Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937, February 28, 1908, Image 8

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Morning Oregonian., February 28, 1908, Page 8, Image 8

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Newspaper Page TextTHE MORXIXG OREGONIAN, FRIPAY, FEBRUARY 28, I90S. SUBSCRIPTION RATES. INVARIABLY IN ADVANCE. (Br Mall.) Pally. Sunday Included, ona year $8 00 Islly. Sunday Included, six months.... 4-25 pally. Sunday Included, three months.. 2.23 Daily. Sunday Included, one month.. .75 Ially. without Sunday, one year JOO Dally, without Sunday, six months 8-25 Dally, without Sunday, three months.. 1.75 Dally, without Sunday, one month..... -60 Sunday, one year .50 Weekly, one year (Issued Thursday)... J Bunday and weekly, cae year BY CARRIER. Dally. Sunday Included, one year t.00 Dally. Sunday Included, one month Tj HOW TO REMIT Send postoftice money order, express order or personal' check on jour local bank. Stamps, coin or currency are at the sender's risk. Give postoftice ad dress In full. Including county and state. IOSTAUK RATES. Entered at Portland. Oregon. Postottlca as Second-Class Matter. 10 to 14 Pages 1 cent 1 to 28 Panes 2 cents SO to 44 Panes ..B cents 4 to eo Pases seats Foreign portage, double rates. IMPORTANT The postal laws are strict. Kewrpapers on which postage Is not fully Prepaid are not forwarded to destination. EASTERN BUSINESS OFFICE. """The 8, C. Keckwlth Special Agency New Tork. rooms 48-50 Tribune building. Chi cago, rooms 010-512 Tribune building. KEPT ON BALE. Chicago. Auditorium Annex; Poftofflce Hews Co.. 178 Dearborn street; Empire News Stand. St. Paul. Minn N. Et. Marie, Commercial Elation. Colorado Springs, Colo. Bell. H. H. Denver. Hamilton and Kendrlck. 0-B13 Seventeenth street; Pratt Book Store. 1214 Fifteenth street; H. P. Hansen? S. tfllce. George Carson. Kansas City, Mo Ricks ecker Cigar Co Ulnth end Walnut; Tomi News Co. Minneapolis M. J. Cavanaugh. 00 South Third. Cincinnati. O. Toms News Co. Cleveland, O James Pushaw. 807 Bu- Jerlur sureet. WashingtonV D. C. Ehbltt House. Penn sylvania avenue; Columbia News Co. Pittsburg. Fa. Fort Pitt News Co ' Philadelphia, l'a. Ryan's Theater Ticket Office; Penn News Co.; Ksmble. A. P., 87o3 Lancaster avenue. '- '. w York City. L. Jones Co.. Aetor House: Broadway Theater News Stand: Ar thur Hotallng Wagons: Empire News Stand Ogden. D. L. Boyle: Lows Bros.. Ill Twenty-fifth street. Omaha. Barkalow Bros.. Union Station; Mageath Stationery Co.; Kemp Jt Arenson. lies Moines, la. Mose Jacobs. rresno, Cal. Tourist News Co. Sacramento, Cal. Sacramento News Co.. 480 K street: Amos News Co. Salt Lake. Moon Book A Stationery Co.; Rosenfeld & Hansen; G. W. Jewett. P. O. corner; Stelpeck Bros. Jnng Beach. CaL B. E. Amos. Pasadena, Cal. Amos News Co. San Dirgo. B. B. Amos. Hnn Jose. Emerson W. Houston, Tex. International News Agency. Dallas. Tex. Southwestern News Agent. 844 Main street; also two street wagons. Ft. Worth, Tex. Southwestern N. and A. Agency. - Amarilla. Tex. Tlmmons Pope. (San Francisco. Forster & Orear; Ferry News Stand; Hotel St. Francis News Stand; L. Parent: N. Wheatley; Falrmount Hotel News Stand; Amos News Co.; United News Agency. 14 Eddy street; B. E. Amos, man ager three wagons; Worlds N. S.. 2625 A. Sutter street. Oakland, CaL W. H. Johnson. Fourteenth and Franklin streets: N. Wheatley; Oakland News Stand: B. E. Amos, manager nve wagons: Welllncham. E. G. Goldfteld. Nev. Louie Follln. F.ureka, Cal. Csil-Chronlole Agency; JDa reka News Co. PORTLAND, FRIDAY, FEB. 28, 1908. END THE BCAXDAL. As the time for electing delegates to the National Republican convention approaches there Is becoming mani fest an almost preternatural activity In the nondescript remnant which is called the "Southern Republican party." This curious "party" exists In its full beauty and perfection in ten states. Beginning: with Virginia it circles down the Atlantic coast through North, and South Carolina to Florida; thence around the Gulf by way of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas to Arkansas, which is perhaps the most benighted of all and the least accessible to pro gressive ideas. These were all slave states. . In all of them the negro popu lation is large and in every one since the days of reconstruction the Demo cratic party has included the great body of the whites, while the negroes have gone by the name Republican. The few white Republicans may. be roughly grouped into Federal offtce ' holders and those who hope to hold Federal office. In none of these - states "are the negroes permitted to vote at either local or national elections. The col ored race has been disfranchised by clever "educational" tests, by grand father clauses, and the like, from Vir ginia clear round to Arkansas. But by a singular anomaly these disfran chised negroes, with their not very re spectable white allies, are still per mitted full representation in the Re publican National conventions. Thus, while they add nothing to the voting strength of the party, they possess a voice in its counsels which is exceed ingly important. The Republican party in the South cannot carry a sin gle state. No political dreamer is so wild and impractical as to cherish the faintest hope that It will; and yet the delegates from that abased and power less section of the party may In cer tain probable contingencies control the National convention and dictate the selection of a Presidential candidate. Why this dangerous anomaly is tol erated is a question which admits but a dubious answer. For one thing, it has been of gradual creation. Imme diately after the war the negroes were all powerful In the South and the colored delegates represented an ac tual voting population. As their power