TIIE MORNING OREGONIAN, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 1906.
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PORTLAND, FRIDAY. SEPT. 28, 1906.
SIGNS OF A RAILROAD STORM.
Seven years ago a Railroad Commis
sion in Oregon fell Into such general
disrepute that it was abolished by the
legislature by practically unanimous
consent. Since that time public senti
ment has been veering round to the
commission idea again, until the trans
portation committee of the Portland
Chamber of Commerce has recom
mended that such a body be created,
because, "with all the great railway
systems centering In a few hands, we
confess we see no other alternative
than the creation by the state of some
authority who will represent the peo
ple as a whole, with adequate author
ity for investigation and ample power
to enforce Us findings."
This indicates a significant change of
sentiment. Why has It come about?
The railroads, neglectful of the needs
of a fast-growing traffic, have them
selves to answer for it.
The change spreads beyond the mem
bership of the Chamber of Commerce.
Undeniably the commission idea has
many advocates where seven and ten
years ago it had few or none. This is
not to say that a commission bill would
yet carry in Oregon before the people
or the Legislature, but to call atten
tion to the fact that the people of this
state, annoyed and exasperated by in
adequate railroad service, and looking
about for means of forcing the rail
roads Into supplying transportation fa
cilities more in keeping with the de
mand, behold in the commission plan
the easiest and readiest remedy, just as
the people of the. State of Washington
did two years ago, when they elected
a Legislature to create such a body.
It is to be noted that this important
difference exists between the demand
for a commission in Washington and
that in Oregon: In Washington it was
primarily for regulation of rates, while
in Oregon it is for regulation of service.
Rates in Oregon are not altogether sat
isfactory, but shippers would put up
with them if the railroads had sufficient
cars for handling the traffic. However,
It is easy to foresee that if the demand
for a commission shall gain further im
petus, it will doubtless include rate
regulation as well.
Responsibility, then, for the growing
demand In Oregon rests on Harriman,
who virtually controls the railroad sit
nation in Oregon with his O. R. & N.
and Southern Pacific. He can arrest
the discontent by snjplying cars enough
to move the freicht of Oregon within
reasonable time and to stop the present
embargo on 60 per cent of the freight
that has been waiting for traneporta
tion. It will not be possible to stay the
commission idea in any other way; in
deed. It may not be easy to stay that
Idea at all. The State of Washington
through Its commission, as progressed
a good way toward "making good"; It
has ordained Joint rate on wheat, to
compel railroads to exchange ship
ments with each other at regular
through rates, instead of Imposing on
shippers the sum of the two local
charges of such a transfer; and it has
put in force a distance tariff to equal
ize distributive rates, and to give Walla
Walla merchants, for example, fair
chance to compete with Spokane. Fur
thermore, the commission Idea has
gained ground In the enlargement of
the powers of the Interstate Commerce
Commission, and it is expected that
this body will do much under the new
rate law to regulate rates equitably,
prohibit discrimination and control
railroads in the interest of the public.
The commission Idea, then, is strong
throughout the country.
Shortage of cars and locomotives Is
the cause of the uprising in Oregon.
This gives rise to the demand for re
ciprocal demurrage, whereby a railroad
should pay for delays in supplying cars,
Just as shippers now pay for delays in
holding them. It has made delays on
the road and consequent losses to ship
pers. The Chamber of Commerce com
mittee finds that Oregon shippers have
required in the last ninety days 3767
cars but have received only 1522, "or
about 40 per cent of the rolling stock
needed." The committee finds that on
lumber shipments this season the rela
tive car shortage of the railroads has
ben: .
Southern Pacific, cars short 3.245
Northern Pacific cars short. ........ .1.642
O. R. & N., cars short 814
Total 5.701
Car shortage Is not new this year.
It has been a common cry at this sea
son for half a dozen years past. But it
never tied up traffic as It has been do
ing this time. This shortage could
have been foreseen, at least a large
part of it, and provided against by the
railroads. As the committee says, a
railroad should maintain "an equip
ment that will handle the business in
busy times, even though it may be idle
during occasional dull times. . . .
We believe lta equipment should keep
pace with the growth of business and
the public should not be the sufferer
through the working of a policy which
puts a premium on the handling of the
greatest amount of freight with the
least possible equipment."
Here is the core of the whole ques
tion that is leading up to regulation of
railroads In Oregon. Public sentiment,
stirred up by the forced shut-down of
thirty sawmills, delay and impossibil
ity of getting cars, slow transit and
other grievances, will secure radical
legislation, if It shall not be appeased.
It cannot be appeased by promise of
the new railroads to Coos Bay, Central
Oregon and Wallowa. For what is the
use of more railroad tracks if there are
not enough cars for tracks already
built? ' "
POLITICAL VAUDEVILLE.
