rOKTLAM'. OREGON.
Ka!tn4 at Portiar.il. Oree, PottoPlM
rnl-i'iu Matter.
.ULitUM Ratea lararubly " Adrane
cat MAII
wea:r ana enr 1-
P.nar. one yr ,
kuada lad Wnkl), on ier "
CBT CARRIER.)
I!:r. Sunday Included, om T-ar
Ui:r, Suadair lacludej. on month
Haw to Itasnll Band poatofnce money
4-r. aspraea oruer ar narnonai checa 00
your local bask. ittamrl. coin ar
era ai tne sadar- ria- ile yat"rn-a
audrsaa la fu.i. Incudlu caunijr and aiata.
raataca Mat 10 to 14 pacra. 1 cat; 1
to paxea 2 rents: ta u paaea. I cents;
a.) to 6- paa, caal. I'jii. nja:axe
double ra:.
fcaatera Buafeaa Offtraa Verr. Conk
II n .Near Tora. I'runaalcK building. Cat
caaa. ataser bulidia.
Karavaaa OfOra .Va Susaat alraat. .
If. kaasua.
-
rOBTla.SU, MO.VD1T. OCTOBxJ . 3tls.
rnniot ixDirr TArr.
With a pretense of faJrnes which
would have bfn more convincing IT tt
had been shorter and ls luborcJ.
Glfford Plnchot give hi rtajunj In
tha Saturday Evening Poet why he
think President Ta.fl ihuuM not be
re-elected, lie quote In full a letter
he wrote to Theodore Roosevelt while
(he Utter was In Africa and a few
day. before he himself u removed
from office. This letter u written
on the last day of the year IS03. only
r.ln month after Mr. Taft became
President. It contain hU Indictment
of the President a a friend of the "In
terests" and an enemy of conserva
tion. The President subsequent ac
tion and word, the progressive char
acter of which ilr. I'inchot cannot
deny, are attributed to "conversion
vllhout conviction. and he says that
the reactionary newspaper do not
waver tn hla (Taft's) upport. He a
the Balllnger Incident prove that Mr.
Taft did not understand tho purpose
of conservation, and galvanise the
ghot of the Controller Bay Incident
to support the assertion.
KaJr plsy requires that. If a man's
action ar capable of reasonable ex
planation without Impeaching his hon
esty of purpose, that explanation shall
be accepted. We claim this basis of
Judgment for Mr. Taft as we would for
any other man. But Mr. Plnchot put
an evil construction on .every act of
the President, though events have
proved It not to be Justified.
Take the first and third counts In
the Indictment, which are:
Ha rarmitted hlms-lf. a soon as ha was
I.. led. IO ta airr.'UnJed ! a circle ot trul
attireas and omer n art lonarlaa. from
ah'ih he baa never hruken aa.
H- lurroun.ied hlrr-lf In h Cabinet rr
rrjwTatl.a lars a na arr nrarlty tn
ti.4iuiD to lha Hxait p:ici.-a.
We know to whom he alludes as the
Cabinet members, but are left to guess
at the trust attorneys and reaction
tries. There are:
Knox, who has been guilty of ac
cepting fees as an attorney for trusts,
but who won a gTeat anti-trust suit for
the Government by breaking up the
Northern Securities merger:
MacVeagh. who has mulcted the
sugar trust of millions and Instigated
the prosecution of some of Its offi
cials for customs frauds and has also
caused the prosecution of rich smug
glers who have hitherto enjoyed Im
munity; Wlckersham. who has pleaded guilty
to former employment as an attorney
for trusts, but has won the Standard
Oil and Tobacco Company cases,- has
begun more anti-trust suits and prose
cutions than any of hla predecessors,
perhaps more than all combined, who
3 er. lares his purpose to force every
trust to obey the law on pain of prison
for Its officers, who Is denounced In
most unmeasured term by those same
reactionary newspapers which. Mr.
Plnchot say, never waver In Mr.
Taft's support:
Hitchcock, who secured the passage
of the postal savings bank bill and has
put It In operation In face of opposi
tion from the banks, and who now
.Ties to push parcels post bill through
Congress:
Hnlllngrr. who used every legal
power he possessed In the Interest of
conservation, but refused to exceed It
t the dictates of Mr. Plnchot.
These were the Cabinet officers
whose duties most affected the Inter
ests at the time Mr. Plnchot wrote,
and for a collection of trust attornes
they appear to havs been merclleesly
cruel to the trust and careless of the
Interests of anybody but the people.
Mr. Plnchot tries to stir up lli-feel-Ing
on the part of Mr. Roosevelt
against his successor by raying that
Mr. Taft allowed attacks on Mr. Roose
velt In Congress to continue unchecked
during the last svsslon of Mr. Roose
velt's term, when a word would have
ended them. It Is doubtful whether
this fling produced the desired effect.
Mr. Roosevelt Is a fighter, and a hen
he Is able to do his own fighting he
does not ask any other man to do It
for him. He was In Washington, ns
President, able to meet attacks, and he
met them. He had Just broucht about
Mr. Tsft's election and he aouH hard
lv desire to handicap his successor by
havlng Mr. Taft take up as an Inheri
tance quarrels which would die when
Ms term ended. The new President
was to begin mlth a clean slate, con
tinuing the policies but not the quar
rel of his predecessor.
Surrender of the Executive's power
to appoint advisory rommlwlniw, the
National Conservation Commission tn
particular. Is cited with the desire to
arouse Mr. Roosevelt's antagonism to
Ir. Tat by showing the latter's hos
tility or Indifference to hi p"t ro'lcy.
