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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 3, 1919)
TITE MORNING OREGONIAN, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3. 1919. 6 ittarninij(9rmvtan ESTABLISHED BY HENRY L. FITTOCIk. Published by The Oregonian Publishing Co. 135 Sixth Street, Fortlana, Oregon. C. A. MORDEN, B- B. PIPR. Manager. Editor. The Oregonian is a member of the Asso ciated Press. The Associated Press is clualvely entitled to the use for publication of all news dispatches credited to it or not otherwise credited in this paper and . in the ln.l news published herein. aii rights of republication o special dispatches herein are also reserved. Subscription Rates Invariably In Advance. (By Mail.) Dally. Sunday Included, one year ?9 tlailv, Sunday Included, six montns... Daily. Sunday Included, three months Daiiv. Sundav included, one month.... Dally, without Sunday, one year Dally, without Sunday, six months... - Dally, without Sunday, one month.... Weekly, one year... . 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Bldwell THE COAL STRIKE AND ITS SEQltu Within a few days we shall learn whether the miners' strike can be tn,.fi,iiv nrnsecuted in defiance of the courts, with the forces of the law actively employed to Prevent any I communication nuui i" " furtherance of it and to protect all 1 work, and with public opinion ae-1 cidedlv hostile to it. This Is a com- tination of opposing forces such as a great strike rarely encounters. While at the outset from four- fifths to nine-tenths of the bitumin ous coal miners quit work, this hap- nened on a Saturday, when it is cus tomary for many miners not to work. The number of men who did not go to the mines on Saturday is no guide to the number of men who will re main idle on Monday. Injunction will prevent the national officers of the miners' union from holding strike meetings and will check such ac tivity on the part of local leaders. Thus the usual means of keeping up enthusiasm will be lacking. Troops will prevent congregation of crowds on the streets of mining towns, and will protect those who continue work from assault or insult. Non-union mines will continue in full operation and any attempt of strikers in neigh boring districts to march across country and force suspension will be - blocked. Unable to use the custo mary means of maintaining and ex tending a strike, the miners can do little but sit and wait, with every thing going out and nothing coming in. The spectacle of a few mines in operation will be a constant tempta tion to break ranks, which may lead to gradual resumption of work at cne mine after another. The circumstances under which the strike was called do not favor en thusiasm for it among the miners. If, .1.1 V, 1 .i . 1 c. ,r JT convention were elected, the rank I and file no doubt supported the ex treme demands of that body with the threat of a strike to enforce them, but a vote among all the . members of the union on a proposal actually to strike on a certain day with the governnipnt and public opinion ar rayed against them has not been taken and might show a very dif ferent result. The action of the Cleveland con vention hinted strongly at the ex pectation of aid from railroad men in the shape of a sympathetic strike. That too is put under the ban of the law, for the injunction prohibits ac tion to limit distribution as well as production of coal. It thus applies to communication with railroad men to that end and may be extended to the officers of the railroad unions. On the same principle, any sympa thetic action by am other union would be enjoined. If the injunction should be obeyed or if disobedience should be successfully prevented, the miners would be unable to take any r.ction to maintain and extend the strike and would be deprived of all help from men in other occupations. The strike would consist only of vol unteer inactivity unaccompanied by measures to keep the strikers' will unshaken. This condition may be considered provocative of secret plots to kill or injure persons or to blow up property on the part of the revolu tionary element. The government may be presumed to. have provided for vigilant watch for such out breaks. It knows that there is a large proportion of alien reds among the miners, probably knows who they are and would take advantage of the first lawless act on their part to arrest them. By pursuing this! course without relaxation, it may utilize the strike to make a general clean-up of the entire revolutionary element and imprison or deport its members. J he strong stand which the gov - limited right to strike may be ex- nprtoil tr out! for-tH Hnel..-., i..i. -"li uut mi nits iieaua ui Climated unions, which has been called for November 12 by President ! Gompers of the American federa tion of I-abor. If the principle ad-1 vanced by the government, that the! right of the public to a necessity of i lite is paramount to the right of any body of men to strike should be sus-- - i j , . tained, it -would apply with even greater force to railroad operation than to roai nrodnctinn for rnilrnarlo man to coal production ior railroads are a public Utility and the supply of neither coal nor any other com - modity can be maintained without transportation. The anti-strike pro- vision of the Cummins railroad bill will bring the whole question before congress and its adoption would de- prive railroad men of the strike wea pon. That both political parties are of one mind on this subject Is evi- dent from the practical unanimity with which congress approved the policy of the administration toward the coal strike and by the fact that all members of the senate commerce committee, with the sole exception of Senator LaFollette, endorsed the Cummins bill. The coal strike thus forces a de cision of the railroad men whether to make a stand for the right to de clare a general strike at a Juncture where the coal miners look to them lor help, but where a strike would certainly be enjoined and would therefore be a defiance of the courts. The right to strike is likely to be maintained eimultaneoysly la the courts and in congress and until a final decision is rendered by the