Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937, August 21, 1909, Image 8

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Morning Oregonian., August 21, 1909, Page 8, Image 8

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Newspaper Page TextTIIE MORXIXG OREGONIAN, SATURDAY, AUGUST 21, 1909. 8 PORTLASTD. OREGON. Entered' at Portland. Oregon. Postofflcs a Fecond-i Itu Matter. : Subscription bates Invariably to AdTim (Br Mall.) Hally. Sunday Included, one year. .$8-00 Jjzt t. Sunday Included, six months...... 4 23 Iailjr. Sunday Included, three months... 2 5 Laily. Sunday Included, one monta...... ."3 Iaily. without Sunday, one year........ 6 00 Tai lv wit hou Sundnv. 1 months..... 8 29 Pally, without Sunday, three month.... 1.75 Ially. without Sunday, one month. ..... .00 Weekly, one year 15 Sunday, one year 2 60 Sunday and weekly, one year 8.60 (By Carrier.) rlly. Sunday Included, one year 9.00 Ia!ly. Sunday Included, one month 76 How to Ramlt Send postofflce money order, express order or personal check on jour local bank. Stampa coin or currency are at the sender's risk. Give postofflce ad dress In full. Including: county and state. Tostace Bates 10 to 14 pases. 1 cent: 18 to 21 psges. 2 cents; so to u page, o cents; 44 to GO pases. 4 centa. Foreign postage double rates. Eastern Bostneas Office The 8 C. Beck wlrh Special Agency New York, rooms 49 Bo Tribune building. Chicago, gooms 510-512 Tribune building. PORTLAN'D. SATURDAY. Al'GUST tl. 1909. IS PARTY WORTH WHILE? The San Francisco Bulletin, apostle f reform. Is deeply chagrined at the outcome of the recent direct primary election. "The general result," it de clares, "is a victory for the special in terests, and disappointing to enlight ened citizens. On the Republican Bide, especially. It has selected the most unfit. . . . The interests be hind Fickert (for District Attorney) conducted one of the best organized and costliest campaigns ever made In San Francisco for a candidate. They must have spent J20.000 to $30,000 to secure yesterday's Pyrrhic vic tory for a man on whom they rely to : discontinue the graft prosecutions." The great bitterness of soul from ' -w hich the Bulletin suffers may be un derstood when it Is said that It has long been the special champion of the graft prosecutions, and it Interprets the success of Fickert over Heney for the Republican nomination as a direct command that there be a change of policy. The San Francisco Chronicle, which has a somewhat more moder ate liking for Mr. Heey than the Bulletin, has the same opinion of the primary's meaning so significantly and carefully expressed that an arti cle on the election from the Chronicle Is reprinted elsewhere. It may be taken for granted that the Chronicle correctly Interprets San Francisco's present frame of mind. But. to the observer of primary laws and their operation, there were striking phases of Tuesday's election aside from the issue over the graft prosecution that deserve attention. Three important parties were In the field the Republican, Democratic and Vnion Labor; but there seems to have been and was the greatest possible confusion among the several parties, and the least possible effort to restrict the voter to the ticket of his party. Democrats voted freely for Republi can candidates. Republicans for Dem ocratic. The bars were let down everywhere; Inquiry as to rarty affil iations was perfunctory, and partisan requirements were only nominally en forced. Tet the spectacle of the elec tor going where he pleased and voting for whom he pleased at a party pri mary was not the most conspicuous feature of the helter-skelter way of conducting the election; the candi dates themselves had only the slightest regard for party obligation. We find, for example, that Charles M. Fickert sought the nomination for District At torney on all three tickets. So did Mr. Heney. Mr. Fickert emerged from the general scramble with the nominations of the Republican and Union Labor parties In his hands; Mr. Heney with the Democratic. Is Mr. Fickert a Republican or a Democrat? Is Mr. Heney a Democrat or a Republican? If Mr. Fickert is a Republican, and not a Democrat, what business had he to contest for the Democratic nomination at a party pri mary? If Mr. Heney Is a Democrat, and not a Republican, why should he be permitted to strive for the Repub lican nomination? Does Mr. Fickert's nomination by Republicans make him a Republican? Does Mr. Heney's nom ination by the Democrats make him a Democrat? If it does, then, of course, neither knew his own politics till the polls were closed and the votes count ed, for Fickert might have got the Democratic nomination only, and therefore have been officially classi fied as a Democrat, and Heney the Republican nomination, and thus in this easy way have found himself to be a Republican. All this emphasizes the disastrous Juggle by the primary with party and party names. How can party be main tained if the methods followed in Cali fornia. In Oregon, everywhere, shall be followed? How can party organ ization be supported or made effective if the immoral practice of permitting one man to run for three nominations, with the expectation of accepting whichever one he gets, or all of them, and of permitting the voter to enter indiscriminately whatever party booth he may happen at the time to fancy, shall be fol lowed? Is It worth while to have party? Is it worth while to strive for" anything In government through party? If it la not, let us abandon the humbug and pretense In the Oregon primary law that "political parties are useful and necessary." and that the "purpose of this law Is better to se cure and preserve the rights of polit ical parties and voluntary political organizations and of their members and candidates." MUST WATT FOB CONGRESS. What is the real settler or the in tending settler going to do about lands In districts that have 'been