THE MORNING- OREGONIAIN', MONDAY, AUGUST 21, 1905.
Entered at the Postofflce at Portland, Or.,
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PORTLAND. OR.. MONDAY. AUG. 21. 1D05
IN OUR SOUTHERN STATES.
Even our Southern States, which have
vast supply of negro labor, complain
that labor is scarce, everywhere. The
negro is the dependence for general
labor. He can live on little. He is
"shiftless." He prepares no store, or
little store, for the future. The climate
favors him. He can live. In his way,
without Intense effort. And so he lives.
Outdoor labor and field labor In our
Southern States is performed almost
wholly by negroes. So of domestic la
bor or household labor. Heavy or "dir
ty" work on the streets, servants' -work
in households, is performed entirely by
negroes. We know, therefore, -what a
representative journal of the South (the
Dallas News) means, when it says that
"a larce number of the former laborers
have during recent years come to be
chronic loungers about the towns, dens
and dives. Most of the cooks do not
last more than" a week, and many of
them will not remain at any place at
which their prerogative of passing out
food to their chums and relatives is
modified. It is very much the same
vith the man about the place, with
field hands and help In other lines. It
has grown worse and worse, until the
situation is barely tolerable in some of
the sporty and Illy regulated communi
ties." That is. the nigger doesn't have to
work in order to live, and to propa
gate his kind: that is. he doesn't have
to live and work on the basis set by the
superior race and the first families. The
human element enters here, and the
-nigger has a little of it Even in the
South your superior first families can't
work him beyond a. certain .limit. The
"dam nigger" asks. "What for?"
How would it do for the first families
to get down to work with the nigger on
his own ground and drive him out of
business? But it can't be done through
the Ladd bank and pink teas and holier-than-thou
pretensions. There is no
unlimited supply of franchises that can
be sold for six million dollars.
TWO QUESTIONS "STRADDLED."
"Straddling" is said to be a play of
politicians, who fear to take one side of
the fence: therefore when a body of
men like those comprising the Trans -Mississippi
Congress, professing to de
spise the ways of politicians, do "strad
dling" themselves, there is room for
wonder.
On the auestion of excluding Chinese
coolies and that of curbing railroads by
enlargement of the powers of the Inter
state Commerce Commission, the Con
gress, did two clever feats", wherein they
put the politicians quite in the shade.
In these, the Congress played the part
of wisdom, perhaps, by gliding over a
skln surface, which, if broken, might
have dropped the assembly Into a po
litical cauldron. In this sense, "strad
dling" may have .been the better part of
valor.
The Congress would not proclaim
itself in favor of excluding coolies, and
because it could not advocate their ad
mission Into this country it classed
them with "all undesirable persons from
even' country." and declared that all
such should be excluded, despite the ob-
vIous certainty that while there might
be a small degree of racial affinity be
tween Americans and the most lowly
Europeans, between Americans and
Chinese of every sort there can be none
"whatever.
The Congress was controlled by com
mercial interests, which desire to ward
off the Chinese boycott. Those Interests
succeeded in securing a resolution
which threw sop on the one side to the
oycotters in China by sliding over-coolie
exclusion, and on the other side to
Pacific Coast Americans by putting
.coolies with '"all undesirable persons
from every country."
The Congress could have made a
clear, decisive utterance on the coolie
exclusion auestion. The United States
Jieed6 make no apologies for exclusion
of that class of immigrants. It needs
not?to.say that European riff-raff is as
"undesirable" as coolie riff-raff, for this
is manifestly false..
This country should admit the "priv
ileged classes" of China, such as mer
chants, tourists and teachers. If the
boycott can be staved off by their ad
mission, well and good. But If admis
sion of coolies is to be the price of
American trade in China, the United
States would better withhold the price.
On regulation of Interstate railroad
rates the Congress resolved for "rigid
enforcement - of existing laws as the
proper remedy for the unmixed evil of
rebates, discrimination in freight and
express rates, and special privileges to
private car lines' by. railway com
panies." This is all the resolution con
tained. It was strangely .silent on the
question, paramount In this, country, of
giving the Interstate Commerce Com
mission amplified power of adjusting
rail rates, to meet the issue of the day
that of equitable freight charges. The
existing laws do not meet the day's ex
igencies. President Roosevelt in his
advocacy of enlarged powers for the
Commission is not backed up by the
Trans-Mississippi Congress.
OBSTACLE TO MALHEUR PROJECT.
Despite the protests of representatives
of the owners of the Willamette Val
ley and Cascade Mountain wagon-road
lands that they desire the success of
the Malheur irrigation project, the fact
remains that they now stand In the
way of active work on the part of the
Reclamation Service.' It-may be true,
as claimed, that the holders of the
wagon-road lands are anxious to aid
the Government in expediting the work,
but that view of the situation is scarce
ly supported by the attitude of the
grant land Interests in the past.
