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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (May 1, 1920)
TUE 3KJUMSU OllliGOMAN, SATUHUAY, MAY 1, 1920 tSTABI ISHlD B HENRY L. PrTTOCK. Published by The Orenonlsn Publishing Co., JJo faixth street. Portland. Oregon. C A. MORDEN. E. B. PIPER. Manager. Editor. Tho OroConlan Is a member ot the Auo ;ated Pre. The Afuioclated Pre Is exclusively entitled to the use for publica tion or all news dispatches credited to it T no.t. otl?crwise rredited In this paper and 1st. t Me local news published herein. All rid s ot republication ( special dispatches lier-.n are alao reserved. nbcription Ry. Invariable In Advance. (Bl Mall.) r .... .. ths . nonths . -3 .75 8.00 8.2S .80 1.00 5.00 9.00 .75 7.80 1.95 T - ill . '-' u i , une mnniu i)?i C" Zl.il u Sunday, one year r-tiZ' Z !out Sunday, six monthB Wti'.,T",hout s"nday. one month ecu ly. one year .... Sunday, one year 111111111111111 , (Bii Carrier.) ral y. Sunday Included, one year t ' undy Included, three months. . fcundy Included, one month fi y ""J' Sunday, one year w',hout Sunday, three months .. Dally, without Sunday, one month .65 Hemit Ecnd postoftlce money E VU;P,M" OP P"onal check on your local Dank. Stamps, coin or currency are ow,ne.". r,"k- 3'v postoffice address in lull. Including county and state. io1?""? Rates 1 to 18 pages. I cent; 18 to a;J paces. 8 cents; 34 to 48 pages. 8 cents: BO to 64 pages. 4 cents: 6H to 80 pages. 6 cents: :i to 6 pages, 8 cents, foreign postage, double rates. Eastern Business Office Verree Conk. m. Brunswick building. New York: Verree Conklin. fcteger building. Chicago; Ver ree & Conklin. Free Press building. De troit. Mich. San Francisco representative. R. J. BldwelL WHAT A PIXXAUTT DOES. Five candidates are on the repub lican prinj-vry ballot for president In Oregon. 1, the name of Mr. Taft had been in.Oded, as proposed by certain of b.isHw-found and over enthusiastic aders. the number would have been Increased by one, making six in all. Now The Ore gonian has a letter written by Mr. Taft, In which he emphasizes the fact that his candidacy here could only have the effect of increasing- the chances of endorsement of a candi date whom he earnestly opposes Mr. Johnson. That the situation is clearly apprehended by Mr.Taft is shown by a paragraph in his letter: Tiie Issue between radicalism represented by Mr. Johnson and regular and progres sive republicanism represented by the other candidates In Oregon, is a very Important one. and the use of my nsme. whether in pood faith or not, in such contest could not but strengthen the radical side of that controversy bv dividing the vote for regu lar and progressive republicanism. Readers of The Oregonian may re call that on April 8 it voiced its ob jection to the forced Taft candidacy in Oregon by saying that it would be of "distinct aid to .Mr. Johnson," whether so intended or not. So it would have been. No one can read intelligently the primary election returns from Michi gan or Nebraska without learning anew the full lesson of their signifi cance, which is that several candi dates cannot beat one candidate in a primary. Complete returns from Michigan show that Johnson re ceived 156,933 votes. Wood 112,566, T.owden 62,418, Hoover 52,503, Pershing 17,971, Simpson 3857. and Poindexter (the favorite son of our sister state) a grand total of 2662. The combined opposition to Johnson, representing almost in its entirety the conservative thought and pur pose of the republican party, dis closes a majority of 95,038 against him., Tet on the face of these re turns he appears to have had a great triumph,. It was much the same in Nebraska, where the conservative forces di vided between Wood and Pershing. Johnson ran away from the field, yet actually he failed by about 10,000 to carry a majority. Have the experiences of Nebraska and Michigan no meaning for Ore gon? A V. LIES CAUSE OF FRICTION. Once more , it is announced that the allies have, settled all their dif ferences, that all is harmony and that with a united front they will compel Germany to fulfil the treaty. Such, announcements would gain more credence if they had not been made before, soon to be followed by new friction and new conferences which brought the allies together again. The allies periodically disagree because all have not the same in terest in doing any one of the things on which agreement is necessary. France feels that its safety demands demobilization and disarmament of Germany to the point fixed by the treaty, and that restoration demands prompt payment of reparation in demnity and full delivery of the stipulated amount of coal. There fore France occupies more German territory in order to enforce com pliance with the allies' terms. Having put the German fleet out of existence, Britain feels free from danger. From the taxpayers comes a demand for retrenchment, . from the working men a demand for re duced armament, for a limit to for eign activity and for concentration on radical internal reconstruction. The British business wants to revive foreign trade, especially to work the once rich fields of Germany and . Russia. Britain, having no devas tated area like that of France, feels no such pressing need of reparation payments as does its neighbor. Hence opposition to more military occupation with proposals to give Germany time to get on its feet. Italy has no cause to fear German aggression and wants to cut expenses ' with an ax, therefore refuses to take . part in more military occupations and steadily reduces its army. Its money claim to reparation from Ger many is comparatively small, but it needs coal and steel above all things. and Germany Is its nearest and cheapest source of supply. The treaty awards Italy considerable coal sup- 'plies, but internal disorders prevent Germany from delivering them. Italy also needs raw material and food from abroad, but the adverse rate ot exchange combines with high ocean 'freight to make the cost almost pro hibitive. Bolshevism is rampant among the peasantry and spreads readily among a people that is on half rations. Italy wants eco nomic measures taken in order that