Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 26, 1911)
tttt- TirnTlxrXO OKEGOXIAN. THURSDAY, JANUARY 2C, 1911. : ; : rORTtAXD. owsoox. Entaw at Partlana. Orjocu roatorfloa M oad-c:a Mattar. .ikiuoi uatea Invariably la 4nt (BT MAIL) t!Iy. f andav Included. oa Tr ;. Suslar In'ljd.O. six month.... 4.JJ i'y. unJ lnclu.1.4. thr mantna.. IJJ illy. without Sua.lar. yar. ...... . a ... M.lhl. 1.24 ... linoul BunJair. tliraa moniss... I. without Sunday. B9l .-?? MilT, na yr. ............ . ndar. aaa yaar nd.J and aly. on 7 ar ...... a- ill riDDlTPI 'Tr. Faadar Included. on Tar...... J' nw to Hemic pena rwoian -fi.r. express order or personal chock on ur local bank, stamps, coin or curTc at tbo s. Oder's rlsa. Give oootofSra .drees In full. Including county n4 elate, r-oetace Rata I to 14 paee. 1 seat: Is i-S pae. 1 eeats; SO to 0 esa. to so pasea. cenla. Frela poetase 'clo rata. . Eastern Rnalaoaa OftVea Verrea l New Tora. Hrunswlca- aulldinc .o. Sieger butldins. RTXAXT. THrlUUiV, JAW. . - THE PTATK'S MOVCT. Tho Oregonian has a request from e Astoria Chamber of Commorct to pport tho proposal for 1100,000 ap- -vprintiou by the Legislature for the jtorla centennial. The Oregonian :Uy approves the plan for an ado- jate celebration at Astoria of its te hundredth anniversary. It is an .ent of historic interest and lm pur ree, and It Is creditable to the enter rlse of Astoria and Clatsop County at they have set about to commera- -ate the event. The Oregonian Is oro than trilling; that the state par Ipate officially in the celebration. -id it hopes and desires that a sulta- o appropriation be made. Hut The Oregonian cannot fail to its that the demands on the Legis ture for money from all sources are ctraordlnarily heavy. One is startled. r example, to see that the estimates the State University reach the great -rg-regate of J5S7.I58, in addition to e regular biennial appropriation of ;50.000. making a grand total of S27.2JS. "An endeavor will be made y the faculty" so a news report runs -"to show that the whole amount lould be granted." The whole amount cannot be grant l. The state cannot afford it. The nlverslty is an admirable institution, ad its deserts are great and obvious; jt there is a limit to the tax-produc- g resources of the state. If there ere no other Insistent demands .any of them imperative, and unan verable except by granting them e state might be willing to respond ivorably to the cry from Eugene; but is not In the humor to Justify so eavy an outlay, following the recent rest fight on the 1250.000 biennial pproprtatlon. won by a narrow mar ls over strenuous protest from many uarters. The Oregon Agrlenltural College n Institution of at least equal merit nd value to the state with the State niverslty is somewhat more moder- te In Its demand., though probably s necessities are as great as Eugene s. t asks about $400,000. The state has eclared for a single normal school at lonmouth. and already a movement under way In the Legislature for unds to equip the Institution with a r dormitory, and doubtless there iill be other demands. Yet we ob- rve thst a xealous advocate of nor- al schools has presented to the Sen- te a bill for S 100.000 for a normal rhnol' at La Grande. Adoption of uch a measure at this time would be lear defiance of the definite instruc- on of the people at the last election. ts enactment would undoubtedly be ollowed by a referendum and by de- t. Is there never to be an end to ne normal school agitation? Is the uestion not settled even when the vrelgn people themselves undertake settle it? The Insane asylum authorities at alrm are asking for over IS00.00O. hey will not get It, and they should ot; but the asylum must be 'main lined. With the most careful and rstematlc pruning the item will nec ssarlly be very large. Other atate In tltutlons will roll up the aggregate or maintenance alone to 1 1.600.000 or hereabouts: all to be expended In and round Salem. It is a tidy sum, and vlll go a long way to keep things mov- g In certain thrifty circles at Salem; et there is an ambitious project there o expend f It 0.000 more on additional apltol grounds. This Is a scheme hat can and should wait. Meanwhile, f the bUl to make It unlawful for state fflcers (ail state employes should be acluded) to lobby in behalf of any n assure should be passed, we might ear less about the pressing need of ew buildings and grounds at Salem. A till has been introduced at Salem or ISS0.000 for roads alone. We tave evidently made up our minds to -o into the business of roadmaklng h rough state aid. but hardly on so jctenslve a scale. Home xealous friend f San Francisco proposes to give 100.000 at this time for'the great Panama international exposition, and ome one else wants 13000 for an au- lltorium at Champoeg. These are l-nere illustrative requests. There Is a nulUtude of other new suggestions nd lmDortanltles for money, many of hem worthy and some of them doubt- ess necessary. But the Legislature honld and must go slow. The state as not unlimited means. Tet it Is rying to maintain many expensive in- ti'.utlons on the same basis as older, lcher and more populous states. The axpayer's pocket has a bottom. The Legislature should attempt, in some measure to cut the state"s garment ac cording to its cloth. konft PIJ--XTIFT i- covnniwns etc ARC E. The succe. of New Tork's great bond sale yesterday ' ought to have a trengthenlng effect on the financial Ituation. The 150.000.000 issue bear- e 4 U per cent Interest was sub scribed m're than five times over, the mount offered was 1324. 33. 