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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (June 6, 1916)
10 flTT? 3IORXIN(l OREGOXIAW, TUESDAY. JUNE G, 191G. PORTLAND, OREGON". Entered at Portland (Oregon) Postoffice as second-class mail matter. Eubscriptlon Rates Invariably In advance: (By Mall.) Pally. Sunday Included, one year. $8.00 Dally, Sunday Included, six month 4.25 Dally, Sunday Included, three months... 2.25 Dally, Sunday Included, one month 15 Dally, without Sunday, one year 6.00 Daily, without Sunday, six months...... 3.-3 Dally, without Sunday, three months... 1.75 Daily without Sunday, one month...... .60 Weekly, one year...................... 1.50 Sunday, one year... 2.50 Sunday and Weekly, one year 8.50 (By Carrier.) Pally, Sunday Included, one year 0.00 Dally, Sunday Included, one month..... .75 How to Remit Send postofflce money order, express order or personal check on your local bank. Stamps, coin or currency are at sender's risk. Give postoffice address In full. Including county and state. Fostajre Rates 12 to 16 pages, 1 cent; 18 to 32 pages. 2 cents; 34 to 48 pages, 3 cents; 60 to 60 pages, 4 cents; 62 to 76 pages, 5 cents; 78 to S2 pages, 6 cents. Foreign postage, double rates. KaNtern Business Office Verree & Conk lin, Brunswick building. New York: "Verree A Conklin, Steger building, Chicago. San Kranclsco representative, R. J, Indwell, 742 Market street. PORTLAND, TUESDAY. JL'NE 6, 1918. WANTED AN ARMY. Now that the President has signed the Army bill and that long-deferred enactment becomes accomplished law, the great obstacle to toe met is the car. rying out of its provisions. We are to have a Regular Army of 211,000 men, or thereabouts, provided, of course, that the recruiting officers can get them. That is the rub. Since the emergency law asking for 200,000 men to help catch "Villa went Into effect March 11 some 7000 men have been accepted for service in the Army. This in spite of the fact that recruiting officers are not quite so exacting as they have been in the past. A recruit must be a sound physical specimen, but he need not be perfect. It la recorded that the normal enlistment 13 something like 40,0 00 men a year. This is offset by dis charges from one cause and another. The Army has been know to finish a year with a net loss in men, one year the gain lacing 40,000 and the loss 41, 000. The present actual strength of the Army is less than 100,000 men. As difficulty Is found in keeping this force recruited, iwhere are the men coming from to double its size? The new law sets 160,000 as the minimum strength. Unless the additional men are secured the new Army bill cannot succeed, so far as It applies to the Army. Its failure, of course, would be used as another convincing argument in fa vor of universal service, but that the American people can 'be brought to ac cept universal service without first having met disaster is doubtfuL Fail ure of the Army to get Its full growth may or may not -providet logic for American statesmanship to build upon. In the meantime, the General Staff has appealed to the press to co-operate in putting the Army before the public in a cheerful light in order to stim ulate recruitment. The pay is good, quarters comfortable, food ample, term of enlistment relatively short, oppor tunities for advancement exist and vo cational training will be given to all men so that they will be able to earn a livelihood upon leaving the service. Three years with the colors and three years in reserve are the normal pe riod of service. However, the young man of intelligence may be released from the active list after one year if he applies himself. On entering the reserve he finds himself not only bet ter equipped to earn a livelihood in civil life but receives $24 a year from the Government, and, when called upon for brief periods of field train ing, is transported to the point of ren dezvous and given full pay while In the field- Surely this Is a service (which has Its attractions, although the differences are not radical from the terms of service as they have existed in the past. Doubtless the principal obstacle to recruitment is the drastic 'difference between Army service and that in dividuallstlo democracy which char acterizes the American people, when the United States established an Army following the disasters of 1812 the model was borrowed from England Soldiers must be hired precisely as laborers are hired or as policemen are hired. The British officer-gentleman idea was likewise adopted and it has not been permitted to wane. The dif ference "between officer and man must be observed, but that the chasm need net be unbridgeable has been demon strated by the French, who have cam araderie and discipline at the Bame time. The British army aristocracy is likewise breaking down in these days when rough-handed non-commis sioned officers have to be converted into commissioned officers over night and the British are, faring well under the change. Possibly we need a partial breakdown of the barrier between of ficers and men, considering the demo cratic tendency of the American peo ple, from whom recruits must be ob tained. But efficient armies are usually the product of necessity. German .and French armies did not flower into proficiency until their necessity had been dictated by national distress and disaster in the face of the enemy. It used to be no particular feat to take Berlin or Paris, even as it might have been no great feat to take London early in the war had the French army not been