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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (July 20, 1914)
TTTE MORNING OREGONIAN, MONDAY. .TTTLY 20, 1914. 0 I'iiI' I I IVII flKKCON. Entered at Portland. Oragoa. Postoffic as Subscription Rate Invariably In Advance. (By Mai: J Dally. Sunday Included, one year ?"? Iai:y. .-uiicay mciuueu, --- - Bally, Sunday Included, three montna.. j.-o Da ly, without Sunday, one year Daily, without Sunday, alx monthe BalSy. without Sunday, three montha.. Dally, without Sunday, one month Weekly, one year 6.00 MM 1.75 .60 1.50 2. so Sunday, one y-ar Snndav and Weekly, one year .. 3.50 (BY CARRIER) Dally. Sunday Included, one year.. 92? iii 'v Sunday Included, one month How lo Remit Send Poatottlce money or der eapresa order or peraonal check on your local bank. Stamp., coin or currency are at aander-a rlak. Give poatofrice address In full. Including county and atate. totage Katea 13 to 16 page. 1 cent, ill to "pages. I cente: 34 to 18 pages. cent, fill t f.O pages. 4 cent.; 82 to .6 page 3 rente; 78 to 92 page. centa Foreign post age, double ratea. , . Eastern Business Office. Verree & -n.-lln. New York. Brunswick building, t." cag". steger building. Baa rraarfaeo Offlre i:. J Bldwell Co.. T43 Market street. POKTIA.m MOXDAY. ma . A JI DGK S NEAT REJOLNDKB. A striking; and forcible reply to those who condemn the court for not fcelng governed by present-day con ditions in their Interpretation of con stitutions is made by Chief Judge Edgar M. Cullen. of the New York Court of Appeals, in the Baltimore Evening Sun. He says he has always supposed that "the language of a con stitution was to be construed in the sense in which it was used by the persons who adopted if and that it was "dishonest intellectually" to in terpret it otherwise. He continues: But a school haa arisen whose member, con. tend that it to the function of the court, to construe constitutional provisions In '"fi ance, not with the understanding : o ! the peo ple at the time of their adoption but In harmony with the changed view if ftt pat 11c on economic Industrial and social ques tions. He then says that if the constitu tion is to be thus modified, "then the construction of the constitution is not a Judicial function and should not be intrusted to the courts at all." He points out that the logical deduction from the new view of judicial func tions is that the Federal Constitution S-overning the whole Nation may be modified "as nine men with life terms and never elected by the people may determine that present conditions re quire." He says: This is In effect constitutional amendment not by the people but by the courts. In r,.y opinion such a rule would be absolute!) inconsistent with democracy or constitu tional government. It would make nine men practically the rulers of the country. K fot tutlons arc to be modified and altered MtM the people themselves but by public officers, the task should be committed not t.i ludses but to statesmen who are direct. y and frequently answerable to the people. Judge Cullen says Judges are not qualified for such a task, for their learning and research relate largely to the past. They may be trusted to construe a constitution as intended by Its framers, though they may believe to be unwise the provisions they up hold. Judges with views diametri cally opposed as to present require ments may thus agree, but if they must decide according to their views of present requirements, each man must vote according to his own views. If thev are to decide according to the views of the people, he asks how are those views to be ascertained, for, he says: Election, at the present time are kaleld aecoplc. and victory Is first secured by one partv and then by another. It la dlff cult at tlmea to tell what are the prevailing views of the people on many of the great aaeetiona of the day. for the successful party often falls to give effect to the prin ciples declared In Its platform. This may be regarded as a reply to Colonel Roosevelt's strictures on the Court of Appeals' decision in the famous Ives case. In consequence of that decision the New York constitu tion has been amended by the people to prevent repetition of the wrong of which the Colonel complained. Judge Cullen thus strikes back at those who denounce the courts as fossilized or as legislating by Judicial decision. He re plies in effect that though the con stitution may be fossilized, the courts refuse to usurp power In order to bring it up to date. He tells us that Js the business of the people. The difficulty in most states Is to get the constitution-amending ma chinery in motion. In Illinois It Is practically Impossible to make any other changes until this machinery has been changed by popular vote. New York Is to have a constitutional convention next year and may sim plify the process of amendment. Judges can then decide cases accord ing to their reading of the constitu tion and can afterwards take the stump in support of amendments re versing their decisions. Meanwhile Colonel Roosevelt has the floor to reply to Judge Cullen. HOW WE SHALT. COME OTTO OI R OWN. We have not seen it contended by a living soul that It costs as much to haul a given train over a water grade route as it does over a moun tain grade. Yet more or less of an argumentative frenzy has been worked up In Portland by ill informed writers and others in an effort to prove that that which is not asserted cannot be true. What has been contended is that volume of traffic affects the average cost of operating