10
TITE MORXTXO OREGOXIAN. FRIDAY. MAT 12, 1911.
(Efje (Drfrrmtimt
roRTLAXD. oarr.ox.
Enirl a: Portland Oraa-on. poatorftco so
Vx:or4-'!as Maftar.
Ibocripuoa Hotao Invariably la AdiuCA
BT MAIL)
?anr. panaay ynciuna!. on y
4 :j
L:lv. urd&r tnrliui.! al months
aiir. "titular lnc it.. tfcr rrontha... 2-23
ta:ir. Sundaa ln-tutl. otio montn...... -S
l.y. otrbout uo'ly. on .... 8 0
I i y. .ibji. i.i month a 2..
r:lT. wfioul 'inar. t.r menlfta.... 1.73
Cat;v. without Sua4l, ntontb. .'
WaalT. nnt y r 1.50
SunHaw on trr . ..... ........... .
Sun.: c a wnllr. en lr .oO
HT CARRIER)
t?y. Snn1T ln-!tid1. on r. ......
Loi.r. h 'xt.iLm r lnclil4. on month)..... .7
Mow to Kmjt nif patnrtleo monr
rar. iprra urc.r or poraonol cr.ack on
y-ur local bank. Ifitmpi, rotn or rurrn-y
r t In ndr' r.a. ;iv potorflr
tvJ -1 r-aa .n full, tn.-ludins county od atat.
foatotro Kata IO to 14 I cr.t: 1
to pax. 1 caata; lo to pa. 3 -nta:
o to 6 p4. a casta. Foraija pota
tlonbl rat.
I.Mrra ftvalo Offliao Vrro A Con a -Il
Nao Yora. I nanaotcK. pulldlnc CM
tear building.
roRTLAXD. IKIDAT. MAT 1. lata.
WKXXT IXCI.hLATIOX IX OiiXAHOM..
Are indebted to th New York
" Sun for the views of the Enid Events
upon the subject of the Initiative and
referendum. Enid Is In the State of
Oklahoma, the Enid Events Is a news
r&per. and Oklahoma has on form of
Ae Intuitive and referendum.
This Oklahoma Journal Is obviously
not an advocate of direct legislation.
for w find It commenting- thus: I
Duricf our three years and one-
nsir or the initiative and referendum
and recall the people of Oklahoma
have Initiated no legislation, recalled
no officials and referred no legislation
cither stata or local.
"If the reader will think a moment
he will conclude that the Initiative,
referendum and recall are so unwieldy
that their effectiveness is destroyed
except as they are used by political
or other firmly established organixa
lions, backed by plenty of money.
"It would be an Impossibility for a
few individuals to initiate or refer leg
Islatlon or recall an official except they
erect a sufficient organization and ex
pend considerable money. It would
be necessary to open headquarters.
employ helpers and petition circular
ers, and spend from several months to
a year initiating- and bringing- the
proposition to a vote. In the mean
time and in making the fight it would
be necessary to spend many thousands
of dollars."
As a consequence of the stat
menu thus set forUi. the Sun exults,
seemingly, that the mountain erected
by the upiifters of clvliiration and
good government has not brought
forth even a mouse. We have a dis
tinct recollection, however, that sev
era! Eastern Jonrnala have commiser
ated with the voters of Oregon over
the task Imposed upon them through
the lr.ltiatlvo and referendum, of re
jecting or approving thirty-two pro
posed laws or amendments In the last
election. It therefor seems that the
opponents look upon too much direct
legislation as a bad thing, and too lit
tle direct legislation as equally vicious.
The inquiry naturally arises as to
why Oregon, with the initiative and
referendum, should find direct legisla
tion burdensome, while Oklahoma ap
parently Ignores its opportunities. We
take it that the Enid Events does not
mean to Imply that the voters of Okla
homa have never had a measure pre
sented through tho initiative or refer
endum. In the last election six cnact
. ments were referred to the people of
that state. Each of the measures
failed at the polls. In other words,
no legislation was accomplished, al
though the machinery was In motion.
On the whole, this circumstance Is not
any sounder argument that direct leg
islation Is a failure than Is J he experi
ence of Oregon, with its horse-blanket
ballot. The term "initiative and refer
endum" Is applied to a principle which
may be worked out in a variety of
ways. Oregon has gone to one ex
treme and adopted the wide-open,
ever-ready and easily-manipulated
type. Oklahoma has possibly gon to
the other extreme and adopted an
over-cumbersome type, although the
record so far doea not necessarily
make that the inevitable conclusion.
In Oregon, voters to the number of
S per cent of the total vote cast for
Justice of the Supreme Court may
present laws or constitutional amend
ments by initiative petition, while the
number required to refer laws enacted
by the Legislature must be at least i
per cent.
The percentages In Oklahoma are
the same for Una but IS per cent of
the voters must sign initiative peti
tions for constitutional amendments.
