TTTR MORNING ORF.GONIAN. WEDNESDAY, FERRUARY 21, 1912.
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THI ORECO IT.Tt AND TflB COCBT
la deciding the initiative and refer
endum can the 8upreme Court drew a
fine but perfectly clear distinction be
tvifn the government which makes
law and the laws themselves after
they have been made. It Is within the
power of the court to Judge of the con-
stltutionallty of laws, but as to the
propriety of the form of forrnmnt
whkh makes them it has nothing to
say. That Is a political question which
Corr.rese must decide and Congress
alone. The complaining telephone
company. Chief Justice White re
marks, did not allege that It was un
justly taxed. No formality In levying
or equalizing the tax had been omitted
as far as the documents In the case
showed. . The company did not like
the form of the state government un
der which the tax had been levied.
That waa the long and short of Its
cause. Had the same tax. to the same
amount, been levied under the old
form of state government, we ar
bound to Infer that the company
would have submitted and paid It
without controversy, but Inasmuch as
It did not theoretically approve of the
Initiative and referendum It requested
the Supreme Court to overthrow the
government In which that feature l
embodied and incidentally relieve It
of the disagreeable duty of paying Its
'.ax. Says Chief Justice White. "The
.tssault which the contention here ad
vanced makes Is not on the tax as a
ax but on the state as a state.
The telephone company was In about
'he same situation as an Englishman
would have been In Cromwell's time
he had refused to pay his tax be
ium the Lord Protector eras not a
' ptttmat monarch. A contention of
t lis species, the Supreme Court de
ares. Is not Justiciable." In com--,.n
language, it Is not an Issue to be
i clded by the courts, but a political
lestion to be decided by the voters
t trough their representatives In Con
.. . It may be passed upon when a
new state asks for admission. Indeed
.-. has already been passed upon at
- i h times. Incidentally If not expllrtt
'". and Congress is on record as failing
' disapprove of the Oregon system
.en If It has not In so many words
. lared for It. Again the subject may
me up when the Senators or Repre
- natives from Oregon or Arkansas,
r any other of the Innovating states,
--k for their seata In Congress. Should
ley be forbidden to take their seats
: " Oregon systrm would naturally
' id away. But heretofore states liv
ing under the Oregon system have
S n treated In Congress Just the same
the rest, and w may safely assume
r-iat they always will be. Congress is
:.. a body which goes around looking
: 'r trouble.
We may therefore make up our
Inds that the Initiative, referendum
.mil recall hare become a permanent
;rt of our governmental machinery.
There L no practical way to get rid
f them until the people experience a
'iinr of heart and vote them out of
fjlstence. Very likely It will be a
i ng time before that happens. In the
meantime dlsscr.ters must reconcile
themselves the be.t way they can to
'1. Ing under the new system. Adjust
:nent may come slowly in some In
stances, but It will come In course of
time.
The Oregon system must Involve some
points which are In harmony with hu
man nature or it would not have per
sisted In the world as it has. It did
not originate lixCr. gon. In spite of its
misleading name. Nor was It invented
in Switzerland. It Is as old as the
republics of Greece and Rome, where
it was habitually practiced even to the
recall of public officials. Like all gov
ernmental devices. It has come down
to us with some original faults and
some which arlso from local condi
tions. It would be absurd to suppose
that a change so radical In ordinary
American ways of governing could be
put Into operation without many blun
ders. Now that the system Itself is
secure from assault it may be possible
to give these blunders candid consid
eration and correct some of them.
As long as there was any doubt about
the constitutionality of the Oregon
system a person who criticised any of
Jits faults was supposed to be an enemy
of direct leglnlation. This unhappy
confusion of thought need no longer
exist. The new method of government
being out of aU danger, one may be
permitted without an accusation of
treason to point out some respects
wherein it is not quite Infallible. This
Is not our purpose Just now. but we
may take the liberty at another time.
No doubt the Supreme Court has ex
amined the subject in a broadmlnded
way and decided the Issue for the best
Interest of the country. Relieved of
petty and ephemeral considerations,
the controversy hardly admitted of any
other handling, as The Oregonlan ob
served some time ago. No doubt the
court could have found plenty of ar
guments looking the other way If It
had been so Inclined.
Had the Oregon system been In
practice nowhere outside of Oregon,
the court might have seen the law In
a different light. Circumstance) alter
case. It is one thing to throw a soli
tary state into chaos and a very dif
ferent thing to revolutionise half a
dosen or more. Our highest tribunal
not only fixe an intelligent gase upon
the election returns, but It also casta
a Judicious glance now and then over
the world outside the chamber where
it sits and modifies Its reflections ac
cordingly. Jove doesn't lurk In a cav
ern. He dwells on the very top of
Olympus and scans all that lies below
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and when he hurls a thunderbolt it is
don without disturbing any moro
Titans than the cas requires.