trains on either kind of road and Is an Important factor in the balance sheet. It is a statement that cannot be honestly disputed, yet attempts are made to refute it. If it were possible to refute it, that fact would rob Port land of much of the potential ad vantages of the water haul. The charges against the earnings and income of railroads are classified as operating expenses and fixed charges. Operating expenses Include maintenance of way and structures, maintenance of equipment, general and miscellaneous expenses which embrace officers' salaries and other Items, all In addition to the cost of conducting transportation. Railway ways and structures must be main tained whether a railroad operates to Its capacity or not. Officers, switch men, station agents, dispatchers and many other employes must be paid whether they work to capacity or not. All these elements enter In the average cost of operation per train. The influence of the water grade is confined to lessening the amount of fuel used and the number of train men and engine crews employed. Nevertheless It Is aD Important factor. Ultimately we shall reap Its full advantages. The Oregonian ex pects to see almost the entire portion of the Inland Empire's product that comes to the Coast come down the Columbia Valley. But it will not if there is nothing in the volume of traffic theory. The first reduction in freight rates resulting from the water grada will create more traffic for the Columbia Valley lines. As that traffic increases their ability to haul freight at a descending freight rate ana sun obtain a fair return on the invest ment will grow. As the traffic de creases on the Northern roads their ability to haul freight at the rates that now exist will diminish, and the possibility of their meeting the Co lumbia River rates will decrease. To serve their patrons who have not ac cess now to the water grade roads the Northern railroads will have to build feeders to the Columbia River lines and be satisfied with the short haul or else lie back and let the Co lumbia River roads do the branch line building. The Oregonian has ventured to express some doubt that this Con dition an a-ratlfvlne" to Portland Will be brought about by an order of the Interstate Commerce commission based on a construction of railroad rata law thousrh it would welcome such a ruling. Rather it is more likely to be forced by the encourage ment nf snlar transDortation on the Columbia River. Water competition to give railroad rates tneir nrst Impetus downward and the establish ment of the policy now in sight of regulating railroad rates on the basis of a fair return on definite value of th, rallro.Td nusrht in combination to do wonders for Portland, and give increased prosperity to the snipper. WHOSE FLAN The existing household exemption. according to the Portland Journal, "Is a pure discrimination against the rent-payer and all other people ex cept the unusually rich." It is as serted that it is The Oregonian s ex emption plan. Rut who offer, .! the household ex- emntion to the voters and prepared an argument in the state pamphlet in its behalf. Whose plan is it in truth? One of the sponsors was Governor Oswald West, of Oregon, for whom the Journal has a profound admira tion and whose administration it has commended as business-like and eco nomical. Another baeker of the iniquitous measure was Senator Claud .. Mcloi loch, ardent supporter and campaign manager of Dr. C. J. Smith, whom the Journal supports as a worthy successor to Governor West. Because The Oregonian approves the household exemption it Is accused by the Journal of representing the "favored interests." the men of wealth, the millionaire in the man sion, while it disregards the poor. Does the Journal put Governor West in the same category? Does it consider Senator McColloch a proper campaign manager for the purity candidate for Governor? 8PI.IT IH PROC.RESSIVK PARTY. The Progressive party seems to be going the way of other third parties. As tr Populist party had one burst of Independent strength which did not suffice to carry it to victory, then fused with the Democracy and split Into two factions fusion and middle-of-the-road so promises to be the history of the Progressive party. The practical politicians are Inclined to ally themselves with the Republicans, provided they can get a share of the offices and save their face by secur ing indorsement of some of their prin ciples. The die-ln-the-last ditch Ideal ists would cast overboard every man who cannot say their shibboleth, even though he be the party "meal ticket," and would hold the banner high, though only a corporal's guard follow. That Is what the Pinchot denuncia tion of George W. Perkins signifies. Amos Pinchot picked Mr. Perkins as the party Jonah, and Brother Glfford is ln-hearty agreement with him. But there is this difference between the story of the Populist party and that of the Progressive party: The Popu lists had no commanding character as leader, while the Progressives have Colonel Roosevelt, without whom their party would never have amounted to the proverbial shucks. The Colonel says If Mr. Perkins goes out, he goes out, too, and If he goes out, what will remain beyond the Plnchots and a faithful few? There Is small cause for wonder that the Colonel should stand by Mr. Perkins. They are of one mind on regulation of the trusts in preference to dissolution, though they thus dis please the Plnchots greatly. The Colo nel is as practical a man as when he wrote the Harrlman letters, and he knows that a party cannot be run on wind. AS TO INCONSISTENCY. The Oregonian has not the ac quaintance of Mr. Hobensack, but it will admit that he has excited a mild curiosity in this office to know more about him. For Hobensack in his way is something of a genius. By a careful selective process in taking from the columns of The Oregonian some things it said, and by Inventing other things it did not say, yet credit ing them to The Oregonian, he has ,,t a Mrrnmstantial case of in consistency, and today The Oregonian permits him to present it to me unu. Now let us briefly state ine case for The Oregonian: The Oregonian has aeniea ana sun nnu. tvat thprA has been material 1 ' . - I-...