THE MORSIXG OREGOXIAN, TUESDAY, AUGUST 31, 1909. Bt (Drejrcmtait PORTLAND. OREGON. Fntrred t rorVnnd. Oregon. Postofrlce as F-cnd-C'Iaas Matter. utcrUtIon Kates Invsrlsblr to Adiarvce- (By Mall.) I'altv. Sunday Included, one war J-J l u:v. s-..mUv included, six months.. -? I :. Svind Included, three months... : r.i: y. Sundav Included, one month - I'.illv. wlthmt Sunday, or.e year " !rii:j'. ! Tout Sunday. six months s .a ri'r. without Sunlny. three month.... J " P- v. without Sunday, one month . -klv. one year J-JJ F'inday. one yrar J ?? euudiy and weekly, one year so (Py Carrier.) fn!!r. Sundrtr Included, one year 00 lt::v. Sunday included, one month 5 Mote la Reailt Send postofflce money order fsrcf order or personal check oo nur local hank Siimn coin or currency are at the sender's risk. Cilve po'tofflce Ad dress In full. Including county and state. Petace Ratee 10 to 14 pases. 1 rent: 1 t- : .ism, 2 cental SO to 40 paircs, 3 cents; 41 to 6 pane. 4 cents. Foreign postage d'.iMe ratea. Kaetrrs HoslneM Office The 8. C. Peck Ch Special Arency New Tork. rooms 4S RO Tribune building. Chicago, rooau 610-512 Tribune building. PORTLAXD. TUKMDAY. AUGUST U. 1909. A FAMILIAR CILVRACTF-KIZATIOX. Edward D. Shurtleff. Speaker of the House of Representatives of the State of Illinois, delivered, a few days ago. to the investigators from New York, .his opinions about the direct primary, from experience had with it in his own state. Value may be supposed to attach to his opinion or Judgment from the fact that he is an Independent politician, who led the fight against the re-election of Senator Hopkins, and was elec ted to the Speakership by a combina--lon of "anti-machine" Republicans and Democrats. Hopkins had received a plurality vote in the primary elec tion, but large numbers of Republi cans repudiated the nomination and combined with Democrats to defeat him. Lorlmer, It will be remembered, was elected. In his statement to the New Tork committee, Speaker Shurtleff summed up his objections to the direct pri mary as follows: It la a law for the man with the loud voice, or the man with the fat purse, or the officeholder who lartahly distributee parronage for political enda. The candidate who. by coercion, by newe l's per cajolery, by ue of money, by use ot patronage, can control a plurality of the .arty Tote becomea the party. And he la bound by no pledges and need be loyal to no principles. A corrupt officeholder baa three chance of renomlnatlon and re-election under thla law a here he has one under the convention astern. Any man In office, however cor rupt, haa a following bound to him by fa vor and patronage, with which It 1 eaaler to swing a plurality of the popular vote than a majority of a delegate convention. ITdT thla law the mass of the voters are unable to make an Intelligent choice In moat instances, because outside of the local candidates and the head of the state ticket thev do not and cannot know tne men for whom they are voting. It Is a rich man's law a demagogue's law a corrupt officeholder's law a law that build up political cxars. These objections do not exhaust the list. Our exporlor.ee in Oregon has developed many more. We have found that the direct primary produces a scramble for office, in which men who could best serve the public de cline to participate: that plurality can diilates. so nominated, will not be supported: that the primary fight dis rupts parties and exalts political ad venturers; that the system opens a wide door for the intrusion of one p.irty into the affairs of another, and puts into office men who would not be considered at all upon any estimate of their own standing or merit. The Supreme Court of Illinois has annulled the law of that state, on con stitutional grounds. The law In Ore gon stands; but measures will be taken for correction of some of its principal evils, by use of assemblies or conven tions for suggestion of nominations. AWAKKNINH THE iIANT. The Chinese and- the Japanese seem to be getting much closer together on the Manchurtan question, and recent advices indicate a willlngno.s on the part of the Chinese to permit the Jap anese to proceed with their railroad construction without further objection. Various Influences are responsible for this Chinese submission to a fate they seemed powerless to avert. British in fluence, thrown to the aid of Japan In the controversy, was probably the most Important factor, but there is also a belief that the Chinese are somewhat Inclined to take lessons from the Japanese and that at least a portion of the more progressive Chinese can see. In the Japanese in vasion, possibilities of a future alliance which may place the star of the yel low race still further in the ascendency In the Far Kast. China has marveled at the progress made by Japan and is now awaken ing to a realization or its own- possi bilities on similar lines. If the an cient emrire is to be nsslsted by Japan In exploitation of the wonderful re sources of the country. It will be only a question of a very short time until the Far Kast will be In a position ser iously to disturb the Industrial situa tion In other parts of the world. The Wall Street Journal, a short time ago, printed an interview with Theodore D. Morgan, formerly general manager of the Atlanta Steel & Tin Plate Com pany, of Indiana, who has spent sev eral months Investigating iron and steel conditions, In China. He reports that the supply of iron ore in China is beyond computation, but he believes that it will be sufficient to meet any conceivable demnnd for centuries to Come. He also reports the presence of vast deposits of manganese ores now extensively used to mix with Iron In the manufacture of ship armor plates, and