Mr. Tsft Is also accused of affiliating
with the leaders of the opposition to
the Roosevelt policies In I'orgress,
namely. Cannon. AMrlch. Hale. Taw
ney and others: also of not supporting
the Insurgents during the tariff debate,
of defending the Psyne bill, of Indors
ing Aldrlch and Tawney and of trying
to read the Insurgent Senators out of
the Republican party.
Mr. Taft did not affiliate with Can
non. Aldrlch and others because they
were devoted to the Interests, but be
cause he was a Republican President:
they were- the Republican leaders In
Congress and only through them could
the Republican party accomplish any
thing In Congress. He did not choose
them: had the choice been left to him
he would probably have chosen others.
They had been chosen by the Republi
can majority In Senate and House and
he worked with them to carry out
party policy. That he was more pro
gressive than they is proved by the
concessions he extorted from them. He
defended them from attack and proved
himself a staunch friend but a poor
politician; ha denounced those who
ri:r. o!a7 !: on rar li
t..r. Suds. iBflu'i.J. as mn! J -?
J iji'itr included, tnraa monin..
l-m. r. ir.uar included, one mooio....
t-a: j. Witnout SuCflae. o sear .......
I-alj. ,:hout unia. six months
La:., aitnout Sun. lay. lnrt nr-n '.ba. . - '
had attacked them, giving added proof
of the same facts. He dropped the
commission, including Mr. Plnchofi
particular pet. as a source of friction
with Congress, believing their purpose
could be sttalned better without them.
It Is nothing to the discredit of the
President that he has changed his tac
tics in dealing with Congress and has
adopted In modified form those of
his predecessor driving an Important
measure through as he did the reci
procity Mil. He believes that all ele
ments of the Republican party should
be represented In the Cabinet, as In
Corgress. and when the Insurgents
gained strength In the election of 1J10,
he put two of them In the Cabinet.
Mr. Taft has always been progress
ive, but refused to become an Insur
gent and waste his administration in
factional wrangles which could have
had no result except a hopeless divi
sion In his party. Because he refused
to lnsurge. Mr. Plnchot and the other
Insurgents deny that he Is a progress
ive. He has incurred the enmity of
the Interests by his Insistence on tariff
rlilnn mn.i ributolutlon of the trUStS.
The only place where he can find any
friends Is among the people, ana no
has millions there.
PEOIUE Flt.HT TO THEIR OtTREMstORB
The Interests In Portugal are fight
ing for what they call their own
their rlxht to prey on the people. The
great body of titled parasite and tax
eaters which was driven out with King
Manuel Is striving to gain the sup
port of the Ignorant and superstitious
people of Xortborn Portugal In an at
tempt to overthrow tho republic, and
may get It.
Portugal at the opening of the
twentieth century was a smaller edi
tion of hat France was towards the
end of the eighteenth a nation work
ing for a bnre subsistence that a few
thousand Idlers might live In luxury
and vice.
One of the mysteries of human na
ture la that people who have been
thu enslaved can be Induced to fight
for their own re-enslavement. The
I'rench peasants did so In La Vendee
and fought splendidly. It la likely
that the pessants of Northern Portu
gal m-y fight with equal gallantry
that Manuel may be restored to the
throne and dally with his dancing
girl.
We In America cannot conceive It
possible, but such people as the igno
rant Portguese peasants love their op
pressors .
THE OTHER SIDE IX WlCONSrX.
The Oregonlan ha received from
the editor of a Republican newspaper
of Wisconsin a letter on Mr. La Fol
lette that It takes the liberty of re
printing as the testimony of one who
has had opportunity to observe the
Wisconsin Senator at close range
through many years. He 1 opposed
to Mr. La Kollette and La Follettelsm,
and always has been; yet the letter Is
valuable as showing that there Is vig
orous protest against La Follette In
his own state and In his own party.
The Oregonlan Is besides struck by
the warm note of complaint against
uninformed and prejudiced comment
on Wisconsin political affairs by per
sons who have never been In Wiscon
sin. Oregon has suffered much In
the same way.
The Immediate occasion of sending
this letter to The Oregonlan ta the
widespread publication of a statement
by Senator Bourne that he will sup
port Senator La Follette for Presi
dent. "I urge." says the Oregon Sen
ator, "the big business Interests of the
country to study the laws of Wiscon
sin enacted since he was first Gover
nor of that state. . . . Though rad
ical In manner he is extremely con
servative In' thought and action." etc.,
etc. Thus Mr. Bourne appeals to Big
Business for his friend La Follette. on
the ground that he does not mean
whnt he says:
The letter from tho Wisconsin edi
tor is:
If Senator Bourn really mad theae
tatemrnta. I a-itulil Busiest that he eoma
ti l"ona!n and larn something about
Wisconsin polltu-a Like tha Hastero naa-
inea. h la apparently as Ignorant of af
filrs political In Vlf.'oniin and tha result
of ten years of La Foliettelsra aa a bftba
unbvrn.
