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PORTLAND, WEDNESDAY. JUNE 3. 19.
THE PROBLEM FOR PORTLAND.
Is the system a wise one that puts
up to the body of electors a mass of
difficult. Intricate and contradictory
problems, so that the general voter
cannot possibly know what he Is doing
when he marks his ballot "yes," or
no"?
Unless nearly all the propositions
ere rejected, conflicts will arise
In their Interpretation and appli
cation; and the larger the num
ber adopted the more numerous
the conflicting provisions and conse
quences. For there are opposltes, al
ternatives and contradictions through
out the long list, beginning with the
proposed charter Itself. The most
painstaking and conscientious study
will not enable the elector to foresee
the result or effect of his ballot, on the
larger number of the propositions
unless he votes "N'o."
Interpretation of the hodge-podge
will give laborious employment to the
courts, and a rich harvest to the class
of lawyers who revel In and profit by
email and vexatious litigation.
The general tendency will be to
"cinch" the owner of property the
Email property as well as the large.
Why, for example, should the city be
required to pay Into the treasury $50,
000 a year, raised by taxation, for the
water it uses for its own purposes,
when it Is also to pay Interest and
principal of the bonds by which the
water supply is obtained? This social
istic tendency next will require the city
to pay in similar suras for public use
of the bridges and for the lights set in
the streets over and above principal
end Interest of the bonds. These are
subtle methods of making property
pay not only for "free" things, but
more besides so as to take away
property accumulated by industry and
to get money to spend for "the public
good," in ways that never would be
approved If nakedly presented. "The
Initiative" is the Socialists' methoM.
To a man, they will vote for all
schemes to take property away from
its owners. Confiscation of property
or appropriation of property, or use
of property, if that can be had either
by direct method of seizure or by in
direct method of taxation, subtly ad
vanced when people who possess
property fail to see the consequences
is right in the line of the main creed
of Socialism.
This notion or purpose permeates
the proposed charter through and
through. It Is the root of the various
amendments that have come from the
"debates" In "the people's forum." It
ehould alarm, and it does alarm,
evt . . person who owns property, ex
pects to own I roperty, or wishes to do
business. That several features are
offered which, if standing alone, .would
be approved. Is undoubted. But most
of them are so entangled with propo
sition, whose tendency may be feared,
yet cannot be fully foreseen, that the
safe way will be to vote "No," In gen
eral, and '"Yes," only If you fully un
derstand what you are voting for.
If the electors act on this principle,
there are but few of the propositions
that will obtain an affirmative vote.
There is a considerable vote, undoubt
edly, that will be cast in such direction
as it may suppose will change the
basis, and revolutionize the principles,
of society. The larger number of the
propositions offered to the electorate
now are conceived on this idea. Be
ware of them. Vote "No."
In the judgment and experience of
the general ctttzenry of Portland, this
vagary or infatuation, as The Ore
gonian believes, has now reached the
limit, the very list and utmost bound,
of experimental folly tnd dant-r. To
tie elector. Interested In the well-being
and rational progress of the . !ty and
state, The Oregonian has but one
earnest word of counsel namely.
If you don't fully understand tho
proposition before you and the
consequences of Its adoption and
In most cases you cannot possibly
understand vote "No." There are yet
five days till the election; and the
more you examine the various con
flicting and contradictory propositions,
and ponder the consequences, the more
you will be Inclined in the polling
booth to put the cross opposite the
word "No." Yet, there remains a
small number of simple propositions.
The most Important of them are the
Broadway bridge and the provision for
payment of Interest and principal of
water bonds out of the water fund. A
few smaller propositions. Indeed, have
merit, but they have no great impor
tance. But It is certain that many
citizens will resolve every doubt and
perplexity by employing the negative
vote, from top to bottom.
In this perplexing and most difficult
situation may be seen by all eyes the
consummate flower and fruit of the
system which rejects representative
government and "puts up to the peo
ple" the vagaries of theorists whom the
people never would trust as their rep.
resentatives, either In business. In poll
tics, or In anything. Greatest of evils
that can befall a country is to allow
sophists and experimenters to fool
with its laws and Institutions. It is
more dangerous than experimentation
with the forces of electricity and dyna
mite. Were It simply the sport to see
the engineer hoist with, his own petard,
it were well enough. But this is an
attack on the fundamental principles
of society and safeguards of govern
ment. Only Indirectly Is all this involved in
the contest for the Mayoralty. But it
will not be overlooked that the candi
dacy of Joseph Simon stands for ra
tional policy and efficient municipal
government, against all sorts of fads,
fallacies and follies.
MEN OF SMALL CALIBKR.
Nothing could be more inept we
were going to say hypocritical than
the assertion of Mr. Albee and his
friends, that the true and only way to
preserve the direct primary law is to
refuse to abide by its results, when
they don't please you. ' And yet this
Is no bad deduction from the principle
laid down by Mr. Thomas McCusker,
to the effect that the prime defect of
the primary law is that It tends to
bring men. of small caliber to the
front.
