Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937, November 21, 1912, Image 10

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Morning Oregonian., November 21, 1912, Page 10, Image 10

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Newspaper Page TextTHE -MORNING OREGONIAN. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1913. ID Wft 2)mrmnrin Enlwd at Portland, Oregon. Postofflce Fcond-cIafls Matter. Subscription Rates Invariably In Advance IRT MAIL.) Dal.y. Sunday Included, one year $8-9? Daily, Funday included, alx month.... Daily. Sunday Included, three montna..Z unlly. bundftv Included, one monin... Dally, without Sunday, one year Dally, wlmout Sunday, all months... Dally, without Sunday, three months. Daily, without Sunday, one month.... 7S 0.00 S.2S 1.7 .60 1.50 2.60 a.io tveekly. one year 1? AunHflV nn ......a... ' Sunday and Weekly, one year (BY CARRIER.) Dally, Sunday Included, one year "-JO Dally. Sunday Included, one month 7S How to Remit Send Postofflce money or ar. express order or personal check on your local oanK. stamps, coin or tui ' 7 . at the sender's risk. Give postoffice address n ..M ,imtv InH state. Po.la.re Rates 10 to 14 pages. I cent; 18 In 2 r,. 1 r-nft: SO to 40 DM. 8 Cents 0 to 60 cages, 4 cents. Foreign postage, flouble rate. , n. .fnM Veere A Conk tin Kw Vnrk Brunswick building. Chi- San Francisco Office R. J. BldweU Co., European Office No. 8. Regent street 8. ?v. London. PORTLAND, TUTWDAT. JOV. tl. 1I- WILSON'S POLICY TOWARD TBUSTS The people look to the Incomini administration to dispose of two mail Issues of the late campaign the tar irr nni thA tnnta. Wilson has al ready announced his purpose to ask Congress to take up the tariff at an extra session next Spring and there is some talk of legislation on the trusts also at that session. The tariff, how- ... . . . 1 .4 . a n ever, is likely to oe uie buoji v- -longed controversy, notwithstanding th cancrntnA hone of the New Tork Times that it will occupy only three months. There are so many angles n tha ti-iict nuestion and it is like to provoke such prolonged debate that we can scarcely nope ior acuuu uj . i .uginn iiAvntMl t n trie tariff. I U l lilt? O' - " " " Ti-ncrt. should rather be the principal cnKlnt of legislation at another Eession. Th. h.Kt w ran reasonably expect then, is that anti-trust legislation will be passed at the regular session uc trinnintr in December. 1913. By that time the courts may have disposed -rinaiiv r,t anmn of the suits now pend ing and their decisions will throw euch light on the scope and llmlta tlons of the existing law as to provi a valuable guide to Congress in snap Jng supplementary legislation. - . Thft nolirv outlined by President elect Wilson is so closely In line with that pursued by President Tart mat It would be consistent for him to pros ecute to a conclusion the suits now pending. Although he has said that the Sherman law roared like any cufkinir dnvc. he mat be expected to endeavor to add leonine tones to that roar without awaiting further legisla tion Hi criticism ignores the facts that TaTt Is the first President who really attempted to emorce mo ouci man law against all offenders alike, thot Tft is the first to obtain prison sentences under It and that he has proved that law so efficacious that since the oil and tobacco decisions no trusts have been organized. Aside from approving such tariff revision as will deprive trusts of spe cial favors. Wilson may be expected tn demand of the courts decrees nletelv dlsmem ber the trusts than did the oil and tobacco decrees, which the Demo cratic platform unjustly condemns as compromises. He is pledged by his platform, his speech of acceptance and his campaign speeches to supplement . civil with criminal suits against trust . officers. We are at last 10 see a sys jematc effort to put the trust mag nates in Jail. We shall learn whether juries, knowing that conviction means a prison sentence, will convict, wheth er juries will recognize an unwritten law as condoning the crimes of high .finance. If so, much credit must be criven Wilson's last two predecessors for educating public opinion up to this "point. ;' Wilson's anti-trust policy differs .from Taft's mainly in his condemna tion of the Sherman law as ineffec tual, while Taft maintains that the oil nd tobacco decisions have proved it .to be effective and to need only sup plementary laws describing and de bouncing forbidden methods. Taft jjias brought criminal prosecutions and "has expressed confidence that, as the offense becomes "better understood, juries will convict. Wilson is of one ;mind with Taft in holding that mo--nopoly is repugnant to our institutions and is abnormal, and that competition Van and must be restored without de stroying those large corporations whlch are the normal result of nor ;mal competitive conditions. Both men "aim to destroy the abnormal out growths of special privilege and of official suplneness. Herein they dif . fer sharply from Roosevelt, who con founds the normal with the abnormal ; and would take all alike under the i.wing of the Government, prosecuting only those trusts which do not con form to his standard of goodness. COWARDICE OF CRIMINALS. Conviction of the four murderers of ; Rosenthal and of the man who hired them to commit the crime shows how .Invincible is the law when adminis tered by honest, capable officials. Be ' fore the assaults of District Attorney Whitman, the whole structure of ter rorism built up by the criminals in col lusion with the police fell to pieces. ,The terrified guilty ones turned on each other, and some became cringing ; servants, instead of defiant violators of ' the law. The actual murderers, when ) brought to