6 THE MORNING. OREGOXIAN, TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 1914. 1: FOKTLAKD, OKEUON. Entered at Portland. Oregon, Postofflce ai Mcuod-claM matter. Subscription Rate Invariably la -Advance: (BT MAIL) Dally, Sunday included, one year S Of tially. Sunday Included, mix months 4.23 Jjaily, Sunday Included, three months ... Uaily, Sunday Included, one month . -73 pally, without Sunday, one year . . "-00 Jai!y. without Sunday, six months S.Vo Daily, without Sunday, three months ... I.Jo Laily, without Sunday, on mouth ..... -o weekly, one year . 1.60 unaay, one year il 60 bunaay and weekly, one year ........ -00 (BT CIRRICRI Dally, Sunday included, one year 59.00 DwiuBji tnciBBW, DDtnoQIB ..... now to Kemit Send postofflce money or- - wuor ui prontk cnecK on ywur local bank. Stamps, coin or currency are sender's risk. Give postofflce addreaa . . uiLiuuwi cuuuij ana raHL Postage Bate 12 to 16 paces, I cent; Is w a wiB, cents; tt to 4S pases, B cents iu to 60 pases. 4 cents; 62 to 76 pae, I cents; 78 to V2 pases. 6 cents. Foreign post age. double rates. Eatrtera Bulnees Offices Verree tt Conk n. New York. Brunswick building. Chi cago. Steger building. 'r""ctoco Office R. J. Bldwell Co. 74J Market street. PORTLAND. TUESDAY, JANUARY 7, 1814 THE AUTOMOBILE SHOW. The annual automobile show has become an affair of universal interest The letter carrier and messenger boy are eager to learn what improvements have been made In their noisy but speedy mount, the motorcycle. The man who transports heavy material from one part of the city to another wants to know how the motor truck Is developing. Not' many years ago this vehicle was a risky experiment. Now it is winning its way in all va rieties of traffic and there are some who predict the swift disappearance of the horse from city streets. The old friend of man may, indeed, be seeing his last days as a servant, but not as a comrade in adventure and sport. Like all animals the horse is more or less of a nuisance within city limits. He is necessarily uncleanly and the stable where he is kept breeds flies and disease. It will be a happy day, both for humanity and himself, when he Is banished to the green fields where nature intended his home to be. But even in the country the horse is not so indispensable as he was. The farmer is interested in the automobile show quite as much as the city man, for the internal combustion engine with its developments is trans forming rural life and work. Farmers have been among the best customers of the automobile factories of lato years. When they first began to buy motor vehicles the bankers and other guardians of the public welfare were seriously agitated, "The farmer Is ruining himself by plunging into luxuries he cannot afford," was the cry. But as it has turned out he could afford an automobile very well. In fact it has usually proved to be a profitable investment for him, not only in money matters, but in health and wholesome living. It makes near neighbors of people dwelling fifty miles apart, if only a good road con nects them. It brings the country Into the city and gives the rural family the benefit of theaters, churches, lectures, which years ago were out of their reach. Moreover, it gives the urban family the benefit of country markets, or it will do so when our roads are a little better. The man who produces fruit and vegetables can then load them into his machine, start for town in the freshness of"-the dewy morn, dispose of hU cargo to patrons while everything is in its prime and get back to the farm in season for a good day's work. "When this process has been de veloped and perfected, as it must be nerore a great while, we shall see a surprising fall in the cost of living with an equally surprising expansion of the bank accounts of the city con sumer and the producing farmer. The automobile will confer an inestimable boon upon both of them. Perhaps the small farmer's main in terest in the automobile show will lie in the-direction of cultivating machin ery. He has long wanted a motor that would do about the same work as a good span of horses, one that would be easy to steer, foolproof and adaptable to as great a variety of pur poses as the farm horse is. Of course there are powerful machines already In the market which will run a dozen plows at once with u. train of harrows and seeders hitched behind, but this is too expensive and on too large a scale for the small agriculturist. "WMiat he wants is a small, handy, entirely manageable machine that can be hitched to the plow in a small or chard, used to haul the milk and fruit to town and made to harrow, work a mower and do everything else needed on the farm. In a pinch it should be capable of sawing wood, pumping wafer, generating electricity and a dozen other duties. This multifariously-useful small motor has not yet made its appearance, but it is un doubtedly coming. Perhaps some thing of the kind will be exhibited at the show this season. Let us all go and look for it. We do not believe that the automobile i- any longer a machine especially adapted to the city. The country finds it quite as indis pensable and as roads become better its applications will multiply. The rural school will owe a heavy debt to it and so will the church, the lodge, the country store. The first great step in the expansion of our civilization and the perfection of rural as well as city life depends upon the improve ment of the roads. City dwellers will naturally plume themselves somewhat over country visitors as they examine the vehicles on exhibition, because their well paved .streets enable them to