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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 5, 1909)
10 PORTLAND, OBEGOM. Entered at Portland. Oregon, Fotofflo a 6ecoad-Clas Matter. bubacrlptioa Him In variably la Advance. By Ml Dally. Sunday Included, oni year Xaily. Sunday Included, all month!.... 4.15 Dally, Sunday Included, three month. . .I.2S Dally, Sunday Included, on month.... .li Daily, without Sunday, on year Dally, without Sunday, ix montha I J Dally, without Sunday, three month.. 1.7 Dally, without Sunday, one month Weekly, one year J Sunday, one year. ............ ... J Sunday mnd Weekly, on year. ......... (By Carrier.) Pally. Sunday Included, on year . Dally. Sunday Included, out month How to Bemlt Send poatofOc money rder. exprea order or personal check on :our local bank. Stamp, coin or currency are at the ender nik. Give poitoftlce ad dress In full. Including county and atate. " rnaUg Kates 10 to 14 pages. 1 cent; 1 to 29 paces. 2 cents; to to 44 pages, t centa; 4i to 40 pace. 4 cent. Foreign postal double rates. . Kaaterm Boalneas Of Bee The 8. C. Bc wlth Special Agency New York, rooms Ji ts Tribune building. Chicago, room M0-S1J Tribune building. PORTLAND, FRIDAY. FEB. 5, 1009. THE CONTRARY EFFECT. The state undertakes to educate all the young. It is called a democratic principle. The state takes up the child and teaches It the a-b-c and then un dertakes to carry It on, as it grows up, to highest achievements of learning through the graded schools, the high schools, the college and the univer .u pnmt9 nn lona-er are expected to do anything. They can't even teach the child the alphabet. The child must even learn decent behavior at school. No young person is expected any more to do anything for himself. The state must do it all; and in crease of the sums of the appropria tion bills tells the story of the growing burden, on the Industry and property of the state. It will be, it always is, and it must ever be, the object of those whom the state coddles in this way, to escape labor productive labor. Having been educated by the state, thejr expect to live upon the state. They will cut no cordwood, sow and reap no crops; get no logs out of the woods, milk no cows, cultivate no potatoes, care for no sheep. The girls. will cook no meals, mend no garments, sweep no floors. They can't even button their own shoes. The state has educated all, of both sexes, above this business or has tried to. Yet not all. For this system does more than all other things to' divide our people into classes, and to destroy the democratic principle. There are some who can take this forced learning, or who pre tend to though they may not have minds to assimilate it, or make It of real use or good. Others, not inferior to them, but often superior, do not find it practicable; they are shy, don't want to take it. detest the superficial ities that the state promotes and cul tivates, and prefer to rely on them selves and on their own powers. But the great majority can have nothing to do with it, except as their indus try is subjected to merciless tax to support it. Their children may indeed be taught by it to read when they are too indolent to teach their children themselves; but their main use in the state Is to perform the labor neces sary to provide means for instruction and support of the "higher classes." The system of public education, therefore especially when carried be yond the common school is not dem ocratic. On the contrary, it tends to class division, or to division of the people into classes. Some, certainly, will have to work, but you never will find young men or young women, who have been taken up in their infancy, and carried through a system of free education for fifteen to twenty years, without cost to their parents or labor to themselves, undertaking the drudg ery that is, the humble duties of life. They expect genteel, not labori ous, employments. Why shouldn't the state, that has carried them thus far, be teir reliance still? These people will Join the crowd who want the state to create more offices and pay larger salaries. You may depend they will not hoe the cabbages nor milk the cows! Absolutely, then, this system of free education is not a democratic princi ple, but the reverse. It creates and will constantly widen class distinc tions among our people, and at the same time will multiply the parasitic classes and a bogus aristocracy. But what Is The Oregonian's pur pose in saying these things? Does it expect to destroy our cherished edu cational system? By no means. Its one object is to say a word of truth, where such word may be needed or may fit in. Our system of public edu cation, beyond the common school, is not democratic, but the reverse. Herein, as in so many other ways, the truth or fact Is contrary to the expectation; and the effect of the misconception is beyond apprehen sion or calculation. Xo more com plete system than this could ever be devised to make one portion of the people work for the behoof or benefit of others. But it Is the modern way under profession or pretense of democratic equality; which In fact, more than any other single force, it tends to destroy. TRANSPLANTING LIMBS. From Washington City comes a fishy tale that the leg of a man who had Just died was successfully transplanted to the knee of one whose leg had Just been amputated. Surgery has done wonders of late, but