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PORTLAND, WEDNESDAY. MAY 5. 1000.
QUESTIONS ON 1KB TARIFF.
The postmaster at Winlock, Wash
ington, Mr. John L. Gruber, has asked
The Oregonian a number of questions
about the tariff which are Intelligent
enough to merit a serious answer. The
reader wiU'perceive at once from the
tenor of Mr, Oruber's Inquiries that
he Is deeply Impressed with the sacred :
necessity of a prohibitive tariff and
that he lmaglnes-his reasons for favoring-
it to be excellent. ; Perhaps, also,
as a Republican .postmaster, he feels
under obligation to hold orthodox
views upon protectionism and it may
therefore- be ' well enough to remind
him that, since the last National plat
form was published, standpatism is no.
longer the simon pure doctrine of the
saints. It has been decidedly modified
both by the platform on which Mr.
Taft ran for office and by the speeches
he has since made. A postmaster who
now hopes for. promotion by adapting,
his opinions to those of- royalty -must-abandon
his faith in a prohibitive tariff
and turn td the revenue idea; wlth.-'n.d"
more protection than .will equalize
labor cost here and abroad. Of-course,
goods which" cost less to manufacture
here than abroad will need no protec
tion under the new orthodoxy. In this
class we must include, among many
mings. an iron products,
..7?:tcnes' Pianos and most mechanical
"fconrrrrarrcesr whether of -wood -or iron..
Let us now betake ourselves to Mr.
Gruber's questions. He asks, first, ''If,
as you assert,. It Is not the competition
of pauper-made goods which the
American workman has to fear, why
should the" American workman dread
the pauper himself when he comes to
this country?" This is a fair question.
and it shall receive as fair an answer
as we can frame. While the foreign
workman stays in his own country he
is not a competitor irl our labor mar
ket. The goods he makes, compete
iwlth the goods our workmen make,
1 but as a factor in bidding for jobs
here he does not count, - .Hence the
intelligence and alertness -of our labor
has a fair chance to win- Its" legitimate
advantage. In spite of ' the fact that
it earns more money .than the. foreign
workman can in his own country, nev
ertheless it puts a cheaper; article on.
the market for the reason that it can
do more work in a day- arid-do it- bet
ter. The poorly-fed and downtrodden
foreigner is sluggish in mind and body
His movements are slow arid 111-tII-rected.
His product is like-the man
who produces It. It is for this reason
that our goods, although they are man
ufactured by expensive labor, can un
dersell the foreign product of the
same variety In its own market.
But when the .foreigner becomes a
resident here,-': het must either find a
job or become 'a "public burden. If he
finds a Job, it can only be by com
peting .with other workmen. When
Mr. Gruber has .observed the facts of
life, a little more closely, he will dis
cover that wages depend not on tariffs,
but on the number of men who are
bidding -f or the same Job. If only one
man wants it, ne can fix his own
' 'ages. It two want if," the ob win
go to the one who will take the less
wages-- Thjs is a fact of experience
whlrtracvur tariff theorists, find, it conT
verifrnt to"overlook on ali occasions.'
It explains pretty clearly why the
American workingman has reason- to
fear :the- foreign pauper ;as"an Imml
; sraet.. though, as . a mere-competitor
In the-market for commodities he can
Mr. -Gruber- now-pushes the matter
a step further: "Is it not a fact that
the laborer from Great Britain and
Germany, after .landing on our soil,
soon commands the same, wages as the
American and adopts his- standard- of
living-?." The' Wording of this question
ehows that Mr. Gruber Is not conver
sant with, the acts of immigration.
We no longer receive immigrants from
"Great Britain and Germany in large
numbers', j The time when the intelli
gent workingmen of those countries
ould - better - themselves . here - has
passed away, and they do not .come
anjiinoro.-OiHV immigrants now come
from Italy, Hungary, and-parts of Eu
rope still a-jther: east, and it is not
by any means true that they adopt
the '-American standard of living. If
Mr.'' Gruber would read the famous
.'Pittsburg . report ' of the. New' York
charity Workers, he would . discover
what kind of a standard many of these
foreign, laborers really do-adopt; . It is a
style of living which , reeks with dis
ease, filth and vicious overcrowding,
but. It Is. the best they can afford with
- the wages they receive. The prohib
itive "tariff on iron products ' has' not
incited the -.Pittsburg millionaires eith
er to: employ -American labor or to
pay the; labor they do employ a living
wage.
By lumping the Germans and Eng
. Vish together as paupcr laborers. Mr.
Gruber shows himself neglFgent of an
other Important fact. How does It
-happen that the German laborer is
- a pauper, when he enjoys the blessing
of a protective tariff, even higher than
jir own- divine erection? - That he is
a pauper compared with some of our
native .laborers is beyond a doubt, and
yet he la sheltered behind a tariff- wall
,tltat fairly touches the JieaXens-.-The
wretched laborers of Russia also en-.-
Joy the benefit of a. prohibitive tariff.
. . Why is'lt "that'they" are still paupers?
-Put on yoijr thinking cap. Mr. Gruber,
-and try .to. see things as they are. The
' vision-will, astonish you. "What would
happen to our cutlery factories should
the tariff on their products be re
moved?" continues oiir interlocutor.