gradually waned before the en croachments of the whites it would have1 been entirely logical for the Northern Republicans to exclude their delegates from the National conven tion. Perhaps some survival of war time sentiment postponed this action. Perhaps it was hoped that a Supreme Court decision might restore the fran chise to the negroes and it seemed wis est not to offend them by premature measures of a radical cast. But it is safe to say that the most powerful reason for tolerating in the National convention these delegates who repre sent no votes has all along been their ; consummate venality. They always have been and always will be for sale to the highest bidder. Hence their ex traordinary value to politicians rep resenting the predatory interests. In his memoirs John Sherman openly charges that General Alger bribed his pledged negro delegates to desert him at the convention of 1888 and thus lost him the Presidential nomination. The New York World acutely comments that Mr. Sherman omits to explain how he got the'se delegates to pledge themselves in the first place. Again it is freely charged that Mark Hanna bought the negro delegates for McKinley in 1896 by enormous bribes, and the charge has never been very vigorously disputed. Now comes the accusation that those evil geniuses who pass by the common name of Standard Oil are buying up the negro delegations from the South to use them for the discomfiture of Mr. Taft in the coming Republican convention. ' Certainly somebody is buying them up. In each of the states named above from which come dele gates but no votes there is a strong anti-Roosevelt movement- which seems likely to produce divided or contesting delegations. Mr. Roosevelt suggests that the crowd out of office is thifs seeking revenge on the Administra tion; but his explanation is too charit able. The wretched creatures have no money of their own to finance a polit ical revolt. Somebody is advancing funds to them. If it" is not the Standard Oil pirates, who Is it? Who has a stronger motive than they to blight the future of' the Roosevelt policies? . These Southern delegates, who rep resent nothing but their own venality and the predatory greed of their pur chasers, may possibly control the Re publican convention, name the next Presidential candidate of the party, and thus determine the course of our National policy for many years to come. This is too much power for them to possess. They are entitled to it neither by the votes they represent nor by their character. It is the plain duty of the Northern delegates to dis franchise them in the convention. This duty they owe to their party and also to the Nation, for the people will not tolerate a sale of the Presidency. In former, years it might have been accomplished, but not now. It Is time for the decent majority in the Repub lican party to take the bull by the horns and end this scandal of the negro delegations once for all. By do ing so they have nothing to lose and everything to gain. - A PECULIAR ELECTORAL SYSTEM. The subject of suffrage is the cause of new agitation in Prussia. Discon tent with the system Is an old story; for liberal ideas there make slow progress, if any at all. In -other states of the German Empire there is a very fair and liberal system, but Prussia still holds, the suffrage within very limited restrictions. Practically- the suffrage in Prussia Is based on prop erty regulations. The electors are ar ranged in three classes, according to the respective amount of taxes paid by each arranged in such manner that each category pays one-third of the whole amount of direct taxes levied on the whole. A vast mass of population that pays no taxes has no suffrage at all. Under this peculiar system the first category consists of all electors who pay the highest taxes to the amount of one-third of the whole; the second, of those paying the next highest down to the limits of the second third; the third of all lowest taxed, who, to gether, complete the last class. This la a genuine plutocracy. It is designed to give the fewwho control large wealth a power in the state greatly in excess of their numbers. Against such a system, agitation Is but natural; but It is never permitted to reach the menace of revolutionary proceeding. All popular protests and demonstrations are fruitless, therefore. The police and the army are beyond the reach of popular appeal, and do the work of suppression whenever or ders are given. Not only Is Prussia much the great est of the states of the German Empire, but exceeds In population as well as in area all the rest of them combined. Of the 897 deputies In the Reichstag, or commons of the Empire, Prussia has 236, but a smaller pro portion In the Bundesrath, which rep resents the individual states. This concession to state representation was a necessity of the union. In Bavaria, the next state of the Empire, the suf frage Is on a very liberal basis, yet not so much so as with us; -and the same is true in most or all the rest of the German states. . But though there seems no hope for any advance towards liberalism in Prussia, it is certain that agitation for it will be constantly renewed. The demand is universal suffrage and a secret ballot; but the government in sists that such policy would be dan gerous In the highest degree to the peace and stability of the state, and would open Germany to the attack of nations that surround her. Such, In deed, probably would be the conse quence; and the people prefer home despotism to foreign domination. Else the conditions would be changed right soon. JAPAN'S STRAINED FINANCES. The economic condition of Japan has for a long time been such as to cause no surprise on the Pacific Coast at the reports, now coming from Ber lin and London, regarding