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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (July 14, 1907)
8 THE SUXDAT OREGOXIAX, PORTlAXD, JULY 14v 1907. i SUBSCRIPTION HATKV INVARIABLY IN ADVANCE. (By Mall.) Daily. Sunday Included, ono year $8.00 Dally, Sunday Included, six month'.... 25 Dally. Sunday, included, three months. . 2.23 raily. Sunday Included, one montn 73- X'aily. without Sunday, one year ' Ially, without Sunday, alx montht. ... 3.25 Dally, without Sunday, three montha.,. 1-75 X)ally, without Sunday, one month.... -60 Sunday, one year 2.50 Weekly, one year lsaud Thursday) . . . ; 1W Sunday and Weekly, one year 8-50 BY CARREER. rally, Sunday Included, one year 00 Daily, Sunday included, one xuonth 78 HOW TO REMIT Send postofftca money order, express order or personal check on your local tank. Btamps, coin or currency are at the lender's risk. Give postoUlce ad dress in lull, including- county and state. POSTAGE RATfcS. Entered at Portland, Oregon. Postofflte as Kecond-Caas Matter. j 10 to U Fasia 1 cent I 16 to 28 Pages 2 cents 8U to 4 4 Paces centa 40 to CO Pages 4 cents Foreign postage, double rates. IMPORTANT The postal laws are strict. Newspapers on which postage is not fully prepaid are not forwarded to destination. EASTERN BUSINESS OF1ICE. The S. C Bee with, bpecial Accncy New York, looms 48-50 Tiibuue building. Chi cago, rooma S.10-512 Tribune building. KKPT ON SALE Chicago Auditorium Annex, Postofflce News Co., 178 Dearborn su . 6t- Paul, Minn. N. Su Marie. Comrnarclai Etatlon. Denver Hamilton Hendrlck, B0-Sia Seventeenth street; Pratt Book Store, 114 Fifteenth street; H. P. Hansen, 8, Rlcs. Kansas City, Md Rlcksecker Cigar Co., Ninth and Vtalnut; Sosiand News Co. MJnnrapolU M. J. Cavanaugh, 50 South Third; iiagie News Co.. c-raer Tenth and Elevenrh; Yoma News Co. Cleveland, O. James Pushaw, 307. Su perior street. Washlnftop, D. C. Ebbltt House, Penn sylvania avenue. Philadelphia, Pa. Ryan's Theater Ticket orfice; Pemi News Co. New York Lity--U Jones A Co., Astor House; Broadway Theater News Stand; Ar thur Hntaling Wagons. Atlantic City, N. Y. Eli Taylor. Oakland, Cal. W. H. Jonnson, Fourteenth and Franklin streets; N. Wheatley; Oak land News Stand; Hale Newa Co. Ogden D. L. Boyle, W. O. Kind. 114 Twenty-fifth street. Omaha Batkalow Bros.. Union Station; liageath Stationery So. Des Moines, la. Mose Jacob. bacrainento, Cal. Sacramento News Co 3W K stroet; Atnos News Co. bait Luke Moon Book Stationery Co.; Roscnneld & Hansen. Los Angeles B. B. Amos, manager seven street wagons. ban Dirgo B. E. Amos. Long Beach, Cal. B. E. Amos, front a Barbara, Cal. John PrecheL San Jose, Cal fit. James Hotel News Btand. Fort Worth, Tex. F. Robinson. San Francisco Foster & Orear; Ferry News Stand; Hotel St. Francis News Stand; L. Parent; N. Wheatley; Falrmount Hotel News stand; Amos Newa Co. lioldfleld, v Louie Poilln. Eureka, Cal. Call-Chronicle Agency. Norfolk, Yl. Potts a Roeder,. Pino Beach, Va. W. A. Cosgrove. t . PORTLAND, 6UNDA1-. .JULY 14, 1007. I BUT LET CS BE CHEERFUL. Several times recently the Astorian (newspaper) has reprinted from The Oregontan part of an articles-published by this journal In 1894, In which As toria was congratulated on, her then near prospect of railway connection with the interior, as well as on the promise of- deeper water to the ocean and on the development of Astoria as & port. The realization lias not'-been as rapid as The Oregonian expected or desired; yet some progress has ' been made. We think, however, that deeper water' between Astoria and the sea lias interest for Portland as well as for Astoria. This in passing. The Astorian now accuses The Ore gonian of treachery to the idea of its former statement, because it insists steadily on the work of deepening the river also to Portland. We think, however, that The Oregonian- did not pledge Portland not to push the work of river Improvement; and moreover, that Jf The Oregonian had been fool ish enough to make euch pledge It would hardly be recognized as valid by the city of Portland, or by the country at large above and below Port land. Yet neither The Oregonian nor any body at Portland opposes any of As toria's efforts to attract and accommo date ships or railroads, or to become a great port. Well and good, If all the railroads that traverse the continent shall make depots there. Portland, however. Is also doing things for her self, while helping to do things for her nsighbors. She Is built and is building, moreover, on her own site, not at Astoria. She has a right to as deep a channel as she can get to the sea. Unfortunately the main obstacles have been below Astoria, not' between Portland and Astoria. Will not the Astorian (newspaper) be able some time, or ultimately, to dismiss the thought on the one hand that Portland ought to move from her own site to that, of Astoria, and on the other that Astoria has a right to veto or object to the Triaktng and mainten ance of a ship channel to Portland? Buch childishness! Portland Is not pulling Astoria down. Portland wishes to Astoria all prosperity. But again It must be remarked that Portland Is building on her own site. "Hlc illius arma, hie currus est." Her are her arms, here her chariot, It seems that the Port of Portland undertaking, with Its inclusion of the lower river counties. Is the occasion of the present or fresh distress of the ABtorian newspaper. Columbia county desiring a deeper river, Is satisfied. The object of the inclusion of Clatsop also, as well as inclusion of Columbia and the lower part of Multnomah, was to give the Port of Portland Commis sion Jurisdiction over all the lower rivers for the good of all Including