Mr. Hearst will attempt this Fall the
astonishing feat of riding two horses
running at full speed in opposite direc
tions. The platform of his own Inde
pendent League, which has the first
and best claim to his allegiance, de
clares srncompromisingly for municipal
owrxirahlp of public utilities. The Dem-
i-rcratlc platform has no use at all for
municipal ownership, but proposes to
have the Government fix the rates for
all public-service corporations. The
difference between the two methods is
fundamental. If the Government fixes
the rates, leaving the ownership In the
companies, then the public gets all the
benefit and the companies take all the
risks. With public ownership the corn-
parties would, of course, be paid in full
for their property and would thence
forth remain without risk or profit.
But the question which interests us
Just now is, how Mr. Hearst can man
age to ride on these opposing platforms
without splitting himself in two. How
can he favor and oppose municipal
ownership at the same time? We can
well understand how he might favor it
one day and oppose It the next; dex
terity of that species is not at all un
common. But how can he devote one
page of the American to arguments for
municipal ownership and the following
page to arguments against It? Will
he hire one outfit of spellbinders to
champion municipal ownership and an
other to oppose it? How will he man
age his campaign? No doubt his gen
ius will be equal to the emergency, and
in the plenitude of our faith we can
only wait and wonder what he will do.
We suspect, however, that the diffi
culty in the case is greater for simple-
minded observers than it is for Mr.
Hearst himself. It may be imagined
without much mental strain that a
platform does not mean a great deal to
him. He had about as lief run on one
as another, and would experience no
serious embarrassment In running on
half a dozen at the same time, all dif
ferent and opposing. "Paris vaut bien
une masse," exclaimed the great Pro
testant French warrior; "I'll go to mass
for the sake of getting hold of Parte."
Mr. Hearst, one conjectures, feels much
the same way upon the question of mu
nicipal ownership, and all other ques
tions, for that matter. He is quite
ready to go to mass or stay away, or
do anything else, in fact, that may
6eem likely to help him alorvg the road
to the Governorship. Voltaire once
sued out a writ of mandamus ordering
the parish priest to hear him confess
his sins. Hearst's simultaneous pro-
and-antl-munlclpal ownership le not
quite so farcical, perhaps, as Voltaire's
piety, but it is not far behind.
THE PIKE'S PEAK CENTENNIAL.
A centennial celebration of more
than local interest and significance was
inaugurated at- Colorado Springs last
Sunday and will continue throughout
the present week. The celebration is
in honor of Captain Zebulon M. Pike,
the early explorer of the then dim and
distant Rocky Mountain region, whose
name and achievement In its discovery
is perpetuated In "Pike's Peak."
Pike's Peak is Colorado's best-Jcnown
landmark, and Colorado Springs, sig
nificant of hope to those in failing
health, lies near Its base. The United
States Government is fitly a party to
this centennial celebration, since Cap
tain Zebulon Pike and nearly all the
men of his expedition belonged to the
United States Army. Other- partici
pants in the celebration are representa
tives of many Indian tripes, the once
populous and warlike peoples of the
great plateau, the Pawnees, Arapahoes,
Comanches and Cheyennes, whom Cap
tain Pike met on his tour through the
beautiful and rugged wildernesss a cen
tury ago.
How like a romance it reads the
epitome of the Journey of Captain Pike i
and his little band, composed of one
Lieutenant, three noncommissioned of
ficers, sixteen privates and an inter
preter, from St. Louis on and out
through the newly acquired province
of Louisiana! The expedition started
from St. Louis on July 15, 1806, the
purpose being to supplement on the
southwestern border the work which
Lewis and Clark were completing along
the Northwestern line. Pushing for
ward by boat and on horseback. Pike
and a detachment of his men followed
the Arkansas River into Colorado,
wandered through it in a zigzag course
and discovered the mountain that bears
his name on November 16, 1806. After
many vicissitudes Captain Pike,, then
Brigadier-General, was killed, six years
later. In the war with England, at the
capture of York, now Toronto, and
many years after his name was given
not only to the mountain that bears his
name, but to many counties, towns
and streams throughout the United
States.
The present celebration is not so
much to commemorate the memory of
j a brave soldier and a tlrelessTntrepid
explorer, though all honor Is bestowed
upon the achievements of Captain Pike,
now a century old. Its chief purpose
is to mark by steps, and present by
contrast the development of Colorado.
A part of the Great American Desert
at that time. Pike only saw in its vast
expanse of tablelands and mountains a
counterpart of the "sandy deserts of
Africa." He did not conceive that
Western expansion could bear the ban
ner of civilization beyond the borders
of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers.
