8
THE MORNING OREGONIAN. FRIDAY, JULY 31, 1908.
Entered at Portland. Oregon. Postoflce as
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PORTLAND. - .FRIDAY, JULY 31, 10S.
BTHTAN AXD TA FT OS RAILROADS.
In his "discussion of railroad regula
tion Mr. Taft shows a thorough knowl
edge of the subject and an under
standing of the practical problems to
be solved. And, what Is no less im
portant, he deals with the subject
candidly, instead of shaping; his ideas,
to suit the popular fancy, as Mr.
Bryan has done. Mr. Bryan's vacilla
tion upon this question and his mani
fest willingness to surrender his own
carefully considered opinions have
done more than all else to shake con
fidence in his fitness for the -high office
of President and have formed founda
tion for the charge that he is a cha
meleon. By adhering to his original
position In favor of Government own
ership rather than regulation, Mr.
Eryan would have secured the respect
and support of a large number of vot
ers in this country who earnestly be
lieve In that solution of transportation
problems. But Bryan abandoned the
Government ownership idea and
placed in his platform a plank favor
ing regulation, though he had previ
ously announced that he had reached
the conclusion that regulation will be
ineffective. This view was expressed
In a letter to the Wall-Street Journal,
in the course of which he also said:
For tome 14 years after my entrance Into
National politics I hoped for effective rail
road legislation, and was brought reluctantly
to the conclusion that Government owner
ship furnished the only satisfactory remedy
for the discriminations, rebates and extor-
tlons practiced by the railroads, and for the
corruption which they have brought Into
politico.
By abandoning a policy which, after
fourteen years of consideration, , he
had become convinced was wise, Mr.!
Bryan has forfeited the respect of all
those people who like to see a man
stand up for his principles, even if he
fails to get office. He has lost the
support of a considerable number of
voters who believe a man should not
be placed in office to carry out policies
which he already admits he thinks
cannot succeed.
Mr. Taft's views are entirely clear
and consistent He believes in regu
lation, and not ownership. He advo
cates an investigation of actual values
of the physical property of the rail
roads and of their actual value by
reason of judicious management and
other circumstances, which values will
form the basis for fixing rates. This
Is but one step in the process of pro
viding the machinery by which laws
governing railroads shall be made ef
fective. Mr. Taft credits President
Roosevelt with having already estab
lished a high standard of business
morality, the enactment of his rate
bill having effected the voluntary
abandonment of the rebate discrimi
nations. But Mr. Taft believes that
new provisions are necessary in order
to perfect the proceedings by which
the rate and anti-trust laws will be
enforced. Since the Interstate Com
merce Commission is crowded with
work, he thinks new bureaus should
be created with power to supervise
the operation of railroads. The mak
ing of ' traffic agreements between
railroads should be permitted, but
only with the approval of the Inter
state Commerce Commission.
In his declarations upon the sub
ject of railroad regulation Mr. Taft
does not try to deceive the shipper or
the consumer who "pays the freight"
into believing that regulation is to be
entirely with a view to reduction of
rates. On the contrary, he asserts
that a rate too low is as unjust as one
too high. Furthermore, he shows
"that to, fix a rate, too low is to injure
property rights, discourage invest
ments, reduce wages and interfere
with Industrial development. If there
are any voters -who wish to place in
the White House a man who will wage
war upon railroads, regardless of con
sequences and merely for the gratifica
tion of those who wish to see whole
sale destruction, they should not vote
for Mr. Taft. He does not stand for
such a policy, and says so. He be
lieves in such regulation as will pre
vent unjust discrimination and he
would establish such rates as will be
reasonable to the shipper and yield a
reasonable profit to the transportation
company. His attitude Is one that
can be indorsed by any fair-minded
man. Those who do not wish to be
fair should not vote for Taft.
WILL LIFE-PRESERVERS SAYS LIFE?
At one of its public bathing places
the city of Boston provided life pre-
servers, which were hung where they
could be procured quickly and thrown
to persons In the water and in need of
them. Kor many years they hung
there unused, but at last the emer
gency was presented, and a large pre
server was thrown to a man struggling
tn the water. As he seized it and
brought his weight upon it, it crum
bled in his grasp and he was drowned.
Though the authorities declared that
this was the only defective life pre
server, investigation proved that many
more were in a similar condition.
This Incident is similar to many
more that have happened in various
places-. . Steamers are frequently pro
vided with life preservers which, when
brought into use. prove to be of no
assistance and perhaps an encum
brance. It is only by careful inspec
tion, in accordance with strict regula
tions, that precautions for'the preser
vation of life can be made effective.
Because no accident has occurred for
many years the authorities rest upon
the assumption that none will occur.
