TTTE MOltNTXG OREGONTANV MONDAY, MAItCH 27. 1911.
Es'ar' at Portland, bntw FwateMIc a
Icc4.tlii Matter- .
uiecrlpu-a kiiu Invariably Im Ad
BT MAIM
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How to Uessll tend pootorllco mooor
tri. apreee rdr or pereoaal che--n
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to 2 p-aaa. eoata; i to u ta. centa.
to o eases. centa. fJ l pootoa"
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Uttar B taiaao Offlrao Verr aa Cona
lln ew Tor a. hrwuakk. bulldlas. Cl
oaca, st-ae. building.
rOBTHD. MONDAY. MARCH IT. ltL
TBX BOSSES AXr TUB MACHINE.
Mr. Frederick Jesup Stlmson Is pro.
feasor of eomoarativ legislation In
Harvard University a fact perhaps of
greater Interest to the professor yian
to the public: yet we take the liberty i
ef introducing the Harvard savant to
the people of the West because he has
written a book on "Popular Lawmak
ing." That Is something we la Oregon
know all about. The professor's Ideas
are not exactly In accord with some of
our own, for the reason, perhaps, that
he has not the Intimate view of the
popular lawmaking machinery the
genuine experts on the ground have
and for that reason, perhaps, his views J
are a little antiauated. :
For example, we find the New Tork
Sun quoting Professor Stlmson ap
provingly on direct nominations. The
professor thinks the method too cum
bersome and difficult and all "a mis
take. "Aimed at destroying the ma
chine." he says. "It entrenches the
professional politician In power." This
terrible misfortune Induces the Sun to
remark that while "the arguments
...i-., nnn.in.tinn. v.,r. hwn
many and destructive" the defect In
the primary method here indicated "is
the most unanswerable, namely, that
direct nominations designed to abolish
the boss and the professional politician
actually entrench him."
The testimony of the boss and the
professional politician who have had
real experience with the direct pri
mary, would be valuable In this con
nection. If It were tvallable. It ought
to be available at first hand In Oregon.
where there are many politicians but
no bosses left, and every political ma
chine Is either In a mournful state of
dilapidation or on the high road to
desuetude and decay. The old order
changeth: the new dispensation Is
here. There are no political parties
or at least no political organizations In
Oregon worth the name, and nobody
appears to care or worry.
There Is. to be sure, a reirnlng po
litical clique In Ore ton. which Is striv
ing to run both parties or what passes
for the old parties, but there are many
surmises that It is riding to Its final
fall. The direct primary, which put
the old-time machines out of business,
will In turn do fine work In relegating
to the rear the false friends of the
primary, who have used It mainly, or
solely, to do lip service for the people
and personal service for themselves.
VHT RAILROAD SFrTRlTDSS ARB TTX
SALABLE. With an abundance of cheap money
In nesrly all of the European finan
cial centers, with call money In New
Tork plentiful at one and one-half and
two per cent, six months' loans at
three and one-quarter per cent, and
prime mercantile paper dull at four
and four and one-half per cent. It la
still Impossible to Interest Investors In
American railroad securities. There
baa been a slight recovery In some of
the leading stocks since the weak hold
ers were frightened out by the far
reaching Interstate Commerce Com
mission decision, but best stocks, like
the Union Pacific, are still about 140
per share tower than they were before
the anU-raiiroad campaign began.
There Is nothing sentimental In this
suddenly displayed aversion of capital
to railroad Investments. It Is simply
a case of cold, hard business In w-htch
the trail from cause to effect has bean
blazed so plainly that there is no mis
taking It.
Tabulations ef the gross and net
earnings for 11 of 237.554 miles.
embracing practically all of the rail
,.H m.:.o. f x-nttt fit.,.-,
have been completed and the figures !
. . i
regarding railroad Investments. There
was a substantial Increase In the gross i
rfOH ,
eamlnga of the roaJs In 110. It
amounted to 1J30.000.000. or 1 per
cent, but the Increased expense ab
sorbed so much of this gain that the
Increase of net earnings was but
35.000.000. This was an amount In
,n . . ...u .
which were not Included In the figure. !
Dwplte the Increased expense of opor-
melon It was nacaaaarv for the rail-
roads to extend their lines and make
Improvements, on which they should
have earned some profit for the addi
tional Investment.
t-w- . .v .
disinclination of carltal to invest In "1U appointed to take charge of
railroad securities, however, does not the customs and supervise the expend
appear In a consideration of the year's I Iture of Llberlan revenues. The Lni
buslneas as a whole. Very few of the ! I'd States has neither asserted any
wage advances, which figured so ex- j tpecUU right nor assumed any special
tensively In the Increase In operating ! obligation In the premises beyond the
expenses, were In effect before July. supervision Indicated a supervision
A few were operative In April but ; made necessary by th total Inability
ethers went lmo effect much later In of the black to order their financial
the year and some of them not until , system wisely and Judiciously,
the beginning of the present year. By The history of Liberia began with
operating for the first half of 110 the effort of American phllan hro
wlthout the additional expens en- ! Phlsts to open th door of political
tailed hr the hlrher ware scale and I
other Increases which accompanied It,
the roads saved tcough out of the
S17I.044.S12 Increase In gross earnings
to show an Increase of 313. 433. (SS In
not earnings. While gross earnings
for the last half of the year Increased '
137.633.371 over those of the same
period In 1303. nearly all of the satis
factory Increase which net earnings
showed In the first half of the year
wss swallowed In Increased expenses.
