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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 18, 1913)
THE MORNING OREGONIAN, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1913. 8 PORTLAITO. OBJBGOX. Entered at Portland. Oreson. Fostofflca aa second-class matter. Subscription Rates Invariably In Advance (BT MAIM Dally. Sunday Included, one year Dally Sunday Included, six months... Dally. Sunday Included, three month. Dally. Sunday Included, one month.... Dally, without Sunday, ona year...... Dally, without Sunday, six months.... Daily, without Sunday, three month.. Dally, without Sunday, ona month.... Weekly, one year -- Sunday, one year Sunday and weekly, one year (BT CARRIER) 18.00 4.25 3.25 .70 a. oo 8.25 1.76 .60 1.50 2.60 3.50 Dally. Sunday Included, one year 9?2 Dally. Sunday Included, ona montn , Rrmlt Rend nostofflcs money or. der, express order or personal check on your local Dana, niampa. eum m ...... . . 7" sender's risk. Olve postonce kiu. r.ill I n 1 T-ll In tr .nnnlf and State. PMtam Itntrm 12 to Id DaffCS. 1 Cant; IS to 82 pages, 2 cents; UliU Ve- mtM, 60 to 60 paxes, 4 cents; 83 to 78 pages. I cents: 78 to 62 dsiu, e cent. Fore fan port Aire rfouhlA rates. Eastern Business Office Verree A Conk Iln. New lurk, urunawlca ouiiumi, r rn Stiver ItullAlnff. San Francisco Office R. J. BldwaH Co, 742 Market St. POKTLA-ND, BATCBDAY. OCT. 18, 181. cmRENtrs" snx axd its CBrnoa. Prospects of early passage) of the currency bill are brightening. They are greatly Improved by President Wilson's desire, expressed to Senator Hitchcock, that the bill be not made a partisan measure and by his readi ness to welcome Republican support afso by Republican willingness to aid in framing a good bill and not to de lay Its passage. " Settlement of the currency Issue on the lines of the pending bill is essen- tlal to stability of business conditions. These have been disturbed by the new tariff and the readjustment made neMtsarr by that measure will be greatly facilitated by Improvement of the banking system, xne question w not one of party; It concerns the whole country. There are certain pro visions In the bill on which the dom inant party insists. As they are mat ters of party policy. It Is useless to ' ask the Democracy to yield on them. It Is for Republicans to consider whether these provisions are so,lm- portant and so Inherently vicious that they should sacrifice the opportunity to secure adoption of other provisions of the bill which are taken In sub stance from the Aldrlch bill. Criticism is leveled chiefly at the composition of the Federal reserve board. Appointment of all its mem bers 'by the President Is opposed as establishing political control of the banks and its powers are declared too broad. In reply, Chairman Glass, of the House banking and currency com. mlttee. in reporting the bill, said: There 1 scarcely a power enumerated which has not been exercised ty tne uot eminent for 50 years, or. Indeed, which has not been confided to one or two publlo fun etlonarles. He pointed out that the power to require one reserve bank "to go to the relief of another in a plain business transaction" was only to be exercised In times of emergency, was essential to the mobilisation of reserves for whlqh banks have clamored and was analo gous to the power now exercised by the Secretary of the Treasury in transfer ring Government deposits from banks in one part of the country to those in another part. He expressed the opin ion that this power will not be in voked once in half a century, for the bill will cause withdrawal of reserve funds from stock speculation, with the result that "we shall rarely ever again have bank panics." He stated that the power to suspend reserve re quirements, confided to this board, is akin to that now exercised by the Controller of the Currency alone of tolerating violation of those require ments for a period of thirty days. As to the objection to political con. trol, Mr. Glass said he challenged the bankers "to cite one Instance where private Interests were represented on any Government board In this or any other civilized country," but "they could not answer." He said that the reserve banks are to be the exclusive mediums of Government issue and subject to no severer examination or greater control than existing National banks. They are to be given the great privileges of holding the reserve funds of the country and the deposits of the Government. He expressed the opin ion that the real fact was that there would be too many bankers on the board, for the Secretary of the Treas ury and the Controller are almost al ways bankers and one of the four ap pointed members must be a banker. He showed that the power to Issue emergency currency under the Vree land law was vested in the Secretary of the Treasury alone, As to the fear that the powers of the board would be perverted to polit ical uses, he said a banker suggested such a possibility the President, but was "vainly challenged to show how it might be done," He continued. I shall not soon forget the emphasis with which the President of the United States declared that no man would aver be found who would be willing to Imperil his repu tation or tarnish his fame by so flagrant a prostitution of his high office! He said this statement brought to mind "this splendid declaration," made by Congressman (now Senator) Bur ton five years ago on this very topic: There are executive acts which are theo retloally possible, but which the Inoumbents, with their weighty responsibilities, would never dare perform, because tbey would know that If their course was marked by favoritism or Injustice they would be dis credited while living and dishonored when dead. The X-ray of publicity, he