Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937, October 21, 1913, Image 8

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Morning Oregonian., October 21, 1913, Page 8, Image 8

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Newspaper Page Text8 THE MORXIXG OltEGOXIAN, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1013. PORTLAND. ORECOJf. Entered at Portland. Orecon, Postofflca as second-class matter. Subscription Kates Invariably In Advance: (BT SfAIL) Dally, Sunday Included, ana year. . .. .JS.00 Dally Sunday Included, six montha.... 4 !H Dally, Sunday included, threa month.. 2.2S Dally. Sunday Included, one month 75 Dally, without Sunday, on year .00 Daily, without Sunday, aix montha 8.25 Daily, without Sunday, three montha... 1-75 Daily, without Sunday, oae month .JO Woekly, one year J Sunday, one year -&y Sunday and weekly, one year. . . (BT CARB1R) flatly. Sunday Included, one year 9-J5 Dally. Sunday Included, one month ?& How to Remit Send postoffice money or. der express order or personal check on your local bank. Stamps, coin or currency are at sender's risk. Give postofica adaresa in full. Including county and state. Postage Katea 12 to 16 pases. 1 cent; 18 to 32 pages, 2 cenU; 34 to 4a paes, 8 cents, to to 60 pages, cents; 62 to 76 pages, o cents; 78 to 82 pages, 6 cents. Foreign post age, double rates. Eastern Baslnes Office verree S Conk Jin, New York, Brunswick building. Chi cago, Steger building. ban Francisco Office R. J. Bldwell Co, 742 Market St. PORTLAND. TUESDAY, OCT. 21. 1918. THE MOTHER-IN-LAW OF POLITICS. Concerning the public's profound distrust of state lawmakers. Governor O'Neal, of Alabama, recently said: "In many of the states a session of the Legislature Is looked on as something In the nature of an unavoid able public calamity. . . . Not only Is the convening of the Legislature looked for ward to with dread, but while It Is in ses sion a spirit of unrest prevails and an ad journment Is always najieo. witn genuiue ro il.., This dleaatlsfactlon with Legislatures Is of lonir standing. Throughout the 13th centnrv states Dlaced restriction after re- rri.Mi,m on the lawmaking body as, for example, by prescribing that It should meet only once in two years ana men ior a limit ed number of days. The argument for this, mm Mr. Rrvce nolnts out. was: "If the Legl lsture meets It will pass bad laws; let us, hT.fnr. nrevent It from meeting." Every attempt to Improve the Legislature only makes It worse, ana mat win continue te be our experience until the lawmaking body Itself Is thoroughly remodeled with greatly reduced membership, probably with onlv one house Instead of two, and with very freauent Is not continuous sitting Saturday Evening Post. The Legislative session is the mother-in-law of politics. It Is the butt of every unoriginal, shallow-minded jokesmith, Just as Is the worthy and generally respected relative who so often eets Into the funny column. Oc . caslonally a Legislature Is condemned by politicians who think the cry is : popular; once In a while some corpor ation rightly brought to book by a new statute emits a wall and not lnfre- quently the honest taxpayer squirm; under the burden of appropriations. But the new implements of law-making ' and law-reversing the Initiative and j referendum have established pretty -, conclusively that such discontent with ' Legislatures as exists Is with real or ; fancied omissions, not commissions. ; Many new laws are offered to the I people by the direct method, but few f laws in comparison are challenged by referendum. Moreover, but few of the ! Initiated laws are adopted, and thus It Is established that a few small fao- Hons, each complaining that Its own ) particular hobby has not had proper ; treatment in the Legislature, can give i a superficial appearance of general 1 discontent, which the majority prompt i ly repudiates. Oregon offers a fair 1 example of the depth of reason behind the clamor for remodeling the Legis lature. The change Is urged here perhaps with as strong Insistence as anywhere. But It Is demanded by a ' small group of persons who have al ; most uniformly failed to get favorable . action on their pet Ideas, either by the people or the Legislature, The last Legislative Assembly passed S96 laws. 'Were many of them bad? ' Just four have been held up by an easily-applied and wide-open referen dum power. One of these referen- . dums has been Invoked by special In terests who are so fearful of public ; condemnation that they conceal their Identity; a second referendum la con- : demned by practically a united press . and people; a third is the product of ' certain officers who face a cut in sal : ary, and the fourth, which concerns ; sterilteation, voices largely the oppo ' sition of the small element that is . anti-vaccination, anti-vivisection and antl everything else that la productive ' or indicative of progress in medical '. science. ; Restrictions on Legislative sessions '. were indeed established in the nine ; teenth century. Most of the states were admitted to the Union In that - period. But the restrictions, as a rule, ' except in the older states, always have ! been In their constitutions, where they ' were placed in the same Spirit and for '' the same reason that Legislatures pre. ' scribe the places and length of sessions ' of the state tax boards and other legally-constituted bodies. The con I btitution Is the authority superior to ' the Legislature, Just as the Legislature . is the authority superior to the depart' ' ments of Its own creation. The