This left net earnings showing a de
crease of 32t.425.244 and pulled down
the average of the preceding six
months to such an extent that a gain j
.v.- fin nnn aaa in
earnings for the year shrank to a com- j nearly 0 years It rich and varied re
raratlvVly Insignificant gain of source are still practically und.vel-
ro in th. net. oped. It. magnificent forest , have
It required the combined efforts of not resounded to the blows of the
all the railroads of the United Ststes I woodsman's axe nor to the hum of 'the
to make thl gam In net earnings, and I mlUman's saw. It rich mineral beds
yet It was Insufficient to pay for one- I are still unexplolted. It has utilized
tenth of the new railroad work that I to some extent It rubber resources,
was under construction In Oregon and j but under systematic development the
y..nrfM alone, Th t yea has j production, I that gTeat and Increas
I brought no change for th better.
I
Returns are now available for 225.000
miles of railroad and the figures are.
anything, more discouraging to capi-
t in
t&l than those which preceded them.
Gross earnings on these roads showed
an Increase In January of $4. 882.464.
and for the same month there was a
decrease of S2.33J.839 In net earnings.
In the Pacific Northwest the Hill and
Harrtman roads alone have under way
or In contemplation projects Involv
ing the expenditure of nearly 1100,
000.000. For that reason the Jan
uary figures on some of the properties
of these two great systems are In
teresting. The Southern Pacific showed a de
crease In r.et earnings of I6S3.608:
the Union Pacific fared better, with
a decrease of 1221.000; the Great
Northern showed a decrease of $5s.-
70; the Northern Pacific, by cutting
down 1250.000 on way and mainten
ance expenses and f 150.000 on equip
ment, scratched through with an In
crease of J207. These figures,
which are taken from the Interstate
Commerce Commission reports, offer
ample reason for the distrust which
capital Is showing toward railroad In
vestments. It Is needless to state that oat her
In the undeveloped Nbrth-wes where)
this cspltal Is needed, there Is a grow-
ing disposition to welcome a return of
confidence In railroad Investments and
to give the railroads a chance to re
gain a financial standing tnat wui
enable them to borrow the Immense
sums that are needed to provide facili
ties for the rapidly growing country.
nUVOICU AGAINST ACTOMOBTLXa.
The Oregon lan baa received a com
munication from Dr. John C Ross,
orotestlnr warmly against what he
terms the classification by The Ore-
i"""" " ---
The Fool and the Automobile.' Dr.
Ross was the defendant In a damage
suit brought by the widow of a man
struck and fatally Injured by Dr. Ross
automobile. In this case a verdict
against the automobile owner of 11000
was rendered Saturday in the Circuit
Court.
Dr. Ross asserts that the great pre
ponderance of testimony was that he
'was driving at a speed under four or
rive miles an nour. m iounumK u,
horn, that the man killed could have
avoided the collision had he exercised
due diligence. He declares that the
Jury was prejudiced and that The Ore
gontan has lauded a disregard by the
Jury of Its oath and tha law and the
evidence.
The case In question was mentioned
with others by The Oregonlan Sunday
to point a moral. The Jury was not
lauded nor was the evidence discussed.
If the Incidenta of the accident were
exactly ss Doctor Ross gives them the
moral still remains.
If there la a prejudice against the
automobile owner in Portland the
fault lies with the reckless drivers
who speed their cars around corners
and through the busy thoroughfares.
As has heretofore been declared, the
speed maniacs are few, but the public,
mind Is approaching the state where
It will see no distinction between
the careful and the reckless driver. If
this disdain by the few of the rights
of others Is permitted to continue It Is
practically certain that more than one
automobile owner will be compelled to
pay an undeserved penalty.
Conceding that prejudice against
automobile owners exists, the lesson In
the Ross case Is further emphaalxed i
by the fact that It ended In a three
fourths Jury verdict. The day of Jury
disagreement In Oregon la past. Just
aa surely as the new law has made it
Impossible for one prejudiced Juror to
prevent a Just verdict has It made It
Impossible for one man of fair. Judicial
mind to prevent a prejudiced expres
sion by his fellows.
If Doctor Ross was the victim of in
justice and prejudice the reason why
the Municipal Court should send con
victed speeders to the rock pile re
mains as cogent as if the damages
were Justly awarded against him.
Proper punishment of speed criminals
will serve to protect the prudent au
tomobile owners as well as the public.
A CO TI R Y-OLD DREAM.
Now and again for the better part
of a century the little African Repub
lic of Liberia has come before the
Government of the United States with
a plea for protection, readjustment or
aid of some material sort. In an emer
gency, that seemed to threaten Its
life. A late crisis of this kind has
been relieved by Judicloua Interven
tion at Washington and the tactful
dinlomacr of Mr. Roland P.
Faikner.
whereby negotiations for the recon-
structlon of Llberlan finances In the
Interest of European powers were suc-
rMafullv conducted. The task com-
PrtaeO J""""? ,W'l , ,.f
tna ironuvr imra - .
