THE MORNING OREGONIAN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1909.
3
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rORTLAT. WEDNESDAY. FEU. S. 1009.
"FLEDGES" FROM CANDIDATES.
They -who insist that the voters
"jiave a right to Instruct their repre
sentatives to do certain Important
things miss the whole point of objec
tion to "pledges." The point is that
some of the voters a mere fraction
of them have not the light to "in
struct." Candidates for Important positions
are representatives of parties, of poli
cies and of principles. But & small
faction arises which insists that
' "pledges" shall be taken, and threat
ens the candidate with defeat if he
do not take them. Tet no major-it-
of tho people want to exact such
pledges;, neither do they wish to be
driven out of their party and away
from lis general purposes by voting
for the J6licy of the opposite party,
in order to defeat the pledge-takers
in their own. This is the remedy of
abating the nuisance by pulling down
the house.
Here, for example, is Senator Not
tingham, of Multnomah. He didn't
wish to "take the pledge." He de
clared at first he wouldn't take it.
But, terrorized hv a few factlonists
who threatened him with defeat if he
continued his refusal, he finally "fell
In." Senator Barrett, of "Washington,
was another. The "Statement" men
Democrats among them frightened
him, and he yielded. These, however,
and all others who took the pledge,
would have been elected Just the
. eamo if they hadn't taken it. By
taking it they went directly against
their party and their own purposes.
The Republican candidates who re
fused got In the general election about
the same vote as those who were
.scared into making the promise.
The names of Nottingham and Bar
rett are used in no- invidious or exclu
sive way. They are types of all the
rest who didn't see through it all and
took pledges to get votes. Once com
mitted, they were too weak to break
the bond.
Once more the point Is this: A
small fraction of the people is not the
people; a small faction of a party
is not a party. The general election
in June did not turn on Statement
One at all, but on factional differ
ences outside of it. One faction, not
itself believing It, caught it up, using
"the Statement" as a cry against an
other faction, as a means of getting
recognition In a party or control of it.
A lot of them got Into the Legislature
by the expedient; then how they did.
In the pinch, set up a wail, or emit a
squeal, like rats caught in a trap!
Again, while it is certain that the
. people have a right to expect a par
ticular course of action on the part
of their representatives in great or
Important matters, no small fraction
of the people, or faction of a party,
has a right to assume to bo the peo
ple and to Intimidate or terrorize can
didates with the pretense that they
are the people. The remedy for the
evil is in the courage of candi
dates. Moreover, the right of In
struction is so liable to abuse
that the candidato who has the
courage and spirit that would fit him
to be a representative of the people
will be extremely cautious about mak
ing promises and taking pledges that
may commit him to a course of action
which later he may disapprove, and
which may run counter to the whole
purposes of his party and the will
of a majority of the people.
Least wise of all persons are those
who mistake the. cry of small factions
that seise any notion or expedient that
time or circumstance may offer, for
the will of the people, and bank on It
for their own advantage. They come
to grief, always.
OIK WASTEFlX GOVERNMENT.
The monthly comparative statement
Issued by the Government shows that
In January there was an increase of
115.543.842 in the deficit. This is a
matter of $500,000 per day, and, as the
deficit for the seven months ending
January 31 is S79.S14.443, it to quite
clear that we are starting in the new
calendar year with, an extravagance
even more pronounced than it was last
year. There was in January $17,244,
1S2 in civil and miscellaneous expend
itures. 311,030.366 for war purposes,
and t9.313.3S6 for the Navy, all of
these departments showing heavy in
creases. The United States Is a great
country and has such a wealth of re
sources that, were the expenditure ac
tually necessary, w could view with
complacency a deficit of 1500.000 per
day between income and expense.
The most unpleasetnt feature of the
growing deficit to the prodigal waste
fulness which Is responsible for no
small portion of this deficit. Regard
less of whether it Is coal for the battle
ship fleet, forage for Manila or lumber
for Panama, no business-like method
for buying where supplies are the
cheapest has ever been followed by
the Government. The meshes of red
tape and the Ignorance of employes of
the Government are so much In evi
dence In all transactions that economy
to Impossible. The Navy offers a good
Illustration of this policy of wasteful
ness run riot.
After noting that the estimates for
the current year for the Navy call for
the expenditure of 1122.000, 000, a
writer in McClure's magazine says that
one-third of this amount will be
wasted. This writev calls attention to
the fact that In ten years the cost of
the Navy has doubled, and In fifteen
years It has quadrupled. Figures are
presented, showing that It Is easily
possible to maintain and repair a Navy
of twice the fighting strength of our
own for t77,000,000 per year. Com
menting on these figures, which are
presented in detail, the writer says:
This navy, personnel belns; equal, could
annihilate ours In a couple of hours Ait
CghUng. Making every allowance tor de
extraordinary expenses of our Navy tn the
present year, it can be operated far $10,
000.000 less annually than ours costs at the
present time. Whyt Simply because the
management of the present Naval establish
ment Is not military; It la political.
Until we succeed In replacing politi
cians In the Government positions with
business men who will expect and in
sist on Government expenditures show
ing results approximating those at
tained 'In private business, we shall
continue to face unpleasant deficits.
