lO
TIIEMORXIXG OREGOXIAX, FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 1910.
PORTLAND, OREGON.
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PORTLAND, FRIDAY, JA. 14, IB 10.
CONSERVATION WITHOUT rTNCHOTISM.
The State of New York does not al
low Its resources to bo "Pinchotized,"
but It conserves them Itself. ' It is
carrying out an elaborate plan of for
est reserves and of development and
protection of water powers. The re
serves of New .York State contain
1,641,523 acres of land In the Catskill
and the Adirondack Mountains, and it
Is proposed to raise the total to nearly
4,000,000 acres. This policy of con
servation is strongly recommended by
Governor Hughes in his last week's
message to the State Legislature. The
Governor quotes from his preceding
message as follows:
The time must shortly come when, no
longer having reason to fear the grasp of
the selfish hand and having settled the in
violability of the public Interest in our
priceless forest possessions, we shall make
possible their scientific protection and their
proper utilization for the public benefit. We
may thus not only secure needed advantages
In safeguarding our streams and industrial
power, but we may also properly promote
the health and enjoyment of the people. We
hall not realize the full benefit of these
great resources until we not only preserve
our forests by intelligent treatment, but also
by means of suitable roads and well-kept
trails we make our mountain pleasure
grounds, under wise regulations protecting
woodland and nature's beauty, more accessi
ble to our people and render available to the
many the lnvlgoratlon and the inspiration
which few may now enjoy.
Governor Hughes also makes strong
recommendations for developing addi
tional water powers on the Hudson
River. The State Water Power Com
mission, in its report soon to be made,
will propose plans for making avail
able 246,000 new horsepower from the
flow of that river.
All this conservation will be car
ried on for the lasting benefit of the
State of New York. Local desires and
needs will be conserved along with the
resources. The people of New York,
of course, would not hand over this
business to the Pinchot bureau in
Washington; they have their own ideas
of how they wish their resources con
served and what other things are to
be safeguarded along with them. Re
sources of Oregon, Washington and
other Western States, however, are
managed to suit the non-resident no
tions of Pinchot's bureau.
State conservation ' is the proper
method of guarding the public wealth
In forests, streams and minerals. The
people of Oregon and those of Wash
ington can look after their resources
without dictation from Washington,
end do it altogether more satisfactor
ily than swing-chair officials in the
National capital, who know this coun
try chiefly for its Summer trout fish
ing. ENLARGING TUB TREASURY DKFICI.
If all departments of the Govern
ment service are handled with the
same utter disregard for business
principles that is so prominent a feat
Tire of the Quartermaster's Depart
ment, there is no occasion for surprise
Rt the steadily increasing Treasury
deficit. As an example of the waste
ful, ridiculous system by which the
Government fs mulcted through the
t-olossal stupidity of its employes, the
Philippine lumber contract awarded in
this city Wednesday is most interest
ing. The Government is in need of
2.140,000 feet of lumber at Manila.
Three bids were submitted by Pacific
Coast dealers. The Tacoma Mill Com
pany offered the lumber at a figure
which, freight added, would cost the
Government a total of $4 6,040. J, Er
nest Laldlaw, of this cityv submitted a
bid which, freight added. Would make
the total cost of the lumber delivered
at Manila 4 6,6 4 7. Balfour, Guthrie
& Co., of this city, offered to deliver
the lumber at Manila, with all charges
paid, for $41,800.
The ordinary business man, depend
ent on common sense and a slight
knowledge of mathematics for his
success in life, would not hesitate very
long in determining which of these
three bids should be accepted. There
would have been a clear saving for the
Government of over $4000 by accept
ing the lowest bid submitted. Every
thing was straight and regular, and the
lumber was to be delivered just where
the Government wanted it; but, unfor
tunately for the lowest bidder, as well
as for the taxpayers who pay for the
losses due to departmental ignorance,
it was decided that the bid was not
legal. There was not enough red tape
around the offer of the lowest bidder,
and, ignoring the fact that it was
more than $4000 lower than the fig
ure submitted by the next highest
bidder, the Judge Advocate-General
decided that it was "not competitive,"
and therefore not legal.
Naturally, there must have been
some infraction of the red-tape rules
that would cause such a decision
against the lowest bidder. There was.
A Seattle firm has a contract with the
Government by which it is paid $1
per thousand more for transporting
lumber from Portland than it secures
for lumber carried from Puget Sound
ports to Manila. Notwithstanding the
fact that there was nothing in the
contract which required the Govern
ment to ship its lumber from Portland
tinder the disadvantageous differential,
an attempt was made to place the
Portland bidders at this disadvantage
by calling for bids for delivery at
Portland or Puget Sound, instead of
Manila, where the lumber was needed.
