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FO KTTVN I), MONDAY, SEPT. 18, 1911.
WATCHMAN, WHAT C THJB MGHTT
The Oregonian has observed that
the scum of the new political move
ment in Washington swiftly and uner
ringly rose to the surface in the recent
boiling commotion at the soap-box pri
mary, for the candidates who . were
nominated can only be described ade-
quately as being- the limit. It is not
surprised to find that Its opinion is
fortified, and & little more, by the
North Yakima Republic, a newspaper
printed in the heart of Washington
affairs, and therefore in an admirable
position to know what is going for
ward. The Republic has a good deal
to say on the subject. A paragraph will
give a clear notion of the Indignant
editor's trend of thought:
Hodge for Governor, Falconer and Bryan
for Congressmen at large; Landon, War-
burton and Goodwin for district congres
sional candidates The Lord preserve and
defend us!
We are going to have a period of purity.
honesty and devotion to the people's cause
in the management ox our public affairs, and
these are the instruments chosen by the
Lord to give It to ua. Haw wouldn't that
1ar vou? I
Hodge, the Illiterate egotist; Falconer, the
prince of all the blatherskites; Landon. the
roughneck; Warburton, the ex -railroad tool
Goodwin, the Sunday school snoop can you
beat that handT
The selection of this amazing bunch of
demagogues, trimmers, political scalawags
snd whatnots by the people or by any ele
ment of our population was someuung
that could not be forecasted. It was un
thinkable before the soapbox primaries, and
it would be unbelievable now if we couldn't
see for ourselves that it actually happened.
The Oregonian is prepared to be
lieve that the Judgment of the North
Yakima paper as to some members of
this newest and most heterogeneous.
happy family is harsh, but as to others
it is as gentle as the dews of heaven
In contrast with the real merits of the
situation. There is enough unsavory
leaven to leaven the whole lump, for
tha general average is far below the
level of any state ticket nominated by
any political party for any campaign
In the history of the three states of
the Pacific Northwest. The Oregonian
is not unmindful of tha fact that some
pretty bad nominations have at times
been made by all the parties; but this
progressive group represents the very
acme of all political undesirables, cast
offs and non-euches. May there never
be another liKe it, ror tne saKe or tne
... .. , ,
state's good name and future welfare.
Good men submitted their names as
candidates to the Bull Moose primary
In Washington, but they did not get
Tar. Paulhamus and Lawrence con
irived merely to kill off each other;
Nelson Durham was not wanted for
Congress; nor the high-minded George
H. Walker, nor the active, intelligent
and useful John E. Ballaina. These
men would be worthy candidates for
any party; but they made the mistake
of thinking a party that professed to
be founded on the solid rock of the
ten commandments would not reject
them for roughnecks and roustabouts
like Hodge and Landon. On the con
trary, Hodge and Landon made run
away races and easily proved that they
are precisely the candidates the great
majority of Bull Moosers of one state
want
The underlying difficulty with the
Progressive party is that it is made
up of conflicting and inharmonious
elements, united only on the common
ground of Mr. Roosevelt's candidacy
but drawn there by different motives.
The Progressive party is composed of
the following groups:
(1) Theodore Roosevelt.
(2) Candidates.
(3) The dissatisfied, restless, so
cialistic and unattached from the old
parties, who stay nowhere long.
(4) Men and women who think the
old parties are corrupt and decadent,
and that progress is only to be had
through a new party.
The Oregonian is willing to concede
that the fourth group is the most nu
merous of all, and that Its motives are
not to be questioned, nor its reasons
to be dismissed as unworthy of
thoughtful consideration. But it be
lieves they have made a profound mis
take in assuming without sufficient
warrant that the Republican party is
reactionary and inefficient, and in set.
ting out to supersede and destroy it
for its transgressions and lor its ac
ceptance ln some states of unworthy
and selfish leaders. It is fortunate ln
the present great political crisis that
the Democratic party has a leader of
intellect probity and sanity, with a
forceful and Independent personality.
Since the course of the Progressiva I
Party ln the Nation has been to make
absolutely certain an overwhelming
Democratic victory In November, and
other victories thereafter, unless the
forces that through tradition, convic
tion and long experience are hostile
to the Democratic party again unite
and restore to the Government sure
guidance and stable policies.
It has often been said that there is
now very little difference between the
Republican party and the Democratic
party, either in character or ln pur
poses. If that should be so, it is some
thing not to be deplored, but to be
commended, for it seems to be a guar
anty that in whichever party's hands
the Government shall be reposed, there
will be careful and conservative direc
tion and fairly honest service. We as
sume that not even tha Progressives
will profess that the rank and file of
their party are superior in morality.
patriotism or intelligence to the mem-
bershlp of the other parties. They
have, however, claimed a deeper in
sight into the nature of the problems
confronting the country, and a more
responsive moral and intellectual im
pulse to solve them on a basis of social
and Industrial Justice.
