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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (July 5, 1909)
THE MORNING OREGONIAN, diijt &u$vnmx l'ORTLAXD, OREGON'. Entered at Portland. Oregon. Postofflce. as Second-Class Matter. Subscription Rate Invariably la Advance. (By Mall Pally. Sunday Included, one year SS.00 rrUy. Sunday Included, six month 4.2.-. iai:y. Sunday Included. thro raonlhi 2 25 D ly. Sunday Included, one monto 75 Int.y. without Sunday one year COO I-rally. without Sunday. ix months 8.23 lJHi y, without Sunday, three months... 1.75 lilly. without Sunday, one month o Wepkly, one year 1 BO Sunday, one year . 2 50 6unday and weekly, one year SSO (By Carrier.) rnt!y. Sunday Included, one year 0 00 Daily. Sunday included, one month 75 How to Remit Send poatofftce money era. r. express order or personal check on your local tank. Stamps, coin or currency re at the sender's rink. Give postottice ad- m."' . 1 '"eluding: county and state. loMnk.p Ktr 10 to 14 pages, I cent: 16 A ". "JS" " ren,: 0 o l'M. 3 cents; JO to 6(1 rni;es. 4 cents. .Foreign postage double rates. Rter KuMnesa OfTlcr The S. C Bnrk--.p'cU' Aaency New York, rooms 48-S-.iiT bu1e i111"11"- Chicago, rooms 510-312 Tribune building. ro ItTLAMI. MOX1IAT, JVLY 5. 1909. SECRETARY WILSON'S DILETMA. At the thirteenth annual conven tion of the Ohio Graindealers Asso ciation, Secretary Wilson and his "worthless crop reports were quite everely criticised. "Improved sta tistics," said one of the speakers, "will limit speculation. Evidently Patten's system was better than "Wilson's, other wise it would not have enabled him to foresee the rise in wheat and make $1,000,000. There was absolutely no foundation, it seems, for Wilson's com putations." When an inquisitive pub lic demanded of Secretary Wilson an explanation for the continued alvance in wheat prices. in the face of the enormous stocks he reported in farm ers' hands March 1. he belittled Pat ten's crop reports and confidently re marked that "Time will tell which is right." As the end of the season is passed, it is now "time" for Secretary Wilson to point out the location of the large stocks which he assured the public remained in farmers' hands. The crop of Oregon, Washington and Idaho has all been marketed, the amount still held in farmers' hands and in warehouses being hardly suf, flcient to fill home consumption re quirements until new wheat is avail able next month. The shipments from the three states for the entire season were 26.811,259 bushels. Making the most liberal allowance for seed and home consumption (15,000,000 bush els), and another million bushels to cover all the odds and ends in mills, warehouses and farm reserves, ex clusive of the remainder of the 15, 000,000 bushels, there are accounted for about 42,811,259 bushels. Prom these must be deducted 3,000,000 bushels of old crop wheat shipped in July and August last year, leaving the actual out-turn for 1S0S in Oregon, Washington and Idaho 39,811,259 bushels. This compares with an al leged out-turn of 53, 207. 000 bushels reported by Secretary Wilson, a por tion of which was used to swell that remarkable total of 143,000,000 bush els reported in farmers' hands in the United States last March. If there can be advanced any kind of an excuse for overestimating a crop more than 33 1-8 per cent, as was the case with the crop in this territory, we would like to hear from some of the men responsible Tor the blunder which netted Patten and his friends so many millions at the expense of the seller and consumer. Oregon, Washington and Idaho, last season, shipped more than one-sixth of all the wheat exported from the United States, anfl in the preceding season these states exported more than one fourth of all the wheat sent foreign from the United States. The export able surplus of the Pacific North west thus becomes a most important factor in the price situation, and the misrepresentations of Secretary Wil son's ignorant or careless crop report ers Induced shipowners to advance ton nage rates in the belief that there was a big crop to be moved. The figures also enabled the buy ers to bear down on the prices to a much greater extent than would have been possible had Secretary Wilson's figures been even approximately cor rect. Secretary Wilson said. In dis cussing his rumored resignation, that . "The only way I will leave my pres ent position Is when my resignation is . called for, and that has not been asked yet." Now that an official has shown himself so utterly unfitted for the po sition he holds, the farmers, who are the principal Bufferers by his ignor ance, should unite in a demand for his resignation. SLAVERY AND TIDE CIVIL WAR. . That the men of our Southern States who supported the Confederacy in its efforts to gain their independ ence should still revere the memory of the Lost Cause is a fact that does honor to human nature though all, or nearly all, now admit that it was best that the cause should fail; and that their descendants will continue to revere it is certain. Such, reverence always will be felt for a cause, what ever it may be, for which Immense effort is put forth and prodigious sac rifice is made. A writer in the Atlantic for June Morris Schaff, who served as a young officer in the Army of the Potomac produces a fine article on the supposed "temperamental change" in the South In regard to the war and its issues, which, he assumes, took place as the contest proceeded and grew more and more tense. That the inspiring cause of the war was the desire of the South to perpetuate slavery and to make it the cornerstone of a new and aristo cratic republic is one of the surest facts of history though many now essay to question it. under the feeling that it cannot honor the South in his tory to have it remain the conclusion that its heroic fight was made for slavery. This writer says that the "temperamental change" of