probably nothing quite so wonderful as this. Still the feat is not necessarily impossible. If Umba can be transplanted from one body to another. It Is a pity that there is not some way to preserve the re mains of robust young criminals whose executions have hitherto entailed what seems to be a useless waste, of excellent material. If legs can be transplanted, so ran arms. Stomachs come well wtihln the limits of possi bility, and hearts are by no means out of the question. A healthy murderer with a sound heart may before a great while be utilized to supply an organ to some millionaire who has fatty de generation. Who shall say how long It will be before Mr. Rockefeller per manently relieves his dyspepsia by im porting a stomach from the corpse of some healthy pirate whose misdeeds are beyond legal forgiveness? Heads present a more difficult but also & more alluring problem. The time may not be distant when a poet with a feeble physical frame can go to the doctor and have his head, with all its precious brain, set upon the shoulders of a stalwart athlete. The latter, for a consideration, of course, will agree that his empty pate shall henceforth top the poet's body. Thus, In spite of fate, we shall ultimately make the world go right. Let no I gloomy pessimist pooh-pooh these shining hope. The doctors have al ready transplanted legs from dog to dog and made them stick and grow. Why not, then, from man to man? We said In our haste at the outset that the Washington tale waa fishy. It may be so. but. following the precepts f of the pragmatists. this story and a dozen more Just like It can be believed If we only desire to believe it strenu ously enough. HERO WORSHIP. A great man is great only because he fits into the conditions of his own time. At any other time, or in any other age, he would be only an insig nificant figure. It Is true of every great man, on the world's theater of action. Caesar would have been nothing, in any time but his own. So of Bona parte. True, to an extent, men like these give direction and fame to their own times, while they make fame for themselves. Yet it remains that the time In which the man lives makes the man. The American Revolution made Washington. It gave him opportunity for exercise of his very great mental and moral power. In the same way the conflict over slavery, and the great Civil War, opened to Lincoln the way to fame. Great men are the accidents of opportunity. It is true possibly, that no other man of Caesar's time, or In Caesar's place, could have accomplished what he did. So of Washington. So of Lincoln. In each and every case there Is peculiar adaptability to a situation or oppor tunity. But the tendency always Is to hero Ize, and then to apotheosize, men who take the lead and keep the lead, in great things. What, however, would Grant have been but for the Civil War, or Bonaparte but for the French Revo lution? Or Caesar, but for the state of parties and politics at Rome, which pushed him to the conquest of Gaul, as a means of obtaining for himself celebrity and power at home? Isn't there a bit of farce about it all? We, of America, suppose 'nobody else could have done what Washington did or what Lincoln did. There is a shade of truth in the supposition. But had neither lived there would nevertheless be a great people here, not exactly under such conditions as now exist, but still a great people. In a situation affording pride In a great present, and looking to a great future. The human race still is greater than all its great men. ONE PUTT NEGLECTED. In connection with the tedious and expensive process now going on of ex pertlng the county's books, the ques tion "Why are not these books kept up to date and balanced according to law every year?" will naturally arise. It Is full six years, we are told, since these books were gone over by the County Auditor, though the law makes it his duty to perform this service, or have It performed, every year. Bven now we are assured that the account ing is a mere matter of form, there being no doubt whatever about and no reason to doubt the integrity of the officials who have handled the county's money during this long period of years. It is perhaps a grand thing to have such unbounded trust in human nature as It sits at the receipt of customs, as Is expressed in this assurance of Judge Webster. Yet it is not the safest thing, either for financial servants or for the public's interests, to indulge this con fidence to the extreme here shown. The law which requires the annual auditing of the public accounts is suf ficient proof of this. Unsupervised opportunity to Juggle with publio funds has brought many a man of honest intent to grief and cost the pub lic millions of dollars in embezzled or otherwise dissipated funds. "Honest John Bardsley," Treasurer of the mu nicipality of Philadelphia, for many successive, unsupervised years, was a conspicuous example of the folly and danger of this type of overconfldence, when finally the attempt to bring him to book resulted in the discovery of a shortage in the treasury of a very large sum and sent him, a broken-hearted man, to prison for a long term of years. The neglect of a plain, duly pre scribed duty that leads up to or may lead up to a denouement of this kind cannot be too severely condemned. No financial officer or agent Is Justified In neglecting to give fully and truly an account of