the money stringency compelling; Japanese bank ers to draw heavily on their European reserves, The declaration ; of peace with Russia left the victorious power in a badly impoverished condition. She had poured out blood and treasure with a lavish hand, and the spoils of war that fell to her lot were not of a nature easily convertible into cash. But the war left Japan drunk with the wine of victory the sudden blossom ing out into a world power seemed to make her light-headed. The party In power- was unwilling towait for time to aid in repairing the damage that had been sustained, but heavy burdens were immediately placed on the peo ple, already groaning under the weight of their taxes. It was not only deemed necessary that the navy should be strengthened with many new warships, but on sea and shore the people indulged in a riot of expansion not at all warranted by the condition of their finances. The Japanese government provided a ship subsidy so generous In its provisions that the world was ransacked to se cure ships to be enrolled under the Japanese flag. Quite naturally. In such circumstances, they secured the craft which were too old or expensive to operate successfully under. the Ger man or British flags, with the result that not even the generous subsidy has enabled them to show a profit for the companies operating them. For the ships built at home, the subsidy paid was still larger, but even these vessels In the hands of the Japanese are far from proving -successful. It requires Just as much coal to generate a given amount of horse-power on a Japanese steamer as It does on one of any other nation. The Yankees rot the East have learned no new trloks by which they can carry more freight to the ton space than can be carried by other steamers, and as navigators they are easily outclassed by almost every other nation represented on the rhlgh seas. In short, Japan, In spite of her cheap labor and her big subsidies, has made a flat failure of the business into which she has dumped the largest por tion of the millions which have been raised by excessive taxation and by borrowing. Naturally a government that would make such mistakes as Japan has- made in this business might be expected to waste money in other lines. Extravagance has been shown all the way down the line from ex cessive ship subsidies to $40 tips by Japanese Ambassadors to American bellboys. The subjects of the Mikado have, since the close of the war, been pour ing into the United States, Mexico, British Columbia, Hawaii and other parts of the world. Their expenses for passage money, and in getting set tled in their new home, have been such that they are not yet in position to send much money back to that country, and Japan is also deprived of their labor and taxes at home. Ex port trade with other countries has declined on account of stringency in other lands, and the, purchasing power of the people at home has been cur tailed for the reasons stated. There are a great many reasons why Japan should dismiss from her mind all thoughts of war but by far the most potent is the decided scarcity of the necessary "sinews." The balances which Japan Is now said to be draw ing from Berlin, London and Paris, are needed so much worse for other purposes that there is not much like lihood of their being used for war, even were they of sufficient propor tions which they are not. THE SINGLE TAX HUMBUG. The economic doctrine of which Mr. Wagnon speaks so slightingly in his letter published today is not peculiar" to The Oregonlan. It Is accepted by all capable writers on the subject; in particular, if it were worth while, we should advise him to read . what Sellgman, our greatest economist, has to say about "unearned Increment." He will discover that The Oregonian is by no means singular in Its opinions, even in that one about the rise in the value of horses which excites . our con tributor's ghastly mirth.' Every farmer knows that a year ago horses of the class in question were worth twice as much as they were eight years ago. They also know that the Increment in value was due not to any change in the horses but to the prosperity and economic efforts of society as a whole. " "That Is, the rise In value was strictly -an unearned increment. Within the last few weeks the value of horses has fallen off notably. Is It because the animals cannot do as much work as they could a year ago? Not at all. It is because the course of our economic evolution has produced a "decrement" of value precisely as It previously produced an Increment. It is the stupendous folly of the single taxers to suppose that this process is confined to land values, whereas It Is incident to all values. Happily they refute themselves whenever they set out to argue. Just as Mr. Wagnon does when he cites the fact that city real'estate does not now pay Its proper share of taxes. What is there in his wonderful- amendment that would cause It to pay its proper share? Nothing whatever. City real estate would be undervalued if his amendment should pass, quite as much as now, and the outcome of the whole business would be that the ' farmer would have to pay a still larger pro portion;. for Mr. Wagnon's proposed exemption of the plutocratic manufac turers and the money sharks would of course, make the farmer's burden all the heavier. There is as present at least a pretense of taxing these worthies and the sane thing to do is to make the pretense real Instead of exempting them altogether. To say that they can not be taxed fairly is to acknowledge Ignorance of common economic facts. They can be taxed upon the full value of their possessions. There are ways to do It and Mr. Wagnon would De better employed in studying those ways than in trying to foist so errone ous