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POKTL.XT. OREGON.
Ent.r.d at Portland. Orason. Fostotrlca "
Second-Class Matter.
fiubaertntlon Rates InrarUblx tn Adranee.
Br Mall
Pally, Sundar Included, one year ? 2
Dai:v. Sunday Included. six months -
Ttaitv Rnnrinv included, three months... ?
Pai!y, Sunday Included, one month. . . .
Pally, without Sunday, one year
Paliy, without Sunday. sis. months. ..
Pa!-y. without Sunday, three month. .
Pally, without Sunday, one month. ...
Weekly, one year ....
Sunday, one year
Eunday and weekly, one year
3
no
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(By Carrier.)
Pally, Sunday Included, one year t
Dailv. Sunday Included, one mor.tn
8 00
.75
Hnir le Reanlt Send poatofflce money
order rxpresi order or personal check on
jour loal hank Slumps, coin or currency
re at the aender's rut Olve pcwtottlce ad
dress In full. Including county and state.
Fottare Rate 10 to 14 pares. 1 cent; H
to 2 partes. 2 cents; 30 to 4t p?-s. 8 cents;
4 to 6 rases. 4 centa Foreien postal
double ratea.
Eastern BntlneM Off Ire The 8. C. Beck
wlrh Special Aaency New York, rooms 43
Ro Tribune hullrtins. Chicago, rooms 510-512
Tribune bulldlnc.
- PORTLAND. TUESDAY. ACGCST 81, 1B09.
THE RECLAMATION FUND.
Oregon, contributing very heavily
to the reclamation (landj fund, has a
Tight to a greater proportion tt the
reclamation fund than It has yet re
ceived. This view of the case should
get the attention of the Senate's Irri
gation Committee, due at Portland to
" day.
Oregon is a state of large area, large
among the largest of all our states.
It is situated on the sea, yet so trav
ersed by mountain ranges that the
distribution of rainfall and snowfall
Is very unequal. Oregon has a very
large semi-arid region; yet Oregon has
more standing timber than any other
state of the Union, denoting for the
sections where this timber "stands a
heavy precipitation of rain and snow.
Now the proceeds derived from the
timber regions of the state ought to
. be used more largely than they have
yet been for Irrigation of the arid dis
tricts. It is right. It Is just; it la nec
essary. It is a view of the subject
which we trust the public authori
ties will take under consideration.
' Oregon ought not be stripped of its
resources for the benefit of other
states. - Use . of Oregon's resources
' more largely is not an unreasonable
demand. .
FARMERS' TRC8TS.
There Is more ground for encourage-
meat In the formation of so-called
"farmers' trusts" than In almost any
i other phenomenon "of the day. , The
? cotton raisers of Texas have managed
I to combine and hold their product for
i' a reasonable price. The wheat men
of Nebraska have done the same
t thing. Farmers' elevators have be
come common In "Washington. Fruit
growers everywhere are learning the
benefit of co-operative marketing. If
this raised the price to the consumer
It would be regrettable, but It does
nothing of the sort. It simply elimi
nates one or more ranks of middlemen
and delivers their profits to "the pro
ducer. Its ultimate effect will be to
force the middlemen to give up a
function which is useless to everybody
but himself and go to work.
For countless years the farmer has
been the helpless sheep whom every
. body has sheared. . He has discovered,
j at this late day, that by co-operation
i he can keep some shreds of his fleece
a for himself. The power of enlighten
l. ment has been tedious and It is not
yet complete, but It has gone far
T enough to excite turbulence in the
toreast of the New York Times. That
t newspaper fears lest the greedy farm
! '; era "want all the money there is."
' i If they do, the Times need not look
very far to find where they caught the
disease. The farmers may possibly
be almost as greedy for money as tha
Wall street combinations are. but
there Is no danger of their ever get
" ting more than the meager drippings
from the pot where the metropolitan
magnates feed fat. Farmers, as a
class, may be comfortable sometimes,
but they will never be wealthy and it
is safe "to say. that the more money
they can get out of their products
the better for the country.
'XEW WORLD S HIGHWAY.
To the average traveler, the saving
of a few minutes or 1 few hours by the
shortening of a traiR-Atlantic voyage
would not seem a matter of tremend
ous importance. The gradual lower
ing of the record, however, is attended
by far-reaching effects, in which the
prestige of old;estabiished sea ports
' Is pulled down? and' transformed to
new ports. For generations, while the
world's ocean commerce was building
up great ports at Liverpool, South
ampton and other famous British
cities, the little Welsh hamlet Fish
guard was comparatively unknown.
The vast tide of ocean-borne traffic
that sweeps across the Atlantic, for
years has parted well to the westward
of the British Isles. A portion of It
skirts the Irish coast and reaches
port at Liverpool or other ports in
the Irish Sea. Another, and a rapidly
Increasing stream, strikes away to the
south, and has built up great ports
In the English Channel and also in the
Bristol Channel.
As far bark as the days when the
eight-day boat was a record-breaker,
the increasing demand for a shorter
route between the 'ew and the Old
World brought Southampton and some
of the other Channel ports into promi
nence as ports of entry for the big
liners that had raced across the At
lantic at top speed. The increasing
peed of the liners was insufficient to
meet the increasing speed of the trains
which rush across the British Isles,
and the ccrmbination of fast train and
fast liner, by way of the Channel ports
enabled the trans-Atlantic passenger
to reach London before the Ltverpdol
steamers, leaving New York at the
ame time, had reached the Mersey.
