. 8.
fHEMORNIXG OREGONIAN, TIIUItSDAY,
PORTLAND. OREGON.
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PORTLAND. T1HBSDAT, jrLY ft. 1909.
BOM7C Of TUF KFITCTS OF OUR "EX
rElUMKM." Congress will submit to the country
a. proposal for an amendment to the
Constitution to authorize an Income
tax; but the Senate will decline to sub
mit an amendment providing- for elec
tion of United States Senators by a di
rect vote of the people. About twenty
flve states have passed resolutions re
questing Conprpss to rail a constitu
tional convention for this purpose; but
It is hardly probable that two-thirds
of the states will Join In this call. The
older states in general are less favor
able to it than the newer or younger
ones. Several times the House of
Representatives, taking the initiative,
has passed a resolution in favor of an
amendment to meet this demand; but
the proposition has never been able to
command the necessary two-thirds in
the Senate. Even if it should pass both
houses, there is growing belief that It
would not he ratified ty the necessary
three-fourths of the states.
Submission to the states of any pro
posed amendment, by action of Con
gress. Ls the simple way to amend the
Constitution. Call of the states for a
convention opens an elaborate method,
not likely to be employed. It Is urged,
with good reason, that a convention
might be expected to lead to all sorts
of embarrassments, by affording op
portunity for agitation of socialistic
experiments in government, and lead
ing perhaps to evils of many kinds. It
may be regarded as pretty certain that
no convention will be called: since the
simpler way of amending the Consti
tution is safer, better, more expeditious
and less troublesome.
But there now seems more doubt
than heretofore whether the single
proposition for amendment to provide
for election of Senators by direct vote
will be submitted, or whether, if submitted,-1t
would receive the votes pf
.three-fourths of . the states. Plainly,
the proposition appears to have lost
ground, during the last three or four
years. In. consequence of experiments
and results in Oregon andother states.
Manifestly there ls less ftclinatlon to
employ the direct initiative In govern
ment, less disposition to deprive legis
latures of representative functions.
It ls known of all men that neither
of the present Senators from Oregon
was wanted, for the position he holds,
by any majority of the electors of the
state. The election of each -was ac
complished, notoriously by a series of
juggles and flim-flam operations. No
consideration of the fitness of either,
as a representative of the general sen
timent and purpose of Oregon, sup
plied a controlling motive in the vote
they received. Factional contentions,
primary quarrels, intrusion of one
party Into the affairs of the other,
nominations by mere factions of the
electorate and resentments thereat,
made a farce of the whole business.
To suppose or to assume that the great
Republican majority of Oregon want
ed either Bourne or Chamberlain in
the Senate, is ridiculous. Party loyaJty
Elected Bourne though it was a
nauseous dose, which, Indeed, ought
not to have been swallowed, but
spewed out of the mouth. There were
many candidates, but he received only
a meager plurality over the one next
higher, got from the back counties,
where he had worked up the silver
craze when he was a supporter of
Bryan; yet he obtained only a small
fraction of the vote necessary for the
nomination. But party loyalty, then
Invoked, gave him in the election a
email plurality over nis opponent
(Gearin); who, though a Democrat,
ought then to have been given the pop
ular majority. It was the one blunder
of the Republican party of Oregon;
and The Oregonian does not try to ex
cuse Itself, for Its participation in it.
The method which this system brings
to the front, ought to have been
crushed right then; and Bourne, as the
representative of the sort of men it
brings to the front, ought to have been
rejected with it. But party loyalty
gave Bourne a plurality in the general
election, over Gearin though Bourne
ls no representative at all of Oregon,
or of the Republican party of Oregon;
and Gearin. if he should be a candi
date against Bourne again, would beat
Bourne out of sight, regardless of
party names.
Chamberlain, it may be said, ls a
better representative of the political
and general sentiment of Oregon than
Bourne is; yet except through the jug
gles of the primary law and state--ment
one, never would have been nor
could have been sent to the Senate.
Thousands of Republicans voted for
him, in protest against the system, yet
noping ana expecting the. Legislature
to assert its right of representative
action. But a lot of ambitious candi
dates for the Legislature, who; never
otherwise would have been able to ob
tain the least cftMderatton. used this
method to get primary nominations, to
which they were assisted by the Demo
cratic vote, hopeless otherwise; and
then mainly by the Democratic vote
, they were elected to the Legislature,
: and held to the promise they had
made. Most of them, when called on
to keep a promise they never had im
aglned they would be required to fulc
fill, set up a howl and yell at Salem
last Winter which. If not contributing
to the gaiety of Oregon, was heard
and noted all over the United States.
They had to vote for Chamberlain, an
extreme Democrat, or the Southern
type, for the United States Senate;
and few of them had the dignity and
fortitude to accept the necessity with
out roaring about It.
Now these things are marked, all
over the United States. It ls observed
' that this' method, in operation, ls not
representative, does not bring repre-r
sentatlve results,; that, therefore, the
claim for It that it conduces" to
popular government and gives the peo
ple the control of their government,
is fallacious and fraudulent. It con
vinces those who consider its opera
tions and results that representative
government ought not to be set aside.