LEX THE TIMBER GO.
Suggestion is made that logged off
lands unfit for agriculture should be
taken possession of by the state, or ac
"qulred by the state on some equitable
principle, and used for the purposes
of reforestation. There Is a good
idea in this suggestion, but It may
be doubted whether it can be put
Into execution and . practice under
our political system. The politicians
and the officials, during the time
necessary for the growth of the tim
ber, would cost the state many times
more than the timber would be worth.
It to Impossible under our system
to establish and maintain the rules
of foreetatlon and reforestation pur
sued in various countries of Europe.
With us the main object would not
be protection and restoration of
the forests, but maintenance of
a horde of officials,, at the gen
eral expense, and "pledges" would
be exacted for the purpose, as they
have been exacted from great num
bers, perhaps most of the members of
the Legislature of Oregon, by persons
who want salaries raised and the
number of offices Increased. Are not
"the people" entitled Inquiry Is to
get what they want? And who are
the people, save or except those who
can force members of the Legisla
ture, as a condition of their ejection,
to take pledges and to make prom
ises? The remainder of the people
the great body of them are "not In
jt" whether It is one "statement" or
another.
Logged-ofT lands unfit for agricul
ture could be made of value for
growth of timber as great In value
as ever. But our political and offi
cial system will never permit It, ex
cept at a cost' to the general body of
taxpayers for support of politicians
and officials, of far greater aggregate
sums than the timber would be worth.
These results, however, would be
but tome addition to the price we
pay for submission to "the will of
the pee-pul." Tet it would be better
to let the timber go.
CHEESE INSPECTION AT 'TILLAMOOK.
It Is a singular trait of human na
ture that many men will not act for
their own best Interest unless the
law compels them to do it. On the
other hand, some are ready to do the
most sensible and at the same time
most profitable thing without compul
sion. The Tillamook cheese makers
belong to the latter class. Some cor
respondents of The Oregomlan who
plead for the right to sell infected
milk belong to the former. There
have always been at Tillamook a
number of men who strove to pro
duce and market a superior grade of
chese, and they succeeded so well
that they made a reputation for their
product which had a considerable
money value. Then, as .often happens
in similar circumstances, a class of
men appeared who tried to trade
upon the reputation which the honest
cheesemakers had earned. They put
upon the market an Inferior grade,
which they sold under the name of
Tillamook cheese. At first they re
ceived the same price as the honest
men, but presently the fraud was
detected.
The result was that the reputation
of every factory in Tillamook suf
fered. The Innocent was punished for
the sin of the guilty, as he usually to.
If some good and some bad cheese
go under the name of Tillamook, of
course It will all sell at the price of
the bad. To protect themselves from
this Injustice, the honest cheesemak
ers have formed an association and
employed an inspector, who is to look
after the sanitary condition of the
factories and see that the milk brought
in to clean, sweet and wholesome. The
natural consequence of this arrange
ment will be a higher price for tire
goods which the factories put on the
market. Probably the price will in
crease enough to pay for the inspec
tion and return a profit besides. It
seems to be fair and right that every
business which needs Inspection should
pay for it, since it gets the benefit.
If the Tillamook cheesemakers admit
the need .of inspection and are willing
to pay for it, why should not the beef
trust do the same thing?. Why not
the barbers and the doctors and the
milkmen?
SKY SAILING.
Absorbed with the automobile and
Its development; with electric rail
ways and wireless telegraph and the
increased speed developed on the rails,
the people of the United States do not
realize to what an extent the aeroplane
movement has grown in France. Ac
cording to a moderate estimate, there
are under construction In Paris and vi
cinity at the present time not less than
350 of these machines. These are in
most cases experimental, the designer
preferring to prosecute his labors in
peace and in the end present a per
fected machine to the attention of the
public. We are told by the Paris cor
respondent of the New York Automo
bile that there are fifty orders waiting
for the Wright aeroplane for the use
of American sportsmen next season,
while many shops are busy on ma
chines for French sportsmen. In ad
dition to this, many competent engi
neers are quietly building their own
machines on various and constantly
Improved models.
This activity to greatly stimulated. If
not largely due to the fact that the
sum of something ' like 3250.000 to
awaiting to be won for aeroplane per
formances. It Is the general opinion that the de
velopment of the aeroplane will pro
ceed on sporting lines, as did the auto
mobile. The use of both of these ma
chines will be developed later prob
ably In stress of war. Wilbur Wright,
a prince in the realm of aerial navi
gation, contends that the flying ma
chine is eventually a military proposi
tion. While he admits that it will nat
urally attract the daredevil spirit of
adventure and lead for. a while in the
realm of sport, its" greatest future is
for use with, armies. 'Here, he con
ceives. It will take the place of cavalry
and furnish an Instrument with which
the enemy can be constantly harassed.
He foresees that In the Immediate fu
ture hundreds of these machines will
be attached to every regiment. With
the enthusiasm of an Inventor, Mr.
Wright further declares that, while
there Is a certain amount of danger
with a flying machine, it need not be
any greater than on an automobile,
and he adds: "In my opinion it is
more risky to be on the Paris streets
than aloft." This to a forcible re
minder of the pity expressed by a
sailor In a gale at sea for the un
happy folk that live on shore when In
stress of storm:
Foolhardy chaps who live In towns
What danger are they all In,
"Who now lie quaking In their beds
For fear the root will fall In.