030. and as submitted by more than S00 bid- tr. The award was made at an av- rase of 100.) per cent. Kuhn. Lwb & Co. received the largest Individual ward of $11,000,000. J. P. Morgan ec o. made a bid of 100.87 for "all or onav" This greatest onna ku mat as ever taken place In any munici pality" certainly discloses considerable money available at a low rate of In- rest. In this respect It is nigniy gratifying to not that there is no lack money for what investors rcgara as safe dividend-earning bonds. Th situation Is less pleasing, now- ,r when we remember that for months good railroad and industrial bonds and stocks, wnicn in me pasi ave paid and 7 per ceni wiin cioca- hi that railroads are finding It almost impossible to secure money for repairs, extension and equipment. Both Kuhn, Loeb & Co. and J. P. Morgan A Co. In the past have always had at hand plenty of capital available for railroad and Industrial Invest ments, but it is quite apparent that there is aomething radically wrong when their clients decline their former favorites In railroads and industrials and invest in t M per cent city bonds. This ahowing alone ought to be suf ficient to cause some of the most ar dent anti-railroad, anti-corporation fighters to let up. thereby giving capi tal a chance to recover from Its fright and again take up something more profitable in earning capacity than city bonds Sinr 81BS1DY HALF-TRtTHS. There is something about the ship subsidy question which seems to ren der Its advocates lncarable of pre senting the case on Its merits or sub mitting it for approval or rejection In accordance with the facts. The scarcity of legitimate reasons for a ship sub sidy, of course, accounts for this sub stitution of theories, half-truths and untruths for plain facts. Mr. James L. Elwell, secretary of the Merchant Marine Committee, of One Hundred, in his address at Washington Tuesday attempted to show "the way in which a nation's export trade is vitally con nected with Its merchant marine" by citing the case of the Oceanic line of steamers, which made regular trips out of San Francisco until 1907. "The lajtt year these boats were In opera tion, before being driven from the field by the subsidized Canadian and Jap anese competition," said Mr. Elwell. they carried from the port of San Francisco to Australia $28,000,000 worth of rroducts. Last year. In. the absence of any line from San Fran cisco to Australia, depending exclu sively upon tramp steamship service, our exports from San Francisco shrank to a total value of only 12,000. 000." The average reader, not particularly familiar with the facts In the case, would -hardly fail to get the Impres sion from Mr. Elwell's words that our export trade with Australia had actu ally shrunk from $28,000,000 In 1907 to $2,000,000 in 1910. Let us consider the facts. The exports from the United States to Australia for tho year end ing December 31. 1907. were $33,206. 890. The complete figures for 1910 are not yet available, but for 1909 the exports to Australia from this coun try were $30,847,260. That the de crease was perfectly natural, due to unsettled financial conditions In Eu rope and all foreign dependencies of the big powers. Is shown In the trade with Europe. Not. even the silliest subsidy advocate "would dare assert that there was a shortage of ships on the Atlantic, but la 1907, the year mentioned by Mr. Elwell. our exports to Europe were $1,811,067,266. while In 1909 they were but $1,169,672,326. While the complete figures are not available, the 1910 returns will un doubtedly make an even better show ing than was made for the preceding year. Every shipping man In the coun try who Is at all familiar with the mat ter knows that the Oceanic steamship line out of San Francisco was put out of business by the low rates made by steamers running out of New York. Another factor in retiring the steam ers of that line was the enormous cost of operation. The vessels were poorly built, slow and out of date, and so ex pensive to operate that they would have lost money with the largest sub sidy that could be granted. Facts have never bothered any of the ship subsidy advocates, but Mr. Elwell, of the Committee of One Hundred, must have a very poor opinion of the Intel ligence of the people if he thinks his biased comment on Pan Francisco's Australian trade will aid the cause. GOVERNOR wnOV9 FIRST MESSAGE. The forceful candor of Governor Woodrow Wilson's public speeches and writings flows In part from the clarity of his thought. And he is able to think clearly because he is not afraid of anything. so far as one can make out, and has no unavowed motives to pervert his mind. He seems to face every subject as It comes up with al most childlike frankness. With simple directness he tells the public what he thirdts and why. This is extremely engaging. It is so rare for aspiring politicians to do anything of the sort that people are apt to take it for a sign of great genius and perhaps It Is. No doubt It requires a good deal of genius to be perfectly honest in thought and conduct. In his message to the New Jersey Legislature Governor Wilson takes up for discussion some live topics: the compensation of Injured workmen, how to regulate the corporations, how to obtain true representative govern ment. He ends the message with a little homily a brief eermonette In which he contrives to pack a lofty thought or two for the benefit of the Legislators. "We are servants of the people," he tells them, "of the whole people.' Their Interest should bo our constant study. Our reward will be the satisfaction of furthering large purposes, of being an Intimate part of that slow but con stant force of liberty and enlighten ment that Is lifting, mankind to new levels of progress and achievement. It Is not the foolish ardor of too sanguine or too radical reform that I urge upon you. but merely the tasks that are evident and pressing, the things that we have knowledge and guidance enough to do." This Is grand talk and It appears all the grander from its contrast with the