enjoy the use of their machines throughout the year, though this statement must be somewhat modified, since the fre quent tear-ups of the city pavements correspond somewhat closely to the rnudholes and ruts of the country highways. It is only since 18 86 that the gas engine has been applied to road vehicles and what could we do without the automobile now? Ger many has the glory of this epoch making invention, though the first machine had only a single cylinder and was as primitive as possible. The two-cylinder engine was first applied to road work by Dalmer in Paris in 1889. It was three ytsars afterward before the first automobile manufac tory was opened in the United States. This was at Springfield, Mass., and the first year's output was fifteen ma chines. Now we have probably more than 500 factories wr'-h send out an nually some 350,000 machines. We dare say the selling price of these ve hicles runs well up toward 51.000. 000,000. Clearly the American people are Interested in motor vehicles. This Is desirable from every point of view. They Increase the innocent pleasure of existence, bring neighbors together, make us better acquainted with the beauties and resources of our common country and enlarge- the facilities of trade. The motor truck does the "work exeat many horses with a savins of time, expense and worry, to say uuiii.ug of ine humanity we gain by releasing the poor beasts from their slavery. It is said, too, that the motor truck drivers develop keener lntelli, gence than they showed as horsemen, their self-respect increases and they become more desirable citizens in every way. Running an efficient ma chine seems to improve a man's char acter. There are very few of ua, in deed, who will not find both pleasure and profit at the automobile show. FOB VINDICATION. Judge Bennett also is a candidate for Governor. The immediate provo cation is the letter of the anonymous "Democrat" who sought to call the Judge to account for opposing Gover nor West in 1910. It Is significant, perhaps, that "Democrat" the un known friend of the Residuary Leg atee and the newspaper . creation of the Residuary Legatee's Jour nalistic sponsor sought to make it appear that Judge Bennett had as sailed Oswald West as the tool of the odious railroads after his nomination for Governor; whilst the Judge shows that the criticism was made during the primary campaign. Now Judge Bennett is a candidate for Governor for purposes of personal vindication He calls upon Democrats everywhere to rally to his standard. The casual bystander may not be entirely clear as to the precise charge upon which the judge asks vindication by Democrats. But it is fair to as sume that he wants to be vindicated for fighting Mr. West and that the way to vindicate him will be to defeat the Residuary Legatee Dr. " C. J. Smith. Or it may be that he merely demands the vindication of his forty years Democracy. A contest between- Judge Bennett, soliciting a Democratic nomination from Democrats because he is and al ways was a Democrat and Dr. Smith, asking Democratic suffrages because he is the Residuary Legatee of the state's Only Honest Man will be some thing worth seeing. Whether Dr. Smith is or is not a Democrat, or ever was a Democrat, is a fact he has thoughtfully ignored in his 1500-word platform. We hope he isn't ashamed of his kind of Democracy if he is a Democrat. SUPERINTENDENT CHFRCIUXL'S RAID ON CIGARETTES. State Superintendent Churchill' has now taken up his paddle to "swat the cigarette" and, from what we know of his energetic disposition, we shall look for some potent blows. He has dis covered that a great many boys begin cigarette smoking at the age of 7 or 8 j-ears. Of course these unhappy urchins rapidly pass on into hopeless drug fiends unless something is done to rescue them. Mr. Churchill's rescue plan is to be statewide. In one way and another' he will have control of sixty-eight prizes at the next State Fair and he gives notice "that not a solitary prize shall go to a cigarette smoker. This ought to make the schoolboys of Oregon stop and think. If the State Superintendent of Public In struction condemns the evil habit so severely many of them will surely be led to abandon it. A lad who begins cigarette smoking in his early years has little prospect of ever becoming a normal man. He will be dwarfed both In brain and body. His mind will almost certainly be feeble and his muscles undersized. - What boy wants to grow up a cigarette fiend. imbecile and wretched? The effect of overindulgence in this abominable habit is bad enough upon mature men; upon boys it is ruinous. There has been a terrible increase in the cigarette habit lately. Many men have laid aside their pipes and cigars and betaken themselves to the little nuisance, but -the growth of the deadly practice has been greatest among youths and small boys. The crusade against cigarettes will gain a strong impetus from Mr. Churchill's common-sense efforts. He has the- op portunity to achieve great good for the boys of the state and we believe that he will use it to the utmost. A MANIFESTO FROM MR. LAWSON. Thomas W. Lawson is alarmed for President Wilson. He fears that the President, after successfully navigat ing the shoals of the tariff and the rapids of currency, is about to plunge into the whirlpool whence the Lorelei of big business sings seductively. He expresses a high opinion of Mr. Wil son and his "New Freedom," but fears the President is no match for big business in its new conciliatory mood, so he has issued a circular in lurid language pointing to the danger. This circular is full of such phrases as "leprosy