10 THE MORNING OREGONTAN, FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, 1914. PORTLAND. OREGON. Entered at Portland. Oregon. Poatofflcs a Second-class matter. Subscription Ratea Invariably la Advance: (BT KAIL.) JDafly, Sunday Included, one year .SS.oo lally, Sunday Included, alx months ..... 4.-5 Xatly, Sunday Included, tnree months ... 2.23 Xally, Sunday Included, one month ...... .35 lally, without Sunday, one year " Dally, without Sunday, six montba lJally, without Sunday, three months ... Xo Ually, without Sunday, one month . - - - -Weekly, one year .........-----.----- LoO Cunday. one year Sunday and weekly, one year a.00 (BY CARRIER) Dally, 8unday Included, one year .$9.00 Dally, Sunday Included, one month . . - . .75 How to Rmlt Send postorrlce money or der, express order or personal check on your local bank. Stamps, coin or currency are at sender's risk. Give postofflce address In full. Including county and state. r nutate Kates 12 to 1 pages. 1 cent; 18 to 32 pages. 3 cents; JM to 48 pages. 3 cents; SO to 60 pages. 4 cents: 62 to "8 pases. 5 cents; 78 to U2 pages. 6 cents. Foreign post age, double ratea Eastern Bunlness Of flees Vsrree & Conk lin. New York, Brunswick building. Chi cago, fcteger building. San Francisco Office R. J. BldweU Co., T42 Market street. 1-OKTIANU, FRIDAY. JANUARY 16, 1914. WHAT W1LU.NO HANDS CAN DO. In another column will be found a communication from a reader of The Oregonian relative to rural credits. The writer says. In commenting on an article that appeared In The Orego nian: "I was unable to discover In what manner the proposed bill would aid a man with practically nothing but his two willing hands to buy a farm." Labor Is one of the underlying and fundamental elements of credit- Hence the man with "two willing hands'" has tvt his command the very best asset obtainable If those "two willing Lhands"' are guided by a clear head and an honest heart. We can talk about farm credits and nil other sorts of credits until the cows come home, and then some; but, after all arguments are exhausted we find that character is the ruling ele ment for obtaining credit. The great est financier this country has pro duced in many decades, J. Pierpont Morgan, told the Senate committee that there were many men worth a million to whom he would not lend a dollar and many men worth nothing whose credit was good for a million. "Character," said Mr. Morgan, "Is what we lend money on." The man with "two willing hands" must be supposed to know something about farming. Evidently any money lender would hesitate and more than likely refuse to furnish capital for a man to embark in a business about which he knew nothing. And farming la a trade, an occupation which is something more than digging, plowing, jplantlng and harvesting. Say what we will about the simple calling of the farmer it is an occupation that demands as much brains, industry and know-how as any calling on earth That Is why practically two farmers Jail, or die as failures, where one fail ure is recorded in the trade and mer cantile pursuits. The man with "two willing hands" has no money; why? Has he been profligate? Then his name on a note is not a good signature for credit. Has he been unfortunate in his former business relations? The money-lender will look carefully into such matters end see the why and the wherefore If he finds the losses were caused by poor business management, he will again hesitate and more than likely refuse. Is he a stranger in the community where he wishes to get land? If he Is, it is more than likely he will be hard pressed to show by references from his old home that he is entitled to credit. That may take a longer time than he thinks, perhaps longer than it would take to establish char acter anew in his new-sought home community. So what Is the man with "two will ing hands" to do to get a piece of land ? Suppose we answer that ques tion by referring to concrete examples, First we will take the case of George McKay, late of Wheeler County, Ore son. When Mr. McKay went to the site of his later domain he had noth ing but "two willing hands" and a large stock of industry. He pegged away for several months at a pitifully small wage, but he finally sold his land and cattle for something like 1150,000. He got all the credit he wanted as soon as he established his character. There Is. the true story of "Johnny Teon, as published but a few days ago in The Oregonlan. He started with nothing but "two willing hands," and the same sort of industry and perse verance that McKay had and that prac tically all winners have had. There are two other illustrations founded on fact. Two men achieved success in the same neighborhood in Oregon, The first was a penniless farmhand. penniless because he had used up ths little sums he had saved to help his mother through a case of sickness. He began work as a farm laborer at $30 a month. Every month he put J 25 Into the leading bank in the county eeat. Consequently he had $600 in two years. He found a farm for sale for the sum of $7000, the owner wanting half cash. The young man with the "two will ing hands," plus the $600 those hands had made and the character he had established this young man went to the banker having his deposit and had no trouble in getting the $3500 he needed on a second mortgage loan Did that banker lend that money on the land? Primarily yes; practically Jio. He lent it on the "two willing hands," a clear head and an estab lished character for industry, honesty and sobriety. The other young