THE 3IOKXIXG OREGONIAN, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2C. 191 .
10
PORTLAND, OBXOOX.
Bntsrad at Portland. Oresoa. FoatofTica
fiahanrlBtlan RUM- Invariably IB AdvmHC
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bally, Sunday Included, tnraa montn
bally. Sunday Included, on montn .
Laily, without Sunday, one year . ...
Daily, without Sunday, six montns . .
Dally, without Sunday, tare montnn
Daily, without Sunday, ona month .
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Sunday and weakly, on year
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baa Frandaeo Office -R. J. BldweU Co,
Eoropnia Office No. 1 Resent street
W., London.
TORTLAM, FRIDAY. SEPT. t. 1913.
RETALIATING WITH SLANDER.
Portland has affronted certain dis
tinguished citizens of Cincinnati and
Philadelphia. How else may one ac
count for the half column of slander
and untruths concerning this city tnat
is now offered to the press of the
country by the "American Economic
League" of the Ohio city? The Amer
ican Economic League has Daniel
Klefer for manager and Samuel
Danziger for editor. Mr. Kiefer was
chairman of the lels r una commis
sion. This commission promoted a
single-tax campaign In Oregon last
year which ended so disastrously that
the chief financial angel witnarew an
or most of his support. Mr. Danzig-
ex's name is found in a list of entnu
alastlR Indorsers of and contributors to
the Fels single-tax fund. The Fels
commission, we infer from its now
prolonged inactivity in this field. Is de
moralized, so the scattered "soldiers
of the common good" are bushwhack
ing the old enemy under a new nag.
Mr. Kiefer and Mr. Danziger have
taken the Dock Commission's effort
to upset waterfront titles of forty
years' standing as a text to tell the
world what Portland has lost by not
adopting single tax. They ask the
newspapers of the United States to
print the statements that "there is In
dignation In Portland" over tne de
cision in this case; that "tolerated
squatters" who have occupied "the
whole waterfront" nave Deen aeciarea
owners of that property, and that the
indignation is "not lessened by the
fact that Seattle, the city's chief rival.
still owns a cart of its watertront ana
will now be better able to attract trade
than monopoly-gripped Portland.
Had Oreeon adopted single tax, de
clare these long-distance and unm
formed observers, the waterfront
would now pay a heavy tax or tne
DroDerty would be surrendered. This
all leads up to the distressing informa
tion that "as long as Oregon votes
flown single tax. monopoly will Hour
ish and the people of Oregon will live
a hand-to-mouth existence.
We trust that those Oregon citizens
who contributed to Mr. Kiefer"s other
organization, the Fels fund, appreciate
the penalty of being less man gener
ous. Mr. Kiefer now advertises the
state as poverty-stricken and that it
will lose its port supremacy In spue
of the fact that Portland's hand-to
mouth struggle have provided JZ.-
500,000, for the public docks which he
srraciousiy negietis m ihchwwii.
But for bold presentation of misin
formation the "American Economic
League's" statement of the waterfront
case exceeds even the wholly mislead
ing taxroll exhibits prepared by the
Fels agents in Oregon last year. It
reads as follows:
Through a decision of the Supreme Court
if Ornton the City of Portland lorn title
to Undl worth I0O.0OO.0OO. These landn
nmno It waterfront, tne ownership of
which by private monopoly la thua con-
Irmed. Whatever the legal pnaeea may oe
.vlth which the Supreme Court Juetlflea thu
lecldon, the substantial fact Is that private
artiea are given title to valuable landa for
hlch they have not paid a penny, and
hlrh the former owner the people never
mended to convey to them.
The history of the case bfglns In 192.
hen the State Legislature granted permis
sion to owners of uplands to build wharves
n the publicly-owned submerged lands
.lonr the shore, out to deep water. This
het did not transfer title to the lands. The
:.egislture. as agent or the owners, only
.Mowed certain Individuals to use the lands
"or certain purposes. The privilege was
aken advantage of until the whole water
ront of the city has been occupied by pri
vate individuals and the river encroached
:pon so that Its channel has been narrowed
v half its natural width. Now, through
ome legerdemain which lawyers can ex-
Enlein but not Justify, these tolerated squat-
;ers have been declared owners. The people
f Portland, whose Industry and enterprise
lad this waterfront worth W,000.000.
ave been denied ownership of any of It.
The truth Is that the title of water
ront owners to submerged lands is
ased not wholly on the act of 1862,
mt on subsequent acts that were spe
iflc grants. The titles were so un
luestionably sound prior to the instl
utlon of the litigation in question
hat the city, before it began the 111.
idvlsed attempt to overthrow long-es-abliahed
ownerships, obtained with
out difficulty a guaranteed certificate
f title from a responsible title and
rust company on the land it desired.
A'ithout single tax the submerged
ands have uniformly paid taxes to
-tate. county, city and school district
or many years. Moreover, were they
tow taxed in accordance with the re
ected graduated single tax measure,
he increased taxes would fall on com
nerce. if there Is anything at all in
he Cincinnati league's theory of port
ivalries and advantages, and would
hereby work against rather than fa
vorably for the port of Portland.