McCusker, asserting that Rushlight
and McDonell were men of small cal
iber which accounts for their failure
immediately put up Albee; whom he
offers, we may suppose, as a thirteen
Inch gun. In this way the grand prin
ciple of the direct primary, whose re
sults were disastrous to Rushlight and
McDonell, is to be saved by McCusker
and Albee.
Why weren't McCusker and Albee
consulted in the first place? Why
didn't McCusker speak up and tell this
great community of Portland, in ad
vance of the primary, that Rushlight
and McDonell were men of small cali
ber and that Albee was a man of large
caliber; then take Rushlight and Mc
Donell each by an ear and lead them
out of the field?
Had this been done, the purpose of
the direct primary would have been
fulfilled, and the right of the people
to nominate their candidates vindi
cated and established. But there would
have been no boss, no bossism, In this
business. In the name of the devil
himself, not the slightest or faintest
touch of it!
HARRIMAN, THE OPTIMIST.
"There are now more acres under
cultivation than ever before in the his
tory of the country, and, if we have
favorable weather and correspondingly
large crops, I look for happy times,"
said E. H. Harriman on the eve of his
departure for Europe. The railroad
wizard also predicted a great burst of
speculation with an attendant rise in
prices, and offered a warning against
improper employment of idle money.
"We should be careful," said he, "that
this money be not devoted to the de
velopment of fake projects, but on the
contrary it should be used in the up
building of real undertakings, resting
upon solid foundations." Regardless
of the skepticism with which the pub
lic receives the opinions of Mr. Har
riman on some matters, there will be
no questioning the soundness of his
logic regarding the present situation.
At no previous time in the history of
the country has the outlook for good
crops and high prices been brighter
than at present. There has been some
complaint of damage to the growing
wheat crop in the East and South
west, but this damage to date is of
small consequence, especially If the ab
normal price is taken into considera
tion. Coming as it does on the heels
of a number of "fat years," in which
the farmers have prospered even when
other industries were temporarily halt
ed, this big good crop and high prices
will make its influence felt in all direc
tions, and there will be an abundance
of cheap money throughout the land.
This cheap money, however, can work
considerable havoc if it is not kept in
the proper channels.
If it is diverted to stock gambling
and the attendant inflating of values, it
will in due season invite a crash that
will prove harmful to legitimate as
well as illegitimate projects. This
country does not need a "boom," which
almost invariably leaves a wake of
wrecked fortunes, and causes immeas
urable distress among the victims who
lose hope along with their money. If
the Immense amount of money which
the 1909 crops will bring to the coun
try is put to work in the development
of our latent resources and in keeping
business moving in its legitimate chan
nels, no power on earth can prevent
this country from enjoying a period
of the greatest prosperity we have ever
known.
REJECTING A ;OIJ BRICK.
A dispatch in The Oregonian yester
day announced the presence at Pull
man, Wash., of a strong delegation
from Astoria seeking the aid of the
Farmers' Union in a fight for terminal
rates on grain to Astoria. An official
of the union Is quoted as saying; "We
shall bitterly oppose allowing the
union to be used as a catspaw to rake
the chestnuts out of the fire for the
people of Astoria." This would indi
cate that the Farmers' Union had de
tected the misrepresentation which
was made In order to induce the union
to begin suit for the terminal rates.
Manager Whyte, of the Astoria Cham
ber of Commerce, with unblushing ef
frontery assured the Farmers' Union
at the Spokane meeting that ships
could be chartered to load at Astoria
at 50 cents per ton less than at Port
land. Mr. Whyte made a number of other
wild statements regarding the manner
In which the grain business is handled
at Portland and other Coast ports, and
It was on the strength of these asser
tions, which could not be proven, that
the Farmers' Union seriously consid
ered the Astoria terminal rate proposi
tion and permitted the filing of the
suit. But Manager Whyte. of Astoria,
has a very poor opinion of the intelli
gence of the Inland Empire wheat
growers, if he believes for one moment
that they will aocept without investi
gation such unreasonable statements
as were made by him at Spokane. This
Investigation has revealed to these
farmers the fact that their wheat is
now being carried over the hundred
mile stretch of river between Portland
and Astoria in ocean vessels at a cost
of 5 to 10 cents per ton, according to
the type of vessel, the latter figure
being unusually high for the service
It is, of course, idle to assume that
any railroad in existence can haul
wheat, or any other kind of freight,
100 miles at such a Iqw figure as can
be made by ocean carriers. Any pos
sible legislation that would compel the
TIIE MORyiXCr OREGOXIAX, WEDNESDAY, JTJXE 2, 1909.
railroads to carry the wheat beyond
the point where it could be delivered
to the water carrier would thus have
the effect of increasing the cost of de
livering it from producer to consumer.
If the rates between the interior and
tidewater are too high, the Farmers'
Union would, of course, be justified in
asking the Interstate Commerce Com
mission for a reduction. .
It would be the height of folly, how
ever, for the union to ask that the
present economical water haul between
Portland and Astoria be supplanted by
the rail haul, which would be much
more expensive. If the river between
Astoria and the sea were in better
shape for the passage of deep-sea ves
sels than it is between Portland and
Astoria, there might be some excuse
for paying the extra charge for .a rail
haul as compared with the movement
by water. Unfortunately, the only dif
ficulty experienced by Portland's
wheat fleet is below Astoria, so that
there is absolutely no advantage on
that score. Mr. Whyte will find a
better market for his generalities and
gold bricks at home than he will find
in the Palouse.
