8
THE MORXISG OKEGOMAX- WEDXESUAV, MAY 12, 1909.
t (Omrnninn
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PORTLAND, WEDNESDAY. MAY 12. 11)09.
SOMEWHAT TRITE, BUT ALWAYS TRUE.
' ' 1 1 .7 alii If) CL 1ILLIC UUIIKCI IIP ail
tiqulty. Some times one feels a little
concern with the picture of early so
ciety portrayed in the Homeric poems;
then with the obstinate questionings
of the problems of human life pre
sented in the Book of Isaiah or the
Book of Job; anon with the ever old
jet ever new presentations In the
greater or greatest of modern writers
as you find it. say in Hamlet or
Faust, or in the Wonder-Working Ma
gician of Calderon. Buf the present
age is a new age: it has "become so
picked," as Hamlet says, that we are
all ready to exclaim. What is antiquity
to us? To Philistinism nothing.-The
modern dictionary will give our young
people a definition of Philistinism
adapted -to the modern time.
This, however, - Is but preliminary;
and it is as irrelevant, perhaps, as the
introductory chapters to many a book
to the general purposes of the writer
thereof say the Greek Thucydldes, the
Roman Sallust, to Fielding, Scott or
Dickens in English; to Jean Paul Rich
ter, for the Germans, or Victor Hugo,
for the French.
What is It then, that roars so loud
and thunders in the Index? Nothing
at all but a descent to a little book,
published three or four years ago, now,
therefore, outdated and belonging al
ready to antiquity-'-hitherto noticed
by The Oregonian, but now called to
attention once more;--a book entitled,
..'The. Indian Dispossessed' doubtless
"one of the last of the lamentations of
the supersedure of the native races of
the Western Hemisphere by the
stronger Invading races from the East.
It Is a sentimental book and on its sen
timental side a good book. It tells
about our treatment of the Umatillas
and the Nei Perces; gives the story of
the Bitter Root and many other
stories; has an account no bad one
of the Indian Reservations and of the
administration of Uncle Sam as trus
tee of the Indian tribes. It's a mighty
touching story if you allow yourself
to forget the principle of the survival
of the fittest, which Is as rigorous and
inexorable as to man as to any other
portion of animal or animated nature
more so, indeed, because of the su
perior intelligence exerted upon man
and by man, in his own case, through
the law of survival of the Attest. True,
indeed, it is modified very largely by
man towards his fellow man through
the moral sentiment that exists only In
man in no other creature; but this
moral -sentiment neer asserts" Itself
till conquest has assured the safety of
the intruder. That accomplished, pity
enters, and sentimental writers begin
their essays on the dispossessed or
disinherited race, and on the injus
tice of it all.
But, after all, the principle of sur
vival of the fittest, which is nature's
plan or method of progress, applica
ble to the human race as fully as to
all other life upon the earth, doesn't
disinherit the Indian in America more
ruthlessly than it disinherits or dis
possesses those members or portions of
the . white race that can't keep the
pace. All the weaker, or less adapt
able classes, fall before the new and
newer conditions in the changing
world. The native races of America
themselves enforced the rule of the
strongest, among their own. The Iro
quois persecuted terribly those not in
agreement with them. They had al
most exterminated the Hurons and
other branches of the native races,
.when Europeans appeared on the
scene; and in our cities today, under
renditions of highest civilization, the
.struggle for life and the struggle, for
"ascendancy Is going on thous-h no
-violence is permitted as relentlessly
as it ever proceeded in the earlier days,
under nature's own way. It is. Indeed,
the only road to human progress this
ceaseless but necessary competition.
In all America, north of Mexico,
there might have been, at the time of
the discovery by European explorers,
a' native) population of BOO, 000. But
ihls is probably an excessive estimate.
Most of the writers who have made
closest study of the question put it
lower. This population had reached
the limit of numbers and the limit of
progress possible under the conditions
of existence that it had wrought out
for Itself. The habits of ages, formed
on the conditions of Its life, could not
be changed. On our Indian reserva
tions at this day you will see the na
tives abandoning the houses the Gov
ernment has built for them, betaking
themselves to their ancient wigwams,
refusing the use of the plough and the
punctual milking of the cows that
have been given them, the care of the
gardens and field crops, and even the
labor of gathering the harvest. Is
such a people dispossessed or disin
herited, when crowded out by another
people who want a chance to work?
Is there Injustice In It? Here, In tha
United States and Canada now is a
population of 100. 000. 000, where form
erly only 500.000 existed in savage
state. Why shouldn't the Indian have
been - dispossessed?
But never mind the details of the
argument. The Indian has been dis
possessed, because it was Inevitable
and necessary. This is not to nv h
Injustice now and then has not been
done, or that we should not be on our
guard against injustice still. Yet na
ture's law of survival of the fittest en
forces Itself practically over all human
checks and limitations. Its partial
suspension by pity and compassion is
good for man's moral and spiritual
' growth, yet In the long run the law
ertforces Itself, all the same.