session restrictions on the Legislature are a ; practicable guide and a proper constl I tutlonal formality. They no more in ; dicate general distrust of Che Legisla- ; ture than do other limitations on the powers of that body such as those ; which prohibit the passage of ex-post ; facto laws, statutes restricting free' ; dom of speech, appropriations for re ligious purposes, special or local acts or fix the salaries of the lawmakers. THE UNGRATEFUL SOX. Once upon a time there was a car- : penter or maybe he was . a black' smith or brickmason or lawyer- who ' had a son. The father, during the boy's younger years, gave him all the benefits and protection of a comfort able home. But when as a youth, the boy began earning money of his own, the father said: "Son. I have provided for you dur ing a long period. Now that you are able to pay your own way and are still enjoying the protection and con veniences of my roof I think It but fair that you contribute to the ex penses of the household." Whereupon the son exhibited great grief and anger. "You are fining me for my Industry." he walled- "There ought to be a law against It." We suspect that this ungrateful youth lived in Oregon City. At least lilB appucaiiuu ui ma suguiueut iu uic family affairs of the community em anates with great volume and regu larity from that city. Just now the Oregon City Courier which we take pleasure in again saying Is the only single tax newspaper in Oregon which has the courage of Its convictions applies the "fining industry" llloglc to Mr. U Ren's $1500 tax exemption amendment. We would be Interested in learning Just at what point, in the opinion of the Courier and other slngle-taxerst Industry should cease to be "fined." Bays our neighbor: To the worker, the improver, the man who makes two blads of grass grow where only one has grown, this exemption measure will lessen his burden. To the property owner who does not work or Improve, the wealthy class which has made its pile, these will have to .pay the exemption from the workers. In other word Indus try up to a. certain point ought not to be taxed. But where Industry has been success ful in accumulating a "pile" It ought to be doubly, trebly, or perhaps more greatly taxed; industry should be en couraged up to a certain stage, but beyond that point it should be dis couraged. Where Is the dividing line? If our friend can fix the dividing line, can he show that the tTRen measure will not Invade the sacred precincts of the less industrious? He cannot- Down among the little fel lows who havs personalty and im provements of less value than 11500 there are bound to be many who would pay more taxes under the op erations of such an exemption than otherwise. In short, the increase In levy or valuation caused by the ex emption of property of their more prosperous , neighbors would more than offset iwhat they saved by the exemption. Likewise on the other side of the $1500 mark will be many who would through tax readjustments pay more than before. Nobody can now say at what de gree of poverty the burden would cease to increase. Nobody can now say at what degree of prosperity it would begin to grow. Nobody can now say Just what extent of ownership of property would place a taxpayer in the fortunate middle class. There are no statistics, data or accurate meth ods of calculation to determine the exact effect of this measure. It is no. wonder Its proponents resort to the silly, inaccurate, misleading as sertion that distribution of the cost of public necessities In proportion to what each man owns is a fining of industry. Taxes are not fines. They are charges for value received- He who would evade these charges as he be comes able to pay them is an ungrate ful son of the commonwealth. PUT YOURSELF IX HIS PLACE. A contemporary at Newberg, where everybody and everything is at peace and wars are so remote as to dwell only in the memory for the uses of campfire conversation, asks The Ore gonlan what it would have done if It had been called upon to define and declare a National policy for Mexico It Is a fair enough question and it shall have a fair answer. It would have supported, and would not have abandoned, Ambassador Wil son in his heroic work to preserve American lives in Mexico and in his emphatlo demands upon the Madero and Huerta governments , to respect the American flag. It would have treated with the de facto Mexican government, "Whatever It was, and would not have permitted Itself to be involved in Mexican in ternal politics. It would have recognized that the logical alternative to failure of an intrigue through a personal repre' sentatlve like John Lind to unseat Huerta and upset the Huerta regime Is intervention, and it would have been prepared for intervention as an ultimate if it had assumed any duty whatever toward Mexico, beyond the common external duties imposed Upon all nations. It would have recognized that Mex' Ico is a seml-barbarlo nation and that the only language It understands and will heed is force. President Wilson and Secretary Bryan are learning the old lesson that the beat way to avert war is to be prepared for war or for summary ac tion. A SPELLING CRUSADE, We iwish Superintendent Moore, of Lane County, all sorts of good luck in his crusade for better spelling without desiring to venture any heavy stakes on the outcome. His plan Is to hold "old-fashioned spelling bees" and thus reawaken the interest which our forbears felt in sieve, bdellium and gnu, with their numerous kin. He has our blessing, but we cannot refrain from