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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 14, 1910)
12 THE WOITrXG 0KEG05IAW. FRIDAf, OCTOBER 14, 1910. Batcred at Frt'aad. Ore son. Poatofneo a looa-Claee Matter. imciulKii Kates Invariably in Aanaca (BT MAXL). any, Pindar me'aded. n year S-0 t ejlr. SitmrtAV tnln4. months..... 4.29 faJiy, Sunday Included, three months... X 23 slly. Bundsy Included, on month..... . ally, without Sanly, on year. ....... 6.0O ally, without Sunday. six montha..... t S3 ail. HkM,t Rnnilkr thm months... 1-1 I ally, without ftnodaj. oa jnootil. .. . . - ekly. on year 1 today, ona yaar 2 ".O I .today aad wfk:T. one yaar s-SO (BT CARRIER). I afry. Pvnday Included, ana Tear S.oo l ajty. avaaay ineiuoeo. oaa Bna.n.. -' Haw ta Rcaalt Band Poetofflce money l-der. ipwt ordr or personal check on lour local bank. Mtampa. cola or currency at tba a-nder risk. Gla poatornre 14naa la full, Inrludlnr county and stale. roacaaa Batea 1 to 14 pesos. 1 cant: 1 ii pAcaa. t ranta; 19 to 40 paa-ea, f cents: ' to ft naiu 4 casta. raralan postase ubla rata. Eastern Rwdaras Oftlree Verreo a- Conk. a Nt York. Hrunswlck building. Chi k. Stager building. I'ORTLA.XD. FRIDAY. OCT. It. Win. THI JTEW YORK CAMPAIOX. It wemi to be conceded on all sides I -vat the Jsaue of the New York cam- sign mill mean a great deal to Mr. i:onsevelt. If his candidate for Gov- mor. Mr. Stimson. wins, no doubt lie Rooeevelt prestige win t en- anoed. If John A. lix. the Democ ratic candidate, carries the election Is predicted In some quarters that l:ooaevelt will fade to a nonentity In ilitlcs. There are newspapers, like 1 ie Springfield Republican, which In st that Stimson's success would ush Roosevelt a long way toward -tat dictatorship which he ts sup osed to be planning for. Hence they sgerly search for omens of failure nd find rhem. Whether Mr. Roose elt consented to the- widely-discussed r York Republican platform for -le sake or harmony or not, it is Kirly evident that harmony has not owed from It In a current of much epth. The leaders of the Old ;uard." with one or two exceptions, ent home from Saratoga professing nbounded devotion to the nominees. I ut there Is reason to fear that their yalty came from the lips only. There are other dar.ger signals fly- Mg. Charles H. Young's resignation I mm the New Yo-k Republican Club 111. It U said, be followed by many thers. Something very much like a :hism seems likely to appear In that rthodox and venerable citadel or I arty loyalty. Mr. Young, who boasts I hat he hasn t split a ticket lor lenty years, will vote for Dlx this "all. His reasons are Interesting, irlefly. he maintains that the Re- ublican party hus been In power so ng that It has become, corrupt, ex- I ravagant and Inefficient. It needs a thorough purging, he declares. In thw opinion he is at one wun ut. arkhursl. who said the same, thing Ivhen he landed from Europe. But In ore than It needs a moral purge. Mr. 'oung thinks the Republicans need I o get rid or Kooseveit ana in nis plnlon the election of Dlx will effect bat highly desirable result. To Mr. .'oung Roosevelt embodies all that Is ad. In politics. He Is convinced that he Colonel would use Stimson's suo ess as a ladder to the Presidency, .nd that If he ever got Into the White (louse again "it would be difficult to Let him out." The apprehension or 'aesarism is genuine and widespread the East, ludicrous as It may ap- ear to Westerners. It Is hinted here nd there that the schism In the New h'ork Republican Club may be a phase f that segregation of conservatives mm radicals and the new party lignment which we have heard so Inuch about. In the West, thousands f .Democrats have been voting with radical Republicans. In the East, i onservatlve Republicans are migrat ing to the Democratic standard. The movement mny go further thnn many vould desire who are taking part n It. Mr. Dlx' platform Is not one to r Tighten away any timorous souls who Inay seek shelter In his fold, and yet Is rather taking. He comes out IHldIy for state-wide direct primaries, hlch gives him a decided advantace i rer Stimn In the current trend of -ubllc opinion, and he makes an ther shrewd bid for votes by stand ing for the Income tax and popular lection of Senators. Whether he dots Irisely to misrepresent Roosevelt's po sition on public questions depends on he Intelltrence of the New York vot- If they are readers and think- i rs. they will not oe attracted oy .ir. ix' rhetorical Innuendo that Roose velt "has assailed and attacked our ourts." for- he hus done nothing of "he sort. Mr. Roosevelt has criticised -ome Supreme Court dtxdsiona and 1,-lven excellent reasons why they night to be- reversed. But this Is no rime. It Is certainly no reason why man should "be reg.