10
THE MORNIXO OREGOXIAX, FRIDAY,
TTT'VT; 1-1 iano
t ' ' : I "
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PORTLAND. FKIOAT. JT'N'E It. 1000.
IT WnX STRAIGHTEN OtT.
W get an unenviable notoriety,
but It's our own fault. We have not
been careful enough. We have de
parted too far from the old landmarks
of regulated or constitutional govern
ment. We have given too much op
portunity to Innovators, sophisters and
projectors. That is, we have opened
too easy a way to this whole class of
Ignis fatuus reformers. We are suf
fering, as a state, in our reputation,
as a consequence of It.
Here now Is a circular from dwell
ers .In the cave of dreams, of whom
Tom Li. Johnson, of Cleveland (Ohio),
Is "treasurer." Johnson's airy and
fairy schemes produced upset in Cleve
land for a while; but they have been
tried out, and rejected. Common sense,
which Is but another term for the re
sults of experience, has done the busi
ness for Tom Johnson.
But this circular tells us that Jo
seph Fels. of Philadelphia, now resi
dent in London, has pledged no less a
sum than $25,000 a year, for five years,
to support of a cause, of which Ore
gon shows herself thus far the best ex.
' ampler. This Interests us at once. For
Fels, having profited Immensely by
rise of land In America, now goes to
Kurope to find a more congenial clime.
The "cause" for which he puts up
money Is the common ownership of
social values, especially of land values,
from which he made his pile; and he
now receives the Income including es
pecially land values; and common
ownership, moreover, of the general
means of production and distribution.
The assumption, then, is that Oregon
has taken the lead in- propagation of
the doctrines and principles of Social
ism. We get this statement, there
fore: OREGON Here democracy has had a new
fclrth. Under the leadership of W. S. U'Ren
there Is free citizenship. The people have
the legislative Initiative, as well as the ref
erendum, and have a partial education In
sound economics. A complete victory for
land value taxation Is within reach. At
the Oregon election in June, 1908. a consti
tutional amendment which came much
nearer our Ideas than any ever before sub
mitted In any state of the Union was voted
en. Although bitterly fought by the plu
tocratic forces of the state, while the ad
vocates of the measure were severely handi
capped by lack of funds. It nevertheless re
ceived the Indorsement of more than one
third of the voters, and failed by only a few
votes to receive a majority in " the City cf
Portland.
This should interest the landowners
of Oregon, In town, city and country
alike. It should interest also those
who are striving to possess lands and
to have proprietorship of their own
homes. Now what was the proposition
before the electorate of Oregon ' in
June, 1908, which obtained a vote that
gives so much encouragement to So
cialism? In effect, it proposed to ex
empt everything but land from taxa
tion; In terms, that buildings of all
kinds and all machinery and appur
tenances, all improvements on lands,
all tools, livestock and everything but
the land itself should be exempt. In
other words, to "make the landowner
Blek." and dispossess him. It is the
Henry George scheme, with only such
variations as arise from ignorance even
of Henry George's chimera.
Yet the assertion that this proposi
tion received the approval of more
than one-third of the voters of Oregon
Is true. But this was solely because
he voters had not had time to exam
ine and consider it. The vote was 3' -066
for It; 60,871 against It. But it
never will receive that proportion of the
vote of Oregon again. Our people will
look at. study, consider and pass more
matured judgment on all propositions
of this or related kind that may be
eubmitted hereafter. The spirit that
has fed these fallacies In Oregon, or to
some extent has been hospitable to
them, has passed Its meridian, and
tends now toward Its setting. A novel
scheme, sprung on the people of Ore
gon, mystified many of them; who now,
however, are recovering their mental
equilibrium.
But the Injury to the state Is great
It Is apparent in such publications as
this circular. Fortunate, however It
is that their mischief is limited by the
meagerness of their circulation and
by the inattention with which "crank
literature" in general is received. Ore
Jon, therefore, will recover. Relatively
fewer will vote for these various crazy
schemes., and within a few vears the
ohlefest of the absurdities -will 'cease
altogether. The people can still ba
trusted to do their business under old
forms of constitutional limitation and
representative government. The Con
stitution Itself will, ere long, be . so
iirmly re-established that Initiative pe
tition and appeal year by year for
change will not be permitted to disturb
it; and when authors of the freak
methods shall find their efforts fruit
less, they will quit, and there will be
peace and order, sense and Judgment
again. The which Is. necessary indeed.
Of course the millennium mav not
tie very near at hand, but there are
certainly signs of Its approach, espe
cially In some policies of the new ad
ministration. A few days ago Col
lector Loeb, of the Port of New Tork.