Jurisdiction over channels and over pilotage and towage. It seems. How ever, that the Astorian (newspaper) objects, because it fears that addi tional facility for passage of vessels In and out of the river and up and down the river might be effected or promoted We could wish our objector at As toria might 'mind the warning my Lord Bacon gives against what he calls idola specus, or fallacies of per sonal or selfish prepossessions such prepossessions as our objector has exceedingly narrow they are against any river channel deep enough for vessels to pass Astoria. We of of the upper river are going to have such channel; we always have had It, and shall continually improve It. And yet we shall congratulate Astoria on all the growth she can make, on all the railroads she can get, on all the docks ah can build, on all the ships she may load at her docks, and in general, on all the progress she may achieve. But really her newspaper mustn't ask Portland not to build at home, or not to make and keep a channel for ships open to and from the sea. Even, the Astorian (newspaper) will see, on re flection, how absurd such request must be. But let us be cheerful. We have a big country, and room enough for all. THE RIVALRY OF EMPLOYERS. A short time aso something was written in The Oregonian on the mani festo of the Western Federation of Miners and the denunciation therein of what was called "wage slavery." It lc not tho present intention to pursue the subject, but simply to make a re mark on a letter printed on Friday in reply to The Oregonlan's remarks. The letter contained this paragraph: The Oregonian In almost every issue maka valuable comment upon some topic or other. It clears up many things, and helps the public to think correctly. It Is performing a service of the highest order, for what we now think we presently become in the near. future. If I now take issue .with The Oregcnlan on the editorial In question. It is because there should be un- vy al this particular time, and because I dislike to 3eo The Oregonian become partisan in this mat ter. The Oregonian has rendered valuable service in pointing out the strugglo ot the employer. This Is frequently overlooked or not understood, and this comment shows insight Into the position of the employei. His is sometimes the keenest possible strug gle. Above all things. The Oregonian wishes to "avoid partisanship In this matter." It will not at this time say anything more on the use or mlsusa of the unfortunate term "wage slav ery," but -will try to correct the misapprehension evident in the extract above Quoted that the struggle in the activities of capital and labor is be tween the employers and the employes. On the contrary, the main struggle is In the rivalry of employers, between or en-.ong themselves. Many fall as proprietors of industry and business. So much is undeniable. That Is, the many cannot keep the pace' with the exceptional few. It is not tho working or laboring f lass who make the difference or decide the. con test. The labor required Is as avail able for . one employer , as for another. But one employer has superior fitness, tact, ability, or adaptability; and he wins, while another goes to the wall. The contest between them is severe, and the -wageworker has little or no part in it other than the indirect part that may result from the better or poorer management of the employer. It Is a contest, then, for domination be tween the employers or managers, not between them, or any of them, and their worklngmen. The wageworker's Etvuggle is of a different kind. He struggles for his livelihood indeed; the employer's struggle Is with his rivals, to prevent destruction, failure or loss of his business. Any antagonism be tween employers and employes can be only temporary and can't'" signify much; tout the rivalry of employers with each other is the weighty fact In the conduct of all considerable Indus triesexcept in cases -where "trusts" are formed; and these -we all reprobate and try to destroy by law. POSSIBILITIES OF AGRICULTURE. What is to be the final outcome of the international struggle for 'mar kets? Every civilized nation In the World is exerting its best energies to keep foreigners out of its home mar ket, while it sells a yearly increasing surplus abroad. With the proceeds of this surplus, food is purchased for home consumption. None of the so-called manufacturing countries produces food enough for its population. England, perhaps, faiis worse than- any other Important nation in this respect. She imports two-thirds of what she con sumes, but even France, with ail her Intensive agriculture, buys at least a tenth of her food abroad. It seems as though the struggle for markets must end In the suppression of international trade, at least on the large scale. There is no reason why each country should not in the long run develop industries extensive and diversified enough to supply Its own wants. Self-interest urges each to at tempt this, and the present indications are that all will succeed. The only ex ternal markets remaining open will then be countries like China, Hir.do stan and the Congo. But Hindostan is already developing a system of home manufactures. China will presently follow the example of Japan and enter the competition for the world-market. What will become of the Congo nobody knows, but a people which Is clad in breechclouts and lives on the natural products of the forest is not likely to furnish much of an outlet for surplus manufactures. Since food is purchased for import with tho proceeds of foreign sales, when the nations lose their external markets they must either raise their own food or starve. Can they do it? And, if they