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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 1910)
TTTE MORXTXG OREGONTAN, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1910. 13 POKTLAVD. OREGOJT. ftiuptil at Portland. OnfM. Pootoltlos as ecod-Clsas Matter. . MsautUin Melee In-rnrlaclj In Ad-ran v (BI MAIL). rny. Bandar Inelsnad. cm year ? 52 pstlr. Rundar included, six months.... 4.-3 Xaj;y. Sufidt in-: iwi -,1 t lirM months Z - 2aijr. Sunday Included, one monlli . . . ilr. without Sunday, an 7r - ' r. without Sunday, six months... JsJr. without Sunday. three months.. Jllr. without Sunday, on month. weaklv. ana veer B.0O 3 35 X.TS .m 1.M Sunday, en year. . 1-80 S-M Cuday ud weakly, en yser (By Carrier). IWr. "nadav Included, an yaar...... S-J Zl.y, Sandar. Included, ana month.... -T Haw to Ramlt Bond Postotrics money wrdar. express oidir or nsrsonsi eneek on your local bank. Stamp, coin or eorwncr re at tho senders rUlc OI Postotrics address In rnlL Including county and state. Postaa-o Rate 10 to 14 paces, 1 cent: If o s para. 1 casta; 10 to 40 pare. cents: 0 to to paces, 4 coats. Forclxn postage eouhie rat. ' EMail BihImm Ofrle Verrea a. Cock Dn New Tork. Brunswick bolldlnc Chl caco. 8te-er building. lOBTUSD, FRIDAY. OCT. . TVTEGX IX DOUBT. VOTE SO. Ten per cent of the sovereign voters of Oregon have Informed themselves fairly well of the Initlatlvt and refer endum measures to be enacted by them Into law. or rejected, at the No vember election. This estimate Is a rea sonable Inference from a careful can vass among; all classes of citizens made y a reporter of The Oregonlao. Only half of the men Interviewed had seen the official pamphlet, containing the text of the measures and the various arguments. A large proportion of the half had not read that elaborate and varied document, and would not. lany openly acknowledged their en tire Indifference. The great majority clearly did not know what they were called on to do and did not care. Tet nearly all knew about the one live and vital Issue of prohibition. The liquor question alone appeared to be able to stir up more than a languid Interest. The results of this little canvass revealed a situation already known to every careful observer. The public at large does not -want to be bothered about abstract and difficult questions of taxation, and will not acquire the Information necessary ' to settle the local questions of county division In volved in the six or more questions put up to them for determination. Nor are they now greatly Interested In most of the remaining measures, many of them involving Issues of great lm portance. But prohibition concerns very one. for It touches every citizen, very home, every family. It absorbs the public attention to the exclusion of nearly all other matters. Including female suffrage. Of that question the public Is weary. Tet there are thirty-two separate questions to be determined by popular vote. It Is too many. It will be ob vious to all, and It will scarcely be disputed by the most uncompromising supporter of the Initiative, that a bur den is thus Imposed on the public that K should not be made to bear, and that It will certainly, evade or shift. The Initiative should be limited as to number and kind of measures to be proposed at one election. It must be; or there will be chaos. . nevertheless there are 32 measures proposed now for the genfaral deter mination. The Oregonlan would be recreant to Its duty If It should fail In any possible effort to enlighten the public as to these measures and to Insist that they be given the fullest possible consideration. Many of them qouDtiess have merit; but no one should vote affirmatively on any measure unless be has Informed lilm edf as to Its provisions and Is sure that he approves. The only safe way, When in doubt, 19 to vote NO. j THE xTOIAX GRASSHOPPER. ' An Incident in a familiar chapter of an old story is repeated in a dispatch from Medford telling of the inabllty of fruitgrowers to secure sufficient help to pick and pack their apples and pears. But now hopgrowers in various sections of the state were in the labor market, seeking; before that grain growers were earnest In their appeals for help to gather their harvests; sail tefore, help was needed in the hay fields, and prior to that, in plowing. sowing, picking strawberries, thinning apples, planting potatoes, etc., with al Kays a reserve call for men to cut cordwood. slash brush and clear land. i The call Is without variation. It is heard throughout the cropping and arrowing season, and all along the line, Of course there are men enough to an swer it, if they would. . But they will riot. Life is easy for the hobo class in the Summer, when walking is good fruit and vegetables plenty and to be had for the taking, and the ground furnishes a warm bed and the sky an ample covering. Not only this, but the Winter is robbed of hardship by the contributions of thrift made at the solicitation of charitable organizations. The turkey dinner at Thanksgiving and Christmas has come to be a settled contribution to the ne'er-do-wells of the Summer high roads,' while the housing furnished by Jails in Winter Is equal to their desires for food, shelter, warmth and congenial companionship. Of course this is outside of the regu lar army of men who work steadily from harvest to harvest; who realize the benefits of a monthly wage that is over and above the expense of food and shelter; who enjoy, the simple rood cheer of the farmer's fireside and lay wilting