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TATt AXD stOOSaVTaXT.
The Oregonian Is Indebted to the
New Torlc World for a painstaking
aearch f recent history for the pur
pose of dlsclosin- the real opinion or
Colonel BooeeTelt about President
Taft.
March 15. 106. Theodore Roosevelt
wrote from the White House to Will
iam H. Taft:
Mr bHf bat all U .'""V,!
Ard aa fa. y-a era tha man who la
SlaTum ..4 waa la, 1 thma. lb. at maa ta
TaraiTe It.
June IS. 190S. after Mr. Taft
had been nominated for President. Mr.
Roosevelt said:
I da not ballave thora caa ba fmjnd la tha
hof. untrr a a. ao w-n f.tt-d t o be
Ir.:dat. Ha la at only abaolut.ly faar-l-aa.
abaolut.;y d!lntr.ated and uprlsM.
but ha haa tha MM acquaintance with the
Kuin'l a-eda without and within, and tba
fcmadaat .ytnpathlee with all our c'"""-
Ha would ba a rap!atl-al.7 a Pr.lriant
f tba plain paopla a. IJneoln. yat not Wn
cola himlf wnuid ba fraer from tha laaat
taint at dem.o7. the tndnc, to
arouaa. to appaai to eUaa batrad of any
kind.
September 9. 190S. Mr. Roosevelt
wrote to Konrad Kohra, of Helena:
' la Mr. Tart wa tin a elaaa maa who eon
trfaaa all tbaaa nualltua to a d'craa which
ao othar n la our pabUa Ula alaca tha
civil war haa aurBaaacd.
September IS. 190S. the Btiece-a
Mairazlne made public an Interview
with Mr. Rooaeralt Jn which he aid
of Mr. Taft:
Taft hrrarlably doaa do tha ordinary
thlnaa, and ha doaa tba-ra cptlonaUy wall.
That la wrtr I any ba will maa aaa of our
a-raataat Praaldanta
September JO. 10S. a letter from
Mr. Roosevelt to William B. McKlnley
waa made public In which the Presi
dent said:
It Is uryontly aaaaaaary from tha stand
point of too pnbllo totaraat ta alact Mr
Taft and a Rapaiaucaa Coasraaa which will
wapport htzn.
September SI. 10. Mr. Roosevelt
Issued a statement la regard to the
Foraaer disclosures la which he said
of Mr. Taft:
Bis attttmdw aa fals ouaaUoo. as watt as
an aeantiaaa othar qaaallona. eonTtnead tna
that of all tha man la this Cnloa ba waa
tba maa ara ailnaatly fit la point of up
rlshtBaas e4 aharactar. of faarlaaa and a
rraaatTa hsaasty sad of fimaaa for cham
p ton ins tna rishta af the pavpla as a whole
to ba Praaldaa.
There are other laudatory Roosevelt
opinions, but these will do. The rec
ord la clear. The country accepted Mr.
Taft at the Roosevelt valuation. It
till rerarda President Taft as big-,
strong, brawny, capable, honest, true.
What has Mr. Taft done to cause
Colonel Roosevelt to chaunre his mind ?
or haa ha changed his mind? If he
has. it would appear that In all fair
ness ha ought to tell why. If he has
rot, he owes It to himself, to Taft. and
to the publlo to show how his former
opinion, gained by an Intimate person,
a! view of Taft. haa been vindicated.
What la the matter? Much? Then
the public ought to know. Nothing?
Then the people also are entitled to
the truth.
two XATioxa rrrorxo ros war.
Frequent evidences of Irritation over
every little Incident serve to strengthen
the opinion that war between Great
I rltaln and Germany Is Inevitable.
Kach nation Is sending out spies to
learn the military secrets of the other.
Whenever one of these Is captured the
mutual hatred bursts Into a flame. It
has recently been fomented In Eng
land by the secret trtiil and sentence of
an English spy In Germany. When
the public mind of two nations Is In
such a condition of chronic hostility,
the slightest Incident may causa an
outbrealc of war.
Great Britain has reason to welcome
an early slrucgle, while Germany may
te presumed to desire delay until her
navy can meet that of Britain on some
whera near equal terms. So rapidly
is Germany's naval atrength growing
that Britain's resources will have to
he strained In order to maintain a
navy at a strength equal to the navies
of any two other powers. Germany
haa already stepped past the United
States Into second place, and Lord
Charles Beresford says that Britain's
two-power standard has already dis
appeared, so far as battle craft are
concerned. If Germany and the United
State were to combine, they would
have five more battle craft than Brit
ain and. If the present building pro
gramme Is carried out. they will have
seven more such craft than Britain
five years hence.
Tba only ships now considered In
calculating- the flghtinc effectiveness
of tha first line of battle ara dread-Koug-hts.
