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PORTLAND, TCESDAT. NOV. SO. 1909.
BECRETABT HAL.LXNGERTB REPORT.
The report of Secretary Ballinger is
a. business-like statement of the af
fairs with -which his department has
to deal. In the entire document there
la nothing that can offer excuse for
legitimate criticism and for this reason
It will prove most disappointing to the
army of muck-rakers who have been
camping on Mr. Ballinger's trail for
several months. The weak points in
our land laws were known and under
stood by thousands of people years
before Mr. Ballinger became the ad
ministrative head of the Land Depart
ment, and he calls attention to these
weaknesses, and makes suggestions
by which they can be corrected. This
Is something that was not done by
numerous predecessors who held office
before the practice of muck-raking
had reached its present degree of per
fection. The water power problem, which in
vited more adverse criticism of the
Ballinger administration than any
other feature of the service, is dis
cussed in a practical manner. The
plan of legislation for the conserva
tion of the power sites of the country
is said to be the first presented by any
Government official. Desire to avoid
a repetition of th recent friction with
the Forestry Service is shown in the
suggestion that Congress shall define
the powers of the Secretary of the
Interior, so that in future there will
be no conflict between various officials.
Secretary Ballinger's recommendation
for new land laws will undoubtedly be
acted upon, for the very obvious rea
son that the public land still remain
ing is of an entirely different charac
ter from that which was distributed
under the land laws of twenty-five
years ago.
In recommending- the survey or all
unsurveyed railroad lands, thus mak
ing them eligible for taxation. Secre
tary Ballinger has disclosed not only
a new source of revenue from land
taxation, but his suggestion, If acted
upon, will also result in the railroads
selling or developing some of the
Immense tracts now held in Idleness.
The practical side of Mr. Ballinger's
nature crops out quite plainly when,
in criticising the kind of talent that
is attracted by the meager salaries
paid in the Indian Sen-ice, he as
serts that "The Civil Service regula
tions are not adapted to the secur
ing of thoroughly competent public
servants of these classes, as the quali
fications outside cf Civil Service ex
aminations are frequently more im
portant than those determined by
euch examinations."
Taken as a whole, Mr. Ballingcr's
report, aside from Us official value and
significance, is the strongest possible
presentation of the Ballinger side of
IIIC I rv t ill lunii ... i i j . - - - . -
conclusively that the Secretary was
doing the best he could with the an
tiquated laws under which he was
obliged to work. That he kept within
these laws. Instead of essaying the
role of a dictator In his department,
is to his credit.
THE NICARAGCAX CRISIS.
The Niearaguan trouble seems to
be nearing a crisis, with the chances
strongly favoring the revolutionists.
For a good many reasons it would
probably be a good thing for the
world at large if Estrada should de
feat Zelaya, who has made such a
sorry mess of his government. If
Kstrada shall be Juccessfvl. it will
enable the United States to keep clear
of a situation in which our right and
our duty are somewhat hazy. Just
at present there Is a mighty roar be
cause President Zelaya has shot two
American citizens. Without due con
sideration for the strained situation
and any posslbje good reason for the
shooting of our citizens, some warm
blooded people are insisting that the
American Navy be sent down to blow
the diminutive Central American Re
public off the map.
In the absence of definite knowledge
of the causes that led up to the
shooting of the Americans, it might be
well for .this country to lie back and
trust in Estrada's prowess to avenge
the outrage, along with the rest of
tl.e avenging he is now engaged in.
One point is reasonably clear, and that
Is that every American citizen of
average intelligence who goes to Cen
tral America ought to be sufficiently
familiar with the customs and laws of
the country to avoid mixing up in the
frequent "family rows" that have
made these countries notorious. Ze
laya may be and probably Is a blood
thirsty dictator, but for the time be
ing he Is the recognized head of the
Niearaguan government. His coun
try being recognized by the United
States as an independent nation, none
of our wandering American citizens
has a right to take part in a rebellion
against it. '
There Is hot the least possible ex
cuse for Americans voluntarily taking
up arms against Zelaya, for they can
not even plead patriotic reasons such as
are supposed to animate the native
followers of Estrada. If the Ameri
cans who were executed had actually
taken up arms against the Nicaraguan
government, their position In the eyes
of the world would be not at all dif
ferent from that of a couple of Nlc
araguans who might enter the United
States and Join an army of revolution
ists who were seeking to overthrow
our own government. As a nation,
however, we are perhaps Inclined to
get excited over alleged insults to our
flag and iiur people before we com
plete the analysis of the outrage. This
course might lead to unpleasant con
sequences in the present case, and will
be happily avoided If Estrada and his
followers aro successful. If they
should not be, an immediate and sat
isfactory explanation should be forth
coming from Zelaya.
A VERSATILE CITIZEN.
Mr. C. E. S. Wood stirred the en
thusiasm of I. W. W. members in a
Portland meeting last Sunday by de
claring himself an Anarchist. for
which he was rewarded with 'loud
applause and yells. Said Mr. Wood:
I work with the Democratic party be
cauee It la nearer my Ideals than others.
