such as
the tax bills) because all such legisla
tion must be Dy tne people, ana not oy
the Legislature.
DENEEN IN THE ANANIAS CLUB.
One of the Progressives who stood
with Roosevelt in the struggle for the
Republican nomination, but who re
fused, to leave the Republican party
when that struggle failed, is Governor
Deneen, of Illinois. As usual with
men who refuse to follow the Colonel
out of the Republican party, an issue
of veracity has been raised against him.
-j.no aispute relates to ins uumuci
of Roosevelt delegates whom the
Colonel's forces should strive to have
substituted for Taft delegates. A res
olution by Hadley placing the number
at seventy-eight was actually under
discussion in the convention when, ac
cording to Deneen, Roosevelt proposed
to reduce the number to thirty-four.
Deneen saw that such a change in the
line of battle while the battle was on
would injure the Colonel's case, and at
his suggestion Hadley wrote In the
presence' of Dixon and Borah a resolu
tion which Deneen Introduced, provid
ing that Hadley"s motion be referred
to the committee on credentials and
that no delegate whose right to a. seat
was questioned by Hadlty's motion
should have a right to vote on mem
bership of the credentials committee
or on Its report. This was a skillful
way out of an embarrassing situation.
That Roosevelt was cognizant of this
resolution, its terms and its purpose, Is
proved by the fact that in a public ad
dress at the time he described it as
Deneen now describes it. Tet when
Deneen refuses to follow hln 'into a
new party, Roosevelt accuses him of
double-dealing and wilful perversion
of truth. That is the uniform penalty
of disagreement with the Colonel. No
man is honest or truthful in his esti
mation who does not follow him to
the last ditch. '
THE WEIXHEB:
The people admire a good loser.
They have contempt for the man who,
after he has been beaten In a fair fight.
refuses to quit. Jonathan Bourne in
Atlantic Monthly, January, 1912.
The people of Oregon are on trial,
not I. Jonathan Bourne before April
primary, 1912.
Hon. Ben Selling, Portland, Or.: I
am informed that the Republicans of
Oregon have nominated you as my suc
cessor to the United States Senate by a
very handsome majority. Accept my
sincerest congratulations and assur
ances of hearty support. Jonathan
Bourne to Ben Selling, April 22, 1912.
On Saturday, October 6, 1918, Jona
than Bourne, Jr., -became an "inde
pendent" candidate for United States
Senator, after having been beaten in a
fair fight and after he had pledged his
support to the successful candidate.
LABOR RESENTS WILSON'S SLANDERS.
Although Democratic campaign
managers are deluging the voters with
so-called literature showing what a
devoted friend labor has in Wilson,
the speeches and writings of his
Princeton days are persistently quoted
to prove that he is really labor's en
emy and that his conversion to Its
cause is too sudden, too recent and co
incides too closely with political ex
pediency to be accepted as sincere.
The Labor World of Pittsburg
quotes the baccalaureate address de
livered at Princeton on June IS, 1909,
little more than three years ago, in
which Wilson said:
You know what the usual standard of em
ployes Is In our day. It Is to give as little
as he may for his wages. Labor Is atarid-
. i . . . . .. ) i unlnn, anri thll ! Ih,
standard to which It Is made to conform.
The labor 01 Amont, iiuj ucvi".io
unprofitable under Its present regulations
by those who have determined to reduce It
to a minimum.
Th Labor World then comments:
The bitterest enemy that organized labor
ever had and the veriest traitor that the
wage workers of this country ever came
In contact with could not utter a more
vicious slander against the wage workers
of the United States than the foregoing.
Dr Wilson, the Democratlo candidate for
the Presidency of the United States, uttered
the slander ana oniy ".
tcred it after full deliberation; after he had
.. .-n,Bi .narriM In think-
Sleni II II lliuv at:i ... o --
Ing out bis conclusions In quiet so as 40
state them to young men of wealth who
were just about to enter the business and
- i , -J trn -an ll mtl tl V fl
changed his opinions in so short a time 7
. j . Tk. mnat nftfMRlve
lie nas oat uuho dv. " - - -;
proof that he still clings to them Is the
fact that he has not the courage to-deny
Why has such a "heroic" trade union
leader as Samuel Gompers not attacked
this slander, long ere now? Why has he not
preached defiance to this slander of Ameri
can labor? Had any other candidate for the
Presidency made such a preposterous slate
ment as that in question, why, Mr. Gompers
wouia nave wi uiru uuuu.w .
nouncing it ana no wvu(u ------
i . ,.. a M,rhM condemnatory of
the man who uttered such a He.
