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UK. HITS ML'- '-
Verjr likely fur persuns txcept stu
dents o: m'oliC a.':alr will have the
time or the inclination to read the
whole of Fro.-iarui Ta'i long mes
sage to Coore.-., but there w some
parta of It to which cvrry Intelligent
per.n will t-jrn with Interest and
iu.-ioit7. and uther. part with genu
ine approbation.
Since Hi" tariff nf.'- t the po. kcts
of the entiro pvpuUte-n. w h it Taft
has to say en that uLJ-it itl b at
ten:lv.:y p.Tuwil. Naturally ho lt:
rnil thn Allri, h rfVL"l "fi In . far s
It aUr:ilts cf C- im'-. tat tli u matter
li"T.J to tho urih:;( l H'l- Th
trouble h! fl It roni.nnU f"r tho
rourtry ar.a the K. i'ut;:can party ha
'j.-a -lo t-lt-ar ! rvt-rNJy an J
th p-- i'l- nr r.t row ji.-'Kiiiic ao
n u.-n to blani urur. for the pa.t
aa to l.-arn what r.-mclr U promw-l
for th- future. Mr. Tj.'i a,:rnit. at
I-at h- i;npll'-atl.n. that In lae Al
drKh revision t!io campalsn promls
cf the Iti-publU-.m Pr-.y w.-ro broicrn.
nd he Ji-Iy ai that thL -aa one
jrounJ for tho univi rat romplalnt
hith aroe hea the measure
r.ut he f rrv wry likrly. In
thlrklne that th!a a the principal
f round of comprint. Ilia worJa are:
The bal of the crl'.lc!.m of this
tariff Li that In r.-P'-ct to a numh r
ef the nohrj-ila" tho promise to make
tho now datira conform to tho ii!f:Yr
ence beto n the cot of priulu. tton
h-re and ahroa.t "-a not foltoweil.
b it a blither difference rotalnul or
lnertU."
TM spread beli-f that a pl-iUo
had been broken ctrtajiily excited
bitter rrwntracnt which hoed Iti
rffe. ta In eplna; Iomoerat:c vic
tortes, but there vn. a di-eper and
trior potent cause f.'r tho popular
discontent. Tho notorious fact that
.me at least of the near tariff ached
u!e were arrange,! at the dictation
of ape.-UU Interesta whhh thua used
the lawmaking power of the Uovern
nient to levy tribute upon the people
causej moro hostility to the AMrlch
tariff than tho violated campaign
promise tlld. It U tho d"s;re of the
oun'r' to rcap from tariff makltis
kr deala and intrlirutea which lends
wide favor to V.r. Taff plan for a
permanent tariff commission. Kor
thla pJect he ronewa uiid emphasizes
hla recom.T.eniUtlon In the present
message; but there will be. disappoint
ment, but no stirprL-e. over his ad
mission thlt the board as It t.tnds
will not bo ntd- to r- port to Coi.tfress
upon any echeduio this W inter. Tho
country had hoped that the work of
honest and unpartisain revision by
ainrle ache,tu!. mUM be b.'Ktin al
most Immediately. There are several
part'm'ir duties which are unlv. rsnl
U known ar.d acknowledged to be far
hlhcr than they oucht. Mr. Taft
himself l as mentioned some of thi-m
on previous occasions. Tho wool and
cotton acrudule are Instances, anil,
notoriously, ti-.c tlu:i on t pro.l-
-ta of the steel tru it. Nothlmr would
do more to restore the Itcpuhiican
party to ppiilnr confld-nre than nn
ttenipt nt least to reduce some of
these exorbitant ties without delay.
Tho oplnl'-n li.ia been h-ar.l from
niuir q'larters that tho tariff cnmrnls
ei. n nuvi: t show Its k o.l wl l and
J'l.-tlfy its existeme bv reportii- to
1'oni.ress up 'n ore hidule If no
m re this W in:, r.
What Mr. Ta.' has to say about the
reform of )udlct..l procedure will al:-a
be read wlta universal attention. Tho
d.lavs and Indirections la trylric law
iit whicri of. n amount to a denial
of Justice he iiu-;ti ses with lr and
rardor. Mr. T.ift Is n h.s best in
bar j:!r: this sub)ect. f .r his Informa
tion Is f.rt h:ma arid his coiiratc is
evident. "fr.vT r.-.ent cotoiitions.
o sas. "the poor man Is at n woeful
d sadv.int lite In a 1-L.a! contest wltll
a cor;ratlon or a rich orponcxt. The
necessity f.r r form exists both la
the I'nltcd Stai.-s c-Mirts ar.d in all the
atate courts." but In his oplr .-n the
H o. work cMcht t. becin In the l'e,l
cral court , sit-.ce thi;r examplo will
be moro Impressive. Like miv.t per
sons who renlly wLlx to Ket ahi-ad In
this business, he lo.-ks to KnKlan.l for
f it.lnnce. "The :tnpilcity and expe
dition of procedure In the Kuit'is!
court today make a no-lei for the
reform of other sst. m." This is h:s
la::s-uaure. and the facts fully Justify
It. The major rnrt of the suits in
the Federal couru fall under the head
of "equity," and here tho (jucstion of
reform Is very" snip. for tho taw
p aces t!io ho'.o matter in the con'.rcl
cf the Supr:ue Court. That tribunal
fixed a plan cf procedure In 17"i
whlca hna hot be n alterej aince. la
volte of all the chancsi In commerce
and social conditions. This Is carry
Ir.C conservatism to an unpardonable
extrme. It causes one to hesitate a
little over Mr. Taft's plan of put: In
the reform of Judicial "procedure at
Jaw Into the hands of the Supreme
Court. WouU It accomplish any
more than It has with equity pro
cesses ? t'.ll aomethlitie must be done
uniessj we w ish to the country lose
Its confidence In the courts, and per
haps It is Jtst as well to leave It to
the Justices cf the Supreme Court.
