Morning Oregonian., December 28, 1908, Page 6, Image 6

THE 3IORXIXG OREGOXIAX, MONDAY, DECEMBER 28. 1908.
6
PORTLAND. OREGON.
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POBTUND. MONDAY, DKC. 8.
s
J . WEIGHTY OPINION.
',, It is not doubted that the United
', States Steel Corporation could do bu.i
I ness and make profits, even if steel
; were entered on the free list. But
this great corporation has. a number
' of small competitors who say tlfey
I would be ruined; and it might bo so.
I They allege that the great monopoly
I would, with free trade, be stronger
.' .than ever. But even if the fears of
the small establishments were real
! i.ed the cost of steel would be re-
duced. and American steel would
J hardlv be sold abroad at lower prices
J than at home.
Andrew Carnegie says he thinks the
I tariff on steel "no longer necessary.'
He sold out of the steel business some
! vears ago for J300.000.000, taking his
"pay in 5 per cent gold bonds; and he
' has been worrying along ever since on
! an income of ,15.000.000 a year. Of
course he is confident that the great
"corporation will still be able to pay
his interest; for he must get that, be
. fore the stockholders can divide any
profits. Andrew "has a cinch," in
i deed.
' But the system that made him so
rich cannot be regarded as an admir
I able one. One of its worst con.se-
quenees was the creation of Andrew
! Carnegie and his bonds of J300.000,
', 000, to be a tax on one of the great
c' industries of the country, in perpe
' tuity. It would be a mighty good
thing to hasten Carnegie's efforts to
; give away his mighty fortune, by en
' actment of a beautifully graduated
I income tax. It is remembered, of
course, that the Supreme Court held
such tax unconstitutional: yet many
I are of the opinion V. H. Taft among
them that an act could be drawn
'. which the court would uphold. But
Carnegie, when asked if he favored
.' an income tax, to make up deficit in
' revenues, replied, with most emphatic
disapproval, that "of all demoralizing
, taxes that a nation can impose upon
the people, the income tax is the
; worst." It may be feared that Carne
gie is not a disinterested witness. Yet
' of course the opinion of a man who
talks for J300.000.000. and an annual
"-income of $15,000,000, is entitled to
great weight. "
i ' '. T
. NEW ERA IV RAILROAD BVILMNG.
A Chicago special to The Oregonlan
" announces that "plans have been per
' fected by Mr. Harriman for construc
J tion of between 750 and 1000 miles of
I railroad in the State of Oregon alone,"
I and that "surveys have been ordered
of a great deal of territory which is
I now without means of transportation."
I Mr. Julius Kruttsehnitt, one of Mr.
I Harriman'? chief lieutenants, is quoted
I as saying that "the financial situa-
tion will have to clear a little before
all of the . work which has been
planned or is being planned will be
r begun." Since the appearance of this
statement, however, it is noted that
orders for rush work on the Pugot
I Sound extension of the Union Pacific
have been given, and retaliation for
.". Mr. Hill's invasion of Harriman ter
J ritory in Colorado and Wyoming is
I announced in the f"rm of Union Pa
Icific extensions. The appearance of
active competition sometimes aids in
! clearing the financial atmosphere, or
at least it has the effect of forcing the
'carrying out of plans which otherwise
'would be held in abeyance.
It now seems almost a certainty
I that nothing short of a widespread
panic of record proportions can much
I longer withhold from the people of
'Oregon the long-promised increase in
transportation facilities. This, as out
alined in 'the Chicago special men
tioned. is due to the approaching com
I petition of new roads to the Coast.
"Within six months the Chicago, Mil
"waukee & St. Paul will be running
"irains to the Coast. The mysterious
North Coast road is pushing construc
tion and buying expensive yardage and
depot facilities in the cities and
towns where it touches. "We are thus
assured of at least two new lines in
addition to the Hill and Harriman sys
tems. The relations existing between
the newcomers and the lines already
here are matters of conjecture, some
rumors crediting the new lines with
alliances of varying degrees of
itrength with the roads already com
pleted. AVhatorer these relations
may be, however, the immediate ne
cessity for opening up more territory
'or business would hardly be changed.
If the Milwaukee and the North
Coast are coming into this field un
trammeled by any alliances with other
roads, it accordingly becomes very nec
essary for them to break into new
fields not yet exploited by older roads.
On the other hand, if they have ef
fected any traffic or trackage arrange-
ments with established roads, It still
.becomes necessary that the new terri
tory be exploited for the purpose of
developing the additional traffic, neces
sary to enable, four roads to thrive
'where but two have- been handling
;all the business. The possibilities for
expansion in business along the main
iiine of the roads can never equal those
which await the coming of the feeder
' 3T branch lines. There are thousands
of settlers in Central and Southeastern
Oregon who have been waiting for
years for an opportunity to cultivate
their rich farms with some assurance
that the products could reach a mar
ket. As soon as this assurance is
forthcoming, not only these long-suffering
settlers, but thousands of new
Uettlers who will promptly rush into
the country, will create a traffic that
will In a few years reach great pro
portions. Railroad development in Oregon
has been slower than in any other
Western state, but we have reached
. point where It cannot much longer
be retarded, and indications now point
to an approaching era of railroad
building that in its magnitude will
overshadow anything that we have
ever known.