the South, as the conflict deepened and grew more desperate, might have been ex pressed in words like these: "No; whatever may have been our thought at the beginning of the war, we are not fighting this desperate battle for the defense of property In human be ings, but for the ineradicable and un conquerable instinct of self-government as states, and for our homes." Unquestionably, throughout the con flict, this was the feeling that sup ported the Southern mind, and to wards the end of th conflict it was affirmed even with the resolution of despair. Still, the Confederate au- . thoritles refused to .the very last to Siva slavery up; for it was felt that the Confederacy could not abandon its "cornerstone." and that only through achievement of Confederate Independence could slavery be main tained. However, the Confederate author! tles, towards the end of the struggle, did declare that they were not fight ing for slavery, but for independence. The declaration came from President Davis to two Northern men, who had been allowed to pass through the lines of both armies, on a peace errand; and a little later Vice-President Stephens, meeting ?Ir. Lincoln, de clined to treat on any basis that would require reunion of the states. It is true, of course, that from first to last the Confederates fought for independ ence. That gained, the continuance of slavery, as they believed, would be assured. The point can be discussed now without any heat at all. It is simply and merely a historical ques tion. BONDS, PARKS AND ROADS. In general. The Oregonlan approves the idea of "going slow" in the sale of municipal bonds. The City of Port land now is paying Interest on bunches of boulevard and other bonds, for which it gets nothing that could be called an equivalent. We are to beau tify the city, of course. We are to supply all its actual needs in practical affairs, such as water supply, develop ment of parks and disposal of the garbage and refuse of the city. But It isn't necessary to go so far, at this time, in various park and boulevard schemes, as landscape artists who want the Jobs and the commissions recommend and insist. Mayor Simon is right in his state ment that a halt should be called upon the general sale of bonds, for all sorts of purposes. It is easy to run into debt. To carry the load, or to get out, Is another matter. It's the old story of "facilis descensus averni" and what follows. Translating freely, the meaning is that It's heaven to run into debt, but a hell-of-a-job to dig out. We don't have to do everything in this generation. The city, as the Mayor well remarks, is a pretty fine park in itself. The Park Board has bought several tracts on the East Side which will come into use after a while. The fine park or site therefor on the West Side hills, has been but little improved. The greater part of the land in this park yet remains un touched by improvement. Yet such a fine park might be made there! And it's close in. And the Mount Tabor Park for the East Side is a beautiful spot, close in, and calls loudly for im provement. But we doubt whether it would be desirable, or advisable, to buy other park sites, now. Perhaps those who can least afTord to wait are the land owners who have put up prices to' an extreme, and the boulevard and land scape artists who want jobs. But it seems to The Oregonian that there is one proposition which ought to re ceive now the attention of the city. That is the offer of the Terwllliger estate of the land for a road or boule vard along the skirt and contour of the hills in the southern part of the city on the West Side, without cost or charge for the land on condition that the grant be accepted at once and construction of the boulevard com menced. Nothing could contribute more to the beautiflcation of Portland, or add more to the attractions of the city than this road. It will require no great sum of money. Twenty or thirty thousand dollars probably will compass it. The Oregonian thinks this offer ought to be accepted and the road built at as early a time as possible, before sale of the land in lots or tracts makes it impossible. But, as for buying land, lest land may not be obtainable later, there will be land round about Portland for a long time yet, and even within the city limits. The electric carlines will do the rest. OVERESTIMATED ORIESTAI, TRADE. The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad has not repeated the costly mistake made by James J. Hill, who provided at enormous cost a steamship service for a trade which did not exist in anywhere near the proportions an ticipated. But the St. Paul road, with a great flourish of banners and blare of trumpets, announced its Intention of entering the Oriental trade on a large scale. This road was more fortunate than the Hill road in securing a Jap anese line to handle the ocean end of the traffic, but as the time approaches for the inauguration of the service it has become apparent to the new men in the field that there has been a blun der in the estimates. Mr. Roswell Miller, chairman of the Milwaukee & St. Paul board, informs the New York Journal of Commerce that "the amount of Oriental business has been exaggerated." This discovery was mad.e many months ago by the men who were in closest touch with the situation, and It has been a continued source of won der on the Pacific Coast, where the new road will secure freight for the Japanese ships with which it has formed connections. With tramp steamers carrying freight from the. Atlantic seaDoara to the orient by way of the Suez Canal as low aa $7 per ton and the almost positive assurance that these rates will be reduced as soon as the Panama Canal is completed, it is not at all clear where a railroad can secure through traffic at a profit. The rulings of the Interstate Commerce Commission prohibit the handling of this through freight except where the rate is made public