su preme court may become an impor k" - oouc. CBAP-SHOOTrXG AT CAMP SHERIDAN. The revelations of wholesale fraud in construction of Camp . Sheridan, Ala., go to confirm the worst that has been said about criminal -w aste in execution of army contracts. Fraud was the natural outgrowth of the cost-plus system, for the greater the cost the more "plus" went into the contractor's pocket. The crap shooters of Camp Sheridan literally gambled away money which was paid for in liberty bonds or taxes, but at that they may have done less harm than if they had tried to earn their wages as plumbers, for they might have left white lead in water-tanks, as did the alleged plumbers who built the steamer West Munham. Cost plus contracts were a device adopted by the administration when it had accused some firms of making collusive bids including excessive prof jt They were expected to save r money by comparison With flat price contracts, but the government over looked the too prevalent idea -that it is no crime to rob the government, and the difficulty of securing honest, efficient supervision of such great undertakings as the building of army camps. Camp Sheridan was probably only an example among many cases of wholesale fraud during the war. A c-reat - amount of waste is expected and inevitable in war. but fraud is possible only through dishonesty of contractors, and, laxity, incompetence or downrignt collusion or govern on.-era. w..i- hagte and wap prfce8 but they not condone robbery. The corn- mittees of congress are doing well to investigate all war activities, and it is to be hoped that they will pur- sue their work, to the end GOVERNOR OLCOTT8 TERM. The Oregonian concedes- the logic of the opinion of the attorney gen eral that Governor Olcott is entitled to serve out the full term of Gov ernor Withycombe. The opinion Is a well ordered conclusion from the supreme court's decision in the Chadwick case. The only point of difference between the case of Gov ernor Chadwick and that of Gover nor Olcott is one of length of time in office. The unimportant period of nine days was in dispute in the Chadwick case, while the Olcott case involves his right to hold office for more than two years. The supreme court in the earlier case held that Governor Chadwick was entitled to serve out the full term of Governor Grover. In the later decision on the Olcott case the supreme court divided on more than one point, one of them being the question as to whether the tenure of office issue was properly before the course. That phase of the Chadwick decision was therefore not reaf firmed, nor was it reversed. But there are always ambitious persons who are attracted by the long chance. The opinion of the at torney general, while seemingly sus tained by a court decision, is not final. It is fully to be expected that if the matter Is permitted to rest Hhut another court, ruling, one or .. . . " more persons who could not hope to attain the office in a free and open election will file at the last minute, hoping to force acceptance of their nomination by mandamus, and ob tain .the governorship by default of more worthy candidates. The attorney general's opinion points out how this may be avoided. The secretary of state is required to certify to the county clerks the list of state officers for which parties are to make nominations in the pri mary election. This list may be, cer tified at any time not less than 45 days before election. If the secre tary of state fails to include the of fice of governor in the list certified, mandamus may be sought by any citizen and the issue thus squarely be presented to the courts. It is clear that if the secretary of state takes the full time allotted to him to certify the list of offices to be filled, the courts cannot pass on the issue before the expiration of the final date for filing nominating pe titions. The desirable course, there fore, is for the secretary of state to make his certification early enough to permit a final ruling to be made by the supreme court before it Is too late for candidates to file nominat ing petitions. In that way, if the remote possibility should happen and .it be held that & governor must be elected in 1920, the several parties would have opportunity to make an intelligent choice of suitable candi dates for the office. I 1'ROITTKERING 60 YEARS A(iO. I I' ifty years ago the word "profi I teer" was not in such common usage I as in the present, but the essentials I of profiteering were charged with all the vehemence of today. In 186D I just as in the present year, the land lord came in for a great deal of criti I cism. We quote from The Oregonian I of November 3, just fifty years ago I today: 1 Among the many procuring causes of are charged for business and dwelling houses In this city. we have Mttla hesi- I tatlon In saying that the excess in rents ana toe consumer irorn JO to 20 Dor cent 1 n,ore Ior a l,v, man it should cost everything else considered. The entire living of. a man. including shelter, should not cost hira more than 40 to 30 per cent of his earnings. But how stands the matter? Those who are dependent upon day wages, or weekly, or montly or yearly sal- per month, from which deduct lost time ni? thJ average will be little more than 50. There are few families of four or Iiv. person, who can einrhe rt f..o themselves for a less sum than that; yet tner are f"w renters who pay less than ,L,0 per month for houses of ordinary size and accommodations. Tt is clear that the 1 r mU8' Je saved by "skimping" in be no luxuries upon the table: L,, i recreation must be rare: books must be ,ns; the" ' "must" o the f school or to none: and the most riglJ ff nm? J"," ,e prfcU,;ed, ln a11 'h1""- fault of rent. The rents literally eat up the substance of the people. They gnaw away at it. di rectly, in the cost of their own shelter, and. indirectly, in the increased cost of clothes, provisions and me necessaries of life, which they must buy of merchants who also have to pay exorbitant rents, but who make It up by-charging their cus tomers a per cent on their goods. There are today more than a dozen buildings on Front street good business houses standing empty, because