TTTE MOTtXTXG OREGOyiAN, TUESDAY. ITiC"E3rTTTR 1, 1914. rOBl'LAXD. OREGON. ' Entered at Portland. Oregon, Postufflce as second-class matter. Subscription Rates Invariably in Advance: lEi Mail.) XJally. Sunday lnclur td. one year ...... .$8.00 I)ally. Sunday included, six months ..... 4.23 taily. Sunday included, three months ... Si.23 Iaily. Sunday included, one month ..... .75 . whluui sunaai, one year ...... o-vy Xaily. without Sunday, six months ..... 3.2o Daily, without Sunday, three months ... 1.75 f Daily, without Sunday, one month 60 I Weekly, one year 1.50 Sunday, one year 2.5o Sunday and Weekly, one year .......... S.50 (By Carrier.! Daily. Sunday included, one year J9.00 aaiiy. bunaay included, one month '3 llow to Remit Send Postoffice money or . dep. exoresg oruer or personal check on your I local bank. Stamps, coin or currency are at k sender's risk. Give oostoffico address in full, 1 Including- county and ctate. I'oKtaeo Kates 12 to IS pages. 1 cent; 18 to 32 uaues. z cents: iU to 43 pages, 3 cents; i CO to BO oases, 4 cents: 82 to 7 pages, 0 - cents: 78 to ) cases. 0 cents. Foreign post , ace. double rates. Eastern Business Office Verree A Conk '. Hn. Seff York. Brunswick bullcing. Chi- - . cago. stenser buildintc ban FTancIvco Office R. J. Bldwell Co- a i' Market street. ; POMXAND, TUESDAY, DEC, 1, 1914. BKVAS TO YIELD BX3 PIACET A rTHlrt fmm "a WAll-lnm-mA ' Democratic source" la publisher in ; the New York Herald to the effect that W. J. Bryan will retire from the Cabinet of his own motion about March 4. The following is the explan ation, which might well be added to "The Curiosities of Literature": With a nolicy of detachment from infernal Mexican affairs becoming more marjeeu, with the tield of treaty-making and for practical peace work indefinitely postponed by Europe a conflict, the work for which Mr. Bryan is best suited has almost disap peared, and the place has been taken by legal tangles raised by ship seisures, export embargo! and other complicated situations, in which great ethical principles bave no place. Mr. Bryan has no liking for such minutiae and the President also realizes that a less gifted but more technically trained mind might at this time fit snugly in the portfolio of foreign affairs. This, being interpreted, means that Mr. Eryan sees no opportunity at present to perform any spectacular feats in the way of negotiating peace treaties, and that he has not the taste, even if he had the equipment, for the drudgery of dealing with the lega tangles growing out of the war. These give him no opportunity for posing as the apostle of peace. The realization ascribed to President Wilson that "a less gifted but more technically trained mind" can better do the work may be paraphrased as meaning that a man who is less of an orator and more of a worker, a man who is more versed in international law and in the customs of diplomacy and who is less prone to perform grandstand feats of statesmanship would better perform the duties of Secretary of State. If this be Mr. Wilson's Judgment, the country is likely to indorse it. The American people are already begin ning to look forward to the day when the United States will be called upon to play a leading part, as the friend of all parties, in the settlement which Is to follow the present war. When the representatives of the nations now at war meet to make peace, a con gress will assemble surpassing in im portance that which met at Vienna in 1815. The representatives of the United States will in all probability be called upon to appear there as me diators, to reconcile conflicting claims, and to watch over the interests of neutrals, especially in the Western hemisphere. The men who represent this country will have to cope with men of the caliber of Metternich, Tal leyrand, Castlereagh and the other diplomatic giants who battled with their wits at Vienna. They must be men skilled In the ways of diplomats, intimately acquainted with the affairs of Europe and familiar with the springs of action controlling each man at the congress. On their proficiency In these respects and on their patriotic vigilance this country must rely for protection of its Interests and for maintenance of Its standing among nations. These men, in order to play their part with credit to their country and themselves, must have no airy illu sions; they must deal with the world as it is, not as we all wish it were. They may share with Mr. Bryan and all lovers of peace the passionate yearning for "peace on earth, good will among men," but they must cher ish no delusion that "love Is to bring peace to warring nations." They must be men not blind to the fact that "clubs are trumps," that dread noughts and siege guns have enabled one group of nations to dictate terms to the other group and that the hymns of hate have just been stilled. There is danger that, if Mr. Bryan were to remain at the head of the State Department, his influence might be used in favor of men to perform this weighty task whose heads were In the clouds of theoretical pacificism, though they stood amid the forces of militarism. His narrow partisanship might tempt him to pass over men of the great international reputation of Elihu Root in order to honor some mediocrity solely because he was a Democrat. Men of all parties will gladly yie'd Mr. Bryan the palm as a fluent orator and an eloquent preacher, but they also hold that the country would have been better served had a practical statesman been at the head of the State Department during the last two years. Such men will gladly see Mr. Bryan lay down the task for which he is not fitted and take up that of "girding