Morning Oregonian., August 22, 1908, Page 8, Image 8

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8 TIIE MORNING OREGOyiAX, SATURDAY, AUGUSTUS, 1903.
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PORTLAND. 8ATVBDAY. AUG. tt. 108.
(SHALL PARENT OR THE STATE BE
RESPONSIBLE?
The follow-In letter comes to the
Editor. He scarcely knows whether It
was written for publication, or not.
But it touches a matter of public In
terest, In a way that relates to the
whole organization and framework of
human society. We print the letter,
therefore, since also it is an appeal to
this paper; and we shall subjoin a few
remarks. Here is the letter:
1113 Kt Salmon Street. City. Aug. 21.
(To the Editor of The Oregonian Realls
Ing the great Influence of your edltorlala In
forming public opinion I have taken the
liberty of writing you.
Portland will aoon have many factorlea
and mine which will bo eetabllehed by peo
ple from all parts of the world. Unfortu
nately the lawa governing child labor are
Inadequate, and unlesa something Is done to
prevent employment of children before thle
crime obtalna a foothold. It will be very
difficult to control.
The city charter la to.be revised. Would
It sot be possible to control the evil by the
charter? A few days since II little children
were taken from a factory. This Is the
"writing on the wall.' warning our people
of what Is to come.
No ona lovea our beautiful city or has
done more to make It what It Is totfay than
yourself and I am confident It la In your
power to prevent child slavery from be
coming an Institution.
Twenty-seven years your edltorlala have
been one of my greatest pleasures, and I
am certain you are well Informed on this
subject, and realise as few do the heavy
price this country will have to pay for the
dollara which have been wrung from the
lifeblood of helplesa children.
In 10OT there were 1.750.178 little whlta
slavea In this land of the free and brave.
While thia crime la allowed in our own land
we have no right to censure other nations
for their cruelty. Not many of these chil
dren live to man and womanhood. Those
who do are Ignorant of all that makea for
good citizenship. It Is too late to teach or
expect them to have love for home or gov
ernment, a government which prides itself
on the "square deal." but has lain supine
and allowed the murder of thousands of
helpless children. But you are aware of all
this; the power fs yours to help them.
I have written many articles and burned
them because they would no doubt go to
the waste basket. If sent put. At last It
occurred to me to write a personal letter to
3'ou. whose every word has weight, whose
heart is open to suffering. Thanking you
nd hoping you will feel that you can do
as I have suggested. I am yours respect
fully. MRS. NULLA fcOARK.
The family has always stood as the
basis of human society. It has been a
sacred thing, the unit of all responsi
bility. The parents are the authors
and guardians of the family, and
rightly held to responsibility for the
trust they assume. The above appeal
raises the question whether the state
la to put itself in the place of the
parents, strip them of their authority
and responsibility, and take upon itself
the care and nurture of their off
spring. Observe it isn't the state that forces
"child slavery," It is the parents. It
Is not the greed of the state, but the
greed of parents often their necessi
ties, no doubt, but still the parents are
responsible. Is it the business of the
state or the policy of the state to abol
ish the family; to take possession of
the children; to encourage, urge or
compel parents to abandon or give up
their children and throw them on the
state?
So long as parents continue to bring
children Into the world without fore
thought for their welfare, or provision
for their nurture and education, the
difficulties and Sorrows of child life
-complained of In this letter will con
tinue; and any general attempt to put
the state In the place of the parents
will only multiply the evils and conse
quences of irresponsible parentage
the source of the whole distress. For
the state can supply no remedy for the
consequences of delinquent parent
hood. If there are single instances or
exceptions, they do not establish a
rule. No city charter that ever may
be made will cure an evil that lies far
beyond its reach and scope. The state
Is not oppressing the children; it is
the parents who are doing It, or per
mitting it to be done. Moreover, most
of the cries made In the name of the
state against "child labor" are purely
hypocritical, partisan, demagogical, or
Inspired by socialistic purposes. Most
children have to work. It Is neces
sity. All children in the earlier time
were required to work, and were bet
ter for it. Conditions of life have
changed since, but work Is still the
common lot. Parents sometimes are
oppressive and even cruel; but Is the
state to take charge of the family? It
can interpose only in the rarest cases
and crudest conditions.
Whatever may be said by mistaken
philanthropists, the state is not going
to interfere to prevent parents from
requiring their children to work, as a
help to the family support. It never
did and never will; and it would upset
society If it did. If children are not
taught to work, and even forced to
work as they grow up none of us
when children liked It they will be
useless after they are grown up; and
the greatest Injury that can be done to
a child Is to teach It that It Is a pitiful
and baleful necessity that would re
quire it to work, and that the state
should Interpose Its authority to pro
tect the child from any work it Is rea
sonably able to do.
Sentimentalism in such a matter Is
always misleading. The practical facts
of life control all. Over matters of
this kind the state can have only the
most general regulations; It can Inter
fere, if at all, only In extremest cases.
Parents must be held to responsibility
for children, and they who suppose
the state can be kinder to children
than their parents make the most
grievous of mistakes.