man in the same xiclnity had made his own way in the world after he was 15 years old. His parentage assisted him none. He worked on farms in the Summers and went to school in the Winters. It Is strange, but he never learned to smoke or chew tobacco, never learned to swear or play pool or billiards or cards. He worked his way through a two-year course in an agricultural school. Then he clerked two years in a store and saved $1500. When he was 21 he quit the town and paid $500 down on a small farm. Before three years passed he borrowed as much as $25,000 at once from the same bank borrowed it to buy cattle and feed. In less than ten years he was worth $100,000. It is futile to cite such -cases or any cases. Everybody knows what indus try and perseverance and frugality will do. provided one is not unfor tunate through ill-health or some such Btroke of providence. After all, the only answer to the queries in the com. rnunication mentioned Is this: Let the man with the "two willing hands" es tablish his character in any rural Jieighborhood in Oregon and he can n-et all the farm credit he is entitled to or needs. The rural credit system will be a further advantage, because of its long-time loans and low rates of Interest. WHAT SHOULD HE HAVE DONE? The Oregonlan says it never advocated in. tervention In Mexico, but has protested vig orously against it. We fall to see what could have been done or how the President could put any more spine Into his diplomacy. He might have spit on his hands or ventured on a General Jackson oath, but would that have frightened Senor Huerta? Suppose he had taken the position that Mexico must do or leave undone a certain thing, and Huerta had refused? He would have had to Intervene or he would have made the coun try ridiculous. What bit of diplomacy, for Instance, would The Oregonian have sug gested? What Is it the President should have done? What course would The Ore gonlan have him pursue ? SaJem Capital Journal. The Oregonian will assume that the question is asked in good faith and will reply. The Salem paper quite cor rectly draws the conclusion that if President Wilson were to declare that Mexico, through Huerta, must do, or leave undone, any certain thing, and Huerta were to refuse, the great United States of America would be made ridiculous unless compulsion were then to follow. Last Summer the diplomatic air was full of fulmina tlons that Huerta must go and various non-explosive ultimata were fired by the President and his non-ignitable Secretary of State; and Huerta is still there. If Huerta was not to be made to go after he had been told to go, why was he told to go? Why the threat without the actual coercion? In stead of force, the Wilson policy has been diverted from an early period of verbal bombardment to a slow process of financial strangulation. It is hard on Mexico, which is Infinitely worse off than it has been since the revo lution began, partly, no doubt, as a re sult of the President's spineless inter vention. The President should have recog nized Huerta as President of Mexico, unless he was prepared to expel Huerta.- OI K MANNER, OF SPEAKING. Ambassador Page ventured to tell the British the ' other day that the Americans spoke better English than they. Naturally he was rebuked by the London papers for his rash utter ance. The fact that it was true was no excuse for him in their eyes. The English complacently assume that their pronunciation ought to be the world's standard, but when we inquire what is meant by "English pronuncia tion" we discover that there Isn't any such thing. Each little section of the island has its own usage, which is often so different from that of other sections that conversation between them is difficult or Impossible. It does seem as if It would be a de cided advantage for all the people of a country to understand one another, no matter in what parts they live. This advantage we enjoy in the United States. We confess that there are some local variations of speech. Phil adelphia flattens its vowels more than Omaha does, for example, but upon the whole we all talk alike and a man from the Pacific Coast is understood in Boston without the slightest trou ble, while in England Cornwall and Lancashire virtually speak distinct languages. Good or bad In itself, our American pronunciation has the merit of being almost uniform, a piece of fortune which we may attribute largely to our National worship of Webster's Dic tionary. The British have no work corresponding in authority and popu larity to that prodigious monument. They have plenty of dictionaries, of course,' but none that is adored as our fathers adored Webster. One or two states even fortified his pronunciations by law some decades back. Moreover there Is a happy tendency among us Americans to conform our speech to the printed spellings. There is much absurd variance certainly, but nothing so ridiculous as the British "Maudlin" for Magdalen, and "Sln- jin" for St. John. Here we like to pronounce words as they are spelled and would always do it if we dared. Some of us say "of-ten" instead of ofn" in the face and eyes of the die- tionary. But in England they delight to get their speech as far as possible from their orthography. They write "Cholmondeley Beauchamp" and say "Chumley Beacham." What right have such people to any views what ever upon pronunciation? THE ACTOR'S COT'S. What makes an actor great? Bodily gifts count for a good deal.' A man with a handsome form and vigorous limbs will win histrionic glory more readily than