ID
TTTR rOTtXTXa OREGOXIAy. TTTTDXESDAY, JAlSTTAItT 7, 1914.
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! aORTLASTD. WEDNESDAY. JAN. 7, 114.
LEADING IT TO INTERVENTION.
',' Svents In" Mexico and fhe action of
;h nations are steadily crowding: the
!tJnlted States into a road which leads
directly to armed Intervention. The
republic la torn, by war and Is rav
aged by bloodshed and rapine. Neither
: Huerta nor Carranaa has an early
iprospect of subduing the other. If
Carranza should secure control of the
capital, the Huerta party, even with
i (Huerta eliminated, would probably
continue or soon renew the war. With
the Mexican nation divide, there Is
Sio reason to believe that a constltu
i tlonal election could be held or that,
; it one were held, the defeated party
would accept the result. As Colonel
George Harney says In the North
American Review: "We are confronted
i!by a condition of anarchy, not by a
theory of government, and the position
Jias become Intolerable."
In this situation, the great powers
Slave, at Mr. Wilson's bidding, cleared
'the deck for us to act. Great Britain,
by withdrawing the ambassador who
criticised our policy, has given prac
tical proof of her purpose to throw
I no obstacles in our way. So Influen
tial a Liendon newspaper as the Spec
tator frankly ' urges us to send our
forces Into Mexico and pacify the
country as we pacified Cuba, It says
that the pressure of public opinion in
sill the rest of the world will soon
force us to intervene. It declares that
Mr. Wilson made a mistake In not
supporting Huerta as the strongest
force with which to bring peace in
Jdexlco and continues:
Instead, he did what with all respect we
fcnust say was the worst thing he could have
done. He Intervened and pretended not to
be Intervening:; he deprecated bloodshed and
Anarchy, and yet he would neither stop It
blmself nor let anyone else do so. The only
rway left for the United States Is for them
selves to restore order in Mexico.
The Spectator predicts that we
Should easily conquer the country and
Ithough revolt would follow we should
suppress it. It foretells that we shall
annex Northern Mexico and restore
Independence to the rest of that coun
try, subject to our control of Its for
eign relations. It also predicts that
jwlthln 60 years one English-speaking
nation of 200,000,000 people will ex
tend from the Canadian border to the
Panama Canal. It says that, if we do
the job, we shall do it well and that
the English people will.be proud of
our successful shouldering of this huge
piece of the white man's burden.
Just as the Spectator says, Mr. Wil
son has intervened. When he sent
'John Lind to demand that Huerta re
sign, he intervened. By using moral
suasion to Induce Huerta to comply
o.nd by putting on the financial screws
lie has continued to Intervene. He has
called on other nations, to keep out
sxnd leave It to him. They have com
plied, saying In effect: "All right; it's
up to you." And it is; there Is no
lodging that fact The longer anarchy
In Mexico continues; the longer Mr.
Wilson's pacific method of interven
tion falls to accomplish anything in
the way of restoring order, the more
Incumbent It will be upon him to In
tervene by armed force and the
stronger will be the pressure from
the civilized world upon him to do
so. By stepping aside and leaving him
K clear field, other powers have earned
n. moral right to bring this pressure to
I) ear. '
' Colonel Harvey's advice that Mr.
' sWilson now reverse his policy and
recognize Huerta comes too late. The
revolution has gained such power In
the north and the Huerta government
lias been so weakened in armed force,
finance and prestige that war would
continue. The alternative Is now be
tween confession that his policy of in
tervention by moral suasion has failed
and invitation to other powers to step
In and complete the task on the one
hand and resort to armed force on the
other hand." Mr. Wilson's known
character forbids belief that he will
confess failure, much more that he
will hand over the task to Europe.
That would be practical abandonment,
not only of the Monroe Doctrine but
. of the Wilson doctrine; and that is
unthinkable and the American Na
tion would not tolerate it. It remains
to be seen how long he will persist be
fore recognizing that the second al
ternative of armed intervention is
felons open to him, unless by some
miracle a strong man arises In Mexico
s,nd restores order.
; PSYCHIC ENERGY.
rAn anonymous critic takes excep
Won. to "what The Oregonian has said
about the source of psychic energy.
He quotes the expression, "no food
no psychic energy," from an editorial
and, dissenting vigorously, asks this
Question: "Can you say why the adepts
of India, the world's great prophets,
the Man of Sorrows and all great spir.
itual teachers, when desirous of going
into an extreme psychio state, invaii
ably fasted for a period?"
We might answer that such a pro
ceeding was due to bad Judgment, but
other considerations seem more ap
propriate and we will offer them to
cur friend for what they are worth.