Tet that party would be the first to deny
to me the title of Democrat. 1 don't want
It. I am an anarchist. Thafs my ideal.
(Great applause and yella) I believe in the
anarchistic theory that land should be held
only by those who use and posaesa It. (Ap
plause.) So I work with the slngletaxers.
The Colonel such he Is sometimes
called is lithe in adjusting himself
to varying degrees of wealth and so
cial status. As attorney for one of
the biggest land monopolies in the
West a wagon road company in
Eastern Oregon he stands champion
of a land system far more monopolis
tic than that which he denounced
amid cheers last Lunday. As attor
ney for the gas monopoly In Port
land, he stands defender of special
and capitalistic privilege that enrages
the Industrial Workers of the World.
As counselor of big banks and rich es
tates and as frequenter of aristocratic,
exclusive social strata, the Colonel
might seem disqualified from being
the boon companion of rowdy, fetid
Have-nots of the street, who howl fr
free anarchy, free land and free
speech.
All of which shows Colonel Wood
an unusually elastic, versatile man.
It is a rare make-up of person that
can flatter such far-flung elements of
the social body all at the same time.
The question, "Whose man is he?" is
out of order each time asked, either in
high or low places. The Industrial
Workers of the World regard the
question unimportant and If they are
satisfied, nothing more is needed to
make happiness complete except
anarchy.
THE STANDARD OIL DECREE.
Spokesmen "for the Standard Oil
Company have endeavored to pass off
the adverse United States Circuit
Court decree as a trivial matter, but
they can hardly be sincere. If the
company obeys the -court's order, it
will have to do something more than
change Its name and shuffle its shares
a little. That trick sufficed in 1892,
when the Supreme Court of Ohio or
dered the monopoly to dissolve: but
the Federal Judges, as the full text of
their decision shows, appear to have
had its slippery ways well in mind,
and framed their decree expressly to
prevent a repetition of that brilliant
performance. Judge Hook says, in
his concurring opinion, that one way
for the Standard Oil Company to obey
the court will be to turn over to the
equitable individual owners all the
shares of subordinate corporations it
now holds. Thus the minor corpora
tions will become truly Independent,
may resume the conduct of their own
affairs, and something like competi
tion will be restored In the oil in
dustry. The decree is really aimed at the
head of the Standard Oil Company of
New Jersey, which, since 1899, has
become majority owner of the shares
of a host of other corporations deal
ing in petroleum and its by-products.
This concern is forbidden to vote
these shares and 'enjoined from even
attempting to exercise any ' control
over the companies it has devoured.
These minor companies, on their part,
are forbidden to pay dividends to the
Standard, and are ordered not to sub
mit in any way to its control. Finally,
with an eye on the Juggle of 1892,
the Standard Oil magnates are ad
monished not to repeat It or to "enter
into or perform any like combination."
If words mean anything, the decree
is an effort by the Circuit Court to
give profound and far-reaching effect
to the Sherman anti-trust act of lb.
The Judges declare that the Standard
Oil Company has violated both the
first and second sections of this act.
The first section makes Illegal every
contract, combination or conspiracy in
restraint of Interstate or foreign com
merce. At first glance, this seems to
forbid any combination by which a
company or an individual might seek
to widen a business, for all such acts
restrain commerce In a certain sense.
The court reasons, however, that re
straint must be the obvious and neces
sary purpose of the combination, to
bring it under the ban. If the main
purpose is clearly to extend business,
while the restraint Is Incidental, the
Sherman act is not violated. Judge
Hook tries to make the point plainer
by saying that the restraint must be
"appreciable, and not merely inci
dental," in order to make the com
bination Illegal. Perhaps this really
does help one to understand what the
court means, if we take "appreciable"
in the sense of "important" or
"weighty," which Js not its most usual
meaning.
The decision maintains that the
principal purpose of the Standard Oil
Company in combining the minor cor
porations was not to extend its legiti
mate business, but to restrain trade.
The Government need not have taken
the trouble to prove that trade had
actually been restrained. It was suf
ficient to show that the Standard had
the power to do so. The possession of
the power, says the court, implies an
Intent to use it. Otherwise, why
should anybody bother to acquire It?
But the Government brought forward
evidence that the Standard's restraint
of trade was a good deal more than a
mere unfulfilled purpose. According
to the bills of the prosecution, it had
secured rebates from the railroads,
made contracts limiting the output of
competitors, bribed the employes of
railroads' to betray business secrets,
and sold its products below cost to de
stroy competition. All this looks
amazingly like something more tangi
ble than a mere theoretical ability to
restrain trade.