Hinterland and the adjoining settle
ments under French control.
This problem. Involving Infinite tact
and patience, has been solved; a loan
Is presently to be floated relieving the
financial pressure and Liberia will be
once more on Its feet In the hope.
which the United State Government
shsrea. of being able to take care of
Itoeir.
While nothing In the nature of a
protectorate has been established
which would moan the assumption of
what later might have embarrassing
roooonslbtlitles. an American official
freedom ana inucpcuuuui J
African slaves, or more properly
freedmen. who wished to return to
their native land under conditions that
were then wholly denied them In the
United States. It was founded In 1S23
by men better versed In the human
ties than In politics and remained 25
years under the tutelage of the Ameri
can Government, In 1347 It was de
clared an Independent state and at
tr since It has been In
financial strait and all the time, j
eemlngly. without power to govern
Itself as a state. It la still hoped.
however, that the great pos.iou.ues
in Liberia may b realised. After
ingly Important staple might be In
definitely increased. Its soil and clim
ate are admirably adapted to coffee
culture, yet very little coffee 1 grown
there for export. It I plain, there
fore that tinder Intelligent and ener
getic development and efficient, hon
est government. Liberia may become
a substantial contributor to the world's
needs. Indeed, It might yet, to some
extent, realise the century-old dream
of philanthropy In which It was
founded and become the mecca of
American negroes of Intelligence and
spirit who desire a chance to show
what they can do In political and In
dustrial life, untrammeled by race
prejudice and subordination.
MARKET FOB DOCGLAS FIB.
The lumber manufacturers of Ore
gon and Washington are perfecting
plan for extending th market for
Douglas fir. At the meeting of the
association held In Eugene. Or, re
cently, a start was made on a large
fund which will be used In bringing
the merits of this timber to the atten
tion of consumers. In view of the fact
that Oregon has more standing timber
than any other tate In the Union and
that our famous Douglas fir rank
high with other timbers. It la some
what surprising to not what a small
percentage of th railroad ties of the
country ars mad from thl wood. The
possibilities for an expansion In the
market for this kind of product of the
Douglas fir are encouraging. The
current number of th Railway Ag
Gaxett give detail of all railroad
tie bought by the road in 1903, and
of th grand total only about 7 per
cent were made of Douglas fir.
The total number of wooden ties
purchased by the railroads in 1309 was
123.761.000. an Increase of about 10
per cent over 1808, but a decrease of
nearly 20 per cent over the 1907 pur
chase, when the rallrotd building
boom was at Its height, '.n classifica
tion of these tie, a census bulletin on
forest products shows 67.132.000.
nearly one-half of the total, made of
oak. Southern pine comes next with
21.385.000. There were 9.067,000
Douglas fir and 6.797,000 Western
pine. A feature of these statistics,
which will seem somewhat surprising
In the West. Is the large number of
hewn ties, for of the grand total only
28,252.000 were sawed, and more than
one-fourth of the sawed ties were of
Douglas fir. From this timber -there
were marketed In 1909 1.962.000 hewn
and 7.115.000 sawed ties, all other
wood showing a larger number of
hewn than sawed ties.
Not only does th Douglas fir make
a very poor showing In the number
of ties sold In 1909. but It does not do
much better In prices. While the
Southern pine, with no better decay
resisting qualities, sold at an average
price of 52 cents, the average price of
th Douglas fir ties was but 41 cents.
Among seventy-two specie of timber
used by th railroads of the United
States, this choice Western timber,
with the exception of hemlock and
beech, was the cheapest tie bought by
the railroads that year. The rapidity
with which the manufacture of wood
en ties is eating Into the forest and
the great possibilities of a future mar
ket are shown In the statement that
but 13.3 per cent of the total pur
chases of 1909 were for new track and
In 1908 the purchases Included but 8.6
per cent for new track.
The total cost of all of the ties was
more than 360.000,000. With the ex
haustion of the Eastern and Southern
imniiea of tie timber, there will nat
urally b an Improved demand for th
famous Douglas fir, and this demand
can ba hastened by exploitation meth
od which will b undertaken by th
Oregon and Washington Association.
The railroad tie Is about the cheapest
form of lumber Into which we copvert
our magnificent Douglas firs, but a
trad which uses $60,000,000 worth of
tie per year Is worth going after, even
by th greatest lumber district In th
world.
XEW IDEAS I DIRECT LEGISLATION.
An official pamphlet "which contains
th text of th direct legislation
amendment of th constitution which
will be submitted In Washington at
the next general election has recently
been published. Some feature of the
Washington plan, particularly the
high percentage of the total vote re
quired to secure presentation of laws,
have heretofore been discussed. The
measure, however, contain other no
loss Important feature not found In
the Oregon plan.
The Washington system seeks to Im
pose a modified form of what la
termed th Imperative mandate. The
people may propose a measure for en
actment by the Legislature by filing a
petition in the usual form required
for measures to be voted on at gen
eral elections. Such petitions must be
filed not less than ten day before the
convening of the Legislature.