the rents asked are so high nobody cares to take them; and dozens of buildings in the citv, unfit for building purposes, are occupied, because business won't warrant the rent ing of more costly houses. Business men are driven to high Insurance or no insur ance at all because the rates of rent com. pel them to go into wooden buildings of cneap biiu mat-cure structure. so. high rents impede business, make costlv goods, costly everything and bear hardly upon the poor. They, indirectly, keep some peo ple away, drive others away, and thus hinder the growth and prosperity of the city. it owners would Dut cease the at tempt to get rich in a year, consult but their own literest and reduce the ratea of rent to a fair standard, they would be gainers In the end through the growth of population and the corresponding enhance ment ol the value of their own property. The story reveals much concern ing the changes in the scale of wages and living expenses in a half century. Yet the principle that was good then is good today that one-third of one's income is too great a propor tion to pay out for rent. Probably proportionately high rentals were a reflex fifty years ago of the higher cost of living, just as higher rents are such a reflex now. The article quoted was printed about four years after the close of the civil war. A United States senate report issued in 1893 quotes the average price of commodities tn 1865 at 116 per cent greater than the average price in 1860, and wages at an ad vance of only 43 per cent. After the close of the war prices declined but wages continued on an ascending scale that finally virtually met the descending , commodity prices. 45y 1869 wages averaged 62 per cent higher than In 1860, while prices averaged only 53 per cent higher. " . .. Because of its remoteness at that time from labor centers and the larger markets; Oregon probably ex perienced comparatively lower wages than other portions of the country, while eastern commodity prices were more closely reflected in local mar kets. Decline in -commodity prices was delayed here by the long time consumed in transportation. Today, the house, even, of "ordin ary size and accommodations" at $20 would be deemed a blessing, but the family of four or five persons with an income of only $50 or $60 a month would be in serious straits tf rents were free. FIRST SETTLERS IX OREGON. One of those convenient compen diuras of dates, .or anniversary calen dars, which do so much to- make easy the work of editors has it that on October 29, 1832, the first settlers from the east reached Oregon. , This is an allusion, to the arrival on that day of the party of Nathaniel Jarvis Wyeth, who, Washington Irving says in his graphic account of the "Ad ventures of Captain Bonneville, U. S. A., in the Rocky Mountains and the Kar West," arrived "after hard ships of all kinds, on the 29th of October (18 32) at Vancouver, on the Columbia, the main factory of the Hudson's Bay company." The ac tual "first settlers" of this party were only two in number, although Wyeth had left Boston with twenty, had been joined at Baltimore by four more, and had set out from Liberty, Mo., then the last station on the border, with twenty-one. The pro cess of selection by which this hope ful band was reduced to only one in ten of its original number was typi cal of that by which the west was peopled. Only the hardiest of phy sique and the most resolute of moral purpose survived in those times. Wyeth probably did not partake of the same spirit that imbued Hall J. Kelley, prime mover in the organiza tion of the Boston Colonization so ciety, although he was at one time partly committed to joining forces with the expedition which Kelley was recruiting, and his projected alliance with Ivelley was for mutual advantage on the journey only. It is unlikely that he partook of the ambition of Kelley and his co-workers to repeat, after a fashion and with suitable modifications, in the nineteenth century the performance of the Pilgrim fathers in the seventeenth. But he was intensely practical, which Kelley was not, and his preparation had fitted him better than Kelley was fitted to grasp the business details of an enterprise. He had the foundation of a classical education, given him by 'his father, a' graduate of Harvard in the class of 1792, but instead of going to col lege had entered the employ of a firm which was the pioneer storer of ice for shipment to tropical coun tries. His energy and inventive genius practically revolutionized this novel industry. Then his imagina tion was fired by the commercial possibilities of other virgin fields and he set out for Oregon but not as a colonist. It probably is true only in part that, as a biographer has said of him, he saw in Oregon "a remnant of the continent still to be subdued to man's higher us-es," and that he conceived himself as playing a part in "executing one of his country's trusts for civilization, but it is cer tain that he foresaw the end of joint occupation of the northwest, that he proposed that Americans should be the surviving occupants, and that ho was the first man of any nationality to apprehend the future value of the salmon in the country's food supply. With salmon selling in the states at $16 a barrel of thirty gallons then a high price he saw profit in the venture, at least enough to pay the cost of an expedition and leave the income from his fur trade as clear profit on the investment. Wyeth was restless as well as en terprising. "I cannot divest myself," he wrote, "of the opinion that I shall compete better with my fellow men in new and untried paths than in those to pursue which requires only patience and attention.". He could r.ot wait for Kelley to complete the party the latter was trying to get to gether. Though New England pat riotism was fired by the fact that Captain Gray, discoverer of the Columbia, was from Boston, and though "Boston man" has come to be synonymous in the Indian vocabu lary with "white man," New Kngland caution still delayed Kelley's enter prise. Wyeth set out from Boston on March 10, 1832, with twenty men. At Baltimore he was joined by four ethers. He left Liberty, Mo., on May 12, with