up the loins . of Democracy for the battle of 19X6," for which be Is eminently fitted. We all acknowl edge Mr. Bryan's ability in that particular. A DEADLY SPORT. The hunters In Northern Michigan and Wisconsin have been almost as deadly to one another as to the game this Fall If we may believe the reports of their mortality. It is said that some 15,000 of these gallant knights of the shotgun and rifle have been roaming those primeval forests for the last three months and that twenty four have been sent to their accounts by their fellow-sportsmen. Hunting Is certainly a popular sport in those parts. Perhaps the fact that it also is dangerous adds to its charm. What need is there of war to foster virility and stiffen our spines when we have sports like hunting and foot ball with their long mortality rolls? Looked at from this point of view, the mutual slaughter of the hunters may possibly appear as a blessing. We may Imagine, If we like, that the sportsman who goes back home with the comfortable knowledge that he has shot his friend feels all the manly uplift of the soul which the sight and smell of blood are supposed to cause. But other considerations make the annual slaughter on the hunting grounds less desirable. It really seems as if some method might be devised to cut It down a little. Most of the killing Is probably done by inexperienced hunters who get "buck fever" or some brain malady of that sort and shoot at the first moving object they see without wait ing to discover whether it Is man or beast. These inexpert sportsmen are so dangerous to others ' that they ought to be kept out of the woods. Some experience in handling a gun, some little evidence of common sense and judgment, some minimum of pru dence, might well be required of those to whom a hunter's license is issued. But after all it may be vain to seek to eliminate the danger entirely. No man can tell how his nerves will act under new and untried conditions. Experience is at the mercy of acci dents and the keenest vision is some times deceived. No doubt there will always be hunting tragedies, and, as the sport grows more popular, they are likely to increase rather than diminish in' number. WEBB UW AND BLIND PIGS. Probably on reflection Mr. Irwin, who writes today of the effect of per mitting orders to be taken in a dry state for intoxicants to be shipped in from the outside, will recall that his observation deals with conditions prior to the enactment of the Webb law by Congress. The Webb law, as enlarged, heav ily penalizes the transportation com pany which makes delivery to ficti tious persons. It also prohibits the carrier to act in any other capacity than carrier; viz., it may not collect the price of interstate shipments of intoxicants into dry territory. Secret delivery is also prevented by the same law which requires that packages containing intoxicants be plainly marked so as to show the name of the consignee and the quantity and nature of the contents. It would seem that the Federal law Is sufficiently broad to prevent a repetition here of the holding In stor age which Mr. Irwin witnessed and the subsequent delivery to anyone who applied for it. Doubtless the statute enacted by the Legislature will pre scribe penalties for conducting blind pigs such as ouy correspondent de scribes and it is difficult to oee how the right to take orders for delivery from outside the state would aid the lawbreaker in view of the restrictions placed on interstate carriers by tha government Total lack of restriction on orders possibly would lead to abuses such as the hounding of habitual drinkers by solicitors. Regulation in that partic ular is certainly a matter for grave consideration by the Legislature. THE PROGRESSIVE COLLAPSE. The Progressive party has hopeless ly "petered out," as a possible factor on an equality with the Republican and Democratic parties, for control of the Government. Comparison of the election returns of 1914 and 1912 in Oregon, a typical Pacific Coast state and Ohio, a typical Middle Western state, furnishes proof. In Oregon, though the "total vote this year was greatly Increased by woman suffrage, Gill, the Progressive candidate for Governor, polled only 6129 votes, compared with 37,600 polled by Roosevelt for President in 1912. In percentage, the shrinkage is still greater, for in 1912 Roosevelt polled 37,600 votes out of a total of 137,040, or 27.44 per cent, while in 1914 Gill polled 6129 out of the much larger total of 248,052 votes cast for Governor, or only 2.47 per cent. The Progressive vote has thus fallen off more than nine-tenths in percentage. The shrinkage is striking in Ohio, though not as great in percentage.- In 1912 Garford for Governor polled 217,903 out of a total of 1,017,426, or 21.41 per cent, while in 1914 Garfield polled 60,971 out of a total of 1,138, 651, or only 6.35 per cent. The Pro gressive vote in two years fell off five sevenths In amount and three-fourths in percentage. With such a shrinkage in its vote, with its leader calling hi3 lieutenants "lunatic friends" and with these luna tic friends blaming each other for the party's collapse, its final dissolu tion before the next election is inevit able. Its members. having been drawn almost entirely from the Republican party and adhering still to distinctive Republican principles, nothing re mains for the remnant to do but to go home and to attempt through that party the attainment of the ends they sought In forming the new party, A STAT HE ' S" I'ltAN KXJN PIERCE. The statue just erected to the mem ory of Franklin Pierce at Concord, New Hampshire, Is after a design by Augustus Lukeman, of New Tork, an