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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (April 12, 1915)
THE MORNING OREGOJOA3T, MONDAY, APRH; 12, 1915. PORTLAND. OREGON. Entered at Pwtland, Oregon, Postoffice as second-class matter. Euljecriptioa Bate Invariably In advance Daily. Sunday Included, on year -!?0 Dally. Sunday Included, six months... Daily. Sunday Included, three months. Daily, Sunday Included, one month.-.. Dally, without Sunday, one year Dally, without Sunday, six months.... Daily, without Sunday, three montna. . Dally, without Sunday, one month.... "Weekly, one year Sunday, one year.... ........... Sunday and Weekly, one year 4.-3 2.25 .70 e.oo ,-.zS 1.71S .0 1.50 2.50 8.50 Kay - -iiioi. Dally, Sunday Included, one year 9 SS Dally. Sunday Included, ona month i5 Mow to Remit Send Poatoftlce money or. cer express order or personal check on your lor-al bank. Stamps, coin or currency are at sender's risk. Give postoffice address In full. Including county and state. Postage Kates 12 to 18 pares. 1 cent; 18 to 32 pates. 2 cents; 34 to 48 paces, 8 cents: CO to do pases, 4 cents; 62 to pases. 5 cents: "8 to it pes. o cents. Foreign post age, double rates. Eastern Business Office Veree Conk lln. New York. Brunswick building; Chicago, btenger &ulldlng. an Francisco Office R. J. Bldwell Com- Jany. 742 Market street. PORTLAND, MONDAY, APRIL It. IMS. IX A M'TSHJvLL. A million and a quarter dollars is : very little to' apend for permanent roads in a three hundred and thirty ;' million dollar county. Rather, a blll ; ion-dollar county; but the assessed valuation Is only a little over a third ' of a billion. The Investment Is timely, because It will employ much idle labor, without ' an Increase of taxes. It -will stop the ' old wasteful method of road-building. .' It will replace poor roads with good ; roads. The only objectors are the chronic ' foes of progress and those professional i labor leaders who want to dictate the terms upon which unemployed labor shall be employed, and. In order to do it, are seeking to defeat all chance of : their employment They prefer that labor shall starve, rather than that it . should work on terms not dictated by ; them. ' OPENING ALASKA AT LAST. Government railroad construction in .' Alaska is at last to begin. Purchase ' of the Alaska Northern road and se- J lection of the route for an extension ; to Fairbanks settles the preliminaries. This year the existing road will be put i in good condition and forty miles of '. the extension will be built. The close of the working season of next year ' should find the road in the Matanuska coal field and well advanced up the Susitna River. The first Matanuska : coal should soon afterwards appear on ' the markets of Portland and other Pa cific Coast cities. In order that this hope may be real ized, it Is necessary that development of the mines should begin this year, but development cannot begin until coal land has been leased under the new leasing law. Secretary Lane has shown such praiseworthy energy in pushing ahead the plans for railroad construction that we cannot believe he has neglected to do all in his power to rrovide traffic for the road by pro moting development of mines, but no news has come out of Washington that coal leases have been granted. Little can be done to relieve the glutted la bor market with the small sum avail able for the railroad, but coal mines could employ a considerable number of men. Construction of the railroad and opening of the coal mines will give an impetus to metaL-mining in Alaska. There are stamp mills on the coast of Western Alaska which consume coal Imported at exorbitant cost from Brit ish Columbia, though there is unde veloped coal at their doors. , When Matanuska and Nenana coal are avail able at moderate prices these mills can extend their operations to lower grade ore than they can now profitably crush, and new mines can be opened. Coal and metal mines and railroads will create a market for agricultural produce, which can be grown In the rich valleys of Western Alaska and the Tanana River, as In the like climate of Lapland and Finland. This development can best be pro moted by the adoption of Secretary Lane's recommendation that the con trol and disposal of all of Alaska's re sources be entrusted to a commission, which could act without referring every petty question to Washington. No government from the time of the Romans ever tried to administer a re mote territory directly, in the way the United States has attempted to ad minister Alaska. Success can be gained only by giving broad powers to the local administration, as has been done with the Philippines and Hawaii. At last we are getting things going on the Pacific Coast. We are build ing railroads and highways and irri gating land In Oregon and Washing ton. We are now to build railroads and open mines in Alaska. That Is the only real solution of the unemployed problem. There is employment enough for all, if we let the men get to the land. That will be the result of Alaska railroad-building. THE POTATO AND THE FARMER. The State University has performed a valuable service by Issuing a bulletin upon "Markets for Potatoes." It Is just now the question of markets rather than of production that worries the farmers. They can raise, even with Imperfect methods, more than they can easily sell and therefore any light that the university can throw upon their difficulties is of prime impor tance. The potato market has always been uncertain for Oregon growers. One year it returns encouraging prices, the next year it may prove extremely difficult to dispose