People depend upon the proper of
ficials to see that matters of this kind
are attended to. Owners of steamers
and of bathing resorts operate as
cheaply as possible, and perhaps ac
cept life-saving devices without sub
jecting them to the severe tests neces
sary to prove their sufficiency in case
of accident. Life preservers should be
put to the test for actual use often
enough to prove that they are in
proper condition for service in case of
emergency.. :
: NEW RECORD FOB PORTLAND.
The purchase by T. B. Wilcox of the
50xl00-foot lot on- the southeast cor
ner of Sixth and Washington streets
contains nothing comforting for the
"tight-money" element that has been
hoarding its gold in anticipation of a
slump that would carry real estate
values down to low ebb. This pur
chase, which incidentally establishes a
new high record for Portland real es
tate, following so quickly the pur
chase by the' Realty Associates of the
Columbia building for $210,000, the
Seventh and Stark corner by Mr. Wil
cox for .160,000, and Fourth and Oak
by C K. Henry for 1135,000, together
with a number of smaller deals, will
bring transactions for the past ten
days up to fully 31.000,000,' although
some of the deeds will cot be filed for
record until next month. This busi
ness has been done during the dullest
season of the year, at a time when
annual vacations have taken large
numbers of people out of the city, and
at a season when even the most op
timistic do not expect much life in
the market.
In such circumstances these heavy
transactions are of unusual value and
weight in demonstrating the strength
of the local situation. They point
quite conclusively to great activity
during the coming Fall and Winter.
The business now being done is far
ahead of that of any previous July in
the history of the city, and is warrant-"
ed by the natural growth of the city
vnder existing conditions. With the
coming of the North Bank road to
Portland next month, the territory
tributary to this city will be more
than doubled, and the results that will
follow will be spectacular in their
magnitude.
Mr. Wilcox, who has shown his
faith in Portland by the investment
within ten days of more than $400,000
in property, which will call for a sim
ilar amount for improvements, has
had exceptional opportunities for
making ' an accurate forecast as to
Portland's future. He' has large ln
tftrests at Tacoma, Seattle, .Everett
and a dozen other points throughout
the Pacific Northwest, but in Portland
alone is he making heavy Investments
at this time. If there is still any
doubt as to what the future holds in
store for Portland, the confident man
ner in which Mr. Wilcox is Investing
a fortune in this city should go far
towards removing It. The turn of the
tide has been reached, and Portland
has again struck the gait at which it
was moving when . the "rich man's
panic" last Fall caused a temporary
lull.'
T RAN 9-PACIFIC TRADE LJf PERIL.
In the announced withdrawal of
the transcontinental railroads from
the trans-Pacific trade two things
stand out clear and distinct. One is
the delayed protest of the American
shippers against the great Injustice of
the order of the Interstate Commerce
Commission, and the other is the de
lay of the steamship men and the rail
roads In taking decisive action, many
months ago, before such a large por
tion of the business was ' diverted to
the Sues route. -The - motives of the
Interstate Commerce Commission in
this grave matter have never been
questioned. They are like those of
the storied shopkeeper who distrib
uted wares according to the rule that
"a pint's a pound the world around."
Like the shopkeeper's rule, the order
of the Interstate Commerce Commis
sion has no elasticity. It Is un
changeable and unbending, regardless
of the widely varied conditions which
are encountered in the business which
It was intended to regulate.
Had the order been made at any
other time than when the public was
in hilarious pursuit of all railroads,
good, bad and indifferent, it would
have been greeted at the outset with
a howl of disapproval. This howl,
somewhat belated, is now heard, and
It will probably be loud enough and
long enough to cause the Commission
to recede from the stand it has taken.
There has been no protest against this
ruling from the shipping interests of
New York and other Atlantic ports,
nor will there be such protest. The
Atlantic Coast interests have never re
garded the rise of Pacific commerce
with favor, for the reason that every
shipload of transcontinental freight
sent across the Pacific means one ship
less cleared from - an - Atlantic port.
It is thus quite natural that the order
of -the Commission-placing an effec
tual embargo on the trans-Pacific
business should meet with the un
qualified approval of the interests
which found greater profit in clearing
cargoes by way of Suez.
The reason given by the Commis
sion for its refusal to permit the trans
portation companies to accept through
business to a foreign country at a
lower rate for the railroad end of the
haul than is exacted from American
shippers to points within the United
States is that it is ' discrimination
against the man who is shipping only
to points within the United States.
Theoretically this is correct; but when
it is shown that this practice Is in no
manner detrimental to the American
shipper, but on the contrary is fre
quently beneficial to him, there is bet
ter reason for revocation of the order
than for its continuance. Prior to es
tablishment of this order the railroads
were permitted to meet the competi
tion of the Sues Canal, and even of
foreign manufacturers who were sell
ing goods in competition with Ameri
cans throughout the Orient.