withdrawn by the Department of the Interior? They must wait for further action by Congress. Secretary Ballinger will not back down; he will enforce the letter of the law. In this he has the support of President Taft. It Is significant that his policy is approved by a num ber of highly influential Eastern Jour nals, quoted In The Oregonlan of . yes terday. As to water-power sites on the lands in question, the Interior Department lacks specific information. The New York Bvenlng Post of August 12 has the following from Its Washington correspondent: No restorations of withdrawals made un der Secretary Oarfleld's administration have taken place since Secretary Ballinger as sumed office, except some blanket with drawals made through the Reclamation Se-Tlce, amounting to some four or Ore hun dred thousand acres, with the design of se curing legislation at the last session of Cci gress respecting water-power sites. It icas found, upon Investigation, that the Rec lamation Service bad no data, npoa which to sustain these withdrawal or Intelligently to present the question to Congress. The act of Congress of March 4. 1907. pro hibits the Inclualon of any additional area In forest reserves In certain states, and there have been withdrawn aa administra tive sites In these states outside of forest reservea an area of 11.140 acrea No ac tion in connection with these withdrawals Is Intended to be taken by the Interior De partment except to report the same to Con gress with a view to eliciting such legtsla- tion aa will permit the department either to confirm the withdrawals or make restora tions In cases where the forestry Interests will not be placed at a disadvantage, as, according to the view of the department, they exist as withdrawals without any force in law. It would seem that Secretary Ballin ger Intends to wait, first for exact In formation from engineers of the re clamation service, and then for future legislation. In an interview at Helena, Thursday, he said: I realize there are some things In the law governing the disposition of public lands which ought to be modified, and aa soon aa .1 shall have opportunity I shall sug gest In a report to Congress such changea aa appear to me to be necessary. In the meantime the established policy of the In terior Department will continue. It will be shown, when the facts are made known, that, despite the claims of the restoration of power sites during this Administration, actually more sites have been withdrawn during this Administration than under the former one. and that none withdrawn under the former Administration have been "grabbed." In his recent utterances Mr. PInchot evidently allowed his zeal to get the better of his Judgment. Just now he has hold of the hot end of the poker. ONE DAY'S FKJGHTKl L, RECORD. Death's harvest through the agency of the automobile, as chronicled In The Oregonian of yesterday, was frightful. Let this record serve to teach Portland owners and drivers the necessity of using ordinary cau tion in the matter of speed and of slowing down to a "walk" at turns where the view Is obstructed in any way. On the fatalities of the racing course at Indianapolis, it is needless to com ment. When cars are tearing over the ground at a mile a minute, they court death. A little rut that would be negligible at sane speed is not less dangerous than a broken rail to the Shasta Limited. Competition ' among automobile manufacturers lures men some of them brave, some merely reckless for big pay, to suicide. Driving his own car, accompanied by his wife and babe, a valued citizen of San Jose, Cal., lost his own life and theirs because he did not stop and look to see that the way was clear as he approached at a right angle the track of an electric railroad. There was a collision. Neither motor car nor railway coach, according to the report, was moving faster than ordi narily. The men at the throttle false ly assumed that an ever-dangerous situation was a safe situation. Delay of thirty seconds by the auto car would have prevented the tragedy. Most of the time we do things, ra tionally In Portland. We are con scious of the danger that attaches to rapid riding In any form. New motor cars are put into service daily; street traffic Is growing larger rapidly; lia bility to accident increases. The Ore gonlan again urges all owners and chauffeurs not to put life and limb In Jeopardy. "When you don t see your way clear, slow down. ON THE INCARNATION. An Arifrnrinl which The Oregonlan printed the other day touching upon tho Biihiect nf the Incarnation has elicited an interesting letter from a man named Davison. Since he writes nn nnner bparlns a hotel advertise ment, It Is natural to infer that Mr. Davison is a sojourner in Portland. Doubtless he comes from some Inland village where religious scholarship is as yet somewhat belated, for his let ter contains many traces of that rude and unlettered credulity which Is Still common In remote hamlets, though It has almost vanished rrom cities, in AaaA tho Intelligent treatment of the Incarnation problem which Mr. Davi son might have, heard rrom almost any Portland pulpit would probably have scandalized him. We must re member that faith in the old heathen rniHs lingered In secluded villages long after Christianity had been accepted In Rome and Alexandria. In the same way, the rude concepts of Chris tianity which cultivated people have outgrown are still cherished In coun try villages as if they were sacred revelations instead of ignorant Diun Iaihi f r Davison. for examDle. takes Noah and the ark literally, be- leves In "messages from neaven, ana ites Enoch as authority upon the ori gin of our concept of the Almighty. Enoch. Mr. Davison seems to believe, was the seventh man in direct descent from Adam. Do not these facts give one a picture of his mind? And is not the picture weird and wonderful? Should nnvbodv find it difficult to gauge the