Of these Britain haa twelve
to Germany's seven, while ws have but
five. Thus tha British navy Is Just
equal to tha German and American
combined. In this respect. But when
the ships now authorized and buildlng
are completed. Britain will have twenty-two
to Germany sixteen and the
United States ten, and will therefore
be outnumbered by four. The second
line of battle Is composed of the older
type of battleship and the new type of
battle cruiser. Of battleships Britain
ha forty-two. Gee-many twenty-one
and the United States twenty-five, th
two latter power thus outnumbering
the first by four. Of battle cruisers
Britain and Germany hare flv each
and th United States none, but when
they have completed ships now in
hand Britain will have nine. Germany
eight. In g-oc power Germany Is fast
closing the gap. having 3S guns of
leven Inches and more to Britain's
3iZ. The United State has 200 such
guns and the American and German
navies combined thus far excel the
British In the weight of metal they can
throw
Germany has a definite, oonalsrant.
shipbuilding programme, which Is
reaching aftsr equality with Britain.
The latter country cannot long endure
th strain of building two ships to
Germany's one. Britain now has the
superiority, but the only hop of main
taining It Is to crush th German navy
before It becomes a match. Delay also
may bring a new grouping- of the Eu
ropean powers which would deprive
her of th aid. whether open and ac
tive or secret, of France and Russia.
Though Lord Roberts says her army
Is miserably unprepared, she may now
be able to keep a war entirely on the
sea and escape the necessity of using
her army. If by delay that ability la
lost, greater risk Is run of defeat at
tea, to be followed by Invasion. If she
must fight, Britain would better fight
now and be done with It.
DO HOMEM WA3CT TO VOTE?
Colonel Roosevelt Is for woman suf
frage. If th women want It. He Is
against woman ufTrae If the women
do not want 1L He proposes a refer
endum of the women.
Th difficulties of getting a fair and
representative expression through a
ballot of women ar obvious. The
women who want to vote would go to
the polls. Th women who do not
want to vote, or ar Indifferent, would,
nearly all of them, remain away. If
they feel that they ought not to be
called upon to vote on any question,
why should they decide women suf
frage? Let the men decide lt They
are th sovereigns. In the opinion of
the pampered or Indifferent or hostile
women.
Colonel Roosevelt feels about woman
suffrage as many good men do. They
think the woman ought not to be
troubled about suffrage unless they are
i -' t. inw nhout the many
wuaiiR. - -
women -good. cspable. Intelligent,
actlv women who ar known to
want suffrage? Shalt they be denied
the right to participate in hku
in.nt. anil to the public's
great advantage, because there are
other women who are timid, or sloth
ful, or Ignorant, or Incapable, or weak.
or helpless, or merely wen aejjn
the right or duty of suffrage shall be
determined on that basis. It will also
have to b denied the men.
i '
THE COST.
Governor West wastes a lot of elo
quence In making his appeal for good
roads. Nobody Is against good roads;
but th Governor Is diligently and
skillfully seeking to have It appear
that th critics of the West bills are
hostile to the movement. They ar
not. They are friends of rood road.
They are also advocates of reason, san
ity and prudence.
There, for example, w see a uumut-i
r nii.tti.n from the Rotary Club
and the Ad Club and other local organ
izations running around wun iniun.uvo
petitions to get signatures to the West
bills. Those bright young men have
apparently been seized with a panic of
fear that they would be accused of
mossbacklsm or reactionlsm or some
other Infamy If they stopped for a mo
ment to read th bills and Inquire
whether thev ar deslrabl from th
standpoint of th man who pays.
The West bills will saaaie upon mo
larger and more progressive counties
the burden of building roads In remote
and poorly populated counties.
They penalize Multnomah County by
giving back from th etat fund from
one-tenth to one-twentieth the amount
Multnomah contributes.
They discriminate In effect against
the counties which have already on
their own account built, or are build
ing, a system of good roads.
They Impose on th taxpayer an ex
traordinary burden out of all propor
tion to his desire, or will, or real ca
pacity to pay.
They contemplate and authorize In
ten years an expenditure of 140.000.000
of th taxpayers' money.
Let us get down to earth on this
good roads matter. Th West bills ar
extravagant, absurd, fantastic, faulty
and likely to prove ruinous.
Let the publlo read and study the
bills. There Is no great difficulty
about understanding them. The way
out will b clear If th people only
know.
BLOWTNO BlTUTLi:.
The word "malicious" Is a very
handy word for disputants and Is more
often used no doubt because of th
severity of Its sound than to Impart
Its true meaning. Former Mayor Tay
lor, of Vancouver. B. C, uses It In a
letter printed today, but probably has
not the slightest cause for believing
that there was malice In Mr. F. 8.
Myers statements concerning condi
tions In Vancouver. As a matter of
fart there Is not very much practical
difference between Mr. Myer's state
ment that Vancouver has established
souphouses and Mr. Taylor's admuislon
that "an average of 200 men ars given
meal tickets a day by th city.
W surmise that Mr. Taylor Is hurt
more by Mr. Myers reference to Mr.