It Is required that these measures
be given precedence over all others
befor th Legislature., with the ex
ception of appropriation bills, and that
th Legislature shall enact or reject
the measure without amendment. If
adopted, such a measure 1 subject,
the same a any other aot, to refer
endum petition.
If the measure Is rejected or If no
action Is taken on it, the bill goes be
fore th people at th next succeeding
election. Th Legislatur may reject
th measure and propose a different
on dealing- with th same subject,
but In that event both measures must
go to vote of the people.
The Oregonlan ha advocated some
thing on thl order for Oregon aa a
mean of reducing the number of
measures on th election ballot. It
would seem, however, that th Wash
ington plan place so great a restric
tion in the matter of amending "Im
perative mandate" measure that the
chief purpose of that phase of th law
Is likely to be subverted.
One of th chief criticisms of Initia
tive law pointed out by unbiased stu
dents Is th lack of expert drafting.
Indefinite phraseology of at least two
of the measures adopted in Oregon
last year ha raised doubt as to their
proper construction. Had there been
some method of amending the meas
ures, without destroying their main
purpose and full Intent each would
have gained a much larger degree of
popular approval.
Obviously some safeguard should be
thrown around the Initiative meas
ure proposed to the Legislature if
amendments by that body were to be
permitted. Why not permit amend
ment of the phraseology of such bills
and refer them to the Supreme Court
for decision as to whether th sens
or purpos of the original has been
destroyed? A court opinion that th
Legislature had not emasculated th
bill should serve as well as submis
sion of the matter to th people. The
referendum would protect th public
from, th Imposition through th im-,
perativ mandate of laws It did not
desire.
Another Important phase of the
Washington amendment ' deals with
conflicting measures submitted to vote
of the people. Under thl provision
the voter who is opposed to enact
ment of both measures is permitted
to express that view, and also is given
opportunity to indicate which he con
ceives to be the lesser of two evils.
. In the last election In Oregon the
home rule bill and the state-wide pro
hibition measure were In direct con
flict. It Is conceivable that some
voters were opposed to both, but. fear
ing that both might carry, voted af
firmatively for the one they believed
the less objectionable. Had the Wash
ington provision been In force in Ore
gon, such voters could have expressed
both opinions. If a majority of the
electors voting on th question had
declared themselves against both
measures, both would have failed, al
though one or the other might have
received an affirmative majority. In
a way it is an application of the first
and second choice voting principle to
direct legislation.
In theory, at least, there is merit In
thjs phas of th Washington law. but
th question will naturally arise as to
whether It application will not con
fuse the voters. It certainly is not
conducive to a short ballot.
The Washington Legislature, in
drafting a direct legislation amend
ment, has plainly endeavored to avoid
the features In th Oregon system that
have subjected th latter to criticism.
If th amendment Is adopted, close
observation of the working of th
Initiative and referendum in the
neighboring state may be highly prof
itable. Attorney Stephens, who is arguing
the Spokane rate case before the In
terstate Commerce Commission, in in
sisting that Spokane Is entitled to ter
minal rut os continues to deny that
water competition is a factor In estab
lishing terminal rates at the .racum
Coast. The mere fact that for years
the water carriers hav been landing
ocean freight in Portland and shipping
It by rail to Spokane at a lower rate
for the through haul from the East
than could be met by the railroads ha
offered very good evidence a to the
Importance of water transportation as
a "fixer" of terminal rates. The atti
tude of Spokane Is such, however, that
even when the Panama Canal is com
pleted and present low rates are cut
in half. Attorney Stephens or some
other Spokane lawyer will still be
arguing that water transportation is a
myth. Meanwhile the volume of traf
fic coming to both Portland and Spo
kane by water. Is steadily Increasing.
The fatal railroad accident on the
Atlantic Coast Line In Georgia, Satur
day, offers more evidence that rail
roads must still contend with disasters
that cannot well be classed as other
than "unavoidable." Eight lives were
lost and more than a dozen people
were Injured In this wreck. The cause
was said to have been a defective axle,
which snapped while the train was on
a trestle, throwing the cars Into the
river. The making of Iron and steel
products has not yet reached a degree
of perfection where It la possible to
detect "Interior" weakness in a piece
of iron or steel which outwardly seems
perfect and will not Infrequently stand
shop tests more severe than those
which afterwards cause death and de
struction. The block signal has, to a
large extent, eliminated the danger of
collision but we are apparently as far
as ever from eliminating some of the
dangers that beset traveler by rail.
"Insanity" of th type that leads to
wife murderer usually spends itself In
the act that It Inspires and leaves Its
subject "so sorry" nd pleading for
his life, as If life to him was sweeter
and better and more to b desired
than was life to his victim. Pollock
probably had Insane people of thl
type in mind when he exclaimed In
true orthodox rage: "Hell's mad
houses are full of such too fierce, too
furiously Insane and desperate: to rage
unbound 'mong evil spirits damned."
When pa goea to a wedding h
thinks he ought to hav mor atten
tion than the bride," Is a sentiment
credited to T. Roosevelt, Jr.; "and to
a funeral he Insists on being the star
attraction Just the same." It will be
Interesting to hear the Junior Roose
velt's testimony as to father" official
relation to the event about to happen
in. th younger man' family.