in the way. So America must worry along with an unsolved Army problem until dire necessity intervenes and points the way. The prime neces sity is readjustment of the public mind toward military service Drastic oc currences ordinarily are required to precipitate such changes. THE DREAM OF A JLN'GO. Some minds go to as great extremes of Jingoism as of pacifism in consider ing the relation of the United States to the war. An example is before us in the shape of a map which shows the United States expanded to include the whole of North America and Cen tral America as far as the Panama Canal, as well as Cuba, Haiti, Santo Domingo and Jamaica. This huge ter. ritory is named "United North Amer ica", and the map, which is copy righted by Arthur C. Hummer, of Los Angeles, is entitled, "New "World Map After the Old World War Is Over. The capital is transferred to som point in the vicinity of Topeka, Kan and the continent is gridironed with Federal highways, dotted with Federal munition factories and ringed with big guns and submarines. This map is as absurd a dream as are the visions of a defenseless nation made safe by its good intentions in the midst of a warring world, which are cherished toy the pacifists. The Canadians do not desire political union and we have no desire to force it upon them. "We have no desire to gather into our fold the alien nations of Mex ico, Central America and the "West In dies, to be admitted as states into full fellowship, with a voice in making the laws for the present forty-eight states as well as for themselves. We should not welcome the race conflicts "which would result nor the frequent "Inter vention of Federal troops In turbulent Latin and negro states which would become necessary. The largest part that we desire in the affairs of our neighbors to the South is, in case of necessity, that we pacify their coun try, enable them to set up an orderly government of their own and then leave them to manage their own af fairs. "We have no desire that the United States become more of a poly glot republic than it already is. Ex tremes of National expansion should be as carefully avoided as extremes of Little American pacifism. TUB ROSE FESTIVAL. Romance, poetry, pageantry are not dead in the world. Else how this glori fication of the rose to which the peo ple of a great city and state will lend all their interest and energy the ma jor part of the -present week. Man, in becoming a sober, toiling animal, bent on providing for his stomach through exacting, persistent effort in a fertile land where great material re wards spur him to sustained applica tion, is able to lay aside the imple ments of hustoandry and industry and commune with the beauties that Na ture, with prodigal hand, has scattered among the necessities. Thousands of toiling humans forget the cares and responsibilities of mortal existence and set out for a protracted frolic, the whole movement inspired by a petaled growth which has appropriated the hues of the rainbow. The annual Portland Rose Festival is a leavening in the dull routine of that normal existence which has set tled upon civilized humanity. There are other diversions, else existence would be dull and sordid, but this is one which; attracts all in a common pursuit of enjoyment and beauty. It adds freshness and vivacity to the life of city and state. In its annual re currence it adds years to the lives of individuals through its revivifying in fluence. In its material aspect it adds new Interest and increased popu lation and wealth by proclaiming a city where great opportunity and matchless beauty go hand in hand. Hail to the Rose Festival, andi let Joy reign, unconfined. WHO'S THINKING? Professor Coleman, who spoke at the anti-defense meeting Sunday night, might as well have said that voting is a substitute for thinking as so to classi. fy parading for preparedness. Voting is supposed to be a concrete expression of matured thought. The parade the other night was a public disclosure of the public's conviction. The demonstration was not for the purpose of stampeding to the pre paredness ranks those who have given the question no thought. They are not enough to bother about. The pub lic mind is made up. The prepared ness parades now occurring through out the country provide the most prac ticable means possible at this moment for the people to disclose their con victions. They are doing it. Of course as they marched along Saturday night the p-araders were not mulling over the arguments for and against preparedness. But prior there to we venture to say that they had done more real thinking than even now a certain type of anti-prepared ness advocates have applied to the question. What sort of thought or deliberation is it that rejects pff hand any possibility that there are two sides to the question? That pre sents as settled fact their unsupported Suspicion that the sole motive in the preparedness campaign is money- grabbing? What sort of thinking is it that finds voice in printed circular containing only incendiary demagogy, arrayal of class against class, appeals to degrading prejudice, exaggerations and untruths? In a demonstration that "acts as a substitute for thinking," the Portland pacifist circularlzers have the paraders beaten forty ways for Sunday. LITERARY TRADESMEN". If the observations of Hamlin Gar land are to be accepted New York must be a sort of poisonous duct feed ing into the literary veins of the coun try, to dwarf and corrupt its authors and poets. This is at a time when the metropolis