8 (Droromrot niTUXD, OstECO. Knterel at Portland. Oreaoo, Postofrica as fU-rond-eias Matter. tuMcnpUM Kates laearlaoly In Ada. (BY KIL) I e.'lr. Sunday Include. one year ?'!? T ilv. Sunder Included, eix month ... J I eli. tiundar Included. I fir mnln.. I.l Jll7. Sunder Included, on month .' 1 ml. t. w.Ihout Sunder, one rear J " 1 ally, without Sunday, a. a month : I-eilv. witnout Sunday. inn monina... l 2 At: v. wlthoyt Sunday, oot monltt veekly. one rear tuni".ar. one y-er J 'J tinder and Week!, one year - 181 CAHRIKK.) rl'r. "nodsT Included, ore year Jjer y. Sunday Inclc led. on nrnth Hew Reran Send Pcetofr.ce money or. Or. iipmi or-:er or pereooal caeca on your la! tan. Stm;e. coin or rtjrrtnrr r st lie sender's rn- OIe poeti.rfico address la f ill. lnci-idlne; count and stale. rtaaa Helee 1 to 14 paa. 1 rent; la t 1 (Kit I cnta; to 0 pacea. t cents: to 40 paces. 4 casta, ForaifO poatafa. oonhle rat. raum Hneiae-ee Otllii errs A Cork Hi Y..fi. Itrunawlck building. Clil- eaa- st-e-r h rMina. tar-pMa Office No. I Recant street. S- W . l.ond-n. rORTLAND. MDMSDAt. JAM. . WW- THKIB BOFE IS IN EOOMVI1-T. ' Insurgent Republicanism is In Mrcb of a candidate for the Repub lican nomination for President, That la the inference to be drawn from the action of the Ohio Progressive Repub lican conference in refusing specifically to Indorse Senator La Toilette can didacy. He has been tried, but proved a disappointment even to his most ar dent supporters. His audiences have applauded hla principles, but they have proved on the test to be Roose velt men instead of La Follette men. Division among tho Insurgent lead em has developed In consequence. The course of Plnchot and Gartleld In op posing a direct Indorsement of the Wisconsin man Is evidence mat mci desire to leave the way open rtr the entire insurgent strength in the con vention to switch to Roosevelt. The rejtolutlon adopted "as a personal ex pression of the delegates." lauding La Follette as "the living embodiment of the principles of the progressive move ment" is simply Intended to use him as a stalking horse to draw and hold together votes for any candidate on whom the Insurgents may concentrate. If Plnchot and Garfield can have their way. that candidate will be Roosevelt, but they have one obstacle to overcome the Colonel himself. Had they his consent to be a candidate, would they not have used all the arts of oratory and personal suasion to se cure the adoption of a resolution spe cifically Indorsing him? Senator M'orks' assertion that Roosevelt should declare himself and Plnchot's declara tion that a gTeat majority of "pro gressives" favor Roosevelt as first t holce. and that the Roosevelt pro gressive sentiment should be crystal lized plainly Indicate that they are aching to use his great prestige to help along the insurgent movement, but they have not been able to aecufe his consent. The insurgents are In distress. Some of their leaders, are pledged to boost for La Follette. but are embarrassed by persistent cries for Roosevelt. Other leaders wish to turn to Roose velt, but are without authority to peak for him. La Follette stumps the country in a vain effort to turn sentiment his way. but la lauded only as second choice. The insurgents are embarrassed by a too willing candidate n the one hand and by the silence of the man whom they seek as a candi date on the other. They can make no headway unless Roosevelt declares himself with them. What will he do? fUEJlDM E LEAPS TO BLTXBE1UXO. Jumping with avidity at any oppor tunity to oppose a measure recom I mended by President Taft and to sup I port a measure proposed by Insur gents, the Saturday Evening Post has blundered sadly in Its Indorsement of Senator Polndexter's bill to abolish the Court of Commerce. It quotes with approval Polndexter" statement that "the raw Commerce Court, without- special experience, on a brief hearing" enjoins the Spokane rate order of the Interstate Commerce Commission. The Tost adds: The Interstate Commwrt Commission, by years of Inveetirallon. baa become familiar tth tha problems of tranaportatlon. The commerce court act simply inakea t hie expel t body subject to a body that does Dot know so much about transportation. That tha r'n eral effect of tha court will be to paralyse tha ComtnUalon at leaat until such time as the court Itself becomee expert In transpor- ttlon eeems most likely. This new court Uluatratee Mr. Taft'a passion for turning ever as much as possible of the Government to the learned but extremely dilatory band of the Judre. There la no question bare of denying the railroeda a nrht of appeal to the courts. Taat riant they aletajs have bad and al ways will have This "raw" court, "without special experience." has for Its presiding Judge M. A. Knapp. who was for years chairman of the Interstate Commis sion and in that capacity, to quote the words applied by the Post to that body, "by year of investigation has become familiar with the problems of transportation." The other Judges are, with one exception, men of experience on the Federal bench and m-ith trans portation rases. Had this court not been created, orders of the Commis sion would still have been aubject to review, but by a court less expert in r-.tilroad litigation than the Commerce Court whose presiding Judge the Post admits, by Implication, to have become expert during his service with the Commission. The effect of the creation of the Commerce Court Is to expedite rail road litigation, tor that court devotes its entire time to interstate commerce. Were there no such court, appeals from the Commisison