can, what will be the effect on industry? Taking the sec ond question first, let us see what would happen to English manufactures If she should cease to buy food abroad and produce all she needs at home. It is clear, is It not. that Just as much manufactured material would be needed to pay the domestio producer as tha foreigner? The only difference would be that English goods which are now consumed In China and Russia would be used at home. Would this be regrettable? Would It not cause a general . diffusion of well-being-throughout the Island? Would it harm a nation to devote Its productive en ergies to - supplying the wants of its own population instead of foreigners? In all reason, why should every coun try expend its capital and labor to make goods for other countries while its own people go without? We speak of the great staples of International trade; of course, some .minor industries are confined- to particular localities by nature. We conclude, then, that the cessa tion of International trade on the large scale would not be Injurious to Indus try, provided that each country were able to raise the food for an increasing population. Can this be done? The Indications are that it can. The law of Malthus holds that -population tends to multi ply faster than food, and therefore that starvation Is the only outlook for a country which cannot buy supplies abroad. But there are good reasons to think that this "law" is erroneous. The fact seems to be that there is no limit in sight to the ratio of increase of human food. In the first place, only a fraction of the arable land is tilled in any country. This is true even of Belgium, which raises food enough to support 490 per sons to each square -mile of her terri tory, while she Imports supplies for only fifty-four persons to the square mile. Belgium leaves less land waste than most other countries, but she has large areas out of tillage, while In England and Wales fully half the tilla ble soil lies either in poorly productive pastures or In parks. " In America we have only barely, begun to bring our productive areas under the plow. Irri gation is yet in its Infancy, and Mr. Campbell, of Nebraska, has shown that there is no part of the semi-arid region which will not producc heavy crops without irrigation under intelligent cultivation. His system of tillage is one of the great discoveries of the age. But there is scarcely any area now under cultivation anywhere which coulc not be made to produce many times as much fcod as it does. Prince Krapotkine, in his ' stimulating book, "Fields, Factories and Workshops," points out that the market gardens around Paris not only feed that city, but also export largely to London. They first make the soil which they use and then, by applying the sewage of the city for fertilizer, grow from three to nine crops a year on the same land. In America we waste the sewage of our cities, thereby, as Crookes has shown, robbing posterity of nitro genous matter which, perhaps, can never be restored. The bacteria which promote plant growth are Vot well understood as yet, tout they promise limitless aid to the agriculturist. The farmers of Iowa have shown in their cornfields what the selection -of seed can do to increase production, while tha selection of individual plants, the art of protection by glass and stimula tion by warmth and fertilizers, give promise of results which seem incred ible. The fact s that, although agrl culture Is the oldest of the industries. It Is still, the most primitive, and has been least affected by intelligent thought. It offers a wider outlook and greater results than any other field of Investigation and experiment. , THE CHRISTIAN EXDEAVOIUEItS. The United Society of Christian En deavor, whose twenty-third annual convention Is now in session at Seattle, is one of the most remarkable organi zations which the world has ever seen. It Is remarkable in the characterof Its founder, lii its membership and In Its alms. The founder, Dr. Francis E. Clark, whose initials by a happy coin cidence have suggested for him the af fectionate title of Father Kndea vnror history with the organizers of the great Catholic orders. He is an executive genius of the first rank, who combines with his unusual command over hu man minds and hearts a deep religious fervor. If the churches of the present day more than hold their own against the disintegrating forces of -socialism, scientific thought and the disastrous alliance with predatory wealth, it Is owing to the Society of Christian En deavor as much as to. any one other in fluence. .The membership of the society falls Into three principal grades. There are Juniors, full active members and asso ciate members. The Juniors are, of course, youths not yet mature enough to take the full obligation and assume the somewhat exacting duties of the society. They promise to pray and read the Bible every day, to be present at every meeting of the society when they can, to take some part in each meet ing, to lead a Christian life, and do what Jesus would like. Dr. G. Stan ley Hall, the president of Clark Uni versity, and a great authority on the psychology of adolescence, criticises this pledge on the ground that it tends to make religious duties a mechanical affair at a tender and impressionable period of life. He deprecates alsothe binding of young people by a solemn pledge to perform duties which should be a matter of tree exercise of the will. It would be interesting to know w-hether any such undesirable results have been observed among the millions of young people who belong to the Society of Christian Endeavor. The active members take an obliga tion which is almost startling to