of the crop at any figure. A grower stands about an even chance of losing his investment or of making a fair profit. The conditions resemble those of gambling too closely to be desirable. It would be far better if a small but dependable profit were obtainable year after year. The first difficulty seems to lie with the growers them selves. They use poor seed. Profes sor Scudder, of the Agricultural Col lege, Is quoted as saying that there are not enough good seed potatoes in Ore gon to plant 500 acres. Notoriously it has been the habit of our growers to plant the smallest po tatoes of their crops. This accom plishes a retrograde selection and. must ultimately lead to that "dying out" of the variety which is so common in all kinds, of potatoes, not excepting the excellent Burbank. The Oregon po tato crop is not only smaller by the acre than that of Idaho, but It is in ferior in quality, partly no doubt be cause of badly chosen seed, but not wholly. The potato is so easy to grow In this region that Its culture has been neg lected. It is planted on worn-out sol! without adequate fertilizers. It Is not sprayed to prevent blight and, most important of all, it is seldom properly cultivated during the season of drouth. Reform is essential in all these partic ulars before we can except to find the best markets. There are questions of grading and shipping that should also be considered. No doubt the solution of the potato problem, like so many others, will be found In the use of co-operative methods. MAKING GOOD HIS THREAT. The Central Labor Council, through Mr. Smith, Us president. Issues a pro test against the $1,250,000 road bond issue, on various grounds;' but the real ground Is carefully ignored. It is that Labor Leader Smith's proposal to de liver the labor vote to the bonds If a minimum wage of J 3 per day of eight hours were to be paid was rejected by the County Commissioners. The rea sons for refusal were not that a fair wage should not be paid, but that no such bargain or deal could or should be made with Smith and his colleagues as a means of influencing votes. The Smith offer was coupled with the bold declaration that if it was .not accepted, organized labor would go against the bonds. Now Smith is seek ing to make good his threat. The ostensible- reasons for the Smith hostility are now chiefly that there is "graft" in road-paving contracts and that the whole project Is a scheme or grafters to exploit the taxpayer by making excessive profits. But the "graft" did not worry Smith, if organ ized labor got its share. The Commissioners are accused of having an undue prejudice for "War renite," a brand of pavement, yet the Smith charge is wholly met by. Smith himself In the weak admission that "organized labor has no quarrel with the Warrenite people." The County Commissioners and the roadmaster emphatically resent any imputation that there will not be fair and open competition among all con tractors on all varieties of pavement There Is no doubt at all about it. The whole transaction will be in the open. for it must be, and the lowest respon sible bidder for any standard pave ment will get the contract or the sev eral contracts. If the public is to refuse to expend monev for public works Decause it cannot trust its authorized agents. nothing for the public benefit will or can be done. The public should refuse to be held up alike by Labor Leader Smith or the paving companies. TRAPPED. We cannot help but feel that Ser:a- tor Day is about to receive a verbal trouncing from the Journal. Nobody, least of all a newspaper, likes to be publicly trapped in an untruth. The Journal was so happy reveling in a mess of its own Imagining about the dismissal of Major Bowlby that it was a shame to disturb it. Doubtless it will object. It was a singular excuse the Journal offered for its untruthful statement that Senator Day had urged Mr. Kay to appoint Mr. Lucius, thereby caus ing disagreement between the Gover nor and Mr. Kay. The Journal's only explanation when called to account was that Senator Day at least urgea the Governor to appoint Lucius, though enlightenment as to how that could cause a disagreement between the Governor and Mr. Kay over Lucius when the Governor favored another man. is not offered. Now Senator Day denies that he ever urged the Governor to appoint Mr. Lucius and corroborates Mr. Kay s assertion that he did not urge Lucius UDon Kay. The only significance of the use of Mr. Lucius' name at this time of course is its bearing on the veracity of Bowlby"s newspaper cham pion and defender. It has certainly been trapped in one particular. It does not even attempt to substantiate its former assertions that Mr. Kay was listening to the siren voice of con tractors. With such absolute proof of the Journal's mendacity, Senator Day's further denials are entitled to full credit If for no other .reason. It ap pears from his letter published yester day, that the meeting of contractors in in his office to devise means of get tins; rid of Bowlby, as told of by the Journal, was never held. It develops that Bowlby was not unjustly treated by the ways and means committee at Salem. The public in reading the forthcom ing assault upon Senator Day In the Journal will of course recall that one untruth leads to another. R-R-REVENGE! Live and learn applies to politics as well as other incidents of 'life. Only last Fall the tempting opportunity was offered the voters to sidetrack the single tax question for four long years. It could have been done by electing Mr. tTRen Governor, for he told us so. But the voters failed to profit by the opportunity. They refused to