Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 26, 1911)
THE MORXIXO OREGOXIAX. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 26. 1911. tSftr (Drspntan FORTt-AND. OREO. " Cttm4 at P-'tt.nd. Oncon. rostofflea u cno4-CaB M.tt.r. iuMcntuu K.I.. Inrlt: Im ASvaaea, mr miLl rry. SanAar ttielarfad. r. ' " ' . 73 I'l.r. onfl lnc:u.ld. ' metitba.... J U r. Bandar Ibc !. thr roont&a.. H3 I.2S I'.l Sana.? lnclii'l.d. on "' .'no I ' 1 T. w;:r.ojt (ub:j. on. ' " - 1'irr. wltnout Sunrf.r. mentna .... -?f tai:r. without taaur. lbr ' 1 r. wnnout iiuuf. aca -i'm w.-:y. m yr t Curdar. an. .r husdu u4 w.a:y. r BT CAHRItUt Far. Su.d.j laelod.n. on. y.ar ...... fcai'r. Siiu'o lnc:ut.d. mea ' Haw to awaitl ad Po.lofTlr. .r. .ipr. .r-t.r or .r.oa.l ch " r. local uil ltuM eoia or ca".7d., t tn. Hidtri riak. Gi. aootoffico is f-j.i. ibc 1!r.e county Bd . 40 to wi pasoa. coot. Fr- 4oob.o rot. - rm)h. IMiii Boalaraa rMTWo V.rr. -f! I 1b w Im. Hrua.-ica baudin- caica ' u.:lin. 8. t .ic r . LodJo. mn.i!(D. iiwnn. pre. i. irni DOE NOT ROOEVELT tell is? The New Tork Evening Post, a harp critic of the Tafl Administration ani a probable supporter of hi Dem ocratic opponent, has an editorial ar ticle calling- for fair play for Taft. The Post's comment 1 directed toward Colonel Roosevelt, and It says num ber of caustic things about the Col onera methods and motives. A Ith these It Is not necessary now to deal, but one paragraph Is worth reproduc ing, for It reflects a sentiment that has long been In many minds. It Is: N on. ha. utt.rM mr. R"! In oral., of Mr. Taft th.o Colonel T-It. bol h ha. th. r,ht to to T.fl? II ! public cju.t!.n. Tn ' b... la op.n. l.t th. Colon,, em. for .M. tn.n-fa.Mon. and le.l UJ. "hat hj thick.. H aural, cannot wl.h t h. eounr ry to think Mm C.K.I.1C of a tnrtuou. hinting a fault i1 hclt.tlr. J",1 .Line aid and comfort to men under corcr hen al, th. whi:e ins .qu.ra thins to do la to tatta a hold portion In lha opto and m..t all cora.ra. Curiously enough, the same thought Is expressed by another Democratic newspaper, the Influential and sensible Charlotte N. C Observer: What ground. f.T per.on.1 revnie ran th. rolonel ha. aa.ln.t Mr. T.ft? hu T.ft don. to him Ih.t h .hould .H to dntroy TaftT Hav. th.T not bwn for many vcr. lha mo.l Intlmat. of pr.onal friend.? What ha. ocrurr.d to dl.turb tna amity of tn"r relation.? Wh.t has Tart none to the folonel that th. folonel .hould now Mk to gat av.n with Taft. TVhat Indeed has Taft done or not done that Colonel Roosevelt should nog love him any more? Why doea not Colonel Roosevelt tell us? The coun try might possibly have a different view of Taft or Roosevelt. SOCIAL!' Ar ITS REMEDY. What is the cause of the great In crease of Socialism reflected In the recent election Is a question which Is being asked by farseelng politicians, statesmen and economists throughout the country. Their answers are as va rious a& their political or class opin lona and prejudices, but with few ex ceptions they agree on several points that Socialism Is gaining strength be cause the poor find the struggle of life harder, while they see vast In crease of wealth at the other end of the social scale; because the poor have a general belief, hazy among most, fixed and fierce to the degree of fanaticism among some, that their gmwlng poverty is the consequence of other men's growing wealth; because the poor believe that this condition la the fruit of unjust laws, which it Is hopeless to expect the old parties to amend: In short, because they believe that others get a large share of what they produce and that the Socialist party offers the only hope of redress. 'Ji symposium of political opinion on the growth of the Socialist party, which has been published by the New Tork World, shows general agreement that the increased Socialist vote is due l.a. to an increase in conversions to the Socialist theory than to a general protest against existing conditions. It is attributed to the grow th of trusts, to' the Injustices of the tariff, to the control of the old parties by bosses ani the Interests, to the failure of wages to keep pace with the Increased cost of living, and to abandoned hope of securing Just laws from the old parties. This Republic was founded on the principle of equal opportunity for all and special privileges for none. It is hated on Individualism, but it has been turned away from its principles. Kvery strp which has been taken away from Individualism has been a step towards S'H-lalism. Laws which impose a tar iff' tax for the benefit of a few: which grant suhsidies to men engaged in par ticular industries: which allow cor porations to capitalize these privileges anil then to form a federation of cor porations, commonly called a trnst. intended to exterminate all rivals seeking a share of those privileges; which give away, or sell for a song. Ia?e sections of the public domain to men who then sell the products back tol the givers at extortionate prices alf these are steps toward Socialism. fcuch laws have produced drones, litfp Krank Gould, who. having pro duced nothing, is able to give his wife a ISOti.OOO pearl necklace. He is un consciously making Socialist votes. Such laws have produced E. H. Gary, the captain of industry who has capi talized more than half the steel busi ness of the country at more than double its value and Is able out of the proceeds to give his wife Jewels equal In value to Gould's gift. He Is mak ing Socialist votes and. when he pro poses that the Government regulate the price of trust products, he Is talk ing outrisht Socialism. The Socialist propaganda Is thus being preached on the one hand by the soapbox agitator and on the other by the acts of