and cannot be changed in less than thirty days. As the rate has always been too low to admit of a profit and the trans-Pacific freight has been handled solely for the purpose of providing loads to west bound cars which otherwise would have to be handled as "empties," the roads are naturally disinclined to post these rates, and instead have practi cally retired from the field. This leaves the Oriental trade to an overwhelming extent a Pacific Coast proposition, and as Portland has al ways supplied the Oriental steamers with a greater percentage of local cargo than was secured by the steam ers sailing from other ports on the Pa cific Coast, it is not improbable that the new road will find that its steam ship line, like Its rail line, may need some help from ports where cargo of some kind is always available. This is the dullest season of the year, and the flour trade with the Orient is down to bedrock, but Portland exporters last week managed to fill up two big Ori ental liners, and this week a still larger one is coming from the Puget Sound terminus of the St. Paul road to Port land to secure cargo that was unob tainable on Puget Sound. Portland will suffer less by the dis appearance of the transcontinental-trans-Paciflc business than any other port, for the' reason that the greater portion of the cargoes out of this port are made up of freight originating in this vicinity. At the same time, through freight was highly desirable, as it formed the base for the big ship ments of flour, lumber, etc., thus ad mitting of a more frequent service than is possible with nothing but local freight to depend on. Mr. Miller, of the St. Paul, is correct in his surmise that "the amount of Oriental business has been exaggerated." He is also in error if he believes that he can cap ture as much of it from Puget Sound as he could from Portland. DRAIN ON OCR RESOURCES. Nearly $500,000 worth of property was destroyed by fire at Nampa. Idaho, and Olympia, Wash., last Saturday. This Is a pretty bad start for the Pa cific Northwest in a month which at its best annually contributes quite heavily to the fire loss of the country. As usual, these two conflagrations seem to be the result of carelessness. and as usual appears the statement that the loss was partly covered by nsurance. Fire loss, whether it be great or small, cannot escape being a loss. There is a destruction of some thing that has a real, tangible value, and insurance is merely a tax which is levied against other property to re munerate the owner of that which is destroyed. The insurance money can not replace or again create that which is lost forever. The extent to which this loss makes a steady drain against the industry of our people was shown in some figures presented at a recent meeting of the National Fire Protection Association in New York. President Goddard, of the association, presented some figures showing that the Are loss of this coun try . now averaged $250,000,000 per year, and that in the past six years 3000 lives had been lost in fires. This was exclusive of the forest fire losses, which at times ran up to more than 91, 000, 000 per day. Mr. Goddard pre sented statistics showing that the an nual per capita loss In six European countries was but 33 cents, and the average annual number of fires in Eu ropean cities Is eight, for each 10,000 population. In this country the aver age annual per capita loss is over S3, and the annual number of, fires for each 10,000 population in cities aver ages over forty. This showing is anything but com plimentary to the American people, and can hardly be accounted for on any other ground than that of exces sive carelessness. The cost of this care- essness we are obliged to pay in the shape of insurance premiums far in excess of those paid in foreign coun tries, where the people cannot afford to be careless. Some day when the enormous drain that these frequent costly fires make on our resources is better understood, there will be more care and attendant lessening of the de struction with a corresponding reduc tion in insurance premiums. WHY IS LEWD ACTING POPULAR? The lewd on the stage is having a great run these days. Week before last Portland had its share in "The Merry Widow," and, like other cities, it turned out in packs and droves to hear the opera. But next week, when John Drew presented his clean, de lightful comedy, "Jack Straw," many seats were vacant. Mr. Drew's com edy was the best that has come to Portland in a long time; the acting was excellent throughout, and far su perior to that of "The Merry Widow"; the humor in the play was genuinely laughable, whereas that of the opera was stupid; there were no indecent suggestions in. Mr. Drew's production nor indelicate lovemaklng, whereas in the opera the funny parts are drunk enness and adultery. Mr., Drew's play began and ended in a healthy, moral way; "The Merry Widow" began with a tale of drunkenness and debauchery, was carried on by recitals of liaison and lascivious doings and ended in a scene in an immoral Parisian resort. Now, for one of these dramas Port land, like other cities, paid for stand ing room and was seduced into forget- fulness of evil acting by beauty of music and scenery'- Yet in actual life, when victims of the devil's lures forget chaste conduct, they are driven with out the pale of decent society. Women who spurn the victims of those lures in real life are captivated by the spec tacle of them on the stage. When theater-goers throng to such a show and then largely neglect a de cent laughing comedy like "Jack Straw," it shows that there is yet some progress needed in our civilization along the lines of right living. There might be more decent living in real life if the public did not crave to see the evils of drunkenness, licentiousness and infidelity made Jests of on the stage. The public seems to like lewd things. This trait is not new; it indi cates