elect Mr. ITRen. Now he is out with his fourth single tax measure. It serves us right. But Mr. ITRen's habit of avoiding the direct issue of single tax is becoming monotonous. Often, so often, have we Inquired why he cannot or does not present an honest, flat-footed," single tax amendment. The latest answer is another measure, murky, mysterious, argumentative, pompous and wordy. All the meat that la contained in his 700 words about "ground rent," life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.'could have been, put Into about 100 words and been much easier understood by the ordinary voter. ' Stripped of argument and ornament, the latest single tax amendment pro poses exemption from taxation of per sonalty and improvements and the levy of a tax- of fifty mills on land. The real effect of the amendment would be to tax land alone and that at a levy definitely fixed by constitution at fifty mills, no more, no less. It will be observed that the amendment defines ground rent as five per cent of the assessed valuation of land "until provision is made by law for the valu ation and assessment of ground rent," and that the tax in any one year "may equal, but shall never exceed the ground rent for that year." Under a well established rule of law the "may" in this instance would almost un doubtedly be construed as "must," for the amendment elsewhere declares It a state policy to take all the ground rent. As there Is constitutional law as well as statutory law,- it may be doubted whether the Legislature would be given power to authorize a higher val uation of ground rent than that fixed by the amendment, and it Is specific ally prohibited from decreasing It. Thus if a fifty-mill levy proved insuf ficient we might have to await enact ment of more constitutional law for valuation and assessment of ground rent before taxes could be Increased. If the levy proved more than uffi-( clent for governmental needs we could either squander the excess or store away in vaults. - Mr. tTRen in forcing consideration of saca tv fxealc as this is going beyond all bounds in revenging the slight upon his candidacy. - ' MS. BURLESON'S. JOKER, Balked in his effort to force through Congress theMoon railway mail pay bill as an amendment to the postoffice appropriation bill, Postmaster-General Burleson has openly attributed the failure of the latter bill to railroad lobbying. Senator Weeks replies that the plan of paying the railroads by car space occupied Instead of by weight, together with a scale of rates, was unanimously recommended by commission of three Republicans an three Democrats, but that the Post- office Department changed the rates, while accepting the weight basis. In the hurried closing days of the session the department insisted on Including its own conclusions in the appropria tion bill. He says: In a word, the nrooosed Tlan would be similar to tne xixing oi rates oy ma iniw state Commerce Commission not to exceed the amount fixed, but allowing the shipper to moany tnose rates at nis own upwuu. ThA nnv,rnmitnt should show an example of fairness and equity to lta citizens and should not attempt to force upon them a proposition which contains neither of tnosv qualities. Ralph Peters, chairman of the rail road committee on railway mail pay, accuses Mr. Burleson of "himself per mitting the Government of the United States to rob the railroads of at least half what is due them for carrying the parcel post," and defies him "to point to a single act of the railway mail pay committee, in its efforts to present the facts in this case to the people, which has not been absolutely legitimate, He says the railroads "appeal to the people and intend to present their case as aggressively as they know how, in every Congressional district in the United States." The conduct of the railroads in this matter shines by contrast with that of Mr. Burleson. They appeal openly, first to Congress and then to the peo pie, while he endeavors to force joker Into the bill without 'debate, in the same manner as private interests have formerly been accused of procur ing legislation favorable to them. There is but one way to settle this question of railway mail pay equitably. The Government, as a shipper of mail, should go to the Interstate Commerce Commission for adjustment of rates, Just as any other shipper goes. The Government can no more be trusted than any other shipper to fix an equit able rate to be paid by itself. The adjustment of rate disputes is a semi judicial function, which the Postoffice Department and Congress are equally disqualified to perform. THE ROTHSCHILD FAMILY. The appreciative notices of Baron Rothschild which have appeared in the press of Great Britain and the United States show the eminent posi tion which a financier of great ability and unblemished integrity can attain in the world. He was raised to the peerage by Gladstone in 1885 as a re ward for his distinguished public serv ices, among which was the rescue of the British financial world from panic upon the failure of the great House of Baring. Rothschild organized a guarantee fund of 285,000.000 in that crisis and thus saved the credit ot tne British government, while he rescued Innumerable private persons from im pending ruin. It was by his aid also that Cecil Rhodes was enabled to finance his imperial enterprises in South Africa. These transactions illus trate the intimacy which the House of Rothschild has enjoyed with the gov ernments and magnates of the world for more than a century. It began with the grandfather of the Baron Rothschild who has just died. He was banking in London in the year 1810 