'Nothing would happen to them except
that they would have to sell ' their
knives at home for the same price as
abroad. Otherwise they would not be 1
affected In the least degree.
"A Steinway piano sella in New
Tork for $550, In London for 70,
in Hamburg for. 1300 marks. If the I
duty on pianos were removed, would .
not Steinway close up shop In New i
Ybrk and operate his factories in Lon
don and Hamburg only?" Thus finally
Mr. Gruber closes his catechism. The
principal benefit of the duty on pianos
seems to be to compel Americans to
pay $5 50 for the same piano that an
Englishman gets for 70, or $350.
Even If Mr. Steinway should emigrate
with all -his possessions we could not
find it in -our hearts to grieve a great
-deal if we got our pianos $200 cheaper
by the change. America was not made
altogether for our' Steinways, valuable
as they are, but In part at least for
the 80,000,000 other people who have
to live here. .
PARTIES AND THE PRIMARY.
In the former time and down to the
recent time the party primary in Port
land was an-outrageous thing. It was
conducted in his own Interest by each
aggressive politician without regard to
Justice or fairness or the Interests of
others. The Oregonian made -loud
protest against this sort of primary
Whether it was conducted in the in
terest of Mitchell, .or of Simon, or of
this man or thaC The Oregonian
continually denounced it. It de
manded that -the primary election
that Is, the selection of candidates be
placed under the regulation of law.-.
This was finally ddne.
But The Oregonian believes the
method has gone too far. It has pro
duced a. direct primary in which or
about which there can be no delibera
tion as to candidates or as to fitness
for. the positions to which they aspire.
The belief of The Oregonian Is and
this result It has reached through
much experience of observation that,
while the primary under strict regula
tion of .law must be maintained, yet
the safest and surest way to get suit
able and capable men for office is to
confine the primary to election of dele
gates, who in assembly or convention
shall name the candidates of the par
ties. .And The Oregonian believes this
will be the ultimate result.
Yet we are acting on the direct pri
mary now. They say either Simon or
Rushlight will be the Republican can
didate for Mayor. . That probably will
be true. Under, the law as It stands
the direct primary must decide it.
But the representative system has al
ways been the life and soul of our form
of government. It Is impossible to get
satisfactory results through the move
ments of a turnultuous-democracyi act
ing without restraint and without de
liberation. If the political history of
mankind teaches anything, it teaches
this lesson.
This view hy no means discred
its the people. It simply apks the
people to reflect on what they are
about to do, and to operate through
the proper agencies to reach results.
A USELESS INDICTMENT.
The Indictment of the Mayor of
Tacoma by -a grand Jury. for failing
to enforce the laws'against vice moves
one to make at least two reflections.
The first is that - if the good people
who- are so anxious to keep .vice out
of sight would devote their energies
to discovering and removing its causes,
they would accomplish -something of
permanent benefit to the world. Their
efforts to suppress vice, or, m other
wor"ds, to keep it out of sight, accom
plish nothing but the gratification of
an idle and rather hypocritical vanity.
The easy reply Is that vice ought not
to be allowed "to flaunt itself.". This
is true enough, but it Is also true .that
hypocrisy ought not to be allowed to
flaunt itself. The second reflection
which the indictment of the Mayor
of Tacoma Inspires is that the people
who have brought it about will gain
nothing for their -pains, except the
satisfaction : of annoying their victim.
They certainly cannot convict him ..of
any punishable offense. If they could
prove actual ' collusion between, the
Mayor and the proprietors of the
places of vice, of course something of
a criminal nature "might. "be made of
it, but mere failure or neglect to en
force the law Is not a crime.
An official who refuses to do his
plain, duty ought to be. removed from
his post. . The old-fashioned way of
accomplishing this., was by impeachment',-
but experienee-seems to show
that it is not a very effective way to
reach results. The number of office
holders -who -ought to lose their, places
Is. altogether, out of proportion to the
number who have been - impeached.
But after all, the best way to make
officials do their ..duty ia "by electing
men who do. not need either criminal
prosecution or Impeachment or recall.
As long as citizens persist in electing
weak or ' vicious characters to office,
"so long will they wish they had some
easy way to get rid of them. Perhaps
It is Just as well not to provide a way
which Is too easy. The consequences
of folly sometimes teach a valuable
lesson. ... - .-
DEPARTMENTAL STUPIDITY.
Portland's building permits for 1908
reached a total of more than $10,000,
000.. " The ; permits for Lowell, Mass.,
were-one-tenth as large "as Portland's,
and Cambridge, Mass., Issued permits
to the value of $2,153,000. The names
of the Massachusetts cities, together
with 48 others of greater and less Im
portance, appear , in a statement .re
cently issued by the Director of the
Geological Survey showing building
operations for the year 1908. -Portland,
with permits of more than $10,
000,000, received" no mention in the
statement. This peculiar and lnex
plalnable omission, is, not a. matter of
great concern to Portland.' ' It will not
serve to prevent the" building opera
tions for 1909 from runrirrfg" TaVaTlead
of $lt,000,000, nor will it tn -any-way
reflect on the prestige of the city. The
incident does serve, however, to show
the carelessness, shiftlessriess. and
general incompetency which is glar
ingly noticeable in so many depart
ments of the Government.