-- - reduction in the cost of living under the Underwood tarirr. ana it main toino that whatever decrease has re sulted has been more than offset by depression In business ana iaca ui employment for laDor. . We have not predicted frightful railroad disasters if rates shall not be advanced, but we have said that necessary railroad improvements and extensions will not be made unless miirnniU iret more revenue. We have said that directors of roads which have been robbed and mismanagea should be punished and compelled to make restitution, but we have said that roads which have been well man aged should not be punished with the mismanaged others by being denied adequate revenue, for we maintain that the public would be the ultimate loser. We have not anticipated, but we have shown from Government reports that there actually has been a large decrease in exports of manufactures, but we have predicted a large in crease in exports of grain. Our adroit correspondent neglects to distinguish between these two classes of exports. There has been some increase In the lumber output of the Northwest, but It has been generally at a loss. Mills have been kept running, be cause, with Interest to pay on debts, they must have some money coming in or their owners lose all. Panics certainly featured Demo cratic Administrations in 1837, 1867 and 1894. If The Oregonian ever said that the Democratic party had not had a President and both houses of Congress in fifty years, it was certain ly in an unguarded moment, for that party had the President, Senate and House from 189 to 1895, during which the worst panic in our recent history began. We fail to recall any statement of The Oregonian Justifying the infer ence that we have had no strikes un der this Administration, for there have been serious strikes in the last year and a quarter. The Oregonian in its discussion of business conditions in general has taken account of all influences, both favorable and unfavorable. The in fluence most favorable to business revival has been the assurance of abundant crops, which are the result of seasonable weather and of the farmer's industry, not of any legisla tion initiated by President Wilson. Another favorable influence has been the passage of the currency law. So it Is throughout the letter of the hypercritical Hobensack. His purpose Is, of course, to show that times are good, though The Oregonian has said they are not good. Will our friend drop his psychological pose long enough to write another letter giving facts and figures, and not fancy or fiction, about our present great prosperity? ajBOituyq mr. wajkbuhg. What good reason Paul M. War burg had to believe the purpose of calling him before the Senate bank ing committee was only to heckle him about his opinions on business in general is Indicated by the following among a series of questions which the committee asked him by mail to answer: What are your views on methods of financing railroads and Industrial enter prises and what of these enterprises have been financed bv Kuhn, I.oeb & Co. since your connection with the firm? What are your views as to legitimacy of the financing of the Alton system by Harrlman, Gould. Schlff and Stillman; your views of the re organization of the 'Frisco, the Rock Island, the New Haven and the consolidation and financing of the steel trust and similar con cerns? What relation can there be be tween the matters mentioned in this question and Mr. Warburg's prospec tive duties as a member of the Fed eral Reserve Board? It will be the duty of this Board to supervise the regional reserve banks, whose prin cipal functions will be to act as de positories for the Government and for their member-banks, to discount notes for their member-banks and to issue currency! The Board is to fix each week the rate of discount to be charged, but regional banks are ex pressly forbidden to discount "notes, drafts or bills covering merely in vestments or Issued or drawn for the purpose of carrying or trading In stocks, bonds or other investment securities" precisely the kind of se curities involved in the deals men tioned in the question. Under the law then it would be Im possible for Mr. Warburg to use his position in aid of such financial op erations as those of the Alton, the 'Frisco, the Rock Island or the New Haven or the financing of the steel trust. Those operations were open to severe criticism, but similar opera tions are about to be rendered legally Impossible by the bill establishing Federal supervision of railroad se curities and of corporations engaged in Interstate trade. Mr. Warburg has supported the new currency bill and Is ready to give up his lucrative bank ing connection in order that he may apply his great ability as a banker to its successful operation. We need more, not fewer men, of Mr. Warburg's caliber in the public service, but the way to enlist them