The basis for applying the percentage
differs in Oklahoma from that In Ore
gon, for In Oklahoma the percentage
is calculated on the highest number of
votes cast for any state office. In Ore
gon the candidates for Governor re
ceive normally from 15.000 to 20.000
more votes than do the candidates for
Justice of the Supreme Court. A
change In the ratio and percentage in
Oregon to those adopted in Oklahoma
would undoubtedly make an Impor
tant difference In the number of meas
ures submitted In this state.
In addition to this difference, the
Oklahoma Legislature may prescribe
other restrictions by law, and it has
adopted the plan of making approval
of a measure contingent upon its re
ceiving a total affirmative vote at least
equal to a majority of the total vote
cast In the election. In Oregon, if
the affirmative vote exceeds the nega
tive vote on any measure presented,
the measure is approved. Had the
Oklahoma plan existed In Oregon at
the time of the last election, not on
of the thirty-two measures would have
fceen approved, whereas, under the
Oregon system, nine were adopted.
The initiative arid referendum,
adopted in Montana In 1905. has not
been used extensively, if at ail. There
the percentages are the same as in
Oregon, but the base is the. vote for
Governor and petitions must be signed
by the required percentage of the vot
ers In two-fifths of the counties of the
state. The people have not the power
to Initiate constitutional amendments,
nor to Initiate or refer laws carrying
appropriations.
Contrasted last year with Montana
and Oklahoma was South Dakota,
where the voters, as In Oregon, were
overburdened with legislation. Five
per cent of the voters may initiate a
measure In South Dakota, but the
constitutional provision provides that
such measure shall first go to the Leg
islature and by it be submitted to the
people.
Other states that have adopted or
propose to adopt the initiative and
referendum have almost, if not quite.
Invariably chosen no other state
.cystem. .Washington proposes
centages and ratios different from
those in Oregon, and will exclude con
stitutional amendments from the pro-vb-lons
of the act. Arizona's much
dlcuacd constitution uses the vote
for Governor as the basis for calculat
ing the percentage' required to Initiate
or refer measures. Illinois' proposed
act could more properly be termed a
form of imperative mandate than a
form of the Initiative and referendum.
Under the proposed Illinois plan a law
Initiated must first go to the Legisla
ture, If the Legislature falls to adopt
It. It is then submitted to vote of the
people, but only In the event that 25
per cent of the members of the Legis
lature vote affirmatively for the meas
ure. One well may speculate as to which
Is the best plan. If one believes
that the Initiative and referendum U a
proper substitute for the Legislative
Assembly, he may logically" approve
the Ore.-n plan. If he believes thnt
the Initiative and referendum should
be- held ss a reserve power to attain
for the people only that which they
need and desire, but which the Legis
lature refuses to give them, or to pre
vent the Legislature from Imposing
upon the people something that the
people do not desire, then he may log
ically approve the Oklahoma or the
IUinos or some other plan.
According to The .Oregonian'a way
of thinking, the Initiative and referen
dum should not be an instrument
freely offered to the faddist, the ex
perimenter, the demssogue. the spe
cial interest or the political clique. Its
use should be so restrained and safe
guarded that it would be Impossible
to submit any measure to vote of the
people unless it were honestly drafted,
clearly worded and so earnestly de
sired that it would be unnecessary for
paid emissaries to solicit signatures in
Its behalf. In the light of the experi
ences of Oklahoma and Oregon with
different forms of direct legislation
machinery, the people of the South
western state should be content" that
their system Is too cumbersome for
use except when the public welfare u
In actual stress.
ANTI-RECIPROCITY TWADDLE.
The quantity of twaddle which ts
uttered In the name of the farmers
upon the subject of reciprocity Is as
founding. Thus John M. Stahl. legis
lative agent of th Farmers National
Congress, says, among other un
Inspired remarks, that "the farmer 1
not the one to strike at because of
the high price of foodstuffs to city
consumers." Who wishes "to strike
at the farmer?" Certainly the advo'
cates of reciprocity do not. Mr. Stahl
himself admits that the prices of farm
products at the farm gate are about
as low as they can possibly get with
all the boasted benefit of the tariff
on wheat and corn.
This ought to prove to an Intelli
gent person that the tariff has noth
ing whatever to do with the amount
the farmers receive for their grain
and stock. They get what the mld
dlemen choose to pay them and no
more. Since their receipts at present
Just skim the margin of the cost of
production, they could not receive less
under any conditions. If the price
falls below the cost of production, the
farmers must go Into some other bus!
ness.
Mr. Stahl cite another fact which
he supposes to prove that reciprocity
would Injur the farmers. It really
proves that the market price of their
products is fixed by agencies entirely
uncontrolled by the tariff. He say
that "the price of hogs on the Illinois
and Iowa farm has been for the last
thirty days only 0 per cent of what
It was for the same period In 191.
And this is under the beneficent pro
tective tariff. If prices can fall 60
per cent In one year how In the name
of common sense does the tariff neip
the farmer? W admit that It helps
the middleman who exploits the far
mer. After he has swinaiea me pro
ducer out of his crop the tariff help
him swindle th consumer out of his
wares, but doea this benefit th
worker In the fields?
