TTTi: "MOTIXTSC, ot?egoxiat, FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 1911. POBTLA.N D. OMCOX. Eittr4 at Portland. Onioa, Fostofflee aa ond-CUua Maltar. aaacrlpuua Katxa iBTmxlablr la Adri, BT MAIL) r!tr. Binftar rnclu1d. an yr......a.e X Roaitty Included, six month.... 4 It Xa-'X. StiDdaT Include!. IbrM months.. SSI rhjr. Sunday Included, ana month.... -Ta Tal.y. without Sunday, om year. a-0a I'ai-r. without fue!ay. a a nonthi T without fiunilA larta monttka. 1-7S Xatly. without Mundar. aaa munlo . . . . . . k !. eaa yaar I tunday. aea yr. ............ aa4a7 and ana jaar. (BT CAB-RIEIO BaTTy. ffundnr tneladed. ana year. ...., XaJiy. flaadar lmcladad. oaa month. ... .11 Haw tm Remit Sand Pootorflc maaay 1.5a lor. ugrn. orrfor or aaraonal chaek ttur taeal hack. fttaaxoa coin ar curraaey ra at tha Madafa rua. OIa pootofSee addraaa In rulL Including county mad siaw. Paataca Hjrtee la la 14 Paaia. 1 aaal: 14 fa 9h ' " . . u raall aa to Ad LlMb I cnUt 44 to 40 caaa, 4 aaata. paata4t soahlo rata. Enters Itaalawaa ofnVaa Varraa Coak- h N-w vua. KfuuaUIL toil dins. ca aaca. alaaar aulldiaa- roKTiaD. mioAV. jasujary t: mi- auiill V MTUIOK FOR "IMRMT" There abould be "direct" election of United St.tea fcvii.tors and the menou should be as direct aa powlble. It t. r4a au by amendment of th Na tional ronstitutluu ao aa to take away the rndirei I iatn7 of the btate legis lature d ow election upon Hi. tt a voters, aarna aa In choice of lu-p-rrnta.tivia. Tha public oHnliin that demand4 thU "dlrc.t" ayatciii U a product of long dU:uion and deliberatloo. It la una of the moil mature decision that he AnJerl.an puople have reached In their politic. It id not the whim of an hour nor the fad of a day. The people may err temporarily. with whim or fad. but never with ripe d cli n such aa this. The Judiciary cuiiimlllea haa pre sented thU queatlon to Cureaa In un precedented way by recommending loptoln of a direct" amendment to id Constitution. The outiouk for auc ctM Is brighter than aver before. "Direct"' amendment aould not rr.ly simplify election uf Sunators, but and this la highly Important It would minlmixe bitter factional dia- cord. uc! aa we have seen ncre at home In the rotate of Orison and Washington. It would a 11 enable voter to pick fitter men for their serv- ants la the l ulled btatea benale. There are many reaaona for direct election of Senators, boca 01 inane Ju.tt cited la strong coourb alone to Justify the change. Taken all together, they make a cause that la unanawer able and a demand that cannot con tinue to be denied. ur.trr ox thb twit wies. Through tha agenty of 'the Inter state Commerce Commission the peo ple of the United Slate now enjoy their flrt opportunity to obtain ac- urate knowledge of the or-nlatlon and business of the express companlea. Statistics have been published which o Into the subject quite thorouKhly. No doubt the facU which have, thua been brought to public notice "il In crease the pressure of tha demand for parcels poet. In many particular the express companlea are exclusively an. Amerl- an Institution. In other countries) tne business which they transact la done partly by the bajika but largely by he railroads themselves. There is no rood reason why the railroad corpora- Ions should not transport all van ities of parcels and receive the reve nue for the service. If they did so It quite likely that we should hear ess about the paucity of their profits. km a matter of fact the ownership ot he express companies is extensively n' the hands of railroad managers. To many observer the division of unction appears very much like a de- rice to deprive stockholders In the railroads of a considerable portion of he income which properly belongs to hem while at the same time the ex pense of transportation is heavily ln- reased to the shipper. The truth Is that the distinction be- areen railroad and express companies 4 more a matter or irm man suo- tance. The same Individuals really wn and control both. This fact has one; been known t" the public In a ague way. The report of tha Inter- tate Commerce Commission confirms :. as the reader may see from the illowing quotation: partiaa tha moat charactartatte faalure i tha organisation at lraporiaiian candles la tha t nttJ Stalae la tua etust arnica toa ecur!tiea of one claat of nriea are held by acenelra of anolhar this remarkable result move one to Inquire whether the Government could not learn something from the express companies In the direction of business manasrement and economy. The principal political lesson to be learned by the public from the report is that the express companies are per forming a service which properly be longs to the banks and railroad com panlea on the one hand and the Gov ernment on the other and that they are receiving for the service much more than it la honestly worth. The monopoly which I hey enjoy arises from the failure of the Federal Govern ment to do Its plain duty In the mat ter of perfecting the postal facilities of the country. TUB LECISLATITK REVOLT. On the face of things the people of Oregon have declared that the Legis lature Is not to be trusted la the un trammeled naming of United States Senators. On the face of things the people of Oregon Jiuve declared that the acta of the legislature so lean to the shady side of public opinion that a court of public appeal is necessary. On tha face of things the people of Oregon haveleclared that a legislator doea not actually earn more than $3 a day. On the face of things the people of Oregon have aald that even with the check provided by a court of pub lic appeal the legislature cannot be