of the back-there," "de generacy of the now," "robbed and raped," "money beasts," "remorseless, insolent dollar power," "cold, brutal dollar beasts," "stolen billions," "sys tem thieves" and "hell" yes, there is frequent mention of hell. By piecing together the disjointed fragments of reasoning scattered among the invective we infer that big business profited to the amount of forty billions such paltry sums as millions are beneath Mr. Lawson's no tice by-' selling trust stocks to the people and has profited by the fear of what Mr. Wilson, was going to do by depressing the price of these stocks and buying them back. Now that Mr. Wilson has proclaimed that the an tagonism between ... the Government and ' big business is over, Mr. Lawson says the "dollar beasts" are "prepar ing to toss their bonnets Into the clouds in an outburst of patriotic amens" and bag another billion. He foresees that the end of antagonism will legalize past stealings and start big business "robbing and raping in new ways." He announces that "President Wilson's 'New Freedom' prospectus marks the beginning of a reign of prosperity, inflation and boom, stock-gambling and tho crys tallization of the incubating revolu tion which," etc., etc. President Wil son's plans "will bring marvelously good times, but that they will be heeled with hell." Now isn't that discouraging? Just as we were settling down to the soul satisfying conviction that the trusts were really surrendering and that their malpractices would forever after be impossible, Mr. Lawson issues a manifesto which gets us all worked up. Mr. Wilson, like the rest of us, is to be a dupe of the system and the "dollar beast" is to tear out our vitals with its ravening fangs. ! But there is some consolation. Even Mr. Lawson admits that we - are to have good times and they might prove not to be "heeled with hell" after all. So cheer up. Colonel Goethals made a success as a canal-digger by being absolute boss of the Job. He doea not propose to attempt the job of New Tork Police Commissioner on any other terms. Then he will have a fair chance to make- a success and, if he should fail, it will be his failure. Mayor Mitchel is trying to comply with these terms, for he sees that the way to get good results out of a man is not to trust and distrust him at the same time. BETTER RAILROADS MOVEMENT. One of the strongest influences In successfully opposing an advance in freight rates in 1910- has now de clared in favor of such an advance. The directors of the Illinois Manufac turers' Association, after inquiry by a committee, resolved that conditions had materially changed since they op posed the advance and that shippers could better afford to pay a uniform increase of 5 per cent than to suffer future impairment of service. The new conditions which prompted this change .of front are: Increases in wages and taxes, increased expendi tures on safety for employes and public, and increase in operating ex penses due to legislation. The resolu tions stipulate that the increased rev enue be applied not to further wage increases, but to rehabilitation and extension of facilities. The increase in railroad revenue is thus proposed not to swell dividends, payrolls or salaries, , but to improve service. It is proposed in the interest of efficiency, "from which the public will be the first and the chief gainers. The movement is similar in character to the good roads movement. Just as we are all coming to the conclusion that a mud road is the poorest econ omy and a good road is the highest economy, so we are realizing that to withhold from a railroad funds nec essary for improvement Is poor econ omy and that to grant those funds contributes to efficiency. The shippers are saj-ing to the railroads: "We will Pay you five cents more on every dol lar provided you spend it in making your roads better." The rate advance movement is real ly a better railroads movement. REGULATION OR OWNERS HI P. There is a distinct trend among railroad officials toward seeking a larger degree of that public regula tion which they formerly opposed with determination. There is an equally decided trend of opinion in the governing party toward Government ownership , and operation of public utilities of all kinds, railroads includ ed. The railroad owners are not yet disposed to sell to tho Government, and they turn to increased public regulation as a means of stopping the drift of public sentiment in that di rection They realize the truth of the warning" given by President Roosevelt when the Hepburn law was under consideration that the only alterna tive to Government ownership is Gov ernment regulation. The disposition of the railroads to turn to a larger measure of public control as a refuge from Government ownership and from the demands of labor and shippers appears in a num ber of recent events. They welcomed the physical valuation of their prop erty, which they formerly opposed as unheard-of radicalism. They submit ted to laws requiring safety appliances and regulating hours of labor and character of service. Fearing the con sequence of strikes on public opinion in regard to public ownership, they joined the labor unions in urging pas sage of the Newlands act for media tion and arbitration of railroad labor disputes. In the Railway Age-Ga zette Julius Kruttschnitt, chairman of the Southern Pacific Company, now proposes that Government inquiry be compulsory instead of optional in rail road labor disputes and that strikes and lockouts be made Illegal pending this inquiry. He also proposes that the Newlands act be applied not only to train service, but to all