np TITE MORyiXG- OKEOOyiAy. YEDyESPAY. MAY 24. 1911. - Tfie (Dmroirimt rOTLAD. OKEGOX. Erterad at Fenian. Ora.oa. fmotBM ee - r-l - Xl!lt. Ouc-ipwu Km Invariably tm Advance. BT MAIL) rettT. Sunday taela4d. on. year.... ..-f) I-i.r. Smur tccludad. ela mturni .... . , I aily. fuiilT lnrluril tnree ir.ontba... X..3 lel t. I irdiT licudtd. oaa eaoal...... ? X-.i;y. t'Foul un-.ar. one r" I-e. jr. ai'tioul Skadar, a monthe. . . . - r I ...r. wlt-ot Rii.c.y. UrM moataa... X a.Ir. witaout eundajr. a&e anwata. ...... - !. n .-.r J-J? tondajr. en J.r AVaauaj a&4 weaaly. OB year. CBT CARRIER) XaTry. Suny ro-ltMed. ana Tr ...... - Ier:y Soa4.t tac.wd-d. ana month.. ... M t. Bawdl 6.n4 Poetarr'.e emr. eiprave orcer or peraonej che-fc ea -ur lajc.i baa, stan.pe. so. a or currfl'-y p. ai lie e-ndera r'e. Glva ajo.torf.ea a,i'lrM ta fo.t includes county aoJ etala. faalaaa RalM-10 la I pi I east: 1 to it f i ) casta; 30 ta o pagaa. tenia; to ta. 4 ceata. ere.ga pcaiag euu rata. Iwunl Bi'HiM Oma Terre Conk Ita T j.-l:rauu, fcuildla. C-l-ttte. 8t.cr aulla-n. FXTLAND. WEOXtoOAI. MAT ta. till. A TTMCAl. ST AMP A TTT-R. Tha Oregonian print this morning lat:rr from a man living cot fax from Pendleton, a Mr. Hutchinson, who avers that ha la a farmer and makes soma pretense of slaving for othT farmers on tha subject of tha tariff. Judging Intrtnjlc evidence, we should not suppose that Mr. Hutchinson rep resents the more Intelligent class of hie agricultural . neighbor. The re markable statements which he makes about the miraculous power of the tariff seam to emanate rather from a man who never reads or thinks thaa from a progressive, up-to-date leader of a rural community. Take the following statement from Mr. Hutchinson's letter and are If you can believe that It was made by a man of outstanding Intelligence: "Tha pro tectionists knew that high tariff In creases trade, both export and Im ports, and low tariff, or the threat of low tariff, decreases foreign trad. Mr. Hutchinson unfortunately neg lects to Inform us how he mar.ages to reach Uila extraordinary conclusion. Jt Is certainly not orthodox protec tionism. The fundamental purpose of the tariff Is to keep out Imports and thus preserve the American market for own Infant Industrie. If It docs not keep them out but actually in creases their volume patriotism coun sels us to hasten to abate It lest our manufactures should pine and die from the effect of a flood of ruinous com petition. Mr. Hutchinson Is like a good many other men who adore their fetishes so abjectly that they do not stop to look very closely at the arguments by which they defend them. It may com. fort our Pendleton friend to learn that ha ta In the same boat with the dis tinguished Mr. Mann, of Illinois, In this matter. Mr. Mann also set out to defend the Indefensible the other day. His theme was the benefits which the tariff beatows upon home manu factures. To prove that these bene fits surpass all estimate Mr. Mann ottered the following memorable sen tence: The International Harvester Company not only haa a manufactur ing plant In Canada but one In France, In Germany, In Russia and. I think. In Sweden. We will not be too particular about the Swedish plant. The others are amply sufficient to show how the tar iff protects American labor and builds up home Industries. With what bits It ought to suffuse the heart of the American farmer to learn that he has been paying two prices for his reapers and mowing machines In order to build up Infant Industries In France and Russia. This Is altruism. Indeed. Hut there is more to the story. Mr. Mann goes on to let another cat out of the bsg before he ends his speech, which every farmer In the country, especially Mr. Hutchinson, ought to read for their souls' good. He says that these plants of the machinery trust occasionally pile up a surplus In their Kusslan and British shops and then they proceed to unload It In the I'nlted States, thus bringing the pro tected American workmen in direct competition with the paupers of the Old World. So much for the protection which the machinery trust enjoys and the good the American farmer and workman get from It. When we first perused Mr. Hutchin son's letter we were amazed to find that there was si I II a farmer In O re gno who had read or thought so little on the moat Important political sub ject of the diy. He repeats with docility the foolish Inaccuracies which we ted to hear from backwoods spellbind. r In the far-off days of childhood. He seems to think that nobody has moved a step In the last years because he himself has been standing still ail that time. We were amazed at first, we say. to see all this, but upon taking up some of the stand, pat speeches In Congress, delivered gainst Mr. Taff reciprocity agree ment, we flr.d them r:br l-.s Intrl llgent than anything In Mr. Hutchin son's latter. Mr. Hutrhtnson ys he sold h!s wheat In Cleveland's Administration for cents a bushel and thinks) the low price was caused by a low tariff. He does not know that the Wilson tar iff was substantially as high as the one tt supersed.d. but no matter about that bow. The point Is that the Hon orable William H. Wilder, of Uasaa rhusetts. made prchey the same blunder In a speech on the tariff and reciprocity the Cher day. "In those years of Democratic administration cotton was t cents, now It Is la cents a pound." Thus Mr. Wilder. Hut when a fellow Congressman asked him what the duty was cn raw cotton he had to confrss that he dij not know. The arguments thus fnr made In Congress against reciprocity and the free lint th.tt may accompany It are pieltlvely sickening for Inanity. Mr. Mann, who Is among the brlghte-t of the stand patters, was reduced to