THE MORNING OREGONIAN. FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 1912.-
8
POKTXA"D. OREGOX.
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PORTLAND. FRIDAY. ATJGTJBT . "
I MSB, TAX MEASURES.
In 1910. when the county option tax
I amendment, or single tax wedge was
; under discussion. The Oregonian as
. serted that if the amendment were
adopted it would induce submission of
a large variety or tax
Ithe possibility that several of conflict
ing character would be approved and
a chaotic condition in the revenue
producing laws of the state would re-c-xo
o. fhln nredlction applied
to submission of numerous
Ux measures, it has oeen
voters -of Oregon are confronted this
year by eight state-wide measures
dealing with taxation, while the voters
In three counties have had this bur
den increased by submission of a
... law. It is not to boast
about its foresight that The Oregonian
mentions Its prophecy 01 w
ago It is to emphasize the menace
that confronts the state as the result
of the paid activity of constitution
tinkerers and to arouse the voters to
a thorough consideration of the meas
ures presented. '
It is reasonable to suppose that or
the eight state measures the one pre
sented by the State Tax Commission
exempting household furniture and
wearing apparel from taxation is
most certain to be adopted. It places
an exemption on property that the
single taxers themselves contend
should not be taxed and, Its Justice
appeals also tc those who are opposed
to single tax. The many single taxers
will vote for the bill, because it would
provide the next best thing, in their
point of view, in the event their own
measure did not receive the approval
of the electorate.
But what would be the effect if this
law and the state single tax measure
should both be adopted? State single
tax is proposed as a constitutional
amendment, while the household ex
emption bill is for an ordinary statute.
In most states the constitutional
amendment would prevail, but in Ore
. gon we have a constitutional provision
which declares that none of the re
strictions of the constitution shall ap
ply to laws approved by the people. If
there is any 'repeal of this provision
included in the state single tax amend
ment, it is of such shadowy implica
tion that we are unable to discover it.
The law will have been approved by
the people Seemingly the constru
ctional enactment would not affect It
"particularly If the law received the
greater number of affirmative votes..
Studying the household exemption
bill, we find that It is for the roost
part negative In its provisions. It
specifies what shall not be taxed, and,
in only two exceptions, affirms what
shall be taxed. It declares that
church buildings used jointly for
church and commercial purposes shall
be taxed. It also declares that the
personal property of Indians, unless
.exempted by Federal law, shall be
taxed. On the other hand, the pro
. posed single tax constitutional amend
ment declares that no personal prop
erty or improvements shall be taxed.
-Both measures, if adopted, will have
been approved by the people, and, ac
cording to the present constitution, the
tax restrictions of the fundamental
law do not apply to such measures.
it can therefore be argued, with con
; siderable show of logic, that under
such circumstances all improvements
'would be exempt from taxation except
. certain church property, while all per
sonal property would be exempt ex
. cept certain Indian property. It Is a
weird and unjust absurdity toward
which we may be drifting.
The constitution now also author
izes and empowers counties to regu
late taxation and exemptions within
their borders subject to any "general
law"' which may be enacted. What Is
meant by "general law?" In the legal
acceptance of the term it is a gen
eral statute as distinguished from the
constitution. The state single tax
amendment preserves this power and
authority specifically as to exemptions
of personal property and improve
ments. It is silent as to the graduated
taxes the amendment would also im
pose. If by "general law" an ordinary
statute is Intended, it would seem that
a county might repeal the graduated
taxes within its borders if the single
tax amendment should carry. But
there is another feature to be consid
ered. What about the counties, which
in voting on the single tax amend
ment, vote against it? Remember,
restrictions of the constitution do not
' apply to measures approved by the
people and that counties may say for
themselves what shall be taxed and
what shall be exempted. Even though
the measure were to receive a roajor-
' ity throughout the state, some counties
will undoubtedly have spoken against
it. Is It reasonable that they should
be put to the expense of voting on the
question again when they have al
ready declared themselves? The
query, therefore. Is this: Would the
amendment apply throughout the
state, or only in those counties that
approved It? On the other hand, if
it should be defeated in the state-at-large
would it prevail in those counties
that happened to approve it?
Mr. ITRen's measure would lead us
Into a labyrinth from which there
would be no escape except through
the guidance of the courts. Its un
certainties, above all things, demand
of the voters that they at least gain
enough knowledge of the several
measures to distinguish one from the
other. Moreover, the orderly collec
tion of needed public revenues is at
stake. Even those who may be de
ceived by the anti-corporation, vote
catching provision of the single tax
measure should consider these ele-
ments of the case. Initiative log-roll-
' ing and Joker-ridden measures the
Fels Fund commission have already
secured or would now write in the con
stitution promise so to increase the
uncertainties of taxing authority in
nnn that' file innlv Kaf COUrSO Is 10
approve the measures that are the
product of men working ior me goou
of the public and not for personal
. a M A r
profit- A commission compoeea ui .
OTomhom fnfinriinr the Governor,
State Treasurer, Secretary of State and
two Tax Commissioners, nas present
ed four carefully-drafted Ux laws.
i . frtllnirlnr'
j.liirjr aic Lite
A constitutional amendment author.
Izing the taxation of incomes.