recalling that the spell ing bee throve in a period when in tellectual interests were thin and chill. As a change from the church sociable and kissing bee no doubt it was a genuine relaxation to "choose up and spell down," but nowadays this primitive pastime has to compete with the moving pictures, the automo bile and the trip to the city on the train and we cannot suppress our ap prehensions that it may fall to hold Its own. The spelling bee has been revived spasmodically of late in many places and those who galvanize it into a brief similitude of vitality always take great pride in the" feat, as If they had done something praiseworthy. No doubt they have, but It never lives long. , It is like Milton's "fairest flow er, no sooner blown but blighted." Mr. Moore complains that there has been a decay of the art of spelling and he is right. The practice of pho netic writing in the business colleges has had something to do with this sad lapse. Perhaps the intrusion of fads like agriculture and domestic science Into the scholastic preserve has done more of the same cruel work- Certain it is that if things go on as they are now headed we shall coon be a Nation of bad spellers. Some changes in methods of teach ing may help stave off the catastro phe. Most of our words from the Latin and Greek are purely phonetic Let these be classified by themselves in the spelling book and by their side set all the Anglo-Saxon words -which by some happy chance are spelled as they are pronounced. In another part of the book, an orthographical rogues' gallery, collect the monsters like gnu and cough. Before w can ever hope to make our children good spellers we must clearly separate the phonetic words from the lawless mob of nondescripts. This will make it possible to study the latter by themselves and commit them to memory as pure symbols, Just as the Chinese do. They have some 80,000 of these barbarous relics. We have not nearly so many, but there are quite enough and the task of learning them must be honestly faced before it can ever be mastered. hissing stops now few. The rescue of the great majority of the Volturno's passengers shows us how nearly Impossible it is in these days of wireless telegraphy for a ship to remain missing with all on board. A ship must wander far from the great lanes of travel in order to get out of reach of communication with other ships. Had the Volturno gone down with all hands before the rescuing fleet reached her, the wireless mes sages she had sent would still have left a record of where and how she perished. Friends and relatives would have escaped that long agony of sus pense, of hope deferred, which would have beon their fate had the ship been merely reported missing, with no wire less to tell the story. But Instances are few where the Wireless does not bring help la time The Volturno's calls brought ten great ships to her side, which set calmly about the work of rescue amid the wild storm. The Carmania called for oil to calm the waters and the Narra- gansett responded. The Carmania then stood by to shield the rescuers and light their way, while boats car ried the survivors to other ships. Ex cept those who were stifled or burned between decks, only those perished who made the first frantic rush for safety. - . - This disaster shows that the race of cool, courageous seamen who look death In the face without blinking still survives. Ships and their equipment have changed since Columbus set forth in his frail caravels, but the men who sail them bring into play the same high qualities of old, those qualities which have made the sailor every boy's hero, he seafaring life every boy's am bition," from the time of the hardy Norsemen to the day of Dewey. mSTORf Uf FICTION. Borne more or less pointed criti cisms or Dr. S. Weir Mitchell's Civil War novel, "Westways," have Induced him to publish his opinions on "His tory in Fiction." They appear in the New ' York Times' book review for October 17. Naturally the question of accuracy comes up for discussion. Is a novelist bound to state historic facts as they are or may he manipu late them to suit the exigencies of his story? Some of Dr. Mitchell's critics took him to task for inaccuracies he had not committed. Hej-elated events which seemed so Improbable that an occasional reader supposed they must have been invented. As a matter of fact they were, as the novelist tells us, as faithful as possible to fact. The reader, however learned he may be, is not always in a position to say wheth er a writer of historical fiction is tell ing the truth or not. The wisest of us must confess, in our humbler mo ments, that our knowledge has bounds. In narrating the great "scaf fold" events of history it seems as if a novelist is under obligations to tell the truth, or at least not to depart from it very far. He may- not report that the Persians won the victory at Salamis, nor that the British' got safe ly away from Yorktown. Why a novelist may not misrepre sent events of this magnitude is a de batable question. Certainly it is not because he may mislead his readers. A work of art in any mode is not to be condemned merely because it gives us false information. It is our busi ness not to permit ourselves to be beguiled in this manner. The funda mental purpose of art Is not to fill our minds with facts. The real reason why a novelist ought to be fairly ac curate about the central events of his tory is not moral at all, probably, but 1 technical. If Dr. S. Weir Mitchell, in writing about the Revolution, should describe the British as