Germany may .revive industry 4nd mine coal and that Italy may bny food and raw material. These, together with coal, would set Italian industry in operation to pro : trace goods for export in exchange for the commodities named and to lower exchange, and would quiet the people. For these reasons Italy is practically of one mind with Britain. But both of these countries see that, if they do not maintain a united front with France, Germany may Attv them to enforce the treaty, and that then they wouhi either have to throw awav all t rruus or victory or undertake wliitari . operations. more extensive than any that Franco now- proposes. This diversity of interest among the allies is Germany's opportunity. It has only to inspire its secret agents to dwell especially on' British and Italian advantage to be derived from leniency to Germany and on Krench vengefulness, or to hint to Franco that it has tjeen left to its own re sources by its allies, in order to pro duce friction. If the United States were a party to the treaty and con sequently an active party to the al lied conferences, it would be the means of preserving harmony among them, ot bringing them into agree ment on a policy and holding them to it and of removing friction as soon as it arose. Unlike them, it has no special interest to serve, but has only a general interest in common with . them in rendering Germany powerless for further harm by root ing out the remnants of militarism. For that reason it is qualified to mediate between them. If the United States had played this part, Germany probably would not have attempted to evade its obligations or would have been promptly disciplined. We lose by not having a hand in enforce ing the treaty, for we feel the ill ef fects of the disturbed condition which results from its violation. HOW THE SCHEME WORKS. A good example of the extent to which estimates are padded by de partment officials in the effort to' get as large appropriations as possible out of congress was given by Sena tor Smoot He said he was afraid the appropriation committee had not cut a certain item enough because the chief clerk of a certain division asked him what the subcommittee had done with it. He then related this dialogue: I said, "I think the sub-commrrtee is going to cut the amount." He said. "Do not cut It more than 25 per cent." "Why r" "Our estimate, of course, is always made more than we anticipate getting, but we cannot get along with a cut exceeding li5 per cent.' So the officials follow the method of the storekeeper who privately marks prices up, then publicly marks them down again. The cat now be ing out of the bag and congress knowing that estimates are padded 25 per cent in expectation of a re duction, we may expect the padding to be increased to 50 per cent in order still to get ahead of congress. It is to stop this game that a budget system with an independent audit of expenditures under sole re sponsibility to congress is necessary. wirr? Chairman BucHtel, of the public utilities commission, has aroused -the wrath of certain citizens of Astoria because the commission- has inter ceded in the Astoria rate case. It is contended there that the commission should have kept hands off, if it could not support the Astoria view. What is the Astoria view? It was once that it was entitled to terminal rail rates on a parity with the cities of Puget sound. The historic contention of Port land is that it is entitled to rail rates below the Puget sound rates, because of the cheaper hanl and the shorter distance over the Columbia water grade. Now the contention of Astoria is that it is entitled not only to rates on a parity with Sound terminals, but that Portland, one hundred miles nearer the Columbia basin, is not en titled to lower rates than Astoria that they must be kept on a level with the Astoria rates. Why should not the Oregon pub lic utilities commission seek to serve the shippers of the state by procur ing for them lower rates than to Puget sound? Why should the public utilities commission seek to serve the cities of Puget sound by aiding them, by inaction or otherwise, to prevent lower rates to the principal terminal and port of Oregon? The case for Portland is the case for Oregon. 1JKK ON OTHER PLANETS. n is impossinie to reason from any known hypothesis upon the possibil ity that life exists on planets other than, our own. Because of this the subject is highly attractive to those who like to Indulge in pure specula tlon, unhampered by restrictions of any sort. Scientists realize that re search almost always in the end reaches at least a temporary im passe, from which there. is no escape except by a daring assumption. Such an attempt to escape from a scien tific cul de sac was that of Professor Lowell, whose conclusion that the canals of Mars are indubitable evi dence of existence of a people of high intelligence is as good as any other conclusion until it has l!.een disproved. Mere assertion that "' the markings that scar the surface of Mars are not canals will not be suf ficient to discredit the Lowellian the ory in the light of our present lack of knowledge of other worlds. As the correspondent whose letter is printed in another column sug gests, it does not follow that if Mars is inhabited its people resemble even in the remotest respect the denizens of earth, let the ancients who ere ated gods in their own image did so because it was virtually impossible for them to conceive of a being wholly- different from man, and we have not greatly developed our imaginations in this respect since their time. We still think of canal building in terms of manual labor, requiring hands and ieet, ana or tnougnt as a process originating in an organ called the brain. We have not succeeded in getting much beyond this in all the ages in which we have pondered the subject. We see and hear and feel and experience sensations of joy and apprehension, of greed and of satis fied, ambition, and when we .create new beings in our minds we invari ably endow them with these attri butes. Our ouija board enthusiasts ana our trance, mediums conjure from the realms of the unknown no beings that are