tenor of the usual gubernatorial message. After all. the greatest luxury In the world Is to have thoughts of one's own and the courage to express them frankly. Even if the thoughts are nothing very magnificent it is well to have them. "A poor thing, but mine own." said Touchstone of his Audrey. The em phasis Is on the last word. The first of the "obvious and press ing" tasks which " Governor Wilson presents to his Legislature Is that of enacting an adequate law for work men's compensation. He does not take refuge from the Issue In feeble suggestions of Investigation and delay. He knows perfectly well that the sub ject has been Investigated by the most competent men In the world. Sooner or later the cost of Injuries to work men is borne by society. If It does not come upon us In the form of higher prices for goods then It comes as taxes to support the Impoverlshd families of the maimed artisans. Gov ernor Wilson tells his Legislature that society should assume this Inevitable burden without evasion. It should be laid directly on the industry concerned and distributed to everybody In the price of the output. The workrnan with his limited resources ought not . w -i.j In tha nnaltlon Of fight- T (u w ' 1 " -... i I in. a rmire rnrnoration. or perhaps a I union of corporations, for compensa- i W X 1 tlon when , he la injurea. it. oub"- i be given to him as a matter of course. Governor Wilson is Just as refresh ing in treating of the corporations. They are not private affairs, he says, but public from their very nature. They are not a species of supermen which ought to be regarded with ap prehension and awe, but mere de vices which the law has Invented for handling large business conveniently. Since they are public concerns the public ought to control them fully and since they are created by the law It follows that the law has power to regulate or even annihilate them if the need should arise. The lawyers had taught us to believe that a cor poration Is a magnified human being possessed of vast capabilities and Im mune from all accountability. Mr. Wilson punctures the imposing fiction by reminding us that a corporation is nothing but a group of men whom the law permits to do business under a corporate name. The monster Is re solved Into a little band of human sinners whom It Is quite possible to punish for their misdeeds if we really think they need punishment. But Governor Wilson la not nearly so eager to Impose penalties for the sins of the past as he is to prevent the sins of the future by a Public Utilities Commission with power to act. 6ITRIT OF THE WEST. The overwhelming burst of enthusi asm with which the cause of San Francisco has been taken up through out the country can hardly fail to have material effect on the decision regarding the location of the Panama Pacillc Exposition. It was perhaps natural that the entire West should rally to the support of the Western city. We may have private differences between communities, but on any proposition in which the West as a whole is to profit we stand pretty well together. But while the unanimous support of the West was to be expected, it is in the suprort of a great state like New York that San Francisco and all of her Western friends will find most cause for congratulation. New York, financially, commercially and socially, Is closer to New Orleans than to San Francisco. Rail and steamer facili ties between the two cities are much better than between New York and San Francisco, but New York, fully recognizing the superior claims of the Pacific city, has rallied to our support. The geographical location of San Francisco and the close relationship of the Pacific Coast cities with hte Ori ental trade were big factors consid ered when the canal was projected, and are Indisputable points in favor of San .Francisco, but the financial feature of the undertaking carries much weight. Every exposition that has been before Congress for support since the Chicago Fair has been grudgingly received. So strong has become sentiment against financial aid by the Government that it is doubtful if all the other advantages New Or leans might offer would offset this feeling of disfavor. San Francisco, on the other hand, has established a precedent by "which Congress can be guided in the future. No money is asked and no favor other than the ofTiclal recognition of the Government." The magnificent sup port which the West has given the cause of San Francisco is such a oplen did example of the true spirit of the land which the canal Is to bring In closer touch with the rest of the coun try that Its effect will be far-reaching and emphatic. WHAT BLYTirE IXtRXFO I ORKtiOX. In an article in the Saturday Even ing Post for January 38, Samuel G. Blythe discusses the workings of the initiative and referendum from the standpoint of a looker-on. He offers neither favorable nor adverse criti cism, but tells plainly some things ac complished by the people as a legisla tive body in Oregon and leaves the reader to form his own conclusions. The article has an unusual value to persons Interested In the system be cause it is a departure from the ab stract discussions which have appeared from time to time In Eastern publica tions. Mr. Blythe has detected attempts at "Initiative logrolling" In some of the measures submitted In Oregon, but fails to mention specifically the Impo sition of undesired laws upon the peo ple by use of the "Joker." Undoubtedly an unguarded initiative, uch as exists in Oregon, may be used Improperly by special Interests. wealthy'busybodIea and class organi sations Just as readily as may the old method of legislating solely through representatives. It required many years for manipulation of Legislatures to become almost an exact science, but manipulation of the electorate as a legislative