In the riots such as those at Spring
field. 111., and In all the trouble that
has arisen between the negro and the
I white. America is reaping wnai nc i iivion. nsu, jcpe, .a0, ,
white. America is reaping what she
sowed. The institution of slavery and
the stealing of black men from their
native land was"a sin not only on the
part of the individuals who engaged
in it, but it was a National sin. Some
how, the penalty must and will be
paid. Every mulatto is the child of
sin to which the white race was a
party. Nothing better can be expect
ed than that the colored man with
white blood In his veins has Inherited
some of the evil propensities which
gave him his existence. The crimes
which such men commit are the nat
ural consequence of the crimes which
white men committed against negro
women' since slavery was introduced
on this continent. The white race
forced the negro to come to this coun
try against his will, and the problem
of caring for the negro must be solved.
To make him self-supporting, to make
him law-abiding, to make him virtu
ous Instead of vicious, is no small task,
but It Is one to which the white race
must apply Itself unless it can devise
a practical plan of deportation. Riot
ing does not aid in solving the prob
lem, for It may be expected that the
negro will imitate the methods of his
white neighbors.
MR. BRYAN AT DBS MOINES.
As an essay on the tariff Mr. Bryan's
Des Moines speech Is admirable. All
that he says about the iniquity of
Dingleylsm Is true. It does corrupt
the Government by setting up a busi
ness partnership with the protected
Interests. It puts the public offices up
for sale and causes party success to
depend too much upon contributions
from those who devour the substance
of the people. Nor can It be denied
that the tariff has also corrupted busi
ness. It has taught the protected in
terests to look to the Government for
their profits instead of to their own
Initiative. It has given them an op
portunity to combine for the explicit
object of raising prices and robbing
the consumer. It has placed them In
the position of the tax farmers' in
France before "the Revolution, who
kept two-thirds of the taxes they col
lected and handed over to the state
only one-third. For Mr. Bryan is un
.deniably correct in saying that the
barons get large part of the proceeds
of the tariff tax which Is levied upon
certain articles. If nine-tenths of a
protected article are produced at home
and only one-tenth Imported, then
that one-tenth pays the tax to the
Government while the other nine
tenths pay it to the interests.
Mr. Bryan is also right In contend
ing that when the tariff is too high it
ceases to produce revenue. The cry.
that the schedules must be kept at the
prohibitive mark in order to carry on
the Government is nonsense. A pro
hibitive tariff by virtue of the fact that
It excludes imports can produce noth
ing for the Treasury. It Is only from
Imports that the Government profits.
When imports are shut out, then the
Interests profit, and they alone. In so
far as a tariff is protective,, it must of
necessity fail to produce revenue. The
more protection it gives the less reve
nue; the more revenue the less protec
tion. These are facts of common
knowledge, and it Is absurd to assert
that they are less true when Mr. Bryan
states them than when they are read
In a textbook of economics. He is
right again when he says that the
tariff does not raise wages. In'the be
ginning it was not even asserted that
the tariff would raise wages. The con
tention then was that by pilfering here
and there from other industries it
would enable the protected industry
to pay the current scale of wages, and
this was true. But even thus Its man
ifest tendency was to lower wages be
cause It extorted from the non-protected
industries a part of their profits.
Wages, as Mr. Bryan says, are regu
lated by the law of demand and sup
ply In the labor market, tempered as
other tyrannies have been by the re
bellion of those who are subject to it.
Labor unions have somewhat raised
wages. The American workman's high
Ideal of comfort has helped to keep
them at a certain level. Other causes
have contributed to make wages high
in the United States, but here as
everywhere else in the world the em
ployer pays what he must pay, and
not a penny more. In general labor
has not been benefited by the tariff.
By the very hypothesis which lies at
the root of protectionism if there had
never been a tariff workmen would
have received In naturally developing
Industries the same wages which they
have earned in the artificially protect
ed ones.
Truth is truth, whether Mr. Bryan
speaks It or some other man. It Is
when he begins to make deductions
from his facts that we must part
company with him. The greatest
question before the people is how to
get rid of this mountainous structure
of tariff Imposture which is wrecking
both the political and the commercial
Integrity of the country. Mr. Bryan
thinks that the best way. Indeed the
only way, is to elect a Democratic
President and Congress. We do not
think so. In 1893 we had that prom
ising combination and It was put in of
fice upon an explicit pledge to reform
the tariff. The fruit of the pledge
was the Wilson bill, a monster of po
litical iniquity which even a Demo
cratic President was ashamed to sign.
The Wilson bill was dictated from be
ginning to end by the predatory inter
ests. It was essentially worse in its
purpose than the Dtngley bill. The
Dingley bill raised many schedules,
but It was done with the Intent to
make them a basis for reciprocity
treaties. This purpose was thwarted
subsequently, but the authors of the
Wilson; bill had not even the dubious
merit of good intentions. Their pur
pose was robbery pure and simple, and
they carried it out with shameless ef
frontery. How do we know that the
plutocratic bosses of the Democratic
party would not again seize the reins
and repeat their piratical exploit? Of
course they would.
