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rORTI-AXn. WEDNESDAY. JAN. 15. 1WS.
TRIUMPHANT GRAFT.
Mr. Abram Ruef is gay. And Ju
bilant. He is light-hearted as "Young
Abram Cupid, he that shot so true."
For which you may consult your "Ro
meo and Juliet." Ruef now is in po
sition to defy the prosecution. Cur
reports from San Francisco tell us
that he is happy and beaming yet
retlceDt and laclturn. The prosecu
tion must nojw come to "see" him.
He is In his element when he can
make or take advantage of a situation
that requires him to be "seen."
"Noty, as our reports Inform us,
Kuef will tell all about the graft, of
which he was chief agent, promoter
and protit-sliarer, If he shall, be
promised immunity and impunity.
Otherwise he never will tell. And
unless he tell nobody can be con
victed. Mr. Abram Kuef still con
trols the situation in San Francisco.
Our reports tell us he Is entirely
cheerful. Why shouldn't he be? He
is a man of high intelligence. " Be
fore he entered upon his distinguished
career of politics and graft in San
Francisco he knew the laws were
made, or the courts would interpret
them, to protect the criminals. But
let us pause. Criminal is a hard word.
In modern usage and estimation noth
. ing is a crime "if you can get away
with it."
Nowadays the .a . is Interpreted and
administered in all matters of this
kind for defeat of Justice. On "p'ints"
of every description the courts allow
criminals to escape. The Supreme
Court of the United States dwells on
"p'ints," in the same way. The law
is Interpreted for protection of evil
doers, not for protection of society or
government. But arj there any evil
doers? It la a he. sh question. We
guess not. Are there any criminals?
It is a harsher word. We guess not.
We simply have allowed the claim of
the wrong-ioer that his."rights" shall
be regarded, and h's use of all techni
calities and all "p'ints" he may raise
to be employed for his Immunity, to
be converted into protection of every
crime, from pocket-picking and wife-
beating to land-stealing and robbery
.of tho malls with accompaniments
of murder, if that were necessary to
success. The one Judge whom - the
Pacific States has known was Matthew
P. Deady. . He couldn't be fooled by
this kind of thing. He went right
through all subterfuge to the facts.
, Ruef, having the whole game in his
hands once more, naturally feels an
Inward Joy. He is not boastful. In
deed: but boastfulness i3 not a habit
of real merit and success, which ap
pear greatest always when they shrink
from public gaze. The modesty of
Ruef, supported as it is by the Appel
late Court. of California, appears as'
one of his newest virtues.
This court has held that, though
Ruef, in his "practice as a. lawyer,
had extorted ""fees" from restaurant-
Keepers, as n consideration and con
dition of their obtalnment of licenses
to do business, and had adivided the
"lees" with Mayor Schmitz, in other
words, had "held up" men in busi
ness, as robbers on the road would do,
and had forced them to pay tribute,
over and beyond the license charge,
for the right to do business (the busi
ness or course was varriea on in a
manner more or less disreputable and
shouldn't have been licensed at nil)
this court has held that the license to
keep restaurant or sell liquor is "not
property in the ordinary sense of the
word," and therefore the extortion of
money by Ruef, and his division of
the spoil with Mayor Schmitz, is "no
Injury to property or threat to Injure
property," and that neither Ruef nor
Schmitz. consequently, is liable to pen
alty. This was what Ruef and Schmitz
assumed at the outset, . Affirmation
by judicial decision is accepted by
them and by all grafters as their com
plete vindication. No wonder Ruef
and Schmitz are serene. '
But if a license to keep restaurant
and to sell liquor Is not a property,
neither is a franchise to operate a
street railroad; and the officials of a
city through their attorney therefore
may force a street w rail way to pay
them . money any sum they may
name to" get Its franchise. So if
Calhoun and his associates have
bought from Ruef, from Schmitz and
their Bang, the railroad franchises
under which they are doing business,
there is no legal offense, and there
can be no penalty. Whatever Calhoun
may have done, he is immune. His
attorney can read to the trial judge
this decision from the higher court,
and move .for acquittal; which ft
would appear'smust be granted.
