8
TIIE 3I0RXIXG OREGONIAN. TTIUIISDAY, MAY 27, 1913.
mum
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, WHOSE PERU.?
. There was no loss of life in the
inking, or attempted sinking, of the
American freighter Nebraska!!, sup
posedly bj- a German submarine, else
the occurrence might easily have ag
gravated greatly the already inflamed
condition of public opinion in America.
The American people are patient,
most patient. They have suffered
enormously through a war not in any
way of their making. They have had
to- stand by and see the -whole world
put awry by the angry and murderous
contentions of fighting peoples. They
have tried as best they could to ad
just their affairs, external and inter
nal, to the unparalleled conditions
surrounding them; and they have
striven by a strict course of deter
mined neutrality to remain on friendly
terms with all the combatants. It has
pot been easy.
But the duties of & neutral do not
require it to remain silent when its
citizens are slain or drowned, or its
commerce destroyed by the deliberate
act of a belligerent. The United
States is neutral, but it is not dena
tionalized. It is a non-combatant, but
it has not always been, and it may not
always be.
Doubtless we shall hear from Ger
many that the attack on the Nebras
kan by a submarine was a mistake,
and the torpedo was intended for an
enemy vessel. Yet it is clear that it
was fired at a neutral ship.
It is not sufficient for the Ger
mans, or for. any American copper
head, to say that the Nebraskan was
In the war zone at her peril. The
United States has a right to carry on
commerce, so long as it is not contra
band, with-any nation, at this time, or
at any time. If any American vessel
Is attacked, it ought to be made .clear
that it will be at the assailant's peril,
not ours. That is what government
is for. .
ITALY'S CASE AGAINST AUSTRIA.
Italy's statement of her reasons for
war against Austria shows how deli-J
catcly balanced was tne eouniDrium
of power in Europe. No sooner did
Austria send her ultimatum to Serbia
than the whole structure fell to
pieces, and Italy considered herself
released from obligation to Austria
and Germany and began to care for
her own interests. Iri order to restore
the equilibrium, which she expected
to be destroyed by Austria's threat
ened subjugation of Serbia, Italy de
manded the cession of territory by
Austria which would strengthen her
boundaries and her position in the
Adriatic and w hich would bring all
the Italian people into the kingdom.
Italy's retort to the charge that she
has violated the treaty of alliance and
lias turned traitor to her allies is that
Austria violated the treaty by send
ing an ultimatum to Serbia without
consulting Italy and without obtain
ing her consent. She affirms that
the treaty was defensive and was vio
lated by an act of aggression -on Aus
tria's part. She indicts Austria for
drenching Europe in blood by reject
ing the response of Serbia, "which
save to her all the satisfaction she
could legitimately claim" and by re
fusing to listen to the conciliatory
proposals in, which Italy joined other
powers. Austria is accused of having
thereby violated the treaty which for-
"bade any of the contracting parties
"to undertake without a previous
agreement any step the consequence
of which might impose a duty upon
the other signatories arising out of
the alliance or which -would in any
w'as' whatsoever encroach upon their
vital interests."
Holding herself absolved by Aus
tria's own acts from all obligation to
consider Austria's interests under the
triple alliance treaty, holding that
treaty to have been annulled, Italy
t about protecting her own Interests.
She cites a number of long-standing
grievances against Austria, growing
out of a deliberate and. persistent ef
fort to de-Italianize the provinces
op the Adriatic and Trent, ruled by
Austria, though largely peopled by
Italians. Holding that Austria's dis
tress had been brought upon herself
by her own acts, Italy considered her
self free to take advantage of Aus
tria's necessity to right these wrongs
once for all, to gather all Italians
under her flag and to expand her
borders so that she might be safe
against aggression, might be queen of
trie Adriatic and might become one
of; the dominant powers in - the
Mediterranean,
.Italy's address to the world and her
present course are a pregnant warn
ing to nations not to put their trust
in . treaties. Belgium trusted In a
treaty and is now crushed by one of
the. nations which guaranteed her se
curity. Austria trusted in the triple
alliance treaty to secure a free hand
in chastising Serbia, but is now
called to account and attacked for
violating that treaty, by another party
to ll. France and Russia had a treaty,
but they united in war upon Ger
many and Austria because they were
confronted by a common enemy and
because the interests of both called
upon them to make common cause
against the enemy. Britain found in
the invasion of Belgium an excellent
cause for joining them, but her inter
est in preventing the aggrandizement
of Germany whs so closely identical
with theirs that her leading news
papers and statesmen admit that sh
would have taken the field with them
had Belgium not been attacked. The
four allies Russia, France, Britain
nd Ital have joined in a, treaty
binding them not to make a separate
peace, but history right down to the
present- day teache3 us to expect that.
if any one of these nations should
find its interests to require a separate
neace, it will break that treaty. .