quib bling over the meaning of agricultural Implement. "What are agricultural Implement." shouted the eminent statesman. "Are wheelbarrows, axes and hay knives agricultural Imple ments" and so on without end. Verily stsndpatlsm should amend Its wit as weU as Its Information. The death of two women well known In the pioneer era and annals of the State, almost eo.ua! In length of years, and closely associated In their prime In church work and neighborly office, occurred almost simultaneously the or. last Saturday and the other Sunj day morning. Mr. Martha Adair, for merly for many years reoldent of Sa lem, later of Eugene, and for the last eleven years of Portland, died at her home la this ctry Saturday morning. t the) Hm bout Bund J morning Mrs. Elinor- Smith Knight, wife of Rev. P. 8. Knight, of Salem, passed away In that city. Both had lived out the allotted span of life, Mrs. Adair being 74 and Mrs. Knight 72 years old; both were laid to rest In their reflective family plots In Salem cemetery. Their namea carry a weight of womanly endeavor and influence that will extend far beyond the term of their nalursj lives. The sorrowful vicissitude of life had come to both, and In helping to bear one another's burdens and to carry sympathy to those about them their own burden became lighter. Mrs. Knight was for many years the assistant of her hus band In the State Deaf Mute School, a work In which her executive ability and ready sympathy found full play. Mr. Adair Is well , remembered by graduate student both of Willamette and Oregon Universities, she having been for a number of years In close touch with them and In sympathy with their work. In the death of these two honored pioneer women the Oregon Pioneer Association ha lost two mem bers, one of whom. Mrs. Adair, had been a regular attendant upon the an nual reunion of that society for many years.' Both will be greatly missed from the yearly narrowing circle which represents the pioneer era. MMOX. ktSHXJGHT AND ftEWERS. There is a Brooklyn home-owner Who ha been Investigating the pro saic question of ewer-plpe and sewer construction with most surprising re sults, which he presents In a contri bution to The Oregonian today. It ought to be Interesting, especially to the supporter of Councilman Rush light, who haa posed as a friend of the people-but who has a record as a aaaloua proteotor of the sewer trust that re will find It difficult to explain successfully. The terra co.tta pipe trust for year had Portland" by the throat, and charged vrhat price It pleased until something happened. That something was the entrance Into the field of the cement pipe concern, and the deter mined effort of an Influential mem ber of the city government to. force down price of the greedirand hither to successful terra corta monopoly. Who was that fearless champion of the Brooklyn home-owner and every other property owner, small and large, that had to yield his hard-earned dol lars to the demands of the terra cotta outfit? Councilman RushllghtT Now you would think that Council man Rushlight would have been busy on the Job day and night In a patri otic and dutiful effort to see that the home-owning and home-loving cltl xen of the Brooklyn sewer district the very ward where "Rushlight comes from were not gouged and pillaged and milked of their scanty dol lars by the terra cotta trust. Of course, with all Rushlight's preten sion of looking out for the people, one would think so. But Rushlight did nothing of the kind. He stood In op that 12.000.000 Brooklyn Job and every other terra cotta Job, and tried In every way to keep out the cement contractors. It was none other than Mayor Simon who brought the terra cotta monopoly to It knee over the protest and the active opposition of Councllmen like Rushlight. Mayor Simon, not Rush light, protected the people of the East Side who were paying exorbitant sums for sewer. The home-owner would have been paying how those excessive and outrageous profits to a selfish monopoly, except for Mayor Simon. It is well enough for the people who have been exposed to the tender mer clo of the terra cotta trust to be re minded of the facts. It Is the concern of the entire public, too, whether It should pay much or pay little for It sewer, pavements, and other Improve ments. Mayor Simon has done prac ticable, useful, and courageous work for the general welfare In all those particular. Councilman Rushlight ha not. rrsVlIGIITEX TUX CKAJTVEt. The Astoria Chamber of Commerce Is endeavoring to have a change made In the present zig-zag channel across Cathlamet Bay. A petition haa been sent to the Government engineers ask ing that a channel be dredged through a more direct route past Tongue Point. At the present time deep-draft vcsel bound up or down the river must make a wide detour passing far to the north of Tongue Point. This not only makes navigation In a fog or after dark much more hazardous, but the building of this xlg-zag channel has prevented a free flow of water past Astoria docks, with the result that Astoria harbor and the channel be tween that point and Fort Stevens are continually filling up with sand that Is no longer carried out of the way. The present channel. In fact, sweep Immense deposits of sand and silt over Into the old channel, which must still be used by vessel bound In and out of Astoria. Thl necessitates constant dredging In order to make the waterway navi gable for the large vessels that now enter (he river, and tt also Increases the difficulty In piloting vessel up and down the river. The Government and the Port of Portland have spent large sums of money In dredging sand and silt out oi the river, only to have It slide back inagaln. thus