Ruef gets immunity and doubtless
will tell all he knows; but all he
knows will be unimportant, because
under the rulings of the higher court
no offense has been committed against
the law, and no legal penalties have
been Incurred. These valuable prece
dents will doubtless pass into general
use. But after all-there isn't much
that's new In this old world. "Large
handed robbers your grave masters
are," says Shakespeare's Tinaon, "and
pill by law." '
THE JAM AT THE DOOR
The country theater or entertain
ment hall lighted by coal oil lamps
has added another panic and tragedy
to Its account. Man, when controlled
by sudden fright', is the most unrea
soning of animals. The stampede of
the buffalo of the plains was not more
senseless nor frantic than that of a
company of human beings when ter
ror takes possession of them. The
tragedy at Boyerton, Pa., which cost a
hundred lives Monday night, was but
a sad repetition of many that have
gone before. Under the menace of
sudden and horrible ''eath, caused by
the explosion of a lamp, the entire
audience in the village theater made
rush for the exits, trampling into
unrecognizable Tpu.lp the weak who
were unable to- stand . against the
strong. - Humanity run mad shrieked
and fought and fell in the effort to
escape through entrances barricaded
by fallen human beings.. ,
There was a counterpart on a larger
scale of tills scene when the Iroquois
Theater was burned in Chicago dur
ing the holiday festivities of 1903, the
casualties, including dead, injured and
missing, reaching nearly 1000, mainly
women and children. On a smaller
scale, but replete with all of the hor
rors of such a scene, was the burning
of a flimsy wooden hall in . which
Christmas tree festivities were being
held in the little town of Silver Lake,
in Southeastern Oregon, twelve years
ago. In this latter instance, like that
of Monday night, the coal oil lamp
was the Immediate cause of the loss
of life, while the frantic efforts of the
surging crowd toward the exit were
responsible for a majority . of the
deaths that resulted. The horrors of
such a scene beggar description and
go far to excuse the unreason with
which terrified people fighting for life
cut off in their fright and terror the
only possible means of escape by cre
ating "a Jam at the door."
TO PROTECT OUR SHIPPING.
More than 1200 vessels, of approxi
mately 3,500,000 tons .carrying capa
city, entered and cleared at Portland
during 1907, the increase over that of
1906 being nearly 800,000 tons carry
ing capacity. This enormous amount
of shipping carried the products of
the Columbia Basin ,o Surue, Asia,
Africa, Australia, Siberia and South
America. Some of It steamed around
the Horn to the Atlantic ports, and
along the Pacific Coast it distributed
Oregon- and Washington products as
far south as Panama. This business
has been worked up to its present pro
portions with but a single railroad sys
tem discharging freight on Portland
docks; and, now that the facilities for
draining freight out of the vast Co
lumbia Basin are to be doubled or
trebled by the early advent of the
-North Bank road, it is, of course, rea
sonable to suppose that the increase
in shipping will keep pace with the
Improved facilities. But to -be sure
that such will be the case, it is of
vital necessity that this stream of
traffic find no obstructions in the
channel after It reaches ' Portland.
Every possible precaution must be
taken to remove all r'sabilities which
might In any manner tend to divert
this traffic to other ports after it has
traversed the water-level route from
the Inland.EmpIre to tidewater. The
railroads will drop thla freight at the
first point reached, when they can se
cure the maximum rate for hauling.
If there are obstructions like a poor
tug or pilot service, an insufficient
channel to the sea, or any other im
pediment that is not met In ports with
which , Portland is in competition,
these obstructions must be removed or
the port will suffer In consequence.
The shipowners are not compelled to
send their vessels here, and. with com
pletion of the Harrlman lines to Pu
get Sound, the railroads entering here
will not be compelled to drop their
freight at Portland. Both will seek
the port where' they can secure the
maximum rates at the minimum cost
of handling the freight.
The Port of Columbia bill, which
has Just met final defeat - in the
courts, was Intended to give the Co
lumbia River counties power to im
prove the river and bar service, to. re
duce pilotage rates, and in other ways
remove all cause for complaint on the
part of shipowners. To attain the ob
jects sought by that bill, it is now
proposed to enlarge the powers of -e
Port- art. Portland so that at a mini
mum of cost a perfect service can be
maintained from Portland to the sea.
This measure will be submitted to the
voters of Multnomah County at the
June election: As the time for circu
lation of the referendum petition is
limited, every voter who is interested
in the growth and maintenance if
Portland's maritime trade should at
the earliest moment place his signa
ture on the petition. .With the In
creasing amount of shipping coming
to the port, it is confidently expected
that a business administration of the
tug and pilot service by the Port of
Portland will make It entirely self
supporting, and at the same, time af
ford a perfect service which will at
tract and not drive ships away from
the port. The question, however,' is
one in which the cost of the service,
even were it not self-supportklig, is a
mere bagatelle in comparison with the
Interest involved. The maritime com
merce of Portland is at stake, and de-
lays at this time. In removing any disa
bilities which may exist will be disas
trous and far-reaching in their effect.
THAW8 INSANITY.
The Thaw vaudeville opens again in
New York, with fair prospects for a
long and thrilling run. Mr. Jerome,
representing the state, seems ready to
play his part in the farce with alert
ness and vigor, and who knows what
legal surprises 'he has in store to whet
the jaded interest of bis audience?
The defense is also represented by the
ablest performers in legal vaudeville
to be found in the country. Upon the
whole, the show promises to 3urpass
its former presentation in heart thrills
and shudders.