A law to exempt from taxation
t.n.,hiM fumlritrn. m farina- annarel
and similar nonproductive personalty.
A law lo exempt murigtigo aauiaas uiu
other credits from taxation.
A revision of the inheritance tax
laws.
These are safe, sane and tried en-
ftmaTita rvmniei. with the three con
stitutional amendments presented by
the Legislature, tney wouia give ic
gon a modern, progressive system of
taxation. Their submission has not
been influenced by money collected tn
other states and countries. They are
rtfAwin TiTTirtiioHnnp.. Thev. and they
alone, should be approved if the state
would continue an oraeny ana proa
perous existence.
NR. SELLING'S STATEMENT. .
The dominant note In the statement
Mr. Selling issues to the public is its
sincerity. He has an undoubted right
to appeal to this record for proof of
his nrogresslveness. He has been in
a true sense a mainstay It is hardly
too much to say the mainstay of the
forward political march in Oregon for
a great many years. He was for the
direct primary when others now pos
ing as apostles of reform and cus
tod i axis of the public conscience were
both deaf and dumb on the subject.
He was for the initiative and refer
endum when the voices in its advo
cacy were few and weak. He has been
for every other prominent measure
identified with the Oregon system
and his advocacy has not been mere
lip-service. As legislator, as citizen,
as a prominent factor in many public
activities, he was a progressive when it
meant effort, sacrifice and public dis
favor. .How many others can truth
fully say as much ?
Mr. Selling's political service has al
ways been as a Republican. He has
proved that progressiveness is synon
ymous with the Republican name, and
that the highest and best results may
be obtained by work within the Re
publican party. He believes that leav
ing the party to follow the fortunes of
any one man is a mistake. Others will
find It out later.
Mr. Selling's course has always been
open and straightforward, for that Is
the kind of man he Is. He Is not to
be deterred from his plain duty by
the threats of disappointed parly-
wreckers on the one hand or by the
appeals of unwise new party-makers
on the other. He has been given a
commission by the people of Oregon,
through the Republican primary,, and
he will keep the faith. He always
has. He always will. Why should not
his action inspire general commenda
tion for Its manly courage?
INVADING THE IDAHO MUMARY.
The Boise. Statesman Is worried
about the operation of the direct pri
mary in Idaho, chiefly because It finds
that the walls dividing the parties
have completely broken down, and the
voters pass cheerfully from one to the
other party as interest, or prejudice,
or whim dictates, and manipulate
nominations against the will of the
party Itself. In. Canyon County, for
example, Brady, Rep., for Governor,
two years ago received 3209 votes and
Hawley, Dem.. 2620, but In the recent
primary, where 8570 votes were cast
In Canyon County, 8081 were Repub
lican and 489 Democratic. In the elec
tion of 1910 there were four Demo
crats to five Republicans; in the pri
maries of 1912 there were six Repub
licans to one Democrat.
But the Republicans are not the sole
sufferers from the unlawful and un
desired interference of Democrats. In
Lincoln County, for example, there
was a county seat fight, and all other
issues were subordinated. "There were
959 votes cast In Gooding," says the
Herald. "Of these, all tut 11 were
cast In the Democratic primary."
The Democratic candidates were for
Gooding; and in the great battle of
Gooding against some other place,
Gooding forgot its political differences
and voted the Democratic ticket. Ad
mirable, but perjurious.
The Statesman relieves the public of
any suspicion that it might be attack
ing the primary law by declaring:
There Is no disposition anywhere to go
back to the antiquated convention system
with Its slates. Its trades, its wirepulling. Its
machines and Its bosses;- but there Is a
widely-expressed determination to work out
some plan under which the voters may ex-
raas tnair sentiments rreeiy ana at tne same
ime secure the candidates and platforms of
their choice free from tha manipulation of
their political opponents.
Tet the Statesman will find that the
kind of primary law Idaho has is the
primary law the noisiest advocates and
consistent practitioners of party irreg
ularity, such as the Bull Moosers, want.
After a while, when the party Itiner
ants find that invasion of the other fel
low's primary is a game two can play
at, they will be the loudest critics of
the practice" and will demand that
something be done. When it shall
have been done, they will say that
proper primary protection is what they
stood for all the time.
PEOPLE'S POWER LEAGCK HUMBUG.
ITRen, McAllister, Cridge, Eggle.
ston and one or two other chosen dis
ciples of revolution a fine assortment
of upsetters and self-called reformers
hold a meeting in the name of the
so-called People's Power League, and
decide on some new and startling In
novation in government and law.
They are supported in their radical
courses by the tolerance or Indiffer
ence of many respectable and well
meaning citizens whose names are
printed on all their official literature
as officers or members of the league,
but who know little or nothing about
Its operations and who .trust too much
to the right Intent of the active spirits
in the organization.
Just now the People's Power League
Is the voice of ITRen, and the hand
of Fels; and always its guide, philoso
pher' and friend has been the busy
and versatile ITRen.
The free use of the names of Its
non-participating members has been
the common practice of the league
from its inception. Doubtless it was
the duty of such persons to protest.
Some did, and dropped out. Others
stayed, but left ITRen and the inner
circle to usurp the functions and mo
nopolize the activities of the . league.