In view of all these things, proven
and foreshadowed the automobile,
the wireless telegraph and the aero
plane how tame and far outgrown
seems the prophecy of Mother Shipton,
that once staggered and called forth
protest and denial from the world! .
PROSPERITY'S PROSPECTS.
The short month of February In
Portland started off Monday with
building permits of more than 3465,000
and with real estate transfers of tllS,
000, including one tlO transaction in
which the actual price paid was in
excess of $40,000. Despite the push
ing of construction work throughout
the Winter, there Is more building un
der way at this time than at any cor
responding period In the history of the
city, and the activity In real estate is
unprecedented for this season of the
year. In view of the unusually se
vere weather In January, trade suf
fered somewhat, but the strength of
the genera,l situation to reflected in a
gain of 26 per cent in bank clearings
over those of January, 1908.
Although the Spring colonist rates of
the railroads- have not yet become ef
fective, a heavy immigrant travel nas
already set In and Portland and other
localities in the Pacific .Northwest are
dally gaining new people "at an unpre
cedented rate. The wheat trade of
Portland, which in former years was
the all-important factor in our. com
mercial prosperity, still contributes
many millions to the wealth of the
country, but $hat it is no longer a ne
cessity is shown by the January export
figures, which were more than 1,250,
000 bushels less than for the same
month last year. The people in the
rich territory tributary to Portland no
longer place all of their eggs in one
basket, and dairying, fruitgrowing,
livestock and lumbering have come to
the front so rapidly that the former
prestige of wheat has been weakened.
For all that, this city is, and for many
years will remain, the largest wheat
mnriin nort on the Pacific Coast,
onH flour milliner and Incidental Indus
tries will prosper as the wheat Indus
try grows.
Portland has started the new year
iinrlr most fa.vora.ble ausDlces. and
nothing short of a National calamity
can check the momentum which is
nrvnr rftririiv jrajnlnsr. There is noth
ing haphazard or accidental about this
prosperity movement now getting un
rior wav. It is Rlmnlv due to the dis-
nnwrv hv thousands of new neoDle
that this city and the territory trib
utary offers to all classes opportunities
of a nature unobtainable elsewhere.
MENDELSSOHN.
Persons who like to celebrate- cen
tennial anniversaries can gratify their
taste abundantly this year, for it
fairly swarms with them. There
never was another year which brought
so many great men Into the world
as 1809. Already we have commem
orated more of them than any ordi
nary year can claim, and the list to
only begun. Mendelssohn comes next.
He was born on February 3, 1809,
nine days before Lincoln and Darwin.
Like most musicians he was a preco
cious youth, giving successful concerts
when he was In his ninth year and
composing his greatest work, the
overture to the "Midsummer Night's
Dream," when he was 17; but, unlike
many of them, he was reared in the
lap of luxury and educated not only
In music, but in everything else
which was supposed to adorn and Im
prove the mind at the beginning of
the last century. Some critics seem
to believe that these epicurean privi
leges sapped the rugged vigor of Men
delssohn's genius and gave to his com
positions that somewhat effeminate
and languishing cast wjiich to so un
like the productions of Bach.
At any rate, the music of Felix
Mendelssohn Bartholdy, to give him
his complete name, seldom goes very
deep. Its beauty is undeniable, but
it lies pretty near the surface and is
fairly obvious. There was a time
when his songs were thought to be
the most lovely things in the world.
far superior to those of Schumann and
Robert Franz, but nobody thinks so
now. As a matter or tact Men
delssohn's songs are obsolete. A great
deal of his other music has followed
them Into oblivion, but not all of It.
The comparative neglect of Men
delssohn for the last quarter of a
century contrasts vividly with the
vogue he enjoyed during his brief
lifetime. He only lived some 89 years,
but from his boyhood until his death
he was believed to be the greatest
of all composers. His fame complete
ly overshadowed Schumann, Chopin,
Wagner and all the rest of the demi
gods, but as soon as he was safely
in the grave there came a reaction.
The others took their turn at being
famous for a period brief or lasting.
and Mendelssohn retired into the
shadows.
Now his hundredth anniversary
brings him out into the light again.
Musical societies everywhere are
commemorating him and connoisseurs
are discovering that there- was some
thing, after all, in the reputed genius
of the luxury-loving Jew. ' For a lit
tle while we shall hear Mendelssohn
programmes at all the concerts. Per
haps we shall continue to hear them
forever more, and perhaps not. There
is a suspicion afloat that part of the
new enthusiasm for Mendelssohn Is
made to order to provide a subtle but
stinging rebuke to Richard Strauss
and his followers, whose unseemly
productions are the scarfdal and
shame of your- staid old disciple of
the classics. Ten days ago Strauss'
new opera, or whatever It Is, called
"Elektra," was brought forth in Dres
den with a fearful clatter of bass
drums and outlandish screeching of
horns. The Evening Post relates that
Strauss told Schumann-Helnk, who is
the prima donna of the monstrosity,
that her part "was not singing at all.
