THE MORXIXG OREGOXIAX, TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 1708.
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PORTLAND. TUESDAY. JAN. 14, 1908.
A CRISIS APPROACHING.
Enlargement of the powers of the
Port of Portland, or enactment of a
new law on similar lines to the Port
of Columbia act, which 'was defeated
in the courts, is the most important
question before the people of Portland
today. Completion of the North Bank
Railroad slves this city access to
thousands of miles of territory from
which we have previously been barred
by lack of facilities for transportation.
The new road, together with its great
competitor, in fine physical condition,
on the south bank of the Columbia,
has provided us with matchless facili
ties for bringing the products of the
interior dow . to this city. There are.
still vast regions to be opened up trib
utary to the main line of the Harri
man system, but with the coming of
the North Bank road. In the main Co
lumbia Basin, it will require more
than a decade of most rapid develop
ment for the traffic, to exceed the fa
cilities. But on the lower division of the Co
lumbia, from Portland to the sea,
matters are not yet on. a permanent
basis, nor will our position become im
pregnable until it is possible for ship
ping to get In und out of the river
with no greater delay and no greater
expense than Is Incurred at ports with
which we come in competition. Dur
ing the years when the O. R. & N. was
tlio only road hauling freight down
the Columbia River we regarded
maintenance of our highway to the
sea as sufficiently important to war
rant expenditure of errough money to
deepen ihe channel so that a 10,000
ton carrier has now no more difficulty
in coming to Portland than was e
countered by the 1000-ton carrier of
twenty years ago. We have lopped
off river pilotage, excessive crimping
charges and other abuses which con
tributed to making this port more ex
pensive than some others with which
we were in competition, and as a re
sult there has been a decline of sev
eral cents per bushel in freight rates
from this port to Europe, all of this
saving In freight going to the pro
ducer. In this work Portland has had some
assistance from the Government, but
none from the rest of the state. While
the state was spending J500.000 on a
portage road which could not increase
the traffic nor reduce the rates, this
city, through the Port of Portland,
was spending the same amount for
deepening tho river, any improvement
or enlargement of facilities on the
middle river being useless unless there
was an unobstructed channel to the
sea. Just at present wo are on even
terms with Pugot Sound, because the
railroads have absorbed, the charge
for bar pilotage, which arms not exist
on Puget Sound, and the Pacific
Bridge Company is removing ballast
free. Both of those concessions are
temporary, but the disabilities which
they correct must be removed or
ta.ken caro of by the Port of Portland
or a similar organization for main
taining our maritime prestige.
Mr. Hill already has a line to Pu
get Sound and Mr. Harrlman will soon
be equally well equipped for business.
Both would prefer to drop their
freight at the most convenient poiat
at or near Portland, but tho grades on
to Puget Sound are easy and the dis
tance not great, and ur'.ets we can
keep the channel to the sea at a good
depth, abolish bar pilotage and cut off
other expenses which are unnecessary
in ports with which we compete, we
shall fail to profit by our otherwise
matchless location at the root of a
downhill haul. There is no sentiment
about this matter. It Is strictly busi
ness, and it Is highly Important that
Portland be In a position to face the
crisis unhampered by the influences
which defeated the Port of Columbia
bill and deferred the necessary reform
at least a year.
A DISPUTABLE PRESUMPTION.
In denying; George Putnam tha
right to prove the truth of his publi
cations regarding the attitude of the
grand jury in the Barnum assault
case. Judge Hanna apparently ignored
two plain provisions of the statutes of
this state. One of these provisions,
quoted In these columns Sunday', is
contained in section 2170 of the.code,
and declares that the defendant, in a
criminal prosecution for libel may
show the truth of his statements. The
other provision Is subdivision 15 of
secton 788. Section 787 defines what
are conclusive presumptions. Section
788 defines disputable presumptions.
The latter section says:
78S All other presumptions are satisfac
tory .unless - overcome. They are denomi
nated disputable presumptions, and may be
controverted by other evidence. The fol
lowing are of that kind:
15 That official duty haa been regularly
performed.
The grand Jury is an official "body
and had official duty to perform. It
is a presumption "that it did perform
its duty, but that presumption is a dis
putable one, and section 788 expressly
declares that "it may be controverted
with other evidence." Yet Judge
Hanna refused to admit other evi
dence and instructed the Jury:
The fact of whether or not Barnum Is
guilty of an assault was a fact to be de
termined by the grand jury. They are pre
sumed b'y law to have determined the mat
ter rightly.
If Judge Hahna's ruling is correct,
then there are two sections of the stat
utes of this state that might as well be
repealed. They have, in fact, been
abrogated by judicial decision, if the
ruling of Judge Hanna shall stand.
THE TRUSTS AND MR. MILLS.