When the history of Wisconsin is written
In the yar to come, tha I -a Kollette period
will ba shown In Its true llcht Tha business
Interests of tha srata land that doean't mean
"hi business." but buslnesa irenerally ). Is
na- and alwars haa been opposed to La
Follette. There never waa a particle of real
Injected lnl. La Ko'l. tte's admin
istrations as Oovernor. tverythlnir was car
ried on without a rtaard for bus;naa prtncl
pv. It Is trua th.tt taxes of the corporations
wera increased. It la euuallr trua that the
farmer, tha merchant and evary other tox
p.oer has been forced to keep up with tha
pace Oct for tha corporatlona Tha Increased
corporation tax would hav been sufficient
to ocfrav tho expenses of ibe stale, but It
wotil.t not corer tha salaries of hundre.18 of
a Mitlotisl men plsced on tha payrolls for
pints on an endless number of boards,
c- inrultteea eommlMions. etc.. tha Sne pur
po.e of which is to play In the political
m. Wtaoopaln today Is tha worst tax
rnl state In tha L'nlon: Its legislative
aevslona are Jokes.
1.0 Kolletta is a politician, and a mtrbty
shrewd one. lla neer made a political
nu-v In his lira before calculating bow
mu.-h tt would atlvanca his position. Hs Is
f r l.a Folleita rlrst. last and all tha tlma.
He was never elected to in of flea In Wis
consin, asioa from his campaign for Con
irr. bv a mn.'or'ty of itepuhlican volea.
tie sot to be oemor by a"pcaline to tha
m'v It; Hers of tha people. In nearly every
hi an. mora otes were cat aa-atnst htm
fan for hlro, ha ba.n elected by a rlur-
te la a brilliant man. but ther Is not
an ir'tustry tn Wisconsin not a buslnesa
concern that woultl place him at lis heid.
A o lawver he waa barely heard af out
a -ie of tiie lower courts. lie has navsr
shown fte lost ability In any Una of bui
i.w His stock la trade has bn. an elo
quent toire and a pompatlour that ha
a takes wittily. He la one of tha best Sc
tora in tha world today
Ifow la it poaalbla for any man with tha
Interests of hta country at heart to m.
g-,t placing at the head ef this rreat Oov-e-nmerl
a man w hoaa only ability so fr
ha been to ajTltate. to theoriia and not
l.-at. to caricature tn hla own masaatna
f e PrcsVmt of tha Vniled States?
1 a'ocere'v wlh that tlia etiitor of ayery
len.llr. publication would. If he la Inter
elt. inv.-T!.le the aituatlon In Wlaooo
s'n. pera.-naov. I have not word aaalnat
la Folbtte. bit politically. I am aincara
In tha belief that men of his stripe are a
rnenace to the country, and nearly one-half
of the Republicans of tha state ar of tin
oin-.e cpmlon.
Here is the other side of the Wis
consin shield. We know that the paid
writer and expert muckrakcrs have
written about Oregon from the pro
fessional point of view apltation. In
novation, publicity, reform, down-wlih-the-oM-up-wlih-the-nea-,
what-ever-l-ls-wrong.
Doubtless Wiscon
sin has had similar experience. The
affairs of Wisconsin, as of Oregon,
ouRht to be investigated from the
standpoint of fact and not of mere
magazine sensation.
The time Is ripe for fhe re-allotment
of the IJ9.000.000 reclamation
fund so that the West Cmatllla proj
ect may be taken up. tt the bureau
is not ready to begin work In some of
the other projects for which large
sums were allotted, the Army Board
might allow it to use some of the fund
on this project, which It strongly ap
proved. Some of the projects which
received allotments are In states
which contributed nothing to the rec
lamation fund and others cover no
Government land. The West Uma
TIIE MORNING OREGOXIAX, MONDAY. OCTOHEIt 9. 1911.
tilla project Is In the state which con
tributed more than almost any other
to the fund and has a fax larger pro
portion of public land than several
which received large allotments.
THE OLTMPIC PEXIXSIXA.
The trade of the Olympic Peninsula
should flow to Gras Harbor as natur
ally as that of tha Columbia Basin
flows to Portland, and it Is not likely
to be diverted to an unnatural chan
nel by any efforts of the Puget Sound
cities.
The Olympic Peninsula is shut tn
on the north and east by the main
range of the Olympic Mountains, from
which short stream flow east and
north Into Hood Canal and the Straits
of Fuca. The trad of the narrow
strips of country fronting on tho water
will naturally flow to Puget Sound,
but the great body of the peninsula is
shut off from Seattle and Tacoma by
a wall of mountains. The streams on
tho south and west sides of those
mountains flow south and west to
wards the ocean and Grays Harbor
and the llnea of development of that
country will follow their valleys. The
section of country accessible from tha
ocean has had - a limited trade by
schooner with Seattle, but tha shorter
distance to Grays Harbor should give
the trade to that port.
From the South the Olympic Penin
sula can be easily and economically
developed by means of wagon roads up
the valleys, to bo followed, when con
ditions Justify, by railroads and ves
sels up tho coast. The Sound ports
cannot get within reach of anything
beyond the walls of the mountain
without miles of tunnel. The trade Is
waiting for Grays Harbor to take It
and develop It.
ROCKS AHEAD FOR AisQCITU.
The great railroad strike In Eng
land, though settled, may yet prove
the undoing of the Asqulth govern
ment. The Laborttes cannot forgive
Winston Churchill for using the troops
to suppress rioting and preserve tha
peace, and are taking revenge by run
ning candidates for Parliament In op
position, to Liberals. .The result may
be a break-up of the coalition, espe
cially If Lloyd-George's workmen's in
surance bill la forced through Parlia
ment without tho amendments desired
by the Laborltes.
The watchful Tories are likely to
seize the opportunity to score on their
opponents by Inserting these amend
ments in the House of Lords. This
would tend to draw the labor men to
wards them and widen the breach be
tween Labor and Liberal members.
