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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (July 16, 1912)
THE MORXTXG OREGONIAN, TUESDAY, JTILT 16, 1913. PORTLAMJ. OREGON Entered at Portland, Oreaon. Foatofflca a Becoca-Clasa Matter. Cubacrlbtion Raiee Invariably In Advance. CBT MAIL.) nfi onTiHav tnrlrided. ona Tear.......?-?? ' Dafljr. Sunday Included. lx montha..... . -'-7. Dunusy tntiuu ........ ... 75 Sally, without Sunday, ona year JJJ Dally, without Sunday, elx montha..... Dally, without Sunday, three montha... ' Daily, without Sunday, one month. ..... -?V ' Weekly, one year J-j0 , Sunday and Weekly." ona year. ........ -60 (BY CARRIER-) Dally. Sunday Included, one year.. r- .nfllnAH nntt moDUl..... How to Remit Send PoetofOee """'"T: der, expresa order or personal check on your local bank. Stampa. coin r . 'f" at tha sender-, nalc Give postotfice aUoraai In full. including- county and atata. n n ti 14 .Htci 1 cent. iv to 28 pane., d oenta; SO to 40 pagea. 0 to u paxes. 4 .cents. Porenta poataae. donbla rata. v . , Mn.lnM. nffb- Verre & Con le an New York. Bnnawlck buildln. Saa Francises Oilics R. J. Bldwall Co 142 Market street, a. - ..... .- R...nt treat, n. W London. CU, UUCU V.UbU .-w. : PORTLAND, JTESDAT, -TLY 1. 1812 WE'LL AIL BE TAX EifM"- The conscientious Oregon voter the working, delving, siuqious vu. who does not liKe to do initiatlve legislation will undoubtedly become a profound authority on most phases of the tax question before the riw of election day. All who live in nthnr than Multnomah. Clackamas and Coos will have eight tax measures on which to apply their intellect, to say nothing of the small lob of passing on twenty-eignr. msu ures of other kinds. Those who live in the three counties named will have nine tax laws or amendments to or gest, and also the twenty-eight mis- .1iananiia m PfLSU TPS. ii. -i nni.t imts Intelligently ought to know something about the arguments for and against single tax, inheritance tax. taxation of moneys enri credits, exemption of non-produc- tre nersnnal nrooerty. taxation of in- ennntv ontlon taxation, di- vnnumtnt of state and local taxation, taxation by classification, the putting of the sole power to tax in the hands of the whole people, graduated taxa tion of land holdings, and possibly a few other branches of the question. t cntm)3 formidable. It is formid able. There is enough in the taxation measures alone to keep the conscien tious voter of ordinary attainments fairly busy from now until November. The following is a statement in brief of the measures that will be on the ballot: An amendment repealing the amendment which now gives the people sole power to regulate taxa tion and exemptions and permits county tax rule. An amendment permittting state and county to levy and collect taxes on different classes of property. (Di vorcement of state and local taxation.) An amendment requiring that all taxes shall be uniform on the same classes of property. An amendment providing for the taxation of incomes. An amendment exempting from tax ation all household furniture, cloth ing and other non-productive personal property. A bill exempting from taxation bills of exchange, mortgage notes and other credits. A bill revising the inheritance tax laws. An amendment establishing single tax accompanied by a graduated tax on land holdings, franchises, etc. A bill (in Multnomah. Coos and Clackamas counties) establishing sin- iic OA. The approval of some of these measures would in themselves defeat others. For example, the repeal of the county option tax amendment, if successful, would defeat single tax in the three counties where it comes up in county measures, no matter what the vote of each county was on the Issue. On the other hand, approval of the state-wide single-tax measure would put single tax into effect in all counties, including the three where it comes up in county measures, no mat ter how the voters in the three coun ties voted on the local measures. Of the state-wide measures, none is antagonistic of others except the sin gle tax-graduated tax measure. All others may be adopted without seri ous legal entanglement- It is possible, of course, that all eight state-wide measures may carry. In that event the ones receiving the highest affirm ative vote would prevail as to all con flicting phases. This result would es tablish a chaotic condition as to taxa tion that could only be unraveled by the Supreme Court. The thing that the voter needs to be most wary of is the attempt of single taxers to becloud the issue by talking graduated tax. There is no gradu ated tax provided in any measure ex cept the one which, if adopted, would establish single tax. Call it gradu ated or any other Inadequate name, it is the product of the Fels Fund Com mission, which is pledged to establish single tax In some community within a period of time that has now almost elapsed. Its presentment In Novem ber will be the culmination of an ef fort in which approximately $50,000 collected in this and other countries will have been expended in Oregon. If it Is defeated it will probably be the final effort of the Fels Fund Com mission to establish single tax in Ore gon. If adopted, it will be'followed by other measures designed to confis cate for the state by means of high taxation all privately-owned lands in Oregon. j It Is the duty of the opponent of single tax to consider more than the one measure, however. There Is quite a variety of combinations to be an ticipated in the action of the people on the eight measures. Approval of the county option repeal and defeat of all other measures would put the state back exactly where it was be fore the last election in the matter of taxation laws and constitutional pro visions. Defeat