Taylor's hobby, "single tax." than by
his recounting- of business conditions
In Vancouver. So far as The Oregonian
Is concerned. It believes It Is kinder
toward Vancouver than even Mr. Tay
lor when It asserts that Vancouver's
tax system has had nothing to do
either with Vancouver's building boom
or Its present oversupply of labor.
Vancouver's tax system Is largely local,
ao far aa exemptions of Improvements
are concerned. In th complete (pro
vincial and local) system th process
of collecting needed revenues Is dif
ferent from th process applied In th
complete (state and local) system In
Portland. Some things ar exempt
ed there that are taxed here, and
vie versa. Practically, that Is, In
actual payment of tax money,
there i Is no material difference.
Ther is no more Inducement to Im
prove city lots In Vancouver, so far as
tax exemptions ar ooncerned. than
ther is In Portland, except in tha im
agination of hobby riders who do not
reason out a proposition to Its con
clusion. But suppose taxation of realty in
Vancouver were so high that th many
property-ewners were compelled to
build business blocks and residences
to protect their original Investments.
Remember, th system la local. Im
provements in the province are not ex
cluded from taxation. Th "taxing
Into use," if ft worked out as slngie
taxers forecast, would be In th city
only. The) overbuilding of th city
on this hypothesis would be In
evitable. City and country must
progress together to gain a sta
ble prosperity. This fact has been
demonstrated a thousand times.
In the early boom days several towns
on Puget Sound overbuilt. They were
prosperous while the building lasted.
They they had a long, weary wait for
th country to catch up with them.
Th earns thing happened years ago in
California.
Therefore we say that If Vancouver's
building activity la forced by penaliz
ing the owners of property who do not
Improv it, the conditions Mr. Myers
says h found there are certain to
come If they do not already there exist.
But, as w have said. The Oregonian
la kinder toward Vancouver than Van
couver's own ex-Mayor. The Orego
nian believes and confidently asserts
that Vancouver's prosperity Is due to
the growth of Western Canada, to rail
road and shipping activity, to the fact
that It Is the natural Western metropo
lis of a great and progressive nation.
It is not the growth that single tax
advocates assert single tax would
produce a hothouse growth to be
blighted by the first breath of gen
eral adversity and to wither ere It
reaches maturity. When ex-Mayor
Taylor Implies that Vancouver's won
derful progress Is due to the writing
of what In America Is called a city or
dinance, he Is In effect forecasting
disaster for that city that will make
th present Influx of unneeded labor
seem like a blessing by contrast.
BAVIXO AT THK WKOSO PXACE.
If President Taft could carry
through all his plans for economy In
th publlo sen-Ice, he could not only
Increase th friclency of every depart
ment, but could save a total estimated
at 1100.000.000 a year. But his econ
omy plans would abolish graft and the
pork barrel, with many fat office and
other pickings. The Democrats do not
want that kind of economy. They re
gard th graft, th pork barrel and th
offices as sacred, and would economize
In other ways. Their course has the
ardent approval of many Republicans
and Innumerable private and local In
terests. A demand Is made for Sit. 000. 000
for public buildings, which Is quite
moderate, sine th passage of all th
publlo building bills now before Con
gress would cost S253.610.000. This
demand Is fought by a large element
In the House which would build on
battleship this year. The public build
ing faction In effect retorts: "No build.
Ings, no battleships." Hence Congress
must stand for a S16.000.000 hold-up
In order to prevent th decadence of
the Navy.
The Democrats also propose to econ
omize In the necessaries of efficient
publlo service In order to enjoy the
luxuries of pork and pensions by cut
ting $500. 0C0 from the census appro
priation and thus crippling It, and by
slicing 12.000,000 off the appropriation
for the District of Columbia, even
though this would leave the capital
without adequate school facilities.
While giving these examples of econ
omy combined with inefficiency, the
Democrats attack the President's econ
omy commission. an enlightened
statesman from Arkansas asserting
that economy and efficiency are the
business of the House, not of the Presi
dent. If that be so, the nation Is to
be pitied.
a MoxrsrrssfT to sam r- f.mpso?.
Th proposition of Dr. C. L. Large
to provid a suitable monument to
mark the grav of Sam L. SImpeon,
Oregon's poet laureate, as set forth In
a communication published last Mon
day. Is worthy of consideration. Dr.
Large proposes to be on of one hun
dred citizens of Oregon, or personal
friends of th late poet, to give S20 for
the purpose named. Response to this
falling, he suggests that tha people of
the entire state be Invited to contribute
to a fund for this purpose. A fitting
monument to th memory of Sam L.
Simpson should mark his grave In
Lone Fir Cemetery. This statement Is
amply supported by the place he occu
pied In the thought movement of his
time. The people of th state, more
especially, perhaps, those who, like Dr.
Large, shared this time and called
Sam L. Simpson "friend." should be
aroused by proper pride and senti
ment to consider this matter from a
personal standpoint. There are others
to whom this tribute to th poet may
appeal more closely as a duty, and
these will, no doubt. In their own
good time, see to It that his grave Is
properly marked with a. monument
suitably Inscribed to his memory and
his literary achievement.
