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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 11, 1913)
THE MORNLNG OREGOXIAN, TUESDAY. FEBRUARY 11, 1913. POKTLA'L. OREGON. Entered at Portland, Oregon. Foatoffiee " aecond-claae matter. Subscription Rates Invariably la Advance. BT MAIL-) Dally. Sunday Included, one yr- Ually. Sunday Included, lx montns.... Dally. Sunday Included, three months.. z. Daily, without Bunday. one year-. Daily, without Sunday, elx months... . Dally, without Bunday. three months.. 1.10 Dally, without Bunday, one monta... Weekly, one year Bunday, one year... Sunday and Weekly, one year (BT CARRIER. ally. Sunday Included, one year.... c.nHav lnl,idd. mm moota-' 0 Loo 2 50 8.20 .00 .73 Hoar to Remit Send Poetofflce money or. eer. ezpreaa order or personal check '""' local bank. Stamps, coin or currency are at the sender, risk. Give poetofflce address m lull. Including county and state Postage Rates Ten to 14 PJ !,m i 16 to :( pages. 2 centa; 80 to 40 Pag; cents; to 60 pages. 4 cents. Foreign poMage, double rate. Eastern Business Offices Verree & c Iln. New York. Brunswick building. -" cago. Steger building. r nan Francisco Office R. J. Bldwell Co, T41' Market street. .. a Earopean Office No. a Regent street a. W., London 1 PORTLAND, TUESDAY, FEB. 11, 191 THE MEXICAN CRISIS. In deposing- Diaz and Betting up Ma dero, the Mexicans find that they flew tho Ills they had for those they knew not of. The rule of Diaz, with Its stern repression of disorder, the horrors of peonage and the exploitation of the republic by the coterie of clentlflcos, was a mild evil compared with the anarchy which supervened on Madero's accession to power. Madero's failure may be attributed partly. to necessary disappointment of unreasonable expectations that the re. forms he promised could be Immedi ately put in effect; partly to dlsap pointed ambition of some of his fol lowers, and partly to unwillingness on his own part to destroy ruthlessly all who resisted him. Had Madero carried out the sentences of death passed on Felix Diaz at Vera Cruz and on Reyes, he might have struck terror into his enemies and Inspired confidence in his friends. But Madero Is evidently not made of the stuff which makes suc cessful dictators. He seems to have fostered the delusion that he could conciliate opposing elements and to have been hampered bv the pledges to re-establish constitutional rule, which he gave when starting his own revolu tion against Diaz. The events of the last three years In Mexico go to sustain the opinion held by men familiar with tropical peo ples that force alone appeals to them; that they Interpret moderation as weakness. The most successful rulers of such people are those who strike with an iron hand so long as there Is any show of resistance to their authority. The people once convinced that no mercy will be shown those who resist, the rulers can then afford to relax the reins and to govern with mildness and humanity. That was the secret of Diaz's success, the equal of which is not to be found in Latin American history. The Mexicans ap pear to be incapable of genuine self government, as understood and prac ticed by Anglo-Saxon nations. The first essentia to life of that system is self-control on the part of both the people and those whom they elect. When the ruling party allows a fair election and 'bows to the popular will, if defeated, self-government is a suc cess. When the government makes elections a farce and the defeated party appeals to arms, anarchy is the inevitable result and a dictatorship is preferable. The Mexican situation will give the Wilson Administration its first oppor tunity to show Its hand in foreign af fairs. Forecasts are that the policy ol non-intervention will be more rigidly followed by Wilson than by Tart. But will Wilson be able to adhere to such a policy? European Investors in Mex. Ico may Induce their governments to demand that we either Intervene to re. store order or leave them a free hand In such a contingency Wilson would be compelled to give his own definition of the Monroe doctrine as applied to an American republic in which hundreds of millions of foreign capital are In vested and thousands of foreign lives are in danger and which has sunk into anarchy. Were Wilson face to face with the alternative of consent to for eign Intervention with consequent an nulment of the Monroe doctrine or American intervention, he might be forced by public opinion to intervene. EFFECTS OF THE INCOME TAX. The Democrats are Jubilant over the ratification of the Income tax amend ment to the Constitution, for It enables them to reduce the tariff to a point below that necessary to raise enough revenue, combined with internal taxes, for the expenses of Government. Any cut in duties which decreases revenue can be compensated by raising the in come tax a notch. The more extreme anti-tariff men may even look forward to the day when we may have a tariff like the British, which Is Imposed only on luxuries and on articles not pro duced in the United Kingdom, all rev enue thus sacrificed being added to the income tax. In place of the present corporation tax and the excise tax proposed at the last session of Congress, Democratic leaders talk of a tax on all Incomes over 15000, graduated from a minimum of 1 per cent to a maximum of 2 per cent. They estimate that this will raise $100,000,000 a year In place of the 130,000,000 now derived from the cor poration tax. or $50,000,000 estimated to be yielded by the excise tax. That pounds very pretty to the tax collector, but how will It strike the taxpayer? He has been accustomed to paying a direct tax to state, city and