twenty-one. Fifteen day later three deserted. When, on July 8, he reached Pierre's Hole, at the head of the Lewis river, the party had been reduced by desertion and dismissals to eleven. One died on the way to Oregon. Wyeth cannot have remained long to enjoy the hospital ity of -the factor at Fort Vancouver, for he records his arrival at Lake Disappointment on November 8, 1832. Here it was learned that the supply vessel, sent around Cape Horn from Boston, had been wrecked in the Society Islands. This dis couraged others of his party and all but two requested their discharge. Five returned to "the United States" by sea, one died here in 1834, two remained as settlers. Wyeth re turned with two men to the states in 1833. By that time he had reason to know that no common foresight could avail in preparing for a ven ture so wholly novel as that on which he had embarked. Irving says of him: wyeth found, too. that a great part of the goods he had brought with him were unfitted for the Indian trade; in a word, his expedition, undertaken entirely- on his own resources, proved a failure. He lost everything invested In it but his hopes. These were as strong aa ever. He took note of everything, therefore, that could be of service to him in the prosecution of his project; collected all the Information within his reach, and then set off, ac companied by merely two men, on his return journey across the continent. He had got thus far "by hook or crook," a mode in which a New England man can make hla way all over the world, and through all kinds of difficulties, and was now bound for Boston; in full confidence of being able to form a company for the salmon fishery and fur trade of the Co lumbia. Wyeth's associates were always for the greater part, as Irving describes them, "regular downeasters, that is to say, people of New England who. with the all-pervading spirit of their race, were now pushing their way into a new field of enterprise with which they were totally u n a c -quainted." It was this total lack of acquaintance with the problem that so decimated Wyeth's ranks. And primarily the men did not come as immigrants. Wyeth had definitely declined to commit himself to Mr. Kelley, as "inducing ignorant per sons to render their scituations worse rather than better." Wages and the prospect of trade were the chief in ducements then held out. He had expressed to Secretary of State Kverett the hope that congress would "aid good men to form a settlement in that region and assume the gov crnment of the colony," but this was because he saw the value of acquir ing so vast and important a terri tory and realized that American colonization would be a means to that end. Once on the Pacific coast. he did not share the misgivings of his men. He found, the climate warm and agreeable, but in the winter rather too much rain." As to spiritual values, he found the follow ing to be true, as expressed in a let ter to his parents, written in Janu ary, 1833: I have in time of need found fin thl land of strangers) kind friends who have alleviated all my sufferings with the ex ception of that one which arises frum consciousness that I shall never be able to repay to them these civilities which have received. If polite carriage and shrewd Intellect are best acquired in more populous parts of the earth generous feel Ings are fostered by the wilds, and amid savages the civilized man seems to uphold his character better than among his fel lows. This was not the later estimate of missionaries who subsequently rec ommended that measures be taken to civilize the white residents rather than the Indians, but it was sym bolical of the optimism of Wyeth himself. It was on his second ex pedition,, when he left Boston with a party of seventy, that he built Fort Hall, on Lewis river, now in Idaho, and arrived near Portland on Sep tember 22, 1834, locating on what was then called Wappatoo island now Sauvles island, .not far from this city. There is a map of Washington county extant that gives the island the name of Wyeth. The end of his hopes came when serious illness compelled him to absent himself fo a time and his enterprise was ab sorbed by the Hudson's Bay com pany. Governor Pelly of that com pany wrote in 1838 that "we have compelled the American adventurers to withdraw from the contest," but Pelly crowed too soon, so far as the general movement was concerned. Wyeth and Bonneville had blazed a way. It was over the route which Wyeth had four times traveled be tween 1832 and 1836 that Marcus Whitman led his caravan, by way of Fort Hall, and it was over the same general course that Fremont came In 1843 to "occupy" the territory. Wyeth lived to see Oregon terri tory of the United States and to ob serve at a distance the development of the region on a' scale which his practical vision had only dimly fore seen. What Dr. Mayo means as prolong ing a man's life by drinking "pot able" water is just that "potable" means "drinkable" and that should be the best. Nobody ever drinks too much water, except, possibly, the morning after and that is going out of fashion. Essentially, the man who drinks the most lives longest, if it approaches Bull Run water, the test o'n earth. The system requires five pints a day; anything beyond means longevity. Here Is a good place to prove it. After a number of years In th newspaper business at Vancouver, during which he never failed to get out a good paper, K. K. Beard goes to Seattle. He was in the front in the days when Vancouver (Wash., of course) was making itself, and the Columbian helped wonderfully. Burglars and other prowlers who use violence toward women are vio lating rules of the burglars' union The burglar who carries a card is a gentleman always and willing to show his credential. If he cannot produce them, just kill him. Even the prospect of adding ten years to the average man's life has its drawbacks. Some men would like to cut ten years off other men's lives, if they could do so without fac ing a jury. Take the ex-kaiser for example. When Admiral Reuter sank the German ships at Sea pa Flow, he boasted that German honor had been vindicated. When Germany has to pay for the ships, it may not thank