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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (April 28, 1913)
THE MORNING OREGOXIAN, MONDAY. APRIL 23, 1913. G PORTLAND, OREGON. Entered at Portland. Orasoa. poatoatoe at fcond-cut matlar. suDacrlpuaa Kata Invariably la Advanea 10 X Dally. Sanaay Included, on rr ......,-! Lalljr, Sunday Inoiudad. tnraa ntoatha.. Z. lai.)r, Sunday Includad. ona monla lawy. without Sunday, ana yar ...... Lai.y. without Sunday, six monina -- 1-any. witr.out Sunday, ium moniaa - Laiiy. aitnoui aunday. one moo in -J? wwaiy. tot J w .....-" aunday. ana yar. ........... ? aunday and Weakly, ana year... (BY CARRIER) Pally. Sunday included, ona yaar...... 11 oar ta neout mdo poetoutcv dr. express order or paraonai cheea on T" locai bank, stamps, cam or currency are at llta senders riaa. Ula poatomoe lull, inc.uding county and elate. .. Postage Rates Tan lo 14 paaee. 1 eeni. 1 ta i pasaa. 2 caota; i to et ..n.- jn i an uiu a cants. Jtoraixa poeiafe. doubla rata. UtMfi Bualoeaa utTlecs Varroa a. Coos II n. New To Brunawie bulletins, tat cao. atesor ouua.ni. , . San rnacun Cm loa R. J. Bldwall t. TU Xtrut etreeU . European OUUre No. Regent atraat W.. LuCddD. PORTLAND. MONDAY. APRIL, to, Wis. OLXTT JOINS ISSUE WITH ROOT The mot powerful Intellect arrayed rains t exemption of coastwise ships from Panama Canal tolls Is now matched with one of equal power. Senator Root has taken the lead In opposition to the provision In ques tion, but he Is now opposed by Klcn- arA ftlnar. who was the test brains of both Cleveland Cabinets, first as Attorney-General, later as oecremry of State, In which latter capacity he wrote the dispatches on tne lamous Venezuelan boundary dispute. Vnt nr.lv does Mr. Olnev UDhold the r'trht of the United States to exempt coastwise vessels from payment of tolls, but he talces a most aavancea rrnaitfnn Fifmntlon has been defend ed on the ground that, foreign vessels being excluded irom our coastwise trade, the pledge of equal treatment to ships of all nations contained in the Hay-Pauncefote treaty U not thereby violated. Mr. Olney goes further. He maintains that, the United States be ing the owner of the canal, other na tions will be our customers In Its use and the equal treatment clause is In tended only to guarantee equal treat ment to our customers. He holds that we are free to allow the use of our own canal by our own ships on any term we please. Under his In. terpretlng of the treaty we could also exempt from tolls American ships in foreign trade. To deny us this right, he contend would be to deny us the rights of ownership. It may be said, in objection to Mr. OIney's construction of the treaty, that If this had been the intent, the clause "would have read "all nations other than the United State" or "all other nations" instead of simply "all nations." But If the framera of the treaty had clearly In mind that appli cation they may have considered their meaning accurately enough expressed. The correspondence leading up to the signing of the treaty would answer this question. Mr. OIney's expression of opinion Is important because it will impress on the minds of the opponents of exemp tion the fact that they have not things all their own way. They have rather arrogantly assumed that there was no room for argument: that all who fa vored exemption were advocates of brazen violation of the treaty: and that the only honorable course open to us was to repeal the exemption clause of the canal law. When a man of such standing as Mr, Olney takes bsue with Senator Root, the people will realize that there are really two sides to the question and they will not countenance a meek surrender to Great Britain. U.OX or HEALTHY PANAMA. As the Pan Francisco Fair of 1915 is to be held in celebration of the opening of the Panama Canal, It is most fitting that the means by which that great achievement was made pos sible should be the subject of special . exhibits. The most Important of these means was sanitation. Had not the . United States begun by making the isthmus habitable, by safeguarding the life and health of those employed In construction, our attempt to dig the canal would either have been 'as gigantic a fiasco as was that of the French, or the cost In lives, money - and time would have been vastly In- creased by the twin scourges yellow fever and malaria. We might have had perfect plans, the best engineering skill, the most thorough organiza tion and best plant, but disease might have paralyzed all our efforts. Had the French begun, as we did, by prac tically exterminating disease, they might have succeeded, notwlthstand ing their extravagance and grafting and their less efficient equipment. In June. 1905, there were sixty-two cases of yellow fever on the isthmus; in December, 1905, there was only one. In the whole year 1906 there was but one case, and since that year there has not been a single case. Tel low fever haa been literally extermi nated. In 1906 the number of pa tients per month treated for malaria Id aha hospitals was 6.83 per cent of the working force: In 1911 is was only 1.83 per cent. The number of deaths from that cause decreased from 233 In 1906 to forty-seven In 1911 and the isthmus Is now practically free from the disease. A high standard of health has been maintained by care ful sanitation, comfortable quarters, wholesome food and recreation. It has cost money to make the Isth mus healthy, for the total appropria tions for the department of sanitation in eight years have been $12,900,000. The health department employs 1400 persons. But had expenditure on san itation been stinted, great sums miut have been spent In tending the sick, burying the dead and bringing In re cruits to the construction force. The best type of workman would have fceen repelled, and