other steel products. The Chinese have been working on this raw material ror many years, but have only recently Installed up-to-date steel-making machinery, and a single company, the Hanyang Iron & Steel Works, located at Hankow, on the Ynngtse River, employs 20.000 people. It Is In the wages that are pakfthese workers that China has pos sibilities for flooding the world with s-teel at such low prices that compe tition with white ltbor seems an im possibility. The highest priced com mon labor Is paid seven cents a day for aMe bodied men. and women are paid five cents per day. ' In the mills, the highest priced labor is the black smiths, who nre paid from $7.50 to J20 a month: boilermakers coming next, with $7.50 to $10 a month. For roll ers and heaters, $ a month Is the maximum, while helpers are paid from 4 to $5 a month. When China, with the help of Japan, finds herself." the entire world will be confronted with an economic prob lem that will not be easy of solution. The construction of a tariff barrier of sufficient height to shut out seven-cents-per-day labor, engaged in the manufacturing, from unlimited supply of cheap raw material, will be no easy task.. The "Industrial battle, for which the Far East Is making prepa ration, may be more deadly In some effects than any that could be fought with powder and shell. "THE SISTF-K.1- AND THKIK BOOK. The history of, a state should In clude an account rrf all the efforts that have contributed to its foundation and growth. Among the efforts that have made Oregon what it is are those of our missionary- and religious orders. Prominent among them are the Roman Catholics, whose educational and humanitarian work, in conjunc tion with the propagation of their re ligion, has been incessant, from the early time. A beautiful and effective part of this work has been done by the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, who now have published a book which gives a modest account of the work of the Sisterhood In Oregon under the title of "Gleanings of Fifty Years." The true date of the book Is Sixth of November, 1839, when the Sisters es tablished a boarding and day school in Portland. There were six pupils In St. Mary's Academy on that open ing day three of whom were Catho lics, two were Hebrews, and one "a non-Catholic." St. Mary's Academy ever since has been -one of the fixed and prominent educational Institutions of Portland, and a throng of girls and young women, of various religious denominations, or without definite ecclesiastical connections, have passed through its halls, to lives of active womanhood in Oregon and adjacent states. The account of the work of the Sisters is most modestly and touchlng ly written. It is not confined to the work In Portland, but extends to Sa lem, to Baker City, to Astoria, to Seattle, to Spokane, and to other towns and cities of the North west. Qujet as the tone of the book is. there is' in It a sort of paean of tri umph, all the more effective, because not In the least obtrusive. It is a modest historical record of devoted work, of the kind whose fruits outlast all the noisy occasional triumphs of their little day. The SLsters twelve of them left Montreal Septum ber 16, 1S5 3. Com ing via Panama, they arrived at Port land October 21. of the same year On their arrival they were assisted by Mr. S. J. McCormick. well remembered still by the few remaining pioneers of that time. Much of the value of the book lies In the history t preserves of the In troduction and progress of Catholic missionary work In Oregon. Here it meets a want hitherto unsupplied. Many pens have recorded the efforts and work of Protestant missionaries In our primitive field, but no sketch so good as this of the work of the Catholic Church has appeared hitherto. We are glad this tiook has been written and published. It fills a gap In our history which it were a pity not to be occupied. What could be more beautiful than such modest record if these earnest, devoted and self-sacrificing lives? - CVUIUXO CANNONIRM. The country has no reason to de plore the tight which Representative Charles N. Fowler, of New Jersey, and his Republican allies are making against Mr. Cannon. Apart from the fact that they are fully Justified In attacking the Speaker by the way he has treated them, it Is also true that v. I . ., ; ,rr, ii-ll 1 haln T r Tuft. L 1 1 1 1 1 V tl . I , , ' I ' - ... - 1 - ..... The President is a progressive man. luuy anve to me neeus oi mo vuimj and next Winter he will present a pro gramme of beneficial legislation to Congress. This programme Mr. Can non will fight by his usual clandestine methods, and If he can he will defeat it. He will act toward Mr. Taffs ad vanced ideas precisely as he did toward Mr. Roosevelt's, for the Speaker Is a thoroughgoing reaction ary and a loyal servitor of the privi leged Interests. But, now that a fight has been start ed against him In his own party, his power for evil will necessarily be greatly curtailed. He can no longer carry" out his quiet and Invisible schemes so smoothly as heretofore: Thitm la .imp hone that he cannot carry them out at all. Mr. Fowler is an able and determnioa man. ne is the best financier In the lower house, and It Illustrates the evil of Cannon ism that ti e Speaker was able to de prive the country of Mr. Fowler's serv ices by his mere fiat out of pure per sonal "malice. But the deed has been done and now the member from New Jersey can lose nothing and may gain a great deal by fighting Mr. Cannon and dethroning him. Nor will he lack help. Victor MurdocK. of Kansas, a valiant knight, will be at his side un failingly, and pretty nearly all the Congressmen from the Middle West will back them up. Thus attacked