said, would t turned full upon the opera tions of the board and It would meet at least four times a year with the bankers' advisory committee. Discussing the question whether the bill would contract or expand credits, Mr. Glass showed that critics are not agreed. James B. Forgan predicted contraction to the extent of $1,800, 000,000, while Charles G. Dawes pre dicted enormous inflation and the for eign exchange expert of one of the biggest banks figured out a possible expansion of nearly $2,000,000,000. Mr. Glass admitted that there could be expansion and quoted Frank Vander 11 p as saying there was great need of it, that authority having said that $2, 000,000,000 could be used within five years in developing water power alone. Mr. Glass argued that the Federal re serve board, by its control of the dis count rate, could' prevent undue ex pansion, and other provisions of the bill would have the same effect. The loudest protest against the bill has eome recently from the country bankers. Mr. Glass, by elaborate fig ures, undertook to show that under the new reserve and currency systems they would gain Instead of lose. The provision abolishing exchange on out-of-town checks deprives them of a considerable source of legitimate prof it, but may be omitted or modified by the Senate committee. Even if it should be retained, the country banks would be compensated to a large de gree by the rediscount privilege and by relief from the strain of panici and periodical money stringency. National banks protest against the enforced investment of 10 per cent of their capital in reserve banks, but at the outset they would be required to invest only 10 per cent in this way. Tbey may never be called upon for the second 10 per cent and, if they should be, it would be taken perhaps 1 per cent, or even less, at a time. This capital will still be available for them as a basts of rediscounts and they will receive dividends on it up to 6 per cent. The new system will permit them to open foreign branches and will con for other benefits which will more than compensate, for the temporary Inconvenience caused by withdrawal of this capital from their immediate con trol. Bankers' criticism of the bill seems to be based on the assumption that Congress is legislating only for the bankers. It Is, in fact, legislating for the whole people by providing them with a financial system. Bankers will profit as the whole community profits. THE DOCTRINE OF 6UFFKES8IOX. If the newspapers would get together and agree not to mention .the name of Oswald West, the Governor would behave himself and act sensibly. It will be recalled that, during the recent escapade of Jack Johnson at Chicago, the big dallies conceived the idea that free advertising and notoriety were what was causing- Jack Johnson to thrive and they announced their determination of refusing to thereafter mention the black man. when Johnson learned of this h very promptly got out of the country. The mind of Jack Johnson and Governor West run madly to notoriety and, if the applica tion of silence worked so efficiently in John. son's case, it undoubtedly would do the same in that of the Salem gentleman. oos Bay Record. A conspiracy of silence among the newspapers to settle the question of Governor "West's eccentricities Is greater offense against the publlo by thousand times than anything the Governor has done, or all he has done. It is hard to believe that any newspa per would make a definite suggestion of that kind. It indicates a strange conception of a newspaper's duty to the public. The Chicago newspapers made no such agreement with reference to the pugilist Johnson, or anyone else. He did not get out of the country because the newspapers ignored him. He oould have desired nothing better than sup. presslon of the facts about his trans gressions. He left because the law was after him; and the law wanted him mainly because of the notoriety given to his misdeeds. Except for the fierce and searching glare of news pa per publicity, it is doubtful If Johnson would be the odious and hunted crea ture he is and deserves to be. Is our Coos Bay neighbor fearful that Governor West benefits by the constant ' attention given to him and his sayings and his deeds by the news papers ? THE COLLAPSE OT "KITCAX, MURDER." As every intelligent person outside of Russia expected, the Beillss "ritual murder" case has just about collapsed. The Russian police, under pressure from the court and the Holy Synod, has - raked the country with a fine- tooth comb for two years to obtain evidence against the accused and none has been found. The Czar's police en- Joys exceptional advantages when It seems desirable to patch up evidence against a prisoner and every oppor tunity has been improved to the ut most, but the whole case is so inher ently absurd that apparently no probable testimony oould be manu factured or hired. As things stand now Beillss cannot be convicted unless, by extraordinary efforts, some better show of a case can be made out against him. We must not, of course, expect that he will be released after his long and absurd persecution, for the Russian authori ties never let go of their prey. If Beillss cannot be convicted of a ritual murder he can be spirited away so that certain sacred faces will be saved." - A happy circumstance in connection with the disgraceful affair is that the fanatics have begun to quarrel among themselves. When thieves fall out, even In Russia, there Is some hope that honest men may get justice, though not very muoh. The ritual murder charge was brought against Beillss for the purpose of exciting popular hate against the Jews. It was expected by the Black Hundred element that the people would become so wrought up over It that they