Like all the philosophical Socialists,
Mr. Walter Thomas Mills has much to
say In the way of criticism of present
social conditions which no candid
person would care to dispute. But
mingled with the truth which this
earnest and gifted propagandist utters
there is more or less theory which is
open to serious question. For exam
ple, the statement made In one of his
recent lectures that "In any In
dustry where monopoly is possible
competition is the - process by which
monopoly Is achieved." The objec
tions to this statement are that it Is
too broad on the one hand, while on
the other it omits a . very important
factor in the formation of monopolies.
Competition is npt by any. means the'
only method of perfecting a monop
oly. Some of our most tyrannical
ones have been formed exclusively
through the grant of special privileges
by legislative bodies.
Every franchise grant creates more
or less of a monopoly. The monopoly
of the National banks to issue paper
money is established by legislation;
competition has nothing to do with lt
Even those thateful monopolies which
have grown up under the shelter of
the Dlngley tariff owe- more to the
prohibitive duties than to competition.
In fact, It Is pretty certain that mast
of our combinations are not the result
of competition carried to its inevitable
outcome, but arise rather from agree
ments made to evade competition long
before its effects have become disas
trous; and these agreements are made
profitable in many cases by special
privileges conferred by statute. Of
course the position is unassailable
that monopoly is the logical goal
toward which competition tends
through the destruction of the weak
and the survival of the strong; but it
is extremely doubtful whether that
goal would ever be reached in prac
tice were not the ellmlnatlve process
helped on by legislative favoritism.
The most damning economic charge
against competition is Its wastefulness.
Some authorities estimate that 70 per
cent of the current cost of commodi
ties is heaped upon them by unneces
sary competition. This, of course,
may be an exaggeration, but there is
no escaping the. fact that the process
Is often economically injurious, what
ever its ethical value may be; and "on
this ground we owe a debt of grati
tude to the trusts for showing us how
to escape from it without impairing
the efficiency of production. It is idle
to attribute the development of the
trusts to any one' cause. They are the
fruit of innumerable conditions which
it would require an extensive analysis
to state with tolerable accuracy; but
after all, the most interesting fact
about the trusts Is not their origin,
but their existence. They are here
with us in active, portentous life, and
in some way they must be subjugated
to the good of society instead of being
permitted to suck the lifeblood from
it, as they now do. It must not be
forgotten, either, that every one of the
trusts has eliminated competition al
together within the scope of its activi
ties. It follows, therefore, that if we
would restore competition to its old
place in the economic domain, we
must begin by extirpating the trusts.
This Is one of Mr. Bryan's fondest
Ideals, but there are few thoughtful
men of broad information who agree
with him. The trend of economic
thought, i not only among the Social
ists, but also In such men as Judge
Grosscup and President Roosevelt, Is
decidedly toward preserving the
trusts. There is much reason to be
liove that the trust idea is one of the
great economic discoveries of the age.
and as soon as we have learned how
to make Its benefits available to the
human race, instead of allowing a few
individuals to grab them, we shall
have taken a long step toward the so
lution of problems which have hith
erto baffled statesmen, philosophers
and prophets alike. -Mr. Mills has
something to offer here. He thinks
that the way to utilize the trust idea
for tho common good is for society to
become a gnyeral competitor with
each trust as it is formed and thus
drive it out of business. - "When a mo
nopoly has been formed," he says, "so
ciety must either consent to-be robbed
by it or provide a competitor"; and
he goes on to argue that the only effi
cient competitor must be society itself.
This, of course, is a. fiat contradiction
of Mr. Mills' own theory that all so
cial betterment must be attained by
the practice of the golden rule. It is
fighting the devil with fire. For this
kind of competition there is no better
economic defense' than for any other.
It would be extremely wasteful, and,
what Is worse, there Is no certainty
that it would succeed.
The" true solution of the trust prob
lem lies in the authority of society to
control its creatures. The state may,
and probably must, assume the same
power to control, direct and use cor
porations which it assumes over indi
viduals. Society does not hesitate to
deprive an Individual of his property,
his comfort, even of life itself, when
the common good seems to require it.
'Much more may it exercise this su
premacy over the corporations, which
are Its own creatures. Control is, of
course, an attribute of ownership. Any
control, no matter how slight, is to
that extent an assertion of ownership.
Just as the state owns, the Individual
and uses him for Its own ends, so it
owns the trusts. How far control, or
ownership, should be carried is solely
a question of expediency, but that It
should be carried far enough to extir
pate the evils of monopoly and dis
tribute its benefits to the whole com
munity -cannot be doubted. It is
quite likely that we shall see control
pushed farther within the next few
years than even radical reformers
now dream of. For example, it would
not be surprising to see workmen's
wages made a prior Hen on the re
turns of every monopoly like the
steel trust. The law , may pos
sibly forbid such combinations to
dismiss their hands in ' order to
enhance dividends. Why not, since
every argument for protective tariff
may be turned logically to this result?