one who is lank and awk ward by nature. The voice also plays a part. How could a person with a shrill throat act Romeo? The lover, silly as he Is, must be intensely mas culine and for that his voice should thrill with heavy and base tones. The face does not make much difference. A satyr stands as good a chance to succeed as Adonis himself, for the actor's makeup changes the features completely. Mantell as Richelieu has not a soli tary lineament in common with Man tel! as Macbeth. Even the color of his eyes looks different in the two parts. It may be the same, but his art effects the Illusion of change and what Is acting but illusion? We think the first thing an actor who aspires to greatness should cultivate is his voice. When he speaks his words per. fectly everything else is forgotten. No matter how spindling his legs may be or how hollow his chest, if he can make divine language sound divine he has won the day. Mantell triumphs when he uses the soft pedal. His low tones in Mac beth's dagger speech are more effec tive than any thunder.. His whispers are more potent than shouts. Next to the voice, gestures tell. Edwin Booth had one gesture la Richelieu that was unforgettable. It was nothing more than a slight wave of the hand, but It spoke whole pages of despair and accusation. When Barrett threatened to hurl "the curse of mighty Rome' against the worthless King and his creatures he gave his cardinal's robe a protecting swing that was like the swoop of an eagle. It disclosed a vision of the church's imperial power Mantell gets much the same effect by using his voice alone. At that tre mendous crisis of the play he makes ho distinctive gesture. He stands still and threatens in majestic tones. But these things are externals. Bod lly form, voice and gesture are only symbols of inner greatness. A su preme actor must possess, an extraord inary personality. This, In the long run. Is the decisive factor. He must in fact possess a double personality. The common belief that the actor identifies himself with the part he plays Is only half true. . One fraction of his being is merged In Macbeth or Lear, but there Is another which coolly looks on and criticises. The "torrent, tempest and whirlwind of his passion" never overcomes his self command. In the thickest of It he "acquires and begets the temperance that may give it smoothness." This he could not do without perpetual vigilance. .The "other half of his personality ' keeps watch and ward over the half that is acting the part. The actor, therefore, produces his most artistic effects when he Is not too sincere. Othello must seem to be moved when he smothers Desdemona, but not really moved. At bottom his heart is cold and it Is only crocodile tears he dares to shed, if he wishes to be truly great. The poet learns in passion what he teaches in song, but if the fires are not well cooled when he tunes his lyre his song will be dull. The same rule applies to the actor. He must know what passion is by the ex perience of his own heart, but It should all be over before he comes upon the stage. Art deals not in re alities but illusions and the most touching of them all are painted with the ashes of dead passion. THE SURGEON'S PUEOGE. The new pledge to which the fellows of the "American College of Surgery" subscribe is good ethics and good lit erature. Some man must have writ ten it whose skill with the pen Is not less than with the knife. In the fingers of one entirely great the pen Is mightier than the sword. In the fingers of this surgeon, whoever he was, perhaps, it may prove mightier than greed, envy and false ambition. The College of Surgeons is a coun try-wide organization which hopes to elevate the standards of this branch of the healing art. One who joins pledges himself "to pursue the prac tice of surgery with thorough self-restraint and place the welfare of my patients above everything else," No more rash operations "for the ad vancement of science," no more "bril liant experiments." He promises also 'to advance constantly in knowl edge by the study of surgical litera ture, the instruction of eminent teach ers, the Interchange of opinion among associates." The days when a surgeon might sink respectably to sleep after obtaining his diploma are evidently over and gone. The future will be troubled with constant increase of knowledge, which, as we know upon good authority, means Increase of sor row. Next to his patients the reformed surgeon will favor his professional brothers, whose interests he promises "scrupulously to regard." He will neither envy nor backbite them and if a' new brother comes to town he will give him a fair chance. The pledge essays a still higher flight. The surgeon promises "to give freely my services to the needy, to avoid the sin of selfishness, to shun unwarranted publicity, dishonest money-seeking and commercialism and to refuse ut terly all secret money trades with con. sultants and practitioners." The most pathetic clause In the pledge is a promise "to teach the pa tient his financial duty to the physi cian." We hope the surgeons will ac complish all they undertake in this particular and while they are about it they may as well teach the patient his financial duty to the grocer, the news paper and church. Why not include all these subjects in one great lesson? If the surgeons fulfill half of what they promise they will introduce the millennium. KILLING OUR MERCHANT SIARIXE, While The Oregonian Is in hearty Bympathy with the purpose of any measure designed to better the condi tlon