eminent American sculptor. Our fourteenth President is represented by a standing figure in the costume of his own period, one hand resting on a support which Is draped with the American flag. The statue is said to be exceptionally successful as a work of art. Mr. Pierce wears in marble that pleasant, and somewhat com pliant, expression which was charac teristic of him in life. Perhaps the most Interesting thing he ever did was to befriend Nathaniel Hawthorne, who, up to the time when Pierce be came President, had "eceived too lit tle recognition from his countrymen. Pierce's Administration was big with great events and portentous be ginnings of history. The border war fare In Kansas became embittered by his neglect and diffused the poison of civil hatred throughout the country. The old Whig party lapsed Into non entity and was succeeded by the new born Republican party, in which the opponents of slavery extension grad ually gathered to form a compact fighting force. In Pierce's Administration some of our boundary troubles with Mexico were disposed of by the Gadsden pur chase. A still more Important event was Commodore Perry's expedition to Japan, which succeeded in opening negotiations with that country. Up to that time Japan had been literally a "hermit nation." It now entered the area of world life and began that mil itary and commercial career whose significance increases every year. Pierce was elected President at a time when the moral forces of the Nation were arraying themselves against compromise and concession. He was a born compromiser himself and was ready to make any conces sion for the sake of quiet. But con ditions could no longer be controlled by that method and out of Pierce's good will emerged a party spirit more furious than ever and a steady drift toward civil war. He was a good man, but not by any means a great Presi dent. Perhaps no man capable of be ing a great President could have been elected In that time of dissolution and dawn. Though the war promises boom prices for any crop of wheat the t i.Ucd States may harvest in 1915, NorUiwest farmers would do well to remember that It 1st n-At wll nut all their eggs in one basket and that In diversified farming is safety. Had Southern farmers diversified their crops instead of relying almost entire ly on cotton, they would not have oeen calling on Uncle Sam for help. PTJRCrjfO CBTUBCH ROLLS. Some years ago 'the Methodist churches of the United States ini tiated a commendable agitation to get rid of their dead and dying mem tiers. We mean, of course, the spirit ually dead and dying. There was no disposition to eliminate the physically decrepit. Indeed the church has al ways admitted a special duty toward that class of Individuals. ' But It was deemed wise to shuffle off the load of those who had withered up and shown unmistakable signs of perish ing internally. What became of this worthy movement the accounts never disclosed. For some reason it dropped out of discussion and not much has been heard of it lately. But the Presbyterians have now undertaken something of the same sort. An unflinching comparison of statistics from year to year- reveals that this denomination may expect an annual "suspension" of about 50, 000 members. Some of them die, some move away and leave no ad dress, some simply blackslide and re turn to the world, the flesh and the devil. Hitherto the church has borne with these deserters far too charl tably. It has carried some of them on its membership books long aiter they ought to have been dropped Even names of dead, it is asserted have sometimes been kept on the church rolls In spite of their owners departure to a better world. The latter thus gain credit for serv ice in two worlds at once. As sup posed members of the church mili tant they -acquire renown on earth as actual members of the church tri umphant they wear crowns in glory. Of course this is wrong. It is as if the commissary department of a terres trial army should issue rations for troops who had fought their last bat tle and had won a grave in the trenches. It is best for the Presbyterian and every other church to face the actual facts as to their membership. Their rolls are long and their spiritual in fluence great enough to bear up un daunted under any losses that befall them. A compact, active, working list of members Is far better, even though it be comparatively small, than a Jong array of the decrepit and defunct. Ne doubt the other churches have much the same experience as the Presby terian in this particular. Some of the seed they sow must infallibly perish by the wayside. Happily most of It survives and makes a vigorous growth. THE nCNOKT TIGER WILL CONTROL. In the opinion of Chairman Hillea of the Republican National Commit tee, the House of the sixty-fourth Congress will be controlled by the twenty Tammany members. In a let ter to the New York Times he est! mates the party strength as follows Democrats 230 Republicans .......................... 200 progressives ................... 