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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 25, 1914)
8 TIIE 3IORNIXG OHEGONIAJf, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY -23, 1914. L'Llir, i;i J l f 11 1 1 1 1 1 r PORTLAND, OBEOOX. Entered at Portland. Oregon, Postottlcs aa second-class matter. .Subscription Kates Invariably In Advance: (BT MAIL.) Dally. Sunday Included, one year ,......$8.00 Iaily, bundap Included, six monthe 4.20 Daily, Sunday Included, three montna ... 2.25 Laily. Sunday Included, one month ..... .15 Daily, without Sunday, one year 2- XJaily, without Sunday, six months ...... Daily, without Sunday, three montbl ... L6 Dally, without Sunday, one month . - -Weekly, ona year ............. EitQday, one year ......,....... a.oO Sunday and weekly, one year S.o4) (BT CARRIER) Dally, Sunday Included, one year Dally, Sunday Included, one month. ..... How to Remit Send poetofflce money or ier, express order or personal oheck on your local bank. stamps, com or currency are at sender'a risk. Give postofrice address in full, including county and state. Postage Rates 13 to 19 pases. 1 cent; 18 o 82 pages, 2 cents; 8 to 4S pages. 8 cents: BO to 6o pages. 4 cents; 62 to to pases, & cents; 78 to ui pages, o cents. Foreign post age, double rates. Eastern Business Offloea Verree Conk lin. New York. Brunswick building. Chi cago, Steger building. ban Franciaoo Office) R J. Bldwell Co, T42 Market street. PORTLAND, WEDNESDAY, 1KB. g5. 191. NEARINO THE LIMIT IN U'RENISM. Mr. TTRen la dismayed by no So cialistic adventure, . however danger ous, unprecedented or revolutionary. Look at his latest outgiving In IFRenic statesmanship. He proposes again to turn Inside out the tattered constitution of this unfortunate com monwealth by adding- a sweeping amendment that the state shall hire anybody who wants work at a "wage sufficient to enable a citizen to care for and educate his family as desir able citizens of Oregon." The larger the family the bigger the wage. But that Is a minor detail. The measure Is in essence the last word In communism. The supreme duty of the state is to take its citizens in its employ, and its obligation to hire all who come is made impera tive. The sole condition is that the ward of the state shall have been for two years a resident of Oregon. How shall the state pay ? That's easy, of course. From the estates of dead persons. -All estates worth more than $50,000 shall pay an in heritance tax. It is estimated by ITRen that the Income from this source will be ti, 000,000 or $5,000,000 per year. But meanwhile the state must pro Tide work anyway, paying out of the state treasury. Possibly the $4,000, 000 or $5,000,000 may not be realized at once and the general taxpayer must step into the breach. He is used to it. What does he care for several millions a year more in taxes? An inheritance tax, yielding $4,000, 000 or $5,000,000 a year, must, of course, be confiscatory. But that makes no difference to TFRen. He revels in confiscation. It will make a difference to the public. The at tempted enforcement of any such con fiscatory statute means inevitably that there will be no $50,000 estates to tax. It always works that way. Mr. ITRen may have gone crazy; but the people of Oregon have not. BETTER CONDITIONS 1X)K SEAMEN. A defense of the provisions of the LaFollette seamen's bill relating to the terms of employment is made in a letter addressed to the newspapers by Andrew Furuseth, president of the International Seamen's Union. He de scribes as a special privilege "the means by which, while in our ports, foreign ships are enabled forcibly to hold the crews secured at the lower wage rates of foreign ports." He continues: Under treaties and statutes our Govern ment uses its police powers, at the request of foreign shipowners, to capture and re turn seamen who attempt to Quit tha serv ice of their ships. Thus the wage rate of foreign ships is forcibly kept lower than that prevailing at American ports. This marks the one advantage which for eign ships now hold over American ships in the foreign trade, and which prevents tne proper growtn or our merchant marine. utner conditions have been equalized. Mr. Furuseth holds that building cost has been equalized by admission of foreign-built ships to American registry for foreign trade and that cost of supplies is equal to all, as an American ship buys in the port where they are cheapest; that, if wage cost can be equalized, the development of our merchant marine will be unham pered. He says our Government can d this by setting free the ecomonlo laws governing wages, which are now obstructed by treaties and statute law, Wages, according to Mr. Furuseth, do not depend on the flag under which aeamen work, but on the port in which they are hired, and wages in that port depend on the standard of living in the country. The crew of A foreign ship hired in a low-wage port would, on arriving in New Tork, either get the same wages as the crw of an American vessel or quit. If they quit, the foreigner would have to hire a. new crew at the wages ef the port. Congress is said by Mr. Furuseth to have enacted a law in 1884 to enable American shipowners to hire crews in foreign ports, where wages are low est, and to hold these crews in Ameri can ports, where wages are higher. He says the way to equalize the wage cost oi operation is to permit men on all vessels in our ports to release themselves instead of assisting ship owners to hold them forcibly. He concludes: Let Congress reassert and maintain oo- mestlo Jurisdiction over all vessels In