The Republican party goes on rec
ord for the first time this year with a
promise to reduce the tariff, the Dem
ocrats for the second time. Once be
fore they made the same pledge. They
were trusted by the people and they
betrayed their trust. Of whatever sins
the Republican party may be guilty,
on this particular subject Its record Is
blameless. It has made no promises
heretofore and broken none. More
over, Mr. Bryan is wrong In arguing
that to trust the Republicans would
be to trust the very men who Inscribed
the dire iniquities in the Dingley bill.
Those men are rapidly passing out of
power. Once they were the Republi
can party. They are so no longer. In
a long and doleful procession they
have taken up the march toward ob
livion. Piatt, Depew, Aldrich, Long,
Pettigrew, politically dead or man
festly dying, the mantle of power has
fallen from them and others are wear
ing It more worthily. It is a new Re
publican party which will go into
power this Fall If It goes at all a
party with new men, new Ideals of
public service, new motives of action.
Its watchword will not be servility to
the plutocracy, but service to the
American people. What, then, is there
to be gained by turning to the Demo
crats? Nothing but a probable re
newal of the old game of broken
promises.
THE CONGO.
- The assumption by the Belgian Par
liament of the government of the
Congo finally ends a reproach to civ
ilization which has' endured too long.
It was a mistake in the first place for
the concert of nations to give King
Leopold the control of this vast and
populous region. Even for a man of
good character the trust would have
been too great. Absolute dominion
over millions of people Is a responsi
bility to which no human being has
ever yet proved himself adequate. To
most men power is depraving, but
Leopold was already depraved when
power was conferred upon him. In
his public relations he had been a re
actionary. In his family affairs he
had shown himself to be avaricious,
tyrannical, and unprincipled.
In governing the Congo Leopold
had ample opportunity to exercise all
his bad qualities, and he improved it
to the last limit. If there is any enor
mity In the category of possible wick
edness which he did not commit, then
he has been much belied. By wit
nesses entirely credible it Is related
that during the years of his reign ho
encouraged cannibalism, depopulated
whole villages to punish one or two
persons who had failed to pay their
tax of rubber, mutilated men, women
and even little children, and created
throughout the Congo region a verita
ble orgy of death.
When he assumed the government
of the Congo its inhabitants numbered
twenty millions. There are now but
five millions, unless good observers are
badly mistaken. Nobody but the mil
lionaires who have shared in the prof
its of his misrule will regret to see the
dominion over this unhappy territory
pass from Leopold's hands to that of
the Belgian Parliament. The change
cannot make matters worse. It may
bring some Improvement. It Is dis
quieting to learn that Leopold retains
a large share of the spoil which he
has wrung from the wretched inhabi
tants of the Congo. It Is unpleasant,
too, to remember that some of the
concessionaires who have divided the
plunder with this worst of Kings are
Americans high in church and society.
But so long as something is gained It
is best not to complain. The world
moves slowly, but it moves.
HOUSEBUILDING BY SYSTEM.
From nearly every town In Oregon
has come the frequently repeated re
port that ' vacant residences are so
scarce that newcomers are unable to
find places In which to live, and in
some instances It has been reliably re
ported that persons Just here from the
East have left Willamette Valley
towns because they could not rent
houses In which to shelter themselves
until they decided what they wished
to purchase. This condition is indeed
unfortunate, not only because It is in
convenient for persons already living
in the state, but because it discourages
immigration. A number of cities have
made an efwrt to relieve the distress
ing condition, but have only partly
succeeded.
The scarcity of houses is -probably
due to a combination of circum
stances. The price of lumber has
been high for a number of years, as
also has been the price of nearly
every article that goes Into the con
struction of a house. Wages have
been high, and the carpenters, know
ing that help has been scarce, have not
been giving as much service for a
day's pay as they did when wages
were lower. The high cost of con
struction discouraged many owners of
lots from putting up houses to rent.
Then, too, the population has been In
creasing much more rapidly than most
persons realized. Low settlers' rates
brought in thousands of families who
scattered to every part of the state.
Even after the settlers' rates were dis
continued the people continued to
come In a steady stream. Those who
could have built houses to rent did
not appreciate the opportunity.
It would seem that this problem
could be solved In many of the towns
If lumber mills, sash and door factor
ies or other concerns especially organ
ized for the purpose would adapt Edi
son's idea of concrete to the construc
tion of wooden houses. A factory
having the necessary machinery could
prepare simple plans for houses of a
popular size and erect them at a stip
ulated price for any one who wished
to have a house built Practically all
the sawing could be done by machin
ery In the factory, thus saving the time
and work of sawing by hand and dis
pensing with a large part of the
skilled labor ordinarily necessary in
the erection of a house. Though the
framework and general dimensions of
such houses would be In accordance
with one or two plans, the exteriors
could be slightly varied with practi
cally no additional expense. Uniform
ity of exterior appearance destroys
the attractiveness of houses in any lo
cality. But a variation in trimming,
in the size and shape of porches or
the shape and location of dormer win
dows, would relieve this objection
without materially interfering with
the main object to be attained that
of having a large part of the work
done In the shop by machinery.
