8
THE MORXIXG OltEGOXIAN, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1013.
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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.