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THE MORNING ORFGOXIAN. FRIDAY, MAT 8, 1908,
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PORTLAND, FRIDAY, MAX i, 1908.
ABANDONMENT OF PARTY.
Party lines have been virtually oblit
erated In Oregon. For years there
has been a tendency In that direction;
and the primary law and insistence
on Statement No. 1 have about com
pleted the dissolution of the Repub
lican party; while the Democratic
party already had become so weak
that It bad virtually ceased to live as
a party, and since has existed only by
professing non-partisanship and being
wielded s a club by Republican fac
tions to beat out the brains of each
Dther.
From two-thirds to three-fourths of
the voters of the state are registered
as Republicans; but that fact signifies
little or nothing. It doesn't mean that
all electors so registered Intend to vote
for Republican candidates. The past,
for years, has proved this. Men
haven't registered as Democrats, be
cause it has seemed to them that it
would be absurd, since there was no
Democratic party. Hence they have
registered as Republicans, but with no
Intention of voting for Republican
candidates for any of the offices over
which there might be a contest.
The fashion of the day now Is to
recognize no party ties or obligations.
It really has become almost absurd
for anybody to run for office in Oregon
as a Republican; especially for an im
portant office. The Interpretation
given generally to the primary law
virtually annihilates the usages or
claims of party; for It makes politics
a contest or scramble between individ
uals for place; which is more odious
or offensive in candidates who rely on
party numbers than in those who do
not, but who frankly claim the benefits
of the non-partisanship which the new
system is pledged to enforce.
Since there Is no possibility of
achievement of anything through
party or by party, under this system,
why should any one trouble himself,
even about a party name? Party has
even become an Impertinence. Per
haps there may be, some time, a re
turn to party action and purpose In
Oregon; but never under this system,
which simply means disintegration,
supersession and extinction of party. It
will be said, of course, that this Is not
to be regretted. Perhaps It isn't. But
if any political philosopher shall dis
cover an effective way of getting re
sults other than through party organ
ization and action, let him speak up.
He will surely establish a title to per
manent fame.
The grotesque feature of the present
political contest Is the effort of Repub
licans, in the name of the Republican
party, to elect members of the Legis
lature, as Republicans, pledged to the
election of a Democratic United States
Senator. As the slang phrase goes,
this certainly Is "the limit."
Yet there is general prostration be
fore the new fetich, and every wise
politician Is saying, with the learned
barber in George Eliot's "Romola"
"Heaven forbid that I should fetter
my impartiality with an opinion!"
Hence there are no political opinions,
or party principles, in Oregon now.
The proposition to increase the pay
of members of the Legislature from
!3 a day to $10 ought to be voted
down. No man should be sent to the
Legislature for the pay there may be
In the position. To the state the In
creased expense would be heavy, and
the quaHty of service would not be
Improved. It would be worse, rather;
for It would create a scramble to get
Into the Legislature on the part of
men to whom the pay would be an ob
ject. Better leave the pay as It is. It
will pay the hotel bill, and the mileage
allowance will pay for the transporta-
tion. Those citizens whom public
spirit will not induce to go to the Leg
islature would better be left at home.
MODERN LAWLESSNESS.
The following quotation is from a
speech by Congressman William C.
Loverlng, of Massachusetts:
The world has moved on since the days
of Hamilton, and It Is doubtful whether
If he were with us today he could devise
a scheme of finance that would close every
door to modern cupidity. Conditions with
iwhich we have to deal are totally different
rrom those presented to him. Men were
not then the lawbreakers that they are to
day. Whether It was that they were better
than they are now, or whether It was that
they had not learned how to strain and
break the laws, as we do. it matters not.
This we do. know, that no sooner is a law
made today than the best legal talent In the
country is employed to find some iway to
evade It, or to find a way over, through, or
under it. In fact, the best-paid lawyers
today are those who can do what the late
Sydney Bartlett said his client' wanted him
to do. He said: "You want me to show you
how to do an illegal thing in a legal way."
Perhaps one reason Why there Is
more lawbreaklng today than formerly
Is the fact that there is more contempt
for the law. In Hamilton's time law
was a solemn affair sanctioned not
only by legislative act, but also by re
ligious respect and. the reverence of
the courts. Now religious respect is
greatly weakened and the reverence of
the courts for the statutes has almost
disappeared. No judge majces any
bones of vetoing or annulling a law
which happens to displease his fancy.
He does It, of course, on the ground
of "unconstitutionality," but nobody is
misled by that somewhat threadbare
expedient. When the courts do not
respect the laws, what must you look
for from the financiers and their law
yers? The statutes could not be set
aside and evaded unless the courts
were co-conspirators with the trusts
and their attorneys.
Another reason for our modern lax
ity In obeying the law is the elimina
tion of the personal conscience from
business. Corporations have displaced
the individual. When wrong is done
the stockholder or officer complacently
lays the blame on the corporation and
thinks that his own skirts are clear.