the drone and the exploiter. It Is rank Bourbonism to say. as does ex-Senator Scott, of West Virginia, that the spread of Socialism is due to the "howl of the press making the laboring man of the country believe he Is not properly cared for." or. as says Representative Steenerson. of Minne sota, that It Is "due to muckraking." The press does not howl unless there is something to howl about. The muck raker can find no work unless mate ria! Is at hand for him. Such fatuous explanations are worthy of the old regime In France; which persisted In the reign of terror. The Socialist tide can be stayed only h peeking It cause and finding and apping its cure. A large majority, probably, of those who vote the So cialist ticket are not Socialists by con viction, do not even know what So--i;Lm mean. They are simply voic irrje a protest against unjust laws which favor the few at the expense of ttio many and deprive them of that equal opportunity which the Constitu tion guarantees. The remedy lies In a return to that individualism which is the very antithesis of Socialism. ' It lies in rooting .out of our law all provisions which favor some at the expense of all. It lies In the enforce ment of all laws already existing for the purpose of securing equal oppor tunity for all. whether the offenders be dynamiters like the McNamara or monopolists like the beef-packers, it lies in recognizing lawlessness as an archy, whether practiced by the head of a great corporation -or. by a street agitator, or a labor union leader. JTo restore equality, does not mean a return to outdated industrial condi tions, wherein competition was car ried to the point of mutual destruc tion. It mean free play in applying modern economic methods, that the benefit of those method may be turned to the public good. Instead of private greed. It doe not mean a dead level of equality in men's earn ings. It means that the man who ha the industry, ability, genius, without the artificial aid of legal favors, to accumulate a million, shall have free dom to acquire that million. It means also that he who has only Industry, ability and genius to acquire a thou sand shall have that thousand, all of It. and that the law shall not take half of It to add to the other man's million. Socialism can be successfully com batted only by Justice, which gives equal opportunity to all. which Is In dividualism. Let us make the laws conform to this principle and let us enforce them without favor, and the S.K-lallst vote will melt away a fast as It has grown. CALIFORNIA'S WAY. California Is Insurgent oh. so In surgent! It has an Insurgent Governor, who fairly oozes Insurgency by day inH rir.ams tnsurcencv bv night. It has an insurgent or two In the lower House of Congress. It has an Insurgent sen ator, who spouts insurgency by the hogshead. It has an insurgent, or near-Insurgent. Legislature, and It ha a population that swallow whole any ii..nruiM k.ir It. aelf-anointed band of popularity-seeking apostles offer them. When President Taft visited Califor nia last October to break ground for the great Panama-Pacific 1913 Exposi tion. Governor Johnson condescended to meet him at the state line; but he declined to take part as guest or host In a great banquet at San Fran cisco In the President's honor. The entire demeanor of California's Insur ant r.nvrrnnr durins: the President's stay was of forced courtesy and sneer ins and Jaunty hospitality. The Presi dent waa made to feel that California would have been glad If he had re mained away. California was so busy with its preparationa for the Panama Pacific Exposition and in Its wild and ostentatious rejoicing over the designa tion of San Francisco as the seat of the official celebration that It was ob viously annoyed by the Interruption of a Presidential visit. The latest new from the California InsurgentviUe 1 that under the recently-framed Presidential primary law. California 1 going to send a solid anti-Taft delegation to the Chicago convention. No doubt, no doubt. The Great California Noise must make It self heard somehow. Yet President Taft waa the main Influence in winning the battle be tween San Francisco and New Orleans for San Francisco. President Taft will be the rnost potent factor In future legislation for the 1915 exposition. President Taft will be the voice through which foreign nations will be called upon to participate. President Taft'a active and continued friendship Is indispensable to the success of the exposition. Dut President Taft Is broad-minded and generous, and will overlook the meanness of California and the little ness of Its Governor. California knows that and relies upon it, and will con tinue to bid for favors to come and to forget benefits past. WKKRE TRITH IS rNSOlGHT. A number of falsehoods have been uttered concerning what has been printed In The Oregonlan about es caped convicts and Governor West's policy toward state prisoners, but no more brazen falsehood ha been ut tered anywhere than one In a recent Issue of the Pendleton East Oregonlan. Undoubtedly knowing It to be untrue in its vital particulars, the Pendleton paper's fugleman in Portland, the Journal, ha given somewhat wider circulation to the yarn by reproducing it In its columns. "Enemies of Governor West have taken advantage of his absence from the state to attack hi prison policy anew. The Oregonlan has had much to say about two Mexicans whom it classed as 'honor men" and who were rearrested at San Diego, Cal, not long ago." begins the article In the East Oregonlan. At no time has The Ore gonlan asserted that the two Mexicans were "honor men." In headlines, news article and editorial they were invaria bly referred to as "paroled" men. The