county and has always grumbled. Will he not grumble still more when Uncle Sam reaches into his pocket and takes out one dollar or more of every hundred he receives over $5000? If we follow British precedent and collect the tax at Its source, every em ployer will be required to make a sworn statement of the wages or sal ary he pays to each employe. From the salaries of those receiving over $5000 a year he will be required to deduct the tax and pay it directly to the Government, Every corporation will be required to make like deduc tions from dividends and interest and pay the tax. The British law draws a distinction between earned incomes, derived from labor with band or brain, either as an employe or In business, and unearned incomes, derived from Investments and land, allowing a re bate on the former when the amount does not exceed $2000. We may expect controversy over the question whether this distinction should not be drawn in this country. Congress has great lati tude In thus discriminating, for the constitutional amendment reads: The Congress .hall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several states without regard to any census or enumeration. THE FATE OF CAPTAIN BOOTT. The terrible fate which befell Cap tain Scott and his party of Antarctic explorers is the price which man pays for his determination to know all that is to be known of the universe, for that high courage which regards no perils, difficulties, sufferings or priva tions as too great to be surmounted, for that devotion to an Idea which leads men to dare great things purely in the interest of science. Many men in their hearts will call Scott and his companions fools for undertaking such an expedition, but such fools have conquered the wilderness and made the world what It Is. But for that type of folly, Columbus would never have set forth to discover America, Magellan would never have traversed the straits which bear his name and Vasco de Gama would never have doubled the Cape of Good Hope. But for the "folly" of Lewis and Clark in piercing the Western wilderness, the site of Portland might yet be little more than a camp site for Indians. The men who are drawn onward to pursue a great idea to its realization at any cost of life or suffering blaze the path for the less venturesome to follow. But none will wish to follow In Scott's path as men followed the trail of explorers who discovered fairer lands, for there is nothing at the South Pole to attract any but the devotees of science. Amundsen, who by a month anticipated Scott In winning the prise for which the Englishman lost his life. tells us that "there Is no life at the South Pole, no kind of life, in air or water or on land. There is a great continent covered by ice and snow.' There Is no evidence of gold, silver, copper or iron, and Amundsen knows nothing of discoveries of coal. Even If there were, Amundsen says they would be "simply something to sigh over," for miners cannot live there and, even 1- they could, their product could not be brought to market. No material gain can be made from South Polar ex ploration, only, as Amundsen says, "additions to our present fund of sci entific knowledge." Having found the South Pole and learned its secrets, mankind has no object In ever again invading its icy solitudes. In addition to learning those secrets. South Polar exploration has done us one service it has proved that we still have among us men who can meet the supremest test. AN HONOR TO JANK ADDAMS. The Twilight Club of New York, if our information is correct, has per suaded 3000 "representative Ameri cans" to ballot on a proposed list of names of "most socially useful citi zens. Twelve were to be cnosen. i ne result of the voting Is curious. Both Mr. Taft and Mr. Bryan were candi dates for the honor of being called "most socially useful." but neither was successful, while Eugene Debs passed the test triumphantly. Another sur prising choice was J. P. Morgan. No doubt he wa3 admitted to the pantheon because he has imported so many pic. tures and articles of miscellaneous preciousness. We can Imagine no other reason unless being the head of the money trust is deemed socially useful. Still he once took a party of Episco palian bishops across the country in a private train, and that may have been the decisive fact. As might be expected, Jane Addams heads the list. Very likely she has done more to rouse the sense of .social Jus tice from its drowsy slumber under the Stars and Stripes than anybody else, and the beauty of her work has been ts serenity and gentleness. She has never sounded the trumpet before her self nor called upon adulating millions to sing her praises. Her profoundly Important activity has gone on quietly and perhaps has been all the more ef fective for that reason. Theodore Roosevelt stood next to Jane Addams in the voting. We can find no objection to thin. He has made as much noise as possible and the trumpet has never been silent while he was doing good, but that he has done good to an astonishing degree no Im partial person will deny. History will admit that he helped waken the moral sense of the American people from a sleep which resembled death too closely to be agreeable. If he had only known enough to seat himself mod estly on a throne of glory when his task was done and revel In the admira tion of his countrymen, what a career his would have been. He seems to have missed the highest wisdom by failing to see when his day was done. The list follows: Jane Addams. Theodore Roosevelt. Thomas A. Edison. Judge Ben Lindsay. Dr. Harvey W. Wiley. J. P. Morgan. Dr. Simon Flexner. Booker T. Washington. Helen Gould. Eugene V. Debs. Mrs. Russell