The Harriman interests on one oc
casion carried 10,000 tons of wire nails
from Cleveland, O., to an interior
point in the Orient at $6.50 per ton,
in order to meet the competition of a
German line and a German manufac
turer. The transaction was productive
of a vast amount of benefit in a large
field of industry. It enabled the Cleve
land mills to keep a force of employes
at work during a- dull season. It en
abled the railroad to bring to the Pa
cific Coast, with loads, cars which oth
erwise it would have been obliged to
haul west without loads to meet the
demands of the Pacific Coast lumber
and fruit shippers. It also enabled
the steamship company to Increase its
service, for, with fcastern freight as
the base for a cargo, the ships could
b filled up with flour, lumber and
other Pacific Coast products and dis
patched oftener than would be possi
ble If there were nothing but local
freight on which to depend.
The order, as it now stands, leaves
the railroads powerless to meet In any
way the competition of the Suez route.
On that route freight rates can be
changed without a moment's notice,
while thirty days must be given by the
railroads. The order is so monstrously
unfair and so detrimental to business,
especially on the Pacific Coast, that
the present awakening of public in
terest will hardly fail to result in its
prompt revocation.
ORATORS ON THE PUBLIC STREETS.
The person who asserts the right of
a crowd to hold a meeting in the pub
lic streets loses sight of the purpose
for which a street was laid out and
is maintained. He also loses sight of
the rights of the traveling public.
Streets were made for locomotion, not
for inactivity. They were made to
walk on and drive on; not to stand
on. In his eagerness to defend those
who blockade a street the orator who
espoused the cause of the socialist
street speakers, in the Municipal
Coirt Wednesday, in effect denied
the right of others to travel
on the street a right which no
fairminded man can deny. The right
of free speech is not involved In this
controversy in the least. The same
constitution which declares the right
of free speech also declares the right
to bear arms, but. statutes have been
legally enacted making it unlawful to
carrj- arms concealed. Ordinances
have also been legally enacted, and
with just as much need, making It
unlawful to blockade the streets.
What constitutes a blocking of the
streets depends upon circumstances.
What would be a blockade In a crowd
ed portion of a downtown street might
not be a blockade out in the suburbs
where traffic is light. What would
constitute a blockade in front of a
business house might not be a block
ade in front of a vacant lot where no
one wished to travel. Property-owners
have a right of free and uninter
rupted ingress and egress, not only for
themselves, but for their customers.
The fact that a man has a speech
which he wishes to deliver to the pub
lic does not entitle him to transgress
upon the right of the property-owner
to have free access to his property
over the public highway. The store
keeper who does not like a crowd
standing In front of his property, in
terfering with his business, has a right
to ask that they move on. The police,
who are charged with the duty of
preventing an offense, need not wait
until a crowd is large enough to block
completely a street, but may give such
orders as are necessary to keep the
street open.
Whether a man is a socialist, a
printer or a peanut vender is imma
terial. His use "of the streets must
be in harmony with the rights of
others to use the streets. If, as is
asserted, England allows her streets to
be blockaded, then so much the worse
for England. It may be true, as al
leged, that the founders of our Con
stitution met in the street, but' there
are many people who imagine they
met In a hall. The organizers of the
Revolution may have met in the
street, as the anarchistic orator de
clares, but the impression has been
general that they met in Boston Com
mon. But, even if they did meet in
the street, they met at a time when
automobiles were not flitting about,
when Boston and Philadelphia were
villages and when people went to bed
at dark. Fortunately, time did not
stop in Its flight. It obeyed the in
junction to "move on."
HAZING.
While public sentiment quite gener
ally condemns hazing, there is no need
to waste sympathy on young men who
will stand for the kind of hazing for
which eight cadets were recently dis
missed from West Point. The man
who is taken by force and subjected
to indignities Is entitled to sympathy
and protection, but one who obeys the
command of upper classmen to per
form ridiculous and senseless acts
has not enough grit to make a good
soldier and the sooner he gets out of
the military Academy, by hazing or
otherwise, the better for all concerned.
The hazing practiced recently at
West Point was of a particularly
Idiotic kind. The lower classmen were
ordered to go out in the field and
capture 100 fat ants, bring , them to
camp in their hats, count them and
report whether any had escaped, and
if all were there, fasten the ants up
In' their lockers for the day. Many
young men performed this stunt, and
it was by accident, and not through
the complaints of the victims, that
the authorities discovered the viola
tion of the rule against hazing.
No young man with self-.respect
would have submitted to this Indig
nity. Every one of them should have
refused to. obey the orders of upper
classmen, and if force were offered he
should either have defended himself
or claimed the protection of the law
to wich every American citizen is en
titled. A young man who goes to
West Point goes for the purpose of
becoming a fighter, and he cannot
show his fitness for the Army in a
better manner than by defending his
own person. Moreover, he cannot find
an adversary more in need of a
thrashing than the upper classman
who tries to haze him. What's the
use of keeping a rifle, sword and bayo
net in anticipation of a possible war
with an enemy who will never be met
face to face if one must in the mean
time submit to persecutions at the
hands of an enemy close by?