necessitat ing Its removal time after time. Much of thl work, of course, was done In emergences. Until permanent em bankments or bulkheads for retaining this. debris are provided, there will be continued loss from this cause. Cath lamet Bay, however. Is so near the mouth of the river that the "mill race" tides that sweep seaward twice a day ought to keep a reasonably straight channel, like that past Tongue Point, well scourel out. MORI WATKVLETU, JtOADS. Advice from Boise report great ac tivity In railroad circles In the Salmon River territory. Northern Pacific cars are depositing railroad material along the line between Armstead and Dillon, and It U reported that the road will be poshed through to Salmon. Idaho, where It will strike the Salmon River and a water-level grado down to Lew tston. This would give the Hill line an easy grade through from Montana to the Pacific Coast, enabling them to move freight at much les cost than under present conditions. From the viewpoint of Mr. D. H. Gilman. of Se attle, a ho Is so bitterly disappointed In the North Bank road, it is folly on the part of the railroads to spend their money on a' water-level grade through the mountain, when they might Just as well parallel the line they have al ready built over the lofty ranges that separate Montana, and the East from the Pacific slope. Unfortunately . for Mr. Oilman's logic tha Hill force In Idaho are con fronted with the same competitive problem that forced them to build the North Bank railroad- The Harriman Interests have already started con struction of a roasi down the Snake River canyon, and eventually It will be built through to Lewlston. thus giving them a water-level grade all the way from tidewater at Portland to Poc'atello. Idaho. The economic ad vantages of this grade, as compared with the mountain errata over which the Hill lines now reJfh the Pacific Coast, are so apparent that they can hardly be obscured from any sagacious railroad man. "and the Hill interests In building down Salmon River are taking the only natural and logical method of meeting the competition of their great rival in the transcontinen tal business. Undoubtedly, the larg est traffic that these roads will be called on to handle along these water courses will be lumber bound east from the Coast markets; and as it always moves at comparatively low rates, the necessity for rigid economy In operation is imperative. These water-level grades, however, win enable the roads to profit by "back haul" business from the Pacific Coast after the Panama Canal Is com pleted. The stress of ocean competi tion Is already being felt on many commodities originating In easy reach of the Atlantic seaboard, and the sit uation will be Intensified as soon as through steamers from New York and other Atlantic ports begin lantfing un broken cargoes at Portland for distri bution throughout the Pacific North west. From no other port oh the Pa cific Coast can the railroads reach o far inland without encountering grades as from this city, and the roads now projected In Idaho will greatly In crease this mileage of water-foVel grades and Incidentally play the mis chief with the pretty theories f Grade Expert Gilman. of Seattle. KUtPLCB AND BETTER. Why a party primary for a munici pal election? Why a party ticket? The voters at the late Republican pri mary In Portland were not all Repub licans. Few of them entered the pri mary with the feeling that the party had an Interest In the result or that Republican principles In policies were In any way Involved. The nomination of Rushlight In the way he was nom inated demonstrate the futility and absurdity of the call on party to act In the name of party In such a contest. The whole party business should be abandoned In municipal and other local elections. Pne conspicuous and indispensable feature of the commission plan of government In nearly all cities Is the abolition of party contests. In most places a general primary open to all voters Is held. It Is a mere elimina tion contest. If five commissioners are to be elected, ten are nominated at the preliminary primary. An elec tion la then held to choose five from the ten nominees. It Is all very easy, simple and satisfactory. The political machine goe on the scrap heap. It has nothing to do, and could do noth ing if It tried. If Portland shall adopt the com mission form of government, the farce of the Rushlight nomination as a Re publican by so-called . Republicans cannot be re pea,ted. A XmV LIHKAKT BUIXXUNQ. The completion of a magnificent building for their reception at last enables New Tork to bring the Astor, Lenox and Tllden libraries, under a single roof. The combined collection of books will hereafter be adminis tered as a public library, free to all readers. New York is one of the laggards among our cities in the matter of pro viding an adequate public library building. Boston has had one for many years, which has been a credit to the city, architecturally and In every other way. Milwaukee, Wiscon sin, waa one of the first of the larger citle in the United States to erect a noble library building at public ex pense. This was done long before Mr. Carnegie began his spectacular dona tion. In fact. It was completed while he was acquiring those easily-won mil lions which he Is now disbursing for his own glory and the edification of the world. The process of acquisition was less edifying, but fully as Instruc tive a the distribution. But. not to wander from our theme, we were on the point of saying that In the modern American city the public library is as important a part of the educational system as the common schools.' It Influence is perhaps even wider. The Portland library, to take