would execute another pog rom In Kiev, where the farce was staged. But it seems that the case has been too clumsily managed, even for that kindly purpose. No pogrom has oocurred and the Black Hundreds are correspondingly enraged. They are furiously abusing the authorities for not manufacturing more convinc ing evidence against Beillss. There does appear to have been as tonishing remissness in this particu lar, considering the amount of talent at the disposal of the Russian govern- ment and its venal mendacity, It ought to have been possible in the course of two years to invent evidence enough to convict one friendless Jew. GOVERJOIENT TELEGRAPH LINES. Men who acclaim the reported in tention of Postmaster-General Burle son to recommend Government owner ship of telegraph and telephone lines should study the result of Government Ownership in Great Britain. In forty years the expenditure for interest, ex cess of working expenses over receipts and, capital outlay has been JS7.279,- uo, or an average of over J2.000.000 a year and the taxpayers now suffer a loss of 14,200.000 a year. This inter est on the original - capital is not charged to the postoffice, but comes out of the consolidated fund. The sys tem was therefore a free gift to the department, but is still run at a loss. Capital expenditure continues at the rate of 11,000,000 a year, but no In terest is charged. The London Times, from which these figures are taken, says: The main reason for the failure of the postoffice to make the telegraph self-supporting is uncommercial and extravagant management, due in a. large measure to political control. In 1870. the first vear of postoffice management, the working ex penses 01 me teiegrapns were 1347,000 (Sl.TSO.OOO). By 1875 they had Increased to 1.010,000 (5,030,000), an Increase of nearly 200 per cent In four years, totally disproportionate to Increase of traffic but due principally to the extravagance of gov ernment methods of conducting business. In the 40 years during which the postoffice ha controlled the telegraph business of the country innumerable Improvements in tele graph machinery, lines and methods of work ing have been made, which have largely In creased the capacity of the plant. Yet the 15-word message of today cost the post office appreciably more to handle than did the 80-word message of 5 year ago. What prospect have we of doing any better in the United States T In stead of introducing the strict merit system which prevails in the British civil service, we are wandering back to the spoils system. Our Government has not Introduced that efficiency hich Is essential to success into the business it now handles. On the con trary, we have been told by - ex-Senator Aldricb. that It 'Wastes $300,000,-j 000 a year. Would It not be better to do efficiently that which it now does, beore undertaking new functions? So long as this waste continues what rea. son have we to expect less waste in operating telegraph . and telephone lines? WHT StTLZER WAS REMOVED. If Sulzer had been innocent, or If his offenses had been Inspired by mere motives of political mendicancy or personal "panhandling" his removal from office would have been the crime of the century. Even Tammany, with its bold defiance of the common decen cies and the popular Judgments, would not have dared to do It. It would have ruined Tammany. It should have. But Sulzer wag guilty of gross tur pitude and great moral delinquency in his conduct as a candidate and in at least one particular in his actions as Governor when be sought to coerce witnesses and suppress evidence. But It is a fact that he has been found guilty, chiefly for acts committed as candidate and not as Governor. Chief Justice Cullen opposed the impeach ment on the technical ground that a distinction in law was to be made be tween the candidate and the officer. But It Is a technicality that does not reach the essence of the Sulzer of fenses or dear his title to the office, Sulzer diverted to his own pocket funds contributed to his campaign, so that his way to the Governor's chair was marked by scandalous and crimin al misconduct. Yet there might be weight to Justice Cull en's objections if it was only a question of personal theft, or embezzlement, or larceny. and he had merely committed an In dividual wrong against the people who had trusted him. He did more. Sulzer grossly and infamously be trayed the confidence of the people of the state and stained his great office with the taint of misdeeds that bad a direct relationship to his lncum bency. That is the reason he was re moved. - ST. A VERT IS COXTSTESAXCm. How much effort we might expect an Independent Philippine govern ment to put forth for suppression of slavery may be Judged from the con duct of native officials in the case of the girl who was sold for 100 pesos at Tjos Banos by her mother. The Manila Bulletin' says soldiers first made known the girl's condition and continues: Loots Cox took the matter op officially. He demanded of the president that he take charge of the girL and when the official apparently declined and was disposed to be dilatory, told him thit he would give him Just ten minutes to not and that If he did not, he, . Cox, would communloate with the authorities in Manila' by wire. The presl dent then decided to take action and ha the child in his possession. The Bulletin tells of another girl who was taken from Manila to Los Banos by a man she believed to be her lover and sold by him to a houser of 111 repute. She fled, but was ar rested by the municipal police and re turned to her mistress on the pretext that she owed 10 pesos. The woman beat her with bamboo until her back was a mass of scars. Says the Bulle tin: . These oases are being investigated by