following is from The Oregonlan's news account of the Incident: "Serving past their minimum sen tence, they were paroled on condition they would return to their Mexican homes. On the bottom of the parole of each. Governor West wrote that they would be granted a full pardon if they could reach Mexico." Governor West's "honor" system is his own pet scheme, which has only inferential endorsement by law. If le gal sanction at all. The parole system is created by law, and the Governor Is the officer responsible for Its proper administration. The prisoner who has served the minimum term of his sen tence Is not "entitled" to parole; no right to freedom is vested in him by that fact. It is up to the Governor to say whether he shall go free on parole or await the expiration of a longer term of Imprisonment, the latter tn no case to exceed the maximum sen tence imposed upon him. Neither The Oregonlan nor any other critic of the Governor's policy fixed the time for the two Mexicans to make spectac ular display of misplacement of confi dence by the Governor. The Implica tion that the news accounts of the do ings of the two Mexicans and the comment thereon were timed to ap pear during the Governor's absence from the state Is as vicious as it Is silly. The Portland paper which passed this stuff along has established a kind of stoolplgeon department, where any garrulous gossip, or irresponsible busy body, who thinks he has spied a crime against truth or decency in The Ore gonian. Is encouraged to tattle his Imaginings or untruths to the public. The adage that he who knowingly circulates a falsehood Is as culpable a he who originates It la either unknown or Ignored in. the stoolplgeon depart ment. tiOOU CASE FOR COMBINATION. If the Oregon delegation In Congress expects to secure the appropriation for roads In Crater Lake Park recom mended by Major Morrow, it will do well to aecure the co-operation of del egations from other state which de sire appropriations for like purpose. Next to Oregon. California is most Interested, for tourists going to Crater Lake Park will be as likely to choose the southern as the northern route across the Continent, and California always need something for Tosemlte Park. Washington also Is Interested, for It needs roads In MountRainlerPark and will benefit By the travel to Crater Lake which comes by the northern route. Idaho. Montana and Wyoming are all interested in Improvement of Yellowstone Park and should be In duced to join hands In pushing a gen eral appropriation bill for all these Western wonderlands. Since theGovernment ha set aalde these natural marvels as parks, ex cluding private enterprise from them, and ha undertaken their preservation and development, there la legitimate ground for asking that It provide the necessary funds. Success Is only pos sible by combining the Pacific and Northwestern states on the basis of community of Interest. By thla means each can secure something, while each alone could obtain nothing. THE PRESIDENT "rLAYS HOOKEY." President and Mrs. Taft "played hookey" on Christmas eve. With all the pleasure of schoolboy and school girl going off on a secret escapade, they eluded' the watchfulness of the President's guard and escaped from the White House to visit their friends as plain American citizens. This little Incident brings Into strong relief how great a burden Is the Pres idency to It Incumbent, i He must not only give all his time and all his thought to the duties of his office, but he must sacrifice to it that free dom of action which is dearest to every man. For the time being he become the one person whose safety 1 of the greatest moment to the whole Nation, therefore he must be guarded as care fully as the banker guard the wealth entrusted to him. Every person who gains access to him must pass muster after close scrutiny. When he goes abroad, detective must follow him to avert possible attack by some malicious or ill-balanced person. A single act by one such person may. by laying low the President, change the course of our history. Against such an act con stant vigilance Is necessary. But what a sense of restraint such a necessity must beget in the Presi dent to have a watch set upon his goings out and comings In. to feel that he cannot mingle with his fellows a other do, that he can enjoy no privacy as to his movements. No wonder he sometimes flings aside caution, awaits his opportunity to be a free man for a few hours and "plays hookey." ' WHY NOT PROTECT PRISON SOCIETY Several of the questions asked today by Dr. Seth C. Maker in his letter on capital punishment have already been answered In The Oregonlan in the way The Oregonlan believes . they should be answered. Mental ac countability of the sinner against sojlety I cot a complete gauge of the penalty that should be meted out. Yet we could not agree that the Holz man murderer revealed a total lack of moral restraint were that a vital factor In determining what should be done with him. Doubtless If someone had seen Barbara Holzman In com pany on the street with the man who afterward took her life, and that man had known he was observed, Barbara would never have been taken to hi room. How often, before and since then, has this man's purpose been foiled by fear that hi actions were seen and noted? Fear of consequences to ourselves If we commit deed which we know or believe to be wrong dominates the life of many of us. Fear of torment after death keeps many in the straight and narrow way when inclinations attract them to the broad path that leads to destruction. Fear of the rod has sup pressed the mischievous Inclinations of millions of youngsters. Fear of a short shrift and a quick Bhrlft would