caliber of his intelligence. perhaps this little excerpt irom nis letter will helD: "In your editorial you refer to the new religion of Dr. Charles W. Eliot. Please put me down as one who scorns the puerile nonsense of this 'gifted' man." Was it not Dogberry who was eager to De cvi-itten down an ass? Surely Mr. Davison was born an age too late. Undoubtedly his letter 19 most in teresting as a human document. Psy xhnimrifit.o set a. his-h value on cases like his where a man has been strand ed on the rock of some untenable superstition while the current of in telligent thought has flowed on and loft him Th beauty of it Is that such men usually think they are the only sane and truly pious persons in the world. Just as a drunkard is apt to fancy he is particularly sooer iana vmhnilv olaa tlrvsv. Mr. Davison clearly supposes himself to be an espe cial favorite or the iora; it wouia De hard to guess why, unless It Is be cause he Is so resolutely ignorant. Many people really believe that the Lord has a predilection for dense ig norance and expect to win their way to heaven by avoiding all intelligent Information about such subjects as the Bible, the life of Jesus and the doctrines which Jesus really taught. Knowledge about these matters, they say, would undermine their faith. The fact is that they have no real faith at all, but only a blind credulity. What a pretty compliment men like Mr. Davison pay the Creator? But Mr. Davison's letter Is interest ing for another reason besides Its ex hibition of unintelligent credulity. He says In two or three places that he Is expecting the second coming of Christ to happen before long. He "believes in the incarnated Christ, and also in his speedy coming to Judge the world." Again, he believes "he is coming to destroy his enemies and all those whose only claim Is that they have done good works." It Is easy enough to see who the "enemies" are whom this meek Christian thinks the Savior Is coming to destroy. They are those who are so wicked as to differ from him on questions of theology. Perhaps he does not mean to be malignant, but if he would confess the truth he would have to own to a fiendish relish in the prospect of everybody going to hell who does not agree with him. But as to the second coming of Christ: How does Mr. Davison know it is to be "speedy"? The first follow ers of Jesus looked for his return to Judge the world within their own life times. Undoubtedly this expectation sustained them through the terrible hardships they had to endure, but they were disappointed. He did not come. Does Mr. Davison think he knows more about It than the men did who actually lived and talked with Jesus? If they could blunder In regard to the second coming, how can he be so cer tain he has not blundered? Has he forgotten how many, many times the second coming has been foretold by persons far better Informed and more Intelligent than himself, and how every prediction has failed? But It Is characteristic of the unlettered credu lity which conceitedly calls Itself faith to claim that It possesses knowledge which has been denied .to everybody else. The less a man knows about re ligion the more he is apt to boast of knowing. If you ask him how he found it all out, he' will say the Lord told him. He forgets that the chances are ten to one it was not the Lord. SHORT ROCTB TO ROCKIES. The Northern Pacific has com menced construction work on the Mis soula cut-oft between Missoula, Mont., and Kooskla, Idaho. At the latter point connection will be made with the Northern Pacific's Clearwater branch for Lewiston. This, with the recently acquired Snake River line be tween Riparla and Pasco, and a joint ownership agreement' with Harriman for the line between Riparia and Lewiston, will give the Hill line a shorter route and easier grades to the East than are enjoyed by any of the northern lines. The fierce rivalry now existing between the two great systems quite naturally suggests the thought that extreme difficulty will be found in making that short stretch of single track between Riparla and Lewiston handle a service that will be satisfac tory to both of the contending rail road companies. The new route, be ing a low-grade, short-mileage route, will no doubt attract much business to the Hill line. The Harriman interest in the Ri-paria-Lewiston line has up to the pres ent time been of a local nature, and, even with participation in the Clear water grain traffic, the Harriman traffic over the line will be small in compari son with that which will be handled by the Northern Pacific using the line as part of its through route. To the average layman it would seem that the problem of. operating this short link between Lewiston and Riparla to the mutual satisfaction of both of the contending parties would require a higher degree of diplomacy and finesse than could well be expected in such ardent warriors as the employes of the respective systems have proved to be. It Is not at all Improbable that the solution .of this problem will be con struction of a new line by the North ern Pacific down the south bank of Snake River. This would givethe Hill road full control over the shortest and best-located route between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Coast, inde pendent of any alliances with the com pany which has proved such an ag gressive competitor. As a local prop osition the south bank road would hardly pick up much business that would originate along the route, but aa a portion of the Hill water-level route from Portland to the Rocky Mountain it would be of the highest Importance. KILLING PHTAIPTTN-E TRADE. The Treasury Department has held that the low rates named In the Phil ippine tariff bill apply only upon direct shlnmenta between the Islands and the United States. No transfer of ship ments at Chinese, Japanese and other Asiatic ports to other vessels Will be permitted under the new