They carried their habit of imposture
so far that they had the audacity to
attach the signature of Mr. Ben Sel
ling as president to the ITRen ebnstlf
tutional amendment proposing a new
form of state government and to the
official documents advocating its
adoption.
Now Mr, Selling repudiates their
action and exposes the fraud. ITRen,
Cridge, Eggleston and the other min
nt Flsdom. Daid
and unpaid, put forward the ingenious
plea that Mr. selling approvea mo
measure and therefore tney naa
right to attach his signature. This
art oTnan fnr n sneakine SDecIes
quasi-forgery that we hardly supposed
even a hired single-taxer would have
the nerve to offer.
Mr- ceiiina- make it clear that he
not for the bill, and he resents the
unwarranted appropriation of his
name and influence. Naturally. It is
high time for the public to understand
the star-chamber methods of the hum
bug People's Power League.
AUTOMOBILE REGULATION.
City Attorney Grant has made a
painstaking and laudable errort to
solve the problem of street locomo
tion. Automobiles are to be reguiatea
Pedestrians must look out If they
cross streets anywhere but at inter
sections, and then of course they must,
and should, look out anyhow. Auto
trucks must never speed up to an ex
cess of eight miles per hour. The mo
tor car may attain the exciting maxi
mum of eight miles an hour, if it can.
In the fire limits. Ten miles on the
bridges and twenty-five miles outside
the fire limits may not be exceeded.
Probably no measure can do ' exact
Justice to all automobilists or automo
biles; and there must be rules. The
rules should have reference first to
the public safety and second to the
public convenience. . But eight miles
an hour on come streets in the nre
limits Is too slow and twtenty-five miles
on other streets in tne.sODurDS is too
fast. Ten miles la too' slow for the
Hawthorne bridge and about right.
perhaps, for the others.
Traffic regulations are solely in the
hands of the police, and the police
alone make trouble where the speed
limit is exceeded. In New Tork and
other cities there is no speed maxl
mum; but the police determine when
a vehicle is run so as to endanger the
public safety. Possibly New York's
method, at least In the congested dis
tricts, may contain a hint for Port
land. .We may not want to give the
police too much authority, since these
are the days when authority is not
popular. But, Inasmuch as they as
sume It anyhow, why not go at it in
the right way? N
TOTB TRICKY EYESIGHT.
Casual study of optical illusions In
their several most common phases
should be made by everyone and par
ticularly by residents of rural districts
whose faith in human nature la apt
to be too fully developed. The impor
tance of this cannot be too greatly
Impressed. For even though a man
have capacity to wrest a competence
out of our complex economic condi
tions, he may not have the sagacity to
hold his shekels If inclined to put too
much confidence In the accuracy of
his eyesight.
Most of us have learned that seeing
Isn't believing. The ancient axiom is
a snare and a delusion. What we
think we. see we may not see, even
though possessed of normal vision.
The man with faultless eyesight
mustn't put too much dependence in
this proud asset. Leastwise he
should not allow this confidence to
form the basis of speculative ventures.
The fact that the clumsy hand may
become quicker than the eagle eye.
while not noted in physics, is never
theless the sole stock in trade whereby
many shrewd artists maintain them
selves in luxurious ease.
The fact that the hand holds the
anatomical speed record over the eye
is known to most people. But occa
sional reiteration of the fact la of
value for the benefit of rising genera
tions and those of full maturity who
have confined themselves to remote
parts. That knowledge on the topic of
optical illusions hasn't permeated the
entire race is emphasized now and
again by the plaints of some victim .of
superior craftsmanship. Such a
tragedy is Just recorded from the en
terprising town of Dallas.
One of the residents thereof had
accumulated the considerable sum of
JIB 00, which betrays an altogether
laudable degree of intelligence, indus
try and thrift. It follows as a. matter
of course that a man if such achieve
ment in the financial world would
have more or less confidence in his
business Judgment and that he would
be on the alert for profitable Invest
ment.
Now if the Dallas man had been
versed in the subject of optical illu
sions, or even had he varied the mo
notony- of his money-getting career by
an occasional glance at a newspaper, it
is possible that the acquaintance of a
large, affable, genial, apparently opu
lent visitor to Dallas would not have
ripened Into a $1800 test of the seeing-ls-bellevlng
platitude. To be brief, for
the rest of it is commonplace to most
everyone, three playing cards were
laid on a trunk, the unsophisticated
Dallas capitalist backed . his eyesight
with his private fortune, and now ho
is laying the foundation for new
wealth.
While statistics aren't available. It
is safe to assume by way of adding a
moral to this sad tale, that for every
man busy putting away his dollars for
a rainy day there are two or three. Just
as busy planning to separate him from
those same dollars. It might be added
that losing all track of the course of
human progress and events often
proves disastrously unprofitable. Fur.
ther than that, since advice la inex
pensive, it might be well to note that
the time to believe a thing you have
seen is after otherwise verifying the
verdict of your eyesight.
CANAL TOLLS A CAMPAIGN ISSUE.
The vote in the Senate retaining in
the Panama Canal bill this provision
of section 5: "No tolls shall be levied
upon vessels engaged in the coastwise
trade of the United States," puts that
body In agreement with the House on
one of the principal points which have
been In controversy, but It leaves most
important points In dispute. As Con
gress has decided soon to adjourn and
as the rest of the session Is likely to
be occupied In passing appropriation
bills, the vexed question of tolls will
almost certainly go over to the short
session in December. Thus It will be
open during the Presidential campaign
and will make our whole shipping pol
icy a live campaign Issue.