is congratulating itself upon its proud estate as a center of American culture and art. Mr. Gar land, who cannot be entirely freed from some of the delinquencies he holds against his fellows, has returned to New York from the freedom and repose of Western plains and mountains only to find himself re pelled by the atmosphere of New York's literary circle. When he visited the clubs haunted by magazine writers and novelists he found the conversation centering about one thing success. Writers were con cerned not with expressing themselves, but with putting something over on the editor at a fancy price. They dis cussed not the great men and Ideals of literature, but the ruling prices in short stories and the editorial prac tices of different firms in making pay. merits. The whole atmosphere, as Mr. Garland reveals it, reminds one of a stock exchange rather than of a lit erary colony. The indictment is fully Justified doubtless. New York magazines. which means the greatest magazines of the country, are concerned less with art than with providing dividends for stockholders. They must depend upon their advertisers for. revenues. Advertising, In its turn, depends upon circulation. Circulation naturally de pends upon stimulating the interest of readers. What editor but is dependent upon readers' wants. If they demand scintillating, sensational, ephemeral trash, stuff that lives for the day only to be cast aside, then that the publish ers must give them. Magazines must follow rather than dictate public taste. Does not this account for the corrup tion of young attthors for - the com mercialism of metropolitan writers? Mr. Garland places the blame in the wremg place. The reading tastes of the masses of readers are to blame. But such men as W. D.fHowells con tinue to write and to thrive. A few great magazines continue to cater to mature and cultivated tastes. The writer who seeks to express himself rather than to acquire a limousine and chauffeur is not wholly without a field. Literary tradespeople have al ways existed and will always exist and no thinking or observant critic will grow dismayed because of their an tics and derelictions. The fire apparatus Is the municipal exhibit in the floral parade. It is. the people's pride. Of necessity roses are not grown at enginehouses. " The "boys" depend upon contributions of bloom to decorate the machines. Are they to be disappointed this year be cause, forsooth, bad weather has lim ited the supply? Thousands and thou sands are needed. The householder sleeps at ease, knowing vigilant men are his protection. How better sitow appreciation than by stripping his bushes. Call the nearest firehouse and give the deskman your address. The wagon will come. CENSORSHIP VS. POPCIAE INTEREST. It is found that Anglo-Saxon tem perament and iron-handed censorship do not go hand in. hand with such fine advantage as had been anticipated. The rigid British censorship is break- ng down little by little in response to popular sentiment until there remains only a flimsy pretext. Location of units of the British fleet remains a ecret from the public because of pos sibility of undetected German spies. but, in the Interest of recruitment and of sustaining popular enthusiasm, the practice of withholding the names and locations of regiments in battle has been cast aside, so the recent copies of London periodicals reveal. As to recent operations in France and Flanders the reports are not confined to colorless War Office statements of actions by British troops in this or that sector. Heroic conduct of the Dublin or Inniskilling regiments is de scribed in detail. We are told how the gallant fighting of the Sixteenth Irish division broke up the German attack" at Loos. The Bedfordshire regiment, the Black Watch, the fa mous Coldstream regulars and the Welsh Fusiliers all figure in the War Office accounts, lending color to the reports and enthusiasm to the centers which have an intimate interest in the doings not only of the British army as a whole but of their own regiments In particular. - X Germans and French adhere to un relenting censorship so far as naming achievements of individual regiments is concerned, and from a military point of view this is advantageous, since it keeps from the enemy infor mation as to location of particular units which might prove of value. But this advantage must be of lesser lm portance in dealing with Britons than that of letting the people of commu nities know what their local heroes are doing. In the operations in Mexico the Ger man censorship method has been fol lowed so far. but could it be main tained if the Seventh New York, the Fourth Nebraska, the Third Missouri the Seventh California or the Third Oregon regiments were engaged in se rious operations of a nature demand ing the constant feeding in of new re crults? Would not the stimulation of local interest and pride then become of greater importance than the with holding f fragmentary information from the enemy? The suspicion con tinues to grow that America may learn its own shortcomings toy study ing those which Britain betrays. PROGRESS ON" WATER POWER. The most encouraging evidence of returning sanity on the subject of con servation is the adoption by the Na tional Conservation Congress of the report of its committee on water power against the opposition of Glf ford Pinchot, James R. Garfield, ex- Secretary of the Interior, and O. C, Merrill, chief engineer of the Forest Service. The vote was a crushing blow to Pinchotism, for it was 116 to 39 In favor