hand to whatever there is to do In carrying on the work of the farm. But this supply Is, in the very nature of things. Inadequate In times ef seeding or of harvest stress. Float ing labor enjoys "floaOng." The fate of the "old brown grass hopper does not appall these human grasshoppers. Being human. It is not allowed to overtake them. Hence their refusal to rake hay In June, work in Train harvests in July and August, pick hops In September, gather apples In October and dig potatoes In Novem ber. As a result of this refusal, those who were willing to work in these vo cations were overworked, much hay and grain that could have been saved was lost, blackened hops swing from desolate vines In many yards, and ap ples and pars rot on the ground in many orchards, while ranchmen anx iously and in vain seek pickers and packers to enable them to save and market their products. The story of the ant and the grass hopper Is repeated in this story until It comes to the sequel, except that the actors in this labor drama are human ants and human grasshoppers. Hu man ants, for some reason not Justified In economics, consider it Incumbent upon them to feed the human grass hoppers through the Winter, so they can start over again on their round of Idle enjoyment In the Spring, while the Insect whose wisdom is extolled by Solomon leaves the grasshopper to his fate when Winter comes. SENATOR BOCB3TE AND ALT) RICH. Senator Bourne must have forgotten his "love for the Deople" when on July 1. 1909.. (the Senate was consld erlng the Aldrlch tariff In committee of the whole) 'he made the following remarks: .' Xf - iraiAn T h.v. fait that tho com- mltta on Snanea (Aldrlch. chairman) nsd better opportunities for collecting dnts. far (Tester experience as to how tho tans can beat b applied to produce tho greatest roa to tho greatest number, ana J, myeaii. In, n.ith,. the exDarienc. Information, means ot obtaining- data.' bar voted almost without exception in support 01 mi znlttss'a recommendations. The Oregon Senator poses as friend and tribune of the people, insurgent, fo of trusts and Drivllege: yet In tariff-making: he submits to the great est "of all defenders of monopoly and special privilege in Congress the d throned and detested Aldrlch; this be cause the Oregon Senator has "neither the experience. Information, means of obtaining data." Peocle of this state dislike the Al drlch tariff. Like people of other states, they are discontent with every protective tariff and are "lnsurgmg. Senator Bourne poses as apostle of the new faith. Tet on his record he'ls an Aldrlch tariff man. tied to the inter ests that Invade Congress for protec tive tariff spoils. This is no less consistent in the Sen a tor than his present pose as Repub lican, yet opposing election of Repub lican candidates regularly nominated, and making alliance with Democrats. OREGON' DEVTXOPMENT Says President Louis I7XCHECK-ED W. H11L of the Great Northern: "Oregon pre sents a better field for colonization than any other state today, not alone because of the lack of development of a large portion of it, but also be cause of the fact that almost any va riety of climate that may be found from Maine to Mason and Dixon's line, or between the Atlantic coast and the Mississippi River, may be found in Oregon." Mr. Hill and the great financial interests he represents are backing their Judgment regarding this state by investing more millions In this field than have ever been spent here in a similar period. The North Bank road, across the. Columbia River, was built almost exclusively for the purpose of developing the great trade of the Willamette Valley, Central Ore gon and the coast regiqns of the state. The construction of that road was fol lowed by the absorption of the As toria & Columbia Railroad, the Ore gon Klectric and United Railways sys- terns and the building of a road into the long-neglected Central Oregon country and to the Pacific Coast by way of Tillamook and Nehalem. The present crusade against capital in the East has made It very difficult to secure funds needed lor railroad construction. For that reason a num ber of the enterprises planned by Mr, Hill and his associates have been de layed and work is being carried for ward only on the Oregon lines al ready well along toward completion The possibilities of the region that Is now being invaded by the Hill lines are so great, however, that It is hardly possible that the present aversion to railroad investments will extend 'far enough to retard construction of the necessary feeders in Oregon and Washington for a period of great length. In view of the unsettled financial condition in the East and the hostile sentiment that is preventing invest ment Id railroad securities, it is some' what surprising that the work on both the Hill and the Harrlman systems in this state Is progressing as rapidly as It Is. The combined mileage of new track which will be laid by these lines In 1910 will exceed that of any pre vious year of railroad building in the history of the state. In order to get this new territory which is being opened up Into traffic-producing condition, the railroads are making strenuous . efforts to Induce immi grants to come to Oregon. Publicity work now carried on in the East is the most effective that has ever been undertaken. CONSERVATIVE POBTLAXP. The reputation of Portland as conservative banking center is well maintained in the figures which ap pear in the latest report of the Fed eral currency bureau on the condi tion of all National banks September J. This report covers a total of 7173 National banks and shows that despite the disquieting rumors and disturb ing political situation, deposits in these banks -have Increased more than $136,000,000 since September 1. 