halt many a murder. Yet to us, it seems nonsensical to contend that he who would be deterred from crime by open danger of discovery 1 not respon sible for crimes he commit when fear la absent. This Is what Dr. Maker's philosophy mean In Its final analysis, and. followed In all cases. It would wreck society. "Should society seek revenge or protection?" The question is not In issue. Few if any intelligent advocates of capital punishment maintain that society should avenge the crime against It for the mere sake of ven geance. The death penalty is advo cated not only to remove a dangerous element from society, but also as a de terrent of crimes not yet committed. iWhftt more Is there to be gained by Ranging a criminal than by restrain iiig him for life? Why clamor for the blood of one who is walled in with his own ilk?" asks Dr. Maker. But are our life prisoners restrained for life? James- B. McNamara. a "life prisoner," with a score of murder to his dis credit, entered San Quentin "looking to the future." To what future? To the future when the public mind shall be occupied with other atrocities; to the future when a crowded prison may cause some weak-willed Governor to measure the murderer's claim on pa role by his good behavior under re straint, instead of his past deeds, his inclinations or the effect his liberty may have on, society. The parole law and indeterminate sentence are In themselves excellent example of the effect certainty of punishment has upon criminal ten dencies. Infraction of prison rules, under the indeterminate sentence, means absolutely a longer term for the recalcitrant convict. Parole as gtven In thla state Is nearly always a reward for good behavior In prison. Denial of parole and . service of the maximum term are punishment for wrongful acts against that portion of society within the walls, not pun ishment for wrongs against society at large. The law makes prison discipline more easily maintained among the most hardened Inmates. ' We dp not concede that the murder er, serving a life term, is walled in with his own ilk. He is walled in with men of weak moral restraint, many of whom are paying the penalty tor crimes of minor character, yet men are susceptible to evil example and evil Influence. The boundaries of so ciety do not stop at prison, walls. The men within are human beings'. The J opportunities for spread of moral con tamination exist within as wea as without. We establish reformatories for youthful first offenders that they may not be led to further criminal deeds by the influence of the hard ened criminal whom they would see and associate with daily in the peni tentiary. A state prison is a small world In Itself, with changing population. It has its avenues of interior communi cation, often mysterious to the offi cers of the institution. It is related that w.hen a warden, detected in graft in the penitentiary of a nearby state, took his own life in his private office, the requiem stamp-stamp-stamp of feet sounded by convicts on the rever berating steel floors of corridors and cells throughout the whole prison con veyed the first intelligence to the guards that an untoward Incident had occurred. He who commit crime for crime's sake may boast of his deeds within walls as well as without, and make of himself a hero in the eyes of the weakling. There is as much reason for pro tecting prison society from further contamination as there is for protect ing society at large from original con tamination. The prison population goes forth in time, bearing uncon- sclously or knowingly the Impress of association with others. Each unit of this population has a moral weakness. Tn:s weakness la not cured it is more likely aggravated by association with Webbs Hasslngs and the murderers such as those who butchered Bar. bara Holzman and the Hill fam ily. There is but one safe way to protect society from such per verts as these, and It Is not clamor ing for blood or crying for vengeance to say that they should be put out of the world: ' Europe recognizes that the abroga tion of the Russian treaty by the United States will force to an issue two questions which have long been In controversy between this Republic and the despotic monarchies. One 1 the right of a man to transfer his allegi ance from one government to another. The other Is the right of any govern ment to discriminate a to race or creed between citizens whom the gov ernment of their own country places on an equality. The United States holds that the country to which men owe allegiance must fix their legal statu and, if It declares them all equal, any country giving rights to trade or travel must concede the same right to all. The Irrepressible conflict Between- democracy and -despotism, be tween religious intolerance and relig ious freedom Is thus brought to a head. An order of the New York Public Service Commission that the Inter borough Company must post notices of blockades on Its lines within ten min utes after they occur is heartily en dorsed by the Railway-Age Gazette, which also recommends that all steam roads follow the same rule. The trav eling public will certainly feel more kindly disposed toward a railroad which frankly tells of delaj'9 to its trains than toward one which keeps It in suspense with no Information at all. No man curses a railroad more heartily than he who stamps about a depot waiting for a train which does not come, but which, for all he knows, may come at any moment. If he wer. Informed that the train Is an hour late, his suspense would be ended and he could find aome means of whiling away that hour. i One outcome of the general accep tance of the germ theory of disease Is the demand for new money instead