that there is little improvement, afterall, in ideals and standards. THE CROAK OF THE CROP-KXLXE R. The crop killers are abroad. If all of these could be dealt with by appli cation of the Bordeaux mixture, or other poisons vigorously applied, their appearance In the agricultural or hort icultural world -would not be so serious or so amazing. Unfortunately this is not the case, but under protection of the human form many of them are immune. They see disaster ahead in the gsain and cotton fields, in ' or chards and In hopyards, in gardens and in pasture lands. Fortunately, they are far outnumbered by level-headed folk who have an abiding trust that the elements will not overdo things in any special line and thus overwhelm the country in disaster. With us, the danger from Hood being passed away, the crop-killer has faced about and is now predicting a wither ing drouth something that will make potatoes scarce, and high, stunt the growth of the succulent onion, dry up the pastures, cause the wheat to head prematurely and the festive hop-louse to multiply upon the vines. In some sections of the cotton belt Alabama, for example opposite weather conditions have brought forth similar gloomy prophecies. Late ad vices from that state show that the Governor declines to enter the ranks of the crop-killer, but, being a practical man, has deferred calling the Legis lature in special session in order that the farmers may remain at home and look after the cotton crop that is men aced by excessive rainfall. The crop-killer has done his annual stunt in the peach orchards of Dela ware and, being forced by the promise of an abundant yield to move on, hovers now over the tobacco fields of Virginia, again over the corn fields of Tennessee and even over the vine yards and orange groves of California. Thus far he has not had the temerity to enter Hood River and send out word from thence that the apple crop will be a failure. We are told that everything and, presumably, everybody, has Its or his uses in the economy of nature. The mission of the crop-killer la probably to act as a foil or balance wheel to the optimistic reports of Farmer Wil son, who conceives it to be his ofTiclal duty to give upon paper a bumper crop every year In every line. regard less of Indications that plainly foretell of shortage in some one of the great staples. We get this from the Eugene Guard, and we sympathize with it to an ex tent to-wit: Oh. chucks! Why not give the college graduate a square deal. Instead of raking up all the stories of how useless his educa tion Is? He'll find it hard enough to make good, even with a reasonable amount of en couragement. It smacks of cowardice to be continually dousing him with Ice water. Oh. yes; and very well! Give him a show, and a square deal. Yet now, however, and nevertheless, the college graduate will discover, as he gets ex perience from contact with the world, that the college certificate of gradua tion mayn't help him at all, and prob ably will not; and that no end of fel lows who haven't it "will rush by, like an, entered tide, and leave him hind most." Everything is In the man; lit tle in the school. If it's in the man It will work its way out school, or no school. Talent is irrepressible. It will find its way. If it hasn't energy to find its way it will accomplish mighty lit tle, from all the boosting it may re ceive. Boys and girls! you've got to work; and your school will help mighty little. The less help you have the stronger you'll be if there's any thing in you. If there's nothing in you, the game isn't worth the candle! But you must try. The cowardly night riders who mur dered Captain Rankin in Tennessee several months ago will have a new trial, and as the wave of indignation and horror which swept over the South when the crime was committed has subsided somewhat the midnight assassins may save their worthless necks. The Supreme" Court, in revers ing the decision in conformity with usual Supreme Court procedure, paid no attention to the guilt, or innocence of the parties. The evidence that the men convicted had actually committed the murder was so overwhelming that It could not be questioned, but the form of procedure in selecting the grand jury was not strictly in accord ance with the law as interpreted by the Supreme Court, and there was also a technicality regarding the number of challenges allowed. It is not improb able that Captain Rankin's friends now realize that they may have made a mistake Jn not punishing the culprits in a manner in keeping with the crime. Lynch law is not to be commended, but it does make'amazingly short work of triyial technicalities. It is all very nice for Mr. Harriman to order his operating and traffic offi cials to attend the meetings of the traveling salesmen in their territory, in order to get in touch with the people. The theory, however, that "traveling men probably are in a better position than any other class of passengers to know and to voice publicly the merits and faults of railroad service" may not be exactly correct. The traveling man can' get what he wants in . the way of information, accommodations or any other favor in the power of the local station agent, when the same agent would freeze Uncle Reuben Corntassle into silent submission and deep hatred of the railroad by his "smartness." As the Uncle Reubens supply the freight, pay the bills and elect the State Legislatures which make rail road laws, it might be a better plan to insist on more uniform courtesy on the part of some (not all) of the men who preside oyer the country depots and ticket offices. Not the least of the attractions from Portland which will be seen by visitors at Seattle this Summer is the remark able steamer Flyer, which has recently completed trip No. 45,000 between Se attle and Tacoma. In making these trips the steamer has covered more than 1,250,000 miles and has carried more than 