Sage. The Rev. Anna Shaw. BRYAN AS SECRETARY" OF STATE. Appointment of Bryan as Secretary of State by Wilson is coming to be re garded as a foregone conclusion. Not withstanding Wilson's statement that he has not decided upon any member of his Cabinet and Bonn's contradic tion of the announcement that he has already accepted an invitation to take the office, Bryan's appointment Is con. sidered certain, because it Is the inevt able conclusion from the logic of the situation. Wilson has declared his pur pose to lead a progressive Administra tion on Democratic lines. Bryan has been for sixteen years the recognized leader of the progressive Democracy, and to him In that capacity Wilson owes his nomination and election. As such, he can bring to Wilson the largest, most devoted following en- Joyed by any individual politician In recent times. By appointing Bryan Wilson would be giving bond for his progressiveness in the shape of Bry an's presence at the head of his Cab inet. Were Bryan not In the Cabinet, his followers would be inclined to suspend judgment as to the reality of Wilson's progressiveness and would assume a critical attitude toward his policies. Having attached to himself the Bryan following, Wilson would be strongly entrenched for control of the party and for triumph over the con servative element. He is a rival of the radical Republicans and of Roosevel' for leadership of the progressive forces, and with Bryan as his chief lieutenant he would have a strong hand to draw to. The radical Repub licans, who expect to secure control oi their party, and the radical Democrats, headed by Wilson and Bryan, are each trying to win from the other and from Roosevelt more than enough progress ives to compensate for the conserva tives, whom they would each gladly lose to the other. Each regards the conservative element as its Jonah in elections. Doubt is expressed whether Bryan would for any length of time subordi nate himself to Wilson, whether the man who dictated -the platforms at Kansas City and Denver, at whose command delegates were unseated and who for years has been able to sway multitudes with his voice, could recon cile himself to be second In command. That depends on the character and motives chiefly of Bryan and Wilson1. Wilson has shown undoubted skill in winning men to his support, as when he induced the New Jersey Legisla ture, Republican in one branch, to pass his progressive measures. The main purposes of the two men are the same and they have every reason for agreeing on the methods by which they would carry out those purposes. A quarrel with Bryan would be fatal to Wilson's success. Bryan desires to disprove the charge that he is a mere agitator and demagogue, devoid of administrative capacity. By demon strating his constructive as well as de structive talents he can establish his claim on the Democracy as the logical successor of Wilson. The opinion that Wilson will not seek a second term Is sustained by Senator Martine's statement In the course of the debate on the single term amendment, that Wilson ap. proved the principle of the single-term plank in the Baltimore platform. Bryan is so fully committed to that principle that he could not consistently become a member of Wilson's Cabinet unless Wilson gave it his adhesion. Then with the progressive Democracy, whose idol Bryan is, in control of the Government and the party, Bryan as Wilson's Secretary of State would have good reason for doing good team work to make the Administration a success. -Wilson, having no rurther ambition than to do himself credit In his four years, would not dare to risk wrecking his Administration and splitting his party by a quarrel with Bryan. Bryan, knowing that the glory of success would accrue to him in only less degree than to Wilson, and would be his chief political asset in the cam paign of 1916, would not sacrifice the chance of risking his oft-deferred hope and perhaps of being the first six-year President. The two men's political fortunes are indissolubly bound together, and for no light cause would either attempt to sever them. WHAT IS LIFE? Discussion of the world-old question what life Is has received a new Im petus lately from Professor Jacques Loeb's volume of essays upon the sub- iect, and Dr. Schaefer's remarkable address before the British Association. Both these gentlemen take the ground that life Is nothing more than a series of chemical and physical reactions obedient in every particular to the law of the conservation of energy and ex pressible by mathematical equations. Their prestige is so great In the world of science that the vitalists, as those of the opposite opinion are called, have spoken rather timidly for the last few montha and yet they have spoken. Though their voices are lowered, they are not silenced and the belief is still stoutly. If modestly, maintained that life is more than mechanical activity and that there are features of it which cannot be explained by the laws of matter and motion. At least not by any laws which we are familiar with at present. Of course nobody pretends to know what matter Is. A dozen years ago scientific men were quite positive about It, but the consequences of the discovery of radium have taught them lessons of discretion and now they hold their peace when the question of fun damental realities comes up. Neither does anybody know what energy is. That it co-operates witn matter in some way to produce effects in the sensible world Is clear enough, but when that Is said we have Just about reached the end of our knowl edge. Nor does anybody know how many different kinds of energy there are. Not many years ago it was de clared pretty