of the report, which in dorses the Shields and Myers bills. This report is an able presentation in small compass of the whole case for reasonable legislation. After mak ing a conservative estimate, with all reasonable deductions of the water power that can practically be devel oped, the report shows that less than 10 per cent of the total has toeen de veloped. It makes prominent one point which Pinchotites persistently ignore, that development of some wa ter powers is impracticable because fuel power can be produced in the same location at lower cost, and it gives the wordVconservatlon" its true significance as "the wise use of re sources toy the present generation quite as much as the saving of those re sources for the benefit of a future gen eration." While applauding this sav ing as "a noble sentiment which should be carried Into effect wherever prac ticable," it maintains that "the wel fare of a future generation depends quite as much on the prosperity of the present generation as upon the store of resources which the present generation leaves to the future" and that "each generation has been better able to take care or useii tnan tne preceding one. Hence "any genera tion Is Justified In making use of an exhaustible resource rather than an inexhaustible one, if the use of the former is, for the time being, cheaper, more practicable and more beneficial.' The popular Impression that power Is developed more cheaply by water than by fuel anywhere is shown to be erroneous. In some cases the one In other cases the other source of power is more economical, though on the whole "wajter power may be pro duced somewhat cheaper than fuel power and In some places the margin i3 considerable." This margin, is "the sole reason why water-power develop ment is now so great a factor in our National progress." For lack of a for ward policy "we are paying $500,000 a day for coal which might, on a prac tical and economical basis, be saved by the substitution of water power." The blocking of Progress by those who insist on a certain policy as essential to conservation causes waste both of the fuel which is needlessly used and of the water power which is not used. The end to be sought Is a law which' will permit and encourage development, stop this waste and at the same time protect the public interest. No attempt Is made by the commit tee to decide between Government and private ownership and operation It simply expresses an opinion on the immediate practical question: What is the best means to secure development now? This is its answer: It Is very apparent that for a period of years the greater part of our water-power development must be accomplished by pri vate capital. Even the most pronounced advocate of Government ownership will realize that necessity. This being the case, such development must be voluntary on the part of private investors and must be induced by a promise of reasonable reward and an assurance of the safety of th principal invested. There can be no es cape from this conclusion. Therefore, the public must if it would derive immediate advantages irom lis waier-power resources, extend such reasonable assurances to in vestors, and at the same time hold fast to the control of rates, service and all con duct, provide for a fair deal to all concerned and reserve the right to recapture the crao. erties on payment of the fair value thereof at the end of a stated period. It is quite practicable to secure all these essentials at the same time.' If an attempt Is made to derive large revenue for the Government from wa. ter power, either capital will not Invest or charges to consumers will be en hanced and market for power re stricted. The same result will follow restrictions on operation, confiscation of property or any conditions based on assumption that power companies will be guilty of wrongdoing. If an at tempt is made by the Nation to usurp the authority or to confiscate the states' property in the water, or to withhold large areas of the states from taxation, the states will resist and de- velopment will again be postponed un til the disputed points are settled in court. Early development can be prompted only by legislation which duly safeguards all interests those of the Nation, the states, the investors and the consumers. The committee holds that both the Shields and the Myers bills fulfull all these requirements. The Oregonian agrees with it as to the Shields bill, but believes that material changes In the Myers bill are necessary to pre vent serious Infringement on the rights of the states. We, however, welcome the changed attitude of the Conservation Congress as holding forth promise that the. United States Con gress will before long pass bills which show proper regard for all interests. Senator Jones' explanation of his vote against the river and harbor bill shows that the f ram era of that nau seous measure went to the limit of safety In grabbing pork. They studied ow far they could go without dis gusting so many members that the bill would toe rejected. On the one side were the demands of constituents; on the other the clamor for pork. Some day the latter will cause the majority to ignore the former. Then the pork barrel will be smashed. If the latest British version of the naval battle is to be credited, the British press agent, not the British navy, was defeated. The German pub licity man reached the public first with a German victory and his British rival came tailing on a couple of days later with a British victory after the Admiralty had