As the bill left the House It provid
ed for no other discrimination In fa
vor of American ships than the -ex
emption from tolls of American coast
wise ships. The Senate committee in
serted In the same section a provision
that no tolls shall be levied on ves
sels of American registry engaged in
foreign trade, if the owners agree that
such vessels may be taken and used
by the United States In time of war
or other public emergency, upon pay
ment to the owner of their fair, actual
value." Such an exemption would con
stitute a direct subsidy, equivalent to
the amount of the tolls, on the same
terms as Great Britain and other Eu
ropean countries pay tolls to ocean
liners. But Great Britain has often
exercised her option of using liners as
transports in her numerous wars, big
and little. We should rarely exercise
such an option, hence it is improbable
that we should get adequate equiva
lent for the subsidy. To that extent it
would be a free gift from the Treasury.
The Senate committee has seriously
weakened the bill by proposing sub
stitute for the House provision relat
ing to railroad-owned ships. Whereas
the House provision forbids any inter
est of railroads in water lines any
where, the Senate simply excludes
railroad-controlled water lines from
the canal when engaged exclusively in
the American coastwise trade.
The Senate provision was obviously
designed to protect railroad Interests
It would allow the railroads to retain
control of the Fall River line of
steamers on the New England coast,
the Morgan line from New York to
New Orleans and the Pacific Mail on
the Pacific Coast. It would permit the
Harriman and Hill roads to continue
their coastwise lines on 1 the Pacific
Coast. The House makes no distinc
tion between steamers operated
through the canal and those operated
exclusively on one coast; between
those operated ostensibly In competl
tion with the railroad owning them
and those operated, like the Hill lines
on the Pacific Coast, as water exten
sions of railroad lines. It forbids
railroad control not only of coastwise
but of foreign-going vessels like the
lines across the Pacific. It decrees
absolute divorce. In ownership and
control, between land and iwater
transportation.
It appears that the House provision
goes a little too far, the Senate pro
vision not nearly far enough. Rail
road and ship are natural competitors
The railroad Is a natural monopoly
the sea is a free highway for all traf
fic. Public policy requires that the
sea be kept free. Railroads should,
therefore, be forbidden to hold an In
terest In a water line over a naturally
competitive route. But where a water
line Is simply an extension of a rail
road into territory not occupied by
that road, it aids but does not stifle
competition. Railroad control should
be allowed to continue in such cases,
provided the railroad exchanges traffic
with all water lines on the same route
on the same terms. Thus the Hill
lines would be allowed to operate
steamers from Portland to California
ports, as extensions of their railroads
southward; also from Duluth, on the
Great Lakes, as extensions eastward.
As the Senate provision excluding
from the canal railroad-owned ships
does not apply specifically to American
roads alone, but applies to ships' "in
which any railroad company has any
interest whatsoever," it extends to Ca
nadian and Mexican railroads owning
steamships. Foreign nations would
here find a clear case of discrimina
tion between classes of their own
ships and a violation of the treaty.
The House provision, modified in the
manner suggested, is far preferable,
for It more completely accomplishes
the end desired and avoids any com
plications with foreign nations.
It . has developed that John D.
Rockefeller, Jr., established a dive in
New York's bad lands In order to help
got evidence against bribe-taking po
lice officials. Had the police proved
incorruptible and raided John's place,
the incident might have turned out
very embarrassing to the young Bible
study enthusiast. Considering the
main family characteristic of avarice,
many people might not have acoepted
his story.
The Tacoma woman who attempted
suicide because her pet dog was taken
sick offers a case parallel to that of the
man who hanged himself because the
soup was too thick. When a, person
reaches the proper state of morbidity
such annoying trifles grow into insur
mountable mountains of trouble.
Climbing the Swiss Alps and scaling
the Northwest peaks are altogethur
dissimilar undertakings. At least this
Is to be drawn from the experience
of two former Alpine climbers who
nearly lost their lives In an effort to
ramble to the summit of Mount Ral
nier.
Secretary MacVeagh is kind In pro
vlding Government transportation to
the states for an Indigent family, but
the curious-minded will ask how the
man ever got into Alaska with a wife
and. eleven children and why they
went.
If it were Roosevelt making pro
fanely sappy Jokes about the tariff.
people would not wonder; but more or
leas dignity Is expected from Wilson,
"Damn" is not a Joke outside of slap
stick comedy, anyway.
Note with what tenacity the Senate
holds on to those pension agencies and
with what virtuous persistence tha
House, whose members have no part
in filling the offices, demands their
abolition.
Dr. Forbes Winslow predicts that In
three hundred years there will be more
lunatics than sane people in the
world. He might have added, "and
more 'dippy prophets."
Continued rains during August help
vegetation, which is already doing
very well, but will damage the grain
in stack and field. The old settler
never saw the like.
Vancouver (the one over the bor
der) has a way all Its own of han
dling the automaniac.. A fine of $200
puts speeding into luxuries of life.