The Quartermaster's Department
has for years calmly--ignored the ex
istence of Portland when -ther-were
any contracts to be awarded," and,
when emphatic protest" has been-made
against the injustice., has professed a
belief . that the vessels" in or intended
for the Government" service., coul'cThot
reach Portland, although, larger and
deeper-draft vessels in' the - regular
merchant, marine service were corning
and going without .interruption.
Perhaps the rh&st "flagrant case- of
this departmental stupidity' or Igno
rance to. which we"' are compelled to
submit Is the crop reporting bureau
of the Department -of- Agriculture.
Oregon," Washington - and- Idaho,
through the ports of Portland "and Pu-
get Sound In 1908 exported more than
one-fourth of all the wheat sent for
eign from the United States and nearly
one-fifth of all the flour exported was
sent from the three states through the
same ports. Notwithstanding these
important facts, which show the Pa
cific Northwest to be the most prom
inent factor in the export wheat and
flour trade of the United States, so
little attention is paid to this field
that last year a crop of much less
than 40.000.000 bushels was overesti
mated 15,000,000 bushels, and as re
cently as March 1, the Government re
ported 9,000,000 bushels of wheat in
farmers' hands, at a time when there
were less than 1,000,000 bushels held
by the farmers of the three states.
So little attention is given by the Gov
ernment to securing accurate estimate
on this most Important crop that not
a single grain dealer at Portland or
Puget Sound, or even at the big grain
points In the Interior, knows the iden
tity of the individual who is supposed
to supply the Government with these
necessary figures. . '
Some one is drawing salary for com
piling statements which make promi
nent mention of cities with $1,000,000
building permits and ignore others
which ; have $10,000,000 in permits.
Some one Is also drawing salary for
handling shipments of Government
freight at vastly increased cost over the
service secured by private concerns.
There are also some high-priced field
agents and crop experts who are draw
ing salaries for collecting facts which
they , fall to get regarding grain and
other crops. ' The people have a right
to expect something better than they
are getting from the fossilized officials
who display such shocking ignorance
of - matters on which they should af
least have knowledge In keeping with
the salaries they draw.
DIRECT OR REPRESENTATIVE PRI
MARY. The State of New York refuses to
change its representative primary to a
direct primary. The present primary
law of the state provides for elect'on
6f delegates to conventions. Such
primary elections are held under strict
regulation of law, but after the dele
gates are elected they assemble :n
convention and nominate the candi
dates. The primary election, at which
the delegates are chosen, is protected
by all the safeguards employed In the
general elections. The methods of the
representative primary are precisely
similar to those of the direct primary,
but a convention of the delegates fol
lows, at which the candidates for of
fice in the general election are named.
New York refuses .to exchange this
method for the direct-primary, be
cause in a convention the delegates
may deliberate upon the comparative
fitness of candidates and make selec
tion accordingly, while in the direct
primary, nothing of the kind is pos
sible. Out of a multitude -of candi
dates for each position, one obtains a
plurality so small as to be only a frac
tion of the general vote. Such nomi
nee is seldom satisfactory to the body
of electors. Both the parties in New
York hold that this is not the way to
get representative men for leading po
sition's. Such will not nominate them
selves and make the fight for office.
Democratic and Republican members
of the New York Legislature alike
refused to vote for the direct primary
plan, but Insisted on retention of the
representative primary.
. . Governor Hughes proposed to es
tablish - the -provision that party committees-
might ; recommend the names
Of candidates, for the primary, and
that other citizens or groups of cltl
zensmight do the same, but that the
nominations should be made directly,
without holding a convention. But
even: this the' Legislature would not
have. It Insisted on retention of the
primary for election of delegates, to
be followed by convention for nomina
tion of candidates. On these points the
two great parties in New York are sub
stantially in accord. The recent "as
sembly" In Portland, for suggestion
of Republican candidates, was sub
stantially the plan offered by . Gover
nor Hughes. The direct primary is
to decide, but party committees or
"groups of citizens .may suggest names
for .the primary.
Oregon's peculiar aetion is quoted
everywhere, to the disadvantage of the
direct primary system.
THE PROSECUTION IS WEAK
The Oregonian contained yesterday,
among' other news, three important
railroad -items.- - One- of these told of
the United States Supreme Court de
cision which upheld the constitution
ality of the "commodities clause" of
the Hepburn rate bill, although, the
court carefully drew all the "teeth"
which the clause might have possessed.
Another Item announced """that the
United States Circuit Court of Appeals
at. San Francisco -had reversed a de
cision of the District Court iri the'
Santa Fe rebating cas.es, the road prof
iting by the reversal to- the extent of
$300,000 fines which: had been levied
against it. Coming nearer home, we
find the celebrated Harriman merger
case on trial in our own city. This ia
a suit brought by the Government to
dissolve an alleged Merger, said to ex
ist between the Southern Pacific and
the Union Pacific. .
