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Post-Hire Rates 10 to 14 pages. 1 cent : 16 to 28 pases, 2 cents; 30 to 40 pages, 3 cents; 40 to 60 pages, 4 cents. Foreign postage double rate. Eastern Business Office The S. C. Beck wit h Special Agency New York, rooms -18-riO Tribune 'building. Chicago, rooms 510-512 Truhune building. PORTLAND, MONDAY, JAN. 10, 1910. THE 'TOLES" OF THE HOUSE. It is the fashion to declaim against the tyranny of Speaker Cannon, in his assertion and enforcement of the rules of the House. But the House makes its own rules: and they have been maintained without material change these many years. The period ical outburst of declamation against them, noted during successive genera tions, has caused no material change in them; for the House must do busi ness, and it must authorize the Speaker and its committees to enforce the rules it has made. Not to go over the whole history. It will suffice to present modern in stances. Thomas B. Reed, of Maine, an exceedingly able man, was made Speaker of the House in 1S89. He en forced the rules of the House, in ac cord with precedent and common sense. He set the modern example of purpose and decision, which ever since has been followed. The rules were not new, but he put life and spirit and purpose in them. His conduct was denounced as tyrannous and even as il legal. He was called "Czar Reed," and was more fiercely assailed by all the opposition than Cannon is now. Reed, indeed, was a very different man from Cannon: was more sarcastic and in cisive in speech, and with a phrase could put a critic and opponent out of business. Cannon has a purpose as resolute as Reed's; but he is more kindly and popular, hasn't any mighty arsenal of sarcasms, but puts his ob servations in a plain and homely way. The turn of politics in 1890-92, due chiefly to labor, troubles throughout the country, culminating in the Home stead affair, causing temporary aliena tion of large numbers of worktngmen from the Republican party, threw that party out of power, and the Demo cratic majority of the House elected Charles F. Crisp, of Georgia, to the Speakership. Crisp was a Democrat of the old school; he had been a Con federate soldier and a Judge of the Su preme Court of his state, had a repu tation for ability and judgment, and proved himself so fit for the Speaker ship that after his first election to that office, in 1891, he was re-elected to it In 1893. Reed, still in Congress then, was a member of the minority; yet he had the satisfaction of seeing his methods and his rulings . adopted by the party which had so violently de nounced them. Speaker Crisp saw at once that if the House was to do busi ness it must accept and follow the pre cedents of the House, brought into clear light by Speaker Reed. Cannon is but following them now. The House can change them, of course, should it desire to do so. It can,, abolish all rules and make the proceedings a go-as-you-please affair. Then there wuld be endless twaddle and no business. But the House is not likely to abolish the rules of pro cedure long established and necessary to the efficiency of its action. It is altogether proper and well enough that the House should appoint the special committee for Investigation of the Balllnger-Pinchot affair, or any other special matter. That is the way to relieve the investigation of all possi bility of being' charged with biased disposition or purpose. But, no matter what party may be in power in the House, the Speaker must be charged with appointment of the general com mittees and with enforcement of the rules. Otherwise the House will fall below the dignity of a bear-garden it will be a Babel of voices, a fool's paradise of confusion and disorder. The House lnust have its rules strict and peremptory rules and the Speaker must enforce them. Cannon may be Speaker never again; but the next Speaker will enforce the rules enforced by Cannon and by his prede cessors, of either party. Or the House will be Bedlam. The clamor now is from those who have little or no knowledge of the history of their coun try, or but little memory of it of whom- it may be said, as it was said of old, "They are of yesterday, and know nothing." The House must do business, and the rules of the House for doing business will stand, no mat ter what party has the majority in it. MPLAIMNG A SLlSir. Much surprise was expressed over ! the recent announcement that real es tate transfers in Seattle had declined from $7.926,186 in 190S to $27,642. 000 in the year just closed. The slump was so pronounced that even the Seat tle Bulletin, to which we are indebted Tor the figures, has deemed it expedient to offer an explanation. This explana tion is so lucid and satisfactory that it quite readily transforms a slump of great magnitude into a fairly satisfac tory showing, and. by the mere re moval of $35,000,000 worth of padding from the transfers of 1908, the figures for 1909 (presumably unpadded) are not so bad as they might be. The Bul letin, in explaining when a slump i3 not a slump, apologetically says that nearly one-half of the 190S transfers' were accounted for in a single Item "when the Great Northern Railway se cured title to the St. Paul, Minneapo lis & Manitoba Railway for a consider ation of $35,000,000." The Bulletin assures us that "There were no transfers of this size recorded In 1909." The characteristic modesty of the Seattle boomers -would, of course, prevent many of these $35,000. 