of all measures would leave it where it now stands, with the Legislature deprived of authority to regulate taxation or exemptions. The wisdom of the rule "When in doubt vote no" is not affected by the tax complication. But to it might be add ed the advice "Don't be in doubt." The telephone has come to the front as one of the most valuable of life savers. By instantaneously carrying news of the approach of a flood. It gives the people of a town In Its path time to flee to safety. It did this serv ice at Johnstown, though the people had been given so many false alarms that they refused to credit the news and thousands of them lost their lives In consequence. It rendered the same service at Denver on Sunday, saving hundreds who would have perished but for the warning. On numerous occasions similar warnings have been telephoned along the path of a flood, the prospective victims of which have watched its progress from a refuge on the adjoining hills. STEALING AND TRYUfQ TO STEAL. Mr. Roosevelt preaches again from the familiar text "Thou Shalt not steai," in the current number of the Outlook, reviewing the contested cases of Arizona, California, Texas and Washington and reaching the usual conclusion that each of these cases. from the Roosevelt viewpoint, was without a "flaw. "Thou shalt not steal": certainly not. But how about ME stealing? The decalogue is hap pily silent on that subject. Let us go back to McHarg, the use ful and not-too-nice McHarg, who in vaded the South, backed by some one's money and some one else's authority, and returned with a waste basket full of contests against the regularly elected Taft delegates. McHarg did his work well. He stirred up a lot of post mortem activity for Mr. Roosevelt, causing conventions to be held where regular Republican conventions had been held long before and producing results on paper that boded well for the Colonel at ghicago. When the convention opened at Chicago there were more than 240 contests for Roosevelt delegates. More than 150 of them were rejected by the National committee, commonly by unanimous vote, and all of the 150 were finally abandoned by the Roosevelt people. It was clear that they were spurious or fictitious or bogus, or without merit. or all together. If the Taft offense In taking uexas, Washington, Arizona and California wa a. steal, the Roosevelt project' of capturing Alabama. Georgia. Louisi ana. Mississippi and Arkansas was a bold and unblushing conspiracj to steal. If one was morally reprenensi- ble, the other was morally inaeiensi hle. What has Colonel Roosevelt tn sav about the procured Southern vote at Chicago and the Roosevelt ef fort to get it? TOM MARSHALL'S DERELICTION. "The Democratic platform ignores the riT-ee-rtn Kvstem. but Candidate Wil son has approved it, except the recall of judges." is the apologetic outgiving of one of the thlck-andjthin Wilson newspaper ' boosters in Oregon. This in response to the reminder by The Oregonian that these are the same little Journalistic yelplets that hound ed President Taft on his Oregon trip because he did not indorse the Ore gon system. The Oreeonian has not ODserveu that Mr. Taft has anywhere, since he was President, discussed any feature of the Oregon system, except the re call of Judges, and he has vigorously opposed that original Oregon scheme for the same reasons that Woodrow Wilson has opposed it. Mr. Wilson's commendation of the Oregon system has been coupled witn me corrcti qualification that it is, or ought to be. a club behind the door" to maue rep resentative government more repre sentative. He has mildly commended the Initiative and referendum on that basis, but up to the hour of going to press the initiative and rererenaum have not been adopted in New jersey of which Dr. Wilson is the great re- he for the recall? But how about that other great Governor. Tom Marshall, co-partner of Dr. Wilson in the confidence of Democracy, and co-candidate on the Presidential ticket? Is he for the Oregon system? Is he for the initia tive? Is he for the referendum? Is he for the recall? The Oregonian will answer Its own question by saying i that he is not. What are the little Democratic papers that were so highly incensed at Pres ident Taft's failure to go on record, and so deeply convinced that he thus forever disqualified himself to be a patriotic and people-loving President, going to do about Tom Marshall? EXPRESS AND PARCELS POST. No stronger argument for a parcels post has been presented than the facts stated by Interstate Commerce Com missioner Lane in his report on ex press rates. While this report is con fined to a sweeping revision of ex press rates and practices without proposing to take the business out of private hands, it reveals between the lines how much greater economy and efficiency could be introduced in the carrying of parcels by the Postoffice. It Indicates one of the many ways in which lost motion duplication of work has added to the cost of living. It is most llluminatng as to the degree of economy which may be effected by combination. When such combina tion is organized by private corpora tion's, this economy Is capitalized and the benefits accrue to the stockholder. When the combination is the Govern ment Itself, the benefits accrue to the people. The only objection to Gov ernment ownership is that the men operating the combination have not the same direct interest in effecting economy which prompts the corpora tion to save the pennies. Mr. Lane, however, clearly shows that the express business, as now con ducted, is wasteful in the extreme from the standpoint of the patron. Division of the business among a num ber of companies and their contracts with railroad companies cause more rates to be made, more bookkeeping to be done, parcels to be carried by circuitous routes, discrimination to be practiced. The public pays for all this waste: it is all added to the cost of living. The tariffs Include 600.000. 