The most sublime passage in Para
dise Lost Is Milton's apostrophe to
light. The most essential and the saf
est thing in all the world Is light.
Men feel the need of it so much that
sometimes they imagine darkness to
be light. Mr. Stahl seems to suffer
badly from this Illusion. Would that
the scales might fall from his eye be
fore he plays th part of th blind
leading the blind a great deal more.
PKOVOflOX WORK SYSTEMATIZED.
It is asserted, and undoubtedly with
truth, that no commercial body ever
engaged in so comprehensive a cam
paign of advertising as that recently
undertaken by the Portland Chamber
of Commerce. As one of the crown
ing efforts of this campaign is the
appearance of a 32-page album, with
Illustrations in color, entitled "Ore
gon, the Land of Opportunity." This
album Is Intended for free distribu
tion, largely among possible Investors,
and Is the acme of that type of color
promotion literature which has found
such great favor among Oregon
communities.
The energy of the Chamber of
Commerce, however, is by no means
confined to the publication of artistic
albums. The system adopted by the
organization embraces a series of
pamphlets, each dealing with special
industries. A small booklet sent
broadcast presents in colors views
taken In many localities off Oregon. An
attached postcard gives a list of the
special pamphlets and invites request
for the publication 'dealing with the
Industry or occupation In which the
recipient is particularly Interested.
These pamphlets include Instructive
and descriptive treatises of the cli
matic conditions of Oregon, the apple
industry.' other fruits and nuts. Inten
sive farming, dairying and stockrals
lng. poultry. One pamphlet tells
what can be done with $1000 to $5000
In Oregon, another tells only of pub
lic lands, another of education, still
another answers questions concerning
general conditions. Fourteen different
publications are either ready for dis
tribution or in process of printing.
Unusual merit is found In these
publications by reason of their com
prehensive yet conservative treatment
of special subjects. The inaugura
tion of th plan has undoubtedly been
expensive, but the systematized effort
to reach the Individual should prove
economical in the long run by reason
of Its - saving of ammunition. The
homeseeker or investor is not bur
dened with the task of searching
through a large publication for the
matter that particularly interests him.
He can obtain the information de
sired, told tersely and by writer of
authority, and the fund is not de-
per- , pie ted by sending him a mass of
material In order that he may find
something about his one specialty. .
It is a work that merits continuance
and is one that should have the finan
cial support of all who are now es
tablished in Portland and expect to
derive benefit from the further
growth and prosperity of the state.
HOLOING IT THKEJB INSTITUTIONS.
It is curious and may be significant
that the three centers of the move
ment against the Monmouth Normal,
the University of Oregon and the Ore
gon Agricultural College appropria
tions are Yamhill County, which has
no state institutions. Marlon County,
which ha nearly all the state insti
tutions, and Cottage Grove, which lias
a deadly hostility toward Eugene and
all its works and ambitions. But the
State University and the Agricultural
College and the normal school are
open alike and on equal conditions to
students from Yamhill and Marion
counties and from Cottage Grove, and.
they ought to have support there as
in every other part of Oregon.
It should be assumed that the peo
ple of Oregon definitely and finally
settled the vexed normal school prob
lem when through ' the Initiative a
year ago they declared for Monmouth
and against the other normal pro
posals. Do not the people know what
they want and what they do not
want?
not entitled to have It? A few years
ago. too, there was another referen
dum on the University of Oregon and
the institution was sustained. The
verdict of the people was therefore
for the university. Why another ref
erendum now except for spite or re
venge or perverser.ess or Jealousy? It
is not creditable to Oregon that its
State University should be hampered
and attacked by recurrent movements
of this kind.
Let as have an end of this referen
dum business on these three institu
tions, that they may move forward to
desirable positions f service and use
fulness to the people of Oregon.
and educate, but Grover Cleveland,
besides having been a safe and saga
cious President, was also a provident
and worthy fatherland provided from
his own error's, as worthy fathers do,
for the maintenance and education of
his offspring. Why, then, should the
country be called to assume or sup
plement this service?
It is the abuse of the pension idea
as exemplified in coses where the pen
sion is neither Just nor necessary that
makes it impossible to check its
excesses or vigorously to protest them
under the ordinary conditions of life.
It is thus that the pension idea, noble
In its conception, and Just in its in
tent, has been debased by the free
handed and unjust bestowal of it
privilege.
LOCKWOOD.
Mr. Logan calls Charlie Lock wood
"a menace, a drag and a detriment
to the Republican party." This Is of
ficial, for Mr. Logan is chairman of
the Multnomah County Central Com
mlttee. IVhe immediate occasion for
the pointed remarks of the chairman
was an effort by Lock wood to get his
thlrfty grip on the organization of the
city committee. .