000 transfers from being made pub lic, but we are at a loss to understand why there were "no transfers of this j size recorded in 1909." It is plain to everybody that the St. P.aul, Minneapo lis & Manitoba line is not the only rail road in the country that Is not includ ed In Seattle real estate. Why. not in- j troduce the Alaska Central, or take that other road which the Guggen heims are building into the coal fields? What's the matter with the Grand Trunk Pacific? One of the officials passed through Seattle a few weeks ago. and that should have furnished a legitimate excuse for including the capitalization or bonded indebtedness of that road among the Seattle real estate transfers. Of course, strictly speaking, neither the Grand Trunk Pacific Railroad, nor the Alaska Central is Seattle real estate, but neither was the St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba Railroad. Yet, when we consider all the circum stances, Seattle may be excused for excessive use of padding In 190 8 and a partial abandonment in 1909. Thous ands !of strangers visited Seattle in 1909, and it sounded large,' roomy and boomy to inform the fair visitors in an off-hand manner that "our real estate transfers last year were more than $72,000,000," and, "of course, we are doing more business' tiys year than last." Segregating the transcontinental railroads from the remainder of. th Seattle real estate, it appears that the transfers in 1909 were still $10,000,000 less than those for 1908. In Portland, the 1909 transfers (no railroads, transcontinental or otherwise, includ ed) were about $5,000,000 more than those of 1908. THE MVTH-MAKIXG MINI). Myths, even in these , days of uni versal printing, when facts are fixed In type.-travel far and fast, and unless corrected pass into history. Mr. F.-V. Holman has done a public service in calling attention to the erroneous as sumption that Mrs. S. A. Weeks, who died recently at Sherwood, Or., was a daughter of John Day, the early ex plorer, for whom John Day's River is named. Mr. Holman showed it to be impossible, since John Day, the ex plorer, died forty years before she was born. Mrji. Weeks, doubtless, was a daughter of George Day, an old citizen of Sherwood, Washington County, a prominent citizen, remembered still by William D. Hare and many other old ) citizens of the county. Everybody in Washington County fifty years ago knew George Day, and Mrs. Weeks doubtless was his daughter. George Day was a member of the Legislature in 1866, and was among those who elected H. W. Corbett to the United States Senate. He passed away years ago;-I-at this moment The Oregonian cannot give the exact date. Now, how could it happen that Mrs. Weeks was said to be the daughter of John Day, for whom John Day's River is named? One person or another Jumped at a conclusion. The name of John Day survives through John Day's River. Here was a woman of 64, whose father was George Day. When she died some one, who didn't know the history and was given to romance, reported that she was the daughter of John Day, the explorer,- whose name is fixed in John Day's River. But John Day died at or near Astoria in 1812. Myths start and grow in this way, in spite of historical truth, though corrected in our time by universal printing and diffusion of all means of critical inquiry. Similar myths have appeared in all ages. The problem is to separate the fat from the myth. It appears in Old Testament and New Testament narratives; and rthe deci sion must rest entirely on the historical sense that is, on separation of the truth contained in the narrative from its mythical elements. - The truth of history never is so interesting as the fictions that gather about it. The dis position of the human mind is to for get the truths of history and of experi ence, and to remember only fables because the fables give play to the Imagination, while they interest and entertain. No end of fabulous exag gerations, therefore, already about the early history of Oregon. The Indian War veteran thinks himself a great man, and tells of his prowess and his desert. Nobody not even the Jew himself, the educated Jew supposes the story of the forty years in the wilderness to be literally true. He knows it is not. So of the miraculous stories of early Christianity,- and the chain of miracles down t our own time. Cred ulity is the basis of them all. Sub tract credulity, and all of them van ish. But credulity he myth-making spirit is among the most difficult of all weaknesses to eliminate from the human mind. Most of us would pre fer to believe the fictitious story about the daughter of John Day, rather than the true, account of the daughter of George Dav. WHt WE ARE LANDHMKN. It is refreshing in the extreme to turn from the academic theories set forth by Mr. Humphrey, Mr. Gallinger, Mr. Penton, and other landsmen; who fill the columns of the newspapers and the Congressional Record with learned discussions of our merchant marine, to some expert testimony as to why we have not been getting on very well on the high seas. A diversion of this na ture is supplied by a "British Marine Officer," writing in the Atlantic Monthly. His views are as breezy, invigorating and healthy as the wind that -fans the sails in mid-ocean. The writer says he has had sixteen years' experience in merchant ships "sail, tramps and liners" and throughout the narrative he offers evidence that he is perfectly familiar with his sub ject. He does not go very deeply into the subsidy feature, but he strikes the key-note of the cause for lack of American' seamen, even on the few American ships we have, when he says that "There is no need for the Ameri can youth to turn his face seaward. There is plenty of