TIIE MORNING- OREGONIAN, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1915.
PORTLAXO, OREGON'.
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Eastern Business Officer Veree Cnk
lin, New Tork. Brunswick building; Cnlcaso.
Slenger building.
ban rnutrim Office R. J. BidweU Com
pany. 742 Market street,
rORIXAJTO. 6ATITIDAT. FEB. !7. 110-
TIIE FCBLIO AND THE RAILROADS.
President Sproule, of the Southern
Pacific Company, doubtless has abun
dant ground for his statement that
business depression la due to "a long
continued clamor against all sorts
of public businesses." Honest public
opinion has neglected to discriminate
between honest and dishonest busi
ness, between those corporations
which respect the law and which seek
to Influence legislation by legitimate
means and those which are openi
lawless and which secretly or by .cor-
runt means oddosc legislation affect
ing them. Uninformed public opin
ion that which finds expression In
wholesale, demagogic condemnation
of the good with the bad for political
ends likewise falls to discriminate.
Tt also ignores changes for the better
An the conduct of business and Often
TroDoses remedies for existing evils
.Avhieh are worse than the disease.
I The cause of this condition of pub
lic opinion is to bo found In such
transactions as are recorded in the
same issue of The Oregonlan in whicH
'.Mr. Sproule's speech appears. On
ihe admission of one of the principals
pn the transaction, men holding about
one-third of the stock of the Kock
island Kallroad so manipulated the
iffairs of that lino that on iTl.OOO,
'00 of stock thero have been piled
Stock and bonds of two holding com
panies to the amount of 1191.000,000.
J'the only source of dividends on this
Jsiim being the earnings of. the oper
ating companies." There is no dif
ference between such transactions
-:ind those of "Get-Rich-Quick Wal
Singford." The result is that one of
the best-paying railroad properties in
ho country has been reduced to
bankruptcy.
The same edition of The Oregonian
Irontains a report of the Interstate
Vomnierce Commission charging the
luouisvillc & Nashville Railroad "with
Jicquiring competing lines and with
a Trying on- for years at a cost of mil
lions of dollars on elaborate political
Jmd publicity campaign to eliminate
competition and influence public
i'Pinion." This road has made politi
Val contributions "which run up into
the millions." and has paid money "to
Mate officials and legislators of Ten
nessee, municipal officers of Kash
Jvillo. politicians, lobbyists and attor
neys," and to newspapers "to mold
jiublic opinion."
, We are ready to concede, in the
Jibsence of evidence to the contrary,
4 hat the great majority of railroads
pre honoftly and lawfully manageu,
liut their presidents and directors are
liot often heard in condemnation of
J hose which are dishonestly and law
lessly managed. Much less do honest
Railroad men actively aid the law in
Exposing and punishing the crimes of
dhe dishonest. Under these circum
stances the public infers that "all are
arred with the same brush." It is as
jnuch due to the apathy of honest
Railroad men, who fail to set theme-elves
apart from the dishonest by
iriving aid to the law in bringing the
Offenders to justice, as to the crimes
f the dishonest and the clamor of
J he demagogues that the public conr
founds the good with' the bad and is
Ileluded into hostility to its own pros
perity. . AVe find at one extreme dishonest
ail road men, at the other extreme
demagogues who blame all railroad
Snen for the sins of the few. Between
JJio two are honest public men and
the great mass of the people who
STEsh to punish only the guilty and to
fcive the innocent a clean record. But
eve find honest raliroad men making
J-'ommon cause with the dishonest,
renouncing clamor against railroads,
Jaut saying not a word against the
vrlmea which have marred the re
lent management of the New'Haven,
ihe Rock Island and the Louisville &
Nashville.
I A change for the better in the pub
)lc attitude towards the . railroads has
set in. It Is due to loyal acceptance
by many railroads of public regula
tion by nation and state. It became
tipparent in the support given by
inany independent newspapers and
inany public bodies to the railroads'
ietition for an advance in rates. It
'as borne fruit in the grant of such
Jin advance to the Eastern roads. The
public realizes that the prosperity of
ihe railroads is bound up with that
lf the country in general. It wishes
the railroads to-earn fair dividends
oil their actually invested, capital un
der honest and capable management,
-Uh a reasonable margin for Im
provements. Let men like Mr.
Sproule come over and help us to
tick out and brand the black sheep
Jn the raliroad flock, and they will
find the public with them in putting
ihe demagogues to the right-about
Mid in bringing deserved prosperity
to the railroads and with them to the
jvhole country. The only cause of
)ublic hesitation to take this course
is fear that, in supporting the legiti
mate demands of the railroads, the
iublic may find itself promoting the
rosperlty of the railroad, Walllng
fords. K-i A TRIBUTE TO MOSES.