The discourse of Mr. Mills on the
value of the home is a fine piece of
rhetorical work; but neither himself
nor any one can devise methods or
means for practical development of
the ideal. It Is mere rhetoric to
say that "the great Industrial forces
must be so ' adjusted that no man
shall be required to build a pal
ace for another man until he can
have a hovel of his own"; that is, that
great houses shall not be built until
every workman shall first have ob
talned a small one of his own. Nearly
all the money expended in erection of
great buildings is paid .out to work
men, at one stage or anjther, either
in the preparation of materials or In
the process of construction. It is
loose thinking to imagine that work
ing people would be benefited by
stoppage of these undertakings, till
each and all of them had homes of
their own.
WHERE THE RESPONSIBILITY RESTS.
A Salem correspondent refers, with
cordial indorsement, to an editorial,
"Mothers to the Rescue," recently
published in The Oregonlan, but in
sists that teachers have a responsibil
ity equal to that of parents in the mat
ter of suppressing the Greek-letter so
cieties that have sprung up in the pub
lic high schools of the country to their
detriment. This is true in a limited
sense. It is particularly true as re
gards the membership of teachers in
these sororities and fraternities, which,
strange as It may appear, is not un
known. It must be said, however,
that teachers, working as they are un
der higher authority, can do little to
check the growth of these secret soci
eties in the schools without direct or
ders from the school board. That is
to say, teachers can only work along
lines laid down for them, to follow,
and, lacking the backing of the school
boards, can do practically nothing to
prevent the organization of sororities
and fraternities in the schools. Once
organized, all the rest the clannish
ness, the promotions of dull or indo
lent pupils who are. "good fellows,"
by the assistance of the brighter or
more studious members of these soci
eties, the amateur politics played by
them In class elections and other student-body
functions follows.
These Greek-letter societies, as they
are known in our secondary schools,
and especially In the high schools sup
ported by direct taxation of the public.
are un-American and un-democrattc
In their inception and practice. That
they should be dislodged and their re
instatement interdicted is generally
conceded. That this duty is an im
perative one can scarcely be doubte 1,
That local boards of education have
the sole and ample power to do this
is not questioned.
THE EVER-READY REVOLVER.
Colonel William Llghtfoot Visscher,
a veteran of the Civil War with some
reputation as a poet, and still more as
a bohemlan of the type that flourished
in the old days when a man's ability
to absorb whisky was not' infrequently
mistaken for genius of another nature,
is in jail at Omaha. Colonel Visscher
shot down & policeman who was at
tempting to arrest him, and It Is still
a matter of. uncertainty whether the
charge will be murder or assault with
intent to kill. Whether the man dies
or recovers will not alter ttie fact that
the tragedy was iri every way needless
and preventable. Colonel Visscher,
when in his right mind, is a harmless
gentle old man, as careless and indif
ferent to anything but the pleasures
ot life as a five-year-old toddler, and
he is also no more fit to be trusted
with a revolver than the infant would
be. '
But, on account of this being a free
country, and there being a profit in
selling firearnss. Colonel Visscher had
no difficulty in securing a weapon for
which he had no mdre use than the
infant would have for the death-deal
ing Instrument. "When sober and sane
he would not be bothered in carrying
it around; when drunk he should not
have had It In his possession. When
ever one of these revolver tragedies
occurs the authorities have no dim
culty in discovering where the firearm
was secured. Any man with the price
of a weapon can get one, and In many
places children are equally successful
There were fifty-six homicides in Ore
gon In 1907, and, in nearly every case,
a very large percentage of the trage
dies was caused by Intoxication of an
gry men shooting on the spur of the
moment. . The number of deaths by
poison was small in comparison with
the deaths by revolver, and yet we
make stringent laws against the sell
Ing of poison and keep the ready re
volver within the reach of all, .. "'t
no restrictions on its sale.
The sgrrow and expense attendant
on these fatalities do nt fall on the
victim or the murderer, but on the
bereaved families and the community
It would thus seem that a law to pre
vent the indiscriminate sale of fire
arms to drunkards or other irresponsi
ble people might meet with great fa
vor. If every intending purchaser of
a revolver had to present the seller
with a permit from the Chief of Po
lice, Sheriff or some other officer, be
fore he could buy the weapon, there
would be a decrease In the number of
murders committed.. It would not
only reduce the number of killings,
but it would also deprive a large num
ber of thieves and hold-up men o
their most effective stock In trade.
Oregon City Is rejoicing in the pros
pect of the installation, in the near fu
ture, of another paper mill at the
falls. It will give employment to sev.
era! hundred men and lead to estab
lishment of many homes of industry.