room for him on dry land, and there his possibilities are boundless." This British tar describes the toil on board a modern freight steamer as "soul-killing and mind-destroying." At sea, it is "one continual round of steer ing, swabbing, and scaling, and paint ing iron-rust." w hile in port the work of loading or discharging goes on night and day, holidays as well as other days. In most ports, according to this expert, "if one felt inclined to worship one's God by attending church, it would be impossible to do so. No; the modern sailor must not indulge in such luxuries as a God, a soul, prayers or Sundays." Not without cause, he asks: "Can one blame the sailors when they get ashore for trying to forget their dog's life in debauchery and drink?" It is not easy to discern anything very attractive in this kind of a life for an American who can find "plenty of room on dry land." There is even less attraction In the somewhat harsh discipline that is necessary at sea, and, according to this authority, the Ameri can will not stand much of this disci-. pline. In his language: "Democracy, as Interpreted in America, tends to make Jack believe that he is as good as his master. Well, aboard ship Jack never was and never will be as good as his master. Familiarity between master and man can never exist if dis cipline is to be maintained.' For this reason, the British marine officer con cludes that: Taking into consideration the lovable cussedness of the native-born American, his absolute contempt for law and rule by moral force, his very often mistaken notions of true democracy, and the conditions under which the modern, steamboat sallorman lives, there seems little possibility of the Ameri can ever being licked into shape as a man before the mast in the present-day freight steamer, i This rare combination of clever writer and expert seaman prophesies that we will have a merchant marine of respectable proportions within the next twenty years, 'but it will be "manned chiefly by Scandinavians and officered by New England men." DEMOCRATS AND ITNTHOT. Democrats are doing their level best to find something in the Ballinger Pinchot row that will afford them a hook-hold on politics. They speak of a "grave crisis" in the Taft Adminis tration, and of "split" in Republican ranks. But there can be scant polit ical capital for the historic Democratic party in dismissal of a man who, as Chief Forester, was doing more to cen tralize control of soil and stream in the National capital and to obliterate state authority than any other' Influ ence. Pinchot's big bureau in Washington, spending more than $3,000,000 a year and feeding a horde of office-holders, would have horrified Thomas Jeffer son and the long line of political prog eny that fought against encroachments of National authority upon state con trol. Nor now can Democrats con sistently make peace with the man who would compel the people of West ern States to pay toll to the National Government for use of water powers, soil, forests and minerals. It is a crossing where Democrats should stop, look and' listen. State conservation Is natural. Democratic doctrine, and Pinchot is its foe. Now we shall see what bedfellows the new politics will make. THE NEW HIGH SCHOOL. If we are to have high schools at all these must be secure buildings of substantial size, convenience, comfort ableness and attractiveness. The pres ent Lincoln High School is but little better than an ornate ruin. It is not in any way equal to present-day de mands. It is altogether a cheerless affair, both without, and within; and it must be replaced. The School Board proposes that there shall be a special election, on February 2, when the question as to Issue of $350,000 bonds for construc tion of a new West. Sld. (Lincoln) high school building shall be de termined. The decision should be favorable, if the West Side is to have a high school equal to the two fine new- structures on the East Side. It should, indeed, be done without ref erence to what has been done in East Portland and Albina, for the children must be housed safely and comfort ably, and the present Lincoln High School is neither safe nor comfort able. It is not to be doubted, then, that the taxpayers on the East Side will cheerfully Join with the West Side in the effort to provide- funds for the new school. --j: - - The School Board has-within three years built two new high schools, one of them from current funds; but the burden of building a third is rather more than the taxpayers ' shotfld now bear, and the bond expedient is, therefore, offered. There should be no hesitation -about voting them. We may . complain about the frills and fads and fancies of free education; yet no one offers any serious objec tion, or any objection, to adequate provision for well-built and even sightly school buildings. ' LESSON OF THE TIN N TON ROAD. If the courts shall order the United Railways to charge no more than 5 cents fare for the seven-mile ride be tween Linnton and the center of Port land (part of the way on the county road, where the county allowed the company to place Its track in consider ation of the low fare), the president of the company says his railway will abandon the county road and raise the fare above 10 cents. ' Maybe, and perhaps not. But while the company uses the public highway it should be required to observe close ly all the terms of its franchise. Fur ther, it should be compelled to repair the damage it has done to the road, in accordance with its agreement. Right here is a chance again to preach a little sermon against grant ing use of any