him. Increasing use of cheap nickel plated revolvers in holdups may In dicate that highwaymen are not un mindful of the lessons of the thrift campaign. Happy is the man who has his basement full of wood. He can af ford to laugh at him who sneered at the disfigurement of the street by his woodpile during the summer. A world seeking, the best apple cannot be turned against the Oregon product through fear of spraying material that might be on the fruit There is none to hurt anybody. Dairymen of Washington are op posed to the "short" day, and it is a wonder the milkmaids' union has not long ago called for a double battalion. National enforcement will relieve local judges of much embarrassment in fining friends and acquaintances who go wrong in rum running. Forecast for the week is "show ery," announcement of which is a bit of supererogation. Oregonians know rain when they see it. The "Made in America" label is to appear even on the new Russian money. The food show is worth while. Better attend and learn. BIT-PRODUCTS OF THE PRESS How Lafayette Was Made Cltlsen of tbe United States. Morris Kdmond Speare of the de partment of history and English in the United States Naval academy has added the little-known fact that La fayette was actually a citizen of the United States. Before 'the United States came into existence. Maryland passed an act to "naturalize Major General the Marquiss de la Fayete and his Heirs Male Forever," and when that state came Into the Union it brought all its citizens with it. The act was passed by the Maryland legislature December 28, 1784, and al though the constitution of the United States later assumed, in its first ar ticle, the exclusive right of estab lishing uniform rules of naturalization throughout the nation, all who were citizens of the respective states when they ratified the constitution became citizens of the nation. The widely-read Spanish-American journalist. Enrique Gomez-Carrillo, tells a story of Clemenceau, who was once induced to sit to Rodin for a statue. As usual, the great sculptor surrounded his work with an air of mystery, not permitting even his illus trious sitter to Inspect the work be fore its completion. When the mo ment for inspection at last arrived Clemenceau could not believe his eyes. "Is that I? Never! I don't want that:" It was of no avail that experts pro nounced the likeness perfect. "Let him change the nose, the mouth, the head, the eyes and that pate and I'll accept the bust," said the "Tiger." To which Rodin responded that he ha-d made the work less ugly than Clemen ceau really was. "Well," was the lat ter's comment, "if I'm that ugly I don't want to know it!" It is said that the great Frenchman to this day does not take kindly to the idea of a statue. "We old fellows look very ugly in marble. Let them keep their pedeestals for the young folks." Christian Science Monitor. The flamingo, one of the queerest of birds, sits on its nest while standing straight up, says a writer in the New York Sun. The birds build their nests in shallow ponds, where there is much mud. This they scrape together, mak ing little hillocks, like small islands appearing out of the water about a foot and a half from the bottom. They make the foundations broad, and leave a small opening, or hollow pit, at he top, where they deposit their two eggs, the number the flamingo always lays. To hatch them the flamingo stands over Ahe nest, with its body just above the ergs. It couldn't put its long, awkward legs inside the nest. and to sit on the hillock would jeopardize the eggs. Young flamingoes do not fly readily, although they run very fast. Once they learn to fly they show-speed and resemble skyrockets, with their bril liant red plumage. Flamingoes were first noticed in 1683 by Dampier, on the Cape Verde islands. Ever since they have been hunted to provide feathers for milady's its. 1 The American Forestry Magazine is urging the planting of sycamores for shade trea. It shows that fcvy are of rapid growth and attain lar;?e size. It also calls attention to the beauty of the tree a thing which many people do pot really appreciate. In the interest of more beautiful cities, it is desirable that sycamores be encouraged, the magazine urges. The largest shade tree in this coun try is a sycamore in Worthington, Ind. It Is 46 feet in circumference and 150 feet in height. the most beautiful specimen of a tree -to be found, at least in the middle west. But it isn't the only "grand old sycamore" to be found; there are thousands and thou sands of them in this country. The sycamore requires plenty of moisture, but moisture is easily sup plied in a modern city. Besides, the tree has a habit of reaching out after moiirture, its roots extending for long distances and going deep into the earth. The death of William Waldorf Astor reminds a Philadelphia litterateur of the act that his first novel, "Valen tino," produced in ISse. made a sensa tion among publishers because the manuscript was entirely typewritten. A third of a century ago only a wealthy man could afford such a luxury. Threa years later, in 1889, the Rev. Joseph C. Harvey, of this city, took a typewriter with him to the University of Kdinburgh, and when be wrote his theses upon it student and members of the faculty flocked to his room to see how it was done. In these days, when we take all manner of labor-saving appliances for granted. It is somewhat startling to be reminded how recent is the origin of many of them. "I liked all the glimpses I had of American home life in the suburbs of New York and in other townships of the United States." writes Philip Gibbs in Harper'. "I liked the white wood work of the houses, and the bright sunlight that swept the sky above them, and the gardens that grow without hedges. I liked the good na ture of the people, the healthiness of their outlook on life, their hopefulness In the future, their self-reliance, and their sincerity of speech. I liked the children of America, and the college girls who strolled in groups along the lanes, and the crowds who assembled in the morning at the local sta tion to begin a new day's work or a new day's shopping In the big city at their journey's