THB CBEAT DETECTIO!'.
What is the matter with La Follette,
anyway? The pseudo followers of th
Wisconsin man say he 1 sick. He
aaya he Is well and strong- well and
strong enough to run for President.
They say he la not a candidate'. He
says he Is a candidate. They say he
cannot b nominated now, poor fellow.
He says he can be if the progressives,
or Insurgents, who so -Valiantly and
noisily lined up behind him early in
the campaign, will stay by him.
Medlll McCormlck..who roared out
a vehement denlar to The Oregonlan,
that Bourn would ever desert La Fol
lette. himself Is th first to strike the
La "Follette flag, and make a dusty
exit toward Oyster Bay. Th brave
Plnchot goes into mock heroics about
his virtuous motives In helping break
La Follette' back In th interest of
his old friend, th Colonel. Governor
Johnson suddenly decamps. Issuing a
burning proclamation of fealty to the
cause. A lot more bold warriors Join
th array of evacuation, desertion and
despair. The great alliance Is at an
end.
Mr. Roosevelt got Mr. Taft In th
Presidency and left him. Mr. Roose
velt got Mr. La Follette In th rac
for Presidency and left him. We have
no doubt that Colonel Roosevelt had
sound reasons in each Instance for his
action. No doubt at all. But we can
hardly restrain a powerful curiosity to
know what they were.
A IKK.tOrrL REVENGE.
Principal Jenkins of the Jefferson
High School did a very bold deed, it
seems, when he advised his pupils to
shun extravagance In their attire and
forbade lavish display at class parties.
If he had foreseen what a terrible vis
itation his words would provoke very
likely he never would have let them
slip out of his mouth. The first thing
the "senior class" did after Mr. Jen
kins had offended its aristocratic ears
with his advice was to hold an Indig
nation meeting If the boys and girl
have not th inborn right to be as ex
travagant and foolishly wasteful of
their parents' money as they please
this senior class was going to know
the reason why. At the indignation
meeting, or somewhere else, an ex
quisitely cruel revenge was planned.
It was decided to appear at school on
Monday In a grotesque caricature of
th clothing which Mr. Jenkins had
urged them to wear. Th boys clad
themselves in flannel shirts and rough
boots, the girls in plain skirts with
their hair in braids. It was supposed
that these costumes would fill the
principal's soul with remorse and
make hjm wish he had not said any
thing about his pupils' clothes.
In our opinion It ought to b mad
a rule of the Jefferson school that the
girl seniors should always dress Just
as they did on that day. . Hair In
braids is the proper thing for school
girls and so are "plain skirts. They
never ought to be allowed to attire
themselves In any other fashion. Girls
of their age should b thinking of their
books and not of their clothes and
beaux.
There foolish young people have en
tirely lost sight of the purpose for
which they are sent to school. The
district does not pay taxes and employ
teachers in order to provide boys and
girls with an opportunity to show off
their fin clothes. Th hope is that
ehey may learn a little something dur
ing their school years that will help
them earn a living afterward. The
more attentive they are to their studies
and the less they think of social gran
deur the better it will be for all
concerned.
HOW TO BREAK THB -MONET TRC8T."
Bryan Is haunted these days by two
bogles the money trust and the Na
tional reserv scheme. He is con
vinced that the purpose of the National
, Monetary Commission in recommend
ing the National reserve scheme Is to
give th money trust such a hold on
th money supply of th country as
cannot ' be broken. He avers that
an Impartial Inquiry is needed to
prov the existence of the trust, and
that the trust Is endeavoring to con
ceal its existence by having a sham in
quiry1 made by the House committee on
banking and currency. In which evil
purpore It is aided by Underwood and
the other leaders of the Democracy.
Only by a special committee, not sub
servient to "the Interests." can th
trust and Its working b uncovered, he
afflrms.
Now come John V. Farwell. presi
dent of one of Chicago's greatest
banks, and chief advocate of the Na
tional reserve, ami asserts that, while
there Is no money trust, there Is a cen
tralization of money and credit in a
few great banks,' which will become
greater unless w provide a remedy.
Th remedy he propose Is the adop
tion of that very National reserve
scheme of which Bryan expresses such
abhorrence. He would make, one
bogey a reality in order to kill th
other.
Th centralization of money is the
result of our National banking system.
'hlch requires banks In smaller cities
to deposit their reserves In the great
banks cf the. reserve cities. These lat
ter banks must keep their country
bank deposits in liquid form that is,
in loans which can be quickly called In
order to meet the demands of country
banks. The most liquid form Is call
loans on securities. Loans on com
mercial paper which run sixty days or
more are not' liquid enough, for the
banks may need the money before the
loans mature. At certain seasons the
New Tork banks become glutted with
money and they lend It at such low
rates as to stimulate stock specula
tion. Inflate prices and thereby provoke
panics.