It is interesting to read in the Gal
axy that the poet Heine repented be
fore he died of the slight esteem in
which he once held Moses. In his
youth Heine tells us he "was not par
ticularly fond of Moses." the reason
for his dislike being that anti-Hellenic
spirit which moved the great lawgiver
to forbid the Jews to make graven
images. In fact, he exhibited, as
Heino remarks, an all-round hostility
to art, in consequence of which the
Jfiwa were for centuries an uncultured
People, though they have more than
retrieved the failing in modern times,
Heine himself was no mean exam
ple or the inborn Jewish gift for the
nrts and there came a time In his life
when he began to appreciate the
greatness of Moses. "A clearer light
dawned upon him." He won. his new
insight by reading the Bible and came
to understand that while Moses op
posed works of art fashioned "with
bricks and. granite," he did something
better. "He took a poor tribe of
shepherds and transformed them' into
a people destined to outlive centuries
he created Israel. The Greeks were
merely comely youths, but the' Jews
were always men, powerful, inflexible
men, not only formerly, but down to
this day, in spite of eighteen centuries
of persecution and misery."
Heine's later judgment is extremely
valuable, but some will think that he
undervalued the Greeks as much in
his riper years as he did the Jews in
his youth.
TWIN EVIDENCES OF BARBARISM.
The fundamental attitude of the
United States on the subject of neu
trality may be defined as follows:
This Nation will not consent to any
measures which aim to starve a whole
nation into surrender to its enemies.
This Nation will not countenance
the sinking of merchant ships, bellig
erent or neutral, without opportunity
to the crew to save their lives, nor
the sinking of neutral ships without
even a search to determine whether
they carry contraband.
These are two outbreaks of bar
barism in the war which are con
demned by Americans without regard
to their leanings as between tne
combatants.
JlS. TAFT ' AND THE SCHOOLS.
If Mr. Taft keeps on in his present
wavs he will earn the encomium
which Johnson bestowed upon Gold
smith. It will be said of him, and
truly said, that he touches everything
and leaves everything he touches bet
ter than he found it. The other day
he talked with inimitable wisdom
about our painstaking neutrality.
Now he appears before the superin
tendents' division of the National Ed
ucationel Association and discourses
upon the public schools with Judg
ment and common sense.
Mr. Taft discerns a danger in the
very affection- of the people for the
common schools. Their love is so
great that he fears it may blind them
to defects. "The common schools.
he says, "are not so much scrutin
ized as thev should be," and he adds.
what we all know to be true, that "It
difficult for apy community to
learn how thoroughly the children
are disciplined and taught. Nor is
there any sufficient way for the people
to learn with what economy or waste
the public schdol funds are disbursed.
The evil results of this lack of infor
mation are not perhaps so manifest
now as they may become later on.
Mr. Taft's remedy for these possible
defects in the economy of our schools
Is original. He thinks a National
university somewhat after Washing
ton's plan might prove extremely use
ful. In his opinion tho present fed
eral Bureau df Education might eas
ily be extended to become a supervis
ing and examining university under
whose care the efficiency or tne puo
Hc schools would be greatly en
hanced. The examinations would nat
urally lead to degrees. If strictly
guarded as they should be, the de
grees would be held in the highest
esteem and any school whose pupils
could not obtain them would be sub
jected to severe criticism by local pa
trons. This would naturally lead to
investigation of conditions and the
remedy of defects.
There is much in Mr. Tarts plan
which merits careful consideration.
We think everybody will agree that
it would be better for our schools to
be supervised by public authority
than by a private body like the Car
negie board.
SOME PLEDGES AND OTHERS.
The lofty pose of impeccable 'non
partisanship assumed by the Port
land Evening Journal is not impres
sive, in view of its partisan support
of every partisan act of a partisan
National Administration and its par
tisan opposition to every measure de
signed to release the hold of the' late
"non-partisan" Governor upon the
present state administration. It . is
natural that Governor Withycombe
should desire to be at the head of his
own official family, and no mere
gubernatorial stepfather.
The whimpering insincerity of the
Portland Democratic newspaper's
daily uproar about spoils-mongering
through the Mosc-r act Is obvious
from the fact that it has had no word
of criticism of President Wilson or
Secretary Bryan for the acts of a
National Administration more parti
san than any other in forty years.
The President has filled Federal jobs
with Democrats and no others; Sec
retary Bryan has made spoils-hunting
for "deserving Democrats" a prime
occupation, and a Democratic Con
gress has sought to make of the civil
service a tattered farce." If there has
been one single performance based on
bona fide non-partisanship by any
Democrat in Jhe National Adminis
tration, from President Wilson down
to Milt Miller, The Oregonian would
be glad to be informed by its tearful
neighbor what it was.
But the outstanding offense of Gov
ernor Withycombe in signing the
Moser bill, it seems, is his acceptance
of the emergency clause. It has not
been the practice of any Legislature
to limit its powers over the emer
gency clause to a narrow interpreta
tion of the Constitution. The Legis
lature is absolutely the sole judge of
Its rightful use. and ever- Governor
since the initiative and referendum
was adopted has followed the prac
tice on occasion of signing bills in
tended to go Into effect immediately.