the proper authorities, and it was stated last evening that the senior inspector of constat) ulary in Laguna Province was In possession of the bill of sale for the 11-year-old girl and was making every effort in hi power not only to Investigate the reported case but to put a stop to the practice of buying and selling human beings a slaves, although he has no law to support him In his efforts. the legislature claiming that slavery doss not exist In the Philippine Island. Does the United States wish to hand over the government of the Philip pines to- the slave-owners after having extirpated slavery from the South? That would be the result of granting independence before the mass of the population is educated and thereby qualified to think and vote. CHE PROGRESS OF TUB PICTURE SHOW 'No manager can afford to ignore the fact that his galleries are being emptied by the moving picture; no dramatist will succeed who deafens himself to the appeal of the gallery gods. It Is worth while for both of them," dramatist and manager, "to study the moving picture situation and see wherein it has Its appeal." Dan iel Frohman finishes In this strain his Woman and Home Companion article on the moving pictures. He does not believe that the masses prefer the pi" ture to the acted play merely because Is cheaper, though that must cer tainly be a factor in the situation. The main reason, In his opinion. Is that they hunger for action.' This they get In the pictures, while they do not get It in "psychological studies put upon the stage." One might infer from this that If playwrights would only produce dramas of action Instead of those composed mainly of character and conversation the screen would lose its supremacy over the stage. The trouble with any such theory Is that various galleries have been emptied. those of the melodrama, as well as of Ibsen. Of course the mob loves action. but that quality never has been de ficient in cheap plays Intended for the Ibsen, with the psychological drama, never has been offered to them, so that they never have had a chance to reject it- We must therefore seek some other quality than vivid action in the screen theater which attracts and holds the fancy of the multitude.- Some of the attractions are obvious. For one thing the tiresome waits be tween acta, which bore the audiences of every old-style theater, both good and bad, do not trouble the moving picture spectator. The whole show proceeds rapidly, with only the briefest Intervals of delay.' Even when three or four films are required to give the entire piece they follow one another so swiftly that the most Impatient spectator need not complain. This celerity enables a person to witness a long play without growing tired. He is not kept sitting hour after hour In cramped position. His mind takes in the complete drama while it Is fresh and his pleasure is correspondingly in creased. It seems pretty certain that before the old style theater can ever compete with the screen again, as far the crowd Is concerned, it must provide some way for the audience to move about freely between the acts or get rid Of the interminable waits. These are all very well for people of means, who have comfortable seats and who know how to entertain one another, but they are fatal to the en joyment of the poor. We must set down the admirable celerity of the moving picture show as one. of Its most powerful charms. Mr. Frohman mentions others. One of the most notable is the facility with which the camera can effect maglo trickery. Ghosts rise and disappear, dreams are first faintly shadowed forth and then become distinct in an instant before the spectator's eyes, all sorts of feats possible only in fairy land are done with ease and grace. It the wonder of the picture world aaji much aa anything else that makes It a perennial Joy to the unsophisticated public Another advantage Is the per fect ease with which it can slip in ex planatory scenes. Mr. Frohman men- tlons an Instance exactly " in point. Rudolph Rassendyll, in "The Prisoner of Zenda," stands looking tnrougn window at the treachery of some per son within a house. The best the acted play can do is to describe crude ly and wearisomely what Is going on behind the walls. The picture projects the room and the machinations of th traitor on the screen and the audi ence Is Instantly as wise as Rassen dyll himself. It is of the essence of good drama to keep' the spectator per fectly Informed of everything. To ac compllsh this the spoken play must resort to all sorts of transparent ar tifices. The pictures frankly show what is needed and make no fuss over it. 1 This advantage is particularly no ticeable in the matter of "preliminary explanations." Some of these there must be in every drama, whether spo ken or projected. But in the spoken play it Is necessary to lug In the ex planations by the hair sometimes. The long, long story that goes before must be told to enlighten the audience, in Julius Caesar the offering of the crown, which is the Immediate incite ment to the great conspiracy. Is re lated with Incredible art, but even Shakespeare's art cannot prevent It from being a little wearisome on the stage. Ibsen no doubt managed these preliminary lndlspensables better than most playwrights, but the pictures do It better still. They begin the play, as Mr. Frohman acutely observes, with the preliminaries and hence make them as interesting as any other part of it. This the spoken drama never can do, simply for lack of time. What the pictures can do in a minute may take an hour of talk. Here again we perceive the inestimable value of ce lerity. The whole dramatic impres slon Is made while the spectator's mind is at white heat. The hostility which actors of the first rank