higher wages would have been paid to Induce men to take the risks of disease and death. Effi ciency of the employes would have been Impaired and constant changes among the men would have prevented their acquiring the skill necessary to work the construction plan to Its ca pacity. The cost of construction might easily have been increased by ten times the cost of sanitation and the time consumed might have been ex tended several years. The expendi ture of that S 12,900.000 Was undoubt edly the highest economy. A complete exhibit of the means by which Colonel Gorgas won his tri umph over disease will equip visitors to the San Francisco fair for apply ing in every state and country of the - lessons his work teaches. We have ". learned at Panama that money spent " In preserving health not only saves " many times Its amount, but conserves Ithe must valuable of all resourc hmn 1 1 fa an4 nnmrsrv Wa Shall then be less niggardly In apprprlations for tne neaitn departments oi city, ii.s unrl Vatlnn Th medical Drofession everywhere will advance, as it has done at Panama, rrom neanng hie Individual sick man to removing the causes of disease. In a large sense, tha hoallnn. nf tha individual is but treatment of symptoms; in order to treat the disease we must see out and destroy Its cause, as did Colonel Gorgas. The work of the physician will thus develop Into prevention, not cure, or sicxness. Sanitation Is intimately associated with that of development of the waste places of this country, in fact of all countries. As disease has been one i .hir inriut nf rleiav In con structing the Panama Canal, so drain ing of the swamp lands may prove a ton tnvarda eliminating other af flictions. The swamps, which have produced nothing but malaria and wild beasts, would when drained pro duce food in abundance. The great valleys and "deltas of the Mississippi, the Amazon, the Orinoco and other rivers would multiply their products manifold and become homes of h.nlihv honnv nrnsnerotla millions. Colonel Gorgas has pointed the way to subjugation or tne waste places oi the earth. INVESTIGATE THE LAND OFFICE. The plan of the Oregon Conserva tion Commission to Investigate cases of injustice to settlers by the reserva tionlsta who interpret the laws In such a manner as to obstruct Instead of aid development is' eminently, practical. The gentlemen who, as special agents and forest rangers, have Investigated the claims of settiers should them selves be investigated. Their charges nf fraud anil evasion should be sub jected to the acid test of inquiry on the ground. The ranger who grans a choice piece of farm land in a National forest and who harries a prospector should be run to earth. Let us have a showdown in this con servation business. We have been rim 'In y In aen erallties long enough. If the Oregon Commission will take up a few typical, specific Instances ana fteht them out before the Land Office and the Secretary of the Interior, It may force the bureaucrats to reiax their strangle hold on development. In Mr. Lane we have a new Secre tin nhn knows the West. The Ore gon Commission by taking up a few test cases may obtain from him de cisions reversing his subordinates and putting them on the right track. If he should show an Inclination to stand hv them, the cases might be taken to the court. If then the fault should k. fniinri m lla In the law. not in its administration, we shall know what changes to ask of Congress. The task of undoing tne wrong which la helnr done is too great to be undertaken by one settler, unaided. The whole state is Interested, for the development of the whole state ia re tarded -by present Land Office prac tices. CHARTER FORMA AND BRAINS. The essential features of the form taken by commlsison charters in gen eral have been correctly enumerated by Mr. Mahaffie in a communication published elsewhere today. They are union of the legislative and executive powers, the focusing of responsibility, the concentration of power and the se curing of greater publicity. But these factors In themselves will not make good government. It 1 true, no doubt, that a sense of responsibility is awak ened even In the Indifferent official when he la given the larger authority and subjected to the greater publicity that attend commission government. The same elements may keep the mor ally weak man straight. But they will not correct mediocre ability. If this were true In municipal gov ernment it would be true in the man agement of private affairs. There would be no occasion for railroad com panies to comb the country for capa ble traffic managers or superintend ents of operation, or for the large mercantile establishments to outbid each other for department heads. Brains are Just as essential to success in conducting municipal affairs as in private endeavor. Success of commls. sion government will not cannot be assured by mere adoption of the essen tials of form, such as concentration of responsibility, publicity and union of executive and legislative powers. The charter must make the securing of capable officials reasonably certain or its mission will fail. There ia serious question as to whether the preferential plan of se lecting Mayor and Commissioners pro vided In the proposed Portland cnar ter gives that assurance. The prefer ential plan has not been adopted largely by cities that have gone over to the commission form. Where It has, the testimony favorable to Its worth has come largely from benefi ciaries of the system. Moreover, as the National short ballot organization points out, the granting of higher sal ary and greater emoluments of power to the Mayor are likely to focus elec tion interest on the candidates for that office, to the detriment of good selec tions for the remainder of the com mission. The complications of the preferen tial system