3,000,000 passengers. The limited space on the folder conveying this information was insufficient for the ciphers necessary to give the num ber of revolutions made by the engines of this wonderful craft, but it will be a good many years hence before air ships will be able to show to their credit 1,250,000 miles of continuous service. The Flyer has done- much to advertise Seattle and Tacoma through out the world, but built at Portland, Oregon," still stands to her credit on the records. No state or city ever will amount to much whose people devote their main energies to efforts to force their neigh bors to comply with their own notions of propriety, of morality and of per sonal, behavior. The corporation tax will not -be an excise tax, though misnamed as such. It will be a partial income tax, from which those who ought to pay, includ ing the richest people of the country, will be exempt. Stamp taxes would be more just than the corporation tax, for they would be distributed more widely and fairly, yet would fall scarcely at all upon the poorer people of the coun try. Mr. Harriman learns from the lat est physician that he has partial paral ysis of the legs. The serious question for physicians is whether he will die before they can get all his money. When it comes to fighting, the suf fragists are clearly not in the voting class; to be in that, they ought to be able to shoulder a musket and march to the front. Loganberries are plentiful, despite reports of general killing of the vines by the freeze last Winter. Oregon's recuperative powers are wonderful. Sad that most of the Fourth of July noise is made by adult persons and half-grown boys, while small children receive most of the injuries. Maybe Mr. Heney'B auto was wrecked by a snare of the Olympia grafters'. Manufacturers of little white coffins have prepa'red for today's business. Is that the way suffragists would act In politics? A fool ' and his noise are soon "POHTI-AlVn HAS BLAZED THE WAY , "OTr," Maya the I,os Angeles Times, "I" Follow Pnrtlaod'a Good Example." "Portland," nays the Los Angelrs Times, "han Mil zed the way for us all in poli tics, and therein we may walk to victory ami to safety. "The question Is now up to the regular Republican party organization of the City of Los Angeles Juat In precisely a similar way aa It was to that party organization In Portland a few months ago. The new law debnrs the old-fashioned nominating conventlon, hut cannot prevent the peo ple from getting together In any way they may see fit. The right to assemble and deliberate la guaranteed us by the Con stitution of th United States, and no legislative act can deprive us of that prlv. Ilege. Thpre Is no hope under these clr cfanslanres outside of ths regular Repub lican organization. Th Democratic party Is In' the hands of Bryanlzed Populists, wedded hopelessly to the mud Idols of faddlsm and so-called reform, falsely called progress. That wing of the Repub lican party which has become so serious ly tainted with Bryanized ropulism can not be trusted under the present emer gencies. It is as wedded to Idols made of slimy mud as those before which the Popullzed Democracy bows down. The tendencies of all these new fads are to ward a precipice that is dangerous. The stream is flowing perhaps calmly enough now, but the rapids He beyond and at the end its Niagara with all Its lethal plunge. There Is only one place of refuge for conservative, old-fashioned American ideas, and that is in that wing of the Re publican party composed of stalwarts. So it was in .Portland. That wing of the party there assembled itself together, not in regular convention, but in a popular assembly, and picked out a bead for its ticket, went before the people, tired to death of faddlsm, sorely weary for a 'Ju dicious, quiet' administration of munici pal affairs. They won hands down, re ceiving almost a net majority of all votes cast We believe the same thing can be done here. If the Republican party will take prompt steps to perfect organization in every precinct in the city, will pick the right men for office from the Mayor downward, we believe the people of this city are quite as ready to get into line for a 'judicious, juief administration of city affairs as were those up in Oregon." BRYAN EXCOMMUNICATES JOHNSON Finds Him Guilty of Treason to Demo cratic Party Law. Brooklyn Eagle. Now comes the turn of John A. Johnson, Governor of Minnesota, once a promising candidate for a. Presidential nomination. He Is a political outcast, all on account of a veto.' He killed a bill defining and clas sifying the mineral lands of his state and providing for the taxation thereof, to the disappointment and chagrin of Mr. Bryan, who finds him guilty of party treason and subjects him to the extreme penalty of Democratic law, cutting him off In the flower of his political youth. No clearer case of criminality has ever been estab lished. By the platform upon which the Gov ernor ran for re-slection, taxation was de manded. As already stated, the bill pro vided for it. When, therefore, a. veto was interposed, the platform, instead of be ing v respected, was repudiated, flouted, ignored and. treated with contempt. Of course, no-.treason could be higher; no guilt more- unpardonable. Fortunately, retribution was swift. More than a page of the Commoner is devoted to the case. It declares the time to be ripe for empha sizing the doctrine that platforms must not be disregarded. The Governor will go into history as an example of political turpitude. His case will be cited as a warning to others who take the oath of high office -and who are depraved enough to plead such trivialities as the constitution, sis public welfare, as the interests of a commonwealth, to the detriment of a party platform. But for the veto his future might have been strewed with political roses. But for his recreancy, the Commoner might have mentioned him as