Lockwood Is small fry; but he is a
type. There are many Lockwoods,
far too many. They do infinite harm
to any cause or any party upon which
And if they want it. are they J they chance to force themselves. The
matter with the Republican party In
Portland Is Lockwoodism. The peo
ple are tired of feeding the party
leeches. They are weary of seeing th
Lockwoods around. The low estate
of the Republican organization in the
general mind is the Identification of
party and party organization and
party effort and perty purpose with
the Lockwoods. The party exists.
apparently, to feed the Lockwoods at
its crib. Tha only way to get rid of
the Lockwoods Is to destroy the party.
aV) they destroy the party. But the
Lockwoods go on forever.
So lung as the Republican party In
Portland tolerates Lockwood and his
odious kind it will not have the public
confidence. And it should not have.
THE SAME OLD PARTIES?
Party lines have been weakened by
the progress of events during the past
several years; but they have by no
means disappeared. There are yet
two great parties and nothing in the
signs of the time indicates the im
mediate dissolution or submersion of
one or the other. Everyone knows
that there will be a mighty contest
next year between the historic Na
tional parties, and no one believes
that defeat of one or the other will
Involve It in Irretrievable disaster.
Yet w see strange portents In the
political firmament. President Taft
works willingly and deliberately with
the Democratic majority in the House
and the Democratic minority in the
Senate to put through Canadian reci
procity. He Is opposed by the ma
jority of his own party, though an
assertive minority stand by the Ad
ministration and makes possible, and
even probable, Its success.
The question is going to be asked
next year whether a Republican Pres
ident or a half-Democratic Congress
is responsible for Canadian reciproc
ity. The Democratic platform will
point with pride to the disinterested
and patriotic action of the Democratic
Congressmen in carrying out the great
Democratic principle of Canadian free
trade, and the Republican platform is
going to do the best It can with a
vexatious and awkward issue. It will
doubtless praise the President mildly
and direct toward the Democrats a
broadside of artistic and withering de
nunclatlon for what? Clearly th
Republican party will be face to face
with a grave dilemma, and the Demo
crats axe sure to garner the fruits of
their consummate strategy and polit
ical wisdom In Congress.
Yet we see President Taft pushing
straight ahead, and hi party sinking
straight down in the mire of its own
perplexity and fatuity. Party lines
do not concern the President; evi
dently they do not trouble the coun
try. His own political future gives
his enemies more anxiety than it gives
Tart; the country approves heart
ily and pointedly his lofty self-renun-
clatlon and appears to be preparing
to reward so noble a sacrifice by vot
lng for another as his successor.
Withal we find no public man leav
ing the Republican party because the
ship Is thought to be sinking; nor do
we find the warlike and Irreconcilable
Insurgents earning out their sup
posed purpose of organizing a party
of their own. Not at all. Even La
Follette stands pat as a Republican,
though he attempts to create of the
nsurgents a party within a party.
What La Follette and his followers
will do next year, when Taft shall be
renominated, may be questioned; but
where will he go If he goes and where.
will he end at the end? La Follette.
It may be supposed, would doubtless
become an apostate if he could carry
the Republican party of Wisconsin
with him; but he can accomplish
nothing more than its ruin and his
own political demise by so radical a
course, bo he stays.
President Taft stands immeasur
ably better before the country now
than he did a few months since; but
does his party? Evidently not; yet
there are many opportunities In the
next few months for the Democrats
to blunder; and when have the Demo
crats' failed to walk Into any pit dug
for them?
Members of the Star Grange, now
in session at Corvallla, to.-the number
of 250, visited the State Agricultural
College Wednesday, were escorted
through the grounds by the gallant
cadet of. the military department,
through the buildings by the officers.
ana were banqueted by the young
women of the School of Domestlo
Science and Art. . Needless to say,
they were highly pleased and enter
tained by what they saw, heard and
ate. Depend upon It, the Oregon Ag
ricultural College will get what it asks
of the State Legislature if the Grange
members of that body have the de
ciding vote. Old-fashioned farming
and the old way of teaching farming
were all right In their day, but new
methods are for new times. In the
forefront of the progress for which
the State Agricultural College stands
Is the "Order of the Patrons of Hus
bandry" and Its expression, through
the Grange.
FEXSIOXS IVB FRKSIDENTS WIDOWS.
The abuse of the pension system is
the same whether it applies to rela
tively young widows of veterans who
served as soldiers in the ranks or to
the same class of applicants who were
married to veterans higher up In the
line of military position. Thus there
is no more reason in Justice as ap
plied to the basic, pension idea in giv-
ng the relatively young widow of
General Benjamin Harrison a pension
than there Is in giving a pension to
youthful Mary Smith, widow of pri
vate John Smith, who served In the
Civil War long before she was born.
The principle Is the same in both
cases. Neither the one widow nor the
other deserves anything of the Gov
ernment for having married the man
she chose, though if the pension idea
Is to be worked out on a charity basis
Mary Smith is the fitter subject of the
two for governmental bounty.