Should the Laborltes turn against the
Liberals, the latter would be depend
ent for the existence of their Cab
inet on the Irish Nationalists. This
would be Just what the Tories want,
for It would give them an excuse to
raise the 'cry that disunion was the
price the Liberals pay to retain of
fice. Tho combined Liberal and Irish
majority would also be so small that
the government might be defeated by
a snap vote at any time.
All these facts, possibilities and
probabilities go to show tho unstable
tenure of oflce held by a government
which depends on a three-sided alli
ance and how the beaten, divided and
discredited party of today may become
the victorious, united and powerful
party of tomorrow. The only thing
certain about politics In the old as In
the new world Is the uncertainty of It.
FICTION AND TRCTH.
In one of the late magazines there
la presented the autobiography of a
fictitious country boy whose wonder
ful aptitude for any kind of business
or occupation in which he saw an
opening and whose success in Im
mediately filling each opening offer
the chief charm of the story. It Is not
the purpose here to tell very much
about this youth. Ha Inherited an
eighty-acre run-down farm, a small
general store filled with ancient and
musty goods and $4000 in debts. He
gave his best efforts to the farm, his
undivided attention to tho store, find
ing time when not otherwise busy to
take a course in an agricultural col
lege, establish a bank, build a saw
mill, harness water power and do oth
er wonderful and practicable things
that any sound, sensible, energetic
magazine youth might do.
We would have admired this fan
cied young man more had he stuck to
one or two things and made of each
an unqualified success. His having
had a finger In every pie In town sa
vored too much of village guggenhelm
Ing, and everybody knows that gug
genhelmlng in village or city Is now a
crime against tho moral uplift. So
for a real model In personal prow
ess, commend us rather to the deeds of
Mr. E. L. Brewer, a real and honest
school teacher, until he became a real
and honest farmer In Chehalls County,
Washington.
Mr. Brewer Is far In the lead of Jhe
fictitious youth of magazine fame. He
didn't even have a farm left him, and
the debts he possessed were all his
own. Tet in three years' time, we are
told by the Chehalls Nugget, Mr.
BreweA converted a $60 indebtedness
and a gdod personal credit Into $50,000
worth of property. It was done in
this way according to Mr. Brewer's
statement, published In the Nugget:
"Without kltlna- fliecks. but with oradlt
that waa good." said !r. Brewer. "I bought
lij acres upon the Installment plan, al
ihoush I had 0 less than nothing, which
la tha amount a scnool teacher ouxbt to
have, Jersey cattle wcr my hobby, and
upon scientific basis I have manas-ed to
bred a bard of Jersays with -character.'
Thera Is ona tbrea-year-old In tha axhlMt
herd here that brings ma aa hlxh aa 140
a month In pure cream alona. She aver
srea "0 a year In rroflts, and I can feed
tn herd at a coat of $37 a year averaxa.
I'm now milking 30 head of thesa threa-year-olds.
I hava about 60 bead, all told.
beld 100 bogs and s doxen or mora
""""Vban I tarted In. I realised that It re
quired xharactef la stock to maka It
r-cord-breaking, so I began by developing
the Indlxidual character of tha eowa 1
aiart by trying to hava calves as well born
a It Is p-iaaible to hava them, by atudylng
tha naads of the Individual ow. Ona
featura la In tha fact that I keep clnaa
tan on tha foed. weighing tha cows fre
quently, and keeping them ao that tha food
. -mente do not feed ort tha bodily weight
of tba aalmxL"
It Is stated also that the produce
sold from' 100 acres under cultivation
last year yielded $10,000 and that Mr.
Brewer had declined an offer of $45,
000 for what he had left.
The most Important point In this
narrative Is not the demonstration
that truth Is more marvelous than
fiction. There are other things that
strike the mind with force. They are
the knowledge given of the great po
tential wealth of farm lands in tho
Northwest, of the never-fulfilled de
mand for blooded livestock, of the
splendid market for dairy' products,
of the value of scientific knowledge
In agricultural pursuits and of the
openings still presented for men who
have the land fever, but no land.
We would not encourage every man
who would leave the office, the school
room, the factory, or the store for the
.... . .. e VI r
farm mat tne iun mouun
Brewer'a success will likely be his. Not
everybody la blessed with sufficient
credit to buy a farm, on the install
ment plan and stock It. Not every
body who thinks he Is called to the
land has a real aptitude for farming.
Perseverance and a few other quali
ties count. But who "with $S0 less
than nothing" would not be satisfied
with one-half, one-third or even one
tenth the measure of success that is
attributed to this Washington farmer?
Back to the lanU stories of the Pacific
Northwest need not tell of banks,
stores and sawmills. What more does
a man want than the land and the
knowledge how to use it?
There are men who in official ca
pacity 'ride a worthy publlo utility or
institution with whip and spur until
it outgrows all bounds of the taxpay
ers' Intent. Witness the speed with
...uiv. roihllo nlnvcrnund Utility
o 1 1 l. 11 vntj t " . . - g, , r, -
is being ridden or driven by men who ,
have made It a rad. a oemana oi
over $53,000 In eicess of the appro
priation .for park and public play
ground purposes haa been made upon
municipal taxpayer. Liberal esti
mates for salaries all along the line,
in excess of amounts paid for similar
services in the City Engineer's de
partment, helped to swell this In
crease. The park board has made
vigorous use of the official pruning
hook in passing; up these aalarles. Un
aesthetlc, unsentimental men, they evi
dently believe that a man who drags
a chain or runs a transit In the inter
est of the "city beautiful" la not en
titled to a higher salary than the com
monplace chalnman and transltman
who surveys city lota or establishes
ordinary grade levela.