would "-till be taken, but would take their turn with other cases In the ordinary Federal courts, before Judges who do not make a special study of Interstate commerce law. AX OLD AND COTAVn.Y KKTRKINQ QltJTll. The charity that keeps open house to all comers with meals and lodging as attractions Is very likely to be over taxed In Midwinter. Indeed, at any time of the year it offers a refuge that la eagerly sought by those who make up the rank and file of the great army of umhrtft and insobriety. While the keynote of such charity Is the tender one of human sympathy, the burden of Its lament is pauperism, and thus w eighed It runs rapidly down the scale and ends In a trail of helplessness. It is thus that the Institution known as the Plsgah Home in a 'suburb of this city, though based upon the broadest conception of the dally phy sical and spiritual wants of the needy. Is likely to be In straits for food wherewith to supply those who are eager to accept its bounty. It has g'.Toa within the past three weeks about 6000 meals free and free lodging- eh r aa ire iDsr nermitted to all who have applied. While some of the men who have been housed and fid have repaid the expenditure in their behalf from the earnWiBS that they have managed to secure, a large, and by far the greater, part have not offered poeslbly they have not been able to offer remuneration for the service rendered. Thus, of course, this charity finds Itself without sufficient Income to meet the outgo and is likely to have to suspend its work. It is a condition, not a theory, that confronts us here. To meet this con . . , i . i . .ktAWn all trmories I anion eiwmMfc . in reynrd to the pauperizing effect of i A..t.uhf nrnmltfunutL organized char ity is difficult if not impossioie. in theory and Indeed. In fact, every able, bodied person of mature age should be able at leant to live in comfort through his or her endeavor. In real- - fninmne tentfl DTeSseS nt e n i iiij " 1 more or le.-s constantly, and In stress of eiuon. Insistently upon tne gates oi thrift, demanding entrance as a right, and eating of Its dole without shame or gratitude. Apparently the most and the least that can be done Is to meet the ques tion from day to day, for the tempo rary relief of the destitute, striving meanwhile by precept and example to Impress the duty and dignity of self support upon these derelicts on the sea of human life, to the end. or at least In the hope, that they may not. after a Summer of more or less preda ceous Idleness, return in Winter to be fed and housed by the gracious hand of that charity which "auffereth long and la kind." KII1P-K HAGGARD'S NEW HOXOB. King George has not failed to keep up the good old British custom of re cruiting the nobility from the ranks of distinguished commoners. The New Veee'e 1 1 eff ft nrOrTlOtionS IS nOt long. ! but It Is long enough to show that the I wi .ll nnl fall Into w uuirsvtiie ' . " ' " ' - desuetude during this reign. The year, ly accessions of new members have maintained the intelligence and vigor of the British nobility for several cen turies. While the German "Adel" Is decadent. Italian counts a laughing stock and French Dukes the symbols of debauchery, there Is still a good deal of red blood and some brains In an English peer if he is properly se lected from the herd. Very few of the noble families run farther back than the Wars of the Hoses. In that prolonged contest most of the old aris tocratic stocks were happily killed off by one another. King Henry VII cre ated a great many new peers to take the places and estates of the departd and it was In his reign that great num bers of British peerages began. King George has not chosen hla candidates for promotion solely from among the millionaires and politicians. It is a commendable English custom to honor literature and art on these occasions, though of course rather sparingly. The suocess of a mere au thor ought not to be set on the same level as that of a great brewer, as everybody admits. Still success is suc cess, though It be In a humble field, and the British crown usually recog nizes It In a quiet way. This time the King has made a baronet of Rider Haggard, whose books have paid pret ty well to say the least. Nobody ever dreamed of making a baronet of George Meredith. We suppose the rea- enn VOe that hla TlOVr-la Tl ft VP T SO 1 (1 1 very well. The fact that they stood at the head of English literature lor many years could not atone for this fatal defect. Rider Haggard's novela have always been good sellers. The one entitled "She" went off like hot cakes In both hemispheres. It was a rattling good story. The only thing it lacked to make It Immortal was a little literary merit. Haggard has also written well on agriculture and fought valiant battles for vaccination against British cranks. Upon the whole he deserves his promotion . and we hope he will enjoy his baronetcy. riNANCISG OF RAILROADS. If all those who engage in discussion of the relation of the railroad to the shipper and passenger on the one hand and to the Investor on the other hand would read the report of the Railroad Securities Commission they would get rid of many prevalent misapprehen sions and would acquire a clearer Idea of what they seek and how to at tain It. The shipper and passenger want the lowest rate which the railroad com pany will accept and continue busi ness, but they also want efficient, speedy and safe service. The investor wants Interest on his bonds or divi dends on his stock equivalent to the return he can obtain on any other In vestment with due allowance for