It is safe to say that many an owner
of a lot In the larger towns of Oregon
outside of Portland would have been
glad to erect a house for rent if he
lc ould have rouna some one wno couia
be depended upon .to take a contract
and do the work well. The number
of responsible and competent builders
In any medium-sized city is small.
Men who can drive nails are plenti
ful. During the years of scarcity of
labor, property-owners quite naturally
shrank from the difficulties of employ
ing men to perform work requiring as
much skill as does the construction of
houses. Organization of a regular
housebuilding business would' remove
this difficulty, for one competent su
pervising carpenter could direct the
work of practically unskilled men on
a number of houses at once. With
the cutting all done by machinery, the
time required in erection of a build
ing would be greatly lessened. Edi
son's idea for the construction of con
i- I
crete houses was that they should be
poured into cast-iron moulds, all the
houses of the same size being exactly
alike. Thus low cost would be se
cured. Wooden houses could as well
be cut to one pattern by machinery
and the cost reduced in the same
manner.
It is the general rule for candidates
for office to seek support wherever It
can be found, but the Taft managers
in Ohio have decided not to invite
Foraker to speak in behalf of the Re
publican candidate for the reason that
he Is not a believer In the policies for
which Taft stands. Taft is not only
honest, but courageous. He does not
want any one to be misled as to where
he stands upon the issues of thiB cam
paign. Mr. Foraker can vote as he
pleases and make all the speeches he
may wish, but will not make the
speeches with the approval of Taft un
less his ideas are in harmony with
those of the Republican candidate.
There are many Democrats who would
think better of Bryan if he declined
the support of one who disagrees with
him as much as Parker does.
So far as the safety of banks Is con
cerned. It is " better that money be
hoarded than that it be deposited.
Those people who will hide their
money in tea kettles, old shoes and
other places of similar character are
of the class easily panic-stricken. If
they had their money in banks they
would want it out on the first rumor
of financial stringency. They are a
class of depositors dangerous even to
a sound banking institution. The man
who has more confidence in a bank
than he has irV an old shoe Is not so
easily stampeded.
Having attracted the attention of
the world by an experiment with the
initiative and referendum. Statement
No. 1 and other novelties, Oregon will
now come Into the limelight with an
experiment showing what a large city
can do in an effort to eradicate the
social evil. No large city has ever
succeeded in accomplishing such a re
form, but that is no conclusive argu
men that none ever will. We shall
see, and so will the rest of the world.
Mrs. Jack Gardner, of Boston, who
engaged in an attempt to smuggle
$80,000 worth of art Into the United
States, is reported to have said that
she is "dead broke." While It is em
barrassing to feel compelled to dis
credit any newspaper report. It is dif
ficult to believe that any one from
Boston used such a slangy expression
as "dead broke." Boston should re
pudiate her, even if it should appear
that she formerly resided there.
Professional courtesy should prevent
Mr. Hill from extending his lines out
to Klamath County, where the peace
and quiet of Pelican Bay would be dis
turbed. Surely one railroad magnate
would not thus destroy the primeval
wlldness of another magnate's pleas
ure resort. Still, it would be kind of
Mr. Hill to construct a road upon
which Mr. Harrlman could ride back
home.
A meeting of hopgrowers. In the
heart of' the hopgrowing region, re
solved a few days ago to pay but 80
cents .per hundred pounds for picklny,
but it is noticed that some growers are
advertising that they will pay $1 per
hundred. That is the way farmers
usually "stand together." A farmers'
combine is seldom effective, even if
Justified in its purposes.
If every man who wants to sell Taft
a. saddle horse, and whose offer Is re
jected, should get "sore" and vote for
Bryan, there might be some danger of
Republican defeat. If some one will
now start a story that Bryan wants
to buy a mule, perhaps the effect of
the horse story will be counterbal
anced. It is reported that the Oregon State
Prison authorities have Introduced the
system of keeping a record of finger
prints. It will take a big book to
keep the records If all. the pardoned
prisoners are required to leave the im
pression of their finger marks.
Windfall apples are wormy. Worms
become moths and moths produce
more worms. But hogs will eat wind
fall apples, worms and all. Therefore
It behooves the careful orchordist to
keep hogs In his orchard ready to eat
every windfall apple as it drops.
Many a man who thinks the whole
world . under obligations to him for
the entertainment and Instruction he
gives by his private conversation
would be shocked If he knew how
many people consider him an insuf
ferable bore.
Now we shall have a month or two
of the most enjoyable weather that
can be experienced anywhere at any
time. Oregon Summers are the best
Summers on earth, but they are sur
passed a little by Oregon Autumns.
"Everybody wants prosperity," says
Mr. Bryan. Tes, Mr. Bryan, every
body does, and you do; ut you want
to make it appear that there never
has been prosperity, and never will
be, till you are elected.
Mr. Lafe Pence must be trying to
destroy the influence of J. Thorburn
Ross over the members of the next
Legislature. In the language of cipher
codes, it must make Mr. Ross feel
"Jocular."