At the session of the Legislature last
Winter, when the property-owners of
the Malheur irrigation region were try
ing to get a bill through the Legisla
ture incorporating the Malheur irriga
tion district, and authorizing' the Issu
ance of bonds for the purpose of pro
moting the irrigation project, the agents
of the grant landowners were before
the committee on irrigation vigorously
fighting the measure. So fierce was
the opposition that an effort was made
to whin members of the Legislature
into line through the Influence of a
party machine. When that fight was
on. the Altschul interests were not con
spicuous in "doing everything possible
to aid the desirable end," if the success
of the reclamation enterprise may be
considered the end desired. It was not
with the aid of Altschul or his repre
sentatives that the bill was passed, but
It was In spite of them. The bill was
passed, not upon the influence of cor
porate or capitalistic infleunce, but in
response to the unanswerable argu
ments of Attorney McCulloch. who rep
resented the Malheur Water Users' As
sociation. The mere fact that Altschul's agents
and the agents of the Reclamation
Service drew up a set of articles of
agreement to be submitted to the Sec
retary of the Interior is small showing
of a willingness to co-operate in the
work of the Government. The very
first article of the proposed agreement
Is that Altschul shall be the sole Judge
of how much ojf his land shall be em
braced within the irrigation district
and become subject to the Government
regulations. How far would the Irriga
tion project go if all property-owners
Insisted upon making this kind of an
agreement with the Government? Pos
sibly Altschul might find 20,000 out of
his 25.000 acres of land suitable to be
placed under the irrigation system, as
his representative intimates but there
is no assurance that he would And any
amount suitable. The proposed agreee
ment leaves the question entirely to
him. and since It is difficult to see how
any one could expect the Government
to accept such a stipulation, it seems
unnecessary to go farther to find evi
dence that the owners of the wagon
road lands are standing in the way of
the reclamation work on the Malheur.
Doubtless other articles of the proposed
agreement are as one-sided as this.
The assertion that the present owners
of the wagon-road lands bought them
from the Willamette "Valley & Cascade
Mountain Wagon Road Company upon
the credit of certificates from the Gov
ernors of Oregon and paid gold coin for
them. Is no answer to the charge that is
made. No one contends that the Gov
ernment has a legal right to force the
Altschul interests to make a contract
of any kind for the reclamation of their
land. It is conceded that the land is
owned by private holders who have the
power to do with It as they please. The
complaint that has been made for years
is that the wagon-road grant lands
have always stood in the way of indus
trial development, the owners hoping
some time to realize a large profit from
the enhancement of values through im
provements made by owners of adjacent
property. It is asserted by reliablores
idents of Malheur County that sections
of wagon-road land are left in their
arid condition, while adjoining sections,
owned by homesteaders, have been im
proved and made productive, though
one section is no more susceptible of
improvement than the other. This pol
icy the owners of the wagon-road lands
have the power to pursue, but if they
choose to do so they should not com
plain when they are charged with
blocking the development of the coun
try. PROOFS OF PROSPERITY.
It is- productive year for "The Ore
gon CourTtryT 'UnjtJiD yhole the-most
productive and prosperous year it ever
has known. Of some few productive
industries the output may fall short a
little of that of last year; but on the
whole the results will be much greater.
"The Oregon Country" is the whole
region that flies the American flag,
north of the forty-second parallel and
west of the "Rocky Mountains. Every
part of it is doing welL Every part of
it feels the impulse of new and vigor
ous movement. It is turning out, in
the aggregate, far greater amounts of
all products than at any former time.
Oregon is getting ahead, and Wash
ington is getting ahead, and Idaho is
getting ahead, and Alaska, that was
not part of the original Oregon Coun
try, but has since been annexed. Is get
ting ahead. In this whole region of the
Pacific Northwest, settlers are arriving
In rapidly increasing numbers. We shall
receive this year three hundred thou
sand to take up permanent residence
with us. They are clearing lands, they
are building homes and planting fruits,
and rearing cattle and growing wheat,
and mining gold and lifting coal, and
shearing sheep and catching fish, and
sawing lumber and pushing railroad ex
tension. And the new movement is stirring the
sluggish blood of the "old settler." It
is an inspiration to him and a guide.
It teaches him how. The effect of it Is
seen in every part of the Pacific Norta-
west: not less in those parts of older
settlement which were long in isola
tion. We shall see in the Oregon Country,
and especially in Old Oregon, more
growth In the next two -years than we
have seen in the past thirty. Proofs
of the movement are visible everywhere.
OFFICIAL NETOTISM.
Recent disclosures in the practice of
nepotism throughout official life In
Washington, from the office of Vice
President down through all grades of
Government places, reveal nothing new.
Reform of this type of "graft," If It
ever comes, must come from within.
Public opinion, charged with righteous
Indignation, may lampoon the Vice
President, the United States Senator,
the Secretary of Agriculture and the
multitude of officials of lesser note, who
keen Idle sons, or Incompetent nephews
on the Government payroll, and may
demand that ways and means be found
to correct this flagrant abuse of official
privilege.