acknowledged defeat. The requisite for British naval su premacy now Is a press agency to match the navy. As ocean freight rates are declining. Pacific Coast ports may expect to get back some of the ships which were transferred to the Atlantic when the munition trade sent rates kiting. We may get tonnage to revive lntercoastal water traffic toy way of the Canal, to carry wheat to Europe and lumber to every market. At the same time, rates are not likely to fall so low as to check shipbuilding so long as war con tinues. The youngest patient In tire Salem Asylum Is only 8 years of age, and one of his deeds before Incarceration was to steal a delivery team and wagon and trade for a horse and buggy. Nothing Is said of the other party to the trade, who belongs by right In the other institution next door south. A new publication of decided merit Is the Business Chronicle of the Pa cific Northwest, edited by Edwin Sel vln and Issued weekly at Seattle. It contains well-written articles on every branch of trade and shipping, and will be valuable to all business men. Young married folk of irascible tempers should heed the lesson. in the death of a young husband at Vancou ver. Any kind of firearm In the house Is unsafe. People who smash the crockery on each other get a bit dis figured, but never killed. The Pacific Coast has on undis puted advantage over all competitors in the lumber trade. It alone can sup ply big timbers for bridges, docks and tall masts. The South and Middle West can supply the small sizes. ' How boldly does the Wilson Admin lstratlon advance to regulate the in ternal affairs of Santo Domingo with bullets and bayonets. No shrinking from bloodshed there! The British Admiralty would better keep an eye on the west end of the Kiel Canal and Wilhelmshaven. That Jutland incident may have toeen a di version. Women at Chicago declare they hold the balance of power. That has natural sound, for woman, married or single, has held all the power for ages. A man need not be a dashing young Lothario to embezzle money to spend on a woman. The older some men are, the harder they are hit. The flower of the British navy 333 officers sank In the Jutland en gagement. The British naval man, by the way, knows how to die. Secretary Lansing is replying to critics of the Administration. There Is too much which cannot be ex plained. ' Though progress razes the little red schoolhouse, it will bring the big brick or concrete schoolhouse as a substi tute. There's one appealing phase of the Hughes outlook. Hughes can win hands down if he gets the nomina tion. Now, Mr. and Mrs. Upstate, if you do not see what you want, ask the first pleasant-looking man you meet. Now why do not the peace prop- adandists hold a parade and find out Just how near alone they stand? If not cheap, at least talk will toe cheaper at Aberdeen, Telephone rates have toeen reduced.- The hatbands worn by Jackies are Intended to be given to young ladies who ask for them. Roosevelt stays at home this week. and if a villain cuts the phone wire woe be unto him. Americanism the rehabilitation of a lost cause that Is the National is sue this year. Now let some of the .preparedness marchers seek the recruiting office. Yes? No? No more can you buy a chunk Of ice. . It must have specifications as to weight. 1 Merely killing is the order of the day at Verdun. Mr. Taft appears to have been for gotten entirely. Come what will, this Is a Republican year. This is Bryan's week of silence, but wait. The weather promises to do its part. Tomorrow is the day. Great weather, eb.7. Gleams Through the Mist By Dean ColllnaL TUG nOSU FESTIVAL. QUEEN. Gentlemen, here's to the Queen Who cometh to rule o'er the Rosel Let the proof of your loyalty be seen Gentlemen, here's to the Queen. Like a rose in the diamonded sheen Of the dew when the morning wind blows. Gentlemen, here's to the Queen, Who cometh to rule o'er the Rose. . The Rose of the beauty most rare Bows down to Its beauteous Queen, The Queen, in whose countenance fair, The Rose of the beauty most rare Must gaze and must wonder, for there The soul of the rose bloom is seen. The Rose of the "beauty most rare Bows down to Its beauteous Queen. Queen Muriel, smiling we bow To pledge our allegiance to thee! Oh, fair as the rose on thy brow. Queen Muriel smiling we bow To kiss the ross scepter and vow Your duteous servants to be. Queen Muriel, smiling wa bow To pledge our allegiance to thee. Fling open the palace and call The sprites of thine empire to rise. As the whirl of the rose petals fall, Fling open the palace and call. And hither the rose fairies all Will fly as the light swallow files. Fling open the palace and call The sprites of thine empire to rise. And the world shall go road in the flame Of the Rose of the sunset and sea. And the mirth and the dance and the game The world shall go mad In the flame And shall dance 'mid the roses the same As the rose In the wind o'er the lea. The world shall go mad In the flam Of the Rose of the sunset and sea. The tints of our fairy land dreams And the dreams of the fairyland days Shall blend, where the bright pageant gleams. The tint of our fairyland dreams In the rainbow of roses that beams In the Festival City, where plays The tint of our fairyland dreams And the dreams of our fairyland days. So. gentlemen, here's to the Queen Who cometh to rule o'er the Rose! Let the proof of our loyalty be seen Gentlemen, here's to the Queen Like a rose In the diamonded sheen Of the dew when the morning wind blows. Gentlemen, here's to