If they fall to act acceptably, then
some other plan mut he thought out.
There Is a notable tendency Just mr
to hand almost every perplexlr.c ilif
flv'uliy over to th Judges as If they
were necessarily wiser than other
n:ro. Perhaps they are wiser, but It
should not to forgotten that there
are ilrr.I's to thlr time ar4 er.ercy.
Tho rumor that Mr. Taft would
recommend rhar.iu in the postal law
to the ilLadvantane of the magazine!
1 confirmed by his message. He
thinks they onrht to pay a hiRher
r-te on alvertisinc matter than on
literary art.cUJ. In Its, last lssae the
widely-read Saturday Evening Tost
said editorially that It did not believe
Mr. Taft would make thla auagestlon
because "It svould not be the rlht
thing." but he has. and now the next
step Is for Congress to take. With
the strong Insurgent influence at work
In both houses we do not Imagine that
there U any danger of the new Idea
prevailing. It I much more likely
that the Presidmfe recommendation
for a parcel! post will be taken up
and passed Into law. He confines the
project to the rural free delivery
route and the weight of parcels to
eleven pounds. Hut It Is pretty cer
tain that If the parcels post Is ever
Installed, no matter how limited and
Imperfect tho beginning .may be. It
w ill prove so Instantly ' and widely
popular that Congress will be com
pelled to carry it to completion. It
1 the first step which Is difficult.
The others follow naturally.
THE COl NttlS) BriNMUII.ITY.
The public regards with only a pas
sive interest the activity of the City
Council in I's endeavor to devise a
saloon ordinance that will bo as one
ontlmlstlc Councilman savs "the
best rRulatory measure
- . V. kind
Perhaps; but
In tho rnlteu States.
no measure Is self-regulatory. Thel
effectlvenesi of any law depends en-
tlrrly upon the spirit, purpose anX
energy or the onion ing aumoi "j.
Tho Ti-rtlana public is not much
excited over the question as to wheth
er tho saloon shu.ll close at 12 P. M
or 1 A. M.; or whether the licenses
shall be $S00 or 1000 per year: or
whoth.-r free lunches shall 1o burred;
or whether powers of attorney shall
be made unlaw ful afli r IMS. AH
decent ami law-abiding citizens ex
pect and dvmand that the saloon shall
be made to be a quiet, orderly. Incon
spicuous and . inoffensive place, and
that the saloon-keeper shall obey the
law. There must b no Illicit partner
ship with the criminal or scml-crlm-Inal
classes on tho one hund nor with
the police authorities on the other.
There must be no alliancea w Ith po
litical mt'chines and no Interference
with public affairs. The saloon will
be conducted as the respectable law
abiding citizenship permits It to be
conducted, anil not on conditions
made or Imposed by the saloon.
If the City Council enacts a reason
able saloon ordinance, and sees to Its
enforcement, there will be no com
plaint. If the Council enacts a good
law. and fails to enforce It through
weakness, or Indifference, or pnrtinl
Ity. or favor. In the matter of granting
and revoking licenses, there will be
no end of complaint and a renewal of
the general outcry against tho saloon.
Ar.d ngnlr.st the Council, too. The
Council should not. nnd cainor. here
after, wvade Its responsibility.
(,liniKI AXO TIIKOIMHtK.
The Chicago Tribune gives up first
column, page 1. to the startling story
that "differences havo arisen between
Glfford Plnchot, former Chief Forest
er, and former President Hooscvilt."
We read on with bated breath that
"Mr. Plnchot didn't like the hearty
manner In which Colonel Ko.isovcU
greeted nnd consorted with Secretary
I'alllnger recently at n reception at
tho residence of Congressman Iins
worlh." Tho pangs of Jealousy tore
asunder the very vitals of the Hache
lor tiifi'ord we hear he Is a bachelor
nhow first and only love was tho
great Theodore.
Hut this Is not all of the painful
narrative. Clifford was mightily of
fended with Theodore when that gal
lant warrior marched up the hill at
Saratoga to the Republican convention
and marched down again flying the
white flag of Indorsement for the
Payno-AUIrlch act and all the works
of tho regulars In that Justly famous
platform. No wonder Clfford was
peeved.
The story Is too terrible to he true.
Tet If the worst should happen, and
the parting should reully have come
between tsifford and Theodore, we
should endeavor somehow to bear up.
Put It Is tough on Clifford the Pln
chot to bo passed along on the toe
cf one great patron's foot to another.
Tho only constant and reliable friend
of Clifford appears to be posterity. If a
way could be devised to turn over the
activities of Glfford. and the rewards
duo him. to remote generations, it
would help out all around.