Governor Chamberlain set the exam
ple by signing at least five bills creat
ing new judgeships, and these bills
had emergency clauses. Governor
West did not depart from the -ways
of his illustrious preceptor and pre
decessor, except that he occasionally
adopted the expedient of filing the
bills without, signing. But he did not
veto them. Now Governor Withy
combe, confronted with the alterna
tive of affixing his signature or his
veto to a bill he distinctly approves,
has refused to be dragooned Into dis
approval because it was to become ef
fective immediately and because also
he had declared himself during the
campaign against indiscriminate use
of the emergency clause. The cer
tainty that the referendum would be
invoked on the bill, not for. the peo
ple, but for the benefit of the West
appointees, if the bill had been left
open to attack, doubtless weighed
with the Governor In reaching his
decision.
The Democratic spoilsmen have
been in control of the state for twelve
years. The first most- conspicuous
act of Governor Chamberlain was a
daring exercise or his power to put a
fellow Democrat In office, Mr, Cham
berlain wag District Attorney when
elected Governor, and he held on to
that job until he took the oath as
Governor, and then he appointed his
own successor as District Attorney,
a Democrat. Democrats and Cham
berlain or West Republicans have
been or guard -ever since.
The violation of campaign pledges
is a fruitful topic indeed, we invite
our neighbor, the Journal, to make a
somewhat broader elucidation of tne
subject, beginning with the National
Democratic platform of 1912, and the
attitude of President and Congress
toward its various planks, and ending
with the famous coup of Governor
West and his allies in 1913 when they
engineered a $170,000 appropriation
bill through the Legislature to com
plete the State Library building, and
fastened an emergency clause thereon
so that the people might not have an
opportunity to express themselves on
the open violation of the law of 1911;
which provided that the building and
grounds should cost J150.000 and no
more.
JOHX MINTO.
John Minto had been a resident of
Oregon for more than seventy years,
and in all that time had been active
(and potent. The beginnings of his
Oregon career were In the McLough-
lin period, and he was one or tne rew
survivors among the Oregon pio
neers who saw and knew that great
man at the height of his power. He
arrived - in the remote territory of
Oregon before Portland " was an en
tity, and passed its site, then a part
of the virgin wilderness, in a canoe
on his way to his future home in the
Willamette Valley. Few men have
lived to see a great city start from
nothing and become a thriving me
tropolis of 250,000 people; and few
also have had to do through seventy
long years with the creation of a state
and its growth into a strong unit in
the National commonwealth.
Mr. Minto was a true pioneer, for
he had run the gamut of all the early
settler's emotions, experiences and
hardships, and the honored citizen's
rewards' and comforts. He touched
life in Oregon at every angle.
Mr. Minto was a man of sturdy
character, who practiced honesty in
all his dealings. He was a leadec in
many movements ' for the benefit of
the state, and he was a patriot' in
times that tried men's souls. He had
the love of a numerous family and
the. rcsDCct of a very large acquaint
ance. He leaves a gooa name &uu
an untainted memory. A good and
useful man- is gone. .
. ACTORS AND WNGERS.
F. C. - Whitney's plans for a Na
tional Theater in New York may fail
but if they do it will not be for lack
of exnerience and observation. He
has been a manager and producer of
plays for thirty-two years and the
wisdom thus gained ho has enlarged
and ripened by a study of the best
nlavhouses in Europe. From all tni3
we may safely expect Mr. Whitney to
unite in his new enterprise whatever
is best in all parts of the world.
The National Theater is to De
ODencd next October with a company
(r nlavers whose contracts run for
periods varying from one year to five.
Wo gather that Mr. Whitney would
gladly begin at once with the French
method of protecting veteran players
with a perpetual contract and pen
sioning them when incapacitated, but
circumstances do not - permit. iso
doubt he will cherish this as a con
summation to be looked to in the
future. The company must be large
and expensive because no play is to
run for more than a week in the Na
tional Theater. Hence roles will be
numerous and a great diversity of
gifts demanded of the actors.
Mr. Whitney intends to select nis
plays wherever he can find them,
though naturaly those in foreign
tongues will be translated into Eng
lish." Let us hope that they will not
at the same time be too much
"nrianied." It seems a pity that
Americans should not enjoy the op
portunity to see German, French and
Italian plays as the authors wrote
them. The privilege of enjoying any
play whatever as It left the author's
hand is comparatively rare in this
country. Our dollar-hunting pro
ducers" think they know so much
more about the drama than the men
who write that they must always
tinker a new play. This is one among
many reasons why our "National
drama" continues to languish. New
plays will not be excluded from Mr.
Whitney's National Theater, but none
will . be chosen because they exploit
sex ,' or depict "gilded vice." The
management will seek first and al
ways good plays without much regard
to any particular theories of dramatic
art or any whims of popular fancy.
It is scarcely to be expected that an
undertaking so novel and, in a way,
so un-American, should be self-supporting
from the outset. To meet the
inevitable deficit Mr. Whitney has
arranged to sell stock at J60 a share.