All she had to do was groan, moan
and 6igh." The Post congratulates
New Yorkers because "Salome" Is on
the stage there, so that they can com
pare Strauss and Mendelssohn for
themselves and see which they like
best.
Except his music to the "Midsum
mer Night's Dream," Mendelssohn's
most enduring music seems to have
been his oratorios. These have always
been popular. The airs, "The Lord
Is Mindful of His Own." from St. Paul,
and "Oh, Rest in the Lord," from Eli
jah; are known to everybody who can
tell one tune from another, and they
are Just as beautiful as if nobody knew
them but a few artistic exquisites.
Mendelssohn composed St. Paul when
he was 2 6 years old and put it on
the stage in Dusseldorf in 1836. His
other great oratorio, Elijah, was given
first in August, 1846, at the Birming
ham musical festival. Haydn's Crea
tion came the day before It, and Han
del's Messiah followed on the day
after, but from the accounts Men
delssohn carried off the laurels of
the festival. The people went wild
over his dramatic . Interpretation of
the prophet's character. The whole of
the first part of the oratorio had to
be repeated, and Prince Arthur was
moved to write the elated composer
a lotrpr- of felicitation, in which he
called him the restorer of "the wor
ship of true art," and called him "the
great master who makes us conscious
of the unity of his conception through
the whole maze of his creation." It
q rmoatJonable whether King Edward
would display as much enthusiasm
over a mere oratorio, whatever ne
might do at an exhibition game of
bridge.
One of Mendelssohn's best pieces,
his "Lobgeeang," was written for the
celebration of the four hundredth an
niversary of the Invention of printing
at Lelpslc. Guttenbergs statue was
unveiled on June 24, 1840, and Men
delssohn's music was played the next
Lday. It pleased the people so well
that they made a lorcnngni pnrceHmuu
in his honor and called him out to
Tnnif a. Bnew.h. much as we do In
America when one of our great artists
or composers achieves a nign tnumpn.
M vnr1lHohn died so young that some
mo-r think the world lost better music
than any he actually produced, but
this Is unlikely. The pieces ne wroie
when he was 17 were superior to
anything he did later in life.
The Jewel of consistency seems to
be lost in the shuffle at Salem. One
of the unfortunates who was obliged
to explain his vote for Senator has
Just introduced a bill taking the con
trol of the prisoners out of the hands
of the Sheriff and giving it to the
County Court. As the qusetion was
passed on by the last Legislature and
the people at the election last June,
under a referendum vote, decided
against the County Court contention
by a majority of more than 30,000, it
to somewhat peculiar that the present
attempt should be made to thwart the
general wishes. By what line of rea
soning do we reach the conclusion that
the wishes of the people must be
obeyed In electing a Democratic Sena
tor in a Republican state, and dis
obeyed in the matter of the care and
custody of prisoners?"!
Well, this to the arrangement:
Bourne is Senator; Gatens is to be
Governor till It can be known whether
Chamberlain will be seated, and If he
shall be seated, then perhaps Ben
son will be nominal or putative Gov
ernor; and Bob Caples meanwhile is
to represent the majesty of the Gov
ernor of Oregon, passing into the Sen
ate as the colleague of Bourne at
Washington. The Oregonian, for the
present, refrains from comment. For
the citizen's pride in the dignUy and
achievement of Oregon, for the pres
ent, must be full.
The candidates for the Legislature
Republicans -who "took the state
ment" pledged themselves by it to
vote against their political princi
ples and all the surest convictions
of their lives. How can they expect
the Senate of the United States to "go
behind the returns?'' The protest
against the necessity of voting for
Chamberlain, and the protest to the
Senate against seating him, are about
the limit of the weakness of poor
human nature. -
You notice that Dr. Owens-Adair's
bill for sterilization of Insane crim
inals has passed one branch of the
Legislature. Now, since there is pros
pect that It may become a law, the
suggestion may be In order that the
commission on Insanity and the com
mission on sterilization shall be one
and the same. Thus matters will
be expedited and there will be good
reason In a multitude of cases for
quick work by the lunacy end of the
commission.
The Legislatures .of Iowa, Missouri
and Texas have Introduced bills tax
ing bachelors, presumably to Incline
their hearts toward matrimony. The
Oregon Legislature, under the inspira
tion of Dr. Owens-Adair, seems dis
posed to make matrimony impossible
for a large class of men. The fashions
in lawmaking depend largely upon
longitude, apparently.
Search history in vain for a ruler
who had greater sympathy for the
plain people than Abraham Lincoln,
or hlzher Ideals of government by
the people. This great American, it
will be remembered, did a giant's
work In building the Republican party.
What, think vou. would be Lincoln's
attitude toward Statement No. 1 and
Its results?
The State Sonate has passed the bill
requiring a physician's certificate as
preliminary to marriage. Should this
become law, It may in effect increase
the number of nasty affairs known as
trial marriages, that have neltherdl
vine nor legal sanction, for the man or
woman who cannot secure a certificate
will attain the end sought in some way.
Tho Minnesota man 7 9 years old who'
Vao n ovpr lriMMl. sworn, chewed or
smoked should now try them all to see
which one It was that would nave
killed him. He to old enough to try
the experiment for the instruction of
the young.
