THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN. PORTLAND, DECEMBER 23, 1906.
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PORTLAND, SUNDAY, . DEC. 8, 180.
' j a STATE AND NATION.
i To the petty oligarchies which ruled
j the original thirteen colonies the prln
! clple of Mate's rights was exceedingly
dear because their power depended
'upon It. The political ejtructure of the
'country then resembled that vague and
fragile union which we see among the
Tarts of a Jellyfish. To be sure the
i ipartfl hang together after a fashion,
! but their dependence upon one another
j Is of the slightest. They have the
'eemblance of a common nervous, sys
I -tern, but the rays of the fish are vir
j tually Independent, and if one 13 cut
loft from the rest It survives. Thus It
'was with the American colonies for
some time after the Constitution was
! adopted. Mr. W. M. Ivins, in an able
article In the New York Press, points
cut that the true nervous system of
' the country has developed since that
fjierlod. By this he means our rall
i roads, telegraphs, telephones, mall fa
K:ilitieo and the infinitely complex
.movements of interstate commerce.
' Because we now have a true nervous
organization we have ceased nationally
I to resemble the starfish and may be
I accurately compared to these higher
' animals whose parts are so intlmately
liunlted that none can be eevered from
j the rest without perishing.
The growth of the national Idea in
j America, Mr. Ivins points out, has
I 'been unceasing since the Union was
! organized. The force which has fos
J tered it has been the common economic
! welfare of the people; the force which
has continually opposed It hae been the
! Interest of special privilege. Through-
out our history, exactly as tdday, spe
' clal privilege has looked to the doctrine
of state's rights for Its protection. We
Jiave, Paye Mr. Ivins, "forty-six sov-
ereigntles, to each of which the seek
I ?r of privilege may appeal, and every
one of which eoverelgnties may permit
I the existence of conditions which make
I against the National welfare." Natur
ally, the endowed classes and holders
J of epecial privilege- are deeply con
Icerned In preserving those rights of
I the states which are to them such a
Pboon. It was. so with the slaveholders
kin the middle of the last century. It"is
rto with Standard OH and the railroads
today. No man has been 6o abusive of
Mr. Roosevelt for his doctrine of na
tionalism as the president of the'Nash
vllle Railroad. He Is the man, by the
way, who told the people of his satrapy
that if they were not satisfied with
this Dasseneer rates thev had the .Drlvi-
lege of walking.
Jty whom are the antiquated, de
nationalizing sections of the Constitu
tion always Invoked? Jo that lnstru
rnent ever quoted for the people? Does
Jit. permit the protection of children
jtfrom killing toll? Of women from the
lihorrors of night work? Does It permit,
workmen to enjoy reasonable restric
tion of their hours of labor? Does it
jlpermlt CongTess to abate the iniquities
fof railroad discrimination, or toi con
trol the predatory corporations, or to
fJevy an equitable tax upon swollen In-f-comes?
Not one of these things does
fa he Constitution permit if we accept
(the interpretation of those who benefit
toy intrenched wrong. None of them
xran be done because they would inter
fere with the rights of the statefl.
: Touching this pernicious doctrine of
state's rights, Mr. Ivins notes two
truths. First, that it has been . at-,
tacked by two great ' leaders of the Re
publican party, Mr. Roosevelt and Mr.
Hoot. Second, that it is a doctrine of
peculiar and indispensable utility to
the plutocracy. Prom these two unde
niable facts he concludes that the
Democratic and Republican parties
will fight their next battle over state's
rights. The Republican party, both by
virtue of Its history and by its recent
action, has taken- its position. The
Democratio party will, he thinks, nec
essarily appear In its old place as the
defender of a weak nation and state
oligarchies.
Mr. Ivins' conclusions are not so
valid as his premises. One may con
cede without difficulty that the plu
tocracy would gladly enlist the Demo
cratic party in Its defense; and it Is
probably true that it has many of the
leaders already safely secured. But
leaders alone do not constitute a party.
There must also be followers. It Is
quite certain that the masses of the
Democratic party would not follow
leaders who wished to fight for state's
rights and plutocracy. The lesson of
the last Presidential campaign must
not be forgotten. The predatory mil
lionaires then had their iron collars on
the necks of the Democratic leaders
almost without exception, but the vot
ers declined to obey them. They would
do the same again. The masses of the
Democratic party care nothing about
state's rights. It Is to them a mean-
lngless form of words. But about the
iniquities of predatory wealth and the
proper restriction of special privilege
they care a great- deal. They are as
much Interested In ttlese matters as the
Republicans are. They not only ap
prove of Mr. Roosevelt's course and
principles, but they claim that what
he has done in the way of . curbing the
plutocracy is precisely what Mr. Bryan
would have done had he been Presi-'
dent; and, moreover, that all of Mr.