his stewardship! It is due to the public that has honored and that trusts him, and to himself as a man of probity and accountability to render this account promptly. . NAVAL REORGANIZATION. The Naval Reorganization Board re cently appointed by President Roose velt has plenty of work cut out for Tt. If it succeeds in abolishing one-half of the abuses which have grown up in the department. It will win the plaud its of the people. The charge recently made by a magazine writer that our Navy Department as now conducted was annually wasting $40,000,000 per year may be slightly overdrawn, but that there is an enormous waste under the present system s unquestioned. The reorganization scheme was pro posed so late in the term of the pres ent chief executive that but little, if anything, can be accomplished under the present Administration. Mr. Taft, however, is a man who has personally visited nearly every part of the globe In which our naval force is likely to be found, and he can be depended on to aid in any reorganization plan that will Increase the efficiency and at the same time reduce the expense of the service. The recommendations of the Presi dent as to the grouping of the many semi-independent bureaus under a fewer number of heads, thereby bringing the entire workings of the de partment more directly under the con trol of the Secretary, are not new, for many Secretaries of the Navy have asked for such a reform and have al ways been turned down by Congress. The failure of the scheme in the past does not signify that it cannot be suc cessfully carried out this time, for the Navy is a far greater and more im portant part of the Government than ever before and there is Increasing need for the maximum of efficiency at all times. By reason of Mr. Taft's intimate knowledge of the political situation on the shores of the Pacific, there is an excellent prospect that, the new regime may insist that at least a portion of the fighting strength .of the Navy be stationed in Pacific Coast waters, where it is more likely to be needed than at any other station. The Pres ident, in his letter of appointment of the reorganization board, expressed a desire for "recommendations as to number, location and general facilities THE 3IORXIXG OKEG0XIAN, FRIDAY. FEBRUARY 5, 1909. of the Navy-yards wfiich are required by strategic considerations In time of war, and for maintaining the fleet In constant readiness for war in time of peace." The Bremerton Navy-yard la excel lently located for strategic purposes in time of war, and Puget Sound and the Columbia River offer admirable rendezvous for the fleet In time of peace. If the present time-worn bureaucracy in the Navy Is replaced by a system in which business-like prin ciples prevail ,it will not be long be fore one-half of the fighting strength of our Navy Is stationed on the Pacific Coast. REBUFF FOR CANAL KNOCKERS. The small but noisy army of objec tors who have been so demonstrative In their predictions of failure for the lock system In the Panama Canal will pnd no comfort In the result of Mr. Taft's personal Inspection of the work. It has not only been definitely settled that the canal can be successfully pushed to completion under the lock system, but It is also a certainty that the work can be accomplished several years earlier than was originally esti mated. There is, of course, a possi bility that the project, as now being carried forward, might have been im proved on, had the engineers been perfectly familiar with the ground in which they were obliged to work. Ac curate knowledge of this nature prior to commencement of work ' was, of course, impossible. The most skillful engineer or the most careful contractor not Infre quently encounters surprises such as were presented at the Gatun dam. This obstacle, however, presented nothing Insurmountable In the way of engineering difficulties. It was simply a problem of cost, and because un avoidable trouble was encountered at this point, there was no excuse and no reason for the critics to condemn the lock system as a whole. The cost of construction and time necessary be ing equal, there would toe no question about the advisability of preference being shown the sea-level canal. The latter could be operated much more economically and the danger of acci dents would be lessened. There was, however, a vast saving in original cost and in the time necessary to complete by selecting the lock canal in prefer ence to the sea-level project. In making this selection due consid eration was given the fact that at any time In future when it was deemed advisable the change to the sea-level canal could be made without interfer ing with the use of the lock canal. Now that it has been definitely settled by the President-elect that satisfactory progress is being made under the present plans and management, there should be cessation of the adverse crit icism which has been showered on the canal since work was first begun. MKNKLIK II. The history of Abyssinia under Men elik II, like that of Japan in the latter part of the nineteenth century. Illus trates a view of evolution somewhat different from that held by the older thinkers. To their minds the process of evolution was necessarily slow, pro ceeding by Insensible gradations from stage to stage. The more recent opin ion admits that the changes are often rapid and extensive, so that whole tribes of plants or animals