the layman In its severity. Among other things, they promise "to strive to do whatever .Jesus would like to have them do; to support their own church in every way; to be true to all their duties, and to attend every meeting and take some part unless hindered by some reason which they can conscien tiously give to the Lord." This quota tion is not verbally exact, . but It fol lows the meaning fairly well. Surely a young person who can take such an obligation and keep it is most admira ble in his devotion to duty. But it has been noticed- by critics that a promise to "support one's church in every way" carries ominous implications in a na tion where the first duty of a citizen is to his country Instead of his church. Churches are not always to be obeyed either, by a good patriot or a good man, for they occasionally fall Into grievous error. It has not been observed, how ever, that the Christian Endeavor ob ligation has thus far led to any conflict between ecclesiastical and political duty, and It Is reported that the order is about to undertake an active cam paign for positive good citizenship. Thus it is that- theoretical bugaboos often lose all their terrors In practice. It is interesting, all the same, to re member that we have among us - a flourishing society comprising three and a half millions of the brightest young people In the world, all of whom stand solemnly pledged to "support their own churches In every way." The purpose of this pledge Is, of course, to avert the natural suspicion that the Endeavor Society might seek to supplant the various churches and organize its youthful members into a new sect. It has no such aim, being, in fact, perhaps the principal feeder of the evangelical churches. . During the past year, for example, some 170,000 Endeavorers graduated into the churches. This they could do without losing their society standing, since they may remain associate members all their days.. The associate promises to attend the society's prayer meetings regularly and "to do what he may be caiied upon to do to advance the inter ests of the society." Suppose a man with the inflexible purpose and relent less zeal of Ignatius Loyola should gain control of this society, bound as It Is by these pledges, and disposed to obey them implicitly as a duty to God. We ilght see some strenuous days in this land of religious freedom. But perhaps the time when a Loyola could appear has forever passed away. The actual aims of the Christian En deavor Society are admirable. If they are sometimes missed, human frailty Is responsible, and not the purpose of the order. If piety occasionally degen erates into formalism and religion in a member here and there becomes prig gish conceit, It Is natural, is it not? Human nature will display its little' pe culiarities even under the best aus pices. Upon the whole the society is a power for good whose services cannot be overestimated. Notwithstanding . certain tendencies toward formalism, it stands In the main for practical righteousness, for that religion which act Instead of expending Itself In empty words. In an age which Is al together too much given to adoration of material comforts and scrambling for, the wealth which brings them the Christian Endeavorers hold up the ideal of unselfish devotion to a transcenden tal aim. Against the thought which would Identify man with the beasts in his orjgin and destiny, they oppose in finite values and everlasting conse quences of conduct, asserting that we are "children of God and Joint heirs with Christ," whose lives shall attain fruition only in eternity. In a world like ours of today, such a society has a part'to play, and the part Is a great and noble-one. AGAIN, FIFTY YEARS. Fifty years ago Portland .stood already-at the head of the -business of the Northwest. Though other impor tant cities have grown up. they have risen in territory outside the oirc'.e Of Portland's active operations; yet such circle is larger now than it was then. We have a reminder in the adver tisements of Meier & Frank today, of another of the establishments which have held the name of Portland at the front during these fifty years. The be ginnings of this .one were as small relatively as those of The Oregonian some years earlier; yet no establish ment in, the country has made greater progress. The paean of their progress and suc cess. In their announcement today, is Justified by the history and the re sults. It la work like theirs In the mer cantile world that contributes mightily to the making of a city. Such results are not the fruits of accident. They come only through ceaseless activity and skill, and through steady service to the public of the quality tjiat the public approves. Such an establish ment, from its beginning and through out Its growth, is an epitome of the progress of the community In which Its success Is gained. HINDUS BRING NEW LABOR PROBLEM. More than a thousand Hindus have entered the State of Washington from British Columbia- within the cast montn, ana many more are coming. For several years these strange people from the Far East have been drifting Into British Columbia ports, but it Is only recently that 'they have discov ered that their rights as- British sub jects conferred on them the privilege of entering any country on earth whose bars were down to the British. The result of this discovery will be a heavy Increase In the Hindu population, not only of the Puget Sound cities, but all along the Coast. Last Winter a large number of the Hindus froze to death in British Columbia, being unable to withstand the rigors of the Winter. This, however, will not keep them out of the country, in a choice between nearly all