There are about sixty-four planks in
the National Progressiva platform, and
with the larger part of them the aver-
age citizen, of whatever previous or
present political faith, finds himself in
accbrd. But there Is violent disagree-
ment over some of them such as the
trust plank, the initiative, minimum
wage, woman suffrage, and a few
others. The Oregonian can select at
least forty planks no child labor, one
day's rest in seven, safety standard for
wage earners, fair compensation for
industrial accidents, the short ballot,
stringent laws against bribery and the
like to which there will be, for there
ought to be, no dissent whatever.
What have the Progressives now ob
viously accomplished by their hasty
d Ill-considered action In abandoning
the Republican party? They have in.
sured Democratic success. They have
dealt a heavy blow to a party with a
long and honorable record. They have
put in control as leaders undeserving
men. They have retarded the pro
gressive movement by dividing the
forces of progress. They have Joined
hands with the radical and seditious
element of the population and have
fostered the growing resentment
against government and law, and have
weakened the arm of authority. They
have unloosened forces that it may be,
and will be, hard to control, and that
do not bode well for security, order,
moderation, sanity and real progress.
Are they prepared to accept so great
a responsibility?
VISITING AUNT DELIA.
William Howard Taft, pausing in
the affairs of a busy life, spent Sun
day in the quiet little Massachusetts
village of Millbury, where lives in
quiet retirement his favorite aunt,
Delia. He spent the night in a downy
bed at Aunt Delia's quiet home, en-
Joyed a simple breakfast under the
aame iellghttal roof and put ln a day
that was in keeping with the simple
life of a New England village with its
wholesome life and surroundings. A
feature of the day was a dinner in
honor of Mr. Taft's fifty-fifth birth
day anniversary. The piece do resist
ance was pie; made not by skilled
caterers, but by the loving hands of
Aunt Delia. Mr. Taft might have
fancied himself a part of this calm
untroubled village life except for the
crowds that awaited his every appear.
ance and the obtrusion of important
messages of state that could not wait.
Great as is the honor of being
President of the United States and
many as are the rewards of a big role
in life, it may safely be set down that
T t villagers felt
of Mr.
Taft and his big part was returned
with interest by the President. To
the man who has been denied it, there
is something irresistible about the de
lightfully simple environs of the coun
try or village. Often the greater the
stress of city activities through long
years the more intense the longing
for the wholesome atmosphere of rural
haunts.
The man who has faced the pressure
of big deeds, or active city life, can
hardly turn back, nor is it probable
that he would remain content with the
simple life. The germs of big things
and big activities are in his veins. It
has come to be his life. Yet he is
able to see the subtle beauty of the
lesser sphere in all its allurement.
Who, great or small among the tense
workers of the city, has not been
moved by the sentiment?
TVOODSCRAFT AND INSTINCT.
Hardship and loss of life occasion
ally follow the expeditions of city-bred
nimrods into mountain fastnesses.
which indicate that civilization has
w.ut ...wjw
and understandinK 0f woods
craft which were Inherent in primi
tive man. Lost in forests and moun
tains, the man of the city who must
fall back on his instincts to get him
out of tha tangle finds them sadly
blunted. Or, if he has learned to read
direction from the heavens, he lacks
that capacity to adjust himself to the
life led by the creatures of the fast
nesses. The Indian or skillful woods
man is frequently aDie to tnnve or
experience little inconvenience in
region where the city man, with his
blunted instincts, must perish. ,
The man who has lived close to Na.
ture knows her ways. To him the
heavens are an infallible compass, the
sun his timepiece. He Is quite at home
in the remotest wilderness. He knows
where Nature has secreted roots and
herbs that, in dire emergency, will sus
tain him. If there Is game, big or
small, the secret of possession is simple
to him. The elements have no great
terror for him, for he has learned to
overcome the inconveniences 01
weather.
The pity of the tragic death of three
voung men in Alaskan game haunts is
that they were not remote from succor.
It appears that they passed a stream
that would have guided them to salt
water and rescue had they followed its
course, instead. lacKing mat Knowl
edge and instinct which is the woods
man's safeguard, they stalked aimless
ly about in an environment as danger.
ous and hopeless to them as that of a
fish removed from water.
HOW THEY TAX IX BRITISH COLUMBIA.
The following letter presents certain
Inquiries that are uppermost la the
minds of many persons who have been
studying the tax issues now before the
voters. The questions asked have been
given importance by frequent refer
ences made to British Columbia by the
Single Tax propagandists in Oregon
Medford. Or.. Sept. 14. (To the Editor.)
-When was the poll tax abolished ln Ore-
ron? When was single tax aaoptea in
Ttrirlith Columbia? What rs the difference.
if any. between the tax system there and
the proposed graduated single tax 7
R. CLASS.
The general poll tax was doubly re-
pealed by the Oregon Legislative As-
sembly of 1907. This act aid not re-
peal the road poll or head tax, but
Multnomah County gave up attempting
to collect it about a decade ago be
cause it was practicably unenforcible.
Some localities continued to levy the
road tax with varied success, but it was
probably invalidated by the county op
tion amendment adopted in 1910.
The single tax has never been adopt
ed by British Columbia.
In British Columbia the provincial
or state taxes are levied direct not
through the county tax officials, as is
done in Oregon. The provincial gov
ernment levies and collects an income
tax throughout the province and col
lects a personal property tax from
every person residing in an unorgan
ized district.