"set back" a number of incompetents
In the service by reducing their sala
ries to a figure approaching what their
services might be worth. Now comes
the news that Algernon Sartorls. whose
chief claim to distinction lies in his
being the grandson of the late TJ. S
Grant, has resigned the position of
secretary of the American Legation at
Guatemala, for the reason that he has
been informed that his resignation
would be acceptable. Reforms of this
nature come slowly, but the Taft Ad
ministration has made a good begln-
ning, and some day we may" witness
the remarkable spectacle of only fit
men filling Government positions, and
receiving salaries In keeping with their
worth.
-HE PIONEERS.
The Oregon Pioneer Association will
meet in Its thirty-seventh annual re
union today. For some days its mem- j
oers have been In evidence upon our
streets and In our homes, all of them
gray, many of them bowed by the
weight of years, yet happy alike in re
flection and contemplation. It Is not
necessary to' exhort our citizens to
kindness and consideration for these
passing figures upon the dial of time.
There Is naught but kindness and ven
eration in the hearts of each and every
one for those who still stand, albeit
trembling, in the depleted ranks of the
advance guard of our civilization. Pity
Is not the portion of these pioneers,
but admiration and fealty and good
will. They come among us year after
year, slow of step, but eager to see
and hear and enjoy, and thus wisely
make the most of the time that la left
to them.
Flowers and banners, song and
words of welcome for the pioneers.
Their ranks are thinning; many long
familiar faces will be absent from the
banquet board today that smiled above
It last June. Sacred to memory are
these, and still welcome are those that
remain.
SPOKANE CASE POSTPONED.
When a few Spokane retailers and
real estate dealers, ignoring the warn
ing of the Jobbing Interests of the City
of Spokane, began agitating what has
since become famous as the Spokane
rate case, they had about as clear an
idea as to ultimate results and ef
fects as the Infant playing with
matches has regarding the extent of
the ensuing conflagration. Enjoying
special discriminatory rates against all
of the surrounding territory. Spokane,
in her greed -for more, set in motion an
engine of rate destruction so far reach
ing in its effect that it not only swept
aside the protected rates on which
Spokane had waxed great, but it also
pulled down the entire rate fabric of
that vast territory reaching from Chi
cago to the Pacific and from the Brit
ish Columbia line to Mexico.
The disturbance caused by this radi
cal overturning of rates In such a
widespread territory quite naturally
proved so great that the Interstate
Commerce Commission, aghast at the
possibilities for mischief and harm in
a strict interpretation of its rulings,
has practically reversed its decision,
and will institute a searching investi
gation of conditions which govern rate
making throughout the West.- The
matter is no longer one In which the
Pacific Coast alone must fight against
discrimination, but it will be Joined
and aided by the commercial organiza
tions of New York, Boston. Philadel
phia and Baltimore. The attempt of
the Interstate Commerce Commission
to nullify the advantages of water com
petition has in degree the same effect
on the Atlantic ports that it has on
the Pacific ports.
The order of the commission in the
Spokane rate case, if it were carried
out, would enable manufacturers of
the Middle West to drive those of the
Atlantic Coast out of the Pacific North
west trade field. This would be an In
justice alike to the consumer and to
the people located where the natural
advantages of water competition are
available. It will be hardly possible
for Spokane ever again to enjoy the
discriminatory rate she formerly had,
but the tide-water ports on both coasts
will undoubtedly fare better at the In
terstate Commerce Commission hear
ing next Fall than they have fared up
to date.
NEW TERRITORY FOR. PORTLAND.
The HH1 plan for draining the entire
wheat region of Eastern Washington
to tide water by water-level grades Is
working out quite rapidly. A Seattle
dispatch in yesterday's Oregonian, an
nouncing the award of a contract for
construction of a branch line from
Adrian to Connell, is the most Im
portant piece of railroad news that
has appeared In Portland this year. It
is doubtful if there Is another locallty
In the Pacific Northwest where a com
paratively insignificant 65 miles of
railroad will work such commercial
changes as will follow construction of
this north and south line through Cen
tral Washington. This line, for which
the contract was let in Seattle Wednes
day, will be a southerly connection of
the Adrian cut-off, which was com
pleted a few years ago.
The Adrian cut-off was built to pro
vide an outlet for the wheat grown
along the Central Washington, with
out the necessity of hauling it east to
Spokane and thence west to Puget
Sound. It was a short road from
Coulee City, the western terminus of
the Central Washington branch of the
Northern Pacific, to Adrian, on the
Great Northern, but it saved a long
haul on an Immense grain tonnage.
Now that it is to be extended to Con
nell, on the main line of the North
ern Pacific, both the Central Wash
ington and the Great Northern will in
effect , become lateral "feeders" for
this short north and south line, and
will drain every portion of the great
wheat belt of the Big Bend down to
Portland by a water-level hanl.