A NUMBER OF FALLACIES.
The Oregonian has received another
letter from its good friend Mr. John L.
Gruber, the postmaster at Winlock,
Wash.; which is printed today. Mr.
Gruber seems to be a little grieved at
some remarks which the paper made
upon his last communication, but he
ought not to take them so much at
heart. The Oregonian merely meant
to suggest that a postmaster in a small
town like Winlock must have a good
deal of leisure time and to convey the
Impression that Mr. Gruber had em
ployed his fleeting moments to excel
lent advantage, inasmuch as he has
studied the tariff instead of playing
checkers, as so many of the vainer
minded do. That his opinions are not
free as the wind which whistles around
the snow-capped summit of Mt. Hood
we had no thought of hinting. If
their value were equal to their free
dom, Mr. Gruber would be the great
est of living statesmen. Unfortunately,
that cannot be conceded. His princi
pal faults seem to be the Inability to
make proper deductions from the
facts before him and to allow that
there must be exceptions to all gen
eral statements.
For an example of the first fault,
take Mr. Gruber's remark concerning
the tariff on razors. "Razors, under
the Dingley rates, pay a duty of 5 6
per cent. The House proposes to raise
this duty to 75 per cent, and the Sen
ate to 100 per cent. The object is ob
vious. The Dingley tariff has not been
adequate to build up a razor industry
of our own. The 'slow' British and
Germans make a better razor for less
money than the bright and intelligent
Americans." If this is so. it is diffi
cult to see how an increase of the
tariff is going to better It. The only
result will be either to compel us-to
pay more for a good foreign razor or
shave our faces with a poor one, made
in this country. Just who would be
benefited by such a performance Mr.
Gruber does not point out. If he thinks
the workmen in the cutlery factories
would get more wages with the tariff
raised to 100 per cent, he displays a
simplicity which is worthy of J;he Gar
den of Eden. The plain fact of the
case Is that as good razors are made
In America as anywhere in the world.
The industry is so successful that our
razors have invaded the European
market and the only reason why the
trust demands a higher duty is to
make it possible to raise the price
correspondingly to the home consumer.
To illustrate Mr. Gruber's inability
to allow for proper exceptions to gen
eral statements, take, for example,
what he says about oriental rugs. "Our
rugs can't hold a candle to those made
by the semi-barbarians of the Orient."
This he says In reply to The Orego
nian's statement that the alert and in
telligent American workman can man
ufacture goods better and cheaper
tl.an "the poorly fed, down-trodden
foreigner." Of course, the statement
can only apply intelligently to those
things which Americans have learned
to do and for which they possess the
materials. As for Oriental rugs, we
do not produce the materials for weav
ing them here, nor do we understand
the art of dyeing them. Worse yet, the
really good ones are not woven by ma
chinery, but by hand. It is a fact
which Mr. Gruber must have over
looked that sometimes a woman will
spend her whole life in weaving a
single rug. No American workman
could be expected to devote himself
to employment of this kind. Finally,
the production of Oriental rugs is an
art requiring a special genius, a pecu
liar heredity and a long-established
tradition. It 1s the most flagrant non
sense to expect anything of the sort to
be produced by a protective tariff.
Of those things to which American
industry has devoted itself, the labor
cost in this country is usually less than
It is abroad. Steel rails are a good ex
ample. Thread is another. Watches
are a third, and there are plenty more.
Still, there are many things which we
do not and cannot produce here. In
deed, it is well for us that this is so,
because unless other countries have
something which we wish to buy, they
cannot buy from us. Large as our
home market is, it is not wide enough
to absorb all our manufactures. Some
of them must be sold to the foreigner
or the mills must stand idle. But the
foreigner cannot purchase unless he
sells something in return. Commerce
means exchange, which is another fact
often forgotten by the advocates of
extreme protection. Mr. Gruber is un
wise to lament the sale of what he
calis "pauper-made goods" in the
United States. If the paupers sold us
nothing, they could not buy anything
from us.
By the way, what a queer thing it is
for Mr. Gruber to stigmatize the work
men of Germany, France and Russia
as paupers. These happy beings have
lived under the. blessings of a prohibi
tive tariff for many years. Russia has
a tariff higher upon the whole than
our own. Germany applies the doc
trine of protection with a ruthless
vigor which makes even Mr. Aldrich
envious, and France is not far behind
her eastern neighbors. If their work
men are still paupers, with all this
protection to elevate and enrich them,
there must be something wrong with
Mr. Gruber's theories. The best paid
workmen' in Europe are those of
England, the ouly country of any con
sequence In the world which lives
under genuine free trade. If protec
tion did for workmen what Mr.
Gruber and his kind think it does, the
workmen of England ought to be the
worst pauperized on earth and those
of Russia, which has the highest pro
tection, ought to be the most prosper
ous. A.re they?