trial, told a story, in the ' effort to exculpate themselves, which the merciless logic of Judge Goff . proved absurd. In twenty minutes the jury adjudged them guilty. " A public official, if he be capable and faithful, can strike terror into criminals and can break up the most formidable conspiracy, unless he Is a nnn..ov1 Tha larlaca liaH. nn th venality, incapacity and cowardice of the law's servants. If they cannot buy or frighten, they trust to the blunder ing of an official; if he be upright and capable, they seek to terrorize. If he be upright, capable and courageous, all good citizens rally to his support, and the bullying criminal shows him self a craven at heart, and each races with his confederates to secure im munity by turning informer. The same skill. Integrity and cour age which Whitman has shown Jn bringing the murderers of Rosenthal within the shadow of the electric chair can break up the whole criminal or ganization which for years has ruled New York City under the name of Tammany. Such a man instills cour age and determination in all those who Instinctively desire to see the law up held, but have despaired because none made the first move. All good citizens promptly rally around such a man. Let them only stand by him to the finish, and he can recapture the gov ernment of New Tork City from the corrupt gang which breeds Beckers and Rosenthals, and can restore it to the people. A WOMAN VICE-PRESIDENT. The project of complimenting some woman with the. electoral votes which would have gone to the late Mr. Sher. man has its merits. There is no weighty reason why a woman should not be Vice-President of the United States, or even President. But the present proposal is merely to cast for some woman a number of votes which cannot possibly elect her. Surely, there is no danger in doing so. and it may make some person happy for the rest of her life. Even if a woman were to receive votes enough to elect her. we should-not worry over it. It must be admitted that the Presi dent of the United States has more ac tual power, while it lasts, than' most modern monarchs, but he has not more than monarchs used to have in the days of Queen Elizabeth of Eng land and Catherine of Russia. His torians do riot question that those women made extremely capable mon archs. Elizabeth guided Lngiana i safely through the most serious crisis of its career, while no Russian Czar ever served his country more ably than Catherine. There is something almost grotesque about the way many Americans shy at the thought of entrusting political power to women. According to some observers, this is one among numer ous traits in which iwe resemble the Orientals. Women have always been despised in Eastern lands, but Euro neans have not hesitated to make them queens and governors when the oppor tunity occurred. France is almost the onlv other Christian nation wnicn ex cludes women from the highest polit ical honors. Scotland, Scandinavia, Austria, all have had queens who reigned with glory. Our unfounded prejudice against women's political ca pacity is pretty certain to wear away as the suffrage is gradually extended, and they have a chance to demon strate their ability. The only danger in the premises is that they will not demonstrate their ability. Women are naturally so imi tative'of men that they may slip with out protest into the old bad ways in politics and fail to achieve the great things their friends expect of them. In co-educational colleges the women are far more likely to encourage bad traditions than good ones. Will it be the same in politics? STATISTICS ON DEATH PENALTY. Comparative statistics on homicides are not as a rule conclusive as to the deterrent effect of capital punishment. The proportion of murders to the total population is so small that one Insane man or one degenerate by a triple or quadruple murder may so increase the percentage In one community as to place it, temporarily, in an unravoraDie light. Moreover, there is a difference between states In the mental ana moral character of the people. One may be largely a rural community and another with which It may be com pared may have numerous large cen ters of population where crime Is prev alent. Elements aside from mere fig ures must be given consideration in comparing the homicide statistics of a state which has abolished capital pun ishment with those of another state which has not. For these reasons, Colonel C. E. S. Wood's comparisons In his communi cation today would need further back ing were they even correct. But as they are given, it must be that he has relied on-information which The Ore- gonian does not possess and which is not supported by the last census re ports. ' Colonel Wood asserts that Maine, where the death penalty is not imposed, has fewer homicides than New Hampshire, Connecticut or Mas sachusetts. The last census figures, as published In an Eastern exchange, give the number of homicides per 1,000,000 of population In Maine at more than double the number in Connecticut and nearly- double that in Massachusetts. Rhode Island, another state where murderers are not hanged, shows a greater proportion of homicides than Maine. After comparing Maine and Massachusetts in the matter of popula tion centers, one would naturally ex pect to find the lesser number of mur ders in Maine, even if both imposed the same form of murder penalty. Tet Maine has twenty-three homicides per 1.000,000 population to Massachusetts' thirteen. It may be admitted that the insane and those who murder in passion are not deterred, as Colonel Wood avers. by knowledge that penalty for mur der Is death. Nor is the forger de terred by capital punishment. It is not imposed on him. Neither is the death penalty