of the ragged, dirty bills and the worn, discolored coins which have hitherto passed current. This demand is partic ularly strong about Christmas, when many people call for crisp, clean bills and bright coin to send a presents. The Treasury Department 1 accord ingly kept busy reissuing paper money buying new clothes, as It were. If the British Tories had an orator of Gladstone's power, he could make as much trouble for the Liberals over the Russian atrocities in Persia, tacit ly sanctioned by Britain, as Gladstone made for the Tories over the Bulgarian atrocities thirty-odd years ago. Purchase of a prune orchard in Yamhill County for $30,000 ;. shows business acumen on the part 'of the buyers. There will be many - more deals of this kind when the owners prepare them for market. However much parties may wrangle In Congress about the wool tariff, they can no longer dispute about the fun damentaf facts. The Tariff Board has supplied the basis for either a protec tive or revenue tariff. In Alaska men stampede to find gold, in the rest of the country to spend it, when Christmas comes. Now wc begin a stampede to find more gold, to fcpend next Christmas. Social war between the Astors and Vanderbilts. marked by reckless squan dering of wealth In rivalry of display, furnishes the Socialists with a new campaign argument. The Sale family fills the light this week. All are with us, including An nual Clearance, Pre-inventory, Anni versary. Alteration, Sacrifice and the Great White. If the boy who begins by smoking cigarettes would eventually use a pipe, there would be hope for him, but the coffin-nails sap his spirit and he can not Improve. So long as there are women who love mystery, there will be fakers like nnm tn Initiate them into mystery for a price which Is not all money. A special brand of sympathy. Is due to teachers whose holiday vacation must be spoiled by attending an in stitute. A bia- dinner fills a poor' man's stomach on Christmas, but doesn't help the aching void In days to come. The author of that classic.. "The Night Before Christmas," has a per ennial monument. Give the letter-carrier the glad hand, for the force did a good holiday Job. Old Santa Clau is tired this morn ing, after a day of strenuous labor. The official forecasters made good weather for the day. The lucky family yesterday was that visited bx the. stork. ... l-NCLE SAM AS BIG LAXDLORD. Writer Advocate lna;le Tax Wltfc mm Income Tax Adjunct. CEXTRALIA, Wash., Dec 24. (To the Editor.) I see an explanation of this single tax thesis, now being dis cussed in- The Oregonlan. from the facile pen of E. F. Riley. If he is right, I must learn it all over again, because I was taught a different theory alto gether. My last teacher taught me that the earth 'and all on ami In it were the gift of God, for man's use ' and benefit, to which all have equal I rights; that he has only the absolute I right to what he covers with his feet i or body lying down. The rest belongs I to others, but he may use what he finds idle. He has only a usufructory right. If we use the property, or rights of others. It is simply Just that we should compensate them equably and ade quately for our usufruct. I believe every one has a right to ' what belongs to him, and that it is un . Just and wrong to take it from him, or divert It to any use he would not have it used for. Since the land be- longs to the creator, he, too, is en I titled to his rights. And if Mr. Riley can show a deed from the original owner, he is all right; otherwise his name Is mud. Since we must have government, we must bear the expenses, and all hav ing the benefit should pay equally for its support. ,The slngle-taxer proposes to collect from every user of land the rental value of what he uses, and out of that fund pay everything. We all ask why tax land alone? The slngle taxers say because we must tax the wealth, common wealth, of all the peo ple. There being no wealth In land until man acts on it, hence it Is only a passive factor in the production of wealth, it producing none until acted upon by man. Economists say all men cause production, hence all give value to land, since all aid In tne creation of this wealth. From the wealth belonging- to all exnenses should be paid. On the greatest concrete example of our western world. New York City, I was told by one of the progeny of the old Dutch traders, that his people boucht most of the land for $24 wortn of calico and glass beads. The Tax Commissioner, Lawson Purdy. puts the assessed value at $6,700,000,000. IBS land is owned now by less than 6 per cent, and they make the more tnan 94 per cent pay the Blngle tax. under the name of rent. Tne single tax. un limited, would give Uncle Sam, on a tax of 20 mills on the II, l,o.uou,uuu, that now goes to foreign lords and expatriated American lords In rent. The citv. state and Nation created this wealth in land as well as the other farms, villages, towns and cities. What would happen, when Uncle bam col lects all his rents. I cannot tell, but the tenants turned landlords tne ten ants, all comprising this imaginary fel low we call Uncle Sam will treat the tenant no worse than the landlords do I am not a Socialist. I never met one who could tell what ailed him. I met one who said every man snouia have a right to all the wealth he cre ated individually and collectively. Sin gle tax will go a long way towards this, but I think we ought add an in come tax, so as to share in the com munity wealth that we create for those engaged in commerce and transporta tion. P. J. S. M'MANAMNA. SINGLE TAX COLOSSAL STEAL. Umatilla Assessor Believes Scheme Would Retard Development. PENDLETON, Or, Dec 23. (To the Editor.) Knowing