not essentiaf replicas ot man. - Only occasionally a speculative philosopher gets out of the rut. C. Fitzhugh Talman, who writes on the subject In the Scientific American, has been unable wholly to discard our theory of evolution, but he is original in other ways. He notes that "on our own planet the development of life apparently entered, at an early stage, on two diverse roads." He finds no reason for supposing, how ever, that the course of events has been the same in every, other world. It may be that on Mars only plant life exists. And assuming, as scien tists, do, that Mars may have sup ported life longer than the earth, these plant forms might reasonably uo vn;meu iu uavt lvatxiea a ttage4 of higher development than the plants with which we are familiar. "Plants would therefore exist 'com pared with which our highest forms, such as daisies and asters, are simple and rudimentary." It is neverthe less inconceivable that any plant, however high in the scale, could hold communication with the human race. Mr. Talman will find many to agree with him when he adds that "if life has been produced at all on other planets than our own it has assumed forms of which we know nothing." It -may be, for example, that these are neither animal nor vegetal, but are life forms of which we are quite unable to conceive. Life is so plastic, so protean, that it chal lenges every law of probability; nothing Is excluded from the cata logue of things that might be true. White the quest for a means of com munication with our neighbor worlds continues to occupy our scientists, there is a kind of comfort for lay men in the thought that the guess of plain John Jones is for the present every bit as good as that of Professor Lowell, and that in the game of speculation the layman can have as much fun as the wisest scientist that lives. WHY SUGAR GOES tTP. Soaring price of sugar, Is in large degree due to withdrawal of govern ment control when President Wilson refused to exercise the powers con ferred on him by the McNary law to continue existence of the equaliza tion board. Uncontrollable economic causes have forced the price to an abnormal figure, but they are the more reason why the government, strictly as a war measure, should in tervene to prevent greed from grati fying itself in the present opportun ity. The Cuban crop was offered to the equalization board last summer at a price far below that now prevailing, and the board recommended its ac ceptance, but the president took no action, and the Cubans sold in the world market at a high price, Ameri can refiners securing only a fraction of the total. An open market with a short supply gives the growers an opportunity to charge all that the traffic will bear, and they doubtless make the most of it. Refiners say that their profit is but a fraction of a cent, and blame is placed suceesively on growers, wholesalers and retail ers, who in turn, with the possible exception of growers, pass the blame around again. Control assured the producer a fair price and limited the costs which were added for refining and distribution. How much it saved to the consumer is indicated by the rapid advance in price since it was removed. Attorney-General Palmer's prosecution of profiteers is ineffec tive, and the public is left to rely on economic law to increase the supply and thus to reduce the price. These causes have operated all around the world to raise the cost of sugar for Americans. Before the war practically all the Cuban and Porto Rican ccops came to the United States. War cut off the Rus sian beet sugar supply from western Europe, shut the product of the central empires in those countries, and destroyed many beet fields and refineries in France and Belgium. Britain's usual supply was thus cut off and it began to draw heavily on Cuba, thus leading the United States ..l. . n . . oiiuiu amen sugar ' was grown in Java, but submarines made ships so scarce that none could be spared for the long voyage to Kurope. The one opening for this country to make good the deficiency . was to grow more beets, but beet-growing requires much cheap labor and the war sent probably a million men to Europe to fight before the United States inter vened, practically stopped immigra tion and sent wages up beyond reach of beet-growers, so far as much in crease in production was concerned. Whichever way we turned for sugar, we encoumerea me war at some angle. The one consolation about the present high price la that it cannot last long. It will lead people in all countries to grow sugar cane and beets until the supply will be ade quate for all, ocean freight will fall and the price will go down, but years will probably pass before we shall again be able to buy sugar at the good old price of 18 or 20 pounds for a dollar. MISSOURI CASTS OUT RKKI1. Missouri democracy in state con vention left no doubt how it stood in the fight between President Wilson and. Senator Reed.' It straddled the issue ir regard to the league of na tions; it was silent about prohibition, although beer has done much to make St. Louis famous: but it did not hesitate to strike down the man whose democratic mind ran in op position to that of the president. That convention at Joplin was one of the old-time, uproarious demo cratic, kind. It remained in session all night, eager for the battle. It had so many fist fights among dele gates that they attracted attention only from those who were near the combatants. Though It was the first convention in which women had sat as delegates, it was such a rou.h house that the entire police force of Joplin was unable to keep order, benator Reed was marked for punishment because he was the one democrat who joined the death bat- tairon senators and fought the league as aggressively as did either Sena tor tsoran or Senator Johnson. This was the crowning offense of many, in ine eye or tnose who follow Wil son without swerving. He had free ly criticised the federal reserve bill he had heaped scorn on the Clayton anti-trust law, he had condoned the sinking of the Lusitania, he had op posed conscription, he had bitterly fought the food control bill and he naa opposed other