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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 7, 1908)
6 THE 3I0RXIXG OREGOXIAX, MONDAY, DECEMBER 7. 1908. -- i ' W S3; tertian POKTLAXD, OREGON.' 1 ' ' Entered at Portland. Oregon. PostoSica as Secund-Claaa Matter. hubx-riptlon Kates Invariably la Advance. (Br MalL 1kI!jt. Sunday included, one year. Dally. Sunday Included, six month!.... - ' I'ahy. Sunday included, three montns. . - Ially. Sunday Included, one month.... Daily, without Sunday, one year mvi Dally, without Sunday, six months.... a. .a Iaily. without Sunday, three montha.. Li rt.n.. afih.m Knnriav. oufl mOAtb Wwkir, one year J- Sunday, one year -- Sunday and Weekly. one year Dallv. Sunday Included, one year OO i.iiu ki.-nav fncludrd. one month How la Remit Send pnstoffice money order, expreaa oraer or vour local bank. Stamps, coin or currency are at the aender'a rlk. Give poatofflce ad dress In full. Including- county and state. Postage Rates 10 to 14 pu. 1 nt; 16 to 2a page. J cents; 30 to 44 pages, 3 cents; 4 to ) pages. 4 centa Foreign postage double rates. Kastcrn Boalnce Office The 3 C. Beck :th Spclal Agency N-w ork, rooms 4S 5o Tribune building. Chicago, room ol-olJ Tribune building rOKTlAXD. MONDAT, DEC. 7. 180. 1 FACTS OX JAPAN BCBSIDIES. In another column la printed a communication, in which a Cleve land (Ohio) correspondent of the Albany (N. T.) Argus says that The Oregonlan haa "deliberately misrep resented" certain features of the Japan ship-subsidy plan, and that we have been "deceiving- you (the Ar gus) and deceiving: several other American newspapers." The Orego nlan has no desire or purpose to mis represent or deceive anyone on any topic, least of all on a subject in, which the plain unadorned truth is sufficient to expose the fallacies of the hungry ship-subsidy hunters. The news that Japan, In the interest of retrenchment, was about to 'With draw all of her ship-subsidy pay ments, except for mall steamers, and that there would be curtailment of the service of thes- vessels, was printed in the Japanese papers sev eral Weeks ago. and as yet there is no reason for believing it was not true.' In "driving the American flag off the Pacific Ocean," Japan cuts a very Insignificant figure, for there are ten vessels of other nationalities crossing the Pacific for every one that flies the Japanese flag. The American flag is being driven from the Pacific Ocean because the Americans refuse to permit it to float from the mast head of any vessel other than an American-built craft, which costs about twice as muoh to build as It would cost In a foreign yard. The Eastern papers, presumably at the Instance of the ship-subsidy hunters, print a great amount of buncombe about the enormous saving made by the Japanese in operating expenses. Yet every vessel engaged in the trans-Pacific trade, irrespective of nationality, carries an Oriental crew, and the entire saving of which we hear so much must be effected on the salaries of a few of the officers, an amount in the aggregate so email that it is hardly worth considering, and is usually swallowed up by the lack of navigating and engineering skill of the brown men. If we are to follow the example of the Japanese on the high seas, why not begin as they began? Let us first of all start on even terms with them by securing ships in the same manner as the Japanese secured them. Ac cording to the official figures in Lloyd's Register (they do not seem to agree with those of Mr. Penton, but are accepted as official wherever ships float) the Japanese merchant marine up to June, 1908. consisted of 870 vessels in excess of 300 ton3, reg istering 1,142,468 tons net. compared with an American fleet of 3580 ves sels of 4.S54.7S7 tons. The Interest ing feature of .this Japanese fleet, and the one feature which explains why Japan can handle freight at so much less cost than it can be handled by the Americans lies In the fact that of the vessels now flying the flag of Nippon, 371, with a net register of 526,666 tons practically one-half of the entire fleet of the nation were built in foreign yards. With the exception of a few cap tured as war prizes, this large fleet was purchased at bargain prices from other nations. Wherever ships are owned, there must be shipyards for repair work, and almost Invar iably the repair yard becomes the construction yard. This accounts for the large number of shlpj-ards In Japan. Most of them were built for the purpose of repairing this biff fleet, which iwas secured at bargains denied American citizens. Nothing could be mqre ridiculous than the statement that "the increase of her mercantile marine has accompanied and promoted an expansion of Japan's foreign commerce." Japan's foreign commerce increased for the same reason that that of the United States Increased. Crops were good, indus tries were active, and the purchasing power of the people grew greater. The Pacific Northwest is selling Japan 20 times as much as we sold her in 1884, but only an Insignificant proportion of our exports to Japan is going forward In Japanese ships. As a matter of fact, the American seller and the Japanese buyer alike decline to pay tribute In excess of "going rates" to any flag. It was for this reason that we frequently wit ness German, Norwegian or British steamers going out loaded to capac ity with freight for Japan, while Japanese steamers are unable to se cure