our ports, enact standards of safety and skill based upon American conceptions, equally applicable to all and kept under control of our own Government, thus depriving for eign vessels of any special privileges. The wage cost of operation will be eequalized and so remain, and there will be no need of subsidies to rebuild tha American mer chant marine. This la a plea for abolition of im prisonment for desertion, etc., and so far as it relates to that survival of servitude, it has the support of The Oregonian, But the seamen's bill con tains provisions which seem to be a direct incentive to desertion by re quiring a ship to pay a seaman, on demand one-half of wages due at every port where cargo is loaded or unloaded, regardless of any stipula tion to the contrary, and this applies to foreign vessels In American- ports. The bill also requires that 75 per cent f the crew be able to understand the language of the officers. The two provisions, taken together, might en able a crew to "hold up" the captain if enough other men speaking the same language were not available in the port where the crew deserted. While none but civil penalties should ba imposed for violation of a seaman's contract, breach of such a contract should not be facilitated. As the bill- requires annulment of treaty stipulations with practically very maritime nation, prudence dic tates that we should study carefully the effect of the measure on our for eign commerce and foreign relations generally, lest in attempting to do good to our merchant marine we do injury. American shipping in foreign trade Is so small that we are practically de pendent on foreign ships to carry our commerce. It would be wiser to de fer action on this bill until a thorough Investigation of our shipping laws has been made-, that .we may adopt a new shipping code, which will revive the merchant marine, equalize cost of building and operating ships of this and other nations, improve the con dition of seamen and avoid needless friction with other nations. BUYING A RECALL. An everlasting stain will be placed upon the good name and fair fame of Portland if it shall be persuaded into the Albee-Brewster-Dieck recall by. "Buck" Keith and A. D. Cridge. They are choice partners in -this dis creditable enterprise. One la an ex saloonkeeper 'and general political roustabout and the other Is a profes sional agitator. Both have avowedly gone into this precious scheme for hire. It Is the sort of b'usiness that is now sought to be made a criminal offense under the law. The influences behind the recall are well guarded by Cridge and Keith. It is a piece ' of unparalleled impu dence that they should be permitted to hire street-walkers and common bums to shove their papers under the noses of respectable citizens. They invite retaliation. They deserve ef fective rebuke. It is sad business that the machin ery of popular government should be controlled by "Buck" Keith and A. D. Cridge. The backroom methods of the' old-time boss were angelic be side the bold operations of these two self-confessed hirelings of a stealthy and sneaking cause. "Buck" Keith and A. D. Cridge! Foster brothers of the tainted usu fruct and step-fathers of a recall. It is the day of the cheap skate. ' INTO SAFE WATERS. Commissioner Daly's plan to spend $500,000 which he ought not to spend for water meters will come up for action by the City Commission to day. The exact form is authorization to put in 5000 meters; the real ques tion is adoption of the policy of uni versal meters. The City Commission may be warned that the people are in no hu mor to Indorse the offense of spend ing public moneys needlessly an of fense in the present circumstances ut terly inexcusable. , The City Commission is itself an experiment. Commission government is yet on trial. It was instituted in Portland in the effort to introduce and maintain economy and efficiency in public administration. Just now economy comes even before efficiency. The Commissioners would do well to steer their ship into safe waters of prudence and retrenchment. It is the only sound way. 'Any other Is hazardous for them and costly for the citizen. A reckless pilot like Daly will speedily put the Commission on the rocks. TEACHING U. 8. HISTORY. The Oregonian has received from Hermon W. Craven a pamphlet which gives the results of an examination in United States history, conducted in the Seattle schools. The ignorance of some of the pupils was astounding. Thus one says of the cotton gin that It put many of the negroes out of work and caused the secession of some of the states," a curious min gling of fact and fantasy. Another wretched child declares that "the re lation of Whitney's cotton gin and the Civil War was that after the slaves were free they could do "much more work without an education." This is nonsense, but no more so than the whole method of history teaching In many schools. The sub ject is reduced to a grinning skelet6n, whose bones are pitilessly sawn asun der into fitting lengths for written ex amination. History Is taught in order that the tortured children may be ex amined upon it and they are exam ined to provide - an excuse for more stuffing; Mr. Craven, who poses as an authority and adviser to the Se attle authorities, thinks the way to get better teaching of United States history is to cut out ancient and Eu ropean history from the lower grades. His concept of the matter is as me chanical as a threshing machine. History of the United States and of all other countries, ancient and modern, should be taught in the lower grades, ' but not as an examination