and whole nations may present entirely new as pects within a few years. Nor are the changes likely to be less lasting be cause of their celerity. Menellk II of Abyssinia, who is said to be about to go to his account, or to have gone, was one of those rulers who, by great force of character and untiring energy, alter the course of history by altering the character of peoples. This they could not do unless the minds of their subjects were ripe for innovations, but It happened in Menelik's case, as it does occasionally in history, but not often, that the time and the man co incided. Consequently he was able to achieve results which look almost like miracles. Abyssinia has always played a part In the world's affairs in a modest way. Some think that it nvas the home of the Queen of Sheba, who journeyed to bask in the wisdom of Solomon. Its inhabitants were among the earliest converts to' Christianity, and they still adhere to their faith In its ancient form, knowing nothing of the new the ology and probably living under the belief that they are following Jesus, although the latest light on that im portant subject has not beamed upon them. The Abyssinlans are not ne groes as a rule. They belong to an other physical type, being tall and handsome, with only moderately thick lips, and not much darker than the na tives of Southern Italy. Their country is only some five degrees from the equator at its most southerly point, and one would naturally expect It to have a climate like the Isthmus of Panama. This Is prevented by Its ele vation of a mile or more above the sea level, and In consequence it Is the one Central African country which Euro peans find salubrious and where an in digenous civilization has developed and persisted. In modern' times at least there is no account of any army conquering the Abyssinlans. The British tempor arily defeated them in 186S, but the fight was not in any sense a fair one. The disparity between the arms of the combatants was almost as great as it waa when Cortez attacked the Mexi cans. The British troops had guns and artillery of the latest manufac ture; the Abyssinlans were armed with antique flintlocks. Some of them even fought with swords and lances in medieval style. Of course they were easily beaten, but Menellk, taking counsel of adversity, as a great man always does and a small one never, ob tained modern weapons and ammuni tion of the Russians, who were not unwilling to furnish forth an enemy for Great Britain, and when the Ital ians sought to capture a slice of his territory in 1896 he was ready for them. Italy at that time was a younger nation than she Is now, and presumably had less sense. At any rate, she became possessed with the European rage for colonies, which she had neither the capacity nor the re sources to maintain. Menelik's king dom appeared to be about the only piece of the world within Italy's reach which had not been parceled out, and therefore by the right of the strong est she undertook to grab it. The un dertaking did not prosper. At Adowa, on March 1, 1896, Menellk put the Italian hosts inglorlously to flight and nipped the colonial ambition of the youthful monarchy in the bud. Of course the defeat was Just as beneficial to Italy as to Menelik. . It turned the attention of the youngest of European nations to internal affairs, which Badly needed tinkering, enforced the lesson that national glory begins at home and is best founded on the pros perity of the common people, and put the government In a position to econo mize expenses and lighten the unen durable burden of taxation. As for Menellk. with his territory safe and his power secure, he set about trav eling the way Japan had gone before him. He was ambitious to introduce the modern arts and sciences among his ancient people. Individually he was of an inquiring mind, a student of foreign manners and knowledge, and interested in mechanical inventions. The striking difference between Asia and Europe Is that the Orientals never Invent anything. The older a utensil or custom is the better they like it. Nothing ever seems to them to need change. The Japanese are remarka ble exceptions to this rule, and Mene llk sought to make his subjects ex ceptions also. They were not Asiatics, but they had many of the character istics of the unprogresslve East. Pre cisely what effect his precepts and ex ample will ultimately have on his peo ple it is impossible to say yet. But, knowing as we do that the entire Ori ent is pervaded with new Ideas and a novel unrest, it is natural to expect revolutionary changes before long in Abyssinia. The farmers' special that will be sent by the O. R. & N. Co. through the agricultural districts of Eastern Washington next month will duplicate In exhibits, as far as the season per mits, and in lectures and demonstra tions, that which traversed the Wil lamette Valley a few months ago. A competent corps of instructors from the Agricultural College at Pullman will accompany the train. Farmers, dairymen and. fruitgrowers will find in this effort an object-lesson that can not fall to be helpful in their several vocations. As stated by R. B. Miller, head of the traffic department of the Harriman lines in the territory cov ered, "the results will become more apparent and far-reaching with the operation of each succeeding farmers' special, through the wider dissemina tion of practical knowledge conveyed