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.