a scheme upon the people of Oregon. In states like Wisconsin where gen uine tax reform has been pushed the corporations pay pretty nearly the full expense of the state government and land is taxed only for local purposes. Why can we not do something like this in Oregon? Then the farmer would experience real relief from his burdens which we agree with Mr. Wagnon, are now excessive and unfair. But to relieve him by imposing the whola ex pense of the state upon his shoulders is a reform which we hope he has In telligence enough to reject with the contempt it deserves. HARRTMAN'S OTHER SUITS. With the admission of Mr. Fish that it would require at least three years to put an end to Union, Pacific domi nation of the Illinois : Central, the Harrlman-Fish fight may be consid ered a closed incident. The defeated party, however, in capitulating with poor grace, asserfs that whon Mr. Harriman is compelled to tell the In terstate Commerce Commission about the transactions of himself and other Union Pacific directors in selling to the road stock in other railroads, Mr. Fish's action regarding the Illinois Central will be Justified. There may be sinister revelations regarding the Harriman methods of acquiring rail road property before . the Interstate Commerce Commission gets through with Mr. Harriman, but the point raised by Mr. Fish when he endeav ored to prevent Mr. Harriman from voting Union Pacific holdings in Illi nois Central was that he had no right to own the stock, the allegation being that it was held in violation of the Sherman act. This contention the court failed to sustain, the evidence Introduced show ing conclusively that the Illinois Cen tral was not a competing line with the Union Pacific, but, on the contrary, was necessary in completion of a through system in which' the earning powers of both roads might be In creased. The right of the Union Pa cific to buy this stock, or any other stock, -p. as granted by the charter un der which the Union Pacific was oper ating. But the main point involved in the recent decision compelling Mr. Harriman to answer questions put to him by the Interstate Commerce Com mission was not as to control of, one railroad by another, or suppression of competition by purchase of rival lines. It was. In effect, to determine whether or not Mr. Harriman had misused the funds of the Union Pacific In the man ner in which he secured holdings of stock in other roads. . ( By his refusal to tell the Commis sion what he had paid for these stocks and what personal Interest he had In the transaction, Mr. Harriman left in doubt the question as to whether or not he was playing - fair with- the stockholders, of the Union Pacific, whose money he had been using. In compelling the presentation of details, Judge Hough; who decided that the Commission was entitled to know the part Mr. Harriman personally played in the deals, held that ,the powers granted the Union Pacific by a state corporation law did not give him the right to do as .he pleased with the finances of the roaVi, which, being en gaged In interstate commerce, was subject to Federal regulation. The principle involved in the fight between Mr. Harriman and Mr. Fish was ma terially different from that with which Mr. Harriman and the Interstate Commerce Commission have grappled. The regulation of railroads should not be confined to the United States. In yesterday's news columns of The Oregonian appeared the following: Yuma, Axil., Feb. 26. Conductor L. r. Cook, of the Rio Grande. Yaqui & Pacific Railroad, arrived In Yuma today. He reports that Yaquis killed three Mexican members of his train crew but' spared himself and the engineer because they were Americans. While the Rio Grande, Yaqui & Pacific is not an interstate line, and may not' be subject to the regulations of the Interstate Commerce Commis sion, It seems to be an International affair, and as such should be com pelled to protect its passengers from the dangers of riding on a road that Is short-handed because the crews are so frequently murdered by the Yaquis. This latest Incident is believed to be the first concession made by the murderous redskfns to the United States. In their previous exploits, they showed a disposition to kill everyone who was not a, Yaqui. . A poultry show is being held at The Dalles under the auspices of The Dalles Poultry Association and news reports of the affair state that hun dreds of fowls- - are on exhibition. Whether it is. fresh 'eggs, "fryers" or "something to fricassee,"- Oregon has always been woefully short on prod ucts of the poultry yard, and any thing which . will encourage Interest In this neglected industry is worthy of the highest commendation. Not In frequently in the past the farmers of Oregon, have witnessed periods when there was little or no difference In the price of a dozen eggs and that of a bushel of wheat. The best results from Oregon farms will not be secured until we are producing, a sufficient amount of eggs and poultry to make It unnecessary to Import anything from other parts of the country. The poultry business Is one of the most Important features of diversified farming. Prohibition scored about even with its opponents in yesterday's news dis patches. The Supreme Court of Mis souri rendered a decision declaring unconstitutional the new law prohibit ing the sale of liquor within five miles of any state educational insti tution having 1,500 students. The Lower House in the Ohio Legislature passed the county local option bill by a vote of 79 to 7. As the bill has al ready passed the Senate, It will soon become a law. Other news on the topic of growing interest was the ac tion of the Chicago maltsters in noti fying the Board of Trade that no firm which directly or Indirectly assists the