and the prospective apathy toward the capacities of the other offi cials do not give certain promise that the charter. If adopted, will accom plish all that Is hoped from commis sion government. Whether It Is better to accept the proposed charter with the Idea of correcting Its defects later, or defeat It with the plan In view of submitting a better one In the near future, may well be earnestly and thoughtfully considered. THE LUCK IN BASEBALL. In the parlance of the "fans", and "bugs," the Portland baseball club, yclept the Beavers, is "in the cellar," and alone in the cellar at that. Less than two weeks ago, when the club re. turned from its training and opening series in the south, the loyal lovers of the game gave the players a welcome such as few clubs ever received, and at the oponlng game nearly 18.000 people turned out to see the 1913 ag gregation do battle with the Los An geles club, while at least 2000 were unable to gain admission to the grounds and had to return to their homes or places of business with their desires unsatisfied. These facts are stated to show what a hold the game has upon the popu lace and how loyal we are to the home team. The leaders In the opening ceremonies believed, as most people believe, that nothing assists the play ers like loyal support, and surely the Portland people started off right. But for some reason the playing of the team has been of mediocre qual ity. What Is the matter with the club? That is the question Manager McCredie and President McCredie have propounded to themselves a mil lion times, more or less. In the past two weeks, but they have no answer there 1 no answer. The boys simply have not been able to put up the game their talents Justify us to expect of them the sort of ball they are able to play and try to play. Nobody, mana gers or attendants at the games, ac cuses any one of them of trying to do anything but the very best in him, but they don't play winning ball. There are six clubs In the Coast League, five in California and the Beavers here. Each club has a man ager and an owner or owners. Each manager undoubtedly endeavors each season to have the best club in the league, for the reason that it makes a difference In the season's receipts of perhaps $50,000 whether a club re poses in the cellar or roosts at the top of the first division. Hence perhaps today the Portland owners would pay any man or any set of men a good many thousand dollars if they could put the Beavers into a winning streak to run the season out and land them on top. They would undoubtedly pay a large sum to any one who will tell them how they can strengthen the club and keep it as one of the first three, or, as we say, in the first di vision. There is one thing that will not ac complish this, and that Is for the patrons the "bugs" and the "fans" continually to knock the players and find fault with the management. Such a course will augment and not lessen the quality of ball the team is now playing. The best thing we can do Is to stand by the club and by the man agement, to await with patience the day when the "hoodoo," or the "Jinx," or whatever It Is that Is at the bottom of the trouble, is laid, and then the players will give us the sort of ball we want the sort of ball that is in them. We have one of the best teams we ever had, and they will almost assuredly round into form perhaps the com ing series will show us the end of their slump and the beginning of their rise. SPREADING GLOOM. Very likely we shall one day have In our midst a bureau of household research. .It may await the perfection of all municipal governments, but there certainly should be hope that when the larger dangers that menace us unawares are corrected the counsel of some distinguished expert will help us mend the smaller affairs of every' day life. When that happy time arrive the head of the family may hear that there la waste in his household expenditures; that his wife can't cook a respectable neal; that the babies are not properly fed; that the pictures are hung wrong: that the draperies don't match the floor coverings; that the house is Illy ventilated; that the cellar drain is a menace to health: that there is ar senic in the wall paper; that the roof is sure to cave in if an aviator falls on it. and that the only relief will be found In getting another helpmeet and building a new home. Even at that we doubt If the gloom spread throughout the community will exceed that which Is now Justified In Portland as result of the criticisms of the New York Bureau of Municipal Research. It appears that every branch of city government so far investigated has something radically wrong with it. from the police department to the dog pound, and that it Is only by the grace of God that the citizens are alive and able to pay taxes. There Is but one comfort left and that is that the same bureau has dis covered a long list of evils and short comings In other communities. Its services. It seems, have been in wide demand and it is said to be an author ity on efficiency. tVe doubt not that the bureau has offered some valuable suggestions for reforms in municipal departments and activities wherever It has conducted Investigations. Still it seems that the bureau might enlarge its own efficiency by conducting sur veys only at such time as Its reports are not likely to be suspected of polit ical coloring. Whatever good has been offered In Portland will be subject to political discount. Moreover, the tone of the reports In hypercritical. We yearn for a single good word about some branch of the city's government. We Imagine that the householder whom our fancy called Into being In the be ginning of this article would become resentful. That, it may be feared, is the feeling that is growing among the citizens of Portland. DETUNE OF STEAMBOAT