He probably understands by "psychic
state" something very different from
what we do. According to our view a
person's psychic activity is likely to
he most powerful and fruitful when
his brain and body are both well
nourished. When food is cut off there
Is no source from which energy can
he drawn, hence activity must cease
Sooner or later it actually will cease,
as everybody must admit, but in the
Interval the starving tissues may pass
Into abnormal excitement and waste
in insane visions the little energy they
have left.
We do not believe that mania and
the excitement brought on by fasting
are "extreme psychic states" unless
one means by that expression that
they are abnormal and symptomatic
of approaching death. When the
bodily frame is clogged with a surplus
of food fasting may clarify the mental
powers and even strengthen them, but
when a person Is In sound health he
can do his best brain work, just as
he can his best muscular work, if he
eats regularly.
The "adepts of India" never have
given the world a solitary fact which
amounts to a row of pins. The Jew
ish prophets, such as, Isaiah and Amos,
ate regularly. Sometimes, when other
supplies failed the angels fed them.
They were able to denounce evil
heartily because they dined well. Any
person may easily decide for himself
where his psychio energy comes from.
He need not go to India for enlight
enment. All he need do la to stop
eating and see how long his brain, will
continue at work.
SEATTLE'S FKUlTt'UJL EXAMPLE.
If it be true that Commissioner Daly
has persuaded himself into the notion
that a municipally-owned lighting
plant Is a good thing for Portland, it
is to be hoped that he will first make
a study of the situation In Seattle,
which has gone into the lighting busi
ness in competition with private con
cerns. Portland has one established light
and power concern, representing a
large Investment, and a competitive
company has appeared and Is carrying
forward operations in Portland with
an expenditure of many million dol
lars. The outlook for satisfactory
service at fair prices appears to be
assured.
Seattle has issued In honds on ac
count of its light and power plant the
sum of $3,240,000. It ha3 further au
thorized bonds in the sum of $825,000
to be sold, so as to take care of ex
tensions and improvements.
The total bonded lndebtednss of Se
attle now reaches the stupendous to
tal of $4,5,254,902.69. The annual in
terest charge alone Is $2,036,470. The
public debt per acre is $2185.54; per
city lot, $218.56.
Estimating Seattle's population at
250,000, every citizen there has a
share of the public debt to the ex
tent of nearly $200. The per capita
tax for 191 was $29.34.
Bonds for a light and power plant.
bonds for a great port, bonds for a
city-owned street railway, bonds for
improvements of ail kinds, city bonds.
county bonds, school bonds, road
bonds all have brought the indebted
ness of Seattle to & staggering total.
Portland should be warned by Se
attle's example.
WORKERS AND IDLERS.
A considerable part of the unem
ployed do not want work, but a soup
kitchen. They invade restaurants and
order porterhouse steaks, oysters and
pie, and refuse to pay, having nothing
with which to pay. They hold mas
meetings and demand that the city, or
some other, give them work, and stip
ulate for $3 per day and eight hours.
When offered work they would make
terms; when given food, they quarrel
about its quality; when invited to a
place of shelter, they complain that
the roof leaks.
The hungry must be fed, but there
is no compulsion upon the public to
feed or clothe or house undeserving
idlers. Men who seek bounty have no
special claim upon anyone's" consid
eration; able-bodied men who seek
charity and who spurn the municipal
rockpile, ought to be left to their own
resources.
The Oregonian understands quite
well that there are worthy men out
of work, and that not all of them are
able to undertake hard manual labor.
These men ought to have sympathy
and help and no effort should be
spared to make them self-supporting.
But there should be discrimination be
tween the deserving workless and the
others. There should be an attempt
to sift out the unemployed who desire
work, or who otherwise deserve con
sideration," from the unemployed who
are taking advantage of the situation
to get a living in the easiest possible
way and at some other's expense.
BAD GRAMMAR.
The hot passions of some Eastern
"grammar fiends" have - been stirred
by Arnold Bennett's use of the fateful
word "transpire." The novelist wrote
this sentence: "Lastly, Mrs. Moldon,
it transpired, had her ways." It may
be found in his serial story, "The Price
of Love," If the reader cares enough
about grammar to look for it. The
pedants have objected to this expres
sion on the ground that "transpire"
means "leak out or come to light,"
while it does not mean "to happen."
Most true. And Arnold Bennett
uses the word precisely in the sense
of "leaking out." So why find fault
with him? We are sorry to be obliged
to admit that a professional gram
marian is usually a professional fault
finder and if he cannot light upon any
real mistakes in what he undertakes
to dissect it is no trouble at all for
him to invent some. . Scores of little
quibbles which writers of good English
never - bother their heads about are
constantly being turned over and
whipped about by the grammarians.
They fill the back leaves of their text
books with collections of these trifles
under the heading of "false syntax"
for unhappy pupils to correct.
The corrections are usually worse
than- the blunders, for nothing will
satisfy your grammatical pedant which
is not so stiff and stilted that it breaks
Its own back trying to stand straight.