The. building of this branch road
will not only be of tremendous "eco
nomic value to the Hill lines, in en
abling them to move the traffic from
that region at a much lower cost per-toh-per-mlle
than ever before, but It
will also take them through the only
prominent wheat locality In Washing
ton, where the Chicago, Milwaukee &
Puget .Sound Railroad found no com
petition. The Milwaukee, in crossing
the state, opened up very little new
wheat land except in the" southerly por
tion of Grant and Adams counties ly
ing west of Ritzville and Llnd. This
territory will be tapped by the new
Hill branch to so much better advan
tage than by the Milwaukee road that
the bulk of the business will naturally
take the gravity route to Portland In
stead of the Milwaukee route over the
mountains.
Not the least of the many impor
tant features of this new road is the
fact that it utterly disproves the many
rumors to the effect that there had
been a new territorial division between
Hill and Harrlman. The field now In
vaded by Mr. Hill with his branch
road is one which should have been
opened up by the Harrlman lines long
ago. For years the Portland business
Interests implored the Harrlman peo
ple :o extend the Washtucna branch
of the O. R. & N. north from Connell,
Its present terminus. What Harrl
man has lOSt forever OnH nrhol T-
land has been missing, will be under- j
stood when Portland gets Into direct
communication with the Big Bend by
way of the new Adrian branch.
' E PLUltlBUS UNCM.
Forty members o( the Chicago Asso
ciation of Commerce w ere in Portland
yesterday, under the guidance, more
or less, of C. W. Mott, of St. Paul, gen
eral emigration agent of the Northern
Pacific Railway. To most of them the
journey to the Pacific Northwest was
quite new. It should be of Inestimable
advantage to the country to be visited
and looked over by groups of represen
tative men Jrom the older states and
their greater cities.
What Is needed in our Pacific North
west states, especially, Is assistance In
development. The experience of men
like these will be able to discern op
portunities here. The roses are ' fine
and the air is fine and the sunshine
is fine and the landscape is fine. Of
the scenery we are naturally and justly
proud. Now, of course, we know that
man cannot live by scenery alone no
matter' how majestic the mountains,
how mighty and pellucid the rivers,
how great the delight or pleasure to
the eye are hill and dale. So we wish to
show all visitors what opportunities
there are in such a country to get busy
and make money; how undertakings
partially developed may be assisted
and enlarged and new ones promoted.
Nothing else could be so gratifying
as the. observation that the Northwest
country that has lain almost dormant
so long should now be receiving these
attentions. It is an activity that pres
ages hew growth and such increase of
prosperity as we never hitherto have
known.
EDWARD EVERETT HALE.
Edward Everett Hale was born on
April 3, 182 2. so that death has over
taken him not far from the beginning
of his eighty-eighth year. A man of
the widest culture and the finest as
pirations, the best thing that can be
said of him Is that he was an amelior
ating influence in our civilization for
half a century. In his gracious in
telligence, theology lost its possibility
for exciting hatred and became a well
spring of brotherly Jove. The dry
dogmas of the church bloomed in his
soul with more than the beauty of
science or philosophy; they took upon
themselves the loveliness of living
truth. From Channing, whose vast
pedagogic power had been forming the
New England world for thirty years
before Edward Everett Hale gradu
ated at Harvard, the young man
learned to divert the emphasis of his
preaching from the majesty of God
and throw it upon the divinity of man.
Channing was the spiritual father of
the generation which gladly heard the
message of Emerson and Edward
Everett Hale. When he graduated In
1842 he passed out of college Into a
world which was bubbling over with
the new wine of the transcendental
movement. It seized him and formed
his mind.
Edward Everett Hale came not very
far from fulfilling Aristotle's Ideal of
the temperate man. The ancient spirit
of moderation ruled over all he did
and said. He believed in the trans
cendentalism which Emerson loved,
but it did not take him off his feet!
No man ever stood more firmly on
solid ground. He was a foe to tradi
tion and convention, but not so much
of a foe as to forget how necessary
they are to civilized life. He admired
the society of Washington, of which
he saw much between 184 0 and 18 50
not long after he had graduated, for
its freedom. He reproached Boston
for its formality. But for all that,
Boston was his home, and its ways
were his ways. He was a man of
peace, being one of the most active
preachers against war we ever had in
the United States; and yet when the
bill passed Congress to annex Texas
he wrote a pamphlet against the meas
ure, and was ready to take up arms to
keep slavery out of the new territory.
Later on he was one of the agitators
for freedom in Kansas, and efficiently
aided the enterprises of old John
Brown.