It would be a gracious act. however,
to give this memorial a wider signifi
cance than that which belongs strictly
to ties of blood, and In this view the
suggestion of Dr. Largo is Just and
timely. Certainly the dust of the au
thor of "Beautiful Willamette" should
not be allowed -to sleep In an un
marked grave, on th banks of the
river that he so dearly loved and de
scribed ao grandly In song.
Lone Fir Cemetery Is likely to be
converted In due time Into a beautiful
memorial park. The Oregonian, ever
his friend In life, entertains the hope
that by that time, at least, a suitable
monument will mark the last resting
place of Sam L. Simpson,, poet of the
"Gold-gated West."
THE AKWY PORK BARRKI.
Had th Army been distributed
among eight large posts, located at
strategic centers with a view to effec
tive training and quick mobilization.
Its annual cost could be reduced, at a
conservative estimate, SS.507.03S. With
this sum we could Increase its enlisted
strength by 9000 men, divided into ten
regiments; or we could add twenty
private to each company, troop or
battery: or w could maintain a re
serve of 100,000 men. sufficient to
bring the entire mobile Army to war
strength and to maintain It at that
strength without Impairing- Us efficien
cy by filling- th rank with raw re
cruits. We could also increase the
number of effective officers and men 5
per cent by reducing the number on
guard and fatlgu duty. We could in
crease th effectives between S and 10
per cent, in case of a sudden call, by
reduclng the number of detachments
needed as caretakers.
Th Army is now distributed among
forty-nine posts, located with a view
to conditions which have long since
passed away. Fourteen posts were es
tablished as protection against Indians,
on as far bock as 1S20. Conditions
have so changed that we need only to
protect th Indian from th whit
bootlegger. Th Army posts have
com to be regarded as social centers,
wher society girls may enjoy the
beauties of a military uniform. The
ambition of the post commander has
been to create a beautiful, park-Ilk
reservation as an attractive horn for
the Army. The cities near which the
posts ar located regard them as a
perquisite, both for purposes of soci
ety and recreation and as a source of
business for the merchants.
Though we have had no Indian war
sine the battle of Wounded Knee, In
1190. we have not only kept th Army
wher It was placed to fight Indians.
but have spent more money on new
construction In these obsolete loca
tions. We have absolutely Ignored
economy, for In ten years ending last
June we spent S37.185.408 in new con
struction at posts where the cost of
construction and maintenance reaches
the maximum. Successlvo Secretaries
of War have worked to induce Con
gress to carry out the concentration
policy, but they have succeeded only In
reducing the number of posts from
sixty-five to forty-nine. They have had
to face the opposition of Senators and
Representatives who backed up the
protests of the Interested communities.
One of them frankly said: "We would
find It hard to square ourselves with
the community If our promises were
not mad good."
Th Army appropriation has been
spent, not where It would accomplish
most for the Army, but where men
having the most influence wished to
hav It spent. Senator Warren's posi
tion as chairman of the military com
mittee has enabled him in the last ten
years to secure the expenditure In his
own State of Wyoming of S4. 893.164
at Fort D. A. Russell; S1.120.26S at
Fort Mackenzie; J659.604 at Fort Yel
lowstone, a total of 16.673.086. About
one-sixth of the entire expenditure was
made on three posts In a sparsely set
tled state having no large centers of
population and having no network of
railroads to afford rapid transporta
tion In any direction. The late Sena
tor Carter, of Montana, kept alive
Forts Harrison and Missoula In his
state, though they are condemned In
Secretary Stlmson's plan of concentra
tion. Everywhere local interest has
pulled against economy and efficiency.
The posts already abandoned had
cost SS. 058, 861, and Mr. Stimson pro
poses the ultimate abandonment of
twenty-flv others. Including all three
of Senator Warren's pets. The con
struction of thes posts has cost nearly
S20.000.000, but Mr. Stimson contends
that it is Justified on the same ground
that a great business corporation tears
down a six-story bulldlnsr to erect a
twenty-story building. The land is
mostly good suburban real estate which
can be sold at good prices, and many
of th buildings can also be sold.
But Warren and all others of his
stamp will close their ranks to defeat
the Secretary's plan in defense of their
beloved pork barrel.
The testimony of Joseph Gaston be
fore the Federal Court In the Southern
Pacific land-grant case was inter
esting as unfolding the history of
early railroad building in Oregon and
the strife engendered among its pro
moters. As a side light turned upon
events that are nearly half a century
old, his testimony was illuminating.
The endeavor of Mr. Gaston in this line
was co-ordinate with that of Ben Hol
laday, S. G. Elliott. Governor Georpe
L. Woods, Secretary of State I. R.
Moores and of the Oregon Legislature
of 1866-67. The chapter of transac
tions thus revealed was interesting as
ancient history, recalling as it did
names that long ago were engraved on
gravestones and of events that have
been practically forgotten. Of all the
men who were lined up In this half-century-old
fight, Mr. Gaston alone re
mains to vplce the truculent tale. Time
at least has -been on his side.