The Portland firm which submitted
a bid by which the Government could
get the lumber to Manila more
than $4000 cheaper than . by the
terms of any of the other bids
charters ships and sells lumber
cargoes all over the world. Be
ing unhampered by red tape, it pays
exactly the same freight rate on lum
ber from Portland that It pays from
Puget Sound. Lumber importers in
Europe. China, Japan, Australia, Af
rica and other countries have never
rejected the bids of this firm as being
"not competitive" when they were
several thousand dollars lower than
those of the next highest.bldder. This
system, if followed in private business,
would bankrupt every man who at
tempted it.
KQl'AL AND UNIFORM TAXATION.
The Oregon Federation of Labor
represents a considerable body of good
citizens; but its resolutions on the va
rious subjects offered for considera
tion do not always represent the views
of a majority, if the subject under
consideration' proposes radical change
In the policy of the state, one may be
sure that only a small minority has
approved the. resolutions that favor
radical change though the resolu
tions have been adopted without pro
nounced dissent. This is the law of
all these and similar organizations.
The aggressive radical minority pushes
the proceedings, and the quiet ma
jority is silent on the ground that the
revolutionary doctrine can't pass, any
way. The resolution proposed by the Ore
gon Federation, on the subject of tax
ation, falls under thi description.
Taxation is to be taken out of the
hands of the Legislature, and it is to
be determined on initiative petition,
by popular vote, what classes of prop
erty shall be taxed, what shall be ex
empted, and what the rate of taxation
shall be. If adopted, the proposal will
open the way to unequal taxation.
This doubtless is the intent 'or pur
pose Of the change thus proposed.
But It is believed that no better
system can be devised than that which
requires all taxation to be equal and
uniform. This principle is written in
the old constitution of the state the
existing constitution and it is not
apparent that it could be improved by
any change.
Ill i:s.
It Is only the ignorant and heedless
who- will scorn the plans of the New
York Academy of Medicine to exter
minate house flies. Were it only for
the sake of good 'morals, their work
would be commendable, for it is cer
tain that flies are the cause of more
profanity than all other objects in the
world combined, but the physicians of
New York have a less exalted aim
than the salvation of souls. It is the
protection of the health of our bodies.
Little by little in recent years the fact
has been disclosed that "the harmless,
Inoffensive housefly" must be counted
among the most deadly enemies of the
human race:- It is not only a- filthier
insect than lice or bedbugs, but It
propagates half a dozen loathsome and
murderous diseases. The fly is covered
with a coat of short hairs which be
come daubed with whatever it crawls
through. Since the insect frequents
by instinct the foulest accumulations it
can reach, one may easily imagine the
substances it spreads over the bread,
the meat and particularly the butter,
which It finds on the dinner table or
uncovered in storesi
Protection against flies requires
every article of food or drink to be
screened against them. : A single in
sect trailing across the butter may in
fect it with typhoid germs collected
from a cesspool. It may poison food
with the germs of tuberculosis or rep
rosy, to say nothing of a dozen other
diseases: Everything must be con
stantly screened where flies exist, or
they will defile if they do not infect
it; but so long as they are "buzzing
around nothing can be screened con
tinuously enough to make it safe. The
sugar, the milk, the bread, must be un
covered now and then, and the instant
it is exposed a swarm of flies are ready
to pounce upon it and leave their
loathsome traces.
The only certain protection against
flies is to exterminate them. This is a
much less difficult task than it ap
pears at first sight. All that is neces
sary." is cleanliness.. Flies breed in
filth. Where there is no filth there
can be ho "flies, but wherever there is
a neglected accumulation they breed
In myriads. The refuse from horse
barns is their chosen material to de
posit eggs in, but anything that is foul
will do. The lesson is plain. If we
do not want our food and dwellings
defiled by flies, we must keep our
surroundings clean. The art of clean
liness is stiil only rudimentary in the
United States. It is practice'd neither
in city nor country, except spasmodic
ally and partially. Once in a while
there is a grand "cleaning up" in Port
land and other cities, just as the old
farmer regularly took, a bath on the
Fourth of July, but the tireless, sys
tematic, thorough removal of .filth is a
habit we have yet to form. Until we
have formed it, however, we must ex
pect to-be plagued with files and to
perish before our time of the diseases
they spread in their loathsome wan
derings. '
THE MANCHURIAN MUDDLE.
It is not surprising that the Japan
ese should object to the plan of Secre
tary Knox for neutralizing the Man
churlan railways. Neither will it be
surprising to learn a little later that
Russia is not in accord with the plan.
The reason for this Russia-Japan ob
jection to the plan is not. far to seek.
Russia, while still smarting from the
wounds inflicted by Japan in the late
war, began making the best of a bad
Job by negotiating with Japan for
division of the Manchurian trade ter
ritory. Most of this territory belonged
exclusively to China, but the timidity
of that bulldozed ' and bullyragged
country prevented her asserting her
rights. As both Japan and Russia
were pledged to the "open door" pol
icy, the rest of the world was mildly
indifferent to the situation. Russia's
first claim on this territory was by
virtue of the railway agreement be
tween the Russo-Chinese bank which
financed construction of the Chinese
Eastern Railway.