Prohibition party can consistently do business with the malsters. The in terest shown in the liquor issue will soon overshadow that in tariff re form. Something is being accom plished In the way of prohibition and nothing in aid of tariff reform.. Official announcement from Paris that a loan of $500,000 had been made to Abdul Aziz for use in defense of his throne will hardly prove cheering to Muley Hafid. The loan was made Jointly . by France, Germany and Spain, and as Muley Is not in a posi tion to defy all of these powers at once, he will probably go way back Into the woods and resume his game of holding ' up people for ransom. With such a weight of political power as is vested in the three countries mentioned, It would seem that Abdul Aziz might succeed in maintaining peace In Morocco for a few weeks at least. It is by no means certain, how ever, that either Muley Hafid or Ralsuli will quietly submit to the domination of a man with such mod ern ideas as Abdul Aziz has displayed. The honorable allies from the land of Nippon are callng our attention to the friendliness displayed in checking immigration from Japan to our shores. Statistics show that during January but 971 Japanese entered the United States, compared with 5275 for the same month last year. The reasons for this sudden checking in the flow of objectionable immigration might have been misunderstood had we considered only the figures on Japanese. But when official statistics disclose the fact that but 1729 Hungarians entered In January,' compared with 10,035 in January, 1907, it would seem that other reasons than a desire to keep peace with this country were responsi ble for the decline in the movement. As yet we have not placed the ban on Hungarian labor. Whatever Roosevelt's purpose may have been in sending the fleet to the Pacific, It is clearly apparent that he has quieted the fears of a large num ber of people who thought Japan was about to declare war and wipe us off the map. The half-scared people are no longer in evidence. It is announced that the Sixteenth Republican Congressional convention of Ohio indorsed Taft and Roosevelt. We can understand the Taft part, but what Is Roosevelt running for? Ohio has no voice in the New York Senator ship. To no other states do President Roosevelt's views on river improve ment apply with such force as to Ore gon and Washington. Now that we've got the roses plant ed, let's clean up every front and back yard in town before they begin to blossom. According ti his latest interview. Senator Bourne's favorite candidate for colleague is Statement No. 1. At the hour of going to press, W. C Bristol was still United States Attorney for the District of Oregon. Is it possible there is another con spiracy on foot to blacken the reputa tion of Mayor Lane? The promised rejoinder from Mr. Heney Is now due. JfOT FOR BETTER GOVERNMENT. Warnlag Voices Sonnded From : the State of Washington. North Yakima Republic Essentially, the Oregon primary law, which has In four 6r five years demoral ized the Republican party in that state, is the same as the one which has begun to destroy the Republican party of Wash ington. Nothing is more sad to con template than the delusion which the Tacoma News and some other papers have, that this law is destined to pre serve the political parties. It is true that the claim cannot be set up in this state as in Oregon, that a Republican ; majority in the Legislature may be bound to send to' the United States Senate.a Democrat who received more votes at the preceding election than his Republican competitor; and it may be true, as the News says, that the Ore gon law "does not contemplate parti sanship to any considerable extent." Nevertheless, both laws alike make run ning for office a mere personal matter with the candidate; they change the nature of the contest for. the office alto gether, and put the candidate upon the ticket pledged to no party or policy and responsible to no organization. He goes upon the ticket a personal or fac tional nominee, and as a rule he goes there by a minority vote possibly by the votes of his opponents instead of by those of his friends under condi tions which leave every partisan free to vote against him at the election. Here are the fundamental defects of the system In both states,, and they, are so deep-seated that we think they are a part of it and cannot be eradicated. It is absurd to say, as the Tacoma News says, that provisions are made In our laws to preserve the parties. Pro visions are made for' conventions and party committees, but they amount to nothing. Every candidate for a nomination runs on his own platform. If the convention is held before the primary and a platform Is promulgated and we doubt If anybody will take the trouble to hold conventions at any time the platform ' does not bind the candidates. Any candidate may file his declaration as a member of the party whose convention has been held, and he may make tils campaign on princi ples diametrically opposed to those adopted by the convention, or on Is sues concerning which the convention was silent, and still become . the party's nominee. He may become the nominee even though the majority of the party Indorses the convention's declarations, for he does not' have to nave a major ity of the votes of his party. He merely has to have more votes than anybody else, and these votes may be given to him by members of the opposing party whoaa reason for voting for him is not that they think Mm the best qualified man for the office he wants, but that they consider him the easiest man to beat at tflie elec tion. If the convention be held after the primary, every candidate is at liberty to deny at that time that he is bound, and will do so if he thinks that the most pop