There is only time now to point out
one more fallacy In a letter which con
tains so many of them that it makes
one's head swim. Mr. Gruber says,
"When a foreign laborer comes to this
country he increases the supply of la
bor, which has a depressing effect upon
its price, but, mark you, he also be
comes a consumer of the products of
labor, whereby he increases the de
mand for labor and stimulates its
price." This is Ingeniously perverse.
Wras he not a consumer at home? The
demand for labor, does not depend
upon the number of hungry mouths
to be fed, but upon' the amount of
capital which is willing to engage in
productive industry. An influx of la
borers does not increase this quantity
of capital, while it does increase the
number of those bidding for jobs and
thus necessarily lowers wages. Any
good text book of economics will set
Mr. Gruber straight upon this point.
The quality of brains that take shel
ter under enormous hats piled high
with flowers and the plumage ot
slaughtered birds is manifest when
the wearers sit under them calmly in
public assemblies, peering from be
neath their rats, utterly unmindful of
the fact that they are shutting off the
view of sensible people who sit behind
them. . It does not need the added ad
vertisement of selfishness and self-conceit
to attest this quality when the
wearers, with a show of virtuous indig
nation, rise and flounce out, as did
several women in a Vancouver church
last Sunday when politely asked to re
move their hats for the convenience
of others. The whole panorama of
cartwheel hat, the plumage of slaugh
tered birds, the indignant expression at
the suggestion that possibly other peo
ple had some rights In a public assem
bly hall, the march, stiff-legged and
Imperious, down the aisle, is self-explanatory
and all-sufficient.
There are two ways of doing this
business, on the initiative propositions.
One is to vote "No" straight down the
list excepting only the few simple
measures you perfectly understand and
approve. The other way is to vote
"Yes" on every proposition straight
down the list, so as to make confusion
worse confounded, and In the result
lay a foundation, through disaster and
reaction, for getting rid of the abomi
nation. But this would resemble the
method of abating the nuisance "by
pulling down the house.
"The cumulative ballot in Illinois,"
says the Chicago Record-Herald, "in
tended to give representation to minor
ities, has so evolved that it deprives the
huge majority of citizens of all rep
resentation whatever and leaves all
power-In the hands of that minority
which is composed of politicians of
both parties who work for spoils only."
Recent changes of election methods in
Oregon have worked out a very similar
result. Hence Senators Bourne and
Chamberlain.
What a sport that man Kellaher Is!
The other day he offered to gamble
with Munly and Albee to settle the
question about the Mayoralty between
them. Now he wants to bet Josselyn,
of the electric company, $100 that he
has lied about the way he keeps his
books. For a really sporty and pic
turesque municipal statesman this
town has been waiting a long time
not knowing, however, till recently
that it had been entertaining one un
awares. ,
Savings banks of the City of New
York, representing $956,000,000 of de
posits, have decided to continue the
4 per cent interest rate on deposits
after July 1. The state superintendent
of banks has. been urging, as a matter
of economic safety, that the banks re
duce the rate to 3 per cent. But
the demand for money for good invest
ment is strong, and the banks are un
willing to diminish the Inducement of
fered to depositors.
The Reno Commercial Club, of
Reno, Nev., has joined forces with
Spokane in an effort to secure ter
minal rates. The principal obstacle to
be overcome by both of these inland
cities is a good channel to the sea and
ample harbor facilities for discharging
the big freighters that carry merchan
dise for the Coast ports.
Father Kruttschnitt will be greatly
surprised, of course, when he learns
that his son has been promoted to a
higher job on the Southern Pacific
Railroad, of which Kruttschnitt Is a
leading light. The division superin
tendent who gave son the job must
have hoped that father wouldn't hear
of it.
W'ool is selling at 2 3 cents at Shan
Iko, and what little wheat remajns in
the country is in demand at about
J1.25 per bushel. With everything
else from hens to hogs bringing corre
sponding figures, there will be Bummer
vacations due a number of the Oregon
farmers this season.
County Judge Webster may resign.
But what's the use? He wouldn't
then get the salary as he does now
and perhaps couldn't take those many
vacation trips at somebody else's ex
pense. The duty on lemons will be in
creased. From the number that have
been handed the consumers in this
tariff-revision farce, the reduction in
duty may have been needed.
Mayor Lane lost a day as Mayor of
Portland when at the Seattle exposi
tion yesterday. But he had a chance
to make a speech that probably con
soled him.
The fallow who tried to extort
money from Mr. Bush, of Salem, has
been adjudged sane. There must be
a mistake somewhere.
Now how much will Senator Kella
her bet that after election he will not
conclude that he didn't know what he
was talking about?
Portland helped Seattle open the ex
position yesterday, and of course Se
attle will help Portland open the Rose
Show next week.
Now that President Taft has In
dorsed the National game, we want to
see McCredie's teams get busy and
play it.
Some persons think the war on
Standard Oil too long drawn out. But
think of the war on the land thieves.
Seattle missed the chance of a life
time when it failed to have the census
taken yesterday.
SOCIALISM OF THE3 DEBS BRAND
It la ant Appeal to the Mob, T'pen Which
It Thrives and Fattens.
PORTLAND, May 30. (To the Editor.)