by means of the lectures and demon strations." Truly the day wherein main strength and persistence in the way of our fathers formed the farm ers' stock in trade to rapidly passing. Mr. Patton, the Chicago speculator, who is reported to have a line of about 20,000,000 bushels of May wheat, yesterday succeeded in work ing the price up to $1.10 per bushel, and at the close of business the May option was 11 cents higher than the figure quoted for July delivery. As the cost of carrying wheat from May to July Is about 8 cents per bushel, it Is apparent that the May price is about 15 cents per bushel above the regular value if artificial support were not given the May option. The Liverpool market Is still far be hind the American market in price, but Patton maintains that the Ameri can price is based solely on domes tic requirements'. Meanwhile every farmer within a radius of hundreds of miles of Chicago can easily secure better than $1 a bushel for wheat for May delivery. The agricultural com munity will display the same fondness of Mr. Patton that It exhibited for Mr. Joseph Lelter, who sent prices up to dizzy heights about ten years ago. The wonders of the knife never cease coming. Here Is a tale of a man In a New York hospital whose leg must be amputated because the bones of the knee were diseased. So the doctors cut a leg from a man about to die (cause not stated and leg not needed where he was going, wings be ing in common use), grafted it, bone and sinew, and the patient "is said to be rapidly recovering." There- is hope In surgery for the man who loses his head. You see how one thing leads to an other. In Washington the state has undertaken to make grain bags for the farmer at cost. Now the oyster men want the state to make sacks for them, and the fruitgrowers think they are entitled to boxes at cost, from the state, for their apples and prunes. It opens a vista long and wide. Dr. Blackburn spoke last Sunday on the topic "If Jesus Should Come to Baker," but did not quote the refrain of a song popular some months ago: "He'd walk right in and turn around and walk right out again," as Baker probably has improved of late. The racehorse need not retire en tirely from all kinds of activity. There will be no objection, for example, to handicapping him with a plow and a stout farmhand and then placing bets on how many times he can get across a forty-acre field in a day. Ex-President Roosevelt will speak in the capitals of Germany, France and England, in the language of each coun try, but should a gun miss fire in Af rica, he will Just fall back Into plain old Arizona chin-chin. The advance In rates will allow only the best Oregon prunes to be shipped, leaving poorer grades for home con sumption. Oregonlans have become accustomed to that course with the apple. When a bald-headed, 60-year-old af finity has to pay the husband $5000 for alienating the wife's affections, one has to wonder how a long-haired poet would be assessed. Uncle Ike Stephenson, back in Wis consin, is losing votes daily with reg ularity, neatness and dispatch. Can it be true that the once well-filled bar'l is empty? The Oklahoma Legislature by reso lution rushes to the defense of Has kell. Haskell Is willing -some day to do as much for the Oklahoma Legis lature. The Brooke-Bean bill having been defeated, all Statement One members of the Legislature are free to take the Statement again. But they won't. By the time this "statement" and "pledged" Legislature gets through the result will be Interesting to all owners of property in Oregon. It was iust a bit of official humor to throw a scare into the delegation by threatening to withhold Butler's mileage. The new 50-cent coin bearing Lin coln's head will be popular. Everybody will want all he can get. If a woman with ceven children Is not entitled to her little romance, what woman Is? LIFE TRAGEDY OF AN "OLD" MAN. A Sufferer, 64 Tears Old, Unemployed, Says Employer Won't Hire Him. PORTLAND, Feb. 4. (To the Editor.) What are "old" workingmen to do. so far as future is concerned? I am one of them, 64 years old, and I yarm V -a n ntt n f wnrk nflW tWO mOnfhs. When I read The Oreeonlan's ' adver- j tlsements ror maie neip wameu. mm apply, 1 find that employers want young men. Always they tell me: "I am ! afraid you are too old." But I am in ; good health and strength, and am as lively on my feet as many who are only 30 years old. However, I have the mis fortune to be aged. We have not all been able, even with the most economi cal living, to accumulate wealth, al though we have helped others to be come wealthy. Would it not be a good plan for the City Council to pass an ordinance that all worklngmen in this city, when they come to the age of 65 or 60 years, should be collected, placed aboard a steamer, sent by steamer out to sea and dumped overboard? The steamer should be sent far enough so that Portland's old men couldn't come back. Thoy are only in the way. I see that the City Council is going to open a free employment office, but the trouble is that the city can't af ford te pay a man to attend to it. Of course there Is plenty of money to increase the salary of those big ones on the top shelf. I am a foreigner, but a citizen. EX NANTA. TOWING- MONOPOLY CRITICISED. Fort of Portland AdvUed to Open to Competition, Tag Boat Business. PORTLAND, Or., Feb. 4. (To the Edi tor.) Referring to an editorial in today's