public highway to a railroad. Such grants are wholly out of place, and then again, the terms in favor of the public can never be fully enforced. It ought to be a rule of the public service hereafter that highways shall be preserved for ordinary road tran sit, and that they shall be fut to no other use, except In proper places for streetcars. A fast-moving railroad should have its own right of way and should not encroach on the public roads. The county has too few roads now, and encounters enough difficulty keeping them in repair, without com plicating matters with railroad fran chises. For use of the Linnton road and damage thereto the United Railways owes certain obligations to the county and has not kept them. One of these obligations is 5-cent fare. Now it threatens to take its rails off the high way and raise the fare. Should it do this, the county will have a merry time trying to compel the company to re store the road to proper condition. The lesson of all of which is that a public road is no proper place for a railroad and that a railroad should be required to provide its" own right of way. ALASKA NEEDS TRANSPORTATION. The exploitation of , Alaskan re sources has reached a stage where the Government is asked to guarantee the interest on bonds of railroads built in that territory. The first road to apply for this assistance is the Gug genheim project, and to show that there is something to -be hauled out of the country besides the coal and copper from the mines which they control, they " have an exhibit of grains and vegetables at Washington. If the Guggenhejm appeal for aid pos sesses real merit, it is unfortunate that It should be made at a time when they have, justly or unjustly, been placed before the public in a very bad light by the Eastern, muck-rakers. Yet, if there is no other way by which railroads can be induced to build into Alaska than by Government aid, as sistance of some kind might be given the project. Alaska has proven a bonanza for the United States, and the flood of gold that it has poured into this coun try has been the most important fac tor in the past ten years' growth of the Pacific Northwest, particularly the State of Washington. If it can be shown that the resources, other than gold mining, can be developed, by providing railroad transportation facilties, it might not be unwise for the Government to assist in opening up the country- The Canadian govern ment is subsidizing two new lines into Western Canada, and the devel opment which has followed the building of these lines has been re markably satisfactory. ' ' George H. Drummond, ex-president of the Canadian Manufacturers Asso ciation, in an address at a banquet in Ottawa recently warned the Can adians to beware of American ad vances for reciprocity and better trade relations. He declared that Canada would have to face in the near futu.-e grave questions "involving its loyalty to England and the maintenance of its home ties." Under existing conditions this advice of Mr. Drummond is super fluous. Until more of our American patriots can be pried away from the prayer rugs on which they are kneel ing before the sa-fcred idol of protec tion there will be no "advances" suffi ciently serious to cause Canada to turn tall and run. On the other point cov ered in Mr. Drummond's address, the "American Invasion," not to mention that of a great many thousands of Eu ropeans who are not particularly loyal to England, may change the pres ent alignment of "home ties" to such an extent that difficulty will be en countered In determining which is the mother country. Dr. Fielding, of San Antonio, Tex., who holds the world's record for bal loon flights, made in the race fron Chicago in 1908, is anxious to sail to the North Pole in a dirigible balloon, providing some responsible person will onvey his outfit to a starting point far north- This is the most glaring and unforgivable encroachment yet attempted on the rights of Walter Wellman, the premier and pioneer North Pole balloon artist. Not only does this nervy Texan boldly enter a field (no pun intended) that has been pre-empted, patented, exploited and cultivated for years, but he adds in sult to injury by stating that he needs but three or four months for prepa ration. "Three or four months?" Compare that with the years that have come and the years that have flown since Walter, our original North Pole balloonist, began the prepara tions that put Hammerfest on the map. The hold-up man killed by Police man Croxton was released from the Salem Penitentiary December 1, after serving two years for burglary. Prev iously, he had served a term Jn the Walla Walla Penitentiary for the same offense. ,His immediate return to a life of crime, after leaving the penal institutions, offered conclusive evidence that he had no intention of becoming a good citizen. Thus choos ing a life of crime, and becoming a charge on the public, it is question able if anything was gained by the exercise of leniency when he appeared for his second sentence for burglary. If the lives of honest men are to be endangered by the presence of these prowling criminals, would it not be best to remove them from this earthly scene as soon as they were caught re peating an offense for which they had once served time? There is an increasing strain of pessimism in the tone of many East ern news items regarding the coming fight between Jeffries and Johnson, and fears are freely expressed that Jeffries will be unable to win. James J. Corbett, an eminent member of the Has-Been Club, has offered his serv ices as trainer to Jeffries, but it