the comparative risk of loss. The greater the risk, the higher return he de mands; the less the risk, the smaller the return. If the rates be so reduced as to deprive the Investor of such a return, new capital cannot be secured for extensions and Improvements, which the shipper considers as essen tial as reasonable rates. If the rates be so high as to pay an excessive re turn, the resulting antagonism may cause the Federal or state regulative body to reduce them unreasonably. Thus both the shipper and the investor are sure to suffer from the effects of their own greed. New capital will be needed by the railroads in great volume probably as great In the future as In the past in order to keep up with the standard of service expected by the shipper and with the Improvement of the times. Not so much will be needed for the building of new lines as for the Im provement of existing lines. As popu lation grows nensrr, tracks must be doubled, bridges made more substan tial, grade crossings eliminated, ter minals enlarged, safety appliances In stalled and equipment improved. Our railroads must gradually advance from American standards of construc tion, for which the present average capitalization of less than $60.00 a mile is adequate, until they approach the European standard, which has re quired a capitalization per mile in Germany $104,000. In France I1S7.. 000. in Belgium J177.000, In Great Britain 1:65.000. In order to attract this new capital, the return must be sufficient to com pensate for the risk, which Is greater in some cases than others and which still has a considerable element of speculation. It Is often assumed that railroad Investments have attained such a degree of permanence as dif fers little from savings banks and baa the same general uniformity of profit, but this is only true of some roads. Profits necesari:y vary according to the wisdom of the original location of a line and according to Its good or bad manaeiemtint, even where the con ditions of business have become stable. Tn a neer nnrtlallV deVelODed country there will be great fluctuation of traffic, due to rapid shifts of popula tion. This Is particularly the case In mining countries, where towns rise and die In a few months or years. In such a country the investor has a right to somewhat higher returns to com pensate for the greater risks Involved. New inventions may also render obso lete equipment and structures which represent a large Investment and may require a new investment to bring a road up to date. The commission therefore concludes that It is more desirable to insure publicity of stock and bond Issues, of the amount of the proceeds, and of the manner In which they are applied, than to limit the amount of such Is sues. By this means the shipper -will know If rates are charged to pay divi dends on water, and tho investor will know If the railroad on which bonds are Issued Is adequate security for tha loan and if the money lent is actually Invested in the property. After all, that Is what they want to know. Knowing that, the shipper has a rem edy for excessive rates and the in vestor has a remedy for Juggled finances. STRAW TOTES OX DEATH PENALTT. The suggestion made by Rector Den ham H. Qulnn. of Chehalls. In a letter printed Sunday that The Oregonlan In vite its readers, by means of balloting, to express their opinions on capital punishment, does not appeal to us as worthy of adoption. A straw vote Is valueless as Indicating the true fixity of public opinion. The elector doea not feel that he has a duy to perform when a straw vote Is invited. Those who feel strongly on the subject are likely to participate If they don't forget It. Only a small percentage of the public makes the small effort re quired to send a ballot on the Issue. One might as well attempt to gauge public opinion by checking against each other the numerous letters writ ten to the editor on this topic. Furthermore we are promised the presentation of the Issue at the polls next November. The people them selves will then decide whether capital punishment shall be abolished. We are not sure that we shall then have a true expression of public opinion on the advisability of retaining the death penalty for murder. If some murder er is under reprieve at the time a great many voters will decide the Issue on whether. In their belief, that particu lar man should be hanged or impris oned for life. They are likely to be Influenced more by arguments for or against his gu'.lt. provocation or sanity than by the logic presented In behalf of protecting society. To here answer one of our corre spondent's queries, society. It may be stated. Is the socially developed and organized population. Some of the units that make up society may be gravely mistaken In their views as to what is best for society as a whole. A majority, even, may err, or be led astray by minor issues, but under our system of government the majority rules. The majority through Its legislators has decreed that In Oregon premeditated murder shall be punished by death. To safeguard against the remote pos sibility of Inflicting injustice the ma jority gave the' Governor the emerg ency power to reprieve murderers, or commute their sentences. Certainly It was never Intended to give each suc ceeding Governor the power to abolish or enforce capital punishment during hla term of office as his Inclination happened to direct. To convert this emergency power Into a sweeping" one Is usurpation of authority that no straw vote can condone. COIXJNKL SEFTOX " ANT HISS SCOTT. Colonel Harry Sefton, the Chicago theater