7 Socialist l Prohibitionist 1 Mr. Hllles then continues: Hence, the strencth of the combined on position to Democracy will be 5rt5. and if- me uammany members should desert their Democratic colleagues on a rollcall and vote with the opposition, the Demo cratic strena-th would be reduced to 210 and the opposition's total vote would rise to 2-5. Even if the 7 Progressives were to unite with the Democrats. Tammany would still noid the balance of power. Further, the transfer of Mr. Under wood to the Senate will leave Mr. Fitzgerald, the Tammany leader, the most forceful figure on the floor, with ten years' experience as a parliamen tarian. He has a score to settle with President Wilson, for the latter has withheld patronage from him and his Tammany colleagues and opposed his re-election. Says Mr. Hilles: "An attempt' was made to discredit him and to starve him out." In view of the Administration's de pendence on Tammany for a major ity In the next Congress, Mr. Hilles Is justified in disputing Secretary Bryan's description of the election as a glorious victory for the Administra tion. Tammany's oupport for Mr. Wil son at the Baltimore convention was spurned by Mr. Bryan, and Tammany has been flouted by the Administra tion ever since. To quote Mr. Hilles again: One result of the recent election will be either a reversal of the Administration's at titude toward the New York Congressmen or the defeat of every measure upon which tne opposition to Democracy is united. They must stOD starving the Tiaer: thev must pamper and patronize It: otherwise the Tiger will turn in self-defense. And how ravenously hungry the Tiger will be! New Tork City ceased to feed it a year ago. New York State will cease to feed it next Janu ary. Its sole means of sustenance will be what it can extort from the National Administration. If some large, rich and Juicy pieces of meat are not thrown to it, there will be an uproar In the Democratic political menagerie. The famished beast may even bite a leg off the Democratic mule. WEAK POINTS IN BRITISH DEFENSE. The Germans have evidently found gaps in the naval defense of the Brit ish and French coasts or have learned through their spies where mines are laid. A series of losses to the British navy and to the French merchant ma rine lead to this conclusion. A squad ron of cruisers penetrated within a few miles of Yarmouth and dropped the mine which sank the Halcyon. Submarines sank the Pathfinder, the Audacious and the Hermes, We now learn that the collier Khartoum has been sunk in the Humber by a mine. The French steamer Amiral Gan teaume was sunk by a submarine off Havre, and now two Eritish steamers have met the same fate by the same means. Thus the Germans have been able to penetrate to the east coast of Eng land, the north coast of Ireland and far Into the English Channel to do their work of destruction and to get clean away except off Yarmouth, where a submarine was sunk. The Bulwark seems to have been blown up by the explosion of her magazine, but there is room for suspicion that this was the work of a spy, reckless of his own life. We may form a distorted view of the relative losses of the British and German navies from the fact that the former always publish their misfor tunes, while the .latter deny theirs or keep silent. The Germans denied the loss of a submarine in the Yarmouth raid, though the British rescued most of its crew and published their names. But the Germans have undeniably had much greater sucress with subma rines and in getting through their an tagonists' guard. The losses Inflicted by the British have been la almost every case by ships which keep to the surface. If the Germans can get so close to the British and French coasts, why cannot British submarines reach the German coast? The reason probably is that the North Sea coast Is shal low and well mined. The Baltic could be reached only through the straits, of which the southern part abuts on . German territory and is doubtless mined. Kiel Bay might be a favorable field for . submarine at tack, but the ports on both Baltic and North Seas are on rivers, too shallow for such operations, even If it were possible to enter undetected. But, since the Germans have learned the location of the British mines, why can't the British gain the same infor mation about German mines? It Is all very well for Mr. Churchill to say that Great Britain can lose a superdreadnought every month for twelve months and still retain her su periority at sea, but is not the cumu lative moral effect of a series of minor disasters as bad as the loss of a bat tle? Surely confidence in the impreg nability of British naval defenses must be shaken. Perhaps the govern ment designedly shakes it by giving out bad news, for the purpose of booming enlistment In the army. A great many people taxpayers will agree with Secretary Olcott that a state census next year at cost of $100,000 Is a luxury. To be sure, the law says it must be taken, and as the money goes into local circulation it may help somebody, just as taking money from one man's pocket and slipping it into that of another Is of doubtful benefit. To "shape a noble life," said Goethe, "cast no backward glances." Never mind what you have lost. "Act as if you were born anew every morn ing." Attend to each day's needs as they arise and attack each task as it appears. This is a great poet's way of saying "Don't cry over spilt milk" and "don't cross any bridges till you come to them." Within a year the National Insti tute of Arts and Letters will have funds to build an appropriate home for Itself in New York if promises are kept. The new buliding will be a meeting place for the artists and au thors of the whole world. With the increase of mutual understanding peace and friendship will also oe pro moted. Enmity thrives on ignorance. The Holsteln is bound to keep In the limelight. Not content with a California cow that broke the milk record, there is now an animal in Cow litz County that has three calves, all healthy and doing well. How she ar ranges the surplus corner at meal times is something that only a cow in such circumstances can manage. Even if Colonel Roosevelt should testify about the Colombian treaty be fore the Senate committee In execu tive session, Secretary Bryan's ears