Th National reserve schema would
break the grip of the few great banks
on the "money supply by placing the
reserves under' the control of an asso
ciation governed by all the banks of
the country instead of by these few.
Th smaller banks of th South and
West would really control, for they'
would have more votes in proportion
to their capital than the large banks.
This centralization of the reserve
would hav for Its purpose th discount
of commercial paper at a uniform
rate for the whole country. There
would no longer be a surplus of money
In on section, a scarcity in another.
Not only would commercial and agri
cultural loans be the prime purpose,
but loans on securities would be for
bidden. The National reserv would,
therefore, cut off the supply of money
from the Wall-street speculators and
divert it to productive and mercantile
Industry. It would check the Inflation
of stock prices and prevent the panics
which follow collapse of th specula
tive bubble.
In fighting against th National re
serve scheme Bryan ta fighting for the
money trust and Wall street. If he
wishes to break the power of the
money trust, h should Join Farwell
in urging Congress to create the Na
tional Reserve Association.
BKAcronrs basebaxa.
At first glance it may not seem to
b much of a trick to catch a baseball
which has fallen directly downward
100 feet. Why could not anybody do it
as well as Elmer ZacherT Lincoln
Beachey. the aviator, dropped a base
ball to Zacher from a height of 100 feet
and he caught it. The feat is deemed so
remarkable that the newspapers are
talking about It. To fall 800 feet
would take the baseball between four
and Ave seconds If Beachey dropped
It without a throw. When It came
within reach of Zachers hand It waa
falling at the rat of about 180 feet a
second, which is something like two
miles a minute. Hence th impact of
th ball on Zachera hands must have
been very perceptible. Had he not
caught It Just right, no doubt It would
have made his fingers tingle and per
haps it might have broken one or two
of them. A bullet shot from a gun
may have a velocity of 1500 feet per
second, which is seven or eight times
as fast as Beacheys baseball, but not
very fast when we compare it with
some velocities.
The earth travels on its axis at the
rat of a thousand miles an hour. That
is. a spot at the equator does. Toward
the poles the motion Is not so swift. A
thousand miles an hour means about
the same as 1500 feet per second, so
that a bullet shot toward the east at
the equator might possibly keep up
with the earth for a little while. But
the bullet would be pulled to th
ground by gravity pretty soon, while
the earth would glide smoothly on.
The earth Is a torpid old reptile,
compared with light, which travels at
the rate of ISO. 000 miles a second.
That Is to say, light slips round the
earth almost eight times while the
heart beats once. This Is some speed,
but there are things which go faster.
If gravity is not a fixed influence per
vading the whole universe equally it
must travel with a certain speed, but
If It has a velocity It .Is so rapid that
nobody has ever perceived It, much
less has it been measured.
DEMOCRATIC COms AND IKiriH'lT8
A stocL phrase in Democratic plat
fortrs is "expenses of th Government
economically administered." That is
a general term which sounds well, but
conveys no definite meaning. In or
der to discover its meaning we must
examine the Interpretation put upon it
by its authors as evidenced by deeds.
Th first Important act of the Dem
ocrats at this session of Congress, in
connection with the expenses of the
Government, was the passage of the
$75,000,000 Sherwood pension bill.
Then came economy In refusal to build
more battleships and in cutting the
number of cavalry regiments from
fifteen to ten. They pay for the pen
sion luxury by crippling the Army and
Navy. That is what economical ad
ministration means to them.
Taft in the meantime has stopped
the annual Increase In governmental
expenses and has effected an actual
decrease of 125.000.000 a year. In so
doing he has not crippled any depart
ment or any bureau of a depart
ment, but has secured better, more ef
ficient service. He has wiped out the
postal deficit at the same time that he
has established the postal savings
banks and extended the rural free de
livery to the remotest parts of the
country. He gets a dollar's worth for
every dollar expended, and spends
what Is saved in giving the people
more facilities.
Taft Is th real economist. Demo
cratic economy is that of the spend
thrift, who squanders his money on
making "a night of it" and saves
next morning by breakfasting on cof
fee and doughnuts.
THE OREGON IRRIGATION CONGRESS.
Irrigation In Oregon has now
awakened the active Interest of th
whole state. It has ceased to be the
subject of enthusiasm for a compara
tively few alert, public-spirited, pro
gressive citizens. It has ceased to be
the subject of mere oratorical flights !
about making the desert blossom like
the rose. Attention Is now turned to
the practical question of how and
where to put. water on the land and
how to plant settlers upon it and start
them on their career as honimakers.