With the widow of President Gar
field, the case 1 different, since she
shared with thet soldier the anxieties
and dangers of war, doing nobly the
woman's part In war by keeping the
home and caring for the children and
the aged mother of the soldier while
he was afield performing the man's
duty in stress of war.
As for Mrs. Cleveland well she Is
one of three widows of ex-Presidents.
That Is all that can be aald in favor
of giving her 15000 a year. She has
several growing children to bring up J
The new $2 cash register Is all very
well, but what is really wanted is an
automatic salesman which will sell
goods and swallow the pay. At the
end of the day the stomach can be.
opened and the cash put In the safe
hdward Everett Hale describes an
automatic escort in one of his stories
which served the purpose as well as
if it had been a living man. This
showr how little real difficulty there
woula be In the way of an automatic
clerk, or salesman. If some Inventor
would apply his mind to the problem.
MR. LAFFE11TY EXTENDS THANKS.
Pleased That Campaign Which Wot
IL(m Votes la Renewed.
WASHINGTON. D. C. May 4. (To
the Editor.) In the late campaign cer
tain Portland papers made fun of mr
name. JThey accused roe of changing it
often. They -advertised me and made
me many votes. It pleases me im
mensely to see that they are now start
ing a, campaign for my re-election,
should I again seek public office. Again,
my naays is made the Bubject of their
much appreciated sarcasm.
These same fellows also charged me
during the campaign with being insin
cere in my professions of friendship for
the public, as against the special in
terests, with being a disreputable law
yer, who "had been up for disbarment
before the Land Department," and with
having been arrested for "insulting de
cent women on the streets of Portland."
In the face of these charges, made by
these "Influential" papers, the people
went right ahead and elected me by a
large majority. It seems that the peo
ple ought to have a guardian. Well.
the people of Oregon have managed to
stumble along and do pretty well elect
ing officers for several years, and they
are getting on to publications that pro
fess great friendship for the people,
and then always support the candidate
with the longest pocketbook.
I admitted everything they charged
against me last campaign except the
allegation that I had been arrested fflr
Insulting decent women on the streets.
If they had said I should have been ar
rested for any reason, instead of say
ing that I actually had been arrested,
perhaps I would not have denied that.
But as it was I made the statement In
my speech at Sixth and Washington
streets Just before the election that if
they would produce the record showing
where I had ever been arrested In my
life on any charge, or the statement of
any officer who made the arrest, that
I would withdraw from the race, and
that if such proof could be produced
after my election that I would resign.
I am still waiting for the proof and
my challenge then made still holds
good. They failed to produce the proof.
but now say I spoke to "indignant
women on the streets. I should like
to see the women. In the language of
Captain Peary, "Let them produce the
Esquimaux." The women are not com
plaining, but these gentlemen are. If
they are commissioned by any particu
lar member of the fair sex to make
this charge, let them give the name of
the one in whose defense they are
wielding their chivalrous pens. Other
wise we must conclude that their fair
damsels exist only in their Imaginations.
My name is Walter Lafferty, and I
want all my friends to call me by that
name henceforth. My parents gave me
the name Abraham Walter Lafferty. No
one ever called me "Abraham,"- except
Judge McGinn, who has a fad for call
ing every one by his first name. At
home and In school I always went by
the name of Walter Lafferty. It is the
only name that sounds good to me,
when applied to myself, and la the only
one that makes me feel at home. 1
have always signed my name "A. W.
i-arrerty." ana In order that new ac
quaintances may know the first name
that I go by I now carry it on my let
ter-heads as "A. W. (Walter Lafferty.
I may later drop the "A. W." alto
gether and simply sign It "Walter." I
reserve the right to keep on working
on my name till I get it down to suit
my own taste.
A W. (WALTER) LAFFERTY.
TRIBUTE TO GOVERNOR WlLSOJr.
The sailor dead will be honored at
Vancouver on Decoration day by the
beautiful custom that has prevailed
in the garrison city for some years
that of casting roses upon the current
of th broad Columbia River at that
place. A more fitting tribute to the
heroes of the sea-arm of tha Govern
ment service could scarcely be de
vised. Whether current-borne or
tide-tossed, these flowers will exale
Incense to the memory of many gal
lant men whose duty took them down
to the sea In ships.
Just over the hills back of Portland,
a stone's throw (If you throw it far
enough), in the town of Beaverton,
where the onion thrives on the beaver
dam land, lives the latest Oregon
newspaper baby, the Reporter, which
for style, spirit, make-up and setting
of "display" la entitled to the blue
ribbon.
When will railroads give over the
pleasant fiction of spreading rails as
cause of accident? Why should rails
rpread if the track is given the atten
tion it needs for constant traffic? A
rail may break, but not spread if
properly spiked.
The Custom-House people might
make a dicker with Pendleton and get
rid of the fireworks on hand. Pen
d'.eton does not want a celebration
that savors of sanity, so-called. Pen
dleton purposes making a noise.