Governor Wilson has gone to New
York to have his portrait drawn for
campaign pictures. Doesn't he like
the camera s version?
If It were not for an occasional fight,
people would never know there is a
gray-haired strike hanging on around
the railroad shops.
TVio nttxt Lesislature Is tn be the
cheapest of all, says Governor West.
It might be that and still not be very
cheap.
HPVi a TTftvtiftn wav rf ramovinsr an
executive Is efficient, although de
plorable. tnActem .r recalled in Turkev so
effectively that they can't come back.
Tirimcr is an expensive "statesman"
when the Nation must pay his bills.
esniinr rnmmlns. from an inland
state, Is warlike over the Canal. '
Tha elements certainly did raise
thunder yesterday forenoon. ,
Hiram, after Andy, will be "too
much Johnson."
POLICY- IS DISCORD, NOT PEACE
Writer Dlacnraea T. R. and Compares
. Hint With Lincoln.
HERMISTOK, Or.. Aug. 7. (To the
Editor.) The discussion with "One
Voter," also the many other Roosevelt
correspondents, by The Oregonian, is
Interesting and valuable. It enables
us to arrive at some conception of the
mental state of the adherents of the
new party.
"The cure for love is love." is an
axiom. Like cures like where other
remedies fall. Since it is so plainly
evident that these modern apostles of
righteousness have no use whatever
for the true and tried methods of ar
riving at truth, and since vituperation
and ridicule are the methods they have
substituted In the place of logic, may
it not be well to apply the "like-cnres-like"
remedy to their disease? There
Is certainly nothing to lose in the at
tempt , Does any sane person suppose
that the leaders of this new party are
seeking peace? If so, let him disabuse
his mind of the fallacy. That they seek
discord, not peace. Is so plain that all
who run may read. .
That one like Theodore Roosevelt,
who has been honored and trusted with
the highest office in the world, should
prefer a charge .of theft against the
man who is now the foremost man in
all the world; that, those who have been
trusted with the highest offices within
their respective states should aid htm
In this outrage, and that tney coum at
a.Wiiia-mlnriri nAflnln Into fol
lowing them, seems a thing monstrous
nri noi-ori I h I A to ttlOSA WfiO Deiieve HI
tho ihanrv that arovernment bv the peo
nio is a nrlcaless heritage. Yet this is
the very condition with which we are
this day confronted.
t -v. A .hat Kv n r-N 1 1 ar ntplm
roller methods from 70 to 78 delegates
were unjustly seated. Seventy-eight
seems to oe uie- iuii numucr gun'
. .t,tt, A.mn tii. RrtniiAv.lt rjar
tisans could see any merit whatever.
This Is undoubtedly the reason why
they nave not Claimed more man is.
Th. n..,. -1A78 aanti In the eonven
tion. Every known trick and strata
gem had been resorted to by the Roose
velt contingent in order to ascertain
n.v.lnn tha full ertrenfiTth Of their
candidate before a vote was taken.
Ptwm tViA nnlaa anrl flll-V Of that dl
graceful episode there is one truth
kl.1. n n H n nut 1 f-AVlrl ATI t tO all.
i. e., the issue of that convention was
Roosevelt, not Tart.
No sane person who watched the re
ports believes otherwise. The forces
were drawn up Roosevelt vs. antl
Roosevelt. Every one who watched the
reports knows that Roosevelt oould
have eliminated Taft from the running
and could have forced the nomination
of either La Follette. Hadley or Cum
mins, had he so desired. He knew that
1 mil4 TIAVAF bfl TlOITl 1
iia iiwuDoioin .........
nated. He knew that his full strength
was exactly 451 delegates, exactly 89
. , . V. .
less than a majority, ne anew
by no power on earth less than phys
ical force could he have changed on
single vote more in favor of Roosevelt
C....A.. tn. th. Mb. of argument
that he had been allowed every one of
his preposterous oontesis. nm iuu
strength In the convention proved to be
-i J ci wa.a. rln. tmnrlrArl and
BUICU UA . - -" -
seven of these remained with the party
ana voted ror itooseveii.; -
bolted the convention ana lormeu a.
new party. Total Roosevelt strength,
451 votes.
o. A tvia.t Vi hflirl been allowed
every one of the 78 contests. Add to
thi. ici .At., wMfVi ha showed In the
test and you would have 529 votes, or
exactly li snort oi a majority.
Will any one of these apostles of
righteousness please tell us reaction
aries by what virtuous method did they
expect to secure tne oiner n
necessary to nominate Theodore Roose
velt? '....
Does not this appear at least a irjuc
difficult for a virtuous aggregation
i ii.lol nnttn la "ThOll Shalt
nillMO jjuuuu.. ...... -
not steal"? Their whole campaign, with
every charge and counter-charge they
have set forth In It has for Its founda.
tion exactly the same kind of argument
as has their oharge that they were
cheated out or tne anmiiuiive
cago. Pretending to use Lincoln for
.v.i- thav saak to destroy the
LJ1BM ' 1-1 -'-4. .....
party he gave his life to building up.
Discarding logic and arithmetic, they
substitute the decalogue ana iuicuiu
blind their followers with.