1909. while the surplus and other profits are $72,000,000 greater than a year ago. Individual deposits ' in these banks were $5,145,000,000 and there was a paid-in capital stock of more than $1,000,000,000. The total re- sources.reached the enormous sum of $9,826,181,652. It is in the details of the reserves that the comparative strength of Portland is shown to the best advan tage. In the percentage of reserve held this city leads all others, with 30.61 per cent to Its credit. The near est approach to this, figure is in the Galveston report, which shows a re serve of 29.60 per cent. The other reserve cities in the Pacific North west are pretty close together, Tacoma having 28.53 per cent, Seattle 28.08 and Spokane 28.02. San Francisco shows up with 26.44 and Los Angeels barely gets over the 25 per cent .dead line with 25.60 per cent reserve. This report, made immediately after the beginning of the crop-moving season. reveals the banking strength of the country sufficiently strong to meet all ordinary demands. As we have since passed through a month in which these demands are unusually heavy without any appreciable effect on money rates, it would seem that any danger of a serious money squeeze this season had been averted. It should not be forgotten, of course, tnat creait ana confidence. which are to a degree synonymous terms, are fully as essential in facili tating business as bank reserves. The. almost fabulous resources which are reflected in the figures given in the report are of use only when they are supplemented with the confidence of those who loan and borrow them. Checks, drafts, grain certificates, lum ber certificates anything that repre sents some intrinsic underlying value make excellent collateral for use In the Interchange of business so long as the people to whom they are tendered have confidence in their redemption. When this confidence departs, as it did for a few weeks three years ago this month, even the immense re serves that are piled up In the banks are insufficient to replace It and they melt away like a snowball in the sun shine. Fortunately for the nation there is now so much of both cash and collateral in sight that the pos sibilities of any trouble are remote. BOURNE CHAMKKRXAIX. PARTNERS. There were assembly and antl-aa-sembly tickets for submission to the Republican primary. The primary rendered its decision, accepting some, rejecting others, -but choosing its nom inees as it saw fit from, among them. The Bourne &, Chamberlain part nership, which 'Joined the hue and cry against the assembly because the assembly was not Its own assembly. and for no other reason. Is greatly dls- concerted because Republicans who were against' assembly before the primary are now for acquiescence in the decision' of the primary. They call for anti-assembly Republicans to repudiate the primary and reject its nominees, or some of them. Why? Everybody knows why. It suits the .Bournocratlc game to keep the Republican party divided and dis tracted. Bourne will deliver as much of the Republican party to Chamber lain as be can when Chamberlain needs it- Chamberlain will deliver as much of the Democratic vote to Bourne as he can (nearly all) When Bourne needs It. Both wish to elect West Governor, for West can and will be useful to both. There you see It all. That Is the whole game, the en tire scheme, the consummate strategy of this disingenuous pair of political opportunists. If the Republican 'party is able to unite and present a solid front, the state will escape the greedy clutches of Bourne & Chamberlain, partners If it Is divided, then more and more of Bourne & Chamberlain. But Bourne first must be looked out for. It Is the Bourne campaign that is now under full headway. MR- TATT-S RESOLVE. It s intimated by some of the Wash lngton correspondents that hereafter Mr. Taft intends to devote all his time to . being President of the United States." This means, that he will cease to dabble in small politics. As a politician he has not been a con spicuous success. Most of his designs have miscarried. Often he nas done the thing he ought not and left un done the thing that was desirable. But this may easily be forgiven him. The people did not elect him to play politics, but to serve the country as its chief executive. His office carries duties numerous and weighty enough to occupy fully the time of most men It la a comfort to think that Mr. Taft has found this out and will try to act accordingly. He will discover that he will not lose any popularity by taking his hands off politics. On the con trary, he will gain Immensely. The better President he makes the stronger his hold on the country. His election to a second term can be bet ter attained by a completely worthy administration of his office than by any conceivable manipulation of men and offices. If Mr. Taft should adhere strictly to this new resolution, choose a better set of advisers and place himself unequiv ocally at the head of the progressive movement In his party, there Is no reason in the world why he should not retrieve all he has lost in the way of popularity and become a National idol before his term expires. TILE NEW PATRIOTISM. Returning from his annual vacation In Europe, the reverend Dr. Park hurst, of New Tork, brings with him a political