THE MORNING OKEGOXIAX, MONDAY. AUGUST 18, 1913.
PORTLAND, OREGON.
Entered at Portland. Oregon, poatotflc as
second-elaa matter. -
Subscription Rates Invariably in Advance:
(BT MA1L
Dally, Sunday Included, one year
Sally, Sunday Included. six months -
Iaily. Sunday Included, three month . . Z.
Jjaily, Sunday Included, one month .....
Daily, without Sunday, one year J-'
Ially, without Sunday, six momha -
daily, without Sunday, three monthe. .. ,
Iaily, without Sunday, one month . - - -?V
Weekly, one year i'?.u
Sunday, one year .................
Sunday and weekly, on year
J so
(BT CARRIER)
Dally. Sunday Included, one year
Daily, Sunday included, one month ....
S.00
.IS
How to Rrmit send poelotflce money or
der, express order or personal check on your
local bank. Stamps, coin or currency are at
sender's risk. Give postoftice addresa m
full, including county and state.
Postage Kates 12 to 14 pages, 1 cent; 18
to i2 pages. 2 cental H to 8 psa.es, cenuj
60 to 60 pages. 4 cents; tl to '8 pages.
cents; 78 to 82 pages. C cents. Foreign post
age, double rate.
Easter Business Offices Verree Col
lin, New York, Brunswick building. Chi
cago, Bteger building.
San Francisco Office R. J. Bldwell Co..
142 Market St.
Earoawaa Office No. 3 Regent street S.
W.. Lendoa
PORTLAND, MONDAY, ACGCST la, ISIS.
AS JUDGED BY THEIR IB I ITS.
Belief is expressed by George Ken
nan in the North American Review
that direct legislative methods afford
as many opportunities for fraud as the
old did and that the bosses will manip
ulate the new machinery to their own
advantage, as they used the old. We
have had enough experience of the
Oregon system to be able to Judge
whether this Is true. We have had a
little clique headed by a self-appointed
lawmaker trying to secure the adop
tion of initiated laws, and other
cliques have tried to defeat laws by
means of the referendum. Have these
bosses succeeded In their attempts at
manipulation?
The people have been quick to see
through the designs of men who tried
to turn the government and the tax
system of the State Inside out and
have rejected their bills one after an
other. The frauds by which the refer
endum has been Invoked have been
exposed and the perpetrators have
been foiled and some of them pun
ished. The Oregon system, though not
yet perfect, requires that every step In
lawmaking be taken In the widest
publicity, and the people are quick to
detect an attempt to "put one over
on them.
Mr. Kennan recalls predictions that
the people would undertake to decide
only fundamental questions by direct
legislation, .leaving complex and tech
nical questions to the Legislature. He
ays that of the sixty-four questions
submitted to the people of Oregon
since the adoption of direct popular
government only twenty-nine can pos
sibly be classed as fundamental. Prob
ably so, but how many of the complex
and technical bills submitted were
adopted? That Is the real test The
people at the last election showed an
Increasing disposition to vote down
bills dealing with such questions. A
particular example is the "blue sky"
bill. The people rejected the one sub
mitted under the initiative, but that
fact did not deter the Legislature from
adopting one which has met general
approval and against which the refer
endum was not invoked. As the peo
ple become accustomed to use the
now machinery they show increasing
discrimination between subjects on
which they can well vote directly and
subjects which are better left to the
Legislature. The good quality of the
work done by the present Legislature,
if sustained by future Legislatures,
will Increase this disposition, for con
fidence in their lawmakers, which was
greatly impaired by boss rule, is grad
ually being restored.
Direct legislation is a rational out
growth of modern conditions. In
former times the people of one com
munity knew so little of the affairs
of another community In the same
state that as a body they were Incapa
ble of Judging what was the best for
each and all. Action through repre
sentatives, who could meet and ex
change Information, was the natural
consequence. In these days of rapid
communication and widespread infor
mation the people of a whole state are
competent to deal directly with many
questions, for the people of Portland,
for example, know as much of what
Is going on in Malheur County as they
formerly knew of events in Eastern
Multnomah.
"What we need," says Mr. Kennan,
"is not new political machinery, but a
nation of good citisens. who will de
vote themselves faithfully and con
scientiously to the duty of choosing
'good representatives." Undoubtedly
we need good citizens, for the higher
the standard of our citizenship the
better will any form of government
be conducted, and without good citK
zens the best machinery will not pro
duce good government. But we need
new machinery, by which the good cit
izens may make their power directly
felt Instead of letting it trickle
through a number of channels in
which much of it will be lost.
We have now an opportunity to
compare the results of the two sys
tems In two states on opposite sides
of the continent. Oregon has a gov
ernment recognizing its responsibility
to the people and has progressive laws
which reflect the will of the people
and contribute to the welfare of all.
New York has a disgraceful contest
for the Governorship between the
most corrupt political machine In the
country and a man who, ostensibly
working in the Interest of the people,
has been proved of such low moral
fibre that those who were formerly
his warmest friends have turned
against him. As compared with the
New York .system we prefer the Ore
gon system.
WRITERS ODEB THJS X-RAY.