Roosevelt's progressive Ideas are bor
rowed bodily from Democratic plat
forms. This being the case, how is' It possible
to think of arraying the Democratic
masses In loyalty .to , state'-s rights,
which means loyalty to the plutoc
racy? It cannot be done. Mr. Ivins
acutely says that Immigration and the
Internal movements of population have
tended to obliterate the consciousness
of state lines from the minds of the
people. This is equally true of both
parties. To most Americans the states
have ceased to be fetiches; 'they are
merely conveniences; .and when they
become actively baneful, as the case
has been more than once, 'very few
voters regret to see their power cur
tailed. There may be a party of plu
tocracy within the next few years, but
It will not be the Democratic party of
Jackson and Bryan. Neither will it be
the Republican party. Both these par
ties have chosen their fighting ground
already, and it is not upon the princi
ple of states' rights
, GIVING AWAY PORTLAND STREETS. .
Portland got Into the habit, years
ago, of giving away Its streets, and it
has faithfully followed that prodigal
practice whenever any railroad or cor
poration or Individual asked fo-r either
a franchise or the exclusive occupancy
of any thoroughfare. The street rail
way traffickers get their franchises for
nothing and sell them for $4,000,000,
which they put in their own pockets;
the railroad companies buy many city
blocks for terminals and the interven
ing streets are promptly vacated and
turned over to them for their perpetual
use; and sundry thrifty private corpor
ations and individuals engaged in
manufacturing or other business, or in
no business, discovering some street or
streets that they think they can put
to profitable use, ask the City Council
for It, or them, and ge what they
want. The $4,000,000 street railway
transaction was arid is not defensible.
The grant to the railways of streets
through the terminal properties was
perhaps justifiable. But the outright
gift of any street to any private person
or corporation, without any considera
tion, ' cannot be excused on any
grounds.
If is not sufficient that the 'Willam
ette Iron & Steel Works needs Hull
street In its business and therefore the
city should help out the company. If
the Willamette Iron & Steel Works de
sires the use of Hull street, or a part
thereof, and if it is in the circum
stances desirable to surrender the
street to any such purpose, the com
pany should pay the public for any
privilege extended to it, just the same.
ae it would be obliged to pay a private
owner. If the street cannot be sold to
the company and under the charter
there can be no sale It can probably
be leased for an annual. rental, and any
permit to use the street should .not ex
tend over ten or perhaps fifteen years.
At the end of that time a new lease
might, if desirable Xrom all standpoints.
be made. Or Mayor Lane's suggestion
that an equivalent gift to the city of
property elsewhere for park or other
public purposes should be made by
the company might well be followed.
The Mayor makes the astounding
statement that during the one and one
half years of his official term public
streets to the property value of $200,-
000 have been given away by the Coun
cil; and such gifts in the history of
Portland represent as much as the
bonded Indebtedness of the city, which
Is several million' dollars. It Is an
amazing record. Such a- policy of in
difference to or misunderstanding of
the public Interest should have an end.
Public streets were , not dedicated to
public use that they might some day
be given away to private owners of
abutting property, or to any one; and
public privileges were not created that
they might be distributed gratis to fa
vored individuals or corporations.
THE PARK IDEA.
A very elaborate scheme looking to a
future "City Beautiful" has been
worked out, or, more properly, the- ini
tiative steps for its inauguration have
been taken, by the organization known
as the Initiative One 'Hundred. It is
proposed to expend approximately
$1,000,000 in the construction of a boule-.
vard or driveway around the portions
of the city the Scenic beauties of which
are grand and attractive. As a part of
the scheme a large park is to be laid
out at Mount Tabor, and perhaps at
other points along the route. In order
that the , scheme may be properly
worked out In detail, and from, an ar
tistic, comprehensive whole, the City
Council .will be asked to appropriate
the sum of $5000 early next month to
secure the services of a Competent en
gineer from the East, under whose di
rection the routes for boulevards and
the location of park sites will be se
lected. The scheme, as before saidi is an
elaborate one, and one which, if prop
erly worked out, will vastly increase
the attractions .of Portland as a Sum-,
mer resort and as a place the scenic
beauties of which it is worth crossing
the continent and the ocean to enjoy.
Since our citizens cannot afford to
mako of this project a gigantic blun
der, the plan to secure the services of
a competent engineer at k cost of a few
thousand dollars iu the beginning is
commendable. It will be necessary to.j
proceed carefully in the selection of
routes. In laying out parks. In deciding
upon the site of bridges, and in mak
ing art so conforni to Nature in the
configuration of a magnificent land
scape as to bring out and enhance, the
points of beauty and of grandeur with
which the suburbs of Portland abound.
