8 -
TTTR MOItXIXG- OREGOXTAX,
I'ORTLAXD. OREGO.V.
Entered .c Portland, Oregon. Fostofflce as
fiecoad-Closi Matter.
Subscription Kates Invariably In Advance.
(By Mall
pally, Sunday Included, one year 18.00
Baily, Sunday lncluaed." thres months". 2. 25 '
pally, Sunaay Included, one month "S
witnour. bunaay, ore year....... e.uv
aily, without fiuoday, six month! 1.25
Ially, without Sunday, three months.. 1.75
I?ally. without Sunday, one montn 0
weekly, one year , I SO
Sunday, one year..... ... 160
Sunday and Weekly, one year .60
(By Carrier.)
Cally. Sunday Included, one year...... t oo
Daily. Sunday Included, one month.... .75
Hoir to Remit Send postofflce money
order, express order or personal check on
your local bank. Stamps, coin or currency
re at the sender's risk. Give postofflce ad
cress la full. Including county and state.
Postage Rates lo to 14 oases. 1 cent: IS
to 2 paKes. t cents; 3C to it pages. 3 cents;
4 to 60 pages. cents. Foreign, postage
double rates.
K astern Business Office The 8. C. Beck-w-lth
Special Atrency New York, rooms 48
10 Tribune building. Chicago, rooms 61(1-613
Tribune building.
PORTLAND. TCESrAY. MARCH 0. 1909.
. THE TARIFF AXI XI EE POOR.
i- Perhaps there Is no subject In the
world around which mistaken beliefs
cluster so densely as around the pro
tective tariff. Political spellbinders
have befogged It for campaign ad
vantage. Millionaires to whom the
tariff is a mine of wealth sedulously
cultivate the delusion that in some
mysterious way it raises wages and
lowers prices. How it can raise wages
when hundreds of thousands of for
eign laborers are Imported every year
to bid down the price of Jobs is a
matter of faith rather than reason.
Mow it can lower prices when almost
every dutiable article Is controlled by
a trust is another enigma.
Anybody who cares to understand
exactly what the protective tariff does
to the average wage-earner and his
family may gratify his wish by read
ing Miss Tarbell's instructive . maga
zine article about it. This gifted
woman presents her facts with envia
ble serenity, but if she 6hrieked with
rage over them nobody could blame
her, for they unfold a ta'e of hum
bug, deception and rascality which
probably has few parallels in history.
If the American consumer Is not an
ass, it Is marvelous how well he imi
tates the docile stupidity of that meek
beast of burden. Take, for example,
the emollient which is commonly
served out to us when. ' -we complain
of the rising cost of living. "Yes, the
cost of living has risen," it 13 said,
"but behold how. .wages have ad
vanced also. Tou spend more, but,
praised be Allah, you have more to
upend."
Miss Tarbell punctures this irides
cent fraud with calm satire. Since
1896 the average cost of goods of all
sorts has Increased 35 per cent, while
the average incret.se of wages has
been 19 per cent. The difference,
which is 17 per cent, comes out of
the people who earn the wages, and
goes to the trusts. At the late hear
ings before the Congressional com
mittee on the tariff, Dalzell and his
fellow-standpatters seldom failed to
sneer when it was said of a particular
duty that it made this article or that
one cost a penny more to the consumer.
Who cares for a penny? In reply it
might be said that the protected mil
lionaires seem to care a great deal
for it. Again, it may be remarked
that the penny belongs of right to the
Bhop clrl or seamstress who has
earned it, and not to the tariff baron
who uses the f.orms of law to rob her
of it.
Finally, Miss Tarbell shor.-s clearly
enough that to the people who bear
the principal burden of the Dingley
duties a cent or two added to the
cost of a pair of shoes, a butter ladle,
a tin cup, is a pretty serious matter.
It means the difference between a sur
plus and a deficit In the family bud
get. In the last, analysis, the pro
tective tariff, as we now have it,
makes It harder for the shop girl to
live without selling her virtue and for
the workingman to feed, clothe and
echool his children. At the other ex
treme, it adds to the superfluities of
the Pittsburg millionaire and swells
the revenue of Standard Oil.
One of the common apologies for
the exorbitant tariff is that, however
egregiously it fools the farmer and
pilfers from the kitchen maid and
plucks the day laborer, still it does
nothing for Standard Oil. Nothing
on the surface, but a little below the
surface Dingleyism is a veritable gold
mine for Mr. Rockefeller and hia
churches and schools. Miss Tarbell
shows how the octopus gathers in a
harvest from the tinplate duty. This
duty, which is one and a half per
cent. Is rebated to any person who
imports tinplate, manufactures it and
exports it again. Now mark. All the
tinplate made in this country Is con
trolled by a trust, which sells its prod
uct by the wholesale for $4 a hundred
here and for $3 a hundred in Eng
land. The farmer's wife cannot af
ford to go to England to buy her
dipper and pie tins, but Standard Oil
makes money by going there to buy
Its sheet tin to make oil cans of. It
gets the material at the foreign price,
pays the duty, makes the can, fills it
with oil and ships it to China. Then
the Government pays back the duty.
By this neat trick, Mr. Rockefeller's
benevolent company cleans up some
$2,000,000 a -year. Meanwhile the
docile American consumer pays the
duty- and the bonus which the tin
plate trust adds to the duty, and he
gets no rebate. -
Miss Tarbell's article Is one of the
most sensible contributions to tariff
literature that has ever been written.