The Senate may check the flood of
literary men which President Wilson
is pouring into the diplomatic serv
ice. This is due to a discovery made
by Senator Bacon, chairman of the
foreign relations committee, in regard
to Mr. Page, the Ambassador to Lon
don. After having voted for Mr.
Page's confirmation, Mr. Bacon read
a work of fiction In which Mr. Page
had depicted Southern life and he said
that, if he had known Mr. Page had
wrilten any such stuff, he would never
hav?woted for confirmation.
This discovery has led to delay in
confirmation of Dr. Paul Relnsh as
Minister to China. That gentleman
has written much on the Orient, co
lonial governments and economic sub
jects. Inspired by Mr. Bacon, all
members of the committee are reading
Dr. Relnsh's works In search of any
thing affecting his fitness for the new
Job. All nominations of literary men
for diplomatic posts are to be sub
jected to the same test and for some
time to come we shall have a body of
studious Senators and another body of
anxious writers.
The man who wishes to prevent
confirmation of any literary man's ap
pointment, mindful of the saying:
"Oh! that mine enemy would write a
book." will hereafter search through
the pages of the appointee's writings
and pounce eagerly on any passages
which may. arouse the prejudices of a
Senator. " Opinions to which a man
may have irrevocably committed him
self in cold type years ago, when he
was struggling J upward with no
thought of polUical preferment, will
rise up to plague him. President Wil
son knows how this Is, for his writ
ings have been quoted to warn voters
away from him and to prove how far
he is departing from the convictions
he once cherished.
Some of the literary would-be diplo
mats would fain recant the opinions
they rashly expressed in their irre
sponsible moments, when thought was
transferred freely to paper without
heed of future consequences. They
will be inclined to remind Senators
that such-and-such a book was writ
ten in their early, ill - informed
twenties and must not be taken to ex
press the riper Judgment of their
forties and fifties.
AIDINQ THE TECHNICAL LAWYER.
Part of the responsibility for the
disgraceful controversy over the ex
ecutive office in New York rests on
the framers of the 1891 constitution.
An evil genius seems to beset not only
constitutional conventions but ordi
nary legislative bodies In choice of
phraseology. Their lack of directness
provides work for the lawyers but has
unhappy effect upon the state and
people.
In the section dealing directly with
Impeachment the New York consti
tution is plain and certain. It provides
that no Judicial officer shall exercise
his office "after articles of impeach
ment have been preferred against
him to the Senate until he shall have
been acquitted." But the effect of
impeachment of the Governor is pro
vided for in another section. That sec
tion provides that "in case of the im
peachment of the Governor or his re
moval from office '. . . the pow
ers and duties of the office shall de
volve upon the Lieutenant-Governor."
It was Just as. easy to provide an
unequivocal statute in one place as
the other. But it was not done and
Governor Sulzer insists that by "Im
peachment" of the Governor is meant
his removal from office by impeach
ment that preferring of article of
impeachment does not in Itself dis
qualify him.
It is a strained argument, to be
sure, and he also disputes the entire
legality of the legislative action, but
why should there have been left in
the constitution a possible point of
controversy when the framers in an
other section were able to express
themselves so definitely? A large
part of our legislation is founded on
Just such inefficiencies on the part of
the lawmakers.
NEGLECTED DUTY.
We are Inclined to weigh the merits
of the recall movement in Clackamas
County more by the size of the total
vote than the result. The scant con
sideration shown the election by the
voters gives the recall the marks of
a bolstered Issue, and offers weight to
the charge that In calling the election
personal grievances and factional con
troversies were the strongest motives.
The result is that two county offi
cers are removed by about 18 per cent
of the voters in a close election, and
only one-third of the electors have
riven ludrment It Is renorted that
there is surprise over the result. ProfS
ably the most astonished are they who
did not go to the polls. It is a com
mon falling for those best able to give
unbiased Judgment to stay at home or
at work on election day.
We do not propose at this time to
attempt to use the Clackamas County
recall as a text for a lecture on the
proper use of recall machinery or on
the duties of county officers in trans
acting the financial affairs of the pub.
11c. But the election brings to mind
one fact that the voters are prone to
disregard. The duty to vote on Buch
Issues is as grave as duty to vote at
a general election.
The people In adopting the recall
expressed a willingness to sit as Jurors
on the efficiency of their servants if
called upon to do so by a small per
centage of their number. That two
thirds of the voters of & county will
avoid this obligation is not compli
mentary to the recall principle. No
matter what merit there may have
been in this particular recall the In
difference of the large body of voters
therein will give encouragement to
selfish or venomous effort on the
part of & few to instigate recall pro
ceedings against worthy officials.
WHY ENGLAND RECOGNIZED H VERT A.
The nature of the influences which
caused Great Britain to recognize the
Huerta government In Mexico so soon
after it gained control of the capital is
revealed in a London letter to the
New York Sun. The new Mexican
Minister arrived In London on May
15 and recognition was deferred to
await developments in Mexico, but to
ward the end of July these Influences
saw that something must be done to
bolster up Huerta. They were power
ful enough to bring about a hurried
reception of the Minister by the King
on July 28. Only thlrty-slx days had
elapsed since the murder of Madero,
but that tragedy did not deter the
British government, although it had
shown its disapproval of the murder
of the King and Queen of Servla by
withholding recognition from King
Peter for three years. There is also a
contrast between its hasty recognition
of Huerta's shaky government and its
delay of two years in opening formal
relations with the Portuguese repub
lic and the Chinese republic.