The State Grange would use the
hair to cure the bite by putting
liquor license money into the peniten
tiary fund. Some states find the plan
advantageous of putting that money
into the school fund.
, .
Justto give an idea of progress in
one small town, it may be stated that
Nehalem is building a three-story
hotel on a foundation 50 by 80. That
would be "some tent" In many a pre
tentious city.
Somebody besides rebel soldiers and
adventurous Americans is likely to be
hurt If the game of war is kept up
much longer in Mexico. It looks now
as If it might be Diaz.
Chicago boasts a May temperature
of 87 degrees. If memory serves cor
rectly the record not being instant
ly available Portland did that well
one day last April.
. Qne proposed law by the State
Orange has merit to prevent swear
ing in vote. At present the law helps
the lazy man.
People with the strawberry appe
tite must have them, even from so far
distant as Tennessee.
A possible ride on a dead horse
seems to knock the nerve of the best
man for Mayor.
When cash registers get down to 2
apiece, every housewife can ring up
the "old man."
Your Uncle Blnger, old warhorse
that he Is, scent th fray a long way
off.
Eaatera Oregon Writer Looks L'oon
Him As Presidential Timber.
PENDLETON. Or.. May J. (To tha
Editor.) As a citizen of the state. I
desire to congratulate the people upon
their determination to make the ap
proaching reception of Woodrow Wil
son non-partisan in character, and I
crave the courtesy of The Oregonian's
columns to pay a personal tribute to
this scholar, publicist and statesman. I
am a Republican. He is a Democrat.
Tet I am Impressed that he is the most
Imposing figure In American official
life today, and more nearly reflective
of the sentiment and purposes of the
great middle class of the Nation than
any man who has appeared upon the
political stage in the last quarter cen
tury. He is not a doctrinaire like
Bryan, nor an opportunist like Roose
velt, but. combining a marvellous arrasr
of the science of government with prac
tical knowledge of human nature, he Is
able to achieve, to reduce to concrete
legislation, the abstract theories of the
average man and to accomplish such
results without attendant commercial
panic or popular alarm. .-
He is a progressive. If In Congress
he would probably be denominated an
Insurgent. Yet he is not an extremist,
and never a radical. He has reached
the firesides of the Republic, where Im
portant questions are finally Betted, as
has no other public man since Lincoln.
If the Presidential election were to be
held today, and Governor Wilson were
a candidate, he would probably defeat
any man who might oppose him.
The party harness hangs loosely in
these days. There is no striking issue
which divides men into parties. The
people are concerned over moral, civic
and economic questions, and above all
else are desirous of finding some prac
tical method of divorcing business from
politics without destroying the indus
trial fabrlo of the Nation. Most think
ing men are progressive, but they know
that permanent progress is of slow de
velopment, hence they are conservative
progressives. Of this class Woodrow
Wilson la becoming the recognized
leader.
Only a few months ago' this man
stepped from the presidency of clois
tered Prinocton to the Governorship of
the State of New Jersey, the mother of
corporations, the nurse of trusts, the
pocket borough of the Pennsylvania
Railroad Company, the home of the
High Priests of Political Big Business.
When nominated the Nation viewed
him as the choice and representative of
wealth, as the scholar In politics, who
was to be groomed as the Presidential
candidate of the Interests. Yet his first
announcement as a candidate was to
align himself with the independent ele
ment of his party, and his first act as
Governor was to crush the bipartisan
political machine of his state In the
successful espousal of the cause of
popular nomination of Senators.
He has not yet been in office a half
year, yet he has routed the bosses of
his state and. even with a divided legis
lature, one branch thereof Democratic
and the other Republican, he has se
cured the enactment of such advanced
legislation as other states have re
quired years to attain, and has placed
reactionary New Jersey In the very
van of the popular conflict.
' Among the new statutes of that state
which bear the Wilson Impress may be
noted a comprehensive measure regu
lating public service corporations, a
thorough-going corrupt practices act,
a primary election law, wise enact
ments covering employers' liability and
worklngmen's compensation, together
with administrative reform of both the
school and penal systems of the state.
From the man who could accomplish
all this as governor of New Jersey In
four months, the public would have
reason to expect much in four years
as chief executive of the nation."
Governor Wilson may never be Presi
dent. The people do not yet nominate
Presidential candidates. But he pro
claims a message broader than the ten
ets of any party, and it is meet that
he shoulld be greeted, not as a parti
san, but as a citizen.
STEPHE.V A LOWELL.
1 1 ;
MORAL SHEPHERD VIEW OF WAR.
Dr. Wise Writes About It and the Peace
Propaganda.
PORTLAND, May 10. (To the Edi
tor.) You call me a "Moral Shepherd."