In addition to this advantage in travel
to British ports, the continental busi
ness was also much better served
from the Channel route, and the rising
t-.restlee of the Germans practically
i
'nr,. the British lines into making
terminals at Southampton and Ply-
mouth.
The Cunard line, with a remarkable
' loyalty to Liverpool, the original home
port of the fleet, has been most reluc
tant to follow the crowd and has en
deavored by the use of very fast steam
ers to stem the tide of traffic that was
setting against it. The time handicap
was too great, however, to allow keep
ing all the business at Liverpool, and,
to overcome ,ihat handicap, the new
port of Ftshtruard has come Into
prominence. By cutting out the call
at Queenstown it Is believed that the
new Ounarders Mauretania and Lusi
- V tan la can- land passengers In London
five days after leaving New York.
This will be accomplished by fast
trains connecting with the steamers
at Fishguard. Even with the call at
Queenstown' the Mauretania, on. her
voyage ending Monday, landed passen
gers In Liverpool 6 Bays. 1- hour, and
35 minutes from New York.
The new route through the Welsh
fishing hamlet aho Offers great possi
bilities for continental travel, for
with special trains from Fishguard to
Dover or Folkestone, passengers can
be landed in France much sooner than
by .any direct steamer. Real estate
booms are said to be unknown in the
Old World, but from the enthusiasm
displayed In the London cables over
the opening of this short route be
tween the greatest cities Of the New
and the Old World. Fishguard will
undoubtedly show a growth that
would be difficult to surpass with a
Western boom.
"NEVER MIND M'HARG. ,
McHarg, it is said, "came to Oregon
last year with intent to induce men to
break their solemn pledge." The
pledge .was not "solemn. it was
taken by a class of ambitious and as
piring "young statesmen," who wanted
to get Into the Legislature, yet never
expected or imagined they would be
called on to fulfill their "pledge."
But, called on to fulfill It, most bel
owed like bull calves; the rest
squeaked like rata caught In a trap.
McHarg Is nothing. He Is of no
consequence whatever. But he knew,
as everybody else knew, that the
"pledge" was not "solemn," that it
was not binding In law or usage, that
It had been employed as a sneaking
device by men who wanted to get Into
ih. Telslature. expecting advantages
of various kinds from the, position and
opportunity; and he seems to have
fhm.-M that. Inasmuch as certain
men had been so weak as to take it.
thev might perhaps deal with It later
In a spirit as light as that, in which
they had taken It. in tnis opinion
McHarg was Justified later by. tha
yell which went up from these people,
when they had to vote for Chamber-,
lain.
This sort of business will te avoiaea
hereafter. On the part of men who
call themselves Republicans there will
be mighty little Inclination again to
take that foolish and silly --pledge.
Should anv take it. they will be
slaughtered without mercy by the Re
publican voters of tneir cgunues.
"Statement One" will be treated as a
Democratic party device and trade
mark. LOCAL OPTION IX DANGER.
' A case has . been appealed to the
State Supreme Court from Tillamook
County which may turn out o be of
great Importance. In this case the
State of Oregon Is plaintiff and W.
LangworthV is' defendant. Upon the
trial in Tillamook County. Langworthy
was convicted of an offense under the
local option law and -sentenced by
Judge Galloway. He now appeals on
the ground that the local option law
Is invalid because it was not submitted
to the voters under the proper title
at the Initiative election in 1904.
The title which Mr. Dunbar, who
was then Secretary of State, placed on
the ticket was merely "For Local Op
tion Law." The full title of the bill
occupies more than a" page of print.
The law of 1903. which governs the
practice of the Initiative, requires the
Secretary of State "to use for each
measure a title designated for that'
purpose by the Legislative Assembly,
committee sr organization," who may
file the initiative bill. Hence, it is a
matter of indifference whether the full
title of the bill was printed or not.
What the Supreme Court has to de
termine Is whether or not Mr. Dunbar
used the title designated by the per
sons who filed the local option Initia
tive bill.
The case is Important, not only be
cause It involves the validity of the
local option law, but also because the
ii .nrimarv law is .subject to a
similar real or groundless objection.
That law has a long title, but Mr.
Dunbar submitted It under the form
ula, "For Direct Primary Nominating
Elections Law."
H ALLEY'S COMET.
Halley's comet, which will soon be
a conspicuous object in the sky, after
a tremendous Journey through tne
fulfs of space, Is remarkable because
it is the first comet whose orbit was
computed accurately enough to allow
astronomers to predict its return. The
observations necessary for this purpose
were made by Edmund Halley. when
the comet appeared in 1682. He com
nuted the elements of the orbit with
a certain precision and foretold an
other appearance In 1758 or 17o
The French astronomers . Clalraut
and- Madame Lepante corrected his
results with such efficiency that theif
final Dredlction barely missed the re
turn of the comet by a month. It has
reappeared ever since at the proper
Interval with unfailing regularity.
The superstitious story that Halley's
comet can be Identified with the Star
of Bethlehem, which is mentioned in
the Scriptures, is baseless. Some ema
nation may or may not have excitea
the fancy of dwellers in Palestine at
the date assigned to the Star of Beth
ihm Tt mav have been a variable
star flashing out suddenly in the sky
and as suddenly vanishing. It may-
have been an electrical display or the
story may be pure myth. To attempt
to Identify Halley's comet with any
such hypothetical object show lam
entable lack of the sclentino spirit.
BOLIVIA AND THE SEA.