end. They had a keen and vital look, and nodded to one another in a neighborly way as they bought bulky papers from the book stall and chewing gum from the candy Btall' and had their shoes shtned with one eye on the ticket of fice. I like the greeting of the train conductor to all those people whose faces he knew as familiar friends, and to whom he passed the time o" day with-a jesting word or two. I liked the social life of the American middle classes, because it is based, for the most part, on honesty, a kindly feel ing toward mankind, and healthiness of mind and body. They are not out to make trouble in the world, and un less Bomebody asks for it very badly they are not inclined to interfere with other people's business. The thing I liked best in the United States is the belief of its citizens In the progress of mankind toward higher ideals of com mon sense; and after the madness of a world at war it is good to find such faith, however difficult to believe." Those Who Come and Go. "I'm the dad of Oregon's star foot ball hero," is the modest introduction that Edward W. BartleU of Kstacada gave when he reached Portland yes terday to greet his son, "Ken" Bart lett, tackle in the football Jugger naut of the University of Oregon, just back from the classic trouncing administered to the University of Washington at Seattle. "Dad" Bart lett never missed a football clash in the old days, when he rooted in trio wtth the slresof Bart Spellman and Johnny Beckett, also of the Oregon eleven. Spellman is now the Oregon coach, and Johnny Beckett is a lieu tenant of marines. Their respective fathers have sort of lost interest in the game. But Bartlett persists, and avows that he is looking for another proud parent to keep him company on the side lines. Brides have been left at the altar and swains have been jilted at the church door but the Hotel Oregon hangs up a prise for a more original disaster than that which befell a newly-wedded .couple who registered at that tavern on Saturday evening. Arriving early yesterday morning they continued their honeymoon jaunt, but they left behind them, for the delec tation of the chambermaid their marriage certificate. There it lay. on the bureau top, an engraved docu ment bearing an embossed and labeled "wedding wreath," and testi fying to the recent nuptials. Cierk R. L. Doyle is treasuring it for the rightful owners, and awaits com munication from them. The groom is an Amity young man and the bride is from McMlnnville, where they were wedded on Saturday afternoon. Just six or eight years ago "for rent" signs were the principal deco rations of Denver's residence and business sections, declares J. K, Moore of the Moore Lumber company of Denver, who arrived at the Muitno- man last night and is spending sev eral days in this city. "Today, Den ver is one of the most prosperous cities in the west." said Mr. Moore. I "The Great Western Sugar Refining company has headquarters at Den ver and operates SO beet sugar plant? In Colorado, Nebraska and Wyoming. Beet raisers are keeping the factories supplied to capacity. Each one of these plants turns out about 1.000,000 pounds of sugar in the season. It 1? almost Impossible to rent a house to day In Denver and the hotels are always filled." The times march forward. T'other day the Hotel Oregon received Its first room reservation ever for warded by radio. It came from the U. S. S. Coaxet. a Portland-built ship while that vessel was plowing the Pacific 2000 miles from the mainland, and was signed by K. F. Samuel, an Insurance salesman of this city. "Re serve room Saturday night" was the urgent message that floated over the wild waves via wireless to North Head station. Mr. Samuels arrived yesterday morning a trifle late. For the past two months he has been vacationing in China. Confronted with the suspicion, the insurance man earnestly denied that he had at tempted to sell life insurance to those super. fatalists, the orientals. W. J. McCormack of Buxton, part. ner in the Bennett-McCormack Con struction company, registered t the uregon yesterday His firm is work ing on a sub-contract for -the con struction of 40 miles of logging rail road frm Wilksbarre. Or, via Banks and Buxton to Vernonia, where the line is to tap the Washington county timber holdings of the Lceles inter ests The lodging road has commer cial pretensions of permanency, judg ing from ltx title It in known a the Portland. Astoria Pacific railroad. Sub-contractors ar operating at every point of construction, and the road Is r.peedily to be in readiness for operation "Southern Oregon is enjoying a seiT- s;on of exceptional prosperity," - said Arthur L. Bramwell, formerly of the c'erlcal staff of the Hotel Portland, who returned yesterday from a trip as representative or Armour & Co. "The fruit crop has been wonderfu', the biggest they've ever had. and ths pi ires correspond for once. Southern Oi f non is perking up and reapin genuine harvest after a number of lean years." Mr. Bramwell Is the son of F S. Bramwell, widely known financier of Grants Pass. His terri tory embraces the district from Rose- burg, Or., to Punsmuir, Cl "For 25 years I've kept my shop ern at Newberg." quoth f. McDon ald. il la are smith of the Yamhill county trading center, aa he rejri.s teied at the Imperial yesterday. "T haven t paid much attention to auto rt pairing, like lots of other black smiths. There's been all that I could no, and more, in the regular line- he rseahoeing. tire-setting and the like. I worked three men besidt-s myself all the last season. Yes. sir, I'm a blacksmith, and not an auto mobile tinker. Twenty-five years in the me location, end I can hammer away like blazes yet. Oil importers receive from the far ports of the Pacific large consign ments of their stock in trade, and it is a rapidly increasing volume In the import trade. William Orville Thom son of Seattle, who represents the firm of Rosers, Brown & Co.. has been scouting around Portland for several days, conferring with Portland con cerns tnat are interested in copra and other elements of trade that come out of the south seas and Asiatic coun tries. Captain Harold Rook, commanding submarine H-4. and his