He says he already has applications
for shares from people of all social
ranks in New York, which shows that
the new enterprise makes a wide ap
peal. There must be many thou
sands of Intelligent and fairly com
fortable New Yorkers who want to
see a good theater established. A
share of stock entitles the holder to
one seat each week throughout the
season of thirty weeks.
Attached to the National Theater
will be a school of acting open with
out fees to all students who can pass
the breliminary examination for en
trance. This will naturally form the
permanent source from which the
theater will recruit its company of
actors, but for the present they must
be obtained wherever they can be
found. We do not gather that Mr.
Whitney will make any extraordinary
effort to accumulate "stars." He
says he wants an all-American com
pany, but very likely he will feel sat
isfied with a certain moderate level
of uniform merit. A good play is
more pleasing to an intelligent audi
ence such as Mr. Whitney's theater
will attract when it is evenly acted
by a moderately good company than
when one solitary star shines with
iim satellites around him. It is a
great artistic blunder to subordinate
i - ctrtftlv tn nriA rlnmi-
.tL fi.re. Great Plays are not
tt -o.it, anv such purpose in
mind. In most of Shakespeare's
pieces, for instance, there is an op
portunity for half a dozen actors to
exhibit brilliant powers if they pos
sess them. Tho case is different with
grand opera. There the hero and
heroine designedly shine in lonely
splendor, while the rest of the per
formers matter comparatively little.
The' Improper following of this grand
operatic ideals in presenting plays
has done much to wreck the theater
In the United States. And even in
muscal performances the lone star
arrangement may be carried so far
a to make trouble. Emilie Frances
Bauer gave an Interesting account of
such an occurrence in. The Oregonian
last Sunday.
Godowskl, the pianist, was billed
to appear with Caruso at a certain
recital, but he was billed in letters so
small as to be scarcely visible, while
the all-absorbing tenor appeared in
mammoth capitals. Godowskl per
emptorily declined to stand any such
belittlement. He broke his engage
ment and all his fellow-Instrumentalists
congratulated iim for his pluck.
To the popular imagination great
singers embody all that is highest and
best in music, but artists themselves
are of a very different opinion. It is
hardly open to question that a really
great instrumentalist stands nearer to
the heart of music than a singer does.
The most musical music is not writ
ten to be sung, but to be played, per
haps on stringed instruments. we
can conceive of nothing nearer to the
fine ideal of pure music than, the
sound of a lone violin in the hands of
a master. The supreme composers
have of necessity been instrumental
ists of more or less skill but seldom
singers. A pianist interpreting
Beethoven or Cherubini loses his
personality in his art, while a tenor
like Caruso forces himself to tne
front, leaving the genius of the com-
Doser in the background. When the
Ninth Symphony is played Beethoven
gets the glory, no. matter who plays
it, but when Caruso sings wagner is
for the moment forgotten, while the
Dersonality of the ephemeral per
former disports itself on the stage. It
is a tenable proposition that a singer
of Ivrle.q like David Bispham has
more pure musical value than a bril
liant operatic performer like Caruso
The woman who left her husband
twelve hours after marriage, alleging
he was a hunchback, got her decree
in a local court, although he proved
he was not as alleged and a pretty
good man, too. Perhaps, after awhile,
people contemplating matrimony and
having doubts will heed the advice of
Dr. Brougher, very well known here,
to bathe in the surf as a preliminary
test.
Dartmouth has taken steps to join
fortunes with the New Hampshire
public schools, thus forsaking the
policy of haughty isolation which the
New England colleges have pursued
for a centilry. Followed to the logical
outcome Dartmouth's new policy will
make it a true state university, some
thing quite novel in that part of the,
country.
No doubt those Piute bucks havo a
grievance; all Indians who "uprise'
have. In this instance tho white man
must "settle and settle good," before
the Federal Government intervenes,
else there will not bo a settlement.
In that region the "deadest" is the
"good est."
Other communities will watch for
results in the plan of Philomath mer
chants to sell for cash only. This is
tho season when money is not plenty
on the farm and -what there is on
hand must be saved for the tax
collector.
To not many orators is allowed the
grand climax attained1 by the Italian
Deputy who pitched forward dead as
he reached the topmost burst tn his
address for intervention by fighting.
If you desire a good job and have
not applied to Governor Withycombe,
you are not in the swim. . The Gov
ernor has a talented man on purpose
to explain.
The mastiffs in the Dutch army will
strike more terror than the guns they
draw. A soldier would prefer being
riddled with balls than chewed by a
brute.
- It develops that a man taken in
custody at Salem for loss of memory
is. wanted for embezzlement of $3000.
No wonder he lost his memory.
Americans marooned in Paris, os
tensibly by the war, but many were
stranded there in years past for other
reasons.
Berlin announces readiness to make
concessions. But have the Berlin
diplomats got their fingers crossed?
Desertions from the Navy are re
ported to have ceased during the
present Winter.
There is a reason.
Should Great Britain, be in Jovial
mood and let tho Dacia go to Rotter
dam, on- whom would be the joke?