This afternoon an ardent brother threw
on the capitalistic steps of my rented
house a copy of the "Appeal to Reason,"
which states its next issue will reveal a
state of affairs today that "makes the
senses reel and Its publication will shock
and stagger the American nation." It is
hoped that the returns for the coming
"Red Special" edition will not be so
barren of the 50-cent subscription price
to the "Appeal to Reason" as not to
Kfifwlr arA 1 . .. , : . .. .
u..u t i iiic v.tiifiiiiiij' rjitci la
at Girard, Kansas. The capitalistic bunch
of Socialists that run the "Appeal to
Reason" are in clover all right, since
they have the "largest circulation of any
political paper in the world," so they
say, due no doubt, to that kind of dope
"that makes the . senses reel." Between
the so-called "criminal capitalists" and
the prosperous moralists who shock and
stagger the American nation for 50 cents
per shock, one is at times confused as
to where this Socialism, or as the editor
of the "Appeal to Reason" calls it, "or
ganized conscious effort." comes in.
Organized conscious efTort existed sev
eral mllleniums before Karl Marx
fretted out his puny hour or Debs spoke
his little p.ece. It was crying in the
night. When organized conscious effort
crystalized into Christianity, it was dis
organized and dissipated by Socialistic
reformers, much the same as it is today.
Nay, from the first association of two or
more human beings, ascendency of one
and the subordination of the others, due
to the difference in physical and mental
endowments have been the inevitable re
sult. From the beginnings of primitive
communities, by common consent, indi
vidual ownership of acquired property
has been recognized and although justice
at times seems to have fled, the ideal of
the rights of the individual have always
lived. ,
In the Rn ni o I,-ci ir V i i a ... i .
- jiuiL-ijir;a ui rigsilt
and wrong. Historical civilization records
undreamed of advances in man's ma
terial and spiritual wellbeing but no
where recounts a change in human
nature. This latter day Socialism may
do it, perhaps. Is there anjr immorality
today that has not existed since the first
chapter of recorded time? Socialism can
not cure It. nor amend it by eternally
flaunting it before us. Human progress is
primarily due to man's converse and con
fidence In his God. his mastery over the
forces of nature and the application of
his discoveries to human comfort.
The first business o. a Socialist should
be know thyself," and learn humility
to recognize a purpose In this universe
and become a part of that purpose as
best he can. If once this is attained the
plutocrat and his money does not con
cern him much for the plutocrat and his
money is the envy of fools, as his hard
ened soul is the devil's commodity. Either
that or "life is but a walking shadow,
a poor player that struts and frets his
hour upon the stage and then is heard
no more. It is a tale told by an idiot,
full,f nd and fury, signifying noth
ing. Happy the man who can scan the
PJIfwa? of hlstory and in his intercourse
with his fellows teach them the simple
virtues that make for. and Is making,
the evolution toward the ideal state
Reason. the Government suppressed a
portion of the "Homes Commission" re
LTi dfaIlnS -th prostitution and allied
evils, there was a reason for it; there
iei many aCkS by Socialists as
individuals and In a body that ought
to have been suppressed: nothing has
been gained by exploiting them. Truth
is. Socialism of the Debs brand would
make a Government of retainers and
PeiilrS- .l la.cks the '"'Native and self
reliance, the fortitude and patient toil
that builded up this great Northwest for
the happiness and comfort of the genera
'1""H. to. come- Socialism of the Debs
ZrS? ; how:ever sincere some of its
votaries and devotees may be, will fall.
It Is scientifically ignorant . of funda-
" T and hr n ln8ight '"to the
origin and development of our species
nor the onward march of humar! i
telligence. much less of the possibilities
of the"? CUnei?g t0 tne he' vlrS"
SL-u plonee, fathers of this Republic.
! T f the Debs bra"1 not an
appeal to reason; it is an appeal to the
mob. upon which it thrives and fattens
JAMES HENNE3SY MURPHY
Democrats and Protection.
New York Evening Post.
ators63016 ? 17 Dem""ic Sen
ators voting against free lumber Is one
calculated to do an enormous amount
of damage to their party. The Demo
crats In their platform speclflcallv
stated that if they should be given
f e Nat,on- affairs, free
lumber would be one of the first re
sults of their administration: When the
opportunity came yesterday. Senator
Bailey and his 16 associates voted for
a tariff on lumber, just as if there had
never been a Denver convention.
Moreover, when chlded for his ac
tion. Mr. Bailey replied that he
would not surrender his "con
science and judgment" . to the
delegates at Denver. . . . Men who
look for sincere and honest observance
or campaign promises will be much less
interested in the Democracy hereafter
That the Democratic party has protec
tion traitors in its ranks, has been
known since, the days of the Wilson
bill. Yesterday's vote shows clearly
how little encouragement the Inde
pendent tariff-for-revenue men would
have received had Mr. Bryan been
elected, and had the tariff bill been in
Mr. Bailey's hands for passage in the
Senate.
Warterson On Prohibition.
Louisville Courier-Journal.