There is not a word of buncombe in
It, nothing but the plain facts of the
stupendous swindle and its destructive
effects on the family life of the poor.
Vlnke all unjust taxe3, the tariff bur
den lies heaviest on the backs least
able to bear it. " '
WAR TAX FORESHADOWED.
- A stamp act Is one of the measures
likely to be brought before Congress
at an early day. Not only are the
. enormous expenses of the Govern
ment to be met from month to month
but an -enormous deficit the legacy of
official extravagance Is to be met and
wiped out. Hence the probability that
resort will be had to war measures
for replenishing the sadly depleted
funds In the National Treasury.
A war. tax in a time of profound
peace! What an arraignment of offi
cial and legislative extravagance! Mr.
McVeagh, it is said, approaches the
work before him as Secretary of the
Treasury with a sense of grave re-
. eponsibility - and - - some perplexity.
"The Government must have money,"
and it is up to him to devise ways
and means to get It that Congress
will sanction.. If Mr. Franklin Mc
Veagh is a true namesake of Ben
Franklin he may be depended upon
to Introduce early In the fray some
economies Into the administration of
governmental affairs that will silence
the clamor for "more," while meet
ing the demands of the deficit which
have become so insistent as to de
mand a war tax upon the business of
the country for their liquidation.
THE MOON AXD THE SABBATH.
The fact that Rabbi Jonah "Wise, of
Temple Beth Israel, has expressed
himself in favor of holding worship
in the synagogues of his people on
Sunday merits more than passing at
tention. This tendency, which Is
widespread among the more nro-
gresslve worshipers of the Jewish )
faith, implies the disuse of the tradi
tional Sabbath (Saturday). Rabbi
"Wise says truly that this ancient holy
day is more honored In the breach
than the observance already, and the
change, therefore, would be in large
measure merely a formal one. Still,
it Is noteworthy that such men as he
are in favbr of making It. Perhaps
the only denomination which now ad
heres strictly to tne observance of
the Biblical Sabbath. Is that of the
Adventists, who make it the funda
mental article of their faith.
The origin of the Sabbath Is na
turally lost in the obscurity of an
tiquity, but It Is a safe conjecture that
It was closely connected with the wor
ship of the moon, which appears as a
goddess in many Oriental faiths, and
also In the mythology of the Greeks.
Among the last-named people the
moon was worshiped under the title
of Diana, the chaste huntress. In
lands farther east the name of the
deity was various, but the cult was
fairly constant. The four quarters of
the moon naturally led these primi
tive devotees to divide the month into
four weeks, and we may safely Infer
that the first Sabbath ever celebrated
fell on the date of a new moon. As
tronomical difficulties soon led to the
fixation of the Sabbath on every sev
enth day, without much regard to the
moon's phases, but the origin of the
holy day is pretty certainly as It has
been Indicated here. The Btory that
the Lord rested on that day after cre
ating the world was taken over from
the Babylonians. Indeed, there are
traces in Hebrew literature of a com
mingling of Babylonian and other Ori
ental cults with their own aboriginal
faith. The prophets found occasion now
and then to rebuke the people for their
attention to "new moons and Sab
baths." Here the language plainly
indicates the connection between the
weekly holy' day and the quarters of
the moon. These curious facts are
cited merely to remind readers that,
while Rabbi Wise may perhaps vio
late some traditions, he really makes
no inroads upon the divine law.
A JUST DECISION.
The decision of Judge Morrow in a
recent case, in which the question of
exacting pay for . time not actually
spent in work was Involved, is In the
interest of simple Justice. The suit
was brought to compel the payment
of a bill for plumbing, to which was
added the customary charge of time
occupied In going to and from a Job,
returning for forgotten tools and
other delays costly to the employer
and without benefit to him. Accord
ing to this decision plumbers must go
to and from their work on their own
time. Just as other workingmen do.
It is surprising that payment has
not been resisted upon this point long
ago, and not surprising that when
submitted to a court of equity plumb
ers should be put on a basis with
other laborers. The laborer. In what
ever capacity, is worthy of his hire,
and he should receive pay in full for
the time he puts at his work. But it
is his business to get to and from his
work, not the employer's business to
get him back and forth.
THE "EXPERIMENTAL" DECISION.
The full text of the Interstate Com
merce Commission decision in the
Spokane rate case was printed
in yesterday's Oregonlan. As pre
dicted by this paper when the
first news of the decision was
received, its effect . depends . largely
upon the attitude of the railroads, to
whom the details of adjustment are
left. The language of the decision re
flects in numerous paragraphs the
hopeless task confronted during the
twenty-six months In which the Com
mission struggled with the problem.
"We realize," said the Commissioners,
"that this case should be disposed of
in some more comprehensive manner,
but after much consideration have
been able to determine upon no other
order which would not be -open to
legal objection. The carriers may, if
they desire, present to the Commis
sion, before the effective date of the
order, some scheme for the readjust
ment of these Intermediate rates. If
approved, the Commission will strike
off the present order in favor of that
plan;"
That the Commission was far from
sure of its ground. Is further shown
in the statement that "We wish to
emphasize the fact that the conclusion
reached is of necessity in a measure
experimental. If, in an honest at
tempt to work out this idea, any un
expected difficulty Is encountered, or
any unforeseen result produced, or if
the reduction In revenue Is, upon an
actual trial, more than has been an
ticipated, the Commission will, upon
application of either party, make such
modification of its order as may seem
Just." In explaining its failure to
deal with less-than-carload commodity
rates, the Commission acknowledges
that "the carriers themselves are bet
ter qualified to deal Intelligently with
that subject."