The aspiration of Bolivia for a sea
port, if it exists, is easy enough to
understand, but It Is not likely to be
gratified very soon. Some nations,
which are shut in from the sea, are
consumed with longing for salt water
harbors. Others get along quite
serenely without any. Switzerland Is
not particularly distressed for want
of a seaport, while Russia would
give a great many lovely Elkons to
get one. It all depends. Bolivia is not
a very enterprising republic, but it Is
not on good terms with- Peru and at
the bottom of its disgruntlement may
perhaps lie an appetite for Peru's
port at the mouth or the Ho, as some
newspapers assert. The best reports
say that the basis of the quarrel is an
unsettled boundary east of the Andes,
but hunger for the sea may be a fac
tor. With nobody to. Interfere, Bolivia
might possibly fight Its way to the Pa
cific at Peru's expense, but it Is al
most certain that other powers would
take a hand.. Argentina would feel
bound to aid Peru because she has al
ready decided the boundary question,
as referee, against Bolivia and been
Insulted for it by that nation of un
learned mountaineers. Chile, on the
other hand, would help Bolivia, but
if any sea coast rwers acquired by the
TIIE MOnXTJTG OREGQNIAX. WEDNESDAY,
war, it would be quite likely to assim
ilate it Itself. Chile Is like a serpent
creeping northward between the An
des and the sea. It is not to be ex
pected that Chile's progress will end
short of the Isthmus. Certainly that
country will not encourage Bolivia
to block Its way. Both Argentina and
Chile are powerful and highly civilized
nations. They know pretty well what
they are about and they are not likely
to permit Bolivia to drag them Into
war until they are, quite ready for it.
BAD BCSINESS. ' ,
The Anaconda Standard comes for
ward with a valiant defense of the
Government's great lottery scheme' for
the disposal of Its otherwise unsaleable
public lands. They are called unsale
able because it Is well known that only
a small part of the great area in the
Flathead reservation Is fit for cultiva
tion, and no Intelligent wnite man
could or would go on the reservation
with the expectation of making a
comfortable home and getting a lucra
tive income. The productive lands on
the reservation are largely in the
hands of Indians, and they are not
available for homestead entry. The
Spokane and Coeur d'Alene lands are
better; but a great number of the sev
eral thousand "lucky" , participants In
the gigantic land lottery are, never
theless, doomed to disappointment
when they see their "prizes."
But the character of the lands, even
If' good throughout, does not Justify
the lottery method, suppose a private
mrsoe nt a. treat tract of land snouia
subdivide It, number the subdivisions
and advertise that the tracts would be
made the Brand prizes In a lottery
arhome. for which the winners would
pay at their appraised value? Would
he he made amenable to tne lottery
law? Doubtless, yet tnis is precisely
what the Government is doing, it nas
a great drawing and sells certain lands
to tne lorxunaie , priic-wniiicii,
their aDDraised value."
"A lottery, says tne Anaconaa
Standard, "is conducted for private or
corporate gain. The present drawing
Is not a lottery. The Government de
rives nothing from it." The Standard
Is mistaken. The Government gets.
r nttomnts to eet' through Its ap
praisers. full value for Its lanas. u is
a profit-making enterprise. There is
nr. free erift business about. It. The
Government is the beneficiary ot tne
direct Investment of all who Buy its
funds: the railroads and private spec
ulators and schemers profit by the ef
fort of the 300.000 lucky and unlucky
gamblers who try to get something for
very little.
The United States ougnt to oe in
better business. A private individual
undertaking a lottery on exactly me
same lines and with the same motives
and numoses as the Crovernmeni
would be put in 'Jail. "
INTEMPERATE BRITISH.
".' Chicago Police Judge, "who has
hn Investigating Police Court meth
ods in the British Isles, says a Dublin
magistrate informed him that "the
day after the old-age pensions
tr.tr. frrt the cnarsres oi oniui
and disorderly conduct increased Ave
fold." This accounts, to a degree, for
the aversion of British taxpayers io
thi old-age pensions law.. Excessive
use of liquor is placing a large and
Increasing number of British subjects
fn th ranks of eligibles for old-age
pensions. Having secured old-age
pensions, the beneficiaries proceed to
buy more liquor and thus increase the
nor-pssitv for more' pensions.
The rather Intimate relations be
tween the liquor traffic and the old
age pensions was aptly set forth In a
oorir.cn in London Punch several
months before either the old-age pen
sions or the Increased liquor tax law
was passed. The cartoon showed one
toper asking another if he thought the
Premier would raise tne lax on uecr,
"Of course e ll raise it," said toper
No. 2. "If e don't, ow's 'e to pay us
our old-aee pensions?" This philo
sonhical prophecy seems to be work
ing nut with a kind of endless chain
orectsion." but, unfortunately for the
tnxnavers. who are . footing the old
age pension hills, there is too much
"iot motion" in the system. There
are a large number of really deserving
noonle on the pension rolls, out jnera
are thousands whose intemperate hab
its have contributed to testaDiisnmen
of economic conditions that seem to
mnk old-are pensions a necessity.