These rights were undisputed until
quite recently, when China began com
plaining that entirely too liberal an
interpretation had been placed on the
agreement, and that Russia was exer
cising power which it was never in
tended she should have. In settling
up the score after the Russo-Japan
war, Russia handed over the southern
portion of this territory to Japan.
When China began crying ' fraud.
Japan was quick to recognize that her
Interests in Manchuria were identical
with those of Russia. About two
years ago the Japanese Minister at
Pekin addressed'a note to the Russian
Minister at Pekin in which Japan ac
knowledged Russia's claims to ex
clusive and absolute right of adminis
tration in the territories of the Chinese
Eastern Railway. Russia, in the cir
cumstances, could do no less than to
return the compliment by acknowledg
ing Japan's claims to the spoils of war
in the southern territory.
If the rest, of the world could be
satisfied that Russia and Japan in
tended to maintain a fair, neutral ad
ministration of this territory which
decrepit China seems unable properly
to look after, there would be no ob
jection to the attitude of Japan and
Russia. But, not without cause, sus
picion has arisen regarding the inten
tions of Japan and Russia. The Knox
plan for neutralization of the Man
churian railways would give all of
the powers equal trade rights In the
country, and there will be uneasiness
and dissatisfaction until this plan," or
one of similar merit, shall be adopted.
With Great Britain and the United
States standing with China for "a
fair field and no favors," Japan and
Russia may later be forced to ac
cept a modification of the present sys
tem of exploitation of the rich Man
churian trade fields. .
POOR DEMOCRATS.
The attitude of some Democrats
toward "white slave" legislation in
Congress shows how disastrous to a
man's usefulness insensate devotion to
a fetichistic formula may become.
These Democrats believe, or fancy they
believe, in an ancient and foolish form
of words called "state's rights." Once,
long ago. It stood for something real.
Now it stands for a chimera, a vision,
a vain and empty dream, and nothing
more. Yet the devotion of these men
to their silly fetich paralyzes their ac
tivity in important crises. It reduces
them to mere wooden images which
stand and automatically squeak,
"state's rights" when they ought to be
using their brains for the public good.
The white slave traffic is by its na
ture an interstate affair. Perhaps
more accurately, it is international.
Forbidden to cross state lines, it must
pine and die. It is a thing which no
state can possibly suppress. Were
Democrats in the habit nf thinking in
stead of inanely parroting vapid form
ulas, they would see this clearly
enough. But they have lost the capa
bility of thinking, if they ever had it.
All they can do is to open their mouths
and repeat the ritual of adoration to
their grotesque and withered fetich,
"state's rights, state's rights." The
spectacle is pitiable.
PREVENTABLE TRAGEDY.
Except in the name of the ship and
the personnel of the victims, the
Czarina tragedy presents no features
that have not been in evidence in
many similar disasters along the Pa
cific Coast. Criticism that might be
directed against Captain Duggan will
be softened because he has paid the
extreme penalty, but, unless the news
reports of the tragedy are at fault, it
would seem that this terrible affair
might appropriately be classed with
"preventable disasters," and Captain
Duggan more than anyone else might
have prevented it. A vessel at sea,
hurrying for a harbor before a raging
gale, might naturally be expected to
take some chances in getting into
port to escape possible danger out
side. A vessel lying snug inside the
harbor, while a gale was raging out
side, would not naturally be expected
to take such chances.
The Czarina, coal-laden, started sea
ward when the bar was very rough.
Captain Duggan, whose faulty judg
ment cost him his life, undoubtedly
believed that he could push his way
through the breakers that were comb
ing over the bar, jeopardizing the life
and property In his charge. A more
cautious man would never have , at
tempted the feat, but it is one that
Captain Duggan had perhaps success
fully accomplished many times in his
long career in and out of the bar har
bors of the Pacific Coast.
It is the old trouble of familiarity
that breeds contempt for the dangers
of the sea. Nearly every, man in com
mand of a steamship on the Pacific
has faced death at such close range
that It has lost many of its terrors.
Some of them profit by their narrow
escapes and exercise' a caution that
prevents disasters, while others con
tinue to flirt with death until' the crisis
is reached, and another is added to the
long list of preventable tragedies.
An exceptionally sad feature of the
Czarina wreck was the loss of Harold
Millis, a well-known young Portland
man, who perished before the ej'es of
his father, who was powerless to help
him. There are hearts that are
breaking and a life-long sorro,w. left
in the homes of the officers and crew
who went diown- with their ship, but
the families of these brave men, wit"h
the possibility of such a fate for theiff
loved ones ever before' them, are to a
far greater extent prepared for the
blow than the friends .of the ordinary
passenger, unfamiliar with the dan
gers, and totally unprepared for such
a tragedy.
PURE FOOD LAWS.
Following the excellent example of
Mr. Roosevelt, President Taft has
called a. meeting of the Governors of
the states to consider a number of
subjects which concern the Nation.