The same paper also quotes irom
"A Historv of the American
People," this reference to the Chinese:
It was their skill, their intelligence, wr
hardy power of labor, their knack at suc
ceeding and driving duller rivals out, rather
than alien habits, that made them feared
and hated and led to their exclusion at tne
power of the men they were likely to dis
place, should they multiply.
Tne following inaigna.ni gumuicui.
made: ' -
Now ye who labor1 with your hands in
mis greai cvuiiu i vu-, '- -- - .
est ambition In life Is to rear your fami
lies amid good moral surroundings, Just
thlnK or a man line V , v t out
of this country not because of their immor
alities and a low and debased, In fact, de
praved, mode of life, but simply because
tney are oetier workuicn " ...
wage worsen ana m '-.- - ' ----
able to compete with them In skill and In
telligence.
Th. arHAiA onnrlnrlAji bv saving that
the opinions quoted were expressed
when wiisnn "wu entirely free from
the fact of being a political candi
date," and tnererore arawn iuib
ence:
a I I n hli re-
'lnese were ni w-ue f"u -. -
markable silence on these same questions
now proves that he was sincere when he
slandered labor unions and extolled Chinese
labor oeyona mat ot toe
Tn onnthAr jtrtlcle GomDers is se
verely rapped for his active support of
Wilson in vioTatlpn of the rules and
onnsHtnHnn of the American Federa
tion of Labor, of which he Is presi
dent, and Is asked wny ne is - suent on
the slander uttered by Wilson,"
Th Democratic campaign man
agers are doing their best to counter
act the damaging erfect or tnese quo
tations from their candidates' writ
ings and speeches. They send v out
pamphlets telling what Wilson and his
rtn Viva rinnn for labor. They take
credit for ail the recent labor legis
lation by Congress, wnicn owea its
i.m,ak tn Tra1rlnt Taft. but they
say nothing of the workmen's com
pensation bill, which Tart originated,
against which 15 Democratic Senators
voted and which a Democratic House
smothered.
TALMAGE'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY.
Readers whose .recollections run
back as far as war time and the years
following that excitable period will be
glad to learn that the Reverend T. De
Witt Talmage's autobiography has
been published. He was one of the
most conspicuous characters of those
davs and contributed largely by his
sermons to sustain the courage of the
North under frequent reverses. What
ever he said for publication was read
from one end of the country to the
other. Not always wise or scholarly, he
was always entertaining and pos
sessed the art of attracting the crowd
almost as masterfully as Henry Ward
KAApnr The two celebrated preach
ers held forth in Brooklyn not far from
each other and had they Deen less ex
emplary Christians tney mignt nave
hAAn rivals. Rut Talmace says there
never was a trace of bitterness between
them. "Beecher's church was always
full and so was mine, ne remarKs.
So neither found occasion to malign
the other. Talmage Bays ne nas no
ticed that ministers whose congrega
tions are small "are apt to dislike a
nroaoher xrhn has a full church." Hu
man nature seems to be much the same
in the pulpit and out of it.
The autobiography, which is pub
iiahnn hv the Duttons. naturally gives
some account of Talmage's family and
his boyhood days, this is aouoiy in
teresting because he was a specimen
nf ihA sAif.mariA American, the old-
fashloned variety who rose from the
humblest origin. to fame ana rortune
without friends or money to start with.
Whon rmonle all the world over were
reading his sermons and he was re
ceiving $1000 for a single lecture, rew
Wm nr r-armA tn know the difficult
circumstances of his early life. He
was the youngest child or a large fam
ily. Some accounts say he had eleven
hmihAn anil sisters. His father was
an honest, religious day laborer who
worked hard all his lire ana uvea rru.
gaily without ever saving anything.