starving to death In India and. a few freezing . to death . in this country. While the Hindu may have some points of superiority over much of the riffraff that comet) into the Atlantic seaports from the region of " the Old World, he Is still not on the preferred list as an Immigrant, and as his numbers increase he will awaken the same racial hatred that caused the exclusion of the Chinese and is now stirring up trouble over the Japanese. The Hindu, by reason of his being a subject of Great Britain, Is In a much better position for retaining .a resi dence here than either the Japanese or the Chinese, although from a labor standpoint either of the other, races would be more valuable to the coun try. This Hindu invasion, like that of the Chinese or. the Japanese, . will not provoke very much trouble so long as there is more work in the country than there are men to do it. The fruit farms and wheat farms of Washington can use a few thousand Hindus, or any other kind of laborers,, to excellent ad vantage; in fact, the farmers will be heavy losers unless they can secure more labor than is now in sight. But good times do not last forever, and It Is when there are more men than there are Jobs that the trouble begins. The "poor, benighted Hindu" Will do "the best he kin do" so long as the heavy surplus of work eliminates the color line. When, however, Patrick O'Toole, Giuseppe Damflno or some other recently arrived American citizen Is enable to find work, but in the search for it discovers that the Hindus have it, there will develop another op portunity for International complica tions. Meanwhile the Washington ranchers and sawmill-owners are prof iting by the presence of this new sup ply of labor and will do nothing to restrict the Inward flow. UNIFORMITY IN NORMAL. SCHOOLS One of the chief advantages of the newly-established plan of control of all normal schools by one board of regents is attainment of uniformity, both in educational work and in business man agement. . In the past each school has maintained Its own standard of in stnictlon, varying according to the ideals of the president, the amount of funds available and the ' necessity which every president felt of securing an attendance which would -make a good showing before the Legislature when that body came to the considera tion of appropriations. If there was at times a fair degree of uniformity, such a condition was due to the state ex aminations rather than to any har monious organization. To be a normal graduate at one Institution meant something altogether different, in the public mind at least, and probably In reality, than to have a diploma from another institution where the teaching force made It possible to maintain a higher standard of education. Tha new board of regents proposes to establish a uniform1 course of study. for all normals,' and the board will have the power to require compliance with the proscribed course at each school. In the business management there will also be uniformity, for one board will employ all instructors, fix salaries, purchase supplies and order improvements. Heretofore each institution has spent its money as It saw fit, one principle of the management being that the money available must -be spent some way before the expiration of the time for which appropriated. Local business men were in some instances on the boards of regents, and they were per sonally interested In the management, particularly where boarding halls were maintained. . Not infrequently mem bers of the boards had a financial In terest In contracts, in the making of which they participated as representa tives of the state. . , All this has been "changed by the ap pointment of a board composed of men who do not live in counties where nor mal schools are located. The new board will receive ' detailed reports monthly from the secretary, . showing the number of students at each Insti tution, the work they are pursuing, the number of Instructors, tha amount of money expended and for what purpose, and, in general, all information that may be necessary to show the board exactly what each Institution is doing and at what expense. If it deems such action advisable the board may divide the state Into districts, requiring stu dents from certain districts to attend certain normal schools, thus prevent ing crowding In one school where there is a dearth of students In another. In some instances an advantage may be gained by transferring an Instructor from one institution to another. It will thus be seen that in many ways unity of management is likely to result in increased efficiency and economy in maintenance. THE XEW FAD. As an elegant recreation, haying Vnust now be classed with golfing, motoring and slumming. President Roosevelt has stamped the game with his approval, both theoretically and practically. Of course, it will soon be come the rage in polite society, and we shall behold the. fine ladies and gilded youth of Portland and other cities flocking to the hay field, armed with rakes and pitchforks. Maud Muller will be the literary sponsor for the new fashion. The more enterprising of our mer chants have already ordered a large stock of straw hats and overalls to provide a lyroper costume for the players. Women haymakers will wear bloomers and shakers. Many young people of wealth and fashion are taking private lessons in haying. The best instructors . receive about the same pay as for bridge lessons. The course comprises riding the mower, riding the rake, shocking and pitching. Only those who have time and money to take an advanced or post-graduate course attack the subject of build ing a load. The leading Portland lecturer on this new society