The entire rate fabric or structure
west of the Missouri River Is so closely
Interwoven and Interdependent that a
reduction in any given district sets
in motion Influences that are felt
throughout the entire territory. The
decision in the Spokane case has
started the movement, and It is doubt
ful If : there Is a railroad expert in
the United States, who can accurately
predict where the end will be. The
transportation committee of the Port
land Chamber of Commerce is urging
that complaint be made before the
Interstate Commerce Commission to
secure reduction in distributive rates
out of Portland. The new Spokane
rate is supposed to be based on the
earnings of the business. If that rate
Is met at Portland, 400 miles farther
west, it Is obvious that the earnings
on the through traffic must be less
than on the traffic that Is halted at
Spokane. If this loss cannot be partly
equalized. It will, of course, be to the
advantage of the roads to haul no
freight through to Portland that can
be distributed from Spokane and other 1
interior points.
This 1s exactly what Spokane and
otner interior points hope to ac
complish. They can succeed if the
railroads decide that the rates on the
back haul from -Portland are too low
to admit of meeting- -water compe
tition with a low through rate. The
Commission's "experimental" decision
has not only passed the main features
of the rate question back to the rail
roads for adjustment, but with the
Spokane order It has also weakened
their position to such an extent that
there may no longer exist sufficient in
centive for meeting ocean competition.
Instead of employing a man to fight
the railroads it might be a good time
for the transportation committee of
the Chamber of Commerce to employ
someone to work harmoniously with
them, and endeavor to straighten out
this tangle into which the Spokane
case decision seems to be leading us.
In more ways than one the interests
of Portland and the railroads in this
matter are mutual.
WHEAT IN FARMERS' HANDS.
The Government report showing
wheat stocks In farmers' hands on
March 1st to be 143,000,000 bushels
landed like a bombshell in the Chi
cago wheat pit yesterday, causing " a
slump of about three cents per
bushel. JThis- was about 20,000,000
bushels more than the estimate made
by an expert generally reported to be
a special representative of Mr. Patten.
If the Government figures could be
relied upon as accurate, there would
seem to be some difficulty In the at
tempted corner being carried to a
successful consummation. Fortu
nately for Mr. Patten and his farmer
friends, the Government report in the
past has almost Invariably disclosed
figures much in excess of those which
afterwards came into view.
The Oregon, Washington, Idaho and
California figures in yesterday's re
port are not yet available in detail,
ut if they are no more accurate than
those which were credited to the four
states in the report Issued in March,
1908, the total for the United States
can be pared down a great many mil
lion bushels, and still be sufficiently
high to cover all the wheat that la
still unsold. In March, 1908, this re
port showed stocks In farmers hands
to be 148,721,000 bushels. In this to
tal were Included 10.214,000 bushels
in Oregon, Washington and Idaho, and
2,257,000 bushels in California, the
Oregon figures being about fifty per
cent too high. The striking inaccu
racy .of the California figures was
demonstrated In the importation by
that state from Oregon and Wash
ington alone of more than 3,000,000
bushels of wheat in the succeeding
four months.
Another feature of the suspiciously
large stocks reported in farmers'
hands is the Government's own fig
ures on last year's crop, on the re
quirements for seed and home con
sumption, and the shipments. , The
crop was estimated by the Govern
ment at 664.602.000 bushels. The De
partment of Agriculture estimates on
requirements for seed and home con
sumption in 1906 and 1907 were 627,
000,000 bushels. Naturally, they were
no smaller last year.
Adding to these requirements the
140,000,000 bushels which have been
shipped since the 1908 crop began
moving, we have a total of 667,000,000
bushels, an amount which clearly In
dicates that every bushel that Is ex
ported between March 1st and the
time when new-crop wheat Is avail
able must come from the carry-over
of the 1907 crop. That this carry
over was by no means top-heavy is
apparent when it Is recalled that
wheat began selling above $1 per
bushel last September, Just after the
new crop began moving. Even with
a carry-over stock as heavily padded
as that of stocks reported In farmers'
hands. It Is not clear that the mar
ket should be very weak with the
world's crop of 1908 falling 77,500,000
bushels short of the average for the
past five years, and the consumption
materially- greater.
A COMPARISON IN DIVORCES.
The divorce idea has penetrated
the heretofore impregnable precincts
of Canada not the portion where
dwell In serene, nonprogressive sim
plicity and content the French Cath
olics, but the larger domain settled by
a newer population and their de
scendants from the English provinces
and the United States.