The social gulf between British
wealth and aristocracy and the other
half, two-thirds or nine-tenths of the
noDulation is so wide that it has bred
In the latter, a trait of dependence, on
governmental or private charity. In
other words, Britisn customs nvc
mode honeless and helpless paupers,
beggars and tip-chasers out of pebple
who in the Unjted States could be
whipped into rr shamed into a cu.iui
tion o f independent action. This Brit
ich social svstem has made servile
dependents out of people who, under
different economic 1 conditions, wouiu
disblay more independence and inrut,
and it is perhaps, eminently proper
fhat some means, such as the old-age
nensions law, should be provided for
the support of the derelicts when they
no loneer able to taite care
thP.niselves. Judge Hogan, of Chi
cano, whose Interview on this topic
waq eiven In a London cable- in yes
t.iov-'a ni-pnnlan. savs: "I .have-
traversed distances in London unao
coetpd hv a sinerle beggar, wnicn
Chicago would have produced fifteen
or twenty." Thia may De explains
bv the undoubted- fact that there are
more than fifteen or twenty -men
chlcairo who would give money to
beggar where none would be found i
London in the same area.
A HISTORIC HOUSE.
As a fitting sequel to- the rehabillta
tion of the old McLoughlln home at
Oregon City, his heirs will restore as
far as possible the old furniture used
by Dr. McLaughlin when he occupied
the house in old territorial days. This
assurance is given by his grand
daughter, Mrs. M. L. Myrick. of this
citv, who will take personal pride in
seeing that the once hospitable man
sion of her grandfather shall be made
to look as it did in her childhood
days.
The people, of Oregon City have
shown comtnendable fealty to the
memory of Dr. McLoughlln in res
cuing his old home from ruin and re
moving from the time-stained struc
ture the traces of "decay's effacing
fingers." The historic building will
doubtless yet be the repository of
many relics of the old days for which
the name of Dr. McLoughlln stands,
while around it will cluster many tra
ditions dear to the hearts of our state
builders, and only less sacred to their
descendants in future generations.
The house has been renovated and,
where necessary, reconstructed, strict
ly on the old lines. Its old furniture
will be restored aa far as possible.
After that, room will, no doubt, De
found for many relics of the time for
hich the name of Dr. McLoughlln
stands. Intelligently chosen, systemai
ically arranged and properly labeled.
such relics would make of the old
ouse a storeroom of history, an ob
ject lesson of a past era, a receptacle
f the treasure trove of former oays.
Let a suitable place be reserved on
h walla for a Dicture. properly en
larged, of which some very gooa pnu-
tographs are extant, of the, tails ot
the Willamette, before they were
harnessed to the processes of devel-
pment; and, over all, let tne cenign
face of the good doctor, framed in
snowy hair, iook aown. x.iua
the old mansion prove at once a veri
table treasure-house and a fitting re
ceptacle for such relics of, early days
remain of Dr. McLOUgnnn ana nia
already shadowy era.
The extremely Mow ebb reached by
wheat stocks in the Pacific .xortnwesi,
s reflected in the shipments tor tne
first two months ot 4tne new
year. Including flour vand wheat to
all ports, these shipments from Port
land and Puget Sound amounted io
only 1,000,000 bushels, me smancoi
for any corresponding period In the
past fifteen years, prospects ior a
heavy traffic during septemoer are ex
cellent, however, and ll car recmpia
for August are an- indication, t-orx-land
will again handle more business
ihun all Puet Sound ports combined.
The wheat receipts for August at
Portland were 6299 canoaas. ror iu
first twenty-eight days of the month
the combined receipts at Seattle and
Tacoma were 406 carloads, compared
with 508 at Portland for tne same
period. Up to date Portland receipts
are running only about one-nan b
large as a year ago, althougn tne crop
is fully one-third greater.
Tho nrainrv and eloauence of Sena
tor Bourne, upon the introduction of
President Taft to the people or f on
lnnd on Saturday, night, October 2
will be awaited and expected with
eaeer interest. It will be a great op-
r,rtiinitv for the distlnguisnea
tor. who has been nearu too mu j
the people of Oreg'on. A chance like
this comes to a man but once in a
lifetime. Be sure Senator Bourne win
imnrWo it. His eloquence will go
deeply into all the subtle problems of
government, and the piay oi iauu,,
and the use of logic and rhetoric and
poetry, on the tip his - suoouing
tongue, will tell tne peopie w vyi-
mn what manner or man tney na-ve
their first office, and will confirm their
nr-idA in their choice, 'rum out. io
hear Senator Bourne! -
. This is a great country for races
human, horse, yacnt or any uuiC.
kind. Only last week Hamburg Bella
broke a world's record in a trotting
qoo at Cleveland, and an American
orator hroke a worlds record witn
a. flvlne: machine in .Europe. ies
terday at Marblehead, Mass.,. the
American boats beat the Germans in
a yacht race, and the day before Bar
ney .Oldfleld broke a worm s recum mi
. .. ... a r- rAranno with
a hair-mne iraun.
an automobile. We are also leagues
ahead of any other country in the
hio-h.tnrlfT race, and if we Keep mc
pace will be alone in our gloomy giory.
- The chief result of every measure
cf -reform" is anotner noruc ui i-
ficlals". It Is running now to "health
reform': and each official and eacn
bunch of officials appointed to care
for the public health Insists that each
particular incident- or duty lies out
side his own province. "Mother, mae
Bill do it." Of course, none or. meats
nrriMaia do anvthing. or much or any
v,i dnnhtless because they know
there is little to do beyond holding
r.rrr-B and drawing the salaries
These always are the main objects of
sanitary reform.
Courthouse at Portlands
j n; of which Is beeun. Is not
umiiujuw't " -
ancient Courthouse of Mult
mav, Conntv. uown-io '
i oca T
when the building now to be removed
was erected, the Courthouse was ai mo
corner of Front and Salmon streets.
i w o a n. two-story frame building.