inflicted on the Insane murderer or on him who kills in the heat of passion and without premedi tation. . Advocates of the death pen alty do not assert that it is a deterrent to second degree murder or man slaughter or affects the insane crim inal. At least we have never heard on any supporters of the present lav who do. The strongest point we can discover in Colonel Wood's letter is In the argu ment that capital punishment prevents convictions, because it gives abnormal weight to the "reasonable doubt" or the "alibi" in tlfe mind of the juror re luctant to assume an indirect respon sibility for another's death. Tet this objection is applicable only In certain states, of which Oregon is one. It is remedied by giving judge or Jury dis cretion as to whether life imprison ment or death be imposed. That when such discretion is given it may be used even to prevent instead of encourage appeals, renearings ana final failure of Justice was llustrated In the McNamara case. Fear of the death penalty brought confessions that would never have been given in Its absence. We are not advocating the alterna tive death penalty as a basis for com promise. Yet, as such, in rare in stances, it seems a wise purpose by relieving a widespread bias of mind that would be altered by no form of positive or conclusive evidence. In the McNamara case it destroyed In the beginning a conviction that a capitalis tic conspiracy existed to murder lead. era in the labor movement. It cleared foul atmosphere and secured the ends of justice in a way that would have been impossible by any other court process. At that, certain ends of Justice and full protection of society were still endangered, for one McNa mara, instead of profiting by "reform atory punishment" in "detention and under observation," has lived to plot more murders from his cell in San Quentln, though unsuccessfully. Oregon s law may well be amended so that death for certain murders may be discretionary with court or Jury Retention of only the principle of cap ital punishment' was Involved In the recent election. On that the voters spoke after sober and thoughtful con sideration, with no very recent gory deeds to inflame their minds and with an impersonal and casual knowledge of its immediate effect on men now under conviction. The result disclosed no spirit of vengeance but a calm, de termination to protect society. PHONETIC SPELLING. The process of reducing the English language to a system of phonetic spelling proceeds apace, though not without vigorous protest from many sources. The purpose of the scholar ly innovators is. not to "simplify" or "reform" th nnnular spellings of words. What they wish to do Is to adopt a phonetic representation which will correspond for scientific purposes to the accepted pronunciation. This would be a comparatively easy feat If there were any accepted pro nunciation of English, but as invest! gatlon proceeds It becomes increas ingly plain that there is nothing of the sort. Even in the United States where 'Webster's Dictionary has ruled spoken English for these many years pronunciation Is by no means uni form. A Westerner can scarcely un derstand his mother tongue as it is sDOken in Baltimore. The natives of Maryland have softened their speech in imitation of the negroes until it sounds like a foreign language to a man from Wisconsin. They say "bahn" for barn, "poke" for pork and "bone" for born, with hundreds of similar uerversions. Every considerable city in the country has built up a pronunciation of its own which tends to become in creaslngly different from the usage of other places. The natives take odsu- nata Dride in their singularities and boldly proclaim that everybody else is wrong. New England has a dialect. Iowa has another. Georgia has third and so it goes all over the land. In the face of facts like these who shall say authoritatively what pro nunciation is correct? Uniformity is out of the question.- Such a factor as climate sensibly affects the vocal or gans and helps vary the utterance of human beings. Food also has its in fluenee and habits of ' life are important. It seems therefore as if it might be difficult to adopt a system of pho netic spelling which will, serve as a universal standard . even for scientific purposes. Many scholars hope, how- ever.'that it can be. done, and if it ever is then no doubt-the uniform spelling will tend to ordduce a uniform utter ance, since we 'all unconsciously strive to pronounce words as they are spelled if we happen to remember the way., EDITIONS DE LUXE. The arrest of James J. Farmer in New Tork for defrauding "lady blblio. phlles" will awaken painful associa tions in a number of females' bosoms out here on the Coast. His operations are said to have extended all over the country. How many lovers of the old and dirty in books he has swindled will never be known probably, but his vic tims must have been innumerable, since he has been carrying on his per formances for years, and has dealt in editions de luxe as well as in "rarities. The people who patronize him are those who buy books to look at ana talk about, but who never by any chance open a volume to read, unless it happens to be the latest by Mane Corelli or The Duchess. These people buy sets of Dickens at $30,000 each, or supposedly artistic editions of Voltaire and Balzac at prices ranging according to the victim's gullibility from $50,ouu up to J100.000. The particular opera tion for which Farmer has gotten him self into durance vile was the sale of a de luxe edition to a Mrs. Bird for J 47 650. which honest experts say could be bought in the open market for $3500. We are astonished to find it was worth so much. Usually these swindlers palm off a mess of old