is not exactly plain how he can be of assistance to the champion. In view of the condition in -which both of these eminent disciples are reported to be, a Jeffries and Corbett training stunt would be a case of "the dead steered by the dumb." It will, of course, be a terrible calamity if the elimination of the color line should actually result in the black race hold ing the bruisers' world's champion ship, but stranger and worse things have happened. It is useless for members of school societies and debating clubs of the country to write to the Editor of The Oregonian for .materials for argument on one side or another of the Interest ing subjects -under consideration be fore their lyceums. He could furnish materials for use on either side, doubtless orrln both scales against either scale; but it would take time and be an unfruitful labor. ' He asks, therefore, to be excused, . and begs those who wrfce him and he re ceives such letters almost every day to desist. Portland's new year's celebration was a modern disgrace, a sample of the whisky method of doing things, remarks the Albany Democrat. Not accurate. It was a sample of the way some people have of doing with whisky and other things. Don't over look the other things. The" Federated Trades apparently desires that no one who owns prop erty here shal have a voice in the administration of municipal affairs. But who shall administer them? The men who have' nothing? The brush of the comet's tail will be wasted in May. At present it would be useful in warming the atmosphere. Oregon enumerators will get $6 a day. They should apply early and avoid the rush. The ' bright flashes over Klamath Falls may have been from a red-headed duck. Binger Hermann will begin to . de cide today whether he ought to run for Congress again. Well, President Taft rose to the oc casion and showed "nerve," didn't he? When the weather grows worse we think what we had was pretty good. The trouble just now Is that Mr. Pinchot's roof leaks. THE PRETENSIONS OF" PINCHOT. They Mm Change of Policy and Vni-a lyMiK of Enterprise-. Nothing more direct or forcible has been said or will be said about the Pinchot pretensions than the statement of Miles C. Moore, of Walla Walla, a well-lcnown and public-spirited citizen of that place, last Governor of Wash ington under the territorial regime. He is among those who have entered land lawfully. In Alaska, for develop ment of the country and for their own profit, as have all the multitude o people who have pushed industrial en terprise from East to West, across the Continent of America, Concerning Pin chot, Governor Moore made a state ment at Walla Walla on Saturday, printed in The Oregonian of yesterday, which is well worth repetition, viz.: Not content with running his own depart ment without regard to law or vested rights, he has undertaken to run the Department of the Interior. Primarily he did not have the nerve to attack the Secretary openly, but seduced young: Glavis into filing charges against his superior officer, admitting, when forced to do so, that he had sent Attorney Shaw; of the forestry Department, to Chi cago to assist Glavis in -the preparation of the charges for which Cilavis was dis missed. This was dons clandestinely, and his methods were the methods of the assassin, Finally, when he realized that he was to be smoked out by the pending Investigation, he makes a grandstand play by writing and having read the Dolliver letter. He -will now sink into that abscurlty from which he never should have risen. For months he has maintained a, press bureau at Washington. - filling the news papers and magazines with his propaganda, and with attacks on Secretary iBallinger. It is amazing that 1-Tesidont Tait has endured -it so long. All right-thinking peo ple, whether friendly to Pinchot or other wise, will recognize the necessity for ap proving the President's action. Pinchot policies do not commend them selves to all American people. This country prospered amazingly before Pinchot discov ered conservation and the waterpower trust- These policies are not new simply a feeble and imperfect imitation of policies advocated by Henry George more-than 30 years ago. George's plan contemplated Government ownership of all the Nation's resources and the leasing of them to the individual. Pinchot's plan Is less compre hensive, less consistent, less practical. He seeks to preserve the timber after SO per cent cf it has passed to private owner ship. He seeks to impose taxes on the enter prising people of the Nation when they at tempt to harness waterpower or open mines. All this means additional cost to the consumers, and paralyzes enterprise. NOW THIS SETTLES IT. A Perfectly wonderful Theological and Cbristolofrical Demonntratlon. The following Theology and Christology come from an inspired pen, phose product appears in the Corvallis Gazette-Times. The Oregonian reprints it as a wonder: Whoever denies the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ, whether Unitarian, Jew, Spiritualist, or alleged Christian, is in reality an infidel. The word Infidel means unbeliever. It also means unfaithful and untrue. And now let me briefly explain why, when knighthood was in flower, and faith was new and strong, unbeliev ers were called ''Infidel dogs." The crux of the whole matter of faith hangs ont a material point, a legal fact of. paternity and maternity, a point of law and lineage. If Jesus Christ was not an immaculate conception, not the divine Son of God conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of a Virgin, then he was a mere mortal