man, has been sued for breach of promise of marriage, the fair one whose heart he has broken claiming S25.000 damages. Any man who for sakes a woman after promising her his hand and heart must expect public feeling to run strongly against him. The presumption Is that he is a vil lain with too much money and too little conscience who occupies his scandalous leisure in wrecking the lives of trusting females. This pre sumption does not invariably accord with the facts, though the lawyer for the prosecution rarely rails to make the Jury think It does. Readers of The Oregonlan, however, are not a mere Jury waiting to be bamboozled by the eloquence of the first silver tongued lawyer who happens along. They are thoughtful individuals will ing to be argued with sensibly and anxious to reach Just conclusions. We therefore advance the remark, without much apprehension of violence, that Colonel Sefton had some grounds for breaking off his engagement with the fair Miss Scott who now seeks to recover damages for her wounded affections. She smokes cigarettes. Reflect upon this proposition if you please and try to conceive of its full horror. The young woman does not smoke a pipe, not even an old and stinking one. She does not smoke a cigar, not even a clirar made of cabbage loaves and assafoetlda, the kind so popular on streetcars. She does not "chaw," which is a comparatively Innocent and ladylike habit. She does not "dip," a practice which is recognized socially as of extreme elegance in some parts of the sunny southland. No. Miss Stfott solaces herself with none of these pardonable uses of the weed. She has chosen the most obnoxious employment which It Is possible to make of It. She smokes cigarettes. This Is the reason why Colonel Sefton has diverted his affections from her and broken his plighted vows. Is the reason sufficient? Is his conduct ex cusable? An enlightened public has been appealed to for a decision, and. we are pained to say, opinions are divided. We mean that the opinions of wom ankind are divided. Of course no man would hesitate for a second to declare that the Colonel did exactly the right thing and should be praised for it. Think of kissing a maiden whose lips are polluted with the venom of a cig arette. But women are of various minds on the subject. Some of them say that If the Colonel loved Miss Scott as warmly as he ought he would forgive the cigarette smoking and take her to his bosom, stench and all. Others hold that he probably knew about the cigarettes when he offered her his heart and since he has made a contract he ought to be compelled to keep It, There Is still another sec tion of feminine opinion which takes the ground that the Colonel ought to marry Miss Scott with all her faults and devote himself to reforming her afterward. Thus from the same circumstances different people will draw different conclusions. Our own. which we shall proffer with becoming modesty in a moment, stands In a class by Itself and resembles none of those propounded by our fair sisters. As to the first, that Colonel Sefton would marry Miss Scott in spite of her cigarettes if he truly loved her, it is open to this ob jection. Love seeks the welfare of its object, not her ruin. How then could the Colonel's love condone a hideous habit which Is sure. If it is persisted In long enough, to accompany Miss Scott to the grave? Evidently the more he loves the damsel the harder he will fight against her cigarette de bauchery, and of course he cannot marry her while she continues to revel In sin. That would be the same as saying, "Go on sinning, my love. I think Just as much of you as I should if you were as holy as I am myself." No self-respecting Colonel could be guilty of such conduct, , Then as to holding him to his con tract whether or no, this, we submit. Is harsh doctrine. Love Is an Illusion from which sooner or later a man Is pretty certain to recover. Shall we oblige him when he becomes sane to keep all the promises he made in his lunes and ravings? The ancients had a maxim that Jove laughs at lovers' vows. In this passage the word "Jove" evidently means "the law." Is not this a more humane spirit than that of our modern tribunals which take the hallucinations and frenzies of lov ers as the most serious things in the world and make a man pay damages because he has a heart? If the law exacted damages from us for having brains it would be far less Injurious because the offense la so much rarer. Finally we turn to the proposition that the Colonel ought to marry Miss Scott and reform her afterwards. We seem to remember having heard some thing of this sort before, only the ta bles were turned the other way. Usual ly the woman is expected to reform the man, and we know how she suc ceeds. If Miss Scott will not drop her cigarette-smoking before the wedding ceremony she will not do it afterward. The Influence of a lover Is Just about a thousand times as great as that of a spouse. We can Imagine dark and dismal hours when Miss Scott, trans muted Into Mrs. Sefton, might light up simply to exasperate her expostulating husband and coolly ask him what he was going to do about It, even as a husband comes home drunk and kicks over the dinner table to show that he is his own boss. Nay, nay. There should be no marrying or giving in marriage until the cigarette question has been definitely settled one way or the other. Our opinion, which we have sagely withheld up to this moment. Is that the Colonel and Miss Scott ought to travel together for a year on a yacht In the South Seas with no company but her chaperone. He should