The second section of the anti-trust
act makes it a misdemeanor to "mo
nopolize, or attempt to monopolize, or
conspire to monopolize," interstate or
foreign 'commerce. It applies to
"every person," and thus forbids in
dividual monopolies as well as those
established by corporations.- In apply
ing the act, an obvious difficulty con
fronts the court. Every person who
conducts a business of any sort, no
matter how legitimate his methods
are, tries more or . less vigorously to
create a monopoly. He will drive out
his competitors if 'he can, and secure
the whole for himself. In other
words, competition involves a neces
sary trend toward monopoly. This
trend cannot be made unlawful with
out forbidding competition itself. The
Circuit Judges were clearly aware of
this innate contradiction. They
sought to evade Its snare by Interpret
ing the law. Although on its face it
forbids all monopoly, yet, since Its
purpose .was to foster competition, the
real intent must have been to forbid a
certain kind of monopoly only. What
kind? Clearly, that which Is set up
by improper means. The monopoly
which necessarily flows from the ordi
nary conduct of business, no sane Con
gress could have thought of making
a crime. Thus, starting from the
premise that- the purpose of the Sher
man act Is to foster competition, the
court reached the ingenious conclu
sion that it is not hostile to monopoly.
All It desires Is that those who estab
lish monopolies should do so by legal
means. Since the Standard Oil Com
pany traveled to the goal by the wrong
road, it broke the anti-trust act. The
sin lies in the manner of the act, not
In the act itself.
A PERSONAL STATEMENT.
Many persons have taken notice of
an article on Harvey W. Scott, that
appeared recently in the Saturday
Evening Post (Philadelphia), and
many, including brethren of the press,
have sent :n their compliments to Mr.
Scott, for which he desires to express
his sense of pleasure anb gratitude.
But he Is unwilling to leave on any
mind the impression that the article
was inspired by him that Its publica
tion was procured by him, or that he
had knowledge that such an article
was in preparation, or even was In
tended. Moreover, he never has as
sumed that the creation of The Ore
gonian was his own exclusive work,
but has always assigned that credit and
honor in largest degree to his asso
ciate, Henry L. Pittock,who is chief
owner, and to whom has-been due the
masterful business management .that
has carried the paper, through long
years, to the success it has achieved.
On receipt of the Saturday Evening
Post, containing the article, Mr. Scott
sent the following letter to Mr.
Samuel G. BIythe, the writer, and a
similar one to Mr. Lorimer, the editor:
PORTLAND. Or., Nov. 25. 1909. Mr.
Samuel G. BIythe. The Saturday Kvenlng
Post. Philadelphia. Pa. My Dear Sir: One,
no matter how old. or how buffeted or bat
tered In his conflicts with the world, never
becomes insensible to good report. Is it a
pardonable human weakness?
When you were here, I had no idea you
were contemplating such an article aa has
appeared In the Saturday Evening Post;
or any article that could relate to me. Not
less surprised than gratified was L there
fore, to aee your article In the paper dated
November 27.
One error, as to fact, in your article I
am not owner of The Oregonian. nor chief
proprietor. Henry I,. Plttock. who has been
with the papci" much longer than I, is the
man; and my property Interest is that of
a minority stockholder. To Mr. Pittock la
due the success of the paper in business;
and to him I am indebted for the oppor
tunity I have had of helping to make the
paper what it is.
I thank you for your kindness, and 'Shall
remember it as one of the things worth re
membrance "In this Inclement clime oj
human life." Sincerely yours.
HARVEY W. BCOTT.
OPPOSING "THE -BUDGET."
The opposition of the Lords to "the
budget," a3 the programme or policy
of the ministry is called in England,
Is based not merely on resistance to
the financial measures it proposes,
but on objection to alleged constitu
tional changes. In our country, when
members of a legislative body wish to
force their special measures, which
can obtain no consideration alone,
they Insist on affixing them as amend
ments or additions to some large spe
cial bill that must pass usually a
general appropriation bill. It Is a
common expedient with us, but has
been employed little in the British
Parliament hitherto. We call such
acts, "putting riders on the bill." In
KBritain they call it "tacking." So we
read in or.j of the British conserva
tive or Tory organs that it Is im
proper and unconstitutional, as ex
plicitly recognized by every authority,
to 'tack that is, to take a measure,
which In the ordinary course ought to
run the gauntlet of Commons, Lords
and Crown, to disguise It as a Finance
Bill, and then to force It into law by
this transparent ruse."
Such is the constitutional objection
to "the budget." It is alleged that
measures which have been rejected
hitherto and would be rejected again,
are now presented, and are to be
forced through. If possible, as budget
provisions. The principal objects
aimed at, it is said, are these:
The breaking up of landed estatea, great
and small, by special taxes.
The confiscation of liquor licenses without
compensation to holders by the lmposltioa
of prohibitory taxes.
The disposing of accumulatlona of per
aonal property by the Imposition of heavy
death taxes. ,
These propositions are called revo
lutionary. Doubtless -they are. But
how far the British electorate may be
disposed to support or to oppose them
Is to be tested by a general election.
It must be admitted that under the
electoral system the advantage is
largely on the side of those who re
sist changes of this kind. The op
ponents of the measure of the Com
mons expect, undoubtedly, to win, or
they would not so openly challenge
the contest. Direct referendum on the
bill they oppose even more violently
than the bill itself, because it would
establish a precedent which could not
be resisted hereafter, introducing de
mocracy without check or restraint
and setting aside the representative
principle in government.
lilt. COOK ON TRIAL.
It is distressing to think what the
fate would be of a man who falsely
asserted himself the first discoverer
of the North Pole. The remainder of
his life would be an unending torment.
