Morning Oregonian., August 07, 1909, Page 8, Image 8

TUT? MOSMXG OREGONIAN', SATURDAY,
AUGUST 7, 1909.
1
POKTLA'I. OREGON.
Entered at Portland. Oregon. Postcffice as
Eecond-Claas Matter.
Sabacrlptloa BatM Invariably in Advance
(By Mall.)
ra!rr. Sunday Included, one year
Daily. Sunday Included. six months. . . -Daily.
Sunday inel'ided. three mnnthi.
Daily. Sunday Included, one month....
Dally, without Sundav. one year
realty, without Sunday, six month?...
Dally, without Funday. three months. .
Daily, without Sunday, one month.
Weeklv. one year
a-.:r- m -.- . .
. .l.0O
. . 4 25
.. 2.-5
.. .75
. . B "0
. . 8 25
. . 1.7.1
..
50
50
6unday and weekly, one year 3 50
(By Carrier.)
Dallv. Sunday Included, one year 0
Dally. Sunday included, one month 75
Mow to Remit Send postofftce money
order, express order or personal check on
your local bank. Stamps, coin or currency
re at the sender's risk. Give portofflce ad
dress In full. Including county and state.
Postarre Rates 10 to 14 pages. 1 cent: 1
to 23 page. 2 cents; 30 to 4U pases. 3 cents;
44 to 6o pages. 4 cents. Foreign postage
double rates.
Eastern Bnsuicss Oflic The 8. C. Beck
wl'h Speclai Aeency New York, rooms 4S
V) Tribune building. Chicago, rooms 510-512
Tribune building.
PORTU4ND. SATURDAY. AUGUST 7. 1B09.
RI.oCI.TS OF THE SPECIAI SESSION.
President Taft's remarks on the new
tariff bill are apologetic. He frankly
admits that the bill is not what he
wanted, since the revision is not com
plete enough, nor the reductions suf
ficient; but he signs the bill because
he could get no better result. This,
probably, is a correct Judgment of the
situation as presented towards the
end of the contention;' but had the
President Interposed earlier It might
have been different. Most observers
believe his exertions began too late.
If he had a right to interpose at all,
he had as much right at the early
part of the session as in its closing
days: and steady pressure from him
throughout the session would have
brought different results.
But he expresses his satisfaction
with the corporation tax; not only as
a revenue measure, Dut as "an Im
portant step towards that degree of
publicity and regulation which the
tendency in corporation enterprises in
the last twenty years has shown to be
necessary." It would be very well,
when applied to public service corpor
ations, and to industrial corporations
whose profits are augmented by duties
which reduce or exclude foreign com
petition. But It Is not Just to thou
sands upon thousands - of private
corporations throughout the country,
which have no special privileges and
no assistance in any way from govern
ment or legislation.
It is not merely the exaction of the
tax from this class of corporations
which is unjust unjust because busi
ness carried on by corporations is
subject to tax, while the very same
kinds of business carried on by in
dividuals or partnerships Is exempt.
Great as this injustice is,' it Is not the
chief of the objections. Every cor
poration, doing business of any de
scription, must make a complete state
ment of its business and affairs, show
ing its paid-up capital. Its Indebted
ness or bonds and notes, or otherwise;
Its gross income and expenses, the
total amount of losses each year. In
terest paid and net Income, after mak
ing all authorized deductions. These
returns, as the act declares, "shall
constitute public records and be open
to inspection as such." Every person,
then, whose curiosity or malevo
lence moves him, every rival of
a business, may get from this
"public record" a full statement
or all the details of any corpora
tion's business: and even deficits
may he exposed, to the Injury of the
corporation's credit and menace to Its
solvency. We believe the President
has not well considered these ob
jections else he would not so warmly
approve an act which Is unjust In the
first place, because It taxes all ordi
nary business operated In corporate
form, yet leaves untaxed Individuals
and partnerships, and moreover ex
pose private and legitimate corporate
business to examination of the curious
and to the attack of rivalry.
The public service corporations, that
operate under franchises, stand In a
class by themselves. The public Judg
ment is that they are entitled to no
business secrets: and the laws of most
of the states (Oregon Included) re
quire frequent statements of all their
affairs. The same might well be re
quired of all "protected" industries.
But corporations doing local business,
organized under the laws of a state,
possessing no privileges, having no
franchises, their capital consisting of
small sums brought together for In
dustrial purposes, so as to make a sum
adequate for the business Intended,
ought not to be penalized by special
taxation, nor required to disclose the
details and whole state of their busi
ness, through public records making
It accessible to those from whom
every consideration of business and
prudence requires such information to
be withheld.
The corporation tax and its search
ing methods will cause every private
corporation, that can do so, to disin
corporate as soon as it can. But this.
In most cases, will be difficult. There
are many small stockholders, and a
partnership will be Impracticable. The
tendency, however, will surely be to
break up small private corporations,
and to destroy their business. It will
convert those who are thus Injured
Into enemies of the Administration and
of the Republican party thousands
of them: for it Is not an" equal, fair or
Just method of taxation: and It will be
resented as Injurious and unjust by
the vast multitude of stockholders in
private corporations. Why should the
private corporation, that has no favors
from the public, be penalized, when
the individual or the partnership is
exempt?
Most probably this special and un
just tax will be resisted, on grounds
of constitutional law and proportional
Justice: and. as The Oregonian be
lieves, it is most likely to be defeated.