The American Nation needs fo take
to- heart the lesson of this present
war, that its safety lies not in treaties.
but in its own ample power to uphold
its rights, honor and Interests. . Trea
ties too often restrict a nation's right
to care for its interests and offer it
the alternative between sacrifice of
those interests and a national breach
of faith. We see now that Austria
and Italy each imagined that it had
safeguarded itself against the other
by binding the other to a treaty, but
that, when a crisis came, each looked
after Its own Interests Jknd each
charged the other with bad faith.
Treaties do not bind nations to a bar
gain which conflicts with their inter
ests, but when they have a common
interest they act together without a
formal treaty. A time may come when
the nations will combine their forces
in support of international law and
against any nation -which violates that
law or is false to its treaty obligations,
but that time is not yet. A nation
must do as a man does in a commu
nity where law has not yet become
supreme rely on its strong right arm.
VAIN PROMISES.
If Portland wants abundant water for use
at low cost, let the people vote for meters,
From a meterlzed newspaper.
The kernel of the whole case for
meters is that the people must use
lees, not more, water. Else why me
ters, which are to be put in' to "save"
the water and stop the "waste"?
What waste? The waste over the
spillways, or in the sewers, or the
unused millions of gallons at Bull
Run?
Water on the lawns, or in the parks,
or in the factories, or on the streets,
or in the household, is not wasted.
But water not used is waste. It is
worse than waste if any part of it
might have been turned Into the
mains for general use by the people.
If Commissioner, Daly will direct
his energies and experience toward a
policy of water distribution, designed
to give to the public the maximum use
of available water, he will be a bene
factor. But Instead he proposes a
check upon every water-user, which
takes the form of a universal meter
system. It will cost from $450,000 to
$500,000 and many thousand dollars
each year for repairs and for in
spection. If there shall be universal meters,
the cost of operation will be increased.
of course, and the bubble of lower
rates will burst. How can' there be
lower rates when greater revenues are
necessary?
FARMERS' FISHPONDS.
The Department of Agriculture has
begun to take quite an interest in
farmers' fishponds. It suggests, that
any small stream may' be caused to
form a pond with a little trouble and
ingenuity and will produce an annual
crop of fish of appreciable value.
Trout, of course, is the variety to be
raised if profit is considered. There
are trout faams in Northern Wiscon
sin which ship their product to mar
ket as regularly as the dairymen and
to quite as good advantage. -
Fish are always desired by house
wives and the cost of growing them
is not heavy. Several points must be
looked after in selecting a site for a
pond. It must be protected from
fr.esb.ets and not subject to contamina
tion.""" Th surface dirt from neigh
boring fields is as fatal to fish -as any
other foreign matter. Lack of capital
to build the necessary dams and ex
cawate the ponds- probably accounts
for the neglect of this industry. An
adequate system of rural credits would
put it on its) feet and give the farmers
a new source of reliable income.
J'ISS AND FIDGETS.
The celebrated Dr. Osier brought
down a deluge of ridicule upon his
head a few years ago by -intimating
that most men are as good as useless
after the age of forty. They may-still
live on, as WMttier says, with every
thing gone that makes life valuable,
but it were better, upon the whole, if
they quietly submitted to be chloro
formed. Dr. Osier did not say he
would actually perform the lethal
operation, if he had the Chance, but
he strongly hinted that it would be
for the best.
Now comes Dr. Charles E. Jeffer
son of the Broadway Tabernacle in
New York, a divine of National re
nown, and says the same thing as Dr.
Osier, only he naturally, on account
of his sacred profession, puts it in
milder language. Americans, both
men and women, says Dr. Jefferson,
wear themselves out in the middle of
their lives by too much fuss and
fidgets. We remember hearing the
same notion expressed by various
apostles of the New Thought school
They tell us that worry is the great
enemy of life and happiness and that
it originates in fear. Get rid of fear
in all its hideous forms, say the New
Thoughters. and your life will be long
and happy with all the prosperity you
can reasonably ask for.
The fear that haunts the American
business man is that he will be left
behind in the great race of hustling
He must be at his post early and late
and toil breathlessly every minute ot
the day lest some competitor should
get ahead of him. These men com
fort themselves by thinking they are
racing toward success. They are really
racing to the grave and far too many
of them reach the goal long before
they should. Death reaps his finest
harvest among well-to-do - Americans
of middle age. Just at the time whefi
they ought to be 'getting the' most
enjoyment out of life and doing the
most for their fellow-men, along
comes the Fury with the abhorred
shears and cuts their thread. Down
thev go into the dark waters and
everybody wonders why the Good
Lord took them home so soon. It
was not because he wanted them. The
Lord prefers ripe fruit to the unripe
when he can get it. These men and
women die because they . have not
learned how to live. .They wear
themselves out. as the Broadway
Brother says, by fuss and fidgets,
They are so ravenous to get ahead
of the rest of mankind that they run
into Death head foremost and the
grim monster binds -them into his
sheaves before they know what has
happened to them.'