employes engaged in interstate business. He would have the two Government members of arbitration boards ap pointed by the Interstate Commerce Commission, in order te, establish a medium for increasing revenue by raising rates when advances of wages Increase expenses. In the same pub lication, W. L. Park, vice-president of the Illinois Central, urges the neces sity of better means of maintaining discipline among railroad employes, conceding the superiority of the Government-owned roads of Europe in this respect. F. A. Delano, president of the Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville, again states the argument in favor of a general advance in freight rates, saying that the question is "whether Government regulation of privately-owned and operated rail, roads can be made successful." Representative John J. Esch, of Wisconsin, one of the authors of. the Esch-Townsend bill, which was the forerunner of the Hepburn law, de scribes the steps towards Government ownership which have already been taken and the forces behind that pol icy. He first mentions the successful Government operation of the Panama Railroad, then Mr. Bryan's declaration in 1906 in favor of this policy, which has not been renounced. The estab lishment of Government gun, ammu nition and powder factories and of the proposed Government armor plate plant is mentioned aa leading in the same direction. So also is extension of municipal ownership. . Tendencies in the same direction are seen by Mr. Esch in Postmaster General Burleson's scheme for Gov ernment ownership of telegraph and telephone lines and of mail cars; in the proposed Government railroads in Alaska, and in Senator Kenyon's open advocacy of Government railroads. Mr. Esch concludes: Personally I have never been In favor of Government ownership of railroads within the United States, and have always sought to remedy the evils connected with their own ership and operation through regulation. Notwithstanding the regulatory statutes al ready enacted, evils, especially those aris ing out of their present and past financial control, continue to exist and hasten the trend toward Government ownership. Such trend can be materially checked by giving to the Interstate Commerce Commission, or kindred body, full power over stock and bond Issues. The policy of private ownership of railroads under Government regula tion has been peculiar to the United States and Great Britain among the leading nations. It is newer in this country than in Great Britain and is not here in as. full operation. When we compare its workings with those of Government ownership we shall do well to resolve on putting it in com plete operation and giving it a fair trial before embarking on the experi ment favored by the impatient states men who believe the Government can do anything well, although it does not do well that which it already at tempts. Rates are lower, service bet ter, operation more economical on American roads than on" any roads operated by governments in Europe or Canada. By establishing rates which will pay a fair return on the actual value of the property, by public su pervision which assures fair wages with strict discipline among employes and which enforces economy, ef- flfTiri n-V H H aafatv 1m nnoi.'itlnii nra can prove our policy far superior to ma.1 oi ine nations wnicn are aruting into socialism. There is a useful piece of work waiting for some individual or some exceptionally energetic Federal de partment. It is to extract and publish in readable form the grains of valu able matter in the vast strawstacks of Government documents. These volumes are so numerous, so bulky and so badly edited that the public thinks little of them. There is not even a serviceable index to the mountain ous collection. Whoever makes their contents accessible and useful will merit much from his country. A nervous contemporary cannot un derstan-d why The Oregonian thinks the English write better than the Americans, while their speech is in ferior to ours. There is a famous verse which may help to unriddle the mystery. It refers to Goldsmith, "who wrote like an angel, but spoke like poor Poll." But even Goldsmith's plight was preferable to that of some of our neighbors, who, unhappily, can neither write nor speak. The world may well wish Secretary Lane luck in his crusade for cheaper radium. The substance is now so fabulously expensive that only mil lionaires can enjoy its medicinal prop, erties. It will never be cheap in the sense that gold and diamonds are cheap, but It need not cost nearly so much as it does if proper measures were taken to break the monopoly tnat controls it. The city man who gets a county warrant can obtain his money at Aand; but the man working on the road in an outlying district must cash his warrant when and where he can or make a trip to the city. Either way he must pay for the favor. Commis sioner Holman's Idea of a paymaster is sound. Big jobs are being found for the men who conquered the isthmus of Panama. Colonel Gorgaa, exterminator of yellow fever. Is to be Surgeon-General of the Army. Formerly men joined the Army in expectation of be ing killed, but under Gorgas' rule thev will do so in order to prolong their lives. Troops serving in the Hawaiian Is lands will be held longer than in other insular possessions. General Carter, the new commander of that depart ment, might be kept there permanent ly to advantage, unless there comes an opening in the department of Min danao. A privileged prisoner has been de prived of his "cell de- luxe" at the Tombs Prison by Miss Davis, Com missioner of Corrections of New York