In our Southern States the primary
and the statement are merely a one
party system. Every candidate Is re
quired to pledge himself to support
the party nominee, whoever he may
be. In New York and other states
the primary election, under the safe
guards of law. Is used to select dele
gates to conventions that nominate
the candidates.
The argument for this fallacy and
felly, this method that Juggles with
politics and defeats or disappoints the
purposes of the people, is that the
Legislature can't be trusted with the
election of Senators. Then, of course,
the Legislature can't be trusted for
anything, or with anything. Then let
us quit the effort to carry on repre
sentative government. Let us admit,
once for all, that It's a fraud
and a farce and failure. "The Leg
islature can be bought," Is the cry.
But no Legislature ever was bought
unless the people themselves sent to
represent them a body of purchasable
men. Men of moral Integrity are not
so scarce that the people have need to
send to represent them a body of pur
chasable men. Besides, In all our local
affairs. In our Common Councils, In
our school boards, where our highest
interests are represented, and money
Is appropriated without stint, we em
ploy the representative system. Is It
not as possible to "buy" these repre
sentatives of the people as to buy
others? What are men talking about?
Is representative government a fail
ure? No, it is not. If it is, what are
we to put in its place?
But Oregon's "experiment" has not
been lost on the country. It is noted
everywhere. It ls a lantern for the
country, a beacon light, an excellent
pharos; and so far has the little can
dle thrown its beams that not a state
In our whole system, nor the Congress
of all of them, misses the notice, or
the rocks here revealed! In large
degree here is explanation why in
itiative and referendum, the direct pri
mary carried to extreme, and election
of Senators by direct vote, have less
support throughout the United States
now than they had a while ago.
SUMMER OLOKY IN JILY.:
July ls the month of Summer prime
and dazzling glory, like' Caesar, whose
name it bears. It Is a stern time, when
June brides and grooms suffer their
first post-honeymoon spat: when, the
thornyblackberry follows the scratch
less strawberry; when the Dairy and
Food Commissioner posts after the cow
man whose milk sours over night;
when the mother cat deserts her off
spring, the mosquitoes Invade the even
ing piazza, the cook leaves the hot
kitchen for her vacation, the farmer
begins the first heavy harvest toll
the haying and the householder must
stand guard with the hose against
brown spots in the lawn. Even though
It rain and save sprinkling It will not
save the water rent. The month ls
hard on family peace. One wakens In
the morning to hear Mr.- and Mrs.
Sparrow, under the eaves, scolding for
dear life.
Yet Caesar's month has peace peri
ods, like the quiet after noisy Fourth.
No matter how warm the sun reaches
this Oregon country from the hot
plains along Snake River, It always
cools oft when It sinks Into the Pacific
Ocean at night and then we need a
blanket before morning. This is the
time when cherries, currants and
logan berries are coming to perfection
and the savor of these fruits In Winter
Jars floats out. of the kitchen. It is
Just beginning the season for men and
squirrels to show their wisdom, for
"he that gathereth In Summer Is a
wise son." The seaside and the moun
tains, welcome the Julian month be
cause It brings the matchmakers for
next bridal June. Thus we see that
July means Joy t6 the Justice of the
Peace and the preacher. It is the
season when men have serious Inten
tions. Last Spring they were fickle
minded. For men. like butterflies.
Show not their mealy wins but to the
Summer.
Mark you, July does not let the di
vorce court sit to cut the bonds. It
cares not whether the name be Squaw
Creek or Lily Creek, It fills them brim
full of trout water from the melted
bosom of Three Sisters and Mount
Hood. Never does it shine so hot but
it makes a cool shade and blows upon
It with the north wind that trades
Arctic cold for equator heat and later
on .fetches the aurora borealis to tinge
the apples of Hood River and Yakima
and Rogue River.
We all like July, sweaty, brawny,
strenuous, peevish though It be. We
all like it so much that never yet
have we allowed a poet to sing be
tween Its thirty-one dawns and sun
sets. When one starts to tune his
lyre we say: "Aw, cut It out," for if
we care not for Initiative and referen
dum and Statement One, why waste
time with Homers and Omars? The
great Julius could not be honored with
grander glories than these of the Ice
man period in the Oregon country.
A MENTAL PICTURE OF CHAMTLAIN.
A mental picture of Lake Champlain
as It appeared upon Mitchell's Atlas,
an accompaniment and elucidation of
the geography of the United Stated, as
presented In Mitchell's geography, has
doubtless been called up many times
within the past few days by elderly
persons who were the schoolboys and
schoolgirls of sixty years ago. "A
narrow bodv "tf wn tpr that frit-wto. -
of the boundary between New York
and Vermont," answered these pupils
of the geography class of the long ago
lrum uie iaminar textbook of that
day. In response to the stereotyped
question, "What and where ls Lake
Champlain?" The mental picture that
survives to this day a veritable mov
ing picture of and from the past
shows this lake upon the old atlas,
blue In color, between the vivid green
of Vermont 'and the bright yellow in
which New York was painted, dis
tinct and fadeless as are most of the
few object-lessons with which the
schoolbooks of that time were embel
lished. Romance and tradition have busied
themselves wfth this beautiful lake in
the past, but it ls history, with Its
plain, unvarnished tale, that has dealt
with It during the past week. The
scroll of three centuries rolls back and
from out the .storied past step quaint
and warlike figures Indians of two
vanished tribes, and a white man, the
latter one of those who bore to a
beautiful but savage wilderness the
faint and. far-away message of civil
ization and gave to Lake Champlain
Its name.