Oregonian on "Port of Portland Econ omy," a-large sum of money Is about to be spent in purchasing "bar and river tugs" and other equipment necessary for the towing of ships from the sea to Portland and return. The writer believes this expenditure un necessary, now that "compulsory pilot age" Is about to be abolished, and there will be in the future no limiting the num ber of pilots licensed. Compulsory pilot age, together with the law that allowed the Pilotage Commission to restrict the number of licenses Issued, enabled such towing company as they (the pilots) co operated with, to have an absolute mo nopoly. There are any number of suitable new towboatB here, whose owners no doubt are desirous of business .nd com petitive rates will be obtainable. On the bar It might be wise to lease tugs until tugowners understand the situation. There Is no necessity for the public embarking In the towing business. Break down the monopolies surrounding It, and competition will do the rest. E. T. WILLIAMS. A LOT OF CHUMPS." This What the Albany Democrat Calls Onr Legislature," but It Elected Chamberlain. Albany Democrat. This Legislature Is getting worse and worse, and the Democrat sized It up Just right In the start. It Is a disgrace to the state. There was another daily sample of It yesterday, when the house, headed by Its Speaker, passed the salary grab bill over the Governor's veto. Providing for an Increase of salaries during the term for which the men had been elected, the Governor did a splendid thing in vetoing the bills and decent people everywhere will Indorse his action; but this house of chumps, men paying no taxes themselves, as a rule, seem to care nothing for the rights of the people, and ride rough shod over everything that is respectable. The election of Pat McArthur Speaker In the first place was a signal of what was bound to follow, and it is coming thick and fast. The Joke is the people put in the very class of men who are disgracing the state. Silver Coin Equal to Gold. GLBNDALE, Or., Feb. 2. (To the Edi tor.) Please answer briefly the following: Is not all silver coin in circulation backed up by a gold reserve in the United States Treasury, or, in other words, redeemable in gold? W. G. BERNSTEIN. Broadly speaking (not in a technical sense) our silver coin Is buttressed by gold. Subsidiary silver coins are not legal tender except in limited sums, but silver Is exchangeable for greenbacks, and greenbacks are exchangeable for gold. In effect, every dollar In circulation In the United States Is equal to a gold dollar. Yet It niuet be understood that equality Is maintained only by limitation of issues of silver and of paper. To maintain this limitation-was the struggle of 1896. Mare Save Her Drowning; Colt. Chester (Pa) Dispatch to the Philadel phia Record. A blooded racing mare, owned by George Leiper, exhibited the strong mother Instinct when she rescued from a quarry hole her 4-week-old colt. The mare and colt were being taken to water from the stable to Leiper's farm, near Eddystone, when the younger animal dashed oft in the direction of the quarry and before it could be headed off had fallen down the embankment. Breaking away from the man who held her by a halter, the mare dashed after the colt, and after peering down into the abyss and seeing her Ally struggling in the water, trotted down to the edge of the pool, and taking the colt's mane between her teeth, pulled her offspring out upon the embankment. The coit would have drowned had It remained in the water a few minutes longer. Oversleep on HI Wedding: Day. Athol (Mass.) Dispatch to the New York World. The failure of an alarm to ring result ed In Roy E. Buzzell sleeping soundly Sunday morning at the hour set for his marriage to Miss Ella Leone Trask. When Buzzell appeared, pale and breathless and four hours late, his bride was In tears. Buzzell produced the refractory alarm clock in self-justlflcation, and the cere mony was performed by Rev. C. O. Eames, pastor of the Congregational Church. They've Got Both Love and Money. Indianapolis News. -The wife of Sidney C. Love, of Chicago, a man who. declared recently that, having made $2,000,000, he would retire from business, possesses $8,000,000. She was Miss Marjorie Burns, of Chicago, said by an artist to be the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Love is 36 years old, and started In business 15 years ago as a broker's clerk. New York's Total Vote, 1,637,334. ASTORIA! Or., Feb. 2. (To the Editor.) Please state total number of votes cast for President of the United States In the State of New York, all candidates. WILL MADISON. SOME) COMMENTS. BY A. GROUCH. Patriots must pawn their honor before serving tbeir country. The average horn 1 meet on the Btreet has better manners than the average auto moblllst Soma Christian are better posted on what the Master would do than what he did. Governor-General Smith of the Philip pines asks more of our little brown broth ers than we do of our statesmen. Any suggestions coming: from the State of New York: should be received with respect ful consideration. They are charged with th seal of an Hth-hour penitent. I CHARTER IS NEARLY READY Board Has Passed on All Important Points. The labors of the commission that for. months paBt has been hard at work com piling the proposed new city charter, are rapidly drawing to a close. Two sessions of the Charter Commission