Tnniii. nr hl brothers were ministers.
one a missionary to China. One would
think that his poor motner must nave
felt her full dutv to the Lord was done
after so many offerings; but she did
not. Her pious wish was to make a
preacher of De Witt also, remaps ne
hen baati ton murh of the calling to
appreciate Its beauties. Perhaps Tils
youthful heart was naturally reDei-
liniia. At anv rate he declined at rirst
to become a minister, and. in I860,
went to New York to study law.
No doubt he would have maae a
great Jury lawyer, for no man ever
hurl mora of the "srift of gab" with
that spice of charlatanism which
lends popular eloquence Its moBt po
tent charm. But this was not to De,
for before he was admitted to the bar
he was "converted." One night when
the family was an gatnerea at nome
the evangelist Truman Osbourne In
quired of the father, "Are your chil
dren all saved?" Mr. Talmage an
swered, "All but De Witt," Justly re
trorfllnir thn law as IncomDatible with
salvation. Thereupon Osbourne . re
lated a parable of a lost lamb perishing
In a storm wnicn so anectea tne young
man that ha forsook his sins and be-
nma a nraachar. arraduatine from New
Brunswick Theological seminary, tiis
first salary was only sou a vear, nut
his abilities soon bettered his Income
and money was the least of his trou
bles throughout his active and useful
life. He really was a useful man and
It cannot be denied that he was able.
Without Beecher's solidity of charac
ter or scholarly attainments Talmage
nevarthaless reached as larre a circle
of readers as that great pulpit orator
and perhaps lnnuenced tnem as pow
erfully for good. As a theologian he
hAlnnnil to the naive. nrimitive
school which throve in America for
years after It had disappeared every
where else, while Beecher was a pro
gressive who eagerly followed the re
sults of European scholarship. Tal.
mage accepted the Jewish Scriptures
as a literally veracious historical rec
nrrl. To him the stories of the Crea
tion, Jonah's adventure with the iwhale
and the flood narrative were an ver
bally inspired and inerrant.
The consequence was that Talmage
iivorl all his davs in the odor of sanc
tity, while Beecher was pursued with
ia maiienltv that forms the heretic's
portion. Beecher was careful and ac
curate in his public statements, wnue
Talmage was reckless to the point of
mendacity, but since his departures
from truth were always in tne airec
Hnn of nrthodoxv. he never was blamed
for them. His mind bore a singular
resemblance to Gladstone's in its worn
lngs. Both men clung with the same
tenacity to the husks of an Impossible
rhanincrv both of them despised and
feared the advances of science and
each possessed the same enviable rac
ulty of believing that superstitious tra
ditions were scholarly truths. Natur
ally, therefore, when Talmage visited
Gladstone in England they found each
nth onnirenlaJ snirlts. They met like
two dodos, the last survivors of a per
ishing race, and comionea eacn ouk
by exchanging opinions which were
soon to disappear forever.
Talmage recounts many an inter
view with the famous personages of
his day ana of them all he speaks ap
preciatively. He had the large and
tolerant generosity or success iwmv-u
fixes its gaze on virtues rather than
foiitnra Wo has a eood word even for
Lucretia Mott, the pioneer of all the
militant suffragists, it is curious iu
rim hi inteiHs-Anna oroinfiT so far as
to classify and partially explain Charles
Gulteau, the assassin or vjarxieiu.
"Gulteau," he says, "was no more
rm txt than thousands of tlace hunt
ers.- He had been refused an office
and was full of revenge. For months
after each Presidential election the
hotels of Washington are roosts for
such buzzards. They are the crawling
vermin of the Nation. There were hun
dreds of Guiteaus in Washington after
the Inauguration, but they had not the
courage to shoot." How long will it be
before the gospel or our Tannages win
extirpate the brood of our Guiteaus ?
Sir Gilbert Parker has been making
some pungent criticisms on the way
English literature Is currently taugnt.