body has been accomplished to a degree in eight years' use of the new power. In repeating some of the defenses offered for the unrestrained Initiative Mr. Blythe quotes an argument that has circulated -quite generally from the Pacific to the Atlantic. This argument is that, inasmuch as the people of Oregon adopted only nine of thirty two measures submitted in the last election. It is proved that the people can do their own thinking and do not need to be Instructed as to their wel fare. Wonderful logic this. Why not ap ply It also to Legislatures? In 1909 the Washington Legislature, hot aldod or advised by the Initiative, considered 826 measures and passed 349. The number of laws defeated was almost Identical with the number of laws de feated by the voters of Oregon last November, In proportion to the num ber presented. Why may It not be held. therefore. that lawmaking through representatives la all that can be desired? The argument seems to be founded on the strange premises that all pro posed laws are bad and that legis lative virtue is measured by the num ber defeactd. Such reasoners should go a step farther and advocate abol ishment of all lawmaking. The real teet of the Initiative and the real test of a Legislature are not in the number of laws passed or de feated. The tests rest In the charac ter of the bills disapproved and in the worth or harm of the measures adopted. Oregon defeated twenty-three out of thirty-two measures proposed In the recent election. In the main as a pro test against abuse of the initiative and referendum. Numerous bills were de feated without any thinking whatever by the mass of voters. The electorate simply dlJ not have the time or In clination to study and Investigate the merits of all the propositions present ed. Some good measures and many disaDDroved. Some trnnA monaiirM antff a few . bad ones were adopted. As to soma of the ap proved measures we do not yet know how good or how bad they are. No one knows what they mean. On the whole, Mr. Blythe's article should be of service to other commu nities in Indicating that the Oregon system has faults they should avoid In adepting the Initiative and referen dum. Since the arrival of the six-day boat bwamI vmnrm a ir"i tnjk f f D T"t Ctf steam- i u n Kan malnlv directed . null IIlcii uavo m- ' .... toward Increasing the speed of steam ers instead of shortening the run tlo. When the Cunard 1 line selected Fishguard" as a port of entry the distance by water was ma terially shortened, and by crowding matters it was possible for the Mauri tania to make the rourjd trip in twelve itiK inciiiriino' unloading and loading in New York. The Canadian Pacific, by using the Straits of Belle Isle route has secured what is sometimes termed a four-day route, as it has been pos sible to make the run from land to land in that short space of time. Now comes an enterprising Irishman with a proposition to establish a line from Galway on the extreme edge of Ire land to Trepassy on the south coast-of Newfoundland. By this route, with the aid of fast trains and steamers, it Is said to be possible to cover the dis tance between London and New York In three and one-half days. The world Is growing smaller. The reported boycott of the Chinese against the Portland 4 Asiatic steam ship line will probably have but little effect on the volume of business han dled direct, for an unsatisfactory steamship service has reduced the business to such an Insignificant amount that the company can hardly regard it worth handling. And yet Portland imports through Seattle. Ta coma and Vancouver, B. C, nearly as much merchandise as is imported di rect, and the amount is steadily in creasing. It will never be known -what the Oriental trade In and out of Port land Is worth to a steamship line until some of the companies that operate on a vexatlously Irregular schedule make a syght attempt to handle the business on a schedule which will ad mit of exporters and importers mak ing deliveries or receiving goods within a month or two or three of the time they expect to ship or receive them. Most, or at least many, teachers In the public schools Join in the opinion that fewer school holidays "would be beneficial. For at least two or three days before the Christmas holidays and one or more days thereafter school work drags and it is impossible to cover the work effectively. The same is true in a leas degree after, the Thanksgiving and other single day vacations. One holiday means prac tivally the loss of three school days and is so regarded. This is reason sufficient to prevent the institution of more school holidays, though it will probably not curtail the number of those we have, since custom rules and hab.lt is strong. Apart from Its intensely practical use as an agency for exploitation. The Oregonlan's anniversary edition on Its merits alone should find its way into the homes of thousands living east of the Bock lea. In several years past the annual edition not com parable "with the one to be issued February has been exhausted within a few days; hence the sugges tion that orders for extra copies be placed with newsdealers at once or directly with The Oregonian count in g-room. We dare say Senator Lodge speaks by the book when he says that a trust oontrols the oceari, but his method of fighting it Is puxzllng. To destroy the shipping trust he would give it an annual subsidy of several million dol lars. In the Pilgrim's Progress Bun yan tells of a man who tried to put out a fire by pouring oil on it. Mr. Lodge might find the tale Instructive. Very likely modesty prevented Chauncey Depew from openly stating his most convincing argument against the popular election of Senators. But for that charming quality he would have hidden his blushes and ex claimed. "Can ..you ask. for a better system than