THE MORNING OREGONIAN, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, I&0S.
8
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POBTLAM), VEXEHIAT. SEPT. t. 1IW8.
THOSE STOLEN PRINCIPLES.
Has Roosevelt stolen Bryan's prin
ciples? Has the Republican party
stolen them? Is Taft In possession
of the goods?
Twice hitherto Bryan has been tha
Democratic candidate for the Presi
dency. First time free coinage of sil
ver was "the paramount Issue." Sec
...! tlri.e "tn- burning; Issue" was Im
perialism. Now, a common miscel
lany of objection and criticism of the
course and policy of the Republican
party during the last fifty years.
There is petty objection, at every
point. The fiscal policy Is attacked.
The tariff isn't right, but there Is no
probability, from experience, that Mr.
Bryan's party would make It better.
Banks here and there have failed; and
now the Government is to guaranty
all deposits. "Protection" Is unequal;
but we know from the experience of
a few years ago that Democratic leg
islation would make It more unequal
still. The trusts haven't been con
trolled; for this is a most difficult
thing to do, because the trusts contln
ually play one party against the other,
and are as strongly Intrenched in one
as in the other. Besides, the trusts,
which are but combinations In Indus
try and commerce, have the right to
exist. The only question is that of
reasonable regulation. Bryan contin
ually talks as if the right of capital
to associate or combine was to be de
nied. It is "too childish-foolish for
this world."
But whatever principles Mr. Roose
velt may have "stolen" from Mr.
Bryan, and whatever portion of these
principles Mr. Taft may have fallen
heir to. It is certain that among these
is not Included the mighty issue of
Oliver, which demanded free coinage
at a fraudulent ratio, or the burning
lsue of anti-Imperialism, which re
quired us to turn tail from our posi
tion in the Islands, into which we were
carried by the Spanish War. These
were the "great principles" on which
Mr. Bryan made his former dashes for
the Presidency. They were defined by
him as the "paramount" and "burn
ing" Issues. Has Mr. Roosevelt stolen
them? And have the goods been
passed over to Mr. Taft?
Having abandoned the paramount
and burning Issues of his former cam
paigns, Mr. Bryan now distributes his
efforts. One issue Is the tariff; an
other Is the trusts; a third Is Injunc
tion; a fourth is guaranty of bank de
posits. On none of these declarations
Is his party united. It couldn't do
anything with either of them. first,
because of opposition in Its own ranks;
second, because it would be the object
of the Republican party, after the
manner of all parties In opposition, to
thwart Its adversaries whenever it
could.
Mr. Bryan is simply knocking about
in various directions, in the hope of
picking up votes enough to obtain
election. It was silver at one time;
It was opposition to retention of the
Pacific and Atlantic islands at an
other; anon it was a demand for gov
ernment ownership of railroads. This
whole assortment now has been sent
to the scrap heap; and the candidate
has raked up a job lot of stuff that
may stand for anything or nothing.
But the old "principles" have all been
abandoned. It is the tariff now. But
let us go back a little. "If they ask
us why It is that we say more on the
money question than we say on the
tariff question," said Mr. Bryan in the
Chicago convention speech that made
him famous In 1896. "I reply that If
protection has slain Its thousands, the
gold standard has slain Its ten thou
sands." Tet the destroying gold
standard remains, and the prophet
now is silent. Is this because the
"principle" has been "stolen" by
Roosevelt and handed over to Taft?
It Is a good guess that the goods have
not been stolen.
The new question, now presented as
a summary of all the others. Is put by
the inquiry. "Shall the people rule?"
But that question Is belated, for the
people do rule, and have been ruling
all the time. The issue received prac
tical demonstration in Mr. Bryan's
defeats, on ground of his own choos
ing. But if his former stock of prin
ciples and of paramount Issues was
good then It is good today; and since
he was not a good authority then It
is a fair inference that he is not a
good authority now. Certainly no
body has gone to the Junk heap of his
old "principles" and "stolen" them.
A MP IXTO EXACT SCIENCE.
It appears from the news reports
that a large number of pastors and
other men of venerable significance in
the world have lately discovered that
the true happiness of their souls de
pends upon forsaking their wives and
fleeing with other women. The latest
divine to make this disturbing discov
ery was the Rev. William C. Cum
mings, an Iowa man and a luminary
of the Episcopalian denomination. We
learn with sympathetic shudders that
he stooped to toll at the washtub
rather than forego the spiritual conso
lations of her companionship. It is
a more severe muscular strain upon a
man to wash clothes than to preach
sermons, especially Episcopalian ser
mons, and the devotion of Mr. Cum
mings to his affinity is all the more
admired on that account. An affec
tion that Is not appalled by soapsuds
and soiled duds of miscellaneous own
ership must be true indeed.
The number of pastors and others
who forsake their families and seek
consolation In the arms of their affini
ties seems to Increase so rapidly as
the Summer wanes that one Involun
tarily wonders if the season of the
year has not something to do with It.
Is there a subtle psychological rela
tion between roasting ears and marital
infidelity? Green corn is Just now in
Its prime in Iowa, where Mr. Cum
mlngs resided during his pastorate.