Much In the way of detail of that
far-away era has become the spoil of
time, though history still faithfully
preserves the leading Incidents. The
name of Samuel Champlain and the
results of his explorations have been
given to its pages; imagination, hov
ering about tradition, supplies the
rest; while rising out of it, a pleas
ing reality, is the pictured lesson upon
the old map In green and blue and
yellow tints that conveyed to the chil
dren of a past generation a deep and
lasting Impression of the location and
extent of Lake Champlain.
THE SIMPLE REASOX WHY.
The reason now, therefore, why new
and unusual sources of revenue must
be sought," is this, to wit: Prohibitive
duties have been insisted upon. In
nearly all schedules of commodities, so
as to forbid Importation of goods that,
under moderate protective duties
would, In the aggregate, yield great
revenues.
Under this system foreign goods are
excluded and high prices made at
home; while rebates equal to the duties
charged are allowed on the imported
materials. Most of the great monopo
lies of this country are founded in and
sustained by this system, which has, in
effect, taxed the people hundreds of
millions of dollars not to produce rev
enue for the Government, but to en
rich trade monopolies. Further con
sequence is that direct taxes must be
resorted to, as a means of making up
deficits of revenue.
These things are known well enough,
they are notorious, indeed; but since
there appears to be no remedy, it is
perhaps useless to eay anything more
about them.
A SPECIMEN OUTRAGE.
The proposal to increase the duty on
thorium nitrate by 120 per cent beau
tifully illustrates the sinuosities of Al
drlch tariff making. Thorium nitrate
ls essential for the manufacture of in
candescent gas mantles, which have
become a common household necessity.
The chemical is not made In this coun
try at all except by two or three negli
ble firms and by the great Welsbach
monopoly. The Welsbach people
consume all they make and offer none
of it on the market. Hence the com
petitors of the Welsbachs in the manu
facture of mantles have to Import
their thorium nitrate. The present
duty upon it is 80 cents a pound, which
amounts to $3.20 per thousand man
tles. The effect of the duty is to in
crease the profits of the AVelsbaehs
$3-20 on every thousand mantles and
decrease the profits of their competi
tors by the same sum. This is evident,
since the competitors are compelled to
pay the duty, while the Welsbachs
make their own thorium nitrate. Clear
ly, the duty tends to give the Wels
bach people a monopoly of the man
tle trade, and such is its purpose, of
course.
The proposed increase of 120 per
cent in the duty would simply give the
Welsbachs more than twice as much
of the consumers' money as they now
extort, while it would cut down the
profits of their competitors below the
zero point. It would drive all the
competing firms out of business. Then
the Welsbachs could, and of course
would, put up the price of mantles to
the notch where It stood before there
was any competition. The increase
would be some 800 per cent. This
they could do because they would have
a mondpoly. In this case, as in almost
every, other, the effect of the new du
ties imposed by the Senate is to de
stroy competition and pluck the con
sumer bare. But protests to the Al-drich-ridden
Senate have been in vain
and the 120 per cent increase on
thorium nitrate Is embodied In the Al
drlch bill among the mass of kindred
Infamies. '
WHITE SLAVERY.
One may well believe that the so
called White Slave traffic is systemat
ically pursued in the underworld of so
ciety without crediting fully the story
which Ella Gingles has related. It
seems Improbable In the highest de
gree that the gang of ruffians who may
have maltreated her at the Wellington
Hotel should have left her bound In
a bathroom. This was the surest way
to bring exposure upon themselves.
Still, that the girl was left in the
bathroom, bound, and that her con
dition when discovered was shockingly
pitiful, cannot be denied. The facts
of the case have been investigated
with more or less pains by capable
women of Chicago, who are convinced
that Ella told the truth. They can
not be accepted as judges who are en
tirely free from prejudice, because
many good women are predisposed to
believe any story which confirms the
reality of white slavery outrages, but,
on the other hand, they are not with
out common sense, and can probably
see a thing when it ls plainly before
their eyes.
' There must be some way of account
ing for Ella's condition when she was
found in the bathroom at the Welling
ton Hotel. We may suppose. If we
like, that she bruised her own body
and then managed, in some way, to tie
the cords which seemed to bind her.
Her only motive for doing such a thing
must have been the wish to stir up a
sensation or create grounds for ac
cusing someone, and it ls possible that
for this end she was willing to ln
fllct upon herself all the torture which
she certainly endured In the course of
the night. Conduct of this kind is not
without precedent. Self-torture may
become a species of .mania and people
sometimes mutilate themselves hid
eously, even with less motive than Ella
Gingles seems to have had. The evi
dence does not point, however, to any
mental abnormality in this young
woman. On the witness stand she ls
apparently well controlled, nor does
I she exhibit a noticeable wish to wreak
vengeance upon any person. The
theory that she bound and maltreated
herself requires pretty convincing evi
dence to sustain it, and, while some
thing of the kind may be forthcoming
after a time, it has not yet been re
ported. It seems just as likely that
she told the truth when she accused
a gang of ruffians of outraging her
with the help of the women who had
lured her to the Wellington Hotel.
