Morning Oregonian., April 03, 1908, Page 10, Image 10

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roRTLAMI, FRTOAT, APRIL S, 1908.
FIST AS WEIX TO UNDERSTAND.
Candidates for the Legislature on
one of the Republican tickets for the
primary election pledge themselves to
vote for the man for Senator whom
the Republicans nominate in the pri
mary and support in the June election.
Candidates on another Republican
ticket promise to vote for what they
call "the people's choice" that is,
they will vote for the Democratic can
didate, in the Legislature, should he
got more votes than the Republican
candidate at the June election.
Just one or two remarks. If the
election is to be settled by the vote
in June, there is no need of sending
men to the Legislature either as Re
publicans or as IX-mocrnts. It be
comes supremely absurd to make any
party nominations for the Legislature.
In Multnomah County the Democrats
don't intend to. For election of their
candidate for the Senate they rety on
"Statement No. 1" Republicans.
The Orcgonian will be no advocate
of either Republican faction, or of
either political party. But it thinks
it's Just as well to understand this pe
culiar situation and to set it forth ex
actly as it is.
Nearly all Democrats have regis
tered as Republicans, and intend to
vote in the primary the Statement No.
1 ticket of the (possible) Chamberlain
Republicans. Again, it is just as well
that everybody should understand.
A SOtXlX SOPHISTRT.
The, question in the Whttney-Wlrtz
case that will present itself to people
of the honorable, old-fashioned sort
la why these young poeple, being repu
table. In love with each other and en
(r.iced to be married, did not marry
and settle dntrn into a natural, reputa
ble and responsible life. The answer
to this question Is that young people
in this advanced age are not willing
to begin life whore their parents be
g.in In two or three rooms perhaps,
the wife doing her own work, the hus
bc.nd looking closely to the details of
his vocation, and, by way of helping
along, splitting his own stovewood,
cultivating a garden patch In the back
yard and spending his evenings at
home. Thoy feel that such a begin
ning is too lowly, and the climbing
i:p to the point that their parents
have reached in business, household
ing and home-making is too slow. So
the girl learns stenography or goes to
nnrk In a department store, or an of
fi e. and the young man waits for
business to come so he can afford to
marry.
The position taken tiy Mr. Whitney,
the young dentist who faces the
charge of manslaughter on account of
the death of Mls Wirtx, In regard to
his plight reveals a moral obtuseness
which belongs to a state of society
from which a willingness on the rart
i.f young people to marry, live srmply
tind work and economise together in
the interest of a home and family has
been eliminated. He regards himself,
it Is said, as peculiarly unfortunate in
the affair, the victim of hapless cir
cumstances instead cf the moral cow
:ird that he was in seeking to escape
the just and legitimate responsibilities
of life in an open, manly way, .that
are contingent upon the love of a man
and a woman for each other. In his
view, his evasion of the duties of hon
orable young manhood was Justifiable
because not unusual. The fact that
it led, of course with the young worn
a i s connivance and compliance, to
her death is simply an unusual streak
i f bad lurk to be dismissed with the
term "unfortunate."
It is this estimate that Is to be de
plored not the exposure, or even the
death, now and then, which follows its
practical application. Mr. Whitney is
not a poor, unlucky fellow upon whom
fate played a cruel trick, but a sturdy
young man who sought to evade the
Just responsibilities of life without
foregoing its sensual pleasures. The
manly, the womanly, the honorable,
way of life is open to all. Those who
stumble and fail outside of the lines
within which lie home and family ties,
responsibility and honor, are not "un
fortunate" In the sense deplored by
this young man. They are deliberate
ly false to their own better natures
and to the interests of the home and
of society. This being true, it Is not
strange that the penalty that some
times overtakes them is terribly severe.
TTTE VICrVAOE OR VF..VTE.
Courts generally are averse
to
granting applications or motions for
change of venue for trials; and espe
cially in criminal proceedings the gen
eral rule always has been that the
venue must be laid in the county
where the occurrence actually took
place. The exceptions are very rare,
both In English and American prac
tice. Jn California the rule Is distinctly
asserted in the case of Ruef, who ap
plied for change of his case to an
other tribunal, on the allegation that
he could not expect justice in the
court and vicinage where he hitherto
has been required to answer. This
assumption is, in fact, only another
plea for delay. Where can a man be
judged so well as in the community
where he has lived, and where full
knowledge of his acts can best guide
to an impartial judgment?
