THIS MOUXIXG OREGONIAX. HIOXDAT, APRIL, 22, 190T.
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PORTLAND, MONDAY, APRIL 22, 1807.
CI KB LAND GRANT GRAFT SfEXT.
The history of land grants in the
United States for railroads and military
wagon roads Is a record of 'brazen
faced breaches of trust. In this day,
when grab schemers are called to ac
count on all sides for violations of law,
the land grants are a promising field
for' Investigation by officers of the Na
tional Government.
There Is reason to 'believe that some
part of the Ill-gotten spoils may
be taken away. In yesterday's
press dispatches from Cheyenne, Wye,
It was announced, seemingly from au
thentic sources, that Attorney-General
Bonaparte is considering plans to force
the Union Pacific Railroad to return to
the National Government large areas
of land, which remain unsold, of the
original land grant in Nebraska, Kan
sas, Colorado, Wyoming and Utah.
This is the result of investigations
made by the Interstate Commission.
The lands are held by the railroad in
violation of the plain stipulation- of the
acts of Congress in 1862-4, which de
clared that within three years after
completion of the railroad the lands in
the grant not then sold by the railroad
should be returned to the Government.
Attorney-General Bonaparte has told
Senator Bourne and 1 Representative
Hawieyj of Oregon, that he sees no
reason why the terms of the railroad
land grants made in Oregon in 1866-70
should not be enforced. Mr. Bourne
and Mr. Hawley have successfully
turned the attention of the President,
the Secretary of the Interior, the Attorney-General
and the Commissioner of
the Land Offlce to the broken pledges
of the railroads in Oregon, and evi
dently their demand for an accounting
has spread to other states.
It is not alone in Oregon that rail
roads should be stripped of their ill
gotten lands. All over the United States
land grants were made by Congress be
tween 1850 and 1871. Judged by present
day standards, the free gifts of the
people's domain were extremely lavish.
But the lavishness of the gifts Is not
now a question of concern. The im
portant question is whether the condi
tions of the grant are to be complied
with by the railroads, as they were
complied with on the other side, by the
Government.
It has been recently explained how
the Oregon Central Railroad grants in
Oregon have been constituted into a
great land monopoly and how the pres
ent possessors of those lands the Ore
gon & California and the Southern Pa
cific have repudiated the plain man
date of the land grant acts, that they
shall Bell the land at not to exceed $2.50
an acre, to actual settlers only, and in
tracts of not more than 160 acres to
oach purchaser. There are similar
mandates in other land grants, but
they have been ignored many years.
The purpose of the acts was to put the
lands in the hands of the railroads
and wagon road companies in trust.
Limitations imposed by Congress on
sale of the lands have been repudiated
and the possessors have claimed abso
lute ownership of the lands, with power
to hold or sell them as they choose.
The wagon road andxrallroad grants
in Oregon, eight In number, are a
record of perfidy toward the public.
The wagon roads were never built as
the grantees of the lands agreed to
make them nor were they kept in re
pair. The lands were barred against
settlement by non-resident landlords,
who knew nothing of the needs of the
state in the development of the lorded
areas and cared less.
The land grants are a very promising
field for enforcement, of. law, in the
Interest of the people against plunderers
of the public domain. The field has
lain neglected too long. But good re
sults can be accomplished even at this
late day. President Roosevelt and the
members of his official family are com
ing upon a very live subject. They
should handle it forthwith and without
gloves. But they should be -warned that
they will be treading; on the precincts
of the railroad trust magnates, who will
redouble their efforts to make retalia
tory war.
Compared .with the public utilities bill
pending in the New Tork legislature,
the Oregon Railroad Commission law is
I a mild piece of legislation. The bill
! which Governor Hughes favors pro
vides, for the appointment of two com
missions by the Governor, one for the
city and the other for the rest of the
state. Each commission has power to
i order the use of certain devices,
i changes in equipment, or In regulation
: of employes considered necessary for
! the safety of passengers. It may ex-
amine any and all books and papers of
i a public utility corporation and its con
: sent is necessary for all franchises,
! capitalizations, issues of stocks or
'. bonds, leases or transfers. It has au
1 thority to control . train schedules, fix
; rates for ca.Tylng passengers or freight
j or for furnishing gas or electricity. It
i may set the standards of electric volt
I agg and of gas purity. It may compel
Increase of equipment, construction or
new sidings and regulate interchange
of cars, transportation of cars, . etc
But while it has all these powers, the
exercise of them Is founded upon rea
sonableness or necessity in the inter
ests of those having dealings with the
public utility corporations.