recreation is Professor Bugh Colic, who gives expert dem onstrations to his classes daily at Hay seed. Hall. Only persons in full dress are admitted. The professor takes out a sickle, grinds it, repairs a broken doubletree, and stops a runaway team in the most expert and graceful man ner. But "the stunt which never falls to elicit thunderous applause is his elegant method of rebuilding a load of hay that has tipped over Into a ditch. He is said to perform this feat without swearing. The farmers rejoice to see this new fad taking hold of oyr leisure classes, for it is now next to Impossible to get hay hands, and they expect that there will be an exodus from drawing rooms and club parlors to the lone some fields. Thus all things work to gether for good. Some persons say that the proper place for Attorney To-,nsend. who is probing the Southern Pacific land grants, is In Washington. That is what the railroad thinks, too. The railroad would prefer to have the attorney away from the county and state rec ords in Oregon, the land, the history of an lnfa.my nearly forty years old, the living witnesses to that infamy. Its Interweaving with the historical rec ords and the public demand for Justice. Tes, there are persons who would rather the attorney would consult only dusty,' aged documents in Washington, that tell not the tale of greed and ignominy. But never fear. There are United States attorneys still In Wash ington. There have been too many In Washington and too few in Oregon these forty years. The wheat yield of Umatilla County will be enormous. Harvesting Is in progress, with plenty of help to handle the grain, - The next thing in order will be" cars to move It. An early harvest and a plenteous year are assured. If the railroads do their part promptly and "effectively, tho farmers of the great Inland Empire will close the year's accounts with a large balance to their credit and evidences of pros perity all around them. What a mess the National Educa tional Association has made out of nothing. After resolving in favor of simplified spelling, it asks the secre tary when he publishes the proceedings to employ approved nineteenth century models or discredited twentieth century improvements to 'suit his taste. It hasn't the courage of its convictions. "All roads lead to Tillamook,"'- says The Oregonian. That means none leads to Coos Hay. Coos Bay Harbor. Truly and indeed how touchy we' are, when we take to ourselves a little thing, a mere ga.g of the olden time transformed, and think ft a slight! Of course all roads lead to Coos Bay as well as to Tillamook. Three or four persons named Grimes are said to be seeking election to the city government of West Seaside next Saturday. Perhaps they are trying to emulate. In a humble way, the Illus trious example of one or two nepotic families in the Oregon state govern ment. The East Side man who has planned a house without chimneys; because he intends to use gasoline for light and fuel, will have a piece of property on the market before long or stovepipes out of the window. Of course it is, not to be suspected that prosecution of certain indicted persons for land fraud lags for lack jof evidence to convict or for desire of prosecuting officials to "let go." No mention was made in the report of the Rose Festival committee of the largest - asset, namely: twenty-five thousand gardens ready to produce blooms for next year's show. Americans of speculative bent can not complain that the Chicago wheat market the .past month has afforded no opportunity for him who wants to take a chance. By refusing to give their witness fees to charity the Standard Oil mag nates reveal the stingy thrift that has built up the biggest money machine in the world. While the Portland hotel lists pub lished dally grows longer, .the supply of rooms remains stationary. We need more accommodations. There seems no answer po the alab wooi trust's question, "What are you going to do abcut It?" except pay the price. Who can remember a more pleasant season of July weather than blessed Portland the past week? COMMENT ON CURRENT STATE TOPICS OnJ-et I.eaaon to Orcbordlats in the- Recent Cherry Knlr at Salem Wide Culture of Tbla Superior Fruit Blunders to Avoid In Coarrele Structures raclflc Northwest Has Made La r its Loans to tbc East One Inconvenience of Late Trains Fort Klamath Trout Fishing What Electric Lines Will Do. HERRIES have been the center of 4 very wide attention for some time, ' because this state has harvested a I remarkably large crop and because there has been held at Salem a cherry fair which excelled anything of the kind ever held anywhere "else In the country. This has been a favorable year for this par ticular fruit and the prices have been unusually high. Though some growers have complained that cannerymen did not pay as high a price as buyers in neighboring states were paying, no one has been heard to say that there Is not a good profit in growing cherries at the prices given. On the contrary, it was as serted by one prominent speaker at the convention of Pacific Coast Nurserymen that if the growers could be assured of a price every year as good as they re ceived this season, in a few years there would De more cherries' produced than could be canned and marketed. Even without such assurance, and with only the knowledge that 5 cents a pound has been paid this year, farmers are plan ning to go quite extensively into cherry growing. That there is this year a ready market for much larger quantities of cherries than Oregon has produced and that Oregon cherries, because of su perior quality, can always be sold wherever cherries are In demand, form the basis for the rapid extension