the one that produced me and my late , lamented colleague"? To be or not to be. that is the ques tion. Whether It be better in the long run to renlg and hang on and thereby defy the bolts or Jove: or, like the man who looks ahead and sees better things beyond, take heed and crawl from under. For politics municipal "am mighty onsart'in." Maybe it is all right for those who demand up-to-the-minute features of modern drama; still, to millions of theater-goers who have enjoyed Maude Adams In Barrie's delightful plays, the thought of her appearing In "Chanti cleer" goes agMn the grain. While the big apple-growers are creating a selling agency. It is up to the army of small Oregon orchardlata to raise such fine fruit that every town in the United States will be a spontaneous buying agency. Further proof that gambling is a universal and Ineradicable vice is of fered by the fact that men are betting and gamblers are making books on the verdict In a murder case on trial at Wheeling. W. Va. After reading reports from state capitals. East, West. North and South, the conclusion is Inevitable that a lot of peanut politicians areoetlll playing the game of peanut politics. Playing host to the Oregon Legis lature is one of Eugene's happy ways of doing things. It generaly pays to be hospitable. ' Far better It would be to carry petty domestic quarrels before Judge Tazwell than for either party to Jump into the river. Stormy scenes precede election of Senators in states that adhere to the old way. In Oregon the storms fol low later. . Well, the country must adrrfit, what ever the result, that San Francisco is putting up a good fight. The watchdogs of the treasury are on the Job at Salerru Lust for office makes liars of all men. REPEAL OF F'SH LAW IS URGED. Grants Pans Correspondent Condemns Initiative Measure. ASHLAND, Or., Jan. 24. (To the Edi tor.) Let us have a little more light on the Rogue River fish law that closed the stream to commercial fishing by the initiative process at the last elec tion. Was It not represented by those who circulated the petitions for this act that there was no 'intention to interfere with the large salmon fishing business In tidewater on the lower river? What interest had the railroad in this act of business assassination that their em ployee should circulate the petitions. How many men were truthfully informed on this question when they voted on it? Who is benefited by this, the worst piece of legislation ever adopted by a people who boast of their intelligence and honesty and who would like to have It said of .Oregon that it has the best system of government in the world? Only by persistent Inquiry can one se cure the facta The railroad company is the only beneficiary of this act. as it now gets the long haul of all fish for Southern Oregon from Portland instead nf Hitttt-lhiitlncr thorn fmm (grants Pass as heretofore. There was about $18,000 worm or saimon caugm encn year u Grants Pass by residents of that city and vicinity, but they did not have the large amount of- capital In the business that the lower river fishermen 4iad. Can it be possible the big vote in Mult nomah " County for this law was due alone to fishermen voting to help their business at the expense of the fishing business on Roirue River? Don't you think some Portland business men could see that this act would bring Southern Oregon money to Portland for fish? The only other fellow who thinks he is bene fited by this frek law is the so-called rod and line sport, who takes a bottle and a bite and wades the riffles once or twice a year for salmon trout. The decrease of trout in Rogue River is not due to the salmon-fishing business as much as It is due to the class of dams obstructing this stream and the constant shifting of the gravel bars which destroy .1 .non-n THIS Shifting Of I.UO Daiiiiuii "i". " '- . 1. gravel In the riffles where the salmon eg(?s are deposited la due to the placer mining on this stream and its tribu taries. Had the promoters of this angling act of injustice been consistent they would have stopped the washing of gravel into this sacred stream by the placer mines. It is for all Oregon to be proud of such legislation what would be said of a Legislature that would do such injustice on so slight a pretence? .But the people can make no mistake, they are Infallible. We are proud of our power and. like the cougar in our mountains after he Jumps on the back of a defenseless deer and sinks his teeth into he Jugular veins, with his paws and jaws red with the victim's blood be stands on his captive and looks about with an expression of triumph and self-satisfaction. Oregon needs employment-giving industries be fore her population can increase much more. How do men in other states who contemplate developments on this Coast look upon such laws as this one? Is it a commendable act to assassinate the principal business in isolated Curry County and throw many men with famil ies out of employment there on the shal low excuse of catering to the so-called sportsmen? It took the late R. D. Hume many years to build up the fishing in dustry at .the mouth of the river; he not only expended hundreds of thousands of dollars but he maintained hatcheries where he propagated at least three sal mon for every one that he caught. Is it an act to be proud of to assassinate the remnants of a business that has always been and is yet legal on every river be tween here and the Arctic Circle? What a proud people we should be when we think of the aged pioneer widow trying to hold the Hume estate together. Her reward for industry, isolation and the hardships of pioneering is to see the business her husband built up by years of persistent effort assassinated by this great state. , This is one act that deserves prompt reversal by our Legislature now