Any enterprise that adds to the growth
and prosperity of the old pioneer city
is a matter of congratulation to a
much wider community than that
which dwells within sound of the
falls was harnessed to Ihe wheels of
proudly christened "the Lowell of the
Pacific" for years before even a por
tion of the tremendous power of the
falls was harnessed to the wheels of
industry, Oregon City can enjoy no
manufacturing privilege or benefit
that will not give pleasure to the older
Oregonians. The wild beauty of the
falls of the Willamette has for some
years (except In times 6f extreme high
water, when Nature comes again for a
brief time into possession of her own)
been but a thing of memory. Senti
ment yielding to the demands of prog
ress has seen the mighty cataract har
nessed and made subservient to the
needs of civilization. The first shock
of regret at the passing of a grand and
beautiful scene is over. Each new en
terprise that draws life and energy J
from the falls Is heralded, as the ad
vance guard of a multitude of homes
and an assurance of the wages of la
bor to maintain them.
We are pained to observe that
Messrs. Ross and Aitchison, of the
defunct Title-Bank, do not come for
ward to meet the charges against
them, but avoid, by alleging that the
informations are illegal, -etc., 4n that
they are based on testimony collected
during the legal holidays, etc. It
would seem that the main question is
whether the testimony on which the
informations were based la true; not
when it was gathered, or -whether
some person was present at the time
who is alleged to have had no right
there. The facts, about the doings of
the bank, are what the public wants.
It should delight these defendants to
tell about them, at the earliest possi
ble opportunity, making no question
about the methods of the District At
torney, as to when or how he got the
statements which he presents as facts.
Are they facts, or not? This Is the
only pertinent question. It is a real
disappointment to find Mr. Ross ana
his associates unwilling to answer.
The ' American wheat markets
slumped more than a cent yesterday,
with the foreign markets closing
steady. Nearly four-fifths of the
world's shipments last week were sent
from the United States and Canada,
the foreign markets being dependent
on this country for supplies to a great
er extent than ever before. The mar
ket has been hanging around the dol
lar mark In Chicago for so long that
the crop has been marketed much
more freely than usual, bub at no
time during the season has the pres
sure to sell been sufficient to give the
foreign market more than a tem
porary setback. In the Pacific North
west comparatively cheap freights and
good prices for cargoes have resulted
n local prices being maintained on a
higher average level throughout the
season than has been in evidence in
many years.
It is not to le questioned that Taft
is making apparent progress towards
the Republican nomination. Wherever
he makes speeches he awakens inter
est. He is not a word-picker or
phrase-maker, but shows that he 'has
clear Ideas on important questions of
the time. He usually prepares his
speeches in advance, but delivers them
without closely following the paper,
and then has his secretary give them
out for publication. For this reason
his speeches "read well." But he is
not what men call a "magnetic ora
tor." It rarely happens that one
whose speeches carry substance and
weight has the actor's art, or power
of stage display.
The" Tacoma Ledger Is now running
a dally scarehead knocking' port
land. In Sunday's issue it made much
out of the fact that Kerr, Gifford &.
Co., of this city, are sending the
steamship In "ra to Tacoma, and not
to Portland. As the firm operates as
extensively , in Northern Pacific and
Great Northern territory-as along the
O. R. & N., It is a heavy shipper from
Tacoma as well as Portland. If the
Ledger was disposed to be fair In this
matter, it would state .that the reason
that the Indra was being sent to Ta
coma instead of Portland was because
her charterers had seven vessels In
port at Portland and only two on Pu
get Sound.
Those citizens who- spoke dis
respectfully- of the Judge who held
court on a moving train in order to
listen to the arguments of railroad
attorneys will probably apologize
when they read that the judge held
court In a farm wagon In order that
he might listen to the arguments of
farmers who want an injunction
against confiscation of Hictr property
through excessive freight rates. But
they haven't read of this latter inci
dent yet, and are not likely to for
some time to come.
From its own viewpoint the tobacco
trust, is probably right in fighting any
propositon that will open up American
markets to the Filipino tobacco-grow
ers, let there are circumstances
which tend to show that the Filipino
may be fully as good a citizen and en
titled to the same rights as are grant
ed American tobacco-growers. Up to
date there has been no night riding
and no burning of tobacco barns in
the Philippines.
a We don't hear any loud demand
from the attorneys for J. Thorburn
Ross et al. for a speedy trial. See the
extraordinary motions filed
day by his able attorneys. ,
yester-
At the present rate of gain, the re
gion where, according to jealous Cali
fornia, "It rains thirteen months a
year," will soon be the dryest section
of the United States.
Note that all over the State of
Washington shingle- and lumber mills
have resumed work on full time. Just
as if nothing had happened.
Two, or three, or maybe half a
dozen, night watchmen seem to be
needed in the Chamber of Commerce
building.
Curious how thugs, garroters and
burglars choose neighborhoods close
to police headquarters for their opera
tions. Has any one observed the least ces
sation of building operations lnPort
land since the scare?
The Fairbanks boom seems to have
been struck by a fatal blizzard.