He forgets that the individual mem
bers are the corporation and that the
guilt cannot be shirked by Inventing a
formula. We had a beautiful example
of this shifty dealing with responsi
bility when Banker Ross pleaded that
he was Innocent of wrongdoing, how
ever guilty his corporation might be In
the matter of converting the school
money. Fortunately the trial Judge
could not be bamboozled in that in
stance, but suppose there had been a
man on the bench with less courage
and rugged common sense than Judge
Burnett possesses? Another miscar
riage of justice might haye recurred
just as in Innumerable cases of the
kind, and respect for law would have
received another blow.
Those who would reform our mod
ern attitude toward the law must begin
by reforming the courts.
EARLY SCHOOLS EV OREGON.
The statement that the first school
ever organized in Polk County was at
Rlckreall, May 16, 1863, Is clearly a
mistake. Mrs. A. S. Duniway, then
Miss A. J. Scott, taught a school at
Eola, then ambitiously called "Cincin
nati," in the Summer of 1853, and
somewhere in the records of pioneer
times Is the statement that Mrs.
George L. Curry taught school in Polk
County at a date several years earlier
than the one last noted. Oregon pio
neers were not so slow in educational
matters as this erroneous statement
would indicate. The schoolhouse was
set up early in every community, and
many of the substantial citizens of the
state received only such education as
they got In the little log schoolhouses
of Oregon Territory between 1847 and
1860.
La Creole Academy was the first
pretentious school organized in Polk
County, but by no means the first
school, and it Is the anniversary of the
founding of this school that will be
celebrated May 16 at Rlckreall. As is
fitting, a monument has been erected
on the site of this building by the
school children of Polk County, and
will be unveiled on the day mentioned
by one of the few survivors of a class
of 'sixteen with which the school
opened on a far-away May In Oregon
history.
HOMAGE FOB THE FLEET.
The enthusiastic reception given the
battleship fleet at San Francisco shows
quite clearly that the war spirit in the
land is running fully as high as It was
five months ago, when the fleet
steamed out of Hampton Roads. As
a feat of navigation or an endurance
test for these costly steel structures
there is nothing In the cruise that sug
gests anything out of the ordinary. It
would, in fact, have been a great sur
prise had anything happened to any of
the vessels during their leisurely jaunt
half way round the world, attended
as they were by supply and repair
ships, and seldom getting out of com
munication with shore. But the na
tion that Is rich enough and powerful
enough to build, equip and man forty-
four of these immense fighting ma
chines, and then, at an expense of
many millions, send them on a peace
ful junket, which before it ends will
take them round the world, Is some
thing to be proud of, whatever Indi
vidual opinion may be regarding the
wisdom of the feat.
The outburst of patriotism and en
thusiasm with which the fleet1 was
greeted was a spontaneous tribute to
power as exemplified In the great
fighting machines which presented
such a magnificent spectacle as they
steamed slowly through the Golden
Gate. And it was "power" to kill and
destroy that evoked the enthusiasm.
Every American citizen who watched
the grand entry into San Francisco
harbor let his gaze linger lovingly on
the battleships just as his far-distant
ancestors viewed with pride the latest
model of warclub or stone ax. The
latter Implements, if there was a good,
strong arm to wield them. Insured
comparative peace for the owner", and
the battleship fleet, with the good,
strong arm of the. Government behind
it, will Insure peace for this country
until some other power launches a
fleet which can strike a swifter gait in
the work of destruction.
The Cruise of this fleet through two
oceans has undoubtedly been produc
tive of much good. It has shown the
whole world that henceforth the
United States is a power to be reck
oned with in solution of international
peace problems. Incidentally it has
caused Great Britain to revise her
naval estimates, and increase the 'an
nual appropriations for new battle
ships, for the fleets of the United
States and Germany have placed the
time-honored "two-power standard" of
the mistress of the seas in jeopardy.
But, while the battleship fleet will be
received with unbounded enthusiasm
from one end of the Pacific Coast to
the other, there will be found a uni
versal tinge of regret that the specta
cle was all for show purposes, and
that. Instead of leaving at least one
half of the vessels here on the Pacific
Coast, where their services will first
be needed In case of war, they are all
to continue on the expensive cruise
until, months hence, they will get back
to the starting point.
This regret would be tempered
somewhat if the Government should
immediately begin construction of a
Pacific fleet to be stationed where It
would be available when needed, and
where It could get into action without
the necessity of traveling 15,000 miles
with a wet-nurse accompaniment. So
long, however, as the destinies of the
Pacific are subject to the whim of the
naval bureaucracy at Washington, the
Pacific Coast will remain a mere spec
tator of the procession which is now
passing us by, en route home. As we
cannot keep the ships on the Pacific
Coast, where they are needed, let us
hope for a homeward voyage suffi-.
clently speedy to Insure their arrival
before they have been superseded by
later models, costing more millions.
r"TO THE SCHOOL FTNDT
There Is a large element of Justice
in the suggestion of Superintendent
Ackerman that, since the Government
has permitted the Oregon & California
Railroad Company to retard the devel
opment of the state by withholding its
grant lands from sale, It should aid in
developing the state by donating those
lands to the common school fund if re
covered from the company.