in ses sion or the fruits of it will be most un profitable to Oregon. Before we brag too much of the Initiative or recommend it too strongly to others, let us watch Us results a little closer. A few mistakes like this will keep as many business men with capital out of Oregon as all the ROGUE VALLEY A & WITTER RESOIIT District Is Heeommended for Orego nlaoo and People of Middle Weat. GRANTS PASS, Or.. Jan. 21. (To the Editor.) The editorial In The Oregonian of January 23 recommending Rogue River Volley as a Winter resort it not out of order and is In keeping with our views. The Idea is laudable and the statistics of the Weather Bureau ' in Rogue River Valley will bear you out and back you up with tacts sustaining the theory. The idea that people living in North ern and Western Oregon and Washing ton haee to 'Hake a hike" to Southern California or Mexico to better weather conditions for the Winter Is and has been a fad so long that it might be hard to convince them of the error of their ways- but if they would only stop to compare our climatic conditions In south western Oregon they would find that, as compare.! with many places along the coaM and interior of California, our climate for a Winter resort has very few equals on the Coast, and is superior o many prominent points on the California CCThe writer could name Callforniane here now who have Invested In Rogue River property, who prefer this climate to the California brand. They have tried and tewed both. Being wealthy people they could Winter wherever they chose to live Another factor that ought to be taken into account by our people with means is the matter of expense. It is cheaper to migrate a short distance, generally, than a long one. The matter ot 'Venairg our money among our,wn PPle "f Increasing and bettering theJr conditions ehould not be lost sight of. This la on. of the prime factors to take Into con sideration. People frequently impoverish their own condition and those of their neighbors by disregarding these things. How much better is your climate than oure? I hear some one eay. Well, now to illustrate: How much difference would you note by being drawn up out of a well to a lighter and dryer atmosphere- or how much milder here than on the wind-swept plain, from 1000 to Kfiort feet higher elevation? Specially I" the Lower Rogue River Valley the hard winds are all shut off by high mountain ranges which are covered with evergreen timb .. The warm wind from the Japan Current flnde It, way in the valley up the Illinois and Roguerivers. which tempers the Winters afld produces a semi-thermal aone. Old camping grounds of the native tribes of Indians can be eeen in the coves and "o ra land" In the surrounding Weltered places all over the Lower Rogue Valley. The intense heat of the Summer s mod erated by the breezes from the foliage of the dense forests, ferns and evergreen hills The clear, pearly mountain brooKs are fulTf fish. The best of toothsome game abounds in the. hills. With the ad vent of new proposed railroad routes to the coaet-elther down Rogue River or Gold Beach, or across the country and down the Smith Rivers to Cresceht City. Cal.. will make our coast points veritable Summer resorts. We will not be so Iso lated and bottled up as we appear to lIt"s1ea.rnetly honed that the visionary and crazy Ideas of the "conservationists will not bottle up the climate in Southern Oregon along with other undeveloped re sources and keep the manufacturer and millionaire from enjoying some of the God-given bountlea nature has so lav ishly bestowed upon us. It would be a great and unpardonable XDRICKa Pioneer of '47 Upholds Aborigines' Man f Burning Underbraah. OREGON CITY. Or., Jan. 24. (To the Editor.) I have read with a great deal of interest the communication from the different one also The Oregonlan's editorials upon the conservation of our forests, and how to prevent forest fires. I agree with Mr. N. F. Throne, of Ash land, that the only way to prevent the Bummer fires Is. to clear up the light growth that has accumulated In the old burns since the General Government has taken charge of the same. Before that time the Indians and early settlers had complete charge and Summer fires were a rare thing, for the reason there was nothing to burn. Early in tie Spring or as soon as the snow was gone the Indian would go up to hunt the e'.k, which were numerous In early days. The Indian would take his lagoon stick, or, as we call it, pitch wood, and he would put out fire wher ever there was anything that would burn in the old burns, with the result thdt when the dry weather came there was nothing to burn. The Indians could ride on horseback and do their hunting; the peavine and grass grew In all these burns and made fine feed for the game. and also their horses. But how is it now. These old burns have grown up so thick that a Jack rab bit can hardly get through them. They make a hiding place for the cougar, coyote and bobcat that are destroying our game. The settler or sportsman who goes on an outing will have to look for'some swamp where there is a little sour grass for his horse feed, and about the time he has made camp along will come a forest ranger, who will tell him tT take his horses out, as that Is reserved for their use. I think it was Mr. N. F. Throne who asked for the opinion of some old pio neer in regard to the Indian method of burning. As I have only been in Ore gon 63 years, I have been waiting for one who had been here longer than 1 had and one who could better explain their method, but as no one has come to the front with an explanation, I will give it the best that I can. The Indian method was to burn the old burns about every- three years or as soon as there was growth enough to make a good fire. They would burn early in the Summer before the logrs