when Wellington, who was engaged in military operations on the continent against Napoleon, issued drafts on the British government to meet nis ex nenses. When the drafts reached London tne treasury was bare and a fearful crisis seemed at hand. But Rotnscmia stepped manfully into the breach, as sumed the obligations, at a liberal dis count, of course, and thus saved tne credit of the government. The drafts were afterward redeemed at par, so that the financier not only gained the credit of self-denying patriotism, but also a substantial profit. This Roths child was of the second generation after the family began Its shining ca reer in the world of money. The founder of the house was a Jew of Frankfort, whose name was originally Maver Anselm Bauer. Contrary to his father's wishes, he forsook tne voca tion of a rabbi and opened a small loan office with a red shield for a sign. From this comes the family name, which means Red Shield. Honesty and a genius for money-making were his distinguishing traits, but he also pos sessed a taste for numismatics. It hap pened that the Landgrave of Hesse Cassel was also fond of rare coins and from this common taste a friend ship sprang up between the German nobleman and the Jewish money lender. The Landgrave was on such terms with the Danish government that when they sought a loan of ten million thal ers he recommended to them the Frankfort Jew. This was the first in troduction of the House of Rothschild to the world of spendthrift monarchs and ministries, where it has dwelt ever since. Soon afterward the French in vaded the territories of Hesse Cassel and the Landgrave was compelled to flee to foreign parts. Hastily gather ing together his family plate and other valuables, he entrusted them to Roths child, without stopping, in his mad haste, to take a receipt. At fearful risk to himself Rothschild buried the valuables in his garden, invented in genious fictions to mislead the search ing parties of the French, who knew that treasure had been concealed by the fugitive Landgrave, and when the danger was over he dug up the silver and diamonds and sold them. So ex emplary were his bargains that when the Landgrave returned from exile he was able to give him back his princi pal with five per cent Interest. This story spread throughout Europe and established Rothschild's reputation for unflinching honesty. When he died in 1812 he left five daughters, who all married money kings, and five sons, who established banks in the great European capitals. The jape who' settled In Vienna formed a. close connection with Metter nich, which was of immense utility in his financial dealings, but it was the London member of the house who shone brightest In that generation. His financial transactions were character ised by such novel boldness and skill that the old-time money magnates of the city were scandalized and repelled. But when they beheld the success that attended his campaigns they first ad mired, then envied, then followed his example as well as they were able, It was this Rothschild who retrieved the government's credit when the Wel lington drafts could not be cashed. He established a system of private com munications with the continent which enabled htm to take financial advan tage of the fluctuating fortunes of the Napoleonic wars by which his wealth was greatly enhanced.. He was pres ent himself on the field of Waterloo and stayed long enough to see how th battle was going. That knowledge gained, he rushed back to London by special coaches and swift boats and proceeded to buy in the market which Napoleon's meteoric return from Elba had depressed. When the news Wellington's great victory arrived of course the market soared skyward an the provident financier reaped a de served reward for his energy and fore thought. His later career was one long succession of foreign loans to the various governments of Europe. ' He probably did more than any other man to make London the money mar ket of the world, but he avoided busi ness transactions with Spain and the United States. The shady public de falcations which made Wordsworth our hostile critic no doubt prejudice Rothschild against us. His son Lionel, who assumed the purple In 1836, was famed for his benefactions to the Jew ish people, whose civil disabilities in Great Britain he helped remove. Nathan Mayer, the Baron Rothschild whose death was announced the other day, succeeded his father as head of the financial world In 1874 and from that time to the day of his death his reign was uninterrupted. The powet of our Morgans and Rockefellers, con splcuous as it is, looks feeble In com parison with that of the House of Rothschild, whose connections ramify through every reigning family in Eu rope. The people of Oregon and other Western states are as much interested in securing justice to the railroads -as in securing justice from the railroads. The future development of this state depends on construction of railroads, but capital will not be invested in this manner unless it is given the oppor tunity to earn a fair profit. Given this opportunity, capital will make the Grants Pass and Roseburg railroads the first of a series of roads connecting the Willamette Valley with the Coast and traversing the interior of the state. All it asks is assurance of not being "cinched" by the people; the people are already secured against be ing "cinched" by the railroads. President O'Shaughnessy, of the Ca nadian Pacific, looks for a heavy im migration following the war. That may depend on what is left when the war is over. The class of immigrants will not be of the big and strong and able-bodied