"There is a time," says the Preach
er, "to every purpose under the
heaven, a time to keep and a time to
cast away." And "what profit hath
he that worketh," continues the wise
old philosopher, "in that wherein he
laboreth" if "he has to die and leave
It all Just at the moment when he Is
ready to enjoy it? Better rest ere the
long night cometh. Better slow down
the pace. "American life is geared
so high," remarks a writer, "that
slowing down is unpleasant and often
dangerous." So it is, but not so un
plc&sant as a total breakdown and
not. upon the whole, so dangerous as
dying.
The vacation habit has grown upon
the country of late years, but not half
enough. Those who need vacations
most are not apt to take any at all
They pride themselves on keeping
their noses to the grindstone and lives
that should have lasted a century are
quenched in the early fifties.
WAR'S TRAGEDIES.
The total number of killed in the
European war is, according to expert
calculation by military mathemati
cians, about three-quarters of a mil
lion, and the wounded two and a quar
ter millions more. The latter is just
about the number of men engaged for
the Union in our war of the rebellion.
The London Chronicle, which can
hardly, be considered a disinterested
authority, but which nevertheless
gives the German records as the basis
of its estimates, says that the total
German losses men and .officers
killed, wounded and missing are
about 1,725,681. -The ratio of officers
to men is about 2.7 per cent, so that
46.593 German officers have been
killed, wounded or captured.
The proportion of deaths to the
total of casualties among officers is
about 35 per cent and among the men
21 per cent, so that approximately
16,307 officers have been slain and
352,608 men. The German army on a
peace basis had, in 1913, 36,304 offi
cers and 754,681 men. The avail
able war strength of the army Is fig
ured at 5,500,000 or 6,000,000 men. It
would thus appear that there has
been a. serious decimation of the Ger
man forces; but it Is to be remem
bered that a large number of the
wounded probably the greater part
get well and go back to the front.
If Germany with 65,000,000 people
can put 6,000,000 men in the field, the
United States, with 100,000,000 inhab
itants, has a potential war strength of
9,000,000 men. Let us suppose the
United States to be engaged in a great
war, and that within nine months
2,500,000 of the men had been killed.
wounded or captured. We should
then realize, as we cannot and do not
now, what a horrible tragedy war is.
RUSSIA'S LATEST REVERSE.
Russia's reverse in Galicia is in
some respects a parallel to that ot
Germany at the Marne, but is probably
due to the same causes as the alter
nate advance of both Germany and
Russia in West Poland. The sanguin
ary battle in the Carpathians must
have cost Russia so dearly that it ex
hausted the offensive power of her
army. Russia's attention was so con
centrated on this battle that she did
not watch closely enough the move
ments of the enemy behind other parts
of the -front.
Germany's splendid railroad system
enables her to concentrate troops at
any point with a rapidity- and in a
force which cannot be equaled by the
Russians, who are deficient in rail
roads and must move a large part of
their forces on foot. As in East Prus
sia, the Russians appear to have been
deficient in reconnoissance by air
craft. It remains to be seen whether
the German statement is true that the
Russians have been forced to abandon
all their hardly won positions in the
Carpathians.
A stand is being made on the
San River by the Russians, who
are bringing up strong reinforcements.
If they should be driven farther back
they would lose Przemysl, which, they
won after' a long siege and which is
the gate of the Carpathians. We may
now witness a deadlock similar to that
which has held the Germans on the
Vistula and Bzura Rivers, only thirty
miles from their goal, Warsaw. The
Austro-German offensive may, how
ever, exhaust itself on the San, and we
may see another turn of the tide.
This exhaustion of the offensive is
one of the striking characteristics of
the war. It seems to be due partly to
the disproportionate loss suffered by
an attacking as compared with a de
fending army, partly to the extended
lines on which armies now operate.
An army on the offensive becomes so
worn down in strength that it is no
longer capable of attack and must
yield the offensive to the enemy, or a
successful attack try the enerhy at an
other point compels it to abandon
ground which it has won at enormous
cost. The Germans thus wore out
their offensive power on the Yser last
October and November, but the inun
dation the Winter and lack of suffi
cient troops prevented the British
from doing more than hold their po
sitions.
There has been a wide difference in
character between the fighting on the
eastern and western fronts. The west
ern line has been firmly planted in
approximately the same place since
November, neither side having made
more than local gains ot a few miles
The eastern line has swung to and fro
over scores of miles of territory sev
eral times, this being the second time
the Russians have been driven far
back in Galicia. Their success in re
newing the offensive will probably de,
pend on their ability to bring up fresh
troops, and particularly to reinforce
their artillery, which has been deft
clent from the 'outset and which has
suffered severe losses in recent battles.
TOtNG JOHN D8 CONVERSION.
John D. Rockefeller, Jr., does not
appear in a favorable light under the
inquiry of the Industrial Relations
Commission. He shows a belated in
terest in the welfare of the Colorado
miners, an interest which would better
have been shown before the quarrels
between them and the local officials
of absentee mine-owners had burst in
to the flame of insurrection. His pre
tence that he left affairs entirely to
the operating officials has been shat
tered by the publication of his letters,
which show hira to have taken an
active part in influencing Governor
Ammons and in giving publicity to
the operators' side of the quarrel. He
now professes a deep interest in the
welfare of the miners and a belief in
labor unions, which contrast with the
acts of officials in his companies.