But men in official positions have not
enough personal and family pride to
prevent them from putting their sons
and other relatives on the official pau
per list so there is no help for the abuse
of which complaint is made.
Take, for example, the latest case of
nepotism that has come to light. Sec
retary Wilson, carrying his son Jasper
on the Government payroll, desired, as
an Indulgent father, to give the young
man a pleasant Summer outing. He
conceived the idea, or it was suggested
by Jasper's having some mining prop
erties there that he wished to look after,
of sending him to Alaska. Certain al
leged violations of the game laws in
Alaska gave the excuse of a needed in
vestigation.' and Jasper hied him to the
Far North in the delightful Summer
time of last year, looked after his mines
and in due time turned in a report in
exact line with reports that Government
agents, already drawing salaries for
such work, furnish In the regular
course of official duty. With Jasper's
report came an expense account of J 00
for his trip, while his salary for work
that he was supposed to be attending
to in Washington was going on mean
while. Now it is plain that If our good Sec
retary of Agriculture Is not above a
petty graft of this kind, that he cannot
be raised above It by act of Congress.
If the Vice-President finds In this office
a chance to give his sons money that
they earn but nominally, he can only
be restrained from so doing by personal
pride and public spirit. And if a Uni
ted States Senator can bring sufficient
"influence" to bear to foist his son, un
fit bv Nature and education, into an
honorable and responsible position in
the Army, he can only be restrained
from so doing by manly principle and
pride of character.
Lacking these, the son will be hailed
as "Lieutenant." though he has not
earned the title, and will be "fixed for
life" though he prove notoriously un
worthy of the honor that belongs to
his politically bought military position.
The people take periodical spells of
chaffing at these things, but in the
presence of the fact that our public
men are not above foisting their sons
and their daughters and their more re
mote kin on the public maintenance,
this chaffing and its attendant clamor
count for nothing.
FIGHTING PLAGUE MOSQUITOES.
A personal letter to the editor, from
H. F. Alciatore. of the United States
Meteorological Service at New Orleans,
encloses a report on yellow fever there,
made by Dr. Luther Sexton, accom
panied by this statement from Mr. Al
clatore himself, who for several years
was on the staff of the Weather Bu
reau at Portland:
If yea wrre to visit New Orleans today
and did nt knw that yellow. fever ex
isted here, you would never suspect that
anything was wrong.
In his report Dr. Sexton fully accepts
the mosquito theory. He has no doubt,
therefore, that yellow fever can be con
trolled and exterminated. There is no
effective prevention but destruction of
the mosauito or avoidance of its bite.
Hence, the exhortation to destroy Its
breeding places.
New Orleans is pushing a campaign
in this direction. But the disease was
somewhat widely spread before the
proper effort began.
All persons are warned to be partic
ularly careful of their dress, covering,
as far as practicable, every part of the
body against the mosquito. Dr. Sexton
believes that, if proper care is exercised,
there Is not one chance in one thousand
of taking the fever, and under present
treatment only eight out of one thou
sand who do take it die.
CANAL WORK INSUPERABLE?
Does the work to be done at Panama,
which our country has pledged Itself
to execute, present insuperable diffi
culty? The problem Is labor. The
Washington Post sent a special corre
spondentLeslie J. Perry well known
to the newspaper world down to Pan
ama to see. He makes a very discour
aging report. The real reason, he says,
why Engineer Wallace threw up his
hands and his job and came home was
that our endeavors to dig the Panama
Canal have proved hopelessly abortive;
and he adds that while Mr. Sbonts and
Engineer Stevens came down to the
Isthmus with very optimistic views of
what had been done, and what they
themselves would be able to achieve,
they have quickly come to a realization
of the almost Insurmountable difficul
ties that confront them.
"An Inipresslon has "been officially
fostered from here," says Mr. Perry,
writing from Culebra, "that everything
was going on satisfactorily. The em
ployes, high and low, have known bet
ter. It has been a record of failure
from the beginning." And then he adds:
"The staring, pictorial shortcoming at
the outset was a total lack of Intelli
gent, courageous leadership. They
have no organization, no forethought,
no preparation, no co-operation, or co
ordination, no morale, on top or under
neath. Without exaggeration It has
been utter disorganisation, even demor
alization, reckless or Ignorant disregard
of certain precautions fundamental to
the successful prosecution of an tinder
taking of this magnitude in this lati
tude." At the bottom of the difficulty is the
fact that the labor obtainable accom
plishes little or nothing. It cannot be
made energetic or efficient Mr. Perry
declares that Americans themselves are
greatly discouraged: and the digging of
the canal by this country has actually
become a matter of derision to the na
tives. It has come to a pass that it Is
not unusual to hear Intelligent Ameri
cans on the Isthmus predict that at
the rate we are now' going, it will take
not a day less than fifty years to com
plete the canal at a cost which It is ut
terly Impossible now to estimate.