trusted to an act lawa pertaining to taxation. This condemned branch of the Gov ernment was aaked, on the face of things, to admit that it was a cheap. downtrodden, untrustworthy aggrega tion, was glad it had been put in It rightful place, and that all other leg islatures avere in the suae class. It was a good deal for a chief benefi ciary of the Oregon plan to ask. No wonder he was called harsh names. cotton Is undisputably at the head of affairs when the foreign export trade Is considered, for out of a total of more than 831,000,00 In domestic exports more than J5S0.900.000 was contributed by thla great staple. This steady dwindling In our exports of wheat, flour, livestock and meat prod ucts offer an Interesting field for speculation aa to what the ultimate result will be. When the movement first began, we consoled ourselves with the belief that our manufacturing In duHtries were Increasing so rapidly that we were using a greater propor tion of our bread and meat at home. This pleasant theory has hardly been KiihMtantiated by the returns on ex ports of manufactured articles. Eventually there must be a read justment, tor tha returns forthe past four year show such steady ana pn nomrnal decreases that the time is rapidly approaching when we will have ne surplus to export. Meanwhile we must discover means by which we can butter meet the manufacturing competition of the world, or we shall have nothing to send abroad in pa ment for the obligations which our tourists and promoters Incur across the Atlantic. I KM OT RAT IHSHINO I P TARIFF. democrat thought it easier to "re vise" the tariff when they didn't. have the lawmaking power than now. when they are to have one branch of Con gress and are hoping to get hold of the other. Hut tha Job looks more dim- cull now. At the Baltimore conference the only solution of the pestiferous trouble that they could propose was that of glittering generalities. The politicians thare aoaembled were too "foxy to tie themselves up to anything definite; General Hancock's definition of the tariff aa a local question was like the handwriting on the wail at Belshaz- sar's fat and every brother was lanie unto himself. o that the politicians quitted the feast no nearer the end than when last Summer they ware promising what no party and ne politicians have ever been able to dish up for the people of this country a protective tariff that goes to the spot and makes them content. It'a a big Job' the Democrats have got on their hands, for a fact. And they can't see the bright light out of It, cither. Only, they think, with glit tering generalities, to put the Republi can Senate and the Republican Presi dent "In a hole" by shunting oft on them responsibility for the next tariff failure. There I no new thing under the sun. There to rio new cure for the discon tent that comes from effort to take from one olaaa ef the people and be stow upon another through the beauti ful theories of protective tariff. WHY AKD WHT MOTff Why not continue to call the Sandy road the Sandy road? Why "boule vard"? What lovely visions of an old highway leading out Into the dcep- gTeen country are caned up Dy ine simple, familiar appellation now sought to be discriminated against ill favor of a French same? Wagons creaking along the "Sandy road" In the early June mornings of pitst years, laden with luscious straw berries grown on "Gravelly Hill" other wagons Jogging along from "out on the Sandy" with loads of fragrant hay, red-cheeked apples, yellow pump. kins and succulent garden vegetables; country damsels and swains on horsc bauk and later on bicycles and troops of merry children going and returning from school r-these are some of the pictures called up by the mention of dy Hoad." read be paved and made suitable for the use of automobiles as well as of wheeled vehicles from city and country, but let it continue to be known a tha "Sandy Road," a name that mean something distinctive to (he early settlers and that lll mean as much to later citizens as "Sandy Boulevard." lhf "Handj let the This means nothing less than that ie men who control the expreas busi es also control the railroad busi es. The difference of corporate am allow them to absorb a vastly irger share of the corporate earnings tan they could without the aid of te trick. How comfortable the profits of the xpress buslnesa appear to those on he InaJde w may now Irarn. Their Mai operating Investment Is little ver f llrdet,t). Thla Includes the ilue of the real ewtate and equlp- er.t used by the thirteen companies Indled In the report In transacting elr business. It Is Instructive to mpare with this meager Investment e net corporate Income of t la. 382.- jl.fiS which was earned from It. Tha rt earning were two-third of the treatment. Certainly the express m panics need hot complain of di minished returns from thsir capital nd Industry. Whatever haa been the Ate of others, fortune has dealt with ham very pleasantly Indeed. Per aps aom of their patron might hava l different story to tell. The divl .ends which they declared during the etr ending June Is, amounted o more than l.00.09, which la omewhat lesa than one-third of their perating Investment. Still it Is only air to aay that over 12. 