schedule. Looking at past Philippine policies, this ruling is what might have been expected. The policy of our Govern ment in persistently placing every kind of a barrier in the way of Philippine trade is so well known and under stood that It seemed inconceivable that we were to be permitted to enjoy the unrestricted trade witn me .rniuppines i which hoth the islands and the United States are entitled. A Wash ington dispatch conveying the news or the Treasury Department ruling In fnrms us that "the decision is far- reaching, and those in a position to know declare tnat tne new ruling win result in establishment of direct steamship connection between this country and the Philippines, as in no other way can shippers get the benefit of the new rates." rn this noint the wish may have been father of the thought, for there has for ven.rs been a steady and per sistent effort on the part of a few shipowners -to eliminate all competi tion In the carrying trade Detween mo PhiitnninaA n nn this pountrv. The new tariff bill opened up great possibilities for increased traae witn our isiana ue- nendencies. and the Treasury Depart ment T-ulins-. If It shall be upheld, will nullify about all of the advantages which we nave gainea uirougn tavor able legislation. At the present time there are scores of small vessels trad ing hotween the PhlliDDines and the adjacent Chinese ports. These vessels gather up small consignments of freight on the islands and discharge It at the nearest ports wnere tne regular over-sea liners can pick It up to ad vantage. By this method the Philip pine shipper and his foreign customer are enabled to ship with a frequency on4 a 1Unatph that would be imDOSSi- ble unless there was a dally steamer plying between the lsianas ana xne United States. Tinker the new ruling, the only method by which the tariff advantages can be secured Is to ship In a direct ctoamor thus fnrcine a service that will be both infrequent and expensive. This, of course, will work a hardship on the American purcnaser ana tne DhUtnnlna nrftflllCPr both Of Whom A mil j.'i." r , are Interested in widening the mar ket for Philippine products in this rnnnirv. Tt will also tend to make It very much easier and more satisfac tory for the Filipinos to handle, witn other countries, all of their business thot can he thrown that way. It Is a matter of the utmost indifference to the European importer wnetner nis consignments of Philippine products make part of the voyage in a Chinese Junk and the remainder In any old tramp steamer that comes along, or whether thev are shipped direct from the islands in a British steamer. Thus, being less particular ana less desirous of fostering a shipping trust, the foreigner Is a preferred customer and gets much better freight rates than his American competitor, who, as a preliminary to encouraging trade, arranged to have the means of trans portation so limited that the service can hardly fail to cost twice as much as it costs the foreigner. Congress re cently appropriated $100,000 to be used in Investigating foreign trade con ditions and discovering means by which our foreign trade could be In creased. So long as the Government Insists on throttling the over-sea trade that is vainly endeavoring to come to us, the necessity for spending money to secure trade that apparently does not want to come here is not clear. M. D. Wisdom, who died In this city Thursday, was one of those very use ful citizens who have a specialty, sometimes miscalled a hobby. "Mike" Wisdom knew more about the live stock industry In all of Its branches than any man in the state, and his un tiring efforts in promoting the Indus try, Improving the breeds and widen ing the field, played no Inconsiderable part in adding millions to the tangible wealth of Oregon. As a horseman who believed in horse racing for the sport it afforded and for its value In encour aging the breeding industry, and wha was ever -opposed to making a gam bling tool out of the noblest of the brute creation, Mr. Wisdom leaves an enviable record. There is much truth In the old saw about all kinds of men being needed to make up a world, and M. D. Wisdom was certainly one of the kind that was needed In his spe cial line. Aside from his prominence in livestock circles, Mr. Wisdom was well known In political life and took a prominent part in any movement for the general good of the public. He will be missed. One of the simplest and most health ful of outdoor recreations is swim ming. In a land where water is as plentiful as It Is In Oregon there should be more of an effort on the part of parents to instruct their children In the simple art. Every year there is a long list of drowning accidents In the city and state, and, in a very large per centage of the cases loss of life would not have occurred had the victim known how to swim. The report of Superintendent Longfellow, of the United States Volunteer Lifesaving Service, for the month of June shows an awful total of 1126 lives lost in drowning accidents, while in May there were 621 fatalities from the same cause. Some of these accidents may have been unavoidable, but, as most of the victims were children, inability to swim or keep afloat in the water was responsible for most of the tragedies. "The stock market," says a New York dispatch, "will be surprised next week to find that It has been misled by foreign cables regarding the condi tion of Mr. Harriman's health." No doubt; but all this leaves us in painful uncertainty as to whether he is siok or well. However, there Is not the slight est question about the stock market's being misled. The big Cunarder Mauretanla has taken another record away from her sister. ship, the Lusitania, by reducing the "short-course" time across the At lantic to i days, 14 hours and 38 min utes. This ought to satisfy the hur ried passengers who waited a week In Liverpool and London in order to get across the