Messrs. Shonts and Stevens, says this
correspondent, "left the States predis
posed to hold cheap the stories from the
isthmus: to hold cheap the stories from
here of chaos and discontent believing
them to be the exaggerated .expression
of stampeded, prejudiced witnesses.
They are disillusioned. Mr. Shonts, head
of the Washington bureau, has seen a
great light One tour of Inspection has
changed his smile of superior confidence
Into the worried scowl of the official
who finds himself up against a tough
proposition."
We must achieve this work; but the
cost will almost certainly be greatly In
excess of original estimates, and the
time much longer.
i
Many times of late little Billy Ladd's
organ of plutocracy and franchise
grabs has asserted that The Oregonlan
was on the road to the bow-wows; that
the management was so frightfully bad
that the paper had taken the toboggan
slide to destruction; that its circulation
and business were pretty much all
gone; that readers didn't want the pa
per any more and so on and so on.
Now, with, proper respect to the man
whose greatness lies in the inheritance
of his father's wealth, we take leave to
say there Is excellent reason to believe
that The Oregonlan is "standing the
strain" fully as well as the Ladd & Til
ton bank, and is a least as free from
"mismanagement" and "degeneracy."
The newspapers of Oregon are The
Morning Oregonlan and The Evening
Telegram. Every one knows that these
Journals, only, contain the news and all
the news. They do more business, twice
over, than all other papers In the state;
this year they are doing much more
than ever before, both In circulation
and advertisements; both are more
prosperous than at any former time in
their history. They do not need the
commiseration of little Billy nor the
help of his little old tin-cup bank, and
are indifferent alike to his personal hos
tility and to the yelp of his hired
hounds. The Oregonlan began before
the day of the Ladd bank, and will last
longer, and longer than Its subsidized
newspaper. No need to worry.
Now that one of the shacks on Thur
man street, dignified by the appellation
of Inn. has been destroyed by fire, in
volving loss of life, the city authorities
have discovered that the building was
of flimsiest construction. This is no
news except to the blind. There are
scores of habitations In the same neigh
borhood built on exactly the same plan
as the State Room Inn. They were In
tended for occupation during the Fair
and will probably hold together until
the middle of October. Some pessimis
tic Are insurance men hold to the theory
that friction between a policy and an
unprofitable building or business often
produces spontaneous combustion. This
does not apply to Saturday morning's
fire: vet on Thurman street between
Twentv-fourth and Twenty-eighth,
there is a field for Investigation by the
city's Health Department by the Build
ing Inspector, by the Chief of the Fire
Department and by the board of under
writers. And the Civic Improvement
League could "get busy" at the same
time.
From St Paul comes the astonishing
announcement that the Great Northern
Railroad has voluntarily reduced rates
on grain from North Dakota and Mon
tana to the Great Lakes. Most excel
lent Gain to ta farmers Jn the sec
tions affected wltl be between $2,000,000
and 53.009.000. Why this reduction? One
dispatch tells that It Is a profit-sharing
plan of Mr. Hill: another dispatch says
he has started a fight against the "Soo"
line. Whatever the motive, let us hope
that the rates fixed for the year's crop
will never be raised
This country to a man will sympa
thize with Mark. Twain over his attack
of gout He doesn't deserve It. because
he Is not a high liver and drinks the
Juice of the grape in moderation. His
multitude of admirers will wish him
speedy recovery, and would no doubt
like to read a characteristic paper on
the trouble from his pen. Such an es
say would be worth 40 cents a word or
thereabout to any one of half a dozen
up-to-date magazines.
Five-cent car fares in Portland are a
surprise to the Attorney-General of
Ohio. F. S. Monnett who remarked at
the Civics Conference last Saturday:
"Three cents Is enough for a city of
this size." But when a street-car sys
tem like the Consolidated of this city
is capitalized so high that Ave per cent
dividends cannot be derived from the
public on a three-cent fare, Mr. Mon
nett's surprise is out of place.
The suggestion of a Joe Meek day at
the Fair is timely. At his cry. "Who's
for a divide!" at Chamnoeg, Or., May 3,
1S43. flftv-two Americans sprang away
from fifty Britishers and French Cana
dians and set up the first American
government west of the Rocky Moun
tans. That act gave the Oregon Coun
try to the United States. By all means
a day in memory of Joe Meek, the
patriot Virginian.
Autumn's coming Is put off a while,
and Portland's hillsides will grow gold
en slowly. Early last week rains broke
in on August's unwonted heat and
seemed to usher in Autumn's keenness,
but it only restored Oregon's midsum
mer cool, the kind that has been fa
mous since the early settlers came.
Russia will yield to Japan's present
peace demands only after more war.
And then after more war. Japan's pres
ent demands will. look cheap to Russia.