THE PROBLEM AT PANAMA.
Mr. Taft, who is on his way to
Panama, with competent advisers to
Inspect the canal, said at Augusta,
Ga., that if the criticisms of the pres
ent plans should be deemed well
founded, there would be no hesitation
in altering them. There cannot be radi
cal alteration, however, without au
thority of Congress; but it is not
doubted that any recommendation the
new President may make will be ap
proved by that body; which certainly,
after his examination and report, will
have confidence in his suggestions.
A canal cut to sea-level would un
doubtedly be safer; and though it
would cost more money and time, it
might prove more economical. There
would be no dams to slide out, and if
earthquakes should occur there could
not be much damage beyond tumbling
a lot of debris into the canal, which
could soon be reopened.
After hearing testimony of many
engineers, Congress adopted the pres
ent plan the high-level lock system.
Consideration of economy was the
main reason; and, moreover, there was
force in the argument that the sea
level plan would require for its com
pletion three to five years more time
than the other. That there would be
more assurance of safety on the sea
level plan is certain ; but the amount
of material to be removed would be
enormously increased, since it would
be. necessary to cut the sides back in
proportion to the much greater depth.
But there would be fewer locks and
less expense "of operation.
The materials on which the foun
dation of the great dam at Gatun
must rest are of a nature that gives
great uneasiness. The masonry will
be eighty-five feet in height, and the
pressure upon it will be such that any
dislocation of the foundation will
cause certain catastrophe. Even a
slight earthquake shock might cause
the ruin of the structure. That un-.
easiness is felt is evident and certain;
and President Taft's recommendation
to Congress on the subject, which may
be expected at t'.ie special session im
mediately after the inauguration in
March, will be awaited with interest,
not only in our own country, but in
most parts of the world. The general
drift of opinion seems tJ be in favor
of changing the plan, as a measure
of prudence and safety. The country
must, however, expect an outlay of
enormous proportions probably not
less than J500,000,000.
It was the long debate over the
Nicaraguan proposal, which required
a canal at the level of Nicaragua Lake,
one hundred feet above the sea, that
familiarized our country with the
idea of a high-level lock canal, and
started the project at Panama on a
similar idea.
ONE FEAST AFTER ANOTHER.
Microbes, according to present-day
theories, are the cause and the symp
tom of disease. To destroy microbes,
a number of fat jobs in warm offices
have been established in the City Hall.
All this has generated a race of an
other sort a lot of taxeaters them
selves typical microbes, sot loose from
Pandora's box to prey on defenseless
taxpayers. Here we have a disease un
bargained for.
In this City Hall colony are a
health officer and four deputies;-a City
Physician; a Market Inspector; a bac
teriologist; two medical school inspec
tors, a school nurse, a matron and a
clerk a big array of hungry germs.
Then in addition are four plumbing
inspectors, a legion of sewer inspec
tors, four building inspectors, and a
lot of other functionaries. Kven yet
we are told that the plague must bo
allowed to spread by addition of milk
inspectors, meat inspectors and what
not else.
In the evolutionary process one race
preys on its neighbor and one kind of
microbe-killers follows another. It
will be Interesting to behold what
devouring angel ail-wise Providence
has in store for the office-holding or
ganisms in the City Hall. Lest the
above should not be clearly under
stood, let the simple remark be added
that the city, in most if not all its de
partments, is largely over-officered.
IT SEE.MS STRANGE NOW.
It is an almost universal custom at
Christian funerals to read the fifteenth
chapter of First Corinthians. In this
chapter the Pauline idea of the resur
rection of the dead is developed. Yet
the Illustration borrowed from the
organism of plants, to prove that the
resurrection of the body is consist
ent with nature and reason, so far
from implying that the same body
rises, indicates the reverse. The at
tempt to force this analogy is a mis
take. In the chapter there is reference to
an early Christian custom and belief,
which surprises the modern reader
and hearer who pays attention to it.
In the twenty-ninth verse the .author
writes: "What shall they do which
are baptized for the dead, if the dead
rise not at all? Why are they then
baptized for the dead?" The intent
of the argument is to support the doc
trine of the resurrection.
The idea here is an exceedingly
curious one. It fhdicates that a prac
tice existed among the early Chris
tians of baptizing a living person in
the stead of some one who had died
before that sacrament had been ad
ministered to him. It was a sort of
Justification by vicarious or substitu
tional method. St. Chrysostom (350
4 00 A. D.) gives the following descrip
tion of it:
"After a catechumen (one prepared
for baptism but not actually baptized)
was dead, they hid a living man under
the bed of the deceased; then com
ing to the dead man they spoke to him
and asked whether he would receive
baptism; and he, making no answer,
the other replied in his stead, and so
they baptized the living for the dead."