ular course to take. He owes nothing to the convention. -. If we are to have satisfactory party government we must have a system In which the party's integrity can -be maintained; in which candidates appeal to the people as representatives of a well defined organization standing for well defined principles; in which the party is responsible to the people both for its dec larations and for the men whom it puts forward to represent It, and In . which these representatives are suoject to the dlsipline of party. It Is no argument at all for the di rect . primary system, as its advocates are fond of saying., that the old system was not ideal. Whether it was better or worse than any other may be sim ply a matter of opinion. The point at Issue is whether this system Is a good one; whether It will result In clean poli tics, in securing a fair expression of the people, and whether It will give us good government. We have always maintained that it will not. We maintain that It is a fraud, inasmuch as it pretends to give tne peo ple a power which some contend has been usurped by the bosses, while as a matter of fact it will take away from the people the very power which it is designed to give back to them. We point to the experience of Oregon, where as a reform measure it has been an utter failure. The News tells us why It thinks our forebodings are unnecessary, but It ignores experience and Juggles with facts. It reads into the law something that Isn't there, and constructs a pretty theory with no more substantial founda tions than its fond hopes. , THIS IS PLAIN SPEECH. If Yon Want a Democratic Senator, Elect a Democratic Legislature. Blue Mountain American. .. If any candidate is so wanting in Independence and integrity as to pledge himself to Statement No. 1, he should hot have the support of any party, for he belongs to none. If a legislator be elected as a Re publican it is an insult to his intelli gence even to ask him, let -alone try to make him, vote for a Democrat for United States Senator, and vice versa. There are plenty of men In both par ties whose Judgment and honesty are above censure or doubt, and unless they are of that class they are not fit for any offloe, while with those quali ties, Statement No. 1 is not only un necessary, but an insult to the man. Any Republican candidate who will pledge himself to vote for a Demo crat for United States Senator would agree to anything In order to secure votes enough to be elected to the of fice to which he aspires. Party cannot be abolished and if the people of Oregon want a Republican to represent them In the United States Senate let them elect - men to the Legislature whom they know will in turn elect a man of the party of which they are a part, but if it is a Demo crat they want in the Senate, why not go about it in the same way and elect a Democratic Legislature? S off rajr ethics. "Gotham Weekly Gazette" Editorial in New York Evening Mali. First and last we are unalterably op posed to woman suffrage. It Is imprac ticable and useless. But the argument advanced that woman's place is by the cradle, the distaff or the gas stove is specious. 'Man's place, by the same token. Is by the double entry, the glove counter, the' ash can, the bil liard table, the cash register. Voting does not consume all of a man's time, as it would not all of a woman's. Our argument is that man should have a single exclusive privilege left. Voting doesn't do him a great sight of good, but he thirties he is a great little guy, when, armed with the ballot, 'ha makes a cross somewhere. Leave him this boon, O women. If women want to exercise their in fluence, let them counsel those who take orders from them to vote for that sterl ing citizen, William Howard Taft. of Cin cinnati and Yale. As Viewed by Unfriendly - Eyes. Washington Star. "Isn't your opponent a favorite son?" asked one Ohio politician. "No," answered the other. "He isn't a favorite-son. He's more of a teacher's pet whom the real fellows want to lick," IT MIGHT SOBER BRYAN. Isus-alls Says It Has All Other Presi dents Save Roosevelt. Washington Post. M. E. Ingalls, of Connecticut, president of the "Big Four" railway, thinks that Bryan will be nominated by the Demo crats and that he has a good chance of election. There are few Democrats who voted for Bryan in 1896 that will not vote for him this year," said Mr. Ingalls at the New Wlllard last night, "and in that elec tion, it will be remembered, 10,000 votes would have turned the election either way. This year he will get the support of many Democrats who opposed him in 1896 because of his free silver doctrines. The radical element of the party is sure to vote for htm. to a man. This is a rad ical age. When Governor Pingree, of Michigan, was alive he was looked upon as an ultra-radical, yet if he lived today he would be regarded almost as a con servative. I did not support Bryan in 1S96 because he run on a free silver plat form, but I voted for him in 1900. and if he Is nominated this year I shall again support him." "As a railroad man how can you con sistently favor the election of Bryan In view of his declared advocacy of the Gov ernment ownership of railroads?" Mr. In galls was asked. "Oh, Mr. Bryan has backed down on that. If he was elected President of the United States Bryan would be a muoh more sober man than he appears to be at this time. The White House will make almost any man conservative. Roosevelt Is the only man in history who has not been sobered by the great office he occu pies. I am thoroughly sincere when I say that I believe Bryan will be elected. The people in all parts of the country are' ready for a change, and Bryan has a fol lowing in every state." "Would not Judge Gray or Judson Har mon make a stronger candidate than Bryan?" ' "Both Gray and Harmon are good Dem ocrats. Either one of them would make a good race, but they could not get the support of the radical element, of the party, I fear.'' "What about Governor Johnson, of Min nesota?" "I don't know how strong Johnson would be. He is not so well known as either Harmon or Gray, and I do not believe he would be as strong a candidate." "If Bryan were to withdraw from the race for the nomination Harmon would undoubtedly get the Ohio delegation and, I think, would have an excellent chance of getting the nomination.