THE STEUNENBERG MCRDER.
A black crime was committed in the
murder of ex-Governor Steunenberg at
Caldwell, Idaho. The perpetrators were
criminals of the hardest sort and their
deed vas one of the foulest credited to
the Western Federation of Miners.
Accused of complicity In the murder,
Moyer, Haywood and Pettibone, leaders
of the Federation of Miners, were ar
rested In Denver six weeks later, turned
over to authorities of Idaho, and at once
"railroaded" out of Colorado to Idaho,
In order that the men might not delay
or prevent extradition In the courts of
Colorado. This "railroading" has been
denounced ever since, by associates of
the three men, by members of the
Western Federation of Miners, by cer
tain classes of rabid socialists, and is
now denounced by Eugene V. Debs, as
a heinous conspiracy against innocent
men, to deprive them of their rights as
citizens of Colorado.
But how about the murder? Is that
crime to be forgotten? Are the mur
derers to have their deed overlooked, in
all this hubbub over whether Moyer,
Haywood and Pettibone were lawfully
seized ?
The real Issue Is In the trial of those
men for complicity in murder, not in
the question whether the red tape of
extradition was all unwound.
Of course they,would rather have the
trial on the question of the red tape,
for that would stay or prevent the trial
on the important question that of
murder.
But justice demands that the murder
trial shall come first. Retribution for
murder is more important than qulb
blings over whether men charged with
murder were properly seized by the
vested authorities for trial. If the ex
tradition laws were broken in Colorado
and there was a breach of the peace
and dignity of that state, it is for
Colorado to complain, not for men who
wish to secure themselves from justice
in Idaho, by invoking the dignity of
Colorado. Idaho is the place where the
three men should foe tried for the
crime charged against them. Colorado
is the place where other men alleged
to be guilty of "kidnaping" should be
tried for that crime. The murder and
the alleged kidnaping are separate and
distinct. The kidnapers need not worry
themselves about the trial of Moyer,
Haywood and Pettibone, and those
three men need not worry themselves
about the trial of the kidnapers. The
one crime was committed in. Idaho and
the other alleged crime in Colorado.
The laws and the courts of each state
are competent to care for the peace
and dignity of their own borders.
Therefore, let the three men gain the
acquittal that they ought to win if
they are innocent and then go to Col
orado and see that the laws and the
courts of that state mete out proper
justice for the crime charged in that
commonwealth.
COCBTS AND A FREE PRESS.
In his general statement of the right
of free speech and a free press as
guaranteed by the Constitution of the
United States and of the several states.
Justice Harlan, of the United States
Supreme Court, announced a funda
mental principle essential to the preser
vation of the liberties of the people, but
did not enter upon a discussion of the
reasons why the people should be pro
tected in the right to discuss the action
or proposed action of the courts. It is
often true that a dissenting opinion is
the correct opinion, and the Colorado
case in which Justice Harlan dissented
Is a case in point. The majority of the
court upheld the Colorado courts in
fining the owner of a newspaper for
contempt because of certain strictures
published regarding a decision of the
courts in election cases. In Its opinion
the- court said that "when a case is
finished courts are subject to the same
criticism as other people, but the pro
priety and necessity of preventing In
terference with the courts of justice by
premature statement, argument or in
timidation hardly can be denied."
That this decision Is a direct attack
upon the liberties of the people will be
readily apparent after a quotation from
the statutes of our own state. The
law governing contempts authorizes a
court to fine a person who is guilty of
"disorderly, contemptuous or insolent
behavior towards the Judge while hold
ing the court, tending to impair its au
thority or to Interrupt the due course
of a trial or other judicial proceeding."
That provision of our statutes is proper
enough In Itself, but when the United
States Supreme Court holds that by
means of contempt proceedings a
court may punish "interference by pre
mature statement or argument," and
that the punishment may be inflicted if
in the opinion of the court the publica
tion "tends toward such interference,"
a reasonable statute has been trans
formed Into a dangerous limitation
upon constitutional rights.