There is hardly any case In which
application for change of the venue is
not 8. device of those whose desire it
is to avoid full investigation and lair
judgment, at the place where the full
Investigation may best be had on the
facts of the particular case. The gen
eral mind everywhere Is Inclined to
fairness and Justice. Men like Ruef
will get the fairest kind of a trial In
their own vicinage. But that is not
what they want. Hence the motion to
change the venue. In fact, the, man
who objects to being tried by his
neighbors objects to being tried at all.
REVISION IN rNDIANA.
Although the tariff plank in the In
diana Republican platform was writ
ten by Mr. Fairbanks, still It seems to
reflect the sentiments of Mr. Beveridge
fairly well. Both gentlemen expressed
their views upon the tariff at some
length to the convention, Mr. Bever
idge In a speech, the Vic-President in
a letter. The latter is much impressed
with the merits of the tariff as it
stands. He recommends revision with
extreme caution and with the protec
tive Idea ever foremost,' while the Jun
ior Senator from Indiana grew elo
quent over Its faults. He reminded
his hearers that the schedules were
twenty years out of date, complicated,
unscientific and perplexing; that they
were a source of wealth to "gluttonous
corporations," and that the "common
sense tariff methods" of Germany and
Japan were driving our commerce
from the high seas. Mr. Fairbanks
dwelt affectionately upon those sched
ules which need no alteration and
trembled lest revision should degener
ate Into a "work of wholesale demoli
tion." Since revision must be en
dured, he prays that it may be so car
ried out that "American Industry,
American labor and American capital"
may still enjoy protection.
The Interesting fact in connection
with all this more or less sincere talk
and writing is that even Mr. Fairbanks
admits that the tariff must be revised.
He has not yet quite come to the point
of saying that it ought to be revised,
but he concedes that the dread event
is unavoidable. Beyond a doubt the
end of standpatlsm is at hand. We
may not get a scientific revision, nor
one that will remove all the injustice
and outrageous tyranny of the Dingley
schedules, but within a year or two we
shall certainly get something. Now
that Indiana and Illinois have joined
hands with Iowa. Minnesota, Ohio,
Nebraska, Wisconsin and the entire
South, to say nothing of Massachu
setts, in a demand for an assault upon
the sacred edifice of Dingleyism, some
thing must come of it; but It stands to
reason that Mr. Fairbanks, Mr. Can
non and their allies Of "the gluttonous
corporations" will make that some
thing as small as they possibly can.
The Fairbanks and Beveridge selec
tion of the time for revision differs
from Mr. Roosevelt's. In his opinion
revision should be undertaken Imme
diately after the 4th of next March.
The Indiana sages perceive serious ob
jections to this proposal. Business,
they say, will be kept upon tenter
hooks while revision hangs in the air
without being consummated: and since
it must come, let it come quickly and
be done with. Their preference is to
set about revision at once after the
November election and they would
have a commission of experts begin
forthwith to prepare the tariff of du
ties on Imports. At least Mr. Bever
idge favors this plan, and the platform
docs not reject his -proposal. As to
Jlho exact degree of protection re
quired, the platform differs somewhat
from Mr. Fairbanks, whether inten
tionally or by a slip of the pen of
course one cannot decide at this dis
tance. The Vice-President thinks the
duties ought to be kept high enough
to protect "Industry, labor and capi
tal"; the platform desires only a wall
that will "fully protect the wage-
earner in the United States."
Of the two aspirations, we prefer
that of Mr. Fairbanks, because it is
franker than the other. Outside of
political platforms nobody ever thinks
of saying that the tariff protects .the
wage-earner. In business and ordi
nary argument, especially argument
with labor unions. It is roundly assert
ed that the wages of labor depend
upon the laws of supply and demand,
which it is hopeless to try to counter
act. As a matter of fact, the pretense
of protecting labor by the tariff while
our ports are open to a perpetual In
flow of workingmen from foreign
countries is sheer hypocrisy. But the
tariff does preserve the home market
for our domestic trusts, and thus its
alleged protection to capital and In
dustry Is genuine. It protects them by
enabling the home manufacturer to
obtain a higher price for his goods
than he could get without a tariff:
and that higher price comes out of the
pocket of the American wage-earner
and farmer.
The platform further demands that
"maximum and minimum rates" be
imposed, "so thftt our export trade can
amply be protected and foreign dis
criminations against us be prevented
Maximum and minimum rates are an
Jexoelient device; to firevent discrlmX-Jcrcps
nations. Germany has found them
useful not only for that purpose, but
also as a means of forcing down tariffs
that were not discriminatory. It is
the skillful handling of this weapon
which forms the gist of what Mr. Bev
eridge calls "Germany's common-sense
tariff methods." But let nobody be
silly enough to believe that a high
tariff can build up an export trade.