000 rates, though the aggregate busi ness Is only half as many parcels. The clerk must wade through this volumi nous tariff to find the rate for each parcel and the consignee pays for his wasted time. The method of handling the business, the diversity ot owner ship and the relations of express to railroad companies require no less than eleven different pieces of clerical and accounting work fbr each ship ment, no matter whether the charge be 25 cents or $25. Again the con signee pays. Pending the transfer to the Gov ernment of the whole parcel-carrying business, Mr. Lane has done a valu able service In reducing the tariffs to so small compass that they can be printed on a sheet one-fourth the size of a newspaper. His plan of labels reduces the amount of bookkeeping and clerical work. The economy in operation thus effected for the express companies will go far to offset the sweeping reduction made in their rates. The stimulation of business resulting from greater simplicity and better system, as well as the increased volume resulting from the reduction itself, will offset the rest. Although the express companies may complain, they will benefit by the drastic re construction of their business. Although the new system of rates and practices will redound greatly to the benefit of the public and Is prob ably the best that could be done with a privately-owned parcel-carrying j business, the limitations on what can be accomplished are a forcible argu ment for a parcels post, or what Rep resentative Lewis calls a postal ex press. That would extend the system to every remote hamlet, every isolated house on a rural route, to. which an express company cannot be compelled to carry parcels. For the time-con suming. money-wasting system of way bills, of accounting between express companies and between express com panies and railroads, there would be substituted the simple weighing of the parcel and the attaching of a stamp with an accounting of each day's business in, bulk between each post- office and the department. There would be no favoring of the big ship per at the expense of the small one whereby the commission business is fostered, though but a fifta wheel to the coach. Every city dweller could have his supply of butter, milk, eggs. vegetables and fruit sent direct to him by the farmer. The glut of such produce tn one market, the famine in another, would be largely relieved. The revision of express rates is a long step tn the right direction, but it is only a step. The goal is the par cels post. SMALL WORRIES OVER NOTHING MITCH. The Oregonian would suggest to the good old New York Republican, who writes a heated letter today, that it might have been well enough to wait until President Taft turns somebody or other out of office for "disloyalty' before Invoking all the ghosts of his many political misdeeds to haunt him Yet we have no great hope that any thing we might say, or anyone might say, would reclaim this lost New York Republican sheep. The letter of Mr. Metcalf bears Intrinsic evidence that he thinks he has been a loyal Repub lican, in New York and elsewhere long enough. Now there is to be an end of loyalty, all owing to Ballinger, Pinchot, Glavis and the rest. Mr Metcalf Insists also upon the supreme right of disloyalty among Governmen officials to President Taft and his administration. If President Taft has heretofore dis charged anybody for disloyalty to him and his policies, we cannot now recall his name. To be sure, there is Pin chot, who was dismissed for offensive and notorious insubordination, and there is Garfield, who was not engaged as Secretary of the Interior. But that was hardly disloyalty, though some think, indeed, it deserves to be called high treason. Apparently someone is urging Pres ident Taft to get rid of certain mem bers of his immediate official family, who are not only out of sympathy with him and his purposes, but are ill more or less definite alliance with Mr. Roosevelt. Does Mr. Metcalf think President Roosevelt would hesitate to act. In such circumstances, by cutting off the offender's head and casting his body to the wolves? Hardly. Why should not President Taft insist upon loyalty and service to his own ad ministration from among his own high appointees? It would be absurd, of course, and Indefensible, for the President to dis miss any subordinate or anyone under civil service, or any other official or head of department, for friendliness to Roosevelt that stopped short of pernicious activity. But must he keep the members of his own Cabinet who are secretly conspiring with -bis ene mies, or the heads of various bureaus who are striving to defeat the policies upon which he relies, for the success of his administration and are con spiring to elect another his successor? But Mr. Metcalf need not worry President Taft will not dismiss any body, or at least not very many any bodies. That Is the trouble. He never did. He never will. ROBERT WIEDEMANN BARRETT BROWNING. By all the common rules of heredity Robert Wiedemann Barrett Browning, who has Just passed away, ought to have been a highly gifted man. His mother, Elizabeth Barrett, was one of the most precocious little girls who ever lived. At the age of 6 or 7 she was caught reading books on philoso phy and at 11 she composed an epic poem entitled "The Battle of Mara thon." For the next few years she occupied herself reading Greek, and when she was 20 she published a col lection of poetry called "An Essay on the Mind and Other Poems." Most girls at 20 are just beginning to dis cover that there is such