were held yesterday and two will be held to day. At last night's meeting the report of the subcommittee on the Water De partment, favoring the submission 'of al ternate propositions to the voters, met with approval. The question of providing for the city water supply and extension of mains was one of the most difficult the Commission had to deal with. It was also the last of many Important changes to be con sidered. Now that It has been disposed of, the Commission is devoting Its time to cleaning up odds and ends and from now on the members will devote their at tention to passing on the work of the coditlcation committee. This work was begun at the meeting held yesterday aft ernoon ad also consumed a greater part of the evening meeting. All told, there are over 400 sections of the proposed new charter. The work of submitting this report Is In the hands of Richard W. Montague. Because of the care with which the work of the codi fication committee was performed, the Commission as a body is finding little to do but accept the report. Practically the only work Involved is correcting here and there the construction and the language used. Over half of the sec tions have been approved. At the afternoon session the members present did not consltute a quorum, and they worked as a committee, recommend ing to the full Board several changes. Dr. Chapman presided. Councilmen, under the new charter, will be elected every two years for four year terms, except the first election fol lowing the adoption of the charter. Six will be elected at the first election, three of whom receiving the highest number of votes will serve the four-year term and the others will serve two-year terms. There Is to be a provision whereby the Council may expend annually $5000 for items not included in the authorized lists of the charter. In the present charter the amount for this, purpose Is $1000. In the proposed charter the Mayor Is to have $1000 for private purposes, whereas at present he has but $600 a year. Authority is given the Council to pre vent billboards being erected on the streets of the city, and also the provision Is to be made that the Council can pro hibit the carrying of "fraudulent" adver tising matter In the columns of the newspapers or anywhere else. This was Inserted at the suggestion of Rev. Mr. Eliot. There Is a section which provides that the Mayor and members of the Council shall not be held responsible for libel or slander uttered in debate during i-ny Council session. Mr. Rynerson asked Mr. Montague what this meant, and Mr. Montague replied that It Is thought the Mayor and Councilmen should feel free to speak, without fear of prosecution. "I don't know as the provision is neces sary, however, as no one is ever punished for slander or libel here," said Mr. Montague. OPPOSE OPENING OF BRIDGE East Slders Declare Themselves at Mas9 Meeting of Push Clubs. Delegates from seven push clubs Broo"klyn, Sellwood, Waverly-Riehmond, Hawthorne, Woodstock and Midway, held a mass meeting last night, A. G. Rushlight presiding, in the Seventh Ward, and declared that under no cir cumstances should the Madison bridge be reopened, that proceedings to con demn the franchise of the railway com pany should be undertaken at once and the bridge rebuilt at the earliest pos sible time. It was the sense of the meeting that if the bridge be repaired and reopened it will mean another long delay before the new structue would be built. Remarks along this line were made by'A. G. Rushlight, supplemented by W. L. Boise, L. E. Rice, Arthur Brock and O. N. Ford. A committee was appointed to take the matter In hand and push forward all steps looking to tho immediate erec tion of the new Madison bridge. The committee is composed of A. N. Wills, M. Darling, R. D. Merchant, L. E. Rice, O. N. Ford, Dr. Wood, Ben Rlesland, A. L. Barbur and W. L. Boise. Steps were taken for forming a fed eration of Seventh Ward Push Clubs, the following committee being ap pointed to prepare rules: J. F. Kertchem, Sellwood; Arthur Brock, Midway; E. F. Mouldenhauer, Kenll worth; Charles Stout, Mount Scott; L. E. Rice, Waverly-Riehmond; S. E. Fremont, Hawthorne avenue: A. G. Rushlight, Brooklyn; C. Ben Rlesland, Woodstock. Committee will submit a report within two weeks. VETO IUJJIOR RAISES STORM Congressmen Say President Had Better Not Block Census Bill. WASHINGTON, Feb. 4. General in terest was shown - among Congressmen today over the report that the Presi dent Intends to veto the census bill on account of Its provision excluding the 3XM employes of the Census Bureau In this city from the classified civil service. If this bill Is vetoed it will be the most important measure he has antagonized In that way and if Congress should pass It over his veto, it will be the first time such action has been taken. The sentiment In Congress favoring the census bill in its present form is so ex tensive that It Is generally believed that a two-thirds, vote can be obtained for It. Arrives With Lumber. SAN PEDRO, Cal., Feb. 4. The schoon er Cecilia Sudden has arrived from Wil lapa Harbor with lumber. When Portland Read of Lincoln's Death Among other features in the Lincoln supplement of The Sunday Oregonian will be a facsimile reproduction of the page in The Daily Oregonian con taining the telegraphic; account of the assassination. Despite meager facilities and very high cost, the news report is