We trust we have made clear what
hese former professors of benevolence
oward Portland and Oregon are now
ndeavoring to do to discredit the
ommunity. The implied attack on
he wisdom and justice of Oregon
ourts, the untruthful comment on
ortland's harbor facilities and the
lander of the state's prosperity are
mbodied In a printed circular distrib
uted to the leading newspapers of the
ountry, with the invitation to repro
duce the article without any cost. The
.hole circular is indicative of the
Ingle-tax conception of public
ood faith and the rights of lndlvidu
Is. The dock case was an attempted
ubllc grab of private property. So Is
ingle tax. In- this respect only are
he two related. But Portland has
ejected such theories for practical,
very-day honesty and the prosperity
hat goes with it. It has rejected sto
le tax. It has repudiated a public
rab of railway franchise rights. We
to not doubt that the city would maln
tin a consistent record were it possi
le to present the Issues of the dock
aee to public vote.
The Wilson Administration Is said
be considering the sending of Colo
nel Roosevelt to Induce Germany and
Great Britain to change their minds
about participating in the San Fran
cisco Fair. If they wish him to go,
they muBt decide before he becomes
absorbed in faunal naturalism in
the
heart of South America. Germany
ma M tn h anxious for some excuse
is
to
rescind Its decision adverse to the fair.
and the Colonel might rurnisn it.
MAKING THE HIGHER-UPS "GOATS.'
The findings of the Interstate Com
merce Commission on the latest wreck
on the New Haven road embody a new
version of the duties of higher officials
and directors which will be approved
by the public. It is held to be the
duty of directors and officials not
only to give orders but to see that they
are obeyed. The Commission holds
the subordinate employes to be the
tools with which their superiors work,
and refuses to accept the excuse that
these tools did not work as they were
ordered.
Hereafter iwhen a board of direc
tors instructs the president of the road
to leave nothing undone that will con
duce to the safety of travel, it will be
expected to see that these instructions
are followed. When the president
gives like instructions to his heads of
departments he must see that they
obey his orders, when tne superin
tendent makes rules for his trainmen
and enginemen, he must see that they
obey. The president can no longer
shift the blame to the general mana
ger, he to the superintendent and he
to the train crew, with the result that
the men ultimately held responsible
are precisely those who have no au
thority and least discretion.
If the Interstate Commerce com
mission should follow up its findings
by bringing some of the censured of
ficials before the courts, we may ex
pect to see a great stir among rail
road directors and officials, borne
rectors may take an occasional trip
over their roads to see how operatidn
is conducted and some officials may
frequently become unexpected travel
ers. Directors who regard themselves
as ornaments, or as delegated to rep
resent certain interests, may shrink
from under this new responsibility by
resigning and give place to men who
will really direct If, as we suspect,
there be rules so impossible of ob
servance that they have become dead
letters, they will be wiped out. v hen
the men who give the orders realize
that they, not the engineer or con
ductor, must be the "goat" if wrecks
occur, they will become extremely
careful.
THE FIRST EMERGENCY.
There is an expectation of trouble
when the Emergency Board meets at
Salem today, at the call of the Gov.
ernor. It rises from the belief that
the Emergency Board will not do
what the Governor wants it to do. It
is reasonable to assume that any body
of men who have had experience with
the Governor's peculiar methods and
policies may readily find themselves in
opposition to his wishes and demands
Tet let us venture to hope tnat tne
session will be as calm and peaceful
as a September morn, and that nobody
will be put in a hole, or try to put
anybody In a hole. Let us hope so.
Governor West finds difficulty in
carrying out his law-enforcement pol
icy. The Legislature gave him a spe-
cial fund of $1000 for that purpose.
and it Is already exhausted. The law
frowns down severely on deficits, but
it wisely provides that an Emergency
Board may, on occasion, to carry on
the necessary work of state govern,
ment, authorize the creation of a defi.
cit, through the expenditure of what
ever sum the board may designate.
Here Is an emergency created by the
Governor and he wants help. It should
be given.
There are certain aspects of this
matter that lead one to suppose that
the Governor has no idea the Emer
gency Board will comply with his re
quest. It Is surprising, of course, that
an executive who has expressed him
self so often and so well in opposition
to deficits "under my administration
there will be no deficits" should be
anxious to create a deficit for any pur
pose. But what is an Emergency
Board for If not to meet an emer
gency? Here is an emergency that
calls for action.
Governor West has a so-called pol
icy of law enforcement all his own.
He should be given reasonable latitude
to work it out. If stopped now by
lack of funds, he may well say that
others are to blame. If authorized
to go ahead, the responsibility of suc
cess or failure will be his. Law en
forcement is desired by all law-abiding
citizens. Any influence that re
quires weak-kneed law officers to en
force the law, or sustains strong law
officers In enforcing the law, will be
approved by the public. If It be said
that the Governor by his hasty and
partial judgments and equally hasty
actions Is doing more harm than good
by constantly interfering in the af
fairs of the County Sheriffs and Prose
cuting Attorneys, it is not to be for
gotten that he is the supreme execu
tive of the state. The Oregonian
would give a Governor rather more
authority than less over the law offi
cers of Oregon.