000.000 of hese dividends came from the sur- I lus which represent the accumulate!) arnlngs of previous years. This valuable report contains a good eal of matter which bear directly ipon the subject of the parcels post. or Instance. It la stated that about 4 per cent cf the total revenue of the xprsaa orapaale was derived frera ransporting small parcels. In many uses exactly similar to those which he postofflce carries as second-class Inall. The average revenue per pound L hlch the companies received for thi rvlce was 1.64 cents. The postofflce harges one cent a pound for the same rvlce and complains constantly of a eavy loss. The difference of .14 of a nt a pound is sufficient ta change b!g loss ef the Government Into I tig profit for the companies. The slgulty of the fraction which cause. , CAUrOKKIA AK1 OREGOV ROAD. . Road building is attracting more at tention at the present time than ever before. The Increasing use of the automobile la responsible for some of this good road sentiment, but there is also In evidence a better under standing of tha economic advantages of good roads. The entire Northern California delegation to the State Leg islature, now In session at Sacramento, Is completing plans for a great high way leading north from Sausallto. The proposed road will go from Sauslllto through Corte Madera, Larkspur. Kentfleld. Ross, Ban Anselmo. San Rafael. Petalum and Santa Rosa, at the latter point connecting with the road already built to Eureka, This proposed great highway through scenic California is of considerable In terest to Oregon good roads enthusi asts, as it suggests possibilities of a through road from California to Ore gon mat would not fall to attract tourists from all part of the country. The Interest displayed by the Call fomlans In the proposed road is so great that It seems certain that it will be put through to Eureka In the near future. From Eureka, north to the Oregon line, the difficulties of con struction ore not serious. It Is a rough country but good roads enthusi asts who have examined it say that a water level grade could be found for nearly the entire distance by follow ing the Klamath River. Coming north from Klamath Fail, which would be the first Important point touched In Oregon, the cost of road building would be much less, and for the greater part of the year it would be possible to use two road north of Klamath Falls, on running over the mountains and through the Wlllanv ette Valley and the other continuing north through Central Oregon. Nearly all of the country from Eureka north will com day support an Immense population, and a great north and aouth highway through the two'states would not only attract im mense number of. tourUts, but It would also supply a trunk line from which hundreds of roads would branch out and cheapen transportation for the people. . . .si. r-i t UEC'UXINO rwUCESTIO EXPORTS. The preliminary statement of 'the Bureau of Statistics showing the value of domestic exports for the year 110 again calls attention to the rapid de cline in our export of breadstuff. In 108, the value of bread stuffs exported full below 3200.000.000 for tha first time In many years, the figure for that, year being ll.29!.S83. This was thought to be the result of the light crop and high price, but in 1909 the exports still further shrunk, the total being a fraction under 1140,- 000,000. Last year a new low record for twenty year was established with total exports at $95,704,078. Similar decreases are noticeable In cattle, sheep, hogs and meat and dairy products. In 1907 the value of meat and dairy products exported eraa 3197,- S34.3o0. There was a decrease of 31 .- 000.000 In 1908. In 10 the total was but $131,391,600, wlhle last year it was ilU7.sji.uuu. Fortunately for that "balance of trade" which we regard so highly, the abnormally high price for oetton made up must ef the loss In fond products, the total value of domestic exports being but $(,800,000 less than for 1901. i while corn may be king at home, i . AX TO THE GERM TIIBOB.T. The letter from Helen gayr Gray which The Oregonlan prints today is presented to the reader more for its psychological interest than for any other reason. It Is a curious example of that tendency to draw sweeping conclusions from insufficient premises. Since- Miss Gray's conclusions have been adopted more or less completely by a great many people we have thought it worth while to try to show how her reasoning might bo improved upon. Perhaps It Is just as well to begin with her first sentences. "Diphtheria germs are sometimes found in the throats of persons who have not diph theria. What then becomes of the germ theory of disease?" This Is as pretty an example as we have ever een of the fallacy of the "negative Instance." Since a gun sometimes misses fire therefore it always misses and It is perfectly safe to point a re volver at your head and pull the trigger, Since some people can eat pickled lobster at midnight and not have the nightmare therefore every body can do the same. Since some per-, sons can visit a case of smallpox with out contracting the disease therefore everybody can and it is useless to take any precautions. Stated generally. Miss Gray's logic Is that if a given cause seems to fall once to produce Its effect It will always fail and may be disregarded forever. he germ theory of disease is singu larly offensive to medical cranks and fakers because it has beon so per fectly demonstrated. They regard it with the same aversion as the negro preacher did the proposition that the earth Is round. It looked flat to him, hence it was flat, and no evidence to the contrary had the slightest weight. Herbert Spencer once had a bout with a crank of the flat earth variety. They even made a bet on the subject and set up poles at suitable distances to test tha matter with a level. The crank, true to hi species, held pre cisely the same opinion after he was beaten as he did before. The oppo nents of the germ theory of disease may be classed scientifically with the queer sect