What does the man In Portland who
has been struggling to pay his ordi
nary taxes and has been loaded up
with street assessments, sewer assess
ments, paving assessments and the
like, think of plunging deeper into tax
difficulties for the purpose of building
roads In remote counties like Malheur,
or Coos, or Josephine, without the
slightest or only the slightest, direct
benefit to Portland, and Multnomah
County?
There will be no end to the dissen
sion In the Agricultural Department
until It has a new head. Until all the
facts are disclosed It will be Impossible
to form an opinion on the Everglades
dispute, but Solicitor McCabe's conduct
towards Dr. Wiley has put his every
action under suspicion. An efficient
Secretary would long since have un
loaded such a dlsorranlzer.
It is a strange turn of affairs when
a woman born in the American repub
lic proposes to finance the overthrow
of the Portupruese republic that she
may become a queen. At best she
would gain but an unsteady throne and
she would risk the loss of her head
and her crown at the same time.
If Chinese were allowed to settle
their differences in their own way, the
gain to the community would be great;
but law must be respected and mur
derers restrained. Foreigners In
China, however, resent native Inter
ference, but that Is another matter.
Will Tacoma ever finish tinkering
with her charter? That city Is as rest
less as the woman who changes the
position of her furniture one a week.
This Is, Indeed, a world of contraries.
The author of "The Family Beautiful"
Is seeking divorce from an unsympa
thetic husband.
Garrison, the Coos County murderer
to have been hanged today, will have
ten more months for contemplation.
Another man is "out" for Coroner.
There Is grim humor In the desire of
many to hold this position.
What a profound blessing- It Is that
these warring- Chinese do not get Into
th dynamite habit!
Headlights on baby buggies! What
next? Airbrakes on boys speeders
perhaps.
Abe Ruef deserve credit for keeping
knowledge of his crimes from his aged
mother. '
' The news from Belfast Is disap
pointing. There was no riot and no
ruction.
Tom Word stopped gambling and
Tom seems determined to keep It
topped.
That was Joyous news from th Cali
fornia mine that all escaped without
Injury. '
Ther ax about forty trembling dy
namiters In the United States today.
Russia Is manufacturing fine ex
cuses for interference In China.
Local equal suffragists think Roose
velt la doing a two-horse act.
Fifty new policemen and Just on
old Jalll
MORTGAGE AXD THE! SINGLE TAX
Real F.atate Loam Threateaed by
Propoaed Revenue System.
PORTLAND", Or, Feb. 7. (To th
Editor.) When the writer was a boy,
the maker of a mortgage was thought
to be on the verge of bankruptcy; but,
as th people have progressed in
financial matters, mortgages have been
found to be a blessing when not too
freely Indulged In, as any blessing may
be, and now borrowing of money to aid
in th purchase of land and tha im
provement thereof and for other pur
poses, is very common.
What relation would these mort
gages bear to the socialistic schema of
the single tax. which means a double
tax on the land mortgaged? It Is very
evident that the burdens of the mort
gagors would be very much Increased
by piling on the land the taxes which
should be paid by the owners of per
sonal property. This would be espe
cially grievous to the owners of lands
and lots In Multnomah County on ac
count of the vast amount of personal
property In Portland to be relieved of
taxes, while there Is such an enormous
expenditure required to goven the city
and to protect this personal property.
These added burdens would certain
ly cause many mortgagors to fail, for
a borrower usually looks for a bright
future and takes on all the load that
he and the lender thinks he can
carry under existing conditions.
In view of this added burden, and the
further fact that the object of the
sinsle tax Is to cause all land to be
abandoned to the government by rea
son of exoesslve taxes, money for mort
gages would become scarcer and
scarcer, and as the scheme becomes
more apparent, would cease altogether.
This would cause a strong demand for
money on chattel mortgages those
slKns of Impending bankruptcy and
the field for the cent-per-cent men
would be materially enlarged.
What would a borrower think of his
mortgragree who would vote to Increase
the amount of a lien which stands
ahead of his mortgage, In support of a
scheme to destroy the title altogether?
E. F. RILEY.
NATIONAL AIR NOT MADE! BY LAW
Alaskan Cries Yankee Doodle Urmoi
atratloa la Dawson.
JTj'KEAU, Alaska. Jan. 23. (To the
Editor.) I have noticed that every
once in a while some person or some
paper has something to say about the
National air of the United States.
An article appearing in The Ore
gonian, January 7, under the heading,
"Few in Portland Know 'The Star
Spangled Banner" Is National Air," at
tracted my attention, and I would be
pleased to Inform the writer of that
article that If he had been In Dawson,
T. T, during the Winter of 1899 and
1900 and had visited any of the theaters
there when the orchestra would play a
mediev overture of National airs in
which "Yankee Poodle" was included, he
would not have had occasion ever after
to inquire what the National air of the
Unite 1 States Is.