The story, to besure, sounds melo
dramatic. As 'Alfred de Vigney re
marks. In Cinq Mars, there are some
things so horribly cruel that even when
we look upon them with our own eyes
we cannot credit them. - Still, there is
a great deal of .evidence that the half
whispered rumors about the white
slave traffic have not been exagger
ated. Every little while facts come to
light which prove that If everything
were known, many respectable r.ames
would be implicated and abhorrent
deeds revealed. Readers will remem
ber what was made public In London
some years ago when W. T. Stead
suffered imprisonment. His only crime
was the mention of noble names in
connection with the traffic in ririi
but apparently his proof was too con
clusive for the welfare of the aristoc
racy, and he had to bear the penalty
of his imprudence. In mitigation of
the improbability of Ella Gingles' tale,
it must be remembered, also that if
she tells the truth, the brutes who mal
treated her were drunk and hence as
likely as not to leave imprudent traces
of their work behind them. A gang
of sober ruffians would certainly have
unbound her and probably shipped
her away to French -Lick Springs or
some other resort of that kind.
The obscure revelations which ap
pear now and then concerning the
white slave traffic seem to Implicate
the police forces of more than one city.
It would be interesting to know just
how extensive the relations are be
tween the officers of the law and the
vicious underworld which subsists on
crime. If all the stories are true, there
is a regular alliance between some of
the ostensible protectors of the public
and those who prey upon it. That the
New York police receive tribute from
Pickpockets, keeners nf vIIa
the like, is pretty well established. How
mucn rartner does the evil extend?
Ella Gingles' testimony has already
brought in the name of a notorious
Democratic politician. The common
belief is that the white slave traffic ls 'i
maintained by political influence,
brought to bear on the police. Of
course, it could not be carried on with
out the connivance of those w"ho are
charged with the enforcement of law,
and humble officials would not dare
to tolerate crimes of this character un
less they were sure of protection from
sources higher up. By one means or
another almost every effort to expose
the truth about the white slave traffic
has been smothered. For reasons
which may possibly be entirely credit
able to them, the state officals in New
York and Chicago have taken no in.
terest in investigating it. According
to some accounts, they have put ob
stacles in the way. Most of what we
have learned lately has come through
Federal officials in Chicago, who say
that they are determined to bring the
truth to light if it is possible. With the
combined women's societies to aid
them, at least a beginning might be
made, one would think. Perhaps
enough may be revealed to awaken
enduring popular Interest and through
that compel reluctant public prose
cutors to do their duty. If there is a
white slave traffic, it is time we knew
all about it. How much longer will
Christian civilization tolerate even the
suspicion of such a crime against hu
manity? Another one of those justly cele
brated and usually unreliable crop re
ports which are issued at great cost by
the Government will appear today.
This latest effusion from the head
quarters of "Tama Jim," the big chief
of the Never Resigners, will give the
condition of the grain crops on July
1, and also the amount of grain still
on hand. This latter feature of the
report will be Interesting. If Secre
tary Wilson is fair enough to ac
knowledge his grotesque and costly
error of March 1, the report will show
remarkably small stocks on hand. If,
however, he desires to cover up his
error and continue to mislead the pub
lic, these alleged reserves will be quite
heavy and will undoubtedly be used to
advantage by the market manipula
tors who made a 5 -cent per bushel
raid on the market when the ridicu
lous ' March report . appeared. By
making another false showing of big
stocks on hand July 1, it might be
possible by next month,, when new
wheat becomes .plentiful, to confuse
the new with the old and thus cover
up the abominable work of the ignor
ant crop reporters and their chief. '
Professor Willett. of Chicago, now
steps into the limelight and invites
painful Jabs from the hatpins or sim
ilar weapons, by declaring that
woman, lovely woman, is "generally
responsible for a large part of the
evils of life," etc. Taking a fling at
our sisters, wives, sweethearts and
mothers seems to be a popular form
of diversion for many "professors" of
late, and their views are prone to ex
cite curiosity as to what kind of
women these professors have selected
in making their studies of the sex. In
making an estimate of woman and her
worth, the Eleanor Glyns, Anna
Goulds, Katherlne Goulds or Carrie
Nations of course line up quite favor
ably with the Jimmy Hydes, Reggie
Vanderbllts and Harry Thaws, but
they are not the kind of women that
the American man delights to love,
cherish and protect, and even obey.
Professor Wiliett was undoubtedly
talking for publication:
The Eugene Register offers this re
mark: Charles Earhardt, an ex-convict, pardoned
by Chamberlain before relinquishing the
Governorship to become United States Sen
ator, has Just shot up the town of lone, in
Eastern Oregon, wounding; Ave men and
holding- the officers at bay for hours with a
double-barreled shotgun. This is one ex
ample of too free use of the pardoning
power.
Now of course Chamberlain did not
expect this man to become a criminal
again. As Governor, he simply hadn't
the discernment and firmness neces
sary for the position. A Governor
should be made of sterner stuff than
he was, and less disposed to play poli
tics. This last was a thing Chamber
lain always had and always will have
in view. One of its favorite methods
is abuse of mercy and compassion, for
the sake of popularity.