The action of Great Britain Is be
lieved to have been prompted by
holders of oil concessions in Mexico,
which were granted by Diaz. Madero
recognized the concessions, but was
exacting as to performance of the con
ditions. When Felix Diaz was be
sieged at Vera Cruz, a London bank
telegraphed him 5000, which is said
to have been furnished by London cli
ents. A banker, believed to have rep
resented the same bank, offered the
Huerta faction a loan soon after the
murder of Madero. When Huerta was
getting into a tight place, he tele
graphed to a prominent firm in Lon
don to bring pressure to bear on the
government to recognize him. A loan
has since been floated in London, and
the banks which advanced the money
are perturbed by the announcement
of the Constitutionalists that they will
not recognize any loan floated by the
Huerta faction. Nearly all of this
money was used to meet outstanding
liabilities and only 700,000 remained
available to fight the revolutionists.
Huerta now needs another loan and is
paving the way for it in Paris.
While British financial interests are
supporting Huerta, the agitation in
this country for granting of belligerent
rights to the Constitutionalists may
be traced to American investors, whose
Interests are great in the states domi
nated by that faction. The civil war
in Mexico thus simmers down to a con
test between two bodies of investors,
each backing a seeker for control of
the government, while the Mexican
people are mere pawns in their hands.
As Huerta heads the best semblance
of a government, the wisest course
the United States could take would be
to recognize him as head of a merely
provisional, de facto government,
holding office until a President can be
elected to whom substantially all the
Mexican people .will give allegiance.
By granting the insurgents belligerent
rights we should only be playing cat's
paw to their American backers, as
England has played the game of Hu
erta's British backers.
. AX IMPORTATION OF WOMEN. '
John Miller Murphy gives an enter
taining account in The Sunday Olym
pian tor August 17 of the Importation
of unmarried women to the Puget
Sound country which has been so
much commented upon and so often
misrepresented. Thclmmediate occa
sion of Mr. Murphy's article was a
loose statement by some writer that
the principal credit for the "migra
tion" of the women should be awarded
to Governor William Pickering. It
seems, however, that he had little or
nothing to do with it- The real pro
moter was A. S. Mercer. So little sym
pathy did Governor Pickering feel for
the enterprise that when Mercer ap
pealed to him from San Francisco for
a small remittance to help him in a
difficult situation he failed to advance
a penny. The women came, it ap
pears, in two parties. The first ship
ment consisted of no more than eleven,
who sailed from New York in March,
1854, two members of the party being
discreetly accompanied by their fath
ers, as Mr. Murphy reminds us. The
voyage was made by way of Panama
and San Francisco without untoward
incidents, and upon their arrival in
the Puget Sound country the women,
whom Mr. Murphy describes as "ac
complished and beautiful young la
dles," were quickly provided with hus
bands, or, if not. they found easy and
remunerative employment
There is no doubt that this first ship
ment of women bettered their condi
tion by their adventure. Those who
were not established in comfortable
homes made good wages in one way
and another. Naturally, therefore,
they sent back glowing reports to their
old associates and thus prepared the
way for Mercer's further undertaking.
He began to make up his second party
toward the close of the Civil War. not
far from the date of Lincoln's assas
sination. He broached the subject to
the President, who thought favorably
of it, and actually authorized Mercer
to transport his beauteous cargo on a
National vessel. But before the plan
could be consummated Lincoln per
ished and the new Administration was
less propitious. The laborious pro
moter consulted with "Governor An
drew, of Massachusetts; Edward Ever.
ett Hale, President Johnson and many
other philanthropists and patriots, "but
none of them . would promise him
much help. His scheme might have
fallen through but for Grant, whom he
Anally Approached. It seems that
Grant had learned something" of the
actual -needs of the Northwest coast by
his residence in that region. He lent
a ready ear to Mercer's project and
used his Influence with President John,
son in its behalf. The consequence
was an order to ship the party of
women whom Mercer had enrolled
from New York to Seattle on a Gov
ernment vessel. Candidates had been
numerous on account of the favorable
reports sent back by the first party,
and the list had run well up toward
500 names.
Mercer now very reasonably be
lieved that "his troubles were at an
end," to quote Mr. 'Murphy's expres
sion, and began to assemble his fair
proteges for the voyage. But an un
expected obstacle intervened. Quartermaster-General
Meigs, who had im
mediate control of the Government
vessels and their equipment, declined
to honor the President's order on the
ground that it was illegal. "There is
no law for the order, and I decline to
honor it," were his curt words of re
fusal. Considering the delicate nature
of the project which he thus impeded,
we cannot help deciding that Meigs
must have been something of a cur
mudgeon. We hope his sense of duty
was as rigorous in every other direc
tion as it was in this. But, crusty as
he was, his conscience evidently trou
bled him, and, after brooding for sev
eral weeks over his impoliteness, he
finally came to the conclusion thai he
was in the wrong. To make things
even he now offered to sell Mercer a
ship for the voyage. This in his esti
mation may have been the next best
thing to giving him one, but unhappily
the projector was too slenderly pro
vided with funds to avail himself ot
the Quartermaster's generosity. The
whole undertaking was again in dan
ger of collapse when the omnipresent
Ben Holladay came to the rescue.