There Is special reason why the peo-
pie should retain the right to discuss
questions upon which the courts are to
declare law. In this country the courts
exercise what Is practically a legis
lative power, for they declare that to
be law which was not before known to
be law. There is, therefore. Just as
much reason why questions before a
court should be open to discussion as
there is why bills pending before a
Legislature should be subject to com
ment. The courts are as much servants
of the people as are the members of
the Legislature. The rules of law laid
down by a court are applicable not only
to those persons who are parties to
the case, but to all citizens, .hence all
the people have an interest' In what
that decision shall be. They have a
right to talk about a case, personally
and in the press, and In every way aid
the court In arriving at a correct de
termination of what is the law by
which the people shall be governed. But
under the Colorado decision a "prema
ture statement or argument" is an act
of conteniot which the court may pun
ish at Its own sweet will, without ac
cording to the defendant the right of
trial by jury.
Our own State Supreme Court has
held that the inherent power of a court
of justice to punish parties for con
tempt who commit acts which have a
direct tendency to obstruct or embar
rass its proceedings in matters pending
before it. or "to influence decisions re
garding such matters," is undoubted,
the only limitation being that the con
tempt proceedings must be brought by
affidavit and not upon the Initiative of
the court. The decision of our own
court, taken in connection with that of
the United States Court, practically
forbids the people to make a. "prema
ture statement or argument" regarding
a case pending In court. Such a con
struction of the law was never Intended
when the statute was framed for the
punishment of "disorderly, contemptu
ous or Insolent behavior" toward the
court. If the United States Court had
confined its decision to publications
amounting to "intimidation" and had
omitted "statement and argument," its
ruling would have been unobjection
able, but when a court proclaims its
unwillingness to listen to reason from
the people it invites contempt and In
solence. It is the exercise of legislative power
that gives the people a particular right
to discuss the questions pending before
a court. Nearly every case involves
some new question upon which the law
is uncertain. Many of, these questions
are of great importance, for they de
termine political rights, personal rights
'and property rights. In our own courts
litigation over the Initiative and refer
endum, the extent of riparian rights,
the validity of .legislative' acts, and
many ' other questions, illustrate to
what extent all the people may be in
terested In a decision in a case to which
'only two or three persons may be par
ties. In all such cases, whether pend
ing or determined, the people have a
right to discuss the action of the courts,
and they will do so whenever they
please, the United States Supreme
Cpurt to the contrary notwithstand
SALMON HATCHERY ON . MACKENZIE.
The Oregon Fish Commission is about
to erect a 10,000,000 egg salmon hatchery
on Mackenzie River, because of the
large supply of salmon eggs on that
stream and the very favorable condi
tions there for hatching big quantities
of fry. The Mackenzie hatchery station
has been the most successful in Colum
bia River waters, so far as quantity of
egg supply has been the criterion.
But, before ordering construction of
the hatchery, the commission will do
well to Investigate the conditions of
Mackenzie River closely, and convince
themselves that that stream, while be
ing ideal for taking and hatching the
eggs, is also ideal for safeguarding the
infant fry, after their release, from
their numerous known enemies.
There are abundant proofs that trout
in Mackenzie River devour many in
fant salmon, and the commission can
easily obtain the proof. The Mackenzie
is one of the favorite trout streams of
anglers and there are men among them
who have found salmon fry In large
numbers In the stomachs of the trout.
Unless the commission shall be careful
It will make Its hatchery a feeding sta
tion for trout.
The commission will do well to ascer
tain what opportunity young salmon,
after escaping their devouring enemies
In their 200-mile journey down the Mac
kenzie and the Willamette rivers to
Oregon City, will have for passing
safely over the Falls at that place.
It Is "well known that, during the five
months after June L nearly all the
water of the Willamette River flows
through turbine power wheels. It Is
reasonable to- suppose that at that sea
son the young salmon pass down the
river on their way to the sea. It Is
an unproved theory that the young
salmon pass the Falls before June,
after their release on the Mackenzie
in February or March. Nobody knows
how fast; the small fish travel, but it is
quite reasonable to suppose that they
do not all pass the Falls before Sum
mer. Even If they do get by the Falls
before that time, a large part of the
river Is drawn into the power-wheels
and it stands to reason that the young
fish go with it.
The Mackenzie is undeniably one of
the best in Oregon for an egg-taking
station, but for a hatchery its suitable
ness Is doubtful. This presents no seri
ous difficulty!, however, for the eggs
could be transported to some point on
the Willamette River below the Falls
and there hatched, at small cost for
transportation. Salmon eggs often are
thus transferred from one hatchery to
another and from an "eyeing" station
to a hatchery. The preceding fish
commission made a colossal mistake by
building the "biggest salmon hatchery
In the world" at Ontario and the pres
ent commission should be careful to
avoid a similar mistake on the Mac
kenzie. STRANGE NEWS FROM BOSTON.