the Queen Who cometh to rule o'er the Rose. "Sir." said the Courteous Office Boy, absent-mindedly leaning with his elbow In my paste pot, while he played "she-loves-me-she-loves-xne-not" with a big Caroline Testout rose. "Yes. boy," I said crisply, filing off a rough corner from a triolet and rum maging In my thesaurus for a rhyme. "I've seen 'The Queen!" murmured the C. O. B., and heaved a deep sigh. "And what then?" I gruffed enviously, "Oh. sir." said the C. O. B.. falling suddenly on his knees in the waste basket, "I will promise never to write free verse again, and to be always re spectful and faithful In my duties, if only " i, ... "If only what?" ir only you win get me a Job as page to the Queen!" "I'm sorry, but I can't do It," and hastily seized the phone and called up Rose Fest. Pres. Dundoro to ask him if he couldn't use me as a page to the Queen. "I can't do It. but here's a quarter for giving me the Idea." And I hurried over to see the Fest. management personally. "Well, if you can't get me a Job as a page," bellowed the C. O. B. as I flew, "tell 'em I'd be willing to be even paragraph or a clause. If they've got such a Job." . Ol'R OWN GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY, To the Editor: Please let Sam Lan caster in as a member of the Interna tional Thumbnail Geographical Society, If he hasn't sent In any poetry to enti tle him to membership, maybe the fol lowing will serve the purpose. Q. Ed. I've never motored to the Pole, Yet I declare, upon my soul. I'd ne'er go there if I had my way, But stick around upon the ground And ride the new Columbia Highway (Ed. note We called in Will Shaver and Tom Thumb, the other two mem bers. and they read the pome and Bald He's not In!" We believe, dear Q. Ed., that Sam could do a better Job for him self than you have done for him.) BALLADE OF TIIE BATTLESHIPS (To the Oregon and the South Dakota, now in this harbor.) When rumors ride the cables 'neath the sea. About the British and the German fray. Misgivings sort of come and camp on me When I think: "What if it should come our way? I greatly fear there'd be the deuce - to pay. If foreign foes came sailing o'er th deep." And, in that mood. I rise right up to say. The sight of you sure cheers me up a heap. When I read all the criticism free. And the objections that the experts may Point out and dwell upon persistently. Saying: "Our war dogs are too weak to bay! Our fleet is feebler than a one-hors shay. And any foe could put It right to sleep" When I read that, I rise right up to say: "The sight of you sure cheers me up heap" And then I think of history on the sea From John Paul Jones to Santiago Bay, And of the proud traditions that there be Back of the Navy of the U. S. A., The babble of its critics fades away, And the warm currents through my pulses leap; And. in that mood, I rise right up to say. "The eight of you sure cheers me up heap." L'ENVOI. Bulldogs of war. If trouble comes our way. Our country's safety In good hands we keep. And, in that mood, I rise right up to say: "The sight of you sure cheers me up a heap!" WHY MEM DIE AT FIFTY YEARS Lived" to Death Is Reason Found by Falrvlew, Or, Correspondent. FAIRVIEW. Or, June 8. (To the Editor.) "Why do men die at 50? This question has been asked with an ap parent desire to know the real reason. We are a Nation of Insane spend thrifts. We have cast to the winds all thoughts of economy, all thoughts of conservation of our resources and our health. We are running the human machine up and down grade on a high gear. W e are trusting to luck and uck alone, hoping against hope that we may be able to slow down and avert the Inevitable crash that will smash to slmthereens all the greatness of as fine a type of people as were ever congregated on one spot. Our craving for everything we see has left us lean with poverty. Too much money has made us drunk with extravagance. We know nothing of the word "frugal." Our slogan is "get the money; get all possible pleasure out of it; let the future take care of itself." If the breadwinner is not a spend thrift, the wife is. If the wife has any nclination. toward saving, the husband will throw the money to the birds, with no thought of a day when his service will become less valuable to his em ployer because of old age or certain physical deficiencies that will take away ail or a part of his income. Every day we see pathetic Illustra tions of our American thoughtlessness the management of that breadwin ner's wage. Their dreams are fre quently lllusloned by the thought of here that came from there is more. They see their rich neighbor building a 5000 home; they must have one Just as good or a trifle better. A beautiful grand piano is delivered into the home of their rich neighbor. "We must have- one Just like it." says the wife. The big new home also needs the services of servants. Because of a lack n exercise, the wife becomes ill and the services of a physician are required. The theater habit is also acquired and the poor wage earner digs deeper. The seaside resorts must be visited. The husband gets an adavance on his next month's pay and his dear-wife is made happy. She does not notice the deep lines that are circling about the eyes of that husband or the sleepless nights or other sure signs of a wearing body. The indifference has changed to fear: the wife now sees that change. They both hasten to lock the door, but the proverbial horse has been stolen; the Income has been dissipated. He studied between love and physical endurance. Love