a thing as mind. Elizabeth Barrett married Robert Browning In 184S, when she was 40 years old. He was In his 84th year at that time. The disparity be tween their ages was on the wrong side according to the popular belief, but it led to no undesirable conse quences. Their marriage was cele brated all over the world for its Ideal harmony and spiritual graces. Eliza beth passed most of her life reclining on a couch. She was an Invalid at the date of her wedding and remained in delicate health as long as she lived. She died In 1861, when Robert Wiede mann, their only son, was 12 years old. Robert Browning, the poet, was al most as precocious as his wife, but not quite. When a girl's intellect sets out to develop prematurely It usually out strips anything the male sex can do. He read the Iliad at 8, but we are happy to say that it was in Pope's translation. - There Is a story that Pope himself could read Greek at about that age. If he could he was ahead of Browning, but then he had a humpback, which may have stimu lated his brain a little. Browning had a volume of poems ready for publica tion when he was 12, but fortunately for himself and the world he could not find a publisher. He had an in dulgent father who let him do about as he pleased and his preferences ran to study, particularly the study of medieval subjects. Browning was the most medieval poet of the Victorian age, not excepting uante Gabriel Rossetti. The medievalism of the latter was a mild and gentle mono mania, but Browning's was of a ro bust sort backed up by a stern phi losophy. The ' only modern deed he ever did was to run away with the Invalid Elizabeth when he married her. The scheme of his poetic ex pression is borrowed from Thomas Aquinas' philosophy. Both are as in volved and obscure as possible, but both mean a good deal after one has taken the trouble to unravel their enigmas. The boy Robert Wiedemann was educated about as one' might have expected with such parents to coddle and spoil him.- At 2 years old he was "a blue-eyed, golden-haired boy," who never had played in the dirt or re ceived a spanking. - The most notice able thing about him was hia "ethe real appearance." The most noticeable, thing about a normal boy. of that age ought to be his ruddy cheeks and his grimy fingers, but poor little Robert Wiedemann -never knew what it was to have a good time in the open air. He was predestined to be a prodigy. and, worse luck, ah angelic prodigy. Both the Brownings reveled in the decadent medievalism of Italy under Austrian domination, a medievalism which Italy herself has rejected with encouraging scorn. They made their home at Florence and did not permit their cherubic son to learn a word ofj English until he was adept in the lan guage of Dante. At the age of 8 the unhappy little urchin could read Eng. lish, Italian, French and German and play on the piano. But he couid not ride horseback and he never had en joyed a fight in the whole of his pale and flabby boyhood. His mother was proud of him prouder, she told Leigh Hunt, than of her poem "Aurora Leigh." He dis played some artistic gifts early In life and they do not seem to have been quite blighted afterward, though he did not by any means fulfill the prom ise of his monstrous babyhood. He lived to be 63 years old, but the story of his career contains little that is in spiring. One feels all the time in reading it that he was a sort of hot house plant lacking the true stamina which makes capable men. He did not marry until he was 38 and then chose a rich New York woman with whom he did not live happily. At that time of life of course his habits were too rigidly formed to allow him to adapt himself to a wife's tastes. She pulled her way with some vigor, ac cording to the story, and he pulled his with all the, feeble obstinacy of pampered and petted selfishness. The consequence was that they could not live together, and when things be came too hot for him at his own house Robert Wiedemann fled to Asolo, where his aunt livedo and sought consolation on her bosom. It Is said that he produced now and then a painting which had some merit, but, upon the whole, the product of his life was far from repaying the care he received or fulfilling the expecta tions which naturally arose .from his heredity. It wolud be harsh to speak of him as a failure, but he was not a success by any means. Still no argu ment can be drawn against the sci ence" of eugenics from his case. Eugenics teaches that parents ought to supplement each other. The hus band should seek in his wife the qual ities which he himself . does not possess. Robert Browning sought in his wife exactly the qualities which he did possesss, the poetic gift, the artistic temperament and the lneffec tive love of the dead past. In their son these traits were united and some of them Intensified. If their poetic power had been transmitted we might have had another Shakespeare, but unhappily it was their other and less valuable gifts which passed to their son. He was a temperament without a motive power to set It going, a beau tiful spirit without a will to make it effective. Gooseberries proved a profitable crop in Oregon this season, but there is more money in currants, only i fraction of - the demand being sup plied. A small white worm is an al most ineradicable pest of the currant, but the Washington State College, in an official bulletin, says the worm does not affect the quality of the Jelly, which makes It all right for non-particular people. Publicity has done much to stop the atrocities committed against the natives of the Congo State. We shall see whether it will be as efficacious in checking the cruelties perpetrated on the natives of the Peruvian rubber country. The story of horrors pub lished