To refute such an idea we have only
to look at our own commercial his
tory. . For the last quarter century we
have been living under a tariff prepos
terously high, with the result that our
manufactured exports are still but a
trifle and our merchant marine a
mere phantom. It is only by classing
raw cotton, kerosene oil and crude
copper among manufactures that we
can make a decent showing in this
field. The vast bulk of our exports is
raw material, which other more pro
gressive nations manufacture and re
sell at enhanced profits, often sending
back the finished product to America
and selling It here at a gain in spite
of our tariff wall. But we are slowly
comlng to possess insight into these
matters, and one may predict with
some certainty and much comfort that
the end of the reign of tariff humbug
is not far away.
SEI.F-rTEI.P TO THE RESCUE.
The annoyance and loss to which
the citizens of Tillamook County have
long been and still are subject on ac
count of lack of transportation facili
ties are as unnecessary as absurd. Here
is a productive county of a growing
state, literally cut off from the distrib
uting center of the state's produce
market: a rich, if not the richest,
dairy section of the state: with large
areas of coal at the gateway of a
clamorous market waiting to be un
covered;' with abounding timber re
sources and unsurpassed grazing fa
cilities, that has been ail these years,
In spite of pleading and protest, with
out railroad transportation and with
coasting service grossly Inadequate to
the daily needs of the people. All last
week, we are told, Tillamook City, the
shipping point of a prosperous dairy
region, "was without feed" on account
of haggling opposition to placing a
new line of steamers between that
place and Portland. 1
The situation Is amazing, from both
industrial and business points of view.
It represents a dog-in-the-manger
policy in transportation circles that is
a reproach to shipping men, as the de
lay in building a road to Tillamook
has long been to railroad men. It is
similar in short-sightedness, neglect
and lack of loyalty to the Oregon
market, to that which long ago drove
the trade of Coos County to San Fran
cisco and made Coos a county of Cali
fornia In everything but representa
tion in the Legislature of Oregon. Til
lamook, less fortunate than Coos in
securing transportation connections by
sea with San Francisco, has hobbled
to the northern markets as best she
could with her butter and cheese and
livestock, and to a wider market' with
her timber products, but the handicap
has been heavy, needless and exasper
ating. The business men and creamery in
terests of Tillamook City, desperately
seeking relief, have at length partial
relief In sight. It is the old story of
the dependability and beneficence of
self-help, represented in this instance
by the purchase of a boat as the nu
cleus of a new line of steamers and
placing her upon the Portland-iTilla-mook
route.
NEW RECORDS FOR PORTLAND.
One-fourth of the year 1908 has
passed into history, and Portland for
that period has demonstrated beyond
question her right to the title "most
prosperous city on the Pacific Coast."
The shock of the financial earthquake,
which ripped Wall street from center
to circumference, and set in motion
waves of disaster which rolled from
the Atlantic to the Pacific, had not
fully subsided when the new year was
ushered in, and even the most optim
istic hardly dared to expect a repeti
tion of the prosperous era which
marked the opening months of 1907.
But with three months of the new
year already ended, practically all evi
dence of the panic has vanished and
the city has settled down to a steady
stride which is carrying It along more
rapidly than ever in its history.
Bank clearings have not yet got
back to the high-water mark estab
lished a year ago; but they are rapidly
gaining, and throughout the quarter
just ended show much more favorable
percentages than are credited to any
other large city on the Pacific Coast,
The latest weekly table of the New
York Financial and Commercial
Chronicle credits San Francisco with a
decrease in clearings of 22.1 per cent,
Los Angeles 16.2 per cent, Seattle 20
per cent, Portland 6.6 per cent. The
average decrease for the Pacific group
of cities was 18.2 per cent, and for all
cities in the United States 2 7.6 per
cent. These figures prove that Port
land Is not only making more rapid
recovery than any other large city on
the Pacific Coast, but is also making
an exceedingly flattering showing in
comparison with the rest of the cities
of the United States. While bank
clearings have not yet climbed back
to the lofty heights reached a year
ago, there are business barometers of
even greater accuracy, which bear
testimony to the remarkable recovery
that has taken place since last Au
tumn. Ail existing records were broken a
year ago, when building permits for
the first quarter of 1907 reached a
grand total of 7 91, with a valuation of
12, 150, 952. This record, scored dur
ing a period of unexampled prosper
ity In the city and country, was broken
for the first quarter of 1905, when
the permits Issued reached a total of
1255. with a valuation of $2,311,190.
Without including a single large busi
ness structure, the permits for March
reached a total of $851,845, the 323
dwelling-houses alone showing a val
uation of $568,000. As the nominal
amount named In these permits is sel
dom more than one-half the value of
the completed building, the March
dwelling-house permits alone undoubt
edly represent an expenditure of more
than $1,000,000.