which believes that we dwell Inside a hollow globe with the un at the center. Circle squarers and perpetual motion fiends belong in the same category. They are all people with whom It la out of the question to try to reason because facts make no Impression upon them and they cannot understand tha force of an argument. The germ theory does not assert that the presence of a given germ. In variably causes the corresponding dis ease, a Miss Gray seems to think. Far from it. What the theory does assert is that the disease never occurs without the germ, which Is nomethlng entirely different. The germ does not always produce the disease, but if we could be rid of the germ there never would be a case of tfce disease. Thla fia been demonstrated beyond all poa eibility of rational doubt. Our correspondent wonder that "a man who is as familiar with the teach ings of science as the writer of this editorial" Is not more careful In hia use of the words "proved" and "dem onstrated." The reply la that these words have been used "with the utmost care. The Oregonlan speaks with a full sense of the meaning of language when It says that the germ theory of disease has been demonstrated. The fact that medical scienco has rejected divers theories after they had been proved false does not weaken our position. If the theories had been taught and acted upon after they were discredited then the doctors might have been blamed. But surely no sen sible person will revile them for devo tion to the truth. It Is this devotion. In fact, this absolute willingness to ac knowledge mistakes and abandon un sound hypotheses, which to one of the best reasons iwe have for trusting the doctors. Mis Gray should not forget that the falsity of on theory does not by any means Imply the falsity of all theories. Truth has been built up by slow stages. Its structure has been attained by a process of selection, by rejecting the bad and holding fast to the good. Al though many opinions held In the past have been abandoned as the light of knowledge grew brighter, some have stood all tests. They become more stable with every advance in knowl- i ej. Tb Coparnlcan theory of the heavens Is one example of this. Paa teur'jj germ theory of disease Is ant other. If Miss Gray had the industry to read the accounts of the patient ex periments, the infinitely careful inves tigations, upon Which the great master laid the foundations of his hypothesis, and. then to read how one scientist af ter another has confirmed it, she might change her mind. And again she might not. As we said to begin with, evidence has no effect upon certain minds. The proof that yellow fever is caused by a germ and can be prevented by extir pating the germ has saved thousands of lives during the building of the Pan ama Canal. We fully admit all that Miss Gray has to say about the value of correct habits of life, but no matter how hygjenlcally a person tries to live, he is not safe from smallpox, from yellow fever, from malaria, from ty- ERA OF BETTER. MANNERS IS HERE Philadelphia Observe Motes Three Ia cidanta In One Day. Philadelphia Press. That the world moves and grows bet- GERM9 AND BOW TO XIVB LONG Correspondent Scouts Value ef Serums In Prevention of Dlaeaaes. PORTLAND, Jan. 19. (To the Editor.) In The Sunday Qregonian Is an edl- phoid fever. The bite of a mosquito ' the sign announcing contents of en r ... . i,iit.i. r, 1. - 1 ,4 i. .... I .- may inoculate the healthiest man In the world with enough malaria germs to wreck his constitution. It all de pends. One word more. The opinions of Herbert Spencer and Alfred Russell Wallace on the subject of vaccination are worthless. Neither of these men knew anything about vaccination Wallace Is fujly as great an authority on ghosts as he is on medicine. The truth is that ho is a blind leader of the blind whenever he departs from his biological specialty. , ter can easily be proved by any observ- j torlal on 'How to Live Long." The lng person. Such a one records wnai he pbserved in his dally walk in the streets of this city. In several cases the good manners were of a spontan eous sincerity that makes one's heart glow. A hurried man was observed to brush against an old woman selling knlclo knacks, knocking one or two small en velopes to the pavement. A few steps, and he halted, turned, and saw the trivial damaire inflicted. He hastened back, gathered un the envelopes and placed them on the old woman s tray. saying: "Pardon me, madam. It was an ao cident. I was in a- hurry, and think ing." As he lifted his hat, his eye caught It will be very difficult for the peo pie of Tillamook or fop anyone else familiar with the situation to under stand why the Engineers' Board of Reviews at Washington has disap proved the recommendation of the special board on the Tillamook proj ect. The special board visited Tilla mook and found an Immense agricul ture and timber traffic locked up and valueless until the entrance to the harbor was improved. go anxious were the Tillamook and Bay City peo ple to secure this improvement that they agreed to tax themselves for a sum aggregating more than $600,000 a sum that would have been highly creditable to communities of ten times the wealth and population. If ever there was a meritorious proposition in which the people of a community ex pressed their faith In good hard cash It was the Tillamook Improvement project, and it Is a narrow, short sighted policy that has robbed them of the appropriation and retarded the growth of the region. The Washington Legislature is con sidering a bill which makes it a mis demeanor; for an intoxicated person to drive an automobile. A