brother. Cap tain Rook of the sixth division, Per shing's picked crew, came to Portland to visit their mother, Mrs. Ruth Rook, who is at the Hotel Washington. The sons were here for one evening. Both the young -men were formerly rest dents of Walla Walla, Wash., and one Is a graduate of the naval academy at Annapolis and the other of West Point. P. R. Gregorle of Oregon Is a guest at the Multnomah. Mr. Gregorle reg isters from Oregon presumably be cause he has large timber holdings throughout the state. But really he lives In tjie east, and is interested in the ownership of several large hotels the Ponce de Leon, St. Augustine, Fla.; the Bellevue-Stratford, Philadel phia, as well as others. Adjutant-General Stafrin. whose headquarters are at Salem, but whose home is at Dallas, registered at the Imperial yesterday. General Stafrin recently returned from an eastern trip, during which he attended a na tional assembly of adjutant-generals from the sister states of the union With a carload' of cattle apiece for tri f nrtm.n ,e,rist.r.H a t thl Imperial yesterday: S. S. Black of Ashwood, J. T. West and B. L. For rr.an of Wapinitia. Mr. and Mrs. John Tobin of Helena, Mont., are among recent arrivals at the Portland hotel. The Tobins have a large and prosperous ranching property in the vicinity of Gilman, Mont. L. Nichols of Prineville, vice-president of the Fairvlew Stock farm, ar rived at the Imperial yesterday, a registrant and an enthusiast for" the Impending livestock show In Port land. N. L. Boyd of the Polk County Itemizer is . registered at the Hotel Washington. Oltttt.O.V'S BIRTH RATE IS I.OW 1 JSo Danger of Overpopulation From Natural Causes, Says Writer. PORTLAND, Oct. 31 (To the Kdi tor.) Reading of birth rates in Lurope. discussed by air R. Hansard in your news columns, led me to in quire as to the birth rate and death rate in Oregon. From the state board of health I learn that the birth rate here is very low. consider ably lower for the last ten years than any year in France before the war, where the lowest level reached was 19 births a year per 1000 popu lation. Our death rate is low also, but the death rate in this state is somewhat deceptive. The figure does not accurately reflect local vital con ditions, because so many people in the past 15 years have come from other states who were past the dangerous period of infancy and far from olu age. Consequently we do not Know what the death rate of the state really Is, considering Oregon as a self-perpetuating population unit. For 1918 the birth rate in Oregon was 15.48 per thousand, the death rate 9.83: for 1917 the birth rate was 15.46, death rate 8.63 somewhat less than for 191S, owing to the epidemic last year. Take 1917 as a typical year, showing a net natural increase in the state's population of 6. S3 per thou sand, and we must conclude that our birth rate is extremely low. I have seen none quoted as lower anywhere else on earth. Oregon deserves a medal as the banner low birth rate state. Neither Is the net increase rate high, despite our remarkably low death rate. Contrast the 6.bi increase per thousand a year with the figures for Russia or .Bulgaria Deiore me , Tne latter, for instance, had a birth rate of 40 per thousand a year, nun a net increase of 18 per thousand a year over deaths. Russia had an even higher birth rate and somewhat higher net gain annually. Here are net gains for some other European states: Berbia, 163; Holland, 1...5; Prussia. 15.3; Denmark, 14.2; Eng land. 12.2. .. , It has been calculated that u me population of the United states as o. .i,nin had increased by natural in crement at a rate no more riiu mi that of Oregon, we snouia hol have one-tenth our national popula tion. The first United States t'isus in 1790 showed a population of J.9-9.-14 At the Oregon rate of natural increase of 6.S3 per thousand a year, ...,.- at tiie last census of 19ic, 120 years after 1790, would have had only 9.0S6.960, instead of actually over 90.000.000. Here is an opportunity ior . "''' in the sociology deparunenL u w.. University of Oregon or Keen coueee. Let some aspirant tor m neis.ee Ph. D. make a detailed stuaj lation figures and of birth rates and death rates in Oregon covering a period of years, together with an ex amination into biologic, -l'!"au:-c: nomic and social causes and effects or these rates. Some nigniy ......- correlations might ue If competently and conscientiously vde such a study wouia u prove inte-resfing -eding. YAMvS WITH AM.IK8 ARK SOI GU I' SnvT League Wonts Xnmes of Amer- irana Who Kought in Other Armies. PHILADELPHIA. Pa.. Oct. 27. (To the Kdltor.l -I'liat jusmo done, that the dead may not e for gotten, the Navy league oi ed States is striving to collect the names and service records of the Americans who left their country in the early days of the war to fight for the great cause in me ani..v navies of the allies. I here is no oi ficlal list of these men. In the Kng lish army it is estimated there were KiA.000 Americans. i,uui in me .aim dn. -00 in the French foreign le. g'nwi. several nunorea in mt service, besides hundreds of doctors and ambulance drivers. Shall we al low them to be lost ana rorgoimn their names omitted from the war histories and war memorials of their native states? Many or mem en dured the tortures of the trenches fur four years and nobly kept up the American tradition. We wish to include also tne large number of eager men who. rejected by the United Stales on meiiu-ai grounds or because they were too young or too old, were able, owing to less stringent regulations abroad. to fight in the ranks of the allies. We ask the help of your readers in securing information. L. S. M. ROBINSON, Secretary of Department No. 6. 