of American seamen, we believe impartial Inquiry should be made to insure that such a measure will really serve that end and will not injure oth er interests and Incidentally Injure the seamen, or at best not benefit them. For this reason it Invites attention to the provisions of the LaFoIlette bill intended for the good of the seamen and to the criticisms made upon them. The most important of these provi sions is that abolishing Imprisonment for desertion. It is most desirable that seamen be put on the same level with men of other crafts as to conditions of employment. Justice requires that, ex cept in certain emergencies, seamen be subject, only to civil penalties for breach of contract with employers. and every effort should be made to bring about this change. But can the United States alone, with only two per cent of the world's tonnage, make rules which will be accepted by the countries which own the other 98 per cent? That is the first and most se rious question to be considered, .for, if we insist on acting alone on this most important subject of interna tional comity, we may find ourselves at loggerheads with aijl maritime na tions. Under the bill every seaman on an American vessel may demand half the wages due at any port of call by giv ing forty-eight hours' notice. No ves sel of over 100 tons, except those nav igating rivers or smaller inland lakes, Is to be permitted to depart from any American port unless she has a crew not less than 75 per cent of which In each department are able to under stand any order given by the officers, nor unless 40 per cent In the first year, 45 per cent in the second year, 50 per cent In the third year, 55 per cent In the fourth year and 65 per cent thereafter of her deck crew are able seamen. Able' seamen are de fined as men aged 19 or upward who have served three years on deck at sea or on the Great Lakes. Against the provision as to pay it Is contended that it offers a premium on. desertion and makes strikes easy. A whole crew could combine to de mand half the pay due at a foreign port and then desert with a demand for higher pay, knowing that it was impossible to fill their places in com pliance with the law. What chance would an American ship, thus deserted in an Italian port, have to pick up a crew 75 per cent of which spoke Eng lish and all of which had able sea men's certificates? The plight of a French or - German ship, deserted in New York, would be little better, for a crew of Frenchmen or Germans would not be quickly found. Enactment of this bill would create a sudden demand for a large supply of English-speaking seamen which does not exist. According to Senator Burton, It would require 40,000 able seamen for American ships, ninety days after Its passage, yet the whole British merchant marine employed only 36,927 able seamen last April. This in face of the fact that In 1912 the British merchant marine totalled 19,240,517 tons against our 7,660,281 tons, engaged in foreign coastwise and lake commerce. This number of sea men Is not available since steamships have supplanted sailing ships and is not needed, as we have shown In a previous article. The bill would drive from our for eign trade on the Pacific Ocean the few remaining foreign 6hips if applied to them alone. It would drive from American Pacific ports the ships of all nations except the Japanese, if ap- ' plied to ships of other nations plying to American ports, for those ships are dependent on Chinese, Japanese and other Orientals for crews and, having white officers, could not comply with the language test. The only nation which could comply with the test would be Japan, for her ships have both officers and crew of her own peo ple and they are operated so cheaply that none operated with white crews could compete with them. Japan would be less affected than other na tions by the premium put on deser tion, for she watches the Interests cf her ship owners so closely that she would probably make desertion a crime. Ships of other nations would snun American ports and would cou centrate at Vancouver, B. C. whence their cargoes would be shipped acrors the boundary by rail. That port would grow enormously at the expense of Its American neighbors and the long shoremen and other workmen em ployed ashore in connection with ships at United States porta would lose, while the seamen would gain nothing. The bill proposes to set up the Judg ment of a Nation having less than a century and a hairs experience and owning only 2 per cent of the tonnage engaged in foreign trade, against the Judgment of England, which has a thousand years experience and whose policy has made her mistress of the seas. Her mercantile marine laws are the models on which those of other European nations are based. For ex ample, while offering no premium on desertion by enabling a seaman to col lect half his wages before completing a voyage, the British law avoids the twin evil of offering inducements to the captain to create desertion. It does so by requiring the deserter's wages to bo paid to the Board of Trade, and Germany. France, Italy and Belgium have adopted the same law. But the LaFoIlette bill proposes to annul contracts made by seamen in foreign countries when they visit our ports and to abrogate all treaties which, bind us to enforce those con tracts. We have blundered in legisla tion for our own shipping until It Is reduced to a pitiful remnant, yet we undertake to make laws for nations which have made the shipping busi ness a success. Al Jennings, the ex-outlaw, who