The special session is practically a
fiasco, and stands in need of all apol
ogies that can- be made for It.
It would be a great thing for the
waterways of this country if the mat
ter of appropriations were in the
hands of men like Brigadier-General
Marshall. Chief of Engineers of the
Army. General Marshall believes in
appropriations sufficient to complete
any work that is undertaken. In an
Interview in yesterday's Oregonian he
expressed himself quite plainly re
garding the dilatory manner In which
much-needed appropriations are doled
out. The great difficulty In all of
these public works is In placing
them on a business basis. E. H. Har
riman. in discussing the improvements
In the Columbia River, once remarked
that if that stream were the property
of a railroad company the owners
would dump In a few millions and
build a channel of any depth required
in a year or two. Such a result will
never be possible under the Govern
ment method of doing; the work, but
it would be comparatively easy of ac
complishment by the application of
business principles to Government
work.
AT INDIANAPOUS THE SAME.
What has happened at Indianapolis
is what happens In general, from the
very nature of things, under the di
rect primary law when there is no
representative assembly or conven
tion to guide the course of parties.
That is, both parties, at Indianapolis,
confessedly, have nominated men of
little character or standing, for the
principal offices. On both sides the
candidates who represented the busi
ness people and responsible elements
of the population were beaten. How
it will come out in the election can't
be told. For Mayor there may be an
independent candidate. If not, the
probability is that the disgusted Re
publicans will support the Democratic
candidate for the Mayoralty, and
elect him, as a means of giving their
own party a lesson.
Self-respecting and responsible cit
izens never will enter into this primary
scramble. The consequence is aband
onment of politics and government to
an ochlocracy. Parties will be com
pletely dissolved; party names will
mean nothing; no principle will ap
pear; there can be no directness or
steadiness of action. The method in
evitably separates tHe people into
classes. The problem of democracy
always Is to keep It under wise guid
ance. The "straight" primary, without
representative guidance, brings to the
front those least qualified to serve the
state. It Is so from the very nature
of things. Not a representative man
appeared on any ticket for Mayor of
Indianapolis. Not one will appear in
Oregon unless called out by the as
sembly plan. Men of worth will not
so demean (or bemean) themselves.
THE I.AXr GAMBLE.
The great National land lottery con
ducted by the Government in Montana,
Washington and Idaho has broken all
records for affairs of the kind. In the
number of victims it makes a fairly
good showing In comparison with the
late Louisiana lottery.
That the chances of the victims for
drawing any kind of a prize were
much greater In the Louisiana lottery
Is easily apparent when It is stated
that oniy one out of 100 of the appli
cants stands any show to draw a
claim. One of the notaries who took
depositions of the applicants made
nearly $3000, and others made as high
as $135 per day. The railroads re
ceived an immense sum In fares, and
the hotels, lodging-houses and pick
pockets also profited greatly by the
rush.
Some of the victims can stand the
loss which they have been obliged to
Incur, but among them are thousands
of poor people who can ill afford to
lose the money spent on this greatest
of modern lotteries. If there is any
thing in connection with the whole af
fair that is creditable to the Govern
ment. It has not yet been made public.
THE LEISURE HABIT.
The Department of Commerce and
Labor, through C. L. Green, an in
spector in charge of the New Tork
City branch of the division of Infor
mation, advances the opinion that en
forced Idleness during the period, of
depression following the panic of 1907,
resulted in fixing the leisure habit on
a certanl class of workingmen, thus
adding large numbers to the army of
tramps and vagrants. Of this class
Inspector Green says:
Finding It possible to exist without
work. Idleness seems to have become a
habit, and now that the parks are pleasant
and the fields hot. they prefer to enjoy
the former, living a beat they can.
This view Is shared by the major
ity of Investigators who have In re
cent years made the study of the
tramp question a specialty. That Is
to say, these students of cause and
effect find that the underlying cause
in cases where able bodied men con
tinue in Idleness year after year Is
psychological and that to deal with
it with any degree of success It must
be dealt with In accordance with this
finding.
It will be observed that this expla
nation itself needs explaining, since
it certainly does not give the last word
upon the subject. There is, for ex
ample, another and far larger class
that derives the chief happiness of
life from useful employment work
that Is remunerative at least to the
extent that it guarantees self-support
and the support of the family In vary
ing degrees of comfort, according to
the Individual interpretation of that
word. This condition of mind, pro
pelling the body along the path of
Industry la also a psychological phe
nomenon. In other words, the con
trolling influence, whether to Idleness
or Industry, is a purely mental con
dition. A man wants to work or he
does not want to work. Whether he
works or tramps depends, at first, part
ly and after a time solely, upon this
mental condition after it reaches the
status that we call habit.
There is nothing new In this idea.
The most frugal of all New England
communities has always had its
chronic idler, who lacking the energy
even to tramp, wore out the days In
sitting on a bench at the village store
lazily, eternally whittling. In order
to exist, this man "chored round" and
compassing a pittance sufficient to
keep base life afoot was well content.
The warmth of the store stove was as
genial to him in the Winter as would
have been the warmth of his own fire
side, and the Summer shade of a
wayside tree supplied his estimate of
noontide comfort. He was simply con
tent with a do-nothing existence while,
on the other hand, his thrifty neigh
bor, to use a current phrase, "was
never happy unless he was at work."