WHY 'OT HAVE PASSION TLATSf
One of the most curious dramatic
performances in the world Is the Pas
sion Play of Niova mission, in one of
the Marquesas Islands, which belong
to France. It was initiated fifty years
ago by some Catholic missionaries,
who invented it to allure tha heathen
from the errors of' protestantism. In
the beginning all the parts were taken
by white missionaries, but little by lit
tle they were transferred to natives,
who now act the entire piece.
Of course the leading figure is the
Chrlstus, who is represented by a pearl
fisher whose character Is suitable to
the part only during Passion week.
For the rest of the year he is a drunk,
en reprobate. The good missionaries
would gladly replace him by some
more sedate individual, but inasmuch
as no other Islander has a beard the
change Is impossible. No beardless
man can play the Christus either at
OberammergaU or in the Marquesas
Islands.
John the Baptist is particularly
pleasing in his makeup. He wears a
long Prince Albert coat formerly be
longing to a Protestant missionary
whom he perhaps helped to consume
just before Lent began. A tall silk
hat, an umbrella and a pair of spec
tacles complete his costume, which is
as striking as it is Biblical. Pontius
Pilate also wears a silk hat, but not
quite so tall a one as John the Bap
tist. His coat is of white linen and
he wears American shoes.
The Passion play has accomplished
Its purpose by converting the natives
to the Catholic Church. Any sensi
ble person must admire the shrewd
ness of the good priests, who under
stood human nature well enough to
make use of a means so efficacious to
gain their ends. The wonder Is that
our American clergymen of the various
denominations have always overlooked
a means of grace which might be
made so potent.
It would be more accurate to say
that they have not overlooked it, but
deliberately refused to employ it.
Their excuse is that dramatic repre
sentation of the gospel story would be
irreverent. To a rational mind it
seems no more irreverent to depict
these events dramatically than to
paint pictures of them or describe
them in words, while the effect upon
the spectators would be Incomparably
more impressive.
ABOUT A PUBLIC MARKET. .
T -Dr-tianA Vmrl a nuhlie market.
could the housewives be weaned away
fmm tha telephone and the delivery
system? Would they go to the mar
ket with baskets on tneir arms, uuy
what they want and take it home
themselves? If so, they can save as
mufh ok Dps Moines housekeepers
save by having a public market. The
Mayor of Des Moines estimates the re
duction in prices since the market "was
nnened at from 20 to 60 per cent, and
at an average of 35 per cent.
But those who do not wisn to ouy
in iwmui instead of bv telephone need
wint An nn indefinitely nor need they
continue to carry their purchases
home if Portland snouia open u. puu
nr market. Havine once become ac
quainted with a dealer in the market
in whom she had confidence, tne
housewife could telephone her order
to him. One or more delivery wagons
could be attached to the market.
which would deliver purchases- for
th hiivers. Havine all the business.
they would have full loads and could
so district the city as to economize
time by comparison with a store
lteenor who serves scattered custom-
Arc Thpv could deliver telephone or- I
ders C. O. D. The housekeeper wouia
snlnv all tha ronveniences she now
has, but would save tne mmaiemen
rirnflts
Des Moines finds that tne pumio
market has stimulated market gar
dening In the suburbs by providing
reasonably sure sale for produce, xnai
increases the health and prosperity oi
the gardener and increases the supply
ami lowers the price for the con
sumer. What other cities have done
Portland can do.
MR. BRYAN ON THE ROAD.
Mr. Bryan made a Chautauqua tour
the other day through the southwest
corner of Delaware and that part of
Man-land. My Maryland, which Is
known among the natives as "the
Eastahn Sho." In that Land of Beu-
lah. where September is more ripe and
golden than anywhere else in the
world, the Secretary or state poureu
forth his wisdom and eloquence to a
dozen audiences of farmers and their
wives for a day and a half. He trav
eled in true democratic simplicity,
buying his own railroad tickets and
dispensing with special trains. This
was a great sacrifice of the dignity
which Is supposed to hedge tne nign
officials at Washington. When they
condescend to exhibit themselves to
the populace it is deemed becoming
to procure an entire train or cars in
some way, usually through tne Kind
ness of the corporation otnciais, ana
make fleeting appearances on the rear
platform. Commonly It is not safe for
an official to show too mucn or mm
self to the public. The less he Is seen
and heard the more he Is revered. But
Mr. Bryan has the courage to prac
tice exactly the reverse, of this astute
precept. He never loses an oppor
tunity to place himself on show and
the times when his voice Is silent are
remarkable for their rarity, like lulls
In the roar of Niagara.
Mr. Bryan was the principal at
traction at the Eastern Shore Cnau
tauauas. but he was not the only one.
The Tyrolese yodelers had their brief
hour of applause at his side. The
baseball fans hastened to their fa.
vorlte diversion after he had finished
his lecture on "The Making of a Man
or "Signs of the Times," as the case
might be. The Honorable Secretary
had prepared addresses on both these
themes and sometimes permitted tne
audience to decide by voting which
they would hear. The young woman
who gives "readings" also sat on the
platform, awaiting her turn while Mr.