has become" a leader at the Oklahoma bar, is a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Governor, and pro claims his purpose to drive out "the double-dealing political thieves, with whom no self-respecting outlaw of former years can associate." He draws a contrast between outlaws and crooked politicians by saying: Hut tell me, what is the difference be tween the man who holds op a train at the point of a gun and he who loots the treas ury of a state? The only difference I can see Is the train robber Is at least honest In acknowledging his character, while the spoilsman leads a double life. The spectacle of a self-respecting outlaw giving the cut direct to a grafting politician would be diverting. The lines are closely drawn between the social castes of Oklahoma. With the development of water powers over the country we shall hear more and more of bursting dams, like that at Dobbin. W. Va, unless adequate precautions are.taken. An improperly constructed dam menaces everything below it. The Johnstown incident many years ago began the tale of these horrors. No other has yet equalled its destructlveness, but can we feel certain that none ever will? It is possible to build dams that will not break and the law should see that it is always done. Mexican Generals are presenting elaborate explanations of why they fled Into the United States. The frank admission that they didn't have the sand to fight a real battle is the only explanation that will find any be lievers. "Not a blow was struck; not a shot was fired," says a zealous journalistic disciple of the West crusade at Cop perfleld. Evidently West is the man of the hour. Send him to Mexico. Having demonstrated that a sack of flour can go by-parcel post, Mr. Burleson believes a sack Of sugar is eligible. What the rural carrier be lieves is another matter. An inventor has perfected an au tomatic weeder. Which being the case, maybe some of the I. W. W. can be in duced to accept a job of weeding on ions later In the year. Small boys may not purchase to bacco In Portland hereafter even on written requests from parents. Watch the crop of hollow-chested cigarette fiends fall off. A scrubwoman leaves an estate of $5400. Incidentally, many men who get enough to pay an Income tax do not leave enough to pay burial ex penses. There are twenty-three candidates for the vacancy In the position of cap tain of police and qnly one who really believes in the superstition. We have tendered aid to the strick en Japanese. No matter where disas ter falls the American people are first to offer succor. Gifford Plnchot is said to be a can didate for the United States Senate But it's on the Bull Moose ticket, so don t worry. Bolivia has finally adopted the Bryan peace plan. We may now abol ish the Army and dismantle the Navy in safety. No doubt our multitudinous sky scrapers now affect the air currents and divert the rain clouds to other parts. New York is experiencing the cold est weather in fifteen years. Which Is considerable in the way of coldness The walking delegate of the Army of "Vagabonds rides on trains. The business agent always is in luck. . Everything appears to have been proved in that breach-of-promlse trial except the promise of marriage. A Spokane man atid wife serving on a jury say they do not have the same views by any means. As usual. The "divvy" does not appear to be working In Mexico. Huerta's Minister of Finance has resigned. a. giuccr luuiu aiura n wives in these times, and he Is a attle grocer at that. Only a grocer could afford three -f I-, V.n.A n .1 V. I o DC Prophets of disaster "called the turn" for the early days of the year, STATE PRESS AXD THE ANNUAL The Orearonian'a New Year Effort Com. mended by More Papers. Hermiston Herald. The bis; annual edition of The Ore gonian was & veritable encyclopedia covering the entire state. The write ups of the various localities, together with the excellent views, make the issue valuable to send East. Papular 1b MeMlnnville- McMlnnvllle News-Reporter. It was a big newspaper and many copies went East from McMlnnville. Kattlon Is Comprr tar naive. Forest Grove News-Times. The edition-was one of the best and most comprehensive that the great daily nas ever issued. Previous KfTorta SnrpaiMrd. Chehalis (Wash.) Bee-Nugget. The Oregonian's Annual Is always a high-class publication, and the one this year surpassed all previous editions. Complete la Iafermatlos. Grants Pass Observer. The Oregonian's Now Year issue of 78 pages Is very complete, and supplies a great deal of Information regarding the progress of the Btate daring; 1913. Good! o Send East. Monroe Leader. The extra large New Year's number of The Oregonian is & fine one to send to your friends back East, as It makes a good showing for Oregon. Boost for State and City. Cottage Grove Leader. The special edition of The Orego nlan Issued last week eclipsed all former special editions of that paper and was a big boost for Portland and the state at large. Without a Flaw. Hillsboro Independent. Typographically the edition was with out flaw, and the pages of well-printed engravings of business blocks, ware houses, waterfront scenes and private residences depicted more forcibly than possible by any other method the great ness of the Oregon metropolis. Greatest In Scope. Rainier Review. The Oregonian's annual number for 1914 Is a comprehensive exhibit of a most remarkable progress on the part of the great Northwest. The scope undertaken by our esteemed content porary excels anything it has previ ously