Writing the editor of the Courier
Journal, a correspondent puts these two
questions: "If prohibition is working
the great evils to- Maine that you per
sist in saying it is. why, does not some
Legislature revoke the measure' The
people would certainly not retain'a sys
tem air these years If It were detri
mental to .their best interests, would
they?" The answer is very simple; it
is easier to do than to undo; especially
if the undoing crosses the path of an
established system. In Maine fanatical
religion is. and has been for 50" years,
in league with corrupt politics. The
prohibition act is a club to beat the
contrabrand liquor dealers into line and
a keen collector of Republican cam
paign funds. The lines are loosened
or tightened, according to the exigen
cies of the Republican politicians, who
rule the roost. It Is as despotic as it
is corrupt, the agent of bigotry and
proscription on one hand, and of smug
gling, extortion, and adulteration on
the other hand. It has divided the
people of Maine between the merest
slaves and the merest hypocrites. God
save Kentucky from any such fate.
"Lonesomest" Newspaper In America.
Kaufman (Tex.) Post.
The lonesomeet newspaper in America
has been found. It is the Bird Mountain
Journal, published at the town of Red
Bird, Ark. The town is 35 miles from
the nearest railroad stations, five miles
from the nearest postoffice and two miles
from the nearest cabin. The "town" con
sists of one log house, one long table and
one long newspaper office. It is situated
in the middle of a two-acre clearing, sur
rounded by primeval forests.
"Near" View of Vlcs-Presldent Sherman
Washington (D, C.) Dispatch.
Washington, D. C, is famous for its in
difference to the glamor of its great men.
Two little newsboys were standing in
front of the White House gates when
"Vice-President Sherman entered the
grounds in his big touring car.
"Gee! Willie," said one of them, "there
goes the Vice-President."
"Huh!" said Willie; ' "he ain' nobody.
De Vice-President don' do nothin'."
MALHEUR IRRIGATION PROJECT !
Meeting; at Boise Favors Government
Ac-tlont Not Private Enterprise.
ONTARIO. Or.. May 31. (To the Editor.)
As a result of an irrigation meeting in
Boise, Idaho, reported by the Capital
News and the Statesman, both of these
papers left the impression that a come
together meeting between the so-called
high line and the land owners was held.
Representative landowners were reported
to have been present from the entire
Malheur project.
Ontario, Vale, Weiser and Payette have
all taken exceptions to the statements
published in the Boise newspapers. On
tario and Vale called indignation meet
ings and asked the parties that attended
the Boise meeting to repudiate this im
putation. The men that attended this
meeting announced that they did not rep.
resent the people in any capacity what
ever. Mr. Mallet t, who attended the meet
ing entirely on Ills own account, said that
he proposed to stay by the Government
to the end. The meetings at both Vale
and Ontario were largely attended and
were indignation meetings of the genuine
order.
Public sentiment is -very intense here for
Government Irrigation. Irrigation Is prac
tically the only subject of discussion in
this community. Vale. Weiser and On
tario are standing firm for the Govern
ment in spite of the strenuous effort of
the Boise promoters to disorganize them.
They are now trying to start a line of
newspapers in Vale, Nyssa and Ontario to
control public sentiment. Secretary Bal
llnger is expected here In 30 days and
the only hope of the promoters of the
high line lies in creating dissention among
the people before his arrival. Their
project is impracticable and will cost the
people here double the amount it would
If built by the Government.
I send copy of resolutions passed by the
Ontario Commercial Club.
A. W. TROW,
President Ontario Commercial Club.
At a public meeting called May 23 by the
Ontario Commercial Club and which was
largely attended by landowners under the
Government Malheur irrigation project the
following resolutions were passed:
Whereas, at a meeting held In the offices
of the Boise-Owyhee Irrigation Company at
Boise. Idaho. May 27, and reported by the
Evening Capital News, May 28, and the
Boise Daily Statesman. May 29, and In
which papers It Is stated that at a meeting
in Boise of representatives of landowners
under the Boise-Owyhee High Line system
as projected, which embraces the Malheur
project, that the following were present
from Ontario: A. W. Bond, J. A. Lackey,
Dr. J. Printing and W. H. Brook, and
Whereas, . several statements therein re-
f.orted are misleading and calculated to
eave a false impression on the Reclama
tion Service of the Oovernment with re
gard to the feelings and sentiments of the
landowners under the Government Malheur
project, and
Whereas, at a public meeting in Ontario
held today. May 29. Messrs. Brook, Prlnz
lng and Bond were present and publicly
stated that they only represented their own
interests at ' Boise and were not sent as
representatives of this community and were
without any authority to speak for any
other parties or landowners under this
project, and
Whereas, statements therein contained
with regard to the financial condition of
the irrigation fund of the Reclamation
Service is also false and -without founda
tion and fact: now, therefore, be it
Resolved. That it Is the united sentiment
of this meeting and for the best Interest
of the country, and the success of irriga
tion in this district that we stand firmly
for the Government reclamation project,
first, last and always.
WILLIAM MORFITT,
J. R. BLACK ABY,
W. H. DOOLITTLB,
Committee.
PROVISIONS OP MR- HOSKINS' WILL
Reason Why the Widow Now Seeks to
Set It Aside.