Real estate transfers for the quar
ter have also reached exceptionally
satisfactory totals, and are steadily in
creasing In volume. Stamp sales,
which for the fiscal year ending March
31 reached a total of $640,800, are
running well ahead of the opening
months of 1907. and have nearly
doubled in the past four years. There
is ample evidence of this return, of
prosperity in many other lines of in
dustrial endeavor, and with the favor
able outlook for another year of good
and good prices, with, our -trana-
portation facilities doubled and trebled
and many new industries seeking lo
cation in the city and surrounding ter
ritory, it will be an exceedingly diffi
cult matter again to check the up
ward movement.
Some days ago The Oregonian said:
The enntesl hptft-on tTitltnn nnrl Pake
."is a useless one." The statement is
censured, here and .there. But The
Oregonian added: "The wrath raised
In the primary fight will not be com
posed, and in the June election the
friends of the defeated candidate, or
large numbers of them, will not vote
for the successful one." This Is sim
ply an expression of actual truth, how
ever disagreeable any may think it.
The contest between Cake and Fulton
is useless, because the friends and sup
porters of the one who may be defeat
ed in the primary will not vote for the
other in the election. Some will, in
deed: but large numbers will not. This
has been the history of these nomina
tions. And really it Is beyond good
sense to expect that when a fight Is
made in a party for a leading office, in
which all the members of the party
are engaged, the successful candidate
will be able to command the entire
party vote. Men who have turned the
candidate down In the primary will
turn him down in the election. It has
been tried and proved, often enough.
The isolated Curry County towns,
which have been without communica
tion with the outside world since the
loss of the steamer Berwick, will
again have an opportunity, to do busi
ness, R. D. Hume having purchased
a new schooner to take the place of
the lost vessel. There may be other
people than Governor Chamberlain
who are unfriendly to Citizen Hume,
but in all fairness they will be forced
t3 admit that he has done more for
the development of some portions ,of
Oregon than any other individual.
The Rogue River country is rich in
natural resources, and some day there
will be transportation facilities for
making them available. Meanwhile
the interruption of such service as was
afforded in the Berwick is a far more
serious matter for the people of Curry
County than is generally understood.
The troubles which beset the house
of Gould just at this time might well
cause even an unbeliever to credit a
portion of the second commandment
with unusual force as applied to this
family. If the "sins of the fathers"
are "visited on the children," the pres
ent predicament of the respectable
portion of the Gould family seems to
be just atonement for some of the
commercial crimes committed by that
rare old financial highwayman, the
late Jay Gould. And if Satan pro
vides long-distance communication for
his guests, the dead railroad-wrecker
would, in contemplation of Madame
Anna's actions, undoubtedly turn to a
siesta on a red-hot griddle for diver
sion from the painful sight.
Governor Hoggatt and Delegat"
Cale, of Alaska, have somewhat di
vergent views regarding the character
of Alaska population. The Governor
objects to a territorial form of gov
ernment for the alleged reason that
the saloon men and the mining men
would control the elections. Delegate
Cale resents the imputation and says
that the Alaskans as-a rule are good
American citizens and are entitled to
the government desired. As both of
the Alaska gentlemen mentioned are
in a position to know what they are
talking about, it might be a good plan
to leave the matter to an arbitration
board composed of Rex Beach, Jack
London and Swiftwater Bill. This
trio knows all about Alaska and the
Alaskans.
The American car in the round-the-
world race is now en route from Seat
tle to Valdez. As it is riding easily on
board of a steamship, we shall miss
the daily dispatches reporting Its ex
trication from snowdrifts, bogs and
impassable roads. This is the first
piece of clear track that the car has
had since it left New Tork, and, unless
the Santa Clara meets an iceberg,
the car ought to make good prog
ress on a light consumption of gaso
line. George C. Brownell, the vindicated,
now breaks Into print through the Sa-
em Journal as a champion of State
ment No. 1. Is this the same Brown
ell who wanted to be re-elected to the
Legislature of 1907 "for the sole and
exclusive purpose," as he expressed it
In that Justly celebrated whisper, "of
putting a lasting quietus on State
ment NrJ. 1," or words to that effect?
We do not quote Mr. Brownell's exact
language, because this is a chaste
newspaper.
The sympathy of the Nation is with
brave Admiral Evans, who was forced
to strike his flag' to that arch tyrant.
Inflammatory rheumatism, and be
borne from his flagship as a conces
sion to this subtle foe. May the heal
ing virtues of Paso Robles Springs
prove truly magical in his case and
release him, free from pain, for the
"shore frolic" for officers and men
that will follow the long cruise of our
magnificent battle fleet.
