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
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UtMfi Bualoeaa utTlecs Varroa a. Coos
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cao. atesor ouua.ni. , .
San rnacun Cm loa R. J. Bldwall t.
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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.