In the belief of the one which has be
come a fixed mental habit, work was
a sort of endless chain process, the re
wards of which were not worth the
outlay of energy involved: in that of
the other also a fixed mental condi
tion work was an expression of en
ergy the rewards of which made life
worth living.
These facts were long accepted
without any attempt to explain them.
It was only when Idleness began to
assume the form of a contagion and
take to the road that It began to be
discussed as a problem. Each year
since then this problem has grown In
magnitude, becoming more and more
complex at every step, until now still
unsolved it contains many vague
quantities In addition to what was
once bluntly termed "laziness." and
later "Inability to find work." Among
these quantities are prejudices In in
finite variety grounded principally in
envy of the well-to-do and hatred of
the rich; false Ideals that have become
fixed mental habits; false pride and a
sort of psychic collapse that Is usually
termed lack of self-respect.
It Is thus that the problem of re
forming a tramp one even more
hopeless of wholesome solution- than
that of reforming a female prostitute
does not hinge upon success in tne
attempt to find work for him by which
he may earn food, lodging and clothes.
It depends upon the ability to inspire
him with a desire to work; to endow
him with an element, a something,
which he has lost; or to create in him
a desire for something which he never
had.
CONCERNING BILLBOARDS.
Mayor Simon has made another
tour of the city and has seen the bill
boards. He is not impressed with their
beauty. Neither is anybody else. Bill
boards haven't a friend or supporter
except the owners. Always they art
unsightly, offensive. They stare at yog
impudently.
The tariff having been disposed o
how will it do inaugurate a reform in
the billboard nuisance? Small effort
will awaken our dominant civic im
provement association. Let's see.
Isn't W. D. Wheelwright still the pres
ident? Haven't the forty or more dis
trict committeemen as much civic
pride and public spirit as they had
when the organization was formed?
Portland is their home. Not one of
them would permit a hideous struc
ture on their own lawns to rasp their
own and their neighbors' sensibili
ties. Collectively this association could
effectively apply the same sentiment
to the entire city. Maybe they will
not be able to abolish billboards;
certainly a well directed, concerted
movement will serve to regulate bill
boards through municipal legislation.
It is worth while to try to minimize
this evil.
DREAMS OF OTHER DAYS.
More than a quarter of a century
ago, after the once brilliant mind of
the late George Francis Train had be
come clouded, he was a frequent con
tributor to the Tacoma Ledger, then
edited by a man named Radebaugh.
The harmless eccentricities emanating
from the zigzag brain of Mr. Train
were mostly on the subject of spirit
ualism, imaginary forces and invisible
promptings. These essays were unreal
and unreasonable, but often amusing,
and they made such a hit in the
Ledger that Radebaugh introduced a
similar line of unreasonable and imag
inary features In his editorial columns.
It was around the Columbia River
that Radebaugh spread most of his as
tonishing dreamings and Munchausen
like yarns. A stranger reading the
Ledger twenty or twenty-flve years
ago would surely have gained the im
pression that the mighty river which
forms the boundary line for such a
great portion of the State of Washing
ton had barely sufficient depth for the
canoe of the Indian.
It was several years ago that Train
passed on to that land of dreams in
which he seemed to wander during
his last days, and most people had
the Impression that his Tacoma com
panion in the dreaming art had also
departed from this earth. As Tacoma
developed Into a city the citizens de
manded from the newspapers some
thing more than dreams and wild va
garies of a diseased mind, and the
Ledger passed out of the control of
Radebaugh, and in recent years has
shown a disposition to recognize the
Importance of the great highway to
the sea. Recently Radebaugh has re
turned to earth or Tacoma and es
tablished a paper named the Tribune,
and not even the wildest dreams of
Train or the most frantic Columbia
River bar ravings of the Radebaugh
of the "eighties" were more ridiculous
than the attacks the reincarnated
Radebaugh is making on the Colum
bia River.
For the Information of Mr. Rade
baugh, who is so distressed over the
alleged dangers of the Columbia River,
we will again state that the average
delays to sailing vessels In the Co
lumbia for the past five years have
been less than those to the craft
obliged to lie in wait In Neah Bay and
Clallam Bay awaiting an opportunity
to get to sea from Puget Sound. This
is not news to the shipping men either
of Tacoma or of Portland, but, even
as Rip Van Winkle was pardoned for
asking crazy questions when he first
awakened from his long sleep, so also
should Radebaugh be excused for
mistaking the conditions existing
when he fell asleep for those which
now exist.
AS TO FORTUNE-TELLING.
Several fortune-tellers, caught while
plying their vocation by means of
palm and card reading and alleged
clairvoyant powers, contrary to city
ordinancei were haled before the Mun
icipal Court a few days ago and upon
conviction heavy fines were imposed.
These people but cater to an ever
present, peculiarly insistent demand.
Credulous persons abound. Their
name in every community Is multi
tude. They are pursued by a strong
and uncontrollable desire to know what
the future has in store for them of
fame, fortune or love. They do not,
generally speaking, mind in the least
being humbugged. On the contrary.
Judging from their repeated attempts
to become possessed of a knowledge
of future events as pertaining to them
selves, they enjoy it.
The fortune-teller caters to the de
mand for a consideration that is usu
ally very willingly rendered. The
transaction seems to be a fair, one
the score even as long as the price
paid is not ruinous.