war measures o tne administration. His name was anathema at the White House, and tne wuson men were determined that he should have no part in naming the candidate to succeed vuon. ine demand that he be cast out came from the country and the small towns, where the faithful take their democracy straight, just as it is served out to them by the Dig cruel at Washington. Kaneau City to a man and St. Louis almost to a man stood by him the forme city because it is his home, Reed's. friends did not waste am munition in the vain effort to have him elected delegate-at-large. They eiectea nim delegate from Jackson county, which includes Kansas City and comprises the fifth congressional district, touch elections require ap, provai Dy tne state convention, but respect tor nome rule has usually made that a mere form. By naming xveeu aa a tuijirict delegate they ea listed in his support all to whom that principle appealed and held in line some delegates from the two big cities who resented his opposition to the league. But the mass of dele gates was so- determined to repudi ate Reed as a representative of de mocracy that it swert aside custom, local rights to. representation and the Imminent danger of a bolt and loss of the state, and rejected Reed by a vote of 1070 to 490. Joe Shannon and Tom Pendergast. the two bosses of Kansas City, tried to gain time and wear out the weary convention by fighting to have alter nates to the delegates at large elect ed, but were defeated and when the chairman refused a record vote the convention became a riot. Jackson county was called on to name its delegates, and it named Reed among the number. A substitute motion that Reed's name vbe rejected and that Jackson county name another person let loose a storm that lasted an hour. The defiant reply was made that Jackson county stood firm for Reed or none. . Colonel E. M. Harber of Kansas City, pro testing his fidelity to the league and the democratic ticket, pleaded for the right to home rule. Frank M. Curies of St. Louis replied with the tale of Reed's offenses, which ante dated the league, and said that the senator "equivocated and condoned until he led the country to wonder whether Missouri was not more pro German than pro-American." He won an ovation when in reply to a question where he was in the war he said: 1 was in the first officers' training camp, went Into the army and came out a lieutenant-colonel. He said that when the league cov enant was written, "Reed met it with malignant hate for the president. hate for the world and hate for all human world -hate hate." Another plea for home rule by loyd E. Jacobs, a volunteer ex- soldier, was accompanied by a plain threat of a bolt, causing loss of the tate and the presidency. J. G.. L. Harvey, Reed's law partner, strove In vain for a hearing, his voice be ing drowned in a storm of hoots and hisses. One of the most effective anti-Reed speeches was made by Mrs. W. W. Martin of Cape Girar deau, who said: One of the most desperate proMema has been to explain .Senator Reed to the women voters. To say that wo love "Wil son and send his greatest political enemy the ' con vention is not loic to women. We know but one way to be represented, not to send a man tied hand and foot, but to pick one who thinks as we do. The intensity of Kansas City's bit terness at the repudiation of Reed is shown by the comment of the Star, which said that to deny the people of the fifth district the right to se lect their own representatives "is to deny democracy" and that the state convention "showed itself fundamen tally autocratic and distrustful of democracy." Reed was quoted as saying that the action of the convention means that "Missouri will go republican next fait by 75.000 to 100,000." He said he would not contest the de cision, but "I'm going to Missouri in ten days and." He left ..the sen tence unfinished, but the dispatch adds: "His manner indicated that things will begin to happen after ha reaches his home state." This triumph for Wilson over the most persistent rebel in his party was not unqualified. The convention indorsed the league covenant and accepted the assurances of the presi dent that It needs no change, "yet," the platform said, "we are willing to accept the ratification of the treaty with such reservations as do not im pair or vitiate In the least degree the primary object of the covenant." To sum up the whole matter, Mis souri democracy is against Reed and is for Wilson and the league, but is willing- to accept reservations, though Wilson has said that any res ervations, strict or mild, would nul lify the covenant. For this equivo cal declaration of faith it is pre pared to risk loss of a state which has already shown decided leanings toward republicanism in several sue cessive presidential elections. rue carmen and the company show an appreciation of community interest that is commendable In ex- tenaing tne present wage scale a year. There are no bolshevik! on the platforms. rne judge wno sentenced a man guilty of tampering with the mails to 25 seconds in jail .must have been under the misapprehension that he had only stolen a few automobiles. General Pilsudskl is leading the Poles in their offensive against the Russian reds. The only hope we can see for the reds is to engage General Pilsner to repel the attack. A school for moonshiners is re ported from Los Angeles as being quite the latest thing. Way behind the times. The federal courts began schooling em long ago. The record for butterfat has swung to "Plain Mary," a Jersey, to stay until some one brings forth a Holsteln to dispute her. The rivalry Is good for the world. The democratic brethren can be depended upon today to make good reading for republicans. Why these fellows continue to quarrel in a lost cause is a wonder. "The Communist Party of Amer ica," whatever that may be, would have a general strike in Boston to day, but Boston has not forgotten its policemen s strike. Somebody go out there' and sit be hind third and put the cross-eyed jinx on the visitors. The Beavers do not belong at third place In the table. Nicolai Lenin announces that here after the Bolsheviki will