attempted. Building: Exhibit Amailnc. Newberg Enterprise. One of the notable features of The Oregonian annual. Issued New Year's day. is the assemblage of pictures of the big buildings or Portland. It is an amazing exhibit when one remembers that Oregon had much less than a mil lion population and Portland only 207,- 000 when the last census was taken. Luxury for Readers. Canyon City Eagle. Regarding the special New Year's editions of both The Oregonian and the Portland Journal, all we can say is that It Is too much for the money. If the cost of living had proceeded along the same lines as the progress of our great newspapers a man would be able to live on about 30 cents a week, and he would have everything from ter rapin to champagne. I! BED WITH CANDIDATE PURDY Fred C. Dentos Punctures Crldjre-'s Hope That Journal Is for I'Ren. PORTLAND, Jan. 15. (To the Edi tor.) I was astounded to read a com rnunication in the Portland Journal wherein a man named Alfred D. Cridge claims the sole and exclusive right to the use of my signature to letters published in the press. I protest that I have a right to sign my own name to communications whether Mr. Cridge has been using it as a pen alias or not. What s the matter with Cridge any way? Why don't he sign his own name? Is he overly modest, or ashamed of his opinions or does he fear tha knowledge of the true source of his articles will lessen their Influence? But what at first suprlsed me most was Mr. Cridge's repudiation of the sentiments expressed in my original letter to The Oregonian. I therein proved by weighty argument and sound logic that Will E. Purdy Is the Jour nal's candidate for Governor. Like "two babies in the wood" they ex coriate (to use a Journal figure of speech) the courts, shout conspiracy, denounce lawyers, think alike, act alike, talk alike and therefore must shave and do other things alike just as two babes In the wood would nat urally be expected to do. But on Inquiry I And that Mr. Cridge Is a single-taxer and that Single Taxer U'Ren is a candidate for Governor. Of course Mr. Cridge will not let him self agree with anything that is to the detriment of Mr. U'Ren. Perhaps he thinks because the Journal sup ports single tax obliquely Mr. U'Ren is the logical Journal candidate. I maintain that It is only by oblique argument that it can be assumed that a newspaper which supports single tax obliquely will do more than support the single tax candidate obliquely and that that is carrying obliquity too far. There Is no getting away from it. The Journal is right In bed, covered to the ears and snuggling up to Will E. Purdy. The publication of Mr. Cridge's letter is merely to raise a cloud of dust and obscure Its real purpose. I have not written a great deal for the press and have never had to change my name to get what I write published. I therefore sign it again. FRED C. DENTON. HELI FOR TWO WILLTNQ HANDS. Correspondent Asks How Their Owner Can Get a Farm. PORTLAND, Jan. 14. (To the Ed itor.) In an editorial January 8, un der the caption. "Capital for the Farmer," In the last paragraph of the article appears the following; " . . . for poverty prevents many men who have the qualities which bring suc cess from buying farms, and. it pre vents many who own farms," etc. A truer statement was never published than this, but in reading the article I was unable to discover in what man ner the proposed bill would aid a man with practically nothing but his two willing hands to buy a farm, therefore I am coming to headquarters with the inquiry. Under present conditions one has to have security to be able to get a loan for the purpose of buying a farm or to buy a meal. I do not doubt that if such a bill were put in operation, the back-to-the-land movement would be very great, indeed, so that instead of a city full of unemployed there would be. Jobs looking for the men. And what a relief It would be to have this hor rible nightmare of fear of want and poverty lifted. Will you kindly explain how this proposed bill will operate for the moneyless but ambitious class? OREGONIAN READER. A reply to this letter is published In another column on this page. From Janitor to Bank President. Chicago Record-Herald. W. D. Plattcnburg. recently elected president of a bank in Canton. 111., be gan work there 32 years ago as a janitor. Europe's Largest National Bank. London Telegraph. Switzerland Is about to establish the largest national bank in Europe. It is in the canton of Grisons, and has an area of nearly eighty square miles. OREGOV LAW OF STREETS ARCHAIC Cities) Likely to Be Mulcted In Heavy Damages, Says Writer. PORTLAND. Jan. 14. To the Ed itor.) I have noticed recently with in terest your remarks about the liability of cities for damages in the construc tion of streets, established by a ruling of the Oregon Supreme Court In the slide litigation at Astoria. You say if this rule is not changed by law, or the court arheres to it. there will be a multiplication of suits against cities, etc. This result is inevitable, because the court, with some dissent, has al ready adhered to the ruling, which la. in effect, that negligence may consist of obedience to a law. Any law transferring sovereign power from the people to juries will be short lived. But that will be poor con solation to its victims, who can whistle for their money when the law or the construction thereof is superseded. Municipal law has been revolution lzed. The casus belli Is that a jury may decide, after the damage Is done. tnat a city has no right to obey a con