The Mongolian prefers to sink in
American waters, where she will have
better company and more room.
The price of wheat is said to be
wabbling. A few of us will not weep
if it does more than wabble. ,
German submarine activity can be
expected in the Mediterranean with
opening of the Dardanelles.
Two more Teuton armies are
marching on Warsaw. But it's a
long, long way to Warsaw.
These are anxious days for some
state employes now that each must
stand on his merit.
What the world is looking for is a
battle between submarines. Surface
action is too slow.
Many a boy is the mainstay of tho
family just now and the experience is
good for him. .
With all the legislative ' bill3 now
disposed of the Legislatuce fades into
history.
The neighboring forests already
show the first touch of Spring.
Uneasy rests the head of the job
holder who can't make good.
We may all have to fight yet in or
der to keep out of the fight.
How can Portland exist without an
annual school meeting?
-
' Paying taxes in installments light-
ens the burden
The ball season is dismally slow
getting here.
Many jitneys will be regulated out
of business.
Mexico
Good!
City is cut off by wire.
Sell your grain and get out from
under.
The submarines are right on the
job.
Where is the motorcycle Jitney?
Twenty-five Years Ago
From The Oregonian of February 27, 1800.
Washington. By a strict party vote
the House committee today decided to
report favorably the bill admitting
Idaho as a state. The Democrats and
Mormons seemed powerless to forbid.
Vancouver, Wash. Lieutenant E. H.
Clarke, of Company H of the National
Guard of Washington, met almost in
stant death yesterday at Lucia Mills
when he fell across a revolving cir
cular saw.
Baltimore. The negroes of Balti
more have gone wild over Peter Jack
son, who is the idol of the day on ac
count of his rrize-rinc success. On
the other hand, the big black has
been mobbed by some white rowdies.
By phonograph a deceased clergy
man. Rev. Thomas Allen Home,
preached his own funeral sermon yes
terday at New York, according to dis
patches. Prior to his death he had
made detailed arrangements for his
funeral. One of the particular details
was the sermon which he talked Into
a phonograph. The record, which was
a good one and reproduced the sperch
and weeping of the clergyman when
he broke down during the sermon, nd
vised the hearers that he was at that
moment beyond the borderland of igno
rance, and, after reciting his virtues,
expressed the wish that he would be
enthroned among the elect in heaven.
New York. The death of John Jacob
Astor and the placement of his vast
fortunes largely with his son, vvimam
Waldorf Astor, places Mrs. ' William
Waldorf Astor In a higher social po
sition than Mrs. William Astor. who
up to this time has always been held
the arbiter in the 400 circle.
J. B. Bangs, of Seattle, and Mrs.
S. B. Judkins, of Portland, were mar
ried yesterday at the Revere House
by Rev. Mr. Gordon.
Shortly after fire had been kindled
in the range at the boarding-house of
Mrs. B. Bauer yesterday morning the
boiler exploded, shattering tho range
and doing a large amount of minor
damage to the place, which is at
Fifth and Stark streets.
A. J. Coffey, city electrician, who
went East to examine into the mod
ern police call systems, will also ex
amine Into the latest method of string
ing electric light wires.
John Boyle O'Reilly, the famous
poet, editor and orator, will bo a Port
land visitor March 18 and will give a
lecture on the "Illustrious Irishmen of
the Century."
Miss Kilsay has accepted a position
of teacher in the schools of East Tort
land. Charles E. Warner, youngest son of
J. G. Warner, who is on his way home
after a two years" sojourn at Cornell
University, telegraphs that he is snow
bound at Soda Springs. Idaho, about
700 miles east of Portland.
Cold weather has Interfered with
navigation and the Columbia River Is
frozen, Vancouver being for the time
isolated.
BRYAN'S TALK CONJIRES VISIONS
Railroad Man InuiKlnrs Mutln In
101K If "Commoner" Hulew.
EUGENE. Or., Feb. it. (To the Ed
itor. 1 I greatly enjoyed reading in
an Associated Press dispatch recently
an account of an address by William J.
Bryan, Secretary ot Mate, at a nan
quet of the Transportation Club of In
dianapolis on February 5, in which Mr.
Bryan took occasion to criticise the
railroads, their officers, manner of do
ing business, etc., and told them how
properly to.io their business.
1 was so impressed by the article
that mv imagination wandered to per
haps the year 1920 or 1925, when all
railroads will be owned ana cperaieu
by tho Government, and I could see the
following news Items featured in the
Associated Press:
r-.tmArnl Manacer W. W. Aitinp. of the
United Slates Air Line, which line is. as the
public Is aware, havins trouble with floodn.
strikes, etc., also subject to ht-avy traffic
at this season of tho year, requiring excep
tionally faat time, has decided to go to Tau
rus City where be will deliver his well
knnwn lecture. "How to Uet It." to an
audience composed entirely of Secretaries
of State. The board or directors or iuo '
i.-,.r .-.t.io that, he can bo spared, as they
can get along better without him than while
he is on duty.