All these subjects are important, but
none more so than that of uniformity
in pure food laws. At present Oregon
and some other states have pure food
laws which vary but little from the
Federal statute. In many states, on
the other hand, regulations have been
passed which seem to ignore the act
of Congress entirely. The result Is a
confusion of laws which embarrasses
interstate trade and needlessly bur
dens the business of honest manufac
turers. The distracting multiplicity
of conflicting pure food laws injures
honest manufacturers a great deal
more than it does those who produce
fraudulent and adulterated articles.
Since the latter are in the business of
breaking the law, it matters little to
them if every state has a different
statute. It is about as easy to break
one law as another. ' But for a manu
facturer who is resolved to obey the
law, and who desires to produce a
uniformly honest article, each new and
conflicting statute brings with it a new
array of difficulties and losses.
The pure food act of Congress ap
plies only to goods manufactured for
interstate trade. The laws of the va
rious states are valid within their own
territory, and no farther. In so far
as they vary among themselves and
differ from the Federal law, they im
pose unjustifiable burdens upon trade.
A firm which sells its goods nowhere
but in the state where they are made
cares very little, of course, what the
local pure food law may be. It can
arrange to obey the requirements, and
there the matter ends. But if the
firm wishes to ship its goods into
other states, the dilemma is not so
simple. It must then obey dozens of
conflicting sets of regulations, which
naturally require special arrange
ments of plant, special grades of raw
material and multiplied processes of
manufacture. As a matter of fact,
very few firms cater to local trade
only. Most of those of any conse
quence seek an interstate market, and
suffer, therefore, from all the incon
veniences of our hodge-podge pure
food laws.
The Congressional pure food law Is
either a sufficient -safeguard for the
public against fraudulent and adul
terated articles, or it is not. If It is
not sufficient, then it ought to be
amended and reamended until it is.
So long as objectionable goods are not
barred from interstate commerce,
state fulminatlons against them must
remain . ineffective, to a large extent.
When they are barred, then state reg
ulations" become" unnecessary, except
for purely local products; and If the
Federal regulations are adequate to
safeguard products in interstate tr,ade,
the same regulations must be ade
quate to safeguard local products. It
follows that as soon as we have a
proper Federal law, the only rational
thing for the states to do is to re
enact it.
We may expect the meeting of Gov
ernors to take this view of the mat
ter. They will undoubtedly recom
mend amendments to the National
pure food law, if it needs any, and
afterward urge their respective Legis
latures to adopt the perfected Federal
law without making any alterations
in Its provisions.
The City Council of Eugene recently
granted the petition of the ministers
of that city to build a large frame
structure on a prominent street to be
used for revival meetings. The per
mit was contrary to the ordinance
concerning fire restrictions, hence the
construction of the tabernacle is vig
orously opposed as dangerous to the
public safety. , The point is well
taken. If a large, fllmsily constructed
wooden building used for assembly
purposes is a menace to the city a
fact that will be conceded by all it is
not the less so if used for religious
gatherings. The ministers of Eugene
expect "to crowd this inflammable
building night after - night, possibly
with an Imported evangelist as a draw
ing card. In the always possible acci
dent of Are, the loss' of life would be as
great, were Billy Sunday the attrac
tion that filled the building, as it
would if a prizefight had drawn the
crowd; greater, indeed, since in the
former case the audience would be
largely made up of women and chil
dren. It is an impertinence to ask a
privilege of this character, and folly
or weakness to grant it.
San Francisco is in a fair way to
get back to that proud eminence
which a number of years ago made
her the Mecca of pugilists and plug
uglies from all over the world. That
the "fighting game" Is to be restored
to its former glory is evident when it
is stated that the present chairman
of the police committee of the Board
of Supervisors of the City of San Fran
cisco is none other than John L. Her
get, known in prize-ring circles all
over the United States as "Young
Mitchell." This city official and ex
bruiser offers a very philosophical ar
gument for permitting prizefighting
in San Francisco when he states that
"the only argument against them is a
moral one, and if the fights are not
held here they will be held some place
else." The only argument against a
great many other things which used
to be done in "good old Frisco" was
a "moral" one, and yet there were
people who preferred that some of
these "immoral" spectacles should
take place "some place else."
The fine four-masted bark Poltal
loch, 100 Al classification, with a car
rying capacity of about 4000 tons, was
sold in an American port by an officer
of the United States Government, to
an American citizen for about one
fifth the cost of building a similar
vessel in this country. The vessel
would be a credit to the American flag,
and under that flag, could immediate
ly find remunerative employment.
Here is presented an opportunity for
our friends who are so solicitous for
the welfare of the American merchant
marine to make an Immediate addi
tion to its tonnage figures. If Con
gressman Humphrey, Pacific Coast
representative of the subsidy, inter
ests, will introduce and pass a bill giv
ing this ship American registry, with
out any foolish and impossible restric
tions, 'he will have accomplished more
direct tangible good in upbuilding the
merchant marine than has yet been
accomplished by the combined influ
ence and efforts of all the subsidy
seekers in the United States. ;
The secret of the mysterious North
Coast road is again out. This time the
Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Is cred
ited with being the Invisible power
that pulls the strings winch Mr. Stra
horn has attached to so much railroad
property In the West. According to
this latest theory, the North Coast
and the Milwaukee roads are working
on a project for a union depot at Spo
kane. From the fact that he is spend
ing real money in immense amounts,
and is actually building railroads, Mr.