won' out. but at what a price. The heydays' Income gone, his totter ing form plunges on. Increased, expenses call for more he- role efforts. He tries to maintain an establishment built upon "heyday" principles. Esthetic tastes are hard to put aside after being acquired. "t.ived- to death by his family. Dead" when he should have Just be gun to. live. This is why men die at 60. K. A, BARNES. BEST . MARRIAGE AGE AT 3-30 Reader Discusses American Tendency to Too Early Nuptials. PORTLAND. June 4. (To the Ed itor.) It is really surprising to note the age at which men and women seek the bonds of matrimony. Quite fre quently this Is the state of affairs when the 18th or 19th year Is reached, some times sooner. Possibly the young man has Just completed hign school and ob tained a position, more or less Derma- nent. at $10 or $15 a week. Some people argue that man and woman should marry young and then work our their troubles hand in hand. But long be fore the problems are solved the obsta cles eliminated and the coudIs on a substantial footing, a third party usual ly appears, who accepts a place as star boarder, and the affability and utter ignorance of this new arrival demand that they give much of their valuable nine ana energy towards his amuse ment and well being. iow tne unfortunate young man finds that all the invaluable opportuni ties 10 secure a nigner education are closed to him. Opportunities to travel and see a little of the world on his own account are now impossible. If he now makes business blunders (which are not infrequent t' young men), he alone Is not the sufferer; his wife must also share the spoils of folly. Cases such as this come under the category oi preventaoie mistaKes. V hen he might have gone to college and issued forth as a claimant to Im portant and well-paid positions, he must now De content with a meager salary, commensurate with his ability which atone is attained through educa tion. If he -should wait until he has attained the age of 25 or 30 and at that time nnas nimseic financially secure. then be is more capable of making a judicious selection of a life companion. He is then in his prime and is capable of imparting to his offspring some of his vitality and possibly his good com mon sense. His children when growD And it comparatively easy to attain an education. The parents of Thomas Ed ison and Abraham Lincoln were no mere 18 or 19-year-old boys and girls. Observe what a degenerate race of human beings the natives of India are. They marry when 10 or 11 or there abouts. The young people who rush on the spur of the moment to the min isters without reflecting seriously upon their ages or financial circumstances are the ones who most frequently are in the divorce courts. I think It bet ter tor youthful marriage aspirants to seek advice from broad-minded and dis criminating elders before their future Is sealed. C. ILM'CASLIN. COMMERCIAL FISHERMAN'S VIETIV New York Hook and Line Sportsman A ns we read aa to Willamette. CARROLTON, Wash.. June S. (To the Editor.) I am writing with regard to the recent leter of Theodore Jaegar, of New York City, who discussed sal mon fishing, in the Willamette River. As glllnetters we do not want to kill the sport of hook and line fishing, yet the commercial fishermen are the ones who keep the hatchery fund going from year to year. Commercial fishing furnishes em ployment for thousands of residents of the State of Oregon. Mr. Jaeger does not understand properly when he says the Columbia River offers more salmon than the fisherman knows what to do with. In the month of May the best fishing Is done in the Willamette River. By closing this river Oregon would be impairing Its most prominent industry and receiving nothing for it, whereas as It is at present there are fish for sport and commercial use also. ARTHUR FOWLER. ' Chicken-Yard Regulations. PORTLAND. June 5. (To the Ed itor.) Will The Oregonian please in form me if there is a city ordinance regulating the distance that a chicken yard may be built to a neighbor's house? A SUBSCRIBER. There Is no ordinance regulating the distance that a chicken-yard shall be from a residence. There is one for animals, but not for fowls. If a chicken, yard becomes a nuisance to the neigh bors from filth, odors or noise, they can be prosecuted for maintaining a nuisance under ordinance No. 13885, and several convictions have been obtained in the Municipal Court under this or dinance. In the proposed sanitary cods there is a provision as follows: "All chicken-yards or runways shall be at least 25 feet from any store or public thoroughfare." In using the word "chicken" It is intended to include ducks, geese, and other fowls. In Other Days. Tweity-dte Years) Ass. From The Oreconlan of Jane 0, 1801. The consolidatlonista nominated a strong city ticket yesterday afternoon. It is strictly nonpartisan and Is made up of the following well-known citi zens: Mayor. W. S. Mason; City Attor ney, William T. Muir; . Police Judge. Charles H. Carey; Auditor. W. T. Branch: Assessor. James Flower: Street Superintendent, Douglas W. Taylor; Overseer Street Department. A. Ander son; Surveyor. T. M. Hurlburt: Police Commissioner. Frank Logan; Fire Com missioner, M. C. Hayward. General James Longs tree t Is very low at Gainesville, Ga.. and Is not expected to live through the night. The first Installment of the money from New York, amounting to $100,000. for the erection of the Chamber of Commerce building Is here and will be turned over to the building committee as soon as the arrangements