The decision in the commodities
clause case is worthless' so far -as improving-
the abuses complained of is
concerned. -. The Sah Francisco case
was clearly a verdict tor the railroads,
and the merger case, while not yet
decided, holds out but Itltle hope for
a Government victory. These frequent
defeats of the Government lead to the
belief either that the legal depart
ment of the Government is somehow
sadly deficient or that It is unlucky
Details of the Santa Fe rebating case
are not at hand, -but in the "commodi
ties clause" case the verdict of the Su
preme Court In effect said: "It is un
lawful for the railroads to sell their
own coal beyond the state lln'ai but. If
the owners of the railroads should be
come interested in a cb:al- mine, the
railroads would be compelled to haul
their freight to any desired; destina
tion." This may be very good law, but it
has a. result contrary to what was de
sired and intended when the Govern
ment began spending its money In an
effort to break up the practice of rail
roads monopolizing the coal business
by reason of their ownership of both
railroads and mines.; .
A not dissimilar fate is probably in
store for the local merger case. No
body who has had the slightest knowl
edge of the manner in which the Har
riman lines have been operated out of
Portland believes for a moment that
any such thing as live, legitimate com
petition exists between the Southern
Pacific and the Union Pacific. Presi
dent Harriman, of the Union Pacific, Is
much too astute and economical to
spend any unusual amount of money
running opposition to President Har
riman, of the Southern Pacific. This
the able Judges of the Supreme Court
who will finally be called on to settle
the case will probably discover as they
discovered that the Hepburn law is
constitutional. Whether or not they can
discover means for permanently di
vorcing the two systems is another
question.
. Unless a limit can be placed on the
amount- of railroad stock a man can
own, Mr. Harriman and his friends
cannot be prevented from owning both
the systems: and If a divorce of the
two is ordered, it will simply mean an '
increased expense for a double set of
officers to do the work now handled
by one set. Something is radically
wrong with an economic system which
enables the formation of such monop
olies, but- it -Is not at all plain that
the legal department of the United
States has a very clear idea of the best
method for correcting the evil.
May wheat is back nearly to the
high point reached when the short sell
ers, the Tom Lawsons, the ministers
and the theorists were denouncing Pat
ten for "cornering" the cereal. Even
the December delivery, on which any
thing bearing the slightest resemblance
to a corner is an impossibility, is
nearly 5 cents higher than May was
when Patten began buying it and be
gan warning the people that wheat
would sell at $1.25 per bushel. The
Chicago market advanced 4 cents per
bushel yesterday, and a few cents more
added to the present figures will bring
the usual crowd of short sellers who
have been financially ruined because
they- sold- -wheat which they did not
own. As Mr. Patten is still in the
wilds of Colorado, it will be necessary
for this class of speculators to find a
new scapegoat on which they can place
the blame for their own folly.
The Water Board has asked for bids
for 5000 more meters, which will cost
ahout $60,000, in return for which the
public, which foots the bills, will get
nothing. If this $60,000 about to be
wasted .were- saved and added to the
sum. which might be saved by paying
some of the employes what they are
actually worth, the question of funds
for a new pipeline across the Willam
ette would be speedily settled. As a
bright and shining example of all
around Incompetency and general
wastefulness, the Portland city water
department enjoys a quiet distinction
from which there is not much danger
of its being displaced.
The Japanese sealing schooner Klssa
Maru was captured near Sitka by a
Deputy United States Marshal and
charged with illegal sealing. The Jap
anese explained their presence inside
the legal limit. as due .to an effort to
escape 'a storm. If Japan, unham
pered by the Paris tribunal decision,
maintains the attitude she has always
held on the sealing question, it is not
Improbable that the seizure will pre
cipitate a storm of greater proportions
than the one the Klssa sought to es
cape. Now here is this fellow Ferdinand
Reed organizing all the loose, irregular
and irresponsible people, in short, all
the Incivism, of the Ninth Ward, ex
pecting from its voters a nomination
for the Council in the direct primary.
Likelihood of success for Mr. Reed is
a very emphatic showing of the possi
bilities of the direct primary. Yet per
haps the Ninth Ward will not listen to
him. Or is it possible that the Ninth
Ward wants such a fellow In the Coun
cil? Gertrude Atherton comes to the de
fense of the late Alexander Hamilton
with a rush, and declares that "every
man was a rake in his day." As Al
exander Is dead, It will hardly make
any difference with him what kind of
an excuse Is made for some of his ac
tions. Gertrude should remember,
however, that the term "every man" is
somewhat broad. Possibly she means
only every man she knows well.
An Ashland editor is said to be tour
ing the Valley to test sentiment on
submitting the Agricultural College ap
propriation to the referendum. Such
work merely ..keeps the Ashland sore
spot in irritation. If . the Summer
screens are not yet up, It will answer
all purposes to tell him: "Shoo, fly!"
What ' an old villain was Abdul
Hamld, to be sure! More than 100
women of the imperial harem have left
Constantinople already, and more are
to follow. Most men "who lifs mlt
von," as the Dutch Justice put it, won
der how he found time for cares of
state after regulating the household.
. Now that potatoes. have advanced to
$2 per hundred pounds and are scarce
at that-figure, it might be in order
for those who blamed Patten for the
high price of wheat to. Inform us who
is responsible for this excessively high
figure for- potatoes.