full cargoes. ,Mr. Penton has the cart before the horse when he says that Japan's mercantile marine has promoted an expansion of Japan's' commerce. The Japan mercantile marine has been pulled along by an era of pros perity in othef lines. Now that there has been a slackening . In that pros perity, Japan is about to cut the .tow line and force the subsidized mer chant marine to float on its own mer its, or sink. The subsidies have made a few men wealthy, as would be the . case in this country, but as the peo ple familiarize themselves with the plans they will be speedily abandoned. Vico Mantegazza, which is not a new brand of macaroni or the latest thing In breakfast foods, in fact not anything to eat or drink", but instead the name of an Italian writer, has been in violent eruption over the break in the Elkins-Abruzzt transac tion. According to Mantegazza, even if Abruzzi were willing to take the girl in order to "getta. da mon," it would "be necessary for her relatives to keep themselves far distant from the royal circle." In his frantic rage over this escape of the girl and her mil lions, the Jtaliau writer asserts that all American millionaires are snobs. This is as unfair, unjust and ill-man- jnered as it "would be for some Amer i lean friend of the Elkins family to say that all of the Italians are organ grinders, peanut peddlers or Mante gazzas. It is very amusing for a full blooded American citizen to observe the extreme seriousness with which the foreigners discuss their back numbered royalty. ROOT'S DANGEROUS- FRIENUS. Judge Root needs the courage and defiance of a blameless man. If he is the dupe of his evil friends, he lacks the strength of character that should have kept him out of this plight and should stay him up now. It is a weak excuse that he resigned because he was Informed his associates on the bench would refuse to sit with him. A sturdy man, conscious of rightdoing, would have refused to withdraw for such a reason. Judge Root presents a pitiful spectacle, in broken spirit and broken fortune. But it is such a plight as a man of moral stamina should not- and does not fall into. Such a man does not allow himself to be so subservient to other men as to be ruined or dismayed by their misdeeds. When a man Is a member of the Supreme Court, there is every reason to guard himself the more against their influence and persua sions. It Is an ugly mess for Judge Root and will not be improved by plaintive excuses or explanations. He appears not even to have enough vigor to de mand that Gordon and Palmer, his friends, the men who are evidently responsible for the trouble, shall aid him in -warding off the charges of corruption. "I have asked Judge Gor don to appear before the committee" (of the bar), says Root. "He has not said that he would and I doubt that he will." It is a sad commentary that Root ever owned a friend like that. And Palmer, Root's law partner, must be a bad one too to leave him unde fended in such a plight. A man who must be saved from his scheming friends has no place on the bench or In any other high office. It is altogether safer for himself and for the public that he retire to private life, where his friends don't need to use him. WILL IMPROVE THE SERVICE. The mere fact that the Port of Port land has available for the purpose of providing boats for a river and bar towage service the sum of 3500,000 does not necessarily imply that this money must all be spent for equip ment. That the Port of Portland iwill proceed -with caution and on business like lines is unquestioned. There is much merit in Mr. Lockwood's state ment that "there are a number of sternwheel tugs on the river, the serv ices of which at satisfactory rates we can undoubtedly secure temporarily to. assist us at such times as necessary. This will result in economy to us, both In providing equipment and ope rating expenses, while at th.e same time giving fully as satisfactory a service to the port." It is well known that there are cer tain seasons of the year when there are very few sailing vessels to be moved, and the plan of leasing steam ers which can be'used in dull periods for other work will undoubtedly be much more economical than to invest a large amount In building new, steam ers which might fail to meet the de mands of the service as well as those which have already been tried. The same is true regarding boats for the bar service. The tramp steamer Is displacing the sailing vessel so rapidly that we shall never again be called on to handle as large a fleet of sail ing vessels as has heretofore entered the river. Such increase as is made, If there should be an increase, will be in small coastwise schooners and barkentines for which a medium powered tug Is much more economical than a large one, and as satisfactory. Here, as on the river, an effort should be made to lease tugs which are adapted to the work, rather than experiment with something untried. The Columbia River is In a class by Itself, and tugs which might prove highly satisfactory elsewhere might be very unsatisfactory when tried here. Bar tugs have been found ;to work satisfactorily for river towing, where there were wide channels, sheltered from the winds, but in the forty-five years which have elapsed since ships began towing up to Portland, it has been demonstrated that, except on the lower reaches of the river, the bar tug is not only worthless, but with any kind