There Is, of course, a possibility that
Bulkley' Wells placed the bomb there
himself for the purpose of affecting
Haywood's chances for the Presiden
tial nomination. It will be remem
bered that one of the Western Feder
ation theories regarding the killing of
Steunenberg was that he had chosen a
novel and unusual method of suicide.
Evelyn Thaw, It seems, was ejected
from a New York hotel for eating an
early morning "supper with a male
friend. Some intrepid New Yorkers
will not profit by Stanford White's ex
ample. Portland beat the Chicago ball
team, champions of the world, and
now the St. Mary's team defeats Port
land. That makes St. Mary's the
world's champions.
During the between-season dullness
in politics, demand for sensational
news is filled by cuttings up in the
houses of Vanderbilt and Gould.
Our "International marriages" are
quite as respectable, after all, as some
of our domestic marriages among the
Four Hundred.
Whatever may be your views con
cerning Statement No. 1, you still are
In time to register.
Perhaps by this time the Stanford
Jboys wish they hadn'L
?THH0USQI0LD
BY LILIAX
THERR was trouble with the plumb
ing a few dnys aso In the flats whore
I live, and I was called in consultation
when the case threatened to become ser
ious. Have you ever noticed that the par
ticular small nnd who presides over the
burst water pipes, clogged waste pipes,
frozpn boilers and leaky cisterns always
contrives to get in his best work, on a
Sunday, when all proper plumbers have
r.etired to their secret fastnesses and can
be dislodged neither by telephone nor by
messenger?
There was no plumbing In the days of
King Lear, I Judge; otherwise. Poor Tom
would have mentioned this fiend by name.
along with the others of his acquaintance.
I strongly suspect, however., that the
business is iow In charge of "Flibberti
gibbet, the fiend of Mopping and Mow
ing." Anyway, there was plenty of mop
ping to do on the occasion I mentioned.
"Mowing," In the Shakespearean sense,
is described by the dictionary as the
making of wry faces"; and It seems to me
that I have seen such in connection with
both plumbing accidents and plumbery
bills.
Surely Flibbertigibbet must be to blame.
But while assisting at last Sunday's
mopping party, I reflected on iome re
marks by Ashley Sterry in regard to
amateur enterprise. Commenting on Al
bert Smith's aphorism "as a rule, ex-ery-
thlng amateur a "bad, from fiddling to
pie crust," Sterry snys: "Amateurs rush
In where professionals fear to tread. They
attempt the most difficult of arts, in
wiych they are bound to fail; whereas, if
tney aimed at something of a simpler
nature they would probably succeed. An
amateur who paints bad pictures, or pro
duces third-rate poems is a useless per
son. But an amateur who can do all sorts
of odd Jobs of carpentry and repairs In a
house, who Is learned in gas meters and
fittings, who can successfully wrestle
with recalcitrant spring rollers, who is
conversant with the peculiarities of Ven
etian blinds, who Is Intimately acquainted
with the mysteries of waterpipes and the
management of cisterns, who is cunning
as to washers, elbows, -and ball-cocks is
an absolute treasure."
"An amateur who can give first aid to
a burst water pipe and hammer It up
hard and fast until the plumber arrives,
Is a veritable angel in the house. An
'Amateur Plumbers' Society pust now
would not only be a great public benefit,
but it would probably be of not a little
pecuniary benefit to Its members."
That last suggestion is an excellent
one. It seems to me. I have always
wanted to learn to plumb (if there isn't
such a verb, there ought to be), and I
would gladly Join such a society. I
should like to call the attention of the
Arts and Crafts Society to this matter.
I see no mention of such work In their
programme and yet surely plumbing Is
artful enough and crafty enough for their
earnest consideration.
There is, however, a danger In connec
tion with an Amateur Plumbers So
ciety. It is, of course, well known that
the amateur usually has longer hair
and a more sensitive temper than the real
musician; and the amateur painter or
poet is usually more technical or soulful
than the real ones; and it might well be
that an amateur plumber would be alto
gether too important, haughty and im
perious for any domestic use.
For there is no doubt that plumbers
are a haughty race. Even the plumbers
minion who travels languidly in the di
rection of the "other tools," and who
might, under some conditions, be mis
taken for an ordinary human boy, takes
on at times almost the dignity and slow
moving majesty of an ancient glacier.
Tne absolute power of the plumber Is
something beyond that of Czars and
Popes. Fortunately, he does not always
recognize it fully, and often, as he is
great, so is he merciful.