Certain facts seem to have' been
proved beyond question. The coal
companies w-ere active in politics and
controlled absolutely the elections in
several counties, and had a powerful
voice in, if not control over, the. State
government. The laws for the protec
tion' of labor were a dead letter and
employers could not be held liable for
injury to workmen. Men who at
tempted to organize the miners were
driven out, and secret organization
alone was possible. When the strike
began, hired gunmen were ' imported
and were incorporated in the militia
together with clerks and officers of
the companies. The militia thus be
came servants of one party to the
quarrel. When blood is shed under
such circumstances it is immaterial
which party fires the first shot; re
sponsibility really rests upon the party
which produces the condition causing
the conflict.
The proceedings of his company and
other like companies having brough
upon them heavy loss, a political revo
lutldh and much notoriety, Mr. Rocke
feller ts now seized with remorse and
professes attachment to an -idealism
which was formerly foreign to Color
ado mine-owners. We must be excused,
for doubting the complete sincerity
of a conversion which came about
under such circumstances.
- Mr. Rockefeller seems not yet to
have attained the right point of view.
His tone is that of a superior bestow
ing favors. It should be that of an
equal recognizing rights. He may
consider his new policy a matter of
humanity, but it is really good busi
ness. He admits that his company has
been losing money. If its employes
were treated more like men their good
will might be won and might help the
company to earn profits. Others have
succeeded by those tactics; why should
not a Colorado coal company?
Jefferson High School seniors have
limited the cost of their bouquets to
$1.50, but the bouquets will be just as
pretentious and beautiful, no doubt,
as those of seniors in other schools
who will spend an extra dollar. Jeffer
son High girls voted to go out in the
woods and pick enough bachelor but
tons or whatever flowers they chose
to put with roses, the latter only
to be purchased. Besides the econ
omy of the thing, there must be a
lot more sentiment in a bouquet of
that nature.
The War Department has denied
application of a railway company to
lay tracks across the Vancouver mili
tary reservation because they would
cut up the parade ground. Very good;
but if the War Department wanted a
right of way across a. citizen's farm
it would be taken mighty quick and
the man jailed if he objected strong
enough.
No doubt some good motive attend
ed the recent distribution of "hot ap
ple pies" at the San Francisco fair.
though we cannot Imagine what it
could have been. It is sad to think
that Spokane, the donor of the pies,
wanted to give the whole country dys
pepsia, but it certainly looks so.
Life, supposed to be a humorous
weekly, is more excited over the Lu-
sitania than any other paper we have
seen. It goes so far as to say in its
wrath that the Kaiser is no gentle
man. If this does not make the
haughty Hohenzollern sue for peace
and mercy, we miss our guess.
Twenty-five years ago the Pan-
American , countries, including the
United States, were talking of taking
advantage of the opportunities for
mutual benefits in the way of an ex
change of commerce. The opportu
nity was never more propitious for
action than now.
The Maharajah of Kapurthala i3
coining to Portland and is going to
bring his wife, says the news account
Bear in mind when you gaze on his
mysterious majesty that he has se-
lected the one wife out of twenty in
his harem that he dares bring to the
United States.
It is natural that Congressmen from
near the midrib of the continent
should declare war, for the German
guns cannot carry that far. The only
way to placafce them is to grab a
dachshund and cleave its tail.
In leaving the Methodist pastorate,
which has been his calling for years,
to sell life insurance. Dr. McPherson
is, one might say, abandoning theory
for practice. It all depends on the
view of the hereafter.
Intrigue by the belligerents in the
Balkan states is becoming so intense
that those states may unload on the
great powers as the price of help the
entire debt incurred in the two Bal
kan wars.
It's a good thing for that cow up in
Coos County that gave birth last week
to three calves that she is of Holstein
blood, otherwise she would be yelling
for help at mealtimes.
The boys who stole an auto and the
girls who rode with them have
learned that many a joyride ends in
jail. Some end in the hospital, others
in the morgue.
Knowing Denver's architectural to
pography, it must be bitter dregs for
the single-taxers to know that city
lambasted single tax three to one.
The five Mexicans due to swing in
Arizona tomorrow may snap their fin
gers at Justice. Old Technicality is to
be invoked in their behalf.
That breach of promise suit based
on a proposal by mail probably will
throw unadulterated fear into the
hearts of many scribblers.
When the present generation of
children is old and gray, bona fide set
tiers may still be suing for a share of
Oregon , land grants.
There are those of us who still be
lieve that the dried codfish was a dis
tress signal for the members of the
crew of the Orient.
Knowing the value of clear heads
the locomotive engineers in biennial
convention indorsed state and Na
tional prohibition.