may have felt to the mov ing picture theater at first seems to have been overcome. Many of them have already acted for the camera and others will do so before long. Sarah Bernhardt did not hesitate to pose in Elizabeth, which she says Is her great est play, and slve enjoys the prospect of sending her face and gestures down to posterity In this way. She praises "the God of genius, that he has given men power to hand down to posterity the greatest success of my oareer. What would we not give for some such memorials of Garrick and Edwin Booth? The new continent discovered by Russians may not be as worthless as other Arctio lands. The New York World says: The great ocean current sweeping up past Norway toward It raises the Isothermal line of all Northern Europe and Siberia tar above the corresponding line in British America and Oreenland. Hammerfest 1 as warm in Summer and In Winter is warmer than Labrador, more than 1000 miles further south. 6hould any considerable mining wealth be discovered In the new land, hu man Ingenuity would doubtless find means of reaching It for development. Since Siberia Is to be colonized, the Czar might send criminals to the new country, whence they can escape only on an Icefloe. The Cincinnati plan of punishing unruly girls by shaving their head znifcht be worth trying In Great Britain on the mllltanta It is quieter than forcible feeding and more lasting. New York worm. There would be a boom among the British wigmakers, and the price of imported Chinese hair would advance. "One-Round Hogan," a California prizefighter. Is looking for a match. News dispatches say he needs the money, having been compelled to work as a plumber recently. What a for tune there must be in the fighting gamel A New York man eloped with his mother- in-law and married her. There are more ways of getting even with a mother-in-law than by ordering her out Of tne nouio. Louisville Courier-Journal. Perhaps the mother-in-law Is get ting even with the son-in-law hug' band. The Governor of Florida may call a special legislative session to bar Jap anese from land ownership. Heavens, just as this yellow peril was soundly asleep I An Aberdeen couple split over checker game and .will seek divorce. We hate to think what might have nappenea osa uiw gaiuo mau unu bage. Snowball will also become the pop ular game shortly, although the lim itations of our weather are such that we will not be able to participate. The Administration is now soru tlnizlng the Mexican rebels, with a view to lending them support. Grasp ing at straws. A Wisconsin woman has been fined under a gossip law. That law would fill the jails if generally adopted and enforced. Vancouver continues stripping Port land on wedding returns. But we in sist the record is nothing to feel proud of. Use of wooden shoes in this country discovered to be on the Increase. The wearers are not boneheads, either. But with these perpetual sessions the Job of Congressman isn't partlou larly attractive any more. German dirigibles may be effective In war, but they certainly are de structive in time of peace. Every time we begin to grow a tri fle hot under the collar Mexico pro ceeds to cool off again. It must be admitted that the City Commissioners have a most cutting way on occasions. Fourth street Is a Joke that will be forgotten in a ride on the red cars. Lane of Oregon sprung quite an aeronautical Joke on the Senators. A half -day session for the first- graders is logical and sensible. With the pennant secured we sigh for new worlds to conquer. However, friends of Sulzer say he will fight on. On wfia.tr The tiger Is now licking its Jowls in satisfied sort of way. - It would appear that Captain Inch was every inch a hero. - The alert-looking man on the streets "the country editor POKTLAJTO EMBRACES 1ARGB AREA Lena Pahlle Service Uim Beqied to Serve People. PORTLAND, Oct. H. -(To the Edl tor.) Will you please give these que ries your attention? (1) The area of Portland. f 2 Number of miles of boulevard. (3) Number of miles of boulevard surfaced. (4) How many miles of street rails? f5 How far you can travel for a nickel on a car? () Who controls the streetcars? (7) Who controls the gas supply? (8) Who controls the electricity sup- DlV? (9) What effect the Panama Canal will have on Portland once the canal is opened. M. CHRISTENSEN. (1) The area of Portland Is large as compared with other cities, having 65.7 square miles within Its corporate limits. (2-3V The number of miles of boule vard. In the right meaning of the word. is only four, of which three miles are bard-surfaced, and the other mile Is graded. (4) The number of miles of street railway within the Incorporated limits Is 187 miles, whloh is regarded a (very large mileage for a city of 235, 000 population. - (5) The longest distanoe which you can travel for a nickel is from Lents Junction to St. Johns, a distance of 19.08 miles. (6) The control of the streetcars is vested by law In the hands of the State Railroad Commission under the Malarkev act. The Commission has am Die authority to regulate the service and the charges for that service. It can determine what constitutes a rea sonable charge and what oomposes sat isfactory service. The ownership of the streetcars lies with the stockhold era of the Portland Railway, Light & Power Company, of which there are some 860 located in this country. (7) The control of the gas supply rests with the Stats Railroad Commis sion and the ownership with the stock holders of the Portland Gas Company. (8) The control of the electricity supply Is vested In the State Railroad Commission, and the ownership in Portland at the present time with the Portland Railway. Light & Power Company. An Important factor bearing upon the whole situation as to streetcars, gas and electricity, from an operator's standpoint, is to be found In the enormous area of Portland, necessltat Ing longer lines than in cities where there Is a smaller area and the popu lation more dense. Portland' today possesses a population of a trifle over 4000 persons to the square mile as com pared with ls.ouo in Muwaukee, x.zuu In Cleveland, . 