winners at Saratoga he would destroy the verl similitude of his story. The first task of the novelist, as of every other rep' resentative artist, is to create an !! lusion of reality. He makes this im possible when he tells things which too flatly contradict the reader's knowledge. With this proviso it does not appear to maka'-much difference how inaccurate a novelist or play wright may be in regard to history, geography or science. As long as he makes an impression of truth and re ality his purpose is fulfilled. Shake speare, for Instance, was accurate in ft general way In dramatizing the Wars of the Rosea, but in minor par ticulars his pages swarm with errors, some of them wilful, some Ignorant. As everybody knows, he was royally careless about geography and ar ranged minor matters in history to suit his own fancy. It was a distres sing blunder to make one of the char acters in "Troll us and Cresslda' quote Aristotle, who flourished a good thousand years after the siege of Troy in which the scene of the play is sit' uated, but who cares? As long as a novel is interesting we do not believe i.t makes an lota of difference whether it is historically accurate In minor matters or not. It cannot be interesting if it blunder too egregiously, but that Is about the only limit there seems to be to an author's liberty. No dr bt the tremendous pains which many authors taka to at tain historical accuracy la wasted as far as the art and Interest of their stories are concerned. Charles Reade labored so diligently on "The Cloister and the Hearth" that he made it pretty reliable textbook on the period of Erasmus, but, as Dr. Mitchell sagely observes, he did not make it deeply interesting. Flaubert's "Sa- laambo," which makes its own history as it does Its iove, is incomparably more entertaining to the reader. In the drama, as we have seen, historical accuracy adds nothing to the value, of a play and inaccuracy detracts noth ing. Two highly interesting drama tists have written plays of "Julius Caesar," Shakespeare and George Ber nard Shaw, Neither of them took much pains to be accurate. Shaw, indeed, flouts accuracy with Jeering scorn. His Caesar Is an up-to-date agnostic and for that reason he is fascinating to the modern mind. Shakespeare does not make the mighty Julius- very entertaining. Perhaps Fa- versham is right in staging the char acter as a world-weary old jnan who would soon have passed to his aC' count in the natural course of things even if the conspirators had spared him. But in the play Shakespeare Introduces one or two scenes which are not only historically Impossible, but positively absurd. -The hand washing in Caesar's blood is a good example. The conspirators on the stage first do an utterly unnatural thing which never happened, and then, to cap the climax, Brutus and Case a cannot refrain from ranting over it "How many ages hence," cries Cases, "shall this our lofty scene be acted o er, in states unborn and uc cents yet unknown!" The aim of a historical novelist is to produce the general feeling and at mosphere of an age rather than to narrate Its particular events accurate ly. It is said that Thackeray's "Es mond" violates the facts of history audaciously, but few critics would deny it a high rank as a piece of fic tion. Some say It la the best histori cal novel in English in spite of its little errors. As a collector of local balads and . relics Sir Walter Scott acquired a certain habit of accuracy, but he never obtrudes It. In stories like "Kenilworth" and "Ivanhoe" he uses events in a free and easy man ner which Shakespeare himself might admire. None of the great arts Is imitative. They all try more or less assidously to represent the world, but they choose their own means to ef fect their end. Very often art conies nearest to representative truth when it departs farthest from imitative fi delity. The novelist who makes too much of historical accuracy merely Imitates, he does not create. And his imitation la only too likely to be wearisome, since It has neither the wide, freedom of unhampered genius nor tne weigniy juugmeui vl un xj- torian. However painful to himself William Greene's experience may have been. E it bas settled a disputed point in natural science. For a long time many authorities have denied that a shock could turn a person's hair white in 24 hours or such a matter and scores of thrilling pages in popu lar novels have been discredited. But n.r- r- nhll.n In fajn .'11. ut ccuo a uai, u.u - 1 days, wbich comes to much the same thing' as one day, and we may return to our novelists with renewed faith in their scientific accuracy. With her admission to the United States Mrs. Pankhurst loses all her terrors. If she obeys the law she will De humorously interesting out noi 01 ... n . . Tf eha hvoOlra th law he will be nunished like any .. - , . . other person. What could be more sensible ueniea enirance, sn wouiai have flown shrieking across the At- lantlc and all the world would have been disturbed. Some would have said, "What a shame!" others, "How Just!" but all would have snickered, The New Tork Herald suggests that President- Wilson invite the powers to a conference to devise means of pa cifying Mexico through American in strumentality. It says this would con vince the world that the United States has no territorial or other designs on Mexico. But suppose the conference I,! .1 Lt . cv,i were to decide that we should inter vene after Mr. Wilson has declared that intervention is out of the ques tion. Forty survivors of the Chicago fire department