A hen lays an egg of abnormal size
because she cannot help herself, and
is not entitled to glory. Her owner
absorbs all that.
Old Raisuli is again raising a rue
tion in Morocco. Somebody must wave
the Stars and Stripes at him. He has
not forgotten.
A codfish may be a sign of distress
on the Pacific Coast, but on the At
lantic Coast it is the badge of aris
tocracy.
Portland is becoming the Mecca of
Governors and Mayors, and we send
them all away with -armfuls of roses
Villa's lieutenants have their good
points. One of them executed two
leaders in a bread riot in Sonora.
Somehow or another the Bull Moose
bellowing lately has more the sound
of a hungry calf.
Attorneys probably wilt grow groggy
arguing the liquor clause of the pro
hibition law.
This Coast is evening the balance
by shipping butter, to the Antipodes
Just now.
Venetian nights have lost their
soothing placidness.
The microbe no longer can inhabit
local ice cream.
European War Primer
By National Geographical Seote-ty.
Rigs,
RIGA, the most ultra-Western town
in the whole Muscovite Empire, a
city of merchant prices, of bursting
warehouses and miles of crowded dock
ing, of vigorous Teutonic architecture
and cosmopolitan 'organization, with a
hurrying, tense business life that finds
its counterpart in New York and Ham
burg, lies near the head of the Gulf
of Riga, a few miles northeast of
Mitau.- or Just back of the struggling
Russo-German lines in the Baltic prov
inces. Riga is a great commercial city.
It stands third among Russia's sea
ports, and second among all the ports
upon the Baltic Sea. where commercial
cities have been growing and building
for centuries. The city is 363 miles
southwest of Petrograd,- and is filled
with the spirit of modern business. It
ia a main gateway into vast Russian
hinterlands, and is. probably, the most
up-to-date city to be found from Vladi
vostok to Libau.
This great Russian port has
sprung into prominence- with the most
recent German campaigns.
Riga is second only to Petrograd In
population and industry. German mer
chants of the 13th century laid the
foundations of Its commercial renown.
It was founded in 1201, and many Ger
man colonists soon found their way to
the new city, attracted thither by the
many commercial privileges granted by
its founder. Riga became a powerful.
flourishing member of the Hanseatic
League, the great merchant trust of
the middle ages. With Hamburg,
Bremen, Luebeck. Stralsund and scores
of its fellow-banded cities, Riga grew
In wealth and trade connections; boats
from all parts of the world ran in and
out of its river harbor, and it enjoyed
the proud development of a German
"free city."
Near the middle of the 16th century.
Riga passed into the power of the King
of Poland. The headlong Gustavus
Adolphus of Sweden brought up in his
course of conquest with a shock before
its walls in 1601, and only after a long,
hard siege was he able to take the city.
Riga passed to the control of the Rus
sians in 1710. and has since played an
important part in the development of
the mijrhty northern empire.
Riga has none of the happy-go-lucky
Slavonic air about it, and so, for the
tourist, it is disappointing. Before the
war. German was the language of its
business, and German was the idiom of
its streets and homes. Official Riga was
Russian, and. as Riga is the seat of the
Governor-General of the Baltic prov
inces, this official element was of much
significance.
A strong' and varied Industry has
grown up in the port city. Machinery,
railway cars, lumber, leather, candles,
tiles, glass, tobacco arid other products
are turned out in its numerous fac
tories. The. annual value of the articles
manufactured in Riga exceeds $30,000.-
000. As an industrial center it has been
becoming more and more prominent
year by year, and its future seems to
be one of almost unlimited promise.
The average value of Riga's exports
is well over $35,000,000. Its imports
total about $30,000.00 each year. The
exports include cereals, flax, flaxseed,
eggs, lumber and butter. Its chief im
ports are machinery, cotton, coal and
groceries. It has a thrifty, well-to-do
population of more than 300.000.
' Meanel.
Memel. East Prussia, was recently
destroyed by the northern invasion.
Memel is land s end for the Germans.
It is the most northerly town In the
empire, lying but a few miles from the
Russo-German border. Before the war.
Memel was a city of considerable con
sequence, a city rushed with commis
sion business and a port whose harbor
was always filled with sail and smoke
columns. The port is midway upon the
Baltic Sea, a port conveniently placed
for trade with Stockholm. Sweden, to
the north; with Riga and Petrograd,
Russia, to the northeast: with Copen
hagen, Denmark, to the west, and with
the many north German ports. It has
an excellent harbor, well improved,
protected by two lighthouses and by
forts toward the open water.
Memel was the center of the Baltic
lumber trade. Great rafts of logs, hewn
in the forests of Russian Poland and
Western Russia, were floated down the
Niemen River and the Koenig Wilhelm
Canal every year, and the lumber
product of the city's mills was distrib
uted by the busy Memel fleet to every
Baltic port, much of it going to Russia.
Pole, Russian. Lett and German, during
the years of peaceful effort, fraternized
in Memel's coffee housea. beer srardens
and in the tidy, pretentious little inn,
Nimmersaat.