Meanwhile the West, which Is be
ing conserved to the jiolnt of paraly
sis, would like to see, tho front door
of the White House closed on Pln
chotlsm as the back door was long
ago slammed on GlffonL
ll Tit ACTIO All I.K ntssVHIMISATINd
llfTY.
In the current number of the At
lantic Monthly. Fraud T. Bowie dis
cusses "One Way to an American
Merchant Marino." The plan pro
posed by Mr. ISowlcs) Is not a new one.
It Is a revised form of the old dls
criminating dutie that has been o
often suggested and so often rejected
as a substitute for a direct subsidy for
shipping. Mr. Howie suggest a law
"providing that on all goods Imported
In American vessel on which the ad
valorem duty exceeds 41 per cent
there should be a reduction of duty of
i per cent, and on all goods on which
the ad valorem duty Is 41 per cent or
less, or which are non-dutiable, the
Importer should receive an Import
r"s certificate available only for the
payment of duties at the Custom
rage ad valorem duty ard 2.06 per
cent of the value of goods so Im
ported."" These figures are arrived
at by considering 41 fptr cent the av
erage ad valorem duty and 2.03 per
cent is 5 per cent of the 41 per cent
duty.
To secure for the American hlp
the valuable Immigrant traffic Mr.
Howies recommends a remission of
the head tax of SI on Immigrants ar
riving in American vessels.- ignoring
the very essential point that foreign
ers with whom we are doing business
would most certainly be inclined to
sulistltute retaliation for reciprocity,
tho discriminating duty plan remains
in most respects fully as objectionable
as the direct subsidy. Both schemes
provide for the levying of a tribute
on profitable Industries for the pur
pose of securing funds to make prof
itable a business which our antiquated
navigation laws and hide-bound,
trade-stifling poller of protection have
rendered unprofitable. Neither of
them offers the slightest assurance
that the foreigner with his economic
ally constructed and still more eco
nomically operated ships will not meet
the $4 cut on passenger rate and the
o per cent discrimination on freight.
Mr: Howies confidently assures us
that "Free ships for ocean commerce
nobody wants, as American shipown
ers cannot afford to operate them at
the American acsJe of wagos." And
THE MOnMNT. OREfiOXIAX. WEDNESDAY. DECEMBER 7. 1910-
yet until we are permitted to buy free
ships as the foreigners are permitted
to buy them and thus get on even
term! with them as to first cost, there
Is no fixed point or base from which
we can determine how much of a
bonus It will be necessary to present
the shipowner. Mr. Bowles admits
"If the Fnited States should resort
again to discriminating duties to re
establish our shipping In the foreign
trade. It would bo not only a radical
change In policy but a reversion to a
method or protection of National ship
ping which has passed out of open use
by foreign nation.'
No one denies that the foreign na
tions that have abandoned the dis
criminating duties have greatly In
creased their prestige on the ocean.
The same Is true of subsidies and it
Is also true of free ships. Let us
abandon the forced attempts to cre
ate a merchant marine by artificial
methods and a.lopt tho policies that
have proved so successful In other
countries. If we must hew our own
wood, draw our own water and carry
our freight to nnd from the world's
market, give us ns near as possible
an even' chance w Ith our competitors.
In no other way can we determine the
J"t of our handicap
I
THK Br..T IX TUB WORLD,
some friend sent to the New Tork
Tribune an Oregon ballot Tor ire
clnct No. 76, Multnomah County, Ore
gon, November 8. 110." It was two
feet long by a foot and a half wide.
The Tribune confesses that it "has
Just recovered Its breath." It was not
the size of the ballot, however, that
raused the suspension of the New
York paper's normal respiratory func
tion, but tho fact that "thei voter who
did his full duty was compelled to
make no fewer than seventy-seven
crosses on it." After some observa
tions on the Oregon plan, the Tribune
is kind enough to remark that "on
the whole we cannot escape the con
clusion that the Oergon voter passed
his examination In good citizenship
nnd deserves a degree summa cum
laude."
The Oregon voter always does his
best: angels could do no more. Yet
he knows when he has enough or
more than enough. As the Tribune
did not fall to note, he quietly but
firmly declined to add to hts heavy
burden by taking on that grotesque
C'Hen measure C proportional repre
sentation) "increasing the Initiative,
referendum and recall powers of the
people."
"Oregon, says Senator Jonathan
Bourne, "has evolved the best sys
tem of popular government in the
world-. Jonathan ought to know, for
a largo part of It Ls til-:. Tet one is
prone to wonder if nator Bourne,
with all his vaVt public experience,
his wide knowledge of affairs and his
long and honorable connection with
every worthy and- uplifting move
ment for the benefit of the human
race, would recognize the worst sys
tem of government In the world If
he saw it
Km
THE STATE CENsl'K.
e official count has credited Ore
gon with a population of 7Z.7o, a
gain of -'.7 per cent In the past dec
ade. Notwithstanding the much
greater number of people now In the
stato. this la a heavier percentage of
gain than has been scored in any
previous decade since ISiSO-70 when
the population Increased from 61,215
to H0.S2S. The population of the
state quadrupled In 10 years between
ISnO and 160, but numerically the
gain was only about ore-seventh of
that for the decade now closing. The
showing Is an extremely gratifying
one for the percentage of gain is 2.6
greater than that of California, which
has been enjoying a period of great
prosperity and increase In population.