The stake in the' trial is the life of a
moral imbecile.' His alleged Drlme
was the murder of a leprous scoun
drel whose death relieved thd world
of an intolerable incubus of vice. In
killing Stanford White of course Thaw
broke the law, and if he was not in
sane at the time he ought to be pun
ished. Still, it Bhould not be forgot
ten that his crime was one of those
deeds of mixed lmfort where grati
tude for results struggles with con
demnation of motives. We are so
thankful to be rid of Stanford White
that we are almost tempted to forgive
Thaw for shooting him. ,
Good citizens do not quite forgive
Thaw's breach of the law, but they
eome so near it Cat everybody looks
with Borne sort of approval upon his
absurd plea Of insanity. He was not
insane. His mind vas as near health
when he shot White as it ever was in
his life. Perhaps, if the truth were
known, that was the one moment of
his entire existence when he was per
fectly safe. ' Certainly, though . the
murder was most regrettable, it was
more like a useful act than, anything
else Thaw ever did.
But the effort of his lawyers will be
to prove that at the 'precise moment
when he fireC the shot at White Thaw
was insane, while both before and af
ter that lnfinitestimal instant he was
sane. It would not do to make him
out a chronic maniac or a congenital
Idiot, though that would be easier
than the task chosen by his lawyers.
He does not want to be known for the
rest of his life as an Incurable imbe
cile; nor does he wish to create the
belief that- he is subject to insane
spasms and may therefore shoot some
body else. The purpose of the defense
will be accomplished if it can prove
that Thaw's predisposition tp insanity
culminated at the exact moment when
he shot White, and will never culmi
nate again.
He ought not to have much diffi
culty in making his proof. Numerous
expert alienists of international repu
tation stand ready and eager to swear
to anything .Thaw's lawyers wish. In
consideration of an honot rlum of suf
ficient magnitude. These erudite sci
entists have sworn to things quite as
absurd heretofore without blu'iirig.
One rather fancies that they have for
gotten how to blush. It is possible
nowadays to prove that any person
whatever is Insane in any set of cir
cumstances you choose; and you may
prove it, too, by expert evidence of
the most exalted character. The only
essential prerequisite Is the fee. ' If
Thaw was . insane when- he shot
White, we are all Insane a dozen
times a day. A man is insane when
he grumbles at his wife, when he
kicks the cat, when he swears at the.
weather. In the Guiteati trial one
portentous alienist gravely asserted
that all men were insane. The testi
mony offered at recent murder trials
strongly corroborates his opinion. If
the whole population of the country
are not insane, then the alienists are
hot sane; but their mania does net
take the homicidal turn. -It seems
rather to assume, the form of a raven
ous appetite for fees.
. SKIPPING WHEAT IV BFLE.
"Can we export wheat in bulk? If
so, what would be fhe cost of .the
change? Do you think it advisable, to
make . the change now?" In these
queries sent The Oregonlan by the
Farmers' Educational and Co-opera
tive Union of Walla Walla, attention is
called, to a question that has for a
number of years been the' subject of
much discussion by farmers, shippers
and railroads. It gains increasing
prominence each year because the
number of farmers coming to Oregon
and Washington from states and terri
torles where wheat is shipped in- bulk
is increasing, and they naturally re
gard the methods of their old homes as
superior to those of the Far North
west. The Oregonlan is not an expert
on the subject, but notes from obser
vation that the only determined at
tempt ever made to ship wheat in
bulk from this region was a failure
The Peavy Elevator Company at the
time of its appearance in Oregon and
Washington was the largest grain ele
vator company in the world, and it
spent a large sum of money building
a xhain of elevators in the Pacific
Northwest for the purpose of handling
wheat in bulk.
If experienced trouble in transport
lng the wheat to tidewater and in
sending it foreign. Specially con
structed cars which would hold bulk
wheat were not always available in
the large numbers required, and gon
dolas, stock, coal and furniture cars
could not be used for grain in bulk.
The Impossibility of ventilation on the
long" trip to Europe in which the
wheat ships pass through the tropics
twice forced the elevator company to
"line" the ships with outside tiers of
sacked wheat, thus greatly increasing
the expense of both loading and dis
charging. The foreign buyer insists
on "condition" being guaranteed, and
climatic influences made this impossi
ble with a mixed cargo, or with one
wholly in bulk. The building of the
Panama Canal, which will enable
vessels to reach the European markets
In half the time now required, will
undoubtedly admit of the change be
ing made, but so lor.- as the grain
must stand- the 14,000-mile trip
around Cape Horn the change is hard
ly probable.