That is the encouraging conclusion
to be drawn from the presence at the
first session of the Oregon Irrigation
Congress of the largest number of del
egates which has ever attended such
a gathering. It Is also thoroughly rep.
resentattve of all parts of the state,
not only th arid and seml-arld section
east of the Cascades, but th humid
section of the west. It Is composed
net only of the capitalists whose money
is essential to the development of irri
gation projects, of men who own the
land to be irrigated, but of practical
irrigators fresh from the soil, who
have solved the problems In their
daily work. The whole state is moved
by the Impulse to water the dry land
and bring It under cultivation.
This congress recognizes that the
day for generalization Is past and that
we must now deal with specific under
takings. We. shall hear of progress on
the Government projects on the Uma
tilla and Klamath and shall have the
merits of the west extension of the
former project threshed out. We shall
hear what can be done on the John
Day and the Malheur by the Govern
ment. Next in order of importance
com the Carey act projects on the
Deschutes and in Harney County, of
which th former have become the'
subject of controversy between the
state and the promoters. Th state,
having Incurred obligation to the Gov.
eminent to secure the watering and
settlement of this land as a condition
of acquiring title for transfer to the
settlers, clearly has both the right and
the duty to Insure that th settlers get
what they pay for, which is not only
the land but water for irrigation at
th price stipulated and a clear title
when they comply with the terms of
the contract. The congress may well
declare Itself on this subject without
any appearance of taking sides In the
controversy.
Following in order of importance
th Carey act projects are several proj
ects east of the Cascades, some of con.
siderable magnitude, which are being
carried out by private corporations.
These have th merit of being free
from many of the conditions Imposed
on settlers on Government and Carey
act projects. .Where th enterprise Is
conducted on sound engineering and
business principles, without Inflation
of prices, and the company carries out
its contracts with settlers in good faith.
It should have the encouragement of
the congress. By the eame rule, any
attempt to exploit -such projects for
the enrichment of the promoters by
practicing deception on the settlers
should be unhesitatingly condemned.
This is necessary to th material In
terest and good name of the state, for
the efforts of all development bodies
will be thwarted if word should go
forth that homeseekers are with im
punity victimized by promoters.
West of the Cascades the congress
will have a new feature in Irrigation
to consider. Because this section has
a humid climate, V has been assumed
until recently that irrigation would be
superfluous. So It. would be. If the
rain were about equally distributed
throughout the year. But this section
Is less humid than Is popularly
supposed and It has a long, dry season
In the Summer during which irrigation
In necessary. God sends enough water
to make the land yield abundantly, but
he leaves man to distribute It at the
season when it is needed. This can
only be done by storing water during
the wet season for use during the dry
season. Hence hav come two large
Irrigation enterprises in th Willamette-
Valley, one at Canby, the other
at Stayton, for watering of land when
the crops most need moisture, from
a supply stored when the earth is
saturated.
The development of both Eastern
and Western Oregon thus depends to
a large extent on Irrigation. Th Ir
rigation Congrefs can, by interchange
of Ideas and experiences, spread
knowledge how best to bring water to
the land and how best to apply it.
The congress can also voice public
opinion on any legislation which may
.be needed and can exercise powerful
leverage In bringing about such legis
lation. Its character as representing
the most energetic and best informed
people on this subject entitles its rec-
ommendatlons to respectful considera
tion, both by the voters and the
Legislature.
A crusade in the) name of decency
against obscene postal cards is long
overdue. It is unaccountable that the
malls are open to some of the postal
cards that pass through it- The ex
planation probably is that the practice
of sending objectionable picture pos
tals through the mails is of insidious
growth and has fastened Itself upon
th pretty, inexpensive and convenient
souvenir postcard which met with
such instant and wide popularity as
festal day remembrances. The. city
vice commission, after due investiga
tion, finds that the state law covering
the sale, display and distribution of
obscene books, pictures and papers Is
not comprehensive enough to cover
publications that are suggestive of In
decency and immorality usually of
pictures and postcards and urges
supplemental legislation that will be
both deterrent and punitive. In the
meantime proper complaint and evi
dence lodged with the postal authori
ties would doubtless in due time shut
these Indecent postals out of the malls,
while. a city -ordinance could be made
to clear the display cases in stationery
booths.
The pomposity of "Young America,"
and the silliness to which It leads when
it clashes with sedate and competent
authority in the public high school
were witnessed In the garb In which
the students of the Jefferson High in
this city appeared in their classes last
Monday. Very properly their bump
tiousness passed unnoticed by the prin
cipal who had incurred their rnighty
displeasure lost Friday by advising
them to dress modestly and becoming
ly. Later in life these pupils will look
back with shame and confusion of face
upon this display of childish Indigna
tion against the principal who advised
them to dress as became their age and
place In life. Just now, however, they
are fully persuaded that the Joke is on
Principal Jenkins.