The Czar's government Is resolved to
save Its "honor." but the price of "hon
or" may go up after the next battle.
An able, secretary of the Trana -Mississippi
Congress is Arthur' F. Francis,
of Crloole Creek. Colo. The Congress
did well to re-elect him. for his famil
iarity with the affairs of the organiza
tion and his faithful service.
Secretary Bonaparte starts his official
term welL His investigation of boilers
in war vessels is going to be no per
functory Job. and he does not object to
publicity.
Owners of Irvlngton race horses are
"broke" and are selling fine horses at
oheap prices. It's an 11! wind that
blows nobody good.
The Federal Judgeship contest seems
to be a game of "Button, button, who's
got the button?"
Albany is to have a new depot May
be Mr. Harrlman stopped there for
luncheon.
0REG0N0Z0NE
Dope.
The poet lacked an Inspiration:
He smoked a clear Havana, but
From shining skies of high, creation
His .hapless spirit still was shut
And then he puffed a pipe of amber.
With flaky, fragrant mixture filled;
But still his vision could not clamber
Parnassian slopes with rapture thrilled.
He tried a cigarette; it faded
And left him stranded high and dry
A thing dejected, dull and jaded:
His wings poetic would not fly.
And .then he smoked three stifling stogies,
And under such a Stygian spell
He dreamed an epic dream of .bogies
And walked with Dante clean through
hell!
The contractor who supplies food for
the prisoners In Portland's jail Is a brave
man. When the prisoners went on strike
and refused to eat the inevitable hash,
this hero visited the jail and calmly par
took of a bite of the hash in the presence
of the Inmates. A less courageous man
would have taken his dog along for' the
test
An automobilist named Hack butted into
a gentleman named Butts at Cape May,
N. J., and both were Injured. Possibly
the names confused both. Mr. Butts may
have mistaken the nature of Mr. Hack's
vehicle, and Mr. Hack may have mistaken
Mr. Butts for a blllygoat
Russia doesn't propose to have a billion
of her coin turned into japanned tin.
A Boston Transcript correspondent tells
us that the proper pronunciation of the
word July places the accent on the first
syllable. He quotes an Iambic line from
Edmund Spenser to -uphold his claim that
our English forefathers so accented it,
and sets forth that. Inasmuch as the
word is derived from the first name of
Julius Caesar it should be spoken to
rhyme with "duly." But may not the
late Mr. Spensor have been In error? Con
sider the multiplicity of present-day
rhymesters who are passing the word
Willamette down to posterity as it Is not
spoken.
Seattle wants an Alaskan exposition in
107. to celebrate some anniversary or oth
er. Los Angeles wants to commemorate
the centennial of the pony express in 1SC0.
Sedalia, Mo., already has on foot a project
to centennlalize Missouri in 1320. We
hereby propose an exposition in Panama,
In the year 2205, In celebration of the first
centennial of the opening of the Panama
Canal.
Michigan has broken out in a new spot
She has a bad case of poetry, and un
less the doctors of letters from Ann Arbor
do something speedily to relieve the Wol
verine State, there is imminent danger
that this mosquito of the muses will In
oculate other parts of the commonwealth
and the sugary fame of the well-known
Sweet Singer of Michigan will be eclipsed.
The Oregonlan is In receipt of a propsl
tion from this latest victim of the mi
crobe to supply it "daily for the Fair
with an enthusiastic piece." A descrip
tion of a sample from the output states
that "it Just fits the wild and wooly West
and it will start a reading epidemic
amongst all that can read English. Your
competitors in the journalistic field would
swear that you had shanghaied the spooks
of Bill Nye, Bob Ingersoll. Henry Ward
Beecher and Brigham Young." In the
words of the late Artemus Ward (whose
spook Is not Included), this is tew mutch!
Uncle Robert's Essays.
NO. 7 THE PRUNE.
Some people hold that prunes are a
good thing to have in the family, but I
don't know. I have a feeling that the
person who stands up for prunes must
be full of them. Prunes do not agree
with me, and I do not agree with them.
Once I organized a boycott on the prune,
but it failed; that is. the boycott did; the
prune won out, because It was in an over
whelming majority. That was in New
York City. When I lived in New York I
served time In several boarding-houses.
What rice Is to the' Chinese, the prune Is
to the New York boarding-house. You
get it three times a day.
At breakfast they serve prunes as an
appetizer. If you eat prunes and get full
of prunes, you won't eat anything else,
and In that way the poor landlady in
creases her profit.
Then at luncheon you get prunes served
as a relish, i never knew any of the
boarding-house Inmates to relish them,
but that makes no difference to the
prunes. The prune has none of tho finer
sensibilities; Its feelings are not hurt if
you scorn it; In fact, it possesses the im
mobility of the mummy.
At dinner in the New York boarding
house we had prunes served as dessert
But they were the same prunes that were
served as an appetizer and as a relish.
Nobody ever ate them in any of their
three capacities. They survived time and
change, being themselves unchangeable.