that ous land own ers are threatened by a rising issue that would sweep away their wealth more 'completely than famine or plague, I feel that I ought not to keep silent longer. I would s?.y to the press and people of the Btate through The Ore gonlan that w-hat Is known as- single tax 4s the issue referred to, and that slngle-taxera have already cleared the way for adoption of their scheme in this state. This was done by amend ing the state constitution so as to legalize the single tax in event of its enactment by the people. The purpose of single tax is to de stroy private property in the land. Ac ceptance of the system would result in confiscation of land values ajid of money loaned on land security. - - When a government takes private property for public use or forfeits title thereto or value thereof by legislation without paying for it, the act is called confiscation, and this Is what well-informed single-taxers aim to do. They regard, the payment of rent to private land owners as a species of slavery, and would achieve liberty by changing land owners, that is, by sub stituting government ownership for In dividual owners, without compensating such persons for their land. They do not propose literally to abolish land titles, but to absorb the full rental i... n. ionH ti rnn ph the medium of I taxation, which, in effect, amounts to the same thing. . When the owner of land shall be placed by single tax In the same econ omic relation to his holdings that ten ants now occupy in relation to private owners, it seems absurd to expect fur ther reclamation of land in the state. For no one would expend labor or money to reclaim new land only to ac quire the right to rent It from the state, paying the full rental value thereof. To support single tax Is, therefore, to participate, as principal. In a colossal steal, and at the same time to arrest the progress of an un developed state. C. P. STRAIN. Assessor Umatilla County. GULLS MENACE THE WATER FOWL Writer Declare Coontlea Eiw and Yoobk Birds Are Destroyed in North. PORTLAND. Dec 23. (To the Edi tor.) I notice a great deal in the papers lately regarding the destruction of the game birds and while "tolling," baiting, "game-hogs" and the coyotes, have considerable to do with the destruction of game, they cut but a verv small part compared to our sea gulls which are protected by the laws. One has but to go to the breeding grounds of the duck and goose, in the North during the Summer, where he will see regular patrols of the sea gulls In every slough where ducks and geese are hatching their young. As soon as same are located by the gulls the young are all devoured in a very short time and the gulls are off to an other feast, there being no limit to their capacity. Nor do the gulls wait for the eggs to hatch, for whenever they can locate a nest they will devour the eggs. One has but to ask any of the crews of steamers on the Lower Yukon River, in Alaska, which is the greatest breed ing ground of the present day, to verify my statement. Do away with the gulls, which to my knowledge, are the greatest destroyers of water fowl in existence and save the ducks and geese. J- R- D. Center of Population. FALLS CITY, Or, Dec. 23. (To the Editor.) (1) Is there the same num ber of people living west of the center of population as there is east, of that point? (2) Where is the center of population according to the 1910 census? L.O. T. (1) Yes. Otherwise it would not be the center of population. (2) Near Bloomington, Indiana. No. CLEVELAND, 'or, Dec. 23. (To the Editor.) Has a person who, is a legal voter, but not a taxpayer, a right to vote at a road meeting called to levy a special tax In a road district? A REAPER, I REVIVAL RESULTS NOT TJSTSUAL Mission Worker Tells of Observations Made In Other Cities. SHERIDAN. Or, Dec 23. (To the Editor.) I am glad that the report In The Oregonlan on the Gipsy Smith meetings was published for many rea sons. All such have been In the past kept a secret and the public have not been able to ascertain the actual facts in the case. I have been in many of the largest meetings in Chicago, and several of the Eastern cities for the past 30 years and have watched the results with Interest. I have been called a pessimist because I did not believe in and Indorse the wholesale movement of evangelisation as some wiser ones did, but this has not hindered, my taking notice of the results. Some years since in Chicago there was a canvass of the churches to learn when, where and by whom were the members brought into the churches. The percentment was so small toward the great evangelistic movement that the matter never came to public notice. A very large per centage were converted in early life and in rural districts by men little and unknown. About 20 years since 18 churches in Chicago called one of the noted Evan gelists of that day to hold a three weeks' meeting. At the close the same results were harvested as in Portland today. Any two of the 18 churches would have filled the auditorium to overflowing, and hundreds were turned away the first night, but it made a wonderful impression on the minds of the people who did not know the actual workings or think far enough to measure the different influences at work. I was at that time in mission work there and several of those pastors who were Interested in the meetings were on my advisory board. I asked one of them when he called to see me, "How many accessions did you have from the meetings?" And the answer was, "I wish you had not asked . me that question." "Is It not a fair one?" I asked. He said, "Yes, but I do not like to answer It, but I will. Not one." And he gave the same reasons that are given for the results