He says "a sort of mandarin learning
tends to settle on literature." Pupils
accumulate a worthless store "of small
facts and allusions," with nothing of
value for their trouble. "Worse still,
they settle ' the exact relationship of
every writer to every other writer, his
indebtedness to every influence and ex
actly what the student ought to think
of him." The latter process has be
come a real pest. The labeling and
storing away of authors in mothproof
cupboards is about all to literature
study in many classes.
' Many persons will watch with inter
est tha riroErress of the new experi
ments the Government has undertaken
in rearinsr fur-bearing animals. The
purpose is to prove that there is profit
in the business and to induce private
persons to. take it up. Formerly in
credibly numerous in the territory of
the United States, fur-bearing animals
are now almost extinct. The beaver
can be found only in rare haunts.
Even the humble muskrat is growing
scarce. The only animal whose skin
is valuable that seems to hold his own
is the mole, thus demonstrating for the
millionth time the persistence of evil.
It is maintained by some observers
that rivers like the Columbia and Mis
sissippi will never regain their former
commercial importance, no matter how
much they are Improved, until a boat
has been Invented which shall be bet
ter adapted to navigate them than any
now available. A new type of steamer
is to be tried on the upper Mississippi
next year which may also prove suit
able for the Columbia. It seems as
though It ought to be possible to de
vise a river boat which shall be as
successful as the whaleback proved
on the Great Lakes.
The difficulty experienced by the Se
attle recallers in determining how
many of the signatures to the anti-
Cotterill petition are bad points to a
defect in the recall, law. If men and
women desiring to sign recall petitions
were required to go to some designated
place and identify themselves as regis
tered voters, there would be fewer bad
names. But there would be fewer re
calls, and that would not suit the pro.
fessional recallers and the petition-
shovers.
Our old friend, the holy war, is trot
ted out again, as usual, when the Turks
get Into trouble. There have been sev
eral holy wars in the last three cen
turles, but the Turkish dominions
have been steadily shrinking. Holy
wars may have been useful in the days
when every soldier supplied his own
horse and arms, but they don't help in
these days of Krupp guns, high-power
rifles, aeroplanes and dreadnoughts.
So the Bourne non-partisan cam
paign committee "resents" the car
toon in The Oregonian on the Bourne
paid petition-chasers as a reflection on
somebody or other. Oh, piffle! The
Bourne publicity bureau is precious
hard up for something to boil up about.
What has become of the wily old Jon
athan that he should turn his cam
paign over to the Juvenile class?
Robert Barr, who died Monday, was
a novelist who knew how to use local
color to embellish the mechanical ef
fect of a story of commercial life. His
early works, in which Detroit, Windsor
and Sarnla figured extensively, were
his best.
Mrs. George Lauder, of Pittsburg.
was charged $33,000 duty on a few
trifles of Jewelry she endeavored to
slip through. The cost of high living
is becoming something frightful.
An exchange boasts that an, American-born
girl Is entertaining King
George. Why not make the boast -that
George has the honor of being enter
tained by an American girl?
The good women of the Christian
Temperance Union should not spend
too much time and temper on "ladies"
who smoke. They aren't always worth
the effort to reform them.
Mexico has twenty-seven states, but
only three revolutions under way. Her
enterprising citizens should certainly
be able to supply each state with a
revolution all Its own.
The geographers who were this way
lately .are now departing for their
homes. We had hopes they would
map out the political situation before
leaving.
American smokers use one billion
cigarettes a month. Business prospects
are particularly bright ror alienists ana
undertakers.
Science aims to double the wheat
crop. The prosaic manure-spreader is
the real handmaid of science. ,
With the ballot covering half a
square yard, the polls should be kept
open until midnight. -
Both ends of the Bourne boom ap
pear to be ' shrinking toward the
middle. '
The undug potatoes must wipe their
weeping eyes and await sunshine.
The best that can be said ef It Is
that this is grand football weather.
ADVICE ON INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM MEASURES
Titles of AH Bills on State Electioii Ballot Given in Condensed Fornv With Brief Explanations and Suggestions
iiues oi ah fiuis u o as t0 Their Desirability Eoad Problem Seems Hopeless.
tn.. nrAniit rlni herewith its views on tha 28 state
measures and the two local bills presented to the voters
for consideration at the g-eneral. election, November 5.