He would seek peace and solace here,
there, and elsewhere, and find It not.
Wife nor children nor friends could
heal hia conscience. Every shadow
and every noise would awaken the
fear that somebody was trying to steal
his records and his honor. A ghost
would certainly haunt him the rest of
his days . nd nights, and would not
down; the scorn and odium of the
world and future generations would
be a very nightmare to him; he would
grow irritable- and malevolent; he
would lose zest and nerve, and finally
become a physical wreck all out of
the dread of being "found out." For
"stones have been known to move and
trees to speak."
What would the world 'do with
such a man, if It found him out? No
character in all history has ever suf
fered the retribution that would come
to a false Pole-discoverer. Some men
boast heroically that they care noth
ing for the good or evil opinion of
them by their fellow-men. But when
ever one of them falls into disgrace,
his spirit withers and fades. It would
be a novel spectacle, that of a man
exposed to the scorn of the world's
population of 1,600,000,000 souls. No
man ever suffered such an ordeal as
this would be.
The mind of" the earth has never
been united on any episode like the
discovery of the North Pole. No in
dividual ever received such world
wide adulation as the first man who
laid claim to discovery of the earth's
northermost point. The disappoint
ment of all the races of the globe
would exert a force without prece
dent. It would unnerve and wreck
any individual against which the
force was directed.
Dr. Cook Is now on trial in Copen
hagen for all that life holds dear.
Should , he emerge triumphant, the
world will again unite to do him
honor. But his tardiness in allowing
the trial to proceed, and now his lack
of stamina in facing criticism, have
awakened very gloomy forebodings.
The wait will probably now be not
long continued. Dr. Cook should not
have allowed the delay to run so long.
Lectures, books, essays and banquets
should have followed the "proofs," not
preceded them.
An article from the New York
Evening Post, printed on this page
today, under the title, "The Moving
Finger Writes," may be illustrated by
an incident. A young Jew from Eu
rope, whose descendants now are res
idents of Fortland, landed in New Or
leans, In the days before the Civil
War. He saw In the slave auction
mart, of that city which ia still to
be seen a young woman, nearly
white, put up for sale; and he saw
lustful ruffians pass their hands over
her limbs and bust, and then bid on
her, while the auctioneer tried to
catch the eye of the next man who
would raise the bid. This made that
young Jew an abolitionist, and he
went north as soon as he could, where
himself and descendants though he
passed away years ago have ever
since been uncompromising oppon
ents of the political party that stood
for such things, and of the party that
stands as its regular and natural suc
cessor today. In these past days poll
tics have meant something, indeed.
- i
In Alabama the prohibition amend
ment is heavily beaten. Yet the ar
dent Prohibitionists expected it to win;
and there was general scurry of poli
ticians to that side. It was Relieved
that if prohibition could carry in any
state where the agitation is now In
progress, it would win in Alabama.
The adverse vote is a mark in the turn
of the tide. Yet Alabama is one of
the states where there is a very heavy
negro population; and the deman'd
for prohibition In the South has had Its
main inspiration from the cry, "We
must keep Hcker from the nigger."
But white men, even for that cry, are
not willing to be absurd. Alabama,
however, will keep her local-option
law.
The noble red man is participating
In the prosperity that accompanies
dollar wheat. Under the stress of
high-priced wheat and plenty of rent
ers, Indian lands on the Ne Perce
reservation are being rented for $9
per acre for the two-year period.
This is a heavy advance over the 60
cents and $1 per acre formerly paid
for lands on some of the reservations;
but, with good crops and good prices,
the renters will probably make money.
Unfortunately for the conservation of
the soil, the renter is less likely to
take good care' of it than a permanent
owner would be. As for the noble red
man, there is no incentive for him to
engage In farming so long as Uncle
Sam performs all of the duties of a
wet nurse and all-round guardian.
The report of Adjutant-General
Ainsworth shows a total of 4993 de
sertions from the United States Army
during the year covered. This Is at
the rate of nearly five per cent of the
whole Army. The Increase of deser
tions is attributed by General Ains
worth chiefly to the abolition of the
Army canteen, the monotony of gar
rison life, and the facility with which
young men can obtain lucrative em
ployment in these times. The last of
these reasons is probably the over
shadowing one. The present is dis
tinctly the young man's era in the in
dustrial and business world. Army
pay. Army rations and living under
orders are not to the liking of the
average young man.
At the Seattle Fair, the Lewis Coun
ty committee secured about 2000
names of Eastern people who wished
to know more concerning the re
sources of that rich section. To sup
ply that demand, as well as new in
quiries, the committee has Just issued
a very fine sixty-four-page pamphlet,
beautifully illustrated, containing such
facts as an intending settler wishes to
learn. The booklet is published un
der authority of the Board of County
Commissioners of Lewis County.
If our esteemed citizen, "Colonel"
Wood, chould decide to practice as
he preaches, he will probably arrange
to march on Spokane in the near fu
ture. Meanwhile there will be great
curiosity as to whether he will travel
on the brake-beams, blind baggage or
in a boxcar. Of course, the luxury of
a Pullman would never do when so
many brother Anarchists are "pan
handling" their way to the bread and
water stockade in Spokane.