The folly of traveling without money
... iMn.tmoil n the case of the aged
L couple who arrived on colonist ticket
from Michigan, expecting; m mco. ic
atlves, who failed them. In many
minds a few thousand miles East.
Portland probably means all Oregon.
Bewilderment on arrival Is but natural.
It 1 to b hoped the Municipal
Court had Its shoe blacked when
sentencing a speeder to Jail, for an
appeal ha been taken and technicali
ties ar to be feared.
What a pity Robinson Crewso, the
rooster tha survived the bombard
ment, was crippled! The f ancle lose
the opportunity to develop a new and
patriotic breed of fowl.
The gathering of hopmen broken np
by th Chief of Police at 1 In th
morning In a Salem saloon wa simply
an Informal airair to aiscuss mo qual
ity of the brew.
Some department of graft-controlled
New York is responsible for many of
th death In Saturday' fire. There
was no outside fir escape on th
building.
The absurdity of the law Is shown
in the release of Gaynor from a fine
of $175,000 upon his taking th pau
per" oath. Just watch him resume
business.
Aa th logging road I th pioneer
railroad, the extension of th lumber
company's line In the Mohawk coun
try may lead to something sometlma.
If It be treason, as Patrick Henry
would say If he were throwing mail
for a living, to organize, let them
make the' most of It.
0 longer can dad appoint' th
whole family to offic In California,
for th Legislature, has made a law
against nepotism.
Paclflo Coast cllmat scores again
In a baseball season that begins earlier
and ends later than that of any other
association.
Just for the sake of variety, why
can't we have "reciprocity" or "tariff
revision" candidates for city office.
"Statement On" is overworked.
EXFLA.XATIOX IS VJfCOJTVIT'r CIXG
Writer Dearies Belerestam om College
Appropriations.
ROSEBTJRG, Or, March 24. (To the
Editor.) In today's issue of The Ore
gonlan I notice a communication from
Mr. Timothy Brownhlll la defense of
the action of tha people of Yamhill
County In circulating a petition to in
voke the referendum on the appropria
tions granted the three institutions of
higher education by the recent Legis
lature. Mr. Brownhlll's explanation of
the reason for Invoking the referen
dum is anything but satisfactory to
the friends of higher education. If
he is sincere In his assertion that he
and his associates In this movement
are friends of higher education and
desire only the consolidation of the
three institutions, they should have
made their "kick" when the appro
priation abllls were pending before the
Legislature. Certainly tbelr waiting
till after the bills havs received the
signature of the Governor Is not evi
dence of such friendship. On the con
trary, it has the appearance of being
nothing more than a scheme to retard
the advancement of these institutions.
During rhe past decade the popula
tion of Oregon has increased wonder
fully. The attendance at the Univer
sity and the Agricultural College has
grown In proportion. To retard these
Institutions at the present time means
a severe blow to the state at large.
Colonists will not Immigrate to a state
that has little or no facilities for
higher education. The better ths edu
cational system the greater the chance
of Increased population. Should this
petition receive enough signatures to
be filed with the Secretary of State
and be voted upon In 1913 it will be
defeated by a heavy majority. The
people of this state are too progres
sive to allow their educational Insti
tutions to degenerate. Already vari
ous commercial bodies and other or
ganizations of business men through
out the state are going on record
against this referendum. Mr. Brown
hill and his associates will save them
selves both time and money by with
drawing their petition.
DEAN T. GOODMAN.
City Gardens vs. City Hens.
PORTLAND, March 25. (To the Edi
tor.) Just a few Items "Uncle Dennis"
has overlooked In his defense of the
crowing rooster and city hen. A good
maxim Is, "A place for everything, and
everything in Its place." The writer's
life-long regret has been that he was
not adapted to the life of a farmer,
as It certainly Is the most noble of
all vocations when pursued out on a
farm. But In the humble opinion of
the writer, when the farmer comes to
the city to reside, he'should leave be
hind him all farm animals and fowls,
as they belong to the farm and add
to Its beauty and profit. Surely the
poor city man has some rights worthy
of respect. Portland, the Rose City. Is
to -gain renown as the city beautiful,
or as arr immense barnyard which?
Now as to utility. Berries, -small
fruit, garden truck. ,etc, on back lots
solve this problem, and also furnish
employment to the city boy at home,
and Impress as well on his child mind
the rights of his fellow man the most
valuable lesson any child can learn.
Long life to Portland the beautiful!
Rid of its unsightly chicken yards.
CITY BRED.
Oregon Divorce Procedure.
PORTLAND, March 24. (To the Edi
tor.) Please give me the information
In your editorial columns Just how one
can secure a divorce on the grounds
of desertion without the aid of an at
torney. Also state if It would be pos
sible to serve the papers one day and
secure the divorce the next.
CLAUDIA
The state law provides no certain
days when divorce proceedings may be
held, although the court may favor a
certain day for that purpose It so
desired. A suit for divorce may be
brought one day and tried the next, if
the defendant prepares his answer In
time, and the court acts promptly..
The law permits a person applying
for divorce to appear either in per
son or by attorney. The Oregonlan,
however, cannot undertake to set out
the technicalities of service or form of
complaint.
Populations and Elevations.