Learning of Mercer's quandary, that
universal benefactor offered to buy the
ship himself and transport the women
for "a nominal price." Of course
Mercer Jumped at the proposition.
All would have been fair sailing now
but for the unaccountable malice of
certain newspapers. Why the New
York press should have sought to dis
courage the blooming colonists 'we
cannot imagine, unless they were
driven to desperation at the prospect
of losing so many of their most en
gaging fellow-citizens. At any rate,
one of the papers published "a scur
rilous article" which depicted the Pu.
get Sounders in the blackest hues and
warned the colonists of a fearful fate
should they ever reach their destina
tion. These false newspaper friends
counseled the adventurous women "to
stay at home lest worse befall them,"
and, unfortunately, some of them were
overpersuaded to do so. ' Thus the
numbers of the Mercer party began to
decline at the very moment when suc
cess deceitfully promised to be fairest.
Only 300 of them actually set sail in
the, ship provided by the perfidious Ben
Holladay. We call him perfidious be
cause he now repudiated his agree
ment and charged all the traffic would
bear for taking them to Ban Fran
cisco. From that happy haven they
were sent north in small parties as
funds accumulated to pay their pas
sage or as prospective husbands made
their wishes known. Mercer had only
$3 in his pocket. Mr. Murphy tells us,
when the ship came to port, and it was
in that emergency that he appealed to
the stony heart of Governor Pickering
and met with a stern refusal. How
he raised money to appease the vora
cious Ben Holladay does not appear.
Perhaps some of the women contrib
uted. "Perhat. """'- Holladay
relented when the enormity of his con
duct at last dawned upon him. Sooner
or later all. the fair colonists found
their way to Puget Sound and most of
them disappeared into happy homes.
Those who did are said by some to
have laid the foundations of the suf
frage cause in the State of Washing
ton. Two McDermotts from Chicago have
come into public notice lately. One
Is a Representative in Congress, who
has been denounced as a bribetaker
by McMichaels, the discharged chief
page of the House. The other, James
M. McDermott, is a simple patrolman
who has been awarded a medal for
bravery. He crawled in the dark
under a house and captured an armed
negro murderer, who tried to shoot
him but whose revolver missed fire.
Only the circumstance that the re
volver had become clogged with dirt
saved McDermott 'a life. Representa
tive McDermott has probably accumu
lated more money and had a good
time according to the accepted mean
ing of the term, but who would not
rather be in the shoes of Patrolman
McDermott?
The drouth in Kansas, Nebraska,
Oklahoma and Missouri is driving
stockmen to rush their cattle to mar
ket. This will temporarily reduce the
price of meat, but will ultimately
cause a much larger permanent rise
by depleting the supply unless we can
make up the deficiency from abroad.
Imports from Australia,, Argentina
and Mexico will Increase under the
new tariff, but the only lasting remedy
will be a great increase in our home
supply. Cultivation of the range
forces us to look to the farmers for
our meat hereafter. By making- live
stock a part of their business they
can replenish the meat supply, in
crease their earnings by adding a new
source and increase their crops by
rendering their land more fertile.
Estimates gathered from 100 Ken
tucky farmers by the State Commis
sioner of Agriculture show the cost of
producing wheat to average $10.18 an
acre and the crop to average 12
bushels. This, with wheat at 90 cents,
leaves too small a margin, and the
Courier-Journal says Kentucky must
either go out of the wheat growing
business or must grow better wheat
and more to the acre. Such poor re
sults from a soil famed for its fertility
are a reproach to Kentucky. The
fault is with the farmers in that as in
other states, and the State University
has undertaken to show them how
more wheat can he grown at a profit.
Those who believe that every man
should exact a price for everything
he does for others have no doubt voted
Professor Samuel Moulton Babcock a
fool, because he gave free to hu
manity the milk test he discovered and
out of which he could have made
millions. That Invention has made
millions for the farmers of the whole
world, but Dr. Babcock has Just re
tired in old age from the University of
Wisconsin in only comfortable circum
stances. He is richer in contentment.
In the consciousness of service done to
his fellow-men, than untold material
wealth could have made him.
Long on InferAiatlon, short on work.
Is a good description of many recent
immigrants, and Judge McGinn spoke
wisely when he pronounced the hard,
manual workers, who rear and edu
cate families, better material for citi
zenship, though they are short on in
formation as to ou form of Govern
ment. But their shortage of informa
tion should impress on us the need of
furnishing it from the true American
standpoint or they may fall under the
Influence of those who are long on
Information of the wrong kind. We
need schools of Americanism for the
adult immigrant.
Tn nriii., in "hnlrl tin hi end" at
Berlin Ambassador Gerard has rented
a house at $19,000 a year, although
his salary is only 117,500. His need
of more money is worse than Secre
tary Bryan's, for the latter pays only
one-third of his salary in rent, and
there are no Chautauquas in Germany
to help him out.