TVi j. nrnnnxd increase of salary of a
PnrtinnH nonstable seems more im
portant than raising the pay of the
President. A louse on the eyebrow
looks like a large bird to the near
sighted hunter. '
Tt In edifvina- to take note of the
drastic Sunday legislation proposed by
Senator Abraham, our Jewish brother
from Douglas. For retaliation on the
Christians" it's all right.
Tka TTnlterl RrateH has found a r6-
miriniifv Simula way to solve the
problem of the trusts. If they can't
collect the debts due them, how can
they exist? v
Uncle Ike Stephenson and Mr. Hop
kins carried the primaries all right in
their respective states; but that's all
they did carry.
Glad that hatpin bill didn't pass.
There would have been the bother
(or fun) of the recall on it.
"GOVEMiMCTT BY PEOPLE!"
Keen Comment on Effort tp Abolish
Representative Government.
(Extract from an article. "England and
the English; From an American Point of
View." In , Scribner's Magazine.)
In America, as in other democracies,
our mistakes and our political troubles
have mostly arisen from a wrong In
terpretation of "government by the
people." It has never meant, and can
never be successful wnen it is interpre
ted as meaning, that each individual
shall take fan active part in govern
ment. This is the catch-penny doc
trine, preached from the platform by
the demagogue. The real spirit ' of
"government by the people" is merely
that they should at all times have con
trol, and keep control, of their Gov
ernors as these Saxons have done.
No one would dream of harking
back to the primitive days when ev
ery man sewed together his own skins
for clothes and for foot-wear, made
his own hut, caught his own fish,
killed each for himself his meat, and
picked each for himself his berries,
and was his own priest, his own phy
sician and his own policeman. We now
know that this was waste of time and
energy. We find it more convenient,
and more conductive to a long life, and
a comfortable life, to divide ourselves
up into bakers, and butchers, and tail
ors, and berry-pickers, and priests, and
policemen, and physicians. ,It is only
in politics that we grope blindly
amongst primitive methods , for a so
lution of the problem of government.
France with her fantastlo theories, and
what proved her horrible fiasco, in
fluenced our beginnings, and followed
by that have come the Irish with their
hatred of England and the English;
and the mating of the French philos
ophy, and the Irish fact, have turned
us aside from, and made us hesitating
in, our allegiance to the only form of
free government c which has ever been
successful in" the world, and which is
ours by ancestral right. It must be a
poor race which cannot throw up from
the mass of men a certain number
whose wealth, leisure and ability fit
them for the work of governing; Just
as others amongst us are best fitted
to bake or brew, or teach or preach, or
make clothes or hats, or to dig in the
fields. To say that every man is fitted
to govern is to hark back to the days
when every man was his own hunts
man, fisherman, cook and cailjr.
We have millions in America who
are Just learning the alphabet of free
government and they are still flattered
by political parasites with loud voices
and leather larynxes. Our parliaments
and assemblies are filled not with the
brawn and brains that have made
America a great Nation in 50 years,
but with the semi-successful, the slip
pery and resourceful who live on the
people, and by the pople, and for them
selves. He is but a mean American who be
lieves that this will last. The time ap
proaches when . Americans will slough
off this hampering political clothing,
put upon them by Latin and Celtic
parasites, and insist upon being gov
erned by the best amongst them, by
the wisest amongst them, by the suc
cessful amongst them, and not by those
whose living is derived by governing
others, because they cannot govern
themselves. It is not because we are
fools that the present condition con
tinues, It is because we are weighed
down with the responsibilities of nation-making'.
We have succeeded com
mercially and In all material ;ways mar
vellously. In 50 years we have become
the rival of the strongest, and the com
mercial portent to which every finger
in Europe points. Let this same energy
be turned upon setting our domestic
political affairs in order and the change
in government will be as complete, and
come as quickly, as in other matters.
We have allowed our idlers to govern,
with a splendid honor-roll of excep
tions, we shall ere long insist that
our ablest shall take their places in
the good old Saxon way.
BY ALL MEANS, SAVE THE SALMON.
Two State Demand Laws to Protect
Our Supply of Fish Food.
PORTLAND, Jan. 31. (To the Editor.)
In today's Oregonian comes the news
that the Commission appointed by the
Legislatures of Oregon and Washington
to bring about harmony in the fish laws
of the two states have met in Seattle
and reached an agreement. The terms
are these: Closed season from March 1
to May 1; Fall closed season from August
25 to September 10; Sunday closing; ap
propriation of $2500 by each state; boun
ties of $2.60 and $5 on seals and sea lions;
th reneal of both Initiative fish bills. .
The sum and substance of the agree
ment is to throw the river wide open to
any and all, to do his best to get the
last fish that swims In the great river
between May 1 and August 25 and be
tween September 10 and the following
March 1, with a Sunday seal.
It is the same "old gag" that has been
played like a shuttlecock on the people
of Oregon and Washington for the past
40 years; with the result that the great
food supply of salmon In the Columbia
River has been practically annihilated.
This play to kill time and get the fish
has been carried to the limit.