He was eminent both as a preacher
and a man of letters. The suavity of
his pulpit addresses It would be Im
possible to overstate, and yet one was
never allowed to believe that he would
yield a Jot of his principles. Beginning
as a Congregationalism he went the
way of many other famous New Eng
enders and became a Unitarian.
Among the apostles of that once vital
faith, he was of the foremost, and he
lived to see Its original fervor leaven
the life of all other denominations
and finally cool. Persecution was not
unknown to him. One of the most re
ligious men who ever lived, he has
been called an atheist. A disciple who
lived always close to the Savior's side
it has been said of him by the ignorant
that he denied the Lord. In literature
Edward Everett Hale was not a great
man, but his genius was intensely
original. No tales have been written
with quite the same flavor as his "Man
Without a Country," and others hardly
less charming. He looked at things
with something of the oddity of Frank
Stockton, but he was a great deal more
intellectual than that quaint story
teller. His excursions Into history
abound with human interest. He was
one of the foremost to invest our colo
nial and early National life with the
charm of romance. He helped as
much as anybody to emancipate us
from the dullness of the old school his
tories and make us feel that even In
the United States interesting things
have happened. He also wrote biog
raphies, including his own, which is
the best of them. In beginning his
autobiography he says that form of
literature is always Interesting to those
who write it. None is more entertain
ing to those who read, and his is
one of the most delightful. Probably
he was at his best as a writer of me
moirs, that species of literature from
which the personality of the author is
not excluded while he treats of wide
interests and great events. History
will remember Edward Everett Hale
as a lovable and most useful marl
rather than a great one. His influence
upon the youth who read of his career
will resemble Benjamin Franklin's
He belonged to the school of Americans
who combine the highest ideals with
the most democratic conduct. His
faith in the people was absolute His
belief In their capacity for improve
ment withstood every shock. As he
grew older, his confidence in the fu
ture of the country burned brighter
He welcomed progress with Imperish
able eagerness, and, if the heaven
which he looked forward to turns out
a reality, it will be nothing more than
what he hoped his children would see
on earth.
The Sage millions are getting into
circulation quite rapidly. When old
Russell Sage took final departure for
the land where even call money is not
In demand, he left an estate valued at
J63.000.000. As he lived on ten-cent
meals And wore his straw hats for
Ave seasons, with other expenditures
to correspond, Mr. Sage was never
noted for his generous habits. To
make amends for the miserly action
of her late husband, Mrs. Sage Is now
distributing the cash at the rate of
about $25,000 per day. The fact that
the body of Mr. Sage was cremated,
instead of buried, precludes the belief
that Russell turned over In his grave
In case news of his widow's action
reached him in the next world.
It Is interesting to observe what
differences of product will come from
the same environment. Edward
Everett Hale is as unlike Emerson as
possible, and yet they have an obvi
ous relationship. In both of their
minds we find the same hospitality to
new truth combined with the same
reverence for the old. In his sermons,
his books and his deeds, Edward Ev
erptt Hale unfailingly welcomed every
thlrg the new age had to offer. No un
tried thought approached him as an
alien. No idea was repugnant to him
because It was not old. Still he knew
the value of the- past. The archaic
system of education which is now' rap
idly dissolving produced In him its
finest effect, by making him feel the
need of something better. The most
deplorable result of the outworn clas
sical education was its hardening ef
fect upon the intelligence, a species of
crystallization which it superinduced
in th-3 mind. It formed the Intellect
according to fixed rules which admit
ted no possibility of Improvement on
what Had been. It cast a radiant glow
upon the past, but 'left the future In
utter darkness. Classical education
was a discouraging form of pessimism
because It denied the possibility of hu
man evolution. The precept that the
world as it is cannot be bettered is
the most doleful message that man
kind ever heard.
"The race is not always to the
swift, nor the battle," etc. The full
powered, fast and commodious tug Sea
Lion, which has towed in and out of
Puget Sound some of the largest ships
afloat, lies at the bottom of the ocean
near the entrance of Puget Sound as
the result of a collision with a com
mon, ordinary, every-day sailing
schooner, not much larger than the
steam vessel which she sank. The
rules of the road at sea give the sail
ing vessel the right of way over any
craft propelled by steam, and the lum
ber drogher Oceana Vance, which end
ed the career of the Sea Lion, was
probably exercising her rights to the
limit.
In his address at the commencement
exercises of the Nebraska State Univer
sity, the other Mr. William Jennings
Bryan said:
Ask the mother who holds In hr arms
her boy. what her Ideal Is concerning him
and she will tell you that she desires that
his heart may be so pure that It could be
laid upon a pillow and not leave a stain;
that his ambition may ba so holy that it
could be whispered In an angel's ear.