In the curious passage of the first
epistle to the Corinthians, Paul, un
doubtedly the author, referred to a
custom that may not have been uni
versal among the early Christians,,
but seems not to have been contin
ued very long.. Some modern sects
have, however, revived it for a time;
among them the Mormons, whose
prophet, Joseph Smith, said that those
who neglected baptism for their dead,
for which there was authority of
Holy Scripture, "did it at the peril
of their own salvation."
Such a matter and its explanation
seem strange now. But this is the
truth as to these things. The author
of the epistles to the Corinthians was
not a modern logician conducting a
train of reasoning, but a man of
strong feeling drawing comparisons to
set forth one or two Ideas, inexact
in language, using single words and
customs in vogue about him without
analysis or studied selection, and in
his earnest mood careless of construc
tion and syntax. His doctrinal state
ments should not be pressed into
modern church creeds, apart from
their surroundings or limitations.
INCREASE IN TEACHERS' PAY.
The annual Portland school meet
ing tonight must pass on the trouble
some question of increase in teachers'
pay. It is too much to expect, of
course, that the school meeting will
be attended by any considerable num
ber of taxpayers who have expert
knowledge on the subject, or any
knowledge, except as they glean it
from the directors' report or from the
arguments on the several plans to be
submitted and discussed. But the
taxpayer does know that there is a
School Board whose duty it is to
study the subject in detail and to pass
on all demands for increase or read
justment in the schedules. The School
Board has evidently made a conscien
tious and careful effort to meet pub
lic expectation and has submitted a
report for the Information and guid
ance of taxpayers. It suggests ad
vances in pay averaging from 9 to 15
per cent and aggregating about J80,
000 per annum. Four of the direc
tors agree on this recommendation,
but the fifth submits a lan of his
own, making increases that aggregate
about J50.000 per annum and offer
ing also a different method of apply
ing the added pay.
The Oregonlan cannot undertake to
say which is the better plan, since one
appears to differ from the other main
ly in details; but It thinks the whole
matter can best be disposed of and the
way made clearer to surer agreement
in future between the directors and
the teachers by adopting the recom
mendation of the four directors. It
appears to be conceded all around that
the teachers are entitled to more pay,
and, if they are. it is certainly wise
to support the directors in their ma
tured scheme. We do not know of
any other way to run the affairs of
the school district without demoraliz
ing the whole system and discourag
ing good citizens from accepting pub
lic duties so onerous and thankless as
school directorships.
HOW THE INSANE MAY BE CURED.
The biennial report of the State
Asylum for the Insane presents sta
tistics which should be encouraging
to the friends and relatives of those
unfortunate persons who by reason of
mental' affliction must be taken to that
institution. It is shown, tor example,
that the number of patients dis
charged as recovered or much im
proved is 44 per cent of the total
number received during the two years.
In view of the fact that many of the
patients taken to that institution are
sufferers from other maladies as well,
this is a good showing. Since the
statistics also show that the larger
proportion of recoveries are secured
where the patients are placed under
treatment early, those who have the
care of the mentally deranged should
not delay sending them where they
can be given the attention needed.
The modern hospital for the insane
is vastly different from the place of
confinement pictured in the minds of
persons who have never visited such
an institution. As shown by this re
port, the policy is to give patients as
much exercise in the open air as pos
sible and to provide them with amuse
ment or work that will keep their
minds pleasantly occupied. The closed
and padded cell and the straight
jacket exist in the imagination of the
uninformed more than any place else.
Plain but healthful food, fresh air,
exercise, kind treatment and, in a few
Cases, the giving of medicine, are the
agencies employed in the effort to bet
ter the condition of the mentally dis
eased. In rare instances attendants
have been known to be abusive, but
in every asylum for the insane one of
the most strictly enforced rules is that
which forbids the use of undue vio
lence toward a patient. Attendants
experienced in the handling of the in
sane learn to control their charges
without using force.
The State Insane Asj-lum is Oregon's
most costly public Institution and will
henceforth place upon the people of
the state a burden of not less than
J400.000 a year. Judging by the esti
mates of the necessary expense for the
ensuing two years. But the mentally
infirm are a class which society must
care for, not only as a matter of self
protection, but as a duty established
by the simplest rules of human con
duct. Quite naturally those who have
the burden to bear expect that it will
be made as light as possible without
depriving the state's wards of that
care of which they are in need.
CLAl'S SPKECKEI.S.
The colossal fortune of the late
Claus Spreckels, who on Saturday
passed on to the land where commer
cial ratings are not closely scanned,
was accumulated by methods not dis
similar from those employed by John
I). Rockefeller in his oil trade and
Mr. Carnegie in the steel trade. Mr.
Spreckels, like Mr. Rockefeller, by the
introduction of economies in refining a
product for which there was a uni
versal demand, succeeded in building
up a monopoly of the business on the
Pacific Coast. The sugar monopoly,
like the oil monopoly and the steel
monopoly, was fostered by our tariff
policy,- and carried with it the oppor
tunity to exact the limit of tribute
from the consumers; and, as the great
fortune left by Mr. Spreckels, together
with lavish expenditures and some
charities through life, bears evidence,
the opportunity was not overlooked.