subject. There should be no recondite quest for causes and effects. The whole matter should be thrown into the form of a story and kept in that form until the children's minds are mature. , It is the epic element in history that provides educational food for the young minds, not the sequence of cause and effect. The sequence will, of course, come out if the story Is well told, but there should be no emphasis upon it The tale of Whitney's in vention of the cotton gin can be so presented to the children that it will be as interesting as Cinderella. Cause and effect will lie latent under the in cidents to come out in later years, but in the earlier grades the emphasis should be upon the epic and dra matic elements, which, by the way are Just as educative as the casual. DEVINNE. Theodore L. DeVinne, who died the other day in New York, was one of the world's great craftsmen and scholars. He was the author of a number of books on the art of print ing, alu of them learned and consci entious, while his expertness in the printer's craft was almost unequaled. Up to the year 1881 he printed Scrib ner's Magazine. After that time he performed the same service for the Century and St. Nicholas magazines. He was one of the founders of the Grolier Club, which fosters the pub lication of exquisite editions. The pub lications of the club were printed on DeVinne's press for ten years and during that interval he was a mem ber of the publication committee. The excellence of the club's books is largely his work. DeVinne him self suggested the first book which the Grolier Club published. It was entitled "A Decree of Star Chamber" and dealt with some of the trials of the early printers. He was learned in the history of his art. One of his works was "Notable Printers of Italy During the Fifteenth Century." An other treated of "Title Pages" ana still another of "Plain Printing Types." . DeVinne spent the same care on the magazines he printed as upon the books of the Grolier Club. His aim was always to do the best possible "He had pride in "his profession and pride in his contributions to it, but no false pride ever kept him from learning a more excellent way." For a long time DeVlnn and Drake, the celebrated woodcut artist were col laborators. Drake was continually extending the scope of wood engrav ing and DeVinne was kept busy adapting the work ' of ' the press to the artist's inventiveness. "The subtleties of one process called for subtleties in the other," says R. u. Johnson, who for many years edited the magazine which De Vinne printed with exquisite skill. He was a craftsman more after ' William Morris' ideal than we commonly see. He established harmony among the workmen of his shop and inspired all of them to labor for those high Ideals which lead to noble products. "Art ists, engravers and pressmen were brought together to the manifest im provement of the total result." He fixed standards of craftsmanship which will survive him for many years and permanently enhanced the beauty of his art. GERMANY'S FEELINGS HURT. Admiral Dewey's reminiscences of his little clash with the German Ad miral "Von Diedrichs in Manila Bay has touched the tender sensibilities of the German war advocates. They do not like being reminded of the shot which the American Admiral caused to be fired across the Cormorant's bows, nor of the fact that their Ad miral was compelled to respect the blockade rules. The German navy department is wrought up over the statements of Admiral Dewey and a demand is made that he be formally rebuked. There is no more likelihood that the renewed discission of this his toric incident will disturb the good relations between the United States and Germany than there is that the war between the Guelphs and Ghibel lines will be renewed in Italy, but it serves the purpose of the German Jingoes. They are always ready to grasp any excuse to demand that Ger many withdraw more men from use ful occupations for military service and build more warships. The Ger man navy is never strong enough to satisfy the Navy League. The efforts of those sincere but misguided Ger mans who see a danger or an insult to the Fatherland in every little in cident like that at Manila, and who wish to rattle the sword in the scab bard, are ably seconded by the in creasing number of Germans who have guns, ammunition and armor, plate to sell and who are hungry for work on warships. This latter class has commercialized the high-pressure patriotism of the Jingoes and turned it to account for the expansion of dividends. Promotion of war or warlike feeL- ing has become a business with deal ers in war material, and they are never so happy as when they have set two nations scowling at each other, for then sale of their wares becomes brisk. It is highly commendable for a nation to be equipped to defend itself and to resent insult, but it is foolish to be nervously on the alert to see oc casion of offense in the reminiscences of a retired Naval officer, to swagger about with a chip on the national shoulder, challenging any other na tion to knock it off. SULLIVAN'S UNPARDONABLE SIN. In the stormy careers of certain great men, certain other men have bobbed up at critical times to spoil their plans and turn them . into the shallows when they' seemed to be on the high tide of success. Such a mar plot has been Roger C. Sullivan in the career of William J. Bryan. The prospects of Mr. Bryan's election to the Presidency never seemed so fair as when he was nominated in 1896. To the ever-faithful South he had added the rebellious West, maddened by the free silver