Tilsit, a military and commercial
center, ts 58 miles south-southeast of
Memel, while Koenigsberg, capital of
East Prussia, lies 91 miles to the south
west. Memel had a well-to-do popula
tion of about 22.000 a few months ago.
though now, according to dispatches, it
is numbered in the list of dead, charred
and deserted cities found on every
battle-front where invaders have rolled
past. A city without poor and without
a millionaire, Memel possessed a thriv
ing trade in transit goods, agricultural
and manufactured produce ln-lnterna-tional
exchange.
Memel had a crowing industry, iron
foundries, ship-building yards and fac
tories for the output of chemicals, ma
chinery,, soap and amber ware. Its most
important business, however, was Its
export of grains and timber. It shipped
each vear timber to a value of more
than $3,000,000.
Before all else Memel was a growing
seaport.
Memel. as many of the well-placed
cities of these northern roasttands. was
a foundation of those crusaders of the
Middle Ages who took their way north
and ppread their- faith among the out
lying people by brand and sword. It
was founded bv Poppo con Osterna,
grand master of the Knights of the
Teutonic Order, who fought the natives
of Prussia, the Letts and the Finns
through generations to bring thr-m
within the fold of the Christian Church.
When founded in 1252. Memel was first
culled New Dortmund, and, later,
Memelburg.
The advanced Christian fortress early
acquired an important trade, and be
came a member of the merchant trust,
the Hanseatic League. Its place upon
the borders of several unrelated peo
ples, however, while possessing the
same advantages as today, possessed
also, the same disadvantages. It was
burned several times by hostile forces
during the 13th. 14th and 15th cen
turies. After the crushing defeat atl
ministerd to Friederick Wilhelm HI of
Prussia by Napoleon upon the field of
Jena, the German monarch retired to
isolated Memel. and here, in 1807. the
treaty which was to have such far
reachinsr results was concluded between
Great Britain and Prussia.
The "Spite Fence."
PORTLAND, May 26 (To the Edi
tor.) Please inform me if the "spite
fence" ordinance has to go to a refer
endum or to the Legislature, or does
the citv ordinance control?
SUBSCRIBER.
The "spite fence" ordinance as passed
by the City Council some time ago was
held aby Circuit Judge Morrow to be
unconstitutional.
Confidence and Advice.
Exchange.
Don't put too much confidence in ad
vice: look at the mistakes the Govern
ment makes.
Disposition and Temperament.
Exchange.
It is possible to cultivate a mean
disposition without developing the ar
tistic temperament.
MKTFJl SYSTEM IS SOCIAL. DEFECT
Public Spirit, Like I.awna, vrlll Dry If
If Daly's Plan la Perpetrated.
PORTLAND. May 26 (To the Edi
tor.) My grassy lawn and blooming
flowers gladden the eyea of my neigh
bors and add "social increment" to the
land values of the vicinity and of the
whole City of Portland. Benefits from
my garden are "realized" more by
others than by myself. In truth. I
keep the grass green and the flowers
abloom because I think myself a "good
citizen." contributing my share to "so
eial" improvement and uplift.
For this civic beautif fca-tion I buy
water from Mr. Daly's offtce at a flat
rate. But I serve notice here and now
that I will never buy water for civic
beautificatlon through a meter at so
much per pint. When Mr. Daly at
taches one of hia meters on my house
and lot, my public spirit will dry up
immediately; also my grass. My
choicest flowers a few for my own
buttonhole I will Irrigate with a
bucket.
It is sufficiently unjust that I pay a
flat rate for delectation and land
profit of my' neighbors and for im
provement of the city. To the worse
injustice of paying for the extra pints
I will not submit.
And there are many "good' citizens
of Portland tr this frame of mind.
Our Plaza park. Summer long, is
kept green and fresh by, use of Mr.
Daly's city water. But the "bums" who
infest that park and preach socialistic
indolence and enjoy the exclusive
pleasures of that spot, pay not for
the water through a meter nor even
at a flat rate. Nor do worthy citizens,
who on Sunday throng the more genteel
parks, pay (for their verdure pleasure
through a meter; they pay at a flat
rate, through the medium of taxes, and
are never charged for the ciftra pints
that the park keeper may waste.
Mr. Daly and his corps are im
pregnated with the new-fangled idea
that land values are created not by
individual thrift and industry but by
"social" or "collective association." j
Many of the schemes which he has
brought forth show the fatherhood of
this idea.
Now it Is a poor rule that will ' not
work both ways. I know full well that
my flowers are not made to bloom by
"social effort." but by my own spade
work, with the aid of Providence and
Bull Run water. The community owes
me water for those flowers and for the
social beautificatlon thereof, certainly
as much as it owes the North End idler
a Job or a living or free standing room
for his soap-box on a pavement that
cost $1.50 a yard.
It is wrong, grossly wronsr. to tax
the garden makers of this city for
water by the cupful. Jf they use a few
more pints on hot. days, does not the
collective community get the benefit?