The gentle hand of Death yesterday
fell upon a kindly, genial citizen of
Portland and removed Samuel Bullock
from his sphere of earthly Influence.
For a third of a century Judge Bul
lock had been prominent In civic, fra
ternal and social circles. Before con
solidation he held the office of Justice
of the Peace of East Portland and
since had been connected with circuit
and county courts In an official ca
pacity, his cheerful philosophy and
gentle manner endearing him with all
he met He was a deep student of
Masonry' and became one of tho most
Illustrious members of the fraternity.
Though well advanced In years, he
might have lived many more, but the
death of his wife a few years ago led
him to anticipate the reunion, and
when the summons came he was
ready. Portland has lost a good citi
zen, a gentleman of the old school,
whom every man waa glad to call his
friend.
If the city Is going to continue to
run a menagerie It should, for human
it v-a anitA nrovlda the caged and cor
ralled wild animals that It owns with
sufficient space In' which to live and
move about in comfort. Dr. Harry
Lane, when Mayor of tho city, was a
crank about some things, but not when
he protested against the policy that
kept a hyena in a cage scarcely three
times the creature's length, the polar
bear In narrow quarters, practically
without shade, and the elks In a dreary
enclosure devoid of verdure or possi
bility of seclusion, for tho alleged en
joyment" of park visitors. It Is man
ifest to all humane observers of these
and other creature.8 imprisoned at tha
City Park that before a city goes into
tho zoo business it should provide suit
able quarters for the captives of the
wilds.
The American people built the Pan
ama Canal primarily to facilitate- com
munication between tho Atlantic and
Pacific Coasts, and it would he direct
ly In line with that policy to allow
vessels going from coast to coast to
pass through tho canal without toll.
It has been held that this would be
In conformity with the treaty with
Great Britain. Under that treaty
American vessels going to foreign
ports will have to pay the same toll
as vessels of other nations. If the
revenue derived from tolls is not suffi
cient to pay Interest on the cost of the
canal, the direct advantage gained by
uniting the two coasts "will amply com
pensate for that Iobs.
The discovery that soil Infertility is
caused by dlhydroxystearlo acid will
no doubt mark an epoch in agricul
ture, or It would If It were new. As
a matter of fact, this Is one of the
acid products of decaying vegetation.
It makes the soil sour and is best
neutralized by lime. The Agricultural
Department gives an elaborate for
mula to detect the acid, but a strip
of litmus paper will do as well. It
is an old foe with a gigantic new
name: that is all. Nobody need be
frightened -
When a girl, on discovering fire in
a building, calmly awakens the teach
ers, and all the 250 Inmates are
marched out In safety, as at the Cath
olic school near Wheeling, the value
of cool heads and careful training Is
exemplified in contrast with the folly
of fear' as displayed In a panic Far
more lives are lost through fear of
fire than through fire Itself. As a pre
ventive of fear, every person who en
ters a large building should know the
quickest way out. ,
Bullets In a strike do not even con
vince the man whom they hit of the
righteousness of the cause of the man
who fires them and they alienate the
sympathy of thousands who believe
in peaceful settlement of labor dis
putes. Both parties to the railroad
shopmen's strike would do well to
bear this In mind.
Champ Clark, the man who did most
to defeat reciprocity in Canada by his
spread-eagle Pole-to-Panama speech,
is 111 qualified to criticise President
Taft's speeches. If Clark continues to
let his tongue wag without control by
his brain, he will kill himself as ef
fectively aa he killed reciprocity.
After all, the final test of the mer
its of a mine 1 the clean-up. Now that
two of the principal mines In the Bo
hemia district are milling ore and one
of them Is producing $1000 a day, the
distrlct'ls a proved success and a per
manent addition to the state's wealth
producers. These golden October days are the
best time of the year. All nature
calls to the city man and woman to
go far afield and realize that It is
great to be on earth.
If the witnesses heard so far in the
Stephenson inquiry are to be regarded
a for the defense, what may be ex
pected when his accusers testify?
Gleanings of the Day
Among the measures for the con
servation of National resources which
were discussed at the National Con
servation Congress, at Kansas City,
was one for the prevention of the enor
mous fire waste, which is ten times as
great per capita In the United States
as In Germany, France, England and
other countries. Including excess cost
of fire protection, due to bad construc
tion and excess premiums over insur
ance paid, this loss amounted in 1907
to over $466,485,000. The cost of build
ings erected In that year is estimated
at $1,000,000,000, so that we burned
nearly half as much as we built. The
causes of this difference between the
United States and Europe are given in
a report of the National board of fire
underwriters to the Conservation Con
gress as: The difference in point of
view and responsibility of the people;
difference In construction; difference in
building regulations and in their en
forcement. The remedies suggested
are: To convinoe tha publlo that prop
erty destroyed by fire is gone forever
and is not replaced by Insurance pay
ments, which are simply a tax; that
municipalities regulate the keeping of
explosives. Inflammable commodities,
electrlo wiring, and enforce these regu
lations; that states appoint fire
marshals with authority to investigate
fires, make- arrests and procure Indict
ments; that all cities have a paid, non
political fire department; that the
larger cltie have a separate high pres
sure water system for fir extinguish
ment. The National Fir Protection
Association has also proposed remedies.