Whether the scheme as a whole
should be indorsed. The Oregonlan is
not at this time prepared to say. Its
outline has only been made public, and
while there is in this outline evidence
of careful study based upon a high ap
preciation of the scenic beauties of
Portland's environment, it Involves a
very large ' expenditure for which it
may be difficult to provide without an
increase of taxation that the already
heavily taxed property-owners of the
city could-HI afford to incur. It will
be time to estimate the park . and
boulevard project on its merits when
Lwe know better what it is.
. SANTA CI.V9. v
Once upon a timeSatan appeared
to a sour old deacon in the night and
told him it was wicked to have a
Christmas tree in the church. So the
deacon, who thought the devil was an
angel, went to the minister and said he
had been commanded to keep the
Christmas tree out of the church that
year. Now the minister stood in great
awe of that deacon, fiist because he
was "old and sour and crabbed; second
ly, because he was the richest man In
the church; and thirdly, because he was
so terribly pious. Therefore on the
next Sunday morning the minister told
the children in Sunday school that they
could have no Christmas tree that year
because it' was-wicked 'to make merry
In the church and because it was much
better for them to spend Christmas eve
thinking of their sins than to pass its
sacred hours in gaiety and mirth; and
worst of all, because there was no such
man as Santa Claus and it was sinful
to lie about him and talk as if he' really
existed. So the nice girls who were
dressing dolls for the infant class sent
them to the Hottentots; and the boys
w.ho had popped corn to hang in long.
beautiful strings on the evergreen
boughs ate it up; and the dear old
woman. w:ho had molded a pan of little
tallow candles to stick up among the
dolls and toys like tiny stars fed them
to the pigs; .and all the children in that
Sunday school spent Christmas eve
thinking of their sins.
Of course they had a great many 6ins
to think of. Everybody has when he
sits down and really makes a business
of reckoning them up. At first the
boys and girls were scared when they
found out how wicked they had. been;
but finally they said to themselves,
"Well, we had a good time sinning
these sius, anyway, and nobody ever
has a good time being pious. So we'll
just go rlgrht on ?Innlnf?." Which the-y
did, of course, and they all came to
bad ends. One pretty little girl grew
up to be a woman suffragist. Another
became a book agent. One of the most
promising of the little boye turned out
a corporation lawyer and the sour old
deacon's only son ended, his days in
Congress, bringing his father's gray
hairs in sorrow to the grave. All these
dreadful results came from not having
a Christmas tree in the church that
year; and the saddest thing about it
was that the minister was mistaken,
for thereils such 'a man as Santa Claus.
The story that lie does not exist was
invented by Satan, who is never so dis
tressed as when he sees children happy.
Santa Claus is an old, old man. He
saw the earth go rolling away through
space when the Creator tossed it from
his hand like a great ball of fire. He
fanned the burning oceans with the
winds until they cooled and the dry
land appeared. He touched the barren
fields of death with his fingers and they
were covered" with trees and flowers.
He walked one morning through the
lonely forests and everywhere he went
birds began to slug upon the boughs
and happy living things played- about
his feet. Wherever he looked life
sprang, from death. "'He smiled upon
the world and It was full of joy and
love. An old, old man is Santa Claus.
His long beard is gray and his hair is
(white as the snow on the mountain
peaks; but every year at Christmas
time he forgets all his million birth
days and becomes a child again. He
becomes a child without sin or sorrow
and to make the world fit for him to
live In he goes from land to land for
weeks before and works his magic
upon men. The greedy cease to quar
rel over their gold as he passes by; old
enemies forget their hatred and life
long friends renew their love. For a
little while there are no more wars.
The whole world Is at peace. Among
men there is neither fear nor envy nor
hate, but good will alone. Then, .when
earth is like heaven because of abound
ing love, Santa Claus becomes a child
again, and all mankind grows young
with him. They forget the past, with
its debts and griefs; they forget the
future, with Its burdens. They remem
ber nothing but that God is good and
that happiness is the purest worship.
Christmas is the festival of childhood
and the spirit of Christmas Is Santa
Claus. He teaches us that the most
important fact in the world is not age,
with its disappointments, its fixed be
liefs and Its despair, but youth, with
its eternal hope. The salvation of
mankind lies not in the old, but In the
new; not in resignation, but in faith.
The most enduring things In the world
are not Its hatreds and cruelties. They
last too long, but they . paro away.
That which . never passes but grows
ever stronger as earth grows older Is
the spirit that makes Christmas what
it is. It is the deep soul of the uni
verse slowly conquering the selfish
heart of man.- At Christmas time we
yield altogether to its gracious influ
ence for a day or two. Some time we
shall yield to it perpetually and live
forever by its law.- What matters the
name of the spirit that saves the world
from perdition and gives us glimpses
of a. possible heaven? We piay call
him God if we like; or Love, as Jesus
did; but at Christmas, which is the
children's time, it is well to give the
blessed spirit the children's name and
call him Santa Claus.