males of allies and Teu tons, for the bulk will be dead or crip pled. There is bound, however, to be large influx of females. There is truth in Mr. Comerford's complaint before the Industrial Rela tions Commission that acquittal of strikers does not receive nearly . as much publicity as their arrest. But newspapers are guided by public In terest, which dies out when a strike ends. There is nothing surprising about President Wilson's treatment of the Army and Navy Board which gave him distasteful advice. He treated the del egations of women and of negroes in the same way. .The only advice accept able to him is that which coincides with his preconceived opinions. The war college has turned from discussion of how many rounds the Johnson-Willard fight would last to that of how long the war will last. There are as many opinions as there are participants in the debate. The French courtmartial establishes a precedent in acquitting the officer who killed his wife because she fol lowed him that may be all right Jn that hysterical country; but it is not good law anywhere else. . Judge McGinn sounded a good slo gan for the good roads campaign when he said: "Let's give the workingman of Portland a chance to help himself. The labor politicians would deny him that chance. The Democratic party of Iowa, as represented by prominent officials, is disposed to resent Bryan's attempt to horn in." The war horses need ad vice from somebdoy higher up. Portland pedestrians may soon be walking head down along the streets and studying the new traffic ordinance until they butt their heads into an automobile. If President Wilson perseveres he may become a fairly good golfer by the expiration of his term. Then con sider the fun he will have had in learning. If Representative Gardner can bring the loss of the F-4 home to the Admin istration, it is his moral and official duty to do so without challenge. . No country except France could produce such an emotional drama as that of Captain Herail. It is French in every act. Roosevelt is not alone in criticising the woman's peace propaganda, only others have not the nerve to express themselves. - Eugene may take the law school but Portland will remain the chief field of activity for its graduates. Pedlculis Vestimenti and his rela tives may be a factor in restoring peace in Europe. Russia is pouring fresh armies into the Carpathians, and Russia has them to pour. Easy, now, Mr. Beals, easy. . Do not let the grounds get too wet for to morrow. Get your money ready today for the game tomorrow and do not choke the gates. , Perhaps Huerta is returning to ar range for that long-deferred salute. The sheep barbers are working overtime in the Arlington country. Somebody Is determined to "get" the Chief of Police of Los Angeles. Why not take a straw vote next Wednesday on .Carnival Queen T The Beavers go Into first division this week to tay. Sense and Nonsense. Culled by Addison Bennett. Bat AH Sane In Orecon. The bright little Monroe Leader has culled some of the freak measures presented in the Legislatures of various states during the past Winter and cites a dozen of them, from which we glean the following: Compelling the National Guard to do 90 days work each year on the roads and bridses of the state. Nebraska. Compelling church-goers to leave their fire-arms out side. Texas. To compel chickens to go to roost before 7 P. M. To provide that bulls driven along the road at night shall wear lights. Colorado. Limiting each resident of the state to one gallon of corn llcker" a month. South Carolina. To prohibit the catching of frogs. Minnesota. To prohibit the use of face powder. rouse hair dve or bleach, the Diercing of ears and the wearing of ear-rings. 1 Kansas. A Sensible Teacher. Silver Lake Leader. Taking advantage t the fine bit of Spring weather last week, all the school Tuesday afternoon struck for tall timber at 2:30 and spent the rest of the day gathering "green things a growing." Under the leadership of the teachers they proceeded to the vicinity of the Silver Creek bridge where, for an hour thy looked for early botanical growth, and incidentally got a lot of fresh air and sunshine. Good spirits. of the right sort, prevailed and "Young America gave vent to his feelings by lusty Comanche yells that made the village seem very much alive. The next morning Mr. Storey spent a half hour telling the hoys ana girls aoout the buds and the samples of bark they had brought In, and explained how they assisted in the growth of the plants. Roosters Lay Eggl In Harney. Pioneer Sun, Drewsy. The future success of the Pioneer Sun is assured. We never heard of, or saw better prospects for any paper than this one has. We've read many reports where the good people have brought the poor struggling editor sassafras roots for his pale complexion, ' Spring turnips for his digestion, and occasionally old clothes to cover his weary bones. But none of that for this "chile," for we have the best: Our neighbors' chickens come in the back door of this office and make their nests in the rlgglet box and in the corner where we keep our exchanges. "Oh! when the rooster crows, as everybody knows, there'll be eggs for our breakfast in the morning." Much to Brag ' About." The Dalles Optimist. With the establishment of the Libby- McNeil & Libby cannery, the new evaporating plant, the early comple tion of The Dalles-Celilo canal, the beginning of work -on the new Federal building and the building of the O.