Nobody would object to the "free
speech" of I. W. W. members If they
would go to work and cease being
vagrants. A person who will not
work has no rights which the commu
nity Is bound to respect.
There Is Democratic rejoicing over
the primary law and the holy state
ment, because they have delivered the
Republican party from party feuds.
This Is the Chamberlain and the
Bourne argument.
If a law were passed prohibiting
milkmen from delivering their prod
uct before 10 A. M., inspectors would
then be out of bed and be able to do
some work.
Portland preachers are holding a
convention. They think evidently that
they are violating neither the primary
law nor the will of the people.
No, Jeff and the black man will not
"mix it up" until the day appointed:
there wouldn't be any money in It.
Better a warm rain gale than a
blizzard like that la Eastern, States.
BRYAN'S NEW ISSUE.
The Paramount Thing Now Will Be
Prohibition.
Lincoln. Neb.. Special to New York Times.
The new issue which William J. Bryan
Is preparing to force on. the Democratic
rjarty is Drohlbitlon. Within a month he
will make an announcement which will
plunge the party into bitter strife, and
will bring about a complete realignment
of the present factions. If the attack on
the liquor interests Is successful, and the
rank and file follow him, Mr. Bryan ex
pects to find himself at the head of a
party with a living issue.
The announcement will be made in a
series of articles which Mr. Bryan has
already prepared, and which will soon be
published, in which he makes an attack
on the saloon and liquor interest. By
thoso who nave been permitted to read
these articles it is said that Mr. Bryan
has used the strongest language at his
command In his characterization of the
liquor trade.- While these articles are ap
pearing in print Mr. Bryan will be in
South America, and eo will escape per
sonal participation in the trouble which
will follow.
At the outset Mr. Bryan's efforts for
prohibition are to be confined to Ne
braska, but afterward they are to be ex
tended to other states until the National
party will be involved. With the South,
the stronghold of Democracy, already
largely on the side of prohibition, Mr.
Bryan will wage his chief battles in the
North and West.
Mr. Bryan lays his defeats in former
campaigns to the ilquor Interests, which,
he believes, have made use of the Demo
cratic party whenever it was needed and
at other times have "knifed" its candi
dates. For the sake of party harmony he
has never taken a stand, but now he has
determined, even at the risk of being
accused of attempting to "get even," to
come out in the open. Mr. Bryan says he
is not now a candidate for any office, but
Nebraska party leaders think he expects
the new movement will make him Senator
if not President.
In this state Mr. Bryan's action will
simply tear the Democratic party to
nieces. He has confided in many ol the
leaders and has been told by the "wheel
horses" that they cannot follow him.
Just as soon as Mr. Bryan has left for
South America the fight on him will be
gin. Men who oppose him say this trip
was planned because Mr. Bryan realized
what strength would be arrayed against
him. and wanted to be beyond the reach
of any influences which might cause him
to discontinue his attacks.
It Is said that Mr. Bryan will make
the fight in Nebraska on the insertion of
a county-option plank in the Democratic
Dlatform. On that he will lose the bup
port of Governor Shallenberger, who Is
standing on the present daylight saloon
act and expects re-election on a platform
affirming the efficacy of that law. An
other man who will be against hira is
Mayor James Dahlman, of Omaha, who
has. for years, been known as Bryan's
closest personal and political friend."
He stands on a "personal-liberty" plank
and will be a candidate for the Governor
shin on it.
The Omaha World-Herald, which has
supported Bryan in his every campaign. In
a recent editorial announced that the posi
tion of the party on the liquor question
would be determined by the entire party
and not by any one man or set of men.
and gave as its judgment that the Ne
braska Democracy could, under no cir
cumstances, be brought to adopt the
county option plank.
When the last article of the series
which Mr. Bryan has prepared is printed
it will be seen that he has burned all
bridges behind him; that he has staked
'his political existence on the outcome.
He will put this issue above tariff,
finances, trusts, and every other question.
Ed Howe's Philosophy.
Atchison Globe.
An unhappy woman always looks
happier than an unhappy man.
It isn't always safe to bet that the
man who isn't prejudiced isn't inter
ested. If you are clever and coax a weaker
man to dO a thing he shouldn't do, you
are next door to dishonest.
The winning policy is the one poli
ticians are greatly interested in, al
though they don't talk about it much.
It is said of Daysey Mayme Apple
ton that she is the only girl who ever
visited in the country who could slop
the hogs and at the same time wear a
soulfoul expression.
An Atchison man who will give a
man party shortly, will have portieres
made of weinerwurst. and will give a
prize to the one guessing nearest to
the number of sausages in the decora
tion. The attention of the woman who
thinks if she wasn't hampered by hus
band and children, she'd show the
world how to make-Jnoney. is called
to the thousands, of women who are
not, and don't.
Reflections of a Bneli'elor.
New York Press.
A woman wants to get into society so
she can pretend she was always there.
The average man-thinks a latchkey is
more important than the Ten Command
ments. The farther a man can travel away
from his family the more they can fool
themselves about how homesick he is.