Perhaps this succulent dish contains
some noxious essence which perverts
loyalty and inclines the heart to des
perate wickedness. This supposition
becomes extremely probable when one
bites into an ear of corn at a restau
rant. What la the esoteric chord that
binds ripe squashes to errant passion?
Would anybody Imagine that the sa
vory numpkln yellowing on the Au
tumnal hillside had hidden within its
golden rind the quintessence of dis
cord and the distillate of broken
vows?
All this is hard to believe, and yet
it seems to be true. If marital Infi
delity Increases as pumpkins ripen, we
naturally conclude that one of the two
processes causes the other. Since for
saklne one's wife does not cause
pumpkins to ripen, we are driven to
conclude that ripening pumpkins
cause men to forsake ' their wives.
Wonderful is logic.
THE BIRTH RATE.
The excess of female over male
births in Portland for the last eight
months Is probably but a passing phe
nomenon. It Ts somewhat curious that
the birth rate of males should have
fallen off at the same time that their
death rate had advanced, but this, af
ter all, may be only a coincidence.
Much stranger ones have happened.
Next year the proportion may be re
versed. More males will be born and
more females die, perhaps. These
things depend upon laws which no
mind has ever yet fathomed. Savants
have spent years Investigating the
causes which determine the sex of liv
ing beings, but thus far they have
learned little. Old women have rules
which they say are infallible, but there
Is nothing in them. The persistence
of these rules and others of the same
sort In tHe face of common sense Is
the most Interesting thing about them.
The human mind seems to cling des
perately to false knowledge of all va
rieties. For example, the quacks who
sell infallible secret remedies for or
chard pests still do a thriving business
out in the back country. One can buy
a syrup to Inject into an apple tree
which will render it forever Immune
to aphis and codlin moths. Many
farmers plant their crops by the signs
of the moon instead of the earthly
seasons.
In the long run the females of the
human family outnumber the males in
most communities. This Is true of
Massachusetts today and will be true
of every state in the Union bnfore
many years have passed, but it is not
a fact which need cause men to fear
the loss of their power. Massachu
setts is not in perceptible danger of
domination by Its women. The ex
cess of females over men in old com
munities forms an unanswerable argu
ment against those doctrinaires who
contend that no woman should main
tain herself, but that each should de
pend upon a husband. To bring this
about some men would have to sup
port two wives. Hence those who op
pose women In Industry are uncon
scious advocates of polygamy.
While nothing definite Is known
about the causes which determine the
sex of animals, still there are some
curious facts on record. After a long
war, for example, more boys than
girls will be born: while in time of
continued peace the rule will be re
versed. This looks as If Nature strove
to maintain some sort of equality in
the numbers of male and female: but
when we begin to talk about what Na
ture strives to do we are .on dangerous
ground.
"ALASKA WHEAT" CAXARD.
The confidence of farmers In the
Idaho experiment station suffered a
severe shock when It was discovered
that the much-discussed "Alaska"
wheat is not of the high quality In
dicated by the report of L. S. Jones,
chemist at the Idaho station, who
tested a sample. The disclosure that
the experiment station authorities had
been either careless or mercenary did
not Injure the reputation of the sta
tion more, however, than has the ef
fort of the station to escape respon
sibility for its part In misleading farm
ers who might be induced to pay fancy
prices for seed of the new varretv.
Instead of admitting that they had
been duped or had been careless, the
Idaho experiment station officials en
deavor to create the Impression that
the report of the chemist did no: read
as It was reported in the press, but
the explanations are plainly Insuffi
cient for the purpose.
Two bulletins have just been Issued
by the station, one by Director H. T.
French, and the other by Chemist L.
S. Jones. In his bulletin Mr. French
says the chemist stated that, "judging
from the chemical and physical condi
tion of this sample, it would rank
with the best grade of bluestem for
flour-making purposes," and then Mr.
French proceeds to say that "this
statement might be misleading unless
taken in connection with explanations
of the analysis made to Mr. Adams at
that time, which were to the effect
that the milling qualities of any wheat
could be definitely settled only from
results of a milling test." But the let
ter from Mr. Jones to Mr. Adams, as
printed In the press dispatches, does
not make this limitation clear. Mr.
Jones said that he should like to make
a milling test, but the letter does not
say that the milling qualities could be
determined only In that way. The
letter to Mr. Adams says that the
sample of "Alaska" wheat is the equal
if not the superior of our bluestem for
flour-making purposes. A' mere ex
pression of a wish to make a mill test
would not be understood as question
ing the quality of the grain for manu
facturing purposes, after the strong
commendation already expressed. If
Mr. Jones wished to convey the Idea
that a milling test was the only one
that would definitely show the quality,
he should have said so plainly In his
letter. Mr. French also says In his
bulletin that the yields were made up
from small areas, which fact was
given by Mr. Adams, the producer,
but not contained In the letter of the
chemist who made the test and re
ported. The bulletin which has been issued
by Mr. Jones discloses several dis
crepancies. The bulletin says that the
chemical analysis was made In the
Summer of 1907. while his letter to
Mr, Adams, as published In the press,
ts dated May 4, 19081 This discrep
ancy In dates may be typographical.
but if not it would be worth while to
know why an analysis made In 190T
was not reported upon until 1908. Mr.