The romance of Mrs. Upton Sinclair
and Harry Kemp, the Kansas poet, has
run Its brief race, and after the man
ner of fitful things snuffed out. This
announcement with various and sun
dry details stifles any lingering sym
pathy for "Uppy" that the sentimen
talist may have indulged, while a
glance at the pictured faces of Mrs.
Sinclair and Harry Kemp that accom
pany the printed statement of their
blighted romance leaves One in doubt
as to which of the two to congratulate
on release from the other, and fain to
tr ke refuge in the old saying that it Is
"a pity to spoil two houses with them
Harry Atwood's proposed flight
across the Atlantic looks romantically
difficult, but probably It can be man
aged well enough. With a good en
gine and plenty of gasoline he ought
to ' complete the Journey In safety.
Should an accident happen, the'daoger
will not be so serious as on land, wa
ter being softer than rock. Besides,
Atwood will carry a lifeboat. We see
no reason why he should not succeed.
Th' only reason we have heard for
dismissing the eighty bribery indict
ments against Abe Ruef Is that there
are eighty of them. If there were only
one everybody would say, "let him be
tried and punished." But since there
ar eighty there is a shriek of protest.
The poet Cowper wisely counseled his
readers either not to commit any crime
at all or else to commit such a big
one that th world would forgive it on
account of its magnitude.
What sort of an entity is memory?
A while ago J. W. Kendall lost his and
now he is finding It again little by lit
tle. Is memory something like a bird
which flew out of his skull and is try
ing to fly back again? Or Is It a mere
variety of brain action? Perhaps Ken
dall's brain lost the knack and Is now
recovering It. But what a queer
knack it Is.
Not least among the achievements of
President Taft is the appointment of
six among the nine Supreme Judges.
He has practically remade the Su
preme Court, and of good material.
If Wellman Intends to be the first to
cross the Atlantic by the air route, he
must hurry. Atwood is out for the
same honor, and, unlike Wellman, has
a record for success.
The San Franciscan who watched
the operation for removal of his ap
pendix is starting an innovation much
more interesting than dentistry.
If the Vice Commission stops the
sal of suggestive postcards, It will
La.vo don at least one good act.
Why not send John Barrett to Co
lombla to smooth out matters
TAX LEVY RATHER THAN BONDS
Writer Opposea Hlsh Finance Bills and
Offers Plan.
FORTLAND. Or Feb. 19. (To th
tor.) Since It is fashionable I would
like to contribute a short article on th
road question. I. too, am a crank on
good roads. No other public question is
of mora importance In tbe state In my
opinion. With the proper road law
we might today have had a good many
miles of roads. I am not In favor o
bonding the state for a large sum o
money and putting the fund in one
man's hands and letting him appoint
road commissioners and state and
county engineers at high salaries t
gobble up the road fund. I believe the
majority of taxpayers would be more
I than willinr to be taxed a sufficien
amount to Improve our roads It we naa
assurance that we would get value re
ceived in return. I am in favor of a
state-aid road law, we will say 1 mill
placed in the state treasury the sam
as our scuool fund and an apportion
stent made to each county.
I favor th county having full con
trol of the appropriations same on ou
roads under certain instruction of our
road laws. The County Surveybr i
fully competent to engineer or tak
grades of any of our roads. Now thl
state-aid fund properly nndled would
be Just as much Inducement to encour
are road buildine as our school lund 1
to school instruction. Then I would
favor each county duplicating its pro
portion of the state fund and I would
organize the road districts to convenien
size and have the districts build th
road beds In such an amount as the!
proportion of the road fund would
cover, with crushed rock. Then I would
require- the County Court to let the
contract to Dut the rocic on tne roaa
Just the same as they now contract the
county bridges. In that way every aoi
lar could be used In rocking our road
with no high-toned salaries to road
commissioners or state or county en
gineors.
. Now. some will say this will be
failure because we don't know how to
build roads. I will answer those by
Just saying: Go down to Washington
County, Just north of Hlllsboro, and
look at the Job the county did there
That was Its first experiment at a cost
of about (4000 a mile. It has built a
road that Is Just as smooth and as per
manent as the paved streets of Port
land. If we had such roads all over
the state, there would not be a voice
raised against our roads. I think if
wa had a sood road bill or law on
these lines It would give better satis
faction than the bills of the Good Roads
Association or West bills. 1 agree
with The Oregonlan that it would be
much better for us to raise the $100.