measure of this kind ought to have the sup port of every respectable owner or driver of a machine. The automobile has secured a fixed and definite posi tion in our economic system and it will never be dislodged. With a steady ncrease.in the number of machines used for both pleasure and business the liability of accidents on crowded streets will increase. Many possible accidents will be avoided, if the auto mobile are handled by sober, careful drivers. Already in Portland we have had a number of serious accidents caused by drunken chauffeurs. In some cases the drunkard has been killed or hurt, but as a rule the pedes trian or other automobillst in the way has been the Injured one. The ancient steamer Lakme has paid toll to the storm that swept over the coast this week and, waterlogged and abandoned, Is seeking her last port on tne Oregon coast near Cape Blanco Fortunately this latest ocean disaster had a better termination than was forecasted by early reports, or was nought possible in such a severe gale. for fifteen of th crew were taken off by rescuing vessels before the ship was aDandoned. The present Winter has Deen a, very expensive one for under writers. While some of the victims or the gale have been new, staunch vessels, others like the Lakme have been old and tender and were merely tempting fate by venturing out In tha January storms. velopes. "Wait," he said, handing out a quarter, my boy can use some or these." At Tenth and Chestnut strets the lamp post was covered with fresh green paint, and a sign to that effect. An other man, this time a young one, in deep thought, would have brushed 'off a good share of the paint with his sleeve had not a stranger reached out "Wake up. Bill!" "Bill" looked at the sign, grinned sheepishly, and said: "Thank, you." I Perhaps the most beautiful incident noticed was that of an old lady, a' dainty little woman who might have floated through the pages of "Cran ford." Her old-fashioned bonnet, with black strings, covered snow white hair, her cloak a frame that was too weak to swing the big door she tugged at. Twice she tried and twice its weight thrust her back. Then from the crowd stepped a sturdy young fellow. With one hand he pulled the door open, with the other he lifted his hat. The old lady fluttered by with a bow and smile. Quickly the crowd swallowed them tip. Surely "And they passed by on the other side" could not have been writ ten of this generation. Why should a member of the Leg islature always be called a solon? That Immortal Greek never belonged to a xegisiaiure. Me did the same as Justin ian, Napoleon and Lycursrus. That la. he gave his country a coBe emanating from his Individual brain or from brains in his service. Why not call our wise men at Salem after Moses? He made laws, too, and they lasted a good deal longer than Solon's. Mr. Neuner" bill to abolish school holidays should not be dismissed with out candid examination. Perhaps it would be better not to have qute bo many. Swiss children go to school at 6 in the morning. German boys are far ahead of ours In their studies at the' same age. Holidays, bad venti lation and poorly-trained teachers may help to account for tha difference. Of course it is pleasant te think of the Government, state or National, getting back even a small part of what ha been stolen from it. "The two or three millions recovered from the vast loot of the sugar trust Is somethlna- The million and a half which Pennsyl vania has forced her capltol thieves to disgorge is well worth w-hlle. But why not get the wholeT The Dick bill provides for 612 more Army officers. More than that num ber are on detached service. The cost will bo $1,800,000 a year. This will in time make an extensive addition to the class A pension roil, better known as tha . retired list, unless the Japs gravitate from frolic to fight or there is reorganization along Mr. Carnegie's lines. Men of retentive political memories that carry them back to the "0s. will take with several grains of salt the promise of Indiana's: new Democratic Senator to subordinate party to the people. Grover Cleveland did it, but he wasn't horn and brought up In the Hooeier state. MOTORISTS WARNED BY LANTERN'S. Keatlah Villagers Hake lae ef pld- Tlme Practice for Protection, Cleveland Plain Dealer. RAMStiATil, Kn gland, r Motorists passing through little villages in this part ef Kent at Qlght time have no ticed during the past few weeks queer, bobbing lights on the highroad, unlike any vehicular traffic they have ever seen. On approaching the lights they have found that tho supposed vehicles are just ordinary human beings, villagers. n fact, going home or vlsitinar friends. but carrying lanterns In their "lands. The reason for the revival 6f this century-old custom is the prevalence of motor cars on these country roads. Kent villagers have at length adopted simple device for their personal pro tection from motor cars on dark nighta. and the carrying of a lantern in some cases one previously carried by grand father has proved most efflcacloua. In quiet villages, such as Hoath. near Heme Bay, or Hobstrcet, near Canterbury, the lads of the vlha.ee can be seen abroad any night with lanterns. It Is even claimed that one young man went abroad with a motor horn, which he blew furiously when he turned corners. "It be a good way to guard against they motors," an old countryman said, "and sometimes when the drivers sl"w down and find It's not a cart, but only a man it do make 'em wild. Most of them likes it, though-i-lt ' xa.ves risks." A Senators Wopld See It. Kansas City Times. D. W. Holstlaw, an Illinois State Sen ator who confessed to receiving a bribe in the Lorimer election, sent his resig nation to Governor Dlneen Saturday. At least, this is what the public sup poses has happened. If the matter should come before the Senate's committee on privileges and elections it would give the country to understand: 1. That Senator Holstlaw never re celved a bribe; that when he- said he did he was mistaken, and therefore that he had no reason to resign. 