On general principles the Govern
ment Is uoder no obligations to do
more for public education In one state
than In another. But here are pre
sented unusual conditions. When the
United States granted certain lands to
the railroad company it expressly pro
vided that the lands should be sold to
actual settlers at a price not exceeding
$2.50 per acre. There can be no doubt
that, if the Government had enforced
the provisions of the grant a number
of years ago, the population of the
state would be considerably' greater
than It is and the public schools would
be in a better situation financially.
There is good reason, therefore, why
this land, when recovered from the
company, should be donated to the
state, with the original provision of
sale to actual settlers where the land
is suitable for homebuildlng.
e
. THE REAL ISSUE.
In the Louisville Courier-Journal of
April 27 Mr. Henry Watterson, the
editor, publishes a letter written from
New York on "The Political Outlook."
Those who have read the letter re
flectively will probably agree in the
comment that Mr. Watterson Is a good
observer and a bad philosopher. He
discerns conditions acutely and states
them accurately, but the conclusions
which ha draws from them seem to
miss the point Take the following
quotations as an example of his clear
perception of facts: "The New Tork
newspapers, abounding in conceit and
ignorance, suffering from both provin
cialism and landlordism, are at this
time especially misleading and unfair.
. . Both parties in the Empire
State have dropped Into the -lowest
depths of depravity," and "the New
York newspapers cannot escape their
responsibility for this." . What could
be truer? And he proceeds to an
other observation which is also true:
"The old historic issues," between the
Republican and Democratic parties
have passed away. The old dividing
lines are grown so Indistinct as to be
well-nigh invisible."
Thus far Mr. Watterson, writing as
a looker-on, carries the reader with
him; but when he remarks that "the
nature, actuality and significance of
the coming conflict, the crux of the
situation, has not yet shown itself
through the fogs and vapors," one be
gins to hesitate and ponder. We re
member that Mr. Roosevelt has re
peatedly stated In his messages what
he believes to be the "crux" of the sit
uation, and prolonged reflection falls
to shake the conviction that he is
right. If he Is, then the significance
of the coming conflict showed itself
"through the fogs and vapors" lone
ago. Mr. Watterson himself is not
without a vision of the import of the
Impending struggle which is likely to
rend the old parties asunder and Initi
ate a new era in American politics,
though he fails to apprehend its full
meaning. He is like Belshazzar, who
saw the handwriting on the wall, but
could not Interpret it. This Is what
he beholds: "The shocking disclosures
of the last three years make It quite
certain that there has existed for a
long time a conspiracy among a few
allied kings of money, making their
headquarters In and about New York,
to control the operations of both par
ties." From this portentous fact Mr. Wat
terson deduces the lame and Impotemt
conclusion that, inasmuch as the plu
tocracy has always intervened at an
opportune moment to thwart Demo
cratic efforts towards tariff reform, it
will continue to do so. Of course it
will do so, but how much more will it
do which the editor of the Courier-
Journal falls to perceive? Here Is
where the powerful forethought of a
great statesman like Roosevelt exhibits
its pre-eminence over the narrow logic
of a partisan. The President declares
In his public utterances that the plu
tocracy Is systematically undermining
the foundations of republican govern
ment and that unless it Is subdued It
will conquer the country and establish
a tyranny of money. In this scheme
of conquest the perpetuation of the
robber tariff Is, of course, a part, but
It is only a part. Tariff reform Is but
one among many things which must
be accomplished to save the country.
Because Mr. Roosevelt wishes to do all
that ought to be done, and because he
uses every effort to compel Congress
to assist in the work, Mr.. Watterson
calls him "an Intrepid centralization
ist, a bold revolutlonlzer of systems
and destroyer of constitutions."
These are sonorous phrases, but they
are at best only partially true. Time
will' show that Mr. Roosevelt Is the
great conservative statesman of our
day. Instead of destroying the Consti
tution he has done more than anybody
else to preserve it and with it our
whole social system.' Mr. Watterson
suggests that the two Issues of the
coming conflict are emancipation from
the money power in politics, and the
rescue of the country from federalism.
Thi3 Is a very inadequate statement.
The real struggle of our generation is
between plutocracy and democracy.
What Mr. Roosevelt aims at is to pur
sue the straight and narrow path be
tween the anarchy of predatory greed
and the rule of socialism. This exceed
ingly difficult task Is made all the more
hazardous by misunderstanding which
is often unintelligent and sometimes
willful. The President strives to de
feat the plutocracy by subjecting cap
ital to the law of the land, and in or
der to do so he wishes to adapt the
law to modern conditions. He strives
to defeat socialism by correcting
those obvious wrongs which stimulate
the. socialistic propaganda and give it
convincing power among the people.