Moreover by correcting page after
page of false syntax the average youth
acquires a choice assortment of blun
ders that he never would have
dreamed of had they not been assidu
ously driven into his brain by his
books and teachers.
The only way by which anybody
ever learned good English was to use
it and hear others use It. Making
boys and girls brood over chapters of
"errors" is the one sure and certain
way to spoil what little adeptness they
happen to have acquired elsewhere.
Teachers who painfully write out on
the blackboard the bad English they
hear on the playgrounds Are the best
allies slang and vulgarity could desire.
The children correct the slips with
their tongues, but they remember
them all for future use. The correc-
tions are too often forgotten as rap
idly as possible, while the blunders are
cherished as precious linguistic gems
and practised at every opportunity.
Grammar cranks are so much oc
cupied with the machinery of expres
sion that they forget to look for any
thing to express. The forms of speech
hold their attention to the exclusion
of substance. The root of their trou
bles Is that they never have really
mastered the English language. If
they had done so they would writaj
along smoothly ana glibly, never
thinking about their declensions and
conjugations and seldom worrying
over the meaning- of words. These
things become almost automatic to
one who knows his language as he
ought,
English is a great deal more free
and flexible than the grammar fiends
would have us believe. A given
thought can often be expressed in a
dozen ways and all will be "correct."
It is not wrong to say, "I do not doubt
that John Is sick." Neither Is it wrong
to say, "I do not doubt but that John
Is sick." The writer has his choice
between these expressions and there
are other good ones which he might
use if he liked.
THE PRICE OP FOOD AND THE TARIFF.
The hopeful visionaries who ex
pected tariff reduction to lower the
price of food are-already experiencing
the pangs of disappointment. Noth
ing of the sort has happened or is
likely to happen. The tariff may in
some instances have helped raise the
cost of table supplies, but its effect
has been inappreciable and its re
moval is void of the desired conse
quences. The Agricultural Department's bu
reau of, statistics affords no warrant
for believing that farmers can lower
the selling prices of their products and
still make a living. In many sections,
we are told, "farmers and their fami
lies do not make wages comparable
with wages received in other occupa
tions requiring equal skill and experi
ence and intelllgence.'r Under such
conditions it is a, little impertinent to
ask them to cut their prices. They
certainly will not do so, no matter
how much they are asked, if they can
help it. Nor is there much prospect
of relief by enlarging the production
of the farms. If the growers would
raise more food and put the increased
product at our disposal at the same
total cost as the present supply all
would be well for the harried con
sumer. But who in tnat case would
compensate the farmers for their
augmented labor and expense?
Some theorists rattle on cheerfully
without stopping to reflect that if
farmers send us more food they will
expect at least as much for each
pound or barrel as they get now. They
are not in business out of pure philan
thropy any more than their i fellow
men. '
The bureau of statistics points out
the obvious truth that any reduction
of the cost of food must come through
stopping waste if it comes at all. The
most glaring current waste exists
along the line of middlemen who pass
the farmers' products from hand to
hand on the way from grower to con
sumer. Each middleman exacts his
tribute and, of course, enhances the
ultimate price.
SILAS WEIR MITCHKI.U
No doubt In these days of strict spe
cialization Silas Weir Mitchell's most
interesting trait was his versatility.
His career proved that a man may
still hope to follow several different
lines of work without failing in any
of them. It may be said. of him as
Johnson said of Goldsmith, "Nihil
quod tetiglt non ornavit," though with
some reservations. It is certainly true.
as of Goldsmith, that whatever he
tried to do he did well, but it must
be confessed that he did nothing su
premely well. As a physician he at
tained to respectable renown by his
many technical publications and is
quoted as an authority on nervous di
seases, the venom of snakes and some
other subjects, but his word is not of
the greatest weight in any. of these
matters. Other physicians have cov
ered the same ground and covered it
better. As a novelist Dr. Mitchell
achieved enviable fame, but his works
are not counted among the greatest,
perhaps not very high among those of
ihe second rank. His plots are well
constructed, his style admirable, his
character values above criticism, but
nobody would think of mentioning
him beside Tolstoi. W. D. Howells is
a much better novel-writer.
Like Goldsmith Dr; Mitchell was
educated for medicine and he outdid
his Irish predecessor by practicing his
profession. When Goldsmith took up
the trade of letters he deserted drugs
forever. . Dr. Mitchell remained faith
ful to the art of healing and worked
In his literary achievements asmere
avocations. Hobbies one might per
haps call them, though they were
hobbles of a singularly delightful and
profitable nature. The resemblance
between him and Goldsmith Is not
quite so superficial as one might at
first think. Besides being both doc
tors they were alike extremely versa
tile, as we have already noted of
Mitchell. Goldsmith wrote prose of
the highest quality, poetry surpassed
by but few men, novels, histories.
natural history and plays. Mitchell
has dipped into pretty nearly as
many literary fields, besides carrying
on his medical studies and practice at
the same time. His literary style has
a good -deal of Goldsmith's charming
suavity, or "amenity," as Henry James
calls it in his well-known comment on
The "Vicar of Wakefield." Dr.