Fortune-telling actually contributes
to the happiness of nine-tenths of its
patrons. Its cost is less than that of
many other pastimes in which shallow
minded people engage. Why put it
under the ban, especially as It is most
adept in hiding, most fertile in ex
pedient and by hook and crook, if not
permitted to do so openly. Is certain
to come up with supply to meet the
demand?
An occupation tax that is reasonable
but not intended to be prohibitive,
ought to sufficiently control this class
of business, especially since, in this as
In other sins or idiosyncrasies of man
kind, prohibition does not prohibit,
but merely drives to cover.
Japan, poverty-stricken as a result
of the late war, grafting ship subsi
dies and other features of official ex
travagance, Is still persistent in her
efforts to gain a foothold in China.
The Japanese Ambassador to Pekln,
acting under instructions from his
home government. Is now endeavoring
to persuade the Chinese government
to withdraw Its objection to Japan's
contemplated Improvement of the An
t,,t,t ukrlon Railroad in Manchuria.
Japan la very anxious to build this J
road, but aggressive tactics have been
prevented through fear of offending
China and again being subjected to a
disastrous boycott such as spread
havoc with Japan's trade a few years
ago. The purchasing power per cap
ita of the Chinese is small, but in the
aggregate it proved the most valuable
trade asset in the possession of Japan,
and for that reason the latter country
will proceed with caution before an
other boycott is declared.
How do you know that Portland has
become a city? Because you see it
has become the business of every man
and of every woman and every child
to keep out of the way of the auto
mobiles. Few who drive them have
any business; but it is "joy riding."
But as Portland grows larger and be
comes more intense, there will be less
"joy riding." It doesn't require so
much or so quick attention now to
go across Broadway or Fifth avenue
(New Tork) as to get through the
down-town streets of Portland. Not
a few, who run autos, drive rrght
ahead, regardless of others on the
street. You must take care of your
self. In the" night time the danger Is
on the outer roads. The occupants
of the Joy wagon rush from one road
house to another, getting drunk. But
then they are most likely, to kill each
other, which is not serious at all. Four
times out of five, in the city, in the
day time, when you must have all
your faculties alert to dodge and slip
through, the driver of the auto or its
occupants have no business at all.
They are Just "going it," and the toot
of the machine means "Get out of the
way; make room for the boss of the
road!" Now don't you worry; you just
get out of the way, be thankful you
are allowed to live, and. let it go at
that.
The late Oregon Legislature, we are
told with much unction, voted down
a proposition to hold "assemblies" in
cflnnection with open primaries. It
was and Is a subject with which the
Legislature could have nothing to do.
If the peoplo, or any portion of them,
wish to assemble and suggest candi
dates for nomination, who shall say
them nay? This is supposed to bo a
free country. Besides, Oregon's states
man, who has been elected Governor
and Senator, was nominated for eithor
office ty an "assembly" that was
but a petty clique. His party didn't
even deem a petition necessary. A
few bosses set up the pins.
The Oregonian never has believed
that Hill is behind the Porter Broth
ers, or that the Porter Brothers have
or can obtain resources to carry their
scheme through. There's a "big bluff"
on each side of the Deschutes Canyon,
but room for only one railroad there,
and business for only one. Balance of
probabilities as to relation of the two
parties to the problem, each observer
may figure out for himself. But a
railroad will be built there.
The purchase of an individual crop
of 4000 bushels of wheat at Baker
City this week, by flour mill people,
at 2 cents a bushel more than it would
bring in Portland, does not hurt the
market of the metropolis and is a
fine thing for the grower. The more
deals of this kind throughout the
state the greater will be Oregon's
prosperity.
Bourne "objects" to the appoint
ment of S. C. Beach as Census Super
visor for Oregon, on the ground that
Beach is "obnoxious" to him. Of
course. Every .man who has not a
record as a Populist or silver fanatic,
or political nondescript, is "obnox
ious" to Bourne.
Colonel Hofer, having secured rain,
Is still engaged in regulating the uni
verse. The Colonel Is a Councilman
of the Capital City and In wrestling
with the bicycle nuisance has pro
duced an ordinance that compels the
rider to dismount when approaching
a pedestrian.
Of course, the Democrats were
nearly solid against the . Payne bill.
But they got in it what they wanted
wherever they could; and generally
they could. Their negative votes were
thoughtfully placed where they would
do the least harni.
:
It Is suggested Theodore Roosevelt
be sent as Ambassador of the United
States to Mexico. Good idea; for Diaz
is growing old, and no successor ap
pears. The American Ambassador,
then, would be just the man to "run"
the country.
Mayor Simon has just discovered
the billboards. Some others have seen
tbjem. too. But is It possible that the
average citizen never sees them, or
what's on them, until some eagle-eyed
citizen calls his attention to them?
A Consular report says coalminers
In Wales reject Columbia River sal
mon and prefer the Fraser River arti
cle. It is Just possible somebody has
been palming off pink catfish on Taffy.
Now that things have quieted down
in Alfonso's realm, Portland may in
terest herself this week with doings
in the Deschutes Canyon and the
Vaughn-street baseball park.
Jack Johnson, pugilist, is locked up
in jail at London, Ontario, for exces
sive auto-speeding. Now watch the
would-be champions try to get at him.
About one in thirty-one will get
claims in the Government land lottery.
About one in ten of the "also rans"
can find something better in Oregon. .