' The Rushlight idea - of good faith
with the public is the same ' as the
sportsman's who enters a contest with
the distinct reservation that he will"
not accept the referee's decision un
less It -should be favorable to" him.
Now, If you were going to place your
own business if it should happen to
be extensive and complicated In the
hands of a manager, would you choose
Mr. Rushlight, Mr. McDonell, Mr.
Bailey or Mr. Simon?
When' Simon" was defeated for re
election to the Senate In 1902, "Jack"
Matthews got control. Not a few per-'
pons soon found out that it would have
been better to . leave Simon undis
turbed. The wheat market appears .to be
able to: take 'care of itself ' without the
aid arid comfort of Bull Patten. - The
thought that Patten didn't do it must
be highly consoling to , the bears.
The President had . a hot ride into
Virginia Sunday and acknowledged It
made him thirsty. His host served hot
tea,' and the great "question Is, Did
they bruise- some grass In it ?
Mr.' Nichols will retire from the of
fice of Secretary of State at Olympla
In "independent circumstances." It
seems likely, in view of developments.
. Mr. Roosevelt saved many lives by
shooting that last lion. It Is evident
that the great hunter reached Africa
in the nick of time.
North Idaho seems destined always
to be a railroad battleground."
It looks as if .NickelL must join, the
colonyat McNeil's Island. -
SIMPLY A RFLE Oil RT7TN POUCT
Bow Cam m Friend of the Direct Pri
mary Support Its Wont Enemy? .
PORTLAND, May S. (To the Editor.)
The undisputed purpose of a direct
primary law, as set forth by its pro
moters and defenders, was to remove
the selection of party candidates from
the machinations and miscarriages of
conventions and to place that duty In
the hands of all the people this, that
every member of a party would be
deprived of any excuse for not support
ing its candidates. The - selection "of
candidates by a direct vote of theN peo
ple would-be the deliberate expression
of the people, and as long as a man
professes to be a member of a party
and to favor the triumph of Its prin
ciples no can have no excuse for with
holding his support from the -ticket
thus nominated.
This is a perfectly fair statement of
the purposes of a direct primary law.
as promulgated by its originators. It j
would strengthen party organizations j
by removing all dishonesty in the nom-
Inatlon of candidates, and, therefore, I
would result in the unanimous' support
of such men as the people . would se
lect. It would be so for the plain rea
son that no man Is greater than the
people, it was claimed, and no man
would have the slightest disposition
to rebel against the deliberate decision
of the electorate.
It was distinctly pointed out that
this would be the very highest ex
pression of the real public desire and
against it there could be no appeal,
except to the Heavenly throne, and no
honest man. would want to carry his
grouch so far as this.
Getting the matter in the hands of
the people would squeloh eveiy ves
tige of Machlnlsm and put an everlasting
kibosh on the Hated Boss.
So we now have the primary law-. in
full force, and effect, a municipal cam
paign In progress under it and four
Republicans appealing to the Repub
lican voters for their support.
It is to be presumed and as
sumed that each of them wants
a Republican administration of the
city's affairs wants, in other words,
a party administration. Otherwise, he
would not have his name appear on the
ballot as a Republican. He would ig
nore the fundamental principles of the
primary law, as the Democrats, en
couraged by the Democratic paper here,
always do rely on a "concentrated"
understanding, arranged by passing
the word around, to write in the name
of the beneficiary of' the side-door ca
bal, arid a popular vote be d d.
But our Republican candidates are
Republicans. They are going to sub
mit their names to the Republican
voters of Portland to determine which
of them has the strongest following,
this plan being the central idea of the
primary law.
. But why this should be done, if all
the candidates are not to stand by the
result of that contest, is what the
friends of the primary law cannot un
derstand. One of these candidates is
saying in advance that If the people
decide in a way that he does not ap
prove he will not abide by the verdict.
And he declares that he will rebel
against the people's verdict if they do
not indorse his pre-election programme;
said rebellion to be Justified on the
ground that the direct primary must
be upheld at all hazards!
Talk: about your Boss. In the past
there has been much bitter" comment
upon the action of some men of whom,
it was said, they so 'dictated to dele
gates in conventions that the voice
of the people was stilled and, per con-'
sequence. Vox Del was not heard in the
land. Such men were execrated as foes
to political purity and conniving ene
mies of popular government. But here
we have a man who takes shelter un
der the wings of the primary law and
announces in advance that if he can
not dictate Its course he will give it
a bold thrust in order that it may be
preserved!
It thus comes to pass that we some
times find a man who utterly detests the
Boss who manipulates a convention of
delegates, but reserves to himself the
privilege of setting , aside the verdict
of the people If they refuse to swallow
the prescription which he notifies them
in advance he expects them to take
without a grimace.
And this sentiment Is being pro
mulgated by the assumed friends of
the primary law. There are Republican
candidates who propose to submit their
names to the Republican voters of the
city In order that the choice of the
common people may be determined
and to support that choice. The man
who does this complies with the re
quirements of that law and then rec
ognizes its purpose afterwards. . He
is a friend of the primary law.