observe Sat urday as a day of rest- Looks like an appeal to the American labor vote. Chicago restaurants have reduced the price of hash from 15 to 10 cents per order by eliminating wastage Presume they put it into the hash. The weatherfolk might be clever today and give the Champoeg excur sionists something pleasant for change. The price of sleeping car berths has gone up 50 per cent. Even in somnia comes high nowadays. Mav day was strike dav in nilipr - . - earst but uo more. ISStE It la Belwrn Radicalism and Its Opposite In Oregon. The Oregonian has received from Mr. William Howard Taft copies of two letters written by him when he was informed of the effort being made to put, his name on tho republican primary ballot of Oregon as a presi dential candidate. One is to the sec retary of state and the other is to the sponsor of the petitions. It ts due to the organizers of the Taft movement to say that they abandoned their plan when Mr. Taft notified them of his opposition. It is proper also to say that Mr. Taft has been misinformed aa to the result of the Hughes appeal to keep his name off the ballot In 1916. The question was taken to the supreme court of the state, which in effect held that citi zens of Oregon had a right to came any fine as their presidential candi date with or without his consent. The letters follow: BEAUMONT, Tex., April 24. My Dear Sir: Having observed from the Associated Press dispatches that peti tions were being prepared and filed in Oregon seeking to place my name on the list of presidential candidates to be voted for in the presidential primary in your state, I telegraphed you on the 11th of this month re questing that you withdraw my name, and give publicity to the fact of with drawal. I have been advised that you have intimated that it Is not possible for me to control the question of the use of my name under your law. I venture to urge that this cannot be. I remember that Justice Hughes had a similar controversy and my recol lection is that In the end his request that his name be withdrawn was ac qulesce-d in. I hope you will do me the favor of acknowledging my tele gram and also this letter, and that in accordance with my urgent request you will withdraw my name from the official list of the candidates to be voted for in the primary. Tou should address me at New Haven, Conn. Sin cerely yours, WILLIAM H. TAFT. The Honorable, the secretary of state, Salem, Or. BEAUMONT, Tex., April 24. My Dear Sir: I have yours -of April 6, which was sent to New Haven and then forwarded to me, reachin- mo day before yesterday. I haven't had an opportunity to answer it, there fore, until now. The effort to secure signatures for petitions seeking to put my name on the list of presl dential candidates in the primary in Oregon is wholly without my author ity, and is directly against my wish As soon as I learned by an Asso ciated Press dispatch that such peti tions were being prepared and filed. I telegraphed the secretary of state of Oregon that I wished my name with drawn. The issue, between radicalism, rep resented by Mr. Johnson, and regular and progressive republicanism, rep resented by the other candidates in Oregon, is a very important one, and the use of my name, whether in gqod faith or not. In such contest could not but strengthen the radical side of that controversy by diriding the vote for regular and progressive republi canism,. I therefore insist that you shall cease your efforts to secure petitions of the kind which you say in your letter are being prepared and filed. Such preparation and filing are without my authority and against my protest. Sincerely yours. WILLIAM H. TAFT. Charles W. Ackerson, Portland, Or. RATIONALISM III2LD TO BLAMK Decline In Church Membership At tributed to Oodlcsa Doctrine. PORTLAND. April 30. (To th Ed Uor.) In your dispatches there was recently an item concerning tne loss of church membership by 11 of the leading denominations of Protestants that as a whole Is disheartening to the average citizen, who believes that the world ought to grow better as years .go by. The total loss aa given in the dispatch for theae denomina tions is 1S7,604. However, there was a. gain for Protestantism as a whole of 155,000 members. The cause of this tremendous tail ing off is variously given as world war conditions, unusual unrest of the peoples of the world, labor conditions, etc., and to all these causes may be attributed perhaps 10 per cent of the decline, but not more. The other 90 per cent is a mere matter of his tory repeating itself. There must be a fatal blunder somewhere, for never in the history- of Christendom was there so much machinery as now for carrying on the work of Pro testant Christionity. This inter- church movement, the proposed unit ing of all Methodist denominations. are in the same direction, dui witn the help of all these the net results are a falling off that to many is a punzle. Not claiming to be an expert in such matters, nevertheless this writer does claim to have a perfectly nat ural and adequate explanation of this situation. For the last 50 years, and espe dally the last two decades, these losing denominations- have in a great measure forsaken tfod, as revealed in the Bible, and have gone off after rationalism as first taught by the German universities, which alowly crossed the British channel and found lodgment in the colleges of Great Britain, finally crossing the Atlantic and gaining a foothold here. To one who has not studied this propaganda carefully there is a tremendous awak ening coming. It is now securely planted in more than 90 per cent of our theological schools and in a large per cent of our denominational col leges, until today one meets it lit erally on every corner. This philosophy denies the inspira tion of the Bible in any special sense denies the virgin birth of Christ, his resurrection, his atonement for sin, future retribution, if not a future al all. criticises the authority of the Bible until nothing la left and mini mizes to nothing the life' after death Permeated with these and many other deadly doctrines, these denomi nations are as powerless to arouse a sleeping