ocean on a fast steamship. Naturally, there was great Joy In France when two aeroplanes ap proaching each other at a high rate of speed failed to collide, one grace fully flying over the other. The at mosphere will soon be crowded with machines, though It Is not danger of collisions up above that will keep most of us on terra firma. A midnight automobile ride has yielded five more victims In Seattle. When the theater Is over and supper at a high-priced Seattle restaurant is drunk and eaten, next thing is a joy ride over the tideflata. The Seattle authorities ought to equip their auto mobiles with life preservers. President Taft will be in Portland all day Sunday, October 3, and it has been arranged by the local committee that he shall be let alone. But possi bly Senator Bourne may have plans for that day. The Senator should be left free, of course, to escort the Pres ident to church. . Lawyer Israel Is rapidly convincing the public that his client. Schively, has much to conceal. Israel Is an acute criminal lawyer of much reputation. Is there any significance In Schively's hiring that kind? "Five years from now," says the rv.ioa Trihnne. "Chicago will be come the greatest Summer resort in America." What will have become of all the rest? Earthquake, flood, fam ine or fire? It was not all geography, by any means, that made Dr. Kerr president nr ha oasnHRtlnn of agricultural col leges. The Corvallis school has a recognized standing for efficiency and results. Perhaps hazing as a college sport will never be abolished; still. Uncle Som hos established a precedent at wt Point that may make sopho mores elsewhere sit up and take notice. With all manner of people In the .. ... . . i, .1 1 1 Kot city, it is just as wen iu ucw.i.c on another man's game or drink with a newly-made acquaintance, no mat- ter now sucitiuie no mc., Automobiles are breaking things at Indianapolis. Yesterday it was the record; the day before, their necks. It is time for the other brakes. Tt was about time for Condon to come to the front with a murder in a saloon. Gilliam County is not dry enough yet. - Seattle has had 2,000,000 admissions to the A.-Y.-P. Fair, ana expects 4.000,000. It's up to the 2,000,000 to go again. .iHdonnA thus far nroduoed. the muckrakers will have mighty hard work making 'copy out ui oiciaij Ballinger. Taken far and by, this hasn't been a very profitable season for burglars, thugs and safecrackers in Portland. Let It be made part of his epitaph that "Mike" Wisdom was an honest and square horseman. Tk. Tronic Theater bv anv other name may smell just as sweet. SAlf FRANCISCO SOBERS DOWN. One Interpretation of the Recent Stir ring: Primary Election. San Francisco Chronicle. The success of Mr. Crocker in be coming the Republican candidate for Mayor is very gratifying to all who have material interests in San Fran cisco and realize what is essential to the prosperity of the city. The contest in the Republican party over the head of the municipal ticket was but to a very small degree a question of men. Nobody disputed the Integrity of Mr. Crocker or Mr. Mauzy or doubted their ability to transact the business of the Mayor's office. The Crocker ticket has been understood as standing for a di version of the public mind from its quarrels with the public service cor porations and from the prosecution of the graft eases, and leaving all those matters to be disposed of by the proper authorities in a judicial spirit. In re gard to the graft cases the Mayor has little or no official duty, but he should be very Influential in settling the dis putes with tu6 public service corpora tions. And it is more Important, both to the corporations and the city, that these controversies should be settled than for either side to triumph over the other. -Mr. Mauzy, however, what ever his personal virtues, was support ed by all elements which desire to maintain the campaign of abuse of all who do not bow to Its will and to keep In the foreground as official' repre sentatives of the people men whose of ficial conduct will be 'guided by per sonal hatreds. It is necessary to speak plainly. The press of this city cannot properly with hold from its readers all knowledge of the way in which we are regarded by the outside world. Our people should know that San Francisco Is con sidered by those who have money to invest as a place so distracted by in ternal dissensions and so completely dominated by tumultuous passions as to be not only disagreeable for peace able men but positively unsafe as a place for Investment. Our vital prob lems are not the punishment of graft or triumph in our controversies with the public service corporations. The real thing which we are up against is the preservation of the commercial, financial and industrial supremacy of San Francisco on the Pacific Coast of America. And we shall not do that if we do not suppress our detestable per sonal hatreds, direct public attention to the problems of construction and pro gresslon. and leave the settlement of our public service controversies to rea sonable men elected for that purpose, and the prosecution of criminal cases to officials who will proceed in a reso lute but Judicial spirit. So long as we try criminal cases in the newspapers, put detectives on the trail of every man summoned for jury duty, and pil lory In the press every Juryman whose verdict is not In accord with the de mands of passion, San Francisco will be shunned. This city cannot prosper ex cept by an Influx of new capital, new brains and new enterprise. All those elements are going to the cities to the north and the south of us. They are not coming here. Not a dollar of new cepital is being Invested here except in the way of mortgage on our property. Whether there shall be a change will depend wholly on the civic atmosphere which we create. And that, in the opinion of the world, will depend main ly on the result of the primary and