The people of the two states now de
mand that their Legislatures take a
hand in the matter and do something
in their interest and to save the iish as
a future food supply. In this matter we
ask that they ignore temporarily the
( ano-ocrol tn tnVlnir fish and turn
is,u Lit. o 1 .
their whole attention to the welfare of
the fish themselves. 10 xnis ena rei me
entire gear in the river be divided by
r. Tnai1rlv three, for a period of
three or four years, and let the rejected
gear De storea ana piacou ueuuu ijoo
ui T.eA. Ha hhatoI with aDnronriations
for hatcheries and nurseries, and keep
the young till they are ready for sea, and
thus save them from their enemies that
v .un in the river bv Gov
ernment authority; and in four or five
years the harvest will be plentiful, pro
portioned to tne goon je buwu.
Tt.4.1 r- Dimllnr legislation the oeoole
of the two states, yea, of the United
States, of the world lor mai mailer, ae
mand. The farce of protecting the sal-
vAaf tn vwir hT thnflA en-
luuu uww J
gaged in Its destruction has been played
to the limit. If the two-Legislatures can
not get down 0 Business in mis matter
or get out from under the power of the
salmon-catchers, memorialize Congress
to take charge of the river and possibly
rinnnrnmfint TTiaV BOOll leAm B. tllinK
or two, and finally save the fish; other
wise, in the failure to adopt one oi tne
above alternatives, the people must bid
goodbye to the Royal Chinook.
w. rx&airikn DAUin.
Stone Axe In the Men of '08.
Baltimore News.
a mnK HtH pnETPr anrl morbid 1ov.
watched a man nmder the guillotine, In
. . i i i i 1 ...... 1 O
France. Again, in ruusuuris, ucemj oww
Mn TfolfoT. arA o nflFro nnnnrl each
other In the squarred circle, while less
than 100 attended a great orchestral per
formance, given at the same hour.
There's plenty of the Stone Age in man,
in spite of the etherealists.
ONH GUESS AT TAFT9 CABIXET.
Most Difficult Problem Is a Good Man
for Secretary of the Treasury.
Springfield Republican.
It is probable that certain places on
Mr. Taffs tentative Cabinet slate,
talked over with Senator Knox,' may
be held open until the last moment.
It is now believed that George von L.
Meyer, thanks to the earnest insistence
of Senator Lodge, will continue to have
a seat at the. next Cabinet table. This
is evidently to be the reward for the
Massachusetts Senator's labors for Mr.
Taft prior to the Chicago gathering,
and his brilliant work as presiding
officer over the Republican National
convention, and might properly be
looked on as payment in full. This
outcome will greatly please Mr. lodge,
no matter if his satisfaction does not
widely appeal to Massachusetts folks.
The most difficult problem which
the coming President has is to find a
fit Secretary of the Treasury. Much
wisdom will be need,ed there, as things
are going, as well as the personality
least calculated to offend certain pop
ular prejudices. The search for Just
the right man in Chicago willing to
respond to Mr. Taft's appeal appears
to be of doubtful Issue. Ex-Governor
Herrlck, of Ohio, was early in Mr.
Taffs mind, and, in the failure to find
a man more free from the possibility
from attack on the ground of alliance
with corporate interests, ex-Governor
Herrlck may ' be taken.
As always, the Paciflo Coast demands
..nn1(An an fh.ra ATA thflSA WhO
believe that Richard A. Ballinger, of
the State of Washington, ex-iana ora
ia liiraiv tn Vi the head of
the Interior Department. In view of
m 1 T .1ta T7"
the acquain tance oi xero. "
Wright with Philippine matters his re-
ment, for a time at least, would not
be surprising. It still iookb i
w Tvlnlririn.TYi. of New Tork.
might be Attorney-General. A slate
which some people are betting on reads
as follows:
Secretary of State Philander C. Knox, of
Pennsvlvanla. .
Secretary of the Treasury Myron T. Her
rlck. of Ohio. , . . -
Secretary of War Luke B. Wright, of
Tennessee. , .
Attorney-General George E. TVlckersnam.
of New York. .
Postmaster-General Frank H. Hltcnooclt,
of Massachusetts.
Secretary of the Navy Georg:e von 1..
Meyer, of Massachusetts.
Secretary of the Interior Richard A. Bal
linger, of Washington.
Secretary of Agriculture Janws Wilson,
of Iowa. .
Secretary of Commerce and lAbor
Charlea Nagel, of Missouri.
But this is only a guess. Mr. Taft Is
noc only keeping his own counsel, but
there is warning from him of pains
and penalties to be applied to anybody
who shall tell that whioh he has
learned from the President-elect.
CATHOLIC POPI."XATIOIV OF IT. S.
Outside of Insular Poaseslons, It Num
bers 14,235,151.
TKere are 14,235,451 Roman Catholics in
the United States, according to the ad
vance sheets of the 1909 Wiltztus Offi
cial Catholic Directory, published In
Milwaukee. The statistics are fur
nished by the Archbishops and Bishops
of the United States after the taking
of a census in all dioceses.