The ' session of the International
Union which has Just closed sustained
President Lynch and the conservative
policy he has maintained in the past
year. If all labor organizations held
to lines of action as do the printers,
labor troubles would be rare.
The drouth can hurt the corn crop without
making anybody lose anything mora than
money, but when It attacks the watermelon
crop there la danger that the colored brother
will loss his religion. Louisville Courier
Journal. Let the corn burn np, but spare no
effort to save our watermelons.
The worm will turn. In Northern
California an editor killed a lawyer in
a dispute over a county high school.
If these affairs are to continue, schools
of Journalism must make additions to
their curricula.
Theoretically the coffee wagon for
thirsty worklngmen is all right; prac
tically' it does not include the social
feature necessary to make It a sue
cess.
Once upon a time the publlo waa Inter
eated in the sorrows of Werther. Nowadays
it's the sorrows ox Huerta Louisville Courier-Journal.
Thus does simplified spelling pro
gress. Having lost Prince Sulkowski, his
discarded affinity will start a laun
dry in Los Angeles, which shows she
has a head for business.
Captain Hoff scorned the cooking
and Mrs. Hoff gets a decree and 185
a month alimony, which will go a long
way at the delicatessen.
How Chief Moses would mourn over
the degeneracy of the Indians If he
could see them scorching over the
roads.- in automobiles! -
'
Sir Thomas Llpton is so American
In spirit that we should rejoice to see
him substitute the title "American
Citizen" for the "Sir."
F. Augustus Heinze would scorn to
be sued for a less sum than $1,000,000.
His fame rests chiefly on the magni
tude of his lawsuits.
- Rain at this time of the year is
welcome, although a good deal 'of a
nuisance when it falls on Sunday.
The Portola poster is not offensive
in California, where they have a code
of ethics peculiarly their own.
Some of Castro's revolutionists offer
to betray him for 82000. Is that all
he is worth?
QCARTEHLY PLAN UNBUSINESSLIKE I
If City Adopts It Why Not Gas aad
LlKSt Companies t
1 PORTLAND. Aug. IT. (To the Edi
tor.) The editorial in The Oregonian
and the answers of the City Depart
ment of Publlo Utilities to the question
of Viola Payton, regarding the pro
posed payment of water rates quarterly
in advance, prompt me to inquire wby
It is that our civto corporations seem
to be so reluctant to adopt the busi
ness methods of private corporations.
It would appear that with the advent
ot the commission form of government
in Portland, generally recognized and
approved business methods would be
adopted at the earliest moment prac
ticable. Yet we find the Department
of Public Utilities proposing a change
which in nctienseli an Improvement on
the old methods and which alms to
continue the moat offensive and un
businesslike feature ot the present
method.
Wby should the city, any more than
the gas company or the electric light
company, ask the water consumers to
pay in advance? I can see a trace of
reason In asking payment in advance
where consumers pay on a flat rate,
but where Is the advantage to the con
sumer using a metered service unless
he Is charged Just for what his meter
shows to have been used? And how
can he be charged for this until the
meter has registered the amount?
I am a warm advocate of the metered
service for municipal water supply. It
has been shown conclusively that It
saves water, that it prevents waste,
that It is Just and fair both to the city
and to the consumer. But its fairness
to the consumer seems to me to van
ish when. Instead of taking the meter
readings as a basis for settlement, an
effort is made to "estimate" which
usually means to guess at the amount
that will be consumed, and men asa
lng the user to pay this "guessed"
amount in advance.
Humans are constitutionally opposed
to paying for anything before they get
It- If the cttv has the right to make
us do this, why not also private or
semi-private corporations! wny not
be asked to cay in advance for our gas
and our electric light and power? The
answer is obvious: The city has not
this right, more especially when It en
ters into contract to furnish water- to a
consumer by metered service.
There are strong objections most of
which already have appeared In com
munlcatlons to The Oregonian to the
payment in advance method, either by
the month or by the quarter; and man
lfastlv the objections gather strength
with the length of the period to be
covered by the advance payments.
I can see neither sense nor reason
nor justness in asking consumers
served by meter to pay one mill more
than for the amount registered by their
meters and to pay this only after the
meter has been read and the exact
amount of consumption computed.
Eventually the city will be compelled
largely through the stress or com
mon sense to recede from Its present
unbusinesslike and unfair position.
Why not let the recession be now. when
new methods are under discussion and
a strictly "business" administration is
striving to put into effect more ra
tional ideas in the conduct of public
affairs? J. W. Ji'EAt;rlK.t;ii.
CHANGES IX SYSTEM COME OFTEJC
Water Consumers Have Barely Leaned
the Ropes let Prases Plan.
PORTLAND. Aug. 17. (To the Edl
tor.) Along with thousands of other
water consumers, I find myself asking
If It be not better to endure the ills
we have, than rush to others we know
not of. Just a short year ago we were
Informed that the system of collecting
water rents was sadly out of date. The
administration availed itself of the
services of the best llrm of accountants
and systematlzers In the Northwest, so
we were told, ana, alter mucn incon
venience to water users a' new system
was Installed.