one of the best examples, not only reaches the school children, but also a numerous adult constituency. "Wo have outlived the old notion that a person's education necessarily ceases when he leaves school or college. The modern Individual continues to learn ail his life long. In proportion a his mind remains open to new knowledge and fresh Ideas, he is a better citizen. Now and then one still finds a moss back In soma secluded vale who never learns anything and never forget the errors he wa taught slxy years ago; but the creature grow rarer with time. The typical American Is alive and alert. He know what Is going on In 'improvement. He take neither ks politic, his science, mor hi relig ion ready made from his grandpar ents. Tbey exercised tha liberty of choosing opinions for themelve. He asserts the tame privilege. What a dismal place the world would be if we all remained exactly where our pro genitors left us. PATIVO SAtKiro TO rARUAWK.VT. Lloyd-George's proposal that sal aries be paid to members of the Bri tish House of Common marks ,he completion of a silent revolution In British political life the change from the Ideal to the practical. We have been accustomed so long to paying members of Congress and the State Legislature that we cannot readily Imagine what this change In the mother of parliaments means. Since the knights of the shires and the burgesse of the boroughs were first summoned to sit with the barons and bishops In Parliament, It has al ways been considered the highest hon or to which a commoner could attain to be elected a member of Parliament. The honor was considered sufficient to outweigh the expense of election and of residence In London and the labor of legislation. Even In those corrupt days, before the reform act of 183:. the same tradition held good. A man with the magic letters "M. p. affixed to hi name immediately found the gate of society opened to him. Be waa a welcome guest at the houses of aristocracy; he was Invited to speak on all manner of public occa sions; he was elected director of cor porations with a merely nominal hold ing of stock. He was. by the mere fact of his office, lifted above the crowd. He received no salary, no mileaxe. he waa put to bevvjr aspens. but he gained such distinction that he considered this money well spent. But as the nineteenth century grew towards middle age, a change came. Formerly the country squires, the rich manufacturers, the successful lawyers had -mainly composed the House of Commons. There now began to creep in a class of men leas able to bear the financial strain. It is the rule with English corporation to pay their di rectors one guinea (about $5) for each meeting they attend. Some members of Parliament found theXe guineas very handy in paying their ) way, and they sought directorships until a large part of their time was spent in going from one board meet ing to another picking up guineas. One member of one of the Gladstone' administrations was practically driven out of office by the exposure of his excessive keenness for the guineas and his Indifference to th"e character of the companies) that paid them. v Then came the Irish Nationalist party. Made up of men rich only In the confidence of its fellow-citizens. it waa dependent on the rank and file for the means of living while its mem bers attended the sessions of Parlia ment. The Irish League paid salaries to its representatives in the House of Commons, and has continued to pay them in the face of the gibes of the Tories, who were shocked at hls vio lation of tradition. After that came the Labor party. The unions paid and still pay salaries to members whose elections they secure. Indeed, the House of Commons la I coming more and more to be what its name. Implies a body representative of the mass of people. Hence each community sends the man best equipped to serve its interests, . and wealth and family cut less and less figure as years go on. In such cir cumstances the beat man Is notlways able to sacrifice time and money to the public good. The payment of members by the nation will come as the natural solution. The members will then be what they are in theory In America, men employed by the peo ple to make their laws. That the proposed change will lower the standard of membership is doubt ful. Ever since the first reform act there has been a steady Improvement in the standard of Integrity required of members of PsrllamenL The House no longer attempts to decide contest, but refer them to an inde pendent commissioner, whose deci sions are accepted as final. Many a member who spent money too freely ha been unseated by a commissioner. When a member is guilty of crime, he Is pursued to the ends of the earth un til brought to Justice. A noted case is that of Jabez Balfour, who fled to Buenos Ayre and lived there in fan cied security for years, but "was at last lured on board a British ship and, then being In British territory, was carried back, tried and sent to the penitentiary. The payment of members will prob ably result In the election of an In creasing number of poor men with brains; but It will not lower the stand ard of honor .and Integrity. , -Russian wheat shipments last week were 6,696.000 bushels,, and for the preceding week they were B. 436. 000 bushels, or something more than 12. 