Is not to heckle them. If the com mittee turns down Mr. Warburg, there must be an appeal to the Senate, and If the Senate turns him down there will be an appeal to the people. Then we shall learn whether the chief qualification for service on the Fed eral Reserve Board is to be the fact that a man has no experience- as a banker in a large way. FOUNDING THE GOVERNMENT. The American people cannot be too grateful to George Washington for his labors toward the establishment of the Federal Government under which our country has risen to great ness and prosperity. He was a mem ber of the convention which framed the Constitution and he took an ac tive part la' the campaign for its adoption. In his farewell letter to the Army, which was written in 17 83. Washington laid down the principles upon which he believed the republic ought to be founded and in later years he never departed from them. The first of these principles was, In his own words, "an indissoluble union of the states under one federal head." Whatever others may have thought of the Union of the states, to Washington's mind it was indis soluble. The doctrines of secession which afterward crept Into the minds of statesmen had no place In his thought and we may confidently be lieve that the convention knew noth ing of them. They were a later de velopment which emerged from the poisonous root of slavery. Washington was Insistent upon the necessity for a strong central author ity. He wrote to John Jay In August. 1786. that he did not conceive we could "exist long as a Nation without having lodged somewhere a power which will pervade the whole Union In as energetic a manner as the au thority of the state governments ex tends over the several states." The true Federal theory was thus clearly marked out in his mind before the Constitutional convention met. The later developments of our Constitu tional law have been strictly In ac cord with the concept which Wash ington so lucidly expressed. There are few Americans who would now wish the Federal Government to ex ercise any less authority over the Na tion as a whole than the states en Joy within their own boundaries. But strongly as Washington advo cated a firm central power, he had no inclinations toward monarchy. "I am told," he wrote to John Jay. "that even respectable characters speak of a monarchical form of government without horror. What a triumph that would be for our enemies," he comments, "to verify their predic tions. What a triumph for the advo cates of despotism to find that we are Incapable of governing ourselves and that systems founded on the basis of equal liberty are ideal and fallacious. ' Liberty was Washington's great watchword. The maxims of the Dec laration Jf Independence were as dear to him as they were to Jefferson. There was real danger at that time that the dread of anarchy would lead to a hastv adoption of the monarchical form of government. The fear of this calamity haunted Washington inces santly In the months preceding the final victory of the Constitution. He -, a Tawoa "TndlQon nmonc Oth ers, upon this momentous subject. "I am fully of the opinion," he said in his letter of March 31, 1787, "that those who. lean to a monarchical gov ernment have either not consulted the public mind or that" they lived In a part of the country where Kings were more popular than in the South. But in common with other public men Washington was convinced that things could not endure long as they were. "Your opinion that our af fairs are drawing rapidly to a crisis accords with my own," he wrote to John Jay In the same letter In which he denounced monarchy. He doubt ed whether the old confederation "could really be called a govern- . .. , 1 M I . . XT . ment, ana spoae or it to raenry ivnv as "slow, debilitated and liable to be thwarted by every breath." It was perfectly natural for Washington's sane and logical mind to react from this condition of things toward a vig orous National authority. He con fessed to James Madison that he hoped "Congress would, upon all proper occasions, exert Its powers with a firm and steady hand instead of frittering them back to the states." In his younger days Washington seems to have been something of a political idealist. His imagination was full of the romantic virtues which poets ascribed to the ancient Romans and he expected to find them repeated among the colonial states men. Sad experience caused him to lower his hopes. He lost the belief that men would conduct themselves properly without restraint. "My opin ion of public virtue is so far changed that I have my doubts whether any system, without the means of coer cion in the sovereign, will enforce due obedience to the orders of the Gov ernment." This was one of his confi dences to Madison before the Consti tution had been framed. Washington was not one of those who fancied that the work of the convention was miraculously perfect. He understood thoroughly well that all human labor? have their faults. "I wish the Constitution which is of fered had been made more perfect," he wrote to Patrick Henry, "but 1 sincerely believe it is the best that could be obtained at the, time." To Thomas Jefferson on the same sub ject he said, "For myself I was ready for any tolerable compromise that was competent to save us from im pending ruin." Many conflicting in terests had been reconciled more or less completely at the convention and the result was necessarily a com promise. Washington understood its Imperfections and foresaw some of the perils which would emerge In the future