"With malice toward none, with char
ity for all. with firmness in the right
as God gives us to see the right," "Let
... wi.a ..n ta. 'o Unn'a wounds' ' We
are not enemies, but friends"; "We must
not be enemies"; "though passion may
hRva strained, it must not Dreaa our
bonds of affection." Do these words
sound like the campaign taiK oi tne
new party? Let all who have been im
tn It- Lincoln
for a guide compare carefully Roose
velt's speeches in this campaign with
anything that Lincoln ever spoke or
.. i. .. anv .nhiAot anvwhere. A
revelation awaits every one who will
do this while in tne run posaeamon
f.nit(t9 Ouotlnu the
decalogue in "Thou shalt not steal,
they entirely overlook the BOlemn com
mandment, "Thou shalt not bear false
witness againBt thy neighbor."
Let us apply tne cure i uao
like." If we can get tnese aeiuaau
brethren oalmly to study tne aecaionuo
and the words of Abraham Lincoln,
i. .t,nn hnn. that they may yet
see the error of their way. If we fail
in this, then let us appiy mir
j -lai.ii. anH viturteratlon.
remeuy ua. . . '
They deserve the latter, but let us first
apply the former. Misguided and wrong
as they are, they are still our fellows;
thmiE-h to listen to tnem one """'
hardly think so. r T,TTrTrT,M
V 1 I -1 M JV-A 1
yOX SOREj JUST SYMPATHETIC
Writer Thinks Some Follesmen Are
Making Capital ol sneea wmnw
axttm ' a a. .8 (Tn the Edl.
runiitiuii, d' v
tor.) The writer Is pleased to note
that .ha. Auto riuh Is ooenlng war on
unjust police officers.
It is time sometnine " -
i.w . V. ImnnaltlAn WOrkfid Oil
away .a-iuxi ." . , , , -
honest auto drivers. You may think I
have been arreated and therefore a sore
head, but not so. However, x was '"'8
. t..i i in south Portland.
when the driver was unjustly arrested
by a police onicer, mr no ra.o
speeding but was going along at less
than the legal limit and without any
possible danger ahead, for the street
tar a tha eve would Jet
wtia wn.1 -
one see. The young man had to bor
row money to pay me una uu
. t. k.,lr nflvlnar so much
now w I'" J at -"--' j J j
of his earnings from time to time as
he can spare it.
. A no, have some re
snect for a thief who goes Into your
a - mnnAV Alt nlffht '
pocKets ana Bienaa jtuiaa i""w
. . i . 1. kl. hiiDlnaaa tint for an
ior tntai. " , . ,
officer to go into your pockets in
broad, aayiignt. auo
i -it v . 4o na nai nractlc&llv
a gin wta - - "
say he has a right to do so and the
nubile has no reooureo,
. . . - i . ..ill llva in a coun.
teei ne iiiai- "
try ruled by a Csar. - An officer who
is trying to matte a oi .
-- ii n-r ntyinra is not a. safe
at L u tr OQl 1 111-.- v-.. -
man for the city and, to keep such men
In office might be the means of a repro
duction of the San Francisco scandal
of a few years ago. J. Z. JONES.
Deeoy Light to Catch Fish.
London Chronicle.
t-i r- u 1 tti hn PArtiill
iBnenuoii --. - o ,
have a novel method of catching fish
. . . f a .atiii-al nhnsnhora!trant
DV L 11 0 uoo via a j
substance. This Is obtained from a
fish Known as maiococopHAius
and is a thick yellowish fluid which
possesses a bluelsh phosphorescence
In the dark, believed to be due to the
... f - luminous microbe. (The
praaniiiii,, v.
fishermen rub this substance upon a
muscular tissue, ia-i. a- - vi-
.....i.A.t, ' ,tu thla Is used as bait.
LUiurunut - "
The light appears to last for a long
.a. a a. aa.aia 1 Vi All rai ana! .
time H ieaBt ll DC v Cl a. ..wU.,
i - k.in-n.ap o-lnvr whan i i r.nNi In
-IlnV O"" ar r
the sea. Fish are attracted to the
bait by the llgnt, ana are win raugai.
VALUES, AND SUPPLY AND DEMAND
Single Taxer Denies That All Wealth
la Produced by Labor.'
WESTFORT, Wash., Aug. 8. (To the
Editor.) In The Oregonian, August 5,
appears an article by E. L. McClure. of
Medford, on the chief cause of poverty
and degradation in the world. In his
argument there Is a similarity to the
single taxers' view, only the single
taxers think that the source of all
wealth is land and labor, land meaning
all natural resources on the Mother
Earth.
Mr. McClure states that all wealth Is
produced by labor, but he will doubt
less recede from that position on sec
ond thought. The value of any form
of wealth, of course, follows the law
of supply and demand. Mr. McClure
points out that the manipulation of the
supply of money causes panics and
hard times. In other words, the specu
lators corner the money market and
then fleece the general public.
Land and natural resources are sub
ject to the same manipulations. The
price of these varies according to the
population, naturally, but when Mr.
Speculator takes hold the pieces take
an unnatural rise due to the unnatural
decrease in the supply. But the value
Is not there. When a town of no real
merit is boomed we see in miniature
what Is going on more or less all over.
When prices have reached their height
In the boom towns and people realize
that there is not sufficient Industry in
or about the place to support It, Mr.