will surely burn while he is talking. But Senator Stone need not expect to succeed in depriving th Colonel of desired publicity. If President Wilson were to hold the same club over the Colorado coal owners as President Roosevelt held over those of Pennsylvania, they would soon come to terms. There are occasions when one should cease to speak softly and should use the big stick. The old man who married at 17 but objects to his son's following his ex ample holds that circumstances alter cases, but his son does not agree with him. If the father were 17 this year. he would probably hold his original rather than his present opinion. The Supreme Court decides Okla homa's "Jim Crow" law is invalid and colored people are entitled to all privileges on trains, including sleep ing and parlor cars. How this will strike the porter Is problematical. President Wilson is said to oppose an investigation into the country's military resources, as proposed by Representative Gardner. That s the spirit which leaves us in such a sorry plight of unpreparedness. Von Hindenburg has been made a field marshal for hfs part In the great battle now raging. If the tide con tinues to move as at present Von may be reduced to the ranks when the mill Is ended. Again must the army cook be given credit. British reports from the line in France say success is due to the "ample quantity and excellent qual ity" of the food. The Oregon onion grower has ceased worrying. The Eastern consumer has found the Oregon article is the best keeper and the price is advancing by jumps. The allies say they attack the Ger mans every time the Germans make an error. Perhaps that Is the reason so few allied attacks are made. Love, not warships, is the hope of peace, says Bryan. He should have pointed to Mexico as an ocular dem onstration of his pet theory. Baron von 'Horst has probably changed his opinion as to the relative value of the titles "Baron- and American citizen." More Canadians are massing to prevent a possible invasion of Ger mans from the United States. Heroic Canadians I This Is Hon. Milt Miller's war tax bargain day. Double stamps ffiven (if you pay for them). The British are taking a lot of credit to themselves for the French military valor. Still in some regions they use fans in this weather and complain of the heat. There are a few more days left in which to do your Christmas shopping. Don't forget that fresh air is as necessary in cold weather as in warm. The furnace is oa the job 25 hours a day, now. Pleasant weather, this. For an Esquimo. Madam, are you shopping in the morning? Croker is now heap big Injun chief. Have you paid your war tax? PROVISIONS OP WEBB LlftCOB LAW Carrtf-ra Prohibited to Deliver- to Fic titious Persona or Colteet Price. In view of the interest in statutory enactments to carry out the force of the prohibition amendment in Ore gon, the following text of the Webb law and other Federal legislation governing interstate shipments of Intoxicants Is pertinent and worth perusal by those interested in prospective legislation affecting the liquor traffic. In view of the fact that the Oregon amendment does not prohibit distribution, it will be legal, in, the absence of further enactments, for Interstate carriers to deliver intox icants in Oregon to individuals for personal use and to druggists and physicians to dispense by prescription: Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assem bled: That the shipment or transportation in any manner or by any means what sover of any spirltous. vinous, malted, fermented or other intoxicating liquor of any kind, including beer, ale or wine, from one state, territory or dis trict of the United States, or place non-contiguous to but subject to the jurisdiction thereof. Into any other state, territory or district of the United States, or place non-contiguous to but subject to the jurisdiction thereof, or from any foreign country into any state, territory or district of the United States, or place non-contiguous to but subject to the jurisdiction thereof, which said spirltous, vinous, malted, fermented or other intoxicating liquor is intended to be received, possessed,' sold or In any manner used, either In the original package or otherwise, in violation of any law of such state, ter ritory or district of the United States, or place non-contiguous to but sub ject to the jurisdiction thereof, enacted In the exercise of the police powers of such state, territory or district of the United States, or place non-contiguous to but subject to the jurisdiction there of, is hereby prohibited. Section 238. (Interstate shipment of intoxicating liquors; delivery of to be made only to bona fide consignee.) Any officer, agent or employe of any railroad company, express company or other common carrier who shall know ingly deliver or. cause to be delivered to any person other than the person to whom it has been consigned, unless upon written order in each Instance of the bona fide consignee, or to any fic titious person, or to any person under a fictitious name, any spirltous, vinous, malted, fermented or other intoxicat ing liquor of any kind which has been shipped from one tate, territory or district of the United States, or place non-contiguous to but subject to the jurisdiction there, into any other state, territory or district of the United States, or place non-contiguous to but subject to the jurisdiction thereof, or from any foreign country Into any state, territory, or district of the United States, or place non-contiguous to but subject to the jurisdiction thereof, shall be fined not more than five thou sand dollars, or Imprisoned not more than two years, or