One incident of the land hunger was
the influx of pennies in Northern
Idaho towns. The average Easterner
Is thrifty when away from home.
The 75-pound royal chinook caught
in the Columbia at Vancouver should
be kept on ice until President Taft
gets here. It is about his size.
President Taft will take occasion
while in Seattle to "run over" to Ta
cosna. This puts on Tacoma the of
ficial stamp as a tail-ender.
Have you noticed any reduction In
the price of your groceries and meats
and clothes and other things since the
tariff was revised?
Given a good road with a house at
the end in which to frivol, there is no
hope for the automaniac and no end
but the hospital.
Mr. Bryan will, of course, remain In
Nebraska. They don't need any more
Democrats in Texas.
"Not guilty" for smashing a receiver
Is a mighty bad precedent-
TWO CRIMES OF OUR CIVII.IZAXio:. C'HimE9 MJivnuuii i.niuu.i. " 1 m .- - -
One Mnaenllne, Alcohol; the Other
Feminine. Corsets.
Universaliat Leader.
One is masculine and the other femi
nine, according to a writing in Le Figaro.
Alcohol is the crime of man and the
corset the crime of the woman. In this
country we cannot draw the line so sharp-'
ly as he seems to be able to do in France,
for we are facing the serious problem of
drinking women, though so far as we
have known, no men, and only a few
dudes, have taken to wearing corsets.
However, accepting the division, we are
rather disposed to give heed to ' the re
marks of this French observer, as suffi
ciently applicable to this land of ours to
make Interesting reading. After an ap
peal to women on artistic grounds for
the preservation of the figure as the
Creator made it, he says:
"Some women say. 'It is impossible, for
me to walk without corsets'; but this
should be translated: "The deformity which
was imposed upon me from infancy is
now acquired definitely. I am not a nor
mal woman.' Just as the slave of alco
hol says. 'I am ill when ueprlved of my
beverage." A good half of the feminine be
ings tcattered over the globe walk with
out corsets. The compression of the waist
was suggested to women neither by the
desire to be more beautiful nor with a
view to comfort. It was a suggestion as
unforeseen, as stupid as the compression
of their feet by the Chinese women or the
dilation of the neck among the 'swells'
of Padang. Do you know, madame, what
is the height of fashion among the grand
ladies of Padang? At the age of six an
Irjn collar is fixed around the neck of the
young girl: each succeeding year another
collar is added, each being solidly rivet
ed; little by little the intervertebral
cartilages are distended," until in the
adult the neck becomes as long as the
face."
Then Mr. Prevost sums up the evils of
corset wearing, and the twin evil of alco
hol, and in answer to the question as to
what is to be done, gets after them in this
way: "Deal with them as with all plagues
with discretion, constraint and force,
and force here means the law. Already
laws for the regulation of the sale of
alcohol have been devised. But laws
against the corset will any one dare to
introduce such? In Bulgaria and Ru
mania girls are forbidden to wear corsets
in the state schools; in Germany a similar
prohibition exists for the female students
in the gymnasia; in Russia the girl pupils
of the lyceums and the high schols are
required "at entrance to discard "the
cuirass which they wear under the name
of corset" . . . but in France an ordi
nance of the council of health forbidding
the use of corsets during lessons in gym
nastics Is not executed, and, moreover, Is
not executable, for the very good reason
that 'the habiliments of the young ladies
do not admit of the discontinuance of the
corset.' "
But he hopes that when women are con
vinced that the compression of the waist
is more dangerous than the mutilation of
the feet, as in China, they will call for
a law to wipe out the feminine plague.
And It Is to be hoped also that the twin
evil of the men, alcohol, may long fcinco
have been banished.
the: protectiomst view. -
With Presentation of a Number of
Things to Be Thought On.
New York Evening Mall.
The country has accepted the protec
tionist principle mere completely than at
any previous period of our National history-
No headway has been made by
those who have sporadically attempted to
revive the old free-trade or tarift-'for-revenue-only
feeling. It was made suffi
ciently clear at the extra session that the
South has become at heart protectionist.
Senator Daniels of Virginia openly re
pudiated the platform of his party, and
instead of being punished has been re
warded by a unanimous renomlriation. On
critical rollcalls more than half of the
Southern Senators voted for higher duties,
and there is no evidence that their con
duct is unsatisfactory to their constitu
ents. With free-tradeism languishing in
the North and. protection sentiment grow
ing in the South protectionism seems un
assailable. It is true that in certain states
of the Mississippi Valley there is an ap
parent drift toward lowering the tariff,
but with.the East, the South, the Mountain
states, and the Pacific Coast against them
It Is difficult to see how their propaganda,
even if persisted in, can make much pro
gresst It is clear that the tariff problem Is no
longer the principal political preoccupa
tion of the American people. There is
an unusual amount of indifference as to
whether duties are to be high or low.
The campaigners on both sides discovered
this during this Summer's agitation. No
excitement could be worked up by either
side. Business men and manufacturers
refused to become excited when told that
they were about to be ruined; consumers
remained calm when it was advertised to
them that if they did not vigorously pro
test they would be robbed. This quies
cence is largely traceable to the fact that
attention is now concentrated on ques
tions which but indirectly involve the
tariff on social problems having to do
more with the-' equitable distribution of
wealth than the conditions of Its produc
tion. A hundred heads are puzzling over
what is to be done with respect to the
corporations and the combinations to one
devoting itself to- pondering over customs
duties. The American people "are so con
stituted that they can' think of but one
thing at a time, and the rise of the new
issue has displaced the old.