Citing what Is done In the East as a
reason for what should be done here,
Is not good logic. The bulk of the
crop-grown east of the Roqky Moun
tains is used for milling purposes, and
is sold at the elevator and shipped
throughout the year as the mills re
quire it. Here the bulk Is sold for ex
port as wheat, and as a rule is stored
in the warehouse a long time before
it is sold. Host of the largest grain
producers of the Pacific Northwest
are very particular to raise good,
clean wheat, which commands the
top figure, and would not put their
wheat In an elevator, where it would
be mixed with a dozen other lots, some
of which might be inferior. In the
elevator the receipt would call for. a.
specified number of bushels of No. 1
wheat, and in the delivery the iden
tity of a particularly hcice lot of No:
1 would be lost. When it is stored in
the sack the grower can sell his own
crop of wh. t on its individual merits.
vThe wheat trade of the Pacific
Northwest is in-the hands of men who
have made a Study of world-wide con-.
ditions, and their abandonment of
the elevator system after giving It a
fair trial would indicate more clearly
than anything else that the time is not
ripe for shipment of Pacific Coast
wheat in bulk.
n
The decision of the Oregon Supreme
Court uphold'-g the Tuttle road law
is a fortunate event 1- the history of
road improvement in Oregon. While
that law does not meet the require
ments of conditions in all communi
ties, it is an effective measure where
circumstances make It applicable. The
law provides for the permanent Im
provement of a highway at the . ex
pense of owner- of property within
two miles on either side of the road,
the cost to be paid in Installments.
The principle is the same as that upon
which most of the street improvement
-laws are based. The work cannot be
done without the consent of the property-owners
-themselves, and, on the
other hand, a minority cannot prevent
the work. Whether. Improvements
shall be made under that statute is
optional with those who are most di
rectly interested. Its provisions are
not obligatory upon any community.
In some localities it fs quite likely that
this method of paying the cost of road
Improvement would be found unsatis
factory, but it Is well to have the law
upon the statute-books for the benefit
of those who wish to operate under it.
The law Is fair and reasonable and
was wisely upheld.
The great trans-Atlantic steamship
lines are at it "hammer and tongs"
and rates for passage are shrinking
so rapidly that no schedule seems safe
for twenty-four hours. The secord-
cabin rate has been cut to $30, and
there Is no peace In sight. These
perodtcal rate wars on the Atlantic
demonstrate In the cle-rest possible
manner the impossibility of maintain
ing anything like a monopoly on the
high seas. So long as traffic is heavy
and -the ships are running to their ca
pacity, rates are maintained In fact,
are advanced .occasionally, as was the
case a few weeks ago, when the east-
bound immigrant rush taxed the ca
pacity of the steamers. But whenever
the, supply of steamers exceeds the
demand for accommodations the same
old wars develop uid American citi
zens can travel across the ocean at
less cost than would be incurred at a
first-class hotel.
If the Catholic Church' or any other
power, secular or religious, can de
vise a plan to prevent hasty marriages
of youthful subjects, the divorce evil
may possibly be lessened. There Is
some doubt about the efficacy of dis
cipline in such cases, however. As
John G. Saxe has it:
Who ever heard of a marriage deterred
Or even deferred ,
By any contrivance so very ahsurd
As scolding- the boy, and caging his blrdT
But suppose the evil of precipitate
marriage is averted by law? What of
the evils that follow? Is hasty mar
riage, after all, worse even when fol
lowed by divorce, than the evils that
follow irresponsible, thoughtless and
immoral association between the
sexes? Let the board of managers of
the Florence Crittenton Home and the
officers of the Juvenile Court answer.
Between New Tork fend Brooklyn,
by subway, the time Is now reduced to
five minutes. Already the pressure at
Brooklyn bridge has been greatly re
duced. . Rapid transit under the fiv
ers, to and from Manhattan Island,
will shortly solve the whole problem
of Increasing congestion in the lower
part of the old city. Far out Into.
Long Island and New Jersey the
streams of urban population will ex
tend; and there are persons now liv
ing who will see a population of ten
millions within a radius of fifteen
miles from Central Park.
The man who shot, near Chehalls,
Wash., Sunday, a little rlrl who was
trying to shield a pet dog will proba
bly enter the "didn't mean to" plea
when arraigned for his crime. Nei
ther this nor any other plea should
avail to save his neck from the halter
in case his innocent little victim dies.
If her injuries do not prove fatal, he
should be given ar term in the peniten
tiary aggregating half of an ordinary
lifetime. The f ooK with the gun Is
not a whit less dangerous than the
criminal with the gun, and should be
dealt with accordingly.
1 In the Atlantic Monthly for January
Henry Lee Higginson pleads for "Jus
tice to the Corporations." But they
don't want Justice. They want to be
let alone while they cortlnue to 1- -pose
injustice upon the people: Hig
ginson says in his openlneT paragraph
that' the public has been seeing .:ie
corporations punished. But when and
where? What fines have been paid
and what sentences served? Is It
punishment to find a corporation
guilty after trial and Innocent after
an appeal ? "
If the Russian government wants
to know whether Stqessel bravely de
fended Port Arthur or not, let it call
"In the Japanese officers. They.' will
testify to the skill and valor of the
defense thereby paying tribute- to
their own skill and valor and persist
ence in the attack. What else, they
will say, could the Russian General
have done but surrender to our. prow
ess? '
The time consumed In. drawing a
jury for the second Thaw trial was
much shorter than for the first trial.