by strong and relentless men of his own party. Mr. Cannon will hardly be the power he has been. He cannot block Mr. Taffs programme as he did Roosevelt's, though he would like to play the same old game again. More over, the country is entitled to the services or the strong and Independent members of Congress, even If the Speaker does not love them, and his power to treat them like disobedient schoolboys ought to be cut off. It Is an unhealthy growth on our Govern-ment- SCTKNCE ASD FRATERNAL INM'KANC'E. One of the hopeful signs of the times Is the dawn of common sense over the realm of fraternal Insurance. The beneficiary societies seem to have more than 8.000.000 certificates In force, which carry obligations amount ing to nine billion dollars. The beauty of the situation Is that the great body of the insured is now approaching old age. and death. Naturally the nine billion dollars of Insuarnce will fall due with terrible speed In the next few years, and the societies are confronted with the question where the money Is to come from. The- old-fashioned assessment system was based on prin ciples altogether misleading. It as sumed, that a fraternal order 'could continually secure new members enough to keep the death durts down to a reasonable figure, but the lesson of experience is that this cannot be done. New members will Join new societies, while In the old ones the paving members are crushed under a burden which time makes heavier and heavier. The only way to avoid this Is to load the assessments in the beginning with a large enough sum to meet the heavier cost of Insurance in old age. The societies which have done this stand firm as the crisis approaches. Those which have not done it must either impose cruel burdens upon their old and faithful members or else go Into bankruptcy. There is no other choice. The principles of mathemat ics and the tables of mortality are just as true for beneficiary societies as for the old-line companies. Whenever they are Ignored the penalty Is sure to follow. Fraternal insurance Is now safer and more scientific .than it was years ago, but President Hereford's address at the National Fraternal Con gress In Colorado Springs shows that some of the orders still .think they can defy the multiplication table and pros per. It is not difficult to foresee their fate. ExcrRsrvE and discursive. Spain held the primacy among na tions four centuries ago, and down nearly to three centuries ago. She had the empire of the world, and her in fluence and power were Impressed on most lands in both hemispheres, -fshe lost the empire of the world by her effort to enforce a dogmatic religious system. As Christianity was an offshoot of Judaism, so is Protestantism an off shoot of Roman Catholic Christianity. The "protest" against Greek Chris tianity is still to come. It is beginning. Indeed; bur its progress will depend largely on political", social-and indus trial conditions, throughout the Rus sian Empire and related states. The religious principle sets up its creeds and formulas, and endeavors to enforce them. It fails, and ever will fail; for no expression of the religious principle or sentiment in man can have continuance or permanence. The change in religious conception and expression, as in all other opinions and concerns of human life, Is inces sant. But the natural tendency of a predominant religious sentiment in any state is .to ally itself with politi cal power, for support and enforce ment of the combined policy of church and state. The world is nearly deliv ered from this combination. France, Italy and even Spain, are getting clear of It. It still prevails in Russia and in Turkey one Christian, the other Mohamedan. The struggle of. the world to clear Itself of the forms of religion, worship ped by many for religion itself, is not yet nearly ended. Here are. still a number of mighty good people who shudder at the thought that President Taft Is to lay the corner stone of a "Universallst" church at Portland. Why, of course, you know It Is im possible for people to be "saved" un less they "believe" as we do! Said Oliver Wendell Holmes, to the divinity student at the breakfast table -"If a man hangs my ancient female relatives for sorcery, as they did in this neighborhood a little while ago. or burns my instructor for not believing as he does, I care not more for his religious edicts than I should for those of any other barbarian." Excuse for this quotation lies in the fact that a lot of people have been interesting themselves in the centenary of Oliver Wendell Holmes. COURAGE IN THE OHIO WRECK. - The detailed account of the wreck of the steamer Ohio in North Pacific waters last Thursday night is a- story of heroism that Is too often unrelated in connection with shipwreck. Three members of the crew the purser, wireless operator and quartermaster gave their lives to save those of the passengers. More than this, the pas sengers themselves acted well the part of courage, and the captain and the surviving members of the crew acquit ted themselves of duty nobly. The rapidity with which the ship filled and sank gave token both of the age of the vessel and of her terrible impact with the rock, which grimly disputed her passage. Thirty minutes from the time that she struck the sea closed over the ship. In the mean time everybody In authority had been busy, and in midnight darkness, a swirling sea and a drenching rain, the ship's boats carried every passenger and most of her crew to safety. "Women and children first," rang out above the sound of - wreck and w-jnd the voice of Captain Johnson. The fidelity and courage with which this order was obeyed causes this ship wreck In far northern waters to stand out in