Municipalities derive local revenues
from taxation of real property and
from licenses. They are permitted to
exempt improvements from taxation
and some municipalities, of which Van-
couver is one, have done so. Income
taxes and license taxes, which are not
contemplated by real single tax, are
collected in Vancouver.
The graduated single tax amendment
would inflict preposterous special taxes
on large land holdings, rights of way
and franchises unlike anything im
posed ln British Columbia. No provi-
slon i3 made for an income tax such
as British Columbia collects. It does
not provide for direct taxation by the
(State and its exemption of personal
property and improvements would be
general throughout the state, not local
ized as in British Columbia.
In its practical workings the Ore
gon amendment, because of its exemp
tion of all improvements, personalty
and incomes, and because of the weak
wording of the graduated tax provi
sions, would inflict a much greater tax
burden on land than does the British
Columbia system. In fact the two
plans are similar in only the most
shadowy way. There Is a greater re
semblance to the British Columbia tax
system in the plan embodied in the
amendments presented by 'the State
Tax Commission than in the graduated
tax amendment. But to follow it close
ly the Tax Commission's plan would
need another amendment giving coun
ties or cities the right to exempt im
provements and personal property
from taxes levied to produce revenues
for strictly county or city purposes.
FRUITS OF UNRESTRAINED MURDER.
Murderer Sneed, product of a wide
spread American disregard of human
life, has claimed the life of another vic
tim, after having been permitted his
freedom following the inability of
Texas Jury to convict him for the mur
der of a man who made derogatory
remarks about Mrs. Sneed. This sec
ond victim is the son of the first, one
Boyce. It appears that the son eloped
with Mrs. Snaed and the father after
wards made uncomplimentary remarks
concerning her character, remarks
that while not excusable nevertheless
would appear to have been -. well
founded.
No doubt the elder Boyce was per
turbed at the conduct of his son in
eloping with a married woman. As the
father of the male half of the elop
ing duo it was quite natural that he
should lay much of the blame upon
the woman. Had his paternal chagrin
asserted itself in the murder of the
woman's husband his act would have
been entirely as Justifiable as the
course 'adopted by the husband. The
element of inane sex sentiment being
absent he would have hanged, of
course, whereas the husband is turned
at large with the stamp of partial ap
proval and approbation upon his foul
deed.
No surprise need be occasioned by
his second usurpation of the powers
of Judge, Jury and executioner. If a
Jury would not hang him for the mur
der of an innocent relative of his
wife's betrayer, why then surely the
law would commend him for slaying
the paramour of Mrs. Sneed. As he re
flected upon the wrongs growing out
of his wife's inconstancy, what in
hibitions were ' there to restrain his
morbid impulse to wipe out the score
in bloodshed? His fearlessness of the
law Is reflected in his manner of exe
cuting the second victim. Bearing a
veritable arsenal he opened fire with
an automatic shotgun. When victim
No. 2 had fallen before the cowardly
fusillade of buckshot, Assassin Sneed
proceeded to search out the authori
ties and surrender himself together
with tha instrument of execution and
two automatic pistols.
Now the significant thing in the
Sneed murders, it will be readily re
called, is the fact that he previously
had an opportunity to slay his wife's
paramour, and at a time when his
crime would have had the aspect of
impulsive action. That was when he
found the eloping couple at Winnipeg.
But he was able to restrain his mur
derous impulses there for the very
sufficient reason that Canadian law
does not wink at wanton -taking of
human life. Sneed knew that he
would be hanged in Canada, and hav
ing a well ordered regard for his
cowardly carcass he awaited an oppor
tunity under more favorable environ
ment. His latest murder shows all
the elements of mature deliberation
and cunning preparation. Doubtless
he reflected carefully upon the out
come of his act and concluded that
no harm could possibly result to him.
That he was disinclined to take any
chances with his Own wretched life is
indicated not only by his display of
restraint in Canada, but by the cow
ardly methods of murder pursued by
him in Texas.
TROUBLE IN THE LEARNED WORLD.
H. C. Bastian's work on the" nature
and origin of living matter seems at
last to have impressed the orthodox
scientists a little, not much, to be sure,
but still a little. He may esteem it a
triumph to have impressed them at
all, for there is no bigotry more nearly
impregnable- than that of established
scientific opinion. Any settled con
viction, whether ln biology or theology,
or any other department builds an
economic machine around itself by
which many people earn their living,
so that any change not only implies
Intellectual disturbance, which is baa,
but also the loss of money, which is
worse. We do not gather that at the
last meeting of the British Associa
tion for the Advancement of Science
there was any direct mention of Bas
tian's: views and experiments, but in
directly they stirred up a good deal
of discussion. The president. Profes
sor Schaefer, went so far as to say
that the present scientific views of
the nature and origin of life were not
necessarily inspired. Professor Oliver
Lodge, who grows more progressive as
he grows older, comforted the learned
world with the assurance that Bas
tian's results do not threaten re
vealed religion, while Ray Lancaster
thought It made little difference
whether they did or not. What he
wanted was the truth.