of a wind blowing Is posi tively dangerous to use in handling a ship. The most important problem In con nection with the project is the pilotage matter. The service this season has been very good, and If It can be main tained at its present standard with out levying such a heavy tribute on shipping, the Port of Portland will have done much to remove the odium which poor service at the entrance of the river has placed on the port. WHAT SPRINGS DO FOR A WAGON. From the standpoint of both econ omy and comfort, one of the best ad ditions to the farmer's equipment is a set of heavy springs for the farm wagon. It may be remarked, also, that springs on farm wagons go far toward preserving country roads. A moment's reflection will convince every farmer that this Is so. Every man who has ever ridden in a farm wagon with only a board across the wagon box for a seat knows what a severe jolting that kind of a conveyance gives. A spring seat makes an im mense amount of difference. But a load of grain or any other kind of farm produce gets the same kind of jolting, varying in degree with the weight of the load, if there are no springs under the wagon box. Except in the case of fruit, the jolting does no particular harm to the load but It does a very considerable Injury to the wagon and the road. It is this Jolting that rapidly breaks a wagon and wears "chuck-holes" In the road. The difference in the amount - of power required to haul dead weight and that required to haul weight sup ported on springs should also be taken into account. When a team Is haul ing a wagon with a solid bed and the wagon 'strikes a stone or other ob struction a few inches high, the whole weight upon the wheels must be lifted abruptly over the obstruction.- If there were springs under 'the load, part of the weight would be tempor arily relieved in going over the ob struction. The springs take some of the jar from the shoulders of the horses and make the load easier to pull. This, of course, would not be true if the roads - were perfectly smooth, which they never are. A wagon with a load of one ton has. presumably, a load of 1000 pounds on each axle and 500 pounds on each wheel. When such a wagon strikes an obstruction of. say, four inches, and goes over it, the blow to the axle Is ' Just the' same as though a 1000-pound weight had been lifted four incnes and suddenly dropped upon the axle. Each wheel receives a blow equal to the drop of a 250-pound weight the same distance. "When it is remem bered that many of the country roads are surfaced with gravel sometimes not very fine, it will be realized that the - tires, felloes, spokes, hubs and axles of the average farm wagon get a continuous hammering all the time the wagon is In use. But a wagon without springs suffers a much more severe Jolt when It drops suddenly j into a "chuck-hole" from six inches to a foot deep, or perhaps deeper. I Such a drop as that, with no springs under the load, not only gives the wagon a severe strain, but tends to dig the rut deeper. Springs under the load wduld save both the wagon and the road. ( Though the roadbed of a railroad is strong and hard and smooth, neither the rails nor the cars would last long if either passenger or freight cars were without springs. The railroad companies know this and they know that the use of springs not only eaves wear and tear, but makes possible a greater rate of speed. Farmers have learned many valuable lessons from the construction and operation meth ods of railroads and they may well learn another In this respect. POPl'LAR PRESIDENTIAL. VOTE. The Oregonlan continues to have requests for the full popular vote of the recent Presidential election, and for a great variety of information as to the relative voting strength of the several parties. The information is not yet available, for the reason that the official count has beon completed in only some of the states. It will be some days, perhaps weeks, before all the figures will be at hand. It is evi dent, however, that Taft's popular plurality will approach 1,200,000. nearly but not quite half the plurality of Roosevelt in 1904, which was 2,540. 463, the greatest ever received -by any Presidential candidate. Taft comes next, since no other Presidential can didate except Roosevelt, ever scored so heavy a majority over his nearest rival. It Is obvious now that the minor parties Socialist, Prohibitionist, and Independence had no influence on the result. That is to say, if their vote had all been cast for Bryan he would not have been elected. The Socialists, who had 401,380 in 1904, cast a half million or somewhat more m 1908; the Prohibitionists, who had 258,205 four years ago, have about the same now; while the totals for Watson, Populist, -and Hisgen, Inde pendence, are almost negligible. The aggregate of the minor parties will be about one million; so that it is obvious that Taft has a clear majority over all. STATES' RIGHTS FOR FISHERIES. Will the salmon fisheries of the Columbia River and Puget Sound be taken out of the hands of the author ities that now control them? Already the plan is working for using the su preme treaty-making power of the United States to secure international regulations with the Dominion of Canada, thus abolishing state regula tion of salmon on Puget Sound and of other fish on the Great Lakes. As for the Columbia River, it has been proposed to use the National Gov ernment's