I wts in a theater one night in Daw
son, Y. T, In the Winter of 1899, when
the orchestra played an overture of
National airs, among which were "My
County. 'Tls of Thee," "Hall Columbia,"
"Marseillese," "Star - 8pangled Ban
ner." "Yankee Doodle" and a few
others. When "My Country, 'Tls of
Thee" (God Save the Queen) was
played there was great applause, but
when "Yankee Doodle" was commenced,
somebody Btarted something, and when
the building had quit vibrating and the
pandemonium had somewhat subsided,
I was brought to a full realization of
the fact that all the lawmakers or
legislators of the United States or any
other country could make but on Na
tional air of the United States, and
that Is that little tune of "Yankee
Doodle."
Legislators may possibly be able to
pass laws compelling people to rise and
stand at attention while "The Star
Spansled Banner" is being played, or
sung, but they never can be able to pass
a law and make it become effective
not to applaud or even yell or scream
If the people think the occasion prompts
it when "Yankee Doodle" Is being
played. If any citizen of the United
States thinks that he, under similar
circumstances, would not have made
as big a demonstration- as I and all
the rest of the citizens of the United
States who were present on that occa
sion, he doesn't know what he Is talk
ing about and has never been tried out.
AN ALASKAN.
Why Not Apply Direct Primary T
SALEM. Or.. Feb. 6. (To the Edi
tor.) The writer begs space to express
a couple of opinions upon the recent
and bitterly fought contest for Repub
lican Congressional Committeeman
from Oregon. Seldom do politics af
ford such a tender example of the
sacrifice of one man for his brother, or
of that commanding personality which
is commonly attributed to the late
Joshua, and which can stampede a
mass meeting in favor of its owner.
However, some people are so consti
tuted that the brotherly-love assump
tion does not appear to be free from
flaw, so it will be dropped on merit,
and the second condition haled forth.
According to reports, the meeting as
sembled, disposed of minor business,
and took up the grind of electing a
candidate. Reports also have it that
after several tie ballots, one candidate
took advantage of his slower-witted
opponent's natural trepidation by In
timidating him with a meaning look,
and that said opponent collapsed in a
way that showed unfamlllarity with
little political tricks. The assembly
voted again and elected the shrewder
candidate.
Now this will result In the defeated
man being unduly hesitant In seeking
office a second time. Further it will
bo difficult to find a person willing to
oppose th successful gentleman when
his reputation is known. In our
opinion this Is very serious and will
tend to Impress new-comers unfavor
ably, MEEK AND LOWLY.
Rea-tsterlns; of Votera.
PORTLAND. Feb. 7. (To the Edi
tor.) I came to this country from
Germany In 1882 at the age of 12 years.
My father had his second papers before
I came of age. I served nine years in
the United States Army, then settled
In Portland two years ago. I was re
futed registration because, as they
claimed, I was not an American citl
sen. and I would have to take out my
second papers here, or send to my
father for his second papers. Now,
would you advise me as to whether I
oould register without my father's pa
pers or not, providing I show proof
as to my having been an American sol
dier, as 1 cannot get any other proof?
A SUBSCRIBER.
Citizens who become such on ac
count of their fathers' acquired cltl
senshlp should not be obliged to ex
hibit their fathers' papers' when they
register, but may be required to swear
that he took out papers. The fact that
a foreigner served in the Army does
not make him a citizen, nor entitle him
to vote.
Trades Sekoola.
M'MINNVrLLE, Or., Feb. 6. (To the
Editor.) Is there a trade or manual
training school in Portland which gives
training In machinists' work? Or Is
there any technical school or college
In or near Portland that gives Instruc
tion In machine shop work?
E. B. MAN'LGT.
The Young Men's Christian Assocla
Hon and the Portland School of Trades
hav oeursea la maeblne shop work.
VANCOUVER STILL PROSPEROUS.
Former Mayor Disputes Statements
Made by Portland Visitor.
VANCOUVER, B. C. Feb. 6. (To the
Editor.) Grossly exaggerated accounts
of the "actual conditions here at the
present time," and a malicious mis
representation of the causes which
have led to this alleged state of af
fairs, are given In The Oregonian, of
January 30. under the caption "Single
Tax Argument Smashed Vancouver
Now Running Souphouse and Having
Hard Times."
Your correspondent, F. S. Myers, is
badly out on his facts and suppositions.
In the first placa there is no soup
house being run in Vancouver, and the
statement "thousands are being fed
dally by the city" is absolutely with
out foundation.
It Is true that in common with other
Coast cities Vancouver is dispensing
relief, but applicants are given tickets
for meals and beds, and In the case of
men with families orders are given for
groceries, fuel, etc.
Only on an average of 200 men are
given meal tickets a day at the pres
ent time, and out of that number a
large percentage are given a few days'
employment every two weeks and re
ceive meat and bed tickets for their
labor. It is estimated that there are
only about 600 unemployed In this city
at the present time, and the early
start on the regular work for the city
will provide nearly all of them with
Jobs If they want them.