-.rded as a pub- fle enemy." The right to criticise ur public officials has been won by -he Anglo-Saxon peoples through enturies of struggle. If it is a crime exercise the risht. then Jefferson. Lincoln and Taft are as much public neniies as Roosevelt. Tor they have Ldl done it. In the West the Colonel has gained -i o new friends by his control of the IVew York convention and its plat orm. The Milwaukee Journal, which -peaks for La FVUette. calls him a -ase, of "arrested development. Nona if the radicals can digest his amazing -arlff plonk and most of them find it Ufflcult to explain his fulsome but ladly belated praise of Mr. Taft. Many ink pointedly why ha had nothing to I say for Mr. Taft on has famous tour f he really admires the President so I much. The opinion as abroad that -.he Roosevelt cult Is on the wane and I many observers predict that tha an ticipated Democratic victory in New Tork will put an end to it. rORTLAXlVS KSAREFI yLKmm Portland was well represented and I well received at the Fall convention I of the Southwestern Washington De velopment Association at Goldendale. The cordial relations existing between I Portland and our neighbors In South western Washington are easily as- I counted for In the remarks of A. C. ILJttle. of Raymond. Wash, chief pro moter of the association. "Portland,- I raid Mr. Little, has given us more publicity than all other Coast cities put together. Seattle has distributed a few circulars mentioning our coun try, but Portland has sent Investiga tors and homeseekers light Into our towns." This Is the Portland policy. inaugurated long before development leagues and kindred associations be- Igan to attract attention In the North west, and it has given this city a firm I foothold in nearly all of the territory King along the Columbia River, as weU as a considerable portion of that j which lies on Grays Harbor and W1I Iapa Harbor. Portland's business Interests hav been well supported by the people of Southwestern Washington, and this city has reciprocated whenever the opportunity has offered. Regarding the matter purely as a business propo sition, there is every renson why Port land should Srnd Investors and home seekers Into the towns and country In Southwestern Washington. Even with the Columbia River as a state line boundary, this city still - remains so much more advantageous as a trad ing point than any Washington city of similar Importance that nothing but very had treatment would divert the business from this city to other points. From the earliest days of the city Portland has had a deep Interest In this Southwestern Washington region and the prosperity of that territory has always had its effect on Port land's prosperity. The pilgrimage of nearly fort? prominent business men from this city to Goldendale was not alone for the purpose of drumming up trade or of holding that which we now possess. It was a friendly visit to acknowledge the favors we have received from the territory involved and to view the growing Importance of a trade field which has done much to aid Port land In Its growth. THE WORK OF A JCDOB. Some curious person at Salem, not much Impressed by the character or value of the great "nonpartisan movement for the benefit of two Democratic Supreme Judges, has thought It worth while to examine the Supreme Court records for the pur pose of measuring the relative output of the various Judges. The results are both significant and Instructive. Since Messrs. Slater and King were appointed to the bench as Judges, In defiance of the people's will that the Supreme Court should not Je In creased, the number of court deci sions written by each Judge is as. fol lows: Moore, 76; Eakin, 65; Slater. 46; King. 40. In that time McBride succeeded Bean as Judge. Bean. after King and Slater came on the bench as Judges, wrote 14 decisions, and McBride followed with 66. mak ing TO the total for this particular Judgeship. These statistics cover the whole career of Slater and King as Judges (not commlusioners) when they were -irell-seasoned for the work, and could not be excused on the ground of newness, or unfamlllarlty, or Insufficient opportunity. Judge King, it may be-added, has not filed an opinion since July and has about half a dozen only to his credit since early in the Spring. What have these two "nonpartisan" Judges been doing during their In cumbency that their record for indus try and diligence compares so un favorably with their fellow Judges'? Have they given all their time to the service of the state? Or have they been running around in a frantic ef fort to be re-elected, leaving their duties and their supposed sense of Judicial propriety at home? WESTERN FAIT.TS. A correspondent who Is disturbed by the poor opinion of Western people which some Easterners entertain writes to The Oregonian for consola tion. She asks if we think the opin ion is Justified. Being by nature mod est, we are inclined to believe that Western people have some sins which It would be good for their reputation, and their souls also, to forsake. Our correspondent Incloses a clipping from a Boston paper which accuses est rners of being impolite, of paying more attention to money than morals in society, and of neglecting their friends. No doubt it Is possible to find people who are giillty of all these shortcomings. The West Is too near pioneer condi tions to have- made much of an at tempt at politeness yet. but very likely there Is as much genuine good feeling here as In the East, or more. Rough manners and unmodulated voices do not necessarily imply a bad heart, nor do they always imply a good one. Most Westerners are as polite as they know how to be. and when they learn more we suppose they will do better. If we pay more attention to money than morals, it is quite likely that we acquired the bad habit by imitating Easterners. We never have heard that Boston or New York society maJits a very