authority over interstate commerce to assert its control over the salmon fisheries of that river. . The reason for these proposed rem edies Is the failure of the joint au thority of British Columbia and the State of Washington on Puget Sound and of the States of Washington and Oregon on the Columbia River, to afford adequate salmon protection. The divided authority has made it impossible for either side adequately to enforce its laws, and each has been unable to agree with the other for enactment of proper concurrent legis lation. On the Great Lakes there has been the same trouble. On Lake Erie the fishing Industry is controlled by a maze of conflicting laws, enacted by two nations, four states and one province. Even the counties of the province endeavor to enforce their own ordinances. An international commission haa been drafting a code of regulations, which will be presented to the Gov ernments of the United States and of Canada for enactment. On the United States side it has been proposed to enact the regulations by means of the treaty-making power of the President and the Senate, which is superior to state rights and state lawmaking. An other proposal is that of submitting the International commission's regu lations to the states for enactment. The first plan, as might be expected, will be opposed by most of the fish ing interests. 1 Already a fish com mission of the State of Washington has declared against It, on . the ground that Washington authorities are better able to cope with salmon needs than the United States Bureau of Fisheries. Its members assert that United States authority would be too cumbersome and too full of red-tape methods. When the effort to estab lish National authority on the Colum bia River by means of Interstate com merce regulations shall be put forth, the same objection will be heard. To stave off National control of Puget Sound and the Columbia River, It will be necessary for the conflicting Legislatures to agree right away on concurrent laws and afford needed salmon protection. They have tried this often enough in past years and Just as often have failed, on account of the warring interests. It will hard ly be disputed that it would be better to take fish control away from the States of Washington and Oregon and the province of British Columbia, and place it in a higher authority, than to continue the destruction of salmon. It is therefore "up to" the lawmaking bodies of Oregon. Wash ington and British Columbia to "make good." This may be their last chance. A SHRIEKY MANIFESTO. A call is issued for "a confer ence of all democratically radical and antl-plutocratlc forces," to be held at St. Louis during the month of De cember, to take measures for organi zation of a new party. - It assumes that the old Democratic party is dead. This party, the manifesto declares, "blows radically hot and conservatively cold by turns, in a vain, stupid lust for the key to the National Treasury. In the South, under its Bourbon oligarchs, it is an ethical anarchy of child labor, peon age, and convict slavery; In the North, an unholy alliance in the cities of thieving, bribing, public service cor porations, with the protected vicea of the slums." This is pretty bad. More over, this party Is "now sunk to the lowest depth of servile hypocrisy of senile decay." While the Democratic party is dead, the Republican party Is unspeakable. It, however, is "at least fairly consis- , . - ... a tent and practically efficient In its frankly brutal methods of governing the people." The Democratic party of the olden time has been dead ever since Appo mattox. The principles of Jefferson then and there surrendered. Tet the party has still existed in name, be cause there must be an opposition party, and the name borne by this party is good as any. One question now presents itself, namely, whether another set of men is now to rise up and take the leadership -of it. It is not probable that the Decem brists of St. Louis will be able to do this. Their manifesto is too shrieky to carry weight. It is quite to be expected that res idents of the Willamette Valley will oppose the project for the building of a state road from Portland to the California line. The great majority of the residents of the Valley would have no use whatever for such a road. What they need, and need badly, is a system of roads leading from the railroads back through the farming country to the foothills of the Cas cade and Coast Range mountains. They are not likely to try hauling freight to Portland in wagons in com petition with railroads. ' But they have a serious problem confronting them in the matter of hauling their produce to the railroad. Those farm ers who own automobiles would like to have a first-class highway running north and south upon which they could take pleasure trips. But for practical business purposes the farm er needs a road upon which he can haul a big load of produce to the rail road or river either Winter or Sum mer. The Western Pacific tunnel was completed through the Sierras Satur day, and is so far from the summit of that famous barrier that It assures completion of the road with a maxi mum grade of one per cent. Perhaps it was the knowledge of this remark ably advantageous grade over the new line that induced Mr. Harriman to come to the rescue of George Gould when his Eastern railroad pos sessions, were about to pass into the hands of the