delusion, but when he invaded the Middle West he found a revolt against him ' led by such Democrats aa Mr. Sullivan, who put patriotism above party. They brought about his defeat and he never forgave them. To this grudge Is in part attrib utable the virulence with which Mr. Bryan assailed the Illinois leader- in 190S, whem their interests clashed. - Those who closely watched events at the-Baltimore convention in 1912 may have seen new cause of offense to Mr. Bryan in Mr. Sullivan's course at that time. Some of these believe that Mr. Bryan only accepted the role of kingmaker when he found that of king beyond his reach and that Mr Sullivan was chiefly responsible for thus thwarting his real design. Mr. Bryan is suspected of having precipi tated and prolonged the deadlock be tween Woodrow Wilson and Champ Clark In the hope that the convention would wearily turn to him as the greatest of all Democrats. If any such design was entertained, it was foiled by Mr. Sullivan when he swung over the Illinois delegation from the Clark' to the Wilson column and thus started the stampede, which gave the nomination to Mr. Wilson. Mr. Bryan sees himself thrust to one side in favor of this new' leader of the new Democracy. He sees himself as simply the lieutenant after years of striving to be commander and he can see in Mr. Sullivan the man who, in tentionally or not, caused him to be supplanted. What must be his feel ings -at the prospect that this stum bling block in his way will be elevated to high place in the Senate, perhaps to mar the work he does as Secretary of State? ANOTHER WATER-POWER BILL. A bill to regulate use of water pow er on public land which approaches the subject from a new standpoint has been introduced by Senator Jones. It treats the Government primarily as a land owner and provides for pay ment of simple rent for use of the land necessary to power development, It gives states, municipalities or pub He utility corporations the right to ac quire power sites on public land, re served or unreserved, in National for ests and Indian reservations, as well as right of way for polelines, by filing with the Secretary of the Interior plans and specifications for approval, If he approves, he is to agree with the grantee on the value of the land and Irs case of failure to agree the value Is to be fixed by the United States court. He is then to pay a rental of 5 per cent on. this valuation and must begin actual construction within two years; must complete the work within five years and must enlarge the plan from time to time to supply the rea sonable needs of the market as the Secretary may direct. No extensions of time are to be granted except by the President, and then only in the public interest. Permits are to be granted for fifty years, subject to regulation of intra state rates by the states and or inter state , rates by the United States which la also to regulate intrastate rates In case the states fail to do so. At the expiration, of fifty years the right is reserved to the United 6tates, the state or any municipal subdivi sion, to take over the property at its fair value, not. including value of the right to use the land. This value is to be agreed upon with the Secretary or, in case of failure to agree, by the United States court. All water-power reserves are thrown open to use under the bill. Provision is made against unlawful combination of power com panies. - This plan differs from that followed by the forest service and the Interior Department in charging no royalty on the power developed. It would levy a tax to be passed on to the con sumer only so far as rent of the land is concerned. It treats the Govern ment as what it is in this connection a land owner and recognizes the Jurisdiction of the states over the streams, which the Plnchot reserva tionlsts deny. It is in accord with the true policy of conservation, which encourages development and use. Mr. Jones' scheme may be sup planted by the more comprehensive plan proposed by Senator Newlands, but the principles it embodies may well be incorporated in the Newlands plan without conflict with any of the purposes which the latter aims to carry out. It marks progress In clear ing away the fog in which controversy has enveloped the subject. Francis I. McKenna belonged to the later-day immigration and used his powers for the good of the city when Portland was emerging from provincial to metropolitan Btage. He believed in the future of the Penin sula at the time when it took more than faith to move a mountain and had the gratification of seeing his hope realized. It had been said jok ingly that one could tell when he sold a lot two decades ago, for he put the money into large advertising space, in which he never misstated a fact. The very truthfulness and force of the man brought him business and friends. Aside from his possessions, he leaves a good name for an inheri tance. St. Louis is making war on big bill boards by enforcing a law passed in 1905 and is tearing down about 1800 boards which exceed the limit. An open space of four feet from the ground must be left, the maximum length is fifty feet, - the maximum height fourteen . feet and the maxi mum area 500 square feet, with a gap of six feet between billboards'. A license fee of $1 for each five lineal feet is charged. Limits are thus placed on the disfigurement of a city, and billboards cannot be used to hide piles of rubbish on vacant lots. Ruffles are to rule again in the cul tured bedchamber. They disappeared with Victorian airs and graces. They return with valiant and victorious feminism. Pillow