The records kept by the city's relief
department show that the majority of
the men who apply for relief are new
comers. A great many of them spent
their last cent in railroad fares to get
here in order . to escape the arduous
Winter of the prairies. With men
gavitating here from the East, North
and South as soon as the Winter starts,
it is no cause for wonderment that
there Is a large, floating p6pulatlon in
Vancouver at this season. .
Because the relief department is
kept busy looking after the men who
have recently come to this city and
become a public charge, thejre Is not
the slightest grounds for the belief
that single tax Is to blame. Mr. Myers
by advancing that theory, shows a
woeful lack of knowledge of political
economy, or as he puts It, "the in
exorable law of supply and demand."
Under the exemption of Improve
ments from taxation system, Vancouver
has advanced in every line of busi
ness and commercial development fully
30 per cent, whether you take the
monthly, weekly or daily records as a
criterion. This assertion can be easily
verified by consulting Bradstreet's, an
authority which can hardly be said to
be biased in any respect.
Real estate values are not affected
on account of the Influx of out-of-works;
no signs of a financial panio
are discernible; building activity hero
Is as great as ever, as the records In
disputably prove; bank clearing re
cords continue to be broken almost
daily, and the prosperity which Van
couver has been enjoying during the
past, and noticeably since improve
ments were exempted, Is still as pro
nounced as ever.
The allegation is also made by Mr.
Myers that "retail merchants report
business the dullest In years, holiday
trade poor," etc. To show the utter
absurdity of this assertion I'Bttach a
clipping from the World of January
31 giving comparative figures of the
bank clearings for January for Van
couver", Seattle, Portland, Tacoma and
Spokane. Vancouver heads the list;
no comment is necessary. Bank clear
ings are universally conceded to be an
unfailing criterion of the financial con
ditions of a city. These figures are not
compatible with the assertions made
regarding the state of affairs here.
In rebuttal of the allegation "there
Is more city at Vancouver than there
Is demand for," I wish to state that It
Is an exceeding difficult matter to keep
pace with the demand for houses and
stores in this city at the present time.
There Is more building activity being
manifested here now than ever before
and more construction work going on
than in any other city of the Paciflo
Coast. The number and value of the
building permits being Issued indis
putably prove the truth of this con
tention. The banking laws of Canada prohibit
banks from loaning on real estate. Mr.
Myers tries to argue that because the
banks of Vancouver are not loaning
money on real estate "a pitiable" con
dition of affairs exists here. This
theory, together with the other gross
misrepresentations in his letter to The
Portland Oregonian, only exemplify the
axiom "a little knowledge is
dangerous." L. D. TAYLOR,
Ex-Mayor of Vancouver.
Oregonian Is Homesick.
SAN BERNARDINO, Cal Feb. 5.
(To the Editor.) I notice In The Ore
gonian an article by Judge Colvig, of
Medford, dated January 15, and headed
"Tour South Unhappy." I wish to in
dorse his statements in full.
I am an Oregonian, I may say a Port
lander, and only wish I had never loft
the state. This talk about Sunny Cali
fornia should be taken with a grain of
salt.
Of course, In Summer it Is sunny; too
sunny. In fact. Last Summer It ranged
around 105 degrees. At present It Is
as cold as ever I found it in Oregon.
The lemons and oranges are nearly all
frozen, and there will be hardly any
crop to ship.
The people here have an Idea that it
is always raining In Oregon. I may
say that if It does not rain here very'
soon things will be very bad. Indeed.
As It Is there are thousands of men
out of work between Los Angeles and
El Paso and asking for work for a
meal.
We residents know these things, but
you do not find a word about it in the
newspapers here. Nor do they say any
thing about such small matters as
earthquakes, of which we have had a
few. It Is the National Orange Show
here on February 19 to 24, and that
may stir things up a little, but at pres
ent everything Is very dull in Southern
California. AN OREGONIAN.
tVfcose Testament f
PORTLAND, Feb. 6. (To the Editor.)
In glancing through The Sunday Ore
gonian for the baseball news, I hap
pened upon Howard C. Van Meter's
reply to your editorial of a recent date.
I read his latest contribution and was
much Impressed with the originality of
this sentence, "The Greek word, trans
lated 'miracle,' to the early Christians,
had no unusual significance, merely
meaning a sign or evidence of the
truth." With no Intention of engaging
in the three-cornered scientific and theo
logical battle waged in your columns,
I am writing to ascertain, if possible,
the authority of Mr. Van Meter's
learned assertion and the ground for
his Interesting assurance. In the or
dinary Greek texts, there are two words
which are translated "miracle," one of
which means a sign, while the other
does not, at least according to the dic
tionaries. A third word frequently ap
plied to the miracles of Jesus and
translated "wonder" expressly signifies
the very unusual. In view of this, one
Is led to the conclusion that Mr. Van
Meter uses an unusual Greek testa
ment. Perhaps your correspondent
will erlve us the name of Its editor.
F. M. RAMSEY.
' Here's the Word.