of the industry- The question of over-production seems not to worry the Oregon pro ducer, for he feels that if excessive sup ply shall eventually drive some one out of the business, the Eastern grower of Inferior fruit must yield the day. Con ceding that prices cannot be expected every year as high, as this year, the Ore gon grower is undlscouraged, for he has no doubt that in accordance with the law of the survival of the fittest, his product will always find a profitable market. The frequently suggested danger of over doing the industry occasions no anxiety, for few, if any, propose to devote them selves to the growing of the one fruit. They will make cherries but one feature of their horticultural products. CLOSING one's eyes to disagreeable facts is easier and pleasanter than candidly facing them. Cherrygrowers would find much more satisfaction In viewing their exhibits at the distance of a few feet than at a distance so short as to reveal the presence of blemishes, but, if reports are correct, the growers who exhibited fruits at the recent cherry fair were honest enough with themselves to Inspect their fruit closely and acknowledge that It was not entirely free from criti cism. It must have been rather mor tifying for growers to be informed by speakers from their own platform that some of the fruit exhibited by tiiem in contests for premiums bore unmistaka ble evidence of tho presence of .San Jose scale. Tet it Is not discreditable for an orchardlt to have scale on his trees, for it is known to be impossible to eradicate the pest entirely. It is no rlisgrace t6 have some remaining signs of the scale on a tree If .one has done all he can to destroy It, but that grower will have a hard time exonerating himself who was so careless as to pack Infected fruit, especially when that fruit was Intended for exhibition. The few specimens of diseased cherries doubtless served to emphasize the fact that the great majority of the exhibits were free from blemish and to remind growers that with cherries as with other fruits, intelligent care Is essen tial, not only in caring for trees, but In gathering and packing- the product. EIX FORCED concrete is compara tively new as a building material, but there is considerable interest In re sults obtained from Its use for the reason that cement can be manufactured here on the Coast and the increased use of concrete will encourage the development of a ce ment Industry. Quickness of construction and comparative cost are the Important particulars In which concrete excels as a building material, and If it can be relied upon -for strength and durability It prom ises to come Into common use. The re port of the collapse of a new concrete building in Philadelphia last Wednesday and the recollection of the collapse of two concrete buildings In California some months ago may occasion some hesitancy and Investigation, but need not cause abandonment of the yse of this material. ft will be noticed that In each Instance In which a concrete building has col lapsed, the fall was due not to any lack of strength In the material, but to care lessness in Its use or In the selection of a foundation. The proper methods to be pursued In mixing and laying concrete arc well known, as also Is the strength of a wall of given dimensions, when rightly constructed. The accidents that have oc curred serve not to discredit but to Im press upon builders the necessity of un remitting care In every stage of the build ing operations. In the case of the struc ture in Philadelphia the accident was said to be due to the removal of the moulds before the cement had "set." Profiting by the lesson thus presented, Oregon builders will avoid a possible repetition of the catastrophe by carefully following well-known rules in the use of cement. Buch an accident here would not only mean loss In the particular Instance, but would tend to discourage the use of a material which has much to commend it. PROSPERITY In the Pacific Northwest Is usually evidenced In public state ments by statistics of bank deposits, real estate transfers, building permits and bank clearings. National bank examiners have recently completed a tour of Ore gon, Washington and Montana and have gathered the very gratifying Information that In these three states there Is $50, 000,090 loaned on Eastern paper. Figures such as these present a vastly different picture of prosperity than was witnessed ten years ago when Western borrowers were begging for an extension of time on loans already overdue to Eastern credi tors. That deposits in banks in these states are heavier than ever before and that upon loans made by these banks to local borrowers there Is now a much less sum overdue than ever Before, Is gen erally known. Adding to this the further Information regarding the amount of Northwest capital loaned East, completes a story of prosperity that la almost un believable. If the Southern Pacific la unaccom modating in some respects, perhaps It more than makes up for the deficiency by being over-aeeommodatlng In other particulars. It Is related by travelers who came Into Portland on an afternoon train a .few days ago that at one of the Valley towns the train was on time. The fact that it was on time probably ac counted for the failure of a number of In tending passengers to be a the depot be fore the train started. However that may be. the train was getting up good speed when the engineer saw a group of peo ple running in his direction and waving hands and hats most vigorously. He stopped his train to' let them aboard and pulled out again. A couple of hundred yards further he met another crowd running for the depot and stopped again for