TRAFFIC It is well known that fifty or sixty years ago a flourishing steamboat traffic developed on the Columbia River above The Dalles. The impedi ments in the stream were at serious then as now, of course, but pioneer en. terprise and courage overcame them and boats penetrated far into the coun try along the Columbia and Snake Rivers. The immediate stimulus to this business was the opening up of mines in the Inland Empire. The pla cer diggings, which began to be im portant toward 1855, attracted adven turers from all parts of the country. Towns sprang up rapidly in the sage brush desert. The wilds of Idaho, Eastern Oregon and Washington swarmed with daring prospectors. These men had to be fed and the primitive methods of carrying supplies to them were Incredibly expensive. The batteaux and sailing schooners which piled on the Upper Columbia before the steamboats charged $105 a ton for freight from Deschutes to Wal lula. Rates could not have been less by the wagons which traversed the desert In endless trains, carrying tools, building material and food to the mln. ing camps. When the "Captain Wright," the first steamer on the up per river, began to make regular trips the charge for freight from Deschutes to Wallula fell at once to $80 a ton, which was thought to be extraordinar ily cheap. The Oregonlan has heretofore men tioned an account of the Captain Wright written by Mrs. Lucy D. Cran. dall, of The Dalles. Her paper was prepared for the fourth annual con vention of the Columbia and Snake Rivers Waterways Asosclatlon. The material from which her Interesting paper was compiled appeared in the Overland Monthly during the year 1886 from the pen of Lawrence W. Coe, who, with Captain R. R. Thomp son, built the steamer Captain Wright at tha mouth of the Deschutes River in the Spring of 1859. The boat was commanded by Captain Lon White, who was the first steamboat man to navigate the upper rivers and who re ceived for his skill and daring the sal ary of $500 a month. Coe and Thomp son could well afford to pay him this, or even a larger sum, for the records which Mrs. Crandall quotes show that their business was remunerative. The trip of March 7, 1862, brought them In $2625. That for March 29, $2446. We gather from these dates that the boat made her round trip once In about three weeks. Beside the perils of rocks and rapids incidental ex penses were heavy. Wood, for exam ple, cost $10 a cord. The Captain Wright on her trial trip burned drift wood, and to provide for emergencies enough was piled on deck to serve for the entire distance she was to 'go. Better arrangements were made after ward. So much fuel nearly filled the available space on the boat and left little room for goods. In 1859, when the Captain Wright was launched, there were only scat tering white settlers east of the moun tains. The placer diggings had at tracted the wandering army who seek gold wherever it Is to be found, but farms and dwellings were few and far between. The needs of the traveling miners as well as the emigrants had caused ferries to be erected here and there. One was in service at the mouth of the Deschutes when the Cap tain Wright made her first trip, but it soon disappeared. There was another, run by cable, at Palouse. The boat broke the cable as she went upstream and it never was mended, at least not until navigation declined. The passen gers saw plenty of horse Indians along the river banks and on both sides there were trails swarming with min ers on the way to the new diggings with their worldly wealth on their backs. But of settled civilization there was hardly a beginning. The real growth of the Inland Empire be gan with the cultivation of wheat and the construction of irrigation works. As soon as the Columbia was paral leled by a railroad, steam navigation on that stream suffered the same" fate as on the Mississippi and the Missouri. It In large part disappeared. The Coe and Thompson company was merged with the Oregon Railway & Naviga tion Company and the paddle wheel gave way to the locomotive. The financial difficulties that beset upper river transportation have been forcibly brought to attention within the few recent months. It is, of course, an error to explain the decline of steamboat transporta tion on the upper river by the difficul ties of the navigation. As long as there was sufficient Incentive to keep traffic going it throve In spite of obstacles. Captain Lon White had troubles in abundance with the rapids which beset the current of the Columbia, but he overcame them all and made many a profitable trip with great quantities of goods on board. But the time came when the railroad could do the busi ness more cheaply and rapidly. We have seen the same drama enacted on all our inland waterways. But the country is now beginning to under stand that it was a serious blunder to let the waterways fall into disuse. Slow and ponderous freight can be transported by boat far more cheaply than by train. There was not much freight of that kind In the early days, but now there is a great deal, so much, indeed, that experts tell us it surpasses the carrying capacity of any possible railroad system and we must resort to the waterways again or content our selves with a diminished production. This is one of the reasons for the cur rent agitation of the river Improve ment question. An old-fashioned medicine, adminls. tered with a slipper, might prove bene ficial to Miss Romona Borden. Then give her some work to do and she will not need to "recuperate from physi cal and nervous strain" at a sanitar ium. After only seven weeks in office, President Wilson needs absolute rest. If that la the case after only the pre liminaries of the tariff struggle, how will he stand the strain of all the other problems which are crowding for solu tion? "Let the