Tet out of the territory that he touched
on his route the States 6f Missouri,
Kansas, Nebraska, Texas, Louisiana
and Colorado have sprung. The details
of this growth are familiar to every
intelligent high school boy in the Uni
ted States. The Pike exploration cen
tennial merely accentuates these de-
tails a'nd crystallizes their magic into
the plain facts of a nation's history and
a people's and country's development.
OUR BAD CRIMINAL RECORD.
In Germany there are five homicides
a year for -each million of the popula
tion. In the United States there are
129. Murder is thus twenty-five times
as common in this country as it is in
Germany. Since the comparative safety
of human life is one of the standards
by which civilization is estimated, it
follows that. If German civilization Is
not twenty-five degrees above our own
in all respects, it certainly is In this
one at least. Thoughtful men here and
there have sought reasons for our pat
ent and humiliating failure in dealing
with crime, and many have been sug
gested, but none of them seems quite
adequate and all taken together leave
something still to be explained. The
most common explanation of our dis
graceful criminal record is to deny the
fact. It is frequently stated that we
seem to have more crime than other
nations only because our police is so
much more active and efficient; more
arrests are made In proportion to of
fenses committed and the courts are
more severe in imposing penalties.
This is soothing to the soul, but it is
not true. Among all the police forces of
the world those of American cities are
the least efficient. In many cases they
are In Intimate sympathy and close alli
ance with the criminal classes. Their
efforts are often directed, not to the ar
rest of criminals, but to the extortion of
money from them as the price of Im
munity. Thieves and murderers pass
from city to city to ply their trade
without interference from the police
and often without their knowledge.
There is none but the crudest method
of registration and Identification of
criminals. A vigorous writer In ' the
Chicago Tribune Instances all these as
reasons for our National failure in deal
ing with crime. He might have added
that the average intelligence of our po
lice forces is low. They are selected
for reasons altogether unconnected
with fitness for their duties and kept
In place without regard to the quality
of their work. Real detective ability is
seldom met among them. Their only
way to get at the facts in a given case
of crime is to apply the torture, known
as the "third degree," to suspected per
sons and extort some sort of a confes
sion. Our most celebrated detectives
are those who are most skillful in the
use of the torture.
Of course evidence obtained in this
manner is of little use in court, and
one of the principal reasons why con
victions are so rare in our criminal
trials is the abhorrence of Juries for
police methods of obtaining evidence
and distrust of confessions and admis
sions forced from helpless prisoners un
der duress. The little word "graft" ex
plains the incompetence of American
police forces to deal with crime. Graft
secures positions for the officers and
graft Is the guiding principle of their
conduct.
Crime is safe in many American cit
ies, therefore we must expect It to be
common. But this is not the only rea
son for Its prevalence. Our peniten
tiaries, Jails and reform schools are
training schools for criminals. Persons
sent to these places for comparatively
trifling offenses emerge thoroughly
trained in the technique of burglary,
and murder and eager to exercise their
expertness upon the society which they
believe to be their foe. No effective
system exists- to provide honest work
for discharged prisoners. No attention
is paid to their goings and comings.
No matter how malignant they may be,
they are turned loose upon the com
munity and left to work their will.
No matter how zealous they may be to
lead honest lives, the inexorable senti
ment of their fellow-men almost forces
them to continue a career of crime.
The annual class of criminals which
graduates from Jails, reform schools
and penitentiaries must outnumber
many times over the output of our
normal schools and colleges, and it
practices the lessons it has learned
with incomparably greater diligence
and skill; while society looks on in
helpless paraMysls with scarcely even a
thought of helping, guiding or restrain
ing these dangerous men.
A person who takes a few-obvious
precautions in committing a crime is
not likely to be found out and arrested
in this country. The number of mur-
aers ana ourgiarles which are too
"mysterious" for the police to fathom
is something astonishing. But even if
the criminal is arrested he need not
feel in serious danger. The chances
are that he will not be convicted when
he comes to trial. The Prosecuting At
torney may find it expedient to "let
him off easy" on account of his polit
ical pull or his social connections.
Should the case come into court, then
the prisoner Is hedged about with an
almost impenetrable network of techni
calities, rules of evidence, appeals and
reversals which make actual punish
ment so remote that it has little terror.
Once in a while a self-confessed crim
inal like Stensland goes to prison with
little formality and delay, but such
events are exceedingly- rare in our
criminology.
The simple truth Is that Americans
are not a law-abiding people. We
neithervsubmlt to the law willingly our
selves nor require submission in oth
ers. We all admit that fundamental
duty of government is to prevent and
punish crime, but we rest boastfully
satisfied with a government whose fail
ure to do either is egregious and scan
dalous.
THE HCNTERS' license. .