of 1871 gathered to com memorate the great fire of that year. The Chicago Inter-Ocean makes the event the occasion for a lecture on the great waste by fire and suggests that Chicago observe the anniversary by leading in Imparting education ln fire prevention. Representative Fitzgerald is a good Democrat in Washington and, as chairman of the appropriations com mittee, co-operates with President Wilson; he is a good Tammany man In New York and denounces President Wilson. His New Tork speech may make trouble for him in Washington. Confession of an aired clairvoyant in Chicago, as well as frequent ex- posure of this kind of fraud, might, it , - - . ,,,1., v. i would seem, deter the gullible; but the man or woman determined to ob- tne man or woman aeierminea to oo- tain a good thing in an easy way al- ways will be prey of the schemers. Tuan Shi Kal knows how to sup press a rebellion, get himself regularly elected President and obtain recogni tion from the great powers. Why not turn over the Mexican Job to him ? But no, his method of restoring order is coarse and brutal; he might shoot somebody. If there ara deereea of bad-nasa In white slavery, the man given ten years bv Judee Bean vesterdav nossesses all. Wh.n hi. tima .-rnira h. win ria- - - "... nnrtarl and U la anfa n v navar will r- - - v w - try to return. t xA xr I-.-. v,iirf- ,ni, ,h. in nun i "i ii -'hi i.ii-iiini Mining uiw . i " v u i- v , , .i. rwi..o nut wn uuq vi luo tuaiuiiuu- ship ball games In New Tork were not much of a crowd, but the New York World tries to Impress him with tha amount or me gate receipts. Great Britain has been advised that we are displeased with her displeasure at our Mexican policy. No doubt the English will be displeased to learn that we are displeased with their dis pleasure. The InvenW of cold storage died i - -i , i i i . ,-.- i yeaieruaiy in aujeci poverty ut x'aria with a record which suggests he en ters on wonderful new fields for his inventive genius. However, since the Kaiser says he will keep right on building warships. the rest of the world can only hope that he will concentrate on the dirigi ble kind. Huerta may become an eleventh- hour candidate for President. That chap lies awake nights thinking up new ways to please the United States. State Health Officer White would put an end to senile state wards to save expense. Economical, perhaps, but the human race still has a heart. The statement that tons of bad meat are sold In this city is not Star- tlint news. It Is to disguise such atnff that tha antra wan davisad Mexicans show no interest in the coming election. Why should they when no act of theirs could change the slated result? Chicago, tha second city of the re public and boasting of progressive- ness. Is still worrying about disposal of its garbage. ' Mrs. Pankhurst said that if she were sent back 'it would be to her death. Was that a threat or a prom ise T William of Germany knows he can not conquer the earth, but he has de signs on the waters and the air. A New Jersey variety of apple has bean named after President Wilson. We truBt it Isn't a crabapple. Winter approaches the East, We've seen nothing suggestive of Its advent in this vicinity as yet. Women's hats ara to be stranger than ever, say tha fashion arbiters. Call ln an alienist! But what does Bryan think of such a dangerous rival ln the platform field as Mrs. Pankhurst 7 Henry Lane Wilson saya he hat doubts about Bryan as a diplomat. So have many others. In addition to high meat it appears that we have been buying a great deal of tainted meat. A Washington policeman was caught in a burglar trap. Was it a mistake? The) crow has been painted too black, according to Government re ports. Macaroni has dropped . 2 cents a pound. Two cartloads make a pound.' Repair . tha storm cellar, Airs. Pankhurst'a loose. . i I WHY TAX eiemptws is u Assessments Vary -Widely In Counties, -, r-orvallla Writer. --. . . , M,J L . w,v "" "c,, "J J f""! w-v... -' v.... t grand argument of Its advocates is that much njoperty now escapes taxa- tion. and therefore If -you allow this immunity from taxation up to S1500 you must catch these tax dodgers, for they will then have I 10 DB IOU1W, ana "snen uui - wIse there will ba no one to pay the taxes. And taxes are as certain as death. If all nroDerty were assessed at its true cash value, as the statute pro vides, then there would not be much in their grand argument, for the tax collector would then catch the rlght- rul proportion of all the property in his net, but such Is not the case, vvitn I m, f -m a r I r, fnrv ra fi nl a T fill! Ill nnmA one county where the assessments 1 faii nnlIt nf thfl rash fa" about 2o per cent or the casn . M . . ... - . a1l ! and down the line, ail per cents, withln the State of Oreiron. "But." says the Assessor, "who can tell what Is the cash value? To you It means one amount and to me It means quite another amount." Right there our as - sessment laws are weak. In some Eastern states the values are fixed usually every five years by & board of appraisers and the Assessor lists the property under these valua- tions. That simplifys his work, and is much better -than an arbitrary valua- tion by three or four dozen different mB" , '"UKins l"elr Plnt of view, and no two agree- ing. come 01 mese Assessors won, ior Instance on Inflated values as un- reasonable, and assess on the earning capacity of the land. Others look at me vaaue measuieu oy occawuiu! sale- A sale, for Instance, of a farm, highly cultivated,- well improved, and up to date, good location and every thing to make It desirable, our mild ana equaoie ciimaxe, 10 a man irom Iowa or Dakota, who has been frozen out, establishes a value for some As- sessors In the whole neighborhood of .v.