Jones says that "the owner was ad
vised not to rely exclusively upon
such (chemical) tests, but to bring In
a quantity sufficient for milling and
then perfectly reliable Information
could be given him." But, like Di
rector French, the chemist puts the
matter much stronger than he did In
the letter signed by him and used by
Mr. Adams to advertise his wheat.
These differences between Mr. Jones'
original report and his present bulle
tin are not merely trivial matters.
Both the newspapers and the agri
cultural publications took Mr. Jones'
report as practically conclusive as to
the quality of the wheat for flour
making purposes, ss he then expressed
It. If there Is any difference between
flour-making- purposes and milling
purposes, the ordinary citizen Is not
aware of the distinction.
One of the purposes of the cheml
cal department of an experiment sta
tion is to guard farmers against fraud
and misrepresentation with regard to
seeds, fertilizers, spray mixtures, etc
If this duty is to be performed effec
tively, care must be taken not- only In
making tests, but In making reports
thereon. The most careful and accu
rate chemical test might easily be mis
leading If the report of It should be
so loosely written as to permit two
widely varying interpretations. A re
port . of this character having been
sent out by the Idaho station and
having been made the means of mis
leading newspapers and farm papers
as well as wheatgrowers, the station
authorities should be manly enough to
acknowledge their error Instead of
trying to make poor explanations. If
Improper use has been made of the
report Issued .by the Idaho chemist.
those persons who have so used It
should be exposed and prosecuted if
possible.
THE TILLAMOOK RAILROAD.
Definite announcement Is made of
the Immediate resumption of work on
the railroad to Tillamook. This an
nouncement, following so closely the
visit of Mr. Kruttschnltt to the long.
neglected territory, will be received
with less skepticism than some of Its
many predecessors. The importance
of this road to the country which It
will open up, and to Portland, can
hardly be appreciated by those who
have not yet visited the great coast
region of undeveloped wealth. From
a traffic standpoint, aside from the
immense amount of available timber,
the trade of the Tillamook region Is
perhaps at this time less attractive for
the railroads than that of other local
ltles where the output Is in bulkier
form. The grains and grasses which
grow In such rank profusion in the
rich bottom lands of the coast regions
are all for home consumption, and
reach the outsidde markets in the
form of cheese and butter.
This is a condensation of raw ma
terial that Is highly profitable to the
farmer who pays the freight, but Is
less attractive to the railroads, which
prefer the revenue produced by bulk'
ler freight. These conditions, how
ever, are susceptible to some change
which will be brought about by the
advent of the railroad. The marvel
ous soil of the entire Tillamook and
Nehalem region produces wonderful
crops of all kinds of vegetables and
garden truck, and in most places Is
well adapted to fruitgrowing. The
railroad affording an outlet to market
for these diversified products, will Im
mediately Increase their production.
and it will be but a short time after
the completion of the line before the
coast country can demonstrate that its
resources are not limited to butter and
cheese.
Well-informed residents of Tilla
mook and Nehalem have for years
been paying from J 100 to J 150 per
acre for rough land which costs an
additional J 100 per acre to clear.
These seem like fancy prices in a re
gion so nearly inaccessible as the
coast country, but the returns from
this land and the universal prosperity
in spite of the handicap of miserable
transportation facilities prove conclu
sively that the land Is worHi "-the
money. Without desiring in any way
to contribute to an undue inflation of
values, it cart safely be predicted that
the completion of the Tillamook line
will double the value of nearly all the
lands made accessible by the road. But
the traffic that has drawn the atten
tion of railroad-builders to the coast
country Is the magnificent stand of
timber throughout the entire region
traversed.
It may be four or five, and perhaps
ten, years before this timber can be
marketed to advantage In competition
with that which lies nearer the con
suming, markets, but Is ts overwhelm
ingly the largest asset of any trans
portation line which crosses the Coast
Range, and its presence alone makes
possible the construction of a railroad.
The building of this line adds to the
trade territory of Portland one of the
richest regions in the Stnte of Oregon,
and on account of its geographical lo
cation it Is tributary to no other port
than Portland. All concerned will
sincerely hope that there will .be no
further .delays in carrying out the
plans for Its construction.
BOUND FINANCIAL CONDITIONS.
The steadily maintained strength of
the stock market. In the face of an
approaching National election, and of
drastic reductions by railroads in op
erating and' other expenses. Is a sur
prising testimonial to the underlying
strength of our financial and commer
cial situation.- It shows conclusively
that the country Is not lacking In
money for the financing of sound busi
ness ventures, and the protection of
good, legitimate properties represent
ed on the security lists of the stock
exchange. It Is still early to deter
mine the extent of the benefits, which,
together with the Irrecoverable losses,
are traceable to the panic of last Fall,
buc it Is a certainty that the account
was by no means one-sided.