strict inquisition into the private lives of its male members. Does society anywhere pay much at tention to morals? The charge that we neglect our friends may be set down as a calumny. Western hospitality is proverbial for Its bounty. All sections of the coun try have their faults, but upon the whole we are probably as estimable out here as folks are in Boston. AX EDICT THAT I1J, FALL. The Pope's bulj against theepmet" Is one of the Incidents of history which represents the futile efforts of eccleslasticlsm to check by anathema and interdiction forces that It cannot subdue and refuses to Judge accord ing to known standards of natural law. The Emanuel movement, so called, and as the teachings that character lye It are now known, was born In the Episcopal Church. It has a consider able following among humble, devot ed, intelligent people who are ready to accept In unquestioning spirit ben efits whose source they hut dimly comprehend. It Is manifestly useless to hurl dogma and anathema against a movement thus based in the belief or even the hope that it can be stamped out by such methods or even arrested in Its course. Clamor for or against such a move ment will be unavailing one way or the other. Recognizing this fact, and accepting the truth of the declara tion. y their fruits shall ye know tjiem." whether applied to creeds or Individuals, the exponents of this idea or principle or whatever we may choose to designate the Emanuel movement, its advocates and workers were silent before Its accusers In the Protestant-Episcopal House of Depu ties In assembly at Cincinnati. We may well suppose that this silence does not argue obediencec to dogma or denial of such facts as the leaders and disciples of the Emanuel move ment have demonstrated to their own satisfaction, at least. On the con trary. It may be taken as ominous of an Intent to pursue quietly but not the less determinedly the path, still dim from lack of knowledge, but beckoning ever onward, that has al ready passed many way stations of doubt, and along which the beacon lights of hope- and faith gleam with a steady, though subdued radiance. There may be much In the princi- pie or philosophy underlying thl morement; there mar. be little there jjlaca between San Francisco and Los may be nothing. But those who be lieve there Is much In it, even sur passing the limits of human hope. will not he turned from their belief by the command of the church Those who falteringly believe that there is a slight basis of truth In it will not surrender the email comfort that it has brought to them, while the boldly skeptical, who stand above all things, for freedom of opinion, will regard the attempt of -the hous of deputies to silence the Emanuel movement as in keeping with the sol emn edict against the comet that has come down to us from the time wherein to formulate a theory con cernlng the solar system meant an athema. Imprisonment and, if not recanted, death. IS TTIKUE A DEMOCRATIC PARTY? Consider briefly the humiliating status of the Democratic party 1 Oregon. It has been reduced tovthe low estate of being a mere appanage of George Chamberlain. He exploits it always and everywhere for his own ends. He has made it a one-man party. It has no other entity, no other mission, no other function, no other duty, no other service. How do the Democrats like it? They don't like it. There are sign of revolt, and they mean something. What the Democrats see now clearly Is that West Is a mere pawn in the Bourne-Chamberlain game,, the office boy of the Bourne & Chamberlain partnership. Bourne & Chamberlain are going to elect West Governor, they can. Why? That Bourne, who calls himself a Republican, may be re-elected Senator. The only Demo crat Chamberlain is willing to name. or have named, for Important office. is himself, or his protege. To help himself, he betrays his party and makes a shameful deal with Bourne, an alleged Republican. But whether Bourne Is a Republican or not, his success excludes all opportunity for political preferment by Democrats, like Gearln, or Myers, or Bennett, or Manning, or Thomas, or Versteeg, or Van Durer. or a hundred others. Where do they come in, if the Demo crats stand for the Bourne & Cham berlain partnership? How do the Democrats like it? rOKTLAXO GROSSLY MISREPRESEXTEIt. The remarks. In the iierger casa, of Attorney . Dunne, of ' tie Southern Pacific regarding the Oriental traffic moved In and out of Portland, were intended strictly for "foreign" distri bution and not for home consump tion. It is Inconceivable that a man occupying the position held ty Mr, Dunne does not know that such state ments as he is credited with at St. Paul are false and misleading. After citing that Portland's Oriental steam ship line had been a failure under different managements, and was al ways operated at a loss, Mr. Dunne said that "the sailings from San Francisco were more frequent and more satisfactory than from Port land." As Mr. Dunne's employers are responsible for the service both at San Francisco and at Portland, this dash of vinegar on the raw wounds that the Harrlman management has made on Portland's Oriental trade will be appreciated. After a man has been knocked down, dragged out and stamped on. he dislikes to be abused and re' pro ached by his assailant for the poor fight he put up against the eu