- The United States Circuit Court of
Appeals has rendered a very satlsfac-
tory decision regarding the liability
of the "welching" insurance compa
nies which sought to evade their re
sponsibility for fire losses following
the San Francisco earthquake. To j
their everlasting credit., most of the
large insurance companies operating
in the Bay State, paid their losses
without any 'attempt at evasion, but
a number of dishonest concerns made
strenuous attempts to escape. Some of
them did get away by various pretexts,
but they were blacklisted or driven out
of business elsewhere. A similar fate
should be meted out to The compa
nies which refused to pay until they
were dragged into court and forced to
do so. The. insurance business would
be highly remunerative, if the pay
ment of losses could be evaded without
in any way Interfering with the col
lection of premiums.
THE SIREN'- AND THE TAXES.
The fair enchantress who lured
young Hamilton to his ruin now flits
away to other scenes in search of other
victims. Usually these lovely crea
tures keep count of their prey and
boast of the numbef they have brought
down, much as bad men on the frontier
used to make a notch on their gun
stocks for every person they shot.
Hamilton's charmer seems to differ
from most of her frail sisters in this
respect. She even goes so far as to
resign the glory of her conquest alto
gether and say it was some other
woman for whom the young man sac
rificed his career. This is modesty.
Indeed. It is so far beyond what might
have been expected from her that in
voluntarily one looks round for a rea
son. What induces the frail and se
ductive Hazel to yield the credit of
her victory to another woman! Is
she afraid that she may perhaps be
seized and questioned by some of the
Investigating committees who are now
stalking abroad seeking whom they
may devour in Washington? And if
she were to be thus questioned, is It
possible that other high and mighty
officials of the state might become en
tangled In the tolls of the law because
of having loved her not wisely, but
too well?
It needs the influence of a Hazel or
two to account for thereign of official
peculation which seems to have pre
vailed lately in Washington offical
dom. Where the revelations will stop
only a prophet could tell, and he might
make mistakes about it. The trail of
the serpent may not run so far as it
now seems to go, and It may run a.
good deal farther. Corruption In of-"
flee la like tuberculosis. It flourishes
In the dark, attacks many victims who
are never suspected of having con
tracted the disease, "and is cured only
by abundant sunlight. Hamilton,
Schively and Nichols may be the only
servants of the state who have be
trayed their trust. Let us hope so.
Still, -4here .may be others. People
are disposed to suspect that there are
a number of others. They are Inclined
also to multiply the Hazels and mag
nify their inroads on the public funds.
Taxation has more than doubled In
Washington In the last three years.
How much has the song of the siren
had to do with It?
CORONATION OF JtEHEMMf.1) V.
One pleasant . little ceremony which
was formerly the rule at the corona
tion of the Turkish monarchs has now
been abandoned. This was the syste
matic extermination of every male
relative of the Sultan who might pos
sibly become a claimant to the throne.
Abdul, who has just abdicated In favor
of his brother, Mehemmed, was the
first to break the good old custom and
his fate shows how useful it was. If
he had had no brother living, no
brother could have succeeded him.
Shakespeare's Henry V refers to this
Turkish practice of forestalling of
future trouble when he tells his nobles
that.
Not Amurath an Amurath succeeds, but
English Harry, Harry.
Mehemmed V will naturally refrain
from slaughtering his relations since
he takes the throne, not under the
auspices of old Ottoman custom so
much as in the character of an inno
vator. With his accession much of
the ancient, the superstitious and the
tyrannical passes away and Turkey
In some senses, becomes a modern na
tion. Henceforth the people are to
rule there and the Sultan becomes
their representative, rather than their
master. Still, at the coronation of
Mehemmed V, some care was exercised
to make the breach with the past as
inconspicuous as possible. The an
cient ceremonies of drawing the sword
of Othman and driving the plow were
ostentatiously performed, so that the
sorrowful old mossbacks could not say
that all the dear ways of the fathers'
had been forsaken. The symbolism of
these ceremonies is obvious enough.
By waving Othman's sword In the air
Mehemmed sought to prove symbol
ically that he was as good a warrior as
the founder of the Empire which he
inherits. By driving the plow across
a yard or two of the lawn in front of
the palace, he proves to minds which
are easrTyconvlnced that he is In the
vigor of his manhood and able to bear
the burdens of state. Probably the
performance of these little ceremonies
did more to reconcile the reactionaries
to Mehemmed than any exhibition of
real ability, either mental or physical,
could have done. The Turks, like all
other human beings, care a gread deal
more for symbols than they do for
realities. If the form Is kept Intact
they get along quite comfortably with
out the substance. .-
In most monarchies there are cer
tain symbolical ceremonies which the
ruler has to perform In order to live
up to the popular conception of his
office. Alphonso of Spain, for example,
washes the feet of a number of poor
people now and then to show how
humble he is. His soul Is elevated
above the vanity of pomp and power
or he would never demean himself to
wash anybody's feet. The President of
the United States, with a more painful
pretence of humility, shakes hands
with a multitude of his loving subjects
at stated periods. Between this cere
mony and Alphbnso's feet washing any
truly rational man would choose the
latter, because it Involves no more
humiliation and a great deal less labor.