both. (35 Stat. L. 1136.) Section 2?9. (Common carriers, etc., not to collect purchase price of inter state shipment of Intoxicating liquors.) Any railroad company, express com pany, or other common carrier or any other person who. In connection with the transportation of any spirltous, vinous, malted, fermented or other In toxicating liquor of any kind from one state, territory or district of the United States, or place non-contiguous to but subject to the jurisdict' n thereof. Into any other state, territory or district of the United States, or place non-contiguous to but subject to the Jurisdic tion thereof, or from any foreign coun try Into any state, territory or district of the United States, or place non-contiguous to but subject to the jurisdic tion thereof, before, on jr after delivery from consignee, or from any other person, or shall in any manner act as the agent of the buyer or seller of any such liquor, for the purpose of buying or selling or completing the sale there of, saving only In the actual transpor tation and delivery of the same, shall be fined not more than five thousand dollars. (35 Stat. L. 1136.) Section 240. (Packages containing In toxicating liquors shipped In interstate commerce to be marked as such.) Who ever shall knowingly a ilp or cause to be shipped from one state, territory or district of the United States, or place non-contiguous to but subject to the jurisdiction thereof, into any other state, territory or district of the United States, or place non-contiguous to but subject to the juisdiction thereof, or from any foreign country Into any state, territory or district of the United States, or place non-contiguous to but subject to the jurisdiction thereof, any package of or package containing any spirltous, vinous, malted, fermented or other intoxicating liquor of any kind. unless such package be so labeled on the outside cover as to plainly show the name of the consignee, the nature of its contents and t e quantity con tained therein, shall be fined not more than five thousand dollars; and such liquor shall be forfeited to the United States and may be seized and con demned bv like proceedings as those provided by law for the seizure and for feiture of property imported into tne United States contrary to law. 36 Stat. L. 1137.) Shakespeare for Judge McGinn. PORTLAND. Nov. 30. (To the Edi tor.) We are told by the Immortal Bard of Avon that mercy Is "twice blessed. It blesseth him that gives and him that takes." Consequently, when Judge McGinn told those two youth ful burglars to go and sin no more, ignoring the fact that one of them had been paroled by him already, I have no doubt that he and they were perfectly satisfied with themselves. It Is true that "the quality of mercy la not strained," but it must be remem bered there are limits to the occasions when mercy should temper justice. As one of the sufferers from the depredations of those embryo burglars, and having lost several pieces of jew elry' which were heirlooms In my wlfe'a family, and, consequently, highly prized by her, I am not inclined to view with approbation the action In turning those youthful criminals loose to prey further on the community. On the contrary. I am Inclined to apply one more quotation from Shake speare to this erratic conception of jus tice: But nan, prond man, dressed in a little brief authority. Plays such fantastic trlcUs before hlen heaven Am make the an sols weep. J. T. DILLON. 451 Tillamook street. Bit of Strategy Pro"! u Expert. Tlt-Blts. General Pau tells of a French non commissioned officer who was being examined on the subject of tactics. "Give me an instance of strategy," was the question. The soldier thought bard and then replied: "When In battle you run out of am munition and don't want the enemy to know it, it is good strategy to keep on firing." Avoidance of the Peril. New Tork Mail. Ray Rohn, the artist, appeared at the Pay-aa-You-Enter Club the other day smoking a cigarette in a holder nearly a foot long. "What's all this?" someone asked him. "Did the doctor tell-you to keep away from cigarette?" The War Tax By Dean olllns. I thought myself a man of peace. prayed That war throughout the world -ehould And combat be allayed; But now I'm wildly thirsting for Ked riot, battle, strife and war. And savagely I stand and cuss About this war tax soaked on us. Because the hosts of Europe close In fierce and deadly fray, I cannot buy a pair of hose Without the tax, they say; Because the camps of Europe hum. They tax my wad of chewing gum; Because of battle lines, flung far, They soak a cent on my cigar. Ah. what bystander Innocent Can brook, without a kick. To have his slender Income bent Beneath this war tax brick? I view the distant combat there And madly bellow: " 'Tin no fair Because the Kaiser's on a spree. That Uncle Sam should war tax me." So. though I've been a man of peace. Mv temrjeramont l. .