The ostensible purpose of the hunt
ers' license law is. to provide a fund to
pay for the protection of game. Its
effect seems to be to hasten the exter
mination of game. The law is not pop
ular among the farmers of the state
and no one ought to expect that it
would be. To exact a fee from a man
for the privilege of Shooting birds on
his own land is a piece of petty tyranny
which is not made any more tolerable
by the fact that they have fed on his
crops. The city sportsman pays no
game tax except his licensa fee; the
farmer pays this and also the value of
the grain which the birds consume.
Trifling as thi3 may seem, a fair com
putation will prove that it exceeds the
flicense fee. Sometimes the birds are
positively destructive, and unless the
farmer breaks the law to protect him
self he is a serious loser.
In any case the hunter's, license law
is unfair to the farmers. Their objec
tion to it is well grounded, not only on
the reason already mentioned, but for
others. It, is exasperating In the ex
treme that the man who owns, culti
vates and pays the taxes upon land
should have no more right to the game
which It produces than the city sports
man. In fact, as matters stand, he has
practically less right, since the sports
man makes a business of slaughtering
game after the open season begins.
while ' the farmer can only Indulge in
shooting upon occasions when his dally
labor permits.
In all equity the owner of the land
should have the paramount, if not the
exclusive, right to the shooting upon it.
Whoever hunts over his acres should
do so by his permission and not other
wise. This bit of evident Justice can
be secured by a severe trespass act
better than in any other way. The
license law, with its results, amounts
to petty confiscation of the farmers'
property rights for the benefit of the
city dweller. The circumstances being
as they are, the rural population can
not be expected either to pay the license
fee or to observe the game laws with
much enthusiasm. It is no surprise to
learn that game birds are likely to
become extinct unless some change is
made in the direction of equity and
reason.
What sort of a political gathering
was it that convened t Seattle
Wednesday and masqueraded under
the name of Democrats? Practically
the 'convention indorsed for Congres-
ional candidates three men selected by
labor leaders; Bryan's views on Gov
ernment ownership of railroads were
overwhelmingly disapproved, and with
the same unanimity he was indorsed
for President in 1908; tacit approval
was given to ex-Senator Turner's letter
commending the Administration of
Roosevelt, and the platform contains
more Populist planks than Jeffersonian
doctrine. It was the smallest conven
tion in years, Vihole counties being un
represented. A few years ago a re
porter interviewing Senator Dolliver
asked, "How is the Democratic party
in your state?" to which Jonathan P.
replied: "There is no Democratic party
in Iowa." Cannot that remark be ap
plied to the State of Washington also?
It is evident that the collateral heirs
of the late Russell Sage did not engage
Ideal twentieth-century lawyers for
the purpose of ' breaking the great
miser's will. There Is to be no contest;
hence no fat fees. Mrs. Sage has com
promised with the outsiders by doubling
their legacies, thus killing off litigation
cheaply. Either the heirs had most
slender ground for a contest or legal
counsel of rare type.
Persons who resent the imputation
that they are "standing in" with the
Southern Pacific when they oppose
revocation of the Fourth-street fran
chise may be speaking the real truth.
It may be they are "standing in" with
other interests which would be affected
quite as much as the Southern Pacific,
since they hojd the same kind of fran
chises on other streets.
The movement to merge the starve
ling churches in small towns is sane
and sensible. One strong church is
more than ten times as useful- to a
community as ten weak ones. One
well-fed preacher is worth a dozen who
must spend all their time keeping the
wolf from the door with none left to
fight the devil.
Dee Moines and Omaha have Joined
the goodly band of cities which forbid
secret fraternities in the high schools.
Before the present year expires there
ought not to remain a single city in
America where these extremely unde
sirable organizations will be tolerated.
At least nine members of tire City
Council are quite sure railroad passes
did not influence their votes on the
Fourth-street franchise. In oder to
prove this for the satisfaction of their
fellow-citizens in future developments,
tney are hanging on to their passes.
The New York Democratic Conven
tion extends to "that great American
leader and typical American, William
J. Bryan, cordial and sincere felicita
tions." The glad hand and the pleas
ing word, but nothing doing when It
comes to pledging votes for 1908.
Under the new meat inspection law
weiner wurst hust hereafter be sold
under the label "Frankfurter style sau
sage," from which the only reasonable
deduction is that we have never had
the real thing and have been eating an
Imitation article all these years.
The nlckel-In-the-slot receipts in
Portland for one day would Just about
complete that Y. M. C. A.-Y. W. C. A.
building fund. Why not donate them?
People who have money to burn don't
necessarily need to put them in cigars
more than 364 days every year.