SPRINGBROOK, Or., May 31. (To
the Editor.) With reference to the
report in last Saturday's Oregonian of
a meeting of the state Horticultural
Society held the previous evening, un
der the caption of "Face Will Contest."
we believe a few lines in explanation
not out of order.
By the provisions of Cyrus E. Hos
klns' will, the interest on the residue
of his estate remaining after the death
of his wife, and having been converted
into cash by his present executors, shall
be use.d for "promoting, advancing and
developing the fruit and horticultural
interests in the state of Oregon, by
me orncers of the State Horticultural
Society; the principal to remain a per
petual fund."
The .value of said estate has been
materially over-rated in all reports, as
Mr. Hoskins and family had been using
tneir means freely for some years,
travelling and otherwise, and It was
his expressed wish and Intention that
his very estimable wife should con
tinue to do so after he was gone, and
was thought to be so provided in the
will, but a leading attorney of this
county holds and advises Mrs. Hoskins
that under that document she can only
have the net income from the property.
Now, the said -estate consists largely
of land which Mrs. Hoskins helped, as
much as any woman helps, to earn. On
account of location this land is valu
able, but is not in condition to yield
an Income that would give her the sup
port of which she is worthy. From
this reason and on these grounds Mrs.
Hoskins seeks to have the will set
aside. J. H. REES.
Jl'LY 4 'SOW -A DAY OF" TERROR
About 5000 Dead and Injured Is the
Total of the Day's Casualties.
William Orr, in the June Atlantic.
It Is evident from the comments of the
press on the present evils of our Fourth
of July that there is urgent need of a
definite control and wise direction of the
popular use of this holiday. The roll of
dead and wounded for the last 10 years,
as compiled by the Chicago Tribune, is
eloquent in its warning. The figures tell
their own story of an insensate and reck
less abuse of the day's privileges:
Tear. Dead. Wounded.
1908 72 2. 736
1907 68 3.807
1906 51 3.651
190S 59 J.lf.l
1904 58 3.049
1903 62 3.665
1902 31 2.790
1901 ...... 85 1,803
1900 69 2.767
1899 33 1,742
Totals 608 29,085
That these statistics, gathered by July
6, are below the real totals is seen from
the tabulations of the Journal of the
American Medical Association made in
August, when tetanus has had time to do
its dire work:
Teta-
Y-aar. Dead. Wounded. Total, nus.
1905 163 5.460 5.623 55
1907 164 4.249 4,413 S
1906 158 5.308 5,466 75
1905 , 182 4.994 6.176 83
1904 183 3.986 4,169 91
1903 '466 3.983 4,449 406
Totals 1.316 27.090 2W.296 77B
Surely the sorrow, suffering and mutila
tion here represented mock the claim that
our July Fourth, as at present observed.
Is in any sense a festal day; rather is It
a day of terror, anxiety and dread.
Our Earth 230,000,000 Years Old.
London Dispatch.
The perennial problem of the age of the
world has received a new contribution,
based on the antiquity of radio-active
minerals. Geologists some time ago figured
the age of the earth as at least 230,000.000
years, and the estimate held until mathe
matical physicists computed that the sun
itself had not existed more than 115,000.000.
The discovery of radium and the theories
of radio-activities seem to be going to
establish the geologists' contention.
Lord Raylelgh's son, R. J. Strutt, who
is already an eminent scientist, an
nounces, as the result of a recent experi
ment with a chunk of thorianlte con
taining bellum, that the latter could not
have accumulated in less than 240.000,000
years, while experiments on a larger
scale, which are now going on. will prob
ably lead to an extension of the time.
CITY ELECTION MATTERS.
Some Features of "Commission" Char.
er Which Is to Be Voted Oa.
Administration of city government
on the commission plan through a
.mayor ana six Councilmen and elimi
nation of political parties, as such,
from municipal affairs, are two of the
most sweeping changes in the present
charter proposed by the committee of
15 citizens. The revised charter, as
prepared by this committee, will be
voted on in the city election next Mon- '
day. If the proposed new charter is
adopted, it will go Into effect July 1,
1910. Provision is made for holding a
special election on the first Monday in
June, 1910, for the election of all elec
tive officers. Provision is also made for
holding a primary nominating elec
tion 30 days prior to the date of the
general election.
The revised charter carries several
increased salaries for city officials. The
salary of Mayor is increased from 34800
to $6000 per annum, while each of the
six Councilmen is to receive 35000 per
annum. The other elective officers un
der the proposed new charter will be:
City Auditor, salary $3000. same as
present; City Treasurer, salary 33000,
present salarv $2400; Municipal Judge,
salary $2000. present salary $1800: City
Attorney, salary $4800. present salary
$2400. As under the present charter,
the City Engineer is to be appointed
by the Mayor, but the salary of -this
official is increased from $2400 to $4300
per annum. The Mayor is also author
ized to appoint a secretary who shall
not be subject to civil service regula
tions and who shall receive a salary
of $1800 per annum.