in the British blue book Is en ough to make one shudder at the sight of any article made of rubber. Miss Crocker, who does not need them, will receive wedding gifts of the value of $100,000. They form part of her life. The little girl who goes from the counter of the department store to share the home of the gro cery clerk aspires to none of those things, for the light of love sparkles In. her eyes more bright than scintilla tions of the other girl's diamonds. Should King George fulfill the pre diction that he will Induce the House of Lords to pass the Irish home rule bill, he will come to be regarded as a radical monarch. Should he visit Ire land, Dublin would go crazy with loyal enthusiasm, while the boasted loyalty of Belfast would be subjected to a severe strain. The War Department recognizes that the place where trade concen trates is the place where the Army should concentrate; that the place for rapid mobilization of troops Is oh the main lines of rail and water traffic. Therefore, it considers Vancouver an ideal spot for a brigade post. Variety may be the spice of life, but not for the Portland man who com plains in action for divorce that his wife hired and discharged eighteen servants in seventeen months. When the moving picture gets into the kitchen, the head of the . family has ground for objection. From the viewpoint of fourth place n the standing table, the Beavers are, after all, doing very well. Now and then they play great ball, but only Giants and Athletics can do that all the time. Portland is xpecting too much big league action in a Coast league game. Of course New York society could not resist the power of the Astor mil lions and had to open its doors to Mrs. Astor and her beautiful sister. With all its pretensions, the exclusive set yields to money. The block signal is air right. The fault always lies in the engineer who runs past it and invariably is killed. The Spokane man who at the age of 82 essayed to climb Tillamook Head had more ambition than discretion. Hammerstein loses a quarter million in a season of grand opera, a mere bagatelle to a man with large Ideas. Portlanders who can get away will show Seattle a neighborly spirit by at tending the Potlatch. New Bedford corporations must have large unsold surplus, as the weavers are on strike. Dried loganberries and apples will fill the void caused by a prune crop one-fourth normal. Cherry Creek is in the scheme of nature and bound to defy the efforts of man. If the weather is too warm. Join the Mazamas on Mount Hood. The hops need the heat and sun shine to kill tha loose. WHAT ROOSEVELT SAID OP CANXON Caange In Leadership Oppoaed by Colo nel In i son. President Roosevelt in 1906 wrote a letter to Representative James E. Wat son, of Indianat indorsing Speaker Can- non and the Republican Congress. That letter was dated Oyster Bay, N. Y., Au gust 18, 1906. President Roosevelt said "If there were only partisan issues involved in this contest I should hesi tate to say anything publicly in refer ence thereto. But I do not feel that such is the case. On the contrary, I feel that all good citizens who have the welfare of America at heart should appreciate the immense amount that has been accomplished . by the present Congress, organized as it is, and the urgent need of keeping this organiza tion in power, With Mr. Cannon Speaker, the House .has accomplished a literally phenomenal amount-of good work. It has shown a courage, good sense and patriotism such that it would be a real and serious misfortune for the country to fail to recognize. To change the leadership and organization oT the House at this time means to bring confusion upon those who have been successfully engaged in the steady working out of a great and compre hensive scheme for the betterment of our social, industrial and civic condi tlons. Such a change would substitute a purposeless confusion, a violent and hurtful oscillation between the posi tions of the extreme radical and the extreme reactionary, for the present orderly progress along the lines of a carefully thought out policy. . . . ."Perhaps the peculiar merit of these laws is best shown by the fact that while they have aroused the deepest anger of the reactionaries, of the men who make a fetish of wealth, they have not satisfied the unwise extremists; and the present Congress, in achieving this merit, has acted in the exact spirit of Abraham Lincoln, who was never to be frightened out of going forward by the cries of those who feared prog ress, nor yet to bo hurried into a pre cipitate advance by the demands of the crude thinking, though often well meaning, men who are not accustomed soberly to distinguish between phrase making and action. To the men who come in the latter category all we need say Is to bid them possess their souls in peace. They have advocated action; but we have taken action; and the fact that this action has been sober and temperate has been in no small degree the cause of its. far-reaching efficiency. "We stand unequivocally for a pro tective tariff, and we feel that the phenomenal industrial prosperity which we are now enjoying is not lightly to be Jeopardized; for it would be to the last degree foolish to secure here and there a small benefit at the cost of general business depression. But when ever a given rate or schedule becomes evidently disadvantageous to the Na tion, because of the changes which go on from year to year in our conditions, and where it is feasible to change this rate or schedule without too much dis location of the system, it will be done; while a general revision of the rates and schedules will be undertaken when ever it shall appear to the sober busi ness sense of our people that, on the whole, the benefits to be derived from