slips,- draperies, window curtains, sheets are all to be ruffled. Some say there will be ruf fles on bedroom rugs and on woolen blankets. These ornaments are in sanitary, since they give lurking places to dust and germs, but they express a certain Innate frivolity of the feminine mind and therefore they must be welcomed as symbols of cur rent life. Tango-dancing society will be a" va riegated flower garden when all have donned the fashionable wigs. Green, purple and vermilion ringlets will dangle voluptuously from waggling heads as the light fantastic toe is tripped. The purpose of this charm ing new fashion is to make the out side of the head match the rest of one's attire. The inside, being out of sight, is of no consequence. Secretary Houston may run against a snag in his movement to better the condition of farmers' wives. Many farmers are willing to build good barns and adopt labor-saving devices for farm work, but consider any old house and household appliances good enough- for their wives. Farmers of this kind will not relish Mr. Houston's Interference. Dispatches from sunny California announce that the worst effects of the latest storms have been over come. The worst effect is the over throw of all that "favored climate" fiction and this can never be over come. A rush of local Democrats to get into the race for office is predicted Take your time, boys. Pickings for Democrats in Oregon this year will be rather scant. A waiter In Spokane claims to be the rightful heir to the British throne. If true it merely shows what they come to when thrown on the world to shift. If Kngland insists on retribution for Benton's murder by Villa We must serve up the delectable dish and pay- all the bills. An American has been carried into Mexico and hanged by the federals. Lucky thing for them he was only an American. As to the decreased living cost which Secretary Redfleld boasts of, we find no record of it in our grocery and meat bills. Aeronauts are preparing for a flight across the Atlantic. They should not neglect to make their peace. Books of 500 students were ruined at the Salem High School by vandals. Work of embryo I. W. W. Secretary Redfield modestly gives the climate some- small credit for the prosperity now at hand. Jack London may be called upon by the Prohibitionists to run for Pjesi dent. The call of the wild. Too many candidates are awaiting calls from the people. Modesty is unbecoming in a candidate. High winds are killing people in Chicago. Upholding the prestige of the title "Windy City." With the political campaign warming up, we are now in the era of beautiful promises. Can it be that the latest West- Hobbs invasion was an act in a mo tion-picture drama? t What would Valley Oregonians think of. five or six feet of snow, as It lies in Indiana? Green wigs are the latest. Some thing to harmonize with the intellect of the wearer. EFFECTS OF B-tEMPTIOy OF TOLLS. Several Question Raised About Panama Canal Dispute. ' PORTLAND, Feb. 22. (To the Edi tor.) I have read The Oregonian edi torials in re free tolls wtlh some con siderable Interest and beg to request you to answer the following questions: Suppose two American steamers leave New York, or any Atlantic port for that matter, one bound direct via Panama, first call to be San Diego, the other calling at intermediate ports in Mexico, Nicaragua, etc., does the for mer only get rebate and if direct boat takes freight for Colon or Panama or passengers for same does she lose re bate, these DOrts beine Fanamese. al though partly under American control? Will not the fact that only the direct coastwise carrier gets the rebate-cause the Intermediate carriers to shift from the flag, as it Is known that the ex penses Are greater -on our vessels than on foreign, German and French especially, and will it not cause a monopoly, so to speak, as the steamer calling at Intermediate ports, if charged tolls, cannot compete with direct carrier if the owners allow the differ ence, which I have never yet had the pleasure of seeing done, as when large snippers get a rebate on freight they simply tack it on and make it, and unless there was some regulation to that effect it is certain that will hap pen in this contingency. In shipping from the Pacific it is all right. Lumber, oil, grain, wines, citrus fruits, canned -fruits, eta, would furnish cargoes, but how would the returning coasters get freight without getting in on the coffee and other &outn American exports? And if they called they would lose rebate. Will you kindly exnlaln how th Canadian shipper would be benefited by the repeal of the free tolls, as only on direct shipments to Eastern points could it work against them, and if we Deat tbem now, as our papers con tinually state we do in Canada, even also in China, Japan, Australia, South Africa, etc., why should we fear them at nomer i really would like to get thi3 point elucidated, for I confess it stumps me. This evening's Journal has an arti cle formulating wjiat we would have to do repeal tolls, not fortify, grant equal terms to navies, etc., all of wnicn, tney say. must be so. I fail to see where the treaty made by Mr. Hay and Lord Pauncefote makes any ref erence to fortification, or anything but passing over mosquito Coast to United States and equal treatment of all ship- ana. j. nave never seen the fact that under the Panama Canal treaty Panamese vessels are to be free con tested by any nation. Trusting you will kindly enlighten me on the above a little, NE QUID NIMIS. The Panama Canal law Bays: "No tolls shall be levied upon vessels engaged in the coastwise