Mr. and Mrs. Velguth doubtless used
an automobile In order to hurry up
their honeymoon. Love laughs at Jail
ers, and it Is pleasant to wear Cupid's
handcuffs; but you never can tall what
upsets win occur on tne course of true
love.
It will be recalled, too, that about
1898 the New York Republicans nomi
nated another candidate for Governor
whom the bosses didn't want. Later
he became President. But perhaps Mr.
Hughes has thought of all that.
The School Directors may be able to
lead an unwilling contractor to a poorly-built
echoolhouse; but can they pre
vent him from driving everyobdy else
to drink by his exasperating delays
and queer methods?
Taft will declare himself Governor If
the Cubans shall fail to b& good. As
a self-appointed dictator seems to be
what they have been looking for, they
ought to be pleased with the success of
their revolution.
The Mexicans are foolhardy to in
dulge in a revolution at this time. As
peace oincer or tne continent, with a
big fleet and army at his command.
Mr. Taft is too near them to make the
pastime safe.
Adam wasn't nominated for Governor
of New York; but there are Democrats
who think they merely substituted for
him another prominent actor in the lit
tie Garden of Eden affair, some years
ago.
Ex-Banker Stensland, now of Joliet,
has dispelled a popular notion that
there is no royal road to the peniten
tiary for embezzling bank presidents.
What has become of Banker Gourdaln?
General Funston is at Havana, but
refuses to say anything. The Cubans
win nave no reason, then, to assume
that he is the whole Army. But he's
a good part of it.
"Mr. Hearst," says the New York
Herald, "cannot purchase the banner
of Democracy to carry at the head of
his socialistic troop." Then how did
he get It?
MUST
DIRECT
Ridgely Says Their Neglect Causes
Looting of Banks.
PHILADELPHIA. Sept. 27. The re
sponsibility of bank directors was dis
cussed at the opening session of the an
nual meeting of the Pennsylvania Bank
ers' Association today by W. B. Ridge-
ley. Controller of 'the Currency, recent
baiik-wreeking being taken as a text.
Mr. Ridgely said that, except in rare
Instances, there is never any reasonable
excuse for the failure of a bank or trust
company. He continuea:
It Is almost always the result of inexcusable
folly and Incompetence or dishonesty and
fraud, and often due to all of these com
bined. When a bank does fall, it Is the fault
of the board of directors. Many others may
be to blame, but the final responsibility rests
upon the directors, and the whole board as
a board, and the members as Individuals are
to blame If they allow the officers or per
haps onjy a few of the director to so man
age the business of the bank as to bring on
Insolvency. The directors may be entirely
Ignorant of what is being done, but It Is their
fault if they allow themselves to be kept In
Ignorance or to be deceived and thus permit
It to be done.
He quoted the provision of the National
banking act defining the duties of direc
tors and requiring them to take an oaiu
to perform those duties. 'He quoted de
cisions of the United States Supreme
Court and lower courts holding them re
sponsible for loss due to neglect of those
duties, where the directors pleaded ig
norance. He proceeded to say how com
mon it is for bank .directors to leave
everything to the officers. He continued:
Leave It All to Officers.
There are. however, still too . many cases
where the directors content themselves with
choosing officers Whom they believe to be
honest and competent and leaving everything
to them. Fortunately, when the right kind of
officers are chosen, the results obtained are
often quite as good as when the directors
follow up the business more closely. There ls
much to Da said In favor of one-man manage
ment of any business, and especially of a
bank, when you have the right man in the
Tight place. It is apt to be vigorous and
efficient and successful. Many of the great
banks of the world, aa well as the most suc
cessful railways. Industrial and commercial
enterprises, owe their commanding success
to tha genius of one strong man who, by his
force and high character, has completely
dominated their affairs. '
The results are better than one might have
supposed, but they are not as good as they
should be. The weakness and shame of Amer
ican banking Is that more often than it
should happen there are scandalous failures
of banks which have been robbed and looted
by officers who had so gained the confidence
of their shareholders and directors as to be
given absolute control of the business with
little or no supervision, check or examination
on the part of the directors.
There ls no excuse for such robbery of a
bank. It cannot happen where the directors
are honest and doing their duty. It ls no an
swer for the directors to say they had con
fidence In their officers and did not know
the real condition. It ls their business and
their sworn duty, to know the condition, and
to prevent such stealing. ,
Cannot Blame Examiner.
It Is no answer, either, to blame the bank
examiner or the supervising authority. The ex
aminer and the banking department may or
may not be to blame. Sometimes they are at
fault in not having discovered conditions soon
er. The examiner does his duty if he discov
ers dishonesty and crime after It ls com
mitted. He can do nothing until some, per
haps all, the harm is done; until the loan is
made, the forged note ls In the bank, the
fraudulent entry made, and the money gone.