And then there are others others
who would boss the whole people, who
announce their -intention of ignoring
the primary law if the people should
go astray in their wild-notions as to
what ought to be and who In some oc
cult manner have discovered-that the
Intellectual and ethical sun rises and
sets In the immediate vicinity of their
individual" habitats. And that is going
somej ...-..'
The truth Is, that no Republican vrho
proposes to withhold his support from
the successful Republican candidate
should receive a single Republican
vote at the polls. "o Republican should
support him, for the reason that he la
an avowed enemy of the Republican
party and no friend of the direct nomi
nations should support him, for he Is
an avowed enemy of the primary law.
And if .a sufficient number of such
men can get into prominent action
with sufficient frequeney, they will
hasten the day when the primary
law will -be repealed by popular vote,
for they are its most pronounced ene
mies. . The man who wants -to. boss the
people Incorporates within . himself
every essential, element . of the Boss
progenitor of Bossdom.
PIONEER REPUBLICAN.
Widow's Inheritance.
GRBENLEAF, Or.. May 3. (To the
Editor.) If a widower with adult son
or . daughter marries and dies without
making a will, what portion of his
real or personal property does the Oregon-
law give to his widow?
. IGNORAMUS.
The widow is" entitled to dower, i. .,
half Interest in all the real estate dur
ing her life. She inherits : one-half of
the personal property. -. .
Movements ' at Tacoma.
TACOMA, May 4. The steamer Watson
arrived today from San . Francisco via
ports.
The ship Joseph B. Thomas shifted to
this port today from Eagle .Harbor to
load lumber for New Tork.
The Kosmos liner Sakkarah leaves to
morrow for Hamburg and the West
Coast.
The steamer Goveutor is due tonight
from San Francisco. ---
PUTTUTG IT m TO MS. STCtTSKER I
Several Questions That This Reformer
Ought to Take Time to Answer.
PORTLAND. May S. (To the Editor.)
I desire to extend my sympathies to
Thomas McCusker, who so tearfully ob
jects to. being called a . "boss." In his
letter, which appeared In The Oregonian
of May 3. he uses the personal pro
noun "I" 18 times and the other personal
pronouns 14 times. He speaks of "bosses"
four times and of "machine" six times.
For " a person who is not a boss and
does not own a. machine, Mr. McCusker
seems to attach considerable Importance
to himself by the use of personal pro
nouns. Now, Mr. McCusker does not tell us
that a boss Is a gargoyle nor that a ma
chine is an octopus, as they have been
called in some other quarters, but he
intimates that they are things equally
terrible. It Is possible that if Mr. Mc
Cusker would explain what sort of a
person a boss is, and what sort of a
contrivance the machine is which
troubles him so much, an unsuspecting
public might be enabled to -protect it
self in some measure against these
things.
I-et us see in what respects Mr. Mc
Cusker himself resembles a boss. Does
he not order Mr. Bailey to get out of
Mr. Rushlighfs way? Does he not say
that Mr. Rushlight may run for Mayor
and Mr. Simon may not? Is it not the
duty of a boss to order some people
to run for office and others not to do. so?
The fact that only one of the men he
orders about obeys him makes no dif
ference. It is possible that if Mr. Mc
Cusker should order -Mr. Rushlight not
to run for Mayor Mr. Rushlight would
have the temerity to disobey the orders
of his boss. It would seem, therefore,
that Mr- McCusker would be a full
fledged "boss" if somebody would mind
him. It is fcrtunate for Mr. McCuskers
authority as a boss that the man he
ordered to run had, as he hirrself says,
already run.
Mr. McCusker says that "we" are sup
porting Mr. Rushlight. Does he refer
to his "machine" by "we?" He says
there were only two or three there. Now,
tell us. Mr, McCusker, Just how many
were there. You say there were 232 in
the assembly that "recommended Mr. Si
mon to the Republican voters. Tell us
definitely how many there were in your
assembly which indorsed Mr. Rushlight,
and since there were not less than two
nor more than three, tell us their names
also.
Mr. McCusker says that the machine
selected the: delegates who recommended
Mr. Simon. Tell us what agency se
lected yourself and your ' one or two
associates who . indorsed Mr. Rushllght.
Dld you select yourselves or did some
other person select you, or were you
selected by a machine?
Tell us, Mr. McCusker, what do you
think or the issues in this campaign?
Do you know what they' are?
Did you read the Republican platform
adopted by the assembly ? . Does your
candidate stand on this platform, and
does he Indorse such principles as are
there enunciated? Does Mr. Rushllgnt
indorse the moral plank in this plat
form? He has voted against the ordi
nance prohibiting women from frequent
ing saioons. Please explain why. since
you seem to be sponsor for Mr. Rush
light. Mr. . Rushlight has been In the City
Council four years. How many years
would he have to be Mayor before we
would get an ordinance requiring restau
rants to take out a license In order to
sell liquor? They pay nothing now, but
still sell.
The city charter authorizes the Council
to regulate weights and measures. At
present there are no regulations in force
requiring bakers to give a loaf of bread
of any certain weight. In most Eastern
cities it has been found expedient to
regulate the' size of a loaf of bread, and
thus protect the poor against extortion
by unprincipled bakers.