MANY USELESS' FRENCH WAR SHIPS
$5,000,000 Will Be Saved by Strlkinr
Off 150 Unsenworthy Hulk.
New Tork Times. :, '
The superior council of the marine
has proposed striking at least 150 ves
sels off the list of the French navy,
which cost the government nearly
$5,000,000 annually. (Of the 18 first
class battleships, so classified at the
beginning ot 1907, only seven possess
anything like their full fighting effi
ciency. Those of the Bouvet and St.
Louis class and the- Brennus, 20 years
old. are counted "only to make up the
number." '.
The second-class vessels may be said
to exist only on paper, for five of the
nine In the navy list are devoted to
the purposes of barracks and schools,
and as such entail a heavy expenditure,
for upkeep. Other "paper" vessels are
seven armored cruisers "of the first
class," of the Gueydon and Glorie types,
which are insufficiently armed, while
all the ships of the duplex type are out
of date. Among the second-class cruis
ers only five out of the 27 are worthy
to be retained in the service as school
ships. ' .
All the boats classed as coast guard
are not worth their upkeep. Among the
torpedo destroyers only 12 satisfy mod
ern requirements, and 35 out of 201
torpedoboats are ready for the scrap
heap. -
Not the Same Old Prosperity.
New York Post
Prosperity is coming, but It will not be
the old prosoerity. We refer not to Its
outward form or bulk or duration, but
to its spirit- The enlarged business which
is before us. the new displays of energy,
the further growth and achievements of,
capital fruitfully employed in corpora
tions and otherwise, will be marked by
other methods. We shall not easily crop
back into the old style of conducting the
great business of the country. It Is
necessary and timely to dwell upon this,
because many have been persuading them
selves that the excitements, the reforms,
the painful inches of progress gained in
the last few years, were all to go for
nothing and that we should setle back
with swinish complacency . into the mire
where we formerly wallowed.
One Appreciative Reader Takes Issue
With The Oregonian and Dr. Eliot.
GOLDENDALE, Wash., Aug. 6. (To the
Editor.)-Permit me to take exception to
the cartoon in soday's Oregonian, repre
senting the 'Bank Book the One Best
Book." As a random stroke of wit. It is
all right, but the readers of The Orego
nlon take It too seriously, for this to pass
without some notation. They look to The
Oregonian for philosophy and religion, as
well as news an .politics, hence It be
hooves you to treat in not too wanton
manner the grave subjects you dispose
of by cartoon and editorial. Allow me
to add gratuitously that, although not al
ways is it the reflection of the 'naked
truth" which you conjure up from tne
bottom of the well, yet I know of no in
stitution taken by and large in the local
ity to which it belongs more deserving
this high reputation than The Oregonian.
I am mvself something of a materialist
and a "practical man.", yet I know (and
I hope that you agree with me, and that
this cartoon is something of an inadver
tence) that there is all too much skepti
cism already of all values outside the
grossly material ones represented by the
bank book. Money can buy everything
necessary to life, and to make that life
illustrious, except personal qualities.
These it cannot buy. Oftener it Is a hin
drance to their acquirement. One gener
ation develops the qualities capable of
creating, if nothing better, wealth: the
next generation dissipates the wealth and
the personal qualities. Many a bank
book is put to the poor use of nourishing
in a vicious way a worthless life.
The point of your shaft would not be
so wicked, were it not for the compari
son raised by the words "it's the one best
book."
I know that the revulsion from too
much mental absorption and introspec
tion sometimes impels one impatiently to
fly from all books and Ideality. And
given the proper niche in personal action,
it is a wholesome impulse. Life is better
than books In the abstract. Yet In the
concrete, how unsatisfactory to most of
us is life, and unconsecrated by any ideas
outside the bankbook, to all. So we fly
again to ideals and search for them In
hooks. And to-man. eenerically speaking.
there must be a better book than either
vonr cartoonist or Dr. Eliot has of
fered us.
The good doctor, I must say, appears
to me an Incorrigible pedant, me dooks
h mentions I have already forgoten, ex
cept "Walton's Compleat Angler," but I
retain the Impression that they were
"cissy" and "granny" books. The doctor
appears to be a faddist seeking novel
rather than valuable impressions.
One does not have to be a highly cul
tured man, either in ethics or literature,
to know that the marvelous elucidation
of the human soul given us by Shakes
peare, nor the all but Infinite foundations
for the development or a science oi moral
ity contained in the concepts of Jesus,
have not yet been surpassed so whatever
the five-foot shelf contains, these must
be there, however well they may have
been "already read." In these are best
expressed those axioms, which must ap
pear In the foundation of the integral
structure "of all culture.
Man's best book will teach him the
knowledge that makes him paramount to
life, using it as a creator rather than a
slave. If not "Captain of his Fate," at
least captain, of his life within sufficient
limits, his life belongs to Him. He Is
a freo agent; and without some better
book, the bank book is only a beggar's
letter of credit, the cheap and wheedling
instrument of cheap and sordid lives.
"What does It profit a man if. he gain the
whole world and lose his own soul?"
B. F. MAT80N.
SITE FOR THE NEW CITY JAIL.
Economy and Common , Sense Point to
Fourth and Jefferson Streets.