FUSION FOR BRYAN.
In Nebraska an effort is being made
to have the Democratic candidates for
electors at large indorsed on the ticket
as People's Independent, in addition
to their designation as Democratic.
This is manifestly a scheme to steal
the votes that belong to the. People's
party and the Independence League.
Yet Mr. Bryan does not stand for the
principles particularly advocated by
these other political organizations.
Does not a move of this kind come
with poor grace from a man who has
accused the Republican candidates
with stealing Democratic principles?
If Mr. Bryan wants the support of the
Independence League people, why did
he not incorporate in his platform the
principles which would naturally draw
them to his support? If he had done
so, Mr. Hearst could not have charged
him with being-a chameleon. As it
is, he has no right to expect or ask
for the votes of any except those who
believe in the doctrines set forth in
the Democratic platform and who be
lieve that he is the best man to ad
minister the executive affairs of the
Nation. There should be no under
handed scheme for getting the votes
of thosei not advocating Democratic
principles.
Fusion efforts are a confession of
weakness and an acknowledgment of
the shortcomings of the Democratic
platform. If Mr. Bryan Is entitled to
election at all, he should receive it as
a Democrat. If a plurality of the peo
ple of the United States are not Dem
ocrats, Mr. Bryan has no right to oc
cupy the White House. Party princi
ples have been carefully considered
and publicly declared. Candidates
have been named and their records
and qualifications are known. , Let
the lines be drawn clearly, so that
when the votes are counted we shall
know exactly for what the people of
the country have voted. If this be a
contest of either men or of principles,
or of both, the Republican party has
nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to
make excuse for and nothing to fear.
The Republican party has adopted the
principles which are best calculated
to promote the welfare of the coun
try. It has nominated the man best
qualified by native talents, by temper
ament and by training for the highest
executive office. Fusions which cloud
the issue are but schemes of the weak
and unfitted to win a victory which
they cannot hope to win in a fair
fight.
Complaint is made shy many Oregon
National Guardsmen that they are un
able to attend the American Lake
joint maneuvers this year without los
ing their positions. Employers should
not place any obstacle In the way of
men who are giving their services to
this work, thus securing a military
training which may one day' prove of
the greatest possible value to the
country. It ought to be remembered
that the United States has a very
small regular Army, totally inade
quate to the needs of any such emer
gency as war. Dependence has. long
lain in the patriotism of the American
citizen, but under conditions of mod
ern warfare troops must have a long
course of preliminary training in or
der to be effective, or even serviceable.
The National Guard is now recognized
as a part of the system of National
defense, and is supported chiefly out
of Government appropriations. No
doubt the' employer who would refuse
to let one of his men go away to get
the benefit of field training would be
the first to wail at insufficient protec
tion in case of unexpected invasion or
war.
The Union Pacific has undertaken a
noble and commendable work in its
effort to get rid of the money sharks
who, under the legitimate-sounding
term, "bankers and brokers," rob the
poor employes by usury. Of all the
leeches who prey upon labor, none are
more despicable than these sharks,
who take advantage of their victims'
weaknesses or misfortunes and insist
on the "pound of flesh." Portland is
far from free of these undesirable cit
izens, but an occasional turning on of
the white light of publicity keeps them
pretty close to their burrows, and they
are not robbing on such an extensive
scale as has been in evidence in the
past.
The ways of Providence are difficult
to understand. A few days ago a
highly cultured, well-beloved and uni
versally respected woman was struck
by a streetcar in this city, sustaining
injuries from which she died a few
hours later. Wednesday a drunken
bummer from the North End was
struck by a car and dragged several
feet, but sustained no injuries of suf
ficient importance to cause him more
than temporary Inconvenience.
Mr. Gompers seems to have in
volved himself In a ridiculous incon
sistency. First he advised labor
union men to vote for Bryan. That
would make them Democrats. Then
he advised the labor union men of
Kansas how they should vote in the
Republican primaries. But what right
has a man in Republican primaries If
he is going to vote for Bryan? Sure
ly they don't work things in Kansas
as they do in Oregon.
Mr. Bryan pleads for campaign
funds. But if the Republicans are in
retreat, what's the need? If the Re
publican platform Is so grossly bad, if
the Republican record is so unsatis
factory to the voters of the country,
why spend a lot of money proving that
fact? If the dinner pail is empty,
doesn't the laboring man know it
without your sending a campaign
speaker to tell him so? What's the
use?
Down in Texas they have been hav
ing a red hot prohibition campaign
one that, would make Oregon look
slow. In some of the leading newspa
pers the prohis occupy one whole page
with their display advertising and the
saloon people the opposite page. And
the matter they publish shows that
some strenuous work has been done
on both sides.