rags and ink on their opulent gulls, which are worth nothing except their price at the pa per mills. The person who buys books to read Is comparatively safe from this species of swindle. He cares nothing for rare books, and detests old ones. What he wants Is the printed page in the most legible and convenient form. For tooled leather covers, sumptuous mar gins, famous misprints and the dirt which to many persons symbolizes age and value he has no craving. To the real lover of literature th6 newest book is, as a rule, the best one, siDce It Is apt to be more legible and cheapest. Shakespeare In an edition printed yes terday is worth a hundred times as much as the original folio for prac tical purposes. The Greek texts which come from the press currently are far preferable to all the Elzevirs and Al dlnes in the world, not only because they are better gotten up, but also be cause they are more correct, both in text and annotation. As far as we are concerned, age has no charms for us, unless it brings some Improvement In its train. The antiquity which means merely rottenness and decay is not to our liking. We prefer the wholesome product of this morning. Certainly, old friends are better than new ones, but that is .because they have been tried and found true. Old wine is the best to drink because the years have ripened its perfume and perfected its taste. And old books are the best to read, some of them, at any rate, but not in old editions. Deliver us from the grimy page, the flimsy papar, the mis leading text of old editions. Not many years ago there was a rage among some of our less discerning citizens to buy "limited editions," as they were humorously called. The wily book agent represented his firm as being engaged in publishing a singularly cor rect and luxurious edition of some es tablished author, Dickens, say, or Thackeray. There were to be only so many sets printed, five hundred per haps, and each was to be signed by a distinguished editor and numbered so that its value was sure to increase rap idly with the years. The dupe was lead by the agent's eloquence to regard his purchase aa an investment. Like buying diamonds, the acquisition of these rare and pre cious sets would make an assured In heritance for his children and forever insure his widow against want. Life in surance on the deferred dividend plan was nothing to the purchase of these limited editions as a rapid and safe road to wealth. When the mine had been worked out, those-who had Al lowed themselves to be persuaded and had lined their shelves with the lim ited editions of all sorts of classics suddenly found the same books for sale in the cheap stores at big dis counts. That was the kind of an in vestment they had secured. Swindlers like Farmer have operated with bril liant success among the opulent lovers of that particular kind of art in Port land. There are tales of women who have paid $30,000 or $40,000 for sets of some novelist which turned out to J be worth nothing at all when they came under the eyes of persons who really knew what was what. The ex pense is heaped upon these seductive rarities by many an ingenious device. Of course, the book covers are some thing marvelous to behold, with their imitation designs and false ornamenta tion. The paper is said to have been manufactured by some, secret process, which never could be used in books for the reading of the vulgar herd. Be tween the leaves pictures of the most select character have been stitched. They are always printed from plates which no other firm could possibly procure, and signed by artists so fa mous that Tintoretto would blush for modesty to be compared with them. Thus the gull is 'snared' and the swindler rakes in the shekels, which would probably be spent in some sil lier way if he did not get them; so that, upon the whole, no harm seems to be done. Whether a woman emp ties her pocket for a $10,000 dog or a faked edition de luxe does not make a great deal of difference to the world. As long as we have people among us who are wealthy and ignorant, while at the same time they aspire to pose as lovers of art, the swindler will reap his golden harvests easily and regu larly. The law may interfere with his business now and then, but not seri ously enough to harm him much. The fool and his money are bound to part. If the separation is not effected by one species of humbug, it' will be by an other. Warnings are of value only to the intelligent, and there seems to be something about the possession of large sums of Inherited money which fearfully Impairs the mental alertness of its owners. The $47,650 which poor Mrs. Bird paid for a bundle of rags and Ink would have founded half a dozen scholarships in some technical school, which by and by might begin to produce real artists. Roosevelt may induce Progressive legislators not to fuse with the old parties, but when either of those old parties passes laws which satisfy the demands of the Progressive platform, he cannot prevent the Progressive voters from fusing by means of a sim ple return to their old party. All the measures of any merit which the Pro gressives advocate are supported by one or both of the old parties and when they are brought up for action the Progressive legislators must either vote for them or be false to their prin ciples. Every' Progressive vote cast for such measures originating with either of the old parties will be a con fession that there is no excuse for a third party. The candidacy of Roose velt is in fact the only excuse for such a party. Colonel Hofer's monthly magazine the Oregon Manufacturer, has ap peared and shows the result of work typical of its editor. One cannot ap preciate the industrial programme of the state