Republicans nominate their best man, the Democrats theirs and the Progressives theirs. Then vote for the best man of the three,". says ex Senator Bailey. That means Bailey, of course. New York hung on to its primitive horsecar long after that mode of loco motion was discarded by Albany, Or., but now the Gotham horse Is super seded by the storage battery. . A big apple crop Is predicted; a big prune crop Is predicted; but the meek and lowly potato seems to be despised. Yet what is life without the "spud"? Organization of a State Woman's Republican Alliance is a hopeful sign of redemption of the party from the evils that have overcome it. Jf the Reichstag continues to cut the German army appropriations, cessa tion of armament may come without aid from Secretary Bryan. Dr. Friedmann's press agent should get a large share of that $2,250,000 he Is to receive for hi consumption serum. The Portland man who thinks he ran skin 'em in a DOker game In a country town invariably is "skun." China hasn't objected yet in the anti-alien matter. Will we hear her when she does, do you Imagine? A usual, Austria asks the other powers to back her in her despicable work against Montenegro. Judging by the output of .April showers the crop of May flowers should be a bumper one. Beating the Insurance companies is a time-honored game a little too heavy for the ordinary rascal. A nrlze nf $10,000 is offered for the best American opera. We suspect the pen and ink trust. A tariff school 1 proposed. What's the matter with the long, hard school of experience? Will Carleton died poor, which was appropriate, for he wrote poetry for poor folk. Having been thoroughly advertised, the Frledmann cure will be commer cialized. Troubles of the fat man increase. The waist line in apparel is to be re vtved. The cubist doll will displace the Teddy bear and other monstrosities. The doings at Sacramento today will hold the world's Interest. Who knows but Portland will pro duce the white hope? TRADES SCHOOL DOING GOOD WORK Mr. Hart Commends System to Atten tion of Parents. PORTLAND, April 26. (To the Edi tor.) Having visited the Portland Trades School and enjoyed many cour tesies shown me by Principal Brandon, members of the faculty and students of the school, I feel that I should express my appreciation of the splendid work the school is accomplishing. The marked improvement of the trades school system over the old-fashioned apprenticeship system is one of the striking features of the work the school accomplishes. The fact that the boys and girls are taught step by step and master each detail as it is present ed should appeal to employers who are looking forward to the day when these boys and girls are ready for their life work. The fact that these boys and girls are taught to think for them selves, and not to become mere ma chines, is a marked step -forward. A feature of the work which appeals to me is the opportunity for the boy or girl to show in what line the tal ents of either lie. The trades school gives the child an excellent opportunity to decide this question in a manner which does not tend to make the work being done seem irksome or unpleasant. Watching the children work and ob serving the results of the work has demonstrated to me that the system is eminently practical. The fact that the girls make their own dresses ana are dressed as well as any other girls while learning dressmaking, thus saving their parents expense. Is a splendid example of what is being accompnsnea, Another feature which should appeal strongly to the average man or woman is the resnect which the trades school teaches children for work done with the hands. In school the children are kept Interested In useful tasks and away from the streets and mischief. Af ter graduation they are prepared for the strusrcrle of the world and tne rec ords show that they are meeting this struggle in a noteworthy manner. The boys who graduate are being employee at once in positions of responsibility in architects' offices, machine, elec trical and plumbing shops and on con struction work of all kinds. With the girls the training is along another line. They are being prepared for the best possible position that of the homemaker. I have enjoyed meals prepared by young girls at the school which would do credit to any home In Portland. I have seen hats made by the same girls which would look fit in any shOD. and dresses as well made as any. These girls are ready when they have completed their training to make their way alone in the world, but trey are even better fitted to become the wives of the bovs when the latter have taken their places in the world and to be come the mothers of future generations. The fact that the boys have fash ioned steam and easoline engines, eiec trlcal apparatus, tools, furniture and countless other things which are prac tical is to me one of the best possible arguments for furthering the work of the school and 1 nope everyone inter ested in the upbuilding of our school system will Join me in lending every possible assistance in furthering the work which tne institution is accom plishing. D. V. HART. Commissioner of Multnomah County. COMMISSION GOVERNMENT DEFINED Writer Insists Proposed Charter Varle From Standard Only In Details. PORTLAND, April 26. (To the Ed ltor.) Some people remark: "I am li .. .. .. S ....m . I ..I a., rmxraynmant hilt am opposed to the kind of commission government in tne proposea cnarter. and is so unexpected that it seems to deserve some comment or c&iijnuaLiuii. Y . tl.n t nni-unn whn malcpR J. I Dll t J I'J I " fsw.w., ...... . i- t. i.i i. Bn..l,lnM wlthnnt lite reuiui ik, ciuici 10 ulm-..... .. . . . thinking or else does not know what CfiiliiUBaiun Buveiiiiiiciit as. ipki. i I . . h. m.A.tlnn TtThnt In commission government? As one who is a student