a possible nominee, after Mr. Bryan shall finally have decid ed not to run for the Presidency again. Meanwhile, what of others? At every session of the Senate some high crime and misdemeanor is committed. At every roll- call, anywhere from 10 to 17 Democrats, indebted to the party for great distinc tion, make a mockery of the Denver plat form. Are they to go un whipped of jus tice? The Commoner has plenty of paaes to spare. It cannot have forgotten that the Denver platform exploited the free list, with more particular reference to lumber. Why explode with wrath In one case and permit a dozen others, even more flagrant, to go by default? Excommuni cate the Senators. Whtn the Cemus Taker Comes. Chicago Inter Ocean. Can you not already see the editor of the Bugville Bugle, for instance, sitting down and penning the following scoriae editorial against the slander contained in the popu tlon statistics, just issued at Washing ton? The population of Bugville as given In the Government figures is a Lie. a slandor, and a low-down stab at our fair city's prosperity! "Bugville, 3,516!" What piffle! Bugville had nearly that number ten years ago. It has now, as the directory shows. Ul wards of 24.114. These are the true facts, no matter what any corrupt bureaucratic tools of the trusts may say about it. Bugvllle's Chamber of Commerce has al ready protested in clarion tones against the outrage. Good for that sterling organiza tion of Bugvllle's business men! Any slan der on Bugville that gets by it has to get up early in the morning and that's no mis take. It has called the attention of the au thorities at Washington to the notoriously Incompetent character of the census takers in this city and county. It has prepared a list of no less than 4000 names that they failed to get as a prellminady eye-opener for the Washington bureaucrats. More anon. We have just started on this subject. Penalizes Honest Capitalisation. New York World. One of the most objectionable fea tures of the bill as drawn Is that It penalizes the honestly capitalized cor poration and sets a premium upon financial jugglery. . NOT VERY FTJNNY. Silllcus Tes: she has threatened to make things unpleasant for him. Cynlcus Is that so? When are they going to be mar ried? Philadelphia Record. Church In the future the man with the airships will take- norody's dust. Gotham Won't he? You just try to hire one, and you'll find out. Yonkers Statesman. "Why, Georgie, I said you mustn't play ball on Sunday." "But. mamma. I'm only playing with Tommy Callow, an' he's a reg'lar. butter fingers and can't hit a balloon." Cleveland Plain Dealer. "I've been reading about this car of Jug gernaut. Why did people hurl themselves between its ponderous wheels?" "Oh, I a'pose it needed fixing occasionally like other machines." Louisville Courier-Journal. "Sure, it's Mike, the boy. that's the lucky man." "How was he lucky?" "Why. mum, he got inshured fer five thousand dollars, and the very nixt day he fell off the lad der, paintln". and broke his neck." Balti more American. The Host Let's have your honest opinion about this wine. The Guest It is worth less. The Host Yes. that's what Jones says about your opinions. but I want to hear It Just the same. Cleveland Leader. Patience1 Do you know ithe name of that piece? Patrice Do you mean the one the woman was singing or the one the pianist was playing? Yonkers Statesman. Landlady Every Monday you have told me you would settle up Saturday without fail. Struggling Author Er I know, madam, but I will see you next Saturday without a doubt. Landlady Gracious! Ngw I know what the magazines mean when they say there are so many "promis ing young writers" in ImsrlM tttay. t Chicago Daily News. Revised Estimate A Remarkable Review of the Work London Springfield (Mass.) Republican. i In this year of frequent centennial and other anniversaries of the births or the deaths of celebrated men there is observable more or less revision of judgment concerning the careers thus brought under modern scrutiny and criticism. One sees a new justinca- i tlon for the anniversary habit in rite ; tendency to subject old estimates to the test of present-day knowledge and feeling. The case of Thomas Paine is very much in point. The 100th an niversary of Palne's death was June 8. and there were a few scattered un important observances of the event in America. But the real surprise of the occasion was the recognition accorded to the remarkable radical of the 18th century, on that date, by the London Times, which published a lengthy re view and appreciation of Paine's life. John Calvin's 400th birthday, on July 10 next, has already been anticipated by numerous studies of his work and achievement, and Calvin, too, is bound to be seen in a clearer light than ever before by many Who today could have no possible sympathy with his theology. But the treatment of Paine in the Times is more unexpected by far than any possible mellowing of hostile crit icism concerning Calvi t could be. The Times reviewer has done for Paine among the conservative classes of Great Britain, without the slightest protest from the public, what was never before attempted in a leading organ of British opinion. Paine bitter ly antagonized conservative english men of the later ISth century by his militant activities In support of the two great revolutions, in America and France; and again by ills rough attacks upon the organized Christianity of the time. Such was the malignant inten sity of feeling against him that a gen tury has indeed been needed after his death to make possible a calm and Impartial appreciation of his role in history. "The greatest, of pamph leteers," the Times now calls him. In introducing the subject the reviewer thus presents the problem to his Eng lish readers: There remain, hitherto unexplained and grudgingly acknowledged, the remarkable facts of his life. He who never published a