It may be said, by way of preface, that the prosperity
or welfare of the state or its people does not depend on
the adoption of a single one of the Initiative meas
ures presented. In making this statement. The Oregon-
Ian is not unmindful of the Importance
prehensive road legislation. But it has. considered the nu
merous road bills long end earnestly, and has reluctant
ly reached the conclusion that the only hope ror a roaa
programme rests in the session of the Legislature to con
vene n&xt January. '
There are three Independent sets or
Is backed by active organizations. Each
. , . --! . t- -An fnP it tn rarrv.
must have an affirmative vote greater
votes of the other two. It is therefore almost jnevnaoie
.v. -ii in t. Aofcatari Tha Oreeonian ' believes there
mm aax n w
are good points in the harmony bills
the Grange bills, and It does not aaviee
Equal suffrage amendment. 800, Tes;
301, No. ' The Oregonian favors votes
for 'women. Vote 300, Yes.
For constitutional amendment creat
ing office of Lieutenant - Governor.
302, Tes; 803, No. This office would
cbst the people 3200 a year. It would
prevent log rolling in the election of a
presiding officer of the Senate. Vote
302, Yea.
For an amendment permitting taxes
A. v. nnnn rilffxrant classes Of.
property.' 804, Yes; 805, No. Anti-sin
gle tax, though adoption, is not neces
sary to defeat single tax. Would per
mit rational tax reforms. Vote 304,
Yen.
For constitutional amendment to re
peal all of section 1A of article DC, ex
cept that part prohibiting poll taxes.
308, Yes; 809, No. One of the most
important measures on ballot. Antl
slngle tax. Anti-county option in
taxes. Approval would minimize ac
tivities of paid propagandists and ex
perimenters in taxation. Vote 308, Ye.
For amendment of section 1, article
XVII, providing for majority rule In
adopting constitutional amendments.
310, Yes; 311, No. This measure would
Increase the difficulty of adopting con
stitutional amendments. It is probably
aimed at abuse of the Initiative, but, in
the opinion of The Oregonian, initia
tlve abuses have not been experienced
so much in adopting undesirable meas
ures as in the continued imposition
upon the voters of the necessity of
studying and defeating them. Every
voter ought to have his own , convic
tions on this amendment.
For constitutional amendment relat
ing to liability of bank stockholders.
312, Yes; 813, No. . This amendment
would increase the liability of state
bank stockholders to that held by Na
tional bank stockholders. It is a pro
tective measure for depositors and
other creditors of banks. Vote 313, Yea.
t
An act vesting the Railroad Commis
sion with power to regulate rates and
service of public utilities. 314, Yes;
315, No. Meritorious bill in the Inter
ests of the consumers of electricity, gas
and other utilities. It was referred to
the voters as the result of personal
pique of two politicians. It has been
indorsed by the Governor, the Railroad
Commission, ' the Washington Public.
Service Commission, the Wisconsin
Public Service Commission and other
recognized authorities. Vote 314, Yes.
A bill for an act to create the new
County of Cascade. 318, Yes; 819, No.
Purely local measure. . Improperly on
ballot. Vote 319, No.
A bill for an act creating a single
Board of Regents and levying mlllage
tax for support of university and Agri
cultural College. 320, Yes; 321, No.
This act would remove the two educa
tional institutions from legislative log
rolling and prevent unnecessary dupli
cation of courses of study. It is prop
erly on the ballot because it Is readily
grasped and, being a tax measure, can
not now be acted on by the Legisla
ture. Vote 320, Yes.
For the amending of section 1, arti
cle VI, so as to require a -majority vote
to approve initiative measures. 822,.
Yes; 823, No. . Would make adoption of
initiative measures more difficult. As
stated . in connection with another
amendment. The. Oregonian believes
that the chief defect in present meth
ods of direct legislation is not in the
ease with which measures are adopted,
but in the ease wlfh which undesirable
measures may be placed on the ballot.
The question, however, is elemental,
and Oregon voters should need no ad
vice thereon.