Does not the increment accrue to the
whole people, to the nose City, to the
City Beautiful? Is it not better to
supply the overplus water of Bull Run
to the grass and the flowers than to
the sewers? ROSE CITY.
DRAWBACKS OF" MODKR.V CLOTHES
Fastidiousness and Hygiene. Would Be
Served by Change, Siri Writer.
PORTLAND, May $5: (To the Edi
tor.) The editorial in The Oregonian,
May 25. tells about tho good features
of clothes. Perhaps a word or two
may be permitted about their draw
backs, for, like most things in the
world, they are neither all good nor all
bad.
One undesirable fact about civilized
man's habit of wearing clothea un
doubtedly is that the normal activity of
the pores of the skin is interfered
with. A greater burden of elimination
of waste is, therefore, thrown upon the
kidneys, and may be one of the causes
of the seemingly Increasing prevalence
of degenerative diseases of those or
gans in civilisation.
Another obvious fact that cannot be
denied is that clothes prevent the
healthy, direct contact of air and sun
light with the skin. Sunlight is a great
tonic. This is now recognized by prac
tically all physicians, and in many of
the leading sanitariums sunlight baths
are regularly employed to restore pa
tients to normal vigor.
It has been established beyond doubt
that the naked skin has the power of
directly absorbing energy from sun
light and storing It up in the body.
This explains the remarkable reserves
of physical energy (which all travelers
report primitive races as displaying in
emergencies. Their naked, or semi
naked, bodies in constant contact with
sunlight, provide a source of strength
for all the tissues that civilized man
and woman, with their carefully pro
tected skins, miss entirely. Missionaries
often do savages an injurs- by insisting
upon clothing them.
This value of air and light for pur
poses of health is not, indeed, anything
especially new. The ancient Greeks and
Romans understood the fact pretty
well and applied it. Benjamin Frank
lin knew it. It was his custom for
many years to spend daily at leant an
hour naked, with the" windows of his
chamber open, to derive the benefits of
an air and light bath. Tn his autobiog
raphy he ascribes the vigorous health
he enjoyed throughout his long life to
this habit.
A final objection to clothes is that
they are dirt-catchers. Most of us try
to make our clothes last as long as
they have a presentable appearance.
We may keep the same garment for a
year or two. By that time we miy be
sure it Is full of dust and germs. It
would be better If our outer-garments
were washable, just as our undergar
ments are. Roth fastidiousness and
hygiene, would be served by having a
change of fashion in this regard.
E. r. S.
Meter Campaign Mtaptaced Flaergry.
PORTLAND, May 25. (To the F.dl
tor.) The water supply seems to be a
very serious matter In the mind of Mr.
Daly. And so it should be. If lie has
in mind the good of the people of
Portland and the natural benefits that
flow from a plentiful supply of God's
gift to man.
An unlimited supply of water. If Mr.
Daly would give his efforts to applying
the large sum of money which would
be required to furnish meters, to fur
nishing: a larger supply of water to
the people of the City of Portland by
which they could make the grounds
surrounding their homes green and
beautiful, instead of parched and un
sightly, then, and only then, will the
people of Portland have cause to feel
grateful to Mr. Daly and ht colleagues.
Mr. Daly would say to the man dylna
of thirst: You can take a sip from this
overflowing Crystal Lake, but you
must not take enough to allay your
thrist, for the lake may run dry some
day and you would have none to drink.
Which would die first. Mr. Daly's lake
or the man with the thirst?
D. M. O S.
Examination for Children.
PORTLAND. May 5. (To the Edi
tor.) Please inform me through the
column) of your paper what day In the
week I can take my children to the
Courthouse to have them tested under
the eugenics contest.
AN INTER E.ST ED MOTHER.
You must register your children by
calling at room 551, Courthouse, or by
telephoning to Marshall 235. You will
later be notified to bring lhe children
to that place on some date to be fixed
by the examiners.
To Steal What?
Exchance.
vBurglr make some mistakes, but
thev rarely break into a newspaper
r. trice
When a Man's Hair Goes.
Atchison Globe.
A man ceate to wurry about bis hair
after, it la gone.
Twenty-Fire Year Ago
From The Oresonlan cf May ?T. 1!W.
Representative Hermann, of Orccon,
was today in consultation with the pub
lic land committee as to the forfeiture
of the Northern Pacific Railway grant
land between Wallula and Portland.
Or., and his committee, which pre
viously reported a bill for forfeiture,
will consider and report favorably to
the Senate a bill which is now before
the committee and which is to be
passed before the cloae of the week.
The City Hall bonds to the amount
of $175,000 were yesterday turned over
to Mr. D. F. Sherman, cashier of the
Oregon National Bank, who purchased
them for New York parties, he paying
the City Treasurer $179,15 for them,
with accrued Interest.