Mitchell's novels grew better as he ad
vanced In years. Hugh Wynne, pub
lished in 1897, is full of youthful
vigor, although, the author was then
67 years old. Since then have ap
peared, "The Adventures of Francois,"
Dr. North and His Friends" and still
other books. His last work was pub-
lshed but a few months before his
death. Such vigorous productivity in
old age is one of the characteristics
of our time. Men retain their powers
longer than of yore, or at any rate
they appear to.
Dr. Mitchell's poetry did not con
tribute a great deal to his fortunes,
though it may have helped a little to
make him famous The volume which
he called "The Comfort of the Hills"
was published in 1909. At that time
he had already published six other
small volumes of verse," the first of
them in 1882. He tells us that the
edition of each volume was limited to
some 300 copies with an average sale
of about fifty. The rest he gave away.
The Comfort of the Hills" was the
first book of poems which he did not
publish at his own expense. It con
tains two odes which had been already
printed In London by the Macmlllans,
together with others of Mitchell's
verses. We recount the adventures of
the book for , the encouragement of
young poets. The first year eighteen
copies were sold. The "next year none
at all, and none from that time up to
1909. The rest of the edition was
finally burned up. Such were the
fortunes of the poetry of Dr. Mitchell
who was a well-known and highly
successful author in prose. While his
verses were thus harshly treated by
the world, his medical books were
earning him distinction and his novels
were bringing in good profits. The
lesson of these facts need not be In
sisted upon. And still, lest they
should deter any aspiring genius from
cultivating the muses, . we hasten . to
say that the despised poetry which Dr.
Mitchell could not sell when it was
first published Is now sought by bib
llophlles at absurd prices.
.Upon the- whole his poetry; Tared
as well as Keats' and better than
Shelley's. Not any of the, tatter's verse
paid for publication. It is well known
that Poe and his wife starved- upon
the proceeds of hjs muse and Walt
Whitman was obliged In his old age to
receive 'more .or less help from his
friends. Poetry is not among the re
munerative trades In either the United
States or "England, though some for
tunate bards have made money by it.
We cannot say that Dr. Mitchell's
verse has any exalted merit. The
thought is, of course, manly and the
sentiment uniformly sound, but there
praise must falter. It is difficult to
avoid the confession that his verse is
stodgy. There are some inspired lines,
no doubt, but they are extremely rare.
The pen that skips and smiles happily
along when it . is writing prose as
sumes a pompous gait In verse and pa
rades Instead of tripping gaily. His
"Song of the Captured Confederate
Battle Flags" is as good as any of his
poetry. It ends with the lines:
Men heard through the murmur of praying.
The voloe of the torn banners saying
"Forgive, but ah. never forget."
This Js not bad verse, but it Is very
far from the vision and glory of the
great masters. Dr. Mitchell, like other
men,, had-his limitations. If he had
not attempted so much he might have
risen higher. But'hls work holds re
spectable rank In all Its varieties. He
is one of our best, as well as one of
our most prolific, literary men, while
scientific medicine will always set a
high value upon his original ' re
searches and his popular treatises
upon hygiene and the general conduct
of life.
Evelyn B. Baldwin says that, though
he believes Dr. Cook "faked" the
ciimb of Mount McKinley, he believes
the doctor reached 'latitude 88 degrees
21 minutes on his Journey to the
North Pole, or within 100 miles of his
goal. But he gives no other ground
for his belief but the doctor's own
statements. -Jiow poor is this author
ity is shown by Mr. Baldwin's disbelief
in the Mount McKinley story. The
rule, "False in one, false in all,"
should be regarded and Dr. Cook's
story of polar discovery dismissed
from consideration.
The boys' corn clubs ought to be
come as successful in Oregon as they
have been in other states. Corn will
thrive and ripen In the Willamette
Valley if the seed Is selected proper
ly. The boys' clubs study seed selec
tion, methods of culture and stock
feeding. In due time we hope they
will also study co-operative banking
and marketing. Better crops and bet
ter methods of selling them will ul
timately redeem rural life from its
hardships. . " N
There is a good opening for some
missionary work on behalf of. the di
rect primary by President Wilson in
Vice-President Marshall's state of In
diana. The Taggart machine, in which
Crawford Fairbanks is a partner, has
elected all except one of the Demo
cratic district chairmen, defeating the
insurgents at every turn. Mr. Marshall
might deliver some of his $300 lectures
in his own state in the endeavor to
redeem its benighted people from boss
rule.