Furthermore, that he should be a
shallow orator, defeated again and
again for trie Presidency of the United
States, but still a candidate, for such
ideals never can be effaced.
Dairymen, orchardlsts and crop
pers generally on the bottom lands of
the Columbia and Willamette rivers
had, as It has proved, no cause for
anxiety on account of the possibility
of a destructive flood. As far as re
ported or foreshadowed, no crops have
been or are likely to be lost because of
the June high water, and, unless the
waters are unusually slow in receding,
planting of late potatoes and other
root crops on submerged or menaced
lands will be done on time. Thus
passes another calamity that never
happened.
The Brooklyn sewer contractors
should know better than to butt Into
the monopoly of the paving trust.
While they were submitting pavement
bids it seems they built a defective
sewer; that is to say, certain influen
tial persons allege It faulty and the
city is afraid to accept it. The shoe
maker should stick to his last.
The accident in the Soo canal will
revive the criticism of the lock type
of waterway at Panama. Foreign en
gineers who recommended a sea-level
canal through the Isthmus will prob
ably now exclaim "I told you so."
Some friends of Mr. Munly are of
the opinion that he was Murdoched,
or rather, McCuskered; others that
Statement One by reciprocity has gone
to that Bourne whence no traveler re
turns. In Washington State one must pay
a doctor between to and $25 for a
.health certificate before one can
marry. Here's a two-to-one bet that
doctors boosted that law In the Legis
lature. There's been nothing wrong about
Cader Powell, Marshal In Alaska, it
seems except the lot of lying about
him by malevolent people.
Dr. Withycombe says, as to running
for Governor, that he hasn't made up
his mind. It's settled, then, that he
hasn't had enough.
New York doctors In repairing a
.boy's bullet wound couldn't resist trie
temptation. They also cut him up for
Judge Gatens wins that "emergency"
case before a judge. Suits involving
judges must be passed on bv inrlirne
of course.
Cader Powell will get the Marshal
Job In Alaska again. Senator Bourne
can also tell how gratified he is with
Cader.
And the roses don't grow any finer
than the cabbages and potatoes when
they are all cultivated with the same
muscle.
After all, the horse has not been
shelved for the automobile. He proved
it in yesterday's parade.
That police band plays as If it meant
every note. That's the kind of music
that's worth while.
Now while our blood Is up Is a
good time to prepare for the Fourth
of July.
If Lane was so popular a Democrat,
why did Munly lose?
THE PEEPIT" IN THE SADDLE
Legislation by Somebody Has Been Re
placed by Legislation by Nobody.
The Optimist, The Llles.
"The peepul" of Oregon are In the
saddle, they have deposed the bosses,
little and big, and from now on only
the best men will be elected to office,
and all will be harmony In Oregon.
The Democrats and Republicans will
vie with each other In their efforts to
see that only non-partisans are elected
to the offices, that the purity of the
ballot is maintained, that Statement
No. 1 is regarded as perfectly holy and
that the direct primary was handed
down by God himself.
Yes, the old bosses are dead, but In
their place what have we? It is said
Simon, for instance, was a corrupt boss;
that "Jack" Matthews was still worse
and they. were deposed.
Who Is boss now? Are "the peepul"
their own bosses?
Whoover Is boss, or whoever the
bosses may be, we feel sure they must
be proud of the hodge podge of laws
which nave been adopted during "the
peepul's" reign, and of the officers
elected under this same reign.
Look at the election in Portland.
Over 30 bills to vote upon, a ballot as
big as a bedqullt, and not one per cent,
of the voters could give even the titles
of the various bills, or tell what they
were for if given the titles.
At our last state election, two years
ago, the laws which were voted upon,
when printed in small typo, made a book
as big as a dictionary, and yet the voters
were supposed by "the peepul" to cast
their ballots intelligently. We will
venture the assertion that not ten
voters in the entire state thoroughly
knew the provisions of all the laws
on the ballot at that election, June.
1908.
At the election a year from this Fall
the Grange bills alone will fill a large
book and the printing and disseminat
ing of that book will cost the taxpayers
from 3C,000 to $10,000.
The bjss Is dead; long live the boss.
We have deposed one set of bosses, and
in their place we have set up a set of
ignorant fools who do not know beans.
We have annihilated the system of
nominations by somebody for a system
of nominations by nobody.
We have done away with the system
of choosing candidates for their fitness
by substituting a system whereby
alphabetical precedence counts for more
than wiadom a system where the 2
cent postage stamp is more mighty
than any qualifications- the candidate
may possess.
"Advanced legislation" some call it.
Others speak of our system as similar
to that of New Zealand, where every
prospect pleases, where not a thing is
vile.
And the Optimist hopes that those
who are in such hearty sympathy with
the New Zealand principles will go to
New Zealand to practice their theories.