They defied alike the tooth of time and
the tooth of the boarder. The prune is
immortal.
One dish of the brand of prunes they
serve at a New York boarding-houso will
outlast a generation, and If the landlady's
successor will send tho fruit to a glazier
and get it reglazed, or to an upholsterer
and have It reupholstercd, or to an
Egyptian mummy and have It remumml
fied. It will continue to do duty for her
and her children, and their children's chil
dren, even down unto the seventh gener
ation and then some.
The British evacuated New York be
cause of the prune.
All the Summer resorts In the viclnlty
of New York owe their existence to the
prune, the populace taking to the woods
or the seashore to get away from the
prune.
George Washington was Inaugurated
President Of the United States in New
YorkCIty, but he refused to stay there
because New York was full of prunes.
ROBERTUS LOVE.
Origin of tho Steol Pen.
Louisville Courier-Journal.
."We owe the steel pen." said an in
ventor, "to a man named Gillott Jo
seph Glllott an Englishman.
Gillott was a jeweler. He lived in
Birmingham. One day, accidentally
splitting the end of one of his fine
steel jewel-making tools, he threw it
peevishly on the floor.
"An hour later It was necessary for
him to write a letter. Where, though,
was his quill pen? He searched high
and low, but couldn't find It Looking
finally on the floor, he discovered, not
the pen. but the broken steel tool.
'"I wonder if I couldn't make shift
to write with this? he said.
"And he tried to write with the split
steel, and. of course, he succeeded per
fectly. "To this episode we owe the steel
penwhich has superseded the quill all
over the world."
LETTERS ON CURRENT TOPICS
Primary Lair Yet to Be Proved a
For Pare Food Suggestion to
LA GRANDE, Or., Aug. 18. (To the
Editor.) As the time approaches for the
next state election, we hear a great deal
of discussion as to the merits and de
merits of the present direct primary law.
That the direct primary law is Imperfect
and could be Improved by amendment. Its
most ardent supportere admit That it is
a failure or has so far proven a failure
they deny. That the distinguished and
worthy Republican candidate for Mayor
of Portland was defeated at the recent
election in that city is no more evidence
that the direct primary law is a failure
than it is evidence that the City of Port
land is Democratic Everyone knows that
local Issues caused the defeat of the Re
publican candidate.
The fact also remains that the whole
Republican ticket with the exception of
Mayor was elected. True, George H.
Williams might not have been nominated
under the convention system, but can any
one doubt that the result would have been
the same had he been so nominated.
Again, have we not numerous Illustra
tions In tho political history of .this state,
where candidates nominated under the
convention system have been defeated for
office? Recollection presents to view as
an Illustration the state election of 1902.
Then Mr. Furnish, the standard bearer
of the Republican party for Governor, was
nominated in convention, receiving almost
three-fourths of the votes in the con
vention, yet he was defeated In a state
that elected Judge Bean, the Republican
candidate for Supreme Judge, by a plural
ity of 17,145. Disaffection in Republican
ranks caused the defeat of Furnish for
Governor in 1S02, and Williams for Mayor
of Portland in 1S05, and these defeats can
In no wise be attributed to either the
convention or the direct primary system
of nominating candidates. By the enact
ment of the direct primary law the politi
cal boss, whose principal stock In trade
Is his unscrupulousness and ability to
manipulate conventions and defeat the
will of the people, will be relegated to ob
livion. Whether tho direct primary law has
come to stay will rest largely with the
action of the voters of Multnomah County.
If, on account of the large vote Mult
nomah County will have In the primaries
for the nomination of candidates for state
and district offices, the ticket should be
loaded down with nominees from that
county, not only will the Republican party
be in danger of defeat at the polls next
June, but the people will demand the re
peal of the direct primary law.
J. W. KNOWLES.
AS..KS FOR I30IIGRATIOX CHECK
Writer Says Gates Should Be Closed
to Ignorant Aliens.
GRANTS PASS. Or.. Aug. 19. (To the
Editor.) I am happily entertained and In
structed by a dally reading of the Ore
gonlan; Indeed It Is my main avenue to
the outer world and Its life. I prize it
more and more. Its many fine editorials
on matters held in the varied life of to
day I read with delight, for they are able
and clear, while those involving the ethic
al are of the same sort These, to a
"shut-in" as I hove been for many years,
help me to feel an Impulse from the life
in which I can have but little part.
I am asking myself these days If tborc
Is not a subject that ought to be put be
fore our people for more earnest discus
sion, that of excessive foreign Immigra
tion. We have foisted upon us a rapidly
Increasing clement of discord dally. Our
cities are filled to overflowing with It.
the relations of capital to labor are kept
disturbed. In short there is unrest every
where. We all know that foreign Immigration,
in its present abnormal proportions, is
the product of a trust quite as dangerous
as any of which control Is now sought
The steamship companies are just this in
effect and the marvel is that they are so
strongly entrenched as practically to con
trol all legislation affecting their in
terests. There Is no reason why they
should not prove amenable to control if
congress should do Its duty fearlessly.