The usual plan of wearing out the
prosecution by repeated trials and dis
agreeing Juries does not seem" to work
in the case of Dr. Hyde for alleged
murder of Colonel Swope at Kansas
City. His fourth trial is soon to be
gin.
An Oregon man sent 8 cents to the
Government for having used a can
celled postage stamp forty years ago.
He might just be celebrating his re
lease from jail if he had been caught
In the trivial transaction.
Continued use of the National
Guard for trivial purposes emphasizes
the urgent need of relieving it from
state uses and substituting a state
constabulary for use by Governors.
Only one-fifth of the unemployed
men have availed themselves of an
offer to work on 'the Terwilliger bou
levard. The others possibly want
positions, not work.
A New York widow has installed a
set of chimes following the death of
her millionaire husband. Possibly she
intends to "ring out the old, ring in
the new."
If there is any truth in the report
that Sir Lionel Carden has been trans
ferred from Mexico, let us hope his
new post is somewhere in the interior
of Labrador.
Another surviving member of
Quantrell's raiders has died in Cali
fornia, having lived long enough, it Is
hoped, to make his peace for here
after. A young highwayman having
wedded the flighty young thing for
which he committed robbery, what
will the Harvest bet
The man who wants work will take
it and the man who does not want to
work will find many excuses. That
is mil there Is to It,
No sooner do we escape from the
"shop early" admonition than we are
confronted by the urgent request
"register now."
Prayer services for peace are again
being held In Mexico City. But Mex
ico Is now beyond praying for.
John. Lind Is unable to land in Mex
ico because of a gale. How lonesome
poor Huerta must feel.
The Oregon onion-growers can
show the apple-growers how to shove
along & good thing.
A new peace meeting has been
called. No doubt Mexico will play a
leading part.
Marion County wants $800,000 for
good roads. All Oregon Is getting the
fever.
No one appears to. want to build a
Chicago subway. Got to grow a bit
yet.
Federal sugar omits the usual 1
per cent sweetening this quarter.
Colonel Sam White is the first cas
ualty in the war on the Snake.
Good roads mean a new era of
greater prosperity.
These rains make the rural carrier
an amphibian.
Governor Johnson is out for re-election.
Banzai! . . -
Chanticler Passes.
Ey Deu Collin.
(Roosters having been declared "a
drawback to the egg-producing busi
ness," Governor Major, of Missouri,
will declare a "swat the rooster day"
next Spring, when surplus roosters are
to be killed off. News Item.)
Hall Chanticler, who are about to diet
I do Balute thee, if no other wllL
Though "Swat the rooster!" be the
general cry, . .
I do remain thy firm supporter still.
Though in Missouri, death they brew
for thee.
And though thy foes increase from sea
to sea,
I will abide until the bitter end
Thy staunch supporter and admiring
friend.
Hail, Chanticler, who ones with ring
ing crow
Made thy proud boast throughout
the country heardl
Thy foes . conspire at last to make
thee go
Into extinction, like the dodo bird.
"Tis but a new phase of the catyclysm
That sociologists call Feminism,
That ranges wide, all eagerly, to whale
The stuffing out of anything Xhafs
male.
Gone are the days of chivalry, when
men
Went forth with chips upon their
shoulder placed;
The boast of heraldry that flourished
then
Finds all its warlike Masonry erased.
The crowing, fighting, ruffling, armor
clad. Swashbuckling hero 1s today in bad.
Where are the romances of yester
yearT Gone and thou, too, art fated, Chan
ticler. Subdue thy clarion crow and cast thy
spurs;
Forget the ruffled wing and bristling
hackle;
This is the feministio age of "hers," "
So change thy tune and learn at last
to cackle.
Type of the goodly, braggart days of
old.
When war was glorious and when men
were bold, ,
Goodbye yet I desire to say, right
here,
I liked thy blustering challange, Chan
ticler. PLAV FOR. FEEDING IXEMPLOTED.
Give Each Man Day's Work In Week
and Feed Him.
PORTLAND. Jan. 5. (To the Edi
tor.) The unemployed are certainly
with us In large numbers. A recent
visit to the Gipsy Smith auditorium
prompts me to say that a pleasant sur
prise confronted me.
After the perusal of newspaper re
ports I expected to see a few hundred
dirty, ragged, blear-eyed, blatant
toughs,-thoroughly disgusted with life,
and ready and eager to live off the
community as long as posslbe.
The real facts as I Investigated and
found them are as follows: There was
no ribaldry, no profanity, no loud talk
ing, but perfectly good order among
the five or six hundred men present.
The building, I was told, is patrolled
by committees of the League of the
Unemployed, who keep, a watch day
and night to see that everything Is
run In an orderly way.
These men are not in this auditorium
because they like it, but because they
have nowhere else to go. They do not
want charity, but they do want work.