There was one Circuit Judge and he
held court, not only in, uiiuum...j
and
but
In Washington, oiumuio.
Clatsop Counties,
cuit."
He "rode the clr-
Building permits for the month of
August show a gain of 14 per cent
over August, 1908, and there is a gain
of 25 per cent in bank clearings. W ith
high-priced .wheat and hops moving
to market in large quantities this
month there will uudoubtedly be a de
cided increase In the September sta
tistics over those of last year or for
the month JustVlosed.
Mr. McHarg, after his brief sojourn
with the Oregon Legislature last Win
ter, remarked that he had encoun
tered a vast, number of scrubby politi
cians in his day. but Oregon's were
the limit. He probably, therefore,
cares little about what Is said in Ore
gon about his initiation into the
"down-and-out" club. ,
The Ellis Island authorities arrested
an English woman on an insanity
charge because she smoked a cigar
ette while they were examining . her
baggage. The woman was probably
endeavoring to live up to the customs
of the country, as delineated by Alice
Roosevelt Longworth.
Mars continues to-be our most in
teresting next-door Celestial neighbor.
His ruddy face will' be obscured by
the moon for a few minutes this af
ternoon, but, important as is that
event from, an astronomical stand
point 'It means little or nothing to
ordinary people. , ,
When the President's" secretary
reads the news columns of 'The Ore
gonian of yesterday . he will know
more of the inside views of the recep
tion committee than is- disclosed in
courteous telegrams.
- Dr. Brougher is giving the matter
of quitting Portland for Los Angeles
"prayerful consideration" It needs
the best consideration Dr. Brougher
can give it.
Who cares about a new corporation
taking over the Hill railroad up the
Deschutes? The Oregon Trunk line
by any other, name will be quite as
welcome ,
That caged-lion wedding was tame
compared with what will come later.
The next lions, in the path of 'ho
couple will not be caged.
About the only man who vifews the
complications over Taffs visit with
serenity is the manager of the Hotel
Portland. , . -
SEPTEMBER 1, 1909-
M THE) DES MOINES PLAN."
Information About It ComJua; From
First Hands.
A letter to the Chicago. Inter Ocean
from a. citizen of Des Moines, Iowa,
gives information about the Des Moines
plan of municipal government, which
was offered, substantially, to the peo
ple of Portland y a charter commit
tee last June, but failed of enactment.
But the subje'et is.of sufficient interest
to justify publication of the Des Moines
letter here. Following are its principal
parts.
f Tha regulation of-Iowa, saloona is ac
complished by a state law framed to tie the
hands of cities. The excellent cobu.huu
are the same as obtained under the old city
government, and are -not' owing to the new
one.
2. Taxes have been Increased. i ne
la higher; the assessment nas teen u
rlallv advanced.' This is not aaylni? that the
money is not called tor, but simply that the
taxpayera are paying more than ever before,
though the fact Is disguised by raising the
assessments greatly, the tax rate slightly
nd issuing certificates against tne impru
ment fund. ' .
8. The "red light district" la abolished,
but at the cost of dispersing the evil. A.
resort was found after the dispersion so far
expelled Into the respectable section as to
be next door to the T. M. C. A. The time la
not yet for Des Moines io ca-i
stone. .
i The very latest Instance of one-man
power shows a bit of paving one aide of a
" .i i AAA m ntat T h ft II
streetcar trade costing iuw
that on the other, owing to the delay and
crochets of a single Commissioner
5. Quarreling is not dohuh. '
Counoll la a Donnybrook fair, where heads
are hit whenever they appear. No auca
wrangling i known before. ...
6. The credit and service vi --
railway company have Deen -
to the loas of the public.
The old government was not corrui"-
travagant. as city administrations go. But
owing to the indifference of tne
control passed largely j ...-- ' , " 7. '
currying narrow favor, and the administra
tion became loose and inefficient. The agi
tation for the commission
broad revival and awanenins --
terest. , The vote at -tne - --
heaviest ever Known ai
such an election.
The politicians saw at once tney mu.v .
spend not to the old combinations, but to
X. whole of an aroused and watchful pub
lie , Produce these condition, and you nave a
community llke-Macaulay. Scotch. As long
as they last Des Mplnes will be a
"ned city. It would have been the same
UnA"nytthh.ng0,thayt',tcu. the Ice of popular
apathy 1. good, whatever Its system, who
ever It. men. The virtue otth.comml.lon
plan 1. not In Itself, but In tts power to
areuae community with novelty and with
hope. Old fogies may prove such a .tem
crammed wllh l Fresh
brings out the vote It's all right. Fresn
young cities tire of Jogging T -o be
hind old Dobbin; they want Joy t Idea in de
partment bubble cars, and are w 11 ng to risk
each machine with on. man at the hee
Offer that style of ridlngt and citizens ail
furn out. And if a community is not oo b J,
for quick Jumping it may be all ierj well.
There ls-'speed in It, certainly.
TThe tnlng for the smaller
1. to start out with eye. open to both eldea
of the Des Moines story. An. let them not
,o4et that the Iowa commission plan .mid
all the exhilaration, keeps a rope on the
old system. ' " i
Preaervln Hl.torlc Tree With Cement.
Suburban, Life.