Because he wars upon predatory
wealth the plutocracy stigmatizes the
President as a socialist. Because he
seeks to thwart the socialists the latter
allege that he Is in secret alliance
with the buccaneers of finance. Thus
he Is calumniated by both factions.
Fortunately, however, the common
people understand him, being in this
matter more intelligent than many
editors and statesmen. The plain, un
lettered voter well knows why It is
that the President Is hated equally by
the monopolistic New York Sun and
the socialistic Appeal to Reason. The
Miners' Magazine, the organ of the
Western Federation of Miners, and Dr.
Day, the uncompromising apologist for
Standard Oil, use almost identical lan
guage about Mr. Roosevelt. The two
extremes of social revolution meet In
common hatred of the man who
stands for simple justice, but the peo
ple will not desert him, for they un
derstand that his cause is their cause.
This Is the chief source of Mr. Taft's
strength, and it will carry him to suc
cess, unless thwarted by some blunder.
Judge Thomas O'Day, candidate for
re-election, has rendered excellent
service on the bench. He is a sound
Judge, and deserves re-election. Of
John Manning, District Attorney, there
is reason for similar commendation.
His services to the people in the bank
cases 'have been of the best possible
kind. Out of the chaos of the bank
failures the. creditors have been as
sured of getting their money, and the
prosecution for dellnauenev in dealls-
with the state's school fund has been
prompt and effective. Since officials
are now to be elected without regard
to party names. O'Day and Manninsr
should be continued in office.
The Senate has passed the child
labor bill, prohibiting employment
within the District of Columbia of anv
child under 14 years of age. The
measure is one that will meet the ap
proval of all except the grasping em
ployers who have been coining dollars
out of the llfeblood of the little ones.
The responsibilities of life, which are
thrust on the adult, come with crush
ing force all too soon, and It Is pitiful
that in so many states the monotonous
grind of labor begins on the children
before they have any opportunity for
enjoying the pleasures which should
be granted every child.
In some of the California counties
the delegates to the Republican State
Convention are chosen at primary
elections; In others they are appointed
by the county committees.- Wherever
primaries have been held the old Re
publican machine has been routed and
wrecked; but the bosses stilly assert
that they will be able, through the
county committees' appointments, to
control the state convention. Should
they effect this they will start a
mighty fine row in California, which
probably will give the state to Bryan.
Hunters who become Impatient for
the open season on four-footed game
might fill in some of the intervening
period by taking the trail of the Rogue
River coyote for whose scalp a bounty
of $100 Is offered. Oregon is a land
of widely divergent resources and cus
toms. In Eastern Oree-nn.
jackrabbits destroy the alfalfa and the
coyotes destroy the Jackrabbits, it is
almost a crime to kill a coyote, and in
Southern Oregon a heavy sum is paid
for a coyote scalp.
Were anything necessary to make it
more sure that Bryan will be nomi
nated, the incident Is supplied by the
action of the Democrats of Ohio.
Bryan has the solid delegation of that
state, as previously he had that of
j.iunois. inaiana will follow suit.
Taft, on his side, Is getting on as
surely. Of 992 delegates over 400 are
already instructed for him; and
among unlnstructed delegations he has
a large number of supporters.
The single-taxers are now making
the argument, for the purpose of
quieting the apprehensions of the land
and lot-owner, that their scheme
wouldn't materially increase the taxes
on land. Then It wouldn't go far in
the line of the "great reform" they
propose, and It is much ado about lit
tle or nothing.
The differences which have always
existed between the sheepmen and the
cattlemen of Central Oregon seem to
have been productive of a feud which
In some respects is as thrilling as that
which makes the hill country in Ken
tucky such a favorite generating spot
for tragedies.
"Shall the creatures of God, or the
creatures of the legislature, rule this
country?" You mlerht sunnom thia
energetic question to have beep put by
a oiaiement No. 1 orator of Oregon.
Not so. It Is a shout from an Okla
homa rancher against an onnrs.iv
hog law.
What with the Democratic party
trying to escape from its record nnrl
history and the Republican party try
ing to Hold on too long, the voter
hardly knows "where he Is at."
Martin has been advised by his wife.
It is said, not to talk too much. The
public will probably be reminded In
this connection that the suspect has
not done all the talking.
Every few davs soma Cahlnnt nffixioi
or department clerk In Washlne-tnn la
astonished to learn that there is such
a river as the Columbia and that It has
real water in It.
Kentucky, Idaho, Texas, Connecti
cut and probably California are the
latest to line up for Taft It's all over
but the voting perhaps.
Utah ReDubllcans an "frlonrllw tn
Taft," but they "want Roosevelt to run
again." wnat's the matter with 1912?
The fleet is at San Francisco, and n
is. Richmond Pearson Hobson, fire-
eater. Now bring on your war.
CONDEMNS CITY COUNCIL.
Objection Made to Resolution Praising"
Police In Wolff Murder Case.