full. This page is well worth preserving as a connecting link with the dim past. WIRES ARE PROPERLY LAID President of P. ., L. & P. Co. Says Law Is Complied W ith. That electric wires being strung by the Portland Railway, Light & Power Com pany are being put up entirely in ac cordance with the ordinance regulating such matters is the contention of B. 9. Josselyn, president of the company. Since the ordinance was passed, he says, his company has acted in accordance with it, despite the fact that the meas ure is alleged to be invalid. It was tentatively understood between the ctty and the company that the ordinance would not apply In the business district, where the wires have been ordered un derground, and therefore nothing has been done to make the desired changes there. Good progress is being made on the underground conduit system. Approxi mately 50 out of the 300 blocks affected by this system have either been supplied or work on them Is now in progress. The first underground work Installed by the company was commenced about Sep tember 1, 1907. after the proposed mu nicipal conduit agitation was disposed of. At this time the improvement of Front street from Madison to Burnslde street with stone blocks was In progress and it was the desire of the traction company to install this underground sub way ahead of this Improvement The cost of this section of underground work was approximately $10,000. In November, 1SW8, the subway con struction on First street, between Pine and Burnslde, was started, this work also going In ahead of new Improvement. Other sections of subway that have been put down are: Washington, between First and Front. Stark, between First and Front. Yamhill, between First and Front. High-tension conduit from the com pany's transmission line at Water and Harrison to First and Clay. Eleventh street, between Yamhill and Burnslde, to get ahead of pavement. Front street, from Burnslde north to Steeel bridge. Front and Flanders to Third and Oak. Work Is now being carried forward on . the subway leading down Seventh from Alder to Oak. Total cost to date, $41,800. The above covers the work already completed or in the course of construc tion. Additional sections of underground subway system for which permits have been isssued and on which construction will proceed in the near future are as follows: Morrison, between Front and First. Subway vault construction In the im mediate vicinity of sub "a," Seventh and Alder. Twelfth, from Washington to Burn slde. From Seventh and Alder to Twelfth and Washington. Washington, from First to Park. Alder, from Seventh to Front. Oak. Pine and Stark, between Front and Park. Subway construction In the neighbor hood of new sub-station. First and Jef ferson. Fifth, from Oak to Yamhill. Morrison, First to Park. Second, Oak to Yamhill. First, Oak to Yamhill. Total eost, 2,350. The above figures cover the subway construction only. Cable for these por tions of the subway has been ordered and will cost when delivered and put in place approximately $300,000. In the first underground subway con struction Orangeberg fiber was used for conduit. We now are using a clay tile entirely and some 14 carloads of this have arrived or are now in transit. Or ders have been placed to date covering approximately $450,000 worth of material for the continuation of this underground work and additional orders will be placed from time to time as required. During the recent severe weather it was necessary to stop all work. The next two months, however, will be active ones and great progress will be made toward the completion of subway Instal lation. The first lot of cable will arrive before March 1 and will be pulled into the ducts and spliced up immediately upon Its receipt. New generating apparatus for the Alder-street substation to feed the under ground system will begin to arrive about the 1st of May and the company will begin to connect customers some time during June. The new substation at First and Jeffer son streets Is under way and will be completed about May 1. CHARGE W ILL BE RESISTED , East Sido Business Men's Club Op poses Maintenance of Arcs. After consideration of the extra charge made by the Portland Gas Company for maintenance of gns arcs, the East Side Business Men's Club last night declared that it would resist and refuse to pay the charge, and that the members would eliminate the arcs rather than pay. This motion was made by G. L. Atchley and seconded by George Dilworth. By unani mous motion, the club declared the charge unjust. A proposition was received from a theatrical man to the effect that if East Side property owners will erect a large convention hall that will seat at least 5000 people, he will lease the hall. M. B. McFaul, George T. Atchley, J. M. Wood worth and H. H. Ncwhall were appointed to investigate the offer. A long-distance telephone message was received from Senator Kellaher saying he had been informed that one property owner had held up the improvement of East Stark street, and asking that action be taken to have the work proceed. W. B Hall, G. T. Atchley, Albert Johnson, John P. Schmeer and C. A. Bigelow were appointed to wait on the executive com mittee and demand that the work pro ceed at once. The same committee was instructed to ascertain if East Water street cannot be improved. It was considered that only stone blocks should be used In paving East Water street.