BURNS, Feb. 5. (To the Editor.)
In the search for a word to express the
whole period of the 24 hours, why not
keep In mind the two features of eu
phony and the suggestion of the two
distinct divisions; I think the word
"Niday" would about fill the bill.
IT, D.
Spotlight Civilization
By Dean Collins.
SU11 another Ishl story; how the lonely
redman s glory
Spread abroad throughout the coun-
. en.A9linr till
Slanagers began to fly to the archaic
man to try to
Sign him up to do a little stunt In
modern vaudeville.
'You shall stand with buck-and-wing-ers
and near-operatic singers.
And your name shall shine as bright
o Klhurt Hubbard's on the bills.
Ishi, you will never rue it. All the
greater people ao n
Ex-pugilists and novelists and men
who peddle pills."
What a marvel it will be then, when he
sets his talents free then.
As "Expositor of things-that-used-to-be-one-time
but ain't."
And, for twenty minutes dally, shows
the gaping public gaily
Of the prehistoric people's many cus
toms strange and quaint.
Megaphone annunciator shall proclaim
to the "Theayter"
Ishl's entrance. In the background
woodland scenery will sag;
And the piccolo and tom-tom, kettle
drum and Eastern pom-pom
Will' lend color to hiB acting, with a
"Prehistoric Rag."
They will teach him fancy dancing and
will nave nim neauy prom;iiis
As they think In times primeval, men
archaic should have done. '
And no doubt he'll sing a rondel, into
which, of course, they'll bundle
Something 'bout "My sweet archaic
maid, you've got me on the run."
Oh, indeedl With little training, there
will soon be naught remaining
But to trot the dark phenomenon be
fore the spotlight's rays
To disclose. In proper setting, all the
notions he's been getting
Of how primeval men behaved in pre
historic dava.
Portland, February 7.
Country Town Sayings by Ed Howe
Agents have sucker lists, which they
trade with each other. Is your name
on a sucker list?
Some women are so thin that there is
hardly enough of them to dress.
I have a longing to live In Germany.
Germans say a man is as good as a
woman there.
A woman I know is mad at her hus
band. She isn't Jealous; his offense was
that he said he couldn't tell his rubbers
from hers.
After it is positively known that a
man is rich, people begin saying to
him that they never did. and never
will, bow down to the Golden Calf.
Some mothers Bhould reallv think
twice before naming their babies; some
of the names are awful.
"Rip Van Winkle" is very popular in
literature; but what a nuisance he was
In the village of Falling Water; what
a trial he was to his industrious wife!
It is a big Joke on a man of 25 or 30
to be sued for breach of promise of
marriage; but If he is 70, news of the
breach of promise suit is sent out by
telegraph, that the world may enjoy it.
Flowers Hav Byes on Their Leavea.
Harper's Weekly.
Many common garden and wild flow
ers the nasturtium, begonia, clover,
wood sorrel and bluebell among others
possess eyes on their leaves. More
over, these eyes, in their principle of
construction, resemble those of ani
mals. They consist of minute protu
berances filled wtlh a transparent,
gummy substance, which focuses the
rays of light on a sensitive patch of
tissue. The nasturtium has thousands
of such eyes on Its leaves, and these
form as many images of the surround
ing objects. While flowers have eyes,
however, it does not follow that they
can see. It is not known whether or
not the sense impressions are trans
mitted to some nerve centers corre
sponding to the brain of animals.
New
Special Features
for
SUNDAY'S
OREGONIAN
We Need Better Schools So
says Uncle Sara, and he has set to
work helping get them. This is a
big article that should interest
everyone. Full page, illustrated.
Abraham Lincoln-Wit h the ap
proach of his birth anniversary
the man is dissected and his great
soul laid bare by the woman who
modeled him for the famous stat
ue now standing at the Nation's
capitol.
Leap-Year Pointers One of onr
Eastern correspondents compiles
a complete catalogue of desirable
eligibles, together with facts that
will be of use to girls who intend
taking advantage of leap year.
Running Booth to Earth Two
Portland men tell of their part in
the pursuit of Lincoln's assassin.
Into the ears of one of these men
Booth gasped his last words.
Fables in Slang George Ade
writes another mirth-compelling
fable. It deals with the "Galump
tious Girl Who Tried to Start
Something and Did."
Big League Pitchers That is
Christy Mathewson's subject for
the third of his big baseball series.
In this article the Giant's star
pitcher is at his best.
Going to Send a Valentine? If
you are, you want to read up on
just what a Valentine is. And,
by the way. it's something quite
different this year.
The House of Dreams A tale
of love and adventure. Complete
in Sunday's issue.
The Jump-ups They enter so
ciety this week and have rather
a distressing time of it.
Pretty Anna Belle has new cut
out clothes, and there are new
adventures of Sambo, Slim Jim,
Mrs. Timekiller, Hairbreadth
Harry and Mr. Boss.
MANY OTHER FEATURES
Order From Your Newsdealer
Today.