It Is to be hoped that taking testi
mony will be correspondingly has
tened, and" that there will be no 15,
0 00-word hypothetical questions.
The thief who . broke into Judge
O'Day's office whs certainly not guilty
of contenjpt of court. His act was
evidence that he believes the Judge
possessed of ability to acquire prop
erty worth stealing.
Five suicides within twenty-fbur
hours at Boston, attributable to bad
weather, furnish further proof that
the equable climate of Oregon contrib
utes largely to the sum of human hap
piness. Only half price for an upper berth?
The Pullman Company ought to be
made to pay folk for sleeping In them.
TWO YOUNG GIRLS GO WRONG
Both of Good Family, 'hut Are Ltd
- ' Astray hy. Soldiers.
VANCOUVER, Wash., - Jan. 14. (Spe
cial.) The story of two girls of tender
age running away from thejr homes, com
ing to Vancouver, falling in with a gang of
soldiers from -the fort, sinking lower and
lower till they were arrested by the po
lice In a raid on a disreputable lodging
house, was revealed, in this city last
Fanning! aged 15. and Edna Cof
fee, aged 16. are the youthful wrongdoers.
The Fanning girl comes from . Kelso,
Wash., and the Coffee girl from Oregon
City. The former is described as a wild
girl, who runs away from home at every
opportunity. - The latter comes - from a
good home, which is always open to her
should she choose to 'go back.
Their homes will be closed to them how
ever, for when arraigned in the police
court this morning, the girls pleaded
guilty, but tile city ordinance was waived,
and they were turned over to the county
authorities to be sent to the Reform
School.
The girls have been in Vancouver for
two months. Both are of good family,
and say . they had no Intention of wrong
doing till they met the soldiers, who ac
complished their ruin. From then on they
took the downward path. '
MURDER CASE IN KLAMATH
Heavy Criminal Docket Will Keep
Special Court Session Busy.
KLAMATH FALLS, Or., Jan. 14.
(Special.) Judge H- L. Benson has Is
sued a call for a special term of the
Circuit Court for Klamath County, In
February, rendered necessary by the
"Joker" of Governor Chamberlain in
overlooking the declaration of . three
holidays during' the period of suspen
sion of legal machinery by executive
order. Harry Corpron- and Peter Peter
steiner will be tried for the murder of
James M. Johnson, whose death result
ed from injuries received In an alter
cation, which occurred Christmas eve.
JacK Neville, charged with horse-stealing,
and who has been confined in the
County -all for several months, will
have his day n court; and Joe Coburn,
from the Indian reservation near the
Yainax Agency, is alleged to have
wrongfully and Illegally taken a cow
bearing the brand of another. . Ernest
Woolson, charged with assault with 'a
deadly . weapon on the person of the
editor of the Merrill Record, will also
have an opportunity to make his de
fense. ISSUE CALL FOR CONFERENCE
Athletic Convention in Walla Walla
First Week lu February.
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON,
Seattle, Wash., Jan. 14. (Special.) At a
meeting of the associated students of
the .University of Washington today It
was voted unanimously to send letters to
all the leading colleges and universities
In the Northwest, advocating a confer
ence to be held In Walla Walla, the first
week in February, and writing the in
stitutions to have one delegate In at
tendance. These letters will be sent to the unlver-'
sitles of Oregon, Idaho and Montana,
Oregon Agricultural College, Washington
State College and Whitman College.
The object of the proposed conference is
to agree on rules to govern the athletic
relations of the Northwest colleges.
The university asks to have the institu
tions communicate with' the students'
secretary whether they wjll attend the
conference.
Washington has always been hearty .in
its advocacy of a conference end. In fact,
took the initiative in the present wide
spread agitation. .
NINE CASES OF SMALLPOX
Clackamas Heights Families Are
Under Quarantine.
OREGON CITY, Or., Jan. 14. (Spe
cial.) Nine cases of smallpox have
developed at Clackamas Heights and a
strict quarantine Is being enforced.
The 11-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs.
A. Waer Mr. and Mrs. G. W. Rudolph
and son, Oren, aged 15;. J. J. Deford's
three children, one of them a baby,' and
A J. Rudolph and his grown son have
been seized with the disease, and the
condition of A. J. Rudolph is serious,
though the remaining cases are mild.
About four, weeks ago Miss Mary
Swift came to Clackamas Heights from
Southern Oregon and after her arrival
a wedding took place at the Deford
home, where she was staying. She had
smallpox at that time, .but it was not
known, and many of the friends and
neighbors of the family were exposed.
ROCKWELL OUT FOR CONGRESS
State Tax (Commissioner Aspires for
the Nomination.