-W. R. & N. car shops in the very near future, we cannot help but feel that The Dalles and Wasco County are entering an era of general prosperity. Anent tbe Vnlon Dog Tax. Scout, Union. After all its rather hard luck to be dog and sentenced to sudden death because the master refuses to pay the dog tax. Of course the dog can t pay it. Money is not his legal tender and he doesn t know how to make change. If he did he would lose the recipt and be executed just the same. That re minds us of "Man's inhumanity to his kind. War on the Bunnies. Journal, Prineville. The residents of Paulina Valley are holding a rabbit drive every week at some point in the valley. Last Sun day they killed 640 of the bunnies and week ago tney got lzou. rney use poultry wire for the corrals and wings one-half mile long on each side of the gate. The corrals are moved to the various points where drives are made. Yes, She Sure Was. Leader, Cottage Grove. Tou can't keep Kansas down. Now native Jayhawker has wrested the world's championship heavyweight honors from the dusky Jack Johnson. Let's see, wasn't Carrie Nation some fighter, too? Elect a Republican President, Monroe Leader. -"Prosperity is knocking at our door,' says President Wilson. Probably so ut since the door is barred, nailed, locked and chained by Democratic free trade, how the devil is it going to get in? All Are Interested. Sentinel, Cottage Grove. Farmers are interested in good roads in order to get their stutf to town. Merchants are interested in good roads in order that the farmer may haul stuff away from town. . Did. You Ever Try It, J. P.t Evening Tribune, Pendleton. When you' can get a farmer to listen to what you are talking about you can sell him a gold brick if you are a good talker. And How Is PsheemishI Pronounced f McMinnville Telephone Register. The correct pronunciation of Prze- myzl, the town in Galicia which recent- fell before a siege, is psneemisni. with the accent on the penult. Then It's Net Work. Cottage Grove Leader. Don't give the small boy credit for ndustrlously spading tne garden when you see him at work. He is proDaDiy only digging worms for bait Too Bad It Happened. Tillamook Herald. I will sell four cows coming fresh soon on account of being over stocked. Inquire Herald. TIMES RIPE FOR DEVELOPMENT Paved Roads Will Aid Labor and Enhance Property Values. PORTLAND, April 11. (To the Ed itor.) Multnomah taxpayers, by sup porting the bond issue for a system of good hard-surface roads, will wisely save money, aid labor, neip present times, enhance property values, accom plish beneficial purposes and greatly promote public welfare. For one, I shall vote for it wnn great satisfaction. The arguments and the facts are entirely one-sided in its favor. We are especially favored by nature for a Columbia River Highway that will be of immense benefit to our city, county and state, and to the entire Pacific Northwest, besides being an unrivaled scenic road the talk of the world. We have been most fortunate In the assistance of such public-spirited and efficient men as Samuel Hill, Mr. Yeon, the Bensons, Mr. Lancaster and aids, and our state and county au thorities, and lr the co-operation ot many to whom we owe a debt of grati tude. We all should highly appreciate John Yeon's services in the past and hope for his continued help if our people vote favorably at the bond election Wednesday. Tbe times are ripe for grand development. Turn out and vote through and we will never regret It. M. C. GEORGE. Plea of a Thirsty One, Baltimore American, KThd Lady You look to me like a ard drinker. Hobo Oh, no, ma'am; U comes easy to me. LONG! DISTANCE SENATES TALKS Washington Correspondent. Gives Side Lights on Filibustering. In the current issue of Farm and Fireside, the National farm paper pub lished at Springfield, Ohio, Judson C. Welliver, Washington correspondent of that publication, writes an interesting article describing filibustering in the United States Senate. In the Senate rules still exist permitting Senators to prevent a vote on a bill so long they can discuss the bill. This results in ' a series of long-winded speeches made purely for. the purpose of wast insr time and deferring a vote, follow lng is an extract taken from the arti cle: "Some men. like Stone, can talk slowly enough to save their voices and strength. Others, like LaFollette, find it utterly impossible to do this; they must talk at full speed and vigor and wear themselves out. In the older days the speaker might be interrupted by another Senator who. getting permls sion to ask a question, mightln the guise of a question read a magazine article Into the Record and then ask the speaker, by this time rested and refreshed, if he ever heard of that ar ticle, and what he thought of it. An other trick was for the speaker, com ing to a statistical part of his address, to have the clerk read from the desk a compilation of half a volume of 'au thorities. But latterly the rules have been tightened and the filibustering orator is pretty strictly compelled to use his own voice and strength. Few more difficult things confront the filibustering orator than to find a supply of things to say. Not many folks can talk teh hours continuously without running dry. A man who once talked 12 hours told me afterward that after he had gone half the course he began to hate himself and grow dazed; he couldn't keep his mind on his subject, scraping all the while at the bottom of his brain pan for more things to say. Nevertheless, he talked about 12 hours and killed a river-and-harbor appropriation bill. That was 'Tom' Carter, of Montana, now dead. Incidentally, his speech was a gem ot continuous interest and humor." LABOR AS COMMODITY OF PROFIT Such Classification Objected to, but Ideal Best Obtained by Organisation. NORTH