and old stumps were dry enough to burn. This light growth would make a light fire and would hardly smoke the old logs, and Just as soon as the fire reached the green timber it stopped, as everything in the timber was too wet to burn. As Mr. Throne says it Is hard to get the Government to change or correct a bad policy. If they should change it would take so long that in the meantime our timber would be all destroyed. But I will say this that if the state can take charge of our forests and send out a few men In each county to pursue the In dian method of early Summer firing, these men can clean up the old burns, and burn around the standing timber and make it Impossible for a Summer fire to do any harm. And the same can be done with logged-off lands by the owners. They can be burned over early in the Spring and afterwards the limbs and heavy stuff can be piled and burned in the Summer at any time, as there win not De any danger of the fire spreading or doing any harm. After these early Summer fires the grass and peavine will grow in these burns and make Summer feed for thou sands of head of cattle and sheep. Now as to the destruction of the young growth of timber some have spoken of: At the time these early burns should be made It will be go damp that the fire will not run under them, but will protect them from a Summer fire. Now as to my information concerning these matters I will say it pertains to the west ern elope of the-. Cascades in Clackamas County as I have lived in the county 63 years and have hunted, ana nsnea on pverv stream from Mount Hood to Mount Jefferson and have seen the Indians at their camps putting out these fires so as to protect their berry patches ana make hunting easy for them and make feed for their homes. I am satisfied it is the only way we ran nrotect our timber. It appears to me that each county can tax the timber fnr nouh to nay tills expense or tne timber men can do the work themselves under the supervision of some one ap pointed by the state. PIONEER OF 1S47. A Resourceful Diplomatist. Tnmlnn Tit-Rita. The late Lord Salisbury was careful not to corner too mucn uiuu.nj u MAn tn Hlnlrunnfin firplps. On jruuug ii3i ... i - one occasion, he sent an emissary to make some aomanas upon a certain public. Before setting out the emis sary, to whom his lordship had ex plained the exact nature of the de- ... ...... i ... .1 n K, Infnrmpd as tO xnanus, ucoiv v - - the course to take if, after he had said everything, mere was a rius.i. "Oh," answered Lord Salisbury, "this is not a matter in which we have the . . .! . . ffp-htinfr If the Pres- Ident refuses, why, you wUl simply nave to come nuuic . i ........ o n .1 hoil hi RflV infl eilliDamj ...... - - to the President of the Republic who a a ! anil thfl blanKiy reiusea iu ri -diplomatist retired to think . things over. A few hours later he wrote the Pres ident: " "I regret that your excellency does not see your way to recognize the Jus tice of the claims which 1 have had the honor to present. I have now to say, on behalf of her British Majesty's government, that unless your excellen cy yield3 on all points which I have named It will be my painful duty to act on the second half of my instruc tions." , . . Under this vague and significant threat the President yielded at once. Girl at Head of Fire Brigade. Boston Herald. No capital In the world save St. Petersburg can boast of a municipal fire brigade commanded by a member of the fair sex, but for the last IS months the splendidly manned and magnificently equipped brigade which Is the pride of the Czar's Capital has been under the sole control of a young lady of 26 Summers tho 'daughter of the Russian Minister of Agriculture. Mile. Marie Alexandrovna Yermaloff has all her lifo taken an intense interest in the brigade, to join which seven years ago she obtained special permission from the Czar. During the prolonged absence through illness of Captain Splrindonoff, the actual head of the brigade. Mile. Yermoloff. as acting vlce-capta'n, has most ably filled his place. One of Our Extravagances. . Wall Street Journal. We are anxious to see the fullest Jus tice done to the genuine veteran; but no one who has Investigated the sub ject even on the pitifully inadequate information vouchsafed by the Pension Bureau, will Tall to come to the conclu sion that of the annual 1150.000 000 spent upon pensions at least one-third and probablv more should never be dis bursed at all. The whole list is honey combed with fraudulent and unworthy cases This is one of our extravagances, and it may be pointed out again that public extravagance Is quite as bad as private waste. Spanish and German Taught. PORTLAND. Jan. 24. (To the Edi tor.) Will you please let me know through the. columns of your paper whether there are any schools of lan guages In the city where night classes in Spanish or German are taught? C. A. F. The Y. M. C. A. In its educational de partment conducts night classes in both Spanish and German. Life's Sunny Side -a- t T. I Urn mrV - V a A mllph tft j . . v. u A koilf.tn.l coin rtA mrtvm tl t UU Yv 1 III V li c if.. vw - that sent so 'many Irishmen home tor a visit this year, and is in the Treasury - Department in w aaiiuiu. iu, iauut.i Chicago some years ago, fresh from m j iv I - n aiar rtnllarfl ATlfl Tift xremuu, w i w. ku. - job in sight He sparred around for a . - A J i -1 J n kntr a aas time ana nnaiiy ucciucu uuv jv-ond-hand lawn-mower and make some money cutting grass. He cot his . '-1 jt i. the trnnA Interns V mower aim as.eu ic.c ti. a -r-orA tn thm North were. no v o umi.tv Side of Chicago and finally struck the place where tne Dig nouoco lawns are. He went up the steps of a mansion, hammered on the front door and was -1 - . ; i. .. .A Vin.rA a man Ktirk vastly asiumi:u w '"'- his head out of an upstairs window and ask: -vvnat are you uums mem, groenhorn? Can't you see this house is closed for the Summer?" "But you re in it, answerea rt-u- kenny. T T ha. MIPH9VAT. -cure, i in in it. iin v..