Mr. Spreckels was a keen, aggressive
business man, with fighting qualities
which enabled him to hold against all
comers the vast Western domain in
which he wrested his tribute from the
consumers. Spreckels not only fought
the Eastern sugar trust when it in
vaded the Pacific Coast, but carried
the war into Africa by building a re
finery at Philadelphia, for ' several
months maintaining such an active
warfare against the Eastern trust that
consumers for a long time were en
abled to buy sugar for approximately
what it was worth. The energetic na
ture of Mr. Spreckels and the readi
ness with which he resented anything
that he regarded as an infringement
on or interference with his rights
brought .results In other directions
than in sugar. His Inability to agree
with the Southern Pacific on freight
rates caused him to build the San
Joaquin Valley Railroad, and here
again the people profited by his fight
ing qualities until an attractive offer
from the Santa Fe induced him to re
tire from railroading. Mr. Spreckels
was always thoroughly imbued with
the San Francisco spirit, and wherever
possible his great investments Cen
tered in the Bay City, and it was there
that most of his contributions to pub
lic undertakings and charities were
made.
As a' friendless lad of IS. who ar
rived m this country with but 40 cents
in his pocket, and in after years ran
the original capital up to more than
J40.000.000, Mr. Spreckels' life pre
sents features that cannot but appeal
to the faint-hearted who now have the
40 cents and are uncertain about the
J40.000.000 As to the methods by
which the 40 cents developed into the
J40,000,000, the memory of this ag
gressive German is to a considerable
degree protected by that- old admoni
tion, "De mortuis nil nisi bonum."
Claus Spreckels will have a promi
nent place in the commercial history
of the c"ountry, and eventually our so
cial and economic annals will do him
justice in accordance with his acts.
The system, however, that made pos
sible a Spreckels fortune in -sugar or
a Carnegie fortune in steel has
reached and perhaps slightly over
reached its limitations, and never
again will it be possible in this coun
try to wring from the consumers such
a colossal fortune as was exacted from
the people who were forced to buy the
product of the Spreckels refineries at
any price which the sugar king saw
fit to make.
Forest Grove will tonight celebrate
the opening of the new electric line
with an elaborate banquet. A Forest
Grove special says that "ever since
the line was a surety, Forest Grove
has constantly increased in population
and new residences and business
blocks have been constructed." The
opening of the line has not only in
creased the population of Forest
Grove, but it has attracted a great
many newcomers along the line be
tween this city and the present ter
minus of the line. Cheap and fre
quent transportation, such as is af
forded by electric lines, is bringing
into cultivation a large number of
small farms. It is on the prosperity
of these country dwellers that Forest
Grove and Portland and all of the rest
of the cities and towns in touch with
them must depend for their growth
and prosperity, and for that reason we
can all rejoice with our neighbors
over the increasing transportation fa
cilities for which the Oregon Electric
seems to find money in spite of the
alleged unfavorable financial situation
in New York.
Beach Hargis, who in a fit of
drunken rage shot to death his father,
the bloodthirsty tyrant of Breathitt
County, Kentucky, is to have another
trial, the jury, as expected, failing to
agree as to his guilt. Society in the
mountain regions of Kentucky doubt
less feels that it owes a debt of grati
tude to the young patricide for re
moving such a monster as Judge Har
gis, but as young Hargis committed
the crime without the slightest inten
tion of benefiting society, it would
seem that he should suffer the conse
quences. Yet the testimony of the
mother that the Judge "had early
taught the boy bad habits, and when
Beach was a child had given him
whisky and buckled a gun on his hip,"
together with the example of a sneak
ing murderer ever before him when
he was in his father's presence, offers
some excuse for the tragedy. Beach
Hargis was the victim of environment
that was created by his father, and in
following the inclinations suggested by
the environment he was not departing
from the teachings of his parent
whom he murdered.
The effect of the J5, 000, 000 failure
In New York on Saturday will be
awaited with considerable interest to
day. Unquestionably the failure, tak
ing place on a short business day be
tween two holidays, has prevented
other failures. In the twenty-four
hours which elapsed between the time
when the news of the Poor failure
became public property and the open
ing of the Stock Exchange today there
will have been some wild scram
bling for protection against any flur
ries, and in twenty-four hours much
can be accomplished. Details of the
Poor failure are meager as yet, but
there has been no mystery or secrecy
over the fact that for several weeks
Wall street has been carrying a very
high pressure of steam, and it can
hardly occasion surprise when some
one gets scalded by an occasional ex
plosion. Conservative financiers have
been endeavoring to check this wild
orgy of speculation, but have been
unsuccessful. A failure or two of
J5, 000, 000 dimensions may( have a
wholesome effect on the situation and
prevent something worse.
While the medical practitioners are
telling each other what a' "bum lot
of medics" have been admitted to
practice, the much-despised osteo
paths. Christian Scientists and other
healers must be getting a lot of amuse
ment out of the controversy. It might
not be rash to suggest that, if. the
osteopaths had made the same
charges a medical practitioner has
published, he would not have been
credited by any one.