trade of the United States." This seems to exclude ves sels which call at Intermediate for eign points from the benefits of ex emption. Colon and Panama not be ing in the United States, vessels call ing there would lose . the privilege of coastwise vessels. Failure to extend total exemption to coastwise vessels calling at interme diate ports might drive them under a foreign flag, were it not for the fact that such vessels would then lose the right to engage in coastwise trade, which is restricted to Ameftcan vessels. If coastwise vessels could build up a lucrative trade with Intermediate for eign ports. It might pay them better to sacrifice toll exemption than to lose their coastwise trade by addpting a foreign flag. It would remain for the owners t decide whether it would pay them better to pay tolls and thus reserve the right to call at foreign ports than to save tolls and be com pelled to pick up and unload no cargo between their departure from the last American port on the Atlantic and the gulf and their arrival at the first American port on the Pacific. The effect on Canada of free tolls for American coastwise ships would be to give the American the advantage of that amount in competition with Canadian ports. For example, a Brit ish ship carrying lumber from Van couver, B. C, to New York would pay tolls, while an American ship from Portland to New York would pay none. This would to some "extent offset the lower cost Of operating British ships. If th cost of Operation were the same, it would enable the American ship owner to quote lower freight rates and the American lumberman to quote lower prices delivered in New York. Canadian railroads derive a large part of their revenue from the United States and use some of this traffic to build Up Canadian ports. Goods are hauled by Canadian Pacific cars from points on Puget Sound to Vancouver, where they are loaded on steamers for export. When the canal is open, this cau be done with freight destined for the Atlantic Coast, or, with freight hauled from our Atlantlo States to Canadian Atlantic ports for shipment through the canal to American-Pacific ports. In short, Canada desires to build up her ports and swell the earn ings of her railroads with traffic originating on one and destined for the other of our coasts. Certainly if we yield to the British demand Congress would repeal the toll exemption clause. The treaty has been interpreted by both nations as permit ting us to fortify the canal for pur poses of defense. Collection of tolls on our warships would only be a mat ter of bookkeeping, by taking money out of the Navy appropriation and put ting it in the canal treasury, and Great Britain made no protest on the sub Ject. The treaty with Panama, . made in- 1904, gives vessels of that country free passage through the canal, and Great Britain made no protest till 1S12, eight. years later, against this exemp tion. SURVEY OK UNEMPLOYED PROBLEM Plan " Ottered for Segregating; tn Worthy from tbe Unworthy. HOOD RIVER, Or., Feb. 22. (To the Editor.) Since a thorough and accu rate diagnosis of a disease is the first and most important step toward its cure, and since a survey is the means at present most in vogue for diagnosing corporate ills, why not make a survey of the unemployed. Suppose a carefully chosen commit tee of the Y. M. C. A., for example, should go among these men and as certain from each his name, occupa tion, place or places of employment during the past year, name or names of employers, and why he is at pres ent out of employment. Then let them write to such employers and verify the Information given by the man, and as certain further the employer's opinion of the man's ability, honesty and gen eral character. Tabulate for each man in condensed form under appropriate heads all such information and ask the Portland pa pers to publish the tables. If any man refuses to give the. information asked, have such notification made after his name. Such a survey could not do any harm to any worthy man and might help such an one to find employment. It would give the city authorities a hint as to the segregation and treatment and might possibly have considerable reformatory effect. M. M. MORRISON. MENACE SEEN ' IN IMMIGRATION Standard of Living Lowered by Admis sion of Undesirables. MONTAVILLA, Or., Feb. 21. (To the Editor.) Permit me to thank you for publishing the letter signed "Regis tered Democrat," as the subject matter will surely be of interest to all think ing men and women of this community. The question of foreign Immigration is the vital question before our country today. It Is a matter of common knowl edge that the aliens of Slav and Latin blood are coming in such numbers that It is Impossible to assimilate even a small part of them. They are not the kind of people to found and sustain republics, and are slowly crowding the northern European and native Ameri can out of many lines of employment. Last year there arrived upon our shores at least 800,000 of these undesirables, who supplant the native, lower the standard of living, and, by patiently toiling with the servility that is char acteristic of their class at home, they swell the fortunes of American mil lionaires. But what of the American citizen who is displaced? The writer is of foreign birth, a German, and has seen the effect of the influx of low class aliens in the East ern states. In placj of t,-ood citizenship, with all that goes with it, homes, schools, col leges, churches and a peaceful and contented community, you will find a gradual movement of native Americans from the manufacturing