PORTLAND, Aug. 5. (To the Editor.)
For the past three weeks several articles
have appeared at different times In the
dally papers as to the best location for
the new City Jail. Naturally, those who
have sincerely at heart the best Interests
of the city are decidedly opposed to the
location at Park and Everett streets a
quarter of the city which appeals to the
citizens of Portland in the way that it
should certainly be protected from an un
necessary invasion of this kind set aside,
as It Is, and maintained by the city as a
small park, a recreation spot and play
ground for our young people. Looking at
the matter In this light, and entirely dis
interested, what motive could possibly
prompt the committee In selecting this lo
cation, and trying to foist It upon' the
Council, directly against the best interests
of the City of Portland, its citizens and
those directly concerned? The city and
county, in a business way, are Identical.
By grouping the civic buildings near to
gether, better results are obtained, not
only In time saved to those who have
business with the different civic depart
ments, but in economy a great saving
to the city treasury.
A very desirable quarter block, diag
onally across from the City Hall, situ
ated on the southeast corner of Fourth
and Jefferson streets a logical and ideal
location was- tendered by the owners
some three weeks ago to Mayor Simon
for $46,000. This is a reasonable and clean
proposition, and at that time appealed to
the Mayor. As stated through the col
umns of the press, he trusted the site
would be accepted and passed on favor
ably by the Council, as the location in
every way appealed to his idea of the best
interests of the city, and would certainly
meet with hfs support.
This site Is still available no change In
price or conditions, and I think I am safe
in saying there is no change in the May
or's views, although the many articles
that have appeared to the contrary in the
evening papers have made It appear that
he Is strongly In favor of the location at
Park and Everett. He Is simply deferring
to the wishes of the committee, who had
selected this site, through his natural
courtesy,' not wishing to force his choice
upon them, although feeling that. In the
interests of the city, the location in every
way would be far better at Fourth and
Jefferson streets. Mayor Simon's choice
needs no explanation or defense at my
hands, but, knowing the inside facts, it
is only simply Justice that others should
know them as well. TAXPAYER.
One on Uncle Joe.
Cincinnati Commercial Tribune.
On his trips to New York Uncle Joe
usually stops at the. Hotel Astor. Re
cently while In New York he took a
room at the1 Knickerbocker. After
walking up and down Broadway in the
glare of the white lights for an hour or
two the Speaker decided to retire and
walked into the Astor. When the clerk
asked him to register Uncle Joe noncha
lantly announced that he had already
registered. A search was made by those
behind the desks, but It was unavailing.
Firmly the clerk, who didn't happen to
recognize his distinguished visitor, even
after he had told him his name, in
formed Mr. Cannon that he was mis
takenthat he hadn't registered. Uncle
Joe can say things on occasion, and this
was an occasion. He indulged in some
very naughty language.
"Dean your hotel, I'll go to the
Knickerbocker," he said. "Gimme my
grip.".
The word Knickerbocker arrested his
thought and his free flow of languors.
Uncle Joe come to. Then he explained
to the clerk and wandered out Into the
night. .-
"Damried if I ain't getting old and for
getfuL.' he murmured as the turnstile
door swung behind him.
. ' In the City Office.
.i London .Opinion.
"Did you write this report on my lec
ture, ''The Curse of Whisky T "
"Yes. madam."
"Then kindly explain what you mean
by saying. "The lecturer was evidently
full of her subject? "
Career of Edward Hugh Martin Dis
cussed by Magaslne. Writer.
John Elfreth Watklns, In the current
number of the 8crap Book Magazine,
writing of lime-light victims who. once
past the zenith of their fame, could not
endure oblivion, refers to Edward Hugh
Martin, the ex-Army officer, who Is In
Jail In Portland, having been convicted
of manslaughter In connection with the
murder of Nathan Wolff, a pawnbroker.
His reference to Martin follows:
The limelight, like the X-ray. is too often
fatal to those suddenly exposed to Its full
glare. Those who survive it best have ap
proached it slowly. The careful mother
accustoms the eyes of her newly born babe
but gradually to the light of day; and
men who have been long Imprisoned under
ground must be blindfolded when first
brought into the sunlight, or darknesa will
be theirs forever.
So it Is with the too-often fatal flame of
fame. Its calcium glare must be turned
upon us gradually, or, like the moth, we
will pitch headlong Into its fire and singe
the wings upon which we have soared
gloriously above obscurity. It is not tho
fault of the victim when the limelight blinds
him and burns out his soul. He is as much
the prey of fickle fate as the victim of an
earthquake or tidal wave.
The limelight of the Spanish War also
had its victims, although some of Its more
famous ones were merely scorched and
managed to recover. But among those who
failed to survive was the brave Lieutenant
Ed. Martin, of the regulars.
Possesser of wealth and family, no went
to West Point, where h stood so high
among his fellows that when the war broke
out he was given his commission ahead of
time and sent to the front. Then came the
war extras, with graphic descriptions of his
magnificent bravery during the charge up.
Ban Juan Hill, when he bore two wounded
comrades to safety under the very guns of '
the Spaniards.
At the close of the war. as a special mark .
of recognition, he was transferred to that
much-coveted army-post. Fort Hamilton.
New York.
Millionaires deemed It an honor to wine
and dine him. He was showered with fa
vors, decorated with medals of heroism,
feted and toasted by society and officialdom,
from one end of the metropolis to the othr. .