making such changes will outweigh the disadvantages: that is, when the re vision will do more good than harm. Let me add one word of caution, how ever. The question of revising the tar iff stands wholly apart from the ques tion of dealing with the so-called trusts' that is, with the control of monopolies and with the supervision of great wealth in business, especially n, corporate form. The only wiy in which it is possible to deal with those trusts and monopolies and this great corporate wealth is by action along the line of the laws enacted by the pres ent Congress and its immediate prede cessors. The cry that the problem can be met by any changes In the tariff represents, whether consciously or un consciously, an effort to divert the pub lic, attention from the only method of taking effective action. TERRIBLE OUTRAGE IS FEARED Old New York Republican Denonnces Hoasecleaning by Taft. PORTLAND, July 15. (To the Edi tor.) Noting an article on the front page of The Oregonian Sunday, I would Ike to suggest I have sever been anything in life but loyal to Repub lican doctrines and always held that loyalty was an obligation of life Itself. But, under the heading,- "Taft Urged to Insist on Loyalty," it is stated a housecleaning" is coming or casting out of office of all who oppose Taft this year. What is Taft loyalty, and to whom is that programme loyal? As a staunch and old New York Republican here only a short time, I wish to state that Re publicans and all from Atlantio to Pa. cine, from Canada to Gulf, welcome further action of that kind in attempt ing to kick out all voices of the people in offices and legislation of all kinds. It would only be in keeping with a series of blunders inaugurated years ago to dig the graves of the Chicago nominees. The time is at hand when loyalty to country and true freedom established by George Washington is demanded in this land and not loyalty to privileged classes who, greedy for Alaska coal and other land areas, including Mexico and some others, are to be served under the cloak of progressivlsm. The Ballinger, Glavis, Pinchot and like episodes are alive over this coun try, and a voice will be heard next No vember. Start the ousting episode as one other Btep toward oblivion! OLIVER METCALF. Where Johnson Learned to Read. YAMHILL, Or., July 14. (To the Edl- tr.) In The Oregonian July 11 you refer to the illiteracy of President An drew Johnson, you say that he learned to read while an apprentice. This is a matter which many, including myself, seem to be Interested in. Now if this subject Is worth discussing it Is well to state the facts In the case. I am in possession of undoubted facts concern ing his early lire, wnicn tew n any others possess, and for the benefit of those concerned I aesire to state them, giving the source of my information. I was one ot snerman s army wnicn happened to be at Raleigh, N. C, at the time of Lincoln s assassination. Before acquainting the soldiers of Lin coln's death, safeguards were placed at everv residence and business place in the city. It fell to my lot to guaro the old gentleman who taught Andrew Johnson his trade of tailor. He was ntelligent and seemed well to do; was free to enlighten me. Pointing out the building in which they worked, among many other things, he said that Andrew Johnson, at the age of IS, got into trouble and ran away. That at that time he did not know the letters of the alphabet He went to Tennessee and was there edu-' cate'd by the woman whom he married. J. A. .HHJK ,n Afl. A Soothing; Telephone Message. Cleveland Plain Dealer. Host Excuse me. That's my phone. At Dhone: "Oh, yes. What's that? You can't give me the hour you promised I could have tomorrow? Oh, that's all right. No, no. It doesn't incommode me in the least. Any other time will do. Don't mention It. Good-bye." Friend That must nave been your dentist. Host It was. Tbe Burden of Identity. London Tit-Bits. Gentleman (who has Just picked up a sovereign (J4.87), to tramp who claimed it) But how can you prove it belongs to you? Tramp Why, gu-nor, you can see for yerself I've got a 'ole in me pocketl LEAD BACKWARD Correspondent Discover Dangers In Oregon System. PORTLAND, July 16. (To the Edi toi ) "Whither are we drifting in our Qovernmental polity." This is a ques tion ever present in the mind of one who cast his first vote in the Presi dential election of 1848, and has voted at every general election since. At an early age he became familiar with the history of the organization of our Gov eminent, its system of checks and balances, and the history of political parties wKh the issues pn which they divided. In organizing our Government the fathers were trying an experiment, departure from all previous forms. At that time all known jtovernments were monarchies. Mostly despotisms, which the free life ot the fathers led them to reject, and their choice lay between a democracy in which the supreme power is in the hand of the people and exercised directly by them, ana a re public, in which the sovereign power is exercised by representatives elected py the Deonle. The fathers chose the latter and framed the Constitution upon that plan, with its three co-ordinate departments. makinir careful provision for great de liberation in amending that Constitu tion, and as the state constitutions were obliged to conform to the National, thev have all contained similar sale eruards. in conformity with which both National and state constitutions have been amended from time to time as chanBTincr conditions required. After more than 120 years of such unexampled progress and prosperity, with Tin svmntoms of halting or retro gression, it would seem the part of wisdom to maintain in its integrity a system that has proved so entirely suited