PORTLAND, May 7. (To the Editor)
It Is a pleasure to see that The Ore
gonian does not Join in the hysterical
outcry for the life of the poor victim of
cocaine, E. H. Martin, now In the city
jail, blamed for the murder of Nathan
Wolff, and subjected to tortures to ex
tort a confession only equaled by those
of Torquemada's Inquisition.
It is no more the province of the writer
to decide the guilt or innocence of this
man than It is that of the City Council,
and It seems to me that every good citi
zen of Portland should denounce the at
tempt of this body to speak for him In
the pre-Judicial manner evinced by its
published resolutions. . The writer has
had an experience in this line which
taught him a lesson he would like to Im
press on his fellow citizens, namely, that
It Is a dangerous thing to offer a large
reward for an unknown criminal and
thus dangle a tempting bait before a
sometimes venal detective force.
A number of years ago. In a neighbor
ing olty, a young man, popular, respected
and without a known enemy, was shot
down while returning home after his
day's Work. Succeeding a number of
lesser crimes, due to lax enforcement of
the law on the part of the city authori
ties, this crime aroused the Indignation
of the people to the highest pitch. A
mass meeting was called, at which a
committee of fifteen was appointed, and,
by Individual, city and county subscrip
tions, a reward of $2,500 was offered for
the arrest and conviction of the mur
derer. A prominent detective agency,
whose then manager was a man noted
for his venality, was employed, and with
in a few days arrested two tramps and
by the vicious "third degree" methods
usually employed and the promise of at
least partial Immunity, succeeded In ex
torting a confession from the weaker of
the two accused.
The state's evidence man received a
nominal sentence of two years; the other
of 20 years at hard labor. Both of them
went to Walla Walla, Wash. It was the
universal testimony of the warden and
other employes of the penlteniary that.
in their belief, neither man was guilty
of this particular crime. The reasons
for this conclusion are too long for reci
tal In this letter, but were satisfactory
to all who knew them. Both men were
employed In the brickyard at the peni
tentiary, and one day, opportunity serv
ing, the long-time prisoner, with an ax.
brained his accuser, was tried, convicted
and hanged, the victim of men who, for
money and to gratify the hysteria of an
undlscrlmlnating public, were willing to
suborn perjury to attain their ends.
The writer has no opinion to express as
to the guilt or Innocence of E. H. Martin.
He only wishes to point out the danger of
too hasty Judgment, of trusting too much
to the methods of a police force anxious to
purge Itself of past Inefficiency, and to
rebuke the unheard of effrontery of
city's legislative body presuming to speak
the sentiments of its constituency In
practically condemning an untried pris
oner.
Let the accused have a fair. Impartial
trial, exempt him from torture to extract
a confession, and let us see the result.
W. D. TYLER.
PORTLAND, May 7. (To the Editor)
The declaration made that the resolu
tlons passed by the City Council yester
day, particularly commending the detect
ive force for work done in the case of the
murder of Nathan Wolff, and without
personal reference to E. H. Martin as
the murderer. Is too absurd for an Intelli
gent mind to consider for a moment
Those resolutions. In effect, condemn the
man as the guilty one. They are preju
dlclal. have a tendency to forestall Jus
tlce, are equivalent to absolute convic
tion before an Indictment and trial, are
a shame to the public body passing them
and a humiliation to the city, whether
this man Is guilty or not guilty. Inno
cence is presumed till guilt Is proved.
but If any sane man can conclude any
thing else than that the City Council vir
tually convicts Martin of the crime, he
Is differently constituted than i.
J. B. KANE.
TRAGEDY FOR. MORPHIXE - USER
This "Dope Fiend" Says Martin Will
Confess Whether Guilty or Not.
PORTLAND, Or., May 6. (To the
Editor.) The name signed at the close
of this letter Is my name which you
will not print. I am addicted to the
morphine habit. I am a dope fiend, as
they term It In the streets. Because
of a competence and the consequent
good food, I have been able to sustain
the constantly Increasing doses for
nearly a quarter of a century. Be
cause of my financial ease I am able to
go where I will I was at Lewiston for
the Blossom Carnival and will be In
San Francisco for the fleet. By thus
moving, but a few know that I am
what I am. This by the way of Intro
duction to what I have to write of the
police method in the case of the dope
fiend Martin alleged to have murdered
Wolff.
Your paper says that they will deny
him opium until he has confessed. It
will not be long. I know that It will
not be long. Were I In Martin's place
I would confess to all the murders
committed since the crime of Cain.
I would confess before 50 hours had
gone by. I would agree that my
mother was a harlot. There Is nothing
In heaven or hell I would not confess,
no matter what the punishment, were
the drug offered In reward.
Will Martin confess? As well ask
If the river will seek the sea. He must
confess. They of the middle ages used
the rack and the thumbscrew and men
confessed what the tormentor willed.
The rack and the thumbscrew had In
them but the shadow of the agony
which comes to the morphine addict
when denied the drug. I know, for,
years ago, my own family were my in
quisitors. Will Martin confess? Morphine de
stroys the will. The body Is long-suffering
and with proper food that of the
dope fiend will remain healthy for
yeare. But the actual ego 1b weak
ened and sickened Into a chaos of
emotions. That In man which makes
the body but a tool to work with -has
lost Its force.