000 interest and use it on roads than
bond the state for $2,00,000. I agree
with the Good Roads Association that
Portland and Multnomah County are
Interested Just as much and more than
the interior to have good roads all
over the state. Their plate to eaten
the sugar la much larger than ours. I
agree with our County Judge, Mr.
Pierce, if they Just assist us a little,
say one mill, and have a nine patience
wa would soon show what we could do
J. K. MAIS
WHY DIXON'S BOILER EXPLODED
Writer Qnestiona Theorr of Low Water
and Thinks Shell Wns Weak.
YAMHILL. Or Feb. 19. (To the Edl
Editor.) Regarding the explosion of
the Sarah Dixon, I would say that a
"Are box" boiler does not blow up on
account of low water. In a shortage
of water in such a boiler the "crown
sheet." which Is the roof of the fire
box, becomes dry, it being the highest
part of the portion of the boiler which
is directly exposed to the flames, and
being softened or weakened by the
heat, is blown down, and the boiler
has "dropped her crown sheet.
When the outside shell of a fire box
boiler lets go, as it did in the case of
the Sarah Dixon, it is because the shell
was not strong: enough to carry the
pressure imposed, and the reason why
it failed to burst several months pre
viously, when a somewhat greater cold
water pressure was applied, will have
to be laid to the "fatigue of metals.
With the old pattern return nue eta
tlonary boiler, should the water get
low the top flues would become over
heated, and since they also fulfill the
office of "stays," helping to hold the
boiler heads from spreading, the boiler
head might blow out, causing tha
boiler to lump like a skyrocket.
Were I in Engineer Lewis' place I
would not fret over losing my posi
tion, for when he has to work with
boilers so bunglingly tested the next
time he might not be so lucky.
P. W. BK1TTS.
House of Commons, Etc.
PORTLAND. Feb. 20. (To the Edl
tor. Pleare answer these questions:
(1) What salary is paid to a member of
the House of Commons? (2) How far
has the Cape-to-Calro Railroad Deen
constructed at the. present time7 Ki)
What is the modus operandi for de
termining who Is the leader of the ma
jority party in the House of Commons
when the appointment of a new Pre
mier is necessary?
HERBERT B. AUGUR.
(1) Four hundred. pounds a year. (3)
Each party elects Its lender snd when
a party gains a majority in tne Mouse
of Commons the King summons Its
leader to form a cabinet with the latter
as Premier.
a) In November, 1910, the total length
of northern portion of Senner Is 1501
miles, and that on the southern portion
Is 21.312 miles, reaching fetar of Congo.
The gap between the two is zutu miles,
(Hazell's Annual, 1911.)
Plutns and Shakespeare.
PORTLAND, Feb. 20. (To the Edi
tor.) (1) Does the word "Pluto" moan
the god of wealth? If not, is there any
such a character which signifies such
a meaning? (2) In the Tales of Shakes
peare," by Charles and Mary Lamb, are
the. characters and places referred to
real or Invented by Shakespeare?
A READER,
(1) Plutus, son of Demeter, was god
of wealth. In classical mythology.
(Seyfferfs "Classical Dictionary.")
(2) The historical plays of Shakes
peare are the only ones founded on
fact, tbe English history series and the
Roman series. But they are not told
In Lamb's "Tales," the characters In the
latter being purely imaginary or
legendary. (Gowlnus' "Commentaries.")
Are Lights T-'aeleaa Downtown.
PORTLAND, Feb. 18. (To the Edi
tor.) I would call the attention of the
proper officials of the city regarding
the utter uselessness of the are lamps
in the down-town district, where the
streets are already so brightly illum
inated by the street lamps. Why this
wasto of money, which tha taxpayers
have to make good? It were better to
move these superfulous arc lamps to
some of the residence districts that are
at present greatly In need of more
light, than to have them remain with
out any benefit to the city.
SIMON HARRIS.
Tables Mar Be Turned.
GOLD BEACH,' Or, Feb. 15. (To the
Editor.) Two years ago the votet : of
Multnomah County rolled up a large
majority In favor of closing Rogue
River to commercial flshlns, almost
paralyzing the business of Curry
County. Now, by reason of wise (?)
legislation those same people are, or
will be, called upon to pay millions to
make roads for us and other counties.
Verily, strange things do happen under
our new-fangled ways of making laws.
J. HUNTLEY
NO COUNTY SEAT FIGHT PENDING.
Itnrns Will Remain Capital of Barney
Connty, Says Writer.
-BURNS, Or, Feb. 20. (To the
Editor.) In Tha Oregonlan and
an evening paper of the 12th op
pears an article quoting "Joe Mi
han." of this county, as saying that
Burns and ita people are shivering in
a greaj; fear over the danger of the re
moval of the Harney County seat from
Burns. Of course, the informant is
the redoubtable "Big" Jim .Mahan, the
right bower and spokesman for Gover
nor West and "Our George," the sup
posed Democratic boss of Harney
County, who owns a large amount of
property 25 miles east of Burns and
another large amount 50 miles south
east; a man who has fought Burns for
95 years, tried to prevent it from get
ting the county seat In the first place
and from getting the United States
land office.