deliver a dally sermon to her on the evils of cigarette smoking. In the course of the voyage she will either murder him or reform. In either case the ques tion of their marriage will be happily disposed of without "troubling the courts. The democratic nations of the world are the ones that favor arbitration. America, England, France, Scandina via, all stand for it. Germany's arbi trary ruler opposes it, and the Czar, of course, disposes of it with fine and meaningless phrases. Freedom means peace. Just as it means prosperity and happiness. Make all men comfortable and you destroy tho fundamental mo tive for going to war. Sale by the Government of the fili bustering steamer Hornet Is a severe blow to .the Central American revolu tion industry. With the supply of men, arms and ammunition from the southern porta thus shut off and the finances of two Central American re publics under control of the United States, the soldier of fortune will find his occupation -gone and may have to do some useful work. Director Newell, of the Reclamation Service, would do well to practice what he preaches. Had he made "sys tematic and thorough investigation of the physical conditions relating to a project," he would not have found It necessary to Increase again his esti mate of the cost and settlers on land to be reclaimed would not have been left In the dark as to the irrigation charge they assumed. There is nothing like the hard knocks of financial reverses to take the conceit out of a man, as both Kolb and Dill have discovered. Each has learned that he la not "the whole show," and their delightful partner ship may be renewed on the basis of a due appreciation by each of the other. If diseased meat is being sold in the local markets and Dr. Calvin S. White la not given to misstating facts there is efficient remedy at hand. Make the Jails big enough to hold the rascals. The Oregonlan's Annual spread a vernal hue over the city that should exalt the heart of even such an op timist as Judge Hennessy Murphy. By deporting Mrs. Snead and her affinity, Canada shows how she con tiA mnrnls of her npoDle when Irregularity becomes known. Verdict of manslaughter for the man who broke the neck of the little orphan girl at Orovllle is rank mis carriage of Justice. Eighty would-be doctors are under going examination to practice In the most healthful part of the Union. Cotton operatives In New England are treading on thin ice in making de mands for more pay Just now. Which will New York's woman dep uty sheriffs do if an offender shows fight? Scream or shoot? The Seattle doctor who ran amuck here New Tear's night had a eimple case of nostalgia. A Finn, and his name was not John son, either, has won the Marathon at Edinburgh Let us hope the country beyond the Rocky Mountains keeps Its frigidity at home. . The Empress has donated two mil lions for the China war; not all cash, however. Turn off the water and spite the alnmhar. PEOPLE W1R.VED AGAIXST FADS. W. H. H. Dafar Cosdtauu Slnarle Tax 'as Worst of Class Lcsrlalatlom. PORTLAND, Dec 31. (To the Edi tor.) I enclose you a letter from Hon. W. H. H. Dufur, one time member of the Oregon Legislature, and later ser-geant-at-arms of the Senate, who Is at present visiting and recuperating In California. I thought perhaps its publication would be of interest, as his ; views are clear on "Single Tax" fanati cism. EUGENE PAiuVlJDK. "Business conditions, of both county and state, must certainly be looked upon and viewed by business men and the average citizen with considerable alarm. In the Journal of November 20 I notice a letter, dated December 19. headed 'Procedure Under 6ingle Tax,' and written by Alfred D. Crldge. If Mr. Crldge's definition of single tax. as given there. Is correct, then I am not surprised that there la a slack market In small realty dealings, both la city lots and acreage. "I, for one, cannot understand how we can expect to prosper and perma nently upbuild the state under a sys tem of taxation that excuses and ex empts all classes of property and Im provements, and places ail taxes on land values. If his theory Is correct. then a poor Individual, or one who is unable to put up a skyscraper, rami pay Just as great a tax as the neighbor who has his millions, and is able to place them In a manner greater to increase hie Income; or, a poor little home steader, who has, we will say, 10 acres of land and who, with hla wife, has worked the better part of his life, depriving his family of all the pleas ures of life, must pay Just as much tax as the wealthy city owner right alongside of him. who has purchased for his own pleasure 160 or more acres, and who has lavishly Improved his property for his own Individual pleas ures and benefit. He expends 10,000, $;0.000 or 130.000 for beautifying and fixing up his property to suit his fas tidious notions. On the other hand, the homesteader or the man with the mort gage hanging over him. who is Just as good a citizen, and Just as useful a member of society, under the single tax system, must pay Just as much taxes as the wealthy neighbor, who was born perhaps with a million tn his mouth. "Are not the people of the state of Oregon at the present time, especially the farmers, crying out against the ex cessive taxes thejr have-to pay? And yet. In his speecsj before the Realty Board on September 19, Mr. ITRen ac knowledges that It will Increase the land tax 100 per cent. Now. If this is the case, and It will do It, what In the name of common sense are the farmers and the faim interests of Oregon going to do, saying nothing of the small lot