from the latent tnharmonies. but he looked for safety to the amending clause. Many amendments v,orf hn cVimittpd to the convention and rejected. Of these Washington said that he could very wen ndvc accepted almost any of them. In try ing to persuade Patrick Henry to fa vor the Constitution Washington made the point that it could be amended at any time as Imperfec tions developed. But his great argu ment for adoption was the distracted state of the country. This, he warned the people, would delight their for eign foes and bring republican insti tutions into disgrace. He wrote to the Marquis de Chastellux that if the Constitution should be adopted "America will lift up her head again and in a few years become respect able among Nations." His prophecy came true and his promise that Heaven had created here "a fairer opportunity for politi cal happiness than any other Nation u..j hun favored with" has been iiau i- - . gloriously justified by the events of history, Both parties to a eugenic union in Indiana are asking separation, each alleging the other failed to meet ex pectations. Popular idea of a eugenic marriage is that it is a cold-blooded partnership, with little expectation of anything but results. As time should f the contract, the judge would better send these people home for further endeavor. It will be Interesting to see how the women's dally paper in San Francisco reports prizefights or, if the gentle editress ignores the brutal performances, to witness the row she has with the circulation manageress when the papers don't sell the day after a scrap. If Kansas farmers hold their 100, 000,000 bushels of wheat until they sell at a dollar they will be able to buy automobiles for the hired men. Huerta continues to move with leisurely dignity in his evacuation of Mexico. He will not give anybody an excuse to say he was kicked out. Discovery of a case of trichinosis need not lead to a scare among pork eaters. Hog product Is first-class food when cooked thoroughly. Eruptions of Lassen Peak have be come so common an occurrence that the alarm bell will not ring until they cease. , Wonder what the Martians will think of that 450.000,000 candle power light la the New York Navy Yard. County Judge Wood, of Curry, "licked" the recallers to a finish and now they must keep off their hands. Creating counties is political diver sion in Idaho since the days when Alturas was as big as an empire. Knowles will have one advantage over the rest of mankind. He will not get a bug under his shirt. The interval of "no ball" will whet the appetite for good ball when the Beavers come home. - While there Is water people will swim and many must drown. This Is Inexorable law. Grasshoppers are becoming numer ous and Oregon turkeys will be fat in the Fall. Why not send Bryan a case of loganberry juice for a change in drinks? No doubt Dr. Brougher has a bundle of new Jokes to point his morals. There are warmer places than Port land, but It Is polite to mention only Texas. Observe the new rule for sprin kling or an inspector will catch you. ARK TIMES GOOD OR ARB THEY BAD Critic Saya The Oregonlnn Haa Been Inconsistent. PORTLAND, Or., July 18 (To the Editor.) I notice on one side of The Oregonian you claim that a reduction In the present high cost of living un der the Wilson tariff Is an "iridescent dream"; on the other side you bewail the fact that butter and eggs are on the downward grade because the stor age crowd are unable to protect the "poor farmer" against anticipated im portations from New Zealand and China. On one side you show the high cost of meat Is due to a decreasing production: on the other side you be wail the fact that importations may supply this deficit. On one side of The Oregonian you tell us that unless some speedy action Is taken In behalf of Increased rail road rates, the country Is facing rail road dlasters frightful to contemplate: on the other side you tell us about a half dozen railroad directors that have stolen millions of dollars of railroad receipts, facing criminal proceedings for pilfering the stockholders and. In directly, suggest that this deficit must be made up by a 5 per cent Increase In freight rates. In other words the con sumer must make up the shortage. On one side of The Oregonian you anticipate a frightful decrease In ex ports; on the other side you tell us that bountiful crops here, short crops In Europe, mean that the next fiscal year will show the largest export trade In the history of the country. On one side of The Oregonian. for several months, the "calamity howler" tells us about the frightful business conditions throughout the country un der the Wilson administration; on the other side you tell us that the orders placed for steel at this season of the year are something unusual and you prophesy an immense tonnage this Autumn at reduced profits to the man ufacturer. In other words, like butter and eggs, steel Is also coming down, yet only the "poor farmer" suffers. What about the "poor storage man" that stores the surplus to keep the consumer from benefiting by the re duction? On one side of The Oregonian you bewail the conditions of the lumber In dustry throughout this section, duo to the Wilson tariff; on the other side you show that 25 million more feet of lumber were shipped out of the State of Washington during the past fiscal year than during the previous year. On one side of The Oregonian the In ference obtains that we have no strikes under a Democratic administration for the reason there is nothing to strike for: on the other