stitutlonal law, because it was an lm prudent law. This gives the property owners along a street improvement the benefit of the erring "hindsight." which Is incomparably superior to the fore sight and is another name for accident insurance and important In case of a landslide, etc. But the world says: "Do wnat the law orders with ordinary care, and there will be no liability." Oregon eays: "Do what the law orders with ordinary care and there will be no lia bility, provided that, juries sitting after completion or the improvement and damage has finally resulted, do not de- ciae. as they may. that reasonable tru dence required things to be done not ordered by law to prevent the damasre. In such jury trials the evidence is of the I-told-you-so variety, and admits of no contradiction, like in the celebrated case where the cow ate the grindstone. Every property owner to be affected by a street improvement may take a separate whack at the law with a jury, ana no doubt would, because in no other way could ho determine whether he would be entitled to damages on account or the improvement as an lm prudent one. Nothing ever loomed on the horlxon of the "faithful" attorney to compare with the above for fat fees. In the particular slide litigation a city has been penalized $15,000 to $20,000 for attempting in good faith to obey a law, In spite of the fact that courts gener ally are agreed that such action would be absurd. Thus an ancient law of streets, although vindicated by time and as indestructible as truth, and al ways the will of the people, has given way because "the arm of the law is not long enough or strong enough to pro tect 'chumps. B. E. SPENCER. NOTHING IS WRONG WITH SEAMEN. But Firemen and Stewards Are an Good Hand With Boats. ASTORIA. Or., Jan. 13. To the Ed itor.) In The Oregonian's editorial on seamen and the La Follette bill. Mon day. It seems to me that undue Im portance is given to stewards and fire men In the matter of handling life saving appliances at sea, while the seamen or deckhands are merely re ferred to as janitors, etc. No prac tical seafaring man could possibly read and digest anything like that without feeling that the subject has not been fairly dealt with. In the Kroonland case it probably may be that the stew ards and firemen were more efficient than the seamen, but that is the result of a condition which the La Follette bill is endeavoring, among other things, to rectify. If the stewards and firemen of that vessel were more competent In rescue work than the seamen, it shows clear ly there was something wrong witr. the latter; probably those seamen were picked up on the street, without any regard to previous experience. Unless a certain standard is set by the authorities we shall in time only have seamen like those of the Kroon land and the St. Isnace. And. while the La Follette seamen's bill as a whole may not be the most desirable, the feature dealing with the efficiency of crews would, no doubt, help toward making- travel by sea safer. C. L. HAGEN. Our comparison of seamen to Jani tors related only to those employed on steamships, where their skill as sailors Is rarely called Into play. The prac tice of training the whole crew en gineers' and stewards', as well as deck departments In handling boats Is now general on Atlantic liners. It 13 not to be inferred from the statements of the Kroonland's captain that his deck crew was incompetent, but that the steward's and engineer's men were In that case more competent. The same is true of the deck crew on the St. Ignace, which was defeated In a boat-race by the firemen. The seamen of those vessels are probably as good as a steamship needs, and by requiring boat-drill by the whole crew. Includ ing stewards, engineers and firemen, the law would probably render sea travel as safe as it can be made. This would be done, too, without materially increasing cost of operation by adding to the deck crew large numbers of men for whom there would rarely be work. MAINTENANCE GUARANTEE COSTLY It Is Also Illegal aa to Pavements, As serts Contributor. PORTLAND. Jan. 15. (To the Ed itor.) In a- local evening paper Mr. Rufus C. Holmao made a statement to the effect that the type of pavement had been selected for hard-surfacing some of the county roads, and that the construction contractor will be required to keep the road in repair for ten. years without expense to the county. In a case reported In 83 Or. 307, it was held by our Supreme Court that such a maintenance or repair contract was illegal. The court said in effect, that the exacting obligation of the contract or would naturally cause him to submit a higher bid, as it is not to be pre sumed that anyone would accept this responsibility without . compensation, and thereby charge the property owner for something that may never be re quired. This is a sound decision as con tractors usually add to their bids from 2 to 3 cents per yard per year, which means 30 cents per yard in ten years or $3168 per mile on a roadway 18 feet wide. This would amount to an en ormous sum If we do much road build ing. In a case reported in 35 Or. 420. This decision was modified to the extent that the contractor may guarantee the pavement as to the material and work manship, due to Its proper use as a roadway. This cannot be construed to comprehend more than a guarantee of the faithful performance of the work and the materials to be used as set forth in the specifications: hence the very great importance of having proper specilications describing in detail the