positively that there was a fixed number which we had investi gated so thoroughly that there was nothing more to learn about them. But in this field as well as others ex perience has inculcated modesty and scientific men now confess that there are probably Innumerable forms of energy of which they know nothing. Doubtless space is full of interwoven radiations to which all of our senses are sealed. Until we have solved the problems of this intricate domain it seems arrogant to attempt to say what life is. Even if all the operations of both body and brain should be reduced to mechanical principles and com pletely explained in that direction there still remains the mystery of con sciousness. Men like Dr. Schaefer are Inclined to minimize the importance of consciousness. They wave it airily aside as a product of bodily functions or some such thign. But to many minds, and those not the weakest ones by any means, consciousness appears to be the fundamental fact in the world. Nothing can explain it and it explains everything else. The experi mental scientist, who- says that matter and motion account for everything puts the cart before the horse. It is far more likely that consciousness ac counts for matter and motion. A champion of vitalism, or the the ory that life is an entity in itself, has arisen in Professor J. Arthur Thom son, of Aberdeen University. Writing on "The Hidden Secret of Life" in the London Quarterly Review. Professor Thomson says there is reason to be lieve that "no complete physico-chemical interpretation has yet been given of any simple vital function." We are told what happens when the food Is digested and the blood circulates and the tissues are oxygenated, but we are not told why it happens. Professor Thomson does not believe that we ever shall learn why things go on as they do in living beings by means of chemistry and physics. There is something which these sciences leave out of the reck oning. And if there is no complete explanation of the simple vital func Mons, much less Is there any of that federal republic -we call the body in which a great host of functions are co ordinated to common ends, each work ing in due subordination to the others and all guided in the same direction. Chemistry and physics do nothing of 'his sort. There is not a vestige of purpose in them. Things happen as they may in the world of mechanics and nobody cares. No director is present to see to It that their activity accomplishes one thing more than an other. But in the body, as Professor Thom son assures us, a director is present md events do not take place merely because the elements happen to be in conjunction. Of course the fact of the elements being situated thus and so Is Important. But it Is not all-important. A counselor is at hand to rectify mistakes and secure co-operation. This is so obvious that it Is marvelous to think of any observer overlooking it. Leave a mere chemico-physlcal con trivance to itself and at once it begins to fall in pieces. Leave a living body to itself and at once it begins to seek means to build itself up. The case of cVystais seems to be an exception to this principle. They seek to build themselves up Just like living bodies, it may be objected. Perhaps they do and perhaps not. Science does not under stand crystals yet, but there is no rea son to believe they know they are col lecting food, while an animal does, at least a higher animal. We cannot rid ourselves of the con viction that the primary fact in the world is consciousness. There are traces of it. though often very dim ones, in all living objects, and its pres ence differentiates them totally from the Inanimate. Those who try to ex plain consciousness by anything else begin at the wrong end of the problem The universal principle of explanation Is consciousness itself. Bergson takes this view of the matter, and in doing so he walks in the steps of the greatest thinkers who have ever lived. The Connecticut River dam bill would compel power companies to pay the Government rent, which the com panies would collect from the con sumer in Increased charges. The Borah amendment would exact no such rent from the companies and would prevent their collecting It from the consumer by empowering the Inter. state Commission to fix rates. Borah recognizes the obvious truth that such a tax would only nominally be Imposed on the power company, but would ac tually be paid by the consumer. He would prevent the companies from se curing the unearned increment and would give It to the people. Spring fashions for men as well as women are said to exhibit a certain gorgeousness. Parisian fops are wear ing hats in two colors with rainbow outbursts upon the waistcoat. The re turn of knee breeches and-shoe buckles Is predicted If the tide does not turn. Women attract attention by wearing belts and collars that go only halfway round. Fragments of styles twenty years old are mingled with the latest modes. Last year's coats are made over with new backs. The rage for novelty will apparently carry the gro tesque to the limit. One of the notable movements of the day is the formation of the Drama League, which has "chapters," or branches, in both New Tork and San Francisco. Its purpose is to teach theater-goers to Judge sensibly of plays and players. The ultimate ef fect of the league, it is hoped by the promoters, will be to discourage bad plays and help good ones to thrive through the box-office. It will censor the stage by public opinion, which is the only desirable way. The New York Stock Exchange has some excellent rules, but they need more rigid enforcement. Such is the one against speculation by persons in positions of