At .present there Je no regulation gov
erning the measurement of gas to con
sumers. Most citizens' of Portland would
agree that there : should be- some ueh
regulation -to prevent extortion by the
gas company. This has been round ex
pedient in most -Eastern cities.
But the City Council, of which Mr.
Rushlight has been a member for the
past four years, has not neglected -the
matter of imposing extortionate taxation
upon poor wcrkingmen In-favor of large
express companies . and trust groceries.
The Council has enacted legislation which
almost prohibits a poor man with a
single express wagon, and possibly a
single hcrse, from working. It has passed
ordinances which prohibit peddlers who
deal in vegetables, market garden stuffs,
fruits, etc., from peddling about the city
unless they pay an extortionate tax. This
has operated against families buying
their living at the cheapest market and'
almost compelled them to patronize trust
groceries or go without fresh fruits and
vegetables altogether. It would seem to
be the duty of the City Council to legis
late so as to protect the poor man and
his family from extortion. Mr. Rushlight
has not seen fit to initiate legislation fa
vorable to the laboring classes In this
respect, but has rather countenanced and
supported legislation favorable to trusts
in different lines of -business and shut
out the small dealer.
These are some of the reasons why
the large number of men who were as
sembled at the Baker Theater did not
sea fit to recommend Mr. Rushlight for
the nomination for Mayor at the hands
of the Republican party at the coming
primary election.
Henceforth, Thomas, address yourself
to the issues and spare the personal pro
noun. . You may not be of so much
Importance as you seem to Imagine.
These terrified patriots for whose liber
ties you tremble do not exist except in
your own Imagination, which seems to
view the situation from a dyspeptic stand
point. What you need, Tom, is a little Spring
medicine. Catnip or sassafras tea is rec
ommended for conditions such as yours.
It is quite evident that there is nothing
the matter with you except your liver is
out of order. W. W. COX..
QUICK CURE FOR SPEED MANIACS
Fifty Ioliar Fines Havt Reformed the
Professional Chauffeurs.
PORTLAND, May 4. (To the, Editor.)
In ary future criticism on fast auto
moblllng In Portland, please- omit' men
tion of we professional chauffeurs. We
have been reformed. ..
I doubt whether you will find a
single man who runs an auto for hire
that speeds his machine above 10 miles
an hour within the city limits. We are
cured of the speed mania. Fifty-dollar
fines worked the cure. We can't always
escape the police and all of us have
decided not to try it. North Twenty
fifth street, where there Is little dan
ger, used to be a speed -course, but
when we found out that cops stood
behind telephone poles and held a stop
watch on us oyer a measured distance,
and we settled with the Municipal
Judge next day, we ' quit it. I firmly
believe -we will stay quit. It doesn't,
pay.
Keep up going after- the reckless
amateurs boys and men that won't,
slow down at corners, "hat pass street
cars without checking speed, and that
don't give a d n what happens... I
am sure there is less wild driving now
than there was . four weeks ago, but
there. Is still top. much of -it. ,If you
let up. the speed maniacs will be sure
to go at It again.
PROFESSIONAL. CHAUFFEUR-
1 ' " " . '
Hindu I1II Hands Strike.
ASTORIA, Or... May 4. (Special) The
Hindus, who . have been working at the
Hammond Lumber Company's mill have
quit because their wages were reduced
from tl.75 to $1.60 per day, the reason for
the cut being that the management found
they were not earning the amount paid
them. Their places have been filled with
Afghans and Greeks.
GALLING
BONDS
ARE
CUT
V. P. Irish No Longer Has Hateful
Mother-ln-Law.
V. F. Irish, who objects to having his
mother-in-law feed his baby port wine
with a spoon, secured a 'divorce yester
day. The case was tried some time ago
before Circuit Judge Cleland. - Mrs. Cora
Irish contested the suit, testifying that
her husband's habits of life are disagree
able to her, and that- he told her to go ta
the Salvation Army to buy her wearing
apparel. They were married February
22, 1906. - . " - . -
Judge Cleland dismissed . the case of
Mrs. Julia Flory against John W." Flory
because neither had proved a divorce
case against the other. The Florys mar
ried at St. Jacobs, 111. Flory conducts a
small grocery on the East Side. He said
that he went ' to get a piece of tobacco
one day: that his son locked him in the
store and called Mrs. Flory. and tb:it the
boy afterward brandished a stick of
stove wood over his father's hoad.
Judge Gantenbetn granted Eva Han
Ion a divorce 5-esterday morning from
George W. Hanlon. Thfy were marriod
at Vancouver, Wash., . October 14. 1001.
Mrs. Hanlon said her husband accused
her of infidelity and knocked her down
when he was drunk.
Martha Dahl filed a divorce suit in the
Circuit Court yesterday against Tallock
Dahl, 'charging him with abuse in the
Fall of 1906. The couple married at
Arenaaie. Norway, July 11, 1906. and have
no children.
Lu M. DAVIS "WAS MUCH ANNOYED
Ho Says Many People Called Him
TJp, Making Dire Threats..
Dr. I M. Davis, now In the race
for nomination as Councilman from the
Tenth Ward, is suing the Journal Pub
lishing Company before a jury in Jude
Morrow's department of the Circuit
Court to obtain 40.000 damages on ac
count of an editorial regarding Davis'
position upon Statement No. 1, appear
ing in the Journal of June 2S. 190S.