Brian was holding forth, and not far
away was the solemn-faced gentleman
who expounds the Bible. Tne Chau
tauqua has learned the art of mingling
all these attractions and many others.
the grave and gay, the nimble and se
date, the wise and foolish, in the pre
cise proportions which suit its audi
ences. There is Just enough scholar
ship to make the people feel learned
without the trouble of becoming so
and just enough piety to make them
look religious without the exertion or
much soul-searching and just enough
nonsense to make up that proportion
which is said to be relished by the
best of men.
Mr. Brian's function at the Chau
tauqua is to supply the graver element
of the vaudeville. His lectures flit
with exemplary lightness over the sur
face of the deep questions of life. As
Camilla skims the ripening grain with
out bending a stalk, so the Secretary
of State manages to hover with un-
fluttering wing over the profoundest
questions of politics and morals with
out leaving a dint on the surface. He
is the most agile master of common
place who ever delivered himself to
enthralled multitudes. Nobody else
could ever skip as lightly as he does
over the abysses of thought without
ever slipping down an inch. He loves
to sit in the shadow of great ideas,
but is careful never to touch their
bodies, lest he become infected and
lose something of that, exquisite charm
of the superficial which is the open
sesame of his popularity. In his lec
tures Mr. Bryan twitters with the same
silvery grace as Longfellow in his
poems. Indeed, between Longfellow's
popularity and that of our great Sec
retary there is a remarkable resem
blance. Neither of them ever goes
below the surface of things and each
f them chants the trite and harmless
in tones which are irresistibly seduc
tive to the average American.
We came pretty near saying "the
average unlettered American," but
happily we did not. Chautauqua au
diences are not unlettered, or, if they
are, they are not content with their
lost estate. They ardently aspire to
know what has been thought by the
world's master thinkers. They dimly
yearn to find out what art is and they
would gladly listen to great music if
they only knew how. To the multi
tude thus groping its way toward the
true, the beautiful and the good comes
the benevolent Mr. Bryan with his
exhaustless mine of bromides. He has
platitude for every insurgent soul,
balmy commonplace for every
wounded breast. He heals the mental
diseases of his listeners with ver
bal opiates. He feeds their intel
lectual stomachs with perfumed wind.
His lectures are like a calm, bright
river of thick molasses. They .har
monize wonderfully with the Septem
ber sunshine of the Eastern Shore.
They are to the brains of the people
what cantaloupes and ripe persimmons
are to their palates. To millions of
Americans Mr. Bryan is an ideal
statesman. He is a model of the do
mestic virtues. -He has adopted
all the austere asceticisms which
stand for Christian perfection to
the average Chautauquan. He uses
no tobacco. He has said to the
demon rum, "Get thee behind me,
Satan." He does not swear. He Is
consummate master of the fascinating
art of delivering a long lecture with
out saying anything. These qualifica.
tions, which fit him so charmingly to
travel around the Chautauqua circle
with the Tyrolean band and the dra
matic reader, fit him Just as well, in
the minds of his admirers, to be Sec
retary of State for a great Nation or
even to be its President.
But there is one redeeming feature
about Mr. Bryan. Without it he would
be a mere Pecksniff, ranging through
the towns of the Eastern Shore to
gather in the shekels. With it he is
man who wins the love of the Ameri
can people as often as they see and
hear him. Shallow as he is, he is
an honest man. His convictions are
old-fashioned and sometimes rldicu
lous, but he has the courage to stand
by them through good and evil re
port. He Is not a prophet of revo
lution nor the bringer of any new gos
pel that will save the world, but the
sheaf of ideas which he bears has
been well tested by time and he prof
fers it with a beaming sincerity which
makes him a model showman.
Trim nf melt. dalrv and noultry
products increased in May and June,
1913. by comparison with the same
months of 1912. according to
United States Bureau of Labor. The
advance ranged from 4.1 per cent for
milk to 16.1 per cent tor nacon. .
tha nther hflTiri h nricp. of notatO
declined 31.9 per cent, sugar 13.2 per
cent, wheat nour 1. 1 per cent ana
fftrnmfllll 3.9 npr cent. The Drlces
of
such foodstuffs as workingmen's fam
ilies consume reached a higher level
rtrt T i , n n IS than fit nnv time in twen
ty-three and one-half years, except on
the same date in lsiz, ana wre os.z
per cent above the average of the ten
years 1890 to 1899.
A Wallowa County man who was
confined in a sanitarium in this city
for several weeks last Spring wound
ed. probably fatally, one daughter and
tried to kill another yesterday at his
Eastern' Oregon home. He is said to
have done this In a fit of Jealousy over
attentions paid the younger girl by. a
young man. This gives rise to the
pertinent question: Is an Insane man
cured when he gets a certificate to
that effect? Incidents that follow
with distressing frequency seem to say
he is not.
These are the davs of the. nrofe:
sors. One of them is in the White
Rnnqn anii ha. . nnnointed Others tO
high Federal offices. Now President
Hadley, of Yale, has been elected a di
rector of the New Haven road in the
hope that he win neip to renaDin
tate it.