Strahorn enjoys a distinction that has
seldom been given "mysterious" railroad-builders
of the past. With a
large number of them, developments
subsequent to their departure' for new
fields have left the element of "mys
tery" confined exclusively to the man
ner in which they managed to secure
money sufficient for meal tickets and
room rent.
Those two mugs together Bourne
and Chamberlain presented In The
Oregonlan yesterday from the Detroit
Times, made a wonderful hit. The
whole business at once, open to the
glance of the eye. Not necessary to
weary the attention with? a written ar
gument. -
Sun spots or' comets are said to
cause bad weather. But that's a mis
taken dea. Kickers make all the bad
weather. To the good in heart all
weather is good.
A girl in Iowa went crazy after a
young man hugged her. A girl is
usually crazy, however, at the time she
allows herself to be hugged, rather
than afterward.
City folk whc deprecate the car
service should consider Albany, where
the local paper says "the" street
car was delayed one hour by a fuse
burning out.
We see again in the reviewed land
fraud testimony that it was a strong,
bold political "gang" that Heney dis
rupted in Oregon four and five years
ago-
VIEWS OF PINCHOT'S DISMISSAL.-
Removal Frftni Office Could Not Be
Avoided. -
Chicago Record --Herald. Ind. Rep.
While the loss of so sincere and vig
orous an official, so unselfish a cham
pion of public interests, is to be deeply
regretted, the dismissal could not have
been avoided, and that only the bigoted
and willfully blind will see in it either
a blow at the conservation movement
or failure in Mr. Taft to recognize the
courage, the devotion, the vigilance
with which Mr. Pinchot served the
Government and the Nation in the For
estry Bureau.
Pinchot Prejudices the Case.
Boston" Advertiser, Rep.
Under the order for an investigation
all the facts are certain to come forth
and find judicial consideration, as they
deserve. Mr. Pinchot. in his letter,
thus seeks, or else is led by his emo
tions, to prejudice a case now pending
fair adjustment, and his action thereby
becomes unworthy an honest cause.
President Taft Act Wisely.
Pittsburg Gazette-Times. Rep.
In removing from office Gifford Pin
chot and his associates in the plot to
discredit the Administration. President
Taft has strengthened himself with the
Deople. it is the people, after all, rather
than factional leaders, who have the
last say Mr. Taft has been in office
but ten months, and is making head
way right along.
Pinenot May Retire Taft.
Baltimore Sun, Ind. Dcm. .
The dismissal of Mr. Pinchot from the
public service because of his letter to
Senator Dolliver Is very likely the open
ing of a serious Internecine strife in the
Republican party. Its results will be far
reaohing and may possibly include the
return of Mr. Roosevelt to the White
House in 1913, or perhaps the retirement
of Mr. Taft at the end of his present
term.
Pinchot Gets His Desert.
Hartford (Conn.) Courant, Rep.
The letter of the President Incident
ally points to one fact that has not
been commonly noted in the loose dis
cussion of the Pinchot-Ballinger con
troversy that the trouble is over not
a great domain but a matter of thirty
acres. Those aware of what was doing
have known for some time that Pin
chot wanted to be dismissed and now
he has got what he wanted. We are
sorry.
Few Can See Through the Muddle.
Chicago Tribune, Ind. Rep.
There are few who can see through
the muddle which exists in Washington
for the moment at least. If ever there
were a call for suspension of judgment
it comes now. Men are puzzled and
grieved by reports that the President
purposes to take sides in a party con
troversy over a law now on the statue
books and over the rules of the House,
and hope that they may have some
light on. the subject.
Pinchot as the Brave Knight.
Houston (Tex.) Post, Dem.
It may be that Mr. Pinchot has acted
too rashly, being inspired thereto by mis
taken zeal, but whatever the immediate
outcome to him personally, or of the in
vestigation growing out of the contro
versy between the two officials, it will be
difficult to destroy the confidence of the
public in the patriotic intent of the chief
forester's action.
Let the light in this is the people's
Government.
Balllnger's Case Yet to Be Tried.
Indianapolis News, ind.
Whatever the final outcome may be,
the country is not likely to forget its
obligation of Gifford Pinchot, for he
has rendered It a great service The
only possible conclusion was that he
wished to be removed, on the theory
that there were great ' wrongs to be
righted ... .This action is in no sense a
vindication of Secretary Ballinger. The
dismissal of Pinchot is neither a con
demnation of his administration of the
forest service, nOr an indorsement of
Ballinger. His case is yet to be tried.
Pinchot Sacrifices Himself.
Kansas City Star, Ind.