CULVER, Or, March 22. (To the Ed
itor.) Will you tell me the population of
Portland, Seattle, Spokane and Tacoma
according to the census of 1910? And will
you also tell me the altitude of Leadvllle,
Colorado, or of the Tennessee Pass on
the Denver, Rio Grande & Pacific Rail
way? F. A CONSTABLE.
Census: Portland, 207.214; Seattle, 237,
194; Spokane, 104.402; Tacoma, 2.972.
Elevations: Leadvllle 10.200 feet; Ten
nessee Pass. 10,240 feet.
Teachers In Philippines.
CHEHALIS. Wash.. March 20. (To the
Editor.) Will you please tell me In The
Oregonlan the right person to whom ap
plication should be made for a position
a teacher In the Philippine Islands?
K. P. M.
Administrator of schools In the Philip
pines devolves upon numerous depart
ments organized within the islands. In
quiries for Information concerning op
portunities for teachers should be sent
to the Secretary of Public Instruction,
Manila.
When "So" la Preferred.
PORTLAND, Or, March 21. (To the
Editor.) Kindly settle a dispute by stat
ing In The Oregonlan whether or not
the following sentence la grammatically
correct:
Thiei flower Is not as nice as the
other." KARL RIEVDEBERGER.
The sentence is not strictly ungnam
maticaL However, In emphasizing com
parisons, particularly In negative asser
tions, "so" Im. preferred to "as," thus:
"This flower is not so nice as the
other."
Personnel of Supreme Court.
PORTLAND. Or., March 23. (To the
Editor.) Kindly publish how many judges
ih.r are Lt nresent In the United States
Supreme Court and their names
J. HAUSUW1.
A chief Justice and eight associate Jus
tices comprise the United States Supreme
Court, as follows: Edward D. White,
chief Justice; John M. Harlan, Joseph
McKenna, Oliver W. Holmes, William R.
Day. Horace H. Lurton. Charles E.
Hughes. Willi Van Devanter, Joseph
Rucker- Lamar.
The (vOmstocJc liOde,
BLAKELYVILLE, Or, March 23.
(To the Editor.) Was the Comstock
lode. Nevada, a silver or a gold propo
itin'n an4 what was the aDDroximate
production, gold and silver?
The Comstock lode carried In recent
years a ratio of gold to silver of
two to one (value). Estimates of the
tAt,i mitntit riurlner the neriod of
greatest production run from $325,000,-
000 to 3340.OO0.VUU.
Height f New Tork BuUdlncs. ,
CAB TLB ROCK, Wash, March 24.
(To the Editor.) How many stories
high la the Singer building In New
York? The Metropolitan Life?
CONSTANT READER.
it,.- al.... kntlrilnir la 41 atArles:
Metropolitan Life 60 stories.
PERHAPS TWO ANCESTOR APES.
Aathropoloatat Says There' a Split la
the Family Tree.
Literary Digest.
A somewhat remarkable theory, to
prove that man Is descended from ape
like progenitors in two different lines,
one related to the modern gorilla and
the other to the orang-utan, has been
propounded by Hermann Klaatsch, pro
fessor of anthropology In the Univer
sity of Breslau, Germany. Professor
Klaatsch was closely concerned with
the discovery and description of two of
the four skeletons of prehistoric men
that have been found in France during
the past two years, and his new theory
of man's origin arose from observations
on these two skeletons. The first was
of the same' type as the Neanderthal
man; the vault of the skull was low.
the eyebrow ridges prominent, the face
large; the limb bones short, stout, and
massive. The second (the Aurignac)
evidently belonged to a newer race
much more like the modern European,
the vault of the skull being high, the
supraorbital ridges not pronounced, and
the bones of the limbs long and slend
er. A notice In the British Medical
Journal says:
"Professor Klaatsch was so Impressed
by the superficial resemblance of the
Neanderthal man to the gorilla and of
tha Aurignac man to the orang. that he
has formulated a theory of double ori
gin for the human race. The gorilla
and the Neanderthal race are. he sug
gests, co-descendants of one branch of
a basal anthropoid stock, while the
orang and the Aurignao race are co
descendants of another branch. We ex
pect a great deal from evolution, but
we do not remember a theory which has
made such a demand on the Ingenuity
of Nature, and on the Ingenuousness of
of the scientific public as this theory
now promulgated by Professor Klaatsch.
That the orang and gorilla may have
diverged and become the distinct gen
era which they now are can be under-,
stood, and that from the basal stock of
the one or the other man may have
arisen, can be accepted as a working
hypothesis; but that from the basal
stock of two such different genera Na
ture could produce two stocks of men
which in the process of time converged,
and at last fused in one species, seems
somewhat Incredible. The writer who
introduced this theory to English read
ers in a recent issue of Nature de
scribed anthropoid apes, as 'unsuccess
ful attempts and dashes forward to
ward the goal of the definite creation
of the human race.' He had evidently
In his mind some of the later literature
on Arctic exploration; the theory he in
troduces has some resemblance to the
account given by a recent explorer who
claimed to have reached the Pole."
AMERICAN FIRE COST IS HIGH.
Wooden Buildings Invite Spread of
ConflagTaaionju
Baltimore Sun.