bold comparison with many a shipwreck on the Atlantic. Notable In this respect was the wreck of a French liner off Newfoundland a few years ago, from which not one woman or child escaped. In spite of the most strenuous efforts on the part of the captain and the first ofnoer'of the ship the women were crowded back, the Children roughly thrown aside and the men took possession of the boats. Perhaps men wrought upon by fear and facing death should not be judged too harshly. Certainly, when putting personal safety aside and giving pref erence in mortal stress to those less able than, themselves to buffet unmer ciful disaster they are entitled to hon orable mention. A CAM. FOR GOVERNMENT AX. INQUIRY. That there is a real grievance be hind the strike of the foreign laborers who have been employed at McKees Rocks. Pa., by the Pressed Steel Car Company. Is more than probable. These "men, it appears, are foreigners who are not affiliated with labor unions. Because of their relative help lessness, as foreigners unacquainted with the. language of the country, conditions of supply, etc., they have been subject to the most cruel exac tions of the company in regard to hours, wages and prices charged for the common necessities of life. The strike and its riotous accompaniment are, according to competent authority, the direct result of "unbearable and unbelievable conditions forced upon these defenseless and helpless wage workers." In view of this statement from a responsible source, and of the Inex pressibly shocking condition of these desperate smen and their wretched families in the center of a prosperous American community, It is high time that some power of official, prudential and humane potency should take cog nizance of the sufferings of these peo ple. The case is one that, in the opinion of Secretary Morrison, of the Amer ican Federation of Labor, demands In quiry by the Government through the department of Commerce and Labor. The suggestion is a timely one, or if not timely, it is long overdue. In such rights as these people have chief of which is the right to earn their bread and that of their families by labor, at a wage sufficient to buy Immunity from hunger and nakedness-they should be protected. " Not all of the grave disaster that re sults from the violent Impact of mov ing vehicles can be charged up against the automobile. Nor is the careless driver always a .chauffeur. The collision between a Russell-Shaver car and a wagon drawn by horses and loaded with persons coming home from a picnic was -clearly an act of reckless driving on the part of the teamster or car motorman, or both. An empty car, speeding to the barn; a wagon containing merry-makers anx ious to get home after a long day in the woods; the motorman running his car at a high rate of speed within the city limits, upon the presumption that he had a clear right of way; a driver who thought "by increasing the speed of his horses that he could clear the track before the rapidly-moving car reached the crossing these' were the elements that placed in jeopardy the lives of eight or ten persons, caused the death of one and resulted in more or less serious Injury to half a dozen others. As far as reports of the acci dent now show, the drivers of both ve hicles "took chances," with the result above chronicled. The game is one so constantly and so recklessly played that the wonder in regard to its out come is not that it occasionally results disastrously, but that It is so generally played with Impunity. The Government Is in the market for several thousand tons of hay and oats for shipment to. Panama. Con trary to usual custom, Portland has been invited to bid on the order. The advantages of Portland as a market for. grain and forage are so well known all over V.ie world that Portland dealers have but little difficulty in win ning the orders of men who buy and sell on a strictly business system. Un fortunately for our dealers, there has been in the past a tendency on the part of the Government to either bar Portland out of the bidding or' to insist on delivery at points impossible for this city to reach, except at great additional cost. If- the Government does not bind too much red tape around its proposals, Portland will have an excellent chance to secure the Panama order. The threatened extinction of Port land as a wheat port, which was freely predicted by the Tacoma Tribune a few weeks ago, does not appear to be near at hand. " Last Saturday's Ta coma Ledger, In an article which as sured us that "daily receipts are growing rapidly," gave the number of carloads received at Tacoma for the first five days vlast week as eighty eight. The receipts at Portland for the same five days were 243 carloads. The movement is not yet well under way this season, but there is every rea son to believe that the relative posi tion of the two ports will remain throughout the season about as it now stands. If there is any material change, it will be in Portland's favor. Announcement of better service on the short railroad between Medford and Jacksonville recalls how the county" seat of Jackson missed the op portunity to retain its place as the chief city of Southern Oregon. When the Oregon & California (now South ern Pacific) was extending its line to the Siskiyous, twenty-five years ago, it offered, for a comparatively small bonus, to make a detour so that Jack sonville would be on the main line. The town declined to raise it, so Jack sonville was left "'out In the cold." If the railroad had gone to Jacksonville the probability is the active and rap Idly growing City of Medford would never have sprung.lnto existence. "Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink." This plaint