000.000 bushels for the first two weeks In May. a period usually re garded as the fag end of the season. Nothing approaching this enormous volume of business has ever been shown by Russia so late in the season, and the shipments for the season to date have reached the heavy total of 194,000,000 bushels. Not only haa Russia made up all of the shortage shown by the United States, as com pared with some of the good year of the past, but since (he United States began to lose prestige as a-wheat ex porting country Russia has reached a point where tt would not be a difficult matter for her to dominate wheat prices for the world. The Russians, however, seem very well satisfied with present prices, and by July 1 will have marketed 400.000,000 bushels in two years, much of this selling around tl per bushel. In the face of these fig ures, present prosperity- in Russia la not difficult to explain. The Rose Festival, though accord ing to the calendar la two weeks off. Is .n no" In .vprv rose firarden I in the city. It is true that several days of warm seaucuve sunsnine are ueves. sary to bring out the fragrance and beauty that this charmed period holds in store. Of course, there will be plenty of roses in Portland two weeks hence. ' a. The schism which has been so often predicted begins to show itself among Mrs. Eddy's followers. It would be something very unusual In the history of religions if they should remain united. Within the first century after the death of its founder, Christianity was divided into a dozen sects all more or less hostile to one another. The Kansas minister's wife who demonstrated her piety by horsewhip ping her traducer has a creed well enough adapted to frontier exigencies, but not exactly biblical. We are told to forgive an enemy seven times sev enty times, but she applied the lash at the first offense. 'The Oregon apple king." says the Chicago Post, "who offered a woman 150.000 to marry him probably had the offer screened off on the top of the barrel V Barrel? Yet we had thought the East was educated' thor oughly on Oregon apple and Oregon apple methods. No doubt diversions less question able than a "masking night" can be conjured up for tlte Rose Festival. A mask la apt to hide a good many things besides innocence on occasions w hen a gay and careless crowd has assembled. If masking and the unbridled li cense It affords Is permitted any night during the Rose Festival, some of the maskers will awake in the hosplJs the next morning. There is little use In continuing longer to fine the drunken rowdy on a late streetcar. A broken head or the rockpile will have more' effect. A hospital de luxe for the very rich is proposed by a Boston doctor. The gilded beaneaters will yet want an exclusive route to heaven. Paroling a chauffeur guilty of aid ing in the delinquency of young girls la an experiment as well as an expedi ent of doubtful result; If this growing weather continues, the Oregon strawberry must ba sliced to set Into tha aiiortcake. WHAT THE COMMISSION GOVERNMENT 19 How the Movement Started aad What It He Accomplished Many Innova tlona Whleh Improve and Simplify the Municipal Machinery Peaceful Kevointtoa la Many Cltiea. Tha following is tha first of a aeries of three articles on the progress of tba move ment for batter government of Americas cities, written by Richard S. Chllaa, and fur nlahed tor the Ehort Ballot Organisation. Woodrow Wilson, "president. ' ARTICLE I. The spread of t&Js commission move ment 1 all the more striking because It was begun entirely by accident. Gal veston, Tex.. , after the great flood of 1900 wa practically -wiped out. So much progressive and constructive work was demanded of the city govern ment that the old system of a Board of Aldermen and the usual string of Independent elective officers broke down. A group of business men peti tioned the state government to suspend the local government and replace it temporarily with a commission of five men. This was done, and the whole city was put under the control of five men, three of whom were appointees of the Governor. This was where" the term "commission" originated, and the name for want of a better description has stuck to It ever since, although the board Is no longer a "commission" in the true sense of the word at all. This commission In Galveston was able to. make decisions and get things accomplished In half the time that It took the old Board of Aldermen to get a resolution referred to a committee. The commission planned and built a sea wall to protect the city against further floods, raised the ground level of a large part of the town, got the city government running again at one third less annual cost, made a number of Important Improvements and at the same time reduced the debt and the tax rate. a a After two years, during which the politicians were finding precious little to do, the commission was made en tirely elective by popular vote, much to the dismay of many good persons In the town, who had been much pleased with the practical success of the GovernWe commission. Their fears, however, proved groundless, for the people proceeded to elect the same commission and have continued to do It at every election since. Except by death there has been only one change In the personnel of the commission since the beginning. Galveston's claim that It was th best governed city In the United States made Houston Jealous, and after a few years this city petitioned for a similar gov ernment and was granted it. Dallas, El Paso, Denlson, Waco and Austin have since then followed suit, leaving San Antonio, now the only Important city in the state which has not adopted the plan. a a a A few years after Galveston first be gan to attract . attention some civic workers in Des Moines began to study the subject of popular government In fundamental fashion. They devised what has since become known as the "Des Moines plun," which Is simply the commission form of government, with certain Interesting additions, known as the Initiative, referendum, recall and nonpartisan primary. By the terms of the initiative provision a certain