One of their leaders placed the prob
lem thus before me: "There are at least
six times ' as many men In town as
there are Jobs." The following is a
constructive remedial plan proposed by
him:
"Allow us to run kitchens In this
hall; give us a second-hand range, price
$15; 100 tin plates and cups, 100 knives,
forks and spoons and the necessary
cooking utensils. This Initial expense
will not exceed $50. With this appara
tus we can take care of 480 men, who
will be properly registered, and will
be given Identification badges, and give
them two nourishing meals a day on
seven days each week. We ask for
employment for 80 of these men (one
sixth of the whole number), so that
each man may work at least one day
each week. Out of his wages, which
should be not less than ' $2 a day, we
would tax each man $1.50 in order to
pay the expenses of the 480 men. We
would provide the cooks and dishwash
ers and run , things In a thoroughly
sanitary way.' We would prefer to have
this tax of $120 (80 men at $1.50) a
day turned over to some one appointed
by the city to attend to and pay for
the necessary material and provisions,
in order that no suspicion of graft may
fall upon the leaders of the unem
ployed. "The unit number of 480 was chosen
as it Is a multiple of six, ttnd 1000
meals a day is about all that can be
attended to on one range. The differ
ence between $1.50 and the wages
earned would belong to the man em
ployed. If a man refuses to work we
will force him out of the auditorium.
The motto for each of us is to help the
other fellow."
This plan seems, to me, as well as to
many others, a good one, and wholly
disinterested on the part of the men
who are asking for an opportunity to
pay for their own meals.
Surely this is better than to exploit
their misfortunes and compel them, he
cause they are hungry, to confer char
ity on their employer and work for
less than a living wage.
A. C. NEWILL.
LET WORKMEN SAVE FOR OLD AGE
Years of Service Should Bring- Comne
tence?. Says Army Veteran.
PORTLAND, Jan. 4. (To the Editor.)
During the present controversy re
garding the position of Mr. Chamber
lain as Janitor in the City Hall, I find
it surprising that, so far, I have not
seen a single article discussing the
other side of this fence.
Now it seems to me that if the city
has given continuous employment to
one man at a good rate of pay, he
ought to have saved enough to be able,
in addition to a Government pension,
to live the rest of his days in comfort.
At any rate I think the city ought to
give some other worthy man a chance
to earn $78.80 per month for a few
years as Janitor, even if he has to be
a Civil War Veteran, which, According
to the papers, seems to be the requisite
of a Janitor's position.
Now, I hold that the city should re
ward its aged servants by making pro
vision for a pension, so that a man 72
years of age would not be compelled to
clean ouspidora and mop floors. To set
all doubts and further Inquiries at rest,
I am not looking for any position, and
also I served my adopted country for
nearly Ave years, received a medal for
meritorious services from Congress and
do not draw a pension. R. H. S.
Realizing: on an Investment.
Baltimore American.
"Did you ever realize anything on
that investment?" ,
"Oh, yes."
"What did you realize on it?"
"What a fool I had been."
Picking a Lucky Suitor.
Houston (Texas) Post.
"Let me Introduce you to the most
honest young man I have ever known."
"But mamma doesn't want me to meet
any poor young men."
The New Age. '
Of the iron age we often hear
And the fabled age of gold.
But now the Income tax brings near
An age of wealth untold.
New Tork . Sun.
5IEANINQ OF WORD "DISCOUNT"
Currency Law Seems to TJso It tn Its
Broadest Sense.
PORTLAND, Jan. 8. (To the Edi
tor.) Referring to your several able
editorials and explanations of the cur
rency bill, will you kindly explain the
word "discount" as In connection with '
secured .notes or commercial paper,
which is to be handled by the banks?
Generally speaking, the' word "dis
count" means something taken off.
When a bank accepts a note, or
commercial discounts with drafts and
bills of lading attached, on a foreign
point or some , place In the United
States, that bank pays' to the drawer
of said papers in full the face
value, always supposing the bank is
satisfied as to the transaction. In- the
currency bill, it is stated that certain
banks may "discount" certain kinds
of commercial paper, and then that
they may "discount" this with the re
gional banks, which in turn may "re
discount" this among the regional
banks, as may seem advisable for the
protection of the whole.
Knowing how the word is used usu
ally and quoted, why should the word
'discount be named In such banking
transactions? This question has been
discussed by some business men, but
none or us seemed to reach a proper
conclusion. Is it sinmply a banking
term or is there some other meaning
attached? G. T.
The term "discount" was originally
applied to the sale of a note which
bore no interest. If It were payable
after 90 days, the bank would deduct
the going rate of Interest on such
paper from its face value and pay the
maker of the note the balance. The
term was next applied to interest
bearing notes. For example, a bank
which charges 6 per cent Interest
would take 1 per cent discount from
a 5 per cent note. ' In common usage
the term has become extended to all
dealings In commercial paper, even
where no discount Is deducted, and In
that sense It appears to have been
used In the new currency law. In this
way It might even be applied to a case
where a bank paid a premium, as, for
example, where It charged the seller of
an 8 per cent note only 6 per cent
interest, adding 2 pr cent to the prin
cipal. Such a transaction is not lit
erally discounting In the original sig
nificance of the term, but it has come
to be called so in common parlance.