line on politics until he was about 37. who had had an imperfect education, and who came to America a stranger, powerful ly affected the complexion and course of the Revolution in that country, and played a great and on the whole a very honorable part In the French Revolution. His polit ical works, dreaded almost as much as the armies of the militant republic, were the handbooks of aggressive radicalism in two countries, while hia, antl-theologlcal works were deemed worthy of being refuted by the ablest controversialists of his time. Here is a group of problems not to be an swered without giving Thomas Paine a place In history which for a century has been de nied him. The estimate, on the whole, seems judicial and highly creditable to the journal that published it. Paine's lit erary gifts were essentially those of a journalist of genius, who makes cen turies of slowly maturing thought strike fire in a single moment of the common understanding. He had a wonderful gift of divining what now adays is called the psychological mo ment and of bringing to a focus in men's minds precisely the spirit and the idea essential to deeds of vast im SWINDLED AGAIN. How Uncle HI Was Taken In on the' European Plan. S. E. Kiser. in Chicago Record-Herald. "Hello, Uncle Hi. ' When did you git back from the city?" "I jist arrlv." "Thought you was goin' to stay sev eral days longer." "I did think o' doin' so, but, gol twist 'em, they're the worst set o' swindlers up there the good Lord ever let loose. Do you remember that advertisement they've got in the depot up town, where it says 'Golconda Huttel, Chicago, European plan; rates from 75 cents to $1.60 a day?' Well, I thought I'd go there. I figgered that by payln' about a dollar a. day I ought to git purty fair accommodations. I told the clerk what I wanted, and he says 'All right,' and sent me up to a room on about the ninth floor. I felt a leetle mite skeery at first, but it's remarkable how soon a body gits used to them kind o' things, and o' course you don't have to walk up, or I wouldn't go that high if they paid me fer it. As fur as the room was concerned I ain't got no complaint t make. It was big enough so I could keep my shoes inside even after I'd took 'em off. I stayed a day and purty nigh a half. Then I jist couldn't stand it any longer and started fer home. The durned swindlers! What do you i'pose they had the face to tell me when I went to the. clerk's office for about the fifth time and ast if they wan't ever goin' to let me have any thing to eat? They told me I'd have to go outside fer my meals!" "What did you do then?" " hat did I do? I packed up my things and come away, but I took pains to let 'em know what I thought of 'em before I left. I went up to that clerk and I says to him, right out so every body around could hear me: 'This is a fine way to run a huttel! What you fellers ought to do, says I, "is run a poorhouse.' As fur as I could see the poor devils that was payin' a dollar and a half a day wa'n't glttln' no more to eat than I got, neither." Politics as a Wrecker. Boston Traveler. For every politician who comes out of office with a fortune, able to set a bad example by his easily and generally wrongly won wealth, thousands are ruined for life because they went Into politics. Every ward in Boston has its scores of these human wrecks, whose wives are obliged to work to contribute to the fam ily support; whose children are deprived of education and the advantages which might have been theirs if their father had chosen honest employment instead of be ing misled by the glamour of politics and following lts will-o'-the-wisps into the morasses of poverty, disappointment and heartache. . Map of London Costs f.80,000. London Daily Mail. A great map of the County of London, compiled by the county council sur veyors. Is on the eve of completion. Fifteen years have been spent upon it. From Stamford Hill, on the north, to Lower Streatham, on the south, and from Plumstead, on the east, to Putney, on the west, it will indicate every house, shop and piece of property. When finished and laid out, with its sections in order, the map will be" more than 30 feet wide and over 20 feet from top to bottom. But for convenience of handling it will be bound in books, to cost JS0.000. The project was first mooted in 1S94. Aldricn and Bailey. Indianapolis News. Whenever an insignificant point has been raised in the Senate during the tariff debate Senator Bailey has bobbed up to controvert Senator Aldrlch just to show that he was different. On Impor tant matters he has eaten out of Sen ator Aldrlch's hand. And Senator Bailey was at one. time talked of as a Presidential quantity. One may be out of patience with the Aldrlchized Re publican party, but what of the Bailey ized Democracy? of Thomas Paine of the Great Pamphleteer, by the Times. port. In this way he was more potent in Influence on affairs, as the Times reviewer now concedes, than Swift Beaumarchais or Courier. And it was because some of his writings, designed to meet a temporary r.eed. "exercised as decisive an effect upon events as '"""J pucnea Dattles" that the rank of "the greatest of pamphleteers" is now ungrudgingly accorded to him. Paine's works, read today, of course seem superficial in thought as well as extreme and often violent in style. But he played to perfection his real role of interpreting to the uneducated masses or his period the radical thought of the English political philosopher. Locke, and of the "higher critics" of the theology of that day. The Times reviewer at no point displays more fairness than in showing that the rev olutionary political and religious ideas or fame had been held before his ad- vent by educated men of England, who snrana from Inviting ostracism and obloquy by publicly propagating them. As the Times writer now says: "There had accumulated a large body of eso teric teachings inimical to the