HiTlas adiusted ourselves to the re.
quirements of this new system, and
being able once more to draw an easy
breath, feeling we knew the ropes well
enough to keep our water from being
turned off, we are now informed that
we must have another new system, be
cause the New York bureau of self
styled experts have so decreed. The
city is to be saved muchmoney we are
told. Such is always the cry. We
wonder now where the saved money
goes. To the consumer? Hardly. New
systems mean nice fat Jobs at about $50
per day to each of these experts. Why
shouldn't they tell us we need a new
avstem?
With our water bills this month we
received a ballot asking us to show our
preference for method of payment
monthly, as at present or quarterly
In advance. I suppose these experts
would have us pay for our water three
months before we get It. Such an ar
rangement may be all right for New
York, although I have grave doubts
if thev ever dreamed of it there, but
for myself, I know there are thousands
of people In portiano. wno una it o
enough to nay one month In advance.
If It be a good idea to pay for water
three months in advance, wny not ior
electric light or for groceries? And
to carry it farther, then why not pay
salaries in advance? or if we can save
so much br caving three months in
advance, why not make It six months
and save even more?
However, as long as our city officials
will listen to so-called experts wno can
pull the wool over their eyes and gather
a good harvest oi coin Dy su uuingr, we
may expect to be treated to an annual
change of systems and methods 'with
all the attending Inconvenience to the
consumer. i J- AF
FRAYER GETS HIM A WIFE.
Pastor Will Obtain Also a New Chores.
by the Same Means.
!
Philadelphia Cor. New York Times.
Rev. Oustav Alt, pastor of the First
Polish Baptist Church, is a firm be
liever in the efficacy of prayer, wnen
ever Mr. Alf wants anything he prays
for it and his prayers are answered.
Several years ago Mr. Aif wanted a
wife. One young woman had Jilted
him. so he asked the Lord to give mm
another. The wife was forthcoming,
and today Mr. Alf is the proud father
of two children.
Mr. Alf has been praying for a ohurch
to house his congregation. This
prayer also will be answered. More
than one-half of the necessary amount
to purchase a church building for the
Polish congregation has been collected.
A short time ago Mr. Alf met in
Cleveland one of his converts named
Laplnskl, who wanted a wife. Two
days after they prayed together for
this particular blessing Laplnskl met
the attractive young woman whom in
two months be married.
Another of Alfs converts, named
Morsey. won his father to the Christian
faith through his preceptor's prayers
and his own.
Plea of Guilty.
PORTLAND, Aug. IB. (To the Ed
itor.) If a person Is indicted for kill
ing another person and he appears
afterward with his counsel before trial
Judge to plead and he knowingly and
deliberately enters a plea of guilty as
charzed in indictment, wnatever de
gree it may be, does he get a trial by
Jury anyway? Or does this end his
trial and he Is ready ior sentence?
M. L MYERS,
10 North Third Street.
A plea of guilty dispenses with a
trial. Testimony may be taken, how
ever, for the court's guidance in cases
where discretion as to extent of pun
ishment Is conferred on the court. The
court may, before Judgment, permit a
plea of guilty to be withdrawn and a
plea of not guilty substituted.
INDEPENDENT UNIOX DEFENDED
Secretary of the New LBhoremans
Local Coadenams I. V. .
PORTLAND. Aug. 17. (To the Edi
tor.) Will you please publish the fol
lowing statement In refutation of the
statement of the Sheriff?
The new longshoremen s union was
formed at an impromptu meeting in
the backyard of 1V4 Union avenue, no
body but sailors being present. The
reasons for the move were put down In
the resolution published In the Even
ins: Telegram of August . We saw a
chance to make a break and -went at
it with a vim. The secretary, A. F.
Schaab, is not acquainted with Rams
ley, Rudolph Schwab or G. Rece. He
has been living in Portland for the
last five years, and has always been
conservative, as an Investigation would
easily prove. He disapproves strongly
of the I. W. W. and just as emphat
ically of rank Socialists. A few I. W.
W. men, among them Rece. attended
one of the first meetings ot the union,
it being unknown to the secretary that
either one was an I. W. W. Getting to
know their real political belief he told
them to stay away. The secretary Is
willing to take the stand and make all
these statements under oath.
It is a political move ot Local 6 to
defeat the end of the union, but will
be in vain. Eighty per cent of the
members of the new union are sailors,
part of whom have been working on
the outside for Local 6, and have been
treated in spite of their extreme effi
ciency with the utmost contempt. Thirty-three
per cent at least of the mem
bers of the new union are citizens,
partly foreign-born, partly native. The
secretary cannot understand how a
deputy sheriff could have information
regarding the new union four weeks
ago. when the question of the forma
tion of the new union was first
broached at a chat between five or six
sailors, now all members of the new
union, August 7, 1913.
We are fighting for the right to work
on the waterfront under the same con
ditions as Local ( men, the right of
men to work without being dominated
over by a trust in this case a labor
trust; fighting for the right of man
at large. The secretary repeats, ana
is willing to make this as well as all
other statements under oath, that he
does not know Ramsley. or Rudolpn
Schwab, that he did not know Rece
before he came up to the meeting or
the union; that Rece Is not a member
of the union; that 14 days ago he did
not have the least idea ot forming a
new organization, not until the execu
tive board ot Local 6 told all members
of the Sailors' Union that there would
be no more work to be eotten hv them.