. From far-off Boston comes the infor
mation that Oregon Is sick of the initia
tive and referendum and will soon re
peal it. The- Boston Transcript gives
us this information, which may ha said
to be new though not true. Under the
head of "The Referendum's Failure in
Oregon" the Transcript publishes a col
umn article showing considerable fa
miliarity with the operation of the di
rect legislation amendment in this state,
but the comment discloses several
points of misapprehension. The pur
pose of the article is to discourage the
enactment by the Massachusetts legis
lature of a measure known as the pub
lic opinion "bill which embodies the
referendum feature. The Transcript
says, and very truly,- that it has been
found easy to get signatures to peti
tions In this state, that the people know
very little about the details of the
measures submitted to them, and that
they do not take away and read the
copies of bills kept for distribution by
county clerks. Indications now are,
however, that people are more careful
about signing petitions and that they
will learn more about bills submitted
to them, for they will receive copies by
mail. The Transcript might have
added. Just as truthfully, that It has
been found easy to get votes for in
iquitous measures In the legislature
and that members of the legislature
very frequently know very little about
the details of the bills upon which they
vote. So it is about a stand-off be
tween direct and indirect legislation so
far as that feature Is concerned.
The Transcript says that eleven
measures were submitted to a vote of
the people last June, and It might have
truthfully added that though some were
I adopted and others rejected, and all of
mem ern iinpuriu.ni. no man Has )ei
arisen to say that the people made a
mistake in any particular due to lack
of understanding of any measure. The
women suffrage people doubtless think
the people made a mistake in defeating
their amendment and the saloon peo
ple think a mistake was made in the
defeat of their local option law, but so
far as the vota shows anything at all,
it Indicates that the people voted in
telligently. That the Transcript is
laboring under some misapprehension is
evident from the statement that "most
of the laws proposed in Oregon relate
to taxation or appropriations'. The
mass of voters everywhere pay no di
rect taxes and so suppose they pay
none at all. They naturally want a
great deal more money spent to 'make
work' and keep business good, with the
result that Oregon and its cities are
spending an amount of money which is
sure to drive capital and industry out
of the state." Oregon people will heart
ily enjoy the information that they do
not know they are paying taxes and
that the initiative and referendum is a
means of increasing the burden. '
For the Information of Massachusetts
it may be said with utmost frankness
that we are yet experimenting with the
direct legislation amendment, that we
find it has some defects though none
more serious than those possessed by
representative legislation, that It is in
tended merely as a last resort when
legislatures prove unfaithful, and that
we hope to limit its use to those im
portant measures which can be enacted
or defeated In no other way. There is
an element In this state opposed to
the Initiative and referendum, and prob
ably always will be. There Is not one
man condemning the initiative and
referendum where there are a hundred
censuring the legislature.
The killing of two police officers by
drunken Italians In New Tork City has
started a crusade there against the
evil of carrying concealed weapons.
That the men were drunk or that they
engaged In a free-for-all fight would
have resulted In no serious conse
quences but for the fact that they were
armed and upon interference by the
police began firing. On the same day
some drunken rowdies on a . streetcar
created a riot, and when two citizens
Interfered to protect the women and
children on the car they were shot and
mortally wounded. The two affairs
show In a most convincing manner that
vigorous action is necessary in order
that law-abiding people may be pro
tected from the wanton and vicious.
Fine and confiscation of the weapons
have always been considered sufficient,
but heavier punishment will be neces
sary and an aggressive effort must be
made not only in New Tork but in
every other city to detect the carrying
of concealed weapons by persons of an
irresponsible or dangerous character,
or by anybody who has no business
with them.
The heavy cotton crop of last year
has served to maintain the balance of
trade In favor of this country, as In
dicated by the figures regarding exports
and imports for the month of March.
All other staple exports suffered a de
crease for that month, but cotton shows
a decided increase. The total exports
for March, 1907, were $162,689,950, im
ports $133,323,085, leaving an excess of
$29,366,865. Figures for the same month
in 1906 were: Exports $145,510,707, Im
ports $113,597,577, excess $31,913,130. That
our imports increase as rapidly as our
exports is indicated by the following
statement of shipments for the month
of March since 1900:
Excess of
March. Exports. Imports. exports.