Revealed religion has scented dan
ger ln pretty nearly every auvauco
that the human intelligence has made,
but the peril has usually turned out
to be imaginary. No doubt revelation
is Just as true today as it ever was
and it need fear no more terrible ca
lamities than it has undergone al
ready. Like She, from the fire It
alwavs comes out brighter and more
vigorous than before and takes a new
lease of life from threatened destruc
tion. It would be difficult for even
the most timid piety to point out any
genuine danger to faith in Bastian's
investigations. All he does is to put
some- saline solutions in sealed bottles,
after thoroughly sterilizing them, and
await developments. To destroy any
germs of life which his solutions
might contain surreptitiously he sub
jects them to high temperatures. He
also takes Infinite pains to prevent
any germs from slipping in unawares
while he is sealing tne Dottles, so that
it is fair to concede that there are no
living matter and no seeds of life ln
his liquids when "he sets them away on
the shelf.
After they have stood awhile undis
turbed, strange events fcegin to happen
ln them. In the first place a little sedi
ment collects at the bottom, which is
no more than a deposit from the sol
ids in solution. There is nothing sur
prising in this. Sediment collects in
all sorts' of bottles. But In the course
of time Bastian's sediment is found I
to have acquired a difference. Ex
amined ' under the microscope it is
seen to consist not only of inanimate
particles of saline matter and silicates,
but with these are mingled wonderful
little creatures which may possibly be
alive. Bastian asserts that they are
alive, and for this heresy he has been
excommunicated by the British As
sociation, which refuses even to pub
lish his experiments. It is as if a
minister of the gospel ware to deny
the divinity of Jesus, or hold that the
Beast in Revelation had eight heads
Instead of seven.
Like other heretics Bastian is pug
nacious and he has not consented to
be squelched. He has published a
book in the face and eyes of the Brit
ish Association, giving an account of
his experiments on the origin of life.
The book is ln the Portland Public Li
brary, where anybody may obtain it
who wishes and find out precisely
what the rising storm In the scientific
world Is all about. The reader should
not commit the error of thinking that
Bastian's experiments are easy to re
peat. Anybody can put a little soup
or grual in a bottle and obtain living
organisms by letting it stand in a
warm place. But that signifies noth
ing, because they come from germs
already present' What Bastian does
is to destroy all the germs and seeds
of germs by heat before he seals the
bottles. If life appears after that
something marvelous has happened
and Bastian not only says it does ap
pear but apparently he proves It.
The creatures which manifest them
selves in the sediment of his solutions
present all the phenomena of living
beings, as far as the eye can detect
and, marvel upon marvel, they die and
reproduce themselves. He Has seen
them do it and the reader himself can
all but see the processes going on ln
tha pictures of Bastian's book.
Still the orthodox members of the
British Association maintain that
Bastian's observations are all illusion,
or if not illusion at least they are a
blunder. They sapiently explain that
the creatures in the bottle merely
simulate life and that the "reproduc
tion" which he fancies he sees going
on is nothing more than a species of
crystallization. Now Herbert Spencer
maintained long ago that crystals were
living things in a way. At least they
exhibited many of the phenomena of
life in his opinion, particularly that
of rai-.-oducing their kind. For this
he was laughed at, but now comes the
President of the British Association
ln all his glory and says, in full
panoply from his scientific throne that
Spencer was probably right.- The read
er will discern how ominous the signs
are. In all probability before a great
while we shall have to forsake our
long-cherished belief that life origin
ated once and for all in some miracu
lous way at the beginning of things
and that the marvel never can happen
again. The chances are that it is hap
pening daily in all parts of the uni
verse. Given the same causes, we are
likely to get the same effects now as
a billion years ago and who shall say
authoritatively that the causes are
not the same today as they were then ?
The bold assertion that they are not
is mere guesswork. It would not sur
prise us to hear in a year or two that
Bastian's experiments are the . most
important events in the history of
modern science. Newton w,as ridiculed
by orthodox pundits when he pub
lished his theory of universal gravita
tion. That excessive conversation is dan
gerous to life is revealed in the plight
of a Philadelphia woman who is re
ported to be talking herself to death.
Constant use of her voice is utilizing
her reserve of energy. For while it
doesn't necessarily entail a strain on
the mind to keep up some varieties of
feminine conversation, yet it does pre
vent sleep, at least in the speaker,
and so her system cannot repair
wasted tissues or lay by reserve stores
of energy. The doctors examined the
woman s head ln vain. .However a
lesion need not necessarily be looked
for in such a case which may be
classified as one Of the multitude of
psychic or ' nervous disorders. No
doubt the woman had an abnormal
volubility which now takes .this pres
ent distressing form. While such
cases are rare, this one shows what
may follow overuse of the linguistic
faculties and should serve as a warn
ing to the talkative.