man, the Blessed Virgin Mary was not a vir gin at all, and Jesus was a bastard or base-born person of no lineage. This is a legal question of legitimacy. The gospel writers anticipated this question, and gave the lineage of both Joseph and Mary back to the beginning. But the direct miraculous and immaculate con ception is the great point of disbelief. Here is the direct cross between God and the mortal humanity, symbolized by the sign of the cross. The wooden bar of Calvary was only a symbol of this other cross which bars the unbeliever out from Paradise. The word bastard is always a term of contempt and is the equivalent of dog. The Crusaders or cross-bearers knew that .here was involved a point of honor that could only be settled by the -point of the sword- This point, the honor of "a woman, was the secret of chivalry and the woman -in the case was originally the Virgin Mary, the mother of "Our Lord." The true knight would not stand for. any slurs on the good name of any woman, much less on the honored name of the mother of his Lord. Cost of Artificial Gas in English Cities. Detroit News. A synopsis of the gas- output of 24 of the largest undertakings in the United Kingdom, as reported by United States Consul Halstead, of Birmingham, shows that the municipally-owned plants'" of Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester are the largest. In Birming ham the price of gas is 47.8 cents per thousand; Manchester 54 cents; Glas gow," also municipally owned, 55 cents; Sheffield, 30 cents, and Sheffield, too, is municipally-owned. Sheffield is near the coal mines, which accounts for its phenomenally low rate; but the town of Widnes beats Sheffield, selling gas for 24 cents a thousand feet. Birming ham lights itself with gas from high pressure mains, usfhg a high pressure burner with an efficiency of 60 candles per cubic foot, and which burns 1000 candle hours at a cost of eight-tenths of a cent. Electricity, to equal this In economy, must be supplied at a cost of 2 cents a unit. Soldier Lassoed in Midair. London Telegraph. Hans Auspltz, a young soldier of the German army, and some other soldiers of the same regiment were holding th two ropes of a balloon before the as cent. When the commander of the bal loon gave the order to let go Auspltz failed to loosen his hold In time, and was carried up holding by two hands to the rope. The three men in the cage of the balloon were for some mini utes the only persons who were un aware of Auspitz's- plight. Finally their attention was drawn to his dan gerous situation. With great difficulty they succeeeded in dragging him into the cage by looping ropes and lassoing him In midair: The balloon had reached a height of 13,000 feet before Auspltz was hoisted into the cage. Have Patience; There's Time Yet. Forest Grove News. The Oregonian had two well written editorials on the evil l'abit of society folk in keeping New Year's eve in a grill room and guzzling down cham- l pagne and other wines. While the edi- torials u-erp t m t t t . n-1 , . gonian could have done the supposed innocent parties a' greater favor and taught them a severe lesson if it had given it3 photographer orders to have taken snapshots of the scene and published the cuts as "New Year's Eve in the Grill Room in Portland." Where, Oh! Where Is It? Baker City Herald. From the way Portland papers speak of the New Year's welcome In that city Paris must be a moral guide post com pared, with Oregon's metropolis. One paper openly accuses some alleged "de cent" people of acting worse than the sporting element. And, strange as It may seem, the sex was not male, either. Too bad, too bad. "Where Is Harry Lane's moral teaching of the Portland populace, later to be taken up by Mayor Simon? Yes, where is it? ITae for the Marine. Pittsburg Gazette-Times. The War Department might detail a few hundred marines to suppress the belligerency; of Ballinger and Pinchot. DRAW-CIOSKG ON THE RIVER. Correspondent Gives Rales Governing Similar Conditions at Boston. PORTLAND, Jan. 9. (To the, Editor.) The hopes of the East Side residents for the closing of the bridge draws dur ing the rush hours have prospects of success if a favorable decision by the War Department depends on precedent for such action. Recently the new rules governing the operation of draws in bridges around Boston were an nounced and they embody features which. If applied locally, would give Immediate relief. The rules referred to are: HOURS FOR OPENING BRIDGES. The new regulations of the War Depart ment governing the operation of draws in bridges around Boston were announced last week. The draw on each and every bridge named shall, upon signal of vessels, be opened promptly at all hours for tne pass age of any vessel not able to pass under neath it; provided that when the draw In any of the bridges shall be open for 10 minutes or longer it may be closed for the crossing of trains, cars, vehicles or individ uals, ami after being closed for 10 minutes it shall be opened again promptly for the passage of vessels. Between the hours of 6::t and 9 A. M.. and 4:30 and 7. P. M.. the draws on these bridges shall not be re quired to be opened on week days for the passage of any vessels excepting during the periods between 7:05 and 7:15 A. M-, between 8 and 8:10 A. M.. between 5:20 and 5-iO P. M., and between 6:20 and (J:30 P. M. These bridges are as follows. Across Gharles River Charlestown bridge. Warren bridge. B. & M. (formerly Fitch burg) railroad bridge, for teams. B. & M. (formerly Fltchhurg) railroad bridge, B. & M. railroad bridge, B. A M. (formerly east ern) railroad bridge, B. & M. (formerly Lowell passenger) railroad bridge, B. & M. (formerly Lowell freight) railroad bridge. Craigie temporary bridge, Boston elevator railway bridge, Charles River dam bridge and Harvard bridge. Cambridge, Mass., Chronicle, Dec. 18. 