The customs of living and the hab
its of life In the old province of Que
bec have remained fixed during a
century of surrounding growth. The
dress, houses, environment and so
cial customs of these simple, upright,
easily controlled and perfectly satis
fied people belong alike to the yester
days and todays of their history. Un
questioning obedience to churchly
customs and priestly decrees, they live
literally as their fathers lived and will
die as their fathers died. Their wo
men are mothers home-keepers
daughters of the church, their place in
the economy of nature being fixed by
the bounds of their vocations. Indus
trious and obedient, they belong to
the yearly, narrowing class of both
men and women, who have all the
rights they want. Divorce is, of
course, unknown and unthought of
among them. Rumors from the great
world that seethes and murmurs in
the throes of growth 'at their very
doors are hushed at the threshold,
lest they reach the ears of the young
men and maidens (especially the lat
ter) with disturbing effect. Divorces
as shown by the record are Increasing
in Canada, but they are unheard of
among these primitive people. -
We, across the border, smile Indeed
at the increase of divorces noted, evi
dently with some apprehension, there
being now as we are gravely told, a
total of twenty-four applications for
divorce before the Dominion Parlia
ment, which if all are successful -will
be as many as were granted during
the first twenty years after the con
federation. This relatively small num
ber of divorces for the entire Domin
ion Is not, however, entirely due to
the general public and churchly sen
timent against it. It costs upward of
J 1000 to get an application for di
vorce before the Senate, the power to
which appeal Is made, which Is, of
course, more than the average hus
band or wife, however seriously ag
grieved, can afford. The entire ques
tion Is treated in Canada so differently
from the way in which it is treated
In the United States that no compari
son can be instituted between these
methods upon moral or ethical
grounds. Clearly the cost of divorce In
Canada makes It utterly Impossible
for the poverty-stricken wife of the
drunkard or the bitterly oppressed
wife of the human brute to think of
release from her marital bonds, even
If she Is not In additional bondage to
a creed that admits of but one cause
for divorce.
The conditions which make mar
riage a practically Indissoluble de
cree In Canada represent one extreme
of the divorce question; those which
allow divorce for trivial causes, as Is
the case In some parts of the United
States represent the other extreme. It
Is scarcely necessary to add that If one
extreme or the other must be accepted
In lieu of a Just medium between the
two, the American method Is In closer
accord with the strict interpretation
of Individual right and Justice, which
declares that no human being should
be held in cruel bondage from which
there Is absolutely no release. If di
vorce Is increasing in Canada, even
under the restrictions that make It
practically Impossible In a vast ma
jority of cases of marital misery even
to apply for one, the inference is fair
that a demand will arise as the years
go on for an adjustment of the matter
that will he In accordance with the
law of humanity and of Justice.
Citizens In many parts Of Waverly
addition have been practically cut oft
from traffic of all kinds for several
months owing to the heavy cuts be
ing made in the streets of that section
during the very worst time of the
year for such work. Some of the
streets have been barred to vehicles
of all kinds for weeks from a wheel
barrow to a hearse, and almost In
conceivable perplexity and inconven
ience has resulted. With the wisdom
born of experience the residents of
that section are early in the field ask
ing that lateral sewers may be ex
tended into their district conn swt ! n p
with the great Brooklyn tube now
approaching completion. They want
the sewers put in before the hard-surface
pavement contemplated is laid,
thus obviating another siege with dis
rupted streets next Winter, or at some
equally unpropltlous season later on.
Being thrifty, long-suffering folk. It
may be hoped that they will succeed
in securing sewer connection prompt
ly, to the end that the streets may
be passable next Winter and there
after. Full half the Inconvenience
and two-thirds of the expense at
tendant upon the Improvement of our
streets might be obviated by the use
of head work In conjunction with city
engineering. This statement has so
often been verified by experience
that no further proof of It is neces
sary. - The hilarious "shorts" who ham
mered the Chicago wheat market so
vigorously yesterday, on account of
the Government report showing 143,
000,000 bushels of wheat in farmers'
hands, may have been too hasty. Sup
pose that big supply was all In the
hands of members of the American
Society of Equity, which is on record
as demanding that its members hold
their wheat for J 1.2 5 per bushel.
There is some danger attached to sell
ing Imaginary wheat at $1.13 per
bushel when the man who owns the
real stuff declines to sell at less than
$1.25 per bushel.
A Washington dispatch announces
that Senator Chamberlain will preside
at a meeting of the Civic Forum In
Carnegie Hall, New Tork, and that he
"will describe the operations of the
Australian ballot, initiative and ref
erendum and direct primary in Ore
gon." In order that New Yorkers
may know exactly what these "oper
ations" have been. It Is to be hoped
that George will not omit any of the
details. He should take Jonathan
along with him for a prompter, to
make sure that the matter is set
forth in its proper light.
One man vetoed more than fifty
acts of the ninety members of the
Oregon Legislature. This must be an
other of those much-heard-of relics
In the antiquated constitution, of a
system which the people are said to
be fast leaving in the rear. One man
setting up hia Judgment, as Governor,
against that of ninety Legislators is
Intolerant presumption. If not arro
gance. In a government where num
bers are supposed to rule. We won
der that this matter has escaped the
notice of Lawgiver U'Ren.
What St. Paul calls "the foolishness
of preaching" Is pretty well Illustrated
by Manager Burnham's blast against
"immoral plays" In New Tork. It
seems to have doubled the demand
for tickets. Could the blast have
been meant for an advertisement In
disguise? Such things have happened
In this wicked world.
Mr. Toung, aspirant for Portland's
Postmaster, need not think he has
been singled out, from among Sena
tor Bourne's favorites, for disap
pointment. There's Mr. Schuebel.
who wanted to be District Attorney.
If the white fist champion who
went down before Mr. Johnson had
been as careful of the white race's
supremacy as John L. Sullivan, it
would not now be necessary for Jim
Jeffries to act the rescue hero.
.Mr. Roosevelt walked with Mrs.
Roosevelt three miles to church
through the snow, and reports that
he la having a corking time in private
life. Somehow we should like to hear
from Mrs. Roosevelt.