until he reads the first num ber. The general contents are short, sharp and Incisive, everything epito mized and boiled down to facts and figures. Colonel Hofer and his sons have opened a lead in Journalism in Oregon that will be of great benefit for every issue will be an immigration investment and labor looking for a well-paid field. The franking system under which Congressmen and Senators enjoy free mailing privileges costs the taxpayers $22,000,000 a year, and is one of the great obstacles to the extension of the parcels post. How much good does It do the people? Now and then one gets a parcel of seeds which will not grow. Occasionally comes a grandilo quent speech which is not read, and ought not to be. If members of Con gress were held to strict account for their franks, the abuse might be cut down to reasonable figures. Even women living in suffrage states still suffer certain disabilities of a po lltlcal nature. Suppose an Oregon man moves to New Tork with his family His wife, though enfranchised here, cannot vote in that benighted state. Each state makes its own election laws, subject to a few constitutional restrictions, which have not - been worth much In practice. What state will be the last to enfranchise women ? Is there any more alluring question to bet upon? Make the law what it was Intended to be, a means of securing swift and sure justice at reasonable cost, and the legal profession will cease to be the butt, of jokes, such as Judge-elect Davis mentioned in his speech to the Oregon Bar Association. Exclusion from practice of the shyster and the ignoramus by some such means as Judge Davis suggested would be a means to this end. Observers lament that there is no European statesman of towering gen ius to take a hand in the settlement of the Balkan troubles. At the head of each Cabinet there is a decent medi ocrlty. but no Bismarck; not even a Disraeli. Perhaps it is just as well. The absence of a compelling genius may give the Balkan peoples a chance to settle their troubles for themselves. which i3 often the best way. The Oregon manufacturer, big or little, with payroll largo or small, is entitled to consideration today and all days, for the money gets into a re volving fund from which many bene fit. , Dr. Stelner has reduced the per capita cost at the asylum down to $13.71, which is doing very well In these days. Not many who are sane and at large fare so well. A Boston youth has wedded an Aus trian countess in London. , Trust she will, not pan out like most Austrian counts that invade the American mat rimonial market. Paul Clagstone aspires to succeed the late Senator Heyburn, and he de serves honors from Idaho Republicans. Beauty is a drawback to an actress. according to Maxine 'Elliott. Still the pretty ones manage to struggle along. A New York man committed suicide after attending the theater. We've all known that impulse. No, Spring Rice isn't a market quo tation; merely the new British Ambas sador. ' Nothing but a recount of California can settle the bets. At least, it's time to begin jour Christmas saving. Did. you eat home-made mush this morning? Stars and Starmakers by Leone Cass Baer. Edward C. Bowes, of Tacoma, the present husband of Margaret Illlngton, Is going into the producing end oi the theatrical business. He has taken over Thompson Buchanan's new play, "A Man's Way," which Is to be pro duced in December. Ann MurdOok, who was here In "Excuse Me," is to have the leadllng role. a a Aileen May, sister to Edna, has ar rived in San Francisco from New York. Next Monday she joins the melodra matic stock at the New National Thea ter a company backed by Jack C. Wilson, a Pacific Coast capitalist. . . Willard. the man who grows, and who grew for a week at the Empress last Summer! opens a.t the Hippo drome in London on December Z, pre paratory to a tour Of forty weeks in England. Willard has never appeared east of Chicago. a . Portland looms frequently as a sup ply station for vaudeville acta, and this week records another Instance where an impresario has found talent in this city. The case in point is that of Ethel Lester, who made her debut at the Orpheum yesterday afternoon as a member of Marion Littlef ield's Wlor entine Singers. Miss Lester was born In Sydney, Australia, and has been resident of Portland tor a year. Miss Llttlefield declares her recruit to be a dramatic soprano of great promise. Miss Lester rehearsed for a part In Traumerel" yesterday morning, and joined the grand opera singers with the confidence of an old hand before a large matinee throng Just a few hours later. The addition of Miss Lester to Miss Littlefleld's coterie of singers makes the vaudeville organization more cosmopolitan than ever. ' Miss Llttlefield is a Boston girl, born and bred. Her leading soprano is Scotch, the contralto is French, the baritone a Hungarian, the second tenor from Kll larney, and now Miss Lester, of Port land, Joins as a representative of the Antipodes. Miss Llttlefield, owner of the act, appeared in Portland two years ago with the Neapolitan Opera Company. She is a cousin of Paymas ter Charles A. Llttlefield, U. S. N., re tired, and a second cousin of De Wolf HooDer. Until three years ago Miss Llttlefield always had the distinction of having two relatives in Congress. They were Charles E. Llttlefield and Seth Milliken, both representatives to Congress from Maine. The vaudeville songstress has been besieged with rel atives all along the Orpheum circuit. In Spokane she was visited by nine and in Seattle last week 14 relatives, all members of the same family, called on her and occupied seats at the Orpheum performance last Saturday night to hear their cousin sing. She has cousins In Portland, too, but as