Evil doesn't have to carry any insur
ance on itself, for it can come out of fire,
famine, and plague stronger ' than it
went in.
Even If a man understood anything
about cooking, he'd still want to talk
about the way he used to get good things,
though they really weren't fit to eat.
Occupations of Harvard College Men.
American' College.
Of a recent class of Harvard College
the members report their probable oc
cupations . as: Business. 135; law. 99;
engineering. 54; teaching, 43; medicine,
41: journalism. 18: architecture, 16; the
ministry, 13, and chemistry, 9. There
fore, out of a total of 427, leaving out all
men whose callings are classed as mis
cellaneous and who are undecided, busi
ness claims 31 per cent; law, 23 per cent;
engineering. 12 per cent; teaching. 10 per
cent; medicine, 9 per cent; journalism, 4
per cent; architecture, 3 per cent; the
ministry. 2 per cent, and chemistry, 2
per cent.
Balaac Memorial Planned In Farm.
Washington (D. C.) Herald.
An associaion styled "Les Amis de
Balzac" has been formed in Paris to
buy the house in which the novelist
died, and in which he lived for the
last, six or seven years of his life,
with the annual subscriptions paid In
into the treasury by members, the
house has been rented, and a museum
is now being arranged, containing sou
venirs of Balzac. The house is a one
storied building, with a garden, sit
uated in a quiet, somewhat unfre
quented quarter of the capital.
B1r Pennsylvania Tree, 325 Years Old.
Philadelphia Record.
Recently the largest tree In Winslow
township. Jefferson County, was cut.
It was located In the Paradise settle
ment. When lying down it was found
that its height when standing had
been 140 feet; spread of limbs, 72 feet;
distance to the first limb, 36 feet. It
was-5 feet through 7 feet above the
ground. The tree was an elm. Ac
cording to the annual rings it was be
ween 320 and 325 years old.
The Onion Cure.
London Answers.
"According to this magazine," said Mrs.
Biffingham, "sliced onions scattered
about a room will absorb the odor of
fresh paint.
"I guess that's right," rejoined Biffing
ham. "Likewise, a broken neck will re
lieve a man of catarrhi"
CALLS DR. COOK SPITE VICTIM.
Writer Sara Explorer Is Scandalised
by Mercenary Detractor.
PORTLAND, Or., Nov. 2S. To the Ed
itor.) Why has The Oregonian so lately
and suddenly "flopped" on the North
Pole controversy? Time was but recently
when the versatile scientific member of
the editorial staff went out of the way
and appropriated every opportunity to
give Dr. Cook credit for his great discov
ery and the priority that goes with it.
But of late those of us who are still loyal
to the intrepid doctor have been pained
at the ironical, spiteful and sarcastic
squibs directed against Dr. Cook, the last
one appearing in today's Sunday Issue.
Has The Oregonian resolved to abandon
Dr. Cook, now that he has been scan
dalized by a horde of mercenary and con
tumelious detractors and ally itself on
the side of the military i aristocracy and
silk-stocking class, who alone have here
tofore defied fair play and defied Peary?
And does the mere fact that Colonel
Roosevelt has nodded the imperial head
of approval toward Peary' from out the
African jungles mean anything more than
big stick impulsiveness to favor one of
his military friends?
Let The Oregonian justify itself and let
us have fair play along with it.
STEPHEN JOHNSON.
The Oregonian has, made no late or
sudden "flop." At the outset of the
Polar controversy, it insisted upon af
fording Dr. Cook full opportunity to es
tablish his claims. It also regarded
Peary's attitude as unfair and unworthy
of a great explorer and believes his later
change of conduct praiseworthy.
Dr. Cook has had every opportunity
to confirm the belief, that most of the
world shared, of his success. But nearly
all observers admit he has not been
"making good." His data have not en
dured the scrutiny of Polar experts and
scientists, and In many cases have been
conflicting. He has delayed his "proofs"
by one pretext after another. Meanwhile
other explorers have been striving with
considerable success to show Cook's ex
ploit necessitated impossibilities in trans
porting means of subsistence. Gradually,
doubt has been accumulating against Dr.
Cook, until even his stanchest defenders
are forced to silence. If this be "Hop
ping," then let Dr. Cook's friends make
the most of it.
Should Dr. Cook prove his claims, the
whole world will unite in his acclaim,
first of all America The Oregonian has
wished Cook could do this and in com
mon with many . other newspapers has
spoken for him. It confesses it is disap
pointed, although it will not say it dis
believes him. The world is now In the
Missouri frame of mind of, "show me."
As the Latin tongue used to say: "Magna
est Veritas et praevalebit Truth is
mighty and will prevail."
NEW YORK PRICES FOR PEWS.
90000 Annual Rental Han Been Paid for
One In Temple Emanu-EI.
Washington (D. C.) Cor. New York Tri
bune. So great is the demand for pews In St.
John's Episcopal Church which is im
mediately opposite the White House but
with the beautiful Lafayette Square in
tervening that it is the custom to place
them at auction whenever a pew
owner dies or permanently leaves Wash
ington, D. C, and a pew was recently
purchased in .this church for J3000, the
highest price on record.