This remarkable percentage of gain
cani hardly fall to attract the atten
tion of the Fast to the great advant
age of the state, for even In the most
prosperous portions of the Middle
West nothing approaching it has been
recorded.
We note, for example, that Kansas
has Increased but 15 per cent and
that Minnesota, with one of the best
gattis In that portion of the West, has
but 1.6 per cent more population
than 10 years ago. In the Fast. New
Tork with 25.4 per cent and Rhode
Island with 26.6 per cent show well,
but those figures do not reflect the
prosperity that Is reflected In the Ore
gon gains. Both New Kngland states
have been the dumping ground for
millions of foreigners who have drift
ed in from Europe and been unable
to get away from the original port of
entry'- The population of Oregon, In
the main, has been high grade, for it
requires men of nerve and Industry to
"bluze trails" and open the new
regions in this state In the past 10
years. This remarkable gain in popu
lation was made when railroad build
ing was practically at a standstill. In
the year 1909 there was actually be
gun in, Oregon railway projects in
which more mileage w-as Involved
than was constructed In the preceding
10 years, and the actual projects now
under way will more than double the
transportation' facilities of the state.
Any one at all familiar with the
influences that caused the growth In
the past 10 years, or to be more spe
cific the growth In the past five years,
will not be surprised to see the popu
lation of the state doubled In the next
10 years and there are conservative
men w ho predict a gain of more than
100.000 per year for the next decade.
Oregon was a long time In coming
Into her own. but there la plenty of
evidence that she has at Inst gathered
headway that cannot be checked and
it is a certainty that the 1920 census
returns will be even more flattering
proportionately than those for 1910.
reRWANENT RIVER I-MTROVT.MEXT.
The Columbia River with Its tribu
taries draining over 250,000 square
miles of -territory, carries an Immense
amount of sediment to the sea. More
than 100 miles from Its mouth this
sediment causes a shifting of chan
nels, and necessitates frequent work
for dredges. With this characteristic
of the great stream so well known and
understood, no difficulty has been ex
perienced by the Port of Portland in
maintaining a permanent channel of
gradually increasing depth. For this
reason the report of a shoal forming
near the mouth of the river, well In
side the bar, will cause no concern.
It has been demonstrated by every
conceivable test that the Immense vol
ume of water that, sweeps seaward
from the Columbia Is sufficient when
properly confined or guided- to scour
out any de.ired depth of channel.
The Port of Portland after years
of effort has the sediment problem
pretty well solved along the river, and
with the dredge Chinook In service at 1
the entrance where the current is
much swifter, no difficulty will be ex-
nerleneeii In keening the Channel St
a proper depth for any shipping. The
Importance of the Jetty as a perma
nent Improvement at the mouth of
the river cannot be over-estimated but
actual experience on both river and
bar proves that it will be necessary to
do a certain amount of dredging
every year. In this respect, Portland
1st not at all different from other great
ports In the world. In Liverpool and
London, two of the world's greatest
ports, dredging never ceases although
the amount of water passing out of
the Thames and Mersey is insignifi
cant in comparison with that which
sweeps seaward from the Columbia.
The shipping interests of the port
are increasing so rapidly- that the
work carried on by the Port of Port
land will never be abandoned. It Is
Important, however, that there should
be a more equitable distribution of
the burden. The deepening and main
tenance of this channel which enables
Immense ocean freighters' to come to
Portland directly affects the prices of
every commodity produced in the Co
lumbia basin, it Is but fair that the
communities which share in this ad
vantage should contribute to the cost
of the Improvement
The "non-partisan" Democratic pa
pers, who opposed Mr. Benson for
Secretary of State are a good deal
excited over the suggestion that, he
mav see fit to resign because of ill
health, and they insist that inasmuch
a.s It was the overwhelming desire of
the people that he be elected to the
offflce. therefore he ought not to re-eig-n
now. It Is a delicate subject,
which ought not to be discussed
from any standpoint of partisanship
or prospective party or political
advantage. It is to be assumed
that Mr. Benson's advisers, who have
a natural and proper concern for
his health, have likewise a due con
sideration for the public Interest,
and that they know what ought
to be done and will see that It Is done
at the right time and In the right
manner. The people of Oregon re
elected Mr. Benson, knowing that
he was In frail health: and they were
nnd are willing undoubtedly that ha
be given full opportunity to be fully
restored. The apparent effort to get
him to resign now is no more unseemly
than the effort to have him resign
later, when his new term shall have
begun. The Oregoninn doesn t care,
and the public dqe-sn't care, whether
his successor In the unhappy con
tingency that there must be a suc
cessor shall be appointed by the
Acting Governor or the new Governor.
Meanwhile, everybody wishes Mr.
Benson well, and hopes his long and
troublesome quest for health may end
successfully.