of the "Ancient Mariner" represents the con dition of thousands of flood-beleaguered people in the inundated regions around about Monterey, Mex. Sani tary conditions, following the subsid ence of the waters, will prove a men ace greater than the flood Itself. The situation is one to arouse the greatest compassion and to call for at least sec ondary aid in the re-establishment of the people in their homes and in the promotion of sanitary regulations that will enable them to live therein. The old barracks at Fort Canby, which have long been in a state of dilapidation, are soon to be repaired and properly fitted up ror accommoda tion of fifty enlisted men and one commissioned officer, who will be In charge with the duty of keeping the guns of the fort in order. This is' well. Our coast defences are In adequate enough, if kept in emergency condition. Orville Wright denies that he is en gaged to or about to marry Miss Ada Miller. "I do not know Ada Miller," declares Mr. Wright, a statement need lessly supplemented by the assertion: 'The story is untrue." This, it may be hoped, will set speculation concern ing Mr. Wright's matrimonial Inten tions at rest, before they take on Hob Bonlan proportions. The Jewish Tribune (Portland), re plying to a critic, says, truly, that there Is no hint In the Old Testament of belief In a future life. That Is true, though many modern exegetes, in the interest of various religious creeds, have tried to read such doctrine and belief into various Old Testament passages. It is gravely announced, in connec tion with the Ballinger-PInchot im broglio, that some persons in official circles have been "talking altogether too much." Thus perishes another of our cherished traditions. There are no women in the official circle wherein this strife has been brewed. If it shall be understood that access to the President, at Portland, can be had only through Senator Bourne, the people, of course, will govern them selves accordingly. When the Senate committee on irri gation reaches Portland tomorrow, the Commercial Club's committee on Irri gation ought not to ask too often "What's yours?" There seem to be too many health authorities whose duty it Is to guard Portland's food and milk. What is everybody's business is nobody's busi ness. Dr. Brougher's dilemma comes not from the salary question, we are told. There ought to be. no dlfficjilty, then, In deciding. Is each nation going to decide for itself which of them won the greatest honor in last week's aerial contests? Within the past week tt has been demonstrated beyond dispute that aviation is not a local matter. Let us accept Mr. Harrlman's state ment of his physical condition at its face value. He knows. EDITORIAT. SQUABBLES OUTDATED. Great Writers Once Ensnared In Liter ary Brawls, but Successors Do Not. New York Post. The early history of New York jour nalism is filled with stories of feuds and affrays. A belligerent editor had then to stand ready to back up his sroose-quill with cane or pistol. Vio lent attacks were common, and the duello was not unknown. The Evening Post had, from the first, a reputation for not being a ruffianly newspaper, yet its annals show that even Its edi tors were not able to keep wholly out of the journalistic tradition. For ex ample, it once paid Its respects to two editors of competing Journals, In the following lines, which can hardly be said to breathe sweetness and light: 'Lie on. Duan, lie on for pay; And, Cheetam, lie thou too More against truth you cannot Bay Than truth can say 'gainst you. This was before the editorship of William Cul!en"Bryant, but that vener ated man's biographer records the fact that "once he so lost the control of himself that he Inflicted personal chas tisement upon an adversary who had given him the lie direct." Tempora mutantur! It is needless to speak of later pe riods in New York newspaper exper ience, when sudden reversions to the old savage methods startled, or amused, the community. The later as saults have been purely verbal. When "Judas" and "Ananias" were being flung back and forth like missiles, not even the most imaginative reporter ex neoterl to see real bullets flying. The antagonists had merely the fury of their journalistic forebears, not their readiness to follow word with blow. But even their- kind of newspaper quarreling has now dropped below tne horizon. It lingers in country journal ism, where the habits are more per sistent and the personal element more pronounced, but city editors have, for the most part, silently abandoned it. Certain reasons for this change In iniirnallstle manners are odvious People In general are better behaved than they used to be, and it would be a pity if newspaper men had not shared In the common improvement, and learned to repeat with satisrac tion Colonel Newcome's favorite quo tation about emolllt mores. Then, too the Fourth Estate has now acquired a dignity which it once did not possess, and feels under an obligation to sup- nort it suitablv. When editors had to fight for recognition at all, it was not unnatural that they snouia occcusion ally exercise their vocabularies and their fists upon each other; but now that their calling has acquired stand ing, thev are charged with the con duct of large property interests, there is no need of their old offensive assert iveness and Quarrelsomeness. We think, also, that the newspaper readers have had an Influence. They nave lost their taste for newspaper rows. Most of these are unintelligible to the Dublic. A certain element, it Is true, enjoys a fight, whether it understands the cause or not, but most editors have no fancy for furnishing the same sort of sport that a couple of newsboys would when pummeling