-. , j v ,, . , that land, but as a matter of fact it will be a long time before the land yields an amount of Income commen surate with the purchase price. One reason is that a man from those cold states wants a mild climate, and Is willing to pay for it He pays. butP,or,e' J? "m9 " will be acknowl you cannot assess climate. Yet that eded t0 the saving factor of this is exactly what Is done when the As- sdssnr viiliiRH all th land on the basis of a favorable sale. Every man who lives under our n cr n m , til. . Vi n 1 n f iian.flta " The poorer the man the larger ln pro- portion his share of benefits, for he B?tsth last $fnt the fu" "ne" of all the laws. No man so poor but what the Uw reacnes down t0 hlra and e-iyeg him all that it gives to any one, Kiyes him all that It gives to any one, no matter how rich! Then why exempt him from his share of this burden? The bulk of the property as assessed Is individually below $1500 and it would be wholly wrong to Insist upon an exemption of that amount and thrust this tax burden on tha rich alone, for they would have It to pay, if the ex - emptlon is allowed. If they got the entire Denents irom me resuns or me taxation. It might be another thing; there might then be more in their argument; but, indeed, they do hot get the entire benefits. As a rule they 001 I not get the Same share of benefit the P.?rer citizen gets, because they are U1'... .M"" "I. .i . r' T.r: '"," 1" . i o trie rioorer man. inev go nor nave J ' v... .w - I the price and get the benefit some I L J UU OU, Ui L c vj 4 cm ci vw uu. other way, and Just that far there Is i mora for every one else. - . . , , J. H. WILSON. SOME REASONS for votoc ibs I Retert,nuiim. ThI. 1ar Are product. . ..ini. saifi.i. mtaraata. DALLAS. Or., Oct 19. (To the Edi tor.) A few acts of the last Legisla ture have been referred to the people and I think every voter should vote "Yes" for several reasons: The intention of the referendum is to give the people a veto power on legislation, prlmarlally boss-procured ipff-iamtinn. r n i r (.inns or lesrisiaiion Do-iointnn Th.t -1b a. nt las-iiilfttlon Is generally fraudulent or is put through in some special interest. There Is no -uoubt that many of the names on referendum ppntions are fraudulent and to .vote "No". Is to encourage frauds. It costs money to get referendum petitions. Some one must put up the money.. Some one must therefore have a special interest in defeating tha laws referred. So to vote yes" is to vote for some special Interest. Tulta rha rnimtv Artnrhav Mil; If it passes it will cost the state $103 a year more than the present system costs a mere nothing. It has cost the state more for the reference of that law to the people than tha law it self would, cost ln five years. Who got up the referendum on it and why? If It Is an honest matter let soma one come out ln the open. State who is backing him and who put up the money for circulating petitions. The appropriation for the university is reasonable and needed, tha sponsors of the Institution were taught a whole- some lesson, and now, slnoa what la I asKed is just, it ougnt to do voiou. Who is back of the fight on the workingmen's compensation aot and why? Come out in tho open, gentle men, and let us know who you are and what you want and why. When referenduma have been had heretofore the movement has been in tha onen. but the covert manner of the present referendum snoum concern It. So everybody should vote "Yes." A few lessons in condemnation of special Interest referendums will cure the curse. GLEN O. HOLM AN. Autumn Anacreontic By Deaa Collins. I tune my lyre And I cut loose Some words of fire And verve and Juice; I write a rhyme- To Autumn time. Anacreontic as the deuce. 1.1.- foil- Tha leaves are sroldi The gardens all Are nipped with cold! And pumpkins lie Potential pie Among the rustling cornstalks old. In groaning press The apples crack. Predicting mess Of applejack When elder new Has 'gan to brew To throw our reason on the track. The purple prune From orchards new Is dried eftsoon And seasoned through. Mid wild carouse The boarding-house Shall greet it oft within a atew. The swine la slain I The cleaver clinka; With ruddy stain Through pork It sinks; And lard Is tried And hams are dried And sausages are strung in links. Hail to the.Fall, ' When Summer heat Is vanished all, And farms, replete With harvest store. Prepare once more The dope a fellow likes to eat. i huk w iaw law mm Sterilisation a- Benign and Harmless Treatment of Undesirables. WARRENTON. Or.. Oct. 19 'To the I Editor.) I was booked to speak at the Political Science Club on October 14 on J i,!h "'"5 5! 1 yuuiii; iua.L 11 wu a.iiu ia one 01 l 1 1 c greatest regrets of my life that I could not keep that engagement. Four days before I wa8 thrown from a wagon and suffered a severe injury. I am making a rapid recovery and will soon be my self again. I especially regret this misfortune, as I see that Airs. Little addressed the club against sterilization. 1 should have been pleased to have die cussed sterilization with Mrs Little or any other person from the platform. 