Moreover, one ceremony is fully as
sincere as the other. The genuine;
humility involved fairly equals the
warlike capacity of Mehemmed, who
has spent thirty years In prison. Still,
Alphonso's subjects wouia, perhaps,
dethrone him if he should fail to wash
the feet of the poor at the proper time,
and no President of the United States
would have the slightest chance for
re-election If he omitted the sacred
handshakings.- He might even be im
peached. Kings have been beheaded
for offenses less serious.
Symbolical ceremonies attract and
overawe all of us. In most languages
there are words too holy to be spoleen.
What properly nurtured person does
not shudder when he hears the name
of the dejty profanely uttered? And
yet that name, like any other word, is
but a collocation of sound waves. In
Itself It is only a symbol. Reverse the
order of the sacred letters which spell
t and they produce nothing better
than the name of a dishonorable beast.
The old magicians were able, by the
use of symbolical marks and mumb
lings, to call up spirits from the vasty
deep and compel them to do amazing
things.- Aladdin, could hale the Jinnl
from their dark abodes by merely
rubbing his finger on a lamp. When
Faust had drawn the magic penta
gram on his chamber floor, Mephls
topheles could not step over the mark
for all his power. Tarn O'Shanter got
rid of the pursuing fiend as soon as he
had crossed the running brook, and
Sudermann's hero, in the Sunken Bell,
was safe from the profane contact of
his neighbors the instant Rautende
lein had drawn a ring around him with
her wand.
Few people would, care to reflect
what a part sheer symbolism plays in
their lives. Most ' men have'-wedded
their wives, not so much by promising
to love and protect them as by placing
a ring on the finger. "With this ring
I thee wed," they say, thus making
the whole -effleacy of marriage rest
on a bit of symbolism, like Mehem
raed's plow. When we want to make
sure that our children shall escape the
discomforts of Hades, we have a few
drops of water sprinkled on their
heads while the hlerophant utters a
magic sentence. Wher. we wish to In
sure, beyond all peradventure, that a
witness in court shall tell the truth,
the whole truth and nothing but the
truth, we make htm kiss a volume of
ancient Jewish literature, usually a
dirty volume, swarming with germs.
The fact is that the greater part of
life is carried on by symbols and solid
reality we only rarely touch.
A SEVERE. BUT A JUST PENALTY.
The sentiment, as well as the sense
of justice, of the jantlre country ap
proves the sentence passed by Judge
Williams upon James H. Boyle and
his wife, Helen, for having kidnaped
Willie Whltla. The crime was com
mitted March 18, and the man and
wife who planned and executed jt
are, in less than two months from that
time,. In the Western Pennsylvania
Penitentiary, the one under a life sen
tence, the other under a sentence of
twenty-five years' Imprisonment,
which, for a woman of Mrs. Boyles'
age, is practically for' life.
Severe as the penalty inflicted upon
these criminals, it is not too severe.
To prove its leniency, staggering
though It was, the Judge reminded
them that the crime of which they had
been convicted, was in former times
punished by death. Its enormity
seemed even to Impress these crimi
nals themselves, since, upon being
asked if they had anything to say
before sentence was pronounced, they
offered neither extenuation nor ex
cuse and made no plea for leniency.
The crime of child-stealing is essen
tially cold-blooded, cruel and coward
ly: The suffering that it inflicts upon
parents is greater than that caused by
death. And if the mystery of a child's
sudden disappearance is never cleared
up as In the case of Charley Ross,
whose distracted parents went up and
down the land for years, following sup
posed clews and spending money with
out stint, in the vain effort to re
cover, or even get tidings of their
child, this sorrow becomes the stalk
ing ghosts of a lifetime.
Unusually fortunate, under the cir
cumstances, were the parents of Willie
Whltla in the early recovery of their
son. The public also has reason to
congratulate itself In that the kidnap
ers were so quickly apprehended, tried,
convicted and given over to severe
penalty.
The spectacle presented by this man
and woman, as they were carried
from the courtroom in a state of physi
cal collapse, after receiving sentence,
excites contempt. Pity, though un
reasoning, does ont appear in their
behalf and as for sympathy, that has
been exhausted in behalf of the par
ents so cruelly wronged by this con
scienceless, mercenary pair. The
warning conveyed by this early con
viction and severe penalty will not be
lost upon .mercenaries of the Boyle
type and it may well be believed that
the public will not soon again be start
led, and the smpathles of humanity
generally aroused by a case of child
stealing.
SECRETARY WILSON'S ERROR.
Secretary Wilson who has been lying
rather low since his ridiculous report
on wheat stocks in farmer's hands
appeared, broke Into print in Chicago
again Monday. A decline of a few
cents per bushel in th price of wheat
apparently led him to believe that
dealers all over the world had made
a mistake . In their estimates of crops
and stocks on hand. Taking courage
from this temporary weakness. Secre
tary Wilson says: "Wheat is 40 cents
per bushel too high. The present price
is purely an artificial one and is due
to manipulation a corner I should
call it. The present price of wheat was
put where it is by speculators. It is
not an honest price." The Secretary
also repeated his former statement
that the governi-.ent figures "will cer
tainly prove to be right in the long
run.".