each other In the street or tearing out each other's hair. Hence the growing tendency to avoid mere newspaper disputes, and to adopt the Tennysonian rule, when venomously attacked, that the noblest answer to all such is perfect stillness when they brawl. This general disappearance of per sonal editorial disputes in print, we must account a distinct gain, on the whole, for both the public and Journal Ism. There was, however, a certain vigor and directness about the old style which It would be a misfortune entire ly to lose. Horace Greeley's voice often sounded shrill In his perennial controversies, but he made himself felt as a man of intense convictions and a power on the side of many good causes. The manner, we may see vanish with out regret, but the substance ought Jealously to be preserved. In a great civic struggle for righteousness, like that in San Francisco, editors must use plain language about their col leagues who go wrong, and we trust the time will never come when news papers will be afraid to tell the truth about an unscrupulous and mischievous political agitator, even If he happen to be nominally an editor. Such a di rect attack cannot be called a news paper squabble; It Is merely a fight for political honesty. Understood at Last. Freeman Tilden, In Smart Set In her childhood she was sad, be cause she felt that no one understood her. In her girlhood she was alone no body seemed to understand. Then she became a woman, and she hoped that the man would understand But he didn't. All he knew was that he wanted to make her happy, so of course he couldn't. , At last she met someone who under stood. He was a musician who played the violin two dollars' worth In a forty-cent table d'hote where the water was excellent. He told her that she was as beauti ful as the rose That her eyes were like the sky above Capri That she had a Soul that called to his soul And borrowed money of her early and often. "At last I am understood," she said. Dent Forget How to Walk. Baltimore Sun. The trolley car, the automobile and the train have made transportation so easy that people seldom walk any more. They ride to business, to the theater, the store, the resort, from the country Into town, f(rom one street to another, until walking has become al most a lost art. In a generation or two more we will forget how to use our legs. Man is by nature a walking ani mal. He was never made to sit still and be swiftly moved from place to place, and he is beginning to show the results of failure to use the motor muscles. He is becoming too fat and pudgy, and no small portion of his ill health might be traced to this failure to develop his muscles and use his physical faculties. New Face and Scalp In Three Years. Boston Dispatch. Stephen Calabro, 2a years old, of Qtilncy, Mass., who was seriously scalded, has Just been discharged from the Massachusetts General Hospital lit erally with a new face and scalo, fol lowing a series of operations among the most remarkable in surgical his tory, extending over a period of three years and done as a work of scientific interest by Dr. Charles A. Porter, of the Harvard Medical School. Odorless Onion Is Scored. Philadelphia Press. Announcement is made that the odor less onion has been discovered. No doubt an onion with any other smell will taste as sweet. But no longer can It be 6ald that "in onion there is strength." Shortnand Writer, 6 Years, Wins Prize. New York Press. Harold Hunt. 6 years old, of Bristol, England, has won a prize for rapid shorthand writing. He can write at the rate of 80 words a minute. Turkey Enters a Laying Contest. Baltimore News. A turkey owned by Mrs. E. M. Davis, near BrooKvine. nas iaia iuu eggs since April 1 of this year, and it is still busy. LAND TAX IN BRITAIN KEEN ISSUE New Toll on .Increments and Unde veloped Land Sets Kingdom by Ears. Baltimore Sun. The livest issue in British politics to day is the proposed tax upon land values by the imperial government. After a debate of several weeks, in which the Conservative minority re sorted to all the obstructive tactics permissible under British parliamen tary procedure, the House of Commons passed the clauses of the revenue bill imposing a tax on land values. The proposed tax wag denounced -in the House of Commons by Mr. Balfour, formerly Prime Minister and now the leader of the minority in the lower branch of Parliament, as revolutionary, unconstitutional and class legislation of the worst description. It was de fended by Mr. Asqulth, the Liberal Prime Minister, as Just and equitable. The elimination of the land tax pro visions of the bill by the House of Lords would intensify tne feeling of hostility to that branch of ' the British Parlia ment. It might lead to a dissolution of Parliament and an appeal to the lect ors by the Liberal government not only on the issue of the taxation on land, but also on the issue of far reaching reforms In the composition of the House of Lords and further restric tions upon its powers. It is possible, of course, that the Conservative party might be restored to power, as the re sult of a new parliamentary election. But the fact that the London Times and the London Mail, representing all shades of opinion in the Conservative party, are now urging the leaders of that party to accept the budget is re garded in Great Britain as evidence that the majority of British voters are not opposed to the land tax. In a notable speech a few days ago the Prime Minister, Mr. Asquith, de fended the proposed tax on land and pronounced it sound and Just In every point of view. It will cost the British government $10,000,000 to make the valuations provided in the bill. It was at first provided that the cost should be paid