Once I remember arriving in London, on
a foggy evening, after a long and chilly
"Winter Journey, to find a house, cold,
desolate, dark and practically foodless,
by reason of frozen water and gas pipes.
Every one, except the mistress of the i
house, had gone to bed that being the
only chance of getting warm. Nine dif
ferent plumbers had been sent .for In
vain. The tenth said maybe ho would
come when he'd had his tea, I don't
know how late the mistress of the house
sat up, 4n her furs, beside a disrr.ai flick
ering candle, but I do know that the
heartless plumber did not arrive until
11:30 next day. Then he IooTced around,
tapped the pipes here and there, and said
he"d come in again after lunch.
For three nr four days that household
was wrapped in misery and shawls and
existed on restaurant meals or tea and
eggs, cooked over a smoky kerosene
lamp: while the proud plumber called
occasionally to tell us that he was com
ing to our rescue and to keep up our
spirits. '
If I had a clever daughter whom I
wished to sec grow up popular, accom
plished and useful, I think, unless she
showed unmistakable signs of musical
or artistic genius, I would -spare the ears
of my neighbors and refrain from giving
her instruction in violin or piano music.
Then, according to her ability, while try
ing to cultivate In her, if possible, a
sound musical taste and a keen appre
ciation of the beautiful in art and in
life. I would have her study household
arts, including a suitable course of plumb
ing and carpentry, and so, perhaps, suc
ceed in producing the paragon described
by Ashley Sterry.
Bourne Startled the Senate.
"Washington Dispatch to the New Yoni
Times.
During the lull In the fight In the Sen
ate today over the seating of the new
Senator from Maryland, John "Walter
Smith, Senator Bourns entered the
chamber. Rayner was consulting In an
undertone with Gore, of Oklahoma, and
there w.as a tense silence. The air was
tingling with excitement, and both Sen
ators and occupants of the galleries were
expectant.
Bourne entered through the swinging
doors at .the left of the Vice-President's
desk. No one knows how It happened, but
the Senator from Oregon stubbed his toe
on a step, carromed off a chair, and
brought up with a bang against a desk.
His progress eoun-ded jnucn like the noise
produced by a small boy when he draws
a stick rapidly along a picket fence.
There was a general craning of necks
on the part of the Senate, and the gal
leries threatened to empty themselves
over the edge on to the floor beneath.
Bourne hove into view, red-faced and em
barrassed. "Oh, its only Bourne," said a Senator
on the Republican side. "He probably
dropped his Roosevelt-aecond-elective
-term boom
STATE POLITICAL DISCUSSION
How the Situation Appears to Those Who See Through It.
Salem Statesman.
It is reported that in some precincts
of Marion County 75 or SO per cent of the
Republicans propose to vote at the pri
maries on the 17th for the candidates for
the Legislature who are opposed to State
ment No. 1. J-lany of those who are In
tending to vote this way are friends of
the direct primary law. But they believe
In the principles of the Republican party,
and they do not wish to have their candi
dates so pledged that they will be obliged
under any circumstances to cast their
ballots for a Democrat for the United
States Penate.
The Statesman has believed up to this
time that the direct primary law, the
referendum and all the other new fancied
notions that are in the form of law on
Oregon's statute books, would have to
wear themselves out. tn the process of
time, as they surely will. And that it
micht take a long time for this state to
return to the representative form of gov
ernment of the fathers. But there are
signs that the end of the new order is
not a very long way off. There are
changes hourly from the new tangled and
bunglesome way to the old and tried
form of government. There is encourage
ment for those who had decided that the
thing must drift for a long time to hope
that a viperous campaign of education,
at some early day, may result in a com
plete annihilation of the referendum and
initiative and the direct primary. They
ought all to go to the rubbish heap,
where they belong.
General ConnIderaHon of the AY hole
Matter.
Grants Pass Observer.
The primary nominating election law
of Oregon is based in the most posi
tive terms upon government by party
and p! I its obligatory provisions em
phasize party government. In an en
deavor, however. In this measure to
lessen the evils of the election of
United States Senators by the Oregon
Legislature, there is the anomaly of
Statement No. 1, designed to pledge
Legislative candidates to the election
of United States Senators regardless
of party usage. No candidate Is obli
gated to accept this statement. It is
not law but merely recommendation.
If Statement No. 1 cas accepted by all
Legislative candidates, and if the pri
mary election to nominate candidates
could be conducted by honest votes,
there would certainly he a correction
of the abuses In connection with the
election of United States Senators. But
the fact Is that earnest Republican
candidates for the Legislature revolt
against being required to vote for a
Federal Senator not of their own party,
and they are undoubtedly justified in
taking that stand. Others are con
scientiously willing to forego party
obligations In the Interest of popular
election of Senators, and still others,
not so conscientious, utilize Statement
No. 1, because they recognize that
their candidacy Is weak, and hone to
gain strength by professing champion
ship of a more or less popular cause.