What the public, that is paying the
bills for this increased price of wheat,
and also Secretary Wilson's salary and
expenses, would like to determine, Is
the location of that 143,000,000
bushels which Secretary Wilson Te
ported in farmers' hands March 1.
Coming down to a specific case, it
would like to know what has become
of the 8,949,000 busnels which Sec
retary Wilson reported as "total stocks
on farms" in Oregon, Washington and
Idaho on March 1. The truth is that
Secretary Wilson has been victimized
by a set of worthless crop reporters,
and is attempting to stand by their
misleading reports. If Mr. Wilson
would take the trouble to keep in
formed on wheat prices the -world
over, he would soon understand the
impossibility of any one man's, or one
clique's, no matter how powerful, ad
vancing prices to a figure "forty cents
per bushel too high."
In the Daily Consular report issued
by the Government May. 7, appears a
report from Consul Frank W. Mahin,
from Nottingham. England, in which
he says: '"Flour has advanced in this
locality $1 to 21.25 per sack of 280
pounds since January, but the price
rise of wheat has been proportionately
greater, the millers claim. Looking
over the entire source of supplies, ex
pert observers see a large deficiency
during the present year. The - whole
situation indicates that the price of
Dread may be- still further advanced
during this year." The Liverpool Corn
Trade News, the recognized organ of
the British milling trade, and naturally
bearish in Its reports, under date of
April 2 7 explains the decreasing stocks
in detail and says: "The history of
the trade for the past two years seems
to prove conclusively . that the con
sumptive requirements of the graniv.
orous races have now caught up with
the production, and it appears to be
out of the question to expect low
priced wheat or maize again until
there has been a succession of -good
harvests which will force producers
and dealers to accumulate reserves."
The London correspondent of the
Northwestern Miller, under date of
April 21, writes: "In my view, the
future price of wheat does not depend
upon the success or failure of Mr.
Patten's dealings, but upon the condi
tion of the world's actual supply and
demand, in respect to which I can see
no signs of the former being equal
to the latter for the next four months,
in fact, until. the harvest of 1909 gets
into full movement." These opinions
are supplemented with the actual
figures which are compiled by men
whose positions are dependent on their
accuracy.
Any Individual who would -knowingly
send out a report showing 8,
949,000 bushels of wheat In farmers'
hands in Oregon, Washington: and
Idaho, March 1, would be promptly
discharged from the employ of .any
grain firm, milling concern, railroad
company, or any other employment in
which even approximate accuracy was
demanded. And yet the American peo
ple spend millions In supporting an
agricultural department that stands
sponsor for such! figures, and insists
that they are reliabre. Secretary Wil
son needs investigating.
The prompt conviction and sentence
of the Pennsylvania kidnapers will
probably have, a deterrent effect on
other criminals whose minds might
wander in similar directions. The con
templation of a lifetime spent behind
penitentiary walls, is far from pleas
ant, and will undoubtedly cause even
so hardened a character as Boyle,
some severe pangs. But his suffering,
although bound to be more protracted
than that of the parents of the Whltla
boy, can never -equal In intensity the
agony that was felt by the father and
mother during the awful hours and
days In which they were in doubt as to
the whereabouts and the safety of
their boy. The kidnapers expose of his
own life prior to the crime which
crowned his career, only confirm the
justice of the sentence Imposed on
him. The death penalty would be none
too severe for such criminals.
The course of the Cuban Govern
ment, since It was permitted to stand
on its own -legs, has not been alto
gether satisfactory to Uncle Sam and
further intervention may be necessary.
A proposal will soon come before
Congress for the collection from Cuba
of an $8,000,000 expense bill incurred
by the army and marine corps during
the recent intervention. No demand
will be made for reimbursement for
pay of the officers and men for rations
and forage, but transportation and
other extraordinary charges have been
included in a compilation made by the
War Department, and It Is believed
that collection can be forced without
much difficulty. Should it be. refused,'
it will probably offer an excuse for
the Government to take charge of the
Islands and exercise permanent control
over them.
The nimble Japanese, ever looking
for trouble and skillfully evading it
when it is encountered, are now pick
ing up a few islands which China and
Russia have neglected to nail down
with an occupant. According to Vic
toria dispatches, the men of Nippon
have agreed to return one of these
prizes to China on the payment of
$200,000 damages to the Japanese,
who have been occupying it. They have
also taken one of Russia's islands in
the Okhotsk Sea, but have not yet
appraised its value for extortion pur
poses. Modesty has not been one of
the predominating characteristics of
the Japanese. . . ,
There is an argument against the
proposed charter. It takes the govern
ment of the city .'out-of the hands of
the people. There Is an argument'foT
the proposed charter. It takes the gov
ernment of the city out of the hands
of the people. One way or the other
the new charter will be the same; but
what is your attitude towards it?
In some of . the farming districts of
the Willamette "Valley very few pota
toes will be planted because of the
high price of seed. While many fore
handed farrhers have their own pota
toes to plant, others less fortunate will
make no effort to produce a surplus
crop.