1 have seen Mrs. Little referred to as opposing sterilization and calling it a "vicious" measure, but as yet I have not seen one argument which she has put forth. Sterilization is little understood and many will vote against the bill believ ing it to be a harsh and Inhuman meas- . when in reality there could i be no more numane remeay ior me proiec- ohiidrn L for the Durlficatlon and rerretuatlon of our nation. Senator Day said when he voted for my bill: "This bill can hurt no one. therefore I vote yes." It is shown by statistics that Insan ity is Increasing 3 per cent faster than I the population of our country. It was claimed by a physician who addressed a meeting called by the prominent men of science to discuss the social evil question that B0 per cent of all the boys and men of 'the United States were afflicted with venereal diseases. Is not that enough to make the oeoule atoD and reflect? Where will we stand 100 years irom now 11 tnese terriDie conai tions are not changed? in 1907, when I barely succeeded In getting my bill Introduced in the House Dy four brave young men, it was greeted with coarse laughter and coarser Jests. What wonderful changes have come during those few short years! sterilization has aroused the thinking people to thought and action, They ar"e reach,ns out ln ali directions to f lna methoda to check th8 evlla tnat are threatening our nation. Steriliza tion stands at the head. It la radical, r 1, M.,.- i. . 1 .t " , " "i ,1 , source and the propagating source of thm nfla,ror,lo T, . ,,.. mnA the undesirable. It is benign and it Is harmless. The people may veto It, as did Governor Chamberlain ln 1909, but they cannot kill It, for It will oome forth with renewed strength as it did gai pro Diem. T . OWENS-AD AIR. PUBLIC DUTY TOWARD DEFECTIVES 1 1 SmJ' of TK A 11.1---- Problem, la True Coarse. PORTLAND. Oct. 20. (To the Edi tor.) In The Oregonlan this morning Is an article headed "White Would Kill Insane." Tou quote from Dr. Calvin 8. Whites address on "Commercial Waste; Its Cause and Cure," by say ing: "One-third of Oregon's taxes go for the keep of those who are mentally deficient, Insane, Incorrigible or crlm inal. This burden is greater than the people should bear." I wish to take a 1 most emnhatio Issue with this state- ment The burden la not greater than the people should bear. One of the ob- jectB of human society Is the intelll and loval i-in nf h rifctiv t i. ,tudv nf mioh ra.ro anrl n.nt. , th- . , int.ni.nf. I R. nirnlnut tha ormfln and montaiiv Ho. flclent tnat soclety has any hope of emancipation rrom the detective, eccentric ana the criminal or lncor .i-ili. - . . "hiuio. ouun emancipation as society enjoya today from the slavery of Igno rence, deficiency and lncorrlglblll bas come, not by avoiding the issue occasioned by these characteristics, bu by meeting them. It would be an 1m possibility to shift this responsibility. society must bear it and it should d so. Character Is not measured in dol lars and cents. To quote further, this article says 1 believe that the painless doing awaj with trie unfortunates who are Incur able would be a good action." Special lets or all kinds and character differ as to what Is the matter with tha sick. Allenlsti are no exception, ln fact i u strikingly true that alienists at pub He trials are lined up against each other, doubtless honestly on much less grave issues man tnat as - e ...... . whether or not a human being should be harmlessly killed. ' The only way for society to handle Its problems of mental and physical delinquency Is to face them, meet them and master them This is one reason that we havs for organized society with officials to en force the lawa and help protect the un fortunates. LEON WTLLET HTDH. M. D. Topical Verse . Road to Wealth. The men who every time they ahava At home, fifteen centimea save. Can soon put lots of wealth away By shaving several times a day. Milwaukee News. The Creaking Board. When down tha hall You softly creep And fear to wake Some soul from sleep. It always hapa Ere you have scored You atep upon A creaking board. When parties build Their platforms sura That candldatea May run secure. Despite all care They may afford Some plank will prove A creakinor board. McLandburgh Wilson ln New York Sun. Why Cake Fell Flat. The cake she made looked fine enough To Justify her pride. But when we came to eat tha stuff We pretty nearly died! She said she could not comprehend What trouble there could be. She'd followed closely to the end The cook-book recipe. It certainly seemed strange the cake Should turn out such a mess. Unlern she made some sad mistake Despite her carefulness. The book proved such tha truth to be lipyond the slightest doubt. For from tha simple recipe Six pares were torn out. Puck. The Wind and the Son. Sad, O sad, are the wind and the rain. Walling, sobbing, together; With a stormy outcry and low refrain. Voicing the cry of an age-long pain. In the wild Autumn weather. But the wind and the sun ara comrades gay. Racing, laughing together; They call from tha hilltops, "Wayl Make way!" They flaunt the bannera of golden day In tha blue Autumn weather. There ara flowing tldea on tha deep hillsides. Where the wlnd-rlol passes) And the shadows change as tha white clouds range. And the great trees band like grasses. The brave old world seems made anew; Tha songs of youth and hope ring true In the clear Autumn weather;. When the red leaves dance, and the full streams run. And those comrades gay, the wind and the sun. Qo racing and laughing together- Blowing and shining together. I Marlon C Smith in Youth's Companion. Twenty-five Years Ago From The orejjonlan of October 21, 1SSS. Washington, Oct. 20. Major J. W. Powell, chief of the geological survey, and his staff are preparing for th. survey of arid lands with