2. That the Senator has not re signed. The letter of resignation dldn' really mean what It said, and anyway, there was no bribery In Lorimer s elec tion, so that Holstlaw Is still a mem ber in good and regular standing, with no intention of severing his connection with the State Senate. And then Senator Burrows, of Michl gan: Senator Bailey, of Texas, and the others would express a pained surprise that the country should be a bit skep tlcal. Speaking: ot Slang. Cleveland Plain Dealer. While engaged in reforming personal weaknesses, why not cut down the out put of slang? Do you know that conversational English is becoming a thing of hysteri cal extravagance? A little slang, it has been contended, adds virility to the mother tongue, but there Is no excuse for overdosing. It may be graphic and amusing to deolare that ''Pittsburg is all to the smudge," but you don't care to hear a moment later that Chicago is all to the mustard," or "Milwaukee all to the suds." If you must use slang use it sparing ly, choosing it wisely and making it Impressive. ' And when you are In doubt as to Its wisdom or Its adaptability don't use It at all. What will paragraphers and funny picture men do now with New Jersey? Its mosquito industry is put Into eclipse by politics of the rough and ready every day brand. At this time of year the meek and lowly but industrious and profitable Oregon hen cpmes rj for a generous Share of befcween-season publicity, This legislative session may develop some of the old-time warmth and wrath, although - stage settings are dissimilar. The old reliable West Side line, the butt of the Harriman system, is also Its salvation in times of Noachlan trouble. Aliens and Public Land, MARSHLAND. Jan. 17. (To the Edi tor.) Is an alien eligible to file on Gov ernment land as a homestead? If not, please state what are the qualifications required. What are the homestead regulations and area available in the dryfarming or desert regions in the Ujiited States? T, O'CONNELL. An alien who has declared his Inten tion to become a citizen of the United States, is 21 years of age or more, and who owns not to exceed ISO acres of land, may make homestead . entry. Regulations and other data concerning desert land entries may be obtained by addressing Louis L. Sharp, Chief , of Field Division, General Land Office, Custom-House, Portland. Carnegie Here Fond. PORTLAND, Or., Jan. 19. (To the Editor.) Please state through the col umns of The Oregonlan, who I shall write to and where I shall write con cerning the Carnegie medal for fire heroes, and oblise. MRri. P. H. POWERS, ' 647 Borthwick St., City. , Address F. M. Wilmot, secretary Car negie Here fund Commission, Pitts burg, Pa, J Aa Optical Illusion. Washington Evening Star. "I 'specks Mlstah 'Rastua Plnkley is In trouble," said Miss Miami Brown. "Las' evenin' I saw de teardrops streatnln' down his face." . "Pern warn't teardrops," replied Miss Cleopatra Jackson. "He des got hlsse'f a little splattered un fillln' his Christ ma gif fountain pen." 1 1 ' " i A Human Tendency. Washington Evening Star. "Yeu approve of economy; don't you?" "Yes," replied ' Senator. Sorghum; "only toe many of us gre apt to econo mize on the cigars we hand. o'Jr friends Instead ot those we smoke ourselves." writer of it declares that: There are remedies, discovered of iato by scientists, whose enteet can be predicted with strict accuracy. fio far aa they are concerned the science of medicine lias at tained to almost mathematical certainty As examples of these druKS, or remedies, o whatever the reader likes to call them, we may Instance the anti-toxin virus ter dipththeria, tha vaccine virus for tha pre vention of smallpox and the new chemical cure for syphilis. To deny the efficacy of these medicines is . to fly in the face of thoroughly ascertained facts. That Jiph theria, for Instance, is Infectious, that it 4s caused by the activity of a specific germ and that In most cases It can be combated successfully with anti-toxin has been proved Just as conclusively as that the earth is round. It is generally admitted that dlph theria germs are sometimes found in the throats of persons who, nptwith standing, have not diphtheria. Since that is the case, what then becomes of The germ theory of disease and why seek serums to combat germs? Is that gettipg at the root of the matter? Seed cannot grow without soil, nor can germs thrive except in a body saturated with auto-toxaemia. A healthy body is forti fied by nature against the inroads of disease. Jt seems to me that the at tempt to eradicate disease with anti toxins, etc., is approaching the problem from the wrong end, that the quest of the doctors for serums to combat disease is like seeking for an elixir of life, txarma of themselves cannot cause disease. If germs cause diphtheria, why don't all the members of a family have it when one has it and all have been exposed to the miasm? A scriptural Injunction is, resist not evil, but overcome evil with good. Ap plyir? this precept to the subject of d'sease, the obvious thing for people to do would be to correct their bad habits of living and get their bodies into clean and wholesome condition. Instead of fighting