Usually, too. the primary law invites
a surplus of Republican candidates, re
sulting, as in the case of. Senator
Bourne, In the nomination of a candi
date by a minority of the total vote
cast, and who was strongly objection
able to the large majority. Thus, assuming-
that an honest vote is cast. It
readily happens that candidates are
nominated by the minority who have
not the confidence of the majority,
and the result Is a miscarriage of the
first principle of representative gov
ernment. But the vote cast at the
primary elections is not an honest vnte.
AH over the state Democrats are reg
istered as Republicans Jn order to vote
for the Republican candidates, with
a view to influencing the nominations
In favor of the Democratic party.
However favorable a Republican voter
may be to the direct election of United
States Senators, he certainly ought not
to approve of dishonest methods. Dis
honesty in the popular election Is not
any different In kind from dishonesty
in the Legislature. Mr. Cake asserts
very positively that the 40,(100 alleged
majority of Republicans in Oregon Is
abundant guarantee thai the Republic
an party of the state cannot be tricked
into electing a Democratic United
States Senator. But Mr. Chamberlain
has full knowledge of that reputed
40,000 Republican majority. He ran
up against it for Governor and over
came it. and, being a shrewd and able
politician, he Is not offering himself
as candidate for United States Sen
ator with the certain prospect of be
ing oxerwhelmcd by 40,000 majority.
We are bound to believe that so astute
a man sees reasonable prospect of
coming out ahead, and it is quite cer
tain that he builds upon statement no..
1 to (rain the envied position. The,
Democrats are united on Statement No
1. and the Republicans are divided
upon it. The Democrats hope for party
advantage from it; the Republicans are
quite clear that it Is correspondingly!
harmful to their party.
In regard to the right of the people
to directly elect United States Sen
ators, it is, unfortunately, only a moral
right. They have no legal right under
the Federal Constitution. The primary
law binds no one to nrcept Statement
No. 1. It is purely optional, and in
accntlnc or refusing1 it every voter is
free to exercise his own judgment. If
it could be depended upon to secure an
honest expression of the will of the
peOpj0i it ought to be maintained, but
If it is liable, as It certainly Is, to be
manlp-ilated to secure a false verdict,
then as a political reform It must be
considered a failure, and the only
complete remedy for the people against
the abuses of Federal Senatorial elec
tions is an amendment of the United
States Constitution to provide for the
direct election of Senators by popular
vote. This Is hound to come sooner or
later, and, meantime, since the people
have no legal power to elect, but must
depend upon the memhers they send to
the State LeK.sla.ture to carry out tneir
will, it seems best that Statement No.
1 should be modified to a party propo
sition, giving the people the right to
choosft party candidates inr iinttea
States Senators: No Republican could
reasonably obicct to this, and no Demo
crat ought to. It would harmonize In
stead of antagonizing.
That I.lttle Initiative and Referendum
Book.
The Dalles Optimist.
TTre pamphlet containing the copy of
measures to be voted upon at the .June
election is a "little" volume of i- close
ly printed pages, but this Includes the ar
guments pro and eon. It may not be
generally known that one of the Initia
tive measures to be voted upon takes
away all option from the members of the
Legislature as to casting their votes for
United States Senators. The measure
reads as follows: "Section 1. That we,
the people of the Slate of Oregon, hereby
Instruct our representatives in our Legis
lative Assembly, as such officers, to
vote for and elect the candidates for
United States Senator from this State
who receives the highest number of votes
at our general elections." 1
If this law passes the Legislators will
not be allowed to ebct Senators as the
constitution of the United States pro
vides, but then the initiative is above the
constitution. This Is. as the Journal
says, 'A perfectly legitimate way to
dodge the constitution"! Sure. Suppose
we also pass a law for the state to issue
licenses to steal. That would be a big
revenue-producer.' and about as fair as
to "dodge the constitution."
Remember also the law of recall Is to
Jjt voted upon, 7hat provides that at
nny time after electing a "public officer"'
he may be rcealled." or kicked out. If a
majority of the voters so determine.
Twenty-five per cent of the voters can
have a special election called for this
purpose. For Instance, If the Democrats
In a certain county want to get rid of a
Republican Sheriff, they can get up a
petition signed by 2f per cent of the
number of voters at the last previous
election and put the county to the ex-,
pense of an election. If they do not oust
him they can try It over again every '16
days while he lives, or rather holds of
fice, but after the first battle the pe
titioners must foot the bill fnr election
expenses. Remember no affidavits of
his Incompetency, malfeasance or any
thing of that kind have to be filed. Just
allege that he is no good, or not wanted.