them. Through passengers who were anxious to get to the metropolis were quite likely provoked by the delays, but tile local passengers who were thus en abled to proceed upon their journeys un doubtedly felt thankful to the engineer and disliked Mr. Harrinian a little less. SEVERAL of tho larger towns along the Southern Pacific and O. R & N. lines are building up quite a summer business by manufacturing Ice cream to be distributed in quantities to small towns where dealers find It more profitable to buy this refreshment than to ' make it themselves. In a few places the. quantity of material used in the manufacture of Ice cream makes a noticeable difference in the supply available for the manu facture of butter, but the creameries fiud " as much profit in selling cream to the manufacturers of ic cream as In making butter of It themselves, so theyreo not -complain. The small country dealer can, buy his ice cream in a freezer and keep it several days, or as long as his .patrons require to consume It. PORT KLAMATH residents who enjoy trout fishing are much wrought up over the wholesale destruction of trout In the ' irrigation ditches. Some time ago they complained to the Master Fish War-' den that farmers do not place screens at the entrances of their oanals and ditches, ' and as a result the trout swim out into the small ditches and finally become stranded in the fields. They say that the warden promised to have his deputies enforce the law regarding the placing of screens and that he gave the deputies Instructions accordingly, but nothing has been done. The lovers of trout fishing are renewing their protest through tho columns of Klamath County papers and Intimate that good Intentions will not . save the fUh. They want the screens. ; THOSE Willamette Valley business men who fear that the extension' of electric lines from Portland Into the Interior will take business away from' them and divert it to the metropolis,' may be somewhat relieved by the in- formation that an .Albany Job printer has gone into the Portland field and secured a large amount of work, doingl work to the amount of $2000 a year for' one Portland merchant. Lower rent,! lower wages, lower living expenses,' lower Insurance, enable the. Albany printer to compete with the Portland houses. In many other lines of Indus- . try the .same thing can be done, and -will be done more extensively when1 lower passenger fares and a more fre quent service sftcrd better means of communication. ELECTRICITY RVN.MNG AMUCK. Short Circuit Muke Iron and Copper Fuse Into White, Hot Fluid. New York Despatch. For the first time since the intro duction of high-power currents for runing heavy trains the public recently had a demonstration on the New York Central viaduct, at Ono Hundred and Twenty-sixth street and Park avenue, of what destruction is possible when this powerful current of electricity is short circuited. Those who dared ap proach within half- a block of the fire saw streams of molten Iron and copper pouring down into the street like so much water and saw the heavy iron pipes, wires and steel rails melted Into a white hot fluid as if they were made of wax. For half an hour the destroying cur rent had its own way, melting the conduits and wires from One Hundred and Twenty-fifth street to One Hund red and Twenty-seventh street, and bespattering the pavement with a coat ing of metal. Firemen dared not turn on a stream, fearing that the 'Water would act as a conductor and cause them to be electrocuted. There was nothing to be done In the way of con trolling the powerful element until the current could be turned off at the power-house, and that required nearly 30 minutes. Then came the roar of an explosion. Women screamed and men tumbled over one another to pet -out of the way. On the station platfofm some darted down stairways and others dodged be hind piles of trunks and trucks as it confronted by a battery in action. There is no woodwork on the via duct except the ties that are imbedded in stone ballast, but five seconds after the first report the entire structure, for a block appeared to be blazing and a huge cloud of smoke rolled down Into the street. Then a' stream of something began to trinkle to the pavement. At first no one could make out what it was. A group of boys ran toward it, but quickly darted back, with their hands and faces pitted from the spatter of molton iron. Second by second the stream gre larger until the street was fairly flooded with liquid iron and copper. Incesant roar of the explosions, to gether with the dense smoke and wild shouts, caused the greatest excitemnt. For a time the scene was one of panic. Horses with heavy loads became un manageable, women ran out of the shops crying hysterically. When the current was at last turned off the explosions ceased Instantly and the flamea disappeared. For a few minutes the red-hot Iron glowed, the melted metal quivered In pools' and then the smoke lifted and the firemen went to work. For three blocks, wherever the rails wr.re not melted, they . were twisted Into all sorts of shapes. Here and there the current partly melted the steel beams of the viaduct and the four Inch Iron tubes that had carried some of the wires were almost entirely con sumed. In the street the asphalt pave ment was melted in places where tha streams of liquid metal had fallen upon it. . Origin of "Grog. ? Notes and Queries. Admiral Vernon of the British navy was known as "Old Grog," because of his famous coat of grogram cloth. Be fore his time rum was served to British, sailors neat, but In 1745 he ordered It to be diluted with water. The drink thus produced was dubbed "grog," . in honor of the Admiral. J, J