Including most of the above, but in
addlUon. fire reslsUng construction in
congested districts, safe-guarding of
life in large buildings, automatic fire
extinguishing apparatus in commer
cial establishments and city blocks,
prohibition of the snap match and
adoption of the safety match, safe and
sane Fourth of July, education on
dangers of fire. Five states are in
structing school children on this sub
ject and the Governors of several states
have named a fir prevention day.
Dubuque la.. sayT a public market
place is the solution of the question of
reducing the cost of living. The French
Md German founder, of the town
established it 75 years ago and 16
blocks of downtown streets are set
apart for the purpose every Saturday.
The citizen, buy farm produce 60 to 75
per cent cheaper than at the grocer es.
paying $0 cent, a bushel for apples.
60 cents for potatoes. 26 cent, tor to
matoea. As many a. 300 team, go to
market on Saturday.
The first year oTTh. Illinois Central
Railroad under the presidency of
Charles H. "arkham ha. been one o
the most prosperou. In Its UiW
the year ending June 80, 1911, the
gross earning, were $60,977,031. an ln
crease ot $3,092,310 over the Previous
year. It increased operating expenses
15S5 497 to $43,856,228 and Increased
net revenue from $14,629,672 to $17,064 -Mt.
the increase being $2,634,766. Its
Income from other sources increased
rom $5,284,608 to $6,742,438. " earned
10 20 per cent on its capital stock
against 7.16 per cent last year and
paid a 7 per cent dividend.
Even the Peerless One. the Com
moner, the Democrat without fear and
without reproach. Is accused of waver
ing tn his allegiance to the sacred
doctrine of tariff for revenue only. Mr.
Bryan, in the course of one of his
tripe to Texas to make things inter
esting for Senator Bailey, became
enamored of the Texas onion, and
bought an onion farm. Bounteous
rains following a long drought, gave
him a great crop, and out of the pro
ceeds he Is building a farm residence
at a cost of $25,000. It Is hinted that
be has become impressed with the
necessity of protecting the tender
Texas onion against the Bermuda
product and Is more than ever con
vinced of the truth of Hancock', say
ing that the tariff ie a local Issue.
Tariff for revenue only may be all
right for Nebraska, but the onion dis
trict of Texas needs protection.
Approving of President Taft's remark
that It would be better to have twice
as many farms and twice as many
farmers, even If no more land be
brought under cultivation, the Boston
Transcript tells of a man In Massachu
setts who had lived until the age of 60
on the paternal farm, which was of
considerable size. Receipts and ex
penditures failed to connect and a mort
gage was placed upon It, which added
to his burdens. Finally, to save a part
he sold a large section of his farm,
paid the mortgage and set at work to
see what could be done with the re
mainder. By Intensive farming and a
study of the market he has secured a
much larger revenue at less expense
with what is left than he formerly did
with the whole. That was the right
kind of land for Intensive farming, and
it had the right kind of man to farm
1 but many small farms would yield
better If they were consolidated and de
voted to stock raising. Many large
farms are better adapted for small, in
tensive farms and should be divided.
Each case requires different treatment.
The enormous destruction of prop
erty by fire in the United States as
compared with Europe has caused the
Governor of Indiana to propose that a
day early In October be set apart by
the citizens for action to prevent fire
waste, and Chicago Is working in the
same direction. The loss of property
by fire in the United States Is $2.51 per
capita annually, but in Europe It is
only 82 cents. The difference Is a di
rect tax on the people, paid either on
loss by fire or in insurance premiums.
It can be greatly reduced by the Inves
tigation and repair of houses, destruc
tion of useless and Inflammable prop
erty, such as old frame shacks adjoin
ing modern buildings and provision for
fire protection, whereby flames can be
extinguished at the outset.
Flaw la the Pletaure.
PORTLAND. Oct. T. (To the Editor.)
I fully agree with The Oregonlan'
statement today to the effect
that the marvels - of the mov
ing picture know no limit. In the
Crusaders, Raynold breaks the spell
which the evil one had placed upon
the forest, thereby enabling the Cru
saders besieging Jerusalem to obtain
more trees with which to rebuild their
battering rams, that had been de
stroyed by the Turks. This is supposed
to have taken place In the 12th century
and the fallers and buckers are pro
vided with modern shaped axes and
cross-cut saws, which 1 considerable
at a marvel to a.
ox a m HARDWARE MAN.
t
WHERE THE FrXDS COME FROM
Allea H. Eatoa Telia of Efforts of Val
vexslty Friend to Detect Fraud.
PORTLAND, Oct, 8. (To the Editor.)
Today The Oregonlan refer to the
question asked by enemies of
the University of Oregon as to
who puts up the money to pay
the expenses of Investigating the
fraud in the referendum petitions. I
am pleased to assure you that your
own surmise as to the source of this
fund Is correct. A hundred others
could tell as well as I that this money
Is contributed by friends of the uni
versity in Eugene. Portland and other
parts of the Northwest. At Eugene,
aside from the contributions of citizens
and members of the alumni, members
of the faculty and studeuts have con
tributed of their time and means. Here
in Portland .the university has many
friends but the principal contributors
have been members of the Oregon
alumni.
The amounts given have been gen
erally small but in the aggregate have
been enough to make it possible to
develop the cases to a point where all
who have Informed themselves admit
wholesale fraud and misrepresentation.
And yet on account of the great ex
pense of investigating eaoh separate
name, the friends of the university
cannot touch hundreds and hundreds of
names that appear to be. forged or
otherwise fraudulent Of some 13,715
names It is very doubtful if 4000 would
stand the light of investigation. It
should be a matter of public regret
that the funds are lacking to show
the magnitude of the fraud which Is
being defended by the state.