When the news spreads in the FloW'
ery Kingdom that a Chinese widow
with three children is drawing J25 a
month pension In Portland, English-
speaking missionaries will be com
pelled to relocate heaven to fit the na
tive idea.
Ex-President Taft resents the story
that he has lost eighty pounds. He is
only sixty pounds lighter. What would
make a living skeleton of an ordinary
man simply improves the looks of the
professor.
Mayor Gaynor cherished resentment
toward his disobedient daughters, yet
if death had not been untimely it Is
more than likely he would have
changed that will in that respect.
The Colonel probably wouldn't have
been so sentimental in his ditty to the
Captain's wife had he suspected it
would be made public through the me.
dlum of the divorce court.
There is no chance to discover new
evidence as to the manner of Ma
dero's death. All the witnesses are
dead. Huerta saw to that.
The Ralkans are fimolderiner niraln
When men get the lust of war in their
veins it would seem tnat peace palls
upon tnem.
Huerta will not enter the Presiden
tial race. That was yesterday. What
he will decide upon tomorrow remains
to be seen.
Yesterday was the 400th anniver
sary of the day when Balboa mis
named the mightiest body of water on
the globe.
An QvArs7a nf thlrtv-twn new nnst
masters a day is being named. Mere
drop in tne DUCKet ror tne nungry
iauniui.
Editors can make war, says Daniels,
Not unless an enemy Invades the
United States under this Administra
tion. Mrs. Pankhurst says she is coming
over mainly to answer questions. Our
interviewers will attend to the matter,
With the state asking 8.8 mills levy,
we extend sympathy to some of the
city taxpayers over In Washington.
And now women are to wear sus
penders. They'll get around to trou
sers yet.
Visions of the Yankee dollar seem
to be bringing the greasers to their
senses.
It would seem that local civil serv
ice used to be a neat little family af
fair. Howard Elliott has fallen Into a
badly tangled railroad skein.
Oh, you Muggsy! And then again,
oh, you Connie!
Price of diamonds is to advance. We
should worry.
They've raised the price of pork
again. Hogs!
Muzzles will stay on dogs. Wise
precaution.
This fair weather Is real Fair
weather.
Make your bets for October 7.
RELIGIOUS TRAILING IX SCHOOLS
Mr. Lowell Sees Moral Decline Since
Bible Reading Censed.
PENDLETON, Or.. Sept. 24. (To the
Editor.) The fact that Portland is tn
onlv imnortant city in the state, am
hence the center of the civic, financial.
nnlittc&L educational and religious ac
tlvitiea nt the commonwealth, must be
made the excuse for the Interest which
the whole people have taken in tn
decision of the Portland School Boat
noon the restoration of the Bible to tl:
Dublie schools. The Oregonian thl
morning announces that the board has
unanimously barred the dook, a result
which waa of course expected, but
which is not likely to be accepted as
final by those men and women who be.
lieve that religious teacning is in
prime essential of education, if ou
civilization Is to endure.
Jew and Mohammedan, Catholic and
Protestant. Unitarian and Trinitarian,
must agree that for some reason there
has been a remarkable decline in moral
sentiment since the days have ceasea
when a chapter of the holy writ wa
nresented from the teacher's desk eacl
morning as the school opened. The
argument that religious teacning is i
personal matter, and should be Incul
cated in the home may be theoretically
correct, but It fails woefully in results,
Men seem to have rorgotten tne nega
tivea of the 10 commandments. Is i
because they are not acquainted with
the great moral law of the ages? And
If so, then is it not tne duty oi in,
state to teach the children their ex
istence and signification? The Con
gress of Religions at the World's al
in Chicago was able to unite upon th
decalogue, and there were represented
all the trreat religions or tne globe.
It is a strange condition of publl
sentiment when mighty organization
of men conduct a ceaseless battl
against the social evil and the saloon
both but external mannestations or i
mistaken social policy, and ignore th
almost universal practice of profan
swearing, always an indication of
either moral degeneracy or ignorance
of the moral law. for the Master said
"I come not to destroy the law, but to
fulfill it," and the central column of
the decaloglc edifice is in the injunc
tion: "Thou shalt not take the name of
the Lord, thy God, in vain, for th
Lord will not hold him guiltless wn
taketh his name in vain." With that
commandment destroyed the remaining
nine are In leODardy.
The public school will never perform
its duty to the ciuzensnip oi tne .no
public until the 10 commandments, th
Kolden rule and the sermon on th
mount, are restored to the school cur
riculum, through Impressive services
as the day opens, and tne minas or
children are fresh and plastic.
Some one said to the distinguished
statesman and Jurist of Pennsylvania,
Judge Jeremiah Black, shortly before
his death: "Judge Black, have you not
noticed in recent years, a tendency
toward more liberal Ideas in religious
matters, a decreasing acceptance- of
the truths of the Bible?" "Yes," said the
Judge, "and I have noticed that along
with that tendency has gone, tnat nice
distinction between right and wrong
which characterized the fathers." An
analysis by school officials of the mind-
attitude of our school children and of
those who have graduated since the
Bible disappeared from the schools,
mieht change their views upon tn
Question which your board hag no
solved, but avoided
STEPHEN A. LOWELL.