It is deplorable that political exigencies
should have led to the sacrifice of perhaps
the most efficient man in the service of
the United States. Technically, GifTord
Pinchot may have been guilty of insub
ordination. But It is evident that he so
offended because of his belief in the ne
cessity of calling the attention of the
American people in a sensational way to
the danger of the looting of the National
domain by the privilege grabbers. It
must be believed that Pinchot deliberate
ly sacrificed himself in order to make
the issue plain.
Pinchot and Roosevelt vs. Tnft.
Chicago Inter-Ocean, Ind. Rep.
It is unfortunate that the Nation
should lose such a splendid public serv
ant. It is unfortunate that such a
splendid public servant should act so
defiantly as to necessitate his dismissal.
These misfortunes mean a sudden,
demoralization and irreconcilable con
flict in the Republican party Pinchot
as the "representative of the Roosevelt
Idea against Taft as the representative
of the Taft Idea.
And there's the rub! We all know
what the Roosevelt idea is, but what's
the Taft idea! Nobody knows.
Western Settlers Are Pleased.
Salt Lake (Utah) Tribune, Rep.
It was impossible for President Taft
to retain Mr. Pinchot" after his acts of
official insolence and insubordination.
The settlers generally throughout the
West will also view Mr. Pinchot's
downfall with equanimity, and will
welcome the opportunity to obtain bet
ter use of the public utilities than
heretofore. There has never been such
denial at any time in this country,
from "Colonial times ' to the present,
when settlers were harassed with such
restrictions as they have-suffered un
der the Pinchot policies.
Pass No Judgment Now; Wait.
Springfield (Mass.) Republican, Ind.
Mr. Pinchot had become impossible
as an official of the Taft administra
tion, and that his immediate separation
from the public service was required
by the exigencies of the situation. The
issue Mr. Pinchot has raised is that
the present Administration has been
unfaithful to the cause of conserva
tion, and in the promotion of its inter
ests is no longer worthy of public con
fidence. The" public mind sooner or later
will be made up and the public judg
ment rendered, but for Uie present it
would be well for all to suspend final
Judgment until the whole case can be
placed before the people.
No Other Course Open to Taft.
New York World, Dem.
The removal of Mr. Pinchot from
office was the only . course open to
President Taft. The letter which the
Chief Forester sent to Senator Dolliver
to be read in the Senate was an act of
flagrant Insubordination. After his re
flections upon Mr. Taft he must have
known that his connection with the
Administration could no longer be tol
erated. No government could be run
under methods so demoralizing to dis
cipline. If Mr. Pinchot felt that he
was superior to the general Instruc
tions issued to all department officials
against making unauthorized state
ments he should have been governed by
the personal advice of Secretary Wilson
against writing the Dolliver letter. But
he set himself above all authority. As
the, deliberate victim of his own un
ruliness he has deprived himself of the
privilege of posing as a martyr to the
cause of the conservation of natural
resources. . -
SISKIYOU'S StTDDEV SECESSION."
How the Mlshty Movement Is Rearard
ed In New York.
New York Times.
' We have heard of late with distress
and anguish the word "secession." Our
distress is made not less acute, nor is
our anguish less excruciating, because
the word is used of a state that me
diates seceding into, not out of, the
Union. For It is no miracle of peace
able secession. Already we hear war
cries and breathings of slaughter
Fathered by California, mothered by
Oregon, unfilial Siskiyou emerges with
threatenlngs and violence from Its pa
rental confines. A "vast empire" en
dbwed with ocean harbors, with min
eral wealth, with scenic attractions
and tall timber is In rebellion. So
much was rumored, and we call for in
formation. The Portland Oregonlan
vouchsafes some:
The clamor for a new star In the frnriteous
constellation of the Union gathers its thun
derous boom znainly from one throat to
wit. that of the literary prodigy whose in
spired pen writes the editorials in a Med
ford paper. This srreat man wants to se
cede from Oregon and California Because
he is mad.
His madness is geographical:
The portentous circumstance Is that he
has made up his alleged mind to withdraw
and take portions of the Kogue Fiver Val
ley and Northern California alone wltn him.
He has an arsenal:
He Is backed up by the Jackson County
fress Association, a powerful body, com
posed of the Medford editor, a printer's
devil In Jacksonville and an outdated rail
road pass the latter framed and. hung on
the wall as a perpetual reminder of other
and more glorious times. it Is said a sup
ply of arms and ammunition has been laid
in to be used if the base legislative caitiffs
at balem and Sacramento resist the Beces
alon movement.
Can nothing be done to avert the
impending conflict at two capitals?
What makes the Medford editor mad,
anxious to break off his piece of Ore
gon and California, too? Is it The
Oregonlan?
THE LATE MRS. WEEKS."
Question About the Days of Sherwood,
Oregon.
M'MINNVILLE, Or., Jan. 11. (To the
Editor.) In The Oregonlan January
10, under caption of "The Myth-making
Mind," is an article wherein it is shown
that the story about Mrs. S. A. Weeks,
who recently died at Sherwood, Or.,
having been a daughter of John Day,
the explorer, for whom Jehn Day
River is named, Is a myth. The Ore
gonlan thus "comes very near the myth
making line itself.