gen eral elections. ONE WAY TO BEAT REPUBLICANS In Omnha, Too, Democrats Switch Their Party Allegiance. Tacoma Ledger. An Interview In the Omaha Bee with Tom Flynn, Democratic city chairman and boss of the Omaha Democracy, Is an effective argument against the de mands of certain interests in Washing ton state who have not ceased to in sist that the primary law be so amended that -an elector can vote 8 "scratched" ticket at a nominating elec tion. The Democrats of Omaha and other parts of Nebraska evidently prej pared to support weak Republican can didates In order to turn in, after the nominations are made, and give them a drubbing. Tom Flynn frankly said this was the planl "It can readily be seen," said Flynn, "that It Is to the interest of the Demo crats to help nominate weak Repub lican candidates. The weaker the Re publican candidate the stronger will be our chances of winning -out. Under the open primary a registered Demo crat can vote for Republicans and the Republicans will not have the say about their candidates if we want to take a hand in the nominating business our selves." This Is as bold an admission of po litical trickery as Is to be found any where. Flynn further said that the Democrats would jump over to the Re publican side only in cases where the Republicans had a contest. The Demo crats carefully arranged matters be forehand so that there were few con tests for nominations. This left them free, under the open primary, which we hear advocated by some of the "re formers" in Washington state to pick out weak Republican candidates. This is Just what was done in Oregon by the Democrats, under a somewhat different plan. In Oregon the Demo crats fraudulently registered as Repub licans in order to have a weak Repub lican put forward in the contest with Chamberlain, who was the only Demo cratic candidate. After the Democrats had beaten Fulton out of the Repub lican nomination, it was easy sailing for Chamberlain. That fellow Flynn, Democratic boss of Omaha, came right out'and admitted the Democratic intention to nominate weak Republican candidates. It's not against the law evidently In Nebraska. The open primary or blanket ballot in vites Just such trickery, and yet It is seriously put forward as a "reform." Serom Cures Case of Tetanus. Boston Dispatch to N. Y. Tribune. A notable triumph resulted from the use of anti-tetanus serum in the case of John Butler, 29 years old, who was discharged a few days ago from the Massachusetts General Hospital, and is now at his home in North Ablngton in perfect health. While at work in the latter part of June Butler stepped on a rusty nail, which penetrated his foot, and he was sent to the Massachustts General Hos pital suffering from tetanus. The hospital physicians lost no time in administering the serum, which was injected in both legs, from the knees to the hiDS. several times, day. The treatment was continued for three weeks, with the patient much of the time unconscious. At the end of that period Butler was restored to con sciousness and felt no ill effects. AS TO CHRIST'S SECOND COMING Orthodox View Presented as a Warning to Present Day Scoffers. PORTLAND, Aug. 17. (To the Editor.) In an editorial in last Sunday's Ore gonian entitled "A New Incarnation." you tell us of Mrs. Annie Besant's an nouncement that Christ will soon re appear. By way of comment you say "she certainly knows as much about the future as anybody. How shall we under stand her phrase? In common with many Ill-informed persons this gifted woman takes it for granted evidently that the churchly figure called Christ once ac tually walked the earth in human form. No error could be greater or more easily demonstrated. The Christ of the churches never did live, or could have lived. He is almost purely a figment of the ecclesiastical imagination and con tains scarcely any traits of the real Je sus, the wandering philosopher, the social reformer, the son of man. . . . The only incarnation he ever had Is in the church Itself, which in one sense supplies a body for this spiritual concept." You say further, "The older concept of the deity was borrowed from the royal state of the Assyrian and Baby Ionian monarchs. Their most conspicuous quality was vanity which their subjects had to gratify with Incessant praise." Your editorial is very interesting reading, but contains so much of romance and er roneous teaching that one wonders at the erudite editor being so far astray from the known facts of history. You affirm that "The older concept of the deity was borrowed from Oriental monarchs," men who were vain and re quired constant praise. This, sir. Is not only erroneous, but blasphemous. In your zeal for liberty of thought you "rush where angels fear to tread." A boll in a china shop Is sadly out of place. There are some things too sacred for profane hands to handle. That concept is modern, sir. In comparison with the actual facts. The older concept was anti diluvlan and was voiced by Enoch, the seventh from Adam in language like this: "Behold the Lord cometh." Mrs. BeBanfs announcement may be based upon such authority as this and it acquires import ance in proportion to the amount of pro phetic authority that goes with it. You say she knows as much about the future as anybody. Perhaps she does. She might know and so might others know if they would acquaint themselves with the truths of revelation. The ques tion is has Mrs. Annie Besant based her announcement upon prophetic statements which are found In the Bible? Many loquacious people just talk and talk superficially and give opinions on subjects of grave importance without having any knowledge on the subject under discussion. They are like travelers touring the country who see everything and know nothing about what they have seen. Now, 6f what earthly use are opin ions of men like ourselves, Mr. Editor, or even opinions of gifted women like Mrs. Besant on