Bryan thinks the independent voter
should help the Democratic party.
But why? Isn't the Democratic party
as partisan as any other party? If
the Democratic candidates win, is It
an independent victory or a Demo
cratic victory? Then, too. Isn't a man
who votes the Democratic ticket a
Democrat and not an independent?
German butchers have united in a
demand that restrictions upon the im
portation of meat from America be
removed or lessened, so that they can
procure cheaper meat. Consumers of
meat in America will wonder what the
prevailing prices In Germany can be
if they expect to buy any cheaper
here.
The Atlanta Constitution thinks
that as a steam roller Taft is too
heavy weight to be a high roller. Well,
we don't want a man to "roll too high.
Just high enough to smooth the road
for the common people is high
enough.
Senators Dick and Foraker, of Ohio,
and Senator La Follette, of Wisconsin,
have announced their intention of
taking the stump for Taft. That dis
affection so much desired and expect
ed by the Democrats is beginning to
look pretty small.
; There- ought to have been a good
sized attorney fee for some one after
the decision of the Supreme Court rSs
versing the Standard Oil case. But of
course John D. hires his lawyers by
the year.
' Judge Kenesaw Mountain Land is
need not change his name to Water
loo for a while yet. This was only
the first skirmish.
STORY OF THB '-OREGON PEACH" 1
Betas; am Illuminating; Biography of
Our Next (Perhaps) Senator.
Saturday Evening Post.
They never do things by halves in Ore
gon. . When they raise strawberries they
raise them so big one of them fills a sau
cer. When they raise apples each apple is
as large as a football. The timber they
raise is so tremendous in size you can
build a house out of the lumber in a
stump. And. likewise, when they tackle
politics they raise large and variegated
ructions.
Oregon in an earnest state. It takes its
politics seriously. The sanctity of the bal
lot is so sacrosanct nobody knows how to
vote without a course or study, but Ore
gonians seem to be good students. They
have direct nominations by primaries and
all the latest up-to-date improvements,
and get as much fun and excitement out
of their politics as any people in the
country.
Away back in 1876 a genial young person
blew into Oregon and announced himself
as George Earte Chamberlain, born In
Mississippi, educated in Virginia, retain
ing no hard feelings about the late un
pleasanteness, but naturally a Democrat
and there to grow up with the country.
That was the sowing of the seed.
Things grow quickly in Oregon, and
George had taken root and sprouted be
fore he had been there a month. In four
years he was so far toward bud and bios
som they sent him to the Legislature,
which is going some for a Mississippi man
who hopped across the Rockies and landed
In the rose-bowered streets of Portland
with nothing particularly on him but a
happy smile, a beaming eye, a warm and
clinging handclasp and a tendency to get
along. To get along. Yes, that was the
idea. '
George Earle Chamberlain had the
goods. He was as genial as a Spring morn
ing. He could hand out the palaver until
the man be was talking to thought he was
the only species of his kind In the state
and walked away whirligigglng with Joy.
Back of this Chamberlain had a lot of
ability, a whole lot of It. He was a good
lawyer and he stood for good government.
He progressed rapidly. He became Dis
trict Attorney for the Third Judicial Dis
trict, Attorney-General for the state, and
District Attorney for the Fourth Judicial
District. ATI this time he was gaining
reputation as a lawyer and gaining friends
as one of the best mixers the coast had
ever known.
Our Mississippi friend, Mr. Chamberlain,
was not unaware of the tendency of the
Oregon times. He kept on mixing. In
1896 Oregon had given McKinley a few
more than two thousand plurality and in
1900 had Increased that plurality to a
trifle over thirteen thousand. In 1902
Chamberlain decided he was strong
enough, knew enough babies by their first
names, had grasped enough horny hands
of toi' to get something good, and he ran
for Governor, as a Democrat, mark you.
Here was the event that proved that
Chamberlain had calculated conditions to
a hair's breadth. He was just due and
no more. He arrived by the skin of those
regular teeth. His plurality was two
hundred and seventy-six. It was a plural
ity not so broad as Taft nor so deep as
Root, but 'twas enough.
As Governor, Chamberlain instituted an
era of good feeling. He was non-partisan.
somewhat not enough to hurt, Dut a
little. He gave some offices to Republi
cans and he did other things to the liking
of the people in the way of cleaning up.
Nineteen hundred and four came along
and Roosevelt carried the state that had
gone Democratic two years before by
more than forty thousand 42,934, to be
exact. Chamberlain smiled another of his
smiles, and, in 1906, ran again. This time
he cleaned up the party that gave Roose
velt his forty thousand by 2494. As a
mixologist, he was a success.