Should the electors of the city vote
to change the Madison bridge to
Market street, it may become interest
ing to-inquire what will become of-the
bonds which ' have been sold for the
bridge at Madison, on which the -city
now is paying interest.
"No wonder," said the walking del
egate, "that the . Christian religion
doesn't appeal to the . labor unions.
Jesus was a carpenter and Paul was
a tentmaker. But neither was a mem
ber of a union. Both scabs."
If the primary is a sacred thing,
divinely appointed, as we have been
told, and have, therefore, a right to
suppose, they who refuse to accept its
result, show a will most incorrect to
Heaven. !
This- is the finest of Oregon's grow
ing weather and it goes along with
the visitors from Portland into the
State of Washington.
There is more assurance of peace
in a bunch of Dreadnoughts than in
namby-pamby manifestoes from The
Hague.
The Water Board should use a lariat
in fixing responsibility for deplorable
conditions. It might catch some one.
Hamilton may say of the woman In
the case, as Father Adam said: "She
gave me of the tree and I did eat."
Must It come to pass that the self
styled "friends" of direct -primaries
will repudiate them in Portland?
Fly time is at hand. Screens cost
less than coffins-
OUR GREUT FIRE LOSSES. ' '
Due to Flimsy Construction and Care
less Management.
"It Is known that fires occur more
frequently in New York City than lrt
London; but that the value of property
annually destroyed is tenfold greater
here than it is abroad is not adequately
appreciated, writes Louts Windmuller
in the current North American Review.
Losses by fire equal 25 cents per capita
of the population in France and Ger
many. 30 cents In Great Britain and $3
In this country, an annual aggregation
of $250,000,000. Almost the whole of
this amount Is paid by the underwriters
who have insured the property. -
The Individuals who buy their poli
cies should realize that premiums cor
respondingly high must reimburse for
losses the companies who issue the
policies. These premiums, being almost
10 times greater here than they are in
Europe," constitute an onerous tax on
every person who-' is compelled to In
sure property to protect either himself
or his creditors.
The chief cause for the immense dif
ference in the cost of Insurance In
Europe and America Is the Inflammable
materials and the flimsy composition
of the greater part of our structures.
Nine-tenths of all American dwellings
continue to be built wholly or chiefly
of timber, and wood is used in all other
buildings to some extent.
Early settlers found an abund
ance of the choicest qualities of
this material when they cleared
the virgin forests. They first
learned to v use it for log cabins,
later for commodious houses. In the
building of the 10,000,000 frame houses
which exist In this country the sup
plies of the best timber have naturally
been reduced, and as one species after
another has become exhausted, it has
been replaced by cheaper, less suitable
varieties. Brittle hemlock has super
seded pine; resinous cypress is substt
tuted for walnut; and these inferior
grades are apt. to be employed before
they are seasoned In the composition
of important structures.
Many cots are still covered with
shingles which may be ignited by a
stray spark from a passing locomotive.
In the twinkling of an eye the blaze
spreads through hollow partitions and
often dooms the hovel before the
wretched tenants can save their lives.
In the erection of the solid build
ings which rise within our cities little
care has been taken in the selection of
the requisite material, insufficient at
tention has been paid to the influence
which the changes of temperature
must cause, and in some - cases the
Bafety of the foundation itself has been
disregarded. '-,-.-
The solidity of European buildings,
of the German especially, has been
demonstrated by their durability. It
took six years, from 1616 to 1622, to
erect the town hall of Numbers, and
a substantial period of time was con
sumed in the construction there in all
other "Hansa" towns of those magnifi
cent residences which, like the Fugger
nouse in Augsburg-, were built for the
merchant princes 300 years ago. They
remain to this day ornaments of their
respective bailiwicks; some guild halls,
like the Hotel des Brasseurs in Brus
sels, continue to serve the purpose for
wnicn tney were constructed.
But In Germany the construction of
buildings is considered a more respon
sible vocation than it is elsewhere:
architects cannot obtain the requisite
license until they have been graduated
from a German university; they must
obey the laws of their respective com
munlties. and are liable for the proper
performance or tnelr contractors' du
ties.
Germans build deliberately, generally
for their own occupance. We erect
a house with 111-advlsed haste. As we
live without repose, so we build with
out rest.
A majority of our houses are erected
to be sold- at the first opportunity;
when the owner has disposed of them
their fate ceases to Interest him. And
the completion of buildings we erect
for occupancy ourselves or by rjros
pective tenants, is hastened so as to
render them productive at the earliest
moment.
In suburbs where persons of moder
ate means, who are tired of sunless
tenements, seek shelter cruel land
sharks provide cottages which at small
expense they have erected within a
few weeks to sell to the first eager
customer. Finding he cannot hire, the
home-seeker is persuaded to buy one
or these gaudy snuggeries onthe In
staumeni plan.
After he has entered into possession,
it does not take him long to discover
that appearances have deceived him.