A bill for an act authorizing any
county to issue bonds for road con
struction. 324, Yes; 325, No. This is
one of the Grange road bills. It, and
the next amendment, are framed with
the idea of giving the residents of
each county control of character, lo
cation, grades and amount of money to
be expended on good roads, and do
not contemplate iond assistance from
the state at large. . No advice. See in
troduction. A bill for an act to create a highway
department. 826, Yes; 327, No. This is
the Grange road amendment; the vote
should be the same on this aa on the
preceding bill.
A bill to put chapter 260, laws of
1911, in effect December 1, 1912, in
stead of January 1, 1913. 328, Yes;
WEST FIGHTING AGAINST ODDS
Attitude en Temperance and Vice Sub
ject of Praise.
. CORVALLIS, Oct 21. (To the Editor.)
However much any one may dislike
the Governor's prison policy, it seems
to me but fair to commend other acts
which meet with one's approbation. It
has seemed that in his anti-vice cru
sade, he has gone about it in a way
different from the way some others
would pursue, and up to date" with
barren results. Where one man alone
Is pitted against an army, every mem
ber of which is thinking day and night
how to keep his business running and
yet evade the consequences of violated
law, it would seem to be quite a ton
tract the Governor had undertaken,
and more or less Indifferent results
may be expected.
The statement made by Governor
West before the W. C. T. U. convention
Saturday night, as reported In the Sun
day Oregonian, has moved me to write
this letter. Whatever, we may think of
his methods and their probable futility.
It is encouraging to people Inclined as
are the W. C. T. V. to find in the
highest office in the state an official,
not only in accord with their work, but
actively engaged In the same endeavors.
The causes animating the Governor
to cast himself against vice, and par
ticularly against the saloon, are har
oi enacting cran-
'
road Dins, iacn
is working against
one of these plans
than the combined
and good points in
me w
329. No. A bill putting the State
Printer on a flat salary was adopted
by the Legislature in 1911. The ini
tiative measure simply and only ad
vances the date on' which the act be
comes effective. Plainly an abuse of
the initiative power. Vote 829, No.
A bill for an act to create the office
of Hotel Inspector. 880. Yes; 331, No.
Creates new salaried office. Is a mat
ter properly for consideration by the
Legislature. Abuse of the Initiative
power. Vote 331, No.
. A bill for an act making eight hours
a day's labor on public works. 332,
Yes; 833, No. If this bill is meritorious
there should be no difficulty whatever
In obtaining its passage by the Legis
lature. We see no reason why the
contractors should oppose it there, as
the extra cost its passage would entail
to the construction of publlo' improve- .
ments would be added to the contract
price and ultimately fall on the tax
payer. Overuse of the Initiative. Vote
333, No.
A bill for an act to protect pur
chasers of stocks and bonds. 334, Yes;
335. No. (The Blue Sky bill.) Consid
eration of this bill is one of the ordi
nary duties of the Legislature to which
it has never been presented. Misuse of
initiative. Vote 835, No.
A bill for an act prohibiting the em
ployment of convicts on private work.
386, Yes; 837, No. Misuse of initiative.
Vote 837, Ne.
A bill for an act prohibiting the em
ployment of county and city prisoners
on private work. 838, Yes; 339, No.
Proper subject for consideration by
Legislature. Misuse of Initiative. Vote
339, No.
A bill for an act creating a State
Road Board and authorizing issuance
of $1,000,000 road bonds annually. 340,
Yes; 841, ISO. One of the harmony
road bills. No advice. See Introduc
tory remarks at head of this article.
For an amendment of section 7, arti
cle XL limiting state road indebted
ness. 342, Yes; 843, No. One of the
harmony road bill measures. No ad
vice. See introduction. j
A bill for an act authorizing the re
spective counties to issue 20-year bonds
for road building. 344, Yes; 345, No.
One of the harmony road bills. No ad--vice.
See introduction. ; T ' ,
For amendment of section 10, article
XI, limiting county indebtedness for
roads. 846, Yes; 347, No. One of har
mony road measures. In direct conflict
with Grange county bonding measure
as to limitation. No advice. See in
troduction. A bll for an act providing for the
consolidation of contiguous cities and
providing method for creating new
counties. 348, Yes; 349, No. Deals with
problem over which Legislature does
not have authority. Its adopion would
relieve general ballot of certain local
measures and guard against overuse of
initiative. Vote 348, Yes.