novelty which he aptly styles "the new patriotism." Its es sence may , be explained very briefly. Dr. Parkhurst is a -Republican, but this year he conceives that It is his duty as a patriot to vote the Demo cratic ticket. This is the new patriot ism. The novelty of the invention does not strike one so forcibly after reflection as it did at the outset, for, if our memory serves us correctly and we think it does, the concept has been heard of before. Nay, it has been heard of many a time and oft, and it is always put forth for the same rea sons which Dr. Parkhurst ' now ad vances. He is going to vote the Dem ocratic ticket because he thinks a rousing defeat will "chasten" the Re publican party. - It has become dis eased by ,too long a lease of power and needs a thorough purging by the potent physio of humiliation. The Evening Post opines that there are thousands of Republicans who will do exactly like Dr. Parkhurst this Fall. They will unite in a grand effort to defeat their party for the righteous purpose of purifying it. The project of defeating the Repub lican party in-order to purify it is particularly eunfortunate Just at this time because a great and potent puri fying movement has arisen in the party Itself. No sign of the times is more striking than the wide accept ance of the progressive tendency by Republicans. Should voters of an In dependent' turn unite to punish the party this Fall, their action would be construed as a condemnation of insur gency. They would be understood to say that' they did not wish to see a party work out its salvation from the Inside. In the popular mind thev would be held to condemn everything of that sort. When a party is sick, do not try to cure its malady, but let It perish. This Is what Dr. Parkhurst's new patriotism amounts to at the present crisis. It is safe to say that if the returning preacher had given adequate atten tion to the current condition of our politics he would not have advised anybody to vote the Democratic ticket except in -isolated cases. Perhaps in New Jersey, where such a man as Dr. Woodrow Wilson has been nominated for Governor it would not be disas trous. . but his nomination is highly exceptional. In general, the Demo crats are doing nothing to deserve the confidence of upright voters. In Illi nois they have renominated - for the Legislature the tainted gang who took the Lorlmer money. In Indiana the Taggart ring of gamblers bitterly op poses Beveridge, who is known to be one of the foremost of the progres sives. The situation is the same al most everywhere. Seldom indeed have the Democrats shown that they wish to put good men at the front or stand for good measures. The party Is by its nature reactionary. Its alli ances are universally with evil men and evil tendenciea Repeated defeats have failed to chasten it. On the other hand progressive Re publicanism stands for precisely that purity in politics which Dr. Parkhurst says ' he wishes to promote. If he would take the trouble to peruse the platforms which it has made in Wis consin. Kansas, Iowa and elsewhere he would find the note of slnoere hon esty ringing clear and high. In these platforms there Is no evasion- of is sues, no pandering to low sentiment, no double dealing. There never were men who bid more straightforwardly for the support of independent think ers than have the progressive Repub licans. To turn from them and lend support to the feeble, shallow, pur' poseless Democratic party is to betray the hope of mankind. If men like Dr. Parkhurst cannot recognize political virtue when it stands before their faces, what . must we expect of the masses?. Fortunately the masses often handle politics with sounder sense than do the Parkhursts. For one thing, they are not so often blinded by spiritual pride and foggy conceit. At any rate this Fall it Is pretty cer tan that the masses will not follow the Parkhurst precepts. They are go ing to vote for progressive Republic ans wherever they have been nomi nated. The Republican party will be purified, not by defeat, but by Bringing its progressive element to the fore and giving it an opportunity to carry Its Ideas Into practice. Not long since The Oregonlan print ed an emblematic cartoon by Murphy under the caption "The Coming Ad versaries." The picture opposed the Republican party, with drawn sword in a powerful hand, to the hideous face of Anarchy. It told clearly its own story and pointed its own moral, Now Collier's Weekly reproduces this cartoon with the astounding declara- tion that "this is The Oregonian's pic ture of the progress of the insurgent movement." If insurgency and an archy are synonymous, then The Ore gonlan can never be reconciled to the Insurgent movement. But they are not. Nor has The Oregonian ever as- sumed or believed or said or intimated that they are. It is quite In accord with the general character of a detestable and dishonest publication like Collier's toy endeavor to pervert a straightfor ward and clear-cut presentment of a patriotic : sentiment into a shocking expression no person or newspaper in its senses could have made. But that Is Collier's. Who that knows that un speakable publication can suppose that it ever had a sound inspiration or ut tered worthily a worthy sentiment? "The hog market is not holding up well under the free supplies that are pnmlnr In. Thn best nrlce realized in the yards yesterday was $10, two Jbts aggregating 323 head bringing that fig ure," says an item in yesterday's mar ket news. That prosaic page relating to