When the returns are all In for the
year, it will be noted that bank clear
lnu h,,il,1lrifr permits, nostal receipts
and real estate transfers are not the
only branches of Portland trade in
w hich records w ere broken. The Nor
wegian steamship Bjornstjerne Bjorn
sen sailed yesterday with a cargo of
305, 066 bushels (more than 9000
tons) of wheat, the largest cargo ever
shipped out of the Columbia. A few
weeks earlier the British steamship
Knight of the Garter cleared for the
Far East with a cargo of 5.000.000
feet of lumber, a world's record for
that kind of a cargo. Aside from these
Individual records, the tonnage In and
out of Portland for the year will be
far In excess of any previous year and
domestic exports and Imports will ex
ceed by a large percentage, those of
Bny previous year
' Common sense and ordinary pru
dence mark the rule established by the
County Court, which requires that
bridge-tenders abstain from alcoholic
liquors. Your "moderate", drinker la
always In danger of taking a drop too
much, and that sort of a man ought
never to be entrusted with human
life. Argument against the Invasion
of personal liberty does not fit this
case. If a man cannot consent to be
a teetotaler, he needn't take the Job.
There la other work he can find that
does not Jeopard the lives of others
when he falls down.
"What legislatures have the face to
do." remarks Collier's Weekly, "Is in
dicated by the mere fact that John
R. McLean is looked upon even as
possibly the Democratic Senator from
Ohio." Legislatures do queer things.
Yet In Oregon however, we refrain.
If that's the sort of thing the people
want, the people want that sort of
thing.
Judge Lovett having decided to de
vote much time to travel may con
sider that he will be welcome In Ore
gon. If he happens to fill his pockets
with maps of new branch lines for
the Harriman system, so much the
better. By the w-ay. Judge, Coos Bay
would like to have a heart to heart
talk with you on a topic of mutual In
terest. It U but natural to comment on
railway expansion In the Pacific
Northwest and to contrast the new O.
& W. with the small beginnings In
the early 60's. Compare The Orego
nlan today with Its first number and
you have another measure of the
steady growth of this great empire.
Abbreviation of the new name Is
dead easy. Repeat "O. & W." a few
times and It rolls' off more smoothly
and one-fourth more speedily than
O. R. 4 NJ
Municipal elections this week In
various neighboring cities of Oregon
and Washington indicate clearly that
the keynote I progress, not politics.
Naturally any transcontinental rail
road wants to get where it will have
a large freight traffic; therefore, the
Milwaukee comes to Portland.
Poultry shows, such as Portland
has this week, go far toward educat
ing the people in effective warfare
against "canned" eggs.
How very embarrassing it must be
to Madame Tetrazzinl, just on the eve
of an American tour, to be the object
of first-page publicity.
About the time they close the Post
office against delivery on Sunday,
they will be hauling off streetcars on
that day.
Wonder If Wall Street has prepared
Itself for the shock of T. R.'s speech
scheduled for next Tuesday.
Probably they'll change It now to
the Chicago, Milwaukee & Pacific.
IJrVEIvTIOJI OF FEDERAL POWER
states Omlr Are Equipped to Control
the coIomun of Business.
(From "Woodrow Wilson's Address Before
y the Conference of Governors.)
Corporations have come to cover great
er areas than states, have come to live
under a greater variety of laws than
the citizen himself, have excelled states
in their budgets and loomed bigger than
whole commonwealths in their Influence
over the lives and fortunes of entire
communities of men. Centralized busi
ness has built up vast structures of or
ganization and equipment which over
top all states and seem to have no
match or competitor except the Federal
Government Itself, which was not In
tended for such competitions. Amidst a
confused variety of states and statutes
stands now the colossus of business-
uniform, conoemraicu. pwiccw - i -single
plan, governed not by votes, but
by commands, seeking not service but
profits.
No wonder we began to turn to the
National Government to cope with it. to
regulate In the name of the sovereign
Nation Itself what had become a force
as great as the Nation In its scope and
consequence. The Influence to be dealt
with extended from one end of the
country to the other. The great or
ganisations of business seemed to play
with the states, to take advantage of
the variety of the laws, to make terms
of their own with one state at a time,
and by one device of control or another
to dominate wherever they chose be
cause too big to be dominated by the
small process-of local legislation. No
machinery seemed to stretch to the size
of the task of regulation except the
machinery, of National legislation at
Washington, the long arm of the Jvxecu
tlve that could be stretched forth from
a National capital to every remotest
nook and corner of the land. No won
der the Instinct and inclination were to
resort to Washington for relief and pro
.,in The need was great and tne
Government was powerful.
But this intimate w oi im-.-.-
was not one tor which its Constitution
had furnished It with actually suitable
or entirely adequate powers and author
ity Only the states were fully equipped
with the legislative and executive power
to handle at will, and as they pleased,
this new organization of business and
manufacture. A new problem was pre
sented to us. We still did not aes.re
rigid uniformity ot law. tiei
f .mmnn concern. It was sun
desirable that tho states should adapt
their regulation ana resir...L -force,
to their own conditions of life
and circumstance. To put .federal law
back of the great corpor.L.ow. - --
ihsm tho right to
nave peon iu ,.,,
dominate and override local conditions.
to equip them wltll ino majesu
premacy of tho law which created and
regulated them, and to level the w e')
of communities before tl'en-10,abs,0'ut,f'
uniform set of rules are likely to fit
the Infinitely various circumstances ot
the states and thulr People-
Hence this conference. We have no
foollsTor pedantic Jealousy of Federal
power. We believe In tho exercise of
the Federal powers to the utmost extent
wherever It Is necessary that they should
be brought Into action for the common
benefit. But we c.o not believe the ln
venrion of Federal powers cither neces
sary or desirable.