Of course the coming session of the
Legislature will have the usual long
list of deficiencies for which additional
appropriations must be made. How
ever large an appropriation may be',
those who have the spending of it
scarcely ever find it largo enough for
the purpose.
A California horticulturist has pro
duced a white strawberry. Wrhite
strawberries should be eaten with red,
white and blue chicken meat and
yellow beef.
The Hon. Jim Ham Lewis goes to
the Orient, but not through that tun
nel under Behring Strait, which he
was promoting last time he visited
Portland.
For many years Vancouver was
noted as the largest city in the coun
try without a railroad. Now, at a
single bound almost, it has ten pas
senger trains a day.
Boston wants Dr. Brougher and
Denver wants Tom Richardson, at
higher salaries. The church deacons
and the club directors may think K
oer.
We'll go a long time before we find
a pugilist as wise as John L. Sullivan,
who said the safe way to lick a nigger
was with a baseball bat.
Of course the only recourse left for
white folks after their champion has
been licked by a nigger, is to sneer
at the victor.
Portland's new Postmaster, whoever
he shall be, may take comfort out of
having escaped the Christmas rush.
It's a good thing for the city that
the jail is not a more comfortable
Winter resort.
Those delayed or forgotten Christ
mas presents can arrive before New
Year's, v
SCALP BOUNTIES ARE ALL WRONG
If State Goes Into This Business, There
Is No End to It.
Santiam News.
Now. the News thinks a scalp-bounty
law would be the very worst of class
legislation. The principle is wrong.
The state cannot undertake to protect
her citizens from the ravages of vo
racious animals, birds and Insects; for
to do so would mean a taxation too
burdensome to be borne by the people.
Codlin moths and San Jose scale, in point
of dollars and cents, inflict an injury
to the fruit interests ten times as great
as that complained of on account of
wild animals. The green aphis fre
quently destroys one-half the yield of
our grain crops; and the louse some
times totally destroys the products of
our hop fields. But the orchardists,
farmers and hop-growers do not think
of asking protection from the state
treasury against these destructive in
sects. Far from it. They simply go to
work with spray pump at the proper
time and protect themselves.
Fruit, grain and hops are three of
the principal products of our farmers.
They are leading sources of our agri
cultural wealth. They supply, largely,
our foodstuffs, and therefore are neces
sities. If the state should undertake
to protect the people against destruc
tive pests, she ought to begin upon
those effecting the necessities, rather
than upon those which contribute to the
pleasures of the people. The necessi
ties we must have. We can exist, if we
are compelled to, without the pleasures.
WHAT WILL MR. GOMPERS LEARN f
SomethinK About the Difference Be
tween Free Speech and Its Abuse.
PORTLAND, Dec. 26. (To the Editor.)
In Friday's editorial you Inquire:
"What did Mr. Gompers expect the court
to do when he Insolently, openly and
continuously defied its injunction?"
No doubt he expected to get what is
coming to him. 1. e.. a true and legal de
cision of the boundary line between free
speech and press on one side and license
to speak and print a grouch on the
other, and perhaps sufficient time in jail
to assimilate It.
Should the Supreme Court sustain the
sentence against Mr. Gompers, it places
the President In a rather embarrassing
position and a pardon would show weak
ness, while to refuse it would be de
nounced as political bias by many agi
tators of discontent.
Is there no one with enough patriotism
and ability In our city to meet Mr. Mills
and others who are anxious and willing
to denounce our present system of gov
ernment? The time has passed when we can
treat with silent contempt the "trouble
makers of America," as they are preach
ing in the churches, lecturing in halls
to large and Intelligent audiences, while
their followers are ever buy in the
shop, mill, factory, store and saloon and
many of them claim that we cannot
successfully meet their speakers In de
bate. I would be willing to meet Mr. Mills
If someone would arrange the details,
the proceeds to go to charity, as there
would be no expense on my part, and
am making a good living at hard work,
therefore am not an agitator of unrest.
TEX ALEXANDER.
LIFE IN THE OREGON COUNTRY
No Charge for This Advice.
Oregon City Enterprise.
It is not the province of this paper
to act as a family doctor, and to pre
scribe for its readers' needs and ail
ments; but in a Winter like this, it is
never out of place to offer the simple
advice: Wear rubbers.
Plenty of Ice and Dust.
La Grande Observer.
Great country, this; Skating on the
river and the dust so thick in the
streets that the street-sprinkler should
have run yesterday. Variety is the
spice of life. No wonder we live so
happy here.
That's Why They Are Robust.
The Dalles Optimist.
In the cold graw dawn of Friday
morning, with the thermometer reen
tering 5 degrees above zero, Stanley
and Janet Rainous walked eight miles
down the mountain to Mosier and took
the train to Hood River at 6:45 A. M.
No wonder we have fair young girls
and robust men when such feats as
that are continually being performed.
Work Too Slow for Miss Quick.