As a makeup artist; old Father
Time is a master of consummate
skill. Which must have been fully
realized by the two old pioneers who
met Saturday ln Portland for the first
time in fifty-nine years. What
shock each must have experienced at
noting the strange makeup that half
a century had imposed upon the
other. Each must necessarily have
retained a picture of the other as a
brisk, red-faced youth. To each the
time since they last met must have
seemed short. A quarter of a century
ago seems as yesterday when one looks
back. Half a century must appear as
but little longer. Therefore,! try to
fancy the emotions of meeting, bowed
by years, your boyish friends of yes
terday. -
Mr. Smith, potato king of British
Columbia, cannot show Oregonians
anything much Deyond system ln
handling, which, it must be admitted,
is needed. Nothing finer than Ore
gon potatoes can be grown anywhere.
The mother of a light-weight
bruiser, sent to San Quentin for
white slavery, cursed the detectives
for the "unhappiness" they had
brought her. Her son, of course, was
not responsible for any of it.
The idea of Burns as the habitat of
cowboy and tinhorn is dispelled by
erection of the large and handsome
brick schoolhouse about ready for oc
cupancy.
When a man has his wife arrested
for staying out "after hours," thou
sands of abused women ejaculate
"Humph!"
That gale Saturday must have been
reflex action of atmospheric currents
consequent upon the Colonel's depart
ture. The Governor is now after the
"higher-ups," which, if continued,
may lead him out of sight.
. Fifty carloads of clover seed in one
item explain why the Yamhill banks
are full of money.
Reports of excess of births of boys
in the Northwest must mean war in
the horoscope.
McCredie must get
Rapps next season.
a dozen of Bill
Bull Moose on the National com-
mlttea must vamoose.
CAPITAL. PUNISHMENT IS DECRIED
Views of Opposition to Execution Pre
sented by Prison Chaplain.
SALEM. Or., Sept. 9. (To the Ed
itor.) In an editorial in The Ore
gonian recently you rap the Oregon
Messenger and many others of this
state whom you call "sentimentalists
who cry out aerainst exact retributive
justice." It is possible that many of
your readers figured out from your
opening sentence, "poor young Donald
Stewart!" that the accuser, more than
the accused, was guilty of that terri
ble thing sentiment.
I presume most of your accused are
not ashamed- of the sentiment that
actuates them ln seeking to abolish
capital punishment, but it seems
strange to be accused of following
feeling more than reason by those who
live in glass houses. I have seen a
prominent attorney, ln a rage, leave
his pew in a church and walk out
because of his sentlmen" in the mat
ter, while I was pleading for the
abolishment of capital punishment.
have been called names and jumped on
by ministers of the gospel who were
long on the bitter sentiment or re
venge or love for the family of the
murdered, but short on reason or love
for the lost sheep that committed the
murder and his family. So it seems
to me that it Is hardly fair for The
Oregonian to call all of us who believe
in the abolishment of capital punish
ment "sentimentalists," if that means
anything very bad.
But why call names any way? Sen
timent is a good thing; life without It
is cold and barren. Reason is a good
thing; without it we would all be at
sea in the solution of such problems
as the one before us. We will have to
get our heads and hearts into this
problem If we ever solve it: the sooner
the better. Since I have been up ana
down the stato discussing this prob
lem with all sorts of people, I should
like very much to give you and your
readers what I have found to be the
prevailing sentiments.
I am sure I concur with the Oregon
Messenger ln that the most common
sentiment ln our state is that of re
venge. The primitive law of claw and
fang is still deep-rooted. To snap
back, to take an eye for an eye and a
tooth for a tooth to kill Roberts be
cause Roberts killed Stewart is the
feeling which rules many, and has a
lingering hold on most of us, whether
we are ruled by It or not. But the
saner Judgment of our day says' that
revenge should have no place ln our
novel, or on the stage, or ln common
things of life.
Most of our modern penologists de
clare that punishment is not an at
tempt on the part of the state to dis
pense exact justice, but is an attempt
by the means of fitting penalty to
protect society and reform the crim
inal. The framers of our Oregon state
constitution have expressed it thus:
"Laws for the punishment of crime
shall be founded upon the principle of
reformation and not of vindictive jus
tice" Art. 1, Sec. 15. The ancient
idea that the state can right every
wrong by an exact retributive Justice
Is no longer held by any nation or
state ln general practice, and the feel
ing that It ought to prevail in capital
offenses is born in the fevered brain
where the sentiment of revenge over
shadows the saner Judgment.
Thre is another sentiment which I
meet most everywhere I go. It is the
righteous indignation of the people
nearly all of them toward the mur
derer. There Is and ought to be in
every human breast a feeling , of ab
horrence for willful murder. It is
wholesome and right for the people to
rise in holy indignation against this
horrible crime. There is good reason,
too, for the people to view with alarm
and awe the prevalence of crime in
this land of ours, where over 8000
homicidal crimes are committed annu
ally, and still increasing. As far as I
know those who would like to see cap
ital punishment abolished are just as
keen ln their apprehension of the
enormity of murder as others. It is
wrong to assume, as The Oregonian
does, that we do not want a man pun
ished who commits any such terrible
crime. No one is advocating the abol
ishment of all punishment Just because
he says there is a saner way to pun
ish than by strangling. No one is
losing sight of the terribleness of
murder just because he realizes the
futulity of curing all the crimes of
murder by breaking a man's neck at,
the end of a criminal career, rather
than trying to get at the sources of
crime. There are many of us who do
not believe that capital punishment la
helping us solve our problem of crime,
and still we are smiting with our fists
and stamping with our feet and cry
ing: "Alas for the evil abomination of
murder in our land." We trust, how
ever, that we are angry without sin-
without revenge without murder in
our hearts.