perlor force. For that reason the present uncordial relations existing between Portland and those who are damaging the port with an alleged Oriental service, have not been lm proved by the unwarranted criticism of Mr. Dunne. The learned spokes man for the Southern Pacific is the living embodiment of the old Hun tington policy of forcing all trans pacific traffic through the port of San Francisco. A very necessary fea ture of that policy is to make the service out of Portland so wretchedly bad that the business will be forced through San Francisco Getting away from generalities, and dealing with specific cases, let us con aider the service of the Portland Ori ental steamship line for which Mr. Dunne is the legal apologist. This service la performed by four tramp freighters, operated without the slightest regard for schedule or the convenience of shippers. The sailings are so infrequent and uncertain that the term "regular line" Is a misnomer. This alleged line dispatched the steamer Selja from Portland August SO. Between that date and October 12, no steamers of this line- sailed from Portland for the Orient, and millers and other shippers who had sold flour and other commodities for September shipment were forced to cancel the orders, or ship by way of Puget Sound, although at least one of the Puget Sound lines- showed suf ficient interest in Portland's Oriental trade to send a steamer here to re lieve some of the freight congestion. Meanwhile, in the six weeks in which the Portland-Oriental route was left without a Harrlman steamer, the line out of Son Francisco, made "satis factory" by the same management that made Portland's line unsatisfac tory, was dispatching a steamer every Tuesday morning, right on schedule time, while an average of two steam ers .per week were clearing from Pugot Sound ports. The inconvenience and Injustice of the service given Portland have pro duced such a feeling of resentmenl on the part of the shippers and Im porters that most of them absolutely refuse to patronize the Portland line. This has naturally brought about a deadlock, in which the steamship people refuse to give Portland a de cent service for the alleged reason that there is no business, while the merchants refuse to patron lex the line because of Its unreliability and gen eral worthlessncss. It is Idiotic for Mr. Dunne to intimate that the busi ness Is not available at Portland or that It cannot be handled from here. The Waterhouse line to Puget Sound Is sending steamers here, and is tak ing freight at lower rates' than are charged by the Harrlman tramp steamers. The sooner Mr. Dunne and the transportation -lines which he repre sents abandon the idea that the traf fic mountain must come to the South ern Pacific Mahomet, the better It will be for the Harrlman lines. The ancient arks which were formerly used on the water route between Portland and San Francisco did not force the business to the Southern Pacific rail lines. They did, however, leave an opening through which In dependent lines entered the field and made millions before the Harrlman lines woke up and put good steamers on the route. A similar "bump" is awaiting the Southern Pacific rail Angeles, as soon as the new steamers Yale and Harvard are placed on the route. We are promised a . check on the wholesale letting of contracts for street Improvements, and unless the Council changes lts.mlnd in the mean time, no more contracts will be let until contractors get the work now under way much nearer completed While it is Important that the streets of the city be improved as rapidly as possible, there is evidence that the gait has been a little too swift in some localities. Some of the hard-surfacn streets that we're hurriedly improved a few months and even a few weeks ago, notably In the Holladay-Irving-ton. district, are already showing signs of wear that would not be noticeable had the work been more carefully done. There Is also another advan tage in withholding contracts which cannot be fulfilled for many months, for by the time the contractors are ready to proceed with them, material and labor may be cheaper, and the taxpayer might possibly get some of the benefits of the reduction. The usual custom of pumping sand out of one portion of the river and dumping it in another, where it must be again handled, has aroused the in terest of the Rainier City Council, which was asked to file remonstrances) with the Government and the Port of Portland. Before action was taken it was explained that the work was only temporary and that the sand dumped In Rainier harbor would be pumped back into the north channel in due season. If the money wasted in pumping sand out of one portion of the river and dumping It In another. where it would wash back In again. had been spent in placing it on the bank or behind a bulkhead, the per manent Improvement of the Columbia River channel would be a much smaller problem than it is at the pres ent time. As Portland is getting out of the class of "temporary" seaports. It might be a good plan to begin mak ing improvements of a permanent na ture. It is extremely gratifying to learn that the publicity methods of the Port land Chamber of Commerce have such a good reputation that Columbus, O., Is seeking to learn more about them. No doubt the Ohjo city will be sup plied nvitu tne necessary