a view to their irrigation. Mrs. Pollard lectured on her system of primary instruction to the teachers of Portland and East Portland yester day. It was tha Intention to resume the" holding of services in the addition to the Taylor-Street Methodist Episcopal Church this morning, but tho opening has been postponed till next Sunday, when Rev. C. C. Stratton, "formerly pastor, will preach. A lodge of the United Endowment Associates has been instituted here by P. S. Howland. A movement is on foot among local Republicans to formally welcome Sen ator Dolph on his return from Wash ington. X. N. Sargent, a merchant of Mitchell, Crook County, came to the city on Friday. He voted for William Henry Harrison ln 1S40. E. J. Jeffrey says he will be the best dressed man in Portland after tha elec tion. He has no less than seven suits of clothes and an overcoat, not to men tion hats, wagered upon Cleveland's succeeding himself. An entertainment la to be given for the benefit of the Portland Women's Union at the tabernacle next Wednes day. Messrs. VIsscher and Taylor have, prepared a pleasing programme. Secretary of State George W. Me Brlda was at the St. Charles yesterday. John R. Brigham, lata of Brlrttiam & Weeka, left yesterday for San Fran cisco, where be will visit his old friend and ex-Portlander, Orln Joynt. Albany, Or, Oct, 20. Hon. R. Mo Clean, Republican nominee for Presi dential elector, addressed an enthusias tic meeting tbla evening. A large audience gathered In Hall ts Stott'a hall last evening to hear Hon. George H. Williams' addresa on tha political situation. The trustees of Grace Methodist Episcopal Church yesterday signed con tracts for their new church building at Tenth and Taylor streets. Half a Century Ago From The Orstonlan of Oetobsr 1, 1868. The steamer H. D. Baker, while on her way hence to Oregon City day be fore yesterday, got aground on the Clackamas Rapids and was unable to get off without discharging a portion of her freight. Tha steamer Skedaddle went to her relief. William T. Templeton, of Browns ville. Linn County, has left at this of fice a specimen of his crop bt tobacco, which is pronounced a superior article. His crop of ten acre' will yield from 600 to 800 pounds per acre. Washington, Oct 12. The rebels have abandoned the Una of the Rapldan and retreated southward. Fortress Monroe, Oct. 10. The steamer Circassian, from Pensacola, Key West and Charleston Bar, has ar rived. She reports that there was to be a combined Army and Navy attack on Charleston October 12. Washington, Oct. 12. Information from tha front says General Meade's Army has fallen back to Rappahannock, followed by Lee's Army, ln great force. When our forces were all across the Rappahannock, the enemy came against Buford and drove him across the river and forced him back to Rap pahannock Station. Washington. Oct. H. Meade has fallen back to the neighborhood of Manassas ; Plains. Lee'a whole Army has crossed the Rappahannock, and yesterday was pressing his rear. We have in our midst a band of systematic and daring burglars. Their operations are not confined to this city, but extend to Oregon City and Van couver. At the latter place they en tered, the room of Mr. Kyler, abstract ing from a trunk $300. About the same time the apartments of Captain Peasa at Oregon City were entered and a quantity of Masonia Jewelry stolen. A keg of excellent cider was rolled Into our composition room yesterday by JohnFowelL The Shocking of Mr. Roosevelt. Kansas City Times This la the verbatim report of a re cent conversation between Colonel Theodore Roosevelt and one of his warmest admirers. The admirer la a newspaper man, who has reported aoma hundreds of the Colonel's speeches. They were ln mild and harmless talk tha other day, when the newspaper man felt an impulse for candor burning within him. "Do you know, Colonel," aald he, I have often found a great similarity be tween you and Colonel Bryan?" The Roosevelt teeth snapped within an inch of his Jugular. "In what way? the Colonel demand ed, angrily. "What do you mean?" The newspaper man became panicky. He felt around for words. 'Ah," he said, "in the way you er manage your audiences, you know. Sort of light and shade, you know humor and er sincerity and er all that eort of thing." Colonel Kooaevelfa teeth clicked again. 'You are a miserable Judge of men," aald he. Then the conversation cams to a com plete and hopeless end. T-M Young to Smoke. Pennsylvania Punch Bowl. Kid How old Is that lamp. Ma? Ma Oh, about three years. Kid Turn It down. It's too young to smoke. Keep the Store Window Busy Mr. Merchant, how many of the Nationally-known products on your shelves are advertised by the manu facturers of these products ln the columns of The Oregonlan? Two? Six? A dozen? Or more? Look over your stock after busi ness hours or before tha morning rush begins. It will pay you to know, because you can double or treble your busi ness ln theBe products if you will bring- them together ln a window display once In so often. The advertising In Tha Oregonlan done by the manufacturers Is creat ing a steady demand for these prod ucts. Von must remind the public of the fact that you have the articles In stock. If you are not advertising your store and all the advertised things you sell ln the columns of The Ore gonlan, you are missing many op portunities to make money. But whether you advertise ln The Ore gonlan or not. you can take advan tage of the National advertising we carry If you will bring the adver tised goods ln your establishment out into tha light. Adv.