You say that "Mrs. Weeks, doubtless,
was a daughter of George Day, an old
settler of Sherwood. Washington Coun
ty"; and that "everybody in Washing
ton County fifty years ago knew George
Day." I knew him well for many years,
as well as his estimable wife, both be
fore and after her marriage with Mr.
Day, at which time Mrs. Weeks, aged
64 years, must have been about 10
years old. Mrs. Day, nee Jennie Pain
ter, a short time ago was living on
the old Day homestead near Sherwood,
where. I think, she still lives with
some members of her large family.
Their eldest daughter, now Mrs. Mag
gie Barstow.'of Twin Falls. Idaho, is
many years younger than Mrs. Weeks
was at the time of her death. So,
to me, it Is just as certain that Mrs.
Weeks was not the daughter of the
late George Day, of Washington Coun
ty, as it is that she was not the daugh
ter of John Day, the explorer, whose
heroic life and melancholy death are
perpetuated In the river that bears his
name. ED C. ROSS.
SCHOOLBOYS' PHIZES MISTAKES.
Collection of Beautiful Specimens of
Modern Education.
Detroit News.
The following is a selection from a
large number of "howlers" submitted in
connection with a prize competition, ar
ranged by the University Correspondent
for the best collection of twelve mistakes
made by schoolboys.
I-ord Raleigh was the first man to see
the Invisible Armada.
In India a man out of cask may not
marry a woman out of another cask.
Tennyson write "In Memorandum."
George Eliot left a wife and children to
mourn his genii.
Thomas Becket used to wash the feet of
leopards.
Henry I died of eating Palfreys.
Louis XVI was gelatlned during the
French revolution.
Romulus obtained the first citizens for
Rome by opening a lunatic asylum.
The Rhine is bordered by wooden moun
tains. Algebraical symbols are used when you
don't know what you are talking about.
Geometry teaches us how to bisex an
gels. ,
Gravitation is that which if there were
none we should all fly away.
A renegade is a man who, kills a king.
The press today is the mouth organ of
the people.
A lie is an aversion to the truth.
A deacon is the lowest kind of Chris
tian. Pythagoras built a bridge for asses.
Etymology Is a man who catches but
terflies and stuffs them.
Women's suffrage is the state of suf
fering to which they were born.
MusIuks of the Gentle Cynic.
New York Times.
When It's an uphill fight a man can
only do his level best.
Unless you look out for yourself you
won't see much.
Don't borrow trouble. Enough will
come to roost.
He who kills time is the assassin of his
own opportunities.
The widow who looks well in black
wears it as much for her next husband
as for her last.
Don't pose. The poet doesn't wear his
hair long simply because there is no
short cut to fame.
The girl to marry is the one who be
lieves In love in a cottage. If she be
lieves that, you can stuff her with any
OKI thing.
The tips and downs of life keep a man
from getting rusty.
It isn,'t the henpecked husband who lays
for his wife.
Sure to Have Assemblies.
Condon Times.
It'is an absolute certainty that the Re
publicans of Oregon will hold an assem
bly some time during the year, for the
purpose of recommending candidates for
the primary nominations. Chairman Cake
of the state central committee will call
a meeting of the state central committee
some time in February for the purpose of
adopting some method of selecting dele
gates to the state assembly. The primary
nominating election will be held about
September 10. and the assembly will prob
ably be held six weeks or two months
prior to the primary. The Democrats
always select their candidates before the
primary and we see no objection to the
Republicans doing the same. All political
parties have a right to assemble and
recommend candidates for the considera
tion of the people of the primary nom
ination election.
Within the Party. J
Chicago Tribune
"You people have a primary law out
here. How do you like it?"
"Suits me first rate. Gives me a chance
to take a whack at a bum Congressman
without going outside of my party to do
it."
A Report on Frits.
Boston Globe.
"How lss your boy Fritz getting
along in der college?"
"Ach! He Is halfback in der football
team and all der way back in his
.studies,"
GREAT COST OP XT. S. DETECTIVES
Figures as to a Mysterious Branch of
ederal Service.
From a Speech In Congress by Represent-
ame Aaair.
No business institution ....
would last 30 days If it were run on the
same basis and with the same methods
used In the conduct of Governmental af
fairs. Under the proper system our de
partments could be run for one-half what
they are costing today. The salary force
should be reduced to the needs of the de
partments, incompetents should be weeded
. ,., e,ou.a not oe given places
because they were ward politicians and
had rendered some uvrin. .u-
kj tuts uariy
P.7er' Vfualy th dumping ground
no nave rendered political
service has been fh the detective service
Just a few years ago a few hundred men
wre employed in 'he Governmnt Detec
tive Service, but now the number ou the
payroll runs into the thniTU()nH.. t,
- - - iw.t.t: 1 1 v-
ly our appropriation bills, as shown by
u.ti.,SuiSUCU neaa or tno appropria
tion committee (Mr. Tawney). has carried
allowances for detective service as fol
lows: ApproprialionB for Government Defectives
Postoftice detectives ji .-,!,,
Internal revenue detectives . i-'-'moo
Customs frauds detectives ' "nn'oort
Counterfeiter detectives I mr.'orio
Bureau of Corporations detectives... JT500O
i!?t,enBtat commerce detective M'(Vl
1-ublio lend detectives nij.'ort.!