Dr. Eliot now explains that the con
struction of his five-foot library of
books was not undertaken by him as a
personal exDerlment for his wn cm,
faction, but on the contrary was under
taken at the request of a publishing
house. But that was hardly the reason
why he omitted from his list the books
which that paper at Pendleton (Ore
gon) thlnk3 the greatest books in the
world.
"An Intemperate eater," says an Al
bany editor, "has no right to talk tem
perance to the intemperate drinker."
No, nor should the Intemperate drinker
lecture about Intemperate drinking.
They often do, however.
The Kaw River again has Its back
up, and bleeding Kansas is in trouble.
There is no other way for the Kaw
River to keep on the maps.
Colonel Roosevelt killed another
roaring lion "just as the enraged mon
ster was about," etc. That's the way
he always did kill 'em.
The New York Americans have just
lost six straight games of baseball.
New York, like Portland, is a "jay"
town for baseball.
Somebody ought to put a water
meter on Hole
LOOKED FOR WATER LEVEL LIXB
First Engineers of the Northern Pacific
Sought Easf Grades.
EUGENE, Or.. July 6. (To the Edi
tor.) I have read with considerable in
terest your editorial in today's Issue
entitled "Again the Water Grade
Level." It appears to me that the early
engineers of the Northern Pacific Rail
road may have had a better apprecia
tion of the advantages of the
water grade line than your editorial
credits them with. I am led to
this belief because I have in my
possession a Northern Pacific Railroad
map which L. believe to be upwards of
35 years old. It ls undated and bears
the Imprint of the National Railway
Publication . Company of Philadelphia.
I take it to be a promoter's map, de
signed for use when Jay Cooke was
disposing by popular subscription of
the bonds and stock of the first North
ern Pacific Railroad Company. It is In
Itself quite an interesting document.
At the bottom is a profile wherein a
comparison of the Northern Pacific line
is made with, the Central and Union
Pacific line, much to the disadvantage
of the latter, as the pr.ofrle of that line
snows elevations of 7052 and S235 feet,
while the highest elevation on the other
line is but 4950. The lengths of these
competing lines are not given, but the
profile of the Northern Pacific is not
more than three-fourths that of the
other road.
The country, especially adjacent to
the Northern Pacific line, is labeled
"wheat lands," "grazing lands, "coal,"
"Timber," "gold," etc.. in a way well
calculated to interest a prospective in
vestor. As proof that this is an old
railroad map, I mention the fact that
Bpokane and Tacoma do not appear on
it. Bozeman and Missoula are the only
towns now of importance that appear
along the line. What Is now the Great
Northern system appears on this map
as the St. Paul & Pacific, a line ex
tending from St. Paul to Morris, Minn.,
a distance of some 150 miles. J. J. Hill,
aided by the bank of -Montreal, had not
yet bought from the receiver this line
w-ith its valuable franchise and land
grant.
But to come to your water grade Idea.
This map exhibits the Northern Pacific
Railroad as already built. It shows
the line as branching at Missoula, one
division crossing the Lolo Pass and
by way of Fort Kelly. Lapwai Mission,
Lewlston, Old Fort Walla Walla,
and the north bank of the Co
lumbia, reaching Fort Vancouver.
The other turns northward and
by the Corrican pass goes to Pend
d'Oreille and thence directly to Puget
Sound, striking somewhat north of Se
attle. This line west of Idaho seems
very nearly that afterwards taken by
the Great Northern. A line is also
shown extending from Fort Vancouver
to the Bellingham coal fields with a
short branch to Olympla. To my mind
this map indicates that the engineers
and projectors of the Northern Pacific
did appreciate the advantages of the
water grade route, and with that end
in view planned a road from Missoula
tnat struck at once by the shortest
route to the Clearwater and kept a
water grade to Fort Vancouver.
Is it not a fact that the land grant
to the Northern Pacific Railroad re
quired the line to terminate on Puget
Sound? This ls my recollection. It
Is my recollection, too, that the term
of the land grant was near its expira
tion at the time the through line was
completed. This I had supposed de
termined the building of the northern
branch first. The building of the line
through the Lolo Pass would seem
to have been planned from the very
first, but Vlllard had probably all he
could do to . get funds for one of
these contemplated branches.
S. D. ALLEN.
AS TO LOCAL THUNDER STORMS
Willamette Valley Unusually Free From
Electrical Disturbances.
' . . ' " ... ,. aj ine cai-
tor.) Will you kindly tell me through
The Oregonian If there is any place in
Oregon which is absolutely free from
thunder storms? T
em home, simply to get rid of the East-
cm aim iviiaaie western storms and cli
matic conditions, which have made a
nervous wreck nf tti t va..a v, . i
but a short time, and have heard thun-
uer ana nave read in your paper of se
vere storms at The Dalles, Baker City,
and of minor ones nt UMiehnm tt...
Stevens, and have been told of others
at Newport and in the Willamette Val
ley, bo jl am oeginning to think that Ore
gon is not free from Hehtnlr.i t t..o-
led to believe, but shall depend on what
you tell me. JULIA M. KENNEDY.