world to its needs as would be a battleship on shore. The remedy is to rid our libraries of this godless rationalism, come back to God and the Bible, and then as soon as this is done and we be gin to follow God and honor th holy spirit, and believe the Bible, the tide will turn, and' instead of losing air these denominations will begin to gain; but following the course now pursued can end in nothing but dis aster. L. N. B. ANDERSON. Where to Get Blue Book. BEND, Or., April 29. (To the Ed Itor.) Where can I get an Oregon Blue book' J. KNOTT. Apply secretary of state, Salem, Or. Bit of Book Gossip. Baltimore American. "I want some good current litera ture." "Here are some books on elec tric lighting." MR. TAFT STATUS TUB Those Who Come and Go. At the head of navigation on the Suislaw Is Mapleton. and that is the place where Joseph Morris has made his headquarters since lSiV. ren Franklin said that If a man eticks to one Job for ten years he will be wealthy," explained Mr. Morris at the Imperial yesterday. "Had I remained dairyman ten days loncer 1 would have proved that Franklin is & pre varicator. When I was ten days short of completing ten years in that busi ness I became a merchant, and I ve been 13 years in this line." Mr. Mor ris says that the main industries In Mapleton are gathering chittem bark, dairying and the lumber business. He still has a carload of chittem bark to ship.- When he was In the dairy busi ness he received about 13 cents for butterfat. and the stuff was shipped by water a long ways and chances were taken on it being fresh when it arrived at its destination. Now the dairymen in his old stamping ground receive about 70 cents a pound and there Is a quick dispatch direct to Portland. Everyone is talking about the races t Condon. The annual meet starts May 25 and will run for five days. There will be between 100 and 125 running horses and already the sta bles are filled with prospective en tries. James Burns, former mayor of Condon, who is at the Multnomah, is president of the racing association and predicts a swell, elegant meet. He asserts that the races at Condon are the best in eastern Oregon. There Is no betting ring, but almost everyone anagea to make a wager. Speaking of crop conditions, Mr. Burns says that they are excellent and the wheat men are hoping to get in a bumper crop before the reaction, which' pes simists are forecasting, sets in. Yes terday Mr. Burns heard that there waa aomeone lp Portland with a car load of potatoes and he started on a still hunt for the treasure trove. "I can't for the life of me see how prices will come down," said a sales man at the Hotel Portland. "I have received a cablegram stating that the price of the European article I am selling as just Increased 30 per cent.' prices can come down, but said that whereas a year ago when a 315 pair or shoes were offered a customer he would ask the dealer if he had anything better, and now," said the shoe man, "when S15 shoes are offered, the customer Inquires If there are any for $10." That a change in conditions Is coming is the belief of many traveling men, who say that in Seattle they are not selling orders Merchants In Seattle admit that they need the goods, but that they can not or will not buy, as business has been on the decline. Mrs. Charles D. Stuart, daughter of Portland pioneers and widow of the late Captain Stuart of Yaquina Bay coast guard station, passed through Portland yesterday en route from Los Angeles to her home at Long Beach, Wash, while many persons are be moaning the way they were separated from their hard-earned cash in aouth ern California last winter, it is not so with Mrs. Stuart. Some friends took her to Tia Juana, Mexico, in their machine and prevailed on her to place a wager on the ponies. Imagine her surprise, when, on having placed small amount on a horse, she found herself leaving the track with a crisp 3100 bill collected from the coffers of the Jack Coffroth outfitl "Wool la now being assembled and on May 25 the Condon wool sale will be held, announced II. F. Shelling, cashier of the First National at Con don. "The wool movement will be un der way in about a month. We are drawing on the John Day highway country and when tbe highway is fin ished the wool from as far away as Dayville wtll be trucked to Condon for eale and shipment. A large amount of this wool will come to Portland, but not all of It." The Indications are that this will be a big year in the history of Condon in the way of busi ness. Jans Zimmerman, from Crescent. arrived at the Imperial yesterday, Crescent is off in central Oregon on what is generally designated as The Dalles-California highway, and is about midway between Lapine and Crater. There is a long controversy over the way -to spell Lapine. The people there insist that It should be La Pine, being a tribute to the beau tiful tree, while an unsentimental postal guide consolidates it into one wo rd. K. A. Poe not ICdgar Allan literature arrived at the Hotel Ore gon with Mrs. Poe from lone. Or. The contractor having the Job of grading the Oregon and Washington highway which passes through lone, from Hennner to the Gilliam county line, i making the dirt fly and by the end of the season most of the new grade will be completed. Parts of it are now more of a temptation that auto mobilists can resist. Today Thomas Finnigan, of th Hotel Portland staff, former lieu tenant for Uncle Sam, is to be mar ried. Hotel affairs were relegated to secondary place yesterday by Mr, Finnigan, who discovered that stag ing a marriage ceremony requires as much tact, diplomacy and attention to as many details as the job of man aging a hotel. G. Clifford Barlow, member of the executive committee of the state chamber of commerce, is registered at the Imperial from Warrenton with F. M. Wilson. Mr. Wilson has the distinction of being the mayor of the town which has a greater bond issue per capita than any other In corporated community In Oregon. Mr. and Mrs. Clarence L. jReames of Seattle were li Portland yesterday. Mr. Reames started as a good demo crat in-Medford. was elected to the legislature, was appointed United States