Here's another:
Conductor P. Iffle. in charge of Wash
ington special on tne iniiea niaitrs
Line, found it necexsary to leave his train in
charge of the peanut butcher while he ac
cepted an invitation to lecture to a large
circle of friends and acquaintances on "Coco
t-ola, Welch's or Armour's" (at 1.00 per
cubic yard, meter measurement, payable In
advance or the gas will be turned off).- The
passengers on bis train have sent a vote of
thanks to the management, as lie left them
at a point where large vineyards on both
nldes of the track are in full bearing, from
which they gathered the delicious nuts and
tapped the vines tor juice. ic is muif
that this well-known conductor ut
nr..mntH to suiterin tenden t.
Superintendent T-. Kclcss, of the mountain
rfiv-i.t nf the ITnited Slates Air Line, who
hu." reentlv been appointed, has made a
clean sweep ot an tne experiencou ii"
of his division. jnis mciuaea oisi.ic.ii..
operators, englnemen. trainmen and section
n Ki, nniiev being that a new broom
sweeps clean, and that he can fill all these
positions to much better advantage by em
ploying personal acquaintances of his who
would not be hampered by experience of any
kind, and who could conduct tho business
f the road to the best personal aavaniago
of the superintendent. Wo look for best
results from this policy.
To a railroad man the above items
would create the utmost astonishment,
but thev are no more than the Identical
things which the Secretary of State has
done in his own department. Truly It
makes a great difference whose ox is
gored. A KAIL.KUAU m aim.
Rons In CrlbbaRC.
BANKS. Or.. Jan. 30. (To the Edi
tor.) Will you kindly answer the fol
lowing questions in crlbbage? A leads
3, B 5, A 1. B 4. A 2.
A leads 8, B 7, A 9.
Is there a run in either hand?
CHAS. T. POWERS.
According to Hoyle. neither hand
would count a run, for cards must be
in sequence to count a run. Other au
thorities allow a run when no other
cards intervene among the cards con
stituting the run, whether the latter
are played in sequence or not. It all
depends on how strict the players wish
to make the rules.
Old Soldiers CrlU-baare Dlapntc.
SLDIERS HOME. Roseburg. Or.,
Feb. 25. (To the Editor.) I wish you
would settle a dispute. How much does
a 4 and 3 aces with 9-spot turned up
count in a game of cribbage? A says
12 and B says 10. HARVEY HYDE.
ROSEBURG. OrFeb. 25. To the
Editor.) Will you decide how much 3
aces and a 4 with a 9 turn-up will
count in a game of cribbage?
OLD SOLDIER.
' The hand counts 12. There are three
possible combinations of 15 with the 9,
the 4 and two of the aces, while the
three aces count 6.
Addresses, of Xa4orliaa.
AURORA, Or., Fob. 26. (To tiie Edi
tor.) will you please give me the ad
dress o C. F. Hodge, naturalist of
Clark University, and of T. G. Pear
son, general secretary ot the National
Audubon Societies? ..
A. B. DENTAL.
C. F. Hodge, 103 May sireet, Worces
ter. Mass.
T. Ci. Pearson, 1974 Broadway, New
Tork.
THE Tl'MALO IRRIGATION PROJECT.
Reader of The Orea-oa-laa .ho la ter
cet in Development Plan.
Many readers having asked The Ore
gonian for information about the so
called Tumalo irrigation project, a few
facts are herewith given relating to
the lands called by that name, which
have lately been Irrigated, or placed In
a condition to irrigate, by the state, O.
Laurgaard having been the engineer
who successfully carried the work
through.
The lands in this project formerly
embraced what waa called the Colum
bia Southern irrigation project and
were segregated under the Carey act
by the Three listers Irrigation Com
pany. The segregation was made and
work begun in the year 1H02, the first
price for water being fixed at 110 an
acre, it being the Idea of the first pro
moters to water the lands by a simple
diversion system from Tumalo Creek.
The tract is situated In the west
central part of Crook County, lying be
tween the Deschutes River and extend
ing back towards the Cascade Moun
tains, the western extremity of the tract
being near the town of Plstera. the
town of Laldlaw being on the river In
its eaatern portion. The railroads are
across the river from the tract, the
station nearest Laidlaw. where there is
a bridge across the Deschutes, being
the town of Deschutes, about three
miles to the east. This ia a Joint sta
tion for both the Harrlman and Hill
lines.
When the first company found itself
In financial difficulties, owing to bad
management and other cause, it got
entangled with the Land Board and
finally its contract was canceled after
about 2000 acres had received water.
Trouble for the settlers, litigation all
aorts of difficulties were encountered
and the settlers blamed the state or the
land Board, no doubt with a show of
cause.
At the session of the Legislature In
1913 the matter was brought up and
finally an appropriation of 145.0O0 was
made to take the matter over and com
plete the irrigation system and dispose
of the lands, tho price of water being
fixed at J40 an acre, payutte on the
same terms as prevail on Government
projects. The tract embraced 22.10
acres, but many of the land owners had
already paid for their water. But It
was thought morn than cnourh would
be tiold at the new price to reimburse,
the state with Interest.