It may Interest Oregonlan readers to
know that of nearly 14,000 names on
the university petitions all but about
2000 were secured by Portland circu
lators. Of these about 6000 were se
cured by six men who have suddenly
left the state, two who' cannot be
located, one who admitted that he made
his affidavit under an assumed name,
and another whose testimony Is of It
self sufficient to send him to the peni
tentiary. These men have testified
that they have written hundreds or
names in the petitions, .cores of repu
table citizens have sworn that their
signatures have been forged, proof has
been made of the writing in the names
of citizens who have been dead for
years, women have testified that thj
circulators wrote In the names of the
husbands, brothers and sons-ln-lavv,
and yet there are still remaining
Sundreds of case, equally usPiclous
that cannot be Investigated with the
limited funds at hand.
The Oregonlan will be Justified In
continuing Its opinion that the friends
of the university and the Ore go n
alumni will remain loyal to the Institu
tion, and these numbers will be sup
plemented by thousands of other Ore
gonians who are now makliis op the -lr
minds that the educational and i poll
cal institutions of our state are
hardly to be entrusted to men whose
interests in referendum petitions are
measured by 6 -dcens Pe--
GROWERS' FRUIT THAT BURNED.
Charge Made That Dealer Destroy
Ton to Keep Up Price.
PORTLAND. Oct 7. (To the Editor.)
-If Front-street dealers were com
pelled to send many tons of fruit and
vegetables to 'the crematory. It is a
safe guess the stuff was not fit for
food. Nobody has ever suspected the
men on the street of burning money.
Perhaps It didn't occur to the writer
of the above clipping, which The Ore
gonlan printed a few days ago, that It
was not the commission men's fruit that
was burned at the crematory and
which the crematory men say amounts
to 25 per cent sound fruit. It belonged
to the growers. Just how the growers
are treated -by the commission men Is
illustrated in a story told me yes
terday by a farmer.
He said that a neighbor of his sent
Ti boxes of fine pears to a commission
house in Portland and received a state
ment to the effect that his pears ar
rived when they were a drug on the
market that the house was unable to
sell them and that he was debtor to
the house In the sum of 30 cents.
Putting some of the same pears in his
pocket he came to the commission
dealers and asked what they would pay
for such pears. He was told they were
worth, say, $1.50 a box. He then asked
If the price the week before (when
his consignment was made) was the
same and he was told that they were
then paying a quarter of a dollar more
than the present price. He produced
the statement he had. received and
wanted to know how It was that he
got nothing for his shipment. Of
course it was explained that a mistake
had been made by a clerk, and he was
given a check for the proper amount.
Last week prune, were selling at re
tail at 6 cents a pound. I know of a
shipment of the same quality of prunes
to a Front-street house for which only
a cent a pound was paid.
The fact Is the public of this city
is being roDbed by the dealers in fruit
and vegetables and the destroying of
tons of it weekly rather than sell it
at a decent price. S. R. ROBINSON.
Qaeatlona on Slnsle Tax.
PORTLAND, Oct. 7. (Special.) (To
the Editor.) Will The Oregonlan
please answer the following questions
to settle differences of. opinion among
some of its readers?
First Under single tax would there
be any tax on incomes from the Rocke
feller and Carnegie millions down to
salaries of $1000 a year?
Second Under single tax would the
department stores, factories, breweries,
banks, hotels, etc., pay any tax?
Third Under single tax would the
saloons, liquor stores, breweries, etc
pay licenses?
Fourth Under single tax In what
way would land used for oil refining,
slaughter-houses, soap manufacturing,
etc., be assessed?
. Fifth What tax would Joseph Fels
pay under single tax and what does
he pay now, and what country Is he a
citizen of? GEORGE MARSH.
Single tax as defined by Henry
George, Sr., is "the raising of all
publlo revenues for National, state,
county and municipal purposes by a
single tar on land values. Irrespective
of Improvements, and all the obliga
tions of all forms of direct and Indirect
taxation."
This definition should be sufficient
answer to all but the fifth question.
Incomes, department stores, factories,
breweries, banks. . hotels, oil re
fineries, slaughter - houses, saloons
and liquor stores and breweries,
not being land, would not be taxed
under pure single tax. Saloon licenses
could be Imposed only In an amount
that did not exceed the actual cost of
Issuing the license and collecting the
fee.
This does not mean, however, that
Oregon could adopt a single tax that
would do away with Federal taxation.
Real single tax Is Impossible In Oregon,
as pointed out by Henry E. Reed In
his page article published October 1,
in The Oregonlan.
The Oregonlan has no Information as
to Joseph Fels- citizenship or taxes.
Klamath Fall Enterprise.
KELSO, Wash.. Oct. 5. (To the Ed
itor.) Kindly rublish the name of the
big lumber company which has recently
established business at or near Klam
ath Falls, Or. A. SUBSCRIBER.
The Pelican Lumber Company, Klam
ath Falla
L,IMITS OF DIRTEfT -tEGlSI.ATIOJf.
It I a Help to Better Thing, but
Xot Cure-All, Sy Writer.
PORTLAND, Oct 7. (To the Editor.)
The article "Words and More Words"
in The Oregonlan Friday appeals to me.
From the inception of the "Oregon sys
tem" It has always seemed to me that
a world of "logic was being wasted;
also that a world of false, .vain prop
hecy was being made in that system's
name. I have no objection to the ref
erendum, recall and initiative; in fact
I rather favor them in an unimpas
sloned way. But I favor them because
I consider them educational and not
because I fancy' they will materially
change the material . "ready-made
world" Into which they are coming.