Having convinced the voters of Ore
gon and Washington into his way of
thinking. Judge Parker has been
called back to New York. Can it be
that" New York isn't entirely safe for
Bryan?
Whatever others may think about
It, Captain Peter Cooper Hains, U. S.
A., Is sure now that he was crazy when
he killed a defenseless man.
A man has a pretty poor opinion of
a woman when he asks her to marry
a man who. lived sixteen years with
another woman not his wife.
The New York 1)08363 must take
Hughes. It's hard work to be a New
York boss and look happy all the
time.
If ten more policemen will make
the town good, twenty would make it
heavenly. Why not twenty?
Candidate Chafln begins his Oregon
tour at Newberg. What's the matter?
Isn't old Yamhill dry? -
Let' All Quit Association! nasi Let
Everyone Go It on Hl Own Account.
WALLA WALLA, Wash., Aug. 20.
(To the Editor.) I am a partisan. I
believe that a thorough organization
and a well-oiled, harmonious-working
machine are necessary in these days,
for the achievement of party success.
I have read with attention the many
editorial criticisms of the primary elec
tion system of Oregon, which have ap
peared from time to time in The Ore
gonlan. and the excerpts from influen
tial papers of other states which it has
published, and have been struck with
what appears to be a radical, funda
mental difference between the editors
and the practical politicians and the
"machine men." as to the nature and
extent of party allegiance on the part
of the voter.
Without exception, the editorial idea
seems to be: The voter "belongs" to
the party. Parties are formed to pro
claim and propagate principles. All
voters have principles. Parties are nec
essary to give effect to principles and
promote good government Therefore,
every voter must belong and does be
long to a party. Therefore, the party
has a right to vote those voters Just
as a shareholder In a corporation has
the right to vote his shares, and all of
them.
Like the editor, the machine politi
cian assiduously preaches the same
doctrine, but proceeds in theory and
practice on an exactly opposite idea.
The allegiance of the voter, he argues,
is, at best, temporary and ephemeral.
Parties are National in scope; the voter
is essentially the creature? of his local
ity. His environment and his tempera
ment, and a host of minor, even trivial
things, determine his political action.
Left to himself, he may vote with
either party or any of them. It Is the
business of the machine to get the
votes; to round up all which have ever
been branded with the party brand; to
"slick-ear" all that can be found run
ning loose 'on the range, and corral as
many of the yearlings as have not yet
been branded. The primary system ef
fectually prevents the working of the
machine system, and substitutes for the
party choice what, with or without rea
son or sound Judgment, is denominated
"the people's choice." It may not be
the best or wisest choice, but since the
ballot Is not confined to the best and
wisest only, it is Just what we may
expect from the primary system, and
as the natural result of our political
truism that the people have the right
to govern themselves and to vote as
they please.
Meanwhile the newspaper is preach
ing a doctrine which the voter rejects,
and the machine politician has lost his
Job. The voter is revelling in the free
exercise of a long-delayed and lightly
estimated right and privilege, and .us
ing it for the attainment of an object
of county or state interest, and caring
little or not at all for the far-away,
little-understood. National interests.
The machine man must temporarily go
into retirement, and let things take
their course. The editor must doff his
partisanship, preach pure patriotism
and trust to luck. The editor haj a
chance to persuade; the politician has
lost his power of control: the voter
laughs at the partisan pride of both.
H. S. BLANDFORD.
Very well; let us all quit. Let us
have no organization and no guides,
and refuse all suggestion, co-operation
and advice. Let us find out by experi
ence whether society is best when re
duced to its warring units when it
will not be society at all.
FIRST PRINTER ON OREGONIAX
Account of Alfred Metcalf Berry, Who
', Worked Here In 1850.
PORTLAND, Aug. 21. (To the Ed
itor.) In searching recently for infor
mation about the early newspaper men
of the Pacific Northwest, I gathered
the following about Alfred Metcalf
Berry, the first printer on The Ore
gonlan, which I send, thinking that it
might be a matter of some Interest to
the readers of The Oregonian.
Mr. Berry was born in Greenland,
New Hampshire, in 1825, of English an
cestry. His youth was spent on a
farm, and such education as he had
was secured in the rate-bill schools of,
that time, the courses of study embrac
ing only the three "R's" "Reading,
Ritin', 'Rlthmetto." At the age of 14
he became an apprentice In the office
of tho Newburyport (Mass.) Herald,
and worked on that paper until 1846,
when, in company with two partners,
he began publishing the Newburyport
Dally Union.
Early in 1849 Mr. Berry, having heard
of tho discovery of gold In California,
sailed around Cape Horn for San Fran
cisco, the voyage lasting eight months.
Upon arrival In California he went at
once to the mines, but soon discovered
that mining was not what it seemed to
be from a distance, and returned to the
city and sought employment at his
trade, finding work part of the time
on the California Courier. In this way
he formed the acquaintance of. Thomas
J. Dyer, city editor of the Courier, and
when the latter. In response to solicita
tions from Stephen Coffin and Colonel
W. W. Chapman, In August, 1850, de
cided to come to Portland and estab
lish a newspaper, he asked Mr. Berry
to go with him.