The roof leaks, the glazed tiles cover
a smoky chimney, the Iron pipes which
connect his porcelain bath with the
sewer are already perforated and all
the ornaments he admired concealed,
through an abundance of paint and put
ty, a multitude of the faults which
abound in inferior grades of timber.
When we turn to large buildings in
large cities we find many skyscrapers,
from 15 to 25 stories high, which con
sist of steel frames filled with concrete,
and covered by an outside curtain of
stone; they are erected in the most ap
proved manner within 12 months from
the laying of their cornerstones. Thft
celerity is accomplished by the means
of three "shifts of skillful workmen,
who constantly labor with the utmost
zeal and the best implements during
the niglft by artificial Ugh- to make
the timely surrender feasible. -Contractors
who complete the work earlier
than agreed upon receive a premium;
while those who remain in arrears are
fined for every, day's delay.
Although the-erection of these struc
tures is pushed on with a rapidity re
pugnant to the' mind of the old school
of architects, they have successfully
withstood every attack of the fiery
elements; In cases when their' con
tents have been cremated their pres
ence became a bar to the progress of
a conflagration.
Some officials in busy towns like
New York and Chicago claim that they
are underpaid and overburdened. A
thorough inspection of houses built
with unusual celerity is difficult;- but
many - overseers neglect a duty they
can perform, and "some have unblush--ingly
offered, in consideration of a
bribe, to overlook " deficiencies which
they Jiave discovered.:
In refusing to insure buildings they
consider unsafe, or by exacting a pro
hibitive premium until they are safe
guarded, our underwriters exercise a
beneficent influence. But they have no
jurisdiction over -careless .servants;
they cannot control the vagaries of the
American boy. Without the hearty co
operation of state and municipal au
thorities and public-spirited citizens
our Are waste will continue, unless ef
forts to substitute fireproof material
for timber in our buildings become
more generally successful.
The satisfied Preacher.
Cleveland Leader.
A self-made, self-satisfied and self
asserttve itinerant preacher was ex
patiating to a college graduate on his
own eloquence.
"Colleges," he declared, "ain't neces
sary when a preacher's got a genuine
call to the ministry I'm thankful to
say the Lord opened my mouth with
out education."
"That's interesting," returned his
hearer. "Come to think of it, something
like that happened several thousand
years ago in connection with Balaam,
wasn't it?"
THE RECALL IJf OREGON.
Some of Its Defects Pointed Out by sr
. Reviewer.
New York Sun.
In the case of a member of the Ler- '
lsiaiure me recall petition can be cir-(
culated and filed five days after the
session begins. In the case of other
officers it can't be set to work until
six months after they have taken "the
oath of office. We submit that this is
a mistake. "The people" should have
tun- control or their servants at all
times, nor should these be allowed to
have six months in which to give satis
faction or dissatisfaction. Recall beT
fore election is a dream, perhaps, but
toward this the hopes of good men
should be bent.
Meanwhile, observe that if the re
alled doesn't resign as he will if he
has any bowels within five days after
the filing -of the petition, a special
election shall be held within 20 days
to determine whether he or somebody
else shall be elected for the rest of the
term. On the ballots are-printed in not
more than 200 words the reasons for
his recall, and he has the same amount
of space to justify himself in. This
requirement of brevity is the best
thing iti the amendment. The recalled
keeps his job till the result--of the
special election is known.
--. A second recall cannot be had until
the costs of the first recall election
have been paid by the petitioners for
a second. This seems a cruelty, an in
tentional discouragement of "the peo
ple." We don't hold up the amend
ment as perfect. Daily recalls would
be nearer the mark. Our purpose Is
merely to Invite admiration to' an
other great popular principle.
1 I'S AND DOWNS OF TOWN-MAKER
Alexander II- shepherd, to Whom nssh
inirton, D. C-, Has Erected a Statue.
New York Exchange.
It has been taid of Alexander R. Shep
herd, one-time boss of Washington. D, C,
that habitually he looked ahead 20 years.
At his great work of transforming Wash
ington, D. C, from a settlement in the
mud to a city of splendid parks and
pavements he looked further than that.
Did he dream that 35 years alter he
had been driven out a monument would
be unveiled to him, as was done recently
in Washington?
Reaction set in early in Shepherd's
case.- Visiting Washington. D. C. in
1887, he met an ovation where 13 years
before he had left an outcry. Again in
1895 he was warmly received. When his
body was brought to the Capitol City in
1902, schools, public offices and business
houses were closed for his funeral day.
Contemplating the truth of ' Shepherd's
career, one feels that Action could never
achieve improbability on ' such lines . of
romance. At 35 this remarkable man
was remodeling Washington, D. C, with
a rush, riding over public protests and
dodging court Injunctions. At 40 he was
deposed,' objurgated, almost bankrupt. At
45 he wes a prospector In wildest Mexican
mountains. At 60 he was an established
silver king in those mountains, living
In a walled-in castle, surrounded by a
regiment of retainers, consulted by finan
ciers, by mining engineers, by Diaz him
self. Beside such a career and its posthu
mous climax of honor, how pallid and
impossible the record of what we call a
boss In New York!