SPOKANE. Wash., Jan. 14. (Spe
cial.) T. D. Rockwell, of Spokane,
State Tax Commissioner, today an
nounced his candidacy for the Repub
lican Congressional nomination from
the Third district, declaring that' he.
stood for the doctrines of Roosevelt,
and. If elected, would do all in his
power to advance the policies of the
President. He favors the opening of
the Columbia and the Snake Rivers and
the reclamation of the arid lands of
the state.
Nationally, he wishes a better Navy,
more Government aid for the National
Guards of the different states and fur
ther, powers for the Interstate Com
merce Commission.
ARRIVES MINUS A MANIFEST
French Bark Do Boisdeffre May Be
Fined $500 for the Oversight.
ASTORIA, Or.. Jan. 14. (Special.) The
French bark General de Boisdeffre, Cap
tain J. Laroque, arrived this afternoon,
170 days from Rochester. England, via
Hobart with a cargo of cement. The bark
comes without a manifest or bills of lad
ing for, this she may be subjected to a
fine of'toOO by the -Customs authorities.
It appears that She sailed from Rochester
hurriedly on July 31 In order to avoid a
delay of 10 days on account of the tides,
and for that reason Cajtain Laroque was
unable to seeure his manifest:
CommanderT for Hood River.
HOOD RIVER, Or.', Jan. 14. (Special.)
Hood River Lodge, No. 105. A. F. & A.
M., has' been formally notified by the
officers of the State Lodge of Masons in
Portland that It has been granted a
commandery. The new commandery is
the only one in Wasco County and the
competition for the coveted prize between
Hood River and The Dalles was keen.
The Dalles Being the county- seat and a
larger and older city than Hood River,
expected that it would win out. Mem
bers of Hood River Lodge are much
pleased over the honor conferred on it,
and are contemplating a" celebration of
the event in the near future. . -
Miners to Resume Work In Spring.
- BAKER CITY, Or., Jan. 14. (Special.)
The annual meeting of the Highland Gold
Mines Company consumed a two-days'
session. It was decided to resume work
in the mines in the Spring, money having
been pledged by the Eastern and South
ern Interests.
FIERCE ATTACK OX LAWRENCE
Railway Atttorney Declares Commis
sioner Is Prejudiced.
SPOKANE. Wash., Jan. 14. (Special.)-,
A fierce attack by Judge M. J. Gordon,
attorney for the Great Northern Railway
Company, upon State Railway , Commis
sioner J. S. Lawrence, In which the lafter
was accused of holding, opinions against
the transportation company, whica should
disqualify him from sitting in judgment
upon them, waj the feature of this morn
ing's session of the Commission.
Judge Gordon asked to have placed in
the records a clipping from a Spokane
newspaper. In which Mr. Lawrence was
quoted as saying that the railway" compa
nies had chosen to magnify the value of
their terminal property In Spokane six or
seven times its real value, preferring to
pay high taxes than to lower rates in
accordance with the value of their lands
and equipment.
Commissioner Lawrence admitted that
the newspaper report was substantially
correct. He denied, however, that his
statements would have any effect on his
judgment.
"The State, clothes the Railway Com
mission with the same .power that is
given to a Judge and Jury In trying civil
or "criminal cases." said Judge Gordon.
"A judge would have no right to give out
opinions In regard to a case while that
case was sub-Judice. The Commissioners
are supposed to be fain to the railway
companies."
Mr. Fairchild, chairman of the Commis
sion. Interposed on behalf of his colleague,
and for a time the discussion waxed
warm.
TENDER TRUCKS JUMP TRACK
Traffic Tied Up for Six Hours Near
Grants Pass.
GRANT 3 PASS, Or.. Jan. 14. (Spe
cial.) Train No. 15, In charge of Con
doctor Rlsley and pulled by Engineer
Butler, narrowly avoided a serious
wreck this afternoon about three miles
south of here wnen the trucks of tlu
tender of engine No. 2423 jumped the
track and skidded alorig the ties, liter
ally chopping them in two for nearly
a full train length. Traffic on the
main line was blocked for about six
hours. Train No. 15 was returned to
the yards by an engine frem train i-o.
1'3.
The scene of the accident is a
straight piece of track, but the road
bed is soft and sandy, and it is thought
that the heavy engine and rolling
stock may have caused the track to
sink. Much praise Is 'given Engineer
Butler for his quickness In bringing
the train to a standstill.
After No. 15 had been pulled Into
the yards a light engine was taken
from the roundhouse, well supplied
with tools and a crew of men, who
worked the greater part of the after
noon to get the trucks of the wrecked
engine on the rails and place the track
in shape for travel.
DEAD OF THE NORTHWEST
William Grant, Pioneer Capitalist
.of Eastern Oregon.
THE DALLES, Or., Jan. 11 (Special.)