When the vast Gould system recent
ly -became Involved in trouble, the in
ability of George Gould to secure the
comparatively Insignificant sum of
$8,000,000 with which to save the sys
tem from Its opponents was at first
regarded as an ominous sign, portend
ing a growing scarcity of money. De
tails of the transaction, however, re
vealed that the failure of Mr. Gould
to secure the money needed was less
due to a scarcity of money than to a
scarcity of confidence in his ability
successfully to manage the big prop
erty through the era of retrenchment
that is now on. The glaring fact that
Mr. Gould, during ten years of the
greatest prosperity ever experienced
by the American railroads, had failed
to keep his properties free from em
barrassment was ample evidence that
a change In management was a neces
sity before it was safe to Invest any
more money in the Gould properties,
The Gould system under Gould
management was a bad Investment,
but the same system under the guid
ance or direction of Harrlman was a
safe proposition In which o Invest the
money needed for its rehabilitation
This same close scrutiny of all classes
of securities and apparent discrimina
tion against some that were really
first class has resulted In bringing
many shaky enterprises under man
agement that can strengthen and im
prove them. The financial storm of
last year carried down some fine tim
ber, but it Improved that which re
mained standing, and lessened the lia
bility of an immediate recurrence of
the trouble.
The present strength of the stock
market Is due to the general belief of
Investors in the Intrinsic value of ths
securities offered. With the water
squeezed out and the administration
of the properties represented In the
hands of men who can get the best re
sults from them, there is no apparent
reason for any weakness in the stock
market not even the possibility of
such a surprise as would be occasioned
by the election of Mr. Bryan.
It is rumored that Wu Ting Fang
will be recalled to China on the charge
of having fallen a victim to the par
rot's habit of talking too much. If
there is anything in the story, it would
seem that quantity Instead of quality
of talk was what Impressed the Chi
nese nation, for Mr. Wu has for years
held the American record for erupting
a greater number of words with a
smaller amount of information than
any other public character in the
United States. If the Chinese govern
ment has discovered that Wu ever
told the newspapers anything of con
sequence, they have certainly beat the
reporters to It. As a distributer of
state secrets, Wu makes an Egyptian
mummy seem loud and noisy.
At the same time that the American,
people are studying the problem of
conserving the natural resources of
the country, it might be well to ex
pend some energy trying to devise
ways and means by which other prop
erty Interests might be saved from de
struction. To let a forest be destroyed
by fire Is wasteful but not more so
than to let those same forests burn
after they have been sawed into lum
ber and built Into houses. Men of
science should be able to discover a
practical fireprooflng process or invent
successful fire-extlngulshlrrg appll
ances within the means of ordinary
property-owners.-
The saloons at Atlantic City were
closed last Sunday and the liquor
dealers assert that their losses as a
consequence amounted to 1150,000
Assuming that their business is one-
third proflCthis would mean a loss of
sales to the amount of $450,000. But
If they lost sales to this amount, surely
the same amount must have been
saved by the persons who would have
paid It Into the saloons If they had not
been closed. Are not the liquor deal
ers proving too much when they tell
of the Immense losses they sustain by
the closing of their places one day in
the weak?
In Vermont there has been a dull
campaign and the vote Is reduced.
Both parties show losses In the totals
and the Republican plurality Is re
duced, but not greatly. It is about
28,000. In 1904 Roosevelt had a plu
rallty of 30,689; in 1900 McKlnley had
a plurality of 29,719. Four years ago
the Republican plurality on Governor
was 31,649; two years ago, 16,613. The
vote of yesterday in Vermont has no
special significance. The Eastern
States will all vote for Taft. The real
contest of this year lies In the belt of
states from Ohio to Nebraska.
Pending the completion of the
North Bank road into the city, the
Hill line is handling only a limited
amount of grain, but the shipping sta
tistics show quite clearly that Its in
fluence on the grain trade of the Pa
cific Northwest Is already being exten
sively felt. The amount of chartered
grain tonnage now In port at Portland
is nearly twice as great as the ton
nage at the Puget Sound ports, and
the amount listed to arrive is more
than double that which is listed for
the Puget Sound ports.
Mr. Taft said this, at Hot Springs,
on the project of governmental insur
ance of bank deposits; and as often as
Bryan speaks for that fallacious 'pol
icy Taft's words will bear repetition.
viz:
The fundamental objection to th pro
posed plan to guarantee deposit in bank
I that it put a premium on reckles bank
ing and I veen an Inducement to reckloss
banking-
All that Is necessary to "say on the
subject Is said here in fewest words.
Prohibition Candidate Chafln says
that If he shall be elected President he
will proceed at once to clean out the
gambling dens and disreputable
houses patronized almost exclusively
by members of Congress. Neither the
proprietors of the resorts nor the
members of Congress are losing any
sleep over impending danger.
Though the Swiss receive an im
mense revenue from the manufacture
of absinthe, which they sell to the
French, the people have recently
voted to stop the manufacture of the
liquor in that country. As In the case
of a hopgrowlng state voting "dry,"
the matter of revenue does not seem
to be a controlling consideration.
Speaker Joseph G. Cannon Is the
latest member of Congress to join the
list of Collier's "undesirables." Being
a tall man, perhaps Uncle Joe will
think It unnecessary for him to hunt
the tall timber.
If anybody wishes to interview Har
rlman, how's the chance, before the
magnate returns to Wall street behind
three or four, chilly doors.
Since mysterious murders are be
coming so common it behooves every
man to be prepared at all times to
prove an alibi.