-u . r i . Though I had hoped the fray might And nicely be arranged: Today I'm wildly thirsting for Red riot, battle, strife and war: I'm on the warpath for the cuss That soaked this war tax onto us.. PROHIBITION WHICH PROHIBITS In Absence of Strict Law Evils Worse Than Saloon Arise, Saya Observer. PORTLAND, Nov. 30. (To the Edi-tor-) As a stranger passing through your city permit me a short space In The Oregonlan to express my views on a subject now before the people. If the Committee of One Hundred properly frame the bill to present be fore the next Legislature th.v will above all things else, frame It so that it will prohibit, under heavy penalty, the taking of orders for liquor to be shipped into this state from any state. I have seen a law permitting this in a state that went "dry" and I have seen it carried to a far worse degree or danger than the open saloon itself. Fictitious names were used In the shipping In of liquor and the liquor stored in empty buildings to be de livered at an hour's notice to almost anyone, regardless of aire or sex. ine snipping In of liquor becomes a profitable and most lucrative business for the house-to-house solicitor, and. as far as my observations have gone. nas Deen so abused that as far as morality is concerned, it is worse than the open saloon. Once a customer of one or these solicitors, the workinc man Is fairly hounded to death to buy more and more. These men will se cure intoxicants for minors, often times without placing themselves in such a position as to be held re sponsible. When the open saloon was run, an evil though It was. there was someone to look to for the abuse of drinking. Where the solicitor Is per mitted and the saloon is closed, there Is none. If you have seen fit to close the open saloon by a masniflcant ma jority of 36.000 do not substitute some thing worse in the person of a liquor solicitor. Again, liquor should not be served in any club, restaurant or any other public place. If you permit this, clubs of every kind, shapo and description will spring up, usually operated by the worst class of men, whose regard and respect for .the law is less than that of a "bllnd-plgger." These clubs are for no other purpose than to dispense liquor ana are more nagrant In their violations of the law than the "restau rant" that serves liquors and a lunch. consisting of a wooden sandwich, -to constitute a meal. I am writing as one who has seen this evil carried to a degree where it more thoroughly menaced public morals than notorious dives did In the days of the open salon. Beware, Mr. legislator, that your bill Is not so weak that It leaves a loophole for worse evils than In the day of sdoona J. 1. IK. WIN. Kansas City, Mo. THAT PERNICIOUS SAILOR SUIT. Aa Bad aa Toy Soldlera In Promoting Martial Spirit. Saya Writer. PORTLAND. Nov. 30. (To the Ed itor.) I am glad that Oregon continues to maintain her position at the fore front in the great moral uplift in the country. The convention of Oregon women at Eugene the other day passed a resolution defining in no uncertain terms our position on the great "Toy Question." I am sorry, however, that tney overlooked the "Sailor Suit Ques tion." I maintain that the wearing of sailor suits by our little boys is just as pernicious an influence in promoting militarism as their play with tov sol dlera The savage In the little rascals could at least be made less obtrusive in curls and Little Lord Fauntleroys than in naving them as at present, struttin around in the habiliments of the rude and brutal sailor. If In their greed for srain our mer chants should, after full moral persua sion, still persist in selling lead sol diers, tin cannons, cambric flags and sailor suits to our oflsDrinsr. the sov ereign people of Oregon through the initiative yet have full means of stop ping the traffic But unfortunately there is another baleful influence at work for the suppression of which Washington must be appealed to. I refer- to certain children's books which booksellers inform me have late ly become their best sellers, viz.: "The American Boy in the Philippines," "The American Boy in Cuba," "The American Boy in China" Now these books are filled to the brim with militarism in Its very worst form. Through experience in my own family, I can testify that when the little rascals finish these books, their martial appetites are so whetted that they want to read "Paul Jones," "The Boys of 1812." "The Boys or iaei," me Minute Men," etc. A regular orgy of militarism Is in fact started in the infantile mind to its last ing ruin. What chance nas the refining Influence of Louisa M. Alcott in such company? Now these pernicious books about the American Boy are being written now. today, by an army officer, using the time and energy for which our gener ous Government so liberally pays him. An Administration which can put ucb a quietus on the old Carabao Soci ety composed of such a miscellaneous membership would certainly make short work of this lone American Boy writer. If its attention were only called to the harm he is doing the youth of the land. Mr. Bryan would certainly be in sym pathy with the women of Oregon on this question. Why not appeal to him at once? ANTI-MILITARIST. Poaaible Chaneo for Unemployed. PORTLAND. Nov. 30. (To the Edi tor.) Thousands of people last Spring admired the beautiful yellow Scotch broom which grows around Mount Ta bor. I suggest to those who desire to have one of these bushes in their own yard that now Is the time to secure it. One of the best places to get a nice bush is on the vacant lot at the north west corner of East Seventy-first and Taylor streets. The Mount Tabor and Altamead cars stop at this corner. On account of the ordinance compel ling all brush to be cut from vacant lots, it Is only a question of a couple of years before this beautiful shrub will entirely disappear from Mount Tabor District It may be possible for some of the unemployed to aciicit orders for these bushes and in this way earn a few dollars. Scotch Broom plants are sold by the florists for 2a to SO cents each. I would suggest to anyone taking or ders to charge 25 cents for the plant and 10 cents extra for planting. SUBSCRIBER. Twenty-Five Years Ago Prom The Oregonlan of November 19, 1SS9. The old lighthouse at Newport, on Yaquina Bay, now occupied by J. S. Polhemus, an engineer In charge of the Government jetty construction, was