The Liberty Tree, as lt.ie
. ,.iin tree, probably more than
six centuries old, on the campus
St. Johns College, Annapolis, Md, 1
s a
it-
I 1 landmarK. uiiuci
branches, in 1652, the first treaty with
the Susquehannock tribe - of Indians
was made, and it has been viewed and
admired by thousands of visitors. The
tree has a diameter of 12 feet, and is
150 feet tall. Some years ago a large
branch was broken . off, .and. as the
wound was not given proper attention,
a larse part of the trunk rotted away,
untUStheP old giant seemed destined to
be felled .to the ground by the wind.
Then James T. Woodward, of New
York City, who had become interested
In the , J e because of its historical
associations, engaged a well-known ex
pert to save It, if possible. The first
work of the tree surgeon, which con
sisted in cutting out the decayed wood,
revealed an enormous cavity which no
less than 56 tons of reinforced con
crete were required to fill. The Injured
.. ... nn throueh one of
BoMInn
.v.. to a point some
60 feet
from the ground, where there was so
large a hole that a workman entered
it and went down thrcrtigh the inside of
the tree to the base, cleaning out the
teasel tissue as he descended Then
an antiseptic wash was given and the
tree filled with stone and cement.
They "Got Him:"
Kansas City Journal.
The newest "mean mar' story: In a
western county of Kansas the dead body
Tf an ""known man was. recently discov
ered In his pockets they found $100 in
bank notes and a big revolver.
"Vhat about it?" -asked the innocent
"""You would expect that they'd- have
used that hundred in finding his rela
tives, or. failing in that. hav given him
a decent burial, now, wouldn t you?
"Well they didn't." Is the answer.
"They arraigned his dead body before a
Tnstipa of the Peace for carrying cpn
S weapons and fined him $100 and
buried him In tha potter's field.
Wise Little Willie.
Llpplncott's Magazine.
Little Willie, the son of a German
town woman, was playing one day with
the girl next door, when the latter ex-
Cl"jn?t you hear your mother calling
you? That's three times she's done so.
Aren't vou going in?" ,
Not "yet." responded Willie imper-
turbably.
"Won't she whip you?
demanded the
little Kirl, awed. " '
..i?, .. .v.i.lmed Willie, in disgust.
"She ain't going to whip nobody! She s
got company. . too. when I go in. she 11
Just say. 'The poor little man has been
bo deaf since he's had the measles!
Preacher Breaks Game Law.
Tillamook Headlight.
Rev Mr. Belknap, pastor of the M. E.
Church at Hillsboro. was arrested - for
selling a deer hide. He killed a buck and
sold the hide to the storekeeper at Dolph.
When taken before Justice of the Peace
Nelson at Cloverdale he pleaded guilty,
and the Justice imposed the- minimum
penalty, which was $30. The reverend
gentleman was quite surprised when he
was arrested, for he did not know at the
time that it was unlawful to barter deer
hides at this season of the year. -
Man Slarrle. HI. Step-Mother.
Baltimore News.
Richard Belew, 62 years old, a farm
er of Hendleton County, Kentucky, and
Mrs. Susan Ellen Belew. a widow of
Falmouth, Ky., were ' married in Cin
cinnati. - Mrs. Belew is her husbands
step-mother. He says It will be "kind
o' nice" being the father of his step
brothers and Btep-elsters . and other re
lations of the prefix "step."
Payche .Knot Snvear Woman's Llf.
Milwaukee, Wis, Dispatch.
Because Mrs. Emil Unzweller, of
Nenah, T7is.,.wore her hair in a psyche
knot she was saved from death when
she fell out of a cherry tree and her
head struck a large boulder. The thick
knot of hair on her head prevented a
fractured skull, although she was ren
dered unconscious.
HOLIDAY TO WELCOME PRESIDENT
Large .Street Parade In Which Mr. Tft
Should Figure, Is Suajgeated.
PORTLAND, Or.. Aug. 31. (To the
Editor.) In a recent issue of Tha Ore
gonlan, I note under the programme
given for the entertainment of Presi
dent Taft, who is to visit our city in
the near future, the following item:
"The President will speak Saturday
afternoon at the Armory, when, the
general public will be admitted?' The
general public of Portland; consists of
about 250,000 people, who would actu
ally turn out to see the President,
while the space afrorded by the Armory
will accommodate about one-fifth of
that number.
I notice some criticism regarding
the way in which some selfish people in
Seattle desired to entertain the Presi
dent. Seattle-s Mayor and City Council
took the matter up and demanded a
street parade, on the ground that the
President belonged to the people and
not to a few politicians and business
men.
Portland does not often get a chance
to see the President of the United
States, and I think it would be well for
the day to be declared a holiday, and
that a large street parade be given,
covering all the main streets of Port
land, to which "the general public"
will be admitted. The Armory will not
accommodate one-fourth of the school
children who would like to see Mr.
Taft. The parade should cover blocks
and blocks of our city streets, so that
all who wish can see.
K. A. LONG.
NATIOJTAL CONTROL OF UTILITIES
ThL Is Urged Rather Than Private
Ownership of Water Power.
PORTLAND, Aug. SI. (To the Ed
itor.) The plan proposed by Gifford
Pinchot to conserve the rights of the
plain people in the water powers of
this country if carried to its con
clusion would appear- to have as
Its object the benefiting of the future
generation at the expense of the
if an annual charge per horse
power Is made, with a limit to the
length of the granted privileges, the
private company will compel the con
sumer to pay the charge, and the state
or Government would either have to
pay for the plant at a fair valuation
at the end of the term and thenceforth
operate it, or extend the grant at the
same or a new rate.