in regard to the amounts of insurance to be taken are closed. Salem. June E. Tonight about 11 o'clock L. H. McMahon, editor of the Woodburn Independent, shot Jap Mlnto, a prominent citizen of Salem, through the hand. McMahon had published a, severe criticism about Minto and to night the parties met on the street near the postoffice. Half a Crntnry As;o. From Tha Oregonian of Juns 6, 1866. Chicago, June 1. The Fenians In vaded Canada last night, crossing the Niagara River four miles below Buf falo, and were today entrenching them selves to resist attack. Dispatches from Toronto report active military -preparations to punish the Invaders. San Francisco, June 6. Early this morning our citizens were disturbed from their slumbers by two severe earthquake shocks, which lasted about 50 seconds. The second shock was more severe than the first. It was decidedly the heaviest shake since the big Oc tober shake. - Messrs. Beard and Miller, teamsters from Chlco. with freight for Owyhee- and Idaho City, lost over 400 head of cattle near Camp Lyon by the depre dations of the Indiana. The Portland Light Artillery wound up the campaign in good shape last night, firing- repeated volleys of re joicing from the public plaza. The flag presentation and social soiree of the Fenian Guards will take place at Oro Fino Hall this evening. The programme is arranged for a com pany parade and flag presentation: next a National air will be played by the band, after which dancing will commence. SCHOOL SYSTEM ILLS DISCCSSED Students Complimented on Declining x Festival Vacation Days. PORTLAND. June 4. (To the Edi tor.) About our present school system now In vogue In this city. I wish to mak'e a few statements and Incidentally ask a few questions. First. 1 wish to compliment the high school students In their recent action of refusing the Festival holidays of fered them by the School Board. Again. I doubt not but should the earlier school hours recently estab lished have been left to the several stu dent bodies they would have considered it a serious matter and perhaps re jected it. Why Is It that the School Board should wish for short hours and allow so much idle time at the bands of the, scholar? Hasn't it been proved that a longer day is more satisfactory? Do not the numerous private schools over the country usually require longer hours? Why Is It that so many of our hlsrh school and college students look for soft snaps and fail, while the un schooled youth ambitious wins out? Isn't it because "the opportunity taken at the flood" has passed, and at. the end of his school career he Is only luke warm and not wcldlng-hot, he should be? We realize that the oard of Educa tion wishes to train the boy and the girl for the every-day problems of life and put them on self-supporting basis, but surely they do not call this a means to that end. Why throw away such precious moments? Why waste the flower of American youth In vain idol atry? Isn't it a waste of the poor tax payer's money as well? If a student only Intends to go to high school, let him put in four or more years of study there, but if he is going to college, get him ready and "shoot him through" while he's hot Am I not right? C. LEWIS. The Oregonian a few days ago dls--cussed the "saving daylight" plan, but in fairness would call attention of the correspondent to the fact that tha earlier-hours movement was Inaugu rated by the pupils themselves of one of the high schools who last year pe titioned (and were refused) for an un divided day. opening earlier, continu ing through without the noon hour, and dismissing school work about 1 P. M. It was then argued by them the ad vanced students could accept afternoon work, do field study, etc.. to personal advantage. SUGGESTS HARMONIOUS PARASOLS In Floral Tarade Black Umbrellas for Rain Protection De Trop. PORTLAND. June 6. (To the Edi tor.) I should like to make a sugges tion to persons entering the floral paxeant In the Festival this week. The provision is usually made for protection from showers should they occur during a parade. Instead of the usual black umbrella, why not make it a general rule to carry either white ones or a color that is In harmony with the floral decoration and gowns worn by the women? A few black umbrellas scattered through a parade can mar the general artistic effects of the entire paereant. A SUBSCRIBER. "Temperamenta" and "Maatera." ST. HELENS. Or., June 3. (To the Editor.) Would it be proper to call several noted men "temperaments." or would "masters" be more appropriate? Who are David Belasco. Sir Arthur Plnero and Eugene Walter? ANXIOUS. The Oregonian would not use "tem peraments" and "masters" Interchange ably nor would It use "temperaments" to designate men at all. In a certain sense "master" and "temperer" could be used Interchangeably. An artist might possess unlimited temperament and yet not be a master. David Belasco, Sir Arthur Plnero and Eugene Walter are playwrights and authors. Sir Arthur Is an Englishman and the other two are Americana. Mr. Belaeco is also a producer. Saya Arrested Man Not Greek. PORTLAND, June 2. (To the Edi tor.) The Oregonian recently pub lished a story that a certain Y. Gall, proprietor of a coffee house at 33 North Fifth street, employed a waitress In violation of the city ordinance, say ing that this man is of Greek descent. As a Greek. I beg to inform you that he is not a Greek, and that since last November no waitress has been em ployed by the Greeks in their coffee houses, as they fully respect the law. GEOUGE ABOU 4