HISTORY OF BIBLE READING ISSUE
Ministerial Action Supersede, Move
ment of Year Ago.
PORTLAND. Sept. 25. (To the Edi
tor.) Following the conclusion of the
question of moral training and the
Bible in the schools, it is due tne unris
tlan ministers of Portland that a sum
mary statement be made of their at
titude and action in the matter.
A year ago the subject of public
morals was under discussion, 'and the
opinion prevailed that our growing and
selfish materialism Is gradually cor
rupting our high Ideals of moral char
acter, and that home, church and
school are our only bulwarks of safety.
A committee of 12, which included the
leadlncr ministers of the city, was ap
Dointed and instructed to take such
action as would support and improve
the Influence of our schools in over
coming these corrupting tendencies.
The plan of this committee was for
mulated on these views:
1. This must be a citizens movement
And until those who stand for im
proved morals can unite in their rec
ommendation to our school board, It
will be useless to appear before them
2. They adopted the following balu
principle: "To give effect and estab
lish in character the principles and
spirit of the authoritative moral law.
our teachers should be encouraged to
use entire freedom, in obedience to
sound principles of educational phllos
ODhy. in utilizing every incentive and
appliance of experience, biography,
history and literature, and tnat tne
sacred precepts, warnings and history
of the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures
that apply to this end be given the
place they deserve.
3. To create an active interest among
the citizens within their influence, it
was determined to institute a cam
palgn of moral education throughout
the state, with a view to securing a
united action that would overcome the
opposition of prejudice and indiffer
ence.
This has been our record until a re
cent meeting of the ministers, of which
this committee was not apprised, took
other action which superseded that of
a year ago and passed the resolution
asking that "the Bible be read in the
schools without comment, and ap
pointed a committee to present it to
the Board of Education.
This committee, on their own respon
sibility added the introductory state
ment, which in summary expressed the
udgment of the former committee. As
we know, both statement and resolu
tion were considered together by the
Board, the question of reading the
Bible taking precedence and determin
ing the action of the Board.
I believe the outcome, which could
not have been otherwise in view of the
situation, has demonstrated that the
attitude of the committee of last year
is the only practicable one.
And now that this chapter has
closed, it will not be overlooked that
the ministers of Portland are actively
loyal to the highest social and moral
ideals of the city life, and will only
ask a following as the expedients
they offer for the betterment of social
conditions commend themselves to the
good Judgment of their fellow-citizens.
. D. L. KIEHLE.
What Fixea Value of Goldr
PORTLAND. Sept 25. (To the Ed
itor.) Will you please tell your read
ers whether the coiners of the world
or the governments of the world estab
lish and regulate the value of gold?
A xvcJ ADiit.
The governments of the world are
the only legal coiners of money. The
value of gold Is not fixed by them, but
by the relative value of gold and other
commodities. When the supply of gold
increases in greater proportion than
that of other commodities, prices rise
because the relative value of gold has
fallen. When the supply of gold de
creases, or when the supply of other
commodities increases In greater pro
portion than that of gold, prices fall
because the relative value of gold has
risen. In fact, the mere declaration of
the Government that a certain quantity
f gold Is a dollar or a pound does not
fix its value, any more than the decla
ration that a certain number of pounds
of potatoes constitutes a bushel fixes
their value. Value of gold is fixed by
the law of supply and demand.
SIDE LIGHT ON BEEF QUESTION.
Incident Given to Indicate Where Farm-
era' Juat Profits Go.
PORTLAND. Sept. 25. (To the Edi
tor.) I hope that the general public,
after readine: what the newspapers and
the beef packers have to say, will not
conclude that the farmer who does not
raise his steer calves to maturity has
no argument to offer for his action.
In the vicinity where I have 85 Hol
stein heifers, all of which will soon
have calves, my neighbors insist that
the best thing to do, from a financial
point of view, is to knook on the head
every male calf that is born. They
contend that the skim milk that they
will take during the firs few months
of their lives can be more proritaoiy
fed to pigs; or if there is a cheese
factory in the neighborhood, tne miia
can be more profitably taken there.
After all, profit is what the farmer
wants, and must have, if he is to stay
out of the bankruptcy court. I propose,
however, as a matter of sentiment, to
rear my steer calves, whether it is
profitable or not, but I will not blame
those dairymen who do not follow my
example.
The producer on the farm is a tar
get for all kinds of grafters, and that
is one reason why as a rule he cannot
arrord to be ruled by sentiment, or oy
the patriotic urgings of the newspa
pers, to help solve the beef shortage
question. Let me give an example of
a recent experience. After being a pio
neer in my particular bailiwick. Eastern
Oregon, in bringing in Holstein cattle
and Duroc Jersey hogs which my
neighbors now believe are the proper
sort of animals for them I am also
the pioneer in that locality In the mat
ter of adjustable stanchions for my
cow stable. My neighbors all have the
old-style, rigid, two-by-four wooden
affairs, that are hard on the bossy that
always wants to turn her head to the
right or left when she lies down. I
saw an advertisement of a particular
stanchion made in a Middle state, that
had a kink which I regarded as being
particularly desirable. I wrote the
makers, as they invited me to do in
their advertisement, and they referred
my letter to their Seattle agent. I or
dered my stanchions at 50 cents ad.
vance over the list price (an unusual
thing). They came, and are excellent.