- v - If you wantv anything, Just go around to' the back door, where you belong.' .Hi. ........ ...t o mil ml hut came to a tall board fence that ran clear across the lawn and had spiaes on wV m it. He didn't see the door in the fence and. after figuring for a time, put his lawn mower against the fence and tried to climb over, regardless of the spikes. The lawn-mower slipped and Kilkenny stuck oh one of the spikes and hung suspended. m.. i. v. fi.i rii hi vplis and 1 ntj cm no ici - came out. Finding Kilkenny hanging there In the air, ne juun.cu m and said: . . . "Well, you are green: now iunB n you been over?" . "Begobs!" shouted Kilkenny. I am t over yet!" A well known New Yorker, now dead, who during his lifetime .bore the appel lation "Silent," was accustomed to em ploy various means to deliver himselt from bores and time wasters. On one occasion, when the Ivew Yorker was putting in his vacation In New England, there was one native so bold as to' visit the taciturn man at his buncalow. . , ,., How did you get along with him. asked someone, when the bold one re turned. "Fin"' said the visitor. "Fellows. I've often heard that that man was a sullencuss; but I want to tell you that - it..... faiinwn T ever he 18 one or me ii"" z T, saw! 1 hadn't been settin' chattin with him more'n ten minutes ueiuic asked me five or six times to come an see him again." LippincotU. a George Barr McCutcheon was wait ing for a train in Chicago, and as he passed through the station he saw one of his latest best sellers displayed on the news stand counter. He picked it up, wrote his name on the fly leaf and handed it to the boy behind the counter. He was moving away when the boy called excitedly: "Hey, mister, come back here. You e got to buy this book, 'cause you've spoiled it by writing your nume in It. ."Yes, but did you see the name? tne author asked. . "That don't makes no difference, the lad Insisted, "nobody'll want to buy U AndThearing his train called. Mr. Mc Cutcheon was forced to pay real money for one of his own books. Success Magazine. , They were talking about the decisions of a Judge tn a recent case up In Sara toga County, when Senator Hamilton said: , . ... "Speaking about judge beuig influ enced in their decisions. I recall a County Judge up my way was hearing a rather technical case when the attor ney for the defendant lauhnhed forth into a legal argument which dashed the Judge onto a shoal and left him there The opposing attorney, Thomas Scott, was a lifelong friend and asso ciate of tho Judge, and to the latter s surprise remained silent, waiting for the judge, to rule. After a few mo ments' silence the Judge said very naturally: ' -Now we'll hear Mr. Scott and when he's through I'll rule accordingly.'" New York Herald. Bl'RfiUR'S VICTIM PROTESTS.' Iaroled Ex-Convict Declared to Pe Habltnnl -Criminal. PORTLAND, Jan. 24. (To the Edi tor.) Kindly permit me space In The Oregonian to express a few facts. On the night of November 24, last, my house was entered by breaking the window in the back door during our absence and considerable cash and property stolen. One Jeff Stanley was arrested on November 28 for the crime, having some of the property on his person, among which was a revolver ready for use. He admitted his guilt and also that he had been released from the San Quentin Penitentiary only on No vember 19, after serving five and a half years of a nine-year sentence for theft. , M Now if our penitentiary is for any purpose at all it is certainly for the confinement of such confirmed criml- Judge McGinn paroled mm last tve. it, with my house keys yet in his posses sion on his promise to bo good. If this is to be the continued prac tice of Judge McGinn in the future we may as well save the expense and lives of our city detectives and police officers and turn the city over to the criminals completely to prey upon the public as they see fit without moles tation. There can he no hope for a criminal who has spent the major por tion of his life In a penitentiary at different times. How can we expect our city detec tives and police officers to do their duty and risk their lives in making arrests of guilty criminals only to have them turned loose by the courts? In deed, what Is the use of it? Is It chlld'3 play? We shall not only have to be con tent with criminals now here, but such "Justice" Is an invitation to all the robbers throughout the land to come here, as this is the only city in the world where there is no punishment for crime. - A. E. JACKSON. n r "Go Away to Hear the News." Milwaukee Sentinel. "Oregon ranchmen have a brand new plaint; it is that the moving picture show is spoiling the cowboy," said a Westerner who is visiting Milwaukee. "Film makers demand their services and pay them handsomely for riding, bucking horses in front of the moving picture camera or for taking part in an alleged 'Western drama.' The cow boys like the Idea. "The old ranchers are sore and ill conceal their hostility. They declare the pictures only make ornery cow boys and give Easterners wrong Ideas of life In the cattle country. , "As a matter of fact, they say, rid ing bucking horses Is but a small part of a cowboy's life. As for the tra ditional Western drama, where the ranchmen's daughter marries the he roic cowboy who foils the traditional 'gun fighter' of the frontier, the dwell ers of the range country have only con tempt." Sounds Ominous. Chicago Tribune. Secretary Dickinson asks Congress for two or three aeroplanes, and In th next paragraph recommends that lnefn clent army officers be dropped. ke regularity are pracucany uni-