RIGHTS OF THE WORKING HORSE. ,'
There are: few persons of even ordi
nary susceptibility to the sufferings of
helpless creatures who have not noted
with pity and pain the tugging, strain
ing and often cruelly overtaxed horses
used. ,ln grading and excavating in
various parts of this city. While much
of the suffering and weariness of these
animals is practically unavoidable
(since the work must be Jonie and
horses must do itlt is a fact that Vio
lent Jerking, blows and the cruel over
strain to which horses are too often
subjected when performing this neces
sarily heavy work, can and should be
avoided. It is not sentiment alone that
insists upon the kind and humane
treatment of work animals. The eco
nomic side of the question Is thus set
forth by the secretary of the bureau of
child and animal protection for the
State of Montana:
Aside from the essential rights of ani
mals to 'protection. It remains to mankind a
matter of Intrinsic value. Any experienced
horseman, grading contractor or other man
of wide experience with, working horses,
will admit that with the proper treatment
that ts generally meted out to him, Uie
average working life of a horse is but eight
to ten years. He is broken at from 3 to 4
years of age: at lO he begins to be an old
horse of constantly diminishing value, .and
at 12 to 14 years of age he Becomes prac
tically unsalable and worthless. The same
man will tell you that if "nones are prop
erly fed. worked and treated, the period of
their usefulness might be doubled.
Considerations like these should have
sufficient weight with owners of horses
to Insure the kind treatment of these
animals. If not, it .is then the province
of the state to interfere in behalf of
the voiceless and say to the owners In
effect: "These animals are yours by
right of ownership, but you must see
to it that they have food, drink, shelter
and proper rest; otherwise you will be
punished for infraction of law enacted
for the purpose Of protecting dumb
creatures from needless suffering." In
this interest the humane society has
become a feature of modern civiliza
tion, and nowhere is the. vigilance of
its officers, and of all good citizens who
are ready to support the- effort for
which .the society stands,-more neces
sary than on the gTadee and excava
tions now being worked in almost
every direction throughout' the city.
We hear a great deal about the rights
of the workingman. and his ,rights
should by every possible means be se
cured. But let us not forget that his
friend and fellow-laborer, the working
horse, also hais rights which are sacred
to Justice and humanity.
WELL-EARNED WEALTH.
Almost sybaritic splendor marked the
Kuhn-Weil wedding at Spokane a few
days ago. There were gold, silver and
diamonds galore, the cash value of the
presents being more than $150,000.
When the ceremony was over the party
sat down to a $25-a-plate supper. Con
gratulatory telegrams and cablegrams
poured in by the 'hundreds, from all
over the United States and Europe, and
more ostentation was shown than In
any wedding ever held In rich Spokane.
Such elaborate displays of wealth
and luxury are seldom witnessed with
out exciting unfavorable criticism.
There is a deep-seated and ineradica
ble feeling of resentment that those on
whom fate has not gleamed kindly
often feel for the more fortunate ones
who have fared better. The socialist,
with no acquaintance with the Kuhn
family, would be prone to ask why
they reveled In the luxury of a $25-per-plate
spread, while there are always so
many thousands who experience the
greatest difficulty in securing the
money for a 25-cent meal.
But all over the upper country, from
one end of the Inland Empire to the
other, throughout the rich Palouse and
up and down, the Clearwater, along the
Snake River and out in the Big Bend,
in fact through all of Eastern Wash
ington and Idaho, are hundreds of peo
ple who will read with pleasure of this
elaborate and ostentatious affair. But
few of these hundreds know the bride,
a still smaller number are acquainted
with the groom, but all know Aaron
Kuhn, the fortunate father of a fortu
nate bride. It is by reason of their
knowledge of his career that they over
look the ultra-ostentatious display of
wealth and the somewhat unpleasant
thoughts which It suggests among the
soclallstlcany Inclined. For they see in
Aaron Kuhn a self-made man, whose
life history should. act aa an incentive
to others who are today '.'breasting the
blows of circumstance" and fighting
their way upward to Independence.
The gorgeous wedding o'f Miss Kuhn
in itself was nothing of particular con
sequence to the general public. But it
brought prominently into view the
wonderful- possibilities which the West
ern world offers to the young privates
who enlist in the Industrial battle with
no .other weapons, than those given
them by Nsfture. For Aaron Kuhn was
not always a successful captain of in
dustry, but instead he came into the
country a poor young man. He worked
bard as clerk In a country store, and
still harder when as a partner he start
ed in a small way in business for him
self. The rewards of industry and in
tegrity were his, and the business ex
panded from small merchandizing into
banking, warehousing and other
branches of Industry. The financial
crash of the early '90s swept away a
large portion of the fortune which in
dustry and perseverance had got to
gether, but Kuhn enjoyed the fullest
confidence of the people who were still
in a position to help him, and he in
turn passed that credit on. as, far as It
could be -made to go in helping his own
debtors.