attorney for Oregon and was then shifted to Seattle to direct the department of justice work during the latter par of the war. John L. Rand of Baker, one of the best-known citizens of eastern Ore gon, is registered at the Hotel Port land. Mr. Rand Is here on profes sional business, being a lawyer. He is also a candidate for delegate to the republican natloral convention, run ning at large, but is not doing any campaigning. On their way to debate with stu dents of the Oregon Agricultural col lege, J. M. Bailey and M. A. Robbins of Seattle are at the Hotel Portland. The visitors are students primed to show theforensic gymnastics as in culcated at the University of Wash ington Mr. and Mrs. James F. Corbett of Grande are among the eastern Oregon people at the Imperial. When at home Mr. Corbett Is In the railroad business and when away from home he is the most enthusiastic booster for La Grande that the town boasts. Misses Ruth Kerr, Dorothea Hop per, Grace Barnes, Lucy Miller and Richard Odlin, students from the Unl- vert-lty of V.-ishington. are at the Uxltnntnah. ThPV onmft in Tor-tlH to participate in the programme at I the Little theater. j James Donaldson, a sheepman ot the Arlington country, is In the city on business and is registered at the BEHEVKS MARS IS INHABITED Writer. Arrfptinj I.ovrell Theory, & ports la tea on Laniruage Mcdinm. PORTLAND. April 30. (To the Edi tor.) That the planet Mars is inhab ited by intelligent beings, and that Its inhabitants are adepts in civil en gineering, will. I think, be conceded by all who have carefully examined the results of Professor Lowell's in vestigations. But it does not follow that the bodies of the Martians are constructed just like ours, though a certain degree of resemblance Is probable. The possibility of communicating with these distant people is another matter. The languages spoken on earth have undergone changes from time to time and Cicero or Horace would have difficulty in making him self understood on the Roman Corso today. It is as nearly certain as any thing of the kind can be that the Martians do not speak any language now in use here. This being the case, communica- ion. If at all feasible, must take place by means of signs and symbols. For example, if we could transmit seven trokes, like the sounding of a bell. and receive eight; then transmit nine, and receive ten, the interchange of thoughts would be apparent. Or if we could manage to transmit a geo metrical figure, such as a triangle, that might be understood. The M;fr- ians already have mown ns such figures as great arcs of circles, not ndeed for our sakes. but because the Irrigation of their planet, being vital- y necessary, compelled them to make long canals. It may be added that the "canals" which commonly go by mat name and which have been re peatedly photographed are belts of verdure, fertilized by streams of wa ter invisible to us. and that throe belts of verdure are about as wide as tne Willamette vallev. i-.iie as we live It here could not be sustained on Mars, on account of the rarity of the Martian atmnsnhor Ana oi course the rarefication of th in me interplanetary upaccs luruias travel, even if other riimni ties were overcome. So the nlan of an and woman in Kana t n n nr. in n hues TOCKet la mrIv Ki,4.irlol "cy "an Dttter -wait and see" (as Mr. Asquith said) whether any. sort ' coiuraunicmon is practicable. RICHARD H. THORNTON. FEES ARE OST COXTISCEXT BASIS Lender In Whratrroirrrs' Assoc! a lion Have Not Yet Bern raid. PORTLAND. April 30. (To the Ed nor.; -tne tjregonian, April 30. car ries an article headed. "Farmers Warned of Wheat Concern," contain ing statements alleged to have been made by A. Y. Satterfield. general manager of the Farmers' Equity of Ida no and Ltah. Writing of the Washington and Idaho Wheatgrowers" associations, Mr, t-atterrleld says: These peonle ac knowlege to our president, M. J. Kerr, that they paid the attorney. Aaron apiro of San Francisco S10.000 to draw up the contract. They also paid $5000 to one J. F. Langner for pub licity and advertising work and 35000 to one A. A. Elmore for organization worn.-' These statements are untrue and have already been publicly refuted in The Oregonian by N. B. Atkinson and Walter J. Robinson, chairman and secretary respectively of the Wash ington Wheatgrowers' association. Neither Elmore. SaDiro nor I has received the fees stated by Mr.- Sat terlleld. nor any fees of any kind. We offered our services free to the organization committee of the asso ciations. This offer was refused. A contingent fee wa finally suggested by the organization committee as follows: H 15,000.000 bushels of wheat are signed up in the organization by July 1 Mr. Sapiro is to receive 310.000. Mr. Elmore 35000 and myself $5000. If less is signed up by that date the fee will be reduced proportionately. If the association is not organized at all there will be no funds available to pay any fees at all to anyone. A statement that any fees have been paid at all at this date or will be paid at any future date, excepj on a con tingent basis, is false and' misleading to the wheatgrowers ot Washington. Idaho and Oregon. J. F. LANGNEU. I'ropcrtles of the Lodes tone. Exchange. One of the most fantastic stories of the "Arabian Nights" is of a moun tain of "lodestone," which draws the nails out of any ship that may ap proach it (together with any other Ironmongery that may be on board), ca-using the doomed craft to fall to pieces. It Is to be presumed that t-hisi remarkable tale finds its germ in the accidental observation of the attrac tion of iron by pieces of magnetic Iron ore. Why is magnetic iron ore magnetic? Nobody known. Only now and then is iron ore found that pos sesses this strange property. It is eo exceptional that collectors of min erals are always hunting for frag ments of the material known in earlier days as "lodestone." uiiiiMiiMiiiMminiiiiiiintHiiiumiHiunuNiuiiiimiiiiiitimntiimnnnmiiinimtinitntiiiHiimmHiiiiiiiimtiiiimiiiiiHH How Oregon and America Are Caring for f I the Boys Who Weren't Lucky 1 I It's ever so easy to forget providing always that it isn't your leg that was shattered at