yet has been unable to locate them, the current di rectory not containing their names, due to their recent arrival here from the East, Because "Seven Sisters" is the pres ent week offering at the Baker, this little story seems apropos: While touring the states -in "The Seven Sisters" last season, Charles Cherry had rather an amusing expert ence in San Francisco. "I had to secure a little girl the last step in the ladder of 'The Seven Sisters," " Mr. Cherry relates,, "and one had been engaged for me there. never saw her till the night of the per formance. As I went to my dressing- room I saw tne aearesi nine gin, about 7, I should say, with golden hair and such pretty bows of ribbon in it She was dressed with exceed ing daintiness and I thought what picture she would make. "The business of the part required me to take the little girl and swing her to my shoulders and make my en trance that way. When I tried to lift her I found she was much heavier than I supposed, so I exerted myself some what more and perched her on my shoulders. This brought her legs within close range of my vision, and they looked auspiciously mature, so looked ud at the child and said: THow old are you, little girl?' 'Twenty-eight" was her answer. 'Then get right down, I said, and, suiting the action to the word, put her back on the stage." m w w - Mlnnette Barrett one of the Port land girls who has made good before the calcium, has an important role In "The Mere Man." Augustus Thomas wrote the nlay. a satire on the suf fragette question. Crystal Heme, an older sister of Julie Heme, who had the leading role in "Bought and Paid For," is of the company also. Catherine Countlss is drawing to a close her special engagement in stock at the Colonial Theater in Salt Lake, In turn Miss Countlss has presented The Gamblers," "Tlra," "The Thief" and "Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch." Wiltfred Rodgers is her lead ing man; our old friend, J. Frank Burke, is playing character roles; Ron ald Bradbury, Ruth Lechler and her husband. Earl Dwire, now stage man ager for Miss Countlss; Richard Vivian and his talented wife, Fanchon Ever- hart who plays character role every one of the above a former Baker player are in Miss Countlss' support Rosa Roma, who comes occasionally on the Orpheum circuit In her violin specialty, is ingenue with the com pany. In private life Miss Roma is Mrs. Chester N. Button. Mr. Sutton was a one-time manager of the Port land Orpheum circuit and is now house manager of the Colonial stock. Miss Countlss returns to New York on the first of next month, where she will begin rehearsals for' a metropolitan production that offers promise for a big success'for Miss Countlss. In the waltz operetta, "The Robb of Panama," which comes to the Heillg on December 1, 2, 3 and 4, is Fay Balnter, one of the daintiest ingenues that ever created for herself a Portland reign. She was with the Baker stock a year ago. William "Billy" Dills has been en gaged as stage director for the Ly ceum stock, one of Oliver Morosco s holdings in Los Angeles. Herschel Mayall and Maude Leone will play the leads. - Valeska Suratt is headed Portland- way via san F rancisco in ine rm Waltz." Snorers In Church. Stray Stories. Doctor Do you talk in your sleep? Patient No, I talk in other people's. Tra a clergyman. CAPITAL PCXISH5IEXT OPPOSED Sya-tem Fails Even aa Deterrent, Says Colonel Wood. PORTLAND, Nov. 10. (To the Edi tor.) As it Is an important study in sociology perhaps you will bear with me If I notice the articfe in favor of capital punishment reprinted in The Oregonlan from the California Chris tlan Advocate. It must not be as sumed that It is Christian advocacy because found in a Christian Advo cate. The most savage plea for cap ital punishment I have yet seen was by the reverend editor of the Southern Christian Advocate, or some such title, the organ of the Methodist Church in the South, and when Kansas had ac cumulated four murderers under sen tence of death Just as we have accu mulated seven it remained for a min ister of the gospel and preacher of Christ crucified to use his pulpit as the forum from which to call on the Governor for a wholesale execution. It cannot be forgotten how many fine clergymen are intelligently plead ing tor the abolition of capital punish ment The acts of those who seek to preserve this "last remaining feudal ferocity as useless as it is degrading," as it is called by the foremost Euro pean authority, cannot therefore be given any authority beyond their per sonal intelligence, knowledge and strength of argument The church has always had a very considerable band which has championed every stupid wrong in history. The high priest cru cified Christ, the bishops preached and wrote in defense of Charles the First. The Lord's annolnted, the Archbishop of Paris, proclaimed the divine right of Kings for Louis Fourteenth, the pulpits of the South proved by the Bible that slavery w&s ordained of God and they called the hanging of John Brown a righteous act In fact, we might as we read history say the church, like every other Institution In effect founded on property anB the existing order of things, is always wrong but progress owes no greater debt than to the brave men in the church who have led it upward and generally been denounced as heretics or persecuted for their courage. Now this Christian Advocate article, to my mind, la words, words, words pure balderdash written by a man ig norant of every fact In the history of capital punishment. The writer says "capital punishment is not punish ment in the sense of vengeance." In Tact it is precisely vengeance. Re formatory punishment is best obtained by holding men in detention and under