It. is for the examiner to discover fraud. It ls
the directors' business to prevent it. If they
do not, they are guilty of criminal intent or
almnrt miiaIIv iHmlnnl wnrl.wt. X'rt filYloi- enn
rob and ruin a bank, unless the directors are'
his confederates or dupes.
t& argued tne necessity or a close
check on bank officers by directors, even
when the latter have supreme confi
dence in the officers. He said:
Bankwreckers Not Fools.
It must be remembered that It Is only men
who have the talents to establish reoutatlon
for capacity, probity and honor who get the
chance to commit such crimes. They are gen
erally men of unusual talents. A bank
wrecker la never a fool. It takes rather ex
ceptional ability to first acquire a position
where it is possible, and ten to carry out
the plan. Only a man of considerable nerve
and courage would dare to try such a thing,
or could carry it on without early discovery.
What I., wish to impress most on any bank
director who may happen to hear or read what
I say ls that it Is men who have Just as high
reputations and stand just as well among
their friends and associates as the men you
are .trusting, "Who occasionally commit these
gigantic frauds in bank management.
No man who ls in charge of a bank ana
intends to conduct its business honestly and
legally can resent any amount of supervision
or examination by his board or directors.
He recommended the employment of a
regular auditor to check up officers. He
continue
Loans to Bank Officers.
Above all. the directors of a bank should
most closely scrutinize the loans to officers
and other directors, and see that they are kept
down to not only legal, but safe, amounts.
Far the most frequent cause of bank trou
bles. In fact, the almost Invariable cause of
bank failures, ls the granting of credits far
beyond the legal and prudent limits to the
officers or to one concern or group or ainea
concerns, generally owned and managed by the
officers or directors of the bank, or In which
they have, directly or indirectly, some large
pecuniary Interest.
I do not remember a case where a Dank
officer had the moral courage to let loans
of this kind carry down his bank without re
sorting to crimes of some kind to conceal or
postpone the catastrophe, in hopes that some
fortunate circumstance might intervene to save
him and conceal his fraud.
It Is not good business or good banking to
have men on the board whose interest lies in
borrowing from the bank more than tney
should prudently or can legally loan, or who
-would be tempted to risk large sums of the
money of the bank to protect their own Inter
ests rather than those of the bank.
It ls no new responsibility I am try lag to
create. It already exists In the law as it has
been construed by the Supreme Court. Any
man who accepts a place, on a bank board
must accept this responsibility, and take an
oath he will diligently and honestly manaso
the affairs of the association. He thus adds
a moral to his legal obligation, and ls bound.
in all honor and good faith, to observe his
oath and obey the law.
Insured by Penny Paper.
NEW YORK. Sept. 27. A special cable
dispatch to the Times from London states
that the heirs of one of the victims of the
Granthan disaster have received $1000 in
surance, which was effected at a cost of 1
penny. The insured was a rejrular sub
scriber to a London penny weekly which
insures its readers against accidents and
death. The day of the disaster he sent his
bag, containing a current copy of the pa
per, duly stamped, to the hotel at Retford,
where he expected to pass the night.
Within a few hours of his death the claim
was examined, allowed and settled.
Cold-Storage Chicken Condemned.
CHICaGO, Sept. 27. Two cars of cold
storage chickens and over ten carloads of
meat were condemned yesterday by Chief
Food Inspector Murray and his assist
ants, to say nothing of 15 carcasses of
diseased cattle and four calves. The
condemnation of the chickens was due to
prlvatA advices received by Mr. Murray
from, Canada, When ha learned that the
lot had escaped him and was on the way
to New York, he notified the authorities
there so they can catch the shipment at
1U destination.
Quits Army to Become "Broker.
NEW YORK. Sept. 27. Lieutenant
Charles H. Daly, who resigned his com
mission in the United States Army two
months ago, became yesterday a member
of the stock exchange firm of Mills & Co.
Lieutenant Daly was formerly well known
mm a. Harvard quarterback.
DIRECTORS
HAZING THING OF HISTORY
Bulldozing of Freshmen Extirpated
at West Point Academy.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 27. No more fav- 1
orable report of the conditions at the
Military Academy at West Point has been
made in recent years to the War De
partment than that of the board of visi
tors, of which General Horace Porter
was president, made public by the War
Department today. The board says It de
sires "to express its unanimous opinion
that the management of the academy,
both in discipline and efficiency, is of the
highest order and an honor to those
charged with its administration."