1H07 $162,089,050 $133,823,085 $29,366,865
1906 .... 145,510,707 113.597.577 31.913,130
1905 136,978,4-9 110.431,188 26,547,241
1904 119,888,449 91,347,909 28,540,540
1901 132.093,964 96.230.457 35.863,507
1902 106.749.401 84.227.082 22,522,319
1901 124.473,643 75.8Re.834 48.586.809
1900 .... 134.157.225 86,522.456 47,634,709
The 107 passenger steamers which are
scheduled to go out of New Tork for
Europe between now and July 15 have
already booked passengers to the full
capacity of the ships, and applications
for passage during that time are now
being refused. These steamers will
carry 75,000 Americans, who will pay in
fares $7,000,000. If these 75,000 people
would come to the Pacific Coast we
would show them scenery that sur
passes the Alps and provide them a
climate which for healthfulness Is su
preme. But they prefer the name of
going to Europe rather than the pleas
ure of coming to the Coast.
Echo, the husky young town up near
Pendleton which set up a "holler" be
cause the Portland business men left
it out of the itinerary of the Idaho ex
cursion and got it changed, has a
weekly paper called the Register that
is typical of the town. Thursday's is
sue has a supplement descriptive of the
place that will set visitors thinking.
It tells what Echo has in the way of
business and business men; plays up
town with pictures that tell the story,
and proves that large things are its
specialty not the least being a few
good-sized families. Echo is more than
a dot on the map.
Several weeks ago the news
papers of the country related at some
length the story of a lobbying excursion
which some 200 lady school teachers of
New Tork took to the state capital In
behalf of a bill for the equalization of
salaried. The ladles went after the
legislators for promises of support for
their bill, and the promises were forth
coming. It Is now interesting to know
that the promises have been, fulfilled
and the bill has passed.
It has been pointed out to the Presi
dent that the land fraud investigations
In Idaho have resulted in the Indict
ment of only Republicans, leaving the
Inference that the prosecution Is a
political matter. But the same thing
might have been shown with regard to
the prosecutions In Oregon. The people
who are on the Inside generally do the
grabbing. Those who are out do not
get a chance.
The Minnesota legislature has passed
an automobile law which provides that
when a chaffeur runs over a pedestrian
he must stop and give the number of
his machine. It should be amended so
as to provide that If the same man is
run over more than once In a day the
number of the machine need not be
given every time.
Medford's school directors remember
their boyhood. They have ordered
school to close just before the parade
on circus day and remain closed all
day.
The "Haul of Fame" is what Pennsyl
vanians propose to name their new
state house in wnich the $7,000,000 graft
was perpetrated.
Pennsylvania's $7,000,000 capitol graft
is a fitting penalty for a state that
elects a Governor opposed to freedom
of the press.
Alfonso.' it is said, seeks recreation
in golf. -By and by he'll have all he
wants holding the baby.
, DE.VI.IX TELLS DOCK NEEDS.
Cites Other Porte to Show What This
City Requires.
PORTLAND. Or., April 20. (To the
Editor.) The time is opportune for dis
cussion of the advisability of the city
owning and maintaining docks. What
are the benefits to be derived therefrom?
Is it a proper field for municipal owner
ship? Will the end Justify the expendi
ture? Are the conditions here such as to
make the ownership of docks by the city
of importance In the larger growth of the
city? Before proceeding to answer these
questions it may be of interest to know
what other cities have been doing in this
line and what the effects have been. A
few years ago Buenos Ayres. the capital
of the Argentine Republic, was. an old
Spanish village situated on the estuary of
the La Plata. Vessels were compelled to
anchor seven miles from vthe city owing
to the shallowness of the river. There
were no dock facilities, and the commerce
of the port was very limited. Since then
the city has built some of the finest docks
in the world and dredged the river, and
the result has been most astonishing.
The .commerce of Buenos Ayres has In
creased enormously, the city has been re
built anj It Is now one of the most beau
tiful and prosperous cities in the world.
Hon. John Barrett, when here, stated that
the public docks of Buenos Ayres were
the most potent Influence In the rebuild
ing and enhanced wealth of the city.
The city of New Tork about 35 years ago
Invested $55,000,000 in docks acquiring
about one-fifth of available docks of the
city. . The property is now worth hun
dreds of millions of dollars and the value
thereof to the city In the way of Increased
commerce by reason of low charges and
improved facilities has been incalculable.