City. What a cruel, heartless thing for a woman to do! A brutal man would not have done that. It is too bad a technicality prevents the Chinese from celebrating their New Year in Chinese fashion. Con sider the feelings of a full-blooded American, in foreign parts forbidden to burn a little powder on the Fourth of July. It is a common occurrence to hold a dance to get money to build a cem etery fence; but the pupils of the Airlie High School go that plan one better in raising a pig for the benefit of the school library. Even though you haven't the price of a new pair of shoes, you'll enjoy looking over the big limousines and touring cars at the Armory this week. - The original Progressive in Ne braska has gone back into the fold and wants to be Governor. To err is political; to forgive la Republicanism. The appointment of V. P. Fiske at Dallas will spoil a good editor, al though providing a first-class post master in a second-class office. In these days of storm, rain and mud, the dweller on the farm has a grateful feeling for the man who in augurated rural mail delivery. An old cruiser used at Santiago has been dug up and remodeled for serv ice. There now, who said we hadn't a progressive naval policy. It is revealed that thm t n ery trust in the Northwest. Now we Know wnere the cream of the busi ness has been going. Football hero's wife 1s tnrroA dance for a living. Can't support the tamily on football, you know. Prospects for the 1914 citrus crop are reported fine. Barring frost in sunny California, of course. Mayor Albee declares that the cab aret must go. And many of us would like to name its destination. Speaking of charmed lives, Aviator Beachey has looped the loop sixty seven times in sixty days. Sirs. Belmont says her fortune is at the disposal of suffrage. Must In tend to buy armament. Storms are raising havoc In South ern California, Getting to be a regu lar thing down there. A big Government educational of ficial would abolish the vacation idea. Lynch him! The wind god was kind in doing his worst while people slept. He made things rattle. The Governor might employ the idle army to squeeze the water out of the mud. Nothing less than wiping Copper field off the map seems to suit the Governor. But no plan to employ all the idlers can succeed, even if you make it com pulsory. Jingoes declare Japan's dignity is injured. Better let it go at that. Uneasy lies the head that presides over bottled goods in Oregon. Another upside-down aviator went to his reward yesterday. It's easy now for the weather man. George will yet land Alex: In Slain. HOW NEWSPAPER SHOULD BE RUN Seattle Mam Offers Interesting? Though Contradictory Advice. SEATTLE, Wash, Jan. 23. (To the Editor.) The writer has never agreed with Mr. Bryan or the Democratic party in a political way, but respects our Secretary of State as one of the great men of our country. While he has made mistakes, and deserves pos sibly some criticism, still we should be fair In our charges, careful as to the Justice and truth of our assertions, avoid exaggeration, and above all not descend ta ridicule. Referring to the article January 11, the list contains some palpable ab surdities. In it we find that Mr. Bryan is accused of being absent on no less than five Sundays, and also that he was not frantically perspir ing over the Japanese and Mexican crises (?) on Christmas day. Also we find that the 15 days' trip to Califor nia to confer with the Legislature over the Impending land legislation is given as an absence and classed as "semi official," If that question, which the Administration believed might cause a rupture with Japan, was not within the province of the Secretary of State, in the name of reason, who would attend to it? Then the campaign tours are classed as Inexcusable absences, when it is well known that President Wilson per sonally sent the strongest speaker he had, Mr. Bryan, to those states, in or der to maintain the lead of the Democ racy. Especially was this tho case with regard to New Jersey. The Guthrie dinner, "at the request of the President," certainly was offi cial. Attending dinner at night in Balti more is also classed among the misde meanors. . Meeting and entertaining the Brazil Ian Foreign Minister also could hardly be called private business and repre hensible. Then there are listed various half day trips for night speeches. "As it is probable that Mr. Bryan did not have to leave for these places, which are all near Washington, until afternoon, they can hardly be classed as absences. Thus analyzing the list, and assum ing it to be correct as printed, we find that Mr. Bryan was actually away from Washington on private tours barely 30 days. This is certainly far from the "one-fourth of the time" of which The Oregonian accuses him. In common fairness. The Oregonian should correct that statement and answer (which it did not do today) Mr. Walsh's request for the publication of "the actual time Mr. Bryan has been away on Chautau qua tours." Until it does this, such statements as "brief intervals between Chautauqua tours" are unjust, and in the opinion of sensible people only tend to make The Oregonian ridicu lous. ' With regard to the Mexican situa tion, it is difficult to understand, since President Wilson has from the start advocated and personally conducted his policy of masterly inactivity to ward the problem on our Southern bor der, how Mr. Bryan's absence or pres ence could have altered matters. As for the Japanese controversy, since no details of the diplomatic in tercourse have been made public, how does The Oregonian know that Mr. Bryan could have answered, or