Debs says workingmen are fools.
His small following shows him mis
taken about the vast -majority of them.
The fellows who didn't take vaca
tions now have their money ahead.
CHAMBERLAIN, NON-PARTISAN.
But Look for Peculiar Brand of Oregon
Politics. Labelled "Democracy."
KLAMATH FALLS, Or., Aug. 31. (To
the Editor.) People have learned what
Governor Chamberlain means when he
asserts to be non-partisan In politics.
His non-partlsanshlp is simply this:
"Republicans, cut out politics and polit
ical parties when you vote for me; when
I apppolnt any one to office, non-paru
sanshtp always means a Democrat."
would be more than delighted If some
one well informed would show when and
where Mr. Chamberlain has appointed to
office any Republican In this state, where
the office was of any consequence.
This Judicial district Is overwhelm
ingly Republican. It has always selected
a Republican for Judge. We have far
more Republican lawyers In Klamath
and Lake Counties than Democratic law
yers. Our Republican lawyers here
stand high In their profession and have
been In these counties long enough to be
"acclimated." These Republicans are
Just as capable of holding the office of
Circuit Judge as are any Democrats here,
and are more entitled to hold the office
than any Democrats, because the people
here have said time and again they pre
ferrred Republicans. Long residence
would seem. too. to give them a prefer
ence for this position.
But Governor Chamberlain has given
out the Information and has shown his
"great non-partlsanshlp" by saying that
he will appoint to the office of District
Judge In Klamath and Lake Counties
one George Noland, a Democrat and a
fresh arrival from Astoria. It appears
to us that the principal reason for this
appointment Is the fact that Mr. Noland
Is a Democrat. It Is the same old style
of non-partisanship on the part of tne
Governor as It was when ha appointed
John Gearin a United States Senator, a
man who wrote The Oregonlan, saying
that that paper "Might call him any
thing, but for God's sake do not call me
a non-partisan." What a splendid ex
ample the Governor is setting us as a
non-partisan in politics.
HIRAM F. MURDOCH.
IN DANGER OF A "SLUMP."
How the West Was Dtnarnoerd by a
Traveling; Correspondent,
Correspondence New York Sun.
The riot of radicalism, the prejudice of
sectionalism these are constant factors in
the Western situation full of possibility
for sudden change and stampede. A re
actionary "break" by Mr. Taft, a "stand-
pat" tone In the Republican National
campaign, a glorification of the East
and instantly the grumbling and the mur
muring and the growling of the radical
In Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, and Kan
sas might be transformed into a perfect
avalanche of active hostility.
At the present moment there Is no one
In the Middle West whose point of view
Is even approximately impartial who sees
anything to forecast a Bryan shirt to the
radical situation. But every one concedes
its possibility, concedes that this will re
main loose dynamite, to be handled with
extreme care, to be an element of danger
to the end.
In Dreciselv the same wav the heat and
passion of liquor campaigns In Ohio and
Indiana are elements of danger; less
acute, but nevertheless obvious - danger,
may develop into tidal waves In one di
rection or the other and each side confi
dently forecasts the tidal wave's direc
tion aa favorable to it. Here, as In the
Middle West, the August outlook is rea
sonably satisfactory to the Republican
National fortunes, but the Republican
anxiety is none the less real, not over
what Is in July and August, but over
what may be in September and October.
In both regions there Is a distinct ele
ment of hope for the Democrats, and this
is an invaluable asset after all the for
lorn and hopeless years have gone.
The possibility, the very Impressive pos
sibility, of a Democratic Congress as a
result of all the local aisturDances al
ready noted deserves emphasis. There Is
hardly a state that the Sun's correspond
ent has visited which did not show evi
dence of Democratic Congress gains; the
factional flght among Republicans seems
to assure this. There Is a manliest pos
sibility of the election of Democratic
Governors In Indiana, Ohio and Kansas.
There Is also to be noted the not too
remote possibility of Democratic Sena
tors In Ohio and Indiana.
These details of themselves are signifi
cant; show that the situation Is sufficient
ly tense to demand infinite care and sus
tained effort. That west of the Alle
ghanles there U to be a real National
campaign is sn Inevitable conclusion to
bo drawn from the briefest study of lo
cal conditions. Yet It Is to be a National
campaign in the main fought out locally,
contested on Issues that must of necessity
be legarded as trivial and petty.
In the West the Republican National
ticket seems to lack utterly the appeal
of personality so far as Its candidates
are concerned, and In the Central States
the Democratic ticket Is so much dead
weight to be carried. If et all, by the lo
cal candidates from the lack of neces
sity. In the end It seems certain mat no
forecast of results will entirely convince
until there Is sufficient evidence to dem
onstrate the partisan direction that the
riot of liquid and economic morals and
immorals will take. In August the plain
advantage Is with the Republicans every
where, save perhaps in Indiana, and even
thera Bryan's weakness is all impressive.
To go further than this on the present
evidence Is perhaps unwarranted ana rn
any event hardly profitable.
Meets Wild Beast Oat Walking.