existing order in church and state. So long as it could be dammed up within banks which it was the duty of his majesty's bishops and judges to keep safe and sound it was harmless. But suddenly a great rent was made in these walls of defense, and the pent up waters flowed over the land. The 'Rights of Man' meant the. letting out among the common people of doctrines which has been hitherto kept from them." And so of Paine's radical religious criti cism in "The Age of Reason." What he did in the political world he re peated with no less effect as to the religious systems and doctrines of his time. Their enemies, who were many, had fought hith erto behind walls and under cover. Their strategy consisted of secret hostile move ments and of cutting off detachments. Their weapons were sneers. Innuendoes, deadly stabs by men on whose Hps were professions e-f friendship, and offerings of homage in which was hidden poison. Not wishing to be expelled from the ajhurches against which they plotted, they were un failing in their outward homage. They were not much feared, because they had little direct power. Here came one who threw pretense to the winds, who was for open war and no compromise, who spoke in plain terms what the Collinses, and Wol lastona, and Gibbonses, whispered or insin uated, who took the people into his confi dence and told the radical weaver the re sults of the higher criticism in simple lan guage which could be read aloud and un derstood In workshops and village smithies. A long-confined mass of Incendiary teach ing was at his touch let loose. We began by calling attention to the excellent function being performed by the recognition of the anniversaries of men notable in themselves or on ac count of their association with great events in the past. The case of Thomas Paine, perhaps, furnishes an unduly striking illustration, inasmuch as, more than most celebrities, he sank for a long period under a terrible burden of detraction, and then suffered from the unmeasured laudation of a later gener ation of defenders. Yet it is evident that our modern anniversary habit sup plies an excellent oppottunity for re balancing in the scales of posterity the work of great men, so that pop ular Judgments of them may be brought more nearly into harmony with truth and justice. ADVERTISE -COLLEGE SCHOLARS High Standing in the Classroom Should Count aa Well aa Athletics. Chicago Evening Post. There is' another side to the picture. The reputation for athletic excellence is also a great help to a man. It had something to do with the success of John M. Harlan's brave appeal for re form in his younger days that he had played football at Princeton, and the same consideration must have entered into the appointment of "'Big Bill" Ed wards as street commissioner of JIe YoTk. So. too, the name of the "best guard Yale ever had" helped W. W. Heffelflnger in his rise in Minnesota politics. And Instances of this kind could be multiplied to great length. The trouble Is that the undergrad uate understands that athletic repu tation will aid him in dollars and cent3 the minute he leaves the university. If only as a "coach:" but he does not understand that the reputation for good scholarship will help him both at graduation and afterward. It is not borne In upon him by any agency of which we know that the rewards of high stand in the classroom are of any practical importance at all, while the commercial side of the eminence in sport is frankly used at many colleges to get a man to play football, even if his natural inclination is towards his books. Putting the thing upon a business basis, we should say that what the scholar needs is proper advertising. President Lowell might well start his experiments by Impressing upon the young men of Harvard the fact that they are not wasting money by striving , to please their Instructors. Ynle Dining Hall Pays Expenses. New Haven, Conn.. Dispatch. The returns for the Yale dining hall for practically the whole of the last college year show that, largely owing to closer collections, it has paid oper ating expenses, repairs and mainten ance, including extraordinary expenses incurred last Summer. The number of student boarders has been 951, as com pared with 984 last year, and the aver age cost of board per student 5.33, as compared with $5.36 last year. Music has been supplied at the dining hall twice a week at the cost of 10 cents a week per student. President Taft Likes Young; Men. Baltimore News. President Taft has a liking for young men. It has not been long since he picked E. Dana Durand, a young man of 37. to take charge of the next decen nial census, the greatest statistical job in the world. Now he has followed this up by selecting for Indian Commission er Robert G. Valentine, a young man of 36. Mr. Valentine has been a teach er, a banker, a settlement worker and a public official. He has .charge of an army of 300,000 Indians and a force of agents, employes and the like of about 6000. Department Headquarters Only. PORTLAND. July 4. (To the Editor.) Referring to your editorial in this morn ing's paper, are your readers to infer that effort is being made to abandon Fort Vancouver as a post garrison and all or are the Seattleites asking that head quarters of the department staff only be given them? SUBSCRIBER. Seattle is trying to have headquarters of the Department of the Columbia moved to that city, the garrison to remain where it is. at Vancouver. ,; No Place Like Home, Sweet Home. Lebanon Criterion. Twelve barrels of bottled beer passed through Lebanon yesterday for Sweet Home, consigned to a party well known in that mountain town. It is presumed to be for "private use." but j.ust what "private use" a man can make of $64 quart bottles, or 216 .gallons of beer in a small town is rather an open secret. Sweet Home expects to celebrate the Fourth of July and some, one is evidently preparing for It. A