1909. An examination of the above rules, which are of the War Department's promulgation, shows that draws shall be opened promptly at all times (ex cept as noted below) for any vessel, not able to pass underneath, provided that when any bridge draw shall have been open ten (10) minutes or longer, it shall be closed for at least a similar period for the crossing of traffic. How ever, between the hours of 6:30 and 9 A. M. and 4:30 and 7 P. M. on week days the draws on all bridges shall not be required to be opened, excepting during periods from 7:05 to 7:15 A. M. and 8 to 8:10 A, M. and from 5:20 to 5:30 and 6:20 to 6:30 P. M. Six (6) public and six (6) railroad bridges carrying an enormous traffic are af fected by these regulations. It will be noticed that the "closed" periods that those of the greatest rush in bridge traffic, but that while in each case they are of two and one half hours' duration, there can be no serious delay to shipping because of the 10-minute "open" periods allowed for the passage of vessels. It has been wisely planned to make these re liefs just after the opening and clos ing hours of the city's factories and offices, as viz: 7:05 and. 8 A. M. and 6:20 and 6:30 P. M., thus giving the minimum Inconvenience to the public. There certainly can be no Question as to the great amount of shipping which depends on the lower Charles River to reach its point of loading or delivery of cargo. If, then, these regulations can be adopted without damage to Bos ton's water transportation, it would seem likely that this city might, hope for similar concessions, particularly when the river situation is not com plicated as is Boston by the location on its banks of a United States arsenal, which legally demands at all times an "open river," whether or not it Is used. E. B. M'NAUGHTON. Feat of Russian Army Lieutenant. New York Press. A Russian Lieutenant has ridden a 20-year-old stallion 1000 miles, from Russian Poland to St. Petersburg. The horse eost $75, ,and covered the distance in less than a. month, averaging 44 miles a day, with a record for one day of 80 miles. The Lieutenant trav eled 12 hours a day, part of- the time in the saddle and part of the time on foot. He would start out and trot the horse a mile and a half, then walk him three-quarters of a mile, and then trot him again a mile and a half, then he would get off and rest the animal by leading him three-quarters of a mile. Bad weather of snow and wind consid ered, this trip seems almost as good as our cowboys did some years ago, when they rode on bronchos from out West to the East. President Nichols of Dartmouth. 'Springfield (Mass.) Union. Ernest Fox Nichols, the new presi dent of Dartmouth College, made a most favorable Impression on such of the alumni of the Connecticut Valley who heard him address the Lunch Club. It It not an easy task for any man to fol low a college president so able and so endeared to the alumni and stu dent body as Dr. Tucker, but Dr. Nich ols . gives abundant promise of being the right man for the right place. His address was a frank, clear-cut exposi tion of the alms and purposes of Dart mouth, remarkably well delivered and sympathetically received. It was an address not only pleasing to the ear, but susceptible of successfully with standing the most searching analysis. Electricity to Help Voting;. New York Press. It is proposed that the French Cham ber of Deputies shall very soon vote by electricity. A screen will be placed near the secretaries' table containing the names of tlie deputies, and against each name will be five spaces, marked "Present," "Absent," "Yes," "No" "Vote unrecorded." ' Lucky. Prineville Review. A freighter hanging a load of dyna mite for the Oregpn Trunk people had a runaway down Cow Canyon one day last week, and wasn't the least bit un easy. The dynamite was frozen. Who's Whot Minneapolis Journal. A Democrat is one who does not be lieve in the regularity of any other Democrat. A Republican Is one who believes in the irregularity of every other Republican. Culture Enough. New York Evening Post. Anyhow, it is a comfort to know that the courts will permit only one five-foot shelf of culture. IS ut for a lay. Westminster Gazette.' Sleep, sleep in peace, fallen leaves of fallen roses. Fallen crimson roses, on the grass rain drenclied. Forget the sun, the south wind, and the dew, Forget the song the gray doves sang to you. - Day closes, closes, The sunset fades, the painted torch is ' quench'd. Sleep, sleep, O roses;. loosed .the wreath and broken; The feast is done, empty the golden bowl. Forget the lips that touched, the hands that met, Joyi, sorrows, kisses, tearsforget. The dnsk has spoken. Death breathes his sleep-spell to the flower's soul. t La plus helle fieur ne dure qu'un jour, to morrow New crimson petals the green boughs will bear. Sunshine and dew-fall the new dawn will bring. And their old song anew the doves will sing. And joy and sorrow Will tread the grass nor heed that you sleep therfti . THE OIUJGO.MAX'S AXMAL. Best Ever Issued. . Commercial Review. Portland. The annual of The Oregonian was the best number ever turned out by that publication. Complete. Aberdeen (Wash.) World. As usual, the annual New Year's edi tion of The Oregonian was a complete compendium of the progress of the Northwest, particularly of