You cannot possibly do better than to
stay where you are.
Meteorological records do not go back
to the period of the earliest white set
tlement of the Willamette Valley, and
memory is not always reliable; yet The
Oregonian ventures the statement that
no section of the Willamette Valley has
been visited by a real thunder storm as
often as once in an average of five years.
Those that gather at rare intervals are
never so severe as the storms of the
Middle West. Statistics are not availa
ble, but it ls doubtful whether there have
been three cases of deaths by lightning
in the Willamette Valley since 1S43.
In a general way it may be said that
the Willamette Valley is as free from
electrical disturbances as any other part
of the habitable globe.
Telephone Manners.
Court Journal.
The question of telephone manners
and telephone etiquette which has been
raised by a discussion in a contemporary
is surprising, because it seems to show
that even business people admit that
there is such a thing as telephone man
ners, though they appear to think the
code is exhausted when the man at the
other end of the wire has waited their
convenience. Unfortunately, the tele
phone manners that exist are only a
relic of the past, and the habitual tele
phoner gradually discards small cour
tesies. The conversation that begins
with the ring of the bell by one party
and a sharp "hullo" by the other is
necessarily stripped of dignity, while
the fact that if the speakers are
strangers they will never recognize one
another tends to a loss of self-respect.
Only the Innately courteous observe
telephone manners; the rest of the
world lapses into something like prim
itive savageness when it uses the la
test resource of civilization.
Surgrtcal Feat With Chicken Bone.
Omaha, Neh., Dispatch.
An Interesting surgical feat is report
ed from St. Joseph's Hospital in this
city, where a portion of the Jaw bone of
little Lucretia Norris was removed,
and a piece of chicken bone Inserted in
place of a diseased portion. An exami
nation of the wound, later, showed ad
hesion, and the operation was pro
nounced a success. The operation was
performed a week ago, but was kept a
secret. The girl ls 6 years old. and
was born with a malformed Jaw. It
was to remedy this .that the diseased
portion was removed and bone from a
chicken Inserted.
Too Vaa-ue.
Chicago News.
Mistress (at the agency) Now, my
husband is very particular whom I en
gage as a nurse. He wishes me to go
into the most minute details about
your qualifications. Do you know how
to prepare food? Can you sew and
mend? Do you mind sitting up late
at night? Are you faithful and devoted,
and have you a kind, loving disposi
tion? Nurse Excuse me. ma'am am I to
take care of the baby or your husband?
POE'S MEASURE OF HIS WORK.
An Interesting Letter to Dr. Snodgraas
In Stedinan Library Sale.
New York Times.
Among the many interesting auto
graphs in the library of Edmund C
Stedman, which will be sold at Ander
son's next season, ls a long letter writ
ten by Edgar Allan Poe to Dr. J. E.
Snodgrass, one of the editors of the
Baltimore Evening Visitor.
It is dated Philadelphia.-July 12. 1841,
when Poe was editing Graham's Maga
zine. He was in receipt of a salary that
enabled him, his child-wife, Virginia,
and his devoted aunt and mother-in-law,
Mrs. Maria Clemm, to live com
fortably In "a rose-embowered cottage"
in Spring Garden, a quiet suburb of
Philadelphia. In the letter Poe says:
"You flatter me about 'The Mael
strom." It was finished in a hurry, and
therefore its conclusion is Imperfect.
Upon the whole, it is neither so good
nor has it been one-half so popular as
the 'Murders in the Rue Morgue.' I
nave a paper in the August number
which will please you. It ls a long
notice of a satire by a quondam Balti
morean, L. A. Wilmer. You must get
this satire- and read It it is really
good, good in the old-fashioned Dryden
style.
"I have Introduced in this sermon
some portion of a review, formerly
written by me for the Pittsburg Exam
iner, a monthly Journal, which died In
the first throes of its existence. It was
edited by E. Burke Fisher. Esq., than
whom a greater scamp never walked.
He wrote to me offering $4 per page
for criticisms, promising to put them
in as criticisms not editorially. The
first thing I saw was one of my arti
cles under the editorial head, so altered
that I hardly recognized it. and inter
larded with all manner of bad English
and ridiculous opinion of his own. I
believe, however, that the number in
which It appeared, being the last kick
of the magazine, was never circulated."
Poe had made the acquaintance of
both Doctor Snodgrass and J. P. Ken
nedy, author of "Swallow Barn," while
he was living in Baltimore with Mrs.
Clemm. One evening, as he was wan
dering about the streets of Baltimore,
he stopped to read a copy of the Even
ing Visitor exposed for sale, and saw
the offer in it of $100 for the best
original story to be submitted anony
mously to that Journal.
He made up into a parcel rejected
manuscript he had at home and sent it
to the office of the Visitor. Soon after
ward he received the prize of $100,
which had been awarded to him for his
story of "The Gold Bug."
Wilmer. who was the editor, accepted
several other stories from him, and
gave him some employment in his of
fice. Wilmer afterward related how,
after he- and Poe had done their office
work, they would walk together into
the suburbs, generally accompanied by
Virginia Clemm, who would never be
left behind.
It was soon afterward that Poe mar
ried his pretty young cousin.