If in forest reserves the annual rental
is payable to the Government, the
charge becomes a National tax on the
ir.ai nonsnmflr. and there Is no
omollnratlon of the trust evil. In order
tn conserve the rights of the consum
era a more direct and efficient means
cnnn.r to ha Government or
state control of the price of power to
the DUbllc. and an annual horsepower
charge to companies using power de
veloped by themselves.
The same reasoning would apply to
private irrigation companies, and ulti
mately leads up to the old question of
Government control of the more Impor
tant public utilities. GEORGE RAE.
From Dlshwlper to Opera Tenor.
New York Dispatch.
From dishwashing to the Stage of the
Manhattan Opera-house is the quick
tmr. of the newest discovery of Oscar
Hammerstein, who will Introduce to the
New York public Antonio rticnaru
additional tenor this Winter.
The discovery was made by patrons
of the Chateau des Beaux Arts, at
Huntington, L. I., when the American
Institute of Architects, who were din
ing there, heard exquisite renditions
from tenor parts In "Martha" and
"Tosca" emanating from the pantry.
They clamored for the man, who, clad
In his pantryman's costume, was
brought into the dining-room to sing.
His rendition of operatic selections
made a tremendous hit. John G. Petit,
designer of Dreamland at Coney Island,
was so Impressed he declared he would
introduce the singer to Mr. Hammer
stein. .
Before coming to this country Rich
ard, a fine-iooklng Italian, sang tenor
parts fn grand opera' at Havana. On
his arrival here necessity made him
forsake his musical vocation for the
lowlier calling of wiping dishes for a
living.
Reads Like the Book of Job.
' Tyler, Minn., Cor. St. Paul Dispatch.
: The story of the recent misfortunes
tf the family of Berger Johnson reads
like a mouern book of Job.
In 1906 Mr. Johnson bought a thresh
ing machine which burned a week later,
six weeks after that his best horse
died Two months later Mr. Johnson s
father was laid to rest li the cemetery.
Six weeks later one of the daughters
was sent to a hospital for an operation
for appendicitis, and while she was
there a brother contracted typhoid
fever at home. "A little later two m6re
of the boys were taken with the same
ri ' th. nWnr srirl came to Tyler,
where she was brought down with
typhoid, and while she was conval
escing the 14-year-old girl at home was
taken ill with the same malady. The
Rirl in Tyler developed appendicitis
and was sent to the hospital, and at
this time the mother got typhoid. The
crops were destroyed by hail three
years in succession, 1907, 1908 and 1909.
In 1908 the oldest aaun""
ated on at a hospital for abscesses.
Rreed "Skeetcr." a. Food for Fishes,
Burlington, N. J.. Dispatch to tho New
York World.
The chance for a brand new trust has
opened here. Jersey -'seaside resort
boomers have the opportunity of get-
i r. iht. E-round floor, as tne com
modity is "mosquito wrigglers." For
WntnmnlnE-iSt Smith has
t ina- n. war of extermination
.ho npskv critters. Now the boys
of this vicinity are feverishly endeav
oring to breed the mosquitoes in rain
mifl hurkets.
The anxiety of the amateur mosquito
breeders Is the result of an advertise
ment which appeared in local papers
ffrinr eood uHces for mosquito
i.ai.n" hv the auart and gallon.
The "wrigKlers" are the larvae of the
i o'hirh hatch and crow In the
water until thev develop into the flying
Insect 'with the famous bill. Investiga
ht the -wrlsTRlers" are
sought as one
of the most desirable
foods for young goldfish.
Odd Parallela In One Fnmlly.
Wlnstead, Conn., Dispatch to New York
World.
Selectman and Mrs. 'Frank Driggs. of
Barkhamstad, will celebrate their sil
ver wedding In a few days, and Driggs
brother. ex-Selectman Fred Driggs. and
his wife observe their 25th anniversary
next April. ,
Frod. who is 62, and Frank, 64. have
been married twice, to sisters each time.
With their children, three to each cou
ple, they live as one family and eat at
the same table in the house built by
their grandfather. Andrew Driggs,
more than a century ago.
The cost of maintaining the home and
farm is divided, each brother paying
one-half.
Cat Named Roosevelt Wins Honors.
Columbus,' O., Dispatch.
Q F NeldHner. of Bettsville, O., has
the' prize rat killer of the world, a
cat called Roosevelt. Roosevelt's total
kill during his lone: life of usefulness
Is estimated at 45.625 rats. The cat Is
28 years old probably the oldest cat
in the world and. has outlived two
masters.
PIXCHOT'S PET LAW FAVORS RICH.
Poor Man, Says S. B- Huston, I. Barred
From WTater Project. In Oregon.
PORTLAND, Aug. 31. (To the Editor.)
Mr. Pinchot has paid us his visit, has
been received with enthusiastic acclaim ,
and has. apparently demolished all op
porltion to himself and his theories.
Everybody who differed with him is. of
course, a tool of the interests and a
hireling of the trusts. Oregon is to be
especially commended because it has
adopted one of. his pet ideas,, that Is.
a water -code. Mr. Pinchot pronounces
this an ideal thing, and if only the
balance of the states and the United
States Government would adopt a similar
one. then the rights of the' people would
be forever preserved. It does not need
any argument to demonstrate this. All
you have to do is to denounce every
body who ventures to differ with Mr.
Pinchot or to saiggest that his Ideas are
theoretical rather than practical.