HOOD RIVER. Or.. Aug. 31. (To the
Editor.) While on a sight-seeing stroll
yesterday I think I saw the wild animal
that was reported In last Friday's Ore
gonlan to be terrifying tne larmers oi
Prinevllle. While I was sitting on the
top of a fence the animal I refer to came
within 26 feet of me. It was of a tawny
or grayish reddish-brown color and look
ed like a cross between an African
Hon and a mastiff, but larger than any
mastiff I have seen. The creature had
a bushy tip to its tall and a mane like a
Hon. but not aulte so heavy. I did not
see any blood about his mouth and when
I 1umDed down he ran over the trestle
in the direction of Portland In pursuit of
two men. As I did not hear any terri
fying; yell I do not think the animal did
any damage. Have discovered some
wonderful petrifications here human and
animal skulls, fruits, nuts, teeth, etc.
CHARLES A. B. HALL.
Speeches First, and Food Afterward.
Chicago Tribune.
The Japanese manage their dinners
In much better fashion than do the
Occidentals. They have the speeches
first and the food afterward.
Occasion for Regret
Lawyer Was your friend an acces
sory before the fact?
Witness Sure, sor, but most sorry he
wor after the fact, sor. Baltimore
American.
The Land of Approximate Time.
Helen Hyde. "Jingle from Japan."
Here's to the Land of Approximate Time.
Where nerves are a factor unknown;
Where acting as balm are manners calm,
And seeds of sweet patience are sown.
Where 'tl very ill-bred to go straight to
the point.
Where one bargains at leisure all day
Where with method unique "at once" means
a week.
In the cool, easy Japanese way.
Where every clock run as It happens to
please.
And they never agree on their strikes;
Where even the sun often Join in the fun.
And rises whenever h likes.
Then here's to ths Land of Approximate
Time,
The Land of Leisurely Bow:
Where the overcharged West may learn how
i to rest
Tne Lacd ot Inconsequent Now,
A CALL FOR FLAT SALARIES
Says State Of fleers Should Decline to
Receive Illegal Compensation.
ASTORIA, Or., Aug. 31. (To the
Editor.) No long ago there was con
slderable discussion In the newspapers
resrardlna: the salaries of state officers.
Months ago, suit was instituted by the
state on the relation of a citizen ot
Polk County against an ex-state of
ficial to recover from him a large
amount of money that he had received
as fees in excess of his compensation
as fixed by the Constitution, and I be
lieve that this case was decided by the
Marion County Circuit Court against
the ex-officlal. Another citizen of the
state published a statement that he in
tended to begin an action against the
present Governor to recover all
moneys that that official had received
from the btate in excess of his con
stitutional salary.
The public mind seems to be dissat
isfied with the present condition of the
law and practice in regard to the
salaries of state officials. Like the
tariff, this Is not a new question. It
has been before the public at Intervals
for the past thirty years, but our Su
preme Court has never, I believe, been
called on to render an opinion on this
Vexed Question.
Article XIII of our State Constitu
tion is in the following words: "The
Governor shall receive an annual sal
ary of $1500. The Secretary of State
shall receive an annual salary ot jijuu.
The Treasurer of the state shall re
ceive an annual salary of $800. The
Judsres of the Supreme Court shall re
ceive an annual salary of $2000. They
shall receive no fees or perquisites
whatever for the performance of any
duties connected with their respective
offices; and the compensation of of
ficers, if not fixed by this Constitution,
shall be provided by law."
I believe that there is no other
clause of the Constitution that makes
any provision for the compensation of
any officers named in said article. The
Constitution provides for the election
of a state printer, but It does not fix
his compensation. It also provides for
electing County Sheriffs, Clerks,
Treasurers, Assessors, Prosecuting At
torneys and other officers, but It does
not attempt to "fix" the compensation
of any of these officers.. In fact, the
Constitution does not attempt to fix
or state the amount of salary or com
pensation of any officer excepting
those named in Article XIII and mem
bers of the Legislature. And I call
special attention to that fact, as it is
very Important in determining whether
It Is competent for the Legislature or
the people, without an amendment to
the Constitution, to provide for the
payment to either of the officers
named in said article of a sum in ex
cess of the amount stated therein. It
will be noticed in limine that this ar
ticle confers on the Legislature the
power to provide by law lor the com
pensation of officers whose compensa
tion is not "fixed" by the Constitution,
and It will hardly be contended by any
one, that, if the compensation of any
officer is "fixed" by the Constitution, it
can be either Increased or diminished
by an act of the Legislature, or by a
law enacted by the people. The maxim,
expresslo unlus est excluslo alterius,
applies here. The Legislature can pro
vide by law for the compensation of
officers only in those cases where the
Constitution has failed to "fix" such
compensation.
The Constitution provides that mem
bers of the Legislature shall receive
$3 per day and mileage. The only of
ficers whose compensation can be said
to be "fixed" by the Constitution, then,
are the Governor, the Secretary! State
Treasurer, Judges of the Supreme
Court and members of the Legislature,
because the Constitution does not say
how much any other officer shall re
ceive. It Is plainly Implied by the
language of the last sentence of Arti
cle XIII. supra, that the salaries of
some officers are "fixed" by the Con
stitution, and, the question arises, what
officers salaries or compensations are
so "fixed"?