Adding to the 14.235,461 the number of
Roman Catholics in the Philippines, Porto
Rico and Hawaiian Islands, brings the
grand total of Catholics under the United
States flag to 22,474.440, as compared with
12053,000 Catholic subjects under the Brit
ish Hag. The Catholic population of the
20 leading dioceses in -the United States
is as follows:
v.- Vork 1,219.950
Chicago ' . ....... . ..I. ' 1.1RO.O0O
Tloon 860.000
grookVv":::.v::.vj:::::-.:::.... 700,000
New Orleans E26'S52
Philadelphia 62'S?X
Pittsburg -
St Louis 176,000
Hartford JM.OOO
Newark .......................... Sfio.000
Cleveland"
Springfield ,. fjl-iji
Detroit -22
Scranton JSS'SXS
St. Paul ?5'5?S
Baltimore
Sun Francisco "J'?!!'
S ?iwauk.v :: :: v.v:::v::v:::v:::: : : issiooo
'Providence 222.000
The Ripened Fruit.
New Tork Sun.
Governor Hughes was unfortunate
In the moment. of his last allocution
in favor of direct nominations. On the
same day Senator Davis, of Arkansas,
child of the popular primary and Call-ban-Pantalooru
of the Senate, was
swishing the "red broom" of his rhe
toric, smelling blood and seeing revo
lution. A tu'penny demagogue and a zany,
projected into the Senate by the de
vice which Governor Hughes so sin
cerely, so courageously, as we think,
so unreasonably admires. The "Low
Collared Rooster" of Arkansas is one
kind of product of that device.
On the same day In the Wisconsin
Senate charges were made and sup
ported not only by Democrats but by
Republicans who are partisans of Sen
ator La Follette, the father of the Wis
consin primary law, that his colleague.
Isaac Stephenson, used large sums of
money for the bribery and corruption
at the primary elections by which he
was nominated for re-election.
mi. i,., a r ,1 ignoramus "noDU-
lar" Senator from Arkansas; the rich
suspect in Wisconsin: does Governor
Hughes put away from him such un
gracious practical and actual mani
festations of the "reform" and dream
of direct nominations simply as they
appear to his own honorable and aus
tere spirit?
Fairbanks' Quick Retort.
Washington Letter to Boston Trans
cript. By common consent, the reception
tendered annually by Vice-President
Charles W. Fairbanks to the Senate
and other members of Congress is vo
ted the most thoroughably enjoyable
social function of the - Winter. The
Fairbanks mansion at Seventeenth and
K streets is spacious, and possesses
an elegance of its own, while the re
ception is informal, and fortunate
guests invariably come away declar
ing "I've had a real good time."
. . man irhn attended the
reception of 1909 shuffled along the
line until he reached the Vice-President
and then, shaking the cordial
hand of the tall Hoosier statesman,
said- "Delighted to be here, Mr. Fair
banks. This is my first offense.
"And my last," responded the retiring
Vice-President smilingly.
Selling a Washington, D. C, Guide,
Washington (D. C.) Herald.
A word left out of an act changes the
whole sense of it, at times, and a Joker
tacked on, when no one is looking, oft
times causes infinite trouble. In the ur
gent deficiency act there was a real Joke,
and Senator Lodge In his infinite wisdom
discovered it- A portion of the act read
as follows:
"That hereafter, no advertisement, or
eny kind should be displaved and no ar
ticles of any kindt except a 'guide' to the
monument, shall be sold in or around
the Washington Monument."
Senator Lodge discovered at once that
the word "book" was omitted after
"guide," and, said he, "you could hardly
sell a guide, though they frequently sell
the visitor."
Hungarian's Moner-Dresm False.
Pittsburg. Pa, Dispatch.
A Hungarian at South Bethlehem, Pa.,
dreaming that his money had been
stolen by two men, awoke and, rushing
wildly to a magistrate's office, had the
men committed to Jail. Then he went
home and discovered his money in a
bedtick, where he. had forgotten he had
hidden it
Life's SunnySide
Dr. H. W. Wiley, the conservator of
good food, almost broke up a dinner party
on a dining car that is run between
Washington and New Tork.
The car was well, filled when he en
tered, and, seeing that roast Spring chieK
en was the headliner on the menu, he or
dered it- , ,
When it was brought on he examined
it carefully, and then, calling the waiter
to his side, said In a voice that carried
throughout the car: "This chicken has
been in cold storage eight months, threo
weeks, four days and five hours. It has
Bonassa umbellas. Take it away."
The dining-car conductor took Dr.
Wiley's name, reported the Incident to
the general superintendent of the dining
car service, and an order was subse
quently issued that no cold-storage fowls
should be served on that railroad. Wash
ington Star.
e e
Somebody sent this to the society edi
tor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer and
made affidavit that it really happened:
Here it is: They were out at an after
noon card party. A stout woman dropped
a card to the floor. "Would you be so
kind as to pick up that card for me?"'
she Inquired of the little woman yat her
right
"Certainly," said the accommodating
woman at the right, picking up the card.
"You see," explained the stout woman,
apologetically; "I've got on a brand-new
50 corset, and I'm afraid I'll strain It if
I lean over."