News was received here today of the
death of William Grant, p former resi
dent of The Dalles, which occurred at
Beulah, Malheur County, January 9.
For many years Mr. Grant was one of
the foremost capitalists of the North
west and was well known to all pioneers
of Eastern Oregon. He waa about 66
years . old. ' A native of Scotland, Mr.
Grant came to Oregon in the early '60s,
joining here i,is brother, Robert Grant,
who then operated the largest mercantile
business of this section. .His business in
terests became very large, and in a few
years he was one of the largest property
holders in this portion of the country.
Mr. Grant was one of the original own
ers of The Dalles Military Road Com
pany, which In later years became the
Eastern Oregon Land Company. Some
fifteen years ago he left The Dalles and
made his home with his brother, Adam
Grant, head of the firm of Murphy, Grant
&' Co., In San Francisco. For the past
two years he had resided with his cous
ins, the Murray brothers. In Malheur
County. Mr. Grant was unmarried and
was the last of the three Grant brothers,
all pioneer capitalists of the Pacific
Coast.
PRESIDENT IN CONFERENCE
Will Meet With Officials of Various
Railroads January 2 7.
WASHINGTON , Jan. 14. President
Roosevelt today made an appointment for
January 27 to confer with a committee of
the operating vice-presidents of leading
railroads. The appointment was made by
Senator Warner, of Missouri, at the re
quest of the St. Louis & San Francisco
Railroad. The committee win represent,
among others, ' the New York Central,
Pennsylvania, Burlington, iiortnwestern,
Illinois Central and San Francisco roads.
The object Is to bring to the attention
of the President matters regarded as ad
versely affecting railway operations. It
is understood that legal consideration of
pooling agreements will be one of the
important topics. rue fruauiauc uaj
hitherto- Indicated his position as favor
able to such agreements under proper su
pervision of the Interstate Commerce
Commission.
MORSES OUT OF ALL BANKS
Successors Elected to Succeed For
mer Associates of Heinze.
NEW YORK, Jan. 14. Many changes
in the boards of managers of New York
financial institutions were made at the
annual election of officers of National
banks today. Samuel H. Wheeler, of
Bridgeport. Conn., was elected to succeed
Charles W. Morse on the directorate of
the Fourteenth Street Bank. At the.'Gar
field National Bank no successors tq
Charles W. and Harry P. Morse, who
resigned some time ago. were elected.
The stockholders of the Mercantile Na
tional Bank, which up to a few months
ago was controlled by Charles W. Morse
and F. Augustus Memze, eiectea .tiawin
Gould. William Nelson Cromwell and
William H. Taylor.
Speculated With Bank's Cash
NORTH ATTI.EBORO, Mass., Jan. 14.
The fact that Frederick E. Sargeant, the
late cashier of the Jewelers' National
Bank, of North Attleboro, which is now
in the hands of a receiver, had been hy
pothecating the funds of the bank became
definitely known today, when the-urety
company which furnished his bonds paid
over to the receiver of the bank the sura
of $20,000, the full amount of the bond.
The examination of the cashier's per
sonal affairs has shown that he had ac
counts with several Boston brokerage
houses, and it is believed that he lost
heavily in speculation.
Change In Blue Mountain Reserve,
OREGONIAN NEWS BUREAU, Wash
ington. D. C, Jan. 14. The President
has jusf signed a proclamation which
eliminates 131,643 acres of the Blue Moon
tain National Forest, as recommended by
the Forest Service. The greater part of
the area eliminated consists of open grass
lands. The boundary, has also been
changed to exclude -some heavily tim
bered land, title to which has passed from
the Government.
' a
NATIONAL GUARD
AMERICAN unpreparedness for .war.
has been the subject . of many dis
courses and several bitter experiences, in
past history. But doubtless this lack of
readiness for -emergencies would never
have been productive of such dire re
sults as in the event of a conflict with
Japan, so much talk of the possibility of
which has been In the air for some time
past. As to the probability of such an
engagement that, of course, is another
matter. The two governments are
obviously friendly, but it is the people
that make wars and the people of Japan
have their own ideas about the right of
Japanese to emigrate here at will. These
Ideas, needless to say, are widely at
variance with the current American per
suasion. Whether this issue will pre
cipitate a serious breach Is purely a
matter for speculation.
America's unpreparedness for war Is
not a ' matter of speculation, however.
It is a fact. When the Navy gets around
to the Pacific Uncle Sam will be In
position to give an account of himself
by sea, the thing of greatest importance,
by odds. The American Navy is superior
to that maintained by Japan. The Ameri- i
can gunner admits superiority to none
while Japanese gunnery. . though not of
an Inferior order, is far from extraordi
nary. The Navy. It must be conceded.
could look after itself.