- I do not th.nk the factional fight among the Republicans in Ohio will have any effect on the Repub lican vote at election time. The Republic ans are not like the Democrats. They do all their fighting before they nominate their candidates and at election time line up harmoniously. The Democrats .wait un til the election to do their scrapping. "Am out of politics? I never was in politics. Some of my friends brought about my nomination for Mayor of Cincinnati, and then the voters butchered me." MORE SINGLE-TAX BUNCOMBE. Mr. Wagnon Makes a Few Remarks About , Unearned Increment. PORTLAND, Or., Feb. 26. To the Editor.) In your issue of February 25, you had a 1200-word editorial under the caption,!, "Wonderful Reform," in which you have used up much of your stock of Bophistry and in so doing you have done violence to your economic reputation, ' if not to your intellectual. First, you acknowledge that the farmer pays B0 per cent of the taxes, then you say: "How under the shining sun will he be better off when he has to pay 100 per cent?" and "How will it be when he has to pay the whole of them?" Do you think, or will you pretend to say, that the farmer owns all the land values in Oregon Do you not know that all land In both city and country would be taxed under' the proposed amendment? Which you surely do. Then how can you say that the farmer will have to pay all the taxes? Mani festly, you are trying to scare the farmer into voting to protect the land monopolist. When you say tnat the farmer would have to pay the taxes "of everybody else," what docs the man think of the intelligence of the voter who writes such stuff? Are you not attempting to make the farmer think that nothing will be taxed but farm land? When you know that all land will be taxed according to its value, and that most of the land values are in the City of Portland. One block of land 200 feet square, bounded by Washington, Alder, Third and Fourth streets, is worth (the baTe land), $3, 200,000, and that would buy 64,000 acres of farm land at $50 per acre, and 64,000 acres would make a strip of land one mile wide and 100 miles long. Everything that Is bad carries along with it the seed of its own destruction, and likewise everything that is false carries with It its own refutation. For example, you say that a horse has an unearned increment, and you say "that a horse could be bought for $80 eight years ago, and that same horse would now sell for $150." This Is the llmrt a 5-ryear-old horse eight years ago would now be 13 years old, and a horse 13 years old would not be worth at any time over $30, as he would be worn out, and again, a horse has to be fed for the- eight years, and all his years. So his value Is always fully earned by his producer or owner. OREGON TAX REFORM ASSOCIA TION, Per H. D. WAGNON, President. San Francisco a Cause. The occasional mention, nowadays, of the San Francisco fire as one cause of the recent exhaustion of the world's surplus capital lends Interest to this summary by Maclean &. Henderson, the English Insurance experts. In their recent review of 1907: It Is worthy of record that the losses of 243 Insurance companies at San Francisco, the greatest Are disaster In this world's history, were eventually found to be $175, 508,530, by about 150,000 claimants, al though this must be necessarily more or less based upon guess work. Of this amount a net loss of $173. 144, 938 was Incurred by 35 foreign companies, mostly British, admitted to do business In California. This fire mors than extinguished the entire underwriting profits made by the American offices in 47 years. A raw SQUIBS. Landlord Washington onoe slept in that bed you occupied last night. Guest That's more than I could do. Judge. Borrows I say, old man, I wish you would help me out today. Busyman Haven't time to do It myself, but I'll call the porter. John, open the door and help the gentleman out. Chicago Dally Mews. The New Minister What- is your Idea of the proper length of a sermon, Miss Dee-ring? The Choir Singer Why, I think it should be long enough to get people Inter ested and short enough to keep them so Puck. Leslie M Shaw announces that "Fair banks, Cannon. Knox, Hughes, or myself" would do as a conservative Republican can didate for President.- It is unkind of Mr. Shaw thus to hold up to ridicule men who hava never harmed him. Chicago Evening Post. "I suppose that there was a very cul tured audience at the performance of one of Sophofle's plays in New Tork." "I'm not so sure of that." "What makes you dubious?" "The fact that I heard several calls for the author." Baltimore American. The Stranger And who are the Murphys" ancestors. Mr: M. Ancestors? What's that? The Stranger I mean, who do the Murphys spring from? Mr. M. The Murphys spring from no one. They spring at thlm Punch. Dumley Your ' friend, the editor, was good enough to glance over my poem, so I hastened to assura him that it was entirely original. Ascum And what did he sayT Dumley1 Hb said he knew that at once. He didn't suppose I had ever seen it in print anywhere. Philadelphia Press. POTPOURRI BY NANCY LEE. ' Renhea on the "Clgaree" I seen in the paper today, Where a Judge down New York way Had made it a rule, by gum! That smoking abroad and to hum At enny place, or enny time. By wimmen folks wasn't no crime.. 