Testimony introduced yesterday after
noon showed that the editorial was pro
voked by a letter Davis addressed to
United States Senator Chamberlain and
sent to The Oregonian for publication,
and by an interview published in the
Telegram.
Davis testified yesterday that he was
called up every night for a week, or
10 days after the editorial appeared,
by people, who said they had bought
some new rope' which would come in
handy, and. that they would present
him with a brick building a torick at
a time. "I 'had a new revolver, which.
I got out, said Davis yesterday, "and if
they had come, there would have been
trouble." -
The wouTd-be Councilman, ex-Councilman,
ex-Senator and dentist, said
he was obliged to take opiates to quiet
his nerves. He said a Journal em
ploye referred to him as an-"imbecile."
Davis said he was elected to the Cif y
Council in 1891, but didn't remember
running in 1893. He said he did not
run in 1905, and that he was in Mexico
in 1907. Attorney John - Logan asked
Davis if he was not known at one time
as "Dollar a Day Davis." The witness
said he didn't think so.
Davis . admitted . yesterday having
signed a protest just after he cast his
vote at the election of Governor Cham
berlain to the Senatorship. .Dr.' Mark
3. Skiff, a Salem dentist, was called -to
the witness stand late yesterday after
noon. Lumber Company Is Sued..
Because a sawdust conveyor . of the
Multnomah. Lumber .&. Box Company
fell. .January 25, breaking the. back of
Gottlelb Mutti; Jr., his" father is. suing,
the company before .a jury of seven In
: Judge Gatens' department of the Cir
cuit Court to recover $7500 damages.
It, is alleged that for 48 feet the con
veyor, was unsupported, and that the
company allowed it to clog with saw
dust. Attorneys O'Day, Schnahel and
LaRoche .appear as counsel for Mutti,
and Attorneys Wilbur and Spencer for
the defendant.
Boy Sentenced to Reform School.
Leonard Hicks, who lives with his
mother at 1187 Delaware- street, Ock
ley Green, was sentenced to the Re
form School yesterday afternoon' by
Judge Bronaugh,' and sentence - sus
pended. He was charged with having
blown the whistle and tied the bell
cord In such a way as to interfere with
the operation of a St. John car. -Harold
Pennington, paroled from the Reform
School, Is to be returned today. .
-- Circuit Court Notes. - -
W. B. King's overcoat was stolen from
a Pullman car of a Southern Pacific train
near Benicia, and as the result of a law
suit tried in the Circuit Court, the Pull
man Company must pay 60.50 for it.
This .was .Judge . Cleland's . decision . yes
terday. ' . - ...
Judge Cleland decided yesterday morn
ing that ' John . Graham, who conducts - a
store -. at Mississippi avenue -and : Russell
street, is not liable for damages because
Rosa Roman fell down his stairs, 'A non
suit was allowed. . Mrs. Roman- sued for
2100. ... - - .
. The suit of Mary Phelps Montgomery
against the city, to . restrain-the -city of
ficials from, -opening-. Benton street, .- was
dismissed by Judge Cleland yesterday;
R. E. Hussey, immigration . inspector,
must pay Frazier- & McLean $17.96 for a
broken, buggy. He- left a team hitched
to a fence. near Tualatin while he looked
for a Chinese. " When he returned the
tongue and harness were broken. The
livery firm sued before Judge Cleland.
TARIFF- QUESTIONS 1I CONCRETE
Instances Cited to Shorn the Value of
Protection to Manufacturer, -
WINLOCK, Wash., May 3.t-(To the
Editor.) Referring to your editorial,
"Tariff Nonsense," permit me to ask:
If, as you assert, .It Is not. the com
petition of pauper-made goods which
the American workman has to fear,
why, may .1 ask, should the -American
workman dread - the pauper himself
. when he comes to this country?
Is It not a fact that the laborer from
Great Britain and Germany,- after
lending or. our soil, soon commands
the same wages the American receives
and adopts his standard of living?
Is it not true; for Instance, that the
English have made a better pocket-knife-
and a better butcher knife than
we have been able to produce? ..
What would happen to: our cutlery
f aotories should the tarif f on - their
products bo removed?
A Steinway sells in New York . for
$550; n London for 70, In Hamburg
for 1300 marks. If the duty on pianos
were removed, would Steinway not close
up shop In Now York and operate his
factories in London and Hamburg only?
An answer to these queries , would, I
believe, be of interest to your readers,
as well as to JOHN L. GRUBER.
Tax'Injuctlon Granted. :
.ASTORIA, Or., May 4. (Special.) An
order signed a few , days ago by Judse
McBrlde as judge of the Circuit -Court,
in the case of the Callender Navigation
Company versus M. R. Pomeroy, Sheriff,
was filed In the County Clerk's office
today. It grants a temporary Injunction,
i enjoining the Sheriff from attempting to
collect taxes -on ' the plaintiffs steamers
for the years 1906, 1907 and 1908. The con
tention of the plaintiff is that the home
port of the steamers . is Knappton,
Wash., and therefore the vessels cannot
J be taxed.Ua. UJfi state. ,