"Hum!" commented the other woman,
enviously. "If I had a $60 corset I'd
wear it on the outside. I really would."
see
"Well," observed Old Man Potts, "I've
spent a heap of money on irly boy Bill's
education, more'n nine hundred dollars
jest to see him through Yale. And I '
ain't through yet. It shorely makes me
sore to think of the money I'm wastln'
on a boy who ain't got as much, sense
now as he had before he went to col
lege." "What's the matter, father?" asked Mrs.
Potts. "Mebbe you're a little hard on
Bill."
"No, I ain't, Mary," answered the old
man. "Jest to show you a little while
ago I says to him I thinks it was going
to rain tomorrow. What fool answer
d'ye suppose he made me?"
"I'm sure I don't know, father."
"He begged my pardon I" Harper's
Weekly.
see'
Caller (on crutches and with a bandage
over one eye) I have come, sir, to make
application for the amount due on my
accident Insurance policy. I fell down a
long flight of stairs the other evening
and sustained damages that will disable
me for a month to come.
Manager of Company Young man. I
have taken the trouble to Investigate your
case, and I find you are not entitled to
anything. It could not be called an acci
dent. You certainly knew the yourur
lady's father was at home. Stray Stories,
see
"Talk about luck in golf." remarked
Aleck Ross, the former National cham
pion, at the Brae Burn Country Club a
few days ago, "reminds" me of a match I
once lost by what I considered the great
est piece of hard luck that ever befell a
golfer.
"It was when I had first Joined the pro
fessional ranks and was playing one of
my first big matches. My opponent and I
were all even going to the last hole and
after making a poor drive I made a good
approach and my ball landed about a foot
from the cup on the last hole. My oppo
nent's drive was good and on his second
shot the ball was on the rim of the cup.
Just then a rooster was crossing the
course and he deliberately stepped on my
opponent's ball and knocked it Into the
hole, thereby winning the mateh for my
opponent." Boston Herald.
e
Office boy The editor is much obliged
to you for allowing him to see your draw
ings, but much regrets he is unable to
use them.
Fair artist (eagerly) Did he say thatT
Office boy (truthfully) Well, not exact
ly. He Just said: "Take 'em away, Joe;
they make me 1111" Stray Stories.
e
"Tommy," eald the visiting uncle,
"seems to me that baby sister of yours Is
pretty slow. She hasn't any teeth yet,
has she?"
"She's got plenty of teeth," replied the
indignant Tommy. "She's got a wholi
mouthful of teeth, only they ain't hatched
yet." Woman's Home Companion.
With application1 at home.
Suppose We Required What Governor
Smith Demands of the Filipinos f
PORTLAND, Feb. 1. (To the Editor.)
Governor-General James F. Smith to the
Philippine Assembly on February 1:
"My last word to the Filipinos la that
until the great majority, and not a small
minority, of the citizens are prepared to
make intelligent use of the franchise; un
til" democratic usages and customs have
permeated throughout the population, and
become a part of the dally life of the
people; until the power of unconscionable
agitators and demagogues is broken; un
til education has created a Just public
sympathy that specious arguments and
false doctrines cannot destroy; until a
citizen has not only the power to Judge,
but also the courage to act for himself,
the best future of the islands lies with
the land of the free and the home of
hot air."
If the above were the requirements for
the exercise of the full rights of Ameri
can citizenship in these states it would
be impossible for the Republican party
to make a monumental ass of Itself.
There would be no Republican party.
J. HENNBSSY MTJRPHT.
Dob Drags Boy Off Death Track.
South Norwalk (Conn.) Dispatch to the
rsew xorK worm.
Tt.v, in -ha nnth nf ths Pittsfleld ex
press little "Buster" Plunkett, the 3-year-
i nt T4Jt a nH Ulra. JAmPfl Pllinkfitt.
U1U r j ii ui . - .-
abandoned by his little friends, sat cry
ing and wltnin a lew mcires oi u,
when Irish, a large St. Bernard dog.
v,k ..mm -tn Knftv tiist as the ex
press whizzed past. "Buster" Is a favorite
in his neighborhood ana tne cnuaren
strive for the opportunity of drawing
him around on nis eiea. nig. liiayiui
Irish, owned by John Davis, a neighbor,
was frisking around the children as light
hearted as they, when in crossing the
railroad tracks the sled lodged on the
bare ground and the children dropped the
rope and ran for home. Irish then went
to the rescue. The train was stoned and
a purse made up for the boy and dog.
How to Land 'Em In Kansas.
Atchison Globe,
After a man has nibbled, it often re
quires a shrewd girl to land him. The
trouble seems to be that the girls lt
them nibble too long. They should be ,
landed high and dry at the first bite.
The First Snow.
Boston Transcript.
The clouds had gathered far and wide;
The wind, unshackled, free.
Went whirling through the realm of apace
In wild, exultant (lee.
The oaks, majestlo In their strength.
Upon their trumpets played:
The pines, with their weird, measured sou ads.
High In tho darkness swayed.
Then came a spirit noiselessly.
A radiant, snowy form,
In dancing, rhythmlo motion to
The muslo of the storm.
It tfasced above the craggy cliffs;
It danced ahove the sea;
The sons of Neptune all upsprung-
And Joined the revelry.
So paired the night; when moraine- came
A silence vast and deep
Hun over all. and Nature's soul
Lay wrapt Is placid sleep.
( .