6o I reckon it won't be for long Till them swells they call the bong tong Will strut down their fine thoroughfare A puffin' up smoke in the air, And givin' the. men fonts a slap, Sayin'; "Hand me the makin's, old chap!" So I calklate, at socials and teas. At horse shows and their mattynees. They'll smoke. with angel-like faces While the " rich'll have monygramrf.ed cases. And the grandmas and old maidens neat Will each roll their own cigareet. Soon young uns all over the land Will smoke their own special brand, And Astoria "babies cry for it," Will go to the back scats and sit; Instld we will read near and far. . "Babies cry for our Milkette Segar." "Never again," said Mrs. De Style, "will I attend a Wagnerian ope. a. The' music is so disgustingly loud that it Is impossible to hear one's self talk." NeveV feel hurt If you think that a; woman on the streets Is making faces! at you. She is merely adjust. .r veil. ' In the Carmack versus Carmack coso t recently tried before the State Circuit; Court, the Rttorney for Mrs. - Carmack endeavored to show the jury that Mr. Car mack had been guilty of the indiscretion of flirting. "Mr. Carmack, do you recall," asked the opposing attorney, "that on such a date you and Mrs. vCarniack stood to gether on Third and Morrison streets, j waiting for a car, when a flashily dressed woman poked you in the ribs with her umbrella?" Here the court interrupted, asking what was the purport of the question. "I am desirous of convincing you that the defendant was guilty of flirtation." Up rose James Gleason, attorney for Mrs. Carmack. "Flirtation," sneered Mr. Gleason. "Flirtation! why, I'd call that assault and battery." Many a girl hesitates the first time she sees her fiance in a bathing suit. An unfortunate feature of the re opening of the defunct banks is the fact that any number of bluffers who staved off creditors with alleged bank accounts have had to dig up. Mrs. Ikensteln Mine son, I vill whip you If I catch you smoking dose cigar ettes again. They are ruinations to your healdth. Mr. Ikenstcin Don't scold him, Re becca. If we stunt his growth, he can ride on de railroad trains all his life for half prize. ' e Across the street a restaurant, 'sa loon and barber shop have opened side by side. The Old Reporter remarked, upon noticing the Juxtaposition, "Eat, drink and be merciful." The fashion papers ' announce that there is to be a Wave of reform in the dressing of women's hair. Doubtless a new sort of Marcel wave.. A Portland girl, aged seven, was reading aloud the following to her ( small brother, aged five. "Scientists say that Bugelbaum was the most . wicked dragon In the world." "What are scientists?" asked the lad. "Oh," she answered hesitatingly, "oh, just plain folks, grandma's one." Mr. Newfather (wearily) It must be time to get up. His Wife Oh, did you hear the clock strike 7? Mr. Newfather- No, but the baby has fallen asleep. ROOSEVLT AND CANDIDATE KSOX The President Commends Twe Recent Speeches. The Knox publicity bureau sends the following under date of Washington: "Senator Knox, you have made the two best speeches that have been made in re cent years. I want to congratulate you on them." In these words President Roosevelt paid the tribute of his commendation to the addresses made by Senator Knox of Penn sylvania, at Kalamazoo, Mich., and at Pittsburg. The first was delivered on February 11, and was on "The Pnple. the Railroads and the National Author ity," dealing with the Government's pol icy of railroad regulation. The second was delivered before the Pittsburg Cham ber of Commerce on the following night, and the subject was "The Future of Com merce." It advocated the improvement by the Government upon a large scale of the harbors and inland waterways of th3 country. Senator Knox recently called at the White House with Judge James S. Young,, of Pittsburg. They were waiting In the, cabinet-room, which was filled with vis itors, when the President opened the door connecting with his private office and saw the Senator. He greeted him with tho words quoted above. "You mean they are the greatest speeches since your last one," modestly replied Senator Knox to the President's complimentary reference. "Oh, no, I do not make any such excep tion," said the President. The conversation between the President and the Senator was heard by every per son in the room, among whom was a del egation from Kentucky, and it created something of a sensation. Whon these visitors cams away they were talking about it and commenting upon the em phatic terms of approval which the Presi dent applied to Senator Knox's utterances The Young Widow. Robert Josaelyn. She is modest, but not bashful; Free and easy, but not bold ; Like an apple ripe and mellow- Not too young, and not too old ; Half inviting, half repulsive. Now advancing, and now shy; There is mischief In her dimple, There is danger in her eye. She has studied human nature; She Is schooled in all her arts; She has taken her diploma As the mistress of all hearts; She can tell the very, moment When to sigh and when to smile; O. a maid is sometimes charming; But the widow all the while! Are you sad.? how very serious Will her handsome face become; Are you anrry? she is wretched. Lonely, friendless, tearful, dumb; Are you mirthful? how her laughter. Silver Bounding, will ring out; She can lure, and catch, and play you. As the angler does the trout. You old bachelors of forty, Who hsve grown so bold and wise. Young Americans rtf twenty. With the lovelocks In your eyes, You may practice all your lessons, , Taught by Cupid since the fall. But I know a' little widow Who could win and fool you all.