ALL ABOARD' FOR PILL STATION
New Elysium Where Walla Walla
Smokers Find Relief.
Pendleton Tribune.
A new town has been located on the
lnterurban between Walla Walla and
Freewater. Or. It ls called Pill Station.
It Is the first stop in Oregon after the
Washington state line Is crossed in leav
ing Walla Walla. There is a law now
in effect in Washington making It an of
fense to smoke cigarettes in the State
of Washington. Many arrests have been
made in Washingfon and the smokers
have been fined. The cigarette fiends of
Washington living near Walla Walla
now all go to Pill Station to roll their
makings and to enjoy their smoke. The
travel on the interurban between Walla
Walla and Pill Station has Increased over
100 per cent since the new law went
info effect in Washington.
The marriage license law ls also offen
sive in Washington and many couples are
coming from Walla Walla to Pendleton
to get their marriage licenses. The
Washington Legislature seems to have
been determined to make it unpleasant
tor citizens. Tne City of Walla Walla is
also attractive to some law-burdened
Oregonians. The lnterurban line front
Freewater and other Oregon points is
heavily patronized by thirsty men who
seek the saloons of Walla Walla for
their drinks. They are prevented from
drinking in their own dry town and they
una walla walla a popular retreat.
It seems that no legislature can pass
taws to suitevery state and Oreeon and
Washington Legislatures have been no
exceptions.
No More Exclusive Cars.
New York Paper.
The New York subway cars for the
exclusive use of women have been dls
continued. Thus ends an experiment of
which the outcome was wrapped in
doubt when it was started some months
ago. Logically, from the purely mascu
line standpoint, it was Just the thlnar to
give women cars for themselves. It
seemed to protect them from too clos
contract with the rough discomforts of
trie rush hours, as well as to give them
a self-chaperoned safety. But if is not
able that the progressive suffragist lead
ers in JNew iork opposed the scheme
from its inception. They said that the
woman workers of the city did not need
or wish to be "babied" in this fashion
and declared the plan to be put of keep
ing wun an enngntened view of woman
hood. It seems now that the suffragists
know considerably more about thecase
than their opponents, and, as President
McAdoo has declined to explain why his
plan failed, we should be very much ob
liged if they would tell us Just why if
all happened as It did.
Chinese Tree for California.
San Francisco Call.
As a result of the labors of trained
explorers of the Bureau of Plant In
dustry in China the Forest. Service has
been furnished with a supply of seeds
of the Plstacla chinesis, an Oriental
tree resembling somewhat the Cali
fornia pepper tree. These seeds were
gathered from trees growing in the
province of Shantung, China, where
some of them have reached large pro
portions. A tree standing at the grave of Con
fucius has a diameter of over four feet.
They are well adapted to dry regions
and are very long lived. It is hoped
the trees grown from this seed will
serve as a stock for the pistachio nut
of commerce.
The seeds will be planted at the Lytle
Creek nursery station In Southern Cali
fornia, and if the plantations are suc
cessful they will be grown extensively
for reforestation purposes.
If Omar Were Khayyammina; Now r
Old Omar craved a book. Jug. loaf, and
Thou,"
But Omar lived a long, long time ago;
t he were here and yearned to claim
her now
' He'd need a goodly wad to stand a show.
Once maidens may have gladly sat around
And listened to men read the pcet's words.
May gladly have munched loaves and may
have found
A sweetness in the twittering of birds.
But now the man who deals in tents or
wheat
Must have a bundle of the good long green,
And If his dreams are ever to be sweet
He must not fail to own & limousine.
It may be that his "Thou" has love for art.
To her the Persian's song may seem sub
lime. But If he is to win her tender heart
He must be spending money all the time.
A book of verses underneath the bough?"
That would not even win him second
place ;
A Jug of wine and loaf of bread? His
"Thou"
Would want hot birds and bottles by
the case.
S- K. Kaiser In Chicago Record-Herald.
Life's Sunny Side
Archbishop Patrick J. Ryan, of Phila
delphia, ls as famous as he is eloquent
as a divine, and many are the stories
told of his quick repartee. When Wayne
McVeagh, ex-Attorney-General of the
United States, was counsel for the
Pennsylvania Railroad he called upon
the archbishop in company with Mr.
Roberts, president of the Pennsylvania
system.
"Your frrace." said Mr. McVeaeh. "Mr.
Roberts, who always travels with hla
counsel, will no doubt get you passes
over an the railroads in the United
States if in return you will get him a
pass to paradise."
I would do so gladly," flashed the
rchbishop, "if it were not for seoarat-
Ing him from his counsel." Philadel
phia Record.
"Doctor, do you ever do anything for
charity? I am an awfully poor woman
and have heart trouble. Won't you
please examine 'my heart with the X
ray free of cost?"
This plea was made today by a poorly-dressed
woman of about 65 yeara
old to Dr. George Hermann, of Corry
vllle. Happening to look a little lower
than the heart he discovered two $20
gold pieces in a chamois bag under
the woman's garment.
"How is my heart, doctor?"
"Your heart is pretty bad." he ejacu
lated with a tinge of sarcasm.
"Is there any hope for me?"