ALASKAN'S VIEVVOF P1SCHOTISM
T. S. Ilppy Aert One of Richest por
tions of Globe Is Being- Retarded.
Baltimore American.
T. S. Llppy, who is at the Belvedere
U a wealthy young resident of Seattle
who cheHshe a fondness for Baltimore
where he passed his boyhood days. He
has " niece at Oourher College and a
ncohew at the United States Naval
A-ademy. to visit whom Is his present
mission yin the East. Mr. Llppy went
to the Klondike at the outset o the , rubh
for that great discovery and staked one
It the richest claims on fcl Dorado
Creek He sold out for a big. sum of
Sow and invested in real .state in
Seattle, which has brought him 100O per
cent profit in the past 10 yfa"- Alaskan
"1 am no longer interested In Alaskan
mid ventures," said Mr. Lippv. but
we constable Interests in the coal
Eelnvfsrpuruanort-lu
advised and unbusinesslike programme
It Gifford Plnchot. The Plnchot policies
have been a positive curse to Alaska,
.Ji to nersist in them means the per-
n, today for even though they
raveuredtheir' tlnSI receipts for pay
ments they can gain no patents to their
Sowings: and for lack of them can raise
no money for development.
ew Diseases at he Farm.
Kansas City Star.
.u ii,n" cried the farmers wife,
.IVram"; I've taken that dreadful
new disease." ,ij .n rtear'"
Kfa-Kot- mnVn VOU thlrist SO, dear.
he. asked, "urmed. gathering the .frail
mtle woman into his arms and s rok
ni the thinalng hair, as she sobbed out
tho story of her fears upon his broad
Bh-'Wedr.' she explained, "after I have
gotten up, dressed myself and the : c: .1
dren. cooked breakfast, washed the
mshes. prepared the children for scho
strained the new milk and set it ay
to cSol. churned and worked Mt.
swept and dusted, done the Ironing.
g7ven the baby his bath, cooked dinner
fnd washed the dishes, ""dressed the
children and put them to bed, and sat
Sown for the evening. I am too tired
to do my darning! I never used to feel
so. It must be hookworm. .
Brave pnrnell.
Recollections of Mrs. T. P. O'Connor.
I never eaw a braver man than Par
nell. That story of his downfall ie one
of the most pathetic in history. There
1 a rumor that Captain O Shea said to
Gambettat "What are we going to do
with Parnell? He Is getting to be a
great danger to the country. '
And Gambetta replied: "Set a wo
man on his track." And the woman, n
S of betraying him. fell in love with
this patriot, and that was his undoing.
Quick Work.
Washington Star.
"Did you get your Interview- with the
distinguished personage?" asked the
d"Yes" replied the alert scribe; "here
It is And here's his denial of it, ready
to be printed the day following."
Didn't Need a Gun.
Toledo Blade.
"Let get some luncheon and a bottlo
of whisky and take a day off squirrel
hunting. We'll go to Thompson's wooda
"I haven't got any gun."
"That won't matter there am t any
squirrel In Thompson's woods."
Epigrammatic Tendency.
Washington Star.
Dr Woodrow Wilson's reference to
"the American appetite for legisla
tion" shows the tendency to epigram
which marks the true modern states
man. Described.
New York Sun.
' Knicker I love the good, the true, the
beautiful.
Stella This Is so sudden, but I am sure
father will consent.-
LAWS
AGAINST
MALPRACTICE
Call for More Drastic Statutes and
Then Their Enforcement
PORTLAND. Dec. 6. (To the Editor.)
Referring to the Elsen case. The
Oregonlan blames the medical profes
sion for failure to convict In malprac
tice cases. '
If the District Attorney, with all the
legal machinery at his command, can
not, or at least does not, convict, or
even secure an indictment, pray tell
how- can the doctors help matters, for
in everv case the Prosecuting Attor
ney's office is the' only place where
effective work can be done.
Some attorneys in this city state that
there Is no law In Oregon to convict
for performing an abortion unless the
woman uies, biiu irn... -
seemed to Indicate that even when the
woman dies tne law iaus iu
case.
The doctors did not make the law,
and are certainly not responsible for
the law- being non-effective.
Two things are needed: honest pub
lic opinion for an effective and dras
tic law, and an earnest and well
directed effort to enforce the law after
It Is enacted. If the public is compla
cent and there Is no insistent demand
for a new- law nothing will be done.
Other states have drastic laws on mal
practice and they are enforced.
If The Oregonian is honest in this
matter get down to tacks and start a
crusade for a drastic law-, and rigid,
unrelenting prosecution, especially the
latter. But do not make the medical
profession your goat, and pound tne
empty air. '
' The State Medical Examining Board
had no police or legal powers, and It
would be a monstrous wrong If it
had. Medical examining boards are a
nuisance as it Is: do not ask for In
creased powers for them. I am a Prac
ticing physician, a university and med
ical graduate, and passed the Oregon
board. 1 speaa auviseuiy who,. .-
a i . : 1 - l.r...v,lr VlftVA failed 11 T -
-'i&i eAtuiiiiuii .......
terly to weed out quacks and crooKs.