1519 Walnut street, Philadelphia. Pa. ROADS. There are roads to the cities of men to be finding, And one may go up and another go down. And one may be straight and another be winding Lord, which is the right road that leads to the town? One road or another the living are trying. One road through the shining and one through the gloom. And any road ends where a dead man is lying Lord, which is the right road that leads to the tomb." O, hither and thither are many roads wending: On one or the other my journey must be. One way or the other beginning and end ing Lord, which is the right road that leads unto Thee? SK1M5HANT CLAl'DE WEI MLR. Vancouver Barracks. Judlirlrtfan Over Islets. r5flTLAND. Nov. 1. (To tho Edi tor.) Can you inform me as to the jurisdiction of the state, or United States in regards to islands and rocks from three to five miles off the shore along the Oregon coast? For instance, if the jufisdiction of the state reaches only three miles to sea could they convict a man for making illicit whiskey on inlands or rocks more than three miles off shore, and what courts would he be tried in? J NO. DOE. "A state possesses the Islets fring ing its coast. A hold on them is es sential to its peace and safety" The Principles of International Law. Lawrence. The question was raised in 1805, according to the authority quoted, and involved capture of an American ship by a British privateer within three miles of a chain of islets which were more than three miies from the main land. The British prize court held that th capture was made within American waters. The rule that has resulted from this decision has re ceived general recognition according to this work on international law. Illicit manufacture of whiskey la a crime under both state and federal laws. Poaltlon on Census Taker. NEWPORT, Or.. Oct. 31. (To the Editor.) Kindly tell me if it is too late to apply for a position as census taker and if not. to whom should I apply? AGNES E. ASHLEY. In your district it is not yet too late to apply for the work, although all places in this city are filled. Write to 11. R. Crawford of Salem, giving precinct number and asking for an application blank. With a Kick in It. By L. Li. D. TAKlMi IT BV AO LAHGi;. I am fond of toads They're so self-satisfied; On rainy days they simply sit out side With blinking eyes and wart; drippins hide. And seem to voice this motto "Let 'er ride!" I am so fond of toads Loads, loads of times I've made comparison of them wit folks. I think the toad is libeled Missus X may be a toad. As her dear friends assert. But not the friendly mother toad R know. The bane of bugs, the urbane, gentl one That rears her family and accounts it fun. Well, let it go At that I'm fond of toads. MONTY. Valor and DlHvretion. "If the bolsheviki start anythii around here I'm going to pack n gun." rt- - it anyming like tnat hap pens lm going to pack my grip:" In Keuly to W. H. P. Peerless you are. and how n thoughts will stray. Ere ruefully I call them ba. again; Recalling those dead days so fa away. Kindling anew love's old cold fir of pain; In some secluded haunt perhaps yo awen, Nobly aspiring though your hea were fain Simply to claim your Luce, and dear dwell. Oh, Bill, farewell Until we meet again In Salem. TOUR BUGHOUSE BELLADOXX A Teem by Himself. The stellar naifoacK sat on th sidelines teeming with rage." The Fallen Leaf. A courtesan leaf whirled down ' To the sward at the verge of tow Her dress was all crimson and ga The crickets shrilled "Decollete She waltzed with the wind "She has sinned! She has sinned! Squeaked the dormouse just ov tne way. Poor leaf! So gaudy and golden for grief. i.et them say what they will. When November was chill. You gladdened a drearv day! KRIAR TUCK, 1 Felt Thnt my at Times. hxiracl from a souvenir letter wri ten November 11, 1918: "I am writing in the recreation h with a piano playing- in my un form." Or Shall We Do It Twlrrf We'd like to have you answer thi When do we celebrate The signing of the armistice? Will it be on the date Set by the allies' mandate Or by the United Press? m We Appreciate the Warning. "We deal with cattle, sheep ar goats. Livestock Co." Moim Iteflertion. The rain is dripping off the stoop: The leaves drip rain from even tree, Kach tree surrounded by a sea. How woefully our spirits droop! More Truth Than Poetry- By James J. Monlasjne. Hll) AD TIIK JIDOK. Maud Muller, on a summer's day, Uaked the meadows, sweet with ha For which the farmer paid to Maud Three-filty-five a week, and board. The Judge rode up. he saldi snid h w lit come, rair maid, and cook f tn e ? "Why manicure this rocky field in n nu a. oasung spoon nug wield ? "Why fiddle wiih a rusty rake Whin you might fry and boil a r bake, "And make enough inside a cat To buy a diamond lavalliere" innoen. said Maud, "can I secure The services of your chaffoor? i.an I my young men friends invite lo dinner every other night? "And when I give a swell swaree Will Mrs. Judge receive with m' "if not, old sport, be on your way. ill stick round here and comb t hay. The Judge fell dead, but err. lie f He muttered softly, "Ain't it h 11!" Juat m SiiRirestlon. New Tork candidates h;ve made hit by serving tea before their orato to the women voters. .Now If th will dispense with the oratory th can also please the men voters. Spotted. The man who threw five egjs a oerinan opera singer and mist every shot must have been Clau Williams the White Sox pitcher. stop It. If prison labor breeds graft should cease. The first thing know the penitentiaries will be fill with a lot of crooks. (Cnpvrlffht. 1!1B. by the Bell Syndical . In In Other Days. Vwetity-f ie Yean A Kit. From The OreRonlan of November ::. 1 St. Petersburg. Oscar Alexand III died Wednesday afternoon and 1 successor. Nicholas II, has publish his manifesto and is ready to take t oath. Corvallis. Five hundred perso saw the Oregon Agricultural, colle eleven today defeat the eniversity Oregon team 16 to 0. Construction of the pipe line fro Bull Run to reservoir No. 1 at Mou Tabor is completed. Fifty Tears Ago. From The OrcKonian November , 1R A negro named Harrison Faulk h discovered a vein of coal 25 mi from Roseburg on the North Urapq river. The Oriflamme. on her last trip San Francisco from Portland, carri away J50.000. Palem. The Capitol hotel was dl stroyed by fire early yesterday mori ing. with a loss of about $10,000 c building and 11500 on furnishings. Portland and London Time. INDEPENDENCE, Or., Nov. 1. ; the Editor.) Please publish the di ference in the hours between tt country and England. SUBSCRIBER The difference in time betwe. r-omana ana lonaan is seven ai one-half hours.