Verdun, or your lungs that were gassed in the I Argonne. In the Sunday issue, with photographs, De Witt Harry has a story about some boys right here in Portland who are suf- fering yet from the exactions of overseas service. An illuminating 1 yarn is this one, to a city that needs to remember that some folks are never going to forget the war. Mr. Harry tells how Oregon and I the federal government are combining effort to make torn bodies 1 and shattered nerves strong and fit again. Who'8 Afraid of Snakes? It all dates back to the garden of 1 Edfn, some assert, and the wily old serpent that whispered to Mother Eve this fear of snakes that abides with so many of us. However that may be, it is certain that not all snakes are equal to their evil repute and that many of them are as harmless and friendly as frogs I and nobody ever heard of a frog biting anyone. Of course, there I is the dreaded family of the pit vipers, but on the other hand there is the lustrous, beneficial king snake. It's all a matter of knowing which serpent to trust. A story in the Sunday issue may alter your notions of the snake clan. Alfred Noyes Says Work Is Recreation. He has written a great I deal, and his word isn't to be questioned, this English poet, Alfred i Noyes whose verse is strong and wonderful. And he says that I literary creation is play of which he never tires. An interesting interview, at a different angle, in the magazine section of your Sunday paper. When Love Faces the Scorn of Society. Sometimes the ties of marriage become frayed and snap at the glance of stranger eyes or the touch of stranger hands. And then there is the deuce to pay, 1 with tragedy stalking down the stage, perhaps, and divorce courts 1 ready to spread the scandal. In the Sunday issue there is a story of tangled matrimonial affairs the principals all prominent in Wash- ington society of former days. 1 "Enfant Terrible" The Czar's Sister. Olga Alexandronova, sis- I ter to the ill-starred ruler of the Russias, an inordinately spoiled 1 daughter of royalty, has tasted romance to the depth of the -cup I and at the end of the chapter has wedded an untitled officer. The story is told in the Sunday magazine section, by no less an author- 1 ity than Princess Catherine Radziwill. I Yours for an Informative Hour. "When you unfold the big Sun- day issue you have before you a compilation complete and authentic I of the news of the world, your country, state, county and city. 1 It's all there, and cable and wire hurried most of it undersea and overland to your front door or the street corner where your "newsie" hands it to you damp from the presses. I i All the News of THE SUNDAY ' awuuiWIUMIUIIHHIMmHniUUUMUUM More Truth Than Poetry. By James J. Montagae. A BARD tl'CK STORY. We knew that TJncle Jake would leave His all to us. when he departed. And though his drinking .made us grieve We struggled not to be down hearted. For booze will hurry one along. To. where all mortal ties must sever. And Uncle Jake took his so strong. We felt he couldn't last forever. Alas, for futile human hope! Alas for ever-keen ambition! We fancied that we had the dope. But who could count on prohibi tion? Did Uncle Jake give o'er the can? Become a Dry, hard-boiled and zealous? And grow to be a healthy man? Ah, no! A far worse fate befel ui He drinks as often as of yore. A quart is still his daily diet; WTe sometimes fancy he takes more Than in the days when one could, buy it. The old man hits the same old pace; His appetite is unabated; And at two hundred bucks a case. A fortune soon Is dissipated. Whenever he goes out to buy. Cold perspiration wilts our collaxa. And quaking with despair we cry, There goes another thousand dol 'lars." We wouldn't do our -uncle wrong. We feel that his demise would grieve us. But if he doesn't go ere long. He will not have a cent to leave tul IlardinK and Cox. Ohio lives right up to her reputa tion as the mother of presidents. She has entered twins in the favorite eon contest. ess No Prospect, Either. We haven't yet saved enough day light so that we can let any of It into tnat two-billion-dollar airplane mystery. w ' m Alas! Having given up work on the peace treaty, the allies are now collaborat ing on a dissolution of partnership notice. (Copyright. 1920. by Bell Syndicate, roc.) In Other Days. Twenty-Five Years A CO. From The Oregonian of May 1. 1396. Mrs. Mary A. Leonard, the female lawyer, pleaded a case yesterday in the court of Judge Stearns. Mayor George P. Frank has re quested the resignation of Police Commissioner Henry Haussman and of J. 'George Mack, secretary of the board of police commissioners. The First Presbyterian church has as yet received no definite reply from Kev. Edgar P. Hill of Freeport. 111., who has been called to succeed Dr. Arthur J. Brown as its pastor. Eight of the nine alleged Chinese merchants who arrived by boat Sun day have succeeded in winning the rltai to land. AT 74. If I didn't wake up in the morning. Or possibly didn't at dawn. Just what chance would I then have. In the journey I might be on? Would I fly on the wings of morning. Or grope in the hush of night. Would there be a lamp lest ray feet might stray? In that sky will the stars be bright? The one in the east I am thinking about. Which some wise men saw one day, And it guided their feet to a manger. Where a great and good child lay. And east is east and west is west. Just as it was of yore. An.d I trust that star will shine for me. As it shone in days before. But I want it to guide me along a trail. Where the love of my heart has gone. And a life like 'hers, so full of love. It, too, has followed her on. He gave his life for his country's sake. Though the tears from my eyes will flow I knew he said he was willing to die. If, indeed, it must be so. Then why reck tho day or the hour that comes. It surely will have to be. As sure jrs the sun will rise and eet. 'Tis coming to you and me. And if I meet those loved ones there. Sometime or maybe before. Will thry know me then, as they knew me once? I am seventy possibly more. S. P. W. Fort Orford. April 24. 12n. All the World OREGONIAN kimutuinimuwu luuiiuttinuuus (