Antl-trv.t law detectives ::.-..' A t
Pension Bureau detectives Sc9
Meat inspection detectives 3 .'.!,,
Pure food detectives S:.touO
Total appropriation for detectlvee.7.1iti,oot
Think of it, Mr. Speaker,' tT.UO.ooo of
the people's money spent in the detec
tive service, and outside of the benefits
derived from the meat and pure-food in
spectors, the balance of the service
amounts to but very little. Over a mil
lion dollars paid to the postoffice detec
tives each year, and we have no record
of their having discovered or detected
anything that resulted in any great ben
efit to the Government. Under civil
service rules a Postmaster Is not per
mitted to take active part In politics,
yet everybody knows his appointment was '
probably due to his activity in politics
and he was recommended for the place
because the Congressman naming him be
lieved he could render valuable political
service when the time came for his re
election. But notwithstanding this com
mon knowledge, no postoffice detective
has yet ever been able to detect a single
Postmaster who takes any part in poli
tics. So far as I am concerned I do not
care' how much part a Postmaster takes
in politics, but I do not want to see a
million dollars of the people's money ab
solutely wasted. We have been paying
KOO.OOO a year to custom-fraud detectives,
but they failed to detect the sugar trust
robbing the Government of nearly J3.0UO.
000, and had it not been for some of the
employes of the sugar trust we would
know nothing about it now. We are pay
ing $500,000 a year to Government land
detectives, and all they have ever saved
the Government would not buy enough
land at $2 per acre to bury a mule. It
seems to me the biggest joke of aUl is the
fact that we pay J2SO.O0O a year to the
anti-trust detectives, and up to this time
they have not been able to discover a sin
gle trust. Then we pay $380,000 a year to
pension detectives, who .seldom ever de
tect anything of importance to the Pen
sion Bureau. How much better it would
be to pay this vast sum, of money to the
ex-soldiers in the way of increased pen
sions. Ah, Mr. Speaker, the enormous expense
of the detective force is an outrage and a
burden on the people, and should be re
formed. There are single bureaus voted
more money each year than it used to
take to run the Government. The For
estry Bureau alone is spending $4,0011,000
a year, and insists on larger appropria
tions. If the appropriation of $4,000,000 a
year for this bureau should be continued
.and it makes the same progress in the
future it has made in the past, it will not
grow enough, timber in the next 100 years
to make a wooden log for .a lame duck.
One Objection to the Lords.
Sydney Brooks in January Atlantic.
The great objection to the Lords Is
not that they occasionally reject Liberal
measures, but that they never reject Con
servative measures; not that they do one
half of their work too thoroughly, but
that they do not do the other half at all.
To this it may, of course, be answered
that the bills brought forward by a Con
servative government are in general so
reasonable, so little revolutionary and so
much in harmony with popular wishes, as
to make rejection or amendment unnec
essary. But the plea will hardly bear the
test of fact. The Education Bill of 1902,
the Licensing Bill of 1904. were both of
them measures that were vehemently re
sented by a majority of the British peo
ple. They were precisely the kind of
measures that a strong and impartial sec
ond chamber, free from party subserv
iency and taking the broad, national point
of view, would have rejectted. The Lords,
however, not only passed them, but
strengthened some of their most obnox
ious features.
Prohibition In Louisiana.
Natchitchotcs Times.
For a few days here the red-hot pro
hibits were standing around while
the thirsties were getting their goods,
and saying: "Yes, you got it, but it
cost you thirty cents extra for express."
"A Wild, Savanre Book."
J. F. Rhodes In "Historical Essays."
When the book ("The French Revolu
tion") was done Carlyle wrote to his
brother, "It is a" wild, savage book, itself
a kind of French revolution."
IN THE MAGAZINE
SECTION OF THE .
SUNDAY
OREGONIAN
THE MASCOT OF
SWEET BRIAR GULCH
A powerful, fascinating bit of
Western fiction by Henry Wal
lace Phillips, in- which red-blooded
men and a brave boy figure. The
story will be concluded in three
issues.
THE BIG SIX OF
The world's most powerfu.'
group, who now constitute pra
tiealiy a central bank for AmericJ
CELEBRATED CASES
OF DISAPPEARANCE
Many' who vanished, like Di
e uik
.rd oA
in un-J
Cook, and were never heard
again; mysteries that remain
solved to this dav.
JAPANESE SCHOOLBOY
IN CONGRESS
Hashimura Togo takes for hi
text in his coming letter, "Is if
cruel to poke Jo-Uncle?" j
ORDER EARLY FROM YOTJjf
NEWSDEALER I