The six murderers In the Oregon
State Penitentiary are ln a secluded
corner, and there Is no halo about
tnem or their cells. There outrht to
be enough sentiment of fellow feeling
to recognize tne lact that these men
bleed if pricked, and that they have
Deen sinnea against as well as sin
ning. It is not sentiment hut ham
tfacts to say that these men are
growths of our social order, and that
the blood shed by their hands is par
tially upon the skirts of society. If
there is a deep feelin within me
when I face these murderers, it is the
hot indignation that society spends so
much of its wrath upon these simple
men and does not vent its wrath upon
the institutions that are breeding
criminals. As a - mater of fact, very
little sympathy and feeling is wasted
upon the murderer, and we have a feel
ing, too, that there ought to be more
teeiing ror nis ramlly and for those
who are being led into such criminal
careers. PHILIP E. BAUER.
Buckeye and Horse Chestnut.
PORTLAND. Sept 14. (To the Edi
tor.) Kindly explain the difference be
tween a horse chestnut and a buckeve.
One party claims a difference between
the two, while the other asserts it is
one and the same thing.
A SUBSCRIBER.
ine term "buckeye is applied to
trees of the Aesculus genus that are
indigenous to America. The horse
chestnut is of the same genus but dif
ferent family, and is a native of the
Far East. There are several species
of the buckeye. The common or Ohio
buckeye does not have such showv
flowers as the horse chestnut, its leaves
and roots are poisonous, and the bark
and leaves exhale a stronger odor.
California has a species of its own.
and a shrub grown in the South, which
proauces ediole seeas, is also known
by the name "buckeye." The yellow
buckeye of the Southern Alleghanles
produces a fruit that is not prickly like
that of the horse chestnut.
When Brothers Own Jointly.
PORTLAND. Sept: 15. (To the Edi
tor.) 1. Two brothers, both married.
own a piece of property Jointly, in
herited from the family estate. One of
them has children, the other has not.
The" one without children dies, then
what becomes of his interest?
2. Can a person who deeds a piece
of property to a minor be appointed a
custodian or administrator of said prop
erty? . E. E.
1. The interest goes to the living
brother.
2. Yes.
Hint to Ills Sister's Beau.
Chicago Tribune.
'Mr. Spooner, I think I like you bet
ter than any o' the other fellers that
come to our house."
"Why so, Bobby?" '
""Cause when you give sister a box
candy she always turns it over to
single; tax arguments flimsy
Two Things Are Promised Which Can
not Go Ton-ether, Saya Writer.
PORTLAND. Sept. IS. (To the Edi
tor.) The farmer will be helped by
tha single tax and the city wage
earner, too, say the Fels fund retainers.
The proof they give is ridiculously
simple. The farmer will have his taxes
reduced; the wsge-earner is to have
the cost of living reduced by Increased
production of food supplies on land
now said to be held in idleness for
speculative purposes.
This is mere vote-catching flummery
and It will not deceive either the
farmer or the wage-earner, i
Wages will inevitably decrease if the
cost of living decreases, just as tney
are bound, sooner or later, to Increase
with the cost of living. This is one
of the fundamental laws of economics
that the single taxers cannot abrogate.
Suppose it is granted, merely for ar
gumenfs sake, that the single tax
would reduce the farmer's taxes, if the
commodities he raises go down enough
In price to be of any consequence to
the city wage-earner as the single
'taxers claim will happen then the
farmer certainly will not be benefited.
It is only within recent years that
the prices of farm products have been
such that even a reasonable profit
made by the farmer. Whatever the
cause of the high cost of living, it
Isn't the farmer's fault. He Is Just be
ginning to get a little of what is com
ing to him for all his hard work and all
the risks he runs and the sacrifices
he makes for his rural isolation. He
Is Just beginning to find it possible,
as a class, to enjoy a few of the com
forts and refinements of life he and
his family.
Now the single taxer wants to re
duce the prices on the things he sells
and send the farmer back to the hard
scrabble days of 1893-96, with BO cents
wheat, when the mortgage grew larger
Instead of being paid off.
Luckily the farmers see through the
scheme. I believe they will vote solidly
against the single tax in the Fall,
Just as the thinking city wage-earner
will do who realizes the hollowness
and insincerity of the argument thrown
out as a bait to catch his vote.
C. F. LEE.
SEEKING PUBLICITY NOT WRONG
Officials, Like Merchants, Wise in Rec
ognising Value, Saya Writer.
REEDVTLLE, Or., Sept. 12. (To the
Editor.) If some of your correspond
ents would think more of the great
good Governor West is trying to do for
sin-ridden Portland intead of letting
their mind dwell upon the advertising
part ,of the matter they would surely
find themselves in line with the great
work our Governor is trying to carry
out, and instead of cheapening and be
littling our Governor's motive, help us
to hold up his hands in this battle for
civic righteousness.