"Alaska salmon packers will cut
down their output this year. If Co
lumbia River packers could agree on
anything whatsoever it would be hailed
as the wonder of the age.
The British Isles have been Im
proved each time they were Invaded
by a foreign host, but the Isles are
doing their best to prevent any future
Invasion.
The business of the special legis
lative session Is to "correct mis
takes." Yet they say they axe going
to get through in a day.
If plumbers cannot collect for time
going to and from work, they will
probably not ride In next Labor day
parade in automobiles.
Ex-Senator Piatt Is going down to
Washington occasionally "because he
cannot help It." There could be no
other possible reason.
President Taft will come west 1n
August, perhaps. The Rose Festival
will be in June. He ought to be told
about It.
Those taxpayers who meet tonight
must not overlook the fact that the
officials need the money.
This Is the rain that didn't come
last October and November.
ILLITERACY GROWS IN TI1K SOCTH '
Worn tor Whiles Thaa Nvarro Voters
Only Help la Republican Party.
Julian Harris In Uncle Remus's Home
Magazine. Atlanta.
This brings lis to the disfranchisement
of the negro, tho very bst and the very
worst move that a Southern atnte could
make.
If on the one hand the South has been
unfair to the negro In disfranchisement,
en the ether. In our method at least, we
have been wantonly unjust to tho Illit
erate wnlte voter. Not many uneducated
rcuthern whites voters ami soon-to-be
voters? See where Georgia or Alabama
or South Carolina stands in tho percent
age of Illiteracy.
The educational restriction put on the
negro has proved to him a stimulus to
acquire an education. And he Is going
to get it. Often he mny not be able to
reach to calculus and Gwk, an1 Just as
often when he can he Is obnoxious; but
mat Is besMe the question, lie ran nn.l j
win learn ins three Its; an.l wlnlo the
necro is fitting himself for suffrage, there,
safely sheltered by the "grand-daddy"
Clause. Is Sitting Tim Illiterate whtto
whistling end whittling and forgetting '
that even grandfathers, though dead, soon
become great-grandfathers. while tho I
grandson becomes Impossible as an an- I
cestor. J
I-oglcally. this means that within the
next 15 or 25 years the r.egro, armed with
Ms ballot and carrying his educational
credentials will Inquire If his vote Is rip
and It will he. And the white Illiterate
voter? He lias doubled the Smith's bur
den or rather by the disfranchisement of
the negro, the Illiterate white will have
been made a double burden In his Igno
rance and lack of ambition; for tUe meth
od has not only kept the white man at a
standstill, but he can no longer count
against a black vote.
It Is because this situation Is berng re
alized that the disfranchisement act may
be termed the best and the worst thing
for the South for Georgia, as an In
stance. It means that we must soon begin tj
look to the Republican party or the party
In power as opposed to Democracy to
help solve our troubles when tho negro
vote arrives.. And that is where it Is
good.
It is in the present crippling of the
negro vote In Georgia (and we use Geor
gia as representing the South) that the
negro can never step over a certain line
In the South. But the North does
not understand fully the essence
of this feeling. this determination
concerning the negro; which Inheres not
In prejudice, but In fact.
President Roosevelt has begun to under
stand the situation in the South. He hns
opened the way for a Republican Presi
dent to be put In close touch with South
erners and with their ideas and Ideals.
President-elect Taft has a wide and won
derful opportunity. The way In which he
handles a doubly delicate situation will
have a vital bearing on the making of
history in the next 10 or 15 years.
MOST KANSANS LAWBREAKERS
Yet They Are Puzzled Why They Can't
Re Good, Automatically.
New York Sun.
The Atchison Globe Is authority for the
statement that almost every Kansan Is a
habitual lawbreaker, and by lawbreaklng
It does not mean breaches of city ordi
nances, but violation of state statutes.
The appalling state of the law In Kansas,
as to what citizens must not do, Is sub
mitted: To bet on an election Is unlawful. Yet
at every election betting on the result is
so common as to attract no attention.
It is a felony to give another an office
in consideration of his vote or Influence.
Every politician In the state of any Im
portance violates this law regularly and
fla grantly.
Any person who works on Sunday, ex
cept household work of dally necessity. Is
a lawbreaker. This law Is violated by
practically every citizen of the state
habitually.
Hunting on Sunday Is unlawful, yet
thousands of men hunt every Sunday. It
Is unlawful to hunt without a license, yet
practically no hunting licenses are Issued.
It Is unlawful to hunt at any time on
another man's premises without his con
sent. This law Is violated by every man
who hunts at all.
Any game of chance Is a felony. In
thousands of stores are slot machines,
where men play for prizes; usually cigars.
To play cards for prizes Is a peniten
tiary offense. The women who play cards
at afternoon parties for prizes are liable
to Imprisonment In the penitentiary. Yet
the newspapers are full of accounts of
these parties, and the names of the win
ners of prizes are given.
It Is unlawful to sell tickets In any
raffle. The man who raffles a gun, or
watch, or buggy. Is running the risk of
the penitentiary. The children who sell
chances In church raffles are violating
the law.
It is unlawful to neglect to provide shel
ter for cattle during bad weather. Cattle
are everywhere fed without shelter; every
cattle-feeder in the state could be sen
tenced to Imprisonment one year under
this law.