The fact is, there Is neither proba
bility, possibility nor design for the re
moval of the county seat. - Burns is
the commercial center as well as the
legal center of Harney County and
when there Is sufficient development In
the unsettled portions .of the county
to warrant It, the Immense territory
embraced in the county will be divided,
b'ut Burns will remain the county seat
of Harney County.
There is opposition to the proposed
new courthouse, but it is fostered
mostly by the promoters of paper town
sites and by the P. L. S. Co. and kin
dred corporations that own large
amounts of land over the county and
that never relish the call for con
tribute t to public improvements.
The supremacy of Burns as the com
mercial metropolis of this region Is not
threatened In the least and will not be
disturbed for many years. F. D.
LEPROSY DYING OCT IN NORWAY
IToapltal Snrronnded by Homes nnd
patients Walk Streets Unmolested.
PORTLAND, Feb. 18. (To the Ed
itor.) In an editorial about leprosy
you say that the leprosy germ was
Isolated and described by a scientist
named Nansen in 1871. This is a mis
take. Dr. G. Armauer Hansen, Bergen,
Norway, Is the man who isolated and
described the leprosy germ in 1871. He
is still the leading physician of the
leprosy hospital In Bergen, and In his
last report he states that there have
not been any new cases In the last
years, and if the government in the
next coming years will take as good
care of the disease as it has done to
this date, there will probably be no
lepers in Norway by the year 1920.
All the lepers In Norway are now
confined in one hospital in Bergen,
and they are old people altogether.
The hospital was built 50 years ago
Just outside the town. The town has
grown 200 per cent since the hospital
was built, and it Is now surrounded
by fine residences. The disease Is not
considered dangerous for the neighbors,
because it has never been transferred
to any of the attendants of the hos
pitals. The patients walk around town
and nobody is alarmed. They are
treated as other sick people.
ALBERT BOTE,
Killing- Wild Birds Unlawful.
COTTAGE GROVE, Or., Feb. 15. (To
the Editor.) In our neighborhood a
young man makes a business of killing
the birds, canaries and snowbirds In
fact, anything that flies, including buz
zards. How can we stop it?
MRS. S. B. MORSS. .
It is unlawful to kill or have in one's
possession, dead or alive, any wild bird
(other than a game bird at the proper
season) with the exception of the Eng
lish or European house sparrow, crow
or hawk. Violations of the law should
be reported to a deputy game warden,
such as the Sheriff, Deputy Sheriff or
Constable.
"Send Vm Away," Law.
DALLAS, Or, Feb. 18. (To the Edi
tor.) In view of the fact that we are
living in an age of freakish legislation
and the "mill" at Oregon City seems
unable to supply sufficient food for
thought, would it not be well to Ini
tiate a law to provide that a petition
to the Governor, signed by 5000 legal
voters, shall be deemed sufficient
authority to ostracize "undesirable citi
zens"? We have the power to recall
'em, why not the power to send 'em
away? Strange U'Reu never thought
of this! CITIZEN.
Illatorr of the Ferris Wheel.
PORTLAND. Feb. 20. (To the Edi
tor.) Please say whether or not the
Ferris wheel at the St. Louis lair was
the same one which was used at the
Chicago world's fair in 1893.
WILLIAM H. PATTERSON.
There is no local information handy.
Write to the St. Louis, Mo, Globe-Dem
ocrat newspaper.
Hla nearlaa-' Is Very Good.
Boston Transcript.
Moore My sense of hearing Is the
keenest ever. Do you know, I can hear
your watch ticking, although you are
six feet away.
Poore Tnen you re a wonder. My
watch is at the pawnbroker's, six blocks
away.
A Word o' Month.
Chicago Tribune.
The doctor Most of the sickness
comes from what we eat and drink.
People are not half particular enough
about what they put Into their mouths.
The professor (sniffing) No, they're
not. Do you often smoke such a cigar
as that?
Conductor.
NATRON, Or, Feb. 15. (To the Edi
tor.) Please tell me whether pure
water Is an Insulator or a conductor
of eleotrloity. C. L. GRUTZE.
Yes) Asphyxiation.
PORTLAND, Feb. 20. (To the Edl
ir.) Is there any known remedy for
to
snoring? X. Y. Z.
Advertising is a tremendous force.
Tell the public, through The Ore
gonian columns, of the wares you
have to offer. Every day in the year
you can reach an audience com
posed of the greater portion of
Portland residents.