DUPLICATED SCHOOL . FUNCTIONS
University and Agrrtcmltural Collcee
Should Not Double on Work.
PORTLAND, Jan. 5. (To the Edi
tor.) Of what avail are all our efforts
at adjustment of functions between our
State University and our State Agri
cultural College, with a view to econ
omy and efficiency, when decisions of
the board of higher curricula are seized
upon for exploiting plans of duplica
tion and extravagance utterly unwar
ranted either by the decisions them
selves or by the needs of the citizens
of Oregon? I had no sooner congratu
lated myself upon the success of the
board of higher curricula in distin
guishing between the educational du
ties of our two higher. educational in
stitutions" by assigning certain tech
nical courses to the college and certain
liberal arts courses to the university
than I read of President Campbell's
elaborate plans for developing "a
school of engineering at the university
upon the same basis as that of the
strongest Eastern universities."
What does this mean if not a dupli
cation of the engineering plant and of
much, at least, of the engineering
work at the agricultural college? A
"schodl of engineering" such as is de
veloped at the University of Wisconsin
or Purdue University is certainly not
within the scope of the "course in
civil engineering," announced by the
board of higher ciirricula in its deci
sion of December 20. If it Is, we shall
have confusion worse confounded. That
President Campbell assumes as much,
however, is evident from his declara
tion (Interview appearing In The Ore
gonian for December 27), that "it is
the plan to go toward the five-year
course, maintaining engineering on
the same basis as the professional
training In law or medicine.
It is evident also in the fact that he
declares In the same interview that
"additional laboratories, with appro
priate testing devices, will be added
and the faculty will have to be In
creased.
Not simply a course in civil eng!
neering, notice, but a "school of engl
neering," rivaling that of the rich
Eastern universities, with additional
buildings, machinery and teachers.
Does this sound like a simplification
of educational machinery in a new
state? Does it reduce expenses? Does
It insure results. In a labor-loving,
wealth - producing, high - minded citi
zenship for the State of Oregon? Does
It conserve the taxpayers' money? I
do not think it does.
TAXPAYER.
FALLING MISSILE MISSES MISS
City Directory and Other Objects Drop
From Hitch Buildings.
PORTLAND, .Tan. E. (To the Editor.)
-r-I noticed In The Sunday Oregonian an
account of a piece of steel falling from
the Yeon building and almost hitting a
passer-by.
Thad an experience somewhat similar
to this some time ago. I was walking
up Oak street when suddenly I heard
what I thought was a pistol shot,
looked all around, but could see noth
ing unusual, and was starting on when
a man, who had been walking behind
me, said, "Lady, you ought to be aw
fully glad that didn't hit you." He
pointed at my heels and there lay a
large city directory which had tumbled
from a window In an upper story and
had all but struck me on the head,
landing so close to my heels that I had
been unable to see it. Had this hit me
on the head, what would have been the
result?
I know of another Instance where a
large can of tomatoes fell from the
seventh story window of one of our big
wholesale houses, but fortunately no
one was passing.
Why cannot Portland follow the ex
ample of many smaller cities and re
quire all such windows to be screened
across by a netting reaching up a foot
Dr so.
Something ought to be done before
some one Is killed outright.
MISS P. P.
MILITANCY WILL NOX WIN VOTES
Means More Subtle Must Be Followed,
Says Mrs. Dunlixay.
PORTLAND, Jan. 5. (To the Editor.)
All experienced suffragists agree for
once with Mrs. Dodge, leader of the
"National ; Association Opposed to the
Further Extension of the Right of Suf
frage to Women," who is right In say
ing that "equal suffrage can never be
made universal by a conscienceless per
secution and misuse of the ballot." To
which I wish to add, nor can we ever
be able to establish equal rights for
women anywhere except by following
the lines of least resistance.
The reign of peace on earth and rood
will to men and women can never be
gained by the militancy of unballotted
leadership. The honest place for Anna
Shaw and her followers Is with the
leaders, In her official position, among
the militant members of the Woman's
Christian Temperance Union, which
never sails under false colors, but
openly avows the militancy of its fight
against the liquor traffic
ABIGAIL SCOTT DUNIWAY.
Twenty-five Years Ago
From Ths Oregonian of Jan. 7, 1889.
Walla Walla, Jan. 6. At a mass
meeting this afternoon, G. W. Hunt
said he had not built the O. & W. T.
to Bell out; that his system was inde
pendent of all other roads, and that he
Intended to keep It that way.. The
speech was enthusiastically received
and $5000 additional bonus was raised
and arrangements made to raise $50.-
ouu more.