"Every man, woman and child In
America Is taxed $3 annually to pay
for the country's fires."
This statement was made by Frank
lin H. Wentworth, of Boston, In an
address before the Credit Men's Asso
ciation of Baltimore. Mr. Wentworth
is secretary of the National Fire Pro
tective Association, the only organiza
tion of Its kind in the United States,
and his address consisted of an elabor
ate consideration ef "The Significance
of the Fire Waste."
The average per capita loss In Eu
rope, based upon statistics gathered in
six countries, he said, was 33 cents.
This vast difference between this and
any other nation as regards the preva
lence of fires he blamed solely upon the
carelessness of the American people
and the fact that they assume no per
sonal responsibility for the loss occa
sioned by conflagrations.
lf we Americans wake up In the
middle of the night and can't find a
match," he exclaimed, "we feel person
ally abused. In Europe, if one wants
a match he must go to the places where
matches are kept."
To this fact he traces much of the
loss of life and property by means of
fire to which this Nation Is perennially
subjected. But the chief cause of the
alarming fire tax in America, he said,
which averages $250,000 a year, was on
account of the many wooden buildings
which are found in towns and cities
and which constitute vital invitations
for the spread of conflagrations.
Wire Screens Across Rotundas.
Chicago Post.
Plans to stretch wire screens across
the rotundas in downtown office build
ings for the protection of the public
against persons who commit,- suicide by
leaping over the railings of upper
floors have been made for four struc
tures. Drawings of a plan for the Union
Bank building have been submltteS to
Building Commissioner Campbell. Plans
for nets for the Chamber of Commerce,
the United States Express and the Port
land buildings are now being prepared.
The screen for the Union Bank build
ing will be made of wire mesh and
supported by one-inch steel cables, four
feet apart. The screenwill be stretched
across the rotunda on the second-floor
level, and Is strong enough to resist a
weight of 400 pounds falling from the
top floor of the building, which is seven
stories in height.
The Why of a Lawyer's Busy Monday.
New York Sun.
"A lawyer gets, more callers on Mon
day than on any other day of the week,"
remarked an attorney. "If he lives in
the country his front doorbell will be
gin to ring before he Is out of bed, and
If he has a city office there Is likely
to be a line of clients waiting.
"The reason Is that on Sunday fam
ilies get together and talk over their
Intimate affairs, and one of these is
sometimes a suit they are thinking of
beginning, and so one of their number
is appointed to see the lawyer, and he
comes down Monday morning. Of course,
this is more noticeable In the country
than in town, but I have found that hu
man nature works the same way in
metropolitan or rural circles."
Dane and Scandinavians.
SHELTON, Wash, March 23. (To the
Editor.) To settle a controversy, will
you please advise me whether or not
Danes are properly classed as Scandi
navians? ANNA CHRISTENSEN.
It is proper to speak of a Dane as a
Scandinavian. The three kingdoms of
Norway, Sweden and Denmark are all
Included by standard authorities under
the name Scandinavia, although com
mon use of the term is often restricted
to Norway and Sweden.
Bine and the Gray.
Appleton's.
fa.n Enrllsh admirer of 'Ailsa. Paige" haa
aant the following- poem to Robert W. Cham,
bars, author of that Civil War novel):
Only the tale of a Nation's pride.
Asserting- a Nation's claim;
Only tha tala of a cause that- died-
Enshrouded In blood and flame.
Oh hearts ao noble, and hearts so true.
To pariah In deathly fray!
And I hear tha tramp of tha boys In blue
And tha maxoh of the men in gray.
Which waa tha right and which was ths
wrong.
Lt other times strive to tell;
Each felt In himself that hla causa was
strong.
So feeling, ha fought and fell,
a great cauaa won, and a great cause threw
- The hopa of its life away.
And wa give our eheara to tha boys in blue.
And our tears to the man in gray.
Waa it proodar to mar oh with the victor
Grant.
Or sink In defeat with Lee?
To whom la the laurel, the afterchant.
Is It triumph or threnody?
Tba soli la sacred tha bloody daw
That ripens the fields today.
Has poured from tha hearts of tha man In
blue.
And the hearts of the men la ray.
EXTRAORDINARY VIEW OB" TRUTH
Dean ef St. Panl's Cathedral Has Tilt
With London Newspaper.
Chicago Evening Post
Most newspaper editors acquire in
time the profound conviction that their
business is hedged about with some ex
traordinary difficulties. The matter of
getting the truth, for example. Is bard
enough for ordinary reasons, but It is
made considerably harder by that trait
in the popular conscience which makes
It easy to deny as untrue statements
which are merely Inconvenient and not
at all untrue. The London Dally News
has Just been treated to a case In point
by no less scrupulous a gentleman than
Dean Gregory of St. Paul's Cathedral
In London.
That gentleman reached not long ag
his ninety-second birthday.- February
20 the London Daily News announced
on good authority that he was about to
resign. This promptly brought from
the Cathedral the following denial:
"The dean is not retiring and would
like to find out who is circulating the
untrue report."
This drew a prompt apology from the
London Daily News, which had no In
terest in the matter beyond a desire
to print the facts. But on the follow
ing Wednesday, Just four days later, the
London Times printed the official no
tice: "The dean of St. Paul's Is forwarding
to the Prime Minister a formal intima
tion that he desires to resign his offlo
as from May 1 next."