The public docks of London and of Liv
erpool and the extent to which they have
fostered and protected the commerce of
Great Britain is quite well-known. Liver
pool boasts that it doubled-its population
and trade every 16 years during the last
century. This has resulted In awakening
other cities to the Importance of harbor
Improvement. We hear much of the ac
tivity of Glasgow and Birmingham In the
operation of street railways, etc., but the
greater activity of European cities has
been in the acquisition .and Improvement
of waterways, harbors and docks. Man
chester saw this and In consequence con
structed Its great canal and docks and
brought the ocean vessels direct to its
great mills. Swansea on the south shore
of Wales has by reason of It docks and
quay doubled its population since 1881 and
Increased Its trade vastly more hi propor
tion. Cardiff, another city on the south
shore of Wales, has 150 acres of dock
area and within a short time has grown
to be the third most important port in
the empire. A like astonishing history of
growth and prosperity in Bristol. Hull,
Plymouth, Newcastle and Sunderland re
sults directly from the expenditure of
millions for deeper channels, new docks
and better harbors.
Activity along this line has been equally
great In Continental Europe. Amsterdam
has accomplished wonders in canal con
struction and harbor improvement within
a few years. Antwerp has spent millions
In money and has put forth the most de
termined effort for harbor Improvements.
Dantzlc has dredged out its shallow little
harbor and by providing facilities for
modern ships has made a busy prosperous
city out of the old-fashioned walled town.
Barcelona has made a magnificent harbor
under the most adverse conditions and the
result has been Increased commerce, popu
lation and wealth. Hamburg has shown
an activity in harbor improvement that
is nowhere surpassed. Its docks are
skirted with a system of railroads and
warehouses and its dock facilities are the
best In the world. Similar comment con
cerning the improvement of docks, har
bors and waterways may Be made of
every seaport, city of Europe where there
has been advancement during the last 40
years. The commerce of those cities is
their life and they have adopted the most
Intelligent' method to maintain and Im
prove It.
We may now return to the consideration
of conditions In Portland and the neces
sity of providing better harbor facilities
in the near future. Within 10 years the
entire dock facilities of Portland above
the steel bridge will be required for river
traffic. Our ocean vessels must anchor
and dock below. Our river channel is
narrow and there Is a constant tendency
to encroach upon it by extension of the
harbor lines. Our present system of plac
ing a vessel lengthwise beside a dock re
quires an unnecessary amount of space.
We must have piers and dredge inland.
The better plan would have been for the
city to have purchased Guild's Lake and
dredged It out, making It a great basin,
skirted by a system of docks, railways
and warehouses and we would have had
the finest fresh water harbor In the world
with the most economical and convenient
system of docks. This would have vast
ly increased our available harbor area
and would have been exceedingly desir
able by reason of Its nearness to the cen
ter of trade.
Within a few years our harbors will be
crowded and under present conditions
dock rates may be so increased that much
commerce may be diverted from us to
other cities. This has been the experi
ence elsewhere and has been corrected
only by municipal ownership and Improve
ment of docks at enormous expense. A
few years ago a long strip of dock lands
extending from the Portland Flouring
Mills dock to the bluff at University Park
was sold to a local firm for less than
$30,000. This piece of land would have
been of exceeding value to the city and
in time worth millions. But the same op
portunities exist now only In a lesser de
gree. It Is proposed to spend $500,000 for
such properties at this time. It is very
probable that docks may now be made
self-sustaining. The necessity of acquir
ing them now must be apparent to every
one familiar with local conditions. Shall
we do so or shall we-wait until we see
our trade decreasing and neighboring
cities prospering by reason of our negli
gent delay?
The benefit would be increased com
merce assured by better facilities and
moderate rates. Of all municipal enter
prises It Is one in which cities have been
most successful and in which there has
been the least conflict with private Inter
ests. The Investment will pay not only
In increased commerce and greater gen
eral prosperity, but also in the intrinsic
value of the docks purchased. The con
ditions In Portland are such as to make
it most urgent for this city to act.
T. C. DEVLIN.
CEd!or"s Note: Mr. Devlin is Auditor of
Portland. He has given this subject
large attention and has large information
about docks in other great ports.)
Kathleen Msvourera.
James Whitcomb Riley.