New York prices for pews easily sur
pass the Washington, D. C, record. A
pew In the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian
Church has been sold for $5000. The
costliest pews In the metropolis, and
probably in America, are in Temple
Emanu-EI, Fifth avenue and Forty
third street. For annual rentage In this
synagogue $6000 has been paid. Average
rentals are from $2000 to $5000. The
price for a pew rented just for the two
holidays of the Passover and New Year,
in Spring and Autumn, reaches $600. Last
year $615 was paid for two seats.
Old Trinity Church has few pews to
sell and limits its price to $125, plus an
nual ground rent of about $35, but a pew
offered recently in. the settlement of an
estate brought $500.
St. Bartholomew's Protestant Episcopal
Church once received $30,000 for a pew,
but this was hardly a legitimate market
quotation, being in the nature of a gift
to help the church to meet a deot.
At St. Patrick's Cathedral $J.000 is the
record pew rent. Two blocks above the
cathedral pews In the temporary struc
ture of St. Thomas' bring from $1000 to
$1500.
In Brooklyn the best Plymouth Church
pews rent for $200 each, and there are
14 of them. Other pews are as cheap
as $5.
And This Waa Love.
Tit-Bits.
A young man and a young woman
lean over the front gate. They are
lovers. It is moonlight. He is loth
to leave, as the parting is the last. He
is about to go away. She Is reluctant
to see him depart. They swing on the
gate.
"I shall never forget you, he says,
"and if death should claim me, my last
thoughts will be of you.
"I'll be true to you," she sobs. "I'll
never see anybody else or love them as
long as I live." They parted.
Six years later he returns. His
sweetheart of former years has mar
ried. They meet at a party. She has
changed greatly; between the dances
the recognition takes place.
"Let me see," she muses, with her
fan beating a tattoo on her pretty
hand, "was It you or your brother
who was my old sweetheart?"
"Really I don't know," he says,
"probably my father."
Homemade Fire Extinguisher.
National Magazine.
" A simple fire extinguisher may be made
at home, and if kept always on hand will
sometimes prove of great value. Take
twenty pounds of common salt and ten
pounds of sal ammoniac or nitrate of am
moniac, which can be bought at any drug
store. Dissolve these in seven gallons of
water. Put in thin glass bottle3 holding
a quart each, cork tightly, and seal to
prevent evaporation. When a fire breaks
out throw one of these bottles eo that It
will break in or near the flames; or
if . this is not possible, break off the neck
of the bottle and scatter the contents on
the fire. This has been tested. Some
times it is necessary to use several bot
tles. What Every Gambler Knows.
Life.
That it is skill when he wins.
That it is luck or bad luck when he
loses.
That everything is a gamble, the only
difference being in the form.
That he would rather maks an honest
living If it weren't such hard work.
That It is always easy for the winner
to find moral Justification for gambling.
Oldest Town In Oregon.
CORVALLIS, Or., Nov. 29.---(To the
Editor.) Which Is the oldest town in
Oregon, Astoria or Scottsburg? J. G.
Astoria was founded In 1811. It is
older than any other town In Oregon by
a whole generation.
Walks 42 Miles on Apple Ladders.
Boston Dispatch.
E. C. Whlttaker, of Hanover, N. H.,
figures that he walked up and down lad
ders 42 miles during the apple-picking
season. He picked 500 barrels this Fall,
the largest" number la one day being 21
barrels. .
ALL PLAY AT CABINET MEETING
No Important Matters Are Considered;
Oh, No, Indeed!
Washington Special to New York Sun,
November 23.
Far be it from any person connected
directly or indirectly, inferentially or
monetarily with the Cabinet of President
Taft to say what occurred at the meeting
today, and It was very far from any one
from the President himself to the third
assistant secretaries of departments.
Of course, the session lasted only three
hours and there were but a few unimpor
tant matters, such as the selection of an
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court,
the Standard Oil decision, the Nicaraginn
affair, the President's forthcoming mes
sage, the proposed amendments to the
Sherman anti-trust law and the Interstate
commerce act that might have come up.
True, the naming of an assistant Secre
tary of the Treasury, an Assistant Secre
tary of the Department of Commerce and
Labor, a Surveyor of the Port of New
York, a First Assistant Postmaster-General,
could have been considered, but
then, no matter.
One by one the Cabinet officers came
out from the Cabinet-room today. Secre
tary Knox said there hadn't been any
talk of the Nicaragua dispute; Sooretary
Meyer and Secretary Dickinson affirming;
Secretary MacVeagh said there hadn't
been any talk about he sugar trust; Attorney-General
Wickersliam said the
Standard Oil decision hadn't come up;
Secretary Nagel said appointments were
not considered, and Secretary Ballinger
said he hadn't asked for the dismissal of
Glfford Pinchot or proffered his own res
ignation. Nobody asked about the Roosevelt coiw
spiracy and the "Return from Elba." The
Postmaster-General hurried out while the
hungry newsgatherers were busy tele
phoning the important Cabinet news to
their offices, so nobody saw him. Secre
tary Wilson, everybody knew, hadn't
talked about agriculture. . because there
are no boll weevil or cattle diseases or
Pattens roaming around the country just
now.