Certainly I for one do not fancy, with
Bourne, "that under the Initiative the
people not only will not but cannot
enact legislation against general wel
fare." After a very varied course In tha
University of Hard-Knocks and a first
hand study of men in the home and In
the street, on the farm and In the
town, ,on the earth's surface and on the
sea, underground and above, and in our
country and In others, Tve concluded
that mostly our wrongs and fancied
wrongs are all self Induced. To me, our
crooked business Is but representative
and so Is crooked politics. In the last
analysis 61 per cent of our voting
publlo is not unselfish and we all know
It. If then, without a constant appeal
to the best within us, (or worse with a
sudden appeal to the worst within us)
we initiate a law, what is the per
centage in favor of unselfish law?
These tools of direct government
can (and I hope only that of them)
help a little toward teaching us where
the trouble actually lies. So also am
I In favor of woman suffrage not In
deed for any fancied sudden political
good but because of Its educational
value. By all means let's have these
things as fast as a good sharp interest
may demand them, but let us not get
silly and fancy them more than step
ping stones.
Intellectual culture as well as mean,
of communication and means of collec
tion and dissemination of news have In
our country today reached such a state
of advancement that the old Republican
Idea is out of date: It Is a rational
and logical thing that we should be
turning to newer more democrats
tools. Let's have them. But lets not
fancy that human nature and human
average are suddenly to be altered by
man-made law. Until we alter the
ratio between love and hate and that
between individual selfishness and in
dividual unselfishness the world-old
struggle must continue to ero to tne
strong. Meanwhils the campaign and
the campaign, of education. G. S. u.
PI.VCIIOT-S LETTpH. VERT SLTTSTTT.
Dlsaruated Reader Wlsfte Some On
Had Rocked the Boat In Alaska.
PORTLAND, Oct 7. (To the Editor.)
In the last Saturday Evening Post
appears an article by the late Glfford
Plnchot which It would Interest many
to have The Oregon notice editorially.
Doesn't It seem a pity that when Glf
ford was floating about Controller Bay
some one failed to rock the boat?
In his story, he outdoes himself in
vain repetitions regarding "conserva
tion," "special interests," the "square
deal," the "Roosevelt policies" and the
like. Has this man ever meant any
specific thing, beyond personal vanity
and petty spite? His article reads like
some of the more pernicious patent
medicine advertisements. It would seem
to a disinterested speotator that tho
United States had been held out of the
demnitlon bow wows by this Glfford
Peif Wllliam H. Taft is damaged by
crltlslsm like this, which is less defi
nite than the movements of a potato
bug, I miss my guess regarding the
sense and fairness of the American
people. Who wanted this Glfford, any
way? He ends his article with a most
sickly letter written to Roosevelt In
Africa, commencing "Dear Theodore,
Glfford hopes Kermlt "of whom we are
all proud," Is O-K and wishes his love
presented. He thinks sadly of the way
things are going for the "Roosevelt
policies" and weeps slushlly through
several pages of writing. It Is hard
for Glfford to know he 1. fired and
that citizen generally are glad of It.
To repeat It seems a pity some one
j i tha hnat. E. S.
Conntry Town Sayings by Ed How
Nearly all wives contradict their hus
bands. When a man tells a good story,
his wife says: "No, dear. It wa.nt that
way." etc., and spoils the effeot
"I am afraid," a mother said to her
talkative boy, whose tongue had been
cut when he was a baby, "that I had
your tongue out too muoh."
The unhappy women are not all mar
ried to mean men; many of them are
not married at alL
When a human hog meets with a
loss, how people rejoicel
The only gambling tip which
amounts to anything, la a tip to keep,
out of the game.
A boy's hands are usually dirtier than
a girl's, but It is because he has to
grease the buggy and carry In the coal
Among women, a poor cook should be
ranked with a man who has worked
at a trade all his life and knows al
most nothing about it.
A man may love his wife dearly, but
when he explains his views to her fully
as they sit around the evening lamp,
her yawning greatly annoys him.
As soon as people begin to think,
they are important, they begin to talk
louder.
' It is very easy to drift Into the habit
of "roasting" people. If you will eul
tlvate the habit of letting people alone
you will find It a good deal more sat
isfactory. I don't believe In meaning
less praise, but I earnestly advocate
lettlne people alone.
Half a Century Ago
as -.rrtnI.Tl Oct 0. 1861a
r ruin a no " , .
It Is said that the Legislature of
Washington Territory at its next ses
sion will make provision for the ap
pointment of suitable persons to act as
pilots in the Straits of Fuca.
It Is said the pony express will stop
as soon as the telegraph line through
to the states .is completed.
Quite a number of teams were in our
city yesterday loaded with apples. Deal
ers are paying from 60 to 60 cents per
bushel.
Queen Victoria at the last dates was
visiting her Irish subjects and met a
very enthusiastic reception at Dublin.
The Willamette No. 1 engine-bouse Is
nearly finished. In a few days It will
be ready for the reception of - their
engines. The house will be an orna
ment to the city when completed. .
I should dislike to be an old maid
at any time, but particularly . .during
leap year. The marrying Jokes' during
leap year must be terribly annoying
to an old maid.
Mr. Jackson, an old soldier of the
war of 1812, now 73 years old, manu
factured of Oregon maple a magnifi
cent rocking chair, which was pur
chased by James Guthrie, Jr., and D.
Logan, for the purpose of being for
warded to "Old Abe-"