side you tell us about a big railroad strike brewing in Chi cago. On one side of The Oregonian you tell us that panics have featured all Democratic administrations in the past (omitting the panics of 1873 and 1907); on the other side. In an unguarded mo ment, you tell us that the Democratic party has not had a President and both houses of Congress for over 50 years. I am sitting on the jury and the above are only a few of the contradic tory statements that your attorneys are using to cloud the minds of the Jurors and I should bo glad to have you reconcile the discrepancy between your commercial columns and the edi torial comments. Wo are told that Wilson Is a minor ity President. ...,i:n we are told that independent voters (the minority crowd) have decided our choice of Presidents for 25 years. The average working man has no time to devote to gathering statistics bearing on many problems before us, but he has suffi cient Intelligence to discern the con flicting statements that emanate from the same source and it seems to me that It is time now to get in the band wagon and share in the great millen nium that Is coming by reason of the fact that we have secured more whole some legislation in the last 18 months than we have in the last is years. E. D. HOBEaSACK. VALUE OF POST iR ADI ATE COURSE Kindergarten College Methods Are 25 Years Behind Times. PORTLAND. July 19. (To the Ed itor.) The editorial note in The Ore gonian concerning post-graduate stu dents at the universities contains a most sensible suggestion. As a matter of fact, most of the universities in this country are conducting their work on an advanced kindergarten basis, and the fact that so many students are taking post-graduate work In itself is evidence that the regular courses are too inflexible, and are not wholly suited to those who have taken them. The university student should have the widest latitude possible In the se lection of his course. The common practice of forcing the student to fit the prescribed courses Is a vicious one, and has resulted in a disgusting super flclalism that is a blight upon Ameri can education. The matter is just as bad In the ele mentary and the secondary schools. The students of these schools take their post-graduate work in commer cial colleges in manual - training schools, and in the apprentice shops of railway and manufacturing corpora tions. As I look back upon nearly 50 years of a strenuous business life, I am constrained to admit that my own post-graduate course, taken as a cub reporter on the staff of The Oregonian, was the best and most practical school ing I ever had. And If the press will sting the school men of the country to the realization of the fact that our present educational systems and meth ods are a quarter of a century behind the times, it will have accomplished a great work. J. W. REDWAV, Mt. Vernon, N. Y. Watchful Waiting Admired. PORTLAND, July 19. (To the Edi tor.) After many months of unceasing warfare in devastated Mexico there at last seems to be rapidly forming a solution of the Mexican problem of government. With the resignation of Huerta and the introduction of Carbajal Into office we see opportunities for peace by the overthrow of a corrupt government and the installation of a new order of affairs. Many of the newspapers of our land have been loud In denouncing' and ridiculing the President's policy of "watchful waiting." How different might have been the termination of Mexican difficulties had our President broken our National peace and plunged our country into a war at a cost or millions of dollars and valued above all the lives of thousands of our noblest American youths'. To President Wilson we owe our present tranquil condition and to him many of the young men of our land owe their lives. Notwithstanding the agitation of the newspapers and the pressure of high officials brought to bear upon him, our President has stood through It all with a policy that has shown his clear, sane thinking and common sense, dis played in a most critical period of In ternational complications. Let us rejoice In having at the head of our Nation an official who. in the face of a gigantic crisis, can calmly exercise his powers with such excel lent ability and uncommon good judg ment. W. VERNON. Who's Who In Mexico. Who never takes a backward step But goes victorious on his way? Whose tactics full of bounce and pep Knocked Huerta off his seat today? Who fights to free the under dog. Whom Diaz made a peon slave? Who routs the foes that Justice clog To let the flag of freedom wave? Who swears Carranza Is the man To save the outraged Mexican? Ho' ho! that spry and warlike fellow His name? Why General Pancho Villa. GEORGE H. SANDS. Denaturized Warfare Br Dean Colllna. Hooray for the bright, theoretical glory That shines with a sheen like a June beetle's shard. From fields that, in fancy, are tram pled and gory, And 'lumlnes the heads of the Na tional Guard; , Where battleflags flourish in fantasy free And campaigns constructive are care fully puzzled. And combat at Gearhart outroars the wild sea, And dogs of wnr bark, nicely roped In and muzzled. Oh, red gore, in big hypothetical rivers Is up to their ankles all over the field. And soldiers fall, drilled through their kneecaps or livers. Beneath the neat tags that the ref erees wield. The cries of poor ginks' theoretical dying Mix in with the Joy songs put up by the slain, Who, lugged from the field, 'neath the shade trees are lying And watching the battle rage over the plain. The surgeons, in fancy, perform