"Not if you keep on this way," he de
clared as the third $20 gold piece came
into view. "I really mean that you
had a bad heart. You lied when you
said you were poor. Take that money
out of your waist and pay me $5."
The woman nearly collapsed, but she
took out the $60 in gold and from an
other part of her raiment drew out a
purse containing bills. Chicago Inter
Ocean.
"Eddie," said the teacher, "can you
give a definition of cursory? The word
is generally used in connection with
public speaking. For example, we
often read that somebody 'made a few
cursory remarks." Please write a sen
tence containing the word cursory."
After a brief struggle Eddie evolved
this:
"Yesterday my pa helped my ma to
hang pictures, and when the ladder
fell after pa had climbed to the top of
it he bumped his head against the cor
ner of the dining-room table and then
made a few cursory remarks." Chicago
Record -Herald.
She was in a very bad temper as she
boarded ait Amsterdam-avenue car. Her
temper was not improved by the fact
that as she drew a qaarter of a dollar
from her Jeweled gold purse the coin
slipped from her fingers and rolled on
the floor of the car. She made no move
to recover the money, but when the
conductor came in to collect her fare
she pointed with the tip of her hand
some parasol to the coin.
"I dropped my fare," she said snap
pishly: "pick it up."
The young conductor looked her in
the eye for Just a moment and then,
stooping, he picked the coin from be
tween the slats on the floor covering.
Leisurely he took four nickels from his
pocket and put them wnere the quar
ter had been before. Maybe it was
the effort of bending that made his
face red. When he straightened up he
rang up the fare, turned and sauntered
back to the rear platform.. New York
Press.
"Won't you step up an' Jlne w In a
glass o' ginger pop. Si? said Bill
Granger, generously, to old Si Hayseed
at the crossroads store. "I Just sold a
six-weeks-old calf for $9, an I don't
mind being a little reckless. What you
say to a ginger pop?"
"Much obleeged, I'm sure. Bill," said
SI. "but the fact is, ginger pop ruther
goes to my head, an' I better let it
alone."
"That sot Well, what do you say
to a glass of sody? Like to have you
jlne me in something."
"Well, Bill, sody sort o' stings my
throat an' makes me sneeze. But if
you're bound to stand treat you might
git ginger pop fer the other boys an'.
If it's all the same to you, I'll take
5 cents' wuth o" tenpenny nails. I
come In to git a few fer a fence I got
to fix. an' if you'd as soon I took the
nails as a drink, I'm agreeable."
"All right, all right. Si. Anything to
keep the baby quiet, as the sayln' is.
Here, Mr. Storekeeper, you do Si up 5
cents' wuth o" nails an' take it out of
this quarter!"
The rich man was enjoying his first
cruise on his new yacht-
' Suddenly the captain came aft. Ha
looked anxious.
"What's the gpod word, captain?" the
owner asked.
"The barometer is falling rapidly,"
the skipper nervously answered.
"You must have hung It on a loose
nail." the owner pleasantly suggested.
Cleveland Plaindealer.
.
General Adalbert R- Bufflngton at a
dinner in Madison, N. J., told a number
of Civil War stories.
"General Mahone," he said, "was very
thin. One cold and windy December
morning in '64 he was taking a nap in
his tent when his old colored servant,
'Uncle Davy,' tiptoed in, and, stumbling
in the -darkness, knocked down the
General's folding cot and spilled him
out on the frozen ground.
"General Mahone Jumped up furious
ly, seized a scabbard and made for
Davy. Davy ran. The General- gave
chase.
"Uncle Davy tore up hill and down
dale till he was pretty well out of
breath; then he looked back over his
shoulder at his master, who bounded
after him on slender limbs, blue and
thin, his long white night shirt flut
tering in the chill morning.
" 'Fo' de lan's sake. Mars' William,'
the exhausted Davy yelled, desperately,
yo' hain't trustln' yo'se'f in dis wind
on dem legs, is yo'?"' Philadelphia
Record.
Zone Method to Regulate Car Speed.
Philadelphia Ledger.
Indianapolis is about to introduce a
novelty in American municipal prac
tice by attempting to regulate the sneed
of trains by means of zones. An or
dinance has been framed after a con
ference In which the Mayor of Indian
apolis, the railway officials and the .
members of the Indiana Railroad Com
mission took part, which provides that
the speed limits in three zones which
have been established shall be 12 miles
an hour in the first district, 25 miles an
hour In the second and 40 miles an hour
In the remaining portion of the city.
It would be a happy thought if zones
could be created for the regulation of
automobile speed in the city.
Cilrl Bitten by Snake, Saves Her Life.
Laporte. Ind.. Dispatch.
The fact that Miss Sadie Heively,
17 years old, is recovering from a rat
tlesnake's bite is due to her own brav
ery and presence of mind. When hunt
ing wild flowers in the woods she and
a girl friend encountered one rattler,
which they killed. Then as Miss Heively
stooped to gather some more blossoms
a second snake coiled about her right
arm and sank its fangs into the flesh.
Despite the pain she first dispatched
the snake, then knotted her handker
chief above the wound, made it s
tourniquet with a stick and hurried s
mile to the nearest doctor, who gave
her all the credit for saving her life.