But a local business man Informs my
superintendent that I might as well
have ordered thera through him, as he
got a commission on them anyway.
If the local dealer, or even the Seat
tle man, had brought to my attention
this particular stanchion, and its mer
its, I will concede that he should have
had a commission. I had looked over
stanchions in Portland, and concluded
that this one filled the bill better than
any others I saw. In due course other
dairymen will visit my barn. My fore
man will properly and kindly show
them the advantages of this particular
stanchion, and I am humane enough to
hope that the visitors will in due
course order some. Will I get a com
mission or remuneration for the time
taken to explain these goods? No, but
the local man will, and the Seattle man
and the manufacturer will get their
profit.
There Is something radically wrong
in a system which mulcts me 20 per
cent above the list price, so that Tom,
Dick and Harry, who are staying by
the wayside, and perhaps never saw a
stanchion of this sort, may get some
of my money.
So, in view of this and a thousand
other ways of cinching the unorgan
ized dairymen and producers of food
for the Nation, we must watch the
dimes very closely. If we are too Jeal
ous of each other to organize and treat
the trusts and grafters as they de
serve. R. M. TUTTLE.
MARRIED WOMAN OX X-RAY DRESS
Moral Standard la Lowered by Always
Seeing: Evil, Saya She.
PORTLAND, Sept. 25 (To the Edi
tor.) When M. P. M. says woman's
dress is her own business she Is un
doubtedly in the right. Her letter
voices the opinion of every right-thinking
member of the community, male
or female. Since you make a special
point of the fact that M. P. M. is an un
married woman I will state that I am
a married woman with two grown son
and a daughter, not to omit a husband,
all of whom concur with Miss M. P. M.
sentiments. In fact we have all con.
templated ever since the so-called "x
ray campaign" has been at white heat
to write The Oregonian, believing that
our views coincide with those of the
respectable portion of the community.
Now Miss M. P. M. has expressed hersel
so forcibly and clearly and in such ex
cellent form that I shall not greatly
enlarge on her letter. I simply wish to
back her up in her right stand, for.
judging from the letters that have
hitherto inundated newspaper offices,
such women as Miss M. P. M. need sup
port in their high Ideals.
This idea of what is sauce for the
gander being sauce for the goose" lies
deeper than most of us would believe.
Women do not interfere with men in
their way of dressing, nor is it proper
that they should. I live near an ath
letic club, and almost dally in the sea
son trackmen may be seen running on
the street past my house.
Now I, being of a sex opposite from
that of the wearers, acting after the
manner of numberless "X-ray skirt
oglers" (if the dally papers are to be
believed) should do one of the follow
ng things:
1. Commit suicide or murder; or
2. Call up the police, raid the large
athletic club and order all athletics not
requiring full dress stopped; or
3. Collect all my cronies, stand on tio
corner in wait and hurl vulgar remarks
sotto voce as the "offenders pass.
As a matter of fact, I do none of
these things. I look the other way and
go about my business. Thus I don't
find this trifling incident dwelling in
my mind when we discuss it among
ourselves," for we don't discuss it. We
all know (at least all of us who are
women know) what women would
think of another whose description of
her Summer at the beach consisted in
detailed accounts of the appearance of
the men in their bathing sutls or of
one who, after a return from an outing
on the river, passed up the scenery and
prattled incessantly of the appearance
of the boys on the bank. As M. P. M.
says, there is always something profit
able at hand to fill the mind, and the
really sad feature of this whole affair
is not that this type of. dress Is worn
by a few mistaken women with a mis
taken idea of beauty, but that so large
a part of the population should be
wasting its time and lowering its
standards by laying stress where stress
does not belong.
I am not defending the "A.-ray
gown. five never seen one, 10 De
frank), but being one of those almost
obsolete creatures now nearly as ex
tinct as the Do-Do. I believe in the
Declaration of Independence, and the
right of every man and woman to
life, liberty and the pursuit or happi
ness. MKS. liAUKA WiljjJXV.
468 Nartilla street.
Extend Campaign for Courtesy.
PORTLAND. Sept. 25. (To the Edi
tor.) Will you not do what you can
to extend the campaign for courtesy
in this dealing with the public, start
ed by Mayor Albee, to include employes
f public service corporations? Be
cause they are soulless does not sig
nify that their employes are entitled
to manifest only animal characteris
tics. It seems to be easier to shed the
bristles than the snarl that originated
with them, and the public suffers when
they are unhappy because they are
hungry, or bilious, or their feet hurt-
No doubt they often get daft answers
to their inquiries and are sometimes
asked foolish questions and others en
tirely beyond their ken, but it doesn't
seem necessary to add ill-nature to
Ignorance. Some people prefer to walk
than ride with -a boor and choose kero
sene and candlelight rather than to
have their peace of mind smudged up
by an unclvlllan whose light of life is
urnlng low. A. T.