owners In the city of Portland? They cry, 'Something must be done to get the. people back to the farm." Tes, something must be done, but for God's sake don't go to work and adopt class legislation of tMs kind, exempting millions upon millions of taxable prop erty and placing It upon the unfortu nate landowner, or home builder. It Is a theory that may work, when the Hon and the lamb He down together, but not under present business conditions. "I am an advocate of popular Gov ernment by the people, and was very, very proud of the people of Oregon when they adopted the progressive ideas they did. and set the example to the balance of the United States that Oregon had the best state government In the world; and I firmly believe and have perfect faith In the intelligence of the voters of both state and Nation, and I shall be awfully mistaken if they allow theorists and faddists' untried ideas to pull the wool over their, eyes at the next election on this single tax question. "W. H. H. DUFUR. NON-TILLABLE LAND IS USEFUL fuck of Tbat Not Classed as Fertile Will Sustain Livestock. CORVALIS, Or., Jan. 1. (To the Ed itor.) Permit me to congratulate you on your splendid New Year'B edition. It is beyond question the best and most complete compilation of tho resources of Oregon extant. A veritable ency clopedia of the Industrial activities of the state. I desire, howeveV, to correct a typographical error in a report from this office relating to the tillable land in Oregon. Clackamas County should be -credited with 728.400 acres of plow land, instead of S, 288.400 acres. While It Is estimatetd that Oregon has 22,817,930 acres of fertile, tillable land. It should be borne in mind that much of the remaining area of 38,039. 830 acres Is excellent grazing land, cap able of sustaining millions of sheep and goats and large numbers of cattle and horsea. JAMES WITHTCOMBE. Cause of Jim Warner's Death. SILETe. Or., Dec. 29. (To the Edi tor ) I noticed a small article in The Oregonlan Thursday in regard to the death of Jim Warner, an Indian shot In March by a white man, and In reply will say: The Prosecuting Attorney is reported to have said that Jim Warner died from heart disease. This Is a mistake. Jim Warier did not die from heart dis ease. Because Jim was an old man, that does not prove it by any means. Nobody else but myself treated Warner. I examined Jim op several occasions before he was shot, and I am fully con vinced that he had no heart trouble. I have made quite a number -of post mortem, myself in private and host pital practice, and witnessed a good many in some of the Eastern institu tions, and am fully competent to recog nize and diagnosticate normal and pathologic conditions. I testified un der oath before the grand Jury at To ledo and explained my findings of the post-mortem to them, and informed the Jury that Jim Warner had died from a secondary hemorrhage, due to the gunshot wound. Furthermore, I wish to state that I have three or four witnesses who will testify at any time that Jim Warner told them, and I myself beard, it, that Chanaler had shot him after he had made him drunk. In conclusion, I again emphatically reiterate: Jim Warner did not die from heart disease. M. F. CLAUSIUS, M. D Physician, U. S. Indian Service. Clxrarrttra and the Presidency. Fred C. Kelly in the Cleveland Plain Dealer. If the truth must be told, Oscar Un derwood, the House majority leader, smokes cigarettes. The other day an unknown admirer of Underwood' up in XT -... Tnrl, who. rpc&rda him as a strong Presidential possibility, wrote him a long letter decrying me nan he is taking. "You may be able to get away with it," the man wrote, "but there's no sense in butting against the stone wall of prejudice that exists in many quarters against people who smoke cigarettes rather than cigars or a corncob pipe." Problem 1st the Milk Trade. ' The Sketch. The Lady How much mils: does the old cow give a day, Tom? Tom About eight quarts, ma'am. The Lady And bow much of that do you sell? Tom About 12 quarts, ma am. A Native Asaerlcmn, 124 Tears. Indianapolis News. That he Is the oldest resident of the United States Is the assertion of a Cherokee Indian in Virginia, who claims that he has lived more than 120 vears-4 MODE OF LIVING NEEDS REVISION Artificial Ufa sad Taate for Luxuries Raise Geaeral Llvlns Coat. FORT STEVENS, - Or., Jan. 2. (To the Editor.) The widely - discussed "bugbear," known as the "increased cost of living," can scarcely be said to have arisen from any one definite cause. Many and various agencies in volved in the expansion and higher de velopment of the human race during 'comparatively recent times have ex erted their proportionate Influence In rendering It progressively more diffi cult for the average human being to earn a living and support a family. During even-the past century ad vances In the general administration ! of human affairs, decrease In the num ber of men killed in war, lessened tatai lty from pestilence due to advances in hygienic knowledge, and fewer deaths from famine due to modern facilities for the transportation of foodstuffs from regions of comparative plenty to those of scarcity, have, together with other accompanying Influences, promot ed a much more rapid increase in the population of the civilized world than was possible under previously existing conditions. With this comparatively rapid In crease In population and gradual ad vancement of the sum of human intelli gence, the average Individual has like wise risen in intelligence. -Higher in stitutions of learning have multiplied by hundreds; and