ampu tations Till half of the army Is shy of its legs; The living look back In the fight's vaccilations, And inwardly each for his own ! For the living must keep on construct ively fighting, Though hot Is the sun and their poor feet may ache. While the dead neath the shade trees. their cigarettes lighting. Enjoy the excltememt their living friends make. Old Mars Is grown safe and his war dogs are toothless! Oh. where Is the sting of the denth that they knowT Oh, where Is thy victory, catacomb ruthless, When shots hypothetical tumble men low? Why, really, myself I should rather like trying The horrors of war with the National Guard : If I could be sure to get in on the dying 'Fore the sun got too hot or the gamo got too hard. CAUSE OF MIM MTO aOClDBNTI I'rrmltlcil Speed at Croaalnga Too Great. Says Mr. V.rrr. PORTLAND. July 18. (To the Edi tor.) Of course. everybody knows that nowadays it Is not only unsafe for a foot passenger to attempt to cross a street anywhere in the busi ness section of Portland, or any other section, lest he Is scooped up or run down by a reckless auto driver, but the occupants of the machine are In almost as great danger of being ground Into pulp by a collision with another machine whose driver is attempting to get there first, no matter where his destination may be or the necessity of ever getting there at all. But the publication In The Oregonian re cently of a Hat of 12 auto accidents that have hnppened In Portland ilncc July 9, In which 20 persons were seri ously Injured, Is a startling reminder that we are simply getting used to this sort of thing and are, evidently, grad ually surrendering to the autocratic carelessness of the automobile wrecker. Why, July 9 was but one week ago! Twelve smashups In seven days and 20 people maimed all the way from broken limbs and cracked skulls to dislocated shoulder und caved-ln ribs. And all the accidents arc not reported to the papers. Three weeks ago. when returning from Oswego, the electric train ran Into an auto occupied by five women, being driven by one of them, as it was crossing the track, and both front wheels were knocked Into kind ling wood (and scrap Iron), lundlng 20 feet from the machine and the lat ter was turned end for end and thrust against a bank. Nobody was hurt. It being one of those cases where, as The Oregonian says, "Providence Is kind." but if the machine had gotten there a millionth part of a second sooner there would havo been five dead women scattered over a half acre of ground. The accident was the fault of the driver, for the mere presence of a rail road track Is a never-failing notice that danger Is possibly there and no chances should be taken. But taking chances Is a part of the game of the average auto driver. Every accident is the direct result of carelessness. If there are 100.000 crossings of street Intersections by automobiles in Portland every day there are nearly that many times each day that "Providence is kind. ror turning a blind corner or crossing a street crowded with people is throw ing down the gauntlet to Fate and saving, "here goes." It would be an Interesting study to analvze the Intellectual make-up. or the lack of It. of the man who Invent ed the proposition, afterward adopted by our local authorities, to "slow down to 15 miles, an hour." Even 15 miles an hour la going some with a death dealing machine in a crowd and with the exception that your remains would be less scattered If struck by a ma chine going at that rate. 15 miles Is no advantage over 50. Of course, the auto driver always tells you that. If he had to, he could stop his machine In 12 feet when go ing 15 miles an hour, but the cheerless fact remains that he never does. One who smokes or drinks is sure to tell you that ne can uo oiinci u ... alone, but the man thus proudly equipped never lets 'em alone he gets double comfort from the reflection that he can quit and then again from the fact that he hasn't quit. The auto driver who can stop his machine within 12 feet, but who. nevertheless, doesn't. Is In no better condition phys icallyneither are his victims after a smash-up than If he couldn't have stopped, and the suffering and mangled public is mangled and suffers Just the same. There are a great many careful driv ers of automobiles, but their danger of being run into, run over or run down. Is as great as that which constantly confronts the pedestrian who ventures outside his dwelling either before or after sunrise or sunset. Twelve smashups In Portland In seven dya. with their accompanying lacerated skulls and broken limbs, Is going some, and though we still remember that Providence is a very present help in time of trouble. It should not be for gotten that tho Mexican problem Is far from settled and that Congress threatens to remain In session yet an other month. There Is universal agree ment to the proposition that Provi dence at leaat permits the happening of a great many sho-klng things and It might be much saner and af.r if evervhody. under the circumstances, should slow down to five miles an hour. That's faster than our fathers went. T. T. GEER. Thlatle In Street. PORTLAND. July 19. (To the Ed !tor.) Referring to the item in The Oregonian, "Do Likewise," it Is not necessary to go out to Thirty-first street between Jarrett and Alnsworth avenue to locate a good crop of thistles and weeds along the sidewalks. At Sixth and East Ankeny a healthy crop of thistles and weeds line the sidewalks from Sixth to the alloy on Ankeny. SUBSCRIBER. Twenty-Five Years Ago From The