observation. The very fact that pro duced the conviction of Becker and the gunmen was the aroused feeling for vengeance. The very fact which thoughtul men feared might let loose cold-blooded murder conspirators was that the Jury might hate to electro cute. Were the crime less appalling, the desire for vengeance less aroused, they probably would not have con victed, because the individual man more and more dislikes to be the per sonal instrument who' sends a fellow man to the gallows. That Is really one of the great arguments against capital punishment it prevents con victions. It promotes long delays and appeals and turns criminals loose without any restraint who ought to be shut up, perhaps for life. In short, it is inefficient There are several books in the library which will prove this to anyone, The Mtotory or capital run- lshment, "Crime and Criminals, and many others. Everything this writer says he might have said in the same glitterlnK generalities and it was far better said by Lord Eldon when England pro posed to abolish hanging as the pun ishment for larceny and burglary and highway robbery. The profession I have the honor to serve the bench the pulpit all united at that period in the cry that society would be at the mercy of the criminal if the deter rent fear of. capital punishment was removed. It was removed and England was the better for It It was removed n Maine and Maine is the better for It. Maine has fewer homicides than New Hampshire, Connecticut or Mas- sachusetts. It was abolished In Rhode Island and Rhode Island is the better for it Wisconsin never had an exe cutlon and has fewer homicides than its neighbors. These facts speak louder than all the words of our Christian Advocate. Experience Is stronger than any theory. Let him study the sub ject in Europe. It . is abolished in nearly all the countries. It exists in Russia only for political and military offenses. A man was lured from France, where there was no capital punishment into Belgium where cap ital punishment then was in force, and was killed there because the clrcum stances suited the plot better. If our Christian friend will study the subject he will find the insane and those In passion are not deterred. They act on an overpowering impulse. The cold blooded murderer is not deterred. He lays his plans to escape or, as in the Becker case, expects protection. The execution only prevents cer tainty of punishment, for it gives abnormal weight with the jury, to the "reasonable doubt, the "alibi, etc. In short juries will not hang men if they are not aroused for the moment by indignant vengeance. Most murderers escape. Lastly, it certainly brutalizes so ciety, with the exception perhaps of some preachers who cannot be brutal ized. If -it brutalizes society, and yet does no good, It should be abolished Let the Christian Advocate turn its attention to what produces human de generacy and crime the flooding tide of enforced poverty. Let it seek the reduction of those special privileges which create monopoly on the one hand, poverty on the other. C. E. S. WOOD. SEWER EXTENSION IS OPPOSED Monta-rilln Man Charges That Resolu tions Are Jiot Representative. PORTLAND, Nov. 20. (To the Edi tor.) In The Oregonlan November 16 under the heading, "Sewer System In dorsed," an Item appeared which I de sire to correct Here are the facts At a meeting of the Montavilla Board of Trade held at Harris' hall on No vember 14, to which the public was invited -to discuss the East Stark-street sewer system, a resolution was pro posed favoring the . extension of said sewer to city limits. Seeing that the audience was almost unanimous in op position to such a resolution, the chairman refused to allow any but paid-up members to vote. Counting noses, there were, all told. Just six men who were accorded the privilege of voting on the resolution. Consequently the most of the people arose and left the hall, only a very few remaining with the six members. The resolution was then put and carried, four voting in the affirmative, one negative ana one not voting. The resolution em bodied instructions to be ruea in tne office of the City Auditor. It is a well-known fact that nine- tenths of the property owners of Montavilla are opposed to any ex tension of the sewer system at this time and are determined to resist to the utmost such extension, the flat of four men to the contrary notwith standing. Cut-and-dried resolutions passed by a few men dq not represent the views of the people in any com munity, and in fact can be had for the asking or any subject calling for money tn large amounts when the peo ple, no matter how poor, are compelled foot the bilt To this pernicious practice of a few men getting together and passing resolutions in laor of spending large amounts of other peo ple's money may be traced many of the evils we complain of in our city government The scheme is hoary with aee and is often used as an ex cuse for legalized public robbery by promoters and boosters who thrive in every city. FRANK HUGHES, Member of Montavilla Board of Trade. Where Dreams Come True By Dean Collins. At midnight in his shrouded room. The while outside the moon wa beaming. An Easterner employed the hour In riot of fantastic dreaming. And when the glorious morning" beam Set little birdie's wings a-flutter. He told his wife his wondrous dream, While spreading waffles hot, with butter. "Methought I saw a wondrous place Where cabbages gigantic burgeon, Where 'taters' grow to beat the band, And salmon fill the streams, and sturgeon. "Where grain stalks like a forest grow. And ho(cs like mastodons are spotted; And pumpkins ramble o'er the wold Dragging their pots (if they are pot ted). "Where apples swell like great bal loons. So brightly In the sunlight glinting. Luscious as melons to the taste And like the rainbow, bright in tint ing. "Where people borrow ax and saw. Forced to adopt such drastic meas ures To break the mammoth squashes' rind And scoop Into its golden treasures. "All these I saw within my dream; And since I woke I have been think ing. My dear, if you will bring the pledge, I'll sign and discontinue drinking." She smiled, superior, at him; "Your reasoning is hardly right there! It Is a vision you have seen. And not a brandy-tinted nightmare. "Get thee a ticket; board the train; And to' the far Pacific strand go; The substance of your dream cornea true This week In Portland at the Land Show." Half a Century Ago From The Oregonlan of Nov. 21, 1S6-. Report of ways and means committee to the City Council: Warrants drawn from July 1 to September 30. 