. The upward swing of the financial
pendulum found the Kuhn fortune
somewhat shattered, but in the years
of prosperity which have followed it
has been carried along with a . rush,
and today the financial strain of a
gorgeous wedding his less effect than
was felt In the old days when only an
ordinary dinner was Involved. There
are many rich people in this country
whose vulgar displays of wealth cause
an endlees amount of unrest and dis
satisfaction with the existing order of
things. But rich men of the Kuhn
type, whose riches, were secured as his
were secured' will ba immune from ad
verse criticism, and on the contrary
are ever worthy of commendation for
the example they afford the young
man who is Just starting on the up
ward climb. '
COIONEr. IKGEKKOLL.
' The announcement that the citizens
of Peoria, III., will presently enjoy the
felicity' of seeing a statue of the'late
Colonel Robert G. Ingersoil in their
public park excites reflections both sad
and cheerful. It 1 sad to1 think that, a
man "who is somewhat in advance of
his times must -suffer for it, not only
through misunderstanding and detrac
tion, but also through the loss of polit
ical preferment. To what.honons Colo
nel Ingersoil might have risen had he
not been an. "infidel" It is difficult to
say. Ho was a man of strong magnet
ism, of great Intellectual force, extra
ordinarily conscientious and gifted
with a power of eloquence rarely
equaled.' He had all the requisites for
a popular idol, except the popular re
ligion. It is cheerful, however, to think that,,
although fitting' recognition pf the serv
ices td humanity of such men as Inger
soil is almost alwa'ys tardy, it is pretty
certain to come in the end. On the
spot Where Giordano Bruno was burned
at the stake now stands a monument
to his memory. The infidels and here
tics, of one generation are the saints
and martyrs of the next one.
Colonel Ingersoil was not an infidel.
except in the heated fancy of those
who disagreed with him.' His views of
the Scriptures were, even in his own
day, commonly accepted among schol
ars in Germany and Scotland. All that
he said in the way of criticism had
been said before by men like Spinoza,
But to the people of America, always
somewhat provincial In matters of
scholarship and literature, his opinions
were new and, therefore, startling and
dangerous. He had also the art of
stating them so that they, lost nothing
of their terrifying character. His lan
guage was audacious -and challenging.
but his thought was essentially com
monplace and his views are now
preached without reproach from'many
orthodox pulpits.
He did valuable work In stimulat
ing the masses to think upon religious
questions. He contributed substantial
ly to the emancipation of the human
intellect. Perhaps his most valuable
services lay In turning the attention
of churchmen from arid theological
speculation to practical Christianity.
Among the minor champions of free
dom of thought Colonel Ingersoil de
serves an honorable place. As a soldier,
a patriot and an orator, he has a se
cure place in our political history. His
monument will be a worthy memorial
to an admirable citizen and an inspira
tion to ambitious youth.
The Berlin correspondent of the New
York Sun says it Is the purpose of the
American Tariff Commission to nego
tiate' a reciprocity treaty with Ger
many to take effect on June 30, 1907,
when the present provisional arrange
ment expires. The writer quotes as
authority a member of the commission
who reports satisfactory progress.
Doubt is cast upon this statement by
the fact that a sugar schedule as a
part of such a treaty could not go Into
effect until the expiration of our Cuban
treaty, and it Is not likely that Ger
many would accept reciprocity that did
not include sugar. The treaty would,
moreover, have to be ratified by the
United States Senate, which has thus
far given no token of an intention to
let the enormous surplus of Germany's
beet-sugar industry in over our. borders
free of duty.. The probabilities, there
fore, do not support the statement that
a reciprocity treaty with Germany will
take effect at the close of the present
fiscal year.
Christmas has brought thus far in
this vicinity a no more deserved trib
ute of sympathy and good will than
that shown by the people of Oregon
City in presenting to Mrs. Hanlon,
widow of the night watchman of that
city, who lost his life some months ago
in the performance of duty, a purse
containing a substantial sum of money.
The gift does not, in all probability,
represent self-denial on the part of any
individual, since not -one ' who sub
scribed to it will thereby flave less of
Christmas cheer for- .himself or his
family. - It is. however, a tribute of
thoughtfuliffss and sympathy that is
never so much appreciated as on the
first Christmas following a family be
reavement that makes the heart heavy
with reflection rather than merry with
anticipation at this gala time. The
need at the basis of such a gift is de
corously veiled in kindness and the
"offense of charity" is displaced by the
fervent response of gratitude.