to the genius of ionr people in the past. Is still working smoothly and keeping us in the Iront rann ot nations, and to make changes wnen tney oe come necessary in the orderly way provided in our organic law. But during the last decade there has arisen o set of self-constituted law and constitution tinkers, who, under the soundinK name of "Progressive, and the taking motto of "let the people rule." are ranldlv overturning our well tried representative system-, and would relegate us to the status of the democ racies of ancient times, that always ran into anarchy and ended in despot Ism. Comment at this time will be con fined to the much-vaunted "Orejron sys tern." consisting of the "nominating primary," the "initiative." the "referen dum" and the "recall." The Oregon prl mary law forbids naming of candidates by caucus or convention, therefore candidates are self-nominated, and the voter is limited in his choice to one among a lot of self-promoters, not one of whom would be his real choice, and in the end a plurality may be but one-fourth of the votes cast and mere fore not a majority choice. And the law 1r bo looselv framed that an un popular and easily beaten candidate may be foisted upon a party by its opponents, who have .no intention of supporting him in the election. Law making by initiative compared with that by Leglslatve action shows this strong contrast: in the Legisla ture a bill must receive the assent of both houses after close scrutiny by a committee of each, and he approved hv an executive before It Becomes law. This elves opportunity for amendment and elimination of crudi ties, and of possible conflicts with other law-i in force. Under the Initia tive, however, a bill may be, and often is drafted bv designing persons, placed on the ballot with no possibility of examination and amendment, or or od iep.tion hv an executive. Consider also the large number of nronosed acts placed on the ballot in addition to tne long list oi ranojun and a condition is created that may well dmint the most intelliirent citizen, null ntterlv confound the mass of voters. That the average voter either realizes his lack of ability Tor legisla tion daclines to accept the responsi bllity involved, or is disgusted with the whole svstem. is evidenced by the fact that the vote upon an Initiative nrnnoRltion is so small that tne num ber cast in its favor is but a fraction nf the whole cast at that election. The referendum may be classed wltn the Initiative, but it goes a step further by nullifying representative legislation by direct legislation, as lying up us operation until another general elec tion, keeping the public mind in a state of uncertainty and unrest, a fertile field for the aeitator and demogogue. This entire theory of direct legisla tion is based upon the proposition that the people lack the intelligence requisite for the selection of honest nnd eanable representatives, but the same unintelligent people can be fully trusted en masse to perform all leg islative functions. This seems the argumentum ad ab- Hnrdtim. so transparent in fact that comment would be useless. A nuerv arises: If initiative legls lation be the wisest, why not do away with the Legislature? Economy alone would lead a man to discard an in ferior machine for a better one, and certainly deter him from running the two at the same time and at double expense. We should possess business sense at least. Of the recall: Taking into considera tion the short term of our elective offices, it would seem better to abide by the result of an election during so short a term rather than subject the public to the expense, excitement and bitterness always attending a recall campaign, And the possibility of gain ing nothing ih the new deal. Another point in the system is Statement No. 1. which requires a can didate for Legislative honors to pledge himself that, if elected, he will in the Legislature vote for the self-nominated candidate for United States Senator receiving a plurality of the popular vote, thereby signing away in advance his independence and manhood, the most valuable of all assets of citizen ship. Let us examine what the people of Oregon have gained in this new deal, ostensibly for the good of the people, the obvious results of the system: I was about to ask: "What of our Congressional representation," but let that pass and leave our citizens to "point with pride" if they feel able. We have a Governor whose lips are scarce ly dry from taking his oath to execute the laws, ere he gratuitously declares that one statute legally enacted shall not be executed during his term of office. A nominating primary under which men of real ability decline to allow use of their names, and voters are con fined to a choice between several self nominated candidates of inferior leg islative qualifications, emasculating themselves by Statement No. 1, and a Legislature composed of such material becomes an object at which to point the finger of scorn. A rapid disintegration of our state constitution by direct vote of the whole people, instead of the deliberate man ner prescribed in that Instrument. A like plan of direct legislation by vote of the whole people, a small portion only of whom are qualified to exercise that function wisely, and which reduces the ballot of the wisest to a level or value witn mat or tne latest naturalized immigrant from the most undesirable regions of the Old World. With this cheapening or the legisla tive function has-come loss of respect for law, a weakening and f labbiness of moral fiber, an Increase of crime and Increased coddling of criminals, a loss of the feeling of responsibility by the individual and the official, that taken together, bode ill for our future hap piness and make pertinent the