Secretary Carpenter was asked later in
the day what waa under discussion, and
he in turn asked Mr. Taft. When Mr.
Carpenter camo out he said that there
wasn't anything that could be said about
the meeting. Prohably marbles were
played. It was a gloomy day outside, any
how, and three hours' recreation would
make new men of every one there.
T1IK MOVING FIXGF.R AVRITK.S.
And Havlna Writ. Nothlnic tan Bint
Out a Word of It.
New York Eveninjr Post.
We do not know whether the report
is or is not true that Confederate vet
erans are besieging President Taft to
erase rom the wails of the Leo man
sion in Arlington Cemetery these words
of Robert G. lngersoll descriptive of
slavery:
The past rises before us, and -ne nee four
millions of human beings governed by tho
lash we see them bound hand and foot
we hear the strokes of cruel whips: we see
tho hounds tracking women through tangled
swamps. "We pee babes nld from the
breasts of mothers. Cruelty unspeakable!
Outrage infinite!
Whether the Confederate veterans
have their way or not, we think nobody
in the North or in the South, for that
matter need lose an hour's sleep over it.
The story of slavery Is writ in places
Innumerable. If it was the beneficent
institution some latter-day Southern writ
ers and novelists of the type of Thomas
Nelson Page would have us believe, then
the facts will all be found In the con
temporary records of the South itself.
Most, if not all, of the whip-scarred
backs, of slaves have gone the way of
all mortality: but in tho files of South
ern and Northern newspapers, in the
voluminous records of Congress, in the
speeches of Southern men, the diaries of
Southern women, the letters of four gen
erations and In the court records of a.
century, the truth lies embalmed for
him who would study It. Can an inscrip
tion at Washington affect tills? No more
than the erection of a statue to Robert E.
Lee in the National Capitol can free hiui
from the reproach of having chosen to
lead the forces that battled for human
bondage. Lee's nobility of private char
acter is now one of our. National posses
sions, but his place in history Is not to
be settled by erecting a memorial to him
in the Congressional Chamber of Horrors,
any more than the building of a monu
ment to General A. E. Burnslde in Bos
ton will mako of him anything else than
an incompetent commander.
Great Time for Savage Looters.
Chicago Record-Herald.
Among the humorous and human sto
ries in Dr. T. L. Pennell's recent book;
"Among the Wild Tribes of the Afghan
Frontier." is one of a British officer in
the Kurram Valley who interrogated an
Afridi with regard to what was then
considered a probable conflict. ."Now tell
me," said the officer, "if there were to
be war which God forbid what part
would you and your people take? Which
side would you take? l'o you wish 'rue,
to tell you what would please you or tell'
you the real truth?" was the naive re
ply. "I adjure you to tell me what is the
'white word.' " "Then," said tho old
graybeard. "we would just sit up here on
our mountain tops watching you both
fight, until we saw one or tho other de
feated. Then we would come down and
loot the vanquished till the last mule!
God is great! AVhat a time It would be
for us!"
Lnogfcllovr Gems In Sievr York Sale.
North American.
In the recent library sale of American
authors, collected by Frank Maier, New
York City, were 130 Longfellow Items,
many of which are notable for their ex
cellence. "Outre Mer" appeared in the
original wrappers and uncut, Boston.
1S33-34. Tile first issue of "Evangeline"
In the original boards, uncut, with all the
"points," a presentation copy from the
author, tempted high bids. Among the
other "leaders" were: "The Belfry of
Bruges and Other Poems," first edi
tion, with tae wrappers dated 1S45,
having inserted an autograph verse
from the poem "The Clock on the
Stairs;" first separate edition of "Ex
celsior," with the first stanza of this
famous poem in the author's handwrit
ing, and the extremely scarce four
page leaflet "From My Old Armchair."
having an autograph signature of
Longfellow attached.
Secret Hotel Labels on Trunks
Notes and Queries.
There is a secret code hidden in the
hotel labels with which travelers' trunks
on the continent are so profusely decor
ated. Globe trotters are aware that in
Switzerland and in other countries por
ters or waiters stick bills or labels with
the name of the hotel on the luggage
when one leaves.
The trunks look very ugly at the end
of a trip and require a sound washing.
I have been told that the place where
these labels are stuck and the way of
putting them upright and upside down
or crosswise form an unwritten and sus
pected "character." ' Forwarned. fore
armed, according to an English proverb.
These labels speak, and tell in the next
hotel if the traveler is generous or not.
if good "tips" are to be expected in
short, what the prey is worth.
Sugar Has a Stronghold.
Springfield Republican.
In spite of the talk about the sugar
frauds, the business of the trust con
tinues good. The people must have
sugar, even if it is refined by Satan and
shipped to the ultimate consumer direct
from the demnition bowwows.
A Hint to Roller Skater.
At one of the roller-skatine rinks In
Dresden, Germany, a sign has been placed
bearing this inscription: "Do not put your
arm around the waist of your skating
companion. It is dangerou--