commerce, trade and finance also quoted steers at $5 and $5.60, sheep $4, wheat 89 cents per bushel, eggs 35 cents per dozen, and everything else from the farm or the ranch in proportion. When the hog market is weak but offerings still sell at $10 per hundred pounds, it is not a very diffi cult matter to account for the in creased cost of living, so far as the produots of agriculture are concerned. While the consumer is not inclined to view these prices with great Joy, they have brought greater prosperity in the farming districts than has been in evidence for many years. Under the benign Influence of higher education, a wider knowledge of climatic condltons and a study of statistics, those lugubrious humorists who In the past informed strangers that It rains thirteen months of the year in Oregon have mostly reformed. Any reflections on the damp Oregon rain, however, lose much of their force when wetcompare the gentle, health ful drizzle with the downpour, that floods other portions of the country. We note, for example, that Covington, Ky., experienced a rainfall of 8.40 inches in twenty-four 'hours Wednes day. At a number of other points in Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas and Texas the rainfall registered from 4.54 and 6.68 inches in the twenty-four hours. According to advance reports from the City Hall, Portland's housekeeping expenses will be about half a million more next year than they were last year. Taxpayers must meet the bill. If state-wide prohibition is voted, the city will lose something like $330,000 paid by saloons for licenses. That means still more taxes. A few theor ists will argue that fewer policemen will be needed. As a matter of fact. there will . be more "blind pigs" than there are now saloons, more drunken ness, more lawlessness and conse quently employment of more police. This is the invariable experience of every city in the few prohibition states. Canadian Pacific advanced nearly three points in the New York stock market yesterday; the best gain that was scored by the American railroad securities was a shade oyer one point. Some reason for this strength In the alien road may be found in the fact that it Is permitted to come ovef into American territory and take traffic at any rate it sees fit to charge, while the American roads are unable to meet such competition without giving thirty days' notice and remodeling their en tire rate schedules from top to bot tom. Deer hunters ought more than ever this Fall to pray for deliverance from their friends. The fool who cannot tell a human being from a deer seems unusually pervasive. His latest victim is Mrs. Samson, of Tacoma, but she is not his last. These demented creat ures commonly select' their dearest friends for marks to shoot at. They kill their fathers or brothers If possi ble. When nothing better offers, they fire at some lifelong acquaintance. Is a kimono a dress? This ques tion is now before the courts. Per haps the method of exclusion, invented by Aristotle, Is the best to use in an swering it. Thus, Is the kimono a pair of trousers, is it a shirt, a coat, a shoe or a necktie? Being none of these things the conclusion necessarily fol lows that It is a dress. We give this little exercise to show the value of philosophy In practical affairs. A crying 'need this season is some sort of breastplate that will protect the collarbone of a football player when he gets into a scrimmage. , In the world's 'championship series Portland's sympathy will be with Chi cago, two of whose players have worn the Beavers' uniform. Infantile paralysis Is reported in Washington County, but not the kind to affect Dr. Large's industry. Is Los Angeles welching, now that the first horror Is over? Young Kina-a naad wives them. to rule OPEX GAMBLING BT CHINESE. Municipal' Association Says It' Should Be Stopped. PORTLAND, Oct. 6. (To the Edi tor.) In The Oregonlan today, page nine. Is an Article dealing with Chin ese gambling. In which it is stated that "it has been the policy of the present administration not to interfere with the gambling of the Chinese among themselves on the ground that it is Impossible to stop their playing and that attempted regulation opens the door to graft. But tl,ey (tho police) have been repeatedly cautioned that they must allow no one of another race to participate on penalty of strict regulation." The policy thus outlined, by which public officers, sworn to enforce the law impartially, are permitted to choose what laws shall be enforced and against whom tfaey shall be enforced and to make bargains and terms with those who desire to violate the laws, has been one of the prime factors in nulli- i fylng the law in question, and some other laws as well, by creating the im pression in the minds of vicious persons that it is open to them to make ar rangements with publio officers by which the penalities may be evaded. It is ridiculous for the Chief of Police to maintain that "It is impos sible to stop their playing." The law is plain and he has the whole police department at his back tor its enforce ment. If additional force is required, he can readily obtain It, as he did In the case of a recent strike. The significance of your article above mentioned is that it admits a preposterous condition of affairs in the Police Department, a condition for which the Chief of Police Is not alone responsible. No -such policy would or coild be pursued by him without the sanction of the Mayor and Police Com mittee of the Executive Board. But while the facts which