Reaching out for the good, the beautiful
and the true, the Oregon folks had decided
the salvation of the state depended on
primaries, and shouted for the election of
United States Senators by the direct vote
of the people. Oregon had been somewhat
unfortunate in the matter of Senators.
Time came along for the choice of suc
cessor to Senator Charles-W. Fulton, one
of the Republican bosses of the state.
Senator Fulton wanted to succeed himself.
He made the announcement. Then arose
Henry M. Cake and said he desired to be
the Republican Senator at Washington,
and Governor Chamberlain, smiling geni
ally, hopped in as the Democratic candi
date. Now, this is the story told of the suc
ceeding events. It may or it may not be
true. Perhaps, Governor Chamberlain did
not put up the job, but he is a real poli
tician. It is alleged by unregenerate peo
ple who chuckle loudly at the outcome of
It all that many of the Chamberlain fel
lows, the Democrats, enrolled as Republi
cans for those primaries and pushed along
the immortal name of Cake, claiming to
like the layers and frosting and all the
rest. Anyhow, Cake was nominated and
Fulton beaten, and that left Chamberlain
the candidate indicated by the first pri
maries on the Democratic side and Cake
for the Republicans.
a
Cake and Chamberlain went to the mat
in the second round. And when the back
counties were all heard from, when the re
turns were all in and tabulated. It was
discovered that Cake was beaten, his cake
turned to dough, that he had been used
merely to defeat Fulton, and that the
smiling, shoulder-patting Chamberlain
was the choice of the people for Senator.
And the beautiful, Oregonlike part of it
is that the Legislature which must elect
Chamberlain, in the final instance, accord
ing to the Constitution, has a large Re
publican majority. It will be a sight worth
going to Oregon to see to observe that Re
publican Legislature electing that suave
Democrat, Chamberlain, to the Senate.
The grinding of teeth will sound like the
steady crunch, crunch of a battery of
those machines that punch holes in boiler
plate. If the Legislature should renege
there wul be a row that will make the
rest of the United States think Oregon
has been blown up and is sinking.
This is the tale as it is told. Peevish
Oregon politicians may object to some of
the details, but the chiaroscuro Is about
as depicted. Meantime, George Earle
Chamberlain Is still smiling, still shaking
hands, for it might be, you know, the
Democrats would need a smiler and a
vote-getter in 1912 and reach over into
Oregon for him. You never can tell.
Perf nmes Used By Royalty.
Kansas City Journal.
Apropos of recent unfavorable com
ments by a London magistrate on the
use of perfumes., it may be pointed put
that very exalted personages are habit
ual users of scent.. Queen Wilhelmina of
Holland has daily a pint of eau de co
logne in her morning bath; Queen Vic
toria of Spain affects a mixture of Iris
and lavender on her handkerchiefs;
Queen Helena of Italy prefers iris and
heliotrope; the Dowager Queen of Italy
and Queen Amelia oi Portugal are de
votees of sweet violets; but the Empress
of Russia leads the way, as she spends
no less than $20,000 a year on perfumery
in Paris alone. In respect of violets, she
requires that they shall be plucked Just
at sunset. And when the boxes of violets
reach St. Petersburg they are first sent
to be examined lest they might conceal
a .bomb or some deadly poison.
TO THE HOME8EEKER.
By Sam Downs.
Come Pilgrim, hie with me;
From Sunny Southland's fragrant scented air
To Frozen North's cold, Icy wastes and polar
' bear. -Go
east, go west, then pause a moment now,
and rest with me
On this high summit here, and gase below.
Behold the beauties of our city fair.
Of Hood, as o'er her crested peak
The rising moon casta silvery beams;
Of Jefferson, whose summit white
Hesvenward climbs by day, by night;
Of Sisters Three, as- hand In hand
They watch o'er tillers of the land;
Of all those mountains, takes and1 dells
Where grandeur, peace and plenty dwell.
Then, traveler, tell to thyself with clarion
sound.
Where e'er ye've been, ne'er yet
Hast found thee other l&Ad 1ue Oregon,
BIG SNAKE ENDS OCEAN TRIP
Lara: rat Python, 30 Feet Long-, Ever
Broaarht to Thla Country-.
New York Herald.
With the largest snake ever brought
to the United States, the Hudson, one
of tho Anglo-American Oil Company's
steamships, anchored off Stapleton from
the Far East.
His Shakeshlp, taken on at Singapore
by Captain C. B. Fenton, commander
of the Hudson, is 30 feet t Inches long
and weighs 312 pounds.
Captain Fenton would not say
whether the snake, which is a magni
ficent specimen of the Indian python,
was for the Bronx Zoological Gardens,
but a story that had told months ago
of the snake's coming said that the
big fellow was to Increase the collec
tion there.
Under the fore peak, which had been
turned over for use as a menagerie,
containing other animals, the snake is
held fast in a great iron-bound wooden
case, with a small netted air space cut
In the top of the case. First Officer
Kerr said the snake was in small quar
ters so that it could not possibly use its
great strength to force the sides of the
case apart.