Mr. Berry accepted the proffer, and
worked on The Oregonlan for first
three years. Then he went to Olympla,
Washington Territory, and bought an
Interest In the Pioneer and Democrat,
and soon thereafter was elected Terri
torial Printer. Early in 1854 he went
to Boston for the purpose of buying a
printing plant for the more rapid exe
cution of the territorial printing, and
caused it to be shipped to Olympia via
Cape Horn. Then he started to his
boyhood home in New Hampshire.
While in Portsmouth. N. H., he con
tracted the black smallpox, and died
In Greenland, N. H., August 1, 1854.
The Newburyport Herald, where he
learned his trade, spoke of him as "an
exemplary young man of pleasant
manners and strict integrity."
Editor Dryer. In The Oregonlan of
September 3, 18S4, said of Mr. Berry:
"He was emphatically one of nature's
noblemen. Peace to his ashes and a
crown of immortality to his brow."
GEORGE H. HIMES.
Fire More Holidays for Firemen.
PORTLAND. Or., Aug. 20. (To the Ed
itor.) An ordinance has recently been
passed by the city of Portland, granting
to the city employes an extension of five
days on their annual vacations, making
at the present time fifteen days' leave of
absence.
However, It has come to my knowledge
that the members of the Fire Department
will not be granted this extension until
after the first of the year. The other
city employes, policemen, etc, are now
enjoying IB days' vacation, buf on ac
count of making a little extra work for
the heads of the Fire Department It has
been decided that Fire Department em
ployes, who have more confining work
than any of the others, shall not be
granted these extra five days until next
year.
I submit that this is not exactly fair to
the "fire boys," whose record last month
shows their usefulness to the city, and I
ask that this question be earnestly consid
ered by the citizens, with a view to gain
ing for them their rights. P. P.. F. D.
Shot 16 Times Daring Civil War.
Cincinnati (O.) Dispatch.
Captain S. J. McKinley, who died the
other day at Charles City, Iowa, aged
70, waa shot Is times during the
American Civil War, four times in one
battle. As the result of wounds 70
bones were taken from bis body.
Kb Apple and Strawberry Intereata
Viewed by Disinterested Eyes.
Bulletin of Oregon Agricultural Col
lege. Bulletin 99 of the Oregon Agricul
tural College Experiment Station, re
cently published, gives a report of "An
Orchard Survey or Wasco County," by
C. I- Lewis and R. W. Allen. From this
bulletin, which may be had free on
application to the Experiment Station
at Corvallis, the following facts are
gleaned:
In the Hood River district the or
chards average 16 acres in size. The
net returns per acre are about $500, and
as high as J1800 per acre have been
realized.
Hood River Valley lies between two
ranges of high hills or mountains, open
to the north where the Columbia River
marks Its boundary. There are three
natural divisions of the district, name
ly, the west side, or .that part lying be
tween the Hood River and the moun
tains to the west; the east side, lying
east of the river and extending south
ward to a distance of about 10 miles
from the Columbia, and south of these,
extending for a distance of 1J or 12
miles, is the upper valley, constituting
the third division.
The elevation of the orchards nearest
the river is about 200 feet. In the main
valley the altitude averages about 600
feet. The Willow Flat district averages
1210 feet,, and the middle, valley and
Mount Hood districts range from 1350
to 2000 feet.
The whole valley has an east or west
slope, and the orchards are located
with a good exposure as to light and
air drainage.
In the Hood Oliver Valley six distinct
soils are found, but at Mosier and The
Dalles the orchards are mostly of two
kinds of soil. The bulletin gives the
chemical analysis of the soils of the
different districts.
The analyses don't show a rich soil.
So far as chemistry can tell us, the
soils are not rich. The nitrogen is
much below the average, and the phos
phoric acid runs low.
The leading fruit of Hood River is
the apple, and the Yellow Newtown and
Spitzenberg are the leading varieties.
The total number of apple trees from
1 to 25 years of age was 349,435 last
year. Of these. Yellow Newtowns lead
with 174.684 trees, followed by Spitzen
berg with 150.616. The balance Is made
up of some 20 other varieties.
Of pear trees there are 9152; cherry
trees 4527; peach trees 7180. Eighty
two per cent of the apple trees have
been set out during the past six years.
Strawberries is the pioneer crop in
Hood River. They are planted exten
sively in the young orchards, where
they are allowed to remain until the
trees come Into bearing, and furnish a
much-needed income while the orchard
Is growing up and producing only ex
pense bills. The only berry grown Is
the Clark Seedling, which Is a remark
ably good shipper, selling the past sea
son (1907) as high as J3.35 a crate.
It is a light bearer, 175 crates being
considered a good crop. The total acre
age In strawberries at Hood River is
756. Of this, 532 acres are grown in
orchards.
As a result of this orchard survey,
the author of the bulletin draws a few
conclusions, among which may be men
tioned the following:
From present Indications.-the Yellow
Newtown and Spitzenberg will continue
to be the leading varieties of apples
grown.