Sllverton Appeal.
Miss Gertrude Quick wishes us to
contradict the statement made in the
Appeal last week that she was obliged
to resign her position as teacher In
the Silverton schools on account of Ill
health. Her resignation is due to the
fact that there are more pupils In her
room than she can teach and do jus
tice. Oregon Historical Society's Building.
Newberg Graphic.
Portland is certainly the logical point
for the historical exhibit, and the only
place where it will be visited by any
considerable number of people, and
there is where the permanent home
should be built. Salem and Eugene are
all right in a way, but everybody goes
to Portland, and with the exhibits lo
cated there, a hundred visitors would
visit the rooms where there would be
one if they were located in any other
point in Oregon.
Taxation of Secret Societies' Proper
PORTLAND, Dec. 26. (To the Editor.)
Is the property of secret societies,
such as Masons, Oddfellows, United
Workmen, Woodmen, etc., taxable under
the laws of the State of Oregon; if it is,
do the Assessors place it on the assess
ment rolls? TAXPAYER.
Article IX, section 1 of the Constitution
of Oregon, provides:
The Legislative Assembly shall provide
by law . . for the taxation of all prop
erty, both real and personal, excepting such
onlv for municipal, educational, literary,
scientific, relltfious and charitable purposes
as may be especially exempted by law.
There is no statute exempting secret
societies as such, still the custom among
Assessors has been to class them under
the head of "charitable" and not to as
sess them on lodge furniture or on build
ings used exclusively for lodge pur
poses. Assessors use their discretion in
this matter and allow themselves consid
erable latitude. Where a lodge derives
income from property, such property is
assessed, usually the valuation is scaled
below other similar property.
Then, too, Assessors take into consider
ation the equities in each case. For
example, a secret society owning a three
story building, rents the lower floor for
business purposes, the second floor for
a public hall and occupies for its .own
use the third floor. It would be assessed
as if it were a two-story building, the
third floor and all contents being ex
empt. A building and the ground, how
ever valuable, which was used exclusive
ly for lodge purposes, would not be as
sessed. This Is the custom In Multnomah
County, and probably extends over the
state.
Villard's "Golden Spike" Tarty.
PORTLAND, Dec. 26. (To the Editor.)
Will you please state in your paper
what time Henry Villard and party (also
spoken of as the "golden spike party")
were in Portland, and if General Grant
also was in Portland and what part he
took in the celebration? T. R.
September, 1SS3. General Grant was
with, the party as a distinguished guest.
FOR PRESERVATION OF OUR DEER
Favors Bounties on Killing; Timber
Wolves, Bobcats, Etc.
COTTAGE GROVE, Or., Dec. 26. (To
the Editor.) Having read the com
munications printed in The Oregonlan
bearing on the destruction of our large
game, and having surveyed, cruised
and hunted 'a great deal In the Coast,
Calapooia and Cascade Mountains for
the last 25 years,' I feel qualified to
say a few words on this important mat
ter. I realize that the deer will soon dis
appear if there is not a bounty offered
on wildcats, cougar and timber wolves,
but not on coyotes. Coyotes do not
destroy deer, and it would swamp the
state funds, as we know by the past,
if we placed a high bounty on coyotes,
by the shipping of scalps from adjoin
ing states. The eastern part of our
own state can raise enough coyotes to
"break" us. It Is common history that
15 and 20 years ago our deer were
slaughtered for their hides. I knew
one hunter who killed 15 deer in one
day" and never saved a pound of the
meat, but Just stripped the hides off
and left all the meat In the hills.. This
same man made much money later on
in Eastern Oregon by killing and sell
ing the hides, and it is a well-known
fact that when the sale of hides was
stopped the deer increased very fast.
Deer really got plentiful near our
farms, five miles from Cottage Grove,
but soon the timber wolf began to
increase, and today, in the western
slope of the Cascade Mountains, and
the Calapooia Range, the wolves, cou
gars and bobcats are "destroying 10 deer
to where the hunters destroy one. I
know this from personal observations,
as I go into the mountains every year.
The wolves work along the rivers
mostly, in the Spring and early part of
Summer, They very easily run the fe
male deer, that are poor in flesh, Into
the streams and catch them which
means the destruction of two or three
for every one so caught. The bobcats
catch the fawns. The cougars work
farther back In the deep canyons and
thick brush. Now, if the State of Ore
gon wants to do a quick Job of It, just
refuse to give a good bounty on wolves,
cougars and cats. Make the open season
shorter, cut down the limit per year
to each hunter (which means to keep
hunters out of the hills more than
now), and just leave the matter to the
wolves, cougars and cats. Give the
latter a little more latitude, and they
will soon finish the job by killing the
deer all out. Next, look out for the
domestic stock, for the latter will soon
suffer. Then the people will open
their eyes and see what they should
have done years before. It is up to us
to destroy these wild animals now and
save the deer, or we will have to do it
later to save the domestic stock.