pawnbrokers. Mr. Har riman has made low grades and tan gents a hobby In his railroad con struction, and the Westera Pacific, with a one per cent grade, might some day have been in a position to prove a dangerous competitor of the Union Pacific. It is one of the first principles of legal practice to put off until next month what you can avoid doing to day. Professional courtesy requires that when one attorney asks for an ex tension of time or for a postponement, the opposing counsel must grant it. This serves a double purpose to the profession, creates the Idea that the lawyers, have more work than they can attend to, and gives clients to understand that the work the lawyers have in hand takes a great deal of time; hence that large fees are Justi fied. And when opposing attorneys agree to delay, courts have nothing to do but submit. That, also. Is pro fessional courtesy, for judges are lawyers. The New York contracting firm .which enjoys the special patronage of Boss Murphy has been awarded a $30,000,000 contract for electrifying the New York, New Haven & Hart ford Railroad, and admitting it to the city by means of a subway. It is stated that there will be a profit of 35,000,000 in the work for someone. The railroad company apparently found the price "reasonable," even at a few millions more than other con tractors might have bid. Tammany is in a position to facilitate railroad work quite materially, and Mr. Mur phy is probably fully cognizant of that fact. Attorneys for tl,e express compa nies want the powers of the Railroad Commission diminished because a complaint has been filed charging that rates are excessive. Under the" law, says the attorney, a shipper can file a complaint every minute. True, but In two years only two complaints ask ing for hearing have been filed. Would any one undertake to say that In two years there were only two occasions when circumstances warranted the filing of complaints? Perhaps the ex press companies have been getting off easy. A plea of self-defense in the case of Finch would come near destroying the last semblance of respect for ju dicial procedure in criminal cases. If the law Is such that a plea' of this kind can be seriously made in the Finch case, then every man who goes about his business In a peaceable. harmless way Is liable to be shot at any time by some worthless scoun drel acting in "self-defense." Desertions from the Army during 1908 were less in number than for several years previous. Perhaps this may be accounted for in part by the fact that wages have fallen somewhat and there are more men out of em ployment. The soldier, is always sure or a rainy good meal and bed, and never has to file a mechanic's lien in order to get his wages. If the statutes will permit the Judge of one district to hold court In an other, the congested condition of af fairs in Multnomah County might be relieved by inviting Judge Burnett, of the Third District, to come down and help out in Multnomah. If general reputation Is any Indication of the true state of things, Burnett can clear a court docket In pretty fast time. Farmers In the eastern part of Polk County are planning to set up a rock crusher and give their roads a surface coating of rock this Winter. This Is a good time to do the work, for farmers' teams j are not now very bus'. Genial, brave Rear-Admiral Cogh lan lived long enough to hear his fa mous phrase "Hoch der Kaiser" sup planted by one more up-to-date, in which the people were advised to "knock der Kaiser." Judge Root should have taken ad vantage of the opportunity to estab lish a few precedents upon the sub ject 'of what constitutes malfeasance in office, etc. There is something doing all the time In college as well as vaudeville. Donating contests will now follow foot bail. The course of love ran smooth until that 39 ruby ring came from Abruzzi land. , The gun toter generally . begins life as a cigarette fiend. . ABOIT FINCH, THE MURDERER. Baker City Herald. Finch should hang, and should hang quickly; Pendleton Tribune. If the Multnomah County courts do their duty there will be no significance In the fact that Finch rhymes with 1-n-h. Condon Times. Finch, who was a lawyer, had a case in the ourt here about a year ago and nad to be removed from the room in an inebriated condition. Lincoln County Leader (Toledo). J. A. Finch is another of those mur derers who Is trying the Insanity raeket to cheat the gallows. It seems a peculiar brand of "dementia." Dallas Observer. The question now Is whether the trial Jury will uphold the coroner's verdict or continue to let the "demen tia" farce clog the wheels of the ma chinery of justice. Drain Nonpareil. Every law-abiding citizen In the state demands a speedy trial and execution of the miserable monster Finch, o more cold-blooded murder was ever committed in the state. Oakland Owl. Jim Finch had no cause for leaving a young wife and infant son without a husband and father. Put the gallows in action and let him pay a just penalty at the earliest possible moment. Brownsville Times. The Oregonlan Is right in demanding the quick punishment of murderer Finch, but what about the punishment of the 12 other murderers now confined in the Multnomah County Jail? Albany Democrat. The conspiracy theory in the Flnch- Flsher murder, will never be proven. The prosdeutton had better devote their energies to hanging Finch and letting the conspiracy take care of Itself. - Colfax (Wash.) Gazette. Of the killing, in cold blood, there is no question. The defense what will that be? We ,may look for the usual delays and appeals on technicalities, which only add disgust to the whole proceedings. St. John Review. As the crowning act of the fiendish deed there is to be an effort to save the murderer's neck on the plea of emotional insanity. Then the penalty for emotional insanity should be made hanging by the neck until dead. McMinnville News Reporter. So long as courts, executives and juries are so lenient, so long will crimes by such vengeful snakes-in-the-grass continue. String those now guilty up and a wonderfully whole some effect will at once be noted. Corvallis Republican. The taking of human life in this fashion was certainly not Justifiable under the circumstances. The differ ences between the two men seem to have been purely of a business nature and certainly killing was not necessary. Lebanon Criterion. Finch for a number of years was a resident of Albany, and is well known in this county, where he took an active part in politics, first as a Democrat, then a Populist and later a Republican. His methods In this county were shady. Moro Observer. "Revenge is sweet," in certain im pure ways, but Jim Finch, once a stage driver In this county, will find it a bitter dose before the people get through, with him for his brutal and cowardly murder of Ralph Fisher In Portland last Saturday. Oregon City Courier. Shall we expect in this cold-blooded murder, with all the evidence possible, that there shall be a long-drawn-out trial with its costs, and at last be given the assurance that he will quietly rest for a year In some asylum for those who are slightly demented. St. Helens Mist. It is certainly time public sentiment was brought to bear upon the legal profession to induce them to tear down the barriers they have erected between justice and the criminal. The record in Oregon, as well as in other states of (he Union, is a disgrace to civilization. ,Chehalis (Wash.) Bee-Nugget. Now It Is announced the attorneys for Finch are going Into court to save his miserable carcass from the hangman's noose. Irresponsibility or insanity of some sort will be the line of defense. If the Portland Jury which hears the case is wise It will refuse to listen to such defense and quickly find the fellow guilty of first-degree murder. WILL FINCH DIE OF OLD AGET How Technical Attorneys May Prolong; Ilia -Worthless Life. Salem Statesman. -Will "Jim" Finch hang or die of old age? He is 38 years old now. If his trial comes up In December, it will consume several days. If convicted and sen tenced to hang, the Judge will give him 60 days for time of execution. The Su preme Court will Issue a warrant for his hanging some time during the last 30 days of the time stipulated. 1 Then there will be a motion for ap peal, which must be granted. Thirty days are given In which to send a transcript to the Supreme Court. After the transcript Is filed 20 days are allowed to file an abstract. After this 10 days are allowed to file a brief. - Following this 10 days are allowed to file an answer. Finch Is then given 10 days more to file an answer. Then the state puts the case on the Supreme Court docket- Cases In the supreme Court are now set for six months ahead, and by the time the case of Finch gets on the docket there Is no telling how much further ahead they may be set. So the question arises will Finch hang or die of old age? Tariff-Making by Prayer. Fitz-Nigel in New York Evening Post. The New York Tribune publishes a tele gram from Joplin, Mo., saying that min isters of 25 towns In the Kansas-Missouri mining district will pray on Thanks giving day for a tariff on zinc ore. o Lord, we humbly ask thine aid To tariff raise on Zinc. Because our infant trade now stands CMos on to ruin's brink. We do not ask thee "mountains move And cast into the sea," That deaf may hear, and dumb may speak. Or that the blind may see. For things like these we have no use; We need substantial "chink." We must have help and have It now. Good Lord, remember Zinc. We know 'twill raise the price of paint. Of mat. and tub. and aink. But other people pay the bill; Good Lord, protect our Zinc. Same Old Story. Washington Herald. In days of old when knights were bold and barons held' their sway, they took their orders from their wives Just as we do today. The Sam of It Is 13. St. Louis Globe-Democrat. Astrologers are at work on Bryan's chances for 1912. For a start add the figures together.' JAPAN AND SHIP SUBSIDIES. Letter From Iron Tradea Review That la Dnly Noticed Elsewhere. (The following letter was forwarded to The Oregonlan by the editor of the Albany (N. Y.) Argus, which had reprinted from thla paper an article on the ship subsidy In Japan.) CLEVELAND, Nov. 27. (Editor of The Argus.) You have been very seri ously misled in statements from The Portland Oregonian, editorially ap proved by you, In regard to the alleged abandonment of the subsidy system by Japan. These statements declare that 'practically all of the ship-subsidies are to be withdrawn. The only pay ments being made are those which are for mail steamers." In the first place, the principal sub sidies of Japan are and have been for these mail steamers. The British Board of Trade Journal of March 6, 1908, says that In 1907-1908 Japan's mail subsidies constituted 3, 640,000 out of total ex penditures of $4,735,000. In the second place It is these mail subsidies which Japan has used to drive the American flag off the Pacific Ocean all of her lines to our Pacific ports being mail lines, whose national aid is to be continued. In the third place, the proposal to reduce the Japanese sub sidles Is only a proposal. It has not yet been accepted, and perhaps will not be accepted at all by the Japanese lawmakers. Finally, it is significant that in the pressure for economy, grow ing out of the huge Indebtedness of the Russian War, the Japanese government has reduced Its expenditures for its army, its navy, its civil government, and even for education, before propos ing to touch the ship-subsidies at all. The reason for this Is manifest that the Japanese government and its people believe that the ship-subsidy expendi tures have been the wisest, most profit able and most Indispensable of all the expenditures of the empire. In 1870, Japan had only 18,000 tons of shipping and no shipyard capable of constructing any craft but junks. Today, because of liberal and persistent subsidies, the Japanese mercantile ma rine has a tonnage of 1, BOO, 000, and there are 185 modern shipyards In the empire. As late as 1900 there were in all Japan only 38,000 people engaged in ocean trade; now there are 202,000. The Increase of her mercantile marine has accompanied and promoted an expan sion of Japan's foreign commerce from a total of about $50,000,000 to $60,000,000 In 1884 to a total of $419,000,000 In 1906. Is It any wonder that the Japanese gov ernment, even In its present financial stress, cuts expenditures on everything else before Its ocean shipping? The truth is that there is not one single policy of the empire which the Japa nese statesmen and their people so overwhelmingly approve as this of na tional aid to maritime enterprise. The truth is perfectly well known on the Pacific Coast and The Portland Ore gonian has deliberately misrepresented it, deceiving you and deceiving several other American newspapers. I trust that, in the interest of fair play, you will publish this letter as conspicuously as you published the original misstate ments. JOHN PENTON, Managing Editor Iron Trade Review. MR. SHERMAN AS A CONGRESSMAN He la the Second Vlce-Presldent-Elect to Serve In Loner House. New York Tribune. When James S. Sherman takes his old seHt in the front row of the House of Representatives, December 7. to serve out his term as a member of the Sixtieth Congress, the House will see a Vice-President-elect take part in its deliberations for the second time in the history of that body. Schuyler Colfax, of Indiana, and, like Mr. Sherman, a native of New York, continued to serve as Soeaker of the House for half a term In the Fortieth Congress after he haii been elected Vice-President on the ticket headed by Ulysses S. Grant. On March 3, 18S9, Schuyler Colfax re signed as Speaker In order that he might prepare for his Inauguration as Vice-President. He called Representa tive James F. Wilson, of Iowa, to the chair, and moved the election of Theo dore M. Pumeroy, of New York, as Speaker. The motion was carried unanimously, and for one day Mr. Pomeroy acted in that capacity. The Fortieth Congress ended on March 4. and James G. Blaine was elected Speak er of the Forty-first. Mr. Colfax re mained as Speaker even during the counting and recording of the electoral votes which made him Vice-President, and, although this action caused some comment at the time, it was finally decided that It was parliamentary and constitutional. Mr. Sherman will have no official part to take in his formal election, which takes place in February, al though he will be as active in legisla tive affairs In the next session as he has been in the past. To him will fall the principal work of framing the Indian appropriation bill, while his work on the rules committee and the Interstate and foreign com merce committee Is expected to give him a busy session in the House before he goes to the Senate to preside over that body. t'nrnrsrte Says Nothing; New. Louisville Courier-Journal. As the opinion of a disinterested citizen of large Industrial experience Mr. Car negie's comment -commands wide atten tion despite the fact that in what is pre sumably the cream of It there is absolute ly nothing that anyone without hi!$ In dustrial experience might not find out with little effort and absolutely nothing that has not been said a thousand times in Congress, on the stump, in the press, and said as convincingly. The steel master might have turned muckraker and, without doing violence to his consclenoe or the facts, written some of the inner history of tariff legislation that, under his name, would have awak ened the people of the United States to a keen realization of the fact that the friends of the tariff have been hifty pol iticians, and not merely mistaken econo mists, that the leading beneficiaries have been a ring of conscienceless parasites, and not "timid manufacturers," and that the protective tariff has flourished by corrupting the sources of government rather than by Influencing the convictions of legislators. What Mr. Carnegie has said may have some effect. What he leaves unsaid the tale he could unfold in a series of maga zine articles might constitute a real fac tor for reform. The Boy's Poet-Prnndlal Chat. Gee! Th' Christmas duiner Is a winner! With th' turkey gettln' thinner Till there's Jurat