Irrigation, which Is bound to become
a factor In the development of the
country, must be practiced with care.
Some growers are using it in such a
way that the tree and fruit are likely
to be injured. An average of one or
two irrigations will be all that will be
needed on an average in a bearing or
chard! The problem Is to use as little
water as possible. .
' Something must be done before long
to furnish the soils with humus and
plant food. Cover crops are one of the
best agencies to bring about these re
sults. More care should be used In the dis
tances and systems in planting or
chards. In most of the young orchards wind
breaks could be used to advantage.
As to pruning, the majority of grow
ers do not head the trees back severely
enough during the first few years of
their growth.
Methods of harvesting and packing
are high class, but will probably be
still further improved by the building
of more packing-houses. J. DRYDEN.
Corvallis, Or., August 18. 1908.
Hold-Up Tale with a Moral Tajr.
VANCOUVER. Wash., Aug. 20. (To the
Editor.) The editorial reprinted in The
Oregonian yesterday from Collier's
Weekly In reference to the letter of Lord
Macaulay recalls one incident which I
shall relate.
Senator Cannon, of Utah, ' once ad
dressed a mass meeting In Chicago at the
very hour when 100,000 men paraded the
streets showing their allegiance to the
policies of the Republican party. I was
sitting at the reporters' table, and had
therefore the beat opportunity to listen
to the remarks of the speakers. What
the Senator's address was Is of no matter
here, but one sentence worth while Is as
follows: "If you should be held up on
the streets of San Francisco by a man
who has been out of employment for
weeks and weeks, whose wife and chil
dren are starving and sick, could you
blame such a man if he Is driven to such
a desperate deed? I could not."
I looked up. Before me stood a Senator
of the United States! Before me stood
a gentleman, dressed In expensive cloth
ing, evidently cut by a good tailor. Across
his expansive vest stretched a gold watch
chain, protecting undoubtedly a costly
watch, which, according to the owner's
words, he would give up with a "God
bless you" to any hold-up man.
I merely state this fact, as I do not
care to repeat a story, which, when I
handed it in, was raised one of the rare
instances in newspaperdom to the honor
of an editorial. F. X. FORTESCUE.
Call for Mall Care of Steel.
PORTLAND. Or., Aug. 20. (To the Ed
itor.) A news Item In The Oregonian
gives the information that 26.000 steel
freight cars are to be added to the roll
ing stock of the Harrlman lines.
The new mall cars provided for our use
on Mr. Harrlman's lines are of wood,
which raises In our minds the suspicion
that In the eyes of the powers that be, we
are not "of more value than many spar
rows." Postal Clerk Thompson, crushed to
death this week in a wooden mail car
near Seattle, gives us an idea of the
possibilities.
JOHN BUTTERWORTH.
Railway Postal Clerk.
Rights of the Child.
Portsmouth (Va.) Star.
We strongly believe that the Inherent
right of the child is to grow, physically
and mentally, and unless growth in the
young is to be stunted, play is as essential
as sunshine to flowers. Therefore, we are
enrolled with the advocates of play
grounds for children who are compelled
to live In cities, and we do believe that
the city which shows Indifference or hos
tility on grounds of expense alone to
such problems is backward and lacking in
more ways than one.
Tooth Grows In Colt's Ear.
Philadelphia Record.
A Veterinarian found a tooth grow
ing In the ear of a colt, the property of
Cloud Pyle, of Mortonville, Pa.
Mussled Dogs Snlclde by Hanging.
Baltimore Newe. ,
Some dogs In Clayton, N. J., under
the restraint of muzzles, are commit
ting suicide by hanging
PLAIN FRAUD BY DEMOCRATS
Therefore Statement So. 1 Is Not Now
Binding, Saya Thla Correapondent.
PORTLAND, Or., Aug. 20. (To the
Editor.) Much has been said and writ
ten about the Oregon primary law.
Statement No. 1 and the duty of the
next Legislature, In all of which, to my
mind, the leading object and purpose
of the primary law have been over
looked. It is a well-known fact that, in con
struing the meaning of any law, the
preamble is a very important part.
The preamble of the primary law la
very full, clear and distinct, and reads
as follows:
PREAMBLE Under our form of govern
ment, political parties are useful and neces
sary at the present time. It Is necessary for
the public welfare and safety that every
practical guaranty shall be provided by law
to assure the people generally, as well as
the members of the several parties, that po
litical parties shall be fairly, freely and
honestly conducted. In appearance as well as
fact. The method of naming candidates for
elective public offices by political parties
and voluntary political organizations Is tha
best plan yet found for placing before the
people the names of qualified and worthy
cltiiens from whom the electors may choose
the officers of our Government. The gov
ernment of our stats by Us electors and tha
government of a political party by its mem
bers are rightfully based on the same gen
eral principles. Every political party and
every voluntary political organization has
the same right to be protected from the In
terference of persona who are not identified
with it as Its known and pubUcly avowed
members, that the government of tho state
has to protect Itself from the Interference of
persons who are not known and registered
electors. It Is as great a wrong to the peo
ple, as well as the members of a political
party, for one who Is not known to be one of
Its members to vote or take any part at any
election or other proceedings of such politi
cal party, as it Is for one who Is not a
qualified and registered elector to vote at
any state election or take any part In tha
business of the state. Every political party
and voluntary political organization is
rightfully entitled to the sole and exclusive
use of every word of Its official name. Tha
people of the state and the members of
every political party and voluntary polltica.1
organisation are rightfully entitled to know
that every person who offers to take any
part In the affairs or business of any po
litical party or voluntary political organiza
tion In the state Is In good faith a member
of such party. The reason for the law that
requires a secret ballot when all the elsctora
choose their officers equally requires a se
cret ballot when the members of a party
choose their candidates for public offices.