Inasmuch as Article XIII provides
how much the Governor, the Secretary,
the State Treasurer and the Judges of
the Supreme Court shall receive, and
another part of the Constitution pro
vides how much members of the Leg
islature shall have, and there Is no
provision as to what any other officer
shall receive it seems to be inevitable
that the salaries and compensations of
those "officers are "fixed" by the Con
stitution within the meaning of Arti
cle XIII, and cannot be either In
creased nor diminished without an
amendment to the Constitution. The
word "fixed," as used in Article XIII,
means "determined, settled." It was
evidently the intention of the framers
of the Constitution and of those who
adopted it, that he salaries provided
by Arlcle XIII were so "fixed" by that
Instrument, that they could not be
either increased nor diminished, with
out an amendment of the Constitution.
In order that there should be no rea
son for doubting that this was their
Intention, they added, after stating
what each officer should receive:
They Ehall receive no fees or per
quisites whatever for the performance
of any duties connected with their re
spective offices." The clause Just
quoted applies to each of the officers
named in said Article XIII.
I am not unaware that certain law
yers have expressed the opinion that
the salaries fixed by Article XIII could
be constitutionally Increased, but It
Beems to me that all such opinions
are unsound. It took .a long time to
prevail on the Legislature to Increase
the salaries of the Supreme Judges,
and then it was done by an attempted
evasion. An attempt to Increase the
salaries of those officers was made
when the late Hon. John W. Waldo
was Chief Justice, and members of the
Legislature called on him and asked
him whether they had the Constitu
tional power to do so. and he told them,
with emphasis, that they could not
constitutionally do so. That killed the
attempt until Strahan and Thayer
were on the bench.
The various acts attempting to in
crease the salaries of the officers
named in said Article XH, In my judg
ment, are clearly unconstitutional and
void. Our state officials should de
cline to accept any money In excess
of the amount authorized bv the Con
stitution, and, if they would do that.
an attempt to Increase their salaries
by amendment to the Constitution to a
reasonable amount would be approved
by a vote of the people. But as long
as they accept more than twice the
amount fixed by the Constitution, It
will be difficult to obtain an amend
ment of the Constitution on that sub
ject. An amendment for the benefit of the
Supreme Court was badly defeated last
June. The people have a rlgh to re
fuse to amend the Constitution for
the benefit of officials when It seems
certain that the officials concerned
have failed to obey the provisions of
tne constitution now in force. The
salaries of the state officers should
be more than the amounts fixed by the
Constitution, but the increase should
be made by amending that instrument.
and not by violating Its provisions.
But ..the Legislature has been pre
vailed on to pass acts increasing the
salaries of the officers in violation, as
I contend, of the Constitution. State
officials should obey what seems to be
the clear meaning of the Constitution
and refuse to receive more than the
constitutional salaries until the
amounts are Increased by constitu
tional amendment to a reasonable sum.
But as long as the Constitution is vio
lated by those whose duty it. is to sup
port and defend it, the peope will be
a little slow in amending it.
W AL-R.
EXPERTS DENY . WHEAT FABLE
Idaho Experiment Men Say They Are
Not Responsible for It.
So many Inquiries about the "Alaska
wheat" fable have come to the Idaho
Experiment Station since the Station
Chemist, J. S. Jones, announced re
cently: "Judging from the chemical
and physical condition of the sample
(Alaska wheat), it would rank with
the best grade of bluestem for flour
making purposes," that the station
director, H. T. French, and the station
chemist, Mr. Jones, each has Issued a
printed letter declaring that the al
leged merit of the wheat has not yet
been proved. The letters, each dated
Moscow, Idaho, one Aug. 13, the other
Aug. 15, are as follows:
The Experiment Station Is being over
whelmed with communications regarding ths
so-called "Alaska wheat," claimed to have
been originated by Mr. Adams, of Jullaetta.
and advertised under the firm name of Adams
Hobe Seed Grain Company, Jullaetta, Idaho.
The statement has been published that th
Idaho Experiment Station Is in some way
connected with the development of this wheat,
as shown by the following clipping, which has.
been extensively copied:
"The United States paid eighty million of
money tor Alaska, and yet the great gold
payment Alaska has returned sinks Into Insig
nificance when compared with Farmer Adams' '
Alaska wheat, which In the secret and far
away fields of Idaho he has gradually brought ,
to perfection until he has given to the world
a wheat that will grow under average con
ditions 200 bushels to the acre.
"This is a large assertion and hardly be- -lievable
were it not for the faot that It is
backed up by surveys of land and output -of
threshers, and the yield and quality backed .
up by the Idaho Experimental Station at Mos- '
cow, Idaho, and being followed up by other ,
station, all eager to make a test to see If .
they can beat the yield of the originator."
1 wish to state that this Is not true ;
except to the extent that th station -chemist.