Speculator drops down to the bank and
wishes to put a mortgage on a certain
choice bit of real estate. The banker
knows the value Is not there; he re
fuses the loan; the matter leaks out
and, bing! a miniature panic
HT. . n n n . a thl ma thlllO- llRS
been occurring all over the United
States. People are buying property mai
they don't need and can't use for ln-a-
thai -n tha faster rteo-
ple buy, the faster the price advances
beyond the real value. Because i" ur
ply Is being decreased and the demand
i. w.tno- ...itAii hv ini.rafl.RArl nrlces. the
joy of gambling, of getting something
. ... ... . ...1... o-Ata
tor notning. ine money iiiia.avci.
tight, because Industry does not war
rant the high prices and circulation is
clogged.
Then some big gnn wants a loan on
..ti... i twin. 1 1 at -.n 1 value. It Is
turned down. Everybody gets wise all
at once that prices are out oi uim
values and then the panic is the real
thing.
The single taxer would try and avoid
this situation of prices above values by
forcing the natural opportunities from
At., hanaa th anAculators. by taxing
them, thus "killing two birds with one
gtone" raising revenue ior puuuc uo
and freeing opportunities to the publlo
for combining labor with natural re
sources to produce wealth.
What the most of us want Is not
somebody else's wealth, but a chance
to work to advantage ourselves, and to
get all that Is coming to us. Mr. Mc
Clure would rob the money kings of
their power to speculate in money, by
Inventing a scientific money of fixed
value, rendered unchangeable by auto
matically regulating the supply to meet
Just how that could be managed and
what material wouia De uaea as a. me
dium, I for one should be interested to
know. If he happens to have a pocket
book of the same kind. I should like
one also. R. S. GUILFORD.
Mr. Guilford admits that commodities
which are personal property are held
from use by speculators. So also is
land. Tet he would tax the land into
use,' but not tax the commodities Into
use. Still, one speculator Is as bad as
the other. We wonder if all he says
will please our Socialist single taxers
of whom Mr. Barzee Is the leader. Pos
sibly Socialism leads to single tax or
single tax to socialism. Tet they travel
very different roads. If anybody doubts
It let him read Mr. Guilford's exposi
tion of the origin of values and then
peruse that of Socialist Buse, published
on this page.
MONTANA FARMER NOW RETRACTS
Crop Daniase br Hall Not So Bad as
He Thought.
HUNTLET, Mont., Aug. 4. (To the
Editor.) About a month ago I wrote a
letter to The Oregonian about this
country. I certainly did not brag about
It at that time, but I am rather sorry
that I wrote that letter. I was too
hasty. At that time we had had a
bad hall storm. Before the storm the
crops looked fine, but after the storm
they were a sight. It certainly made
me feel blue, and that was the time I
wrote that letter. I am sorry now, for
it certainly surprised me how every
thing grew after that storm. The crops
are looking fine again, all over this
project, and I see now what Irrigation
can do. I am not only pleased with my
little farm, but also proud of It.
I am sending this letter because I
don't want you, or anybody else, to
think that I am a knocker. I never
had cause to knock any state where 1
have lived. East or in the Northwest
In whichever state I have been, I have
always made a good living, and I cer
tainly will here, too.
PETER VANDERZEH
Dogs Out of Place In City.
PORTLAND, Aug. 8. (To the Editor.)
In the wake of remarks by ministers
and housewives as to the dog nuisance
and the possibility of Its abatement,
would It be In order to suggest that
dogs, muzzled or. unmuzzled, have no
place in a city? In the country tha dog
has his day, with something of useful,
ness in excuse for his filthy tendencies.
In town, ho upsets the garbage can,
creates neighborhood rows, outrages
decency at every grocery, and In the
law of his being Invites not only the
muzzle of the Board of Health but the
gas chamber of authority. The dog
owner parades the street with restless
canines In attendance, and resents even
the mild protest of the householder
whose lawns, porches and flower
beds are trampled and besmeared
and whose children are terror
ized on their own ground. It is
supposable that in time a patient but
Intelligent people will enact such
license laws and appoint such vigilant
officials of the pound that the town
dog will be an extinct species, and in
the interest of a long-aunenng city
let the day hasten. A word from the
Board of Health is worth more than a
volume of sentimental nonsense from
the kennels. E. S.
SUNDAY FEATURES
City Playgronnds An illustrated full paga on the work of character-building
as carried on at the public playing places,
Freaks of Nature Experts make a detailed investigation of this
subject, and their interesting findings are embodied in an illustrated
page article.
Experts Eule a Nation And no less a nation than Germany. A
half page which again proves that the pen is mightier than the 6word.
A Human Casb.Register It rings up billions without misplacing a
cent. An account of United States Treasury operations.
Batting An absorbing baseball article on an important phase of
the game. Written by an expert.
Seventeen Wonders A page, -with photos, is devoted to America's
natural wonders that are to be preserved for posterity.
Two Short Stories.
New Color Comic Comedies and MANY OTHER FEATURES.
Order. today from your newsdealer.
SOCIALIST'S OPINION ON . VALUES
Supply and Demand Do Not Affect
Them. He Aaaerta.