A table has been published showing
the" loss of life and property from
boiler explosions throughout the coun
try between January 1, 1901, and Sep
tember 1, 1906. It Is 6hown that in the
five years and eight months covered by
the report there were 2324 boiler explo
sions by w hich 1643 people were killed
and 2963 injured. The property loss
from this source was $10,000,000.' These
figures indicate that, though mechan
ical engineering is numbered among the
sciences of industrial life, it has by no
means been reduced to an exact sci
ence. Either this or carelessness Is too
often ait the throttle or ignorance is
prone to lay a bungling hand upon the
lever. Or perhaps what Is needed to
make the running of an engine relative
ly safe is boiler inspection that in
spects. ,
Heredity sometimes counts. David
Demarest Lloyd, who had begun a
promising literary career, while yet a
young man, wrote "The Senator," held
by many critics to be the best Ameri
can comedy ever produced. He did not
live to' see Jt played. His daughter,
Beatrix Demarest Lloyd, has her fath
er's talent. Her short stories published
by Harper's, Scribner's, the Century
and other magazines of high class,
have put her in the front rank of fic
tion writers. As an excellent piece of
native humor with a homely touch,
read "Captain Asa's Christmas Bris
ket," on page 43 of today's Issue. In
cidentally it may be remarked that
this is the first time Miss Lloyd's work
has been secured by a Sunday newspa
per. Its holiday' flavor commends it
self. The death of Henry Anketiy, which
occurred in this city yesterday, was an
event not unexpected. Its announce
ment came, nevertheless, as a shock
to the people of a state .with whose in
terests he had been Identified since his
early childhood. Henry Ankeny came
to Oregon with his father's family
when but six years of age, and
throughout an active life of more than
sixty years he had been an influential
factor in Oregon's development. Suf
fering from a painful malady, he lin
gered long in the valley of the shadow,
and passed on and out, leaving behind
him the record of a successful life,
many tender family ties and the kind
regards of a multitude of friends.
The annual report of the Southern
Pacific Company furnishes a lot of am
munition to those who are fighting for
economic Justice. It shows the net
earnings for the past year to be more
than 5 per cent on $720,000,000; yet prac
tically every dollar oX this "capital" is
toll that was taken from the indus
tries of the Nation.
It is well that the naval observatory
has decided to telegraph all over the
country the exact second when the
new year begins; otherwise we wouldn't
know when to start the steam whistles
and the bells.
Likely there is a misunderstanding
about the coolness between Lord Cur
zon and' the sciorl of the Leiter house.
Maybe the former Viceroy of India
didn't care to visit the Chicago stock
yards. In' no way do the steadily Increasing
activities of Portland make themselves
known more than In the building op
erations, month by month, throughout
the .past year.
Mrs. Maybrick, guilty or -innocent,
worthy . or unworthy, pleading that
sunshine shall not be denied to- con
victs, speaks as one who knows.
Time softens asperities. Robert G.
Ingersoil is to have a monument. Eu
phemism and Darwin have changed
"atheist" Into "agnostic."
In the remaining two days don't for
get those who really need Christmas
benefaction. Play Santa Claus to or
phans. ,
Today's leisure affords time to recall
any one you may have overlooked: the
omission may be remedied tomorrow. I
Comment on Current Oregon Topics
Efficient Clerks More Important in Legislatures Than Efficient Presiding,
Officers State Land Board and the Carey Act Building Roads by
Districts Senator Miller and .Text-Books.
WHILE selection of a President of
tha Senate and a Speaker of the
House is an Important part of a
state legislature, it is of scarcely more
importance than selection of the other
officers of those bodies. The principal
qualifications of a presiding officer are a
knowledge of parliamentary procedure, a
clear voice, and a quirk perception that
will enable him to avoid confusion and to
straighten out tangles If the proceedings
become thus Involved. Yet, If the presid
ing officers be lacking in any of these
qualifications, there is no serious harm
done. The branch of the legislature over
which the inefficient member presides
may make slower progress, and the mem
bers get out of patience with the incom
petent man elected to leadership, but that
is all. Incompetence in some of the other
offices is much more serious, however. A
poor reading clerk can kill twice as much
time as a poor presiding officer. A care
less chief clerk can lose Important bills
or misplace them so that they icannot be
found when wanted. An incompetent
Journal clerk or calendar clerk can orrilt
records essential to the validity of the
proceedings and thus render Invalid the
acts that were taken In legal form. At
the close of every session of the legis
lature certain officers are trusted, with
the work of "revising and correcting" the
Journals. To one not familiar with legis
lative methods it seems strange that,
after the legislature has adjourned and
the members gone home three or four
men should be left with the power to re
vise and correct the Journals; and yet
this is not only the practice, but Is ap
parently a necessary one. The records
are Incomplete and sometimes defective
In important particulars. On at least one
or two occasions the journals have been
found very seriously detective, and if the
missing records were not supplied from
information shown by tile records of the
calendar clerk, there would have toeen
trouble. To what extent the officials so
in supplying missing records no one
knows but themselves. The fact that
they must in some instances complete the
record shows the need of selecting com
petent men ' to fill the desk clerkships.