The dope fiend Martin must confess
murderer though he be or though he
be not still he must confess.
JOHN BRODERICK.
(The Oregonlan prints this name on
the assumption that It Is fictitious;
but the letter is evidently written by
a morphine fiend.)
Defending- Mr. Roosevelt's English.
New York World. '
The Times criticises as "clumsy, ugly
and Illogical" the phrase "should be
given power" employed by the President
In his latest message.
But what Is there "clumsy, ugly or Il
logical" In a form of speech shown by
Professor Lounsbury to have been used by
Spenser. Shakespeare. Bacon, Ben Jon
son, Milton, Dryden, Swift. Addison,
Steele, Pope, Gray, Fielding, Richardson,
Smollett, Hume, Burke, Cowper, Words
worth, Carlyle, Byron, Scott, Irving,
Macaulay. Dickens, Thackeray, George
Eliot, Hawthorne, Matthew Arnold, Ste
venson, and other masters of English lit
erature, and still In entirely legitimate
current use by the best writers? Is the
spirit of the schoolmaster and the criti
caster still abroad in the land?
"Of all the attempts made in behalf of
pedantry to restrict' freedom of expres
sion," says the Yale professor of Eng
lish, "the most vociferous It Is hard
to refrain from calling It the most sense
less is the one directed against the con
struction In which the passive voice Is
followed by an object. Certainly there Is
none which involves completer ignorance
of the best usage or more absolute de
fiance of the authority of the great writ
ers of our speech."
NO MONET WAS USED CORRUPTLY
Vigorous) Answer to a False Chance
Against University Alumni.
PORTLAND, May 5. (To the Editor.)
The Inflammatory attack made upon
the State University by Mr. J. H. Fletch
er, of St, John, In your Issue of May 2,
contains a number of statements that I
cannot permit to go unchallenged. Mr.
Fletcher charges the alumni of the Uni
versity with subsidizing the newspapers
of the State. This charge is as ridicu
lous as It Is false. I challenge Mr.
Fletcher, or any other man, to produce
the least particle of evidence that the
University alumni have made Improper
use of money during the campaign for
the passage of the University bill. Mr.
Fletcher's chief ground of complaint lies
in the fact that a newspaper published
at St. John, which was at one time op
posed to the University bill, has changed
front and now favors the bill. The truth
of the whole matter Is that the editors
of this paper, along with a good many
other men in the Stats, were for a time
fooled by the attacks of such men as
Mr. Fletcher upon the University, but,
like a large majority of our citizens, they
are beginning to see that this referendum
movement was not begun in good faith
and that defeat of the bill at the hands
of the voters would give Oregon a black
eye In all parts of the Union. The edit
ors of the St. John paper need no defense
at my bands, and nobody of consequence
thinks their present views on the Uni
versity appropriation bill have been
moulded because of financial considera
tions. Mr. Fletcher calls attention to the al
leged "log rolling" In the Legislature,
and alludes to the University bill as a
"graft." I wish to call his attention to
the visit of more than half of the legis
lators to the University campus, and the
almost unanimous vote by which the bill
passed both houses. Mr. Fletcher raises
a great hue, and cry about the "continu
ous" appropriation, claiming that we
shouldn't bind our children and our
children's children to a proposition
of this kind. He ought to know
that a law can be amended or repealed,
either by the Legislature or by the peo
ple, at any time, should Its workings
prove unsatisfactory. This great howl
about the "continuous" appropriation Is
sheer nonsense.
Mr. Fletcher delights in alluding to the
University as the "rich man's school."
but he forgets that more than half of the
students at Eugene are working their
own way through college. I beg to as
sure Mr. Fletcher and the other enemies
of the University that the alumni are
not today "down on their marrow bones
begging and fawning upon the men whom
they have fought, insulted, reviled and
misrepresented." We don't expect such
men as Mr. Fletcher and others of his
kind to vote for the bill, but we do be
lieve that It will be approved by the peo
ple, for we have faith In the fairness,
honesty and Intelligence of the electorate
of the State of Oregon, and we know
that these elements will prevail In a con
test against cranks and demagogues.
C. N, McARTHUR.
W. J. BRYAN'S SHORTHORN BULL.
I. fitter's Name Appears Once and Own
er's 135 Times In one Commoner.
From a. speech by Representative Roden
berg, of Illinois, in the House.
And now, Mr. Chairman, we are about
to enter upon another Presidential cam
paign. I do not know Just what the
paramount Issue will be this year, as I
am not In the confidence of the Demo
cratic party. But I am prepared for al
most any old thing. I would not be
surprised to find in the Democratic
platform this year a declaration to the
effect that the only clean, legitimate,
untainted money in the United States
is that which Is derived from the lecture
platform and from the publication of
the .Commoner, a newspaper which.
with a becoming sense of modesty, sel
dom mentions the name of Its editor
oftener than 100 times In any one Issue.