plans tor conducting a publicity campaign on the latest approved Oregon methods. In one most essential feature, how ever, it will be Impossible to get the Ohioans on anywhere near even terms with the Oregonlans. That feature is the incomparable resources of which the Portland Chamber of Commerce has been telling the world. It Is much easier to sell goods when you can show the direct, tangible advantages of what you are offering. The gener osity of Nature and the enterprise of man have given Oregon exhibits that will draw moreettlers than could be rounded up by all or the publicity lit erature ever Issued. The two Tacoma boys who liked the same girl well enough to fight for her will both make good husbands and fathers by and by, when their common sense equals their pluck. A fair fight is not a bad thing to eliminate malice and cement friendship. It is cheaper than a lawsuit, safer than shooting, and manlier than backbiting. While we do not commend their example, we can easily excuse it and can under- stand how certain wnite'liverea youths might follow It advantageously. The past week has been one of Ideal weather for fruitgrowers and dairy men and for forehanded farmers who are anxious to get the plow in the fur row in October. Crisa and cool la the early mornings, bright and balmy throughout the day, with bright moonlight evenings, what. more could be asked In the way of favoring weather for rounding out the year's work? Suppose that Oakland had lent or.oj of Its "bench" players to a town In the California State League and two weeks ago had brought the same man to Portland and played him. Does any one imagine that McCredie would have protested? If he had, is there any one so foolish as to believe Judge Graham would have reversed a vic tory In which this player took part? The California student who intends to hunt geese this Fall disguised as a tree has no doubt chosen his attire wisely,, but It would not suit those. deerhunters- wno cannot ten a tree from a man. Probably If they fared forth disguised as asses, It would makn he woods safer. It would also hav the advantage of not requiring much change from their usual habits. Massachusetts Democrats, at a loss for a head to their ticket, might apply to Honey Flu: ror aid, with good result. A noted shoeman once spent 430,000 to obtain a year's glory. Is there no union-suit or garter man within sight of the Gilded Codfish who Is willing to do a little extraordinary advertising? Every voter in Oregon to up against duty he cannot honorably Ignore. He must vote on each initiative meas ure. In the case of those which he understands, let him vote his senti ment. With those he knows nothing about, vote no. When In doubt, ijote no. Even so late as last Spring no one would have believed seventy-five miles an hour in an aeroplane probable. Yet this Is Le Blanc's record at St. Louis. Truly, the gasoline engine works wonders. The Order of Moose had their pa rade, and it was good. Some day some one will strike a popular chord and organize the great unorganized Order of Goats. A better test of physical endurance than ride a horse ninety miles would be to make the officers go that dis tance hanging to the strap of a trolley-car. John A. Dix abused and Bourke Cockran praised Roosevelt the same day in public. The conundrum once more presents Itself, What is a Demo- rat? Portland took another long step for ward when the Council forbade the erection of any more wooden wharves. Neither does Paris, with an ample military force, put down mobs with more celerity than American cities. Anybody here ' seen Meyer, who stayed only half an hour? INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM MEASURES Creation of New Counties Grave Part of County Could Seeede nlanatlon by The Oregonian. Article No. 4. A bill for an act to creata tha Oranty of Xeamlth out of a portion of the northern part of Douglas County .and the southern part of Lane county. . . . 316 Yes. sit vo. A bill for a law creating the County of rttta Owmh. nut of territory now Included: In the counties of Harney, Malheur and Grant. . . . 320 Yea. " S--1 X"n A bill for a law to annex a portion of the northern part of Clackamae County, Oregon, to Multnomah County, Oregon. . . . 323 Yea. S!3 Nil A bill for an act to create the County of WlUlama out of a portion of Lane ana ooug lea Counties, Oregon. ... .Yes. .. JF1 Nn. A bill for an act to create tha County of Orchard out of the northeastern portion of Umatilla County, Oregon. ... 332 Yea. ft:i:t X"n. A hill for an act to create the County of Clark out of tha northern portion of Gnnt County. Oregon. ... 334 Yes. . A bill for a law to annex a portion of the territory In the eastern part of aahlngton County. Oregon, to Multnoman county, ure gon. . . . 33S Yea. 339 No. A bill for a law to create the County of Deschutes, Oregon, out of the northwest por tion of Crook County, Oregon, . . . 330 Yes. 351 No. A bill for an act orovidina- for the erea. tion of new towns, counties and municipal districts, excepting drainage and irrigation districts of less than one county) or chang' ing the boundaries of existing counties by a maiorltv vote of the legal voters of the territory within the boundaries of the pro' posed municipality. ... 