whereas 70 years ago a certain proportion of the population contentedly completed their education by attendance of a few years at an in different district school, and a consid erable percentage of the people re mained comparatively illiterate, nowa days compulsory education Is provided for practically all, and the proportion of high school and college graduates is steadily and rapidly increasing. For those who cannot afford to attend col lege In person, the steady growth of the "correspondence method" opens further avenues of learning. As a natural result of this widespread and continually increasing diffusion of knowledge, the boy who 70 years ago was content to follow In his father's footsteps on the farm, or to inherit his father's comfortable blacksmithlng trade. In either of which positions he would remain a producer, now strives to become an engineer, or a lawyer, or a preacher, or a politician, or a physi cian, in either of which already over filled professions he at' once becomes a consumer and must needs live at the expense of other people. The gradual but nevertheless steady exodus from the producing farm to the consuming city is slowly but surely creating a top-heaviness in our modern fife sys tem that sooner or later must reach a point where even an artificial balance can no longer be maintained., Unless there develops A decided change in the trend of our modern life, the grad ually increasing cost of living, at least to the consuming city dweller, must sooner or later become absolutely pro hibitive. It would seera reasonable to believe that an intellifent revision "sldewlse" of our modern strenuous and highly artificial life from dark and noisy city flats to airy" and comfortable farm cot tages; from the expensive and vanity satisfying automobile to the light buggy; from days of enervating phys ical inactivity in a 15th-story office to days of health and wealth-producing manual labor next the soil; from reck less and Indiscriminate libertinism to a virtuous conservation of the family circle; and from champagne suppers to cider and apples, would not only no ticeably decrease the average cost of living but would -at the same time vastly Increase the sum of real human happiness. CHESTER J. STEDMAN, M. D. SLANT FOREIGNERS THERE ALSO Canada Not as Much White Man's Country as This, Saja Writer. . PORTLAND, Dec. 11. (To the Edi tor.) The Vancouver Daily Province of recent date states editorially that over 40 per cent of the population of New York City are foreigners, and that Walla Walla, Wash., Is the only Ameri can city. Having in mind the "passing of the American," I took a trip to Canada last Summer, when tho thought struck me, "Here witnesseth the white man's last stand." Upon traveling along the Canadian Pacific Railroad, into New Westminster and Vancouver, B. C, the sight of thousands of Chinese, Japanese and Hindus almost took my breath away and completely routed my idea of Canada being the white man's last stand. I saw more Orientals in British Columbia in proportion to tHe popula tion than in any section of the United Statee. European foreigners (dark skinned) are also in Canada by the thousands. As a result of this conglomeration of races, white folk In Canada, Vancouver especially, are casting fond glances to wards Australia, the only white man's country, and many are leaving for Aus tralia, amounting to almost an exodus, as witnessed by crowded boats loavlng Vancouver, B. C. Some boats' passen ger capacities are filled ten days be fore sailing date. I have talked to Australians 4n Can ada and they all stated that the "con glomeration" on this continent made them sick and that at the first oppor tunity they would return to Australia, "the 'white man's home." Tho Oregonlan today has a news arti cle regarding New Yoi-k City's popula tion which bears out the editorial men tioned above. The Oregonlan also had a news item regarding the coming of some Australian officials to encourage American emigration, which, from my personal observations throughout the West, will be readily responded to. M. L. BELL. Country Town Sayings by Ed Howe When a man falls heir to a big Job, It Is always said his head swells. And frequently it Is true. The claim that American women drink too much probably isn't serious. When women drink wine, it is a sip and a protest, and usually more tem perance lecture than dissipation. When people say, "It should be done," It doesn't follow that It can be done. When invitations are sent out for a big social affair in a country town, the line Is only drawn at color and murder. It mir be depended upon that when a man dedicates his life to a. cause, he I has a secret understanding with nim self that he may take his life back If the labor to which he has dedicated himself does not pay. Every man must be his own phy sician; health Is a delicate matter you cannot delegate to another. It is unfair to give to any one man credit for that which belongs to a race; to an age. ' A fool will not only pay for a "cure" that does him no good, but will write a testimonial to the effect that he was cured. If you achieve success, you must pass the slow men. When a thing is up to some people. It Is Just the same as dead. A DesIa-ntnK Suitor Fishes. Boston Evening Transcript. She My father made a fortune be fore he was 40. Would you like to know how he did it? ' He no; but I'd like to know if he atlll baa it-f N. NITTS ON DEPUTIES By Deaa Collins. Nesciue Nitts, he whose wisdom ex pands Past Punkindorf's limits to e'en for eign lands. Cast a far-away gaze on the dill-pickle stands. And combed