Albany, Or., Jan. 7. There are about
180 destitute Chinese laborers in this
city, caused by the failure of J. R
Myers & Co.. for whom they had been
woraing on the Oregon Pacific Gen
erous donations of 'flour, provisions,
etc, were made by merchants of the
city.
San Francisco, Jan. 6. The under
standing is that the contract of the
O. R. & N. Company with the Pacific
Coast Steamship Company will not be
renewed and that the former will con
duct Its steamship business Itself.
Last evening the Portland Stenog
raphers' Association met in the Ablng-
ton Duiiaing, President D. R Youner in
the chat. Those who took part in
the programme were: Miss Mattie
Kelly. Miss Eva Lowengardt, Miss
Holmes, Miss Hattle Loeb, Mrs. West
lake, Mr. Eddy and Miss Moores.
Half a Century Ago
rrora The Oregonian of Jan. T. 1804.
Last evening the Columbia River was
closed by Ice at Willow Bar and navi
gation must be suspended until drift
ice moves northward or breaks up.
About midnight snow oommenoed to
fall in earnest and soon covered the
ground.
Mr. Holland, messenger for Wells
Fargo & Co., will start for The Dallea
with the express today by the trail.
Salem. Jan. 6. The Union State Cen
tral Committee met today. The Union
State Committee is to meet at Albany
on March 80 and to consist of 112 mem
bers. It was recommended that county
conventions be held on March 12.
The eltlsens of Portland have at last
made the first important move in the
great enterprise of a branch Pacific
railroad to Oregon and a railroad from
California. It is the Intention of the
committee who drafted the memorial
to Congress to send printed copies to
all the postmasters throughout the
state to secure signatures. The com
mittee consists of the following gen
tlemen: G. H. Williams, E. D. Shat
tuck, A. B. Hailock, G. W. Vaughn.
A. B. Elfelt, A. Harker. . H. Seymour,
G. H. Flanders and Charles M. Carter.
Memphis, Dec. 23. In West Ten
nessee, Forrest is still conscripting the
inhabitants. Many refuse to take up
arms, and Forrest's guard-house la
filled with men who have been taken
from their families. Many good Union
men, to escape Forrest'B conscriptions,
have taken to the woods and hide In
caves. The Union men are hunted dil
igently and, if caught, are subjected
to the most brutal treatment.
Charleston. Dec 26. From 12 o'clock
on Sunday night to 4 o'olock the next
afternoon, 130 Bhells were thrown into
the city.
Washington. Dec 29. Chief Justice
Taney lies at the point of death.
a
- At Crystal Lake yesterday hundreds
of gentlemen and more than 80 ladies
skated.
BLUE-BELLS.
In morning's cool, on my way to
. school,
I used to pass a magio spot
Where flowers grew of heavenly hue
That my soul has not forgot.
I was only five, but memories thrive;
Ah! over the fence I got
And feel the old thrill as my arms I
fill
With the sweetest flowers that grow.
And down the road with my precious
load
I trudge in childish bliss.
Can all the earth, with its hollow
mirth
Give an hour as sweet as this?
O blue-bell days! Life's devious ways
Have led through fields of rue.
But plenty or lack, my thoughts turn
back
To the time when I knew you!
Now Wordsworth's lay on a Summer's
day
Of the "meanest flower that blows,"
And Burns' -song, mid furrows long.
Where the mountain daisy grows.
Have touched a chord in my heart, dear
Lord.
That I thought was broken by pain.
And memory enraptures me
As I roam those fields again.
From the wrong I planned I hold my
hand
And God comes forth tf reign
In a heart grown cold and clay grown
old
Where the bluebell's seed has lain.
Oh, give us flowers In childhood's
hours.
As we loiter through morning's cool:
For the pictures that last are the ones
we passed
As children going to school.
MARY H. FORCE.
Portland, January 2, 1914.
Conduct Above Reproach.
Atchison Globe.
Tou flb when you say your conduct
Is above reproach.
Advertising
The Advertiser
It is an indifferent reader, indeed,
who does not take a lively and con
stant Interest In the advertising of
The Oregonian.
This newspaper is proud of the
merchants and manufacturers and
other business and professional men
who use its columns to send fre
quent messages to Its readers.
Making a sale at a fair profit Is
but a part of what they accomplish
by their enterprise.
They are in a broad sense edu
cators, the forerunners of civiliza
tion, and The Oregonian heartily
commends them and their announce
ments to the careful attention of
Its readers.
They render a distinct service
not alone to themselves but also
to the public they serve.
There Is scarcely a line of human
activity that has not received the
helpful influence of honest publicity.
In advertising its advertisers The
Oregonian feels that it Is doing sim
ple Justice to the most progressive
concerns and individuals In this
community and to the most repre
sentative manufacturers throughout
the country. A dv.