Kathleen Mavourneeo! The song Is still
ringing
s fresh and as clear as the trill of the
birds;
In world-weary hearts It la sobbing and
singing
In pathos too sweet for the tenderest
word.
Oh, have we forgotten the one who first
breathed it
Oh, have we forgotten his rapturous art
Our meed to the master whose genius be
queathed It?
Oh, why art thou silent, thou voice of the
heart ?
Kathleen Mavoumeen: Thy lover still lin
gers; The long night is waning the stars .pale
and few;
Thy sad serenader, with tremulous Angers,
Is bowed with his tears as the lily with
dew :
The old harpstrlngs quaver the old voice
is shaking
In sighs and In sobs moans the yearning
refrain
The old 'ision dims and the old heart Is
breaJeing
Kathleen Mavourneen, inspire us again!
BORAH SHOULD FACE THE LIGHT
K Innoeent, He Haa Nothing Kesur
From Investigation.
Spokane Spokesman-Review.
United States Senator Borah's assertion
that the movement to bring about his in
dictment by the Federal grand Jury at
Boise for alleged land frauds Is prompted
by the supporters of Moyer. Haywood and
Pettibone may or may not be based on
fact. While Senator Borah Is assisting
the prosecution of these three prisoners,
who are charged with the murder of ex
Govemor Steunenberg, and It may be true
as he alleges that the friends of these
men Incited the grand jury investigation
against him, the affair has gone so far
that Senator Borah. If innocent, can not
afford to turn off the searchlight. It is
highly improbable that the Federal grand
jury at Boise would indict htm unless the
evidence were sufficient to warrant a
reasonable presumption of guilt. If he
Is guilty he should be brought to the bar
of Justice, and the possible circumstances
that friends of Moyer, Haywood and Pet
tibone were instrumental in exposing his
guilt should have not the slightest bearing
on the course of justice. If the charges
against Senator Borah have been trumped
up he will be vindicated In due time, eith
er by the grand Jury or by the Federal
Court, if the case should come to trial.
If Senator Borah has violated the laws
the fact that he Is a Senator of the United
States should not be permitted to throw
around him a protecting shield, just as
the fact that Moyer, Haywood and Petti
bone are supported by a powerful labor
organization and by socialists generally
throughout the United States should not
be permitted to Interfere with the orderly
course of their trial.
LIFE Ilf THE OREGON COUNTRY
Not Out of the Almanac.
Aberdeen Bulletin.
Some people say that in spite of Roose
velt's denial he'll Jus' Taft to run.
Strenuous) Pleasure.
Castle Rock Advocate.
Miss Alt a White, while at play, had
the mlstfortune to get slightly cut on the
head with an ax.
It Pays.
Corvallis Times.
Alt a Addlton, an O. A. C. graduate of
ten or 11 years ago. Is reputed to be the
leading cyanide expert on the Pacific
Coast.
Enterprise.
Newberg Graphic.
The town which goes to. the front Is
the one In which its citizens believe thor
oughly and give practical proof of their
belief.
See You Later.
Pendleton Tribune.
The escaped Portland stork has been
recaptured but as the result of his two
days' freedom there is no telling the
extent of the damage done as yet.
Those Good Old Days.
Hillsboro Argus.
Isaac Leisy, who for 57 years has
wended his way between his home and
this city, was In town Tuesday. Mr.
Leisy says that when he came here in
1850, elk. deer and bear were plentiful.
and that what one settler had the others
had.
Big Sticks for the Bean-Eaters.
Yakima Republic. '
A flatcar containing three pieces of
timber, two of them 70 feet long and
three feet one inch square, and the other
72 feet in length and two and one-half
feet square, passed through here this
afternoon from Puget Sound to Boston,
Mass.
Rattlesnake. Season Begins.
Madras Pioneer.
Rattlesnakes 'are making an early ap
pearance In this section, five large ones
have already been killed this year on
Agency Plains. Three were killed by
Cliff and Ray Jackson, two others by one
of the Gard boys, last week. One killed
by Ray Jackson had nine rattles and a
button. Iast year a number -of rattle
snakes were killed upon the Plains, but
very few were killed until much later in
the year. They were more numerous
about harvest time, and as many as eight
or ten were killed under one hay stack
on several occasions.
Thla Dots; a Great Stayer.
Central Point Herald.