When a representative of the London
Dally News called at the deanery to In
quire what all this meant, a member of
the dean's family banded him the fol
lowing statement:
"The dean of St. Paul's yesterday ten
dered his resignation to the Prime Min
uter. Neither he nor his family gave
Interviews on Friday or Saturday to
any representative of the press. The
assertion that he bad not resigned was
made with perfect truth, as also the
statement that it would annoy him ex
tremely did he know it had been made.
It Is not within the rights of anyone
to ask for further information than it
has been decided to give them."
In view of the tact that the Dally
News merely said that the dean was
about to resign which on the basis of
subsequent developments was perfect
ly true even at that time, the deanery
took an extraordinary view of the
truth. But there are few editors who
have not encountered the same aptitude
for protective dissimulation.
CORSETS GOING OTJT OP STYXEt
Washington Society Girls Have Dis
pensed With Stays.
Kansas City Star.
Dealers In corsets are not pleased
with the latest fad of the Washington
smart set On excellent authority it is
said to be strictly swagger nowadays
a woman must discard the engirdling
stays a thing not possible with the
present style of empire girdled frock.
The younger set promoted the "back to
nature" Idea. There have been many
smart dances this Winter, and one after
another the young women have - cast
aside the artificial form.
The first girl to appear at a danoe
uncorseted created a mild sensation. But
so materially, did her innovation affect
her career as a belle that the subsequent
dances were remarkable for the number
of girls who had suddenly taken up the
dress reform.
The older folks didn't like It so well,
being of the opinion that the girls were
going back to nature with a vengeance,
and the criticism stirred up drowned
even the commotion caused by Justice
Harlan's overhauling of the swagger set
for its disregard of proper Sabbath ob
servances. But it Is different elsewhere, and not
to be outdone by the younger circle a
number of the smart matrons Introduced
some novelties into their costumes.
Mrs. Hultington Wilson attracted much
attention by adopting the heelless slip
per. Mrs. Wilson, who Is one of the
most picturesque members of Washing
ton society, "dresses to her own style."
Her gowns, which follow the lines of her
supple figure, are unlined and weighted
by a fall of crystal embroideries. Her
hair she dresses with Grecian simplicity
the whole ensemble agreeing perfectly
with the satin-shod feet, guiltless of tha
erstwhile popular Cuban heel.
Another Foe of the City Hen.
PORTLAND, Or., March 23. (To the
Editor.) The, undersigned agrees fully
with the "esthetic citizen" regarding the
nuisance of chicken yards in such a
beautiful city as Portland.
I have resided here several months, and
greatly desire purchasing a home here,
but everywhere I have gone to look at
one the chicken yard with Its unwhole
some odor and noisy roosters have been
in evidence, and each time I've returned
to rented quarters discouraged.
Why not restrict the city and have tha
most undesirable portion set aside for
the chicken and dog raisers?
MR a MARGARET BTERS.
Tillman Says He Cant Recover.
Augusta, Ga DlBpatch.
Senator Ben Tillman, of South Caro
lina, says he Is doomed, and that he Is
only waiting for the end. The Senator
was In Augusta and made the admission
that he could never recover.
"My appearance misleads every one,"
said Senator Tillman. "I look well and
I tell people I am well, but I find when
I try to do the thing that I formerly
did and wish to now that I am weak
and not able to do much.
"I never can recover from the stroke
which caused my collapse at Washing
ton, D. C."
Horse Show and Other Dates.
Woodburn Horse Show, March SL
Mount Angel Horse Show, April 1.
Stayton Horse Show, April 1.
Salem Horse Show, April 7 and 8.
Oregon City Horse Show, April 22.
Mining Congress at Portland. May
Umatilla Pioneer Reunion at Wes
ton, May 26 and 27.
Portland Rose Festival, June 6-10.
Oregon Development League, . As
toria, August 14-18.
Loaded.
Gnlveston News.
They stood in silence sad about the musaed-
up little spot;
They knew the man was loaded, but they
thought the gun waa not.
Half a Century Ago
t From Tha Oregonlan, March 27, 186L
The Governor has recently received
four brass field pieces from the Govern
ment. One goes to Salem, one to Jack
sonville, one to Corvallis and one to
Eugene.
A project is on foot to carry water
from Mill Creek Into Salem for the use
of the inhabitants.
Lady Franklin arrived from Victoria
In the Panama. While at Vancouver's
Island, In British Columbia, she was
treated with every demonstration of re
spect and sympathy. While the Panama
is detained here she w'll avail herself
of the time offered by visiting the Falls
of the Willamette and the Cascades of
the Columbia Yesterday she went up to
r. r-.. - w.A tnAatr ah Will M hv the
Oregon Steam Navigation Company s
steamer to the tjascaaea.
a MtHMUa mfflun drew a line across
a saloon in Sacramento and calling it
Mason and tnxon s line urai "
kill the first man who crossod It. A
.i - Fmmfttt Dovle. arose
greuuejua.!,. i,mu-u ,
and in leaving the room crossed the
line. The ruffian struck him with a tum
bler, destroying one of his eyes.