The Ore onlan has stated in this article are well known to every one acquainted with the life of this city, it is also well known that the policy of the ad ministration relative to Chinese gam bling applies in a greater or less degree to every other of the commoner forms of vice and Immorality. PORT. MUNICIPAL ASSOCIATION, By D. A. Pattullo, President. Where Women Can Vote, bnt Won't St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Under the provisions of the Michigan constitution, supposed to be a model af fair when approved by the people two years ago, women taxpayers may vote on questions of bond Issues and munici pal ownership. This concession in suf frage was made by the constitutional convention at the conclusion of a vig orous campaign by advocates of woman suffrage. In Detroit in November there comes up, in addition to several Issues of bonds, the long-expected and much discussed question of municipal owner ship of street railways. Detroit has been the center of all agitation for three-cent fares since 1893. Since that time, too, the street railway matter has held a eecure place as the paramount municipal issue. On this great local question it is esti mated that 20,000 Detroit women are eligible to vote. Only 600, or 3 per cent, of the number were interested enough to register. Can it be that the women, with their usual perversity, want merely the right to vote, and, having attained it, care nothing about it? When Should Yon Tip the Porter? Chicago Evening Post. When should the Pullman porter be tipped? About a mile from the station he discovers at last that you are on board. He then approaches you smiling ly and requests to be allowed, to "bresh" you. He flicks your sleeve, then yanks your collar and chokes you into submission while he brushes the lining of your coat as far down as he can reach. A bit of ragtime on the legs of your trousers, then he carefully and lovingly takes your hat and rubs it with an exaggerated toothbrush. At this psychological mo ment he has his hand out The custom Is to tip him then, but the trouble is if you do that he will allow you to carry your grip out of the car. If you defer the tip he will carry it out for you. Should he be tipped at the time of the brushing or on the platform? At least, if you wait until you reacn the platform you are sure that he will have you in mind for 10 minutes. Other wise he recognises you for a brief three minutes. It is an open question, how ever. Sentence Sermons. Henry F. Cope In Chicago Tribune. It is easy to show mercy to our mas ters. Character is what we wrest from temptation. Truth Is found only by following tnat you have. One might ngnt a lie ana still not follow the truth. Life's danger lies not In its heights, but in its cliffs. He cannot attain greatness who can not admire it. . Temptations to wander never assail a hitching post. It s always tomorrow s burden that breaks the back of today. Faith la often the sense for facts as set above all fallacies. No man has so many friends that he can afford to despise any of them. Death, Where la Thy Stingt Houston Post. . ' The last man looked sadly at the last woman. "The world Is dead." he said gloomily, "and there Is nothing left for me to do but to die also. "Before that," replied she, "there Is one thing I think you should do." "And that?" , "Please button me up the back." As he drifted away nto the everlast ing sleep there was a smile of resigna tion on nis paie countenance. New York Has 300,000 Babies. ' New York Sun. There were 122,976 babies born in the five boroughs of New York last year. This figure Is exclusive of Imported babies, ot which there were many, but they were offset by the export of babies to the country, which is equally heavy, Of these 122,976 babies, 6171 came only to depart at once, and 15,976 failed to survive their natal year. So It Is fair ly correct to assume that there are about 300,000 babies in the City of New York between 3 and 4 years of age. Arranains; tor the Funeral. Houston (Tex.) Post. Candidate Stlmson. of New York, will kindly let us know at his earliest con venience whether he prefers cremation or plain interment.- It is Important to arrange the details of the Republican obsequies in Now York Vithout un necessary delay. Merely Conservation. Washington Post. Just shuffle the letters a little, and you can make "conversation" out of "conservation." Seems to be about all that can be made out of it Just now. Tradin' to Ills Knlrtin'. Philadelphia Inquirer. President Taft. it may be remarked, is at the White House attending to publio affairs in a quiet and dignified manner. Aviation Martyrs. Buffalo Express. Chavez makes the 20th man to lose his Ufa in aviation trials. The new science is taking heavy toll. INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM MEASURES State Ownership of Railroads Reasons for an Amendment Which Would Authorise Oresroa to Construct Railways No Longer Exists Change In National Sentiment Switzerland's Disastrous Experience. Article No. 2. For amendment of tho Oreion constitution article X (XIX) authorlzlns tho creation of railroad dlstrlots. and the purchase and construction of railroads, or other highways by the state, counties, munic ipalities and railroad districts, creation of liens upon property or levying taxes for tho payment of tho same. 10 Tea. 11 Jfo. Two years ago there was no prospect that the vast area of this state, known as Interior Oresron. would soon have railroad transportation. As a conse quence the Portland Chamber of