You know that Miss Watson's Jim told
Huck if any of his own race called him
"Polly voo francay" he would "bust him
over the head." As a Caucasian and a
citizen of America I resent your in
sipid insult, and deny the Implied soft
ness. If you think you can annoy me
with soft bleats of that nature you will
find an intensification of the 15 pounds
to the square inch that habitually
presses the top of your head. On sober
second thought I do not know what a
moral shepherd is, but it sounds like
something related to a Jellyfish. The
time is passing, my dear sheep, when
the men who "seek peace and pursue It"
can be accused of Ingrained timidity.
If you editors had the nerve to talk
out there would be less shouting for
war and more real courage. During
the late war with Spain, and during
the rambles I have made through his
tory with favorite authors, I find that
the leaders of men, who have embroiled
them in wars, have encouraged most
cowardly methods. They would not
fight an enemy, as a rule, unless they
outnumbered him, nor would they
attack a position until they had beaten
it to pieces first with long-distance ar
tillery. You know that the science of
war Is to get behind the other fellow,
and after ho Is disorganized by your
ambuscades, to murder him at your
convenience and with perfect safety. I
do not speak of rare instance but of the
rule.
When I spoke in favor of President
Taft's arrangement with Great Britain,
I did not suppose for a moment that an
enlightened newspaper would suppose
it was the result of fear, no matter how
much Mauser bullets annoy me. I know
that most editors are not afraid of bul
lets and prefer them to reason, but
was deluded into believing that they,
as a class, favored enlightenment and
were not opposed to the plain progress
of civilization. The only part of war I
have ever come into personal contact
with was the death from Typhoid Fever
of scores of young men at Chicamauga.
You doubtless recall the sappy bravado
of the press at that time, which turned
Into a putrid whining after scandal
when the thing went wrong. There
must have been something wrong with
the waste of energy that compelled such
extravagance of treasure and life in
that Instance. , The Peace Propaganda Is
seeklne the error In the minds of na
tions that expose citizens to such ca
lamities and our honored Frealaent
thinks he has found a preventive for
many ills of like nature In a working
agreement with a powerful kindred
nation. Your philosophy of the boys In
the apple tree Is striking, and, I must
admit, convincing of the perverseness
which leads men to suppose that nations
should treat each other as fussy child
ren. You know, of course, that our
present relation with Great Britain la
of such a nature that we are practically
committed to peace, since we have
agreed that our enormous common
boundary of the Great Lakes and the
Canadian line shall be utterly destitute
of warlike preparations. You are prob
ably aware that treaties do not pre
vent war but avoid them as long as
both parties abide by their contract.
Your quotation "Trust in God and
keep your powder dry" is as much out
of date as your philosophy, because
modern arms have waterproof cart
ridges, and according to the more ad
vanced theologies the deity does not
take the Interest in military afTalrs he
used to. Napoleon knew that latter fact
and you can find it by turning to your
well-used book of handy platitudes.
War Is not Irreligious, not un-Chrlstlan
or un-Jewlsh. but it is uncivilized, and
should be the resort of the oppressed
and the defense of civilization against
barbarity, not the argument of cultured
nations.
My dear sheep, you are trailing be
hind and I must send my dog to nip
your hocks and get you up with the
bellwether, so that you can be within
reach of the "Moral Shepherd." While
I resent your pallid Insinuation, I re
main convinced of the fact that you
are still to be had for progress and
peace.
JONAH B. WISE.
The Oregonlan is quite unable to
understand the point of this commun
ication. If there Is a point. All we can
make out is that the excellent rabbi
objects to be called a "moral shepherd."
We didn't; we didn't. We merely said
that he "took the moral shepherd's
viewa" There is a difference, though
there would be nothing to get excited
about even if we had called him out
right and without making any bonos
about it a "moral shept-crd." Dr. Eliot
and Dr. J. R. Wilson were placed In the
same offensive list, but they have
meekly submitted. But not Dr. Wise.
No, sir. He lets us know what he
thinks about it with all the Justifiable
indignation displayed by the good
woman who had been called a paral
lelogram.
Advertising Talks
By WIMIam C. Freeman.
Mutual Inventory of PockeJ.
New York Evening Telegram.
A gentleman never snatches his
trousers away from his wife when he
discovers her going through his
pockets. He only hopes she will leave
him enougrb. with which to go down
town in the morning. He is perfectly
welcome to go through her purse any
time and help himself to anything he
can find. That is' what married life
means. A man should not allow his
feelings to be hurt wfieu his wife runs
across loose change or a roll in tils
pockets; he ouKht to play the game
and take such little conjugal pastimes
for granted.
Laws la Canada.
SUBLIMITY, Or., May 8. (To the
Editor.) If a man dies in Saskatche
wan, Canada, leaving brothers of half
blood and of the whole-blood are they
all heirs by law or only those of the
whole blood? S. O.
The Oregonlan will not undertake to
answer legal questions arising in for
eign countries.
Te.
PORTLAND, May 9. (To the Editor.)
Had Mr. Montag received the ma
jority of Republican votes at the pri
mary, would he have been the Republi
can nominee for Councilman of the
Sixth Ward at the June election?
A SUBSCRIBER.