num ber of people are permitted to present a petition to the commission demanding the passage of a certain ordinance, and if the commission sees fit to refuse the request the matter must be settled by popular vote. By the referendum pro vision certain matters, particularly the granting of franchises to public utility corporations, must be approved by pop ular vote before they become law. By the terms of the .recall provision, the presentation of a petition containing a certain number of signatures may force any member of the commission to sub mit the question of his continuance In office to a new election immediately. The nonpartisan primary is simply an eliminating election. All candidates are nominated by petition (no party labels), and the leading 10 remain on the ballot for the final election. a a a The elimination of the party name, symbol and column from the ballot, is a highly significant and characteristic feature of the commission form of gov ernment. It excludes the political ma chines from a great strategic advantage and leaves Independent candidates on an exact equality with those proposed by the organizations The ballot Is simply a list of names with a square opposite each, and the voter is Instruct ed to "vote for five," Instead of having a ticket ready made for him, each voter makes up his own ticket. The fact that only five men are to be selected makes this task simple, and there has been found to be no difficulty about It in practice. This short ballot, which the voter can vote without the guidance of political experts. Is the central and vital feature of the commission plan. The publicity attendant on the In stallation of the new government in Des Moines gave the movement new stimu lus, throughout the country, and it began to be known as the latest and most up-to-date-thing in city government. Many towns adopted it from a mere desire to be abreast of the times and to show the world that they were progressive and enterprising. In some places the plan met with vigorous opposition, sometimes with a complete lack of interest, while in some cities it carried by an over whelming vote. Colorado Springs and Tther clUe. made a few. alteration .in the Des Moines plan, such as having the members of the commission elected for terms .arranged to exp re n rotatio and forbidding party nominations. Grand Junction. Colo., added the preferential oallot. whereby the voter Indicates on the ballot his. first, second and third choice. There are various ways of count frig the votes, and while the one adopted n Grand Junction Is not the most scien tific way. It results In a more accurate analysis of .ubllo opinion than tha pian of straight plurality elections. The preferential ballot make, a PnW -taction needless and thus f aves expense. The minor variations of tha commis sion plan are endless. Except where a v ..aj - .-.kn4ral law cover- fT-F?? eecSar! Sr, that are alii Each charter re vUion commission ha. "yjti the work done In other cities and ha. sag lv made a few pet alterations In It- In Galveston? for In.tance. the Mayor was the chairman of the commission: other wtse no special duties. None of toe member, of the Galveston commis sion his specific control over any one department? although there ha. grown So the custom of allowing ch mem ber to specialise In a certain depart ment, and before election it is generally understood which department, the can didate, expect to Interest themselves In. A'l matter are decided by majority vote. The member, of the commission areaid nominal salaries and are not expected to ve all their time to the city and, In fact, simply devote an hour or two a Houston the Mayor Tet? ,P0W" over the vote of his four associates cm the commission (he has never used 1U and allowed the Mayor to make cer tain appointments, paid the members wood salaries and ' demanded that the commissioners devote all their time to the city. r.scu --- commission becomes the active superin tendent or one oi ma - This feature has been rather generally followed In other commission-governed cities. , , . An exact definition of the commission plan of government is thus seen to be impossible. The only feature wherein -I, -i nmn,mi,tfin" povp rn m ft n ta co- Inz-ia. I tha concentration, of all the 1 1 powers of the city, both legislative and executive, in a single small board. Never In our political maiory uu mj phenomenon of this nature been exam ined with such minuteness or by so many Investigators. Ex-President Charles W. Eliot, of Har vard, made a tour of the commission governed cities, or "short ballot cities,' as he prefers to call tbeni, and returned to Boston so enthusiastic that he was able to win over the town to an accept ance of some of the fundamental feat ures of the plan. Another ela'oorate in quiry was made by a committee of the State Legislature oi Illinois, u Z everybody expected a hostile report. The committee, however, reported strongly In favor of the plan, stating that every where they found that It had won the approval of the people who lived under It There have been many explanations offered for the undoubted relative suc cesses of the commission plan. The abolition of the wards, for example, is frequently quoted as an ample reason for the relative success of the new plan. But there are many cities In the United States in which there are no wards. Galveston itself had none' be fore the flood, her City Council being elected at large. Commission govern ment Is a very common way of govern ing counties throughout the United States, and the plan there has not been a conspicuous success. There have been many other elected commissions, such as the trustees of the sanitary district of Illinois, and