SEARCHING FOR A CANCER CURE
Resalta of Experiments at the Unlver
altr ot Edinburgh, Scotland.
Baltimore American.
During the year Just closed the medical
world became interested in ihe work of
Dr. John Beard of the University of Edin-burg-
for the production of a cancer cure.
It Is now informed of the full scope of
the experiments of this scientist to eradi
cate one of the most mysterious of
human maladies through the published
account by a ' fellow scientist, Dr.-
Saleeby, of his methods and results.
From the conclusions of Dr. Heard it
would appear that the cancer growth
creates an independent organism in the
human body. Taken from its dress of
technical terms and stated in the barest
form. It would appear that cancer in
volves the operation of the various fer
ments and the chemical principle of the
asymetry of the carbon atom that Is,
one set of atoms rotates to tne ngnt ana
another set to the left, creating different
kinds of. tissues. Since the promulga
tion of this theory by Pasteur in 1860 and
its development by various scientists It
has been held that "humanity is com
posed of dextro men and dextro women"
that is, the atomic arrangement in the
human body is that of rotation to the
right. .
Dr. Beard has seemingly established as
fact that the opposite action of the
atoms In the human body is not only
possible, but this effect lies at the base
of cancer, the weakening of the pancre
atic fluid and other favorable conditions
of the body, causing -the peculiar action
In the tissues that develops the cancer
substance. The discovery of a ferment
that would eat the abnormal tissues with
out Impairment of the natural tissues
.would be destructive to cancer. Tin
strongest of the digestive fluids, trypsin,
has been seized upon by the Edinburg ex
perimenter as the base of his cancer
remedy. The conditions require a ferment
that will absolutely aosorb the one class
of tissue without detriment to the other.
It would r.ppear thai all remaining for
the compl ite success of the line of in
quiry is t-j establish the amount of doses
ar.d proper methods of administration of
the remedy. Humanity will be unspeak
ably blessed if this most difficult of
human ills has Indeed been brought to
the point of eradication through the em-
bryologlc studies that have been made by
the expert.
WAR ON STRONG DRINK IN 190T.
Alcohol and Opium Under the Ban
Prohibition In Sonth.
New York World, '.
' The year 1907 was notable for the pro
gress made intemperance,. not only in the
United States, but the world around.
This was the year of the Chinese im
perial edict against opium. Prohibition
made great strides in the South, reclaim
ing the States of Georgia and Alabama
and winning a hundred counties of Ken
tucky. It was seriously proposed as c
Presidential issue for the Democratic
party. Oklahoma entered the Union with
a law forbidding the manufacture and
sale of intoxicants. The Incident of the
sewers of Oklahoma City flushed with
2300 barrels of contraband beer was suf
ficiently novel. Two of the three counties
of Delaware went "dry" at the November
election. The bishops' Excise law was a
leading issue in- the New Jersey cam
paign. Chicago added a square mile to
its prohibition territory. Yesterday
thousands of employes of the Chicago &
Northwestern Railroad "took the pledge."
'1 lie consumption of strong liquors' dimin
ished in Great Britain.
The government of Roumania is plan
ning drastic measures to check drunken
ness. The new bill regulating drink in
that country makes the sale of brandy
and whisky a state monopoly and gives
municipalities control of Saloons. Bar
keepers become municipal employes. Bars
are limited as to number and may not
remain open on Sundays or saints' days
or after 8 at night. Intoxication is pun
ished by line for the first offense and by a
prison term for the. second. Habitual
drunkards are registered, and barkeepers
selling them liquor are subject to heavy
fines.
As incidental to this arlft toward tem
perance, interviews with Salnt-Saens,
Massenet, d'Indy, Sardou and Henri
Lavedan represent these French authors
and composers as depreciating the use of
alcohol as a mental stimulant.. Lavedan
and Sardou denounce it as a poison. The
precedent of Baudelaire drugging himself
Into delirium at forty-six and de Musset
with his "brilliant future behind him", at
forty because of absinthe and alcohol
apparently no longer holds In France.
Grip Caret Faith and Hot-Water Ran;.
Chicago Dispatch In New York World.
Bishop Fallows treated the sicli In body
and mind In the chapel of St. Paul's Re
formed Episcopal Church. In the hour
before service he applied the principles
or Christian Psychology" to BO men and
women whose ills ranged from dyspepsia
to suicidal tendency.
A young man suffering from the grip
drove to tire church in a cab and asked
the bishop to heal him.
- "Your ailment Is functional." said the
minister, "and possibly I cannot -cure It,
but I can help you. Have faith and use
a hot-water bag."
To a woman suffering from dyspepsia
he said: "Be careful of your diet. Do
not overeat. Consult a physician, and be
lieve in the power of God to heal you."
No Gossip (ln This Kaaaas Town.