would have been permitted to answer, the last Japanese note? The common as sumption is that a deadlock has been reached, and it is difficult to see how Mr. Bryan can expedite matters. In regard to the Leesburg trip, fair- minded people must admit that the Loudoun County Fair obtained a distin guished guest and incidentally a great attraction at a very reasonable figure. Mr. Bryan evidently recognized the ob vious fact that he w-as wanted solely as a drawing card, and certainly no one would expect him to give his serv ices for nothing. The writer would respectfully sug gest that The Oregonian no longer take up valuable space by obviously and intentionally exaggerated antag onism toward a man who has done so much toward the molding and progress of our country as has Mr. Bryan. The same amount of space could advantageously be applied to fighting the pernicious activities of the Fels single - tax commission. the evident purpose of which is to make Oregon the dog on which to try their fallacious, inconsistent, il logical and unsound whim. Also a little more space might be used in making evident Portland's just claim to the regional bank of this district. Another vital topic is that "40-foot channel to the sea." A column a day should not be too much on this topic. With these ana other vital issues be fore us, let us let Mr. Bryan's short comings rest in peace. V. H. PAQUET. The correspondent is quibbling. Mr. Bryan's absences were not represented as all Inexcusable. While Sundays were included in the list, Sundays were also included in the total number of days he has been in Washington. -All absences were included that "fair minded" people might draw their own conclusions. The trip to Sacramento was termed semi-official, because it was announced from Washington prior thereto that Mr. Wilson and Mr. Bryan would offer only personal advice in the controversy. The assumption that no reply was called for by the Japanese note is cer tainly not Japan's assumption. Mr. Bryan's charge for his presence as guest of honor at Leesburg was as much out of place as would be a charge by Secretary McAdoo for being guest of honor and delivering an address at the forthcoming banquet in Portland. The article, in question was in reply to a request for a statement of the time Mr. Bryan had been absent "for pay," not for the number of days he had been on Chautauqua tours. It was explained very clearly that this infor mation was not obtainable, and the Loudoun County Incident was cited to show why. Mr. Paquet may, like nearly every other individual, know better how a newspaper should be conducted than dothe men who are conducting it, but we should be interested in knowing which of two courses he would follow if he were editor of The Oregonian: Publish the actual time Mr. Bryan has been away on Chautauqua tours" or "let Mr. , Bryan's shortcomings rest in peace." He admonishes us to do both. While Mr. Paquet is advising The Oregonian he might also offer his serv ices to nearly every other great news paper in the country. Criticisms of Mr. Bryan come from political friends and opponents alike. First Talking Machine at Eden. Houston (Tex.) Post. "Papa, did Edison make the first talking machine?" "No. son, the Lord made the first talking machine, but Edison made the first one that could be shut off at will." Making a Hit With Nature. Washington (D.C.) Herald. "Mrs. Hitt says she loves to com mune with nature." "I'm not surprised at that. Nature will let you do all the talking, and that makes an awful hit with her." From Reformer to Boas. Kansas City Star. "When I married you." said Mrs. Naggers. "I thought to reform you." xes, answered the husband, "and like a number of reformers you seized the first opportunity to become a boss." f STATE SHOULD TAKE PROJECT Purchase of North Canal Is Not New Appropriation, Avers Writer. REDMOND, Or., Jan. 24. (To the Editor.) The residents of Redmond and vicinity note with interest the po sition State Treasurer Kay has taken with reference to the reclaiming of desert lands by the state of Oregon, as published in The Oregonian last Friday. The people of Crook County want it distinctly understood that we are not asking for 'a new appropriation from the state of Oregon for this work. Under Governor West's proposition of reclaiming the lands under the North Canal we need no new appropriation, but only the consent of the Legislature to use again the same $450,003 which was appropriated two years ago. The Tumalo project will soon be completed, and -we can see no valid reason why the securities on these lands should not be taken up with moneys out of the school land funds of the state. Mr. Kay's statement is suggestive that taxes w-ould be higher than at present in order to undertake the work spoken of. The reverse, how ever, is the case. At the present time the title to these lands is vested in the United States Government, and of course cannot be taxed; but when re claimed every acre would be' taxable property and a source of great income to the state. It would also mean a great Influx .of settlers from the East, who would bring thousands of dollars with them with which to improve the lands. The Federal Government has prac tically agreed to Invest dollar for dol lar with the state in the reclaiming of Its desert lands. Let us be pro gressive and not keep the United .States from spending some of this money In Oregon. Mr. Kay also seems to forget th moral obligation which the state of Oregon and the State Desert Land Board in particular owe to the set tlers on the two present incomDlete Carey act projects undertaken by the uentrai