of the Gipsy Smith meetings. - I hope the time has come when peo ple will get their eyes open and their understanding cleared up, and that such syndicates In the religious world will find their level with the trusts and combines in other business lines.. It has been taught for better than 30 years that Christianity is a business and needs business tact and men as much as in other lines of business. Perhaps that may be true but those advocating the movement have failed to prove their theory and have fallen to the ground in every instance. Through such movements infidels have caught on and come up with, "Where is your God now?" The Bible has not lost its power, and the Gospel message will have the same effect to day as In days gone by when men listened and obeyed God's leadings. The Holy Ghost is In the world teaching and leading men as he did in the apos tolic days. I know personally many of these men and know them to love them as good men, but the love of the great and applause of men has taken all vital piety and trust in God's leadings away. But God will have a people and is con stantly looking for men who can and will go and bear his message. Where they do his will, men are truly con verted, God is honored and infidel mouths are stopped. The way is marked out so plain a wayfaring man, though the most inconsiderate, need not err therein. But men cannot improve upon God's plan, for his ways are higher than man's. V. P. WELCH. Pity for Murderer, f PORTLAND. Dec 21. (To the Edi tor.) I had never conceived it possible that any person of sane mind, or pos sessing any intellectual qualifications whatever, could be guilty of such mawkish sentiment toward a degenerate fiend, as that which is displayed In a letter to The Oregonian printed Decem ber 21. It contains a paragraph to tnis effect: "I am not surprised at the at titude of those who think tbey are good Christians in their insistence upon the enforcement of tne aeatn penalty. Their reasoning processes, like their religion, may be compared in some re spects, to those of the 'disnatured' and perverted criminal who murders a 6-year-old girl. They are more to be pitied than censured." How anyone could take up the cudgel In defense of such a fiend, or others like him. is beyond belief. Has he a little girl of his own? one wouia nara- ly suppose so, or he would take the matter home more seriously. Who can think with calmness on the dreadful fate of an innocent, unsuspecting child, vltrtlm of a fiend? Who can imagine her sufferings, her pitiful cries, her tiny struggles before her life is ended? Who can imagine the mental agony and suffering of the heart-broken narents. which will never be assuaged as long as their lives shall last? What about the victims of tnese muraerers and the loved ones who are left to suf fer for them? Who pities them, or offers a plea for them? No, let . them be forgotten, they have no right to cry for justice. The murderer must be "packed away In lavender," and bandied with kid gloves, lest his feelings should be hurt, forsooth. Let the old Mosaic law stand, "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth," and "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed." Let these laws be In vogue today, and we shall hear less of these murders and fiendish crimes, for the fear of hanging will act as a deterrent in many cases. "Self preservation is the first law of nature," let It be practised for ourselves and those helpless Innocents for whom we are responsible. - A MOTHER. Plague Only n Busjaboo. PORTLAND, Dec 24. (To the Edi tor.) In The Oregonlan Saturday a news item stated that a fund of $5000, provided by the Assembly of Oregon to assist In fighting the bubonic plague, will not be paid by Secretary Olcott, The reason given for this refusal is that the bill for the appropriation was im properly drawn. Other reasons why this bill should not be paid will doubt less occur to many of your subscribers. Prominent among them will be the fact that the population of Oregon is not being decimated by bubonic plague. This may not look like a good reason to those who would have been entrusted with the expenditure of the fund in question, but it will appeal to your average taxpayer. Anyway, one cannot but feel that the latter class are to be congratulated on Mr. Olcott's action. ' No doubt your, legislature was in fluenced in making the appropriation by stories of the plauge in 8an Fran cisco. I say "no ioubt" because the California plague Iras been used to scare so many legislators, to frighten so many Congressmen, and to excite so much alarm outside of California, as to make Callfornlans wonder which Is more dangerous and spreads faster bubonic plague germs or misinforma tion about them. As I understand it rats and fleas and squirrels carry the germs, and in this case the Marine Hospital Service car ried the misinformation. Of the two the former is less deadly. As a matter of fact the plague never had a foot hold in California, and the uproar oc casioned about it was due to hasty and r.cklasa diagnosis, or to mere infer ence without any diagnosis at all. Sub sequent rational investigation proved this, but the impression has clung in some quarters that San- Francisco really had a plague, nevertheless. A, CALIFORNIAN, j N. Nitts on Mincemeat By Dean Collin. Nescius Nltts, he whose wise talk for aye Will keep all of Punkindorf wondering "Why?" Had fixed on the spider a venomous eye. Then swiftly the nicotine volley let fly. It fell. Then he spake upon Wiley and pie. "I shore found the Christmas a nice pleasant day. With all of its givin' of presents away. But there was one thing discomposed me in my Interior it was my daughter's mince pie. The night after Christmas, and pres ents and Santy And grub, I dreamed dreams that shore . Danted Dante. "I sees by the papers that Wiley has found Jest what things go into the mince meat compound. . Thus solvin' a problem the which, be yond question Has cost many lives, and a lot of digestion, Fer mince pies, in all of their war tegs arrayed. Like mortals. Is 'fearful and wonder ful made "I long sence gave up, and no longer X fussed To figger the contents that's under its crust. But in simple-faith, and in calm forti tude ... I ate it. 