Think how simple and easy it is. Write out your an
nouncement in the evening. Send it over or phone and
a representative will call for it. That is all you need do.
In the morning your message will have been printed 53,
000 times. It will reach at least 53,000 people. Almost
every copy of The Oregonian is read by two or more
people. There is no other method of reaching so great a
number of Portland buyers at so low a cost
The Deadly Dictagraph
By Dean Collins.
A youth, in Leap Year, sat and blushed
.Beside an ancient spinster dame,
And heard her tell him all about
The warmth of her affection's flame;
And, by the sanction of the year.
She strove to make her meaning clear.
So the coy youth could understand
She offered him her heart and hand.
And to her plea, "May I be yours?"
He had a line of talk arrayed.
Such as a youth in idle hoifrs
May peddle out to any maid.
"My darling," he declared, "I am
And then he closed up like a clam.
His soul was smitten with a doubt
Lest she'd a dictagraph about.
A politician sought the ear
Of one, to ask for his support.
Who had already pledged his vote
T sev'ral other men. In sport.
"Why sure." th' obliging one began.
Then. In a panic, turned and ran.
"Suppose," he gasped, "those other
chaps
Had hidden dictagraphs perhaps."
"I am the ruler in my house,"
A rounder said, "I ramble out
At any time, and never tell
My wifey what I am about.
man must rule his better half
But then he thought "a dictagraph,"
Stopped short and looked beneath his
chair
To see if one was hidden there.
Ah, In the days of dictagraphs.
Full circumspect became each man.
And murmured "Sh-h-h," and looked
about
Before a sentence he began.
All day he quaked in constant fright.
And e'en when he retired at night,
"I may talk in my sleep," he said.
And looked, full cautious, 'neath the
bed.
Portland, February 20.
Half a Century Ago
From The Oregonlan or February 21, 1602.
Messrs. E. A. Light, Montgomery and
several others of our citizens Intend
to start in a few weeks for the Salmon
River mines by way of the Nacheaa
Pass.
The steamer Emily Harris arrived
last night from Burrard's Inlet with 12
passengers and $16,000 in dust. Vic
toria Colonist.
The Cortes This steamer left San
Francisco with about 650 passengers
aboard on the 7th Inst, and reached
Portland on Tuesday night at 10
o'clock. About 450 of the passengers
remained at Portland and the balance
continued on to this port Victoria
Colonist. The real balance probably
amounted to 50 persons. For Salmon
500 miners; for Cariboo, 60. This pro
portion will probably hold good during
tbe season,
There is good sense in the following
extract from a communication written
by a Salmon miner, in yesterday's
Times:
"As to the farmers of Oregon, who
are preparing to abandon their farms
ty thousands, I think they are simply
crazy. If those mines prove as they
are generally supposed to be, a good
farm will be 4 more valuable to the
farmer and yield him more gold in the
next two years than the best set of
mining claims in the Nez Perce coun
try. Stay where you are and if It
proves a falrure, as most of the great
geld discoveries of late have, you will
be no worse off. If It proves a suc
cess, wait let the gold come to you."
The pirates of the Buccaneer Beau
regard threw overboard $4000 in specie
when they were captured by the United
States gunboat W. G. Anderson, to pre
vent its falling into the hands of Cap
tain Rogers.
Two horses attached to a truck
loaded with apples in boxes and be
longing to Mr. Holman, which were
standing on the wharf yesterday, took
a notion to stampede, and away they
went up Front street, scattering the
apples on their way, much to the alarm
of foot passengers and the no little
delight of a number of boys, who were
not slow In gathering up some of the
fruit.
Country Town Sayings by Ed Howe
People who wouldn't rob a cripple
have less scruples about taking ad
vantage of a man who can afford It.
If It is true that our ancestors were
so bad that it became necessary to
drown all of them except Noah and hl3
family, people are not that bad now; so
while we have not Improved as much
as we should, we have improved some.
When a reform movement results In
the use of firearms, it s a sign t..at one
side or the other has gone too far.
Peaceful public sentiment Is usually
powerful enough to bring about every
change that Is necessary and proper.
People admire a man and wife who
n hatmv hut Kf tha hnnv hnshand
and wife talk too much about It, there
will be lli-naturea comment.
Every good thing Is promptly over
: aded as soon as we know positively
that It is a ood thing.
In a big job, a man can't hang on
month after month, and make explana
tions every Saturday night; he must
eiwier make good, ur quit.
Some men are as Incapable as a wolf
of appreciating that industry and fair
ness pay better than idleness and petty
violations of the rules.
A friend not only tells the seoret In
trusted to him; he makes it worse than
you told it.
Look out for the man who says his
prices are reasonable, and that the
prices of others are always too nigh.
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