Oregonian or Julr 10, IMa). Albany, July 19 Burglar benke Into the Oregon -Pac!Qe RtllliH depot last night and took $- from toa money drawer. The Nelrnska prep etrii'alon Is n Its way to the Sound and Victoria, hav ing returned from a trip through tba Willamette Valley. A burglar broke Into the house of S. A. Stanaberry a night or two lino. Commissioner It. Sargent. Surveyor L. W. Loehr and the remainder of tb Long Creek surveying party returned to Pendleton yesterday, having sur veyed a road from Pendleton to Can yon City. 114H miles long. Judge Marquam's brickyard at Wen Portland la turning out 10.000 brick per day for his big opera-house In tha city. Major Lydecker. United States Engi neers, who was convicted of negligence) while In charge of the Washington aqueduct, has been ordered to Vancou ver. William Duncan and hia Indiana mat with a heavy losa In the burning of their sawmill at Mntlakahtla, Alaska, on June 27. Mr. Duncan camu down on the Elder to purchase a new mill. C. A. Macrum, who graduated from the Portland High School In 187. haa recently returned from the Unlerally or Michigan at Ann Arbor, where he graduated from the medical depart ment. He Is visiting hts father, 1. A Macrum. of the Merchants' National Bank. Washington, July 19 Judge Cooley. chairman of tho Interstate Commerce Commission, is on his way to tho Pacific Coast, Sandy Olds was convicted on Satur day of the murder In tho first degree of Emll Weber. Hon. William Carey Johnson, of Ore gon City, haa been appointed special Assistant United States Attorney to co operate with District Attorney Mc Arthur in aulta against Tha Dallas. Eugene 4k Lebanon Military Wagon Road companies for tho forfeiture of land grants. Half a Century Ago From The Oregonian of Juljr 20. IsM. Salem Is In a prosperous condition. The stono foundation of a new univer sity building Is now completed, one kiln of the bricks burned and tha cor nerstone will be laid today. The dis trict schoolhouse la being refitted and Juat enclosed In a neat fenca. Th Mansion House on State street la being raised another story and repaired and refitted generally. The contested seat In the Legislature of Washington Territory, which re sulted In a new election, has given Mr. Rhoadcs. Union, a majority of 12 over Mr. Langmire, Conservative. The Oregon Arena Is the name of a weekly which made Its first appear ance at Salem on Monday laat under the direction of the Salem Publishing Company. It Is designed to cheer on the few Copperhead In the Legisla ture. This afternoon th first number ft the Dally Oregon Statesman I an nounced to appear at Salem. Louisville. July 15. It has been N ported for some time that S. 11. Huek ner. at the head of a large rebel fun was moving In the direction of this atate. Intending to make a raid Into Eastern Kentucky. It Is said hi force Is 18.000. New Tork. July 17 Advices from Shcrman'a army stale three of our strongeat corps are south of tho t'hat tahoochie. trongly entrenched In the works abandoned by the rebels Th rebels had fallen back to the nnlet fortifications of Atlanta, three mile from the city. Washington. July 18. The President has Issued a proclamation calling Into the service of the United Statea 6"0,000 men. Washington. July 17. The further pursuit of the rebel raiders haa been abandoned. They comprised about 18. 000 men. A miner who left hi eayusa at a stable on Salmon tret dropped a can of gunpowder In the street In fn.nl. stepped on It and pllt some. A farmer shortly afterwards offered a load of hay at the stable and one of his wheels Ignited the powder, which exploded and tired the hay and the barn. The horse were taken' from th building and wagon and all were sent Into the river in front of the Courthou. A water supply pipe burt at Charles Harrett's bookstore on Washington street Monday evening, and nearly washed the place. The sanitary rooster was cnt to the Ladies' Sanitary Aid Society In Van couver by Theodore and Henry Mans field yeeterday. Lloyd Brooke left yeaterday for the Owyhee country. Captain Medorem Crawford has ac cepted the Internal revenue collector ship, and appoints Levi Anderson, or thl city, hi deputy. Cartoon III) Hnll'a Bye. DALLAS, Or., July 18 (To tha Ed itor ) The cartoon In The Oregonian today, "How to Prevent International Complication." In my opinion Is. as yet, the richest .peclman brick from Mr. Reynold' prolific gallery of par kllng wit and cutting at!re. It hlta the nail squarely on the head of Secre tary Bryan milk-and-water Utopian diplomacy. The writer laughed until tear ran down his cheek over It axquUlta wit. I wonder how many of my Democratic brethren catch it tantalizing humor? You should give tha cartoonlt an extra bouquet. J- T. FORD. Raising a Treacher Salary- Dalla (Tex.) Nawa, Deacon Skinner Well, our pastor re ceived a rail to a church In oihkosh and say he'll go there. Deacon Grabber Huh! That a wht come o' ralln hi alary lat year. He's gaved up enough for railroad ticket. Appeal of a Dehtar. Pel Mela. "Say. have you forgotten that you owe me a hundred francs?" "No. not yet; give me time. Answer To Manufacturer What Is good advartilnr Good advertising 1 the kind that make customer want what you have to sell. What 1 the heat nlvertUlnsT The best advertising Is tha kind that makes people want and than demand your product. Doe any advertlalng medium orfer an opportunity to create both dealrc and skraaaad for a i t Yes. tbe dally newspaper doas this, first by Interest rc the eon -aumer In the home and then by sending her direct to the dealer counter.