Let the forces of law and order unite
in one common cause against the Binks
of Iniquity which curse our land. Let
us forget political differences and petty
jealousies. Let us not be too nasty to
plant the dagger of an unjust sus
picion against the character of a man
who is trying to do something for the
common good. If Governor West Is
getting a lot of advertising out of this
affair and is carrying on this crusade
for his political advancement, then it
seems to me it is high time we should
begin to recognize the value of ad
vertising and put our stamp of ap
proval upon the public official who,
when he gets into office, Is not afraid
to do his duty. The public official is
like the merchant. If he doesn't ad
vertise his goods ln the leading paper
he is a dead one. If a public official
does nothing, we hear nothing of him,
and now because Governor West Is try
ing to do something some fellow ac
cuses him of playing to the grandstand
and advancing his political career.
Abraham Lincoln got plenty of ad
vertising in his time. He also ad
vanced his political career, and it took
blood and treasure to convirce the
gaping world that he also carried the
goods. Come, let there be unity of
action ln the cause of righteousness.
Let us stand with the Governor in his
titanic struggle against vice and its
accompanying evils. O. E. FRANK.
ROOSEVELT WANTED BEST OF IT
Attitude on Delegates Recalls Prnctices
of Early Racing Days.
SALEM, Or.. Sept. 12. (To the Edi
tor.) Colonel Roosevelt's position re
garding delegates to the National con
vention very forcibly reminds me of
an old sport's idea of things in the
early days of Oregon's history.
It will be well remembered by all
old settlers that 60 years ago every
young man, and many elders, for that
matter, owned a race horse. Quite fre
quently they met .- upon some race
course to test the speed of the horses,
sometimes for the sport of it, but more
frequently for a wager. It was cus
tomary at these meetings for the own
ers of the horses to select judges to
decide which was the winner.
At one of these meetings a friend
of mine, an uncle, by the way, was se
lected by an old sport as one of the
Judges in a race wherein said sport
was one of the contestants.
The race was run and the horse my
uncle judged foe lost. The owner came
around and complained to the Judge
and said, "You should' have demanded
a bigger start"
My uncle replied: "I gave your horse
all that he was entitled to, as every
body could see." "Yes," replied the
other, "but didn't you know that I ap
pointed you?" This was too much for
the old gentleman, and he called the
fellow down with such a rebuke as to
greatly humiliate the offender and at
the same time made the old man one
of the most popular judges ln that
locality for years afterward.
The Colonel appears to think Mc-
Cusker and the other Oregon delegates
were Instructed to vote for him, and
that therefore, they should disregard
all lav and evidence and be his willing
puppets. W. H. BYARS.
SUPREME BOSSISM FOR COLONEL
Such Is Charge Growing Out of (His)
Views on Delegates.
PORTLAND, Sept. 15. (To the Edi
tor.) Colonel Roosevelt insists that he
was entitled to direct and control the
Oregon delegation to the Republican
National Convention in its vote on all
issues arising ln that body, -yet he has
no use for bosses.
The Oregon law does provide that
its delegation to a National convention
are to vote for the Presidential candi
date receiving a plurality of the party
vote cast ln the primary. The Colonel
asserts the right to reverse this statute
at will and direct the delegates not to
vote at all. He persists in the doctrine
that all delegates are traitors if they
refuse to vote to unseat any delegate
to whom he objects. His will is law;
delegates have no responsibility but to
obey. -
In the light of the Colonel s wisdom
our law is very wean, tsaca Presi
dential candidate should be the supreme
boss ln the handling of every delegate
instructed for him. Much money would
be saved since a proxy would be far
preferable to the delegate in person.
T. J. rXWDINU.
Lightning Breaks Raaor.
Seaford (Del.) Correspondent Balti
more Sun.
In a severe electrical disturbance.
lightning Btruck the house of Mrs.
Mary C. Rose, tearing down the chim
ney and cutting a hole in tne roof.
The electric flashes chased over the
mirrors and broke a razor in the hands
of Albert Jackson, who was shaving
man ln the barber shop of William
Jackson. ..
MR. STRAIN ELABORATES POSITION
Divorce of State and Local Taxation
Opposed on Economic Grounds.
PENDLETON. Or, Sept 13. (To tha
Editor.) Under the caption "Deriding
the People" you comment editorially in
The Oregonian September 12 on my
argument ln the Voters Pamphlet,
which offers a text for stating my
position more clearly and correcting
some wrong assumptions ln your
article:
A tax should be so laid that the tax
payer knows when he pays It, how
much he pays, and what authority
levied the tax. When" he knows these
things he can Judge better whether it Is
excessive and he can fix the responsi
bility for it All these things are
known now under our present system.
Our last Legislature appropriated 33.
063.000 for 1912 against 11,385,000 for
1911. It is squarely up to the present
Legislature to explain this prodigious
increase.
Pennsylvania and New Jersey levy
their state taxes upon public service
proprty, incorporation fees and the
like. Big business and crooked poli
ticians have formed alliances there that
have not only been a source of graft
and scandal locally, but & menace to
the Nation. Nobody has to answer to
the people. The politicians bleed the
public service corporations and trusts
and then license them to lay heavy
tribute upon the people.