O. Iiurgaard was selected as the
chief engineer, and he wont ahead anfl
did the work in far better shape than
the plans called for, and did It within
the specified time and below the speci
fied price, thus accomplishing practi
cally the impossible in Irrigation feais.
The .work was all done and the report
in full published Jut prior to the meet
ing of tho Legislature last month. (The
reader can secure a copy by writing
the Desert iJind Board, Salem.)
The tract is divided, practically. Into
40-acre units, although it ia permitted
In certain cases for one person to pur
chase more than one unit. The price
of the land Is nothing, the price of the
water HO an acre, but title to the land
does not pass until t he water ia paid
for in full. Neither the land nor water
can be contracted for save by persona
who are citizens of the United States,
or have declared their intention to be
come citizens. Title cannot be
until the holder has actually resided 9"
davs on the land. The payments for
the water mav be made on various
terms running over a period of 1" years,
but not less than $4 an acre must he,
paid when application is made for the
land. Then the purchaser ran take a
two-vcar layoff without payment, pay
ing $4 each year for the last seven
years: hut interest at o .. i-.
annum must be paid on all deferred
payments.
There were on Ihe first day or thl
month 20 contracts in force or paid
out on. and about 400 more available
for land seekers. In other words, al
though the lands have been open to
settlement now for several months.
only about 7000 acres have peen "".
which includes all of ino original rat
tlers who have remained, and there re
main between 1R.000 and 1S.0OO acres
unoccupied, which nobody teems to
W Perhaps that Is putting it ft trifle
strong, but 1t Is sure the land beekers
are not falling over each other In ef
forts to make their entries. Just what
the difficulty is nobody aeems to know:
one thing is certain the land is geod
and the water system first class.
e
rkvision of otn smrriMi laws
What Congreaa la Doing nnn w nsl
Portland Chainher rronoars.
rrriTr.ANTD. Feb. 23. (To the Edi
tor ) In the present session does Con
gress expect to do anything to remedy
our obsolete shipping laws? '' not,
why not? Has the Chamber of com-
erce taken tne, matter u- c.-...
this sanio question or tne journal, uui
it failed to answer ana i nm ituij
ious to know. ..,,,,.,,
A iM'.W ! t3t- IW Of"-
The seamen's bill abolishing Im-
. . . j A rnvittte-
prisonineni tor urariu -
relating to safety at aea Is in con-
ference end is likely to paas at this
session. The ship-purchase bill la a
pretended effort to remedy defects in
the law, but is not likely to pass. Noth
ing else has been done or Is likely to
be done at this session.
The Portland Chamber of Commerce
has recommended that ft commission
be. appointed to Investigate the whole
subject of navigation laws and to make
recommendations to the next Congress,
and that. In the meantime, no action
be taken on tho seamen's bill or on
any like measure. The Chamber haa
also recommended that Congress give
the President authority to suspend from
year to year the law forbidding for-elen-built
ships to engage in coast
wise trade, so far as traffic between
Atlantic and raciric ports through the
Panama Canal is concerned.
"J. T. D." IDBNTITY BKINti TRACKD
J. B. Courtney Flnda J. T. Dillon Irish
man With Loyalty o Britain.
PORTLAND. Feb. 24. (To the Edi
tor.) I hope J. T. V. does not plead for
Messrs. Murphy and Shanahan lt his
letter appearing in The Oregonian. reb
ruarv 24. On inquiry I Ilnd that a
J. T. Dillon Is. and has been tor some
tittin an active member or tne tirmsn
Benevolent Society, but always tmder-
tood that he waa an t.ngnsnman aim
did not suspect for an instant that ne
allied himself with any Ot me irisn
societies whose aims are, as I under
stand it, more or less revolutionary
and anti-Knglish.
However. I congratulate air. union
as the only memQer ot an mon ru-
clety wth sufficient loyalty to i-.ngiana
tn follow hv word and deed the ex
ample of the great Irish leader John
13. Redmond; in tact i mtsni mm mm
he la the only Irishman in Portland to
belong to a purely British organiza
tion. J. B. COURTNEY.
lulled State Did Not Sinn.
PORTLAND, Feb. 2. (To the Edi
tor.) (1) Did the United ftiates sign
the treaty guaranteeing neutrality to
Belgium? (!) How far Is It between St. I
Paul and Minneapolis, .ninn. : up imo
the contractors pay the cost of redeck
inir the Union avenue and Grand ave
nue bridges? v. A. S.
1. No.
2. The city Itmita of St. Paul and
Minneapolis join: from the Center of
Minneapolis to the center of St. Paul
it Is about 10 milea.
3. The city and th street railway
companlea pay the cost In these cae.
There is no maintenance clause In the
original contract In effect on thase
bridges at this limn..
I
Half Century Ago
From The Oregonian February 27. 1 '.