PORTLAND, Aug. 8. (To the Edi
tor.) Mr. McClure's article In The Ore
gonian August 5 spurred me into ac
tion. He says "value is created by human
necessities and desires, and fluctuates
with the Intensities of and the diffi
culties in satisfying human necessities
and desires."
I suppose if Mr. McClure has a "de
sire" for anything of . value it will Im
mediately be given unto him. It Is In
line with the old Mother Goose rhyme,
"If wishes were horses, beggars would
ride." But all the same I notice no
body rides merely because of desire to.
I wish to reiterate the principle that
"labor creates all value,'' and In doing
so I refer to pages 53 to 70 of Marx'
"Value, Price and Profit" for details.
In which he defines the value of any
commodity as being the socially neces
sary labor embodied In that commod
ity. A man goes into a shop; he produces
a machine. There were men who dug
the raw material out of the earth,
more men who transported the raw
material from the mine to the smel
ter; men engaged in smelting the ore,
transportation men moved it to the
machine shop, where It was made Into
a finished product. But wait- It Is
not running yet and will not until
labor has been applied to it. to set it
In motion, and turn out commodities.
Do you really suppose that merely the
desire for that machine produced it?
No. It was labor, nothing but . labor.
It produced the food, clothing and
shelter that enabled the men all down
the line from the mine to the shop,
with all their innumerable ramifica
tions, finally to produce that machine.
In defining socially necessary labor,
as that which creates all values, I
wish to make myself clear. For In
stance, if two men worked side by
side, each making the same kind of
commodities, one using the latest Im
proved machinery, and the other using
the old hand tools of 40 years ago. It
is evident that the man using the hand
tools would labor harder and longer
to produce a commodity than the man
using the machine. The product would,
however, be worth no more than the
machine-made product because it Is no
longer socially necessary to labor In
that way, as the machine does the work
quicker and easier, but it would be
wasted labor.
In exchange, the products of labor
may fluctuate one way or another, but
they always gravitate toward the real
value of the commodity. Let us say
that 1.000.000 bushels, for example, con
stituted the sum total of the wheat
raised normally In this country every
year, but on account of the condition
of the weather only half as much, or
500,000 bushels, was raised this year
on the same area of ground. Practi
cally the same amount of labor has
been applied, but you have only half
as much as you had the year before.
That is the social yield. If one got
a dollar per bushel last year, and that
was the average price the supply
was normal, but this year the supply
is only half of normal; you have again
as much demand as -you have a sup
ply and the price raises. But that Is
not the whole solution. The labor has
been applied to that wheat, and In or
der to live tha farmer must get enough
to exist upon, so he holds his wheat
until he geta enough value out of it
to produce more wheat. The value of
one day's labor with him is the cost
of the reproduotion of that labor. That
Is what is meant by socially necessary
labor labor necessary for the perpetu
ation of society. If he does not get it
he is unable to perpetuate himself, and
If that becomes general society will
PerlSh' ELMER F. BUSE.
228 Seeond street
ACT OF MRS. DRAKE IS DEPENDED.
Wine Ordered OnlyAe Third Solici
tation, Aaaerta Writer.
LENTS, Or., Aug. 8. (To The Ed-
An article oubllshed in The
Oregonian concerning Mrs. Drake was
. . .. . i a a. A I A nnt
rather misieaaing, in "
state both sides of the case of the
State vs. Spring Valley Wine Com
pany. It did not explain that a paid
solicitor of the Spring Valley Ine
Company had prearranged the delivery
of a bottle of port wine at the home
of Mrs. C. S. Drake, Lents district,
but merely that it had been prearranged
and that the driver was "whlpsawed
when ho arrived. Nor did it state that
the manager of the company was com
pelled to admit that they had a solicitor
in their employ, after having denied
the same.
It Is charged that the women laid a
trap for their solicitor, when, as a mat
ter of fact, the order was given by
Mrs Drake after having been solicttad
the third time by said company's solici
tor, and then after much Insistence that
she take advantage of tha exceptional
opportunity and, buy 11.00 wine at 50
cants. Incidentally, she gave biro the
rone with which to hang the company
.v.. nhiin if not before a
Deluxe - . . . .
Jury; aha merely consented to his
setting a noose ror nia wy,w.
and they kindly obeyed their trusted
i - v, i nn their btadlni?
and stuck their head Into their own
noose. Now, they not oniy mtt
plain, but oharge It to Innocent parties.
r t. t. . mitrflira to inform against
violations of a state law and to appear
in oourt against an oixenuor n...
caught 1.1.1. own trap, what of the
men who . "t-'j - - .
the state, according to several wit
nesses, but practicauy insio- -m. ---j
have a right to and openly censure
. v.. tho r-ouraare to Inform
mono w -" . . ,
against them, because they "e In busl-
ness? "
LEAVES. .
t ...... -rmrr iifn'a Brreat volume
Sealed with the stamp of time
Borne of them stainless, psany
Some of them black with grime.
Leaves that are held most sacred
Voicing the poor heart's scope
Holding the buds and blossoms.
Holding each vanished hope. ,
They are the proofs of our living
Proof of the gladness and woe
Frosted by blast oi tn
Rosy from Summer's warm glow.
Leaves that are pressed In the mem'ry
t .... .hot Bhall llva while we die
Making the book of tomorrow
Hew by tne