- Then again the Bchoolhouses, and the
cities, the little struggling cities as
well as tbe big ones, are located main
ly along railroads. School and city
and county tax levies fall upon these
public service properties to such an
extent that the loss of such revenue
would be a calamity to many and a
serious blow to most suoh local gov
ernments. This amendment represented by S04 Is
part of a prearranged scheme. It Is
not merely permissive. There is an
ulterior purpose behind it all.
The Governor says, 1911 message,
page S: "The first and most Important
step is to provide for the separation
of the sources of state and local rev
enue. When this is done the state will
raise its revenue principally from
public service corporations, license fees,
inheritances, or such other subjects as
the Legislature or the people may think
could best be handled by the State Tax
Commission." No one who knows any
thing about state finances believes that
the state revenue could be "principally"
raised aloug these lines without plun
dering local governments . of their
public service taxes.
Now then, this proposed new-fangled
divorcement provides for a state tax
upon such property at an average rate,
and this average rate might, or might
not exceed that produced in the aggre
gate by local levies.
I also oppose this scheme Tor very
much the same reason that I oppose
single tax. The people who bought
the bonds of railroad school districts.
cities and counties and the people who
voted these bonds, and all those who
Invested or located ln any of these
localities had a right to depend upon
the permanence of our system, and
therefore to expect public service
property to be a fixed asset and to
bear Its share ln the maintainance of
such local governments. To destrov
this arrangement now would be a blow
both to elementary and higher educa
tion and to civic progress generally.
So with land. It has been considered
honest to purchase land. Old fogies
even commend the practice as prudent
and socially desirable.
But now. since these investments
have been made under the sanction of
law and custom, It Is found that the
whole scheme Is a public menace. The
individual Is to be the goat He has
no rights that the public is bound to
respect
Then again, . your great city of
Portland may some day find herself
engaged in a competitive struggle with
other cities such that economies for
your working people may be necessary
to maintain your position, or may be
desirable to give you - supremacy.
Cheaper streetcar fares, cheaper lights.
cheaper gas, cheaper public service or
every kind; these are the things that
may be essential to your existence as
metropolis.
Surrender this property to the state
i a source of exclusive state taxa
tion, permit your state politicians to
relv uoon a revenue such as can be
derived from it through a corrupt alli
ance of crooked politicians and big
business, and you will soon find your
franchise holding corporations invested
with vested rights In your streets and
in all of the privileges Incident to
public service business.
These privileges are, and of right
ought to be, public property held in
trust merely by operating companies.
But when these shall be recognized as
vested rights and coined into moun
tains of watered stock, Portland's
great opportunity as the future me
troplis of Western America shall have
passed. Because of these reasons, who
can' doubt that 304 X Yes is a
dangerous innovation which should be
killed by voting 305 X, No?
C. P. STRAIN.
WHY NOT USE DOUBLE-DECK CARS f
Portland Man Impressed by Their Util
ity, as Demonstrated in Europe. .
PORTLAND, Sept 14. (To the Edi
tor.) While on a recent visit to Eu
rope and Great Britain,, my attention
was called to the double-deck street
car ln use there, and I wondered If it
could not be used in our own city to
facilitate travel over the bridges.
While its appearance Is top-heavy.
and the winding outside stairway at
the end looks somewhat unsafe for un
wieldy people, accidents are practically
niL In the Scientific American oi Aug
ust 24 appears an article and cut of
a double-deok car, which Is a decided
improvement upon the British type, and
which is being tried out ln New York,
and if satisfactory will be introduced
there.
This again suggests tne tnougnt:
Could not these double-decs: cars be
profitably used ln Portland for the re
lief of congested traffic on both our
bridges and chief business streets?
While on the subject of cars I will
also sav that the wheels of British cars
are entirely built in, making it impos
sible to run over anything that may be
struck by the car. C. B. PYE.
Young Old Maid's Problem.
PORTLAND, Sept 14. (To the Edi
tor.) In The' Oregonian, September 8.
appeared an article on the conditions
which are causing so many women to
shun the marriage altar and choose the
life of spinster. The article so accur
ately depicts the condition of the ever
increasing army, of which I regret to
sav I am one. that I seek permission to
add an earnest "amen" to the words of
my sister writer.
If the world at large had any laea
of the average old maid's longing for a
desirable husband, the prevalent feel
ing of derison would quickly change
to pity. To live in privation, to strug
gle to overcome our natural motherly
instincts, to go out into the world and
of necessity underbid a man of family
to gain a position is Indeed far from
the normal life. And for a means of
finding my way out of this condition
and Into the heart of one who is phys
ically, as well as mentally and morally
man. is my earnest plea. Hurely
there are men who seek other than the
whirlwind" woman, who desire for a
wife a real homebuilder, one who can
cook, sew, keep house, share his sor
rows as well as nis joys ana be a
other to his children. But how are
we to find them? The one who can
answer this question can quickly van
quish the army of old maids and prove
himself the hero of the hour.
A YOUNG OLD MAID WHO DOESN'T
LIKE HER JOB.