Baltimore American,
"ine little town oi Aierriam. In my
state,' said David C. Banks of Topeka.
Kan., "has entered on an experiment
that students of sociology all over the
land will do well to watch.
"The City Council of Merriam has
passed an ordinance making it a finable
offence for any person of adult years
to retail gossip or tittle-tattle that
could be construed as reflecting In
juriously on any Inhabitant of the vil
lage. '
"So far as I have been able to learn
nobody has been arrested as yet for
talking about his neighbor, but It . I:
said that already the denizens of Mer
riam are cultivating a conservatism in
their speech hitherto unknown."
' A Horse Bis Enough for Taft.
Bloomlngton (111.) Dispatch In New York
Sun.
A. T. EWing.- of McDonough County,
lias sold his black saddle horse to a Chi
cago horse-buying firm which has been
searching for a horse for Secretary of
War William H. Taft. The firm has
been advertising for a horse large enough
to carrv a man weighing 300 pounds. Tne
animal was purchased a year ago In Mis
our! by Mr. Ewing. It is 6 years old.
weighs 1240 pounds, stands 16' hands high
and is sound in every way. The horse
cost Secretary Taft J1000.
Days of Land Frauds Over.
La -Grande Observer.
These land fraud cases may as well
cease. The Supreme Court has laid down
the rule that any of us can speculate on
Government land without being criminals.
That. Is, we may file, first and then we
have 60 days in which to find a buyer
who will put up all the money before we
have to make final proof. There will
be no further land fraud in this country
and those under indictment had better be
dismissed and the entire matter dropped.
Church Stove Fires Celluloid Comb.
Milwaukee (Wis.) Despatch.
Heat from a stove in a church at Bur
lington. Wis., set fire to a celluloid comb
worn by Mrs. William Runsler, one of
the worshipers.
Strauss' New Opera, November, 194)9.
' Berlin Despatch.
Richard Strauss says his new opera,
"Electra." will not be produced before
I November, 1909.'
EXPLODING THE CORTELYOC MYTH
Oat of Office, Doubtful If He Could
Ind a Popular Following.
Springfield Republican (Ind.)
The most curious phase of the affair I
may be styled the great Cortelyou i
mystery. Here is a man who never !
had the least importance In American I
politics until President Roosevelt had
nira maac .chairman of the Republican
National Committee in 1904, and In
that position he was understood to be
the President's personal representa
tive charged with conducting the cam
paign ia rigid compliance with Mr.
Roosevelt's plans and desires. Before
then Mr. Cortelyou had been Mr. Roose
velt's clerk and private secretary
and a highly efficient one. The coun
try was surprised when the 'President
made him a Cabinet officer in 1903, as
head of the -new Department of Com
merce and Labor. When Mr. Cortel
you returned to the Cabinet as Post
master-General, after the 1954 cam- i
paign, it was supposed that Mr. Roose- I
velt's accomplished agent was receiv-
Ing his reward. But the country was
again surprised when the President
made him Secretary of the Treasury,
an office in which his fitness is yet to
be demonstrated.. Through all these
years of Mr. Cortelyou's rise in offi
cial station and party management It
is superfluous to say that he has had
no popular constituency and that he
has always borne the character of Mr.
Roosevelt's official and political crea
tion. At any moment, by driving him
from Federal office the President
could destroy this man at his side, so
far as his political potency was con
cerned For, out of office, where could
Mr. Cortelyou find a popular following
in the remotest degree commensurate
with the figure that he has made and
the shadow he has cast in the National
consciousness the past year?
Yet we are now regaled with the
story, soberly put forth by the Wash
ington corps of information-seekers,
that Mr. Cortelyou, like a Macchiavelli,
has been plotting against Mr. Roose
velt's choice for the Presidential suc
cession and seeKing to gain the Presi
dency of the United States for himself.
This, and nothing else, we are told,
was the immediate cause of the Presi
dent's Wednesday night announcement.
The astute Cortelyou had been over
reaching his master. Suddenly the
master awakes to the situation. "Aha!"
he cries. The stroke falls;, and the
Nation is informed that Mr. Cortelyou
is "smoked out." He can no longer
plot against the Secretary of War. his
open-hearted colleague, and corral
Southern delegates in Mr. Roosevelt's
name -with the design of having them
finally vote for himself in the con
vention. Is it npt a situation of ex
traordinary mystery and vivacity?
SHOULD BE PREACHER BRYAN.
Snfflclently Sound la. Religion, but
Vagarious In Politics.
Charleston (S. C.) News and Courier.