struck by lightning Tuesday, and Mr. Polhemus' little boy was sitting with his mother six feet from a window, which, with numerous things about the house, was demolished. They fortu nately escaped with only being stunned. A young girl in the kitchen was not injured. Boston. Mass., endured a hot Thanks giving, for two blocks in the center of the city were completely destroyed by fire, at a loss estimated at $1,000,000. Turkeys have been bringing very high prices this Thanksgiving, com manding 20 to 25 cents per pound. San Francisco Cal The barkentlne Discovery left ' for Honolulu today, la spite of the Coast Seamen Union's at tempt to prevent Captain McNeill from getting a crew. Montana is making a bitter fight against the Northern Pacific Railway, which is trying to gain title to much valuable mineral land held by the Gov ernment. v Pad-e-kah, an Indian, killed a snow bunting bird near Pendleton a few days ago, and wants to sell it for 310. These birds are rarely seen away from the glacier sections before snow flies. Joseph Shlmek, who lives at Hanna ford Swamp, near Centralis, Wash., has ripe strawberries on his place. Mrs. Gove, of La Camas, Wash., has ripe raspberries on her place. Thomas Corbett. the artesian . well borer, is In Vancouver, Wash., with his machinery. George Mollenkof, who lives near Pendleton, has unearthed a mastodon and other fossils on his place. The Oregon Pacific steamer William M. Hoag made a trip to Salem yester day in eight hours and SO minutes, and made nine landings and discharged S3 tons of freight. Mrs. Coursen, Mrs. Reed, Mr. Hooper and Mrs. E. D. Baker, a recent arrival from the Bast, will sing at a concert to be held in the Masonic Hall Tues day evening. A fire was caused by rats gnawing matches In Walker & Dana's factory yesterday morning. The damage was ,250. At a meeting of Willamette Tribe, No. 6, Improved Order of Redmen. the following officers were elected for the ensuing year: Sachem, M. Ansacher: S. S., H. F. Weideman; J. S.. G. Simons; K. of W. G-, J. Erdner; C. of R. H., G. ' Lau; prophet, J. Oberender; trustee, J. V. Lankin. Half a Century Ago From The Oresronlan of November 80, 1804. Nick Oliver has brought 13 deer to town, the result of one day's hunting on Gate Creek, which flows into the McKenzie Kiver SO miles east of Eu gene. One deer weighed 150 when dressed. At a meeting of the War Kagle Gold and Silver Mining Company. E. W. Tra- cey was elected president. H. F. Block, vice-president, and James W. Going, treasurer. . Snow Is fallini? at T.ovin In tbi southern part of the state. Jack Sheppard erot a cllD In the face during a hurdy-gurdy melee at 3 o'clock In the morning which took his upper lip off. While searching for a physi cian he lost the severed part containing nis mustacne. Mrs. M. Hackney is anxious to obtain information of the whereabouts of her brother. Cyrus Smith. The play of "A Wife's Secret." given at the Willamette Theater last night, is a good one with a moral. Charles W. Reynard, of Honolulu, married Miss Lucy Aubrey Angelo, of Portland, yesterday. The Rev. P. E. Hyland performed the ceremony. The Rev. G. J. Mlnglns, agent of the Christian Commission, is on his way here from California The Congrega tional Church has raised 323.55 coin and $7 currency toward the movement. L. E. Pratt, of Salem, who went east to purchase machinery for the woolen mill now being erected at Oregon City, returned yesterday on the Sierra Ne vada. Clackamas County offers inducements to volunteers that would tempt men to go from here to that county to enlist. Polk County has already completed its quota, leading the state. The editor of The Oregonian is asked by the Sisters of Charity to thank the citizens of Vancouver and officers and men of the post, especially General Al- vord. Captain Hooper and Captain Hop kins and P. Buckley,- who discovered the fire, for rendering assistance when the Washfngton Territory Insane Asylum was partially destroyed by fire. One Canse of "Mashing." PORTLAND, Nov. 30. (To the Edi tor.) At regular periods there arises an agitation against so-called street mashers and a decree Is issued from some authority to apprehend the offenders and punish them. Against this I have no objection but have hitherto In vain looked for a little agitation regarding the causes of this persistent mashing. Of course one cause is the depravity of the offend ing men, but another cause, and one that could be more effectively dealt with the authorities, is the hundreds of disreputable women and girls, who roam our streets to attract these mashers for their commercial value. After a little effort to learn facts I feel safe in saying there are hundreds of these women In this city, which is supposed to be closed, who bave their safe retreats within walking dis tance of the illuminated district. Is it any ' wonder that men find amusement In standing about and seeing how accurately they can pick out the one who is looking for "com pany, or, that they frequently make a slight mistake and wink at the wrong one? This mashing will not be abated until respectable women demand that the professional -female "mashers" ba kept off the street and forced into honorable lives. JOSEPH R. PROFITS vs. COSTS "I can't afford to use newspaper advertising," said one manufacturer. "Well, I can't afford not to," said the second one, whose business la growing by leaps and bounds. "I don't look at what a thing costs, but what I am going to get out of It. "Newspaper advertising brings me larger, more immediate, more defi nite returns than any other kind I have ever tried. "As a matter of fact it costs less, too, for I buy no waste circulation."