They are unfitted for the people of
any state in the Union particularly
Oregon.
WHAT MB, SIMON'S VICTORY MEANS
Sane Methods Hereafter, Probably, in
Nominations by Primaries.
Oregon Observer. Grants Pass.
The calling of a convention to recom
mend candidates for the Portland city
election has received the hearty ap
proval of the Portland electorate.
Joseph Simon, the choice of the con
vention for Mayor, was elected last
Monday by a vote that there is no mis
taking. The people are tired of incap
abies pushing themselves forward by
means of the primary law, and were
more than ready to support a candi
date who had the approval and the
support of a responsible body of voters.
Opposed to Mr. Simon was H. R. Albee,
posing In his own peculiar way as
the champion of the pure and untram
melled primary law foolishness, and
Judge M. C. Munly, the Democratic
nominee, and also much opposed to
recommending conventions. Joseph
Simon, brought out by convention, re
ceived more votes than all his op
ponents together. That is as it should
be. The primary election farce will go
the same way as the crazy Populist
movement.
The Republican party In Oregon Is
Indebted to those staunch Portland Re
publicans who had the courage to break
the rusty primary shackles, and restore
the prestige of the party. ,
The Portland convention in no way
conflicted with the primary law. But
it did conflict with an inane assumption
that it was a political offense In any
body of voters to encourage the can
didature of a capable man by expres
sions of confidence and a united desire
that he offer for public office. That
inanity has been properly crushed, and
It Is a dark day for incapable political
aspirants. "
At the state elections next year It Is
reasonably certain that since Repub
licans in all the counties of the ' state
will follow the example of Portland,
and take means to induce the best men
available to accept candidature for the
various offices. Under the primary
law as it has heretofore operated, the
best men have with becoming modesty
held back, and it came about that the
voters had to chose from a bunch of
more or less Incompetents. It will be
different hereafter, when good and
capable men urged by a body of good
and reputable citizens will accept nom
ination and obtain the heatvty support
of all discerning voters. There will be
new blood in the Oregon Legislature of
1911, and serious citizens may reason
ably hope for better quality of repre
sentation. The Portland convention recommend
ed a full ticket for the various city
offices, and it Is suggestive that, with
the exception of one lone Councilman
In doubt, that whole ticket was elected
by the Portland voters.
A while ago political aspirants feared
to offend primary law fanaticism. They
will now fear more to offend a united
body of Intelligent and Influential citi
zens. Washable Strap In Trolley Cars.
New York Herald.
White kid gloves may now grasp with
Impunity the straps of the new open
pay-as-you-enter cars on the Third ave
nue line. The hanging straps are com
pletely covered by a celluloid enamel com
position of pure white. They are to be
cleaned every day and washed with a
sponge, and they can be perfumed and
disinfected if necessary.
The Board of Health Is said to be de
lighted with the innovation and warmly
approves the effort to make the devices
slippery Alpine heights from which
wicked bacteria woudl slide and break
their evil necks. The new straps are
soon to be placed in all the cars of the
system.
False Cnrls and "Rats" Tabooed.
Kansas City, Mo.. Dispatch.
Miss Louise McNair, principal of a
fashionable school for girls In St. Louis,
Mo., has ordered that any young woman
who appears in false curls at the closing
exercises will be forbidden participation
in the commencement and denied her di
ploma. She also forbids rats and what
she terms a "leanto," a sort of structure
which slants backward and downward on
the back of the head.
. I , -
IN MEMORY OF THE PIONEERS
BY O. C. APPLEGATE.
Young man. let's rest from our labor.
And sit in the shade- for a while.
Where the trees are rich with foliage
And the golden sunbeams smile;
Where this roaring stream is splashing
From the mountains of lasting snow.
Filling with verdure the valley
That lies in its beauty, below.
"How time keeps ringing Its changes I"
It's only a short time ago
Since this land was asleep in its wlldness.
Only that mountain of snow
Poured forth its tribute of waters.
Through forests primeval and vast.
And bruin, abroad in his freedom,
Was "fat as a swine on the mast."
The antlered pride of the shadeland
Whetted his horns on the trees.
And the cry of the wildcat or cougar
Oft dismally rang on the breeze.
At midnight, the forests were vocal
With the famishing gray wolfs howl.
Mingled In strange combination
With the mournful hoot of the owL
The grizzly, king of the forest.
Peerless in courage and brawn.
Wandered abroad in the valley.
In the shadowy gray of the dawn;
And the panther, a ruthless assassin.
Oft hung on this beautiful brink
When the fleet-footed doe, with her off
spring. Stole cautiously down for a drink.
Swift as a steed of Arabia,
The antelope spurned the wide plain.