Com merce and other commercial organiza tions appealed, to the Legislative As sembly of 1909 to submit the foregoinr amendment of the state constitution to the people at the general election of 1910. ' The Legislative Assembly granted this request and the amendment 'Is therefore to be voted upon. But in the Summer of 1909 the eyes of two great railroads turned toward the long neg lected district comprising two-thirds of Oregon and the construction of two main lines into Central Oregon began. These two railroads are spending $10,000,000 to $12,000,000 merely to reach the' outskirts of Interior Oregon and In the 100 miles that must be traversed before reaching the table lands they will be operated through a canyon al most wholly unproductive of tonnage or passengers. The two main lines, now under con struction, will not serve a country large enough to make both or even one of them pay a fair return upon the money Invested and It is a necessity. In order for them to protect the capital invest ed, to extend feeders and branch lines throughout the interior. Recognizing these facts and condi tions the Portland Chamber of Com merce has abandoned interest in thi proposed amendment, believing- that there la no looser reason tor Its adop tion. . s However, the amendment Is so broad in its scope that It permits the pur chase of existing railroads, as well as the bonding of the state or portions thereof, or the levying of taxes for the construction of new railroads. So it has been taken up by individuals. In the list of whom stand forth the names of W. S. ITRen, E. Hofer and E. S. J. Mc Allister. Arguments for Its approval have been submitted, in which the chief thing urged is that the amendment would permit the state government to own the railroads of Oregon. Inasmuch as the men of sober thought in the community who once favored the amendment concede that reason exists no longer for Its enactment It might be supposed that there is no likelihood of the amendment receiving the approval of tho voters. The prospect Is always pres. ent, however. In the submission of ini tiative or referendum measures, that the ones who at heart oppose them may permit them to be carried by default ot Interest on the negative side. Adoption of the amendment under present conditions would be accepted throughout the country as an indication that Oregon believes In state ownership of railroads and that the state Is pre paring to go Into the transportation business. While If the question were squarely put before the people ot bond ing the state for the construction of new railroads or the purchase of existing ones it probably would not be approved, the adoption of the constitutional amend ment permitting such action would un doubtedly have a disastrous effect on railroad construction, only now fairly started by private capital in interior Oregon. - a The amendment, as it Is written, would permit the state to do almost anything in the railroad line except sell to a pri vate corporation any railroad that it had once constructed or to which it had ob tained title. The state could pledge its credit, levy taxes, create a lien upon property to be benefited or do any other act necessary to create a fund for the purchase or construction of railroads. Having raised the funds, it could pur chase by agreement or through the power of eminent domain, any railroad in the state. It could operate its own railroads .or It could lease them to an operating company under regulations that would require a fair return upon the invest ment or for a rental that would pay In terest charges and a sinking fund for the retirement of any existing debt thereon. . 'One section that would have an impor tant bearing on the future welfare of the state and the taxpayers at large provides that the state, county, municipality or railroad district shall not operate any railroad unless compelled so to do for good reasons, or unless justified In so doing by a superior profit In other words, preference la given to leasing, and in all instances for a rental sufficient to pay interest and fixed charges and a sinking fund for the retirement of the debt, or if there be no debt, then for a suffloient rental to pay "a reasonable return upon the investment such as would be demanded by private capital." a a It will be admitted by any reasonable man who has visited those parts of Ore gon that are crying loudest for railroad transportation that a railroad would not pay a fair return on the Investment for si number of yetara after Its completion or before the country had been settled and developed and become productive. Ko private corporation would lease a railroad that was not paying expenses and in addition pay interest on the state's or district's Investment. The state or district would be compelled to operate the railroad so long as it was not profit able and the. taxpayers would have to foot the bills. Again, the trend of opinion among some even who are looked upon as rad icals at present la away from srovern- ment ownership. Rather, the determin ing of the physical valuation of railroads is urged with the view to ascertaining therefrom whether the owning companies are giving service and rates commen surate with the income derived from, the property. The railroad commission of Wisconsin has determined the physical valuation of the railroads in that state, the railroad commission of Washington has completed similar work, the railroad commission of Oregon is now engaged in the same enterprise, and other states are follow ing