trust. The average broker does not care where his customers got the money; all he cares about is get ting it into the game. The marriage of the Due de Riche lieu to Miss Wise differs from most matches of the kind in that the bride groom supplies both title and fortune and seems to be a reputable man into the bargain. Unhappily, such excep tions serve only to prove the rule. If the precedent set by Dr. Clark, of San Francisco, in fitting a monkey's shoulder with a Joint made of silver and diamonds should be followed, burglars may not be content until they have stolen men's arms and legs. District Attorney Whitman hit at the source of municipal corruption when he said that the people fail to 'do their duty at elections by seeing that hon est men are put in charge of the ma chinery of government. If it takes the State Department six months to answer Senator Jones' let ter about that Canadian fishery out rage, the twenty-first century may dawn before the American skipper gets redress. All that $300,000,000 McLean baby and his black running mate need is plenty of dirt to roll in; but, alas, a speck of dirt Is something they never will enjoy. Japanese are not imitators in everything. Here we throw mud at high officials, but the little brown men use rocks to bombard their Prime Min ister. The first wool of the season brings 20 cents, but it is of finer quality than usual, and the price is not to be taken as fixing the figure of the clip. Medical statistics reveal that there are fewer medical students now than ten years ago. There should be quite a falling off in the death rate. When will there be an end to con tests for Mrs. Eddy's fortune? They seem to be as interminable as the fa mous Jarndyce case. Mrs. Woodrow Wilson or Wilson Woodrow says her daughters are adept housekeepers. Must want to get them married off. James J. Jeffries has made a bet of $1400 that he will not touch liquor for a whole year. Must intend taking it in capsules. People who "discover" the North Pole fare better than those who find Its opposite. They get away alive, anyway. It Isn't right to be outspoken and frank, says Madame Bernhardt. Crit ics, for example. If Madero were to go to Spain, he might have an interesting reunion with Porfirio Diaz. It Is up to the Third Oregon to clean up its muskets and assemble a load of frijoles. The Turks are qualifying to win the Marathon race at the next Olympic games. Madero reports that the situation is well In hand. In whose hand? The trusted official who takes on an affinity is lost, soon or late. Barney O'Neil Is booked to Join the bankers' colony. CAUSES OF GAME DESTRUCTION Writer Lifts Blame From Concsr an Places It on Hunter. WINCHESTER, Or, Feb. 10. To the Editor.) Under the heading "Our Needs in Game Protection," occurs an article In The Oregonlan. January 2", by W. H. Prettyman, in which he dis cusses the rapid diminution. I have been a pretty close observer of the flora and fauna of the state for over 60 years, and. having spent much of the time where the opportunity for studying them was all that could be desired, I feel pretty well equipped to discourse on the subject, and, in the light of experience, let me say that Mr. Prettyman's assertion that "the crow destroys more upland birds than all the hunters combined In the Wil lamette Valley" is simply nonsense. Concerning the panther he discourses as follows: A single panther will average a deer for every four days the year round. Say six deer are killed every month, seventy-two deer every year for each panther in the state, and there are a thousand panthers In the state of Oregon. There are by that calculation "2, W0 deer destroyed every year by panthers alone, to say nothing of wolves and wild cats. Like our friend's asserti'-ns concerning the crow, these positive assertions are mere guesswork. I am just in receipt of a letter from a friend who kept sheep in a moun tainous, section about 30 miles south of this place, for a long series of years. He tells me that he found six sheep killed in one night by a single cougar, which was the greatest number he ever found, and, he adds, that gener ally there were not more than one or two. Concerning deer, he says: "I never found a deer that I knew to have been killed by panthers: don't think they kill nearly as many deer as many sup pose." I also have consulted a professional hunter and trapper on this subject, and he tells me that in all of his experi ence he has found only one carcass of a deer that he thought had been killed by a cougar; and, I will add, that, in all of my experience, where these ani mals, both deer and cougars were as numerous as they are anywhere, I have never found even the carcass of one deer that could by any possibility be charged to a cougar.- I am not, by any means, oblivious to the fact that the cougar Is a very un desirable citizen"; I am not aiming to shield him by any means, I only aim to show that in blood-thirstiness and capacity for destroying game he Is simply nowhere. In the early settlement of the state there were many times more cougars, crows In short, of all of the objec tionable animals mentioned in our friend's letter than there are at the present time, and yet the country teemed with game, many species of which one rarely if ever sees at the present time. I have chased cougars out of the dooryard, and, again, have seen my father shoot deer and grouse from the threshold. Then, why are conditions so changed? Are all of the destructive things above mentioned several times more de structive now than then? Evidently we shall have to seek for another cause a cause that did not exist before the advent of the white man with hl3 machine gun and