An interesting report ls made by the
special committee on instruction, disci
pline and hygiene, which states that con
ditions are very satisfactory. The com
mittee says:
The practice of hazing new cadets, at one
time prevalent among the older students of
the academy, has been effectually stamped
out, and we have been Informed that no In
stance of real hazing has come to the atten
tion of the academy authorities during the
laBt three years, or since effective measures
were employed for its abolition. This ex
cellent state of discipline could only have
resulted from the nearty co-operation of the
student-body, when once it had brought to
its attention the fact that the hazing prac
tice as carried on was seriously Impairing
the usefulness of the Institution. The esprit
de corps and high code of honor prevalent
in the cadet ranks were never more satis
factory than at the present time, and that
hazing no longer exists here must be very
largely attributed to this gratifying status
among the students themselves.
Athletics at the academy have attained a
very high degree of excellence and the wis
dom of the authorities In so amending the
rules as to require gymnasium work of ca
dets in all classes has already been dem
onstrated after only a year's trial and will
be further confirmed with each recurring
session.
Shaw Increases Federal Deposits.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 27.-Secretary
Shaw announced that J26.000.000 will be de
posited with existing depositary banks in
the following cities:
New York and Chicago, $3,000,000 each;
Boston. Philadelphia, St. Louis. New Or
leans, $2,000,000 each; Baltimore, Louis
ville, Kansas City, Cleveland, $1,000,000
each; Pittsburg, Buffalo, Minneapolis,
Milwaukee, Detroit, Cincinnati, St. Paul,
Omaha, Des Moines, Denver, Sioux City,
Memphis, Peoria, Atlanta, Louisville and
Sioux Falls, $500,000 each.
Reward for Arduous Lanor,
WASHINGTON, Sept. 27.-Orders have
been issued by the Navy Department for
the refrigeration ship Glacier, now en
route from Suez to Port Said, to proceed
to Joppa in order to give the members of
her crew an opportunity to visit the Holy
Land. This, a somewhat unusual priv
ilege, is accorded the men of the Glacier
because of their arduous experience in
conducting the drydock Dewey from Bal
timore to the Philippines. The Glacier is
now on her way to the United States-
Uncle Sam Owns Palma Island.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 27. It is said at
the State Department that no doubt ex
ists as to the American ownership and
control of Palma's Island, one of the
small Islands on the southeastern edge of
the Philippines. About 18 months ago
the War Department requested the De
partment of State to determine whether
or not Palma's Island was included In
the Philippine group owned by the United
States.
New Washington Postmasters.
OREGONIAN NEWS BUREAU. Wash
ington, Sept. 27. Washington Postmasters
appointed: Ferry, Richard M. Stoddard,
vice L. H. Mason, resigned: Taylor, John
F. Keenan, vice Ward Harris, resigned.
Civil Service at Eugene.
OREGONIAN NEWS BUREAU. Wash
ington, Sept. 27. A civil service examina
tion will be held at Eugene, October 10,
for postoffice clerk and carrier.
Whitney's Daughter Married.
LONDON, Sept. 27. Mrs. Whitney Dem
me, daughter of the late David Whitney,
and Edward Schmidt, both of Detroit,
Mich., were married today in the Pres
byterian Church on Belgrave Square. The
ceremony was followed by a wedding
breakfast at Clarldge's, given by Mrs.
Hoff, of Paris, a sister of the bride.
Child Murderer Sent to Reformatory
ALBIA, la, Sept. 27. Oscar Napier, the
8-year-old boy who was convicted by a
Jury last Sunday of murdering 7-year-old
Frank Adams, was today sentenced to
the reformatory at Eldora to remain un
til he ls 21 years old. The boy broke
down and wept plteously when he was
sentenced.
Congress on Divorce Laws.
PHILADELPHIA. Sept. 27. Another
meeting of the National Congress on Uni
form Divorce Laws will be held in this
city beginning November 13. The congress
will consider the draft of a statute which
It will seek to have adopted in every
state in the Union.
H. O. Wilson Is Promoted.
HELENA, Mont., Sept. 27. H. O. Wil
son, for many years general agent for the
Oregon Short Line Railroad at Butte,
has been promoted to the position of dis
trict freight agent, of San Francisco for
the Union Pacific, says a Record special
from Butte. '
Considine to Marry Actress.
NEW YORK, Sept. 27. It was an
nounced last night that George Consi
dine, who runs the Hotel Metropole, with
his two brothers, is to marry Aims An
geles, the actress, on Sunday night.
ANOTHER TRIUMPH OF PEACE
From the Chicago Inter-Ocean.
SECRETARY BOOT HAS EFFECTED A RECONCILIATION" BETWEEX CO
LOMBIA AND PANAMA. NEWS ITEM.
GREAT STORM IN ALGERIA
Houses Wrecked, Roads Torn Up
and Slides Kill Natives.
NEMOURS, Algeria, Sept. 28. (Special.)