oi government ana raw I cau nils . a sion-governed cities. I wish to bring out a point Desring on tiua qucatiuu. Irrespective of whether the charter ought to be adopted or not, I do not believe that it can be honestly main tained that the comm'sslon government provided for in the proposed charter Is not genuine commission government. Students of government admit that V. ..aAn.al faghlr.1 Ctf fn m TT1 1 Itsi O Tl government are union of the executive and legislative powers the focusing of responsiuiitiy, itic tuuii l, power, the securing of greater pub licity. City governments that attain this "end through the medium of the small board are said to possess the commission form of government. Ac cording to the latest estimates, there are 269 cities that have the commission form of city government Now, the inter esting thing to observe is that the charters of these cities are not alike In details. Some have preferential vot ing and some do not. Some require the Mayor to assign the commissioners to departments, some permit the commis sion as a whole to decide, and some elect each commissioner to a particular department. Some cities as. for in stance, Houston, Texas, give their iuayors very great, puwni , si cmci wu poied charter for Portland. But while the charters or tnese commission cmea ... 1 AA.ntl li n.r ,aefa th& OHG(.n vol y in UCMIl, L - J ,1 ........ .J . . tlal features which I have enumerated at the beginning oi mis paragrapn. The possession of these common fea tures then determines what commission government is. Furthermore, these features are essential, because they are possessed by the 269 commission - gov erned cities in each one of which com mission government has proved suc cessful. Also they vary from city to city. The proposed charter for Portland puosv.a.a . . . v. . .j.j. .. .... . . . mon to the commission form, while, of necessity. Its details vary. iiiereture, one can hardly logically support com mission government and be opposed to the kind of commission government in the proposed charter. CHARLES W. MAHAFFIE. CAMPAIGN TACTICS ARE DISLIKED Mrs. Dnnlwny Objects to Use of Hasty Note In Behalf of Charter. PORTLAND. Or., April 26. (To the Editor.) Several weeks ago, in com pliance with the request of many wom en voters, I sent a hasty note to The Oregonlan, In which, while favoring the idea of a commission charter, as I then understood it, I mentioned, Incidentally, also in answer to questions, that "Mr. Rushlight had made a good Mayor; and as I had never heard of . his having Joined an organization to oppose the enfranchisement of women, .he seemed to be worthy of re-election," or words to that effect. I quote from memory, as I did not preserve the printed note. I now learn from numerous sources that Mr. Rushlight's campaign managers are busily circulating copies of said note in advancing of Mr. Rushlight's candidacy, and, of course of the com mission charter, which, to my surprise, I could not approve in its present form, after I had seen it printed in full in The Oregonlan. Again, in compliance with many re quests from women voters, I have been answering questions, in wnicn I nave endeavored to exhibit urgent reasons for opposing the nostrum concocted for us by political Jobbers, of which I have learned upon investigation, that Mr. Rushlight was the leading mixologist. But I have not before said so, nor would I say it now if my little note aforesaid was not being used to advance the elec tion of a candidate, and Incidentally the adoption of a charter which the new voters are told to swallow at a gulp. Women voters are not opposing Mr. Rushlight, so far as I know, but they do object to taking the medicine he is offering as the city's cure-all. ABIGAIL SCOTT DUNIWAY. 1 COURT RULING ON LIABILITY LAW Building Trades Committee Gives Work men's View of Effect. PORTLAND, April 26. (To the Ed itor.) In The Oregonlan recently there was an article by the secretary of the Builders' Exchange. The writer raves about the contractors being innocent victims and states it is also assured that the passage of the workman's compensation act, coupled with the Su preme Court decision, will remove the bad features of the employers' liability law. The contractors feel that the fangs have been pulled from the dread employers' liability act, and are "satis fied that the workmen have been robbed of that feeling of security which the liability law gave them." We believe that the Supreme Court gave an Intemperate decision when they held that the second "and" should read "or." We believe it was their duty to right a wrong and not wrong a right. They should have read the first "or" as "and," but not pushed aside the second word "and" to make it read "or." They would then have lis tened to the voice of the plain people. The greatest power In a state is the law-making power. Their voice is not the voice of a child to Its father, but rather the voice of a master to its servant. But those who have fattened so long at the trough of privilege that they have come to believe that they have ac quired vested rights as recipients of judicial and governmental favor obey a human, although not a noble instinct, in looking with Jealousy and avarice upon the approach of the workmen who seek political equality. It is an odious form of government under which the strong are exalted at the expense of the weak. The state which protects the weak against the strong is fulfilling one of its most sacred and fundamental functions, founded upon the theoretical assumption of equality, and makes the theory an actuality. We liken the writer of the article to a host who invites all the Inhabitants of a state as guests to share the com mon bounty of nature ample for all. It would obviously be indecorous for the host to show favor on the occasion or prefer one