Inordinate thirst for the blood of every innocent wild thing. Let us stop whining about crows an! cougars, and, after we have taken steps to render our game laws effective, then it will be time to turn our attention such things. F. M. SEBRi:G. HOXEST CRITICISM IS JUSTIFIED Mualcnl Reviewer Polnta Out Duty of Nennpnper Toward Artists. TACOMA, Wash., Feb. 9. (To the Editor.) May a musical reviewer of another city contribute a few lines concerning The editorial in The Ore- gonian, Saturday: "What Is a Critic For?" In agreeing most heartily with what this editorial had to say, I believe It might well be pointed out that If the West is to progress musically, there must be standards set, and those stan dards must be something other than the power of a great name and the record of past musical achievements that may only accentuate the decline of an artist. I believe the Western newspaper has a duty to perform in furthering musi cal enterprise. Those brave persons who undertake to bring famous musical lights to their cities are doing real public sen-ice .and should have all the aid the press can give them. But the boosting and the drumming up should be done before concerts, not after. No sensible criticism is going to make any sensible person sorry he attended a concert, nor lessen one whit any true enjoyment that person may have had. But it is calculated to cause them to think with more discrimination on musical subjects, and in doing so, will tend to do away with much of what may be termed the "slushing" over celebrities that so often amounts to a sort of maudlin hero-worship rather than genuine musical appreciation. We have too many "greatest" so pranos; too many "incomparable" vio linists; too many "supreme" pianists, for the words to ring true. Sometimes we have three of four of each variety in the same season. Surely it is no sacrilege to point out the very logical fact that, while all are very well worth hearing and all artists of the front rank, they are not equally "great," "supreme" and "Incomparable." Music can be beautiful without sentimental Ism, and true musical appreciation can be depended upon to develop in the Northwest much more rapidly and much more sanely when the compari tives are used in place of the superla tives, when a performer's art becomes "excellent" rather than "sublime," and when songs "please" rather than "thrill." OSCAR THOMPSON, Musical editor, Tacoma Ledger. Time to Intervene. PORTLAND, Feb. 11. (To the Edi tor.) In view of the fact that trouble again has broken out in Mexico, and seems to be- more serious than the numerous insurrections that have been taking place Intermittently ' for half a century, it is about time that some outside force should take a hand in the matter. There is an immense amount of English, German and American capital invested in various parts of Mexico. There are resident there many Ameri cans, Englishmen and Germans. These interests are entitled to protection. Inasmuch as there is not a too friendly relationship between Eng land and Germany, could it not be ar ranged that the United States, as a neutral nation, intervene and take possession of Mexico? Mutual pro tection to English and German inter ests could be guaranteed by the United States Government while, at the same time, we could forever put to an end to the guerilla warfare of our recalcit rant neighbors. With the forthcoming opening of the Panama Canal is it not the psychological moment for us to Intervene? C W. M. Divorce and Remarriage. PORTLAND, Feb. 10. (To the Edi tor.) Kindly inform me if divorced in Oregon, what states in the Union allow marriage before the six months are up. S. W. There is some question as to whether the laws of Oregon actually prohibit marriage before the expiration of six months after divorce. If it is the law, however, marriage in any other state within six months after divorce in Ore gon would not be legal. WOMEN AND THE MILLAGE BILL Way Federated Clubs Indorse Pro poned Legislation a Told. PORTLAND. Feb. 9. (To the Editor.) What the women of this state think of the matter of higher education is shown by their support of the mlllage bill for the University of Oregon. The bill now before the Legislature pro vides for the university the proceeds of a tax of three-tenths of a mill, or three cents on $100. In the minds of the mothers, ex cellent reasons exist for an adequate provision for the State University, and they have indicated this by their hearty indorsement of resolutions to that ef fect. Not only the women's clubs of Portland, but the whole body of fed erated clubs of the state have asked the Legislature to consider carefully the needs of the State University. From Southern Oregon, from Eastern Oregon, from Astoria, from the Willamette Val ley, women's rlubs and mothers' so cieties have sent in their indorsement. This is on the ground that they be lieve the State Cntverslty and the Agricultural College have distinctive missions in the life of the common wealth, and that both alike can enter into the practical affairs of the state. They see that the Oregon Agricultural College is training men and women for the best service in the agricultural and industrial interests of the state In providing material wealth. They see that the State University is training for an equally real service in the social and political Interests of the state in providing and putting into action ideas or social service and civic progres And women beleve that both sides of life, the material and the Ideal, are needed to make a desirable state. Furthermore, the mother side of women appears In their desire that the boys and girls of today shall have a better chance