Any old charge will answer! Isn't that a
daisy law?
When one attempts to read the "little
volume he finds that any sort of a care
ful perusal of the bills and arguments
takes about six hours, and to get any
sort of a fair understanding would take
four or five readings and then one would
not know much about them.
However. In looking over the volume
and the arguments on cither side, one
comes to the conclusion that perhaps It
would be well to abrogate the State con
stitution, abolish the Supreme Court and
"fire" the Legislature.
And after a rather close examination
of the proposed laws we have decided
that as we will not have time to come to
a good understanding of all of them, we
will Just make a clean sweep and vote
No," from a to Izzard, on the Initia
tives, and "Yes" on the referendum bills,
thus upholding the Legislature and down
ing the self-appointed lawmakers.
MOLLYCODDLE BATTLESHIP VIEW S
Germany Think After World frnlnf,
Our Fleet M ill he WorthletiM.
"N. T. Globe and Commercial Advertiser.
It looks now as. If the Kaiser may find
it necessary to send his navy on a world
tour after our own gets home. German
naval officers are reported to be surprised
at our recklessness In attempting such a
feat. The fleet will return, they sny (prob
ably with a mental reservation. "If it
does return") worn out and practlcauy
ruined.
This new view of tne battleship as a
frail, delicate thing, which in times of
peace, at least, should be coddled about
the home ports and never allowed to get
far away from , n naval base, was ad
vanced last Fall by some of our own
publicists. With tears In their .es they
bid the American battleships good-by,
firmly convinced that if fate saved these
expensive vessels from Atlantic storms
final disaster was sure to overtake them
In their mad attempt to navigate the
Straits of Magellan. In our case, luese
fears were apparently confined to lay ex
perts, and not shared,-to any considerable
extent, at least, by American naval of
ficers. Tn Germany, however, the naval offi
cers themselves are In the same unac
countable state of scepticism regarding the
robustness of our war vessels and the
seamanship of their officers. As these
views must have resulted from experience
with their own ships few of them having
had opportunity to study ours the Kaiser
would seem to have ample grounds ior
some anxiety on the score of his own
navy's mollycoddlcism. If the Teuton was
less blunt and straightforward one might
be Inclined to suspect a conspiracy among
the Kaiser's officers to force him Into
giving them a trip around the world.
Judging from the results so far achieved
by our own fleet's cruise, such expeditions
are efficient promoters of International
good feeling, as well as disslpaters of the
notion that battleships are delicate. Ad
miral Evans' arrival In Paclflo waters
and Japan s Invitation for a visit of the
fleet to her shores have already done more
to smooth out the wrinkles in our rela
tions with the Mikado's people than all
the previous diplomatic Interchanges and
protestations. It seems a real pity that
European politics are such as to preclude
most of the other navies from organizing
similar world girdling parades. The
Kaiser, however, will have to do some
thing to hearten up his officers and re
store their belief In the Gtrman navy,
even at the rbk of leaving his empire
unprotected on the sea for a few months.
Rooster's Reflection Canft Flsht.
Philadelphia (Pa.) Despatch.
A rooster, the property of William
Spangler, of Red Lion. Pa., smashed two
panes of thick glass In fighting his re
flection and nearly bled to death from
the wounds made by coming in contact
with the broken glass.
IN THE MAGAZINE
SECTION OF THE
SUNDAY
OREGONIAN
MAKING THE
HOME BEAUTIFUL
First of a srrios of arliclos by
Margaret GrrrnU'af, supplement
ed by illustration, especially in
tended for men and womm of
moderate means who desire to
build, or to improve the appear
ance or convenience of present
homes.
No woman in the country is bet
ter fitted to impart this informa
tion in such, form that it may be
made useful.
THE HOTEL CLERK
ON DOCTORS
Being a modern view of justly
celebrated old diseases and their
remedy( by Irvinj S. Cobb, war
ranted to produce a dozen or more
laughs.
LUTHER BURBANK'S
GREATEST TRIUMPH
Development of the edible cac
tus, that promises to reclaim bil
lions of desert acres and furnish
enormous quantities of food for
man and beast.
JAPANESE WANT
LONGER LEGS
The nation is now striving to
correct a curious custom that has
deformed its nether limbs, hoping-
to reach the stature of white
people.
HOW SHORTY M'CABE
BOOSTED SADIE
An adventure that deals with
that side of New York society
where money is burned without
limit.
ORDER FROM YOUR NEWS
DEALER TODAY