"Mr. Simon's Nomination.
The Daily Astorian.
While the matter of Senator Simon's
nomination for the Mayoralty of Port
land is, primarily, a purely local mat
ter there, it has an effect out in the
state that means much, if it is as sig
nificant as most of us hope it Is. It is
taken here, and nearly everywhere else,
as the first definite sign of the merg
ing Republican interest In Oregon; the
electorate which gave him the nom
ination by such pronounced lead, is the
largest grouping of Republicans in any
one field of the state, and the source
whence . such thinsrs are first looked
for; and. if this is the real Inspiration
behind it, every man in the party may
be grateful to the Senator for permit
ting the use of his name for the Mof flee.
upon the two-fold hypothesis that he
will make a dignified, well-poised, able
Mayor for the metropolis, and that was
fortunate enough to inspire the move
ment that every honest Republican in
Oregon has looked and longed for
these several years. Upon these high
grounds his election should bev made
unanimous as far as Republican Port
land is concerned.
One View Of It.
1 Louisville Courier-Journal.
Editor Thomas has refused the offer
of President Taft to represent the
United States' in Mexico, and yet an
other first-class diplomatic appointment
must be added to those which have
gone a-begging. 'Editor Scott, of The
Portland Oregonian, to whom the ten
der was first made as an important
factor- in a deal by which Senator
Bourne sought to placate the Fulton
faction, turned down the Ambassador
ship cold, and the well-meant attempt
to' postpone an internecine war in the
Republican party in his state receives
no encouragement in that quarter.
The point-blank refusals ofi editors
and public men generally to accept a
sudden and honorable elevation at the
hands of the .chief executive, whore
that ' elevation would eliminate them
from local politics, is one of the most
unexpected of the developments of the
Administration, and Is proving a very
serious embarrassment' to a President
whose very natural desire it Is to make
such changes in the diplomatic corps
as shall be something more than ac
ceptable. This from a Bourne Officeholder.
Harney County News (Frank Davey,
.Editor).
. The Oregonian is displaying a small,
mean disposition . toward Senator
Bourne. Mr. Bourne, with a broadness
of spirit which The Oregonian does
not appreciate or apparently under
stand, supported Mr. Scott, The Ore
gonian's editor-in-chief, for the Mex
ican Embassy, but that paper tries to
carry the idea that it does not owe
even common decent treatment to the
gentleman. -That paper, great as it is,
has despicable ways.
Figure It Ont.
New York Herald:
All the clocks iu Panama have been
put ahead 18 minutes to make them
agree with railroad time. That's all
right, but won't it throw the work on
the canal back just that much.
.. A FEW SQUIBS.
"Is he out of danger yet" "No the doc
tor Is still In attendance." Philadelphia
Inquirer. .
Church My son -lost an eye and an arm
In the Philippines. Gotham Oh. has foot
ball reached . there already? Yonkera
Statesroan.
--"Darling-. I mean to prove, my love for
you, not by words, but by deeds." "Oh.
George, did you bring the deeds with you?"
Baltimore American.
"Why does he hang around the piano?
He Just murdered his song." "Well, they
claim a criminal can't keep away f rojj-i the
scene of the offense." LouiavilleA Courier
Journal. "So you don't care for society?" "I
shouldn't say that." answered Mr. Curaroi.
"I haven't any objection to- society. But I
don't like chicken salad and ice cream."
Washington Star.
"Is It true that you want to own all the
railways?" asked the apprehensive cljlzen.
"Certainly not." answered Mr. Dustln Stax;
"half the fun of the game la in unloading
now and then." Washington Evening star.
Sturdy Purdy Kind sir, at a convention of
de unemployed. It wux de general opinion
dat & bill should be passed appropriating
fifty t'ousand dollars to study de causes of
idleness. Easy looking citizen Well, what
about it? Sturdy Purdy Will you oblige mo
by contributing- lO cents to study de causes
of my idleness? Puck.
Life's SunnySide
"It's getting dark. Willie," called out
his mother. "Come in, dear."
But the little boy paid no attention
to her.
"You William Jennin's Bryan Simp
son!" she shrilled: "come right Into the
hniK0 thin m(r,i.o t I.i
get you." Choago Trbune. -
.. .
From the classroom occupied bv the '
-roughest boys in the Sunday school
came a great uproar. The secretary in
the next room went in to" Investigate. .
Complete silence followed the opening
of the classroom door.
"Have you a' teacher?"
'. "No." j , . '
- "Do yon want one?"
"No." - .
"Then be quiet or you'll get one."" .
Result, comparative peace. Manches
ter Guardian.
i.
"Here, my dear." said the husband,
producing his purse, "here is $50 I
won playing cards over at Brown's
last night. You may have, it to buy that
dress you wanted."
Relunctantly the conscientious wife
took the money: then said, with an
expression of rigid rectitude: . .
"I pimply shudder at the thought of -rising
money gained in such a way.
Henry, promise me that after you have .
won enough for me to buy the hat to'
go with the dress you will never agatn
touch- those awful cards. I don't want
my husband to become a gambler.'
