Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937, January 16, 1914, Page 10, Image 10

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THE MORNING OREGONTAN, FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, 1914.
PORTLAND. OREGON.
Entered at Portland. Oregon. Poatofflcs a
Second-class matter.
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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