YAKIMA, Wash., April 10. (To the Editor.) I have been an Inter ested observer, from a distance, of course, of the published statements which have been made for and against the proposal to establish a minimum wage of f3 per day on county road im provement work, providing the new bond Issue carries. The point of difference arises over the old theory and the new. The old is that labor is a commodity and should be bousht, like any article of commerce as cheaply as possible, governed by the law of supply and demand regardless of results. The new theory denies this and holds that the labor of a human being is not a commodity or article of commerce and does not come under that inhuman tas'.t exactor. The things that labor produces may be a commodity or article of commerce, but not labor it self. Human necessities forbid this. When labor produces wealth and so ciety uses that wealth, labor should be paid not merely what it can subsist on but a just reward. Is S3 per day too much? In this case society becomes the employer because the work to be done is a public work and society in general receives the ben efit accruing therefrom. If $1,000,000 is expended in this way by the tax payers to home labor every dollar will return to the wealth-holders within a year In one form or another, and. In addition to getting back the amount expended, the taxpayers will have the improvements. Labor is employed only when a profit can be made thereon. When the public as a whole employs a part of the people to do certain work, the usual employers' profit should not be exacted from those who perform the labor. It should go to labor. Another reason- It has been dem onstrated that cheap labor does not produce the profits that well-paid labor does. Every employer of labor knows this. I know of one contractor on public work who never paid less than f3 per day, with the result that he got the very best labor and made larger profits than others who paid much less. The value to a community of a fair standard of wages has been demon strated also. The .right way. however. Is tpr labor to organize and fix Its own wage scale. When labor has not had enough sense to do this I am not sure that a disinterested third party (the county) should fix the wage scale for it. M. E. MURRAY, Custody and Control of Children. WALLA WALLA, Wash.. April 9. (To the Editor.) In reference to an in quiry in The Oregonian as to states in wuilch a father may give away his chil dren against the wishes of the mother I submit the following; The provisions of section 164S of vol ume 1 of Remington and Ballinger's Annotated Codes and Statutes of Wash ington are as follows: 1643. (6409). Testamentary guardian, appointment and bond of The father ot every legitimate child, who Is a minor, may, by his last will In writing, appoint a guardian or guardians for his minor chil dren, whether born at the time of making such will or afterwards, to continue during the minority of such child, or for any less time, and every such testamentary guar dian shall give bond In like manner and with like condition as hereinbefore required and he shall have the same powers and perform the same duties with regard to the person and estate of the ward as a guardian appointed as aforesaid. (L. 60, P. 22S, sec. 335; Crt. 81, Bee. 1618: 1 H. C Seo. 1142). The courts of laex resort of states having code provisions similar bo the section above quoted have given effect to such a statute, and have gone so far as to hold that a testamentary guar dian nominated by -the husband has the absolute right, power and authority to deprive the mother of the custody and control of her minor child, all of which appears to the writer Be being a relic of barbarism. JOHN H. PEDIGO. Felled or Fallen. PORTLAND, April 11. (To the Ed itor.) In an argument between two loggers we have decided to leave the decision of the question to The Ore gonian. In referring to logging operations we are discussing the number of trees cut down by our logging crew. Is it proper to refer to their work as: 1. Total number of trees felled, or total number of trees fell, or total number oftrees fallen? 2. Also, is It proper to refer to the men cutting down the trees as fellers or fallers? 3. In talking about the Inventory of such trees cut, which are now on tne ground, should we say total number feet of felled trees, or total number feet .of fell trees, or total number feet of fallen trees? 4. Should we say "felling" or "fall ing" when referring, generally, to the operation of that part of our logging organization? 1. Total number of trees felled. 2. Either. 3. Total number of felled trees. 4. Felling. Orrssa City Pipe Lrne. CENTRA LIA. Wash.. April 10. (To the Editor.) Can you advise me as to whether the ditoh or clearing on ditch at Oregon City has started, or when It is expected to start? J. R. K. The "ditch" you mention In the letter we presume la that for the pipe line from the south fork of the Clackamas River to Oregon City. Work on this project will probably be started next week. The contract Is In the hands of the Oregon Engineering Construc tion Company, of Oregon City. Twenty-Five Years Ago From The Oregonlan, April 12. 