manner of construction and the kind, quantity and quality of the stone and cement to be used, as according to the decisions cited above, the only real guarantee obtainable Is through the requirements of the specifications. The- Supremo Court says that the contractor will add to his bid the cost of maintenance or guarantee of the pavement. This la therefore the law. which makes it plain that the county pays for the upkeep or maintenance guarantee of the pavement in advance. W, I j. ABCHAMBEAUr Father la a Busy Man. Chicago News. "What does your father do frr a living?" asked one llttl srlrl. "Why," replied the other, "he takes up the collections in church." Twenty-five Years Ago From The Oregonian of January 10, 18S0. Salem. Jan. 15. The Portland water bill was introduced in the Senate today by Carson, of Portland, and In the House by Earhart. It authorizes the water committee to bring Bull Run water to Portland as well as to places along the line, and calls for an issue of bonds of $1,500,000. Spokane Falls. Jan. 15 The excite ment in the chloride deposit, where the recent great mine discovery was made. Is at fever heat over another big strike on a claim adjoining the now famous Weber, or mother lode. The claim belongs to C. W. Skeels. Jacob Olson, Frank Mentrin and Thomas S. Earls. Seattle, Jan. 14. Sheriff Cochrane has been waging war on the gamblers during the past few days. The unsightly Chinese shanties on the corner of Second and Oak streets are soon to yield place to a large and elegant business block to be erect ed by H. Welnhard. The iron span from the railroad bridge to the top of the bank In Hol iday's addition is almost completed. W. T. B. Nicholson, who resides at Sixteenth and J streets. East Portland, has caused to be set out along the streets In that neighborhood not less than 100 shade trees of different va rieties. Dr. Patten has moved into his new home on the corner of Ninth and G streets. East Portland. Thomas Jones Is willing to match himself against Loveland for $50 to $100 a side for a dash of 80 yards. Mrs. B. Ingalls stumbled over a little dog at her home on Thirteenth and J streets Monday and fell, dislocating her shoulder. Jack Egan. for a long time city edi tor of the Daily News, left for the Sound last night. Mrs. George Tuttle from Walla Walla. has returned Half a Century Ago From The Oregonian of Jan. 16. 1864. Great fear is entertained that the bark Iwanswna is destined never to arrive at any port again. She Galled from San Francisco for this place on December 13 and must have experi enced the tremendous gales prevail ing. She was an old vessel, heavily loaded with salt, and, we are told, leaked considerably. She was owned principally by Captain George H. Chase and commanded by Captain Field. The Oregon Gold & Silver Mining Company was incorporated at Salem by W. S. Ladd, George H. Jones, Cyrus A Reed, S. Coffin and J. H. Mitchell. Business principally on the Santiam. C. M. Carter took his departure for Washington on the steamer this morn ing. Ho carried for settlement a large number of claims, involving an im mense sum of money. Hon. L. F. Gro ver, of this city, is his authorized agent for the reception and transmis sion of business confided to his care at Washington. .Tones & Edgar, the enterprising ex pressmen on The Dalles and Canyon City route, will start on their return this morning. The Julia left on Thursday morn ing, intending if possible to "make the riffle," to reach the Cascades. Since then nothing is known of her. With a view to ascertain how matters stand, the Express will be dispatched this morning up the Columbia. Not Bullets But Pop-Bottles. Baltimore American. The police in Cleveland. O.. were noti fied that there was a gun fight going on In one section of the city. When they arrived there was nothing to be seen except the remains of a case of pop bottles whose contents had exploded. Woe In a Trip to Eufope. Life. Cobble You can talk 1800 miles without any instrument. Stone If this keeps up, sending your wife on a trip to Europe won't do a particle of pood. Other Worlds Are They Peopled ? Astronomers take np this sub ject in a striking illustrated article in The Sunday Ore gonian, telling of habitable globes as big as our sun. Il lustrated in colors. Sherlock Holmes makes his appearance in a new Dovlo story, "The Adf'tirttnte of th Dying Detective," in which the famous detective fools medical science and solves a deep mys tery. Where Women Toil nij;ht and day for a cent an hour is an illustrated special feature from a London correspondent on the English sweating system. Clever Women make good in difficult jobs, an ever-increasing army of female experts being employed by the United States Government. Illustrated. How Mexican Soldiers Fight is told by a war correspondent, who is not very greatly im pressed with the tactics and strategy of the warriors below the Rio Grande. Illustrated by photos. Aviation has made wonderful strides in the past ten years. Just how wonderful yon hardly realize without reading the sum mary of aerial achievements. An attractive illustrated feature. An Oregon Anthor has won renown creating Homeric heroes of Oregon pioneers. She has had a marked literary success, fight ing against great odds. The story of her struggle and snc cesses is told in an illustrated page article. Theodore Roosevelt adds an other chapter to his life story, writing of "A Stewardship for the People." These afford merely a hint of the many good things scheduled for Sunday. Order Early of Your Newsdealer