th' bonea an' neck Like a wreck Standtn' lonesome on th' plattrr. An' you feel yourself get fatter When they pass th" aweet potatoes, An' th" stewed corn an' tomatoes, And th" clovee-stuckin-it ham. An' th Jam, An th' celery an' pickles. An' th' elder with th' tickles When you owallow. Christmas comes but onct a year; Mustn't spoil it while It's here! When we've et th' table bare. Gee! My clothes is hard to wear. An- th' folks say: "Bless his heart He has done a grown man's- part!" Wlsht thev'd bless my stomach, too That'd help when we get through, 'Cause my heart can get along An' keep beatin' good an' strong: Put my stomach! Oh, gee whirl Guess that's where mr conscience 1st Hope there's some left for tonight When I'll have more appuhtlte All right! Huh! My Uncle John, w'y. he Fea I lack capacity! Gee! Th' Christmas dinner Is a winner! W. D. Nesbit In Everybody's). SILHOUETTES BV ARTHUR A. GREENE. IHS in a quandary as to whether it should be 30 or 90 days for people who write it "Xmas," but I think it should be 90. m All right-minded people must be gratified that, in spite of the machina tions of Ross and other malefactors. Judge Marquam receives at last even a pitiful crumb of Justice. President Castro, of Venezuela, is to have a serious surgical operation, al though the dispatches do not state Its nature. Let us hope the doctors will cut out his mouth. If lying is an unpardonable sin, there are probably more shades In Hades for pretending to understand classical mu sic than for any other cause. . A Good Time Will Be Had. Rehearsing for the Rockefeller re ception in Styx Park, South Sheol, some time in the near future: Band master Michael, tapping with his baton, to shades of Caligular Louis XI, Cap tain Kidd, Benedict Arnold. Jesse James and the man who Invented golf "Hall to the Chief, Now, then, all together!" e If he offers to put on her rubbers, they may be some time; but If he lets her put them on herself, its a cinch they are. A waiter who receives numerous tips seldom ever complains of his quarters. People who waste time having their fortunes told seldom succeed in making them. The severest test of self-control Is not to refer to it after having done something unselfish. . Every time I think of presents I'm almost constrained to move that Christ mas be celebrated quadrennially. e What has become of the old-fashlonerl woman who used to make the Christ mas gifts she sent her friends? Notoriety. Where are the great of yesterday? Oblivion has laid them all away Among the moth-balls, ar.d they are forgot; I scarce recall their names, and like as not, Tomorrow's paper will ignore the sage And mighty men of yesterday's front page. E'en Bryan, who aforetime filled such space. There scarce was room or any place To run a corset "ad.," gets not a line; And Duke Abruzzi, who was once so fine A source of copy, has quite petered out; Each day a new bunch brings to write about. But all the time, unchanged from day to day, While other heroes rise and pass away, Changeless and enduring as the firma ment, The fame and face of him whose lini ment Has been a boon to suckers in distress, Is made Immortal by the dally press. Also the ministering angel whose com pound It seems Is necessary to have around The house; her gentle face e'er smiles on us, When hasily the paper we skim through and cuss Because the baseball scores are crowd ed out ' So that her virtues may be told about. And others who, through worth and merit high. Though candidates and Kings may die. Continue in our Journals ever young1 and fair. The talcum powder man and she whoso hair Grew over night because she used good dope, Or eke some god-like manufacturer of soap. But where are those of yesterday; The valiant and the grave and gay. Who got the scareheads and their names misspelled, And all the best "preferred position" held? Oblivion has laid them all away, While other geezers make the news today. Every man who has no friends is at man without a country. A broken garter makes more stir than a breaking heart, Some snooping old savant is trying to prove that Paul Revere did not make his famous ride "through every Middle sex village and farm." What's the use cherishing hero tales, anyhow? Pretty soon they'll be trying to tell us that Harry Lane didn't closo the North End. Since the barber shops stopped keep ing the Police Gazette, on file, many busy men are deprived of their only means of delving into the fastnesses of literature. e Now his majesty, the football mon arch, will abdicate In favor of the boy who leads the german. A woman likes to have a man think that all the others are in love with her. A man tries to make a wonvan believe he was never in love before. Neither succeeds in being convincing. Family men and turkeys always wear a hunted look during the blessed , holiday season. Peril for Green Hat at Poag, III. Chicago Dispatch. At Poag, 111., there is such a feeling against the Black Hand that all the residents and farmers nearby, includ ing women, are armed, and a man wear ing a green hat came near being cut down in the town. The Useful Girl. Nashville American. The girl who spends her time making angel cake and potato salad instead of castles in Spain will to better execution in after years. One Man Can Do It AIL Springfield (Mass.) Republican. A good many wonder why we bother to elect a President and a Congress when Hobson is so willing to run the country.