Now marked with its angular fgtices,
And rich with Its acres of grain,
Bright with its flowering fruit trees.
And with Its meadows so green.
Presenting a landscape unequalled
A bright and beautiful scene!
In thickets of bright manzanlta
The gray rabbit sat In his dread,
Resting his ears on hie shoulders.
Eyes ever bright in his head
Listening for the scream of an eagle.
Or the treacherous wildcat's tread.
The wildcat born for the thickets.
With confidence followed the trail, .
With eyes all aflame In their sockets.
And a tireless swing of this tail,
With toenails hooked and prehensile.
And nostrils ever at play,
Transcendently fitted by Nature -
To sift the air for Its prey.
And, adding a human feature
To the wild and primitive scene.
Like shadows, the dusky hunters
Threaded the forests of green.
With sinewed bows in their quivers.
Yew bows of cunning design.
And arrows, barbed with obsidian.
Strong and straight as a line.
I
For ages and ages these red men
Had built by the side of this stream.
Their conical mansions of cedar.
Where now these housetops gleam;
But the curling smoke was an emblem.
As it rose on wings of air.
Of a life as vain and transient
As a shooting meteor's glare;
Of a hope as evanescent
As the gleaming dews of morn
Faded and lost like the velvet
That grows on the mule-deer's horn;
For the tramp of the pale-face echoed.
As he came with his endless trains.
And strong were the souls that struggled
In clouds of dust on the plains!
They were marvelous days of effort.
For their wagons became their bierB,
And the thirsty sands of the desert
Were watered with woman's tears.
Far away from home and kindred
Were the forms of dear ones placed.
And the voice of mourning echoed
Through the wide and treeless waste.
I
Some lingered and perished In snows
Where the grim Sierras frown;
In their merciless surge, the rivers
Carried their victims down;
The chilling hand of disease
On many a heart was laid.
And many a pilgrim fell
In the sweep of the savage raid.
No trackless waste disheartened.
No mountain snows appalled.
For they were strong in their purpose;
And, like a serpent, crawled
The weary ox teams westward
Then did their rifles blaze.
And in the dust rode heroes.
Like knights of olden days.
And the same long rifles glistened
In the days of. the setting sun.
As they stood by the wheels of the wagons
When the long day's march was done.
With the grave-marked desert behind them
And the land of promise before
Young man, strong hearts were needed
In the trying days of yore!
O, the restless tramp of the leagfrs.
As they led the devious way!
O, the boundless wish for rest.
That came with the close of day!
O, the pain of thirst and hunger.
That the very heartstrings wore!
O, the matchless patience of mothers.
Who their silent burdens bore!
Young man, the age is a fast one;
'Tis hard for us to keep pace
With the brain and brawn achievements
Of an ever-resistless race;
For the giant of progress is ever
Abroad with his strength in the land,
His spirit Inspiring the millions
To work with the brain and the hand;
I
To pluck the blossoms of science.
And .the secrets of nature divine.
Filling the veins of the millions
As with a mystical wine;
Waking to life the solitude.
From the ages of quiet repose.
Making the mightiest desert
To blossom and bloom as the rose;
I
With the curve of the gleaming plow
share. Turning the stubborn clod:
Making the flowers of plenty
To glow on the virgin sod;
Filling the shadowy forests.
Where erst did the wild beasts roam.
With the thrilling music of labor,
And the pleasant voices of home.
"The iron steed flees like an arrow.
Barbed with a wedge of steel.
Spurning the ringing pathway.
With the might of his iron heel,"
And fields of corn flash by him.
And beautiful cities stand
Where once was a dreary sage-land
An arid waste of sand.
And even the white man's" cattle '
Have driven the buffalo back;
The plow of the settler has covered
The old-time emigrant track.
He has gathered the Iron of wagons.
Covered with an age of rust.
And has mingled his golden corn
With the old-time leaders' dust.
From the elder hive of the eastward.
To the land of the closing day.
Proudly the favored pilgrims
Ride the black charger today.
Do they think of the trials and sorrows.
As onward the great car rolls.
Of the leaders, so strong and faithful,
"In the days that tried men's souls?"
As we think of our early struggles.
Of our lot In the wilderness cast.
Let ug hold in kindly remembrance
Those shadowy days of the past.
When cabins were hewn from the forests
That margined each valley and plain.
And the fertile soil first yielded
Its tribute of golden grain;
The day of the trail and the foot-log
And the flying pony express.
When the antlered pride of the forest
Yielded his skin for a dress.
When blankets were parted for leggins.
Tied with a buckskin thong.
And over the mantel, the rifle
Hung from an antler's prong;
?e," threadbare garments betokened
Only the common distress.