germs. Then diphtheria or any other kind of germs will not harm them. "Health Is the only immunity against dioease." One would expect that a man who is as familiar with the teachings of science as is the writer of this editorial would be careful how he uses the words "Droved" and "the demonstrated teach ings, of science." I have heard allo paths themselves admit that many of the things that were regarded Dy tne medical .profession as established facts is or 30 years ago ine profession now rejects as untrue and worthless. Since that Is bo, why seek to make compul sory in the community vaccination, the use of anti-toxin, and etaiilaF procedure that at present doctors regard aa In dis putably correct. In answer to the charge that those who deny the claims of the regular school of medicine regarding vaccina tion and anti-toxin "only prove their own Ignorance or their stiff-necked reli ance upon superstition," the words of a dbjtintfuishtd physician and surgeon who for IS years prescribed drugs in his practice but who for the last 20 years has used druglesa methods and who therefore speaks from experience tn both fields, may be quoted: ''Some day vaccination will be classed with euch superstitiens as wearing a baked toad around tho neck to ward off evils. The claims of the profession regarding anti toxin and - vaccination are Dasea on either bigotry or knavery; tile advocates may take hold of either horn of that dilemma best suited to their Individual table." In surgery anesthetics must be used. At least, I know of no substitute for them In general use at the present time. But what the leading physicians in the drugless healing movement protest against la the use ef drugs as medi cines. ''What Is a cure?" asks one ot these leaders. "Is relieving pain, palllat lng suffering, making symptoms with drugs, or removing an organ, curing disease? Morphine stops pain, but does it rmove the cause? Doesn't a pure l mean the correcting or ine errors anu habits of life that bring about disease; Sickness is not an inscrutable visita tion of Providence? If people die young, it is not because the gods love them. As to "the demonstrated teachings of science," should not the conclusions of the distinguished biologists, Herbert Spencer and Alfred Henry Wallace, on the BUblect of vaccination have more weight than the academic opinion for Instance of Professor fligarnc, .rn. u. of Harvard, et al.? Both Spencer and Wallace condemned vaccination. In his book "The Wonderful Century" Wallace wrote a leneth on the subject. He regarded vaccination as idiotic. "Sound judgment teaches us that there is no sinttle device by wnicn an ine ills of the human body can be cured. A ludicious diet will do much to neip, iv9 th editorial in The Oregonlan. A unilateral triangle Is a geometrical ab surdity. Some of the ablest expo nents of drugless healing constantly em phasize that there is no such thing as a unilateral system ot cure, tor in stance. If a man overeats, eats a hodge podge of incompatible foods sloppily eooked. has only "key-hole ventilation. takes little or no exercise, and harbors Jl kinds of destructive emotions, sucn worry, anger, 6pite and revenge, taking a dailv cold bath or adopting tne no- breakfast plan will not restore him to health. "There ean be no independent nrtranir? action either in health or dkiease." No organ gets diseased by itself nor can be healed by Itself. As to the charge that those physicians who use drugless methods are usually rionaalv ienorant. the same cnarge can with truh be made against many of the doctors of tha regular school and against the rest of them that tney snow so much tuat la not true. I know a physi cian who Is regarded as one of the most eminent in Chicago wno teacnea in a medical college there. This institution ranks as one of tne eest auopatnic chnnU in the country. Many of the stu- riftnts nxe alloDathlc doctors from small tovns who have been practicing for a lone time and who have gone hack to school to get up-to-date. A favorite dis course with this proressor wnen taming with ' his friends Is what ignoramuses theaa country physicians are. He mar vels how they ever had the., nerve to practice their profession wnn so pngm an equipment, or euuyauun anu uaimus as they possess. The Oregonlan editorial says further: Dr. Welch, the head of the Johns Hopkins Medical School, was once heard to say in a lecture that the most im portant forward step taken by modern medicine was the abandonment of faith In drugs." Every no., and, then some prominent allopath breaks loose with some, such declaration as thia If the allonaths have abandoned their taitn in drugs, evidently the majority have not abandoned the use.ot them, lor tne drug stores still do a flourishing business, and the shelves of family medicine clostes are filled with quinine, dypepsia tablets, liver Dills, etc. It should be borne In mind that It was the despised irregulars who first broke away Irom prescrioing drugs They blazed the trail in drug less healing. The allopaths are following slowly in tlieir path but denouncing tham and bellowing at every step. HEbBN SAYrl UKAY, The Nortonia Hotel, Portland, Or. Life's Sunny Side Postal Savlnata Banks. PORTLAND, Or., Jan. IT.- (To tha Edltor.)--Cap you tell me whv the postal banks are first being; established In the small towns ot the United States? Why were they not opened in the large cities first, where a greater number ot people might be benefited? 