they likewise have never attracted attention by their superior effi ciency. ... Another loosely reasoned argument fre quently used to promote the. adoption of the commission plan has been the statement that it is "like a business corporation with Its board of directors. Like most catch phrases, however this statement is only partly true. To be ltke a business corporation the commis sion would have to choose a business manager for the city, who In turn would appoint all supordlnates and run the business of the city subject to Periodi cal review by the commission. I tie commission plan, however (except in Gal veston), actually provides for the elec tion of department superintendents by the stockholders-a form of organization which has no parallel In business prac- tlMost of the explanations are only half true, because they Involve a study only of the Internal mechanism of the gov ernment, whereas the real difference be tween the old and the new comes at the point of contact between the sov""?6? knd the people, as will be explained In detail in later articles. ERRORS IJf tEGISIATIVB ACTS Change la Routine and Character of Employee I Suasested. SALEM. Or., May 20. (To the Edi tor ) Almost the first thing that ap pears in the preface of the session laws for 1911 is an apology, ap parently prepared by the Secretary of State, stating that "the enrolled acts filed In his office are full of bad spelling, improper punctuation, and ap parent omission of words, and while the Secretary of State - has no other alternative than to furnish true copy of the acts as filed, the State Printer, In order to make readable and present able copy, corrects obvious errors In capitalization, punctuation. spelling, repeated words, and omitted words." This same apology has appeared In previous compilations for several years past, and the inquiry naturally comes to the mind why these errors cannot be corrected at the time the bills are enrolled. The writer has had over 32 years' experience In printing the session laws, and consequently has had an excellent opportunity to be come familiar with the manner in which bills are enacted Into laws. It was also my privilege to have been selected by the Supreme Court as proofreader on Lord's Oregon- laws, and I regret to say that the enrolled copy from which tt was read abounds in errors, omissions and doublets. At the last session of the Legislature the attention of the chairmen of the committees on enrolled bills of the House and Senate was called - to the antiquated methods which have here tofore prevailed In enrolling bills, and It was also suggested to the chairmen of these committees that Instructions should be given to the chief clerks of the enrolling committees to correct obvious errors, but for some inexplic able reason they evidently refused to depart from past precedents, and most probably Instructed the copyists to "follow copy," regardless of errors. The "engrossed" copy, usually made only when there are amendments, is the first or "original" copy from which the "enrolled" copy Is made, and It stands to reason that the copyist Is Just as liable to make errors In the "original" copy as in the "enrolled" copy. Whenever an error of sufficient Importance appears to create a doubt In the mind of the chief clerk of the enrolling committee It should be his duty to. report the same to the chair man of the committee, who. If unable to make the correction, should submit It to the author of the bill, and If there should be any doubt about his au thority, then It can go to the Legisla ture the sovereign power who un doubtedly has the right to make any correction or other disposition of the bill It may desire. To obviate the necessity of having to apologize semi-annually in the pre face of the session laws for -the errors which appear In the enrolled bills. It would only be necessary to select for positions persons who possesB superior qualifications and are skilled In the art of proof-reading and copy-holding, and not give out the places to reward some political friend or personal "chum." JAMES E. GODFREY. Standpat View of Tariff. PEOTDLETON, Or- May 20. (To the Editor.) In Saturday's Issue -of The Oregonian, under the head of "Stand Pat Logic," The Oregonian misrepre sents the theories of protectionists or stand-pat Republicans, as you are pleased to call them. The protection ists know that high tariff Increases trade both exports and Imports, and low tariff, or the threat of lowering the tariff, decreases foreign trade. The Oregonian and the Democratic press to the contrary notwithstanding. Protectionists know high tariff brings good times, and thff people are able to pay for foreign goods; low tariff brings panic and hard times, and the people buy less because they can't pay for more. The history of tariff legislation, or attempted legis lation for 30 years proves that beyond a doubt. Why can't The Oregonian be candid with us, or let us defend ourselves. During the four years of Cleveland's Administration. I raised wheat for iO cents per bushel, and it was hard to pay taxes. Under the Dlngley tariff I got from 60 cents to $1 per bushel. Cleveland's Administration made more paupers and more millionaires thaa anything that ever came to our coun try. The Dlngley tariff up to 190? doubled foreign trade, and was the most prosperous period In the history of our country. S. P. HUTCHINSO.N. The Caustic Cwt Feminine. Pages Folles. n..i- H.1V. Durand Your letter was extremely Impertinent, and X return it ta you. ajupaned,"- Advertising Talks Br WUllam C Freeman. Can paper bags be advertised to ad vantage f This question was put to me the other day by a young man in a large concern which manufacture, all