Then, amid the plaudits of society, he be
came engaged to one of the wealthy belles
of tha fashionable world.
But this overmuch hero-worship turned his
head. He started In upon the Great White
Way at a pace which alarmed hJs friends,
and one day society was shocked to read
that he had married the notorious keeper
of a poolroom a woman known as "Gussie,
the Poolroom Queen."
A month later, army Inspectors found his
accounts overdrawn. Court-martialed and.
dismissed from the service and then divorced
by his wife, he took to morphine and went
to the penitentiary for forgery Free again,
he was arrested for burglary. Then he
married again, and his family sent him
West with money to start life anew. But.
a bank in which he deDosited his money
failed, and In a little over a year he turned
up In police annals again, charged with th
killing of a pawnbroker la Portland, Or.
A STUDY IN EXTRAVAGANCE.
But Portland's Debt, in Proportion, Is
Greater Than Some of These.
New York World.
The Wall Street Journal publishes
this table showing the increase of mu
nicipal debt in ten years in the 12 larg
est cities of the United States:
Net debt Jan. 1. Debt per cap.
Cities. 1903. 1899. 1908. 188S.
N. Y. ...J672.019.244 $344,230,435 156.S2 6S.T9
Chicago.. 24.844.400 15,104.636 8.73 7.74
Phil. ... 79.635.020 36,380,082 63.40 29.33
St. Louis 19,966,000 13.942,278 26.48 26.50
Boston .. 74.099.388 55,084.172 122.01 109.31
Bait. ... 22.E07.OtS 12,408.434 39.67 23.65
Clevel'd. 22,567,077 8,139,003 42.98 20.34
San I'r.. 3,787,725 68.106 9.40 5.19
Cincin... 29,242,667 25.169,532 fS.81 65.3.'
Buffalo.. 13.268.&3 11,286,397 33.14 29.70
Pittsburg 12.11S.9CT 9,172,966 80.39 30.57
New Or.. 26,126,600 14,009,137 74.64 60.94 .
New York's debt Is not only greater
In proportion to Its population and its
taxable wealth than that of any other
city in the list, but in ten years its,
debt has grown three times faster pro
portionately than that of any other
city. In spite of a more liberal reckon
ing of net debt under the rule exclud
ing wnter bonds.
Chicago's low debt is due to consti- -tutlonal
restriction and to Its low ratio
of assessment. It was because of these
restrictions that the city, instead of
buying and operating its streetcars,
made its recent arrangement with a
private holding corporation.
Grave concern Is expressed in Eng
land because of a similar expansion of
city debt, resulting usually from taking
over streetcars, gas and electric light
works and other utilities, the wisdom
of which policy Is still a matter of
dispute. Only' to a small extent have
the American cities even this excuse of
increasing debt. Their vast bond Issues
are a source of legitimate concern;
especially do those of the metropolis
Justify the Journal's charge of "sheer
reckless extravagance."
REINCARNATION.
The Doctrine Put to "Live" Use by a
Recent Writer.
New York Evening Post
The doctrine of reincarnation is put
to some really live use as they
would say in Chicago, by a writer in
the Red Book Magazine. By aid of
a crystal and a few hypnotic passes
ho discovers the ancient embodiments
ofthree prominent men of our own
day. Mr. Roosevelt, '2000 years ago,
conquered Gaul, defeated Pompey, and
was slain by Brutus after producing
a number of historical works In a
style remarkable for vigor and terse
ness. William J. Bryan about 100
years before Caesar led the Roman
common people against the money
power. He was Tiberiusi Gracchus,
and he had against, him a really
clever touch "the party of the Opti
mists, the great party of. Everything- .
Is-All-Right-As-It-Is." "We will
stand pat," was their battle cry. And
John D. Rockefeller was Midas, of
course. "Golf was not Invented thin."
The first parallel Is really startling:
"At 31 Caesar was appointed a col
lector of customs; at the same age
his reincarnation became civil service
commissioner. At the age of 40 Caesar
was still a mere tyro. At 40 Roose
velt was still untried. In that year
of his age Caesar went before the
people as a candidate for Tontifex
Maximus of Rome and Roosevelt ran
for Governor of New York. Both were
triumphantly elected, and both were,
as the historian remarks of the first,
hotly opposed by certain Senators and
others of the most eminent men of
the state. Three years went by and
Caesar was chosen pro-consul of the
Roman Republic; Roosevelt, in the
same year of his age, became Presi
dent of the United States. And from
the start, in both these incarnations,
the strenuous soul was engaged in tre
mendous rows with the Senate."
An Important Discovery.
Philadelphia Press.
"Senators. Representatives and others"
at Washington seem to be discovering
that a man may weigh 300 pounds, havd
a broad, good-natured smile and be a
good mixer, and yet have a will of his
own, which stays set against any odds.
Shortngc of White Paper.
New York Herald.
Consensus of opinion of the committee
of the Actors' Society formed to read
plays is that Bix out of 250 are worth
trying out. It is now clear why there is
a shortage of. white paper.
Should Have Stuck to Prayer.'
Corvallis Gazette.
Ib that foLinel Hofer is
better at prayer than argumentation. He '
prayed for rain ano a lew crops ten. uui
he argued for the purchase of Fairmount
Park (Saiem ana tne voimu m t special
election Monday turned him down.
n