For amendment of article IX, pro
viding for taxation of incomes. 360,
Yes; 851, No. Desirable Improvement
of tax laws. Anti-single tax. Vote 850,
Yes.
A bill for an act amending, subdivi
sion 8 of section 8564 of Lord's Oregon
Laws, exempting household furniture
from taxation. 352, Yes; 353, No. This
is an elemental tax question easily
understood. Exemption of household
property is desirable. Vote 852, Yea. .
A bill for an act to exempt from
taxation all debts, bonds, warrants, etc.
354, Yes; 355, No. Those who Intend to
vote for the amendment (308, Yes) re
pealing county tax option should vote
against this bill. The repeal of county
tax option restores to the Legislature
the right to enact tax laws. This bill
deals wih an abstruse question and one
open to argument. It should go to the
Legislature. Vote 355, No.
A bill for an act revising the inherit
ance tax laws. 856, Yes; 357, No. The
same argument applies to this bill as
to the one immediately preceding It.
Vote 357, No.
A bill for an act fixing the percent
age of freight rates. 358, Yes; 859, No.
This bill is most pronounced misuse of
initiative power on the ballot. It deals
with complicated problems concerning
which the ordinary voter can have no
knowledge. It is ambiguous, indefinite.
rowing Indeed. How many blasted
homes In Oregon and throughout the
Nation can unite with him In this sen
timent. There are many others, too,
hard-headed, practical men of affairs,
who are dominated by the same senti
ments. One has but to look about the
least little bit to notice that the drink
ing of liquor in any form is Indeed
evil. It disqualifies men for many po
sitions absolutely, and generally Im
pairs their usefulness, not to mention
its disintegrating effect on the charac
ter of most persons who use liquor.
I am not "desiring to deliver a tem
perance address. My sentiments on
the saloon evil are known wherever I
am known, and I am considerably dis
liked by all persons in any way en
gaged in either making or selling the
article wherever I have lived long
enough to become known.
To my mind Governor West is to
be praised for his attitude on the
question of suppressing vice and in
his endeavor to compel men to obey
the law. Our laws are not perfect
But such as we have should be obeyed.
J. H. WILSON.
Little Brother's Nlsht Off.
Chicago Daily News.
She My " little brother will not
bother us tonight'
He That's good. When does the
funeral take place.
"no" on all road measures. But it does definitely decline
to enter into a discussion of their relative merits or give
specific advice, because it believes it would be to no good
purpose. If the voters will express their convictions, how
ever, the Legislature will at least have a fair guide, even
though all bills are defeated. The Legislature must and
will take up and solve the problem.
While no serious consequences would follow defeat of
all initiative measures, there are certain fundamental and
elemental Issues presented which it Is advisable to dis
pose of. There are a few desirable measures that, ow
ing to restrictions heretofore placed in the constitution,
cannot be enacted except by vote of the people. There
are certain measures that ought not to be on the ballot,
but which may be readily grasped by the ordinary voter,
and on some of these The Oregonian will give no advice,
deeming it well to leave to the voter to decide whether
be wishes to rebuke overuse of the Initiative by voting
"No," or to record his convictions.
For purpose of identification, the first few words of
the official ballot title are given In each Instance, but to
save space the remaining portion Is condensed:
not understood by best-known railroad
rate experts, and is pronounced dan
gerous in the particulars where It Is
intelligible. Vote 350, No.
For an amendment of section 10, arti
cle XI, relating to county road bond
Issues. 360, Yes; 361, No. This is
known as the Jackson County road bill.
No advice. See introduction. .
For -amendment of article IV, abol
ishing State Senate, providing for pro
portional representation and proxy
voting. 362, Yes; 363. No. This amend
ment is known as the U'Ren constitu
tion. It Is complicated, experimental,
and in its combining of recognized
good reforms with vague theories, is a
definite case of initiative log-rolling.