I happen, however, to have here a copy
of the Issue of the Commoner of February
28 and March 6, 190$, in the first of which
Mr. Bryan's name appears by actual
count 135 times, . and In the latter 108
times, and It Isn't a very large paper
at that only 16 pages, with one name
ever present. But so Intent Is the editor
on keeping that name before the public
that even the advertising columns does
not escape, as Is evidenced by the follow
ing notice:
FOR SALE Aji excellent registered Short
horn bull, ona year old; In fine condition;
color, red. W. J. Bryan, Lincoln, Neb.
The pedigree of this "excellent, reg
istered Shorthorn bull Is not given, but
in all probability be Is a lineal descend
ant of the $1600 blooded heifer which
we are told Mr. Bryan purchased shortly
after he was overtaken by the prosperity
that followed the election of bis Repub
llcan opponent in 1S96.
TIPPING YOUR HOST'S SERVANTS
This Evil Custom Has Not Yet Invaded
the Sunny Southland.
Louisville Courier-Journal.
The London Times pauses in the
midst of world events to hurl a thun
derbolt at the tipping evil, recalling
the somewhat pathetic story of the poor
gentleman who, when departing from a
nobleman's house, gave a guinea each
to the -servitors who handed him his
hat and his cloak and his cane, but re
fused to take his gloves upon the score
that they were not worth the guinea.
The Times asks:
"Why should not the custom of gifts
to Individual servants, unless for such
casual work as that of a railway por
ter, or to those who have been in close
personal attendance upon the giver, be
as completely abolished by common
consent and usage as the practice of
tipping Individual servants at a club?"
Tipping In country houses, com
plained of by the New York Times,
which reprints the Thunderer's protest,
has not invaded the South. In the
East it is a manifestation of American
toadyism that copies the vices rather
than the virtues of European society.
It will probably be a long time before
the South gets so far away from its
traditions that a host or hostess will
allow guests to defray the expenses of
tne nousenold by paying the servants,
but there Is no prospect that either dis
cussion or legislation will disestablish
the system that is now universally In
vogue at places of public entertain
ment. Thunder Cause Insanity and Death.
Marshall (Mich.) Dispatch to Philadelphia
Record.
Robert Williamson, aged 64, for a dozen
years mentally deranged by the approach
of thunderstorms, only to recover as soon
as the atmospheric disturbances had
passed, at last has lost his life because
of one of them His body has been found
In a drain ditch four miles from here.
Friday a severe electrical storm arose.
At the first rumbling sound of the thun
der he disappeared from his home. As
soon as he was missed a search was In
stituted, more than 200 citizens taking
part. Whether Williamson was struck
by lightning or became exhausted and
died from exposure has not been deter
mined. Bits of the Standpatters Arithmetic.
Philadelphia Record.
According to the standpatters In Con
gress the duty on printing paper adds
nothing to Its cost, and the newspaper
publishers are, therefore, making a great
cry about nothing. By the same token
the Dalzell duties of $30 a ton on tin-
plate, $10 a ton on building materials of
steel, and $7.84 a ton on steel rails add
nothing to the prices which American
consumers pay for those articles. In the
standpatters' arithmetic two and two
make five.
Hardly.
Ashland Tidings.
Will Mr. Chamberlain withdraw?
Well, that isn't in. the . gams hardly.
Initiative and Referendum
Measures
For the information of voters there will
be published on this page from day to day
brief summaries of the Initiative and refer
endum measures to bo submitted to the
people at the June election, together with
a short statement of the arguments for and
against each.
NUMBER 9. .
The Equal Suffrage amendment, up
on which the people of Oregon must
vote at the June election, is a measure
which has been before the voters of
Oregon before, and which is probably
the most generally understood of all
the bills and amendments now await
ing popular approval or disapproval.
It applies to Section 2 of Article 2 of
the Constitution, prescribing the qual
ification of voters. The amendment
does not change the section as It an
ready stands except by adding the
following clause, "It is expressly pro
vided hereby that no one shall be de
nied the right to vote on account of
sex." .
The proposed amendment was pre
pared and the petitions therefore cir
culated by the Equal Suffrage Asso
ciation, and thus the amendment pre
sented before the people of the State
under the Initiative. The Equal Suf
frage Association also filed an argu
ment In behalf of the measure, show
ing, among other things tne growth of
public sentiment in favor of Equal
Suffrage, as Indicated by the fact that
in 1884 the amendment received 11,233
votes, in 1900 it received 26.265 votes,
and in 1906, 36,902 votes. The leaders
In the movement assert the Intention
to keep on submitting the amendment
until votes enough have been secured
to carry It They ask that they be not
compelled to repeat the struggle again.