Oregon. Mnjcuiflcent. Woodbtirn Independent. As usual. The Morning Oregonian is sued a magnificent New Year's num ber, which in many respects surpassed all previous efforts. Portland is a great city -and has a newspaper fully up with it in tone and progressive . spirit. You 3lay Bank on It. Seattle Argus. The Oregonian has just published a handsome New Year's paper, and it an nounces hat it took 50 tons of white paper for the edition and when you see a circulation statement in The Ore gonian you may bank on its accuracy. Mont Creditable. Portland Advocate. The Oregonian's New Year edition was a most creditable Issue, devoted to exploiting the resources of Oregon and the rapid growth of Portland in a manner designed to aid materially in t-.e development of the state. The illustrations were designed to catch the eye of all readers. Central OrfRon Benefited, Grass Valley Journal. The Oregonian's New Year number will prove most valuable to Central Oregon. We hope every reader of the Journal will send a copy of The Ore gonian to some relative or friend in the East, and let them learn of our numerous golden opportunities. Eclipsed All Others. Eugene Register. The Oregonian, with its usual extra ordinary facilities for getting down to solid facts concerning Oregon and its resources, eclipsed all previous efforls in the splendid annual edition. The Oregonian does yeoman service for the state with every annual it issues. Splendid. St. John Review. It was a splendid effort, and was brimful of interesting features rela tive to Portland and the state in gen eral. The Oregonian "gets there" all the time. Other papers may attack and revile it, but it still keeps steadily advancing, increasing and progressing. Great is The Oregonian. Brimful of Facts. McMinnVille Telephone-Register. The New Year's edition of The Ore gonian is brimful of facts concerning "the Oregon Country," especially Cen tral Oregon, which is just now the scene of great railroad activities. One can make no mistake in sending a copy of this edition to Eastern friends. If anything will interest them in Oregon this will. Strictly lp to Par. Newberg Graphic. The New Year edition of The Morning Oregonian was strictly up to par. It is filled with accurate information rel ative to Oregon and the great and growing Northwest, and a copy of It will give an Eastern friend more in formation than you will be able to furnish him by personal correspondence in a year. Try it on. You can's miss it. Great. Roseburg Leader. It required 50 tons of paper to print the New Year's number of The Ore gonian. It is a great paper, full of statistics, and giving a complete de scription of the resources of the great State of Oregon. Its greatest good as an advertising agency will be the fact that Oregon has a journal that is able to present such an issue to the public. Value Is Great. Baker City Herald. The New Year's number of The Ore gonian is one of the best efforts ever made along that line by any metropol itan newspaper. The value of this number to people who' intend coming west is great and the different com mercial organizations over the country could do nothing better than mail out thousands of copies to people residing; in the Middle and Eastern states. Excellent. ' Polk County Observer. The Morning Oregonian. with its usual enterprise, issues an excellent New tear number. As to the excellence of this annual, it is only neces sary to say that it is up to The Ore gonian standard in every respect- Thou sands of copies of this splendid num ber will be scattered broadcast over the Middle and Eastern states, and tho benefit which will result to Oregon can not be overestimated. Specimen of Politics In Paris. Baltimore News. A candidate for an Aldermanic seat in Paris announces his programme oa the billboards about town as follows: L The candidate has no political, opinions. 2. He will have one after his elec tion, and it will be that of his electors. 3. He will respect his electors" wishes. In order to be sure of that, his vot lng tickets will be printed thus: Aristide Duval, Revolutionary. Socialist. Radical. Progressist. Conserva'tive. r. a. rue elector will Kindly scratcrt out those political opinions with which he disagrees. New York: Churches ami Theaters. Chattanooga News. Ninety-eight theaters have cost New York $16,000,000 to build during the last four years, and 3- churches have been erected at a cost of something less than S3,000,000. l-'or 181 office buildings $86, 000, 000 was expended; for stores and lofts, $61,000,000'; for 21 ho tels, $10,000,000. Altogether 4119 new buildings have been erected at a cost of $390,000,00(1, and for repairs $57,000 000 has been paid out. Plans already announced for 1910 and 1911 call for the outlay of $176,000,000 more. A Japanese "W hl.il IIiiji kllibcii." Baltimore News. Official trials of a "whistling: kitchen" for' army use have been made by the Japanese War Office, and the results are said to have been emi nently successful. The inventor is a paymaster named OKezaai. The kitchen travels on two' wheels and can be drawn over almost any ground by one home. It not only boils rice and heats soup, but -it; notifies by whistle when the cooking is finished. Whisky-Soaked Crumbs for Birtls. Detroit (Mich.) Dispatch. A's the state pays 2 cents apiece for the birds, Escanaba (Mich.) lads put whisky-soaked bread crumbs in places where the sparrows collect. The birds eat the "dope" and become intoxicated and unable to walk or f Iys in which condition they are easily picked up by the hunters. Hundreds of sparrows are i being bagged In this manner.