..... . A i tj-AAn r,,,t man
All tney nave usee is w " - -
. . - - , .hillltf n ii find It
or exiieriencc ,..... -
hard to pass highly technical examina-"
llons plus caicn iiuesuun
hers of examining boards get their ap
pointment through a political pull.
Why not have a nerce exammaLi..
v. - i n Vioi-nm a medical
IOUSO WIIU n""" tw .
examiners, otherwise how do we Know
they have sufficient aouixy
ment for such a position?
It is a safe guess that if any ex
tension or enlargement of the powers
of the medical examining board Is
souKht the whole law will be killed.
I will trim my big stick for it. Here is
a chance for The Oregonian to get
right on two questions.
, AN INSURGENT PHYSICIAN.
Ed Hovre"a Philosophy.
Atchison Globe.
Any man will claim a good stray
umbrella.
If a woman has whiskers, you are
no gentleman if you see them.
A woman's scream frightens a
burglar worse than a man s pistol.
If there Is any one thing a man
should do In private it is his loving.
If your average isn't the best you
can do, it is at least the best you
will do.
The man who can tell you all about
the problem of life, can't work It him
self. ...
Leave something on your plate for
the cat, and your stomach will do
better.
The only time men take real Interest
in church work is when there is a
big row on.
It is all right for you to have en
thusiasm .but don't devote it to bor
ing vour friends.
When you are in trouble, people,
who call to sympathize are really look
ing for the particulars.
There is an unwritten law among
women that no woman should go far
ther than two blocks from home with
a shawl over her head
- One Kind of CbrUrtmaa Spirit.
Life.
See the Christmas spirit!
Ah, what a beautiful sight. "Tell
me O Sage, what is a Christmas
Spirit?"
"It depends on the point of view.
"That is a trite remark. Can you not
be more specific?"
"I can. A Christmas Spirit, when
viewed by the tradesman, is to sell a
great quantity of stuff at top-notch
prices in order that it will not have to
be sacrificed In January."
"That is perhaps a bit unkind, but
what other point of view do you think
of?"
"To the children, the Christmas Spirit
is the right to have much more than
they need and much more than is good
for them." .,,,
"That may be true. What elser
"To the shop girl the Cnristmas
Spirit is but little more than a tremen
dously trying' period of overwork."
"Tell me no more. You are too cyn
ical." "Not infrequently does the truth
sound cynical."
Origin of the Handkerchief.
London Globe.
A writer in a French review points out
that the handkerchief does not come to
us from China, aa has been generally re
ceived, but from Italy. It if only 360
years ago that the handkerchief of a
Venetian lady was considered a great
curiosity. The handkerchief crossed the
Alpn and was received with great favor
at the court of France.
-Handkerchiefs were then made of cam
bric or lawn and bordered with Venetian
or Alencon lace. Under Henry HI of
France the sachet was introduced. The
handkerchief was taken into Germany a
little later and was known as the "fazel
letln," after Its Italian name. Only per
eons of quality used it, and an edict in
loW was published at Dresden interdicting
the use of the handkerchief among the
trading classes.
American Children In Canadian Schools.
PORTLAND, Dec. 5. (To the Editor).
A short time ago I noticed where some
American children objected to the Brit
ish national airs being sung' in the
Canadian schools. I thought Canada
was a part of the British Empire;
therefore, why should American children
object when tho Canadian children here
there are three In my class don't say
a word when the American songs are
sung, but instead Join us heartily. Please
explain this to about half a dozen of
American school girls who all are sub
scribers to your paper.
The public schools in Western Canada
are attended by the children of thou
sands of American farmers who have
settled there.
Democratic Breeches.
Houston Post.
The Chicago Record-Herald says the
Democrats of the town have patched
up a breech of seven years. The truth
of the matter Is the Democratic
breeches are becoming so well patched
everywhere that ' the country is want
ing to wear them again.
Serve One Good Purpose.
Chicago Tribune.
Caller Do you allow your husband to
smoke In the house?
Mrs. Hewllgus O, yea; when he' smok
ing that old pipe of his it makes me for
get my neuralgia. ,
In One Piece.
I do not care to learn to fly.
I'd sooner stick to cosy nooks;
Then, when my time shall come to die,
21y friends can whisper, with a sigh:
"How natural he looks!"
SINGLE TAX PERMITS EVASION
Advocates Might Well Plan te I.lgnten
Instead of Shift Burdens.
ALBANY, Or., Dec. . (To the Edi
tor.) It seems to be generally con
ceded now by all sides that at the re
cent election we passed a tax amend
ment that opens the way to the single
tax in Oregon. (This fact has called
forth some very able articles from The
Oregonian of late on the subject, which
we were glad to see, as we think it
now time the taxpeyers of thestate
should "sit up and take notice." To
use a slang but expressive phrase,
they are "up against the real thing."
Let us imagine, gentle taxpayer,
what the result would be should the
entire burden of taxation at the pres
ent time be thrown on the tillable land
of the state. But few, we think, real
ize how the tax burden of Oregon has
grown in recent years. The state with
in the last two years has expended
nearly seven million dollars and coun
ties, cities, road and school districts
are going at the same rapid pace. The
boosting, booming, bonding system
has had the result, generally speaking,
of creating all over Oregon the heavy
tax burden of today.