'cause- daughter had said it was food; Therefore Wiley's stunt plumb miracu lous seems To analyze out this here forger of dreams, a "But 'spite of all that, still the task is not done. There yet is a field fer some deep minded one. To map out the nightmares, that mars out content. And figger which comes from which ingredient: And then the pore mortal may know without doubt 'Fore bitin' his slice, jest what dreams will come out." Portland, Dec. 25. RESPONSIBILITY OF CRIMINALS Moral Control Not Always With Moral Consciousness, Says Writer. CENTRALIA, Wash, Dec 23. (To the Editor.) In The Oregonian Satur day, R. A. Westfield endeavors to answer some questions propounded by me in a letter published Thursday. If I may be permitted to Impose again upon your courtesy, I would like to say a few words upon the subjects of hanging and moral responsibility. The Oregonlan and its correspondent Mr. Westfield each assumes that be cause the criminal realizes the enormity of his misdeeds, the necessity for con cealing them and comprehends the penalty prescribed by law, that there is no question about his moral respon sibility. Mr. Westfield says: "I wonder if this sympathist really thinks that it is impossible for the thug to prevent him self while walking along some dark alley pulling a gun, thrusting it in some man's face and demanding bis money." This is measuring by self standard. It is a cemmon error to as sume that the criminal has as much moral restraint as his critic. The lat ter will concede to ' the evil-doer a preponderance of viciousness, greed and' hatred, but forgets that control or In tellectual domination . might be defi cient. Mr. Westfield has no trouble in holding his own murderous tenden cies in check; ergo, the thug should be able to do the same. Moral consciousness is. not always moral control. A knowledge of evil is useless when other elements of the mind are strong enough to overcome whatever of restraint the individual may possess. Complete responsibility implies complete mental freedom, and there Is no such thing. We frequently speak of the will as if it were an independent mental entity, but the aGt of "willing" is the result of a com pulsory mental process. - A criminal may commit a crime stealthily, secretly and craftiiy, a method frequently used by insane crim inals, and be utterly devoid of moral responsibility. The Holzman murderer doubtless realized the awfulness of bis crime and knew of the penalty, but a force stronger than this knowledge dominated his actions. Of course this is nothing more than an application of the doctrine that man is not a free moral agent, but the great lfghts of science and philosophy all concur. It seems to me that it ought to be a consolation to society to know that a murderer, whether of the disnatured or vindictive type, was safely behind the walls of the penitentiary earning his keep and helping to defray the ex penses of the state.- Should Society seek revenge;" or protection? What more is there to be gained by hanging a criminal than by restraining' him for life? Why clamor Tor the blood of one who is Walled 1n with his Own ilk? And suppose for the sake of argument and I believe the argument is sound that not only the acts of criminals but the acts of altruists are alike com pelled, does it not invalidate the theory of legal or divine punishment and re venge? It is the duty of society to protect itself, but the days of savagery and barbarism are waning. The people of . Oregon, a state foremost in political achievement, should take pride, in the fact that they have a Governor who has attained to that degree of bigness where he Is- not hampered by primi tive vindictiveness nor swayed by. a butcher's philosophy. SETH C. MAKER. Horsepower Tax on Autos. BROWNSVILLE, Or, Dec. 22. (To the Editor.). In reference to an item a few days ago on road legislation by a Polk County farmer that it would h necessary to curb the scorching tourist before the farmers would feel justified In making special levies, I for one and as an owner of two machines would be willing to meet the farmers half way by placing a tax of $1 per horsepower on each machine in the state annually, to be applied to a spe cial r -ad fund. I understand some states have such a law and it has not only built good roads but maintains them in first-class condition. I believe every automobile owner will agree with me that, money invested in good roads will bring better returns than the same amount Invested in regular monthly , repair bills. If anyone Is In doubt, let him make a trip from the upper valley to Portland, and if the mishaps and wear and tear of the various parts are properly enumerated they will find that very often a sin gle trip of this kind will place a spe cial tax several dollars to the good. The speed limit is of course subject to a great difference of opinion, but for safety and comfort, would think an extreme limit of 25 miles per hour would be practical, although the aver age motorist will cut the corner and nearly run over people to get to his destination as soon as possible and seldom has anything Important wnen he gets there. CHARLES STERLING. i