18.000 In Pittsburg, and 9000 In San Francisco. Portland has an area as large as Milwaukee and Balti more combined. It is twice as large In area as Cleveland, three times the size of Louisville, and one and one-half times as large aa Detroit This large area creates long streetcar lines, long lines for distributing electrical energy, and long' ditches for the carrying of gas mains. In the matter of streetcar rides, only three or four cities In the United States, and those of a metro polltan character, furnish a longer ride than 19 miles for a nickel. (9) The most prominent effect of the Panama Canal, when once opened, now being discussed Is that of Immigration from Europe. - It has been stated that 200,000 tickets have been sold on the In stallment plan to intending settlers from all parts of Europe. Should this Immigration keep up for any length of time it will have a marked effect upon the characteristic of the people upon the Paolffo Coast. It Is generally conceded that there ill be a much reduced freight rate. and there will be a greatly Increased demand for Pacific Coast products from those ports tributary tr) the use of the canal. It is generally estimated that a freight rate from Pacific Coast ports to New York will be 60 per oent or 80 per oent of the present rail rate. which will produce a very important saving on many lines of traffic, and will open up additional markets whloh at the present time are not available on account of the high freight rates. The Impression prevails that the canal will open up new markets for lumber, salmon, fruits of all kinds and furnlturs. PROPERTY OWlfER STOCKHOLDER Argnunent Made That Mr. Daly's Flan Is to Their Interest. PORTLAND, Oct. 13. (To the Ed itor.) I am not one of those notoriety hunters, who enjoy seeing his literary works In the publlo press. Just to have a chance to kick at some public offi cial, whether there is any reason or not, but when I noticed an article at tack In w our City Commissioner, Mr. W. H. Daly, without good reason, I cannot refrain from answering the gentleman from Sixth street 1 would like to ask this spirited gen tleman from Sixth street: "Have you ever lived outside of Portland In any city of any slse?" If you have, then you know that In most of the cities the property is held responsible for the water and houses are rented so that the rent includes the cost of the water. From the tone of the article of the gentleman from Sixth street, it looks that he is a lanciora nimseu ana scarea to death that he will be made to pay his tenants' water bills. As a property owner and taxpayer, he Is one of the stockholders In the municipal water works. Is he not? His Interest as a stockholder Is to conduct the water department as economically as possible. ' To be sure that the water office is paid for water used, we now have to pay for It In advance, for It is Impossible for the city to keep watch on each house when it is occupied and when It is empty, or to chase after the tenants when they are gone. The present method oi coiieoting ror water Is very expensive ana unneces sary, and to out the expense, Mr. uaiy is doing his very best to do Justice to the stockholders, including our iriena. This wav holding the property re sponsible for the water bills the city l safe anl saves the expense of col lecting monthly and keeping inspector to turn the water on ana on n some poor tenant Is short of money just at the time. Tha landlord will not be out any thing more than he is In renting his bouse, for be cnarges tne water every month to the rent. The landlord's credit Is good and he can go and pay for all his tenants and his own water bills at the same time at his conveni ence. I knew cities where tne water is paia nnlv once eacn year in a wrra oi a. ia. assessed after the cost is known for the year; It is not a fixed cnarge, dui differs every year. At tne end or eacn year the cost of maintenance is figured nut iTid the Dronerty owners are taxed pro rata, according to their holdings and improvements. Thla Is the most satisfactory way i ever saw and I hope that this city will nulla ud and adopt it. f. ta. 1, Property Owner From Arleta District. Fide et Does it seem a long way Deiween Springs no tha heat-devils dance in the sky? Poes the sun sail with hell on his wings And the sand aaggera luuu at tne eye? Somewhere there are fountains and palms; Somewhere there are shadows and calms. And we la that coolness may lie. Does It seem e. long while since you kissed The white hands In parting and pain; And tha faces long-lost In the miBt Of the tears wnicn you cannot re strain? Sometime, when the weeping Is past; Somewhere there's a trystlng at last, And tbey snail be ours again. K-Ooy Fltoh Phelps, GENTLEMAN FARMER IS DEFENDED Large Part of Agricultural Progress Haa Come From Ills Example. PORTLAND, Oct. 13. (To the Edi tor.) A prominent Portland business man was quoted a few days ago as saying that "we have too many gentle men farmers In this Northwest country. What we need Is more plain people." It is not because of a desire to be controversial that I would challenge this statement, bo far as it refers to "gentleman farmers." I presume that the term Is meant to refer to those city men, who, desiring in a measure to get back to nature. Invest in farm lands, cows, barns, etc., and, while not doing the actual work of the farm, em ploy