Oregon irrigation Company. We now have hundreds of settlers who have improved their lands under these projects and spent their last dollar and several years' time in the work, and at this late date are still unable to get patents to their lands. This is owing to the inability of the Central Oregon Irrigation Company to com plete the projects. Under Governor West's plan, the money paid the Central Oregon Irri gation Company for its Interests in the North Canal unit would be used to complete and perfect the two units already started by the said company This would then enable our present settlers to get patents to their lands it would make these lands taxable lands and would make it possible for our iarmers ana ranchers to obtain loans on their lands with which to stock up their places. The settlers on our Carey lands, al most without exception, took these lands with the idea that the state of Oregon was back of the projects and tnat the state Desert Land Board would properly safeguard their inter ests. and it now is up to them to make good. . The completion of these proiects will mean thousands of dollars every year in taxes for the state of Oregon. It can be done without -a new appro priation from the state and our taxes will be lowered Instead of raised. W. S. RODMAN. President Redmond Commercial Club. COULDN'T WEST TRUST OFFICER! Excuse for Sending- Miss Hobba Reflects on Colonel B. Iv. I.awson. KELSO, Wash., Jan. 24. (To the Ed itor.) Governor West says that Miss Hobbs was sent to Copperfield because she could be trusted to do the work and not come back with an excuse, while a man couldn't be so trusted. What pleasant taste such a vindication must leave in the mouth of Colonel B. K. L. and his men. In view of the fact that they are the men in the case, that is if the excuse is to be taken serloufdv. Governor West believes in short cuts to notoriety. Lynch law is only a short cut. snort cuts generally lead across other people s property. No sympathy is to be wasted on the saloon men of Copperfield or of any where else, for that matter; but that fact does not vindicate Governor West's arDitrary and lawless method of rjro cedure. Martial law is an emergency measure ana no sane man fully ac quainted with the facts in the case would admit that such an emergency existed at Copperfield. His excuse for a short cut is inadequate. About as much sense in such a course as there would be In a surgeon's officiating on a pimpie. xne oovernor has police now er; why did he unnecessarily exercise nis military power? Either a woeful lack of discretion or else an inordinate desire for publicity. The Governor's action in arbitrarily closing the saloons and demanding the resignations of the town officials is illegal. If these men were elected by an honest ballot, they have a right to serve under the constitution. If they were elected by a dishonest ballot, there, is a way out of It. If the saloons were licensed, but were running ille gally there is a way to have their licenses revoked. Martial law, in effect sets aside the constitutional guarantee of the people affected. Surely there are laws defi nitely regulating its use.- If not, there ought to be. Such a use of it as there was at Copperfield strikes at the very .fundamentals of a government of the people, by the people and for the peo ple, and is an illegitimate use of the power. P. S. WHITCOMB. WHAT HAS CAUSED CONDITION t Correspondent Pondera Over Dlnplaclnsr of Men by Women Employe. PORTLAND, Jan. 25. (To the Edi tor.) I am wondering what has oc curred that has caused the change In affairs which I find prevalent In the matter of Our men and our women. What has happened to cause so many men who a few years ago would have been rated as "men of ability" to be idle? Are the men different? Or are the times different? I well remember a few years ago when our only stenographers were men and a man capable of doing steno graphic work and taking dictation in shorthand earned a salary of 1125. To day the same places are occupied by women at $60 or less. Twenty years ago the leading dry goods stores hired men at the lace counter and hosiery and glove departments and in fact throughout their stores. Why are these positions all held today by women or young glrls? I noticed recently that our City Hall, Courthouse and even the Capitol build ings are filled with women clerks, where a quarter of a century ago men held the Jobs. Are the men degenerat ing? Or are the women, more progres sive? Is it because fashton demands more or because the man furnishes less? Or have the men through neglect left the jobs open to them? Has the saloon wil kept the dollars away from the hotue and forced the women to pro cure tAem? Or has the woman simply gotten awake to the fact that she is man's equal In many things and oft times his superior? Surely there, is some good reason why today 60 per cent of our women work and produce where in the time of our fathers female toil was un known. And again some reason must exist for the army of the unemployed. The home must remain. If the man neglects it te women will maintain it THOS. R. NELSON. Twenty-five Years Ago From The Oreg-onian of Jan. 27, 1SSS. Salem, Jan. 26. Articles of incor poration were filed today by the Metro politan Railway Company, James Steel. H. L. Pittock. C. E. Smith, M. C George and S. W. Walker, incorporators, to build a railroad from Portland to Ore gon City on the West Side of the Wil lamette River. Salem, Jan. 26. A conference was held this evening between the com mittee of the Board of Trade and Thomas Kay, of Brownsville, in rela tion to the woolen mill. City