The secretary strongly condemns the
attitude of the I. W. W.'s, Socialist
Labor party and similar organizations
to vlllify the character of any man op
posed to them, to have no respect tor
church or home, to refuse to give their
employers a fair chance. Hist princi
ples are true union principles, not as
expounded by the I. W. W.'s nor, on
the other hand, by Local 6, the labor
trust. S. F. SCHAABE.
Secretary Independent Longshoremen's
Association of Portland.
PRESENT PLAN IS HARD ENOUGH
Quarterly Water Payments Not At.
tractive to Worklsgnts,
PORTLAND, Aug. 17. (To the Ed!
tor.) The queries and answers in re
lation to Commissioner Daly's "quarter.
ly-in-advance" payment plan are both
Interesting and amusing. At least the
answers, made to Viola Payton's in
quiries (presumably by authority of
Uo author of the plan) are so decid
edly of the "lame-duck" variety that it
is to laugh.
If everybody could read that lady's
questions, and particularly the answers
thereto, in The Oregonian, there would
no longer be a question in Commission
er Daly's mind as to what the people
think about his request.
Why anyone should entertain any
doubt as to whit the consumer ought
to do Is beyond me, when the city wants
both bird and feathers. It seems as
though Commissioner Daly Is not In
such close touch with the average
worklngman, as we have been led to
believe during the recent campaign, or
else he would know that it is hard
enough for most of them to dig up one
month's water bill at a time, not to Bay
three months In advance, based upon
practically a maximum consumption.
The argument that It means economy
in the water department is open to
question. I fall to see where a ma
terial reduction in the force of that de
partment Is possible if the meters are
read monthly, as they ought to be, in
justice to both the consumer and the
city, so that It appears that beyond be
ing able to dispense with the services
of one or two clerks In the water of
fice. Commissioner Daly hopes to make
up the difference in the $30,000 savings
from carrying the advance money, thus
extracted from the consumer, in the
banks on deposit at 2 per cent on bal
ances, that costs the consumer all the
way from 6 to 10 per cent to produce.
J. AMASS.
iUS Forty-fifth Street Southeast. '
"Ore iron" India Name?
TACOMA, Wash., Aug. 16. (To the
Editor.) The editorial under the head
ing "The Name Oregon" in The Orego
nian, August 12, is particularly In
teresting to a resident of this city be
cause there has been so much doubt
expressed as to the word "Tacoma"
being of Indian origin.
As to "Oregon," Webster's New Stan
dard Dictionary of 1911, published by
the Syndicate Publishing Company, of
New York. states that "Oregon
Spanish oregano the wild marjoram,
abundant on the coast." is the origin
and meaning of the word. This may
be your correspondent's authority.
You state that Oregon "is certainly
not Indian," and that "Jonathan Carver
bodily assumed that the Indians called
the Columbia the 'Oregon,' but it is
known that his statement had no foun
dation In fact." How do you know this?
What Is your authority? Might it not
be that the Indians that Carver heard
said a name similar to "Oregon" even
If Indians In another section never
used the word?
Mr. Ezra Meeker and some old set
tlers on the Sound claim they never
heard the word "Tacoma" until "Canoe
and Saddle" appeared In 1SS2 and Mr.
Meeker accuses Winthrop of Inventing
it as you have accused Carver. Winthrop
has the support of George Gibbs. Ed
ward Hugging, and others, and old Gov
ernment maps in Washington City
D. C. It seems to me that the best
evidence we have indicates that "Ore
gon" is Indian.
BENJAMIN L. HARVEY.
Brldare Is Good Investment.
PORTLAND, Aug. 15. (To the Ed
itor.) Clarke County people want a
bridge over the Columbia to come to
Portland. They need it and should
have it. Portland needs the trade of
that marvelously rich section of South
western Washington.
With a bridge, Vancouver becomes a
sister city and the fertile soil of the
many well-watered valleys of Clarke
County will afford homes for thou
sands of industrious families, whose
produce will find a ready market in
the rapidly-growing metropolis of the
Pacific Northwest.
Portland needs the Columbia bridge.
Let there be no delay in doing our
share. It is the best Investment Port
land can make today:
A. B. SLAUSON.
Her Idea of It
Boston Transcript.
- "Is it true that both your husband
and the man who lives next door to you
have failed In business?"
"Yes, but Ned's failure isn't nearly so
bad as Mr. Naybor"a. Ke failed for
fifty cents on the dollar, while my hus
band failed for only ten cents on the
dollar."
Twenty-five Years Ago
From The Oresonlsn of August 18, 1SSS.
Walla Walla. W. T.. Ausr. 17. The
Presbyterian semi-centennial will be
gin at the brick church tonight, when
Kev. O. -L. Deffenbaugh will read his
paper on "Spaulding and the Old First
Church." Tomorrow services will be
held at Whitman's Brave at the mis
sion below town. Colonel H. E. Holmes
offers to defray the expenses of remov
ing the remains of Whitman and as
sociates from the old mission to the
Whitman College grounds.