by the landholders and that their right of appeal from the assessors should be limited to an appeal to cer tain referees provided in the bill. The Liberal Ministry agreed to amend the bill so as to place the costs upon the government. On the advice of the Lord Chief Justice another amendment was adopted granting the landholders the right of appeal to the High Court of Justice. The revenue from this tax for the first year, it is estimated, will be about $1,600,000, but Mr. Asquith stated significantly that the tax will be a "fruitful one" later on. Then he added, as "elementary propositions": These taxes are no', taxes upon land at all; they are taxes, all of them, on the added value the realized or the realizable value mark that! given to land by social causes. Next, thay do not apply, any of them, to agricultural land long and so far as It can fairly and prop'erly be so described. Further, they do not apply to land which Is used for public purposes or In the public Interest. Again, In assessing and exact ing them, we do not go back upon the past. We Btart as the datum line for all future values, with the day when the budget of the present year was Jntroduced. Mr. Asquith cited a case in which cer tain land had Increased in rental value. through "social causes," 10 or 15 times more than its value a few years ago; al though the owner had done nothing to improve the property or increase its value. "Is it not fair," he asked, "that the state should step in now and say when this great additional value is realized, "We are entitled not to the whole of it, but we are entitled to levy a toll upon it for the purposes of the community which has created if?" This is a tax on increments, the government taking Its toll when the additional capital value Is realized, according to the Prime Minister's explanation. "In the case of undeveloped land the duty Is taken annually, but only if and so far as it can be shown that the land has at this moment a realizable market value over and above Its value as agri cultural land." There are large areas In Great Britain away from the towns and growing communities which. In Mr. Asquith's Judgment, while still kept as agricultural land, might be put to a use that would bring to the owners a much -larger rental than they receive at present. This land Is Increasing in value every year, but the community derives no benefit from It, although In many cases, It is contended, it could be used profitably for building and for other improvements. The tax on the capital value of unde veloped land Is fixed at a half-penny tn the pound Bterling. On increments it is larger. One-half of the proceeds is to go to the local authorities, the other half to the imperial government. The opponents of the tax assert that it is not designed to serve the fiscal needs of the government for the present year, but that it has a totally different and ulterior object in view. Mr. Balfour denounces the valuation project -as "a mechanism for carrying out some so cial scheme of the government and their Radical and Socialist allies." Our esteemed contemporary, the London Telegraph, asserts that "the Radicals and Socialists avowedly mean to raise the increment and undeveloped land taxes to the highest power of their most ambitious schemes." And so the land holders profess to see confiscation and ruin staring them in the face If the "House of Lords does not come to their rescue. Medal for Faithful Service, Drain Nonpareil. J. Culy, tor some time employed by the Southern Pacific Company as pumper in the yard in this city, has been presented with a silver medal by the company for superior care, and for having the most perfect pump house In the entire system. There have been but two medals presented for the year 190S. one to Mr. Culy, and the other to the pumper at Salem. On one side of the medal are the words, "For Perfect Pump-House." occupying the center, and surrounded by a scroll, and on the reverse side the words, "Southern Pacific Company," circle the medal, and across thfi center are the words "Lines in .Oregon"; above this is a picture of the rising sun and be low a miniature railroad bed with ties and rails, emblematic of the words "Rising to the setting sun." A silver pin is attached to it, which is above the medallion, and on one side of this is the date, 1908. and on the other the name of Mr. Culy. Samson In the Marriage Line. Oregon City Enterprise. W. W. H. Samson, the veteran Jus tice of Clackamas County, probably holds the record of the Willamette Valley, if not the entire state, for the number of weddings officiated at or participated in. During the 23 years of his official life- Mr. Samson has assist ed in no fewer than 250 marriage cere monies, 96 of which have taken place in his residence. During this time he has started in double harness some of the most notable characters of the State of Oregon. One of the first weddings Mr. Samson ever assisted In was that of W. E. Maxum, now at the Bremerton Navy-yard, over 40 years ago. At that time store clothes were a scarce article and the groom was forced to borrow part of the wedding suit from Mr. Samson. Mr. Maxum was in Oregon City not long ago and paid Mr. Samson a visit, recalling the incidents of the early days and laugh ing over boyish escapades. A Syndicate Bnby. Washington (Iowa) Democrat. A girl was born to Mr. and Mrs. Walter Fishburn and also to Mr. and Mrs. W. O. Ralston and Mr. and Mrs. Tad Plum-mer. Life's SunnySide One of the wives of a Mormon come ing downstairs one morning met the physician who was attending her hus band. "Is he very ill?" she asked anxiously. "He is," replied the physician. "I fear the end is not far oft." "Do you think," she as'.ced, "I