with his fingers his long goatee's strands; Then spake upon power In feminine hands. "I sees by the papers, that Harburger feller. New York's new - elected disturbance dispeller. Has sprung what will be an odd thing around there. If He gives women badges fer deputy sheriff. As he has announced he is thinkln' of doin', Malntainin' his scheme is entirely a new one. "I holds this a dangerous thing, and I say He oughtn't to deputize ladles that way. In fust place, consider its Leap Year to boot. In which women has the full right of pursuit; Now wherefore make bad enough worser by far. By addin' the power that lies In a star? "Jest think of the bachelors Leap Year has left From their one protection entirely be reft. Since custom in Leap Year to women gives o'er The right cuetom give to the men folks before. By Leap. Year deprived of this safe- guardin' right. The bachelor's last chance lies only tn flight. "Consider how fearful 'twould be. Jest supposln' He seen that a woman was plannln' proposin'. Percelvln' his danger, 'Excuse ' me,' sezee, . And backs toward the doorway, pre parin" to flee; But scarce has them words of farewell been expressed, When 'Halt!' cries the lady, "You're under arrest!' "What chance fer the bachelor, held there In awe ' And fear of the powerful arm of the law? - ' I scarce can conceive of a fearfuller scrape Than thus to be shet from all means of escape. The pint In the f oregoin" argument made is: Leap Year's a bad time fer to deputize ladles." Pi. rtland, January 2. Half a Century Ago From The Oregonlan, January 8, 1862. It is said that Lieutenant Adair has left the Army and gone to Victoria, his resignation not having been accepted. He is in a good position, in case of war with England, to take position in the rebel forces. ASTORIA, Dec 21. Our little village was enlivened Friday evening, the 20th inst, with an exhibition at the court house by the scholars and children of our "free district school" on the occa sion of the close of a nine-months term by our present very excellent teachers, Mr. and Mrs. Deardorff. Gold has been discovered in consider able quantities In the province of Otago, New Zealand. Sailors were de serting their ships, the value of labor had increased, and there was every appearance of all public works being stopped. S. J. McCormick. Esq., of the Frank lin Book Store, was awarded the con tract of furnishing the state with sta tionery for the ensuing year. The Columbia River Is closed with Ice. and the steamer from this place to Vancouver was unable to reach that place yesterday and returned. Yesterday a number of boys, while skating on the pond north of the city, came across-the dead body of a man, which was protruding through the Ice. Coroner McCoy visited the Bpot and took charge of the body. The Jury returned a verdict that he came to his death by drowning. In consequence of the floating ice in the Colombia River, the steamer Julia, bound for The Dalles, was forced to return without making her trip. The steamer Vancouver is also unable to proceed to Vancouver. The river is said to be blocked up with ice as far down as Willow Bar. The Julia was sent down to St. Helens yesterday morning to take the passengers and freight from the steamship Cortes, which is supposed to ba detained there. A sudden freak of honesty seems to have come over some of the secession party in the loyal states. They suffer Intensely from, reports current that contractors and others- are swindling Government In furnishing supplies for the Army. This sudden exhibition of honesty would be respected if sincere. The last administration was sustained by the secession Democracy and con trolled by them. There was one gen eral system-of robbing the Government from the beginning to the end of It, Even "J. B." did not fail to use his power to help his friends to plunder. At the close of Mr. Buchanan's ad ministration the system of plunder cul minated In the robbery of the Govern ment of nearly a million dollars by the Secretary of War, and the general robbery of mints, arsenals, public stores and forts of property by the secession Democracy In the Southern states. Did ever one of this stamp In the loyal states, editor or otherwise, complain of these robberies? Never. There may be swindlers now who are contractors for Government sup plies. Very likely. There are always bad men about. But the Government countenances no such robberies. A spe cial committee of Congress, sitting in the recess. Is employed to look into such charges, and they are doing so without fear, favor or affection. The guilty 'will be made to suffer. The Government has got its face as a flint against the system of robberies inau gurated by the preceding admlnistra- tion. The Richmond Examiner of the 31st ult., speaking of the Federal troops, says: ."Take them all in all, their forces are as precious a set of rascals as could be scraped together with a fine-tooth comb from the pothouses and hellhouses of the North. They have been fertilized by filth and grown up crisp, fresh and unmitigatediy wretched from the mire of municipal corruption." Ex-Governor Wickllffe, of Ken tucky. ex-Postmaster-General, etc., Is loyal to the heart's core, but has a son in the Army. That son attempted to apply the torch to his own father's house in Bardstown. but General An derson sent a regiment to the rescue. Bird Houses In Vineyards. Baltimore American. German wine growers are being en- v eouraged by the government to scatter nesting material and erect bird houses in their vineyards to attract feathered foes of insects that prey upon vines.