1S0. All Portland la up In arms, it seems, against the Williams site as the place for the proposed 1300.000 Chamber of Commerce. The chief objection is that the site Is too far out of the way and not taking Into consideration the future growth of tbe city. Washington. The advocates of f re coinage of silver are surprisingly nu merous in the House, it develops. Chair man Conger, at the Republican caucus, said the measure was a strong one and designed to meet the public demand fr a liberal supply of money. The Western Congressmen are flght . lng the battleship increase plan largely because the members from the Eastern states are given to considering but lit tle. If at all, the needs of the West in the way of naval protection, etc. Peter Steele, who bought 1 acres ot land out near Carson's Prairie about two years ago and has been cutting and selling wood from it ever since, sold the land for about ISO an acre recently and will now go back to Michigan for his health. Mr. Steele says when he gets back to Michigan he Is going to lecture on the State of Oregon and Its opportunities, incidentally giving par ticular fits to the Oregon bachelors, who, he says, are too lasy to get them selves out of a rut. The district school children are re quested to meet this evening at the residence of Osman Royal, 107 Third street, and practice their pieces for the exhibition to be hekl at the big school house (Tabernacle). Tenth and Morri son streets, April 22. Mrs. A. H. Friedlander and Miss Alice Friedlander, mother and daugh ter of Manager Friedlander, of tha Marquam Grand, arrived in tha city yesterday from Chicago and registered at the Hotel Portland. The First Congregational Church has decided to erect a new edifice to cost at least 280,000. The site recommended is at East Park and Madison streets. Auburn. N. Y. Mrs. Annie Hazelett Gould, daughter of the late Thomas Gould, a noted young society woman and graduate of Wells College and friend of Mrs. Grover Cleveland, has run away and married George L. Win ters, her coachman. The new site for 8t. Helen' Hull has been selected. It will be on Park ave nue, about three blocks from City Park, and will cost about $80,000. Arbor day exercises were held at tha high school yesterday and the planting of the class tree by the June grad uating class was a feature. Upstairs fn the assembly hall a large concourse of parents and patrons of the school gath ered, as usual. The programme was opened by a song and Haute L. Hough ton read the class "Chronicles." Haul was very clever In her resume of tha excellencies and foibles of her class mates. YES, BIT THERE'S ORECON. Yes. you're off for San Francisco, And you're going to see the fair. You're going to view the wonders That the world Is sending there. You will ride the white-capped waters. Traveling, perhaps, In state, And you'll hall the glorious sunrise As you near the Golden Gate You will mingle with a people That have come from -very land. And the citizens will greet you With, perchance, a big bra s bsnd. You will revel In the sunshine. You will view the shining lights. And you'll find a lot of pleasure While you're out to see the sights. But you'll grow footsore and weary lll.:lng 'round from sun till sun. And there's apt to be a minute When you'll wish you'd never coma. But you'll see a wondrous country And you'll see a wondrous fair Bext of all, the splendid building That Old Oregon placed there. But when you're headed homeward And you have a chance to think. You will long for Bull Run water (You are dying for a drink), And in fancy you'll see the glory Of a sunrise o'er Mount Hood, And you'll think upon our roses , And you'll whisper, "It is good": See our valley and our rivers As they hasten to the sea. And you'll say with satisfaction. "Portland's good enough for me." CLARA L. HOLT. 499 Harrison street As to Booth Tarklngton. TILLAMOOK, Or., April 10 (To tha Editor.) In our English work in high school we have been trying to get soma information concerning Booth Tark Ington, both personally and as a writer. Being unable to do so, I take the liberty of writing you. Inasmuch as "Penrod" Is being pub lished at this time, it- seemed you might be able to give the desired In formation, or direct where It is avail able. T. H. S. Newton Booth Tarklngton tha Ameri can novelist, was born In Indiana In 3 869, and educated at Princeton Uni versity where he graduated In 1892. His first book, "The Gentleman From Indiana," which appeared in 1899, at tracted some attention and his "Mon sieur Beaucalre," which came out In 1900, is recognised as an artistically constructed romance of unusual charm. In 1902 he published "The Two Van revels," generally held to be less meri torious than th j preceding ones. Ha was elected to the Indiana Legislature in 1902. "The Man From Home," written In collaboration with Harry Leon Wilson, Is still a dramatic favorite. "Penrod" has been recognized as not only a rare book of its kind, but an absorbing study of most Interesting construction, valuable not alone for Its readable In terest but for the cleanllnes of th Idea and understanding of boy nature. His latest work Is "The Turmoil." which is running serially. Another . of his works Is "The Conquest of Canaan." Strangely enough Booth Tarklngton, as he has chosen to call himself, drop ping the "Newton," became Involved with Indiana laws several years ago when he Insisted on smoking cigarettes In defiance of a law then trying to be enforced. Harper & Brothers, New York, are at present publishing his latest work. When the Newsboy Calls When the newsboys rush through the streets crying their wares, they get instant attention. No call Is more quickly answered than "the call of tha news." The newspaper is an Institution so close to the people that It Is specifically protected in tha "funda mental law of the land." The advertising a newspaper car ries has come to be rewarded as part of the news a most Important part It gets attention and arouses In terest, bringing results exactly In the proportion that th advertiser has made his wares deserving.