From Europe we learn that Uarls
Rut-sell and Derby are pitted afiainsl
each other In the House of Ixrd, lh
first our friend and tho Ullcr our
enemy. Perhaps the most amiitln thin
we have to tell Is that Napoleon -
concluded to end no Minister to Un
united Mates until Mexico Is rr.ca
nixed by tie with Maximilian as Its l.ni
peror. If Ilia Majesty of France con
siders such ft reroKnltlotl worth wail
ing for he need not hurry hlnmelf ab-vit
chooslnir a successor for Mr. Merrier,
none will be needed fcr many a day.
A grand concert will be given Tim t
day evening March 3 at Ttni Vcrein
Hall, under tho direction of I'mrcst-"--Yoet.
The Ueriiiaii tilee Cul will
sing "Come Where; My Love l-le
ltreamlng." and other contributors H1
be Mrs. HlEpIn, Mr. Maguirot M'.
bturm and Professor Setlla--.
The bai kentine VV. R l anloit
.rounded yesterday on the old hulk cf
tho French vessel which In charge of
Captain Travalliot wa sunk at the
foot of V street In this city In .Tunc.
Jii0. We understand thru is till In
the hulk of the did vessel a fine as
sortment of br.mdie an. I Honor. lib
should tie some inducement to tlver
men to elevate her and dear the chan
nel. We are advleed that SJts. I". 1'. Vl tot,
of this city, Is rnaaced In writ Ins
book on Oregon, Mis. Victor will visit
the different parts of the state lo
gather the neeessarv data on groKraph.
history, tonography and various re
source. The task is In hlshly compe
tent and worthy hands.
"The French Spy" or "The Fall "f
Algiere" will he the bill at l!ie W il-
lamette Theater tl.u evening.
Adventures of Pen rod
THE SUNDAY
OREGONIAN
Booth TurkinKton's popular ju
venile hero t'onlinurs to hcwililrr
his companions, mystify liis cldcrt
nd delight his admirers. The lat
ter class consists largely of I lie
readers of The Orcj;onian, who will
be treated to another installment of
the Penrod stories next Sunday.
The next story is entitled "Brothers
of AnKclcs." As Penrod is one of
the most true-to-life hoy charac
tera yet created, this is Iho mot
typical Penrod Mory yet presented.
OTHF.R KE ATI' II ICS or THE IH;
SUNDAY IWI'LK.
Egyptian Sarcophagi for Modern.
In this article Dean Collins trives
an interesting; description of novel
work recently performed I ty the
student of the class in design at
the Portland Art Museum. They
applied the rules of Iho ancient.
Egyptians lo modern Mihjrctn mid
produce some very comical as well
as instructive results. A ItCHuliful
sarcophagus lias been designed for
Trffodore Roosevelt anil some of
the striking events in liis life nrc
presented in the fashion that Ihe
ancient Egyptians would huxc fol
lowed. Prisoners of W ttr.
What becomes tf (lie Idicrs
who are raptured by (lie enemy ami
taken prisoner? Here is one phase
of the war that heretofore has not
been given much explanation. In
this article Richard G. Conovcr
tells of the daily duties of the
thousands of soldiers who arc re
quired to work for their captors.
Tunnel Under English Channel.
The possibility of connecting
England and France by means of
a tunnel beneath the Channel has
been the Kubject of hrrioiis con
sideration for year. Now (hat the
war has emphasized the advant
ages of such a subaqueous pass
ageway engineers arc giving it
further attention.
How to I)o the Castle V alk.
A half page is devoted to an
explanation of how Mr. and Mrs.
Vernon Castle dance the lame duck,
the Castle walk and other modern
movements of the feet and hotly.
Ants That Thrie on Warfare.
Man is not tho only animal that
makes war in organized force
against others of his spenies. In
South America there arc regular
armies of ants some of them
number millions that arc organ
ized into regular armies for the
sole purpose of exterminating oth
ers of their kind. It is an interest
ing article ably handled.
Opening of the Panama Fair.
Photographers were busy the
first day of the Panama-Pacific
Exposition, when the grcatcxt
crowd ever assembled in the West
attended. A 14-columii panorama
will show a section of this vast
throng, and other pictures will give
glimpses of activities on the Ex
position grounds.
Exploit of Elaine.
Those who havo been following
this thrilling detective story will
await with interest tomorrow's in
stallment, which brings new and
unexpected complications.
Rose Festival Poster.
The first page of the magazine
section will be a reproduction In
colors of the poster that has been
adopted for the next Rose. Festival.
Paris Wants to Remain Style
Center.
Parisian artists are preparing to
combat the threatened invasion by
their American rivals of the field
of fashion in which they heretofore
have enjoyed exclusive reign. The
story is well illustrated in colors
and they are bringing the fight to
America.
Other Features.
Scores of other entertaining
stories and special features will
serve to make the Sunday Orego
nian ono of unusual interest. The
;rmic section will present Doc Yak.
Polly and the other popular charac
ters in new fields of adventure. A
full page of children's stories, col
umns of humor, whole pages of
war pictures and an abundance of
timely stories on local subjects will
mnke the paper complete.