Yes, unless he declined to accept the
nomination.
sa
PORTLAND. May 10. (To the Edi
tor.) If I have money left me by an
uncle which I am to receive at the
death of my aunt, and I never receive
the money, would It be legal for me to
make a will for my wife to reecive It at
my death? A SUBSCRIBER.
One cannot will expectancies.
Child Labor Law.
RICKREALL, Or., May 7. (To the
Editor.) Is there a child labor law In
Oregon, and does it prohibit children
under 14 years from working In hop
yards in the country?
-A SUBSCRIBER.
There is a child labor law in Ore
gon but it does not apply to farm work.
Highest Office Bulldlnsr.
DALLAS, May 8. (To the Editor.)
What is the highest building In the
United States? J. D. S.
Metropolitan Life building. New York
City.
Tradition has tilled more ndvertialasr
(TM-trarda than anything else.
Look around you and you will seo
this for yourself.
Take the firms in your community
that have followed cgatom for years
that haven't changed their methods
are they progressing?
Inquire as to th'e amount of business
they do and you will find they are do
ing less. If anything, than they did 10
years ago.
Compare these firms with firms who
have changed their methods to conform
with the times have you noticed their
progress?
Time was when advertising ran only
occasionally and consisted merely of
the name and address of the firm, with
possibly a mention of the merchandise
for sale and the prices at which It was
to be sold.
But the merchant who follows this
style of advertising In these days will
not meet with much success.
The advertlxing copy of today must
be something more than a mere price
list to bring results. I
It must have human Interest. It must
tell a running story every day about
the merchandise that is offered why
it is good merchandise why it is worth
the prices asked for it and it must be
truthful.
Advertising: copy of this nature will
brius bunlncss to nny firru if it is
done persistently and conHlstently.
This is true of every community it
applies to Houston. Tex., as well as
New York.
Get out of the rut, Mr. Merchant .
you who have followed custom Just
because it was custom. Shake off tha
shackles of "tradition" and you will
progress In tho right direction.
(To be continued.)
Country Tcwa Sayings by Ed Howe
(Copyright, 1011. by George Matthew
Adams.)
The "good story teller" seems to be
passing away; people seem better sat
isfied with the almanacs here lately.
The old-fashioned way of doinsj
things must be improved upon slowly;
it takes thousands of years to mako
much of a change.
When anything In the way of gossip
Is said to be "all over town," It usually
means that four or five people know it.
Hidden away in every breast is the
instinct of a slave; the instinct to
cringe bet'ore power, and bend the
knee to it.
A man gives up something every
year because It doesn't "agree with
him." After awhile, he finds that living
doesn't agree with him. and gives that
up, too.
There Is nothing more" pitiful than
an old man making a new start in life.
Every time a man picks up a baby,
some woman present screams: "Look
out for its back."
Usually It Is necessary to ask a man
twice In order to get his real opinion.
Some people always look the same.
whether going to a funeral or to a
wedding.
College boys do not act much worse
than town people attending a picnic in
the country.
The Scotch Idea In Bargaining.
London Tit Bits.
The canny Scot wandered into the
pharmacy. "I'm wanting three
penn'orth o' laudanum," he announced.
"What for?" askod the chemist, sus
piciously. "For two pence," responded the Scot.
Sherlock Holmes!
Will Reappear in Next
SUNDAY'S
OREGONIAN
That great exponent of deduc
tion and adventure has Jbeen re
vived by Sir .A. Conan Doyle.
The Adventure of the Devil's
Foot is the first case the keen and
crafty Sherlock undertakes. It
is a weirdly fascinating tale in
which Doyle is at his best. Re
new your acquaintance with the
greatest of detective characters,
on page 7 of next Sunday's mag
azine section.
AND ANOTHER BIG FEATURE
We have secured the most vital
of that great collection of Civil
War photographs recently un
earthed after having lain in
musty vaults for half a century.
Real action pictures of the con
tending armies in that great
struggle ! You will get a closer
and more intimate understanding
of the war from these remarkable
photos. Text provided by the em
inent historian, Dr. Francis Tre
velan Miller.
Fiction is amply provided. Be
sides the Sherlock Holmes offer
ing there are two complete short
stories both of them up to the
measure of good short fiction.
Some New Self-Mades of Con
gress deals with men 'who have
forged their success out of bitter
struggles with early adversity.
There is a distinct loeal end to
a recent stirring battle in Mex
ico. This is dealt with in an in
tensely interesting half page,
fully illustrated.
"Tampering With Nature" re
counts the achievements of Gov
ernment scientists in creating
hybrid plants and animals. Ever
hear of the cattabu or the zebu?
Col. Crowe. Wallace Irwin's
new hero, hands out some delight
ful satire, softened by humor, re
garding our liberty-loving neigh
bors across the Rio Grande.
Widow Wise nearly loses her
heart and her life in the Al
pines. Sambo acquires a kingdom
and Mr. Twee Deedle has a fresh
adventure.
Those are just a few of the
things.
1.