A terrific storm yesterday swept over
the western portion of Algeria, bordering
on the Mediterranean, in many places
the storm assumed the proportions of a
cyclone. Houses were knocked down,
roadways, were torn up and landslides
caused.
An avalanche of mud destroyed a por
tion of the town wall at this place. Re.
ports from the neighboring country tell
of great destruction. Several natives were
killed and many injured.
Cheap Gas for Kansas City.
KANSAS CITY, Mo., Sept. 27. A nat
ural gas franchise, which gives the
Kansas City, Mo., gas company the
..1.. - A ,h. ... 1 1 K nntiiml
.,111. lu BCl Q LlliS Li.J n.. ' -'
gas for 30 years at an average rate of
zs cents per 1000 teei was passeir ny
the Citv Council and signed by Mayor
Beardsley tonight. The rate for manu-
lacturing purposes is to De as tow u
the price in neighboring cities, some of
which pay 8 cents.
Call on Evangelist to Show Them.
BLOOMINGTON. 111., Sept. 27. (Spe
cial.) Because he declared immorality
rife in Bloomington and accused the
city officials of corruption and neglect,
the Rev. W. L. Brooks, an evangelist,
has been summoned to tell the grand
jury what he really knows. Mr. Brooks'
charge' were made from the pulpit.
The officials say he ls a sensation-monger,
speaks only from hearsay at best,
and has grossly slandered them.
Crushing Dominican Revolt.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 27. Advices have
been received from Commander Souther
land, of the Dixie. In Dominican waters,
Indicating that the Government of Santo
Domingo is doing all in its power to put
down the insurrection. The President is
at Monte Cristi directing the operations
of the Government forces in person. Com.
mander Southerland says that, while the
situation is serious, It is not critical.
EMANCIPATION FOR PEASANTS
Proposed New Law Will Remove
Their Hardships.
ST. PETERSBURG, Sept. 27. The
Council of Ministers has approved a
measure dealing with modifications of
certain restrictions on peasants and oth
ers belonging to the "taxpaying classes"
under the old regime. Including inequali
ties in the matter of military service, oo
ligatory exclusion from the peasant class
on entering the civilian service and the
acquisition of social rights, the with
holding of personal freedom in the right
to choose occupation, the right of free
admission to secondary schools and the
right to move to other parts of the coun
try and possess property.
These modifications greatly better the
formerly almost hopeless lot of the peas
ants. Heretofore they were dependent
upon the communal laws and were unable
to leave their native villages, and. If al
lowed, were still bound to pay their snare
of the communal tax.
Restrictions on opportunities for edu
cation, allowing peasants to enter high
schools and universities only upon receiv
ing full freedom from communlal obliga
tions and entire abrogation of the pay
ment of taxes, necessitating in most
cases the payment of large sums of
money, representing a life share in com
munal taxation, are done away with.
The measure also abrogates the bu
reaucratic manner of repression so much
practiced, like the punishing of a whole
community by exacting tribute for the
misdeed of one of its members.
Simultaneously with the modification of
these restrictions it is proposed to abol
ish the polltax from January 14. 1907. as
well as the necessity for giving security
for the payment of taxes. It was fur
ther decided that certain restrictions
placed on peasants with reference to the
holding of property should be modified,
as well as the regulations affecting the
apportionment of peasants' land among
the members of their families and the
existing disability of a peasant possess
ing no real property to bind himself by
note of hand.
Leased for Immoral Purposes.
DES MOINES, la., Sept. 27. The F. M.
Hubbell Company, which ls the incor
porated name for F. M. Hubbell, prob
ably the wealthiest man in the state, was
fined $600 in Criminal Court today for
leasing property for immoral purposes.
The Judgment came after Judge Howe
overruled the demurrer to the Indictment
and the defendant refused to enter a
plea. There were six Indictments against
the Hubbell Company, and a fine of $100
was Imposed in each. An appeal was
taken to the Supreme Court, where the
matter will be further fought out.
Shot by Pepper-Blinded Officer.
ST. LOUIS. Sept. 27. Joseph Wright, a
streetcar robber, who was convicted In
the Circuit Court yesterday on a charge
of complicity in the murder of John Keith,
attempted to blind Deputy Sheriff Feltz
last night. With hand manacled, Wright
succeeded in getting a package of pepper
from his pocket. Without warning, he
dashed it into the eyes of the officer. Half
blinded, Feltz drew a revolver and one
of several shots brought Wright to the
ground. Wright was sentenced to a term
of It years.
Alienists Examine Hary Thaw.
NEW YORK, Sept. 27. Harry Thaw
was examined mentally and physically to
day by the same alienists who examined
him a few days ago. The specialists made
no public statement.
Hi".-.