What is this wonderful water code
that Oregon has adopted? Ask the firft
ten men you meet, on the street and
tho chances are that' none of them have
examined it but all are satistW that it
is' a wonderful thing and deals a body
hirvo tr. thA trusts and corporations. I
can better illustrate what It is by giving
an example of its actual workings.
About 15 years ago a poor man who
was trying to better his condition took
up a homestead in the foothills of the
Cascade Mountain About half of his
land was tillable and the other half was
steep and rocky, but there was quite . a,
good sized stream running through his
place and he saw. or thought he. saw,
possibilities of a water power 1n the
future which might become valuable. He
lived on his place and has lived on it
ever since. He and his wife saved their
earnings, economizing carefully, looking
forward to the time when they might
realize upon the water power and have
something to live upon in their old age.
They have saved a little money and
they had some friends in Chicago who
had some money and had promised to
aid them in developing their water power
when the proper time should arrive. Re
cently they concluded that It was time
to begin. Being so advised, they pro
cured an engineer who made the proper
surveys, maps, blue prints, etc.. neces
sary in order to make an application to
file upon the water power, at an expense
of about 1200. The engineer reported
that by building a dam of a certain slzo
and character they could create a plant
which would develop ao.O'XI-horsepower.
Armed with these documents, the man
made preparations to file upon his water
power, when- he was astounded to learn
that the fees for filing upon this water
power upon his own land would be JlOnO,
and an annual fee, payable in advance,
of J5000- This is not to be paid when
the plant Is in operation, but from tho
start. The poor man, of course, gave
This is the beneficent law" which is to
nfei-nard the rights of the people
against -the trusts. Under it there will
not be a single water power proposi
tion developed in the Btate of Oregon
except by some wealthy corporation. The
only chance that the poor fellow will
have to make any money out of his own
water, flowing over his own land, arid
which has been from time imimmuum .
regarded as his by the doctrine of
riparian rights, will be for him to take
a shovel and work for 2 a day In build
ing the dam' when some big corporation
undertakes to develop it. It is an act
that will stifle manufacturing in Ore
gon and will allow the East to continue
to do our manufacturing for us in th
future as it has done in the past. It
says to the Standard OH Company, or
any kindred corporation that wants to
gobble up the water power of Oregon:
"You need not be In a hurry about it.
We have passed a law that will save
this for you. We have effectually fenced
off the poor people so that they ncv-er
can develop this and we are saving it
until such time as you shall conclude
that it would pay you to develop it."
The people of Oregon have gone daft,
but they will coma to their senses by
and by. If they allow the Congress of
the United States to pass a law similar
to this with reference to the waters of
the Nation, the manufacturing interests
and the wealthy corporations of the
Bast will see to it that it is never re
pealed. S. B. HUSTON.
Schlvely "Not Gutlty."
Seattle Argus.
Jack Schlvely has won and he has
lost. The attempt of Governor Hay to
oust him from office has not been
successful. But the Governor has suc
ceeded In laying the account of the
whole transaction before the voters
in such a manner that they under
stand exactly what was done, and how.
As far as Schlvely is concerned
politically, he is dead "too dead to
skin " He couldn't carry the First
ward of Seattle for wreckmaster.
When his term shall have expired he
will have to either retire to P"vat?
life or move on to new scenes. Anrt
what has he to show for It all' It
was admitted that he and Nichols
collected fees in advance, and far in
excess' of what was provided by law.
and these fees run up Into the thousands
of dollars. And Schlvely admits tha.
the money is all gone gone, as he says,
to pay for his defense against these
charges.
Schively's victory is indeed a barren
one. ,
Heney and Hermann.
Umpqua Valley News.
The Eugene Register hits the nail on
the head in this matter: "Heney says he
hardly expects to prosecute Blnger Her
mann. That Is nothing new. No one elf"
expects if-. The Hermann case could
hardly be considered more than a farce
from the beginning, and no doubt none
knew this better than Heney." The Her
mann case was threshed out In Washing
ton when the burning of rrlvate books
caused one of the longest trials on rec
ord During that trial Hermann was
vtrtuallv tried on all the charges that are
embodied in the later indictment. The
actual facts are that he has been tried
and acquitted, and Heney knows this to
be true. With all the grandstand oratory
Heney has been guilty of with regard to
this matter there Is no doubt he would
have called Hermann's case for trial long
ago had he half-way believed there was
the slightest chance for conviction.
Doctor. Who nlaasrree.
New York ".7orld.
With the -severity of a great moral
teacher. President Benjamin Ide Wheeler
of the University of California has been
scolding the women students for frivolity.
"Let there be no gigKlIng or flirting,
he said sternly, "on the college ground.
There are too many teas and balls, too
much flutter and nervousness, press;"
and Intensity, especially in the beginning
of the year. There are too many social
distractions." Yet it is only a few short
weeks since Prof. Palmer of Harvr-d
counselled the- Radclife girls not to bury
themselves too deep in dry studies to the
neglect 'of social diversions. A little '
flirting, he casually intimated, might do
no great harm. If the spirit of the
California and Massachusetts colleges Is
so reprehensible and so different:, as
the remarks of their local critics imply,
why not Improve both by a system of
exchanging women students ana so
sweeten New England learning and cor
rect Pacific Coast frivolity?
. I
Boy. and Baseball.
Chicago Inter Ocean.
Who will say that baseball is had for
the American boy? He is developing all
that goes to make the typical American.
He gets out on . the playground and
does his level best. When the game is
finished and ha is tired out through
his efforts ho hurries home to mother,
for the boy is always hungry and
mother's meals are tha -best.