guest or one class over an other, but it may reasonably be anti cipated that soma of these guests will be aggressively gluttonous or rapa cious, disposed by their superior strength, or mental cunning, not only to devour their own poryon, but to seize and pocket the share of a neigh bor, perhaps on some claim of superior prudence or special capacity to act as trustee for the despoiled. However ah horrent the idea of policing the feast may seem, especially to thoae who have predatory instincts and purposes, the host may decide that it is an essen tial feature of his hospitality, and It would be unseemly that some should go away with hunger satisfied and full pockets, while others are hungry and starving. Yes, that decision was an a tractive one for the exploitation of the many for the benefit of the few. JAMES F. CASSIDY. W. L. SULLIVAN. MATT ALLEN, B. W. SLEEMAN, Committee of Building Trades. INCONSISTENCY IN CALIFORNIA Progressives Stand Opposed to Poller of Big Bull Mooae. PHRTT.A TI 4rrll 517 Ti V -EVH- tor.) Is not oir California Bull Mooser a curiosity? A few years ago, when Colonel Roosevelt was President, the Legislature of California undertook to enact anti-Japanese legislation and Japan protested, as usual. President Roosevelt denounced the legislation as utterly wicked and uncalled for, and insisted upon its being dropped, and wound up by saying that as President he did not have as much power as he ought to have, but that he was com mander-in-chief of the Army and Navy, and as such he would use all the poyer that he had to prevent the anti-Japanese legislation. This stopped, it. The City of San Francisco could not afford to have the United States Navy destroy it by force of arms. Shortly thereafter I visited in Cali fornia, and from One end of the state to the other I heard nothing but curses and maledictions against President Roosevelt. A few years passed and he became a candidate for President. California was for him "wild-eyed." They were the most enthusiastic, the most uncom promising Roosevelt delegates that at tended the National convention. Any one who dared to differ from them was per se a liar and a thief. They liter ally worshipped at the shrine of Colo nel Roosevelt. One naturally supposed that they had been converted to his idea, that anti-Japanese legislation was wicked and wrong. But here they come again, more radical than ever. They must have this legislation, and chief among them all is Governor John son, who ran upon the ticket with Colo nel Roosevelt as Progressive candidate for Vice-President, and 'who insisted all over this country that there never was such a statesman existed as Colo nel Roosevelt; that he was always right and never wrong; and that no honest man could vote for anybody else. But here Is now a leader in the anti Japanese legislation. The Democrats who were so unanimously and uproari ously for it when Roosevelt was Presi dent have cooled off wonderfully, now that they are clothed with responsibil ity; but the California Bull Mooser is for it to a man. It is easy to under stand why he might be for anti-Japanese legislation, and it is also easy to understand how he could be for Colonel Roosevelt. But how he could be for both is something that no one but one of the elect could explain or under stand. In 1916, however, we may con fidently look for brother Johnson to head a unanimous Roosevelt delegation to the National convention of Progres sives,1 and to hear him enunciate the proposition that Roosevelt is always right. Curious isn't it? S. B. HUSTON. FRANCHISE SECTION- OF CHARTER Writer Criticises What Seems to Him Attempt to Prevent Competition. PORTLAND, April 26. (To the Ed itor.) Talk about "jokers" in the new charter, I would like to ask those who framed it and those who are so en thusiastically supporting it, what they call section 96 In the pamphlet and sec tion 73 in the leaflet sent out by the Auditor. It provides that any ordinance grant ing a franchise shall receive the af firmative vote of four commissioners to pass the same. That is all of them. The Mayor is not a commissioner. Other measures can pass by a majority vote. They call It "safeguarding" fran chises. It appears to me more like "safeguarding" the present holders of franchises. They have all of them, and need only to control one commissioner to prevent any new company from se curing a franchise. That is the same as unanimous government. If there Is such safety in unanimity, why did the people of Oregon change the law from a unanimous Jury of 12 to a less num ber to convict? Nearly everyone is advocating com petition in all lines of business as the best Dolicy. If we make It almost im possible for any new companies or in dividuals to secure franchises, how are we to get competition? I would like to hear from those supporting this unani mous idea, and what their object is in singling out franchises and making them ao "safe." H. A. PITTENGER. He Did. PORTLAND, April 26. (To the Ed itor.) Kindly say whether Theodore Roosevelt ran for Mayor of New York City against Henry George in 1886. M. J. G. Colonel Roosevelt and Henry George were candidates for Mayor of New York in 1886, but both were defeated by Abram S. Hewitt, Twenty-five Years Ago From The Oregonlan of April 27, 1888. Washington, April 26. Senator Dolph today, while the bill for forfeiture of railroad grants was under considera tion, made an elaborate speech upon the subject of administration jot the public land laws, railroad land grants and land-grant forfeitures. New York. April 26. In the May number of the North American Review W. E. Gladstone defends the Christian faith against Colonel Robert Inger soll's attacks. A gorgeous specimen of that nowa days somewhat rare bird, a blanketed Indian, was seen yesterday sitting on the sidewalk at the foot