"-Has he tried to get out?" was asked.
"No," said Mr. Kerr, "and I don't
want to be around when he tries it."
While there have been snakes in
plenty under 10 feet in length landed
here. Captain Fenton carries the palm
for the largest ever brought, and when
the ship berths to land her sugar cargo
the Snake will be delivered to the con
signees. Besides - the big snake there are 25
monkeys, a porcupine, a cassowary, a
pair of Japanese silk-feathered fowls,
three Japanese spaniels and numerous
small birds. There were 55 . monkeys
when the Hudson left Singapore on May
21, but many of them died. A dozen
mlna birds also died.
Mr. Kerr said that a marine fight
between a huge sperm whale and a
thrasher was seen In mid-Atlantic ten
days ago. and as the steamship passed
the whale seemed to be getting beaten.
The smaller fish would jump six feet
clear of the water and strike tlus whale
with Its tall, making a sound like the
report of a gun.
The Hudxon has a cargo of 5300 tons
of sugar from the Philippines. In 107,
146 baskets, one of the largest sugar
cargoes ever brought here.
SUPPOSE A 150-STORY BUILDING
Experts Say They Can Defy Structural
Weakness and Windage.
New York Times.
The Scientific American of July 25 de
clares that the limit upon the height of
buildings In New York Ctty does not de
pend upon any structural weakness that
can develop, or upon the overturning or
racking effects of the Wind. Be
cause the building code specifies, how
'ever, that the maximum pressure beneath
the footings on a rock bottom, if caisson
foundations be used, shall not exceed fif
teen tons to the square foot, and because
the code requires, further, that the steel
skeleton shall be 12 inches thick for the
last 75 feet of altitude. Increasing four
Inches for each 60 feet below,' It would be
practically impossible to build higher
than 2000 feet. The figures of weights
and other calculations for such a tremen
dous tower, constructed on the general
principles of the Singer building, have
been supplied by O. F. Semsch. chief
engineer for Ernest Flagg, its designer.
The building would rise to a height of
150 stories, and its cost would be $60,
000,000. Its walls would be 12 Inches
thick at the top, at the bottom 12 feet,
and they would withstand a wind pres
sure of 30 pounds per square foot all the
way up.
The Metropolitan Life tower rises 909
feet above the street leveL - Though a
building of more than twice its height
would stand firm beneath the accumu
lated weight, other considerations than
the indirect limits enjoined by the build
ing code, such as the inevitable block
ading of traffic in front and the reluc
tance of tenants and their clients to as
cend the equivalent of ten 15-story
buildings placed atop each other, would
have to be considered by men with 160,
000,000 for building purposes to spare.
Taft's Double In Milwaukee Maltster.
New York Tribune.
William H. Taft's double appeared at
the Hotel Astor In the person of Charles
Rallenaugh, a malster, of Milwaukee,
who is a guest there for a few days,
and, strange to relate, with the excep
tion of a straw hat and a Taft smile,
he was dressed just like William Jen
nings Bryan.
Even the head waiter on the roof
garden was impressed, for, as the well
known form and familiar mustache ap
proached, he stepped to the leader of
the orchestra, and, after a whispered
consultation. "The Star-Spangled Ban
ner" crashed forth. Every one arose,
caught sight of the chuckling double
and cheered and clapped.
With difficulty Mr. Rallenaugh and
his friends made their way through the
enthusiastic crowd to a quiet table In
the corner. It was hardly a time for
explanations, so the malster bowed
right and left good naturedly until the
tumult died down. Then be told his
friends that the same thing had hap
pened to him many times recently.
Congressmen, he said, had frequently
congratulated him on "his" nomination.
Promises ilOOO Gift It Taft la Elected.
Baltimore News.
Dr. James A. Welsley, pastor of
Third Presbyterian Church in Trenton,
N. J., says last May a Nebraska poli
tician promised to give his church 31000
If William Howard Taft should be
elected President.
High Society In Kansas.
Atchison Globe.
An Atchison woman wore a dress with
a long train to a recent card party, and
the rest of the guests spent two-thirds
of their time in jumping over it.
ANOTHER
j
BLAMES ROWERS FOR BOAT SPILLS
Susveats City Fathers Become Ac
quainted With Willamette River.
PORTLAND. July 3D. (To the Ed-'
itor.) Referring to Councilman Beld
ing's intention to introduce an ordi
nance to regulate the size of rowboats.
as quoted in The ' Oregonian. I am
greatly in favor of doing anything that
will serve to prevent the loss of life,
but am also a lover of pleasure and do
not think there Is a person living who
enjoys a good row in a light pleasurt
boat more than I.