Twenty-five Years Ago
From The Oregonian of September t. 1SS8.
Olympia, W. T., Sept. 25. General
R. H. Milroy yesterday received a
testimonial of remembrance from his
old comrades of the Eighty-seventh
Pennsylvania Volunteers, which was a
part of his command in 1863.
Astoria, Sept. . 25. Grading on the
Ilwaco & Oystervflle Railroad Is
finished to Paul's place, within two and
a half miles of OyRtervllle.
The Portland & Vancouver Railroad
Company has fixed the fare to Van
couver from Portland at 25 cents and
within the city their franchise puts it
at 5. cents.
The Government fleet designed for
the Improvement of St. Helens bar
sailed gaily down the river yester
day. "The Mikado" was given last night
to another large audience at the new
Park Theater. '
The new Catholic Cemetery on the
Barnes road will be consecrated and
dedicated Sunday by Archbishop Gross,
assisted by the clergy.
State Printer Frank C. Baker paid
Portland a flying visit yesterday.
Judge L. L. McArthur, United States
District Attorney, went to Salem last
evening.
George W. McBride, of St. Helens,
and his brother, John R. McBride, of
Salt Lake, are at the St. Charles.
C. W. Knowles and wife left yes
terday on a visit to Coeur d'Alene.
Colonel Milton Weldler has Just re
ceived from Washington a finely ex
ecuted picture of Colonel Matthew S.
Quay, United States Senator from
Pennsylvania, chairman of the Repub
lican National Committee and an old
Army comrnde of Colonel Weldler.
Half a Century Ago
From The Oregonian of September 26, 1863.
Headquarters, Army of the Cumber
land, Sept. 19. A desperate engatte
ment commenced this morning. The
rebels made a heavy attack on the
corps of General Thomas, forming the
left wing of our Army, but were driven
back. The rebels then made a furious
attack on our center, which fell back,
but General Thomas on tho left and
General Lewis on tho right regained
the lost ground. The intention of the
enemy was evidently to get between
us and Chattanooga.
New York, Sept. 20. A Morris Island
letter represents the rebels busily re
pairing Fort Sumpter.
Quite a skirmish came off on Front
street yesterday between two well
known citizens, from whom ' better
things might have been expected,
which resulted In black eyes and
bloody noses.
Another party of emigrants arrived
on the Hunt last evening.
A select and fashionable audience
witnessed Shakespeare's "Romeo and
Juliet" at the theater last evening.
Alloy in Gold Coins.
PORTLAND, Sept. 25. (To the Ed
itor.) A claims that United States
gold coins contain their face value in
Dure eold. B claims that the pure gold
and the alloy which they contain con
stitute their face value. Who is right?
Please quote your authority. L. M. B.
Gold coins contain alloy of baser
metals. The value of the alloy does
not appear to be included in that of
the coin. Nelson's Universal Cyclo
pedia says:
"Both Great Britain and the United
States have free coinage of gold, but
in Great Britain it la gratuitous, while
In the United States it la not. Any
deduction In excess of the actual cost
of coinage' Is known as seigniorage.
The objects of seigniorage are many
sometimes to debase the coin for the
sake of the fiscal exigencies of the
Government, sometimes to secure
money like the fractional coins which
shall be secure from the danger of
being melted down for exports or for
use In the arts. In all cases of this
kind the Government makes an ap
parent profit on the Issue of all such
coins."
Cuban Campaigns
By Colonel Rooseve.t
In The Oregonian nest Sunday the
Roosevelt autobiogrnpby enters
upon an unusually interesting and
graphic stage, dealing with the
days when he won his spurs in the
Spanish-American War. His own
story of the Cuban campaigning
is a tense narrative which throws
much new light on the conflict.
Suffragist Adventures They are
from the pen of Sylvia Pankhurst,
who describes her thrilling strug
gles with the London police and
tells of a term in prison.
Honeymoon Danger Points Rita
Reese writes entertainingly of
dangers that beset 'newly wedded
couples and points out many ways
to avoid early marital clashes.
Too Many Pretty Women They
are the cause of much of the
world's woes, says noted psychol
ogist. John J. McGraw The "little Na
poleon" of baseball who has
never met rns Waterloo, is dis
cussed in au elaborately illus
trated page article which all the
fans will want to read.
Waste and Inefficiency They are
dissected in a scholarly article by
Mr. Frank Koester, who charges
that the toll of inefficiency is
enormous.
Would You Live to Be 150? Half
a page is devoted to an illustrated
article on some remarkable old
people and how they got past the
century mark.
Checking in the Immigrants A
page in colors on the people who
knock at the door of the United
States for admission.
Two Short Stories "Melissy and
the Milliner" and "Purple and
Fine Linen." Complete Sunday.
Haystack Rock A color page of a
wonderful scene on the uregon
Coast.
Old Doc Yak has a new adventure
with his automobile and two little
bears.
These Are Only a Few of Many
Features.
Order today of your newsdealer.