ques tion. "Whither are we drifting in our Governmental polity." GAVIN E. CANKIN. LAW TINKERS In the Pause Br Dean Collins. Last week were the streets of the city awhirl With rush and excitement terrific; Today they present, as a contrast to one, -- A character quite soporific The Elks that were out for a week full of fun, Have drifted and scattered away. And the festival uproar has 6hrunk to the drone -Of the things that we do every day. Last week we were really too busy to think Of aught but the Elks and their fun; The week before that. Baltimore vexed us all With tha problem of "Who is to run?" The week before that, toward Chicago we turned Our eager, inquisitive hoses; The week before that, far to busy to think. We were having our sport 'mid the roses. The tumult and shoutings have died. and the kings And captains have beat it away; The average man may have time now to think For the first time In many a day. And what are the images formed In his mind. From fabric of dreamy creation? The pictures that fit with the Joys ot the time Of midsummer days and vacation. And fishes, as big as the Jonah-fed whale. Will flop o'er his desk: or some bee Drone round in his bonnet, with som nolent roar Like the roar of the soft Summer sea. And. slave to his fancies, the average) man. Will merrllv die- In his ieans. For purchase of rifles and flies and of rods. Of reels and canned bacon and beans. For midsummer moments a madness prepare TTnr everv fanciful jrink. Who gains soft respite from the midv summer rusn To sit for a moment and think. - Portland, July 15. Half a Century Ago From The Oreeonian of July 18, ISM We have news from Fort Benton that the steamers have arrived there with 850 passengers and freight bound for Oregon and Washington Territory. The Omaha Republican of May 23, says: E. Creighton, superintendent oi tne Pacific Telegraph line. Informed us last night that ho met 4z teams Be tween the Klkhorn River. 20 miles dis tant, and this city, on his return from Fort Kearney. Between the last named, point and Omaha Mr. C. met 1400 wagons. General o. M Mitchell recently tele graphed to Secretary Stanton for in structions in regard to bridge-burners and guerillas. The secretary's answer was specific: "Let them swing." About 20.000 Enfield rifles have re cently been captured by our Navy, to gether with the vessels coniainins them, while in the act of attempting to run the blockade. It Is said that English speculators In arma have shiDDed about 20.000 Enfield rifles to Nassau, where they dispose of them to rebel agents, who reship them with the expectation of running the blockade. The contractor to build rebel gun boats at New Orleans was driven from that city because he failed to com plete them in time and was hanged on a hotel piazza at Natchez. He is re ported to have defrauded the Confed erates of some I600.U00, which he in vested In English and French funds. Wa have seen several of our ac quaintances who have returned from the Salmon River country, many of whom do not give very encouraging ac counts from there, but large quanti ties of gold dust still continue to ar rive. But meaerre returns of the election In Washington Territory have as yet been received. We are inclined to the opinion, however, that the Dixie ticKec has been elected in Clark County, but, as far as heard from, the Union ticket has carried Cowlitz County by a handsome majority. Mr. Cochrane, the Union candidate for Councilman from the district of Clark, Cowlitz and Pa cific counties, has aoupuess peen elected. THE FAILURE. Poets have sung of various themes. Of tha man with the ax and hoe. The man who schemes and the man who dreams. And tha man of the long ago; But hearken to this, an oft-told tale. Of the man you meet every day. The man who knows what it means to fail. Who labors for dally pay. The man in the -rae" jo- has given place. To those who are not his peers. And struggled on tnougn ionun frowned Throuerh weary, wasting years; He hitched his car to a lofty star. Feeling sure or his strengtn ana worth. But fate decreed there was other need, And anchored him fast to eartn. There are those who lack ambition' goad Tft nre-a them on their way. Who meekly plod along the road. From dreary day to day. Nor strive to rise above the dust That cloea their weary feet. Indifferent to misfortune s thrust. Or lure of triumph sweet. While all deplore their lowly life, And wish them a nigner pi, Hero is he who in valiant striia. Has fallen behind in the race: To him alone Is honor due, He planned and woricea dui iiimu. Though sore beset ne struggled uuugiu Hard pressea. ne never w""-'"- Wlth sighs and fears beset by fears. He trod the upward road. And murmured not nor mourned his lot Though heavy was the load; But in the end this common man. Who labors aay ny o, Is destined In God s periect plan, To bear tne crown awa.v. FRANK W. STONE. Vancouver, Wash. Limitations of Mother Love. Earl Barnes in the Atlantic Monthly Magazine. ah inMc hreaks down In the presence of growing things, as inexperienced Ity farmers . anu uhcji know. Little cniiaen neea iov auu constant personal adjustments. Love does for them what sunshine does for plants; it is an indispensable condition of good growth for minds and feeling. So, too, the social Instlnet, being among the earliest and most important of our powers to develop, -needs constant per sonal adjustment as the condition of its best growth and realization. Nine hundred and ninety-nine mothers out of a thousand give these conditions to their babies, while the best-trained and most sanitary nurse cannot secrete love for several children any more than one mother can secrete milk for a group of children. It is not a matter of good will: it i matter of human "limitations. 1 1