should be at his bedside during his last mo ments?" "Yes, but I advise you to hurry. The best places are already being taken." Human Life. "Which do you like best," said Meand ering Mike, "de city or de country : "Well," answered Plodding Pete, "de closeness togedder of de houses in town makes it convenient. But I likes de country because dere's Just about walk in' enough to give you an appetite be tween hand-outs." Washington (D. C.) Star. M. Georges Clemencau, the defeated premier of France, sometime ago at election time established a free dispen sary and consultation-room in his elec toral quarter. One morning a man en tered, and M. Clemenceau, who was a physician before he became a politician, brusquely told him to take off his shirt so that he might be examined. After looking at the visitor's tongu and feeling his pulse, Clemenceau r. marked: "Not much wrong here. What do you think you want?" "I want to be a postman," replied the man. And he got an appointment. London Globe. "My husband has been out late every evening this week attending Important club meetings." "Yes. so has mine they belong to the same club, you know." "Why, how queer! My husband says ha hasn't seen your husband this Summer." Cleveland Leader. Herr Schulzer J am trying to make your parrot talk, but he won't. Newly Knighted Parvenu 'Ah. he won't talk to ordinary people now. Meggendor fer Blaetter. Alice In Wonderland said she could easily believe six impossible things be fore breakfast. "How fitted for a clubman's wife," they exclaimed. Sad to relate, however, she missed her obvious destiny. New York Times. "That, my dear," said the husband, who had been supping not wisely, but too well, "was a real soul kiss." "So I Judge," said the wife, wlthdraw ingly coldly from his embrace, "from the amount of spirits I notice in it. London Tit-Bits. She Well, you married me with your eyes open. He Yes, and I haven't closed them since. St. Louis Times. Scott Is Jones married? Mott I guess not. I never heard him blame his wife for anything. Boston Transcript. He tolled for wealth both night and day; ' A chance for gain he never mlssod. At last he had enough to pay The cost of a nerve specialist. Exchange. A man met a physician he knew, and, being one type of grafter, he thought to work him for a free prescription. After some talk he asked, quite incidentally. "Doctor, what would you give for a sore throat?" "Nothing." replied the physician promptly, for he knew his man. "I don't want a sore throat." Philadelphia Record. Letter Carrier Rainy weather, farmer. Farmer Yes; our boarders are all kickln'. L C They can't blame you for the weather. F. Can't, eh? Gosh, some of 'em seem to think I ought to furnish moonlight nights. Boston Transcript. ; I Concrete In Ancient Mexlcot Springfield Republican. At last archaeologists have advanced a reasonable theory regarding the Im mense ruins In Mexico and Central America which testify to the remark able achievements of a vanished peo ple, and one likely to be better ap preciated In this age of concrete than ever before. The new contention is that the great buildings, supposed to have been built of stone, were really created of concrete that was made in molds of gigantic size. Here is an ex planation which explains, and also lies within the realm of the possible. Our boasted civilization has only recently reached the point of large concrete con struction, and It is not difficult to be lieve that it Is one of the arts about which Wendell Phillips used to lecture. The difficulty that must hnve attended the transportation of what have been believed to be colossal stone blocks vanishes if tnoy were really made of concrete, for which abundant material was easily obtainable. It is also pos sible that the remote race concerned achieved better concrete construction than we have yet obtained. The abundant carving of a comparatively crude sort that appears In the remains of these ruined cities could have been done in concrete. The last word has not been spoken in this matter, of course, but the theory commends itself. The Illinois Primary Law. Chicago Inter-Ocean. The legislative committee of New York will find in Illinois that the di rect primary instead of increasing the Interest and Influence of the average citizen in public affairs, lessens one and cripples the other. They will find that under the direct primary the idle electorate has visibly increased. They will find here plenty of theor ists and immediate beneficiaries to talk i Koraiitips for the direct primary. They will not find one who will dare to jusiuy us riui icr.unj.. Illinois has seen and felt how the di rect nrlmarv works, and doesn't care for any more, thank you. If the New Yorkers are willing to profit hy the painful experience of oth ers they will find here all they need. Uncle 10, Aunt 8, at Boy's Pnrty. Philadelphia North American. An uncle of 10 years, Percy Stickel, and an aunt of 8, Mildred Stickel, Jour neyed all the way from Harrisburg, Pa- to attend the fiftti birthday cele bration of their nephew, Clyde Everett Morris Stickel, of 436 North Sixty-second street. About 25 children gathered on the lawn, whicH , was brilliantly lighted with Japanese lanterns, and under the care of the lad's mother and Miss Irene Moore were royally entertained. Later in the evening the young host, his Juvenile relatives and the small guests took a straw ride, and returned just in time to find the refreshments awaiting them. Waahlnarton's Primary Law. Seattle Times. The primary law of this state de prives the citizen in placing candidates before the people and It does this hy compelling that citizen to vote twice instead of once and by so doing his second vote stultifies the first.