superintendents, and furnish the money and some of the brains needed to make the business go. If one travels over the Willamette Valley, and takes notice of the work of the "plain people," who have been un lnfluenoed by the "gentleman farmer," he will see cow barns with not a single window for light or air; manure al lowed to pile Up for months at a time. cows being milked that are a dally loss to the dairyman because of their lack of production of butter fat; scrub sires with no worth-while ancestry hogs of all sorts and strains, with mon grel looks all over them. One of these plain people a short time ago. In com mentlng on the alleged folly of paying fancy prices for registered hogs, con eluded the argument by telling of his son paying $25 for a registered anl mal of a certain breed, and in a few months after he brought it home it up ana aieai bo no more registered anl mals for him. It is the "gentleman farmers" who have Bet an example in many localities in this state for barns of up-to-date construction, with plenty of light and air for tne cattle. They have Intro duced automatic manure spreaders. with the habit of removing the manure from barns every day; they have shown now to weed out unproductive cattle. and send them to the slaughter-house. They have built silos all over ' the country, and have thereby increased the production of milk by a large per centage. They read the literature pub. Ushed on all departments of farm work, and are ready to profit from the experi ences of others all over the country. They have demonstrated the advan tages of movable, instead of rigid stanchions for cows; they have, shown that the milk flow can be increased by an appreciable extent If the cow has a chance at all hours of the day to drink pure water, without being limited to being led to a trough twice or three times a day. I do not say that none of the "plain people" have taken the Initiative in modern methods of managing their farms. But my experience and obser vation teaches that most of the in tensive methods, general improvements and comforts provided for man and beast on the farms of today have come as a direct result of the "gentleman farmer's" example. R. M. TUTTLS DAXT WATER PLAIT IS CRITICISED Writer Also Jump a on Other Proposals in City Management. PORTLAND, Or, Oct. 18. (To the Editor.) In the letter written by Mr. Jones, in The Oregonian October 10. he certainly voices my sentiments in re gard to holding the landlords respon sible for the tenants' water bill. I can not see how Mr. Daly or any one else has a right to hold a landlord respon sible for a bill contracted by some one else whom he has not vouched for nor had any benefit from I think Mr. Daly will find a stumbling block there, for more than one will oppose It, and also think he will find it Is not legal. I would like to know what next they will spring on us. It seems they are doing everytmng to discourage prop erty owners. Only last month I had to put out a tenant for not paying his rent I was not only out the month's rent, but the expense of evicting him. and the repair of damage. Next the gas and electrlo light com panies will try to make us liable if they see we are weak enough to stand for such bills. I see Commissioner Dieck proposes to give the inspecting of sidewalks and sewers to the university students, 15 at 14 per day and 18 at $3.50 per day. It seems to ma so many is a needless waste of the taxpayers' money, for I should think St men could more than oover this entire city each day and why not give those Jobs to our tax payers who are struggling to get i home and support a family, Instead of young men who have no one depending on them? As Mr. Davis says, let the salaries alone. If the ones who have the Jobs at present salaries are not satisfied, let them step down and out. There are plenty ready to take their places. As for the public dock and Swan Island, they better plan some factories to give employment to the needy and encourage homeowners. Instead of overburdening the taxpayers with needless expense. L for one, do not see anything at present in the tax payer's favor, and if things keep up it looks as though we need a recall on all such air castles. A PROPERTY TAXPAYER. WHY NOT PUT 'EM UNDERGROUND? Practice of Tearing; Up tke City's Streets la Decried. PORTLAND, Oct. 14. (To the Edi tor.) The continuous tearing up of the streets of this city Is an expen- sloners and City Engineer should con-TI slder the feasibility and practicability of constructing and maintaining a sub way containing all the ramifications of our present and future overhead and underground systems. A subway should provide for the city sewer system, high-pressure water pipes for fire purposes, watur pipes for domestio service, gas pipes, pipes for a central heating plant, pipes for a central refrigerating plant, electrlo light and power cables, telegraph and telephone wires, wires for police and fire alarms, pneumatic tubes for P. O. service, etc., etc. Such a subway would have to be of a dimension of probably six feet wide by lu feet high, allowing men to do repair work underground without Inconvenience. It could be constructed by means of a few manholes and would not require the tearing up of streets. It would prepare the way for a future underground railway and for traffic tunnels crossing the river. The money for the construction could be obtained by a bond issue. The city departments and private corporations using the subway could be assessed In the proportion of their present need less expense of continually tearing up the streets and making big excava tions, and such assessments would likely not only pay the interest on the bond issue, but also provide for a sinking fund for the extension of the