such a subject as the second coming of Christ? How can we know anything about such a matter? It is not a truth of such a nature that a university curriculum can pronounce upon. It does not come within the com pass of human knowledge. The stars do not reveal It. Geology furnishes fossils and "has beens" of massive proportions, but no hint of such a being as Christ is found In the various strata of the earth Biology sees no Christ in the ovum of any creature. It cannot be said of phy siology that it reveals an evolutionary process which will finally result in Christ. Such knowledge as that concerning the re-appearance of Christ is altogether out side the boundaries of natural science and philosophy. No man, or even gifted woman, can possibly tell anything about it. It is an event of such a nature that it is Impossible for mankind ever to know anything about it at all unaided by divine revelation. Again, we ask does Mrs. Annie Besant discover this great truth to the world by revelation, or Is it merely her own opin ion? If it is only her own idea, it is of no earthly value whatever. If it is a message from heaven, then we welcome the announcement. Have vou. sir. any facts that you can furnish which will enlighten one who be lieves in the Incarnated Christ, and also in the speedy coming to judge the world? In your editorial, you reier to tne new religion of Dr. Charles W. Eliot. Please put me down as one who scorns the puerile nonsense of this - girtea man. i nrefer to be classed with "many Ill-in formed persons who take it for granted that the churchly figure canea LiiriL, once actually walked the earth." You might say further that I believe he is coming to destroy his enemies and all those whose only claim is that they have done good works. There are unsetuea attaching to each one of us. Some are older than others, but who is going to absolve us from all our aeois, if we have no atoning saviour? There Is no man living that sinneth not, and many of our sins are of such a nature that they cannot possihly be undone. There fore, if we are left to be dealt with on the principles of pure justice, we shall be certainly undone. Let all scoffers and trlflers beware, for as it was in the days of Noah, they were busy about their every-day affairs, yet the threatened flood came and drowned tho intelligent and beautiful, young and old who did not enter the ark. 5 S JAMES DAVISON. BRO. hayterjto'bro. DAVEY. Minorities Control In Direct Primary, but Never In Convention. Dallas Observer. Frank Davey in Harney County News: "The Polk County Observer, which la edited In in able manner by our old friend. J. C. Hayter. goes into a rather hysterical mood In discussing the primary law. Among Its foolish expressions on u the will of the majority can be overcome by .. . .. . T.. Iktnlr r that fOOlishneSS. tne minuriLy. iu--i v. - Bro. Hayter! You have had your party nominations in foia Loum; ny Jority" party ever since Polk was on the man as a political entity and what did the nominations nmuuui. i, . ...... - county was Democratic or Republican? Look at your list of ofllclala for 20 years. Bro. Hayter." v.-. t. i..nn an nevertheless, no 1 111 I tiivTH'iite, "..v. 1 .1 1, nnminatAH for Office man cuuiu uc - under the convention system without a majority vote of the delegates; nor could any man be elected a delegate without a majority vote in the precinct . i m.tnrltv nf voters in primary, uiiicm n. j - such primary willed otherwise. Neither was it possible under the convention system for any man to gain a nomina tion who was distasteful to possibly two-thirds or three-fourths of the vot ers of his party. unuei nic revolutionary system, it Is possible for two such undesirables of opposing .... . ... .. taii n a m a a rtn political ianns ik eel m... the ticket for the same office. Vv hat choice is left to the voter then? The Observer desires, not only to repeat ... ,i : j Kiit tn fimnhnsizft lt HU.ll UVLiiw, " - 1 its every assertion. Illustrating; the Point. New York Independent. The Manchurian railroad question hMr understood bv an analosry. to ,f,iu tn allow China to ex tend the railroad from Pekln into the nterior of Manchuria, ana insists, in iplte of China's protest, on running a ne ir.to that region irom iorea. mi much the same as It ureat Britain hould refuse to allow the unitea !otc tn extend a railroad from New York into the Mississippi Valley and should instead Insist upon running a line from Chicago to Montreal. Trying to Fool Yourself. Exchange. t an't affttrd something: vnti li uu v " 1 ' - - crave, try and persuade yourself it is not good for you. MORE STREET RAILWAYS NEEDED West fide of Portland Inadequately Supplied With Transportation. PORTLAND, Aug. 20. (To the Ed itor.) I trust you will pardon the lib erty of a comparative stranger calling your attention to a matter which I have no doubt has at some time or other been the subject of discussion In the columns of your paper the matter of transportation for residents on the West Side. A few months ago I came to your rapidly-growing and pretty city with the object of making my home here. On looking around for an available place to build a moderate-priced residence I foui.d. In my opinion, the most desir able place was on the hills on the West Side, with the single exception that there were absolutely no transportation facilities. A giance at the map of Portland will show what I regard as a truly remark able condition. We find that on the East Side the streetcar lines extend as far northeast as St. John, six and a half miles from the center of the city: Woodlawn, Rose City Park and Mount Tabor, four miles; while the Mount Scott line, I believe, goes out a dis tance of six or seven miles from the heart of the city (the City Hall). Now. If one looks at the carllnes on the West Side it will be found that the carlinos in no case go beyond two and a half miles, and that only in a