William Jennings Bryan delivered a lec
ture in Plymouth Church Brooklyn, re
cently to an audience which filled the
house to the doors. His subject was "The
Influence of Christianity on the People of
Japan, China and India." He expressed
the opinion that the Christian religion
has made a far deeper Impression on the
heathen than Is Indicated by the number
of . converts the missionaries have been
able to make. He was led to this view
by the far-reaching effect this religion
has had in America beyond -the boun
daries of church membership. Exactly
how, he did not say, and we do not know;
but it is a pity that he did not show how
our Christian civilization has Impressed
the people of the Philippines where it has
had free course since the American occu
pation. It would probably be difficult to
explain to our benighted subjects In the
Far East tho special advantages of
Christianity as compared with Mahomet-
anism and the kindly creed of Buddha;
but that Is another matter.
We hope that the people of Brooklyn
will not judge Mr. Bryan's religion by
Mr. Bryan's politics. He is as sound as
the Trust Company of America in mat
ters of faith, and as little to be depended
upon as copper stocks in questions of
politics. There has been a great deal of
discussion as to what shall be done with
our ex-Bresidents, and it would be well
to consider what shall be done with our
candidates for President. Why not make
a preacher out of Mr. Bryan?
Our Foreign-Born Legislator;.
Washington (D. C.) Herald.
Of the 46 states In these United States,
only six send delegations composed entire
ly of native born citizens of -the states
they represent. The states so distin
guished are Louisiana, Maine, Maryland.
South Carolina,' Vermont and Virginia.
Three states of the Union are represented
in the legislative branch of the Govern
ment by 121 native sons. Of these 43 were
born in NeW York, and 39 in Pennsylvania
and Ohio, respectively. Thirteen of the
43 claiming New York as their birthplace,
now represent other states In Congress;
11 of Pennsylvania's 39 hall from other
Btates, while Ohio, the banner state In this
regard, has given to the state, at large
17 of her native sons.
Of the 147 Senators and Representatives
from the Southern states, only six were
born north bf the Mason and Dixon line;
one in the District of Columbia, one in
Iowa, one in Canada, and three in Ohio.
Fourteen members .of. the House are
foreign born, Cochran and McMillan, of
New York. In Ireland; MoKinlay, of Cali
fornia; Campbell, of Kansas, and Hughes,
of West Virginia, in Canada; Kalin of
California. Bartholdt of Missouri, and
Kustermann of Wisconsin, in England;
McLaehlan, of California, and Wilson, of
Pennsylvania. lit Scotland: Sabath. of
Illinois, In Bohemia, and Linbergh, of Min
nesota, in'.Sweden.
"No Divorce" Is His Flntform.
Pit-tsburg Dispatch in New York World.
With "no divorces, no affinities" as his
platform, Robert E. Heath of this city
Is to receive a Republican nomination for
the Legislature 'in the Twelfth district,
which is Republican and largely com
posed of workingmen.
Several trades unions are behind Heath,
and the farmers in the country districts
are also supporting him. The many re
cent instances of wealthy Pittsburgers of
humble origin who put away the wives
of their early days through the lax di
vorce laws of Pennsylvania Inspiied the
novel political platform.
"If I am elected, there will be Jiew di
vorce laws in this state.' says Heath.
"This indiscriminate putting away of a
wife simply because she is not so hand
some perhaps as some new affinity must
be stopped. It has come to pass where
it requires no more thought or trouble to
get rid of a wife and take on a new one
than It requires to make a, horse trade.
It has come to be a disgrace to the state."
Sonnet.
(On a youth who died from a surfeit of
fruit.
Currants have checked the current of my
blood.
And berries brought me to be buried
here :
Pears have pared off my body's hardi
hood. And plums and plumbers spare not one
so spare:
Fain would I feign my fall; so fair a fare
Lessons not fate, but 'tis a lesson good:
Gilt will not long hide guilt; such thin
washed ware
Wears quickly, and Its rude touch soon
is rued.
Grave on my- grave some sentence grave
and terse, .
That lies not. as It lies upon my clay;
But, in a gentle strain of unstrained
verse.
Prays all to pity a poor patty's prey;
Rehearses I was fruit-full to my hearse,
Tells that my days are told, and soon
I'm toll'd away!
ONE THING AND ANOTHER
it 18 well to remember that the days
of the applc tree are not so ITmny-loss
. pnHtinn , , anr, , t3
down: but the English walnut will
bear for 300 years, more and better as
time goes on
If all delinquent subscribers of the Ore
gon country press were to pay up this
week, what a joyous experience meeting
the association could hold.
A cold spell Is due and coming to put
a stop to the stories of raspberries and
strawberries In January. This is not a
tropical region.
Very little dust moving, say the real
estate men. Just wait till the March
winds come. .
The fireworks are due some months
ahead of the Fourth.
.
When the campaign opens the new
chairman of the Multnomah Republicans
will belie his name. . .
.
The matter of small pay for the en
listed man will he settled when war be
gins. Patriotism has no money price.
When Mount Hood looks clear and
cold the plumber assembles his kit.
i
Somehow the Idea of "the office seek
ing the man" reminds one of a row of
girls In an intelligence office.
m
Visscher got vicious in Omaha.