As far as the size of boats is con
cerned, there is not a boat rented in
this city that is too small. Some of
the boathouse people have very light
boats, but they refuse to rent them to
parties who are not able. In their
opinion, to handle them; and I have
seen several boats of larger proportion
recalled before they had been propelled
60 yards. To get boats that won't tip
over It will be necessary to build them
so large it will be an impossibility to
row them.
The accidents on the Willamette
River are not caused by the hosts, but
by the parties who are handling them.
Through experience I am able to say
this. In 1905 I did considerable boat
rowing and saw some of the most care
fess oarsmanship shown. I had occa
sion to see a rowboat run down by the
White Flyer Just south of the Morrison-street
briage. The man who was
handling the oars deliberately turned
his boat and ran in front of the White
Flyer, so that his boat was struck Just
in front of the outrlgglng. The pas
sengers on the White Flyer caught the
people In the rowboat and saved them
from a cold bath.
The "Fox" boat, which ran to the
Oaks and was the cause of the death
of one or more, was to be feared. I am
of the opinion that her captain tried to
see how close he could come to any one
without hitting that person. I know
one night that it kept me guessing to
get out of his way, and the other
parties with me thought he was trying
to run us down.
It does not seem as if Mr. Beldlng is
very familiar with the Willamette
River and. if such is the rase. I would
request that he and the other members
of the City Council spend a few even
ings out in rowboats before introduc
ing such an ordinance.
J. P. AISQUITH.
CHERRY TREES CONTEST CONTINUES
Lane, Marlon and Benton Counties Each
Enters Prlae-Wlnner.
PORTLAND. July SO. (To the Editor)
The Oregonian recently contained a news '
report from McMinnvllle stating that a
cherry tree In that vicinity measuring
six feet ten inches is the largest In the
state. This one is Quite small In com
parison with one In the orchard of W.
M. Beals. near Sprlngf.ald, Lane County, ,
which measures a tr'fle bver nine feet i
In circumference. This tree was planted
by 8. D. Edwards in 1857 and produces
an enormous quantity of cherries every
year. I don't know the quantity.
M. LEVINGER. .
SALEM, Or., July 29. (To the Editor.) ,
I see in a recent issue of The Oregonian
that Yamhill County lays claim to the
largest cherry tree in the state, viz, six
feet 10 inches in circumference and two
feet above the ground. Now, I want to ,
tell Yamhill that Marlon County has a
tree seven feet 4 Inches, two feet above i
the ground, and a spread at 40 feet. The '
cherries are large, tarty and of a fine '
flavor. The tree Is healthy and shows :
vigorous growth at the present time. -Therefore,
the hills south of Salem hold
the banner so far as I know.
C. H. TAYLOR.
MONROH, Or., July 28. (To ths Edi
tor.) I see by The Oregonian that one
Frank Cooper, of Yamhill County, has a
big cherry, tree measuring six feet ten
inches. On my farm, one and one-half
miles south of Monroe, Benton County,
we have a cherry tree that measures
eight feet three inches in circumference
and is loaded with cherries every year.
The fruit is fine, but I do not know ths
variety. The tree Is 52 or 63 years old.
We have fine cherries of different kinds,
in fact the finest raised in the valley are
raised In this county.
T. J. C.
Leak In Standard Oil Decision.
New York Evening Post.
The reversal of the decision against
the Standard Oil Company which car
ried Judge Landls' exemplary punitive
fine of $29,240,000 will come as a sur
prise to the public, though apparently
known in advance in Wall street. It is
fortunate, from a public standpoint, that
the Appellate bench is unanimous. A
dissenting opinion might have served as
a political firebrand. Many will argue
anew,, on the one hand, that the fine was
a spectacular play to the gallery; oth
ers must regret that gigantic corpora
tions can ever count on the law's delays
or technicalities to shield them against
the penalty of violating troublesome
statutes. The reversal. Indeed, lets loose
a swarm of interesting conjectures. Will
Mr. Roosevelt read the Judges a lesson
In public? What effect will the event
have on the pending canvass? There
Is one thing which needs further ex
planation, however. The shares of the
Standard Oil Company, which fell as
low as 390 in the recent panic, made the
high record of 660 yesterday, closing at
646. Where was the leak?
An Old Fashioned Receivership.
Springfield (Mass.) Republican.
A real old-fashioned receivership has
Just been closed up at Hartford. Conn. It
began eight years ago with assets which
liquidate at 41,346. The receiver claims
a compensation of 316,000 or nearly one
half; legal expenses eat up 36000, while
J 800 Is needed to pay the expenses of dis
tributing the small remainder among the
creditors. The first thing which should
be done on the assembling of the next
Connecticut Legislature is to pass a law
modeled after that of the new Empire
Rtattf ntntut in relation to hnnlr rw.p!v
1 erships. -
From ths New York World.
CHAMPION.