And moccasins, beaded so deftly
"ere part of the holiday dress
V hen blankets, with hole "in the center
Vt ere overcoats, stylish and gay
And the men were buskinned and spurred
Lake the heroes of olden day.
Privations and wants were many '
Advantages ever too few;
But mutual helpfulness reigned.
And friendship was steady and true;
And whatever there was to divido.
Was often dealt out to the poor".
Or given, when hunger oppressed.
To drive the wolf from the door.
Often the Indian's wigwam
Vas the white man s cabin near.
And the settler bartered and labored.
w ith scarcely a thought of fear.
But anon the burning cabins.
Lit up the midnight sky.
And the forest depths re-echoed
The red-skin's appalling cry.
"The tomahawk, not the laurel.
M as the mead of daring then,"
And the times called up for action
Strong and fearless men
But the youths stood by the elders.
As the old-time records show
And mothers, to save their children.
Courageous, faced the foe.
And the long and fearful conflict
Spread victims far and wide.
By the river's raging flood.
? tne mountain's rugged side;
And many a hero sleeps
Where his work was done right well.
And many a thrilling story,
No tongue Is left to tell.
Young man, those days have faded. '
.L.lke a dreamy fabric, away, 1
And the land is at rest, in a mantle '
or plenty and peace, today.
The fields are sure In their promise; .
Sounds of battle are o'er
And the marvelous march 'of progress '
Is changing us more and more.
The rough old cabins are fallen. '
ah ,',8rwams of cedar are ".
r ,v 11 the ",arcn of Improvement,
t m 8 ,restless te, moves on.
Th-M1 the Saxon has harnessed
Xhe thundering mountain stream
monsters of labor struggle,
Their ringing muscles gleam.
Iai,,nK-,ha,1 P,antea her standard.
Through all the years fo endure.
May her motto ever be Onward!
May her teachings ever be pure
And may our temples of worship
Th,6, m'."" Rye' to the mind.
V,al, chlefest of cardinal virtues.
W hich suffereth long and Is kind.
May peace, with 'all the world, endure.
As we enjoy It now.
And public virtue, justice, power
Our noble state endow;
May time but add new beauties
To gladden our homes of peace
And honest thought and generous' deeds
On every hand increase.
As In the glowing harvest time.
We think of the sower's toil
So shall we talk of the noble deeds
or them who won the soil;
And point our children to their lives.
So simple, yet so pure,
A noble legacy of ours
While memory shall endure.
O- C. APPLEGATE.
President Taft Always on Time.
Pittsburg (Pa,) Post.
During his stay In Pittsburg, the
President set an example tor punctu
ality that Is impressive. Mr. Taft was
shunted about from pillar to post with
surprising celerity, but throughout a
trying and perplexing schedule of
events, he was at no time tardy at any
point. This may seem like a little
thing but It Is nevertheless plain that
dallying by the wayside would have
seriously deranged the plans his hosts
had prepared for him. It is not every
body who appreciates the value of
punctuality. But it is safe to say that
none is more appreciative of it than the
person who waits an indefinite time for
the person who is Invariably tardy
And the reliability of the person who
is always on time is a thing of -joy forever.
IN THE MAGAZINE
SECTIONS OF THE
SUNDAY
OREGONIAN
ROMANTIC NARRATIVES
Or BRAVE AMERICANS
First of a series of red-blood
sketches of our own real D'Artag
nans real soldiers almost forgot
ten that equal Dumas' creation.
It tells of James Shields, who
served in three wars, w as wounded
12 times, and the only General
who defeated Stonewall Jackson.
Other sketches to follow include:
THE LAST OF THE GEORGES
"Garry" Ord, great-grandson
of George IV, King of England,
private, U. S. A., died on San
Juan Hill.
HOOD, A NINETEENTH CEN
TURY KNIGHT Lieutenant
General of the Confederate Army,
one of the most ehivalric figures
of modern times.
SAM HOUSTON Analysis of
a retreat that won an empire.
MILADY OF THE FORTY
CANES True, present-day story
of the aged wife of a Wall-street
prince that brings out surprising
human nature.
JAMES KERWIN, THE MAN
WHO SAVED GALVESTON
The priest who was the real hero
and earned the title, "Bravest of
the Brave."
PICTURES OF
CARNIVAL WEEK
Groups of very fine views well
worth sending away to friends as
expressive of the great festival.
D'ABRUZZI'S GREAT
MOUNTAIN-CLIMB
The Duke is now en route to the
Himalayas and expects to reach a
higher altitude than has ever been
attained by man.
NOTED DEVOTEES
OF MYSTICISM
Many new reourits to the ranks
of believers in communication with
departed spirits.
ORDER EARLY FROM YOUR
NEWSDEALER
1