kinds of paper bags. I told him I believed the right kind of advertising: would Increase the sale ef any product, and. furthermore, would back up the efforts of their salesmen and Jobbers. I suggested that he try out adver tlslns in some territories where the I sales were not proportionate to the cular territory, and see what results would follow. I advised him to take space In the advertising: columns of the dally news paper to tell about his product, and in that way reach owner of small stores, specialty shops and even the big dry goods stores. The quickest way to Interest any merchant in any product is to adver tlae It In the nevrspapera, because the merchants In every community are close readers of daily newspapers and the advertising therein. They must read newspaper to keep Informed as to what other merchant are doing. Consequently, an appeal to them through the daily newspaper will reach them Just as surely as they can be reaches by a personal visit. Another thins newspaper advertising will do for a manufacturer it will create in the minds of the people a desire to buy the article advertised, and the people will go to their dealers and ask for the advertised product It Influences both the merchant and tha eoaanmera. Yes, paper bags can be advertised to advantage. Advertising will open up new terrl torlea for paper bag manufacturers, just as it opens up new territories for other products. Perhaps, after a while, newspapers will see advertising of paper bag manufacturers in their columns. (To be continued.) Country Town Sayings by Ed Howe (Copyright, 1911, by George Matthew Adams.) . ' $ The real ambition of every crank is to start a church and political party of his own, and be the bishop. No man becomes an anarchist until he has been a loafer a long time. When a reformer calls on the people to rally around him, it Is usually with a view oi gaining sufficient strength to cause the enemy to treat with him. A girl's letter always reminds me of a girl's joke; never much in it. "Can I afford to get married on ten dollars a week?" a young man asks. No, but you can find plenty of girls willing to try it with you. The 'meanness of people ctops out most surely in money matters. It would throw every husband Into a cold chill if he knew how much his wife envies the widow with a lot of life Insurance. When a man worries a great deal he says he is overworked. If a man Is treated well at home, he would rather eat at home, and sleep at home, and loaf at home, than anywhere else. Talk about political reform seems to be as fruitless as talk about better country roads. Half a Century Ago From The Oregonian, May 24, 1861. The Yreka Sentinel says that the new proprietors of the California tele graph lines will no doubt soon extend to Portland. Charles F. Mansfield has been ap pointed postmaster at The Dalles a capital appointment. The union-loving citizens of Belpassi and vicinity, Marion County, assembled at the Institute grounds on the 18th Inst, for the purpose of raising the American flag and forming a Union Club. Major Joseph Magona was unanimously cho sen to preside over the meeting. A pole 80 feet in length was soon raised and the enblematic banner of our country's liberty being made fast to the rope. Messrs. Poujade, Welch and Enflle, three of the oldest gentlemen present, were invited to hoist the flag. The meeting then formed In procession and marched around the flag pole to the tune of Hail Columbia, after which the procession proceeded to Academy Hail and listened to an address to the American flag by William T. Ramsey. A Lesson In Scotch Dialect. Washington (D. C.) Herald. Charles S. Barrett, of London, who Is at the New Ebbitt, said this about a recent trip to Scotland: "It came as a great shock to me to find that in Scot land the Londoner is regarded as a for eigner. I argued the point with friends i in Aberdeen, but all to no purpose. Nor i was this the only shock I received. The I people do not dress like Harry Lauder, 1 and the corkscrew stick he affects la I wrong. I experienced great dittlculty ' In providing myself with a stick of tha Lauder pattern, and then found tnat the best people do not carry them. "Also they speak a. strange language down there one that does not re semble in the least the anemic Scot tish tongue we heard in 'What Every Woman Knows.' This other Is a broader, stronger, more formidable language altogether, as I realized when the guard on the train sat beside me and talked for 20 minutes and I un derstood snot a word." Before the Streetcar Order. New York Telegram Great medicinal value was claimed for tobacco when it first appeared in Europe, but soon thereafter its use was condemned and severe punishment was meted out to offenders. In the early 17th century the noses of to bacco smokers In Russia were cut oft. About the same period Sultan Amuret IV of Turkey ordered that the pipes of smokers be thrust through their noses. King James I of England Issued a "counterblaste to tobacco," In which he described Its use as a custom "loath some to the eye. hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain, dangerous to the lungs, and in the black fumes there- ,.,,inhliiiir the horrible L Stygian smoke of the pit that is bot tomless. Tp Against the Ban. New York Evening Post Old King Cole was a merry old soul; A merry old soul waa he! He called :or hl pipe- nd he called fol Anahne'cal7ed tor hia fiddlers three. But only two of the fi"'er ?-r,A The third, tney said. aa barred From earning his living thenceforth, ba cause He carried no union card. Nor came :he ilP with its fragrant weed. Vor the bowl with its golden brew; For all au-n things had been driven Irons court bx ta W. . Ua