J. S. Jones, analysed a sample ot
wheat brought to this station by Mr. Adam
in 1807, and said to be of this variety, and :
which proved to be a very good wheat Insofar ,
as Indicated by a chemical analysis. The
chemist stated that, "Judging from the chem- '
leal and physical condition of this sample. It
would rank with the best grade of blue
stem for flour-making purposes." Thus state- '
ment might be misleading unless taken In con
nection with explanation of th analyst mads
Mr. Adams at that time, which wei-e to the '
effect that the milling qualities of any wheat
could be definitely settled only from result :
of a milling teat. The yields a stated by ;
Mr. Adams are mad up from small areas '
which must be considered in computing re
suits. w would respectfully refer all comtnunica
tlon to the company handling this wheat, for
any attempt on our part to anawer th indl- !
vldual communication would require ad
dlttonal force, which we are not In a position
to furnish.
(Signed) H. T. FRENCH, Director.
Replying to your letter of inquiry eoncsrn- ;
lr - a variety of wheat raised by Mr. A.
A of Jullaetta, Idaho, reports current.
In - newspapers regarding enormous yields I
salu .j be possible from "Alaska wheat" are I
absurd. It is trus. I believe, that this wheat
is capable ot yielding much higher than other
well-known varieties of wheat. If given a
proper chanoe. But apparently figure upon
which these reports are based were given
by Mr. Adams from result obtained on very
mall areas. The Experiment Station doe not
vouch for their correctness, and has not had
anything to do with the production of this
wheat, Its quality 1 muoh in doubt, although
during the Summer of 1907 a chemical an
alyst ot what was said to be the same va
riety of wheat was made In the chemical
laboratory of the Experiment Station, and
from figures so obtained, as well as from
the physical characteristics of the samples,
the wheat was pronounced good, the compo
sition of the sample analyzed bing quite sim
ilar to that of our best milling wheats. Tha
owner m-ao advised, however, not to rely ex
clusively upon such tests, but to bring in a
quantity sufficient for milling, and then per
fectly reliable Information could be given
him. This milling test, thus far, he has
failed to have made, and therefore, the quality
of the wheat in question should be considered
as doubtful, until the chemical analysis is
supplemented by milling and baking tests.
(Signed) J. S. JONEi. Station Chemist.
MR. BRYAN ON THE TARIFF.
Reformers Find It Difficult to Have
Much Confldrnre In Him.
New York Evening Post.
The Democratic party Is. we grant, the
party that has traditionally stood for
tariff reform: Mr. Cleveland made his
second successful campaign with the
tariff as practically the sole issue. But
pressing as tariff reform has been, ac
cording to Mr. Bryan s own conffsslon.
he and his party have been tndifferent
to it In the last three elections. The
tariff should have been revised in 1898, in
1900. or in 1904. Eight yeara ago. as
well as four years ago, the Iniquities
were quite as monstrous as Mr. Bryan
now sees them to be. But the Demo
crats, first under the leadership of Mr.
Bryan and then under the leadership of
Judge Parker, were extremely slack in
this matter. They were interested In
other things, and as tariff reforms they
were almost as lukewarm as the Repub
licans. Indeed, the tariff reformers were
bitterly disappointed with the conduct
of Mr. Bryan and Judge Parker, and felt
that tariff reform has been betrayed In
the house of Its friends. It Is for this
reason that Mr. Bryan's fine professions
as a tariff reformer leave us cold, and
that his charges of Insincerity and Incon
sistency urged against the Republicans
and Mr. Taft fall to move us. We will
go hs far as anybody In denouncing Re
publican Indifference, cowardice and cor
ruption on the tariff. But we are not
yet ready to accept as our saviour Mr.
Bryan, who is the very image of Incon
sistency, who has never cared about tariff
reform, and who has never used his
enormous influence with the Democratic
party to make that a dominant issue.
Italian Art Treasure for 94.
Kansas City Star.
In the picture crowded drawing-room
of an old-fashioned houoe at Astoria,
Long Island, N. Y., hangs a portrait
which bears every superficial evidence
of being very old, and Its owner be
lieves It may prove to be one of the
most valuable paintings In existence,
It Is a picture of La Fornarlna, the
Florentine beauty of the 16th century,
whom Sebastian del Plombo Is known
to have painted at least twice, and
Raphael, the contemporary of Plombo,
Is said to have loved. The owner of
the picture Is Louis Schildknecht, a
retired Astoria merchant and art col
lector. He paid $4 for it In a second
hand art store six years ago and has
since been corresponding with the
authorities of the palace of the Ufflzl
in Florence and the old museum of
Berlin concerning Its authenticity. He
Is convinced that It Is one of the sev
eral paintings of La Fornarlna which
Del Plombo la known to have made.
The Village Airsmfclb.
Arthur Chapman in th Denver Republican.
Over the spreading chestnut tre
The village alrsmlth floats:
He patches, for a princely fee.
Disabled aero-boats. I
Long years ago his granddad nailed
The shoes on horses' feet;
But, when the equine foot gam falls)
Th son fixed auto fleet.
And when the auto erase rav way,
And airships ruled the roost.
The grandson, foxy in his day, '
Just gave the shop a boost.
He floated It far o'er th town
Where granddad went to church,
And now the Income he drags down
Leaves granddad's In the lurch.
So, high above the chestnut tree.
The busy forge now flares;
The smith ah. who so gay as he.
Or who with fower cares?
These airship cogs and shafts and such
Vost muckle. muckle gold.
For each fad finds the fixer' touch
Alore shameless than f old. .