The plan I favor is to place a bounty
of J5 on female timber wolves and J20
on the male. This will induce the
hunter to shoot the small one first
(which Is the female), otherwise he
shoots the larger one first (which is the
male, and of course has a better hide
out of which to make a robe. Hunters
cannot catch timber wolves with dogs,
for these animals will eat the dogs.
You must trap or poison wolves. They
are harder to kill than cougars. I
would suggest a bounty of J15 on cou
gars, and $5 on bobcats. These prices
will induce hunters to destroy them to
a great extent. By these precautions
our deer will increase so fast that In a
few years we will need only to pro
tect male deer in the months of No
vember and December. Female deer
should be protected all months in the
year except September and October.
There should be no bounty on bear, as
they do not destroy deer. Elk should
be protected for five years. Dogs
should not be allowed to chase deer.
Chinese pheasants should be portect
ed for five years, and then the limit
should be tinly five birds per day five
is enough for any man in one day. The
birds are now so scarce In this locality
that a man 'has to nearly run ills legs
off to get a bird. This overcomes the
pleasure. N. MARTIN.
GRAFT APPLE ON BERRY BVSH
Delta Miners Succeed In Novel Horti
cultural Experiment.
La Grande Observer.
To those particularly interested in
the growing of apples, an experiment
made at Delta. Idaho, will be of value.
In the Spring of last year, Thomas
and Francis llauck, two miners, who
keep a garden and grow strawberries
and vegetables, experimented in graft
ing a scion of a 4-year-old apple tree
into a service berry tree body, and to
their delight the limb not only grew
but blossomed this year and two well
developed yellow apples ripened. The
tree from which the scion was cut
has never bloomed, yet the scion when
grafted into a berry bush blossomed
and bore fruit the next year. This is
somewhat remarkable and of interest
to every grower of fruit.
The successful grafting is one ac
complishment and the growing of t lie
fruit from the grafted bush when the
original tree has never bloomed Is an
other. D lta Is not a fruit section, but
the Maucks have experimented by sot
ting out 100 trees. For rutabagas no
section of the country can grow larger
ones than are grown there. For bet
ter flavored and larprer strawberries
this mining camp challenges the world.
Yet no one attempts .to grow fruit,
vegetables or berries for the market,
and only a few miners grow for their
own use.
If Taft Should Die, Then What?
PORTLAND, Dec. 26. (To the Editor.)
Will you kindly make answer to the
following questions:
1. What would be the result, politic
ally, should Mr. Taft die prior to his
being chosen by the electoral collejre?
Could th electors of said college pro
ceed to elect a man for President who
had not been before the people for
their suffrage?
2. Assuming the electoral college,
during the life of Mr. Taft, should elert
him, but thereafter and prior to Mr.
Taft's inauguration Mr. Taft should
die, what would be the result, politic
ally? That is to say, what would the
procedure be as to the election of
a President of the United States?
3. May the electors of a political
party, chosen by the respective states,
cast their ballots for any other man
for President than the choice expressed
by voters at the polls? G. C.
1. Yes.
2. The natural procedure would lie
to do nothing. Mr. Sherman would be
inaugurated a Vice-President and
thereafter assume the office of Presi
dent. However, If Taft should die the
day after election by the electoral
college In January there would be time
for Congress, which canvasses the vote
in February, to meet the emergency
in some manner acceptable to the Re
publican party and the entire country.
3. Yes. There is no law to prevent
the Taft electors from voting for
Bryan.
Roseburs's Most Successful Father.
Cottage Grove Leader.
Levi White, of West Roseburg, re
cently became a father for the 21st
time. This is the 10th child born, to
his present wife, 11 having been born
to his first wife.
Wears One Pair Boots for 38 Years.
Philadelphia Dispatch.
Isaac Rash, of Dover. Del., has a
pair of boots he has worn for 38 years,
iind they; are still in good condition..
Life's Sunny Side
"I worked hard to win her."
"Well, your successful rival Is work'
ing a whole lot harder to support her."
Houston Post.
Howell Did you have double pneu.
monla?
Powell I guess so; the docto,
charged me twice as much as 1 thous.it
he would. Harper's.
m
"A true Bohemian is a man who hor
rows a dollar and then invites you to
lunch with it."
"Wrong agatn. A true Bohemian is a
man who invites himself to lunch with
you and then borrows a dollar.'' Kan
sas City Star.
He Fifty miles an hour! Are you
brave?
She (swallowing another pint of
dust) Yes, dear, I'm full of grit. Chi
cago News.
"Be careful what you say. son," cau
tioned the Plunkville Polonitis.
"Yes, pop."
"Remember that you aren't promi
nent enough to claim that you were
misquoted." Puck.
"Her husband was run over."
"Now that he is gone, I presume that
she realizes his full value."
"She does. And she won't compromise
for a cent less." Louisville Courier
Journal. J. M. Barrle. the author, tells of a
playgoer who received no response to
his repeated requests to a woman in
front of him to remove her huge hat.
At length, exasperated, he said: "If,
you won't take off your hat, my dear
madam, will you be so kind ns to fold
back your ears?" Woman's Lite.