than the boys and girls of a generation ago. And perhaps not a little pride of state enters into her view of the situation of the State Uni versity. She does not like to hear that there are those who hold Oregon and the famous Oregon system in contempt because the State University has been crippled in its work nnd starved in its ambition to give efficient service to the state; and certainly she does not like to think that son or daughter of hers cannot within the home state find as good educational and scientific op portunities as the average provided by other states. The argument for a fixed source of Income, with all that it means In sta bility of policy. In freedom from ham pering anxiety, in security of execution. In efficiency - of service, appeals strongly to women who have learned In their household economics the dan gers of a precarious existence.- That is why they like the mlllage bill for the university. E. WOLD. SUGGESTIONS FOR NEW ROAD LAW Aid In Securing Materials Desired, but No Fat Jobs. YAMHILL, Or., Feb. 8. (To the Editor.) I wish to state briefly for the consideration of the Legislature, what I believe should be contained in a road law In order for it to be prac ticable and satisfy the public. In an article in The Oregonlan, February 5, Mr. George C. Mitty, I think, makes a wise suggestion. The first thing a mechanic does before beginning to build a house is to secure his materials. Some counties have secured rock quarries and gravel beds for supplying road materials and all of our counties have rock crush ers. With a small tax levy for state aid and with state and county convict labor the state could crush or furnish crushed rock for all the counties like California has been doing for several years. Then let the law provide that the counties may bond themselves to raise funds to put the rock on the roads: then organize our counties Into districts the size of our school districts and let the road laws provide that the road supervisors shall have authority to call on the residents for work in preparing road beds for such amount of crushed rock and gravel as they may be able to use each year, the County Court to designate what the grade shall be and how drained. I believe in home rule for th) counties as far as practical. Then the counties that are able will have the opportunity to go ahead and build hard surface roads if they want to, but counties in the Interior will be satis fied to get their roads lifted out of the mud for the present. That much ac complished, we can continue to Im prove the highways. Our road district last year built some miles of good road bed, but had no rock or gravel for the surface. Consequently the counts had to cross lay the roads to make them passable last Winter and until such time as they can cover them with rock and gravel. The Southern Pacific has been very iibaral In aiding road Improvement It carried crushed rock clear acrosB Washington County last Summer for 25 cents a ton. The trouble with our road agitators is that they make a mountain out of a molehill. The first thing they propose is the creation of some fat office at $4000 to $6000 a year. I will say here that if the Legislature passes a road law creating a big commission or pro viding for civil engineers the people will vote bonds down as fast as they are offered. Our County Court and our County Surveyor are all our county wants or needs. J. R. MAYS. . Copyright Lost. PORTLAND, Feb. 10. (To the Edi tor.) (1) Kindly inform me regarding the law on copyright, i. e., how many years does it last, and how often one may renew same? (2) Can some one use the same article, or a single sub ject, by Imitating It for his own, through replacing words, or mixing the wording, in the new work and se cure same by the same process of copy right, and what the responsibility against or for such Imitators? READER. 1. Original duration of a copyright is 28 years and it may be renewed for a like period. 2. Infringement of a copyrighted work cannot be copyrighted, but cre ates liability for Injunction and settle ment for actual damages or profits, or in lieu thereof payment of certain sums specified in the act. Wilful infringe ment with Intent to profit Is a misde meanor, punishable by imprisonment for not exceeding one year or by fine of $100 to $1000, or both. Uncle Sam'a Trade In Canada. Exports from the United States to Canada are now averaging $1,000,000 a day. Three years ago they averaged only half that sum. INFORMATION FOR CORRES PONDENTS. Communications intended for this page of The Oregonlan should not contain more than 250 words. The editor will use his discretion in cutting letters of longer length. Correspondents who prefer rejection of their manuscripts to having parts eliminated should bo state. The Oregonlan will not by mail supply addresses, statistics, data for debates or similar inforina- tion, ' Queries of general interest ! I will be answered when practi cable, but The Oregonlan win not undertake to place values on old coins or curios or give legal advice In detailed controversies. Legal inquiries should be con fined to general law points. Victorious in Death BY W. E. DE L. GIFFARD. All nations now unite to honor him. Who with his life's ambition gained, And on the threshold of eternal fume. Yet lost his life through fiercest ele ments. Which, warring a strife unending 'gainst the skill of man Defeated oft. at last have had hilr way And burled with their forces, snow and wind. And icy blast and awful cold. Their oft time conqtierer, a man. He fought them from a pristine love of fight. He fought them not to win mere mundane gain; He sought to find a most elusive spot. And sought therewith at best elusive fame. Not for himself alone, nor even first. But for the country which he great ly loved. And which for that dear love now mourns his loss A nation deep bereft. Often he fought and many times he won But Nature ever yet did have her way So, biding her time, she culled her veterans forth, for one last stand, And In a mighty blizzard, over whelmed A man. the flag of victory In his grasp. Half a Century Ao From The Oregonlan of February 1 1. 