There Is yet to be a day for reckoning
with the people. If our legislators are
found too timid, or for any reason do
not stand firm totheIr duty, others will
be put In their places. The American
laborer, the home and all that is best
in our varied life are assailed by this
Octopus of greed. Doubtless It Is well
to take from other countries, people who
would be helpful in developing our own,
but not to the degree they are now com
ing, with the better qualities left out
During the period covered by the Civil
War. Immigration practically ceased. Since
-then, the movement has been taken up
with great vigor, we now recoive as many
immigrants In one year as formerly In
a decade, and of a greatly Inferior class,
as a whole. Immigration should be re
stricted, or better, suspended altogether,
until such time as is required to assimi
late these people and provide for our
growing population. The present situa
tion comes from carelessness, indifference
or yielding of principle, which furnishes
opportunity for the unscrupulous to work
us harm.
It is largely the coal and Iron com
panies who profit by cheap, ignorant
labor", and conspire with the steamship
companies, together with other corporate
JAP-CHINA PEACE OF 1895.
Louisville Courier-Journal.
It was on April 17, 1S35 a trifle over ten
years ago that Japan and China signed a
treaty of peace. LI Hung Chang and Li
Ching Fong represented China. Count Ito
and Viscount Mutsu represented Japan.
China did this under the terms of the
treaty:
Ceded to Japan part of Manchuria In
the Liao and the Yalu River countries.
Ceded Formosa and tho Pescadores.
Agreed to pay a war indemnity of 200.
000.000 taels. or about $135,000,000.
Gave to Japan extensive commercial
rights and privileges.
Recognized the independence of Corea.
It was after the ratification of the
treaty that Russia, France and Germany
stepped In and served notice on Japan
that they would not permit the cession
of Manchuria So Japan, exhausted for
the time being by the war that had Just
closed, surrendered the territory and os
tensibly It was restored to China. Rus
sia's arbitrary military activities In this
land that had been wrested from vic
torious Japan aroused the resentment of
the Mikado's government and the present
bloody conflict ensued.
Today, while the envoys of Russia and
Japan are about to discuss terms at
Portsmouth, it Is of Interest to recall
terms upon which Japan and China based
their peace, and which were the starting
point of the disagreement that later on
was to precipitate a clash between Russia
and Japan.
Lincoln's Home to Be Sold.
From the Louisville Herald.
Abraham Lincoln's birthplace, a farm
house located a few miles from Hodson
ville, Ky., Is to be sold at a commission
er's sale on August 2S.
A. W. Dennette of New York City, who
purchased the farm for $3000 from Judge
J. C. Crear. was forced into bankruptcy
some time ago. Previous to the assign
ment he hod deeded the farm to a David
Crear of New York City. About two
years ago a suit was Instituted in the
Larue Circuit Court by A. W. Llnforth,
trustee In bankruptcy of A. W. Dennette,
in which it was alleged that the transfer
of the property o Crear was fraudulent
and therefore null and void. Crear
claimed that he held it for the Christian
and Missionary Alliance,' of which he was
the treasurer, and whicu institution held
notes against Dennette. A Judgment
was finally rendered at the May term of
court
f
Failure
Bnker?i -
Immigration Check Aaked
I Sunday Trail Wrong;
Interests, and bring to us these hordC3
that are a menace to our industrial wc.l
being. Does not this situation demand
betterment In that the American people
may be saved from the hard conditions
and grinding competition that oppress
many European people?
RICHARD HENRY LEE.
BREAD IN PAPER WRAPPING S
Clean-Food Woman Gives Hint to
Portland Bakers.
PORTLAND, Aug. 19. (To the Edi
tor.) Very soon after having read tho
pure food columns of The Oregonlan of
Monday, with reprint rrom the Delinea
tor, I came to a short article of similar
trend in the Independent, as follows:
Now that we get meat, vegetables and
fruits sterilized la cans and Jars, and mi.k
Is kept clean and pure, and the water sup
ply of our cities Is carefully watched. Ic
Is time to turn our attention to the prac
ticability of getting clean bread. When
one has seen bread carted through tao
streets uncovered and carried In the arrr.s
of a. dirty driver Into the restaurant he Is
Inclined to go to some other eating place
which Is probably Just as bad. The man wb
put up biscuits wrapped in waxed paper In
a sealed package made a great fortune, ani
we hope the same reward will go to th
baker who first puts upon the market bread
that Is 80 protected aa to be secure from con
tamination by eareleaa handling. B.-ead. caka
and even plea can now be made by machinery
without the touch of hands In any part ct
the process, and It would be easy to rr-tc t
the food the rest of the way to the moutj.
Our leucocytes will get enough exercise la
killing off what few million microbes will get
Into our food In spite of us, and we ahou'.i
take care not to give them any more to Ca
than Is neeesary.