Walla Walla, Aug. 17. Herman
Brents, sen of Hon. Thomas H. Brents,
is dangerously 111, with no hopes for
recovery,
Murray. Idaho, Aug- 17. The large
gold cleanup of the Goldsmith-Ward-ner
stamp mill at Elk Creek and an
other rich gold strike in the Treasure
Box lead on Ophir Hill has given an
Impetus to gold mining throughout the
Coeur d'Alene district.
Parker's. Or., Aug. 17 As Judge
Chenoweth. of King Valley, was driv
ing through town with his meat wagon
his horses ran away, throwing him
out. His face Is badly cut and his
cheek bone broken. He Ilea in a semi
conscious state.
In the County Court yesterday Jo- -seph
T. Keefe brought an action
against William Church. Jr chairman
of the Democratic county committee,
and B. Killin, as member of the state
committee, to recover a reward of
$250 offered for the arrest and con
viction of ilegal voters and bribers. He
claims credit for the conviction of H.
G. Giltner for bribery. The same de
fendant sues James Lotan, chairman
of the Republican county committee,
for $500 reward for the same service.
Mrs. F. S. Dunlng." W. W. Klrkwood
and family, G. N. Hill and family and
a number of East Portlanders have re
turned from the seaside. '
Four gold bricks from Coeur d'Alene'
were received by Mr. B. Goldsmith
yesterday. They weighed a little over
200 ounces and are worth about $3200.
Mr. Eugene Shelby, assistant super-'
lntendent of Wells, Fargo & Co.,'s Ex
press, has gone to the Sound.
Professor M- V. Park, of Michigan,
returns home today for his wife, hav
ing decided to settle in Salem.
Master James McDevltt, of this city,
a few days ago went fishing at Knapps
and in less than four hours succeeded
tn landing 90 mountain trout.
Professor Wetzell. superintendent of.
schools, made the trip from timber
line on Mount Hood to East Portland
In 10 hours.
Half a Century Ago
From The Oregonian ot August IS, 1863.
It Is stated that the amount of prize
money now standing to the credit of
Admiral Dupont at the Navy Depart
ment is not less than $200,000. . -
Washington, Aug. 12. A rebel lieu
tenant, who deserted from his army,
says that great dissatisfaction exists
among the North Carolina and
Misissippi troops. North Carolina
threatens mutiny unless the troops are
sent back home. Tbe Mlssissipplans
and Louisianans are also- clamorous to
go home. The defeat' at Gettysburg
seems to have broken the spirit of
Lee's army.
We understand that the County Com
missioners have decided upon purchas
ing the property of Mr. Thomas Pritch
ard on tbe West Side of the public
square as a eite for the new Court
house. All admirers of the good things of
this life should not fail to visit the
favorite establishment known as the
Delmonlco, where they will constantly
be regaled with the choicest luxuries
of the season.
Benefit of Mr. Edwin A. Reeves. .
This promising young actor announces
a most attractive bill for this evening,
comprising the great sensation drama,
"Raffaelle, the Reprobate," the last
act of "Richard III" and a variety of
singing, dancing, etc
Home Cured Bacoa Not So Good.
IRONSIDE, Or, Aug. 14. (To the
Editor.) Sow that the discussion on
the dog Is ended and other things are
up for consideration I rise to ask
"M. D." and C. E. Cline If their home
made bacon ever becomes strong?
In this vicinity, where the people
cure theirs about as M. D. says he
does his, the bacon becomes so strong
and rancid before the season is half
over we can hardly eat it, and many
ranchers themselves prefer store ba
con. Would not pickling Instead of
dry salting cure it better before smok
ing? - -
Personally, I think the gilt-edged
brands of city breakfast bacon beats
the home-cured every time!
COUNTRY READER.
First Trains on North Baalc
INDEPENDENCE, Or., Aug. 16. (To
the Editor.) (1) Kindly tell me when
the first passenger and freight service
was installed upon the North Bank
road.
(2) Also, has Washington single tax?
OLD SUBSCRIBER. -
(1) The North Bank road fir at in
stituted passenger and freight Bervice
between Pasco, Wash., and Cliffs, Wash,
In the constructive period, on Decem
ber 15, 1907; between Vancouver, Wash.,
and Cliffs, Wash., on March 16, 1908.
The first regular through service be
tween Portland and Spokane was In
stituted on May 23, 1909.
(2) No.
Widespread
Interest in
Advertising
It is not only in this community
that the interest in newspaper
advertising is growing so exten
sively, but in every city served
by first-class newspapers.
Local merchants rely upon the
newspaper to carry their mes
sages to the public, because the
newspaper Is the logical and
natural medium to carry news
and that Is what advertising
really is, news.
Manv manufacturers seeking a
nation - wide market for their
f roducts choose the newspapers
n the best localities for the
same sound reason
Also we see both retailer and
manufacturer uniting in a cam
paign of education and publicity
on behalf of some meritorious
product.
The public is learning the Im
portance of advertising and
learning how to profit from
careful ad-readlng.
Thus everywhere Is thla wide-
spread Interest manifest
Retailers and manufacturers
Interested In newspaper adver
tising for Nationally distributed
articles are invited to write to
the Bureau of Advertising.
American Newspaper Publishers'
Association, World Building, New
York.
1