As to an army there would be the hitch
in event of extensive land operations.. Of
meh to fight there would.be no lack.' It
Is a matter of pride that 10,000.000 fighting
men can be produced, if necessary. But
men are ifot the only requisites of a
campaign.. Equipment Is the main thing.
see
Should war suddenly-be declared at this
time for any cause or other a call of
250.000 volunteers would be little more
than sufficient for a first line of defense.
And yet In order to arm and equip such
an army it would be necessary for the
Government to arm the force with three
different1 kinds of rifles. Fifty thousand,
constituting the regular Army, would
have the new Springfield rifle. The Na
tional Guard, 100,000 strong would have
the Krag-Jorgenson rifle and the balance
would have to depend on the old style
Springfield, at least until new guns .could
be prepared. The disadvantage thus,
brought on Is obvious. Confusion In.
placing ammunition could hardly be'
avoided- Uniform, arms ar.d ammunition '
are a necessity of modern warfare.
The regular Army now stationed within
the United States numbers something like ;
30,000 men. Another 20,000 are on duty in
the Philippines, where they would have
to be left In event of hostilities. The)
regular Army here would be practically;
absorbed In the organization of a big,
volunteer force. Should our neighbor see'
flf to land a big army on the Pacific'
Coast there would be nothing to prevent'
such an expedition, provided the coup '
were attempted while the fleet is SRfely;
at a distance. It is very doubtful if
such an invasion would be attempted, but
If so, the Coast territory would have to
be conceeded to an Invading army of say'
100,000 men. Captain J. R. M. Taylor, of the;
Fourteenth -Infantry, stated In a recent
paper on the crisis In the East that an
Invasion of the Coast could not be 'pre
vented on short notice and that in event
of a force being landed and marched In-;
land the American line pf defense and'
base would be in the vicinity of Ogden,
Utah. .
Patriotic and well meaning civilians
have not been Inclined to accept such a
proposition as plausible. "We have all
used guns in hunting and we could lie
in wait for an army and pick them off.
The whole country would be up In arms."
That Is a common view among those un
acquainted with things military.
The day has passed for warfare of that
nature. The day of the minute man has
gone. An invading army sends out line'
after line of advance forces and squad
after squad of scouts. Well meaning
people waiting" behind trees with deer
rifles would simply be picked up one after
the other and strung up to the nearest
trees: Civilian forces would only be In
the way. giving an enemy no other ln
conveniece than that of burying them.
An Invasion while possible, is not re
garded as a probability even in event of
war until the naval supremacy has been
settled leastwise. Could a nation like.
say Japan, get control of .the sea Invasion
would be rendered easy by establishment
of a base at any favorable point on the
Coast, Tillamook for example. The nation
In question has an army of some 350.000 '
trained fighting men. They are equipped
with a peculiarly effective rifle of uniform
make. This army of 850,000, seven times
greater than our own armed force, is
organized, trained, equipped and dis
ciplined to the minute and could be
gotten in marching order within 48 horns.
Aside from this force Japan has similar
equipment for a sufficient number of
volunteers to bring the total fighting force
up to 1,000,000 men. Her transport fleet,
too, for carrying a large force, is the
greatest in the world.
While the better elements of both coun
tries truly hope a clash of arms may
never come yet It is only characteristic
of Japanese methods that a plan of cam
paign has .already, been elaborately pre
pared at Toklo. American tacticians say
the first blow would be at the Philip
pines. There Is doubt whether the forti
fications at Cavite could be forced. But
a sufficient army could land most any
where on Luzon and attack Manila from
the rear. The handful of American troops
now there could offer but weak resist
ance and rtenforeements could not be
sent until a formidable convoy could be
assured. Putting troopships to sea Is a
dangerous matter. where there Is a
hostile fleet at large. Hawaii, too.-would
fall an easy prey and doubtless would be
utilized as a base. Arrival of. the fleet,
of course, would change the aspect of .
taking Hawaii although it would not alter
the situation as regards the Philippines.
As to the ultimate outcome no Ameri
can will admit any apprehension. The
moment a war was declared big.'lub-,
berly, sleepy Congress would awaken
from its lethargic state and provide for
an army. Arsenals would be put working
day and night. Millions of strong men
would stand ready to answen the call to
arms. And after the first hapless army
put In the field had been wiped off the
'earth and unpreparedness had claimed its
toll of lives, the situation would be . In
hand, the decks would be cleared for
action and some unlucky little nation
would get a most thorough Bpanking.
From a military standpoint, America is
a sleeping giant, whicli It behooves no
power to awaken.
Gets Political. Job In Idaho. .
MARSHFIELD, Or., Jan."' 14. (Spe
cial.) D. A. Utter, who has been en
gaged in the brick-making business in
this city for the past six months, will
leave in a few days for Boise, Idaho,
where he experts to. receive the ap
pointment of Surveyor-General for the
State of Idaho. Mr. Utter has been In
dorsed by the Congressional delegation
of Idaho for the appointment to suc
ceed Surveyor-General Eagleson.
pNAL GO