3."i2 Yes. 303 No. Eight of the initiative and referen dum measures, or one-fourth of the en tire number submitted to the voters this year, provide for changes in county boundaries, but there is good reason for believing that not one of the eight would stand a test in the courts if it should carry and an attempt be made to enforce its provisions. In addition to the eight measures proposing changes In county bound aries, still another measure Is present ed which seeks to give to the voters In a proposed new county, or district, the exclusive right to say whether such county or district shall be created. If the theory Is sound that In the presen tation of the eight bills affecting county boundaries the constitution has not been complied with, it follows that there is already provision made for the voters of the county or counties inter ested to determine among themselves whether a new county shall be created or a portion of one annexed to another, e a Legal advice has been sought on this subject, and The Oregonian Is informed that it Is a serious question whether county boundary matters should be voted on solely in' the districts affected or by the state at large. The promoters of the six new counties and the two an. nexations above listed have proceeded on the theory that each measure must be given statewide presentation. The Initiative petitions were circulated on this theory and doubtless most or all of them carry names of voters who are not residents of the districts involved. Section 2 of Article XI of the State Constitution (an amendment proposed by initiative petition and adopted In 1906) has a bearing on the situation. This section of the constitution reads as follows: Corporations may b formed under gen eral laws, but shall not be created by the Legislative Assembly by special laws. The Legislative Assembly shall not enact, amend or repeal any charter or act of incorporation for any municipality, city or town. The legal voters of every city and town are hereby granted power to enact and amend their municipal charter, subject to the con. stltutlon and criminal laws of the State of Oregon. . At the last session of the Legislative Assembly, when a bill was before the Assembly providing for the creation of Nesmlth County, the constitutional right of the Legislature to create new county or change the boundaries of an existing county was questioned. Senator L H. Bingham, of Eugene, ob tained opinions from some of the lead ing Jurists of the state. Including Su preme Justice Bean, and was assured that the Legislature had been deprived of that power. In several of the arguments presented in the state pamphlet which urges the approval of the new county measures, it Is frankly admitted that the .legislature has not the power to change county boundaries. The people behind the measures seemingly wltho..; investi gation, resorted to a general initiative movement to gain their point. Some of the best lawyers in Portland are convinced that under the terms of the Federal Constitution and the En abling Act, the powers of the Legisla ture must remain co-ordinate with the powers of the whole people as exercised through the initiative. The Legislature, alone, may not be deprived of a power held by both. The Supreme Court of Oregon has al ready put a construction on section 2 of Article XL heretofore quoted, and has held that, in view of the facts that the Legislature Is prohibited from amending municipal charters and that unless the power to amend acts Incorporating mu nicipalities, other than cities and towns. Is vested in the people, they cannot be changed without a constitutional amend ment, the manifest purpose of the amendment was to vest in the people of all municipalities, including cities, towns and others, the power to amend their charters. This decision was in the case of Far rell vs. Port, of Portland (52 Or. 682), In which it was contended that the Port of Portland, being neither a city nor a town, in the strict technical sense, did not come within the provisions of the con stitution reserving to the people local self-government. The court denied the contention. It should be rememberea that In the case cited the right of the whole state to legislate for the Port of Portland was not Involved, but the right of the people residing within the limits of the Port to amend Its act of Incorporation was the issue. When the people voted to place section 2, Article XI. In the state constitution It certainly was not their intention to de clare that the Legislature was less capa ble of adopting Just local or special laws than were the people, but It was their Intention-to reserve solely to the people of any municipality, city or town the right to enact certain local legisla tion. e a a In the Port of Portland case the Su preme Court also held that the Port of i Portland could exercise its power, toj Dam b Whether Changing Present Bounds from a Parent County Intelligent Infonna amend its act of incorporation In the absence of a specific general law laying down the manner of . exercising that power. The court held that the law of 1907 was intended to provide for the Ini tiative and referendum in all cases au thorised by the constitution, and the con stitution reserves initiative and refer endum powers to the legal voters of every municipality and district as to all special and municipal legislation affect ing such municipalities and districts. The Supreme Court