From hitherto unseen sources the
Assessors have been throwUig on the
assessment rolls millions of dollars
the last few years, a fact which has
concealed from us the enormous
growth of the tax burden. There can
be but little doubt that If tho present
load were let fall on the farmers and
city lot owners alone It would put
them out of business. At one time
they might have borne the entire load
but the strain would be too heavy now.
It is asserted by advocates of single
tax that under its operation the tax
on the vast tracts of timber through
out the state would be made so heavy
that the owners would be compelled to
let loose of their holdings. Let us
not worry, however, about the timber
under this system. As it is not uncom
mon now for the timber and the sand
on which it stands to be owned by-
different Individuals is It not reason
able to suppose that with the adoption
of single tax this custom would be
come more prevalent for the reason
that when w-e segregate the timber
from the land it must be classed as
personal property, and, therefore, un
der the single tax would become ex
empt? Likewise there seems to be some
avenue of escape (as with timber) for
all forms of property except the farm
and city lot.
It has always seemed to the writer
that if these tax theorists would ex
pend half the energy in devising
means to lighten the burden that they
do In scheming to shift the load to the
other fellow they would render a great
service to the country. For example,
time and energy must have been spent
on the cunningly devised pamphlet
that came forth last Summer bearing
on its outside cover the picture of
Lincoln and the flag. It was pre
sumably sent to every registered voter
In the state and possibly had Its effect
in helping carry this measure through.
In the pamphVet were comparative
tables clearly demonstrating the ad
vantage of being not confined to any
fixed principle in assessment and tax
matters. By a clever manipulation of
figures to suit different conditions and
different counties everybody was saved
money but the wicked speculator.
The Oregonian Is right when it says
that to assess and levy on all property
equitably and with uniformity is the
best svstenv that has yet been devised
by man. This is the system that has
been followed, with more or less suc
cess, from the time Stonehammer, the
first Assessor, lost his life In trying to
assess and collect a tax.
It is a matter for regret that mora
of our theorists were not working on
some plan to reduce the burden to the
lowest possible point and at the same
time .encouraging the multitudes, by
precept and example, to share it alike.
The great River Expense is running
fast in Oregon at the present time.
Shall we now launch on this swift
rolling stream our frail bark Single
Tax' We hope not. As we are thinking,
very manv will hesitate to take paps
age, imagining, perhaps, they can al
ready hear the roar of the falls at
Oregon City.
Of the 32 measures submitted at the
recent election, we have the satisfac
tion of knowing that possibly the
worst passed. Therefore, let us not
be cast down. We can at least feel as
did the poet Byron, who, toward the
close of his stormy career, when every
thing had happened to him which he
thought possibly could, said, "I fain
would for a time survive to see what
next could well arrive."
D. B. M'KNIGHT.
Poe'a Short Stories.
From Brander Matthew's "Poe's Cos
mopolitan Fame" in Century.
There is in the best of Poe's brief
tales a constructive skill, a command
of design and a gift of decoration, rare
in any literature and almost unknown
In English, which is ever unduly neg
ligent of form. And no one need won
der that Poe's short stories wandered
sw-iftlv out of our language into French
and Italian and Spanish, into German
and Scandinavian and Bohemian, into
strange tongues, where no other Amer
ican authors, except Fenlmore Cooper,
had ever before penetrated. His weird
psychologic studies have Influenced
later writers as unlike as Maupassant
and Richcpln, Fitzjames, O'Brien. Rob
ert Louis Stevenson and Rudyard Kip
ling. His tales of mystery solved at
last bv observat'on and deduction have
been imitated by Dumas and Sardou,
by Gaboriau and Boisgobey, by Wilkie
Collins and Conan Doyle. And Sher
lock Holmes, the only fictitious charac
ter to wfn international recognition in
the final years of the lfth century, is
the reincarnation of a figure first pro
jected by Poe.
The Antl-Treatlng- Movement.
Indianapolis News.
An anti-treating club has been or
ganized out in Oregon, so an exchange
Informs us. The members have pledged
themselves to endeavor to break the
custom of buying for others and ac
cepting things themselves to the detri
ment of their friends' pocket&ooks.
Here's success to the organization! It
has a noble mission to fulfill, but t
will have a rough road to travel. There
are two practices In this country
that are beSng justly condemned. One
is tipping and the other treating. To
be sure, we are not responsible for
originating either. Away back in the
days of Queen Elizabeth every coffee
house had a box bearing the inscrip
tion "To Insure Promptness," hence
T 'l' P Neither Is treating an innova
tion. Some of the Caesars, so says
history, used to get huffy when their
guests could not see the bottom of
the glass often enough. But both have
got such a hold on Americans that
they have come to be recognized as
National habits, and the latter some
times as a National evil.
Wiser and More Practical.
Raleigh News and Observer.
In old times men crowded to see the
prizes presented at Olympian games.
Later in the south at this season the
big sport was to see the knight at the
tournament crown the queen of love
and beauty. Today the youth who
raises the most corn to the acre Is thi
hero of his county, and prizes aie
awarded to him with all the honors of
the winner in the Grecian games. We
are becoming wiser and more prac
tical. Literary Tendency.
Minneapolis journal.
The trend of literary people is to
New York and London. Fifty-six In
diana counties have lost in population
since the 1900 census.