centers and a swelling flood of poor, degraded, ignor ant foreigners. True, they make good servants, and enable the employer to declare good dividends. But the homes are gone, and in their place Is the cheap shack or boarding-house. Gone is the school, and church, and in their place the low saloon. If we don't stop this immigration we will have a revolution that will make the French revolution look like child's play. The life of our Nation is being poisoned by this mixture. Do our peo ple prefer to allow this influx until war is the result? Is the Republic to be lost because some of our rich people want cheap, ignorant servants? The South wanted the same thing and we know the result. C. W. LINDERMANN. ASSIMILATED FOREIGNER SPEAKS, Italian Who Has Served tn American Army Favors Immigrratlon. COSMOPOLIS, Wash., Feb. 23. (To the Editor.) I read in The Oregonian a letter from a "Registered Democrat. stating that the American workingman was at tne mercy of the "foreigners. If the 'Registered Democrat" will take tne pains and time to investigate the police records, he will find that the foreigners are In the minority on the docket for larceny, drunkenness, va grancy, and that a smaller per cent of foreigners is kept by charity orfranlza tions, and that public Institutions of charitable purpose are patronized by foreigners only on very few occasions. I approve the foreigner's labors In this Democratic country, discovered by a foreigner and made what it is by for eigners. I may ask this Registered Democrat if he knows who broke strikes in Colorado, Idaho, California and on the "Harriman system?" Were tney foreigners? As a Christian. I be lieve in the Golden Rule. I feel con fident that President Wilson and the Democratic party will not play the part of a Shylock . toward honest, Indus trlous, well-meaning foreigners that for centuries have been kept serfs by rulers and fanaticism. I congratulate President Wilson and the Democratic party for the stand they have taken against these agitators, whose ignor ance and prejudice makes them cry aloud against the foreigners. Those agitators are the real menace to our in stitutions, prosperity and peace. I am an ex-noncommissioned officer, Seventh Infantry, U. S. A. Was born in and emigrated from Genoa, Italy, at the age of 14. I am a member of the U. S. W. V., Fortson Camp, Seattle. ' A. J. OHIO. Tax Antoa for Road. GRESHAM. Or, Feb. 23. (To the Ed itor.) To my notion every farmer ought to be well, satisfied with the Bass L4ne, section Line and Powell vai ley roads, -which were re fixed at an enormous cost in the last few years. They do very well for him. If he wants to haul a load of hay or potatoes to market his team, which is used most of the time in loose ground on the plow and so forth, can stand the trip to town well, while on the hard surfaced road the horses can hardly walk especially on a wet and frosty morning. It is dangerous now to go with a buggy on one of those roads. If it is hard-surfaced it will be impossible, for the better the road the faster the autos go, and while the taxes on farm lands are lar too high. It would be rl diculous to make the. farmer pay half the cost of construction of the so-called permanent road. I think also it Is unjust to pay it out of the general road fund, as I can't see what benefit the small property owners in town have from the so-called per manent roads. It Is the automobile owners who want the hard-surfaced roads and they are the ones who ought to pay for them. Therefore, I suggest taxing every automobile from $50 to $100 a year and build roads from this fund. A. BAHL, How Not to Fear a Woman. New York Tribune. H. Snowden Marshall, United States District Attorney, is the good friend of the young men who report affairs in the Federal building for the various newspapers, and he often pauses in his regular work to give them advice. He made one of these pauses yesterday "Boys," said he, "do right and fear no man; don t write and fear no wo man." No, Mr. Marshall claims no copyright on the mot. Complexion a Disguise. Washington (D. C.) Star. "What a lovely complexion Mrs. Fllmgilt has!" "That isn't a com plexion," replied Miss Cayenne. "That's a disguise. VVied Indeed Succeeds By Dean Collins. (Besought by Essad Pasha and the nobility, William of Wied has accepted tne tnrone or Albania. News Item.) Attend and give heed. . How William of Wied, To stature majestic hath grown; The nobles agreed. Assenting with speed. Proclaiming the need Of a King to succeed Unto the Albanian throne. Muse, mount on your steed, And warble of Wied. In rhythmical, metrical tone. A Princa of the breed The nobles have treed, A monarch indeed Now firmly -sits teed Upon the Albanian throne. From doubt are they freed. By William of Wied, No more is the throne left alone; Oh. the glee that is gleed, Sinfce he told them that he'd Be happy indeed To respond to the need And warm the Albanian throne. "We'd need of thee, Wied," The nobles agreed, , In gentle and wheedling tone: "Speed, speed on thy steed! We'd board thee and feed! Wied, plead what you need We'd heed thee Indeed If you'd but succeed And stick to our now vacant throne, Twenty-five Years Ago (From The Oregonian of Feb. 25, 1S89.) Washington. Feb. 24. The House committee on foreign affairs has rec ommended the adoption of Senator Edmunds Panama resolution. It de clares that the Government of the United States will look with serious concern and disapproval upon any con nection of any European government with the construction or control of either the Panama Canal or Nicaragua Canal, and will