That mere past experience is not a sure
indication of fitness is apparent when it
is known that some of the Journal clerks
in the past have been grossly careless or
unable to keep the records as they should
be kept.
THE recommendation of the State
Land Board that the board be vested
with power to make rules and regulations
governing distribution of water through
systems constructed under the Carey act
is based upon the experience the board
has had with some of the reclamation
companies. The present state law, ac
ceptlng the terms of the Carey act and
providing the manner in which arid land
may be reclaimed by companies operating
under contract with the state, authorizes
the companies to make rules and regula
tions with the approval of the State Land
Board. . There is no provision as to. the
procedure in case the company persists
in submitting rules which the board can
not approve. Such a contingency has
arisen. One .company delayed the sub
mission of its rules for a long time, and.
when finally compelled to draft rulea and
regulations, the board could not see Its
way clear to adopt those submitted. The
company believed its rules to be reason
able as between the company and. the set
tier. The State Land Board considered
them unreasonable. From the standpoint
of future legislation on this subject, it Is
of no consequence whether the company
or the board was right, for the point
brought out is that as the law now stands
there Is no way of settling a difference
such as this. The board has no authority
to initiate rules and regulations. 1 can
reject those submitted, but If the com
pany persists in submitting rules that are
unsatisfactory a deadlock ensues. Mani
festly, the power should be lodged some
where to settle a difference of that kind.
and the board is of the opinion that the
power should be lodged In its hands.
ANNOUNCEMENT by the State Land
Board that deeds to land reclaimed
under the provisions of the Carey act
can be Issued only to "actual settlers,"
is of considerable Importance, especially
to many people lu the Willamette Valley,
and to many in the East who have ap
plied for land under one or another of
the reclamation systems now In course of
construction. It must be observed, how
ever, that the statement is not that he
must be an actual settler when he flies
his original application, or that he must
be a settler for any specified length of
time. He must, however, be a settler,
actual and bona fide, at the time he
asks for a deed, and must be ready to
prove himself to be such. "Actual set
tler" is probably a variable term In prac
tice, if not' In law. Just as "residence"
has been a variable term under the home
stead laws of the United States. Resi
dence that was entirely satisfactory a
few years ago, as the homestead laws
were than administered. Is often danger
ous now for the man who hopes to gain
title to his homestead. Land Boards come
and go. One administration maybe very
strict and the next very lenient in Its
requirements. Then, too, the demand for
reclaimed land will make no small differ
ence. So long as there Is no very active
competition for land the proofs might go
through without trouble, but in case of
contests, in which the proofs were con
troverted, the "actual settler" would have
trouble unless he had facts back of his
proofs. The Land Board has given notice
that when deeds are asked for the appli
cant must be an actual settler, so those
who expect to ask for deeds may govern
themselves accordingly.
THE resolution adopted by a local
branch of the Grange, urging that a
law be enacted giving to each road, dis
trict the exclusive control of road matters
in its Jurisdiction, Is one that will require
more than a hasty. thought before action
Is taken as desired. The local-control
Idea Is a popular one, and yet It may b
impracticable, especially In road building.
All country roads lead to town: at least,
all roads do in which the farmers have
any considerable Interest. The poorest
piece of road measures the load a farmer
may haul on his wagon. If, therefore,
the farmers of one road district must
haul their produce over the roads of an
other district in order to get to market.
there is little gained by' permanent Im
provements in the outside dlBtrlct if the
people of the nearer district do not Im
prove their roads aa well. - Permanent
road work should begin at the market
place and extend out Into the producing
region, thus enabling every . farmer to
haul to town any load, he can once get
upon the highway. Presumably, under
a system of county control, the roads
would be improved in this manner but it.
Is doubtful whether they would be if each
district managed its own affairs.
IN educational circles there has been '
considerable interest In the probabls
effect of the appointment of State Sen
ator M. A. Miller upon two boards having
to do with educational matters. Senator
Miller has long been known for his per
sistent advancement of two propositions;
that too large a proportion of the school
funds Is spent for higher education, and
;at school textbooks cost too much
money. At the first opportunity. Govern
or Chamberlain appointed Miller a mem
ber of the Board of Regents of the Uni
versity of Oregon, and recently appointed
him a member of the State Textbook
Commission. Just what reasoning im
pelled the Governor to place Senator Mil
ler in thesa two positions has not been
made known. Perhaps the Governor
thought Miller was right in his conten
tions. Then, again, perhaps ho thought
Miller was wrong and that a closer ac
quaintance with the real situation would
convince the "Sage of Lebanon" of hlrt
error. Possibly, however, the Governor
was himself In doubt and reasoned that
whether right or wrong. Miller should
prove a useful member of these two
boards. If he is right he will have a
chance to hold down the expenditures at
the State University and show by what
means school books can be secured at
less cost. If he Is wrong he will find it
out. and those who have agreed with him
will profit by the enlargement of his op
portunity for observation. Though many
educational workers differ from Senator
Miller, none have ever questioned tlis
honesty of the opinions lie has expressed.