To sell a cigarette to a young man
under 16 Is a violation of law. although a
bill is now pending In the Legislature to
raise the age of consent to IS years. It
Is also unlawful for a boy under 16 to
smoke a cigarette.
The general lmpgosslon has been given
that Kansas was not only the Beulah
land of com and wine portrayed In old
Alfalfa Coburn's word pictures, but a
state where the passage of a law worked
additional perfections in the Kansan au
tomatically and without any effort on his
part. If such things can bo In Kansas
as are now revealed to us, what shall we
do to be saved?
Joseph Inlltera Altruism.
Boston Transcript.
The emphasis which the New York
World gives to the position of the In
dianapolis News, Its associate In the
libel proceedings, recalls this estimate
which Arthur Hrlshane once made of
Mr. Pulitzer: "When he was a poor
lad sleeping In the City Hall Park he
deliberated what he could do to help
other poor lads who were sleeping
there. When he had tucked away $20.
000.000 he deliberated what he would
do to help the other men who had
tucked away 120,000,000." Now he Is
seeing what he can do to help other
papers which printed the Panama
fakes!
IMpcora Machine on the Warpath.
Washington. D. C Post.
A popcorn machine exploded at Wa
tonga. Okla,, knocked a lot of holes
in a blacksmith shop and a feed store
and scattered popcorn over half the
place.
Mightier Than the Pen.
Kansas City Star.
Since Orvllle Wright has taken to
writing for the magazines It may be
inferred that he regards the pen as
mightier than the soared.
Triolets t Before and Aftar.
Chicago Record-Herald.
Ha uvd to count tho moments loin
When ho and she were not tcgether;
Ho sought her then st any cost.
Ho used to fount the moments loet.
Though all tho panes wore dimmed by froot.
Or though 'twere blithest, ratrost weather
He used to count the moments lost
When bo and she were not together.
It seems to fill bin heart with pain
To tiave her nightly sit be.il.ie him:
He finds a night on Hard to train;
It seem to fill hi heart with rain
When he Is called on to erplnln.
And when excuses are denied him.
It seems to nil hi heart with pa'n
To have her nightly sit beside lilrn.
NEEDY FAMILIES OF POLICEMEN J
!"er-t-1na: Ones Should Be Ilelperi, !
Throng's an Opera FuatL Each Year.
l"ORTLANT March 8. (To the Edi
tor.) The case of the family of the
lato Policeman Glttlngs. as reported In
Tho Oregonlan. naturally arouses gen
eral sympathy. It is painful to realize
that the wife and children of a police
orfloer. whose life was taken while he
was on duty, should be in actual want
for their daily needs.
But Is not this case similar to others
that are liable to oi-i-ur at any time,
and does not the pitiable condition of
this deserving family suggest thut
some action should he taken, not only
to relievo their suffering, but to provide
for. other families that are left desti
tute by the death or disability of police
Officers?
Portland Is a large and rapid v-grow-jng
city, and tho members of her police
Torco are not overpaid. At the ordi
nary cost of llvlnn. a policeman's salary
will har.lly enahlo hiro to accumulate
mu. Ii of a competence' for his family,
especially If his life Is cut short during
his best years. Or. he might be totally
dlsabled. Such a misfortune would
only add to me distress of his family
IT It was dependent on the father's
earnings. There Is a groat deal more
than ordinary hazard. Their lives may
bo in peril at any time, as guardians of
the peace ar.d protectors of the home
1 1 Ii H i- 1 1, ....... . . . .
- "'"r i-i niK.-iu -j. ney can
never tell when they will be required
to lay down their lives to save the lives
or property of others. Some action
should be taken to provide, for needy
families of the department, when tho
breadwinner Is taken away or disabled.
Chicago has a policemen's benefit as
sociation, composed largely of members
of the Police nepartment, and It was
formed for the purpose of providing
relief for families whose breadwinners,
policemen, have lost their lives or been
disabled on the force, or been compelled
to retire from tho Infirmities of age.
.mo -nicago follceiuen's Benefit Asso
ciation has done this for tho past ten
years by procuring a high-class theat
rical troupe and giving a play In tho
Auditorium Theater. It Is said that
the building is donated to the police
for the oct-afslon. Members of the po
lice force sell tickets for all the per
formances and the public naturally pa
tronizes the enterprise very liberally.
There, a two weeks' engagement of a
good opera company nets the associa
tion about $30.X0 per year, and this
constitutes a fund for the relief of po
licemen's needy families.
Would it not be well if Portland
would Imitate this plan to creato a
fund for the relief of such cases as the
one that first attracted attention, and
other deserving ones that may occur
at any time? Of course, a large fund
would not be needed. An engagement
of an opera company for two or throe
nights each Winter would doubtless
net enough money to relieve all de
serving cases. An opera company
would probably bring better results
than a lecture course or any other
form of entertainment. If a permanent
association, composed of business men
and members of the Police Depart
ment, was formed for the above pur
pose, all needy cases could be cared for
and the public would be given an op
portunity to share In the responsibility
of supporting those who have been re
duced to want through the perils of
police duty.
Should the plan outlined not be given
a trial here?
W. W. CUTLER.
CLEAR WAY FOR THE PRACTICAL
Answer, to Edlaon-Karrlman Demand
Tor Engineers, Not Literary Men.
New York Herald.