Their claim to the right to vote is
based upon the proposition that It is a
fundamental, Inalienable right. It Is
pointed out that enfranchisement will
enlarge the opportunities of those wo
men who wish to vote without en
croaching upon the rights or liberties
of those who do not. In addition to
the arguments advanced by the Asso
ciation, those commonly heard In be
half of the amendment are that en
franchisement of women will improve
public morals, that women are more
intelligent than a large portion of the
men who vote, and that denial of the
right to vote Is taxation without rep
resentation. An argument against the amend
ment has been filed by an association
opposed to the extension of the suf
frage to women. They protest against
the adoption of the amendment be
cause suffrage Is a burdensome duty
from which women have been relieved
and which many do not desire to as
sume, because the need of America Is
not an Increased quantity, but an Im
proved quality of vote; because women
are now represented by household
suffrage and endure no practical in
justice which suffrage would remedy;
because women should devote their
energies to the more efficient per
formance of their present work In
stead of diverting them to new fields
of activity, and because political equal
ity will deprive women of special priv
ileges hitherto enjoyed and impose
upon them the duty of office holding,
serving upon Juries, etc.
NEW YORK'S SOCIAL THOUSAND.
That Number Now "In Society," With
Monkey-Dinner Spirit Cast Ont.
New York World.
Frederick Townsend Martin says that
there are 1100 persons in New York so
ciety today. It does none of us any harm
to know this, and the rise of a social
aristocracy from an arbitrary four hun
dred to a number almost three times as
great must be a matter, of no ordinary
moment.
Mr. Martin is a modest -captain of
eleven hundred. He shuns alike the inter
viewer and the bizarre entertainer. To
get into society, according to his stand
ard, one must be tactful and have one's
self perfectly in hand all the time. "It
you feel seedy you must not act seedy."
Personality is a social quality. "The
woman who wins Is the woman who has
an extraordinary intuition of the right
thing to do and the right people to know."
But at this point along" comes Mm'.
Anna Gould, who explains for herself
and some compatriots that "if we favor
marriages with Europeans It Is becHusa
we desire to elevate our standing. We
seek on the old continent the ideal quali
ties which we have not had time to real
ize In the United States." The fruits iC
this ideal despair have been for sonio
time manifest.
Mme. Gould evidently gave way too
soon. "Behave yourself," Mr. Martin is
already saying to his army of the unem
ployed. "Eliminate spectacular and ri
diculous entertainments. Originality is
perilous, Dut is not always ludicrous."
Besides, he laments society's absurd and
narrowing division into sets and cliques.
With the monkey-dinner spirit cast out
of New York society, the forces recruited
to 1100, the ranks united under a standard
of elevated joy and Frederick Townseml
Martin in command, it may no longer be
necessary for the suffering American gill
to look to the French aristocracy this Is
quoting Mme. Gould again "as the last
storehouse of the refinements of which
Americans are lcnorant."
A FEW SQUIBS.
Mr . "I can remember the day
when you begged me to say the word that
would make you happy for life." Mr.
"I know but you said the wrong
word." Life.
"Are you waiting for me, dear?" she said
coming dc-wnatairs at last, fixing her hat
"Waiting?" exclaimed ' the Impatient man;
"no, not waiting sojourning!" Yonkers
Statesman. ,
Richard Croker Is aggrieved because a
British paper says his father was a black
smith. The chances are. however, that no
body ever asked his father whers he
Rochester Post-Express.
"You must be very careful with your
daughter, Mrs. Comeup. She has a rapidly
growing mentality." "Oh, gracious, doctor!
Will she have to have on operation to cure
it?" Baltimore American.
"What forced you to become crooked?"
asked the magistrate of the prisoner be
fore him. "Trying to make both ends
your Honor." was the more or less satis
factory reply. Cleveland Leader.
Hewitt Figures won't lie. Jewett Th.'
what I tell ths people I meet in business,
but they won't believe me. Hewitt What Is
your business? Jewett I'm collector for a
gas company. Town and Country.
Cltiman You ought to know mm.ihhi.
about flora and that sort of thing. Tell ma
what Is a "forget-me-not?" Subbubs Why.
it's a piece of string that your wife ties
around your finger when you no. In town on
an errand. Philadelphia Press.
"What way has re sTen or imAlrfn1
Donal'?" "Weel, it's no slch a pleasure
after a', for ye ken a buddy's aln tebaccu
costs ower muckle; and if ye're smokin'
anither buddy's, ye hao to ram yer pipe
sae tight It'll no draw." Punch.
Doctor The room seems cold. Mrs. Hoo
ligan. Have you kept the thermometer at
seventy, as I told you? Mrs. Hooligan
Shure, an' Oi hav, docther. There's th'
dlvillsh thing in a toombler av warm wathnr
at this clissid minnut. Judge.
Mr. Brownback I done met old Cnmei
Bludd on de street dis mawnin', and by de
time I had spurlated wld him fl' minutes
dat whits man had done called me a hlnrlc
Hah no less dan twice! Mr. Wombat Twice?
Uh-well, s&h, de Cunnel sho' gits slower and
lower do older he grows r-uclc.