so construed the law of 1907 that it could be applied In pro posing and adopting an initiative meas ure by the voters of the Port of Portland. If the district known as the Port of Fort land may of itself amend the act creat ing it, it is analogous that the voters outside the district have no voice In such proceeding. The same reasoning may be applied to counties In efforts to amend, in the matter of boundaries, the acts of incorporating them. In section 23 of Article IV of the State Constitu tion are enumerated 14 cases in which the Legislative Assembly shall not pass special or local laws. Those who con tend that the Legislature may not create a new county, but that the voters at large may,' presumably must also con tend that while the Legislature may not pass special or local laws in the 14 cases enumerated in section 23, Article IV, the people may do 0 through the Initiative. In other words, they must contend that none of the constitutional restrictions placed on the Legislature apply to the people in exercising the initiative. The bill providing for the creation of new counties by a majority vote in the county to be created, if adopted would under the course of reasoning given in the foregoing, be an amendment to the law of 1907. The proposed act pro vides that upon petition of 30 per cent of the legal voters residing within a proposed new corporation, the Governor shall appoint three, distlnterested com missioners who shall file a report either for or against the creation of such cor poration, after making an Investigation Into the merits of the case. If the report is unfavorable, the matte ends; if fa vorable, a special election is called for the territory within the proposed new corporation. The principal objection found in this bill Is in the fact that It virtually per mits secession by a portion of county from the parent county, provided the approval of a disinterested commission may be' obtained. The voters In the territory that would remain in the par- ent county have no voice In the fianl determination of the uuestlon. If ap plied in the present Instance only legal voters In the proposed Nesmith County would have the opportunity of voting on the question of forming the new corporation, while the voters in por tions of Lane and Douglas counties, not Included in Nesmlth territory, would have no part in the voting. Like wise, the annexation of a portion of Washington County to Multnomah County, now before the people at large, would be determined solely by the vot ers in the portion of Washington Coun ty it Is proposed to annex. A fairer plan would be to permit the voters residing In the counties whose boun dary lines would be affected to deter mine whether a new county should be created or a portion of one annexed to another. . e On another page The Oregonian to day publishes a map of Oregon, show ing the county lines as they would exist If all the measures pertaining to county boundaries were adopted in No vember. This map has been prepared for the reason that It Is impracticable for the average voter to gain a fair Idea of the location or extent of the changes proposed. The fact that the adoption of the eight county dlvis'on measures would breed extensive litigation and promote uncertainty In matters of taxation and organisation In nine existing counties should be enough to bring; about the defeat of the eight bills, but in view of the further fact that some may dis card these considerations The Oregonian endeavored to give partial aid In deter mining the merits of the several meas ures. The proposed new counties and the portions of counties it Is proposed to annex to Multnomah County are desig nated in dark lines. Present boundary lines are depicted in dotted lines. It will be observed that Williams and Nesmlth Counties, if both were approved, would overlap. Here is presented an other question. The one that receives the highest affirmative vote would pre vail, but the law provides that in con flicts In two or more bills adopted at the polls the one receiving the lesser number of affirmative votes becomes a law, except Insofar as the conflict is Involved. The uncertainty. In the event both Williams and Nesmlth counties are approved, will rest on the question as to whether the one receiving the lesser number of affirmative votes is suffi ciently clear in the unoonfllcting por tion to form a comprehensive act in itself. Cottage Grove Is specified as the temporary county seat of Nesmith County and Drain as the temporary county seat of Williams County. Neither town is in the area in conflict. a In presenting arguments favoring a county division it should have been ob vious to the promoters of the measure that the public would desire to know the area, population and assessed valuation of the proposed new county or the terri tory to be -annexed to another county and also the area, population and as sessed valuation of the territory In the county or counties that would be divided by the adoption of the bill. Nesmlth County supporters have gone more extensively into these details than any others. It Is possible to determine from the state pamphlet the area; popu lation and assessed valuation in the pro posed Nesmlth, Williams, Orchard, Clark and Deschutes Counties and In the Washington-Multnomah annexation. The Otis County argument Is lacking In informa tion In all three points. The areas It is proposed to take from Malheur and Har ney are given, but the argument Is silent to the extent of the territory to be taken from Grant By referring to a township map of Oregon it Is possible to estimate the area of the proposed Otis County, but figures as to assessed val uation and population are not available. Information is similarly lacking as to the portion of Clackamas County It is proposed to annex to Multnomah County. Following are the. etatUUca on the ev-i rlea Would Stand the Teat of the Courts tion for Voters Lacklns- Unbiased Ex- era! divisions so far as ' available, area being in square miles: Assessed County Population. Area. Valuation. S63 1940 6,S09.j;5 Aesmltn ........ Otis , Williams Orchard . ..5S0 lS:-0 ..S.-.00 53 8.000.000 12.31.S: 1.961.SIST 4.BO0.0OD 1,676,946 Clark 2615 Washington - Multno mah annexation. ... 4000 115 Deschutes 4300 :300 Llaclcamas - Multno mah annexation.... 625 The conflict between Lane and Douglas Counties embraces in area about 640 square miles. Without this area Williams would have 1010 square miles, or Nesmith 1400 square miles. In the following will be found the areas of the existing counties that would be affected by the adoption of the eight county division measures, and the estimated areas that would remain therein after the adoption of all bills, conceding that it would be held that both Williams and Nesmith counties had been created, and that the one re ceiving the highest affirmative vote had taken the conflicting terttory: Present New area sq. area sq. County miles miles. Lane ....-I3S0 Douclas .....................4Sfl Harney l;iSn Malheur M7.S4 Grant .. ................. .47(12 Umatilla 3oiS Washington 715 Clackamas lsiil Multnomah 429 3:;sa MH8 -64 2178 2MS 123 11 OH In going over the arguments pub lished in the state pamphlet on the eight county division measures the vot er will find that on only three of them are both sides of the question pre sented, although persons Interested are actively at work to secure the approval or defeat of each of the eight. On Nesmith, Otis, Williams and Clark affirmative arguments only are given. On the Washington-Multnomah annex ation only the negative side Is. pre sented. In the negative arguments concerning Otis, Deschutes and the, Clackamas-Multnomah bills statements made In the affirmative argument are flatly denied. a a Thus, on five of the measures the avera-.-e voter must either vote his im pressions or exert a great deal of time, patience and expense In determining their true merits. On (three of them, if personally uninformed, he must found his impressions on the veracity of one or the other group of persons present ing arguments. Inasmuch as there are reasonable grounds for believing that a method is already available for determining these local questions by a local vote, inas much as there is just cause for believ ing that the eight division measures have been presented without conform ity to the laws or constitution, and Inasmuch as approval of any or all would bring on litigation and uncer tainty, tt would aeem that nil should be defeated la the coming; election. The Oregonian has devoted consider able time and effort to present an un biased explanation of the measures, but details going to the merits of each case are still lacking. In view of the uncertainty surrounding the county di vision issue from a legal standpoint, and the lack of Interest of the voters at large In local matters, it must be admitted, that the measures do not Justify further research. When in doubt vote "No." The Bible In Literature. Emporia '(Kan.) Gazette, The fountain head of the power of the Bible in literature lies in its nearness to the very springs and sources of hu man life life taken seriously, earnest ly. Intensely; life In its broadest mean ing. Including the inward as well as the outward; life Interpreted in its relation to universal laws and eternal values. It Is this vital quality in the narratives, the poems, the discourses, the letters, gathered In this book, that give it first place among the books of the world, not only for currency, but also for greatness. Interest. Washington Star. "What were the chief points of In terest you saw on your automobile tour?" "Garages and police stations," replied Mr. Chugglns. There's a Reason. Youngstown Telegram. "Skunk furs are going to be all the rage, this fashion journal says." "Wnh! Tf tha antomohile craze keens on growing some people will be using gasoline for toilet water." FEATURES IN THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN DETECTIVE STORIES THAT REALLY HAPPENED First of a series of crime-unraveling, from the notebook of Finney Valentine, who for 30 years hunted criminals. Thess tales are based on fact and most entertainingly written. ETHEL ATTENDS THE BIG HORSE SHOW Verbatim report of her conver sation with "Jimmie" regarding sights in the ring and in the boxes, together with sidelights on fashions equine and feminine. WHEN GAMBLING SHUT DOWN AT RENO Exciting scenes on the last night of faro and roulette, in the only state where open gaming was pro tected by law. GLIMPSES OF THE LAND OF SIR WALTER SCOTT Annie Lanra Miller tells of the romantic region still peopled with the creatures of the great novel ist's imagination. ORDER EARLY FROM YOUR NEWSDEALER 1