Mr. Edison follows E. H. Harriman in
expressing through the Yale News a
slighting opinion of college education for
men of affairs. He says:
What the country now Is the practi
cal, skilled engineer who Is capnble of doing
anything. In threo or four hundred vears.
when tie country u rettled and commercial
ism is diminished, there will be time for the
literary m-n. At present we want n
plneen. lr.dusrtrla! men. good businesslike
managers and railroad men.
There Is In this, as In most such state
ments, an element of truth. One good
engineer may be worth more to the coun
try than a dozen third-rate writers or a
hundred shj-ster lawyers.
But the idea of postponing literary and
scholarly effort for "three or four hun
dred years" while tho country grows up
Is the notion of a one-sided man, ab
sorbed In practical details. The country
will never be "settled;" commercialism
will never bo "diminished;" the time will
never come when the men of the nation
may relax their efforts and sit down as If
at the close of a day's work to enjoy the
arts at leisure. For such a nation It
would be a day's end In bitter truth.
Mr. Edison and many like him see In
reverse the courso of human progress.
Invention does not smooth the way for
the Ideal. Ideas do clear the road for
practical men and make them possible.
No Inventor could have done for France
and for Europe what Voltaire did. The
great material development of Italy and
Germany followed and did not precede
the Intellectual revival of German and
Italian genius and Its devotion to polit
ical freedom. Our own rerpubllo was not
established for material reasons, but for
an Ideal of liberty. Name the greatest
men of all time and you will have In the
list no engineer or Inventor, as such. But
those who have by tongue or pen ap
pealed to men's souls, or who In tho field
or forum have led great popular move
ments. There Is always too much danger of
neglecting thought for things. Ideas for
machinery. No theory of cduentlon that
aggravates this danger Is consistent with
National well-being.
Repeated Violations of Game I.arr.
PORTLAND, March 8. (To the Editor.)
For several weeks pa.t there has been
considerable Interest taken In game laws
and game protection, and It Is-certainly
time something was done. Good game
laws were enacted by the Legislature,
laws that la due courso of time should
give somo relief, but I ask State Game
Warden Stevenson why some effort Is not
madn to eniorce the laws as they now
stand, and stop tho hounding and shoot
ing of deer? Are wo to have any reason
to expect better efforts from his office
in the future than wo have had in tho
past?
A prominent business man informs mo
that he can prove that deer are being
run with dogs dally at Scappoose. At any
time this Is bad enough, but at this time
of the year It Is criminal. Letters have
boon received from Tillamook and liar
rls'Durg that deer are being hounded with
dogs and being shot.
Again. I ask Mr. Stevenson: Can you
glvo us a reason for permitting this?
E. A. PARSONS.
He's Otherwise Engncd.
Chlcapo N'eww.
Let empires totter to their fa'l
Or fall with horrid clatter.
And my concern for that Is sm&K
To me It will not matter.
Let freedom shriek, or moan, or yell.
To her I would not rally.
Tou see. the hont truth lo tell.
I'm takes up with Sally.
Let llfthtnlnos flash and thunders peal
And cyclones swift, unparlna;.
Their death and deviation deal;
It's little I am carina-.
Should fiery voieanovs spout
Destruction through each valley.
That I etiouid iiotloe It I doubt.
I'm taken up with fiaily.
Let mlrhty armies battle wscc
Whatever you mlifht mention
Tn rreat events and I'll entraxe
That I'd not pay attention.
All Interruptions I detest.
In primrose path I dally.
An don't feel any Interest
In anythlnr but Sally.
Life's Sunny Side
Goff. the famous London b.irrisw-r, lias
a humor peculiarly his own. He looks at
tho world In a half-amused, half-indulgent
manner sometimes very annoying to
hts friends. One day. when In town he
dropped into a restaurant for lunch. It
was a tidy although not a pretenttous es
tablishment. After a good meal he called
to the waitress and Inquired what kind of
pio could be had.
"Appleptemlncepleraislnplelilueberryp I o
custardplepeachpioaiidslrawberry short
cako." the young woman replied, glibly.
"Will you please say that again?" fcs
aked. leaning a trifle forward.
Tho girl went through tho list with
lightning rate. "Andstrawborryshort
cake." she concluded with emphasis.
"Would you mind doing It once mors?'
he said.
Tho waitress looked her dlscust. and
started In a third time, pronouncing th
words in a defiantly cl-ar tone.
"Thank you." he remarked, whrn sh-
had finished. "For the life of me 1 can t
see how you do It. Hut I like to h.-ar it.
Jfs very Interesting very. Ulve me ap
plo plo please, and thank you very
much." Tlt-Rlls.
A becgar rang a suburban doorbell. Tho
lady of the houso appeared, frowned 'at
the man. and said:
"Go away. plen-e. I haven't cit any
cold victuals, or old clothes, or old boots,
or old overcoats, or "
"Excuso mo. ma'am." tho becg;ir hum
bly interrupted. "I didn't want nothln'
to eat or wear. 1 Just called to see.
ma'am, to see If you had an old automo
bile to give anny.'" Tit-Hits.
A Representative In- Congress who.
Is the father of several bright girls,
tells a story whereof ono daughter la
tho main figure.
"For a long time." says tho Repre
sentative. "I had the had habit of
hanging about the lo wcr floor wh-'ll
the girls liu.l men callers. One even
ing 1 had settled In un easy chair in
tho reception room. Just off the draw
ing room, when one of my girls, who
wils talking to a bright chap from our
own state, called out:
'Dad!'
"'What is It. daughter?"