If the moon swore off New Year's she
Is' forgetting it, for she is due to be full
In a few days.
The druggists, like the unions, will not
stand for the "open" apothecary shop.
How many people are saving clearing
house certificates for curios?
They make the matches In Springfield
but have to cross the river to Eugene
for divorces.
A Hood River man has gone Into Mon
tana to sell apple land by sample. It is
hard to "beat those boosters.
HOW A SEAGULL OPENED A CLAM
Mr. Klnley Tel In a Remarkable Inci
dent Which He Saja He Saw.
Tacoma Ledger.
Of the sea Diras aiscussea oy w.
Finley, lecturer for the Audubon society.
in the assembly-room of the Tacoma
High School this week, the seagull is the
one of which most of us have knowledge.
The seagull is at home in our harbor
and Is a companion of the ships that
come and go. Mr. Finley bespoke for
the seagull the protection which the- law
of this state seeks to provide. The bird
Is a great scavenger and is thus an aid
to the health officers of a city.
Mr. Finley did not say In so many
words that the seagull reasons, but he
related an Incident pointing to the pos
session of that mental faculty.. He saw
a seagull pick up a clam one day on
the Pacific beach. The bill of the gull
was not strong enough to crush the shell
and get the edible part out. Did the
gull give it up' as a bad Job? Not a bit
of it. The gull took the clam In his bill
and, "after ascending in the air some
distance, let the clam drop. Then the
bird descended, but finding the clam shell
still tightly closed, picked It up and re
peated the dropping process. This was
repeated 15 times, Mr. Finley said, until
at last the clam chanced to fall on - a
rock and break, whereupon the seagull
enjoyed the reward of Industry and in
telligence. A great deal has been said about nature-faking
since President Roosevelt
criticized Dr. Long, and It has become
the fashion to refer to such an Incident
as Mr. Finley described as a nature fake.
There is no reason whatever to doubt
that Mr. Finley observed just what he
described.
"Women's Mi In en Are Restored.
New York World.
. By an order of Commissioner Bcnsel,
"women's shines" are in order again on
the Staten Island ferry-boats.
Several weeks ago a committee of com
muters, whose sensibilities could not bear
the shock of silk hosiery and shapely
ankles on daily display In the upper sa
loon while women's shoes were being
shined, waited on Mr". Bensel and asked
that he confine the . hootblacks on the
boats to the smoking cabins.
Mr. Bensel did so, but rescinded his or
der when a fair passenger showed him an
invention which went into use yesterday.
petticoats to boot tops in such .a way
that the most hopeful rubberneck In' the
world may as well return to the smoking
cabin.
Millionaire Captures School nia'nm.
K'ew Vnrb tVorl1
. Informal announcement has been, made
by the friends of the couple that Georjre.
E. Slerry, .the millionaire coal operator,
drug manufacturer and prominent Pres
byterian, arid Miss Rebecca Blalkie, a
are engaged to be married. Mr. Sterry
is about 72 years young, end Miss Blalkie
about 40 years younger. The couple have
known each other a long time. Mr.
Sterry is a widower, and his wealth runs
up into millions. .Miss Blaikie Is a tall,
stately brunette, has vivacious black
eyes and a charming personality.
The Hero.
Gresham Herald.
It takes a real man, a manly man, an
unselfish man, a brave man to denounce
evil and evildoers, because Just as sure
as he. does so his reputation is sure to be
assailed; he is sure to be lied about,
frowned upon, sneered and scoffed at,
bemeaned and besmirched upon every
possible occasion, and of course It taes
amoral coward to do that and a hero to
.withstand it.
On Wager, Eals Two Ounces Pepper.
Baltimore Despatch.
Irvinl H. Whaley. of Oalestown. Md.',
ate two ounces of black pepper on a
wager, but the services of a physician
were needed immediately.
Antlqoated.
Naehville American.
Cupid sauntered forth one day
With hi bow and arrow,
ThruuKh the sunny boulevard.
Through the valleys narrow.
Though among the rich and poor
Patiently he hunted
Every arrow that he shot
Fell back dead and blunted.
Every man who r-assed along
Eyed him with siMpiclon
Or perhaps scoffed openly
At his tender mission:
E-ery youth that Cupid thought
Ready to be mated
Turned his arrow like a ehlp
Htaunch nd armor-plated.
Little maiae In peekaboos
For his dart semed ready.
But he -ouldnt bring them down.
Though hl aim was steady.
With a laugh they ran away
While he was pursuing.
Crying. "Show hl bank account
Or it's nothing doing."
Cupid sighed: "Alas,-1 fear.
I have missed my calling!
Though I draw a skillful bow.
Few. Indeed are falling.
Nowadays the boys and girls
Do uot feel thle trifle.
If I'd bring the moderns down,
a must get a rifle."