The poles put along the streets by
the Electric Light Company are being
painted, and the public are anxiously
looking forward to the time when the
crossarms will be put on and the wires
strung and the host of poles of all izes
which they supersede ahall be removed.
Governor Pennoyer and State Treas
urer Webb arrived in the city yester
day and were met at the depot by Sen
ator Chandler and Robert C. Carter,
chairman of the central committee, and
conveyed to the hotel in a carriage.
Mrs. H. W. Scott and her son. Leslie,
arrived home via the Union Pacific yes
terday morning after a four weeks' so
journ in Chicago visiting friends.
Th Hnn f I X Thnmn-tiin lh re
publican candidate for Governor, has
taken the wind out of Governor Pen-
City Saturday night he answered all
ot tne governors cnarges containea in
tne spcecn ne nas oecn aeiivering
throughout the state.
Half a Century Ago
From Tha Oreonlan of Mar 27, 1M3.
South Carolina must have turned In
Its coffin when William Lloyd Garrison
and George Thompson stood free and
fearlessly in the midst of the ruins of
Fort Bumpier and walked about the
streets of Charleston.
We have before alluded to tho ex
cellent artist now in our midst, Mr. J.
F. Brink, and to some of his magnificent
paintings which Jo credit to Oregon.
Our attention Is nr.w i-i,l o to Mr. Tart,
a local artist of fine tafte, who :iaj
Just returned from a visit to Wallula.
and brings a portfolio freighted with
some beautiful views of scenery on the
Columbia River.
The members of Protection Engine
Company, No. 4, nad their machine out
6pon trial at the corner of First and
Washington streets last eveninx. They
attracted quite a crowd to witness the
drill.
The pirate Shenandoah Is reported
to be cruising In the western Pacific
Ocean, and it la quite likely to make
Its appearance on the track of Cali
fornia steamers. The corsair left Mel
bourne last February and it is known
that she has captured and burned the
ship Dolphin since that time.
On Wednesday, April 19. the day of
President Iincoln's funeral obsequies,
the American Telegraph office in
Washington city transmitted 75.000
words of reports to New York and
elsewhere. All this was done from 7
o'clock A. M.. beinr at the rate of 12.000
word.- ir hour. This is a feat in tele,
graphing said never to have been
equaled. The expense account amounted
to about $3000.
Judiciary Personnel.
PORTLAND, May 25. To the Edi
tor.) Please answer the following
questions:
1. What are the names of the Jus
tices of the Supreme Court ot this
state?
2. The names of the Judges of Cir
cuit Court in this district?
3. The names of the District Judsrs
of thjs city?
4. Have District Judges Jurisdiction
for the recovery of damugrs exct-eding
$250? , READER.
1. Chler Justice Thomas A. Mr
Bride, Associate Justices Henry J.
Bean, Frank A. Moore. George H. Bur
nett, Robert EHkin. Henry L. Brnson
and Lam-rence T, Harris.
2. Circuit Judges, in the order of
their departments, are: J. P. Kavi
nauich, Robert G. Morrow. Henry E.
McGinn. Gc-orce N. Davis. W. N. Oaten
and C. U. Ganlenbetn. .
3. District Judges. J. W. Bell, Jo.eph
H. Jones and Arthur C. Dayton.
4. District Courts have Jurisdiction
In cases for the recovery of dams geit
up to $300.
Koreelaanre and C'.rop.
PORTLAND. May 25. (To the Edi
tor.) To settle an argument. pIcms"
answer the following questions in The
Oregonian:
J. A forecloses a mortnase on Bs
farm. How long cn B hold possesion?
2. What length of time has he to
redeem his farm?
3. Can B hold growing crop at time
of foreclosure?
4. Can B remove crop after re
demption has expired?
, rERTLENKD.
1. B can hold possession until tha
certificate of forccio.--ure is Ispued by
the Sheriff.
2. A has one year from that time
to redeem his farm.
3. No. not unless soma stipulation or
agreement exists between the two par
ties as to the disposition of the crop.
4. No.
The M inds That Bring Rain.
PORTLAND. May 25. (To the Ed
itor.) How Is the fact explained that
the north wind usually brings clear
weather and the south wind rain?
L.
This is explained by the fart that r
coming from the north to t lie youth,
where it becomes warmer, has its ca
pacity for s'osorblng moisture; in
creased. Air coming from the south
to the north has its capacity for takinu
up moisture lessened at It falls in tem
perature, and, when the point of satu
ration is reached, precipitation orotjrs.
This Is, of course, true only in tin;
northern hemisphere. Below the equator
the contrary Is true.
Millions More for
Home Travel
Americans spend ti-ores of mil
lions of dollars In Europe each
Su mmer.
Not only are great hums spent In
traveling, in hotels and In luxuries,
hut fortunes are spent for merchan
dise. This money stays at home this
season, and that means more busi
ness for us.
lust another straw which shows
the blowing wind of prosperity.
Business will he good this Hum
mer for those who go after it and
the names of the present "live ones"
will bi found In the advertising
i-olumna of The Oregonian.
(