single case, the Willamette Heights car. Only one other carllne goes out two miles on the West Side, this is the Council Crest car. What I hold to be remark able about this condition is that I know personally scores of people who work on the West Side and would be glad to live on the West Side, but who are forced by lack of transportation facilities to leave their places of busi ness and go for miles out on the East Side to their homes, with all the trouble and disadvantages of transferring or double-transferring, and all the conse quent loss of time, when Just a short distance out on tho West Side is some of the most beautiful residence property in an almost primitive state of wlld ness, but absolutely without any means of getting to the city. In other words, urider the present almost unnatural conditions. It is easier for one working or in business on the West Side to leave his business and go from three to seven miles to his home on the East Side, than it is to go even (in the ma jority of cases, since the two carllnes running out two miles on the West Side do not adequately serve that ter ritory) two miles out on the West Side. It seems to me that this is discrim ination against the West Side, and I should say that unless some carllnes are extended on the West Side, the business center will shift from the West to the East Side, for every man who goes to live on the East Side is certain to do more or less of his trading on that side as a matter of convenience, out the probability of a person going from the West to the East' Side to purche.se ordinary necessities of life is very small Indeed. Is not this matter one in which the business men of Portland's great West Side are vitally interested? If the movement of workers from the Weft Side to the East Side Is continued, will it not Inevitably shift the center of business to tho East Side? I have talked with several railroad construction men. and have been in formed that the matter of building car lines over and through the hills on the West Side dots not offer any great difficulties. I am informed that at Seattle several carllnes have been con structed under similar conditions as to topography and that such lines are a paying Investment. While I am not well posted as to this, it seems to be a matter of simple logic that if the East Side secures a great preponder ance of population, it already. I under stand, having a majority of the popula tion, the great business center will shift to that side, to the discomfiture of the realty owners and business men of the West Side. If this is the case, it would seem that the West Side people would bring pres sure to bear on the railway companies either to extend their lines on the West Side or to some new company to build c line In that direction, and thereby keep a portion, at least, of the population of Portland, which Is so rap idly Increasing on the West Side. As a man who works on the West Side and lives on the East Side, I cer tainly am willing to boost for a car line on the West Side several of them and I have taken the liberty of writ ing this letter in the hope that the paper, to which Portland owes so much in its fight for supremacy in the North west, might take the matter up in its columns. There is no ill feeling In this against the l.ast Side that side Is a great and Indispensable part of Port land, and. I feel sure, is destined to be as great and large as any part of this great and growing city of destiny, but while this must be admitted by all fair-minded men, there is no doubt but what the West Side should have better transportation facilities, far better. In fact than it now has, and I am going to hope that this matter will be treated in the columns of your paper in the able manner and with a thoroughness that other discriminations and other matters of importance are handled. T. L. SAMPSON. Poor Old China I New York Post. It is difficult to arrive at the merits of the clspute between China and Japan over the question of the Manchurian rail way. The Japanese case was first put before the public, and cast all the blami on the shilly-shallying of Chinese di plomacy. But Kipling has told us what i.-,. mo., v,ict who undertakes to make the Orient hustle." Chinas reply. issued later, charges japan wun inium, more than she was entitled to. under the . r.A rtonnHlnir nn her "military lirtlL, anu v. a and naval superiority." This would seem to imply that tne mandarins arr .v. n-aof Antricjin doctrine of the strong man armed who will neither suffer nor do injustice. One thing, at least. Japan has spared us. a:id that is snuffling pretense that she Is taking what ,tH i,nHr nn nvernnworing sense of divine guidance. Western Christians. In their wars of conquest. nae me si-. advantage over the heathen of being con scious servants of the Lord, when they kill and rob. They said their duty, both to man and God. Required aucn conauci uit;n tmcu ....j odd. Enforced Recreation. Washington Star. He was a melancholy man. Full oft he heaved a sigh. And sympathetic friends began To stop and ask him why Like some poor frightened soul he fled The haunts of song and Jest. Quoth he. "Alas! My doctor said I'vo got to take a rest. "I've got to travel for the air Prescribed by learning'a rule And leave the comfortable chair Within my office cool. I've got to take a whirling train Where, with unhallowed seat Men struggle for a place In vain; I've got to take a rest. "I'm forced to seek some big hotal And listen to the band And watch the bathers rush pell moll Across the blistering sand. Or hear tho phonographs that play E'en on the mountain crest. Where merry villagers are gay. I've got to take a rest. "I'm warned to take my buslnefs carei And give them nil the sack. Regardleps of the fierce afTalra 1 11 face when I get back. What wonder that by deepest gloom My being is oppressed? Oh. undeserved, relentless doom! I've got to take a rest!"