It Is a necessary for the preservation of
tha public welfare and safety that there
shall be a free and fair vote and an honest
count as well as a secret ballot at primary
elections as It Is that there ahall be a free
and fair vote and an honest count in addi
tion to the secret ballot at all elections of
publlc officers. All qualified electors who
wish to serve the people In an electtve pub
lic office are rightfully entitled to equal op
portunities under the law.
The purpose of thla law Is better to secure
and to preserve the rights of political par
ties and voluntary political organisations,
and of their members and candidates, and
especially of the rights above stated.
From the foregoing preamble it
clearly appears that it Is notlonly the
spirit of the law, but it is the letter of
the law. that all primary elections
ahonld be fairly and honestly conduct
ed, and that no political party, nor any
member thereof, ahonld Interfere with
any other party in the choice or seleo
tlon of Its candidates for any office.
Our Democratic frlenda, in particular,
are very pronounced In their state
ments as to the duty of any member
of the Legislature who has signed
Statement No. 1, because, they say. It is
the law. It Is also the law that no per
son who believes In the policies or
principles of the Democratic party can
honorably or consistently register and
vote as a Republican In the primaries,
with the object and purpose of nomi
nating any Republican for office In the
interests of the Democratic party. The
preamble distinctly says so. it is also
the law that no man can take "advan
tage of his own wrong," and that
"fraud vitiates law." If It be a fact
that a large number of Democrats
throughout the state registered as Re
publicans and voted as Republicans
with a view of nominating candidates
on the Republican ticket in the inter
ests of the Democratic party, it is, to
say the least, a fraud, and in doing so
they have violated both the spirit and
letter of the primary law; and If the
members of the Democratic party have
violated both the spirit and the letter
of the law, they have no legal right and
they have no legal authority to Insist
upon the enforcement of the law which
they have violated. No man would
have any standing In a court of law or
equity to insist on the enforcement of a
law which he has violated. There can
be no mistake as to the meaning and
intent of the exietlng primary law.
What right has a person or a party
that has violated the fundamental prin
ciples of a law in one particular to
insist upon its enforcement In another?
What right has a person or a party
which has done wrong and has violated
the spirit and letter of a law to Insist
that other people shall do right and
comply with the spirit and letter of
the law?
It is an old and fundamental prin
ciple "That he who seeks equity must
do equity," and that "You must come
into court with clean hands." If it be
a fact that a large number of Demo
crats have registered and voted as Re
publicans in the primaries for the
purpose of obtaining an undue party
political advantage, when they Insist
upon the enforcement of the law are
they coming into court with clean
hands, and have they done equity? If
such be a fact, are they not asking
members of the Legislature to ratify
a fraudulent transaction thkt was com
mitted by them, fn violation of the
spirit and letter of the law which they
seek to enforce?
BERNARD J. SMITH.
Ken Radicalism of the Weat.
Boston Transcript.
The new radicalism of the West was
the one most striking exhibit of the re
cent conventions. This Impression has
been strengthened by Bristow's defeat of
Long In Kansas and by Cummins' rea
sonable assurance of succeeding Allison
In Iowa. What would be the Republican
chances of success today had they nomi
nated a candidate of "the allies," on a
platform essentially checking the Roose
velt policies? Too small to be worth
mentioning.
Same Old Conjugation.
Baltimore American.
The ""New York Board of Education
is struggling with a matrimonial epi
demic, which is devastating the schools.
And to add to the horrors of the situa
tion, Cupid, In defiance of the new
and fasnlonable fads, is teaching the
conjugation of the verb "To love" in
the good, old-fashioned way.
tVnen In Doubt, Experiment.
A New Jersey educator wants "Mother
Goose" and the familiar fairy tales ban
ished from the public schools. Other
educators make them a part of the cur
riculum and go the length of dramatizing
them. The grand rule of the faddists
seems to be, "When In doubt experiment
with the education of the children."
Racing Calf Delays Fast Trains.
Baltimore News.
A small red calf has been delaying
fast trains on the Northern Central
railway, near New Market, Pa. The
animal sometimes goes across the ties
on Yellow Breeches Creek bridge at
full speed without making a misstep.
Talking When Xo One Heeds.
Baltimore American.
Bryan is going to be brief in his
speech of acceptance. Perhaps he bears
In mind the fate of Benedir-t. at whom
saucy Mistress Beatrice wondered, be
cause he would still be talking when
no one heeded him.