Its adoption would enable candidates
for Governor virtually to bid for the
office by offering different localities
appropriations which the Governor
' only could present, and would enabla
the Governor to control all legislation.
Vote 363, No. v '
For amendment of section 3, artlcl
IX, providing for graduated taxes in
addition to the single tax. 364, Yes;
365, No. This is the Fels fund single
tax measure. To foist it on Oregon
and experiment therewith In this state
a foreign organization has collected
many thousands of dollars, in this
country and Canada. It is paid propa
ganda, and is dangerous in the extreme
to private ownership of land, whether
held by poor or rich. Vote 365, Ao.
A bill for an act to abolish capital
punishment. 366, Yes; 367, No. Ele
mental. No explanation needed. The
Oregonian opposes abolishment of the
death penalty. Its advice Is to vote
367, Ho.
A bill for an act to prohibit boy
cotting. 368, Yes; 869, No. This bill is
opposed by Socialists and labor lead
ers. Probably the Legislature could
not be expected to give It proper con
sideration except at a session following
an election In which the subject became
a widely-discussed Issue. The enact
ment would doubtless be followed by a
referendum. The Oregonian advises
the voters to vote their own convic
tions. A bill for an aot prohibiting the use
of public streets, parks, etc., in cities
of over 5000, for speech making, with
out a written permit from the Mayor.
; 270, Yes; 371,' No. This bill is aimed at
soapbox orators. It does not, however,
prohibit their speaking In. streets or
parks. It simply seeks to place re
sponsibility for abuse of the free
speech privilege upon the Mayor. It
probably could not get by the Legisla
ture without a referendum. As it
would go to vdte anyway it might as
well be settled on its merits at this
time. The Oregonian favors its adop
tion. Vote 370, Yes.
An act appropriating $328,258.93 for
certain buildings at the - State Uni
versity. 372, Yes; S73, No. This meas
ure was adopted by the Legislature
and was referred to the people by peti
tions characterized by many forgeries
Its presence on the ballot is an abusi
of the referendum.- If it Is adopted
and the mlllage tax bill is also adopt
ed by a higher affirmative vote this
appropriation will be Ineffective. Vote
372, Yes.
An act appropriating $175,000 fot
library and museum at the State Uni
versity. 874. Yes; 375, No. This also it
a legislative act and was referred by
petitions in which there were hun
dreds of forgeries. The same argu
ment applies to It as to the bill direct
ly preceding. Vote 874, Yes.
Local Measures.
A bill for an act reducing the num
ber of Commissioners of the Port oi
Portland and providing for their elec
tion by the people. 376, Yes; 377, No
This bill would unnecessarily create
three new offices paying $3600 each,
without promise of better administra
tion. Vote 877, No.
A bill for a local law exempting all
improvements, personal property and
business, except liquor business, from
taxation in Multnomah County. 378,
Yes; 379, No. Straight single-tax meas
ure. Put on ballot by expenditure of
money and suported by workers paid
by an organization which collects
money in this and foreign countries to
Impose taxation experiments in Oregon.
Dangerous to the public welfare and
threatens confiscation of lands. Vote
379, No.
Half a Century Ago
From The Oregonian of October 23, 1882.
The citizens of Olympla were to hold
a meeting on the 21st for the purpose
of adopting some suitable means to
perpetuate the memory of General Isaac
I. Stevens, who fell while leading his
brave comrades In one of the most
important victories gained over the
rebels since the war began.
Louisville. Oct TiT It Is stated that
5000 prisoners have been captured at
Perryvllle, Danville and Camp Dick
Robinson. The enemy are falling back
rapidly towards Cumberland Gap.
An alarm of flrearoused the "boys"
and not only the "boys," but it seemed
to us as if everybody ran to see the
sight last night The flames proceeded
from a stable on the corner of Fifth
and Stark streets, belonging to Messrs
Johnson and Perkins, which had re
cently been filled with new hay. The
building was almoBt Instantly wrapped
In flames, preventing all possibility of
recovery, and the only thing that could
be done was to tear down the burn
ing mass as quickly as possible to pre.
vent the fire spreading to other build
ings. E. W. Nottage had his nose broken
bv some shoulder-hitter at the fire last
night