186:', J5842.74; estimates from October J. 1862, to July 1, 1863 improvement and repair of streets, one-half of which is to be paid out of the City Treasury, $63,500; six policemen and captain fnr seven months. $3640; Fire Department. $11,315; gas lifrht. $1800; rent of Coun cil Chamber, $200; Marshal's, Clerk's and attorney's salaries and other ex penses, $5000; last year's debt brought forward, $2646; total, $83,943.74. Auhurn, Nov. 7, 1862. One sign we saw written on a "shake." nailed to a post before a log cabin in Powder River Valley, will speak volumes for the progress of the age in this region: "Oh yes! Mince pies and potatoes, bread, cakes, butter and milk for salo here. Whisky!" The last item, which is the staff of life on the road, strych nine and all, inserted in one corner. Another premature skedaddle took place in the City Council at Its last session, leaving that body without a quorum for Hie perfection of certain important business. There will be in the next Congress Sfi Republicans and 82 Democrats, or six Republican majority In the House of Representatives. The political aspect of the Senate it not likely to be changed from what It Is at present Republicans 30. Democrats and Border State Unionists 18. BAD AIR IN ASirSftMENT PLACES All Theaters Should Have Plenty of Air, Sajs Writer. PORTLAND, Nov. 20. (To the Edi tor.) The moving-picture show is an institution that has assumed such prominence that society must reckon with it with its influence, associa tions and "time consumption." As to its influence it may be divided into two categories moral, including the Intellectual, and physical. Much has been done to check objectionable presentations, so much so that the moral tone is now much better than a few years ago, when gambling, em bezzling and all sorts of dark ways were regularly presented as a mat ter , of course and deemed perfectly proper. Just so the end was Justified. There is yet much to be desired on this point, for the plot of the play is too often so wishy-washy as to be abso lutely ludicrous. Then there is the as sociation at the theater. For my part I can see no harm in young girls seeing a reel or two on their way from school, or any other time If they are with their friends. If the pictures are acceptable, a normal girl needs m guardian In a properly conducted theater. Now, . when women have votes, ought we not to roster self- reliance in the growing youth? Nay. ought we not at all times to train the young In such a manner that they Iea.rn early in lite to depend on their own Judgment rather than on the com mands of authority? If the home Is right I believe the youth will como through adolescence., unscorched with but little chaperoning. But this is a big subject. The second part I refer to as phys ical. It touches all those questions of health and disease, even life and death, fire escapes, proper light effects, proper temperature, drafts, etc. One thing remains, and in tnis remaining thing wc sin more than in all other parts. Not a word nave i seen in print. about this aoominaDie condition, not a word from teachers' meetings. others' clubs and many other bodies. who ought to know, but evidently do not It is their business to Know, it Is well enough to strain out the gnats. but it is more important to remove the camel. I refer to foul air. In only two or three theaters in mis city ao we find tolerable air. I have spoken to the management of a number or amusement places and received such replies that I am convinced that not one of them understands it They be lieve that stirring up the foul air will purify it Can you Durifv dish water or bath water by stirring? Imagine several hundred individuals from all walks of life breathing and re-breath- lng each other's emanations for about lour hours. . From 7 until 11 these little coops pour out tneir audiences every nait hour and Immediately refill the stifling place with a fresh lot Not only the breath from drunkards, dys peptics, and worse, but the perspira tion passing through unclean vest ments, often soaked In musk, German cologne and other nauseating scents must we breathe while enjoying "art" ERNEST BARTON. True Local Time for Tnrka. Westminster Gazette. Through the center of the mosque of St. Sophia runs the theoretical meridian which gave the Turks true local time hour 56 minutes 52 seconds fast on Greenwich until, two years ago, the new government fell In with the stan dard system of time zones, and came nto the Eastern European zone, ex actly two hours ahead of Greenwich time. For religious purposes, however, 12 o'clock always happened at sunset, and noon thus wanders with the sea sons all around the clock. Heeding a Timely Warning. Washington (D. C) Herald. "No use locking the stable door after the horse is stolen." "I should say that was the very time to lock it. They might come back after the automobile."