" Tt is 9 o'clock, tlad. th hour.whr-n
Tom arid I usually Ko into committee.' "
Harper's Weekly.
The lato Senator Ingalls. of Kansas,
was noted for his ready retorts and
epigrams, which were not always de
void of sting and Kmart to those to
whom they were addressed.
It Is related that onco when enga.;. l
In a controversy with a Senator from
I'elaware. ho evaded the real Question
by saying:
"I thank the Senator from that great
state which has threo counties at 'ovi-
tide and two counties at high tide"
YXiuth's Companion.
Australians still tell stories of tho
Colonial Volunteers, although the war
Is a far memory. One. a member of
the stock exchange, was left one wet
and miserable nljjht to guard a wagon
load of goods.
Ho shivered In the unsheltered place
for some hours pondering manv things
and then a bright thought struck hi n
Just as the Colonel came around on
his tour of inspection.
"Colonel," he said, "how much Is tiis
wagon worth?"
"I don't know." was the answer.
"Much or little, wo can t afford to loso
It."
"Well, but. Colonel." persisted tho
amateur soldier, "you might glvo mo
a roiiRh Mea of the value."
"About 100," said tho Colonel test
ily. "Very well." was the answer, "I will
come down to the camp and give you
a check for tho amount. Then'l'll turn
in. I wouldn't cateh my death of cold
for twlco that much."
What the Colonel said is not re
corded. Melbourne Times.
Wit illumines one of tho dueling
stories In Monsieur Ronzler-Oorclere s
recent book, "Snr lo Pre."
Prince Pierre Bonaparte and a French
gentleman. Monsieur do la Valette
fought with pistols.
Monsieur Do la Valette fired first ni
missed. The Prlnt-o Jire.i. hit Pa U
Valette Just above the belt, but did
not wound him. owing to a five-franc
piece In bis waistcoat pocket, against
which the bullet was flattened.
"Sir," said Prlnco Bonaparte to his
adversary, holding out his hand, "let
us make friends, and allow me to con
gratulate you on tho foresight with
which you have Invested your money."
Exchange.
m
Guzzle (after ho - had succeeded In
waking his wife) Open tho dorsh!
Mrs. Guzzla (head out of the second
story window) Are you sober?
Guzzle t-Yesh.
Mrs. Guzle Then say "reciprocity.
l'lck-.Mo-L"p.
Sam Mamma, did God make you?
Mother Yes dear.
Sam And father, too?
Mother Yes.
Sam And sister, too?
Mother Certainly.
Sam And me, too?
Mother Certainly, foolish.
Sam He's improving right along,
Isn't he? Harper's Weekly.
Fine Furs Plentiful Is Xorih.
Moose Jaw. Canada. Dispatch.
Reports from tho Hudson Bay dis
trict, brought in by dogtrala from Nor
way House. Mooso Factory, and Fort
Churchill, show an extraordinary f-ir
catch of tho more expensive varieties
this Winter. With tho lake and trails
in fine condition at present, this trir,
of 1100 miles overland is being maje !:i
22 days by dogsled with a rest of tun
days at Norway House. En route to
W'lnnlpeg market, these parties from
the remote North find this tbo first
railway connection. Hudson Bay trap
pers' catches and Independent opera
tors are arriving here daily. Tho
black fox. whoso t-kln la valued at from
$7'o to $!i'o. Is much in evidence this
season, while other fur-hearing ani
mals which hive seemed In other years
to be diminishing have mad" their ap
pearance In enormous quantities. Tho
Winter has been ideal for tho trapping
right Into the Arctic Circle.
XEWSP.UTB WAIFS.
What can a doctor do when rie rets a
patient who neither drinks nor mokes-"
"Tell him to stop ent, certain thine
Everybody eats." Louisville Courier-Jo-Jr-
"Do you expect you- constituents to he
lleve all you tell them?" "No." answered
Senator Sorghum; "and In return they mu-t
not expect me to tell them all I believe
Washing-ton Star.
"Do you think It la an advantage for a
younr singer to bo abroad to study?" -I
dunnn as It's any advantage." answer--. 1
Mr. Cumrox. "Hut It's mlchty cor
of the home folks and tns neltl.bura "
Washington i?tar.
"I see that Knos Hand has Jurt cnt h s
htch-toned elijht-day clock from t'tat 1
Chlcauo store. Enos says that r!ock w;'i
run eiirht days without winding " "Ho
Ions; wl.l It run If it's wound?" Ji;rtfie.
Thou Kb cherishing the loftiest Ideals. v
still retained somethinr of the rjn.-ii.tv ..f
her sex. "Is it er perfeftlv Fall f-.r i
woman to drive?" sho faltered. Lrsintna
ly. as she hitched her wagon to a. siat
Life.
Walter (whose attention h beer, cal'"!
to a gross error In addition) "Verv orri.
sir: but. even If you hadn't found "oiit
mlstaUe, the firm would have benefit. -d ; r."t
me." Dine-i "Then you have no ex.-usol"
Punch.
They werw talking about the wonders of
wireless telegrnphy. "And 'C Q r If tl-e
sltrnal of dletns?," remarked the pretty cm
rl. "Yes." laughed the big freshman "I
always use those letters whin 1 aer.d a dis
tress message to the old folks at ho-ne '
"Really? And what does -C Q TV s;,-rl
for?" "Cash quick, dad."- Chicago Lui.y
New.
A