Such agitation Is timely and useful.
In the macter of package bread, and
package food of every kind where pos
sible, lies one of the paths to health,
and happiness. Good digestion often
waits for appetite, as we encounter so
many filthy-looking methods of hand
ling our most dainty and unwashabl
foods. We have not here, to my knowl
edge, at least, a method quite so bad
as one in use in His Majesty's city of
Quebec, by which bread Is carted oer
the city in long, narrow, uncovered
carts, the bread, totally unprotected,
bumping about like so much refuse on
its way to the garbage crematory. AC
the hotel you look askance when t La
waiter hands you the bread tray.
Here in Portland the great majority
of bakery shops seem not to hac
enough glass cases in which to display
delicate Cakes, puffs, etc. That our new
market inspector may effect a change,
is my hope.
A few of our bakers (a very few) put
papers about their bread loaves, and
there is one concern, making excellent
bread, lacks this one essential. To be
sure, any one buying the bread nn.
clean It with a damp cloth, but one
never feels It Is clean. By the way,
daintiness in the home, to my mind. Is
the cornerstone for clean markets.
L. C. O.
IS SUNDAY TRAIL WRONG?
Young Woman Who Likes Its Pi-as
tires, Seeks Advice.
PORTLAND. Aug. 19.-(To the Editor)
I have some girl friends whom I shou! j
like to take through the Trail. Shall I
be doing them injury? When attending
the Pan-American, at Buffalo, I wer.t
through the Midway, accompanied by my
father, and enjoyed it immensely. Then,
at the St. Louis Exposition I wrnt
through tho Pike with friends, and saw
only unalloyed fun. pure and simple.
Since arriving In Portland, I hyjar your
Trail Is a contaminating affair. Now I
thls report true? If so. I think 5 cannoc
taue my girl friends for a ride on Holy
Moses, or to hoar the peculiar din of tho
Orient, or the invitation to the Hall cC
Mirth.
If the place is such a contaminating
one. why do the clergy refuse to prearli
on the grounds on Sunday? I have been
taught that "we should go into all tho
world and preach the gospel to every
creature." and that "God so loved tka
world that he gave his only begotton Sen
that whosoever belleveth In him should
not perish but have everlasting life. For
God sent not his Son into the world t
condemn the world, but that the worli
through him might be saved."
If the Trail Is so polluted, and my un
derstanding of the above quotations Is
correct the clergy are sadly neglecting
their duty In not placing a counter at
traction there, as Jesus would have demo
were, he here upon earth in the form of
man "In His Steps."
How can the clergy preach In their
churches when the churches are In a
municipality where licenses for vice, sa
loons, etc.. are given? I think pollution
does surround us if we aro looking for it;
let us use the motto I have adoptod,
"Look up, lift up." Unless you think I
am positively doing my friends a wrong,
I 3hail take them through the Trail.
E. V. E.
SERMONS AND SLEEPERS.
Baltimore American.
Bishop Potter is in favor of 20-minute
sermons. On a recent Sunday he took
hl3 text from Acts xx., 9-10. which reads;
"And there sat in a window a certain
young man named Eutychus, being fallen
Into a deep sleep; and as Paul was long,
preaching he sank down with sleep ani
fell down from the third loft and wasj
taken up dead."
Twenty minutes is plenty long enough?
for these Summer days. We listened ta
a sermon of fully twice that length last
Sunday, and It was interesting to noto
the spirit of drowsiness that settled upon
the congregation without regard to age.
If the hearers had been perched in tho
third loft as was the young man when
Paul was long preaching, a few ambu
lances for the casualties would have been
necessary.
One reason of the long sermon in Sum
mer is that the regular preacher is away.
Tho case of a supply is not always ju
diciously handled. Perhaps it is a young
man, who gets his first opportunity in a
large church, and he is conscientiously
determined to give the full measure of his
eloquence. Or possibly it is an old hand,
who has his only chance in the Summer,
because his long sermons have exiled
him to-modest rural churches.
Whatever the explanation, the fact re
mains that tho few people who do go to
church in Summer should not be put t:
sleep or frightened away by prolixity in
the pulpit
As a matter of fact the 20-mlnute ser
mon. Is best at all seasons of the year. Ho
is a rare preacher who can Interest hl3
audience more than a half hour.
Hereditary Fear in Animals.
New York World.
People who drive to the Bronx zoo often
wonder what causes the nervousness of
their horses after they have looked at the
animals and come out to drive home. It
Is the wild animal scent in their clothes.
The same manifestations appear In tho
frightened horses of tho country town
when the cages of circus tigers. Hons and
panthers are near enough for them to get
the smell. All dangerous wild animals
have a strong odor. In times ot excite
ment this odor is emitted so excessively as
to be almost sickening. Even in the best
zoological gardens and menageries tho
smell of the animals cannot be avoided.