State Senator Fred Dumont Smith
was out in Yellowstone Park last Sum
mer, and ninde numerous trips on stap-ft
coaches. He found that many of the
stage-drivers were college hoys, work
ing during the Summer. One of the
boys was from Ottawa University, at
Ottawa, Kan.
One day Fred- got on a coach and an
old-timer, with a beard as long as Jerry
Botkin's, and " serious, woathcr-heaten,
bronzed face, was handling the lines.
"Say," said Smith, "are not a good'
many of the drivers graduates of col
leges?" "Dunno," replied the old fellow,
chewing at his tobacco cud. "I dunno
much 'bout 'em." Ho chewed and
thought for a few minutes, and then
opened up again: "But say. mister. I
heern tell how thet young feller on 77(!
air a graduate uv Keeley Institute,
whatever thet air."
Fred said he didn't laugh until he got
back to camp, for the old driver was
serious and meant it. Kansas City
Journal.
First Pugilist T told her she was the
only girl I ever loved.
Second Pugilist What did she say?
First Pugilist Told me to get a
reputation. Philadelphia Record.
HOW BROADWAY ENJOYS ITSKI.F
Latest Amusements of the Idle Rich in
the Great Metropolis.
New York Special to Chicago Tribune.
Broadway's swagger set this year has
gone back to the old but surest way o
letting off tlie steam of its holiday en
thusiasm Its members are running on
each other's heels to see who can give
the smartest, the most expensive, elab
orate and freakiest dinner or supper
imaginable.
Scarcely a night has passed for the
last three or four weeks when at ono
of the restsurants or hotels there has
not been an affair at which the guests
have been principally actresses from
the musical comedy stage and rich men
whose days are spent in battles for
the thousands they throw away ,il
night. One of the latest was a pajama
party, at another an actress present
did a sword dnnee In costume, witli
her boot stuck full of table, knives.
So far the honors appear to be even
between Mr. and Mrs. .laekson tlouraud
and M. Robert Raques. Mrs. Gouraud
was the enormously wealthy Amy
Crocker, of California, and she and her
husband are among the most persistent
"first-nighters" and "late supperers" in
town.
The guest list at the Baques dinne:1
touched Fifth avenue. Frank Gould
was there, and so were some of New
York's wealthiest and venturesome
brokers. Charles Sands was among
these latter, who helped to raiso the
social tone. Miss Anna Held and her
husband, and Mme. Florence Zlep:feld,
Jr., Valeska Surratt, Ella Lynch, Bonnio
Ifenker. Lillian Carleton, Bessie Whit
ney, Lulu Halfour, William Gould and
Bertie Hollander also were there.
Miss Curratt did a sword dance, and
Bertie Hollander, a young Englishman,
did a burlesque Russian dance, wearing
Miss Whitney's seal coat and her muff
tied on for a hat.
The Gourauds were at this dinner,
and that night they extended invita
tions for a souper buffet to be given
the following Monday night at Martin's.
Reggio de Veule, the young English
man who does the naughty wigi?ly
dance in "The Queen of the Moulin
Rouge." and who recently was
"pinched" for so doing, was guest of
honor at this supper, lie showed how
the "kicking" polka is done in Its home,
Paris.
Miss Anna Held sang a few songs and
Miss Valeska Surratt, In order to go
a step or two further than she had in
her sword dance, at the HaqiHs dinner,
gave her "Three Weeks" dame as she
never had given it on the stage, and
exhibited with her dozen or so pet
snakes.
The chief performer, however, was
Giulia Cole, an amateur, and a "discov
ery" of Mrs. Gouraud. This young
woman was garbed as an Oriental
nymph, and she. performed an Oriental
dance. Mrs. Gouraud also danced the
"hoola," a Hawaiian dance, which she
learned from the natives.
Mr. De Veulle. by the way, has been
the host at a dinner which was mure
suggestive of naughtiness than any ol"
the others. This was the "pajama din
ner," and it was given about 10 days
ago at Murray's, where Mr. De Veulle
has rooms.
Concerning the Habits of Bear.
SCAPPOOSE, Or., Dec. 27 (To the Edi
tor.) A question lias been debated among
tiie men at camp as to whether a bear
is lean or fat after hibernating during
the Winter months. One party claims it
is lean, and the other claims it is l'.it;
can you give us the required informa
tion? O. II.
The Oregonian disclaims authority to
speak in positive terms on this subject.
For absolutely reliable Information, the
inquiry should have been addressed to
President Roosevelt. Investigation among
big-game hunters in Portland elicits al
most unanimous opinion that bears arc
lean after hibernating. They live during
the Winter on their supply of fat taken
on In the Summer and Fall. One observer
tendered the information that they suck
this fat through their feet. Another ob
server says that bears in the Coast Range
of Oregon do not become lean in Winter.
Snow is never so heavy that they can't
find an ample supply of food; therefore,
they are not compelled to hibernate as
do bears in cold reftions. Possibly this
fact gave rise to the debate in a timber
camp in the Coast Haiige,