in the footsteps of the three. In His Osawatomle speech advocating a New Nationalism Theodore Roosevelt declared that he did "not. wish to see the govern ment forced into the ownership of the railroads," and that the alternative was a thoroughgoing and effective regulation based on a full knowledge of all the facts "including a physical valuation of the property." e a The plan of the proposed amendment to the Oregon constitution and the plan of regulating rates, service and capitali zation on a basis of physical valuation, do not work together. Privately owned railroads regulated by state or National government as outlined would pay but a fair return -on the investment, or rather upon the true physical value of the property. Any private corporation so Jegulated would have to pay the state all the net earnings derived from a state-owned railroad it had, leased or else charge rates hiarher than those In nse on the private lines in order to derive a profit from the lease, for the state, under the terms of the constitu tional provision proposed, must demand a full return upon its investment. Adoption of the amendment would open the way for either one of three courses: The amendment could be left a useless burden on the statute books; The state could abandon the plan It is now working on of regulation based on valuation to enter upon an ownership of all railroads throughout the common wealth; Or it could continue to regulate the privately owned railroads expecting It self to operate any railroads the people might see fit to build. Under the last alternative there would be no possibility of leasina; a state owned railroad unless one of two com peting private companies should be will ing to sustain a loss on a leased state railroad in order to divert all the traffic from the state road to its own lines. , The experience of Switzerland gives an Interesting light on government owner ship and operation of railroads. Late in the "SOs the Federal Council of Switzerland, after an investigation, re ported that the railroads of that country were capitalized too hlglr and paid too large dividends, but that the financial condition of the Confederation precluded the purchase of the roads. Switzerland, like Oregon, has the ini tiative and referendum and the people forced the purchase of the roads on the theory that the profits from their opera tion Instead of going to foreign stock holders would inure to the government. Switzerland In area is about one-sixth that of Oregon. Its population Is four times as great and its railroad mileage exceeds Oregon's about 60 per cent. It Is a thickly settled country where the problems of railroad construction and operation in sparsely settled districts are not encountered. At tho beginning of the present year two-thirds of the rail road mileage in Switzerland was owned by the people and known as the Swiss United Railway. The Swiss United Railway is in control of a board of general direction. This board in 1901 reconstructed the rates on the goyernment-owned railroads by put ting in force throughout the system the lowest tariffs that had previously existed on any portion of the lines. Service regu lations were altered to require the opera tion of three local trains each way dally on all lines, all of which trains were re quired to stop at every station. Passen gers were permitted to carry commercial products to market free up to a weight of 65 pounds each. The wages of the rank and file of employes were Increased and the salaries of administrative offi cers were reduced. These "reforms" may sound attractive to the general public until the results are told. The ablest men in the administra tive service on the railroads left their positions and were succeeded by men' of small caliber who look upon and treat their positions as government offices. And Instead of Switzerland realizing th expected profit from the operation of the roads the United Railway in 190S. after checking up all expenditures. In cluding Interest and the yearly propor tion to the sinking fund, was more than $1,000,000 behind. Railroads that for 10 years under private ownership had been profitable have become a burden upon the taxpayers. The Oregonlan has opposed the rail road amendment to the constitution from the time it was first suggested. Now that the excuse for its submission to the people Is removed, when capital is al ready timid and with the railways under construction using their utmost endeav ors to attract money to this state for the prosecution of their work. The Ore gonian looks upon the amendment as one of the mont dangerous of the 32 measures submitted for the approval or rejection of voters. FEATURES in the SUNDAY OREGONIAN GENUINE OREGON WILD WEST SHOW AT PENDLETON A staff correspondent makes a round-up of the round-up that showed one of the picturesque fea tures of outdoor life in the Ore gon Country. PERILOUS TRIP BY BOAT IN ALASKA WATERS C. E. Rusk, who headed a party to climb Mount McKinley, tells of ascending Tokositna River in a 32-foot poling boat. NORTH SIDE JETTY AT GRAYS HARBOR' Story of a colossal Government work that has been accomplished without loss of life. BUNCH OF GOOD CAMPAIGN STORIES These are told of and by speak ers of National fame. AUTOMOBILES FOR EXTRA WAR EQUIPMENT" Officers considering a law by which private motor-cars may be "drafted" in case. of invasion. INVESTIGATING THE "THIRD DEGREE" ORDEAL Senate committee soon to begin probing into startling abuses by American police. ORDER EARLY FROM YOUR NEWSDEALER ,