Joe Boswell owns a dog which he Is
having trained for a hunter in the Butte
Falls country that he believes to be the
best canine in Oregon; According to re
ports recently received from there, the
dog struck a deer track a few weeks ago
and followed It for seven days, finally
bringing the deer to bay and holding it
for three days longer until the trainer
went out and called the dog off and took
him home to get something to eat. It is
GLOOMY FOREBODINGS
Tl I I' IM h - r
MOTHER-OF-PREBrDEVTg OHIO
AND I THOUGHT AT ONE TIME
GROW UP TO BE PRESIDENT!"
THE TRUTH ABOUT OREGON
The Oregonian has invited a large
number of well-informed persons to
tell what they know about the dif
ferent phases of life and industry
in Oregon, in the Special TOUR
ISTS AND HOMESEEKERS
EDITION, Monday, April 29. They
will cover every subject about
which a visitor or a prospective
homebnilder would naturally in
quire. He will be told all about
WHAT HE CAN DO AND HOW HE
CAN LIVE
In Oregon. Besides being brim-full
of information from the pen of ex
perts, the edition will be beautifully
illustrated. To see that it gets into
the hands of people it is intended
to reach, the railroads and the pub
licity department of the Commer
cial Club have already engaged to
take many thousand copies, and
they will be sent to people who are
coming to Oregon or are known to
be inquiring about it. Individuals
will send many, too. The adver
tiser therefore has a rare oppor
tunity in this number to reach di
rectly new readers who have a spe
cial interest in Oregon and who are
coming to see and to stay. Besides,
there's The Oregonian's great reg
ular circulation. Withal, the spe
cial 'Tourists' and- Homeseekers'
Edition will do much to disseminate
interesting and authentic facts
about Oregon,
WHERE THE TRUTH WILL DO
GOOD
believed the deer was the same thiit
treed Will Scott In the same neighbor
hood last Winter. Mr. Boswell refuses
all offers to sell the dog, but intimates
that he might give some friend a tip
where to get another from the same
litter.
Easy When You Get the Hlnht Tip.
Rabbitville Correspondent The Dalles
(Or.) Optimist.
Well, we may have a newspaper here
before long, and it will be a jimdantly
you bet, for I will edit it, and I no how
to eddit. I have frequent been over to
the Optimist office and watched old man
Bennett eddlting. He sets with his feet
on the desk, witch is a store box, a cob
pipe in his mouth, a pencil behint his off
ear and sleeps and snores, then wakes
up and swares at the fellers what sets
the tipes and things like that, and fellers
like me, lltterary fellers, writes good
things for him, and the rest he steeU,
then he goes to sleep some more, snores
some more, swares some more, then goes
out and takes six more palousers, and
has em charged. It is a snap, a ded
eazy snap to be a reel edditur, and I
will be one of the gratest in the state,
you can bet on that, for I have branes
and lntelleck and talient and in time I
will no doubt be one of the gratest of
edditors.
The Solid Klne'si Record.
PORTLAND. April 21. (To the Editor.)
To settle 'a dispute as to whether any
of our East Side Councilmen were mem
bers of the "solid nine." will you kindly
publish a list of those who were mem
bers and also a Hat of those who were
not, together with the parts of the city
represented by each? and oblige,
' C. BROWN.
The "solid nine," who on February 6,
1907, opposed the revocation of the per
petual franchises of the gas company by
the Legislature were:
John Annand, J. P. Sharkey and Thomas
Gray, Councllmen-at -large; R. A. Pres
ton, First Ward; H. W. Wallace, Second
Ward; G. D. t Dunning, Third Ward;
George S. Shepherd, Fourth Ward; W. Y.
Masters, Fifth Ward; H. A. Beldlng,
Sixth Ward.
Those who voted for revocation of per
petual franchises were: A. G. Rushlight.
Seventh Ward: Frank S. Bennett. Eighth
Ward; R. E. Menefee, Ninth Ward; W. T.
Vaughn, Tenth Ward: Daniel Kellaher
and A. N. Wills. Council men-at-large.
Secretary Taft for Cnbat
Boston Herald.
Secretary Taft has made such a hit
in reconciling all the parties in Cuba
Liberals, Conservatives and Repub
licans to his plan of delay in starting
the new republic, that he would seem
to be its logical candidate for Presi
dent. It looks as if he might go In
unanimously If he would consent to
serve. But can we spare him?
From the New York Press.
"THERE THEY ARE, AT IT AG AIM
THAT ONE OR T'OTHER OF 'EM MIGHT