subway and for th final redemption of tha debt. CITIZEN. Meters Would Be Costly. PORTLAND, Oct 18. (To ths Ed itor.) Mr, Daly wants $250,000 to in stall meters In every home. He says ha will save the city that mucn in a short time. Now, get wise, Mr. Tax payer. He wants to put in 32.000 new meters, which will cost counting meters and the labor of putting them In. about $7.50 each, or. a mere trifle of $140,000. Then, what have you got? A lot of meters that soon wear out aud always need repairing. Then you need an army of Inspectors and meter readers and what not to keep them In order but maybe that's the idea. Still, be says he can save a little by laying off a few clerks. What if a few people do waste a little water? We have plenty of it and some to spare. A short tlmo ago, when mir new plDellne was finished, we were told we would have more water than I we could use, WATER USER. . I Twenty-five Years Ago From The Oregonian of October 18. 1868. Tippecanoe Battle Ground, Ohio. Oct. J7. Blaine was the Idol of the day at the great Republican demonstration. He caught cold last night and could not speak. . Utlca, N. Y., Oct. 17. A dlppatch from Ilion snnounces the marriage of Dr. Osman Royal, of Portland. Or., to Miss Julia Morgan, of Illon. . San Francisco, Oct 17. The regular annual sea serpent has made his ap pearance again. Captain Edgar Anern, of the bark Estelle, descried the mon ster when passing the Umpqua River, Oregon. The City Council last evening au thorized a contract with Mr. Burle back for cremating the garbage of the city for a period of two years at $100 a month. L. B. Lindsey's Busie S. won the trot ting race at City View in three straight heats. R. S. Perkins' Maud Knox seo ond, A. C. Brey's Kitty Haln third. The East Portland Council fixed the salary of William Morgan, the night policeman, at 870 a month. A reception was given Rev. John W. Sallwood and wife and Bishop Morris and wife at the residence of Dr. 8. B. Josephl on Friday evening. City Superintendent W. A. Wetzell reports 899 children enrolled In the East Portland publlo schools for the month ended October 12. John C Boyd the Eastern excursion agent submitted his report to the Ore gon Immigration Board Tuesday. Captain Wlllard Young has gone to the Tualatin River to determine wheth er it will be advisable to attempt to improve It as a waterway. John- Sholto Douglas, Marquis of Queensberry, arrived In the city yes terday. Hon. H. I Yesler, the city. of Seattle. Is in Half a Century Ago From Th Oregonian o( Ootobor 18, 1863. WASHINGTON, Oct. 10. Government dispatches from Chattanooga say Gen eral Mitchell overtook the rebel cav alry on October 6 bolow Shelbyville. A battle ensued and the enemy was com pletely routed. St Louis, Oct 10 The following are the particulars of the attack on General Blunt's escort The attack was mads by 800 rebels dressed In Federal uni form. Out of 100 men composing the escort, 78 were killed, all being shot through the head, evidently after they had been captured. The Paris Sleole says: "If Stephens visits Paris in the expectation of pro curing a recognition of the South, he will return disappointed. The time for recognition has passed, if It ever ex isted." Mr. Marshall, the milkman, says he will give $160 toward the filling up of the many mudholes which abound on Front street from the Courthouse south to the penitentiary, if the city or the property-holders will give the balance. Statistics of school district No. 1, Multnomah County, for the quarter end ing October 18; Males 154, females 146, total 800. Average attendance, 147. John McBride, principal of higher de partment; Miss E. A Way, preceptress of Intermediate department; Miss M, G King, preceptress; Miss 11. M. Burton, assistant, primary department The tower of the new Presbyterian Church is now completed. It presents a handsome appearance, measuring 13 J feet In perpendicular from the ground, and Is the highest spire In the state. Greatest Waterfalls, MT. ANGEL, Or., Oct. 18. (To the Ed itor.) What are and where are the largest and highest falls in the world? A READER. Victoria Falls, of the Zambesi River, In Africa, are the greatest In volume. If the three consecutive leaps are in eluded, the falls of the Yosemlte, lq California, are the highest Difficult Part of the Text. . Chloago Tribune, "I understand tho text all right" re marked Aunt Ann Peebles after the sermon was over, "Dut the preachers explanation of It puzzled me a good deal." Theodore Roosevelt Robert Ban Harrison Fisher Howard Chandler Christy Charles Dana Gibson ViiUiam M. Chase Percivai Gibbon Andre Castaigne Those are some of the noted con tributors to The Oregonian tomor row. Every article and drawing is something new and fresh and the names of the contributors furnish ample guarantee as to the quality. A Log-Roiling Bonanza Mr; Gibbons is at his best in this stir ring Western story. Lord Stranleigh Robert Barr presents a delightful story of love and romance. Yes or No? -A color-page by Harrison Fisher is fit for a frame. Building the Model Highway A page in colors that tells of the Pacific Highway and its wondrous scenic route through Oregon. Governorship Days Colonel Roosevelt writes of politics in the days before the publie conscience had awakened. R-emodeling the School A pasre on bow the modern public- schools are being fitted to the needs of the children. Matrimonial Teapot Tempests They are described and discussed by Rita Reese in her usual delight ful vein. Ruinous Amusements Noted authority takes up the subject of lures in the big cities and sounds a warning. Are You a Genius? A half -page study of undiscovered geniuses. Many other features, includ ing the Semi-Monthly Magazine. Order today of your newsdealer. V