of Morrison street The contract for constructing the grade for the sidetracks and switches of the Portland & Willamette Valley Railway at the works of the Oregon Iron & Steel Company at Oswego was let yesterday to Bays & Jeffery. Julia Ward Howe This distinguished woman will arrive in Portland today and give her first lecture this eve ning at the Unitarian Church, her sub ject being "Greece Revisited." Mrs. O. F. Paxton received yesterday from Messrs. Megler & Wright at As toria a shad caught in the Columbia, weighing & pounds. Steward Beaky placed it on display at the Arlington Club. Oddfellowship's sixty-ninth anniver sary was observed yesterday. It was 2:45 when the procession halted In front of the Tabernacle. T. A. Steph ens, chairman of the committee on ar rangements, called the assemblage to order and on the right of Mr. Steph ens sat W. H. Barnes, of San Fran cisco, the orator of the day, near whom sat Henry Armstrong, of Salem. . He was born In Batavia, N. Y., and was initiated to Oddfellowship in 1834. Yesterday was the nineteenth snnl versary of Professor I. W. Pratt's con nection with the Harrison-street school as principal, and the teachers and pu pils indulged In a little celebration. The Base Line road, leading out to Mount Tabor, Is being repaired and put In first-class condition by Super visor Gay. New grounds have been selected for the schoolhouse to be erected. Pacquet & Smith have commenced the construction of a steamer at their boatyard between the Willamette bridge and the box factory. H. H. Crosier has placed on file the plat of his addition to the City ot East Portland. Half a Century Ago From The Oregonlan of April 28, 1863. We are sorry to learn that the com missioners who were appointed at the last session of the Legislative Assem bly to locate an agricultural college failed to meet on the day fixed and that consequently no steps were taken to secure the establishment of such an Institution until further action is had by the Legislature, which will meet in 1864. We examined yesterday a very neat and useful small pocket steam engine, recently constructed and set up In the dental rooms of ' Dr. H. H. Black on Alder street. The engine Is used to drive a combination of turning lathes, much used In the doctor's profession. At the Willamette Theater tonight Miss Edith Mitchell will make her bow to a Portland audience In the charac ter of Evadne In "Evadne, or the Hall of Statues." She will be supported by Mr. and Mrs. Waldron and the entire company. OUR ATTITUDE TOWARD JAPANESE One of Them Tells of Desire to Gain Good Will of Americans. PORTLAND, April 26. (To the Edi tor.) I am a Japanese and would like to tell you how I am viewing the situa tion In California. I thank you for your editorials every morning, with your righteous expres sion. Nothing more to feel overjoyed than to have things looked at from right of way. I have been reading The Oregonlan ever since I came to this country in 1908, and always find your paper as my shelter the place where I can get comfort and feel safe. I thank you for the kind leadings you have done to us. Whenever wo Japanese do any good you lift up and encourage us, and we do any bad you teach us lesson. We think the Japanese tried to do right things in California. Many Japan ese studied about agriculture in schools or by any other means before they started to cultivate fruits or vege tables; some may have experience in the old country. They meet all kinds of hardship in the foreign country about the different, customs and lan guage. Since . the. immigration was limited the better class of Japanese come in if any come at all, but most of them are gone to visit the old country to see their parents, for their filial piety, which is the fundamental prin ciple of Bushido. Maybe not so much deep means, but simply for their reas suring. Why don't they get reassuring in this country? I have to tell you about our thoughts, at least my thoughts. We are In your country under different language and customs. Furthermore we are differ ent race from yours, and have been differentiated at public places, not all of them, but quite a few. For In stance, shows and theaters, they treat us different. I would not go too much intn this sublecL for it Is not the time now. At any rate, we are thinking that we can't act as white people act, so always feel smaller and act timidly. Still, some people holler that we can't neutralize with white race. Well, we try, but under the present circum stances we got to go slow. When I came over to mis country five years ago quite a few Japanese could not talk English, but now I find very few who do not understand Eng lish utterly. That matter only shows that we are trying. I was living with an American missionary in the old country for three years as an Inter preter before I came over, and can tell vou how slowly they pick up language and customs even when they got to in order to pass their semi-annual ex amination. Still, they are in an easy pass,, for our people above middle class are Americanizing. So, you see, you cannot expect the hasty neutralization for us. As for the California "alien land law" question, I don't know much of their situation, for I never have been In California. I am the "Oregon kid," if so you can call me, for last year I took state dental examination of Washing ton and passed, then went to Seattle, but did not like It there and came back to Portland again. We try to bring ourselves up-to-date manner. We are not expressive people like you people, so ever we think good of you, but are backward to show ap preciation. M. H. OYAMADA. Not Acting. (Yonkers Statesman.) Jack Why, you're acting as If you like to be kissed! Jessica Why, that's not acting. Jack But you act as if you had been kissed before. Jessica Neither is that acting.