All business of the city, not of a
legislative or Judicial character, shall
be distributed among the following six
bureaus: Public affairs, accounts and
finances, public safety, streets and pub
lic improvements, parks and public
property and water supply. The Mayor
shall appoint one Councilman as the
head of each bureau and may change
his appointments at his pleasure. The
work of the city may be apportioned
among the various bureaus by the
Council from time to time as it may see
at.
It is provided that in a general way the
provisions of the direct primary law
as they apply to primary nominating
and general elections shall apply in all
elections provided for in the revised
charter. The provisions of the primary
law, however, will not apply to future
municipal elections in the following
important particulars:
(a) The notice of primary election shall
recite that the people of the City of Port
land (not the political parties) will choose
their candidates for city offices named.
b) The oath as to membership in a po
litical party required by section 6 of said
primary law shall not be nequlred.
(c) But one form of ballot shall be
provided, upon which the names of all can
didates, nominated as hereinafter provided,
shall be placed In alphabetical order, with
out regard to political affiliations, and such
ballots shall be issued to all qualified voters
offering to vote.
d But one form of tally sheet shall bo
Issued, instead of one for each political
party, as provided In section S of the direct
primary law.
e) No political or party name or desig
nation whatever shall appear on the ballot.
(f) A candidate need not be registered
as a member of any political party, as re
quired by section 13 of said primary law.
and may not add to his petition or dec
laration nor have printed after his name on
the ballot the statement of measures or
principles provided for in said section.
(g) Petitions shall contain no reference
to political parties and the signers thereof.
If otherwise qualified, need not be registered
as members of political parties.
h) Xo person offering to vofes at a pri
mary election shall be required nor permit
ted, nor shall any election officer be per
mitted, to announce the political party or
affiliation of such voter.
(1) There shall be no election of political
committeemen at city elections.
Candidates for any elective city office
shall at least ten days prior to th primary
election file with the City Auditor a formal
statement of their candidacy, together with s
petition signed by at least 100 qualified
voters. Each petition must be verified by
one or more persons as to the qualifications
and residence, with street and precinct num
ber of all signers of the petition. In sub
stance the petition shall request that the
name of the candidate be placed on the
ballot for nomination to the office he seeks
In the primary election. The petitioners
must further subscribe to the following
statement, which is Incorporated In the pe
tition: Wa further state that we know
him to be a qualified elector of said city
a ..man ot sood moral character, and
qualified, in our Judgment, for the duties of
such office.
No provision Is made whereby in
dependent candidates can get on the
ballot, one section of the revised char
ter expressly providing that "the two
candidates receiving the highest num
ber of votes in the primary election for
each office to be filled shall be the can
didates and the only candidates whose
names shall be placed on the ballot
at the election next following, except
that double the number of Councilmen
to be elected shall be placed upon the
ballot, such candidates to be those re
ceiving the highest number of votes"
Should a vacancy occur in the nomina
tions prior to the election, the Auditor
shall cause such vacancy to be filled
by substituting the name of the candi
date receiving the next highest num
ber of votes in the primary election,
for the office In which the vacancy oc
curs. (This review of the amendments pro
posed by the Charter Revision Com
mission will be continued by The Ore
gonian until all of the important
changes have been considered.)
A $3000 Building "Grows" On His Land.
New York Herald.
How would you like to have this hap
pen to you ?
Harold W. Dangler, of Brooklyn, owns
a piece of property in Arlington, N. J.
Without his knowledge a land office was
erected on the tract at a cost of $3000 by
Mr. Carlson, a contractor, of Arlington.
When the building was finished Carlson
discovered that Dangler owned the prop
erty and that he did not order the build
ing to be built. Then the Walker Brothers
Lumber Company, of Arlington, that had
furnished the lumber for the building filed
a lien against Dangler's property.
The case was tried before Judge Black
in Hackensack, N. J., and the jury was
directed to find a verdict for the defend
ant. Mr. Dangler. This they did, and as
a result the lumber company is out the
price of the building material, the con
tractor has lost his building and the de
fendant, Mr. Dangler, was made the
owner of something for which he paid
nothing.
Oh, rrtland Politics.
Eugene Register.
Some of the people of Portland (not
many) who have been the strongest ad
vocates of the direct primary are now
trying to overthrow the primary be
cause, in an absolutely fair use of the
law, Joe Simon was nominated for
Mayor on the Republican ticket. If
either Albee or Kellaher had been the
primary choice, these same people
would have torn their hair over inde
pendent opposition and would have de
clared with much vociferation that an
effort was being made to overthrow the
direct primary, the only weapon In the
hands of the people by which they were
able to maintain the "people's rule." Oh.
Portland politics, what strange and in
congruous things are done in thy name!
Strauss Composes a New Opera.
Berlin Dispatch.
Considerable interest has been aroused
in musical circles In Germany by the
statement that Richard Strauss, the com
poser of "Elektra" and "Salome," is about
to start Work on a light opera. Some de
tails of the composer's new undertaking
have now become known. The name of
the opera will be "Sylvia and der Stern"
(Sylvia and the Star) and. although the
plot Is kept secret., it has transpired that
the scene is laid at the end of the
Eighteenth century, a period which, it is
believed, should lend itself well to light,
melodious music and handsome costumes.