13. J. P, The explanation given is that tha postal savings bank is an experimental institution in this country an.4 that it is wise to start in a small way. Richard Croker, during his last visit to this country, and a few days before his departure for Florida, was the guest of honor at a dinner at the St. Regis. Mr. Croker. praising Judge Gaynor's oratory, said: "His oratory is so con cise. He packs so much meaning into a few words. He is like the old clerk whose master said to him, 'John, that's a very shabby office coat you're wear ing.' " - . " 'Ves, sir.' said the old clerk, mean ingly. 'I got this coat -vlth the last raise you gava me.' "Washington Port. . The Rev. Henry R. Rese tells the story of a young minister who had only re cently taken charge of a small parish In Vermont. He aspired to greater things and a lartrer field, and In th 'hope that his reputation would travel Deyond the limits of the village to which he had been sent, he threw into his sermons all-the force and eloquence at his command. He was, however, totally unprepared for what was Intended for a compliment, but which was put to him in suoh a way that It left him in doubt as to the real impression he had made. One Sunday morning, after an espe cially brilliant effort, he was greeted by an old lady, who was one of the most faithful attendants at all services. Ap proaching the young minister, she said: "Ah, sir, we do enjoy your sermons so much, they are so instructive. Do you believe it, we never knew what sin was until you came to the parish." Newark Star. a Campanini, the great operatic conduc tor, praised mince pie at a dinner in Chicago. "I don't wonder," he satd, "that your mince pie Is praised as the best dish of all. "But Indigestible! I hear on all sides tales about the Indigestlbility of mince pie. Nevertheless, I keep on eating it. though the last tale I heard was very harrowing. "It was a tale about a dyspeptio bishop who spent Christmas week with a Chi cago family. There was, of course, mince pie for the Christmas dinner, and at first the bishop, on account of his dyspepsia, refused to take any; but his hostess as sured him that her mince pie was as digestible as stale bread, and so he succumbed. 'He succumbed. He ate a whole mince pie. And the next morning he was so ill that he could not conduct an early Bervlce for which he had pledged hlm-self. The bishop was very ill, indeed. Ho groaned and he tossed about the bed, and the family brought him hot water bottle, mustard plasters, and all manner of remedies. "But nothing seemed to do any good, and his host, when he gave vent to an unusually loud series of groans, hurried Into the room and said somewhat sar castically; " "Why, bishop, you are not afraid to die, ara you?" "The bishop, thinking of his mince pie and his missed service, answered: No, I m not afraid to die. but I m ashamed to.' "Pittsburg Uazette-Timea. Natives of Panama are being taught that American citizens are abstemious, according to stories brought back to this country by members of Congress who recently visited the Isthmus. Maurioe H. Thatcher, Civil Engineer of the Canal Zone, is the teacher. When Mr. Thatcher went to Panama seven or eight months ago American offi cials and the Panama officials waited patiently for him to give a reception. After a reasonable length pf time had elapsed without a sign of a reception some of Thatcher's friends went to him and suggested the propriety of throwing his house open some evening ana enter taining his friends. "All right," said Mr. Thatcher, "but-1 want It understood that no liquor shall be served on my premises and there shall be no smoking." "But, my dear fellow," protested the Americans, "you misunderstand. This is a tropical country. These people down here think no more of drinking and smok ing than you think of going to Sunday school In Kentucky." "I cannot help that," answered Thatch er. "I do not believe in drinking, and I do not believe in smoking. Therefore, we shall hava none of It in my house." "Let us compromise," . suggested an Army officer. "I suppose we ean bluff the thing through without liquor of any kind, although we ought to have a mild sort of punch. But. man alive, these folks down here would rather smoke than eat." "Well," said Governor Thatcher, reluc tantly, "if there Is going to be any hard feeling about It I'll let them smoke out on the back porch." And they did. Washington Times. As a Favor. California Christian Advocate. A tramp called at the house of gentleman and said: "I've walked many miles to see you, sir, because people told me that you was very kind to poor chaps like me." "Oh, they said so, did tneyT" "Yes, sir; that's why I came." "And you are going back the same way? " "Yes, sir." "Then, in that case, will you be good enough to contradict this rumor?" Tasks Beyond Surgery. i Detroit Free Press. "Sunrery," said Simeon Ford at a din ner in New York, "accomplishes wonders nowadays. Hearts are sewed up; the ap pendix Is removed; the large intestine is done away with. But " The noted humorist smiled. "But will the time ever come when sur-' gery will be able to remove the cheek of a young man or ma jaw ui an om woman?" FEATURES IN THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN FRATERNITY LIFE AT EUGENE. What the Greek Letter Societies at the University of Oregon Stand For; Their Minor Fmilts Set Up in Contrast With the Major Good. TEN MESSAGES ALONG ONE WIRE. Wonderful Telephone Invention Worth Millions, That Has Beeu Given to the Public Free by an Army Officer. LITTLE REPUBLIC WITHIN OREGON. How, School Children Have Estab lished Civil Government at Ban don, in the Southern Coast Region. MILUON-ACRE FARMS OF AMERICA. These Vast Tracts Put to Shame the Most Princely Tracts of Old England's Peerage. Order early from your newsdealer.