18rt3. Two subscription schools have been opened at Walla Walla, with Misses Brattain and McAlexander as teachers. Mr. A. H. Robie, the pioneer sawmill man of the upper country. Is having one of his mills brought down from Lewlston. and intends to take it over to the Boiso mines so soon as teams can cross the mountains. Cairo. Jan. 30. A Vicksburg corre spondent of the Jackson Appeal anti cipates that tiie next movement by Grant's army against Vicksburg will be made by marching around through the interior of the state and attacking' In the rear. Salt Lake City, Feb. 1. Colonel Con nor's command had a desperate battle with the Indians on Bear River, 150 miles north of here, killing 224, and many are supposed to be drowned. They also took lTf prisoners, destroyed the lodges, provisions, etc. Forty-eight hours of snowy weather has produced a state of the tempera ture where the. snow ceases to melt. At the hour of going to press the snow was near a foot deep and still falling. Twenty-five Years Ago From The Oregonlan of February 11. 18SS. Washington, Feb. 10. C. P. Hunting ton, vice-president of the Central Pa cific Railroad, appeared today before the House committee on Pacific rail roads to give his views upon pending legislation touching those roads. New York, Feb. 10. John A. Benson, the surveyor, who is wanted in San Francisco to answer charges of con spiracy to defraud the Government by fraudulent land surveys, arrived in this city today in company with United States Marshal Franks, of the Califor nia district. San Francisco, Feb. 10. Robert J. Burdette, the humorist, arrived in this city from the East today. George M. Lloyd has been appointed mall clerk between Helena and Portland to suc ceed D. S. Temple, resigned. Additional letters are submitted to the public In refutation of the fabricat ed statements printed here as to Pro fessor Rigier's conduct and reputation in Walla Walia, Mr. D. B. Fleck, of Lents, and Miss Martha Armstrong, of Jacksonville, were married last week. Yesterday B. Goldsmith sold 206,000 shares of Sierra Nevada mining stock at 25 cents a share to a syndicate com posed of V. B. De Lashmutt. C. W. Knowles, N. B. Oatman and John Dav enport. M. B. Goodkindand H. P. McGuIre have disposed of their respective In terests In the Sunday Star to Eugene L. Thorpe. On the block bounded by Sixteenth and Seventeenth, G and H streets is & small lake on which small boys delight to paddle their own canoes and rafts. The Stephens property, consisting of ' 22 blocks In East Portland, situated south of the Jefferson-street ferry, was sold yesterday to Richard Clinton, of the Tivoll, and George W. McCoy, the, printer, for the snug sum of $50,000. The sale was effected by Buchtel &. Mall. A fine lot of canvasback ducks were received here yesterday. An immense lot of smelt came in on the train from Kalama yesterday. The fame of the great painting of the battle of Gettysburg, on exhibition in Portland, Is getting abroad through out the Northwest. Seattle, Feb. ' 10. Mrs.' Sarah Denny, stepmother of A. A. and D. T. Denny, died this morning. She was the second wife of Hon. John Denny. She came to the Pacific Coast with the Immigration of 1857, and settled, with her husband, in Marion County, Oregon. SEA GULL IS A WISE OLD BIRD Observer Telia How Birds Seem to Demonatrate Reasoning; Power. PORTLAND. Feb. 10. (To the Edi tor.) With reference to The Orego nlon's remarks on animal training, etc., I indorse them throughly. It is absolute cruelty to animals most of It so far as I could ever see. I see that you say the pig has the most constructive brain of all our four footed friends. I think in leaving out our brethren of the air that you do them some little wrong. I have been working down on tho shore for the past three months and have been constantly tickled by our friends the gulls. Talk about reason! They use It ail the time. I gave an old gull a bone, he found It very de lectable to pick, but it wanted soften ing, so he trotted down to the water's edge and dropped the bone into about four inches of water. I saw them often after that burying bones on the edge of the bay and have seen them pulling out their treasure and trying results. I thoroughly believe that many a word In our language is taken from the cry of bird and beasts. Durlnar my stay near a little smooth water arm of the bay, a lone black duck used often to come and see what the fuss was all about. Some fool shot It one morning. la the afternoon the gulls, finding all quiet and safe, sat on the piles as usual. But where was brother black duck? One old gull kept mimicking, "quack, quack, quack,'' evidently ruminating that quack was there somewhere. When the gulls kill. If the prey is large, they need assistance, hence their cry of "here, here." When they ora fairly fed and resting some old one will protest, saying "work, work." No doubt Insinuating that some one ought to be doing something. Believe me, among the beasts of the field and the birds of the air there are few wiser than the common gull. E. B. CLARKE. Measure of a Man. Washington (D. C.) Star. "I don't object to a man tellin" all he knows," eaid Uncle Eben, "If he sure enough an' honestly knows all he tells."