regard such connection or control as injurious to the rights and Interests of the United States and as a menace to their welfare. Salem, Feb. 24. Oregon has beaten the world's record in regard to Rail road Commissions, having three whloa claim to be legally qualified, and Gov ernor Pennoyer has promised to ap point another, to be composed of two DemXrats and one Prohibitionist, less tuan u aays nence. J. F. Hoffman, a contractor who has-been getting out ties for the Ore gon Pacific, has Just returned from a trip to the summit of the Cascade Mountains, where he says a party of 25 surveyors, claiming to be employes of the Wabash & Pacific Railroad Company, are attempting to hold the pass. The road, they said, would come to Albany and thence northwest to connect with the Astoria & Coast Rail road at or near Tillamook. Samuel AT rrlc nn nM nln-nA,.,. - t CountV. died at his hnma aouan ml),. north of Eugene, February 22. He ownea tne largest tract of good land held by one man In the county, having nearly 4000 acres; also about 5000 acres in Linn County. thantA1 at tth A em.fV.aoa. A.-.,.... Ninth and Washington streets, after tha fAV-ma,. r1 a m Ulan. V. T" n 1 . Garten at Frankfort are being worked over by Otto KJeemann, architect. Saturday Professor C. W. Yountr. Superintendent of the Albina public scnoois, took .part of the B class. eighth grade, to the teachers' institute in Portland, to Illustrate his method of teaching writing by music. E. J. Haiglit has offered a donation of eight lots in Central Albina. if the School Board will agree to build a $10,000 schoolhouse thereon. Three carloads of iron for the motor line on Hawthorne avenue have ar rived and are on the sidetrack near the lime kilns on the East Side. Tuesday afternoon the marriage of Mr. Thomas D. Honeyman and Miss Jessie M. Lockhead, -of this city, was celebrated at the residence of Mrs. W. H. Williams, sister of the bride, at the corner , of Taylor and Twentieth streets. W. L. Whitmore has bought of D. A. McAllister, of La Grande, the bay mare Leona and two full sisters to her, for $2300. Crowds are beginning to visit the City Park, and find that many im provements have been made. Miss Lydla Thompson and her fa mous company will appear this even ing at the New Park Theater in the new historical burlesque "Columbus." Half a Century Ago From The Oregonian of Feb. 25, 1964. Eugene City, Feb. 20. The McKenzie wag-on road project has lately assumed a more promising shape in the organi zation of another company, of which Judge Stratton is president and George H. Belden secretary; capital stock, 40,00. Eugene City, Feb. 20. The Methodist Church, Rev. W. S. Lewis, pastor, has been favored with quite a season of re ligious excitement, holding three meet ings per day. Rev. Mr. Driver, of Cor vallis, and Rev. Mr. Hines, of Salem, have been present during the progress of the revival. French Prairie, Feb. 23. The cele bration of the Washington Literary So ciety at Belpassi was a complete suc cess. The addresses delivered by Hon. George H. Williams and Rev. T. IL Pearne, were every way worthy of the men and the occasion. The Aurora brass band. Professor Rutjes, and Mr. Smith's choir, discoursed patriotic mu sic. Married Feb. 24, at the Baptist Church, by Rev. S. Cornelius, Pierpont Thayer to Sallle Brownson, only daugh ter of Professor L A. Goodrich, of San Francisco. City Council The committee on streets and public buildings reported that block 1 did belong to the city, that the same was granted by W. W. Chap man for the purpose and to be used as a market square; report adopted. An ordinance was introduced for the pur pose of improving the market square, which was read twice., tbe second time by title. "Camllle" was mpst happily rendered last evening at Willamette Theater by Mrs. Julia Dean Hayne, Mr. Thayer, Mr. Goodrich. Mr. Waldron and company. Messrs. Elwood & Reed, who pur chased a desirable spot near the mouth of the Columbia, for a Summer resort upon the sea coast, are progressing rap Idly with buildings for the accommo dation of visitors. The cargo of apples taken to San Francisco by the br-k Industry is re ported as having been sold in one lot to a combination of fruit dealers at about 11.20 per box; say 2hi cents per pound. Mr." Dennery arrived from Bannock City last evening, having made the trip through In 12 days. Stra:ght to the Mark The manufacturer who has some thing to sell to the public ought to go straight to the public and say so. He ought to tell what it is he makes and where it can be secured in every city and town wherein he thinks his product can be success fully marketed. If he doesn't make a thoroughly reliable product one that is 100 per cent good, he need not waste hia money advertising it. The readers of this newspaper and others like It know how to choose and to discriminate, and they know where to go for first rate merchandise. ' If the manufacturer Is honest and makes an honest article that peo ple can buy with safety, by all means the most direct method of creating a demand is to advertise in a dependable newspaper like The Oregonian, one in which the people have confidence and to which thou sands of home people turn daily for Information concerning the things for which they spend their money. The short cut to bigger and better business is through straightforward newspaper advertising. The Bureau of Advertising, Amer ican Newspaper Publishers Associ ation. World Building, New York, wants to help general advertisers to use newspaper advertising to better advantage. Correspondence Is solicited. Booklet on request. Adv.