It is known, also, that the Governor has
great confidence in the Linn County
leader of Democracy and admires his ag
gressiveness. THE floods in Washington and in
Southern California, which resulted
in changing the courses of some of the
rivers, have served to recall the predic
tions made from time to time that some
day the Santlam RJver will take a short
cut across country and go direct from
Stayton to Salem. The waters of (lie
Santlam now flow past Salem, but they
go around by Jefferson, flowing Into tho
Willamette near that place- The distance
around from Stayton to Salcin is about
40 miles, whereas the distance across is
but 18 or 20. It Is reasoned, therefore,
that if the water of the Santlam could
reach the Salem level by going half tli
distance. It will do so if It once gets
started that way. For a considerable part
of the distance across country there is
a natural channel, and through it water
is conducted from the Santlam for power
purposes at Salem. It was through an
Irrigation canal that the Colorado River
forced its way Into Salton Sink. Whether,
under very unusual conditions, the San
tlam might not find a way across Marlon
Cbunty Is a subject that has been dis
cussed for years.
'
IT SHOUIJ5 be noted that In recom
mending a repeal of the state law ac
cepting the terms of the Carey act the
State Land Board does not propose to
affect the status of reclamation enter
prises that have been commenced under
the existing law. The contracts undi'r
which these enterprises have been under
taken were made in accordance with tho
present law, and the board remarks that
they will have to be carried out in ac
cordance with those contracts. The idea
of the board evidently 1b that when ex
isting water rights have been determined,
so that the amount of available water
may be known, new enterprises will be
undertaken, and that It is desirable to
have a better law governing them. The
defects of the present law could not b
seen in advance, but experience has dis
closed them.
Taft, Secretary of Peace.
Wallace Irwin In folllera.
He's th brother of the llule brown Malay,
H's tho uncle of the Panama canal.
He's the cousin of the Jingo who realdei la
San Domingo.
And he's grandslre of the Moro cannibal.
And he has the Porto Klcuns on his hands.
And hi has the San Domingera on hia
brain.
While hi h-nrt ts beating juba to the little
woes of Cuba
Aa' bis waistcoat crlea, "Expansion:" not
In vain.
O William, while yon labor at your desk
Tour heart Is chasing datoa In the high
lands. And ths ;at wind whispers gentle
With an acent oriental:
"Com hack. Bill, and run the Filipino
lslanda!"
When the Cuban Junta elamora In his eara
And Poultney from the Zone la yelling
"O raft!"
When the Porto Rlcan nigger la petitioning
for hlpger
Voting powers. ;where fly the thoughts of
Air. Taft?
Does he think of Summer outlnga in the
past
'Midst the Moro and the almoin TagalogT
Where the pleasant anecdota la told by pant
lens Igorrotes
Over luncheons of divinely roaatad dog?
O William, when your party speaks of you
From the valleys and the rivera and tha
highlands.
Does the President saddle
Seem a worthy throne to straddle
To the monarch of the Filipino Islands?
When a dozen brown republics aquall for
war
And t'hlna with a boycott at her beck
Hlsoa up, a mighty stripling; to tranapoae
from Mr. Kipling.
Taft has got the white man's burden on
his neck.
Tet a man of weight and aubatance he re
mains. An all-around public figure, never small:
And his tailor cries with pleasure aa ha
takes the stat?man's xneanure:
"He's tha noblest, stoutest Roman of them
all!" ,
O William, don't you hear the gu-gu'a call
From the palmy Ouam and the Ilo-Ilo
highlands.
From the acrlbea of Plngo-Pango
And the tribes of Zamboango:
"Coma back, BUI, and taka the Filipino
islands!"
The Broken Nose
American Magazine
We've got a baby. Since it came
There's not a single thing the aama.
I act Just Ilka I did before.
But no one loves me any more.
I guess I'd better run away.
T might as well, for if I stay
Who'll know or care? Perhaps a year
Will pass before they ever bear.
I'll take the things I like the best.
My Sunday tie. my velvet vest.
The spotted eggs and bluebird's neat.
The Autumn leaves that mother pressed.
The rabbit skin that father dressed.
All theae I'll take and go out West
I ought to atart. but Oh. the sky
la dark today and very high.
Still, after all, I gueaa I'll wait
For father by the garden gate.
He'll maybe rough my hair and say
"Well, well, my boy! How goes the dayT
You're big enough to make It pay."
Oh dear; I wish he'd coma; though ha
May never even notice me
And yet I gueaa I'll wait and see.
. " ' xi .