St- Lous Globe-Democrat.
Mrs. Hoyle My husband always-
smokes after a good meal..
Mrs. Doyle. Doesn't he ever smoke
at home? Home Reading."
w m m
"How Lillie's clothes hang about her!
Why, they don't fit her at all!"
"But think how much -worse she
would look if they did!" Life.
With a dramatic gesture the moving
van man confronts the fair' woman.
"Look at me. Beatrice de ' Montmo
rency!" he hisses. "Do you know meh?"
An: sne exclaims. "Hector Bolam
court! What do you here?"
"Listen, gyurl ! Ten years ago you
crushed meh hopes and broke meh
heart when you spurned meh love. I
vowed then to have meh revenge. All
these years I have patiently waited
and toiled, knowing that my time
would come. It has come!"
With a shuddering moan the poor
woman asks:
"What do you mean?"
"Your goods are on meh van. I
shall move you to your new home, and
in doing so I have packed the imita
tion mahogany furniture and the near
oriental rugs on the outside. . Every
cheap article you have shall be ex
posed to the critical gaze of your new
neighbors. Ha, ha, ha!"
With a cruel gesture he leaps to the
seat of the van and starts his team on
the harsh errand, while the beauteous
creature with an anguished sob sinks
helplessly upon the front steps of the
empty house. Chicago Post.
She Mr. Bloom does not pay his wife
much attention.
He No, the only time I ever knew
of his going out with her was once
when the gas exploded London ' Tit
bits. Cook (angrily) See here, you little
imp; did you take that cake on the
shelf?
Small Boy (son - of an attorney) I
decline to answer any questions until
I have conferred with my lawyer .
Chicago News.
..An elderly farmer up in Maine, lost
his wife, and his nephew was taking
the old man back to the empty farm
house. "Well," said ,the old man, after a.
long -silence, "46 years. I suppose she
was a goo.d wife to me. She was a
good cook and a good housekeeper, and
she kept me will red up; but, do you
mow... ne auaea, -i never liked her.".
Success.
Wants Date of Primaries Changed.
PORTLAND, May- 11. (To the Ed
itor.) Does the law require that pri
maries be held on Saturdav? If not
then hold no more on that day." If it
does, change the law. Saturday is the
worst- day in the week for certain
workingmen. Barbers, market-men,
salesmen, butchers, motormen and con
ductors can't, get to the polls. Thou
sands of these, employes work til 10
P. M. They have usually half an hour
off-for dinner. I .m not .much out of
the way when I say at least 2500 men
who would have voted Saturday were
deprived of 'the privilege. Let the pri
maries be held hereafter on Monday.
I. P. JONES.
The Hardest to Bear.
Philadelphia Ledger. -"Judge,"
said the prisoner, "I sup
pose you are going to soak me?"
"You are an habitual . offender," re
plied the judge, "were caught with the
stolen goods, and the court will have to
do Its painful duty." .
"I don't want to seem unreasonable,"
rejoined the prisoner. "I don't mind a.
long sentence. I'm used to it. But,
say judge, cut out the lecture that
usually goes with It, won't you?".
Wheat-Growing by Electricity. .
English World's Work. .
The farmer of the future will not fee
content with the sowing of seed and
hopeful waiting for results. He will
spread electric wires over the soil and
proceed to "shock" the incipient crops
into satisfactory accomplishment of
their destiny. ... -'
Something; Dolnsr in Hover.'
Correspondent Kennewick Reporter.
A railroad automobile with four oc
cupants, passed here at about 4 P. M.
last Friday at about the same time a
steamboat went up the river, and within
five mtnutes a powerful engine and
train passed. Talk about Hover being
dull. -
First Aid.
Pittsburg Post. '
'Writing Charlie?" .
"Yes." '
"I thought he was engaged."
"lie writes me that his girl, has
thrown him overboard, -so I'm dropping
him a line."
Parties and Tariff.
New York Sun.
Elect a Democratic House to rebuke
the Republicans' for their tariff hum
bug? Compared with th.e Democratic
revenue tariff humbug the protection
cant of the Republicans is sincerity
itself.
Suburban - Athletics.
Chicago News. - - -I
gaze at the haif-eaten biscuit. -
My knife stilly poised In the air:
I hardly know whether to risk It
Shall I cat It or let it lie there?
It is only four blocks; I can run ltr
I. have but three minutes, 'tis true.
But I'm sure that I often have done it.
By Jinks. I can. do It in two!
The last -bit of liver and bacon -
I can't say 1 like to leave that:
And yet.- it's a fact. I might take on
Too much of a job. Where's my hat?
Great Caesar! Two minutes left only!
If I eat any more I am lost
Yet that half of a biscuit looks lonely
I will eat it, not counting the. cost!
Walt! I'll gulp It down fast while t hustle;
We fcuburbanltes frequently do.
Now, here's where I win on my muscle:
I'm determined to see the thing through.
Two blocks gone! Is that the-train's whistle?
Tf I miss it I'm stuck here till 10.
One block more! The train's in sight! ThisMl
Near kill roe! Ah! Caught it again!