Attorney Adams was assaulted on First street, near Yamhill, last night by A. Lemarque, a gambler, whose conviction he secured last Fall. Mr. Adams got his man down and held him until a policeman arrived. Francis E. Leupp, manager of the Washington Evening Star, is visiting in Portland. The Taquima Deep Sea Fishing Com pany has decided to remove its prin cipal office to Portland. General William R. Marshall, of Min nesota, is at the Esmond. Indications point to the construction of many miles of track the coming season, to the connection of Portland Heights and Mount Tabor with the city proper. The intersection of Twenty-second and S streets will be Joined very soon to the other connections. Mr. Hogue now has nearly all the electric lamps in operation in East Portland. Half a Century Ago From The Oregonian of Jan. 27, 1S64. William Grubbs. of King's Valley, Benton County, was killed by a man named Robinson on the evening of the 18th inst. in a scuffle at the close of an animated conversation about the war. Mr. Patton, proprietor of the iron mines near Oswego, has made such ar rangements with a company of capi talists in this city as will secure im mediate commencement of operations for smelting the ore. The agents of the People's Trans portation Company report that the number of passengers and the amount of freight passing up and down the Willamette has been very much greater this season than in any previous year. Allen & Lewis, contractors with the Government for 200 tons of flour, are daily sending forward on the steamer Vancouver about ten tons, delivered at the commissary department at Van couver. The flour is from Eddy & Co.'s Milwaukie mills. The Columbia River has risen about four feet at the Cascades. A young man was drowned in the Santiam River about ten days ago while attempting to cross with another In a boat. His name was Connoyer. He was with a party descending Snake River some two years since, all of whom but Connoyer were drowned. SMOKE NUISANCE GROMlXG WORSE Woman Finds- It Plaerue to Good Houkc keepii&g. PORTLAND, Jan. 24. (To tlie Ed itor.) During the fair year I was struck with the power of black smoku to spoil the radiancy of our snow mountains. I thought that if that con tinued, our white cones that have beer, the "joy of tho earth," will soon b wiped off from our horizon. Previous to that time Jit. St. Helens beamed on us from the Morrison bridge. Now'.' One has to go far east to get even a glimpse of it. This was Just the esthet ic side of the black smoke plague, sonic would call a mere triviality compared with, other points of view. Until lately I have never lived in the heart fit what ought to be still our beautiful city, I had no Idea how black and smutty its heart had become! In passing the "White Temple" the other day I remarked It was time to change Its name. It is nearly as gray as an old London church. But it is as a housekeeper that I desire to write. I find it practically Impossible to keep the linoleum floor of the kitchen even decently clean by frequent mop pings. Food, even Inside the kitchen cupboards, receives a black grime. Bath-room towels are defaced before they are used. Lace window curtains, normally white, become a dingy gray. When the yellow London fogs used to appear, woe betide the invalid with throat or lung trouble! Here we are, reproducing those conditions In a mod ern city, sprung into full life within the memory of the oldest living inhab itant. Araliantly we wage war on germs yet we suffer our formerly pure air to be polluted with sootl A good ordinance against this plague is on the books, but, like some others, it Is more honored in the breach than in the observance. I see that we have a new City Engineer. Among his many duties I hope time will be -found for him to make the' smoke-consumirig or dinance effective. The chief offenders are not the fac tories, most of which are placed at a distance from the city center, but tho big stores and office buildings and the multitude of apartment-houses. From Council Crest, or from Mount Tabor a tall, magnified stovepipe will be seen vomiting clouds of black smoke from each of such buildings. I have been authoritatively told that these cloud masses of smoke indicate, first, bad construction of the furnaces: and, second, wicked waste of fuel. 1 am told, further, that where, as in Chi cago, inexpensive changes of furnace construction have been enforced, large fuel economies have resulted, and the smoke nuisance has been in the main abolished. Housekeepers! Of what use is your vote if you cannot make it tell to Bet rid of this nuisance. LOUISA A'HMUTT NASH. cost or a Friendship. Kansas City Star. "I am at a loss to understand his friendship." "So am I. It cost me $50." The Road to Honest Values What do you know about values? Why do you shop where you do? The good housewife can well pon der these two questions and answer them honestly.- It is almost an impossibility for the public to know all values ac curately, but it IS possible to make more than reasonably sure of get ting honest values by a careful study of the advertised brands of merchandise shown daily In lead ing newspapers like The Oregonian; by shopping at the store where those articles are sold; and by discussing at home and with neighbors the merits of the best-known products. Manufacturers now publish clear and concise statements of fact re garding their goods. Retailers do likewise. By being familiar with the best advertised articles and the best stores that sell them, you can't run far afield on the question of fair values. Let The Oregonian's advertisers show you the way. Adv.