Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937, July 12, 1915, Page 6, Image 6

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    TITE MORNING OTtKOONTAX.
'MOXDAT, JTXT 12. IP IS.
PORTLAND, OREGON.
Entered at Portland. Oregon. Fosofflc as
second-clasa matter.
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Kastera Business Office Verree A- ConK
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POKTLA.ND. MONDAY, JULY 12,' 1813.
GKKMANY'S IX) VK OF HUMANITY.
Study of the German note In detail
reveals a determination to continue
the practices which, the United States
has denounced, modified only by the
assumption that Germany has the
right to decide with what rules
neutrals shall comply in order to
eecure the safety of their Uvea and
property at sea.
At the very outset . Germany makes
" an untenable assumption in order to
. uphold the contention that she has
sought to wage war humanely and has
resorted to inhumane methods only
in retaliation for like methods used
by her enemies. The note cites Ger
many's offer to ratify the Declaration
" of LOMon governing naval warfare
as proc". This agreement had not
been ratified by Great Britain or the
! i United States -when war was declared.
" Therefore It was not in operation, and
could not be made to govern this war
- without violating the principle that
the rules established by international
- law at the beginning of a war cannot
; be changed while that war is in prog-
-1 ress. There are reasons of self-interest,
quite aside from considera
fr tions of humanity, why Germany -de-sired
the Declaration of London to
; govern.
. Notwithstanding Germany's pro-l-
Jessed anxiety to conduct war
with due regard for international
.' law, she was the first belliger
Vent to violate The Hague treaty
'relating to 1 the use of 'floating
... anines. If the Declaration of London
should have become effective notwith
standing the lack of ratification by
; Britain, as Germany' now contends, so
: should this Hague treaty have been
.respected. At the time when the
I mines were laid It had been ratified
i by all the belligerents except Russia.
1 Serbia and Montenegro, and Serbia
was among the signatories. Both
agreements become binding only be
; .tween contracting powers and then
; only if all the belligerents are parties,
vand therefore both are ineffective, but
'. there is Just as good reason w'hy Ger
'(many should have waived this point
1 in regard to The Hague treaty as
there is why her enemies should have
iwalved it in regard to the London
Declaration.
But Herr von Jagow attempts to
shift the responsibility for mine-
v sowing to Britain and accuses that
' country of violating international law
-''by declaring the XcVth Sea a war
"' area. Britain planted anchored mines.
In contrast with the German un-
anchored mines, she placed them in
defined areas, proclaimed those areas
and took steps to direct neutral ships
Into safe passages outside of those
.' areas. Herr von Jagow distorts facts
to bolster up his claim that Germany
.' torpedoes ships in the cause of hu---
manity.
Germany is held up as the cham
pion of humanity against those who
would use starvation of her civil popu
Z'. latlon as a means to subdue her. The
L.'j truth is that Britain did not declare
u-; grain absolute contraband until the
" Gerrjjan government had seized all
food and thereby made impossible any
'r distinction between that destined for
the armed forces and that destined
.-' for the civil population.
'Britain is accused of originating the
;.. starvation policy, and of formally
' adopting it by tire long-range block
er; ad a announced on March 1. That
policy was first announced as having
..:. been adopted by Germany against
i Britain. The announcement was made
v- on December 2 by Admiral von Tirpitz
in an Interview with Karl H. von
-. Wiegand which was published in this
: country on December 22. Not until
J three months later was the British
blockade proclaimed, and then its an
. nounced purpose was not starvation
:.-f Germany, but destruction of Ger-
-... man commence in reprisal for a series
of violations of the "rules of war cul--rminating
in the submarine campaign.
". The German war zone was proclaimed
: :; on February 5, and the British block
' ade not until March 1, yet Herr von
Jagow asserts that the German action
'.. iwas retaliation for the British. In
- his effort to make a case he has re-
: "versed the order of events.
The fact is that, were Germany, en
. tlrely cut off from the world by sea.
'" she could not be starved out. Not only
have Germans boasted of this fact.
but neutral correspondents sent . to
Germany by British newspapers have
admitted that Germany has enough
1 food to pull through till harvest, and
her cultivated area has been vastly
increased this year. She has ap
propriated all the food products of
Belgium and of the occupied parts of
France, Poland and Courland. On
the other hand, could Germany cut off
communication by sea between Britain
and the rest of -the world,, she would
cause a limine in Britain, for that
country draws the main part of its
'' food supply from abroad. That Ger
many is not starving Britain is due
not to lack of will, but to lack of
ability, as the statements of Von
Tirpitz and the action of her sub
marines show.
These facts concern the United
States mainly as enabling us to judge
at their true worth Germany's pro
fessed devotion to humanity and
her Justification of the Lusitania mas
sacre. The attack on the Lusitania
without warning is excused by the
statement that other British merchant
ships have been armed and have
rammed submarines, ' though the,
charge that the Lusitania was, armed
has been disproved and has been
abandoned by Germany. The possl
- bility that thousands- of Germans
. might have been killed by the car
tridges she carried is made the de
fense for ltilling her passengers and
crew, though no person has denied the
right of Germany to seize the car
tridges and to sink the ship provided
she did not harm noncombaunts.
The massacre was not necessary to
save German lives. It was wanton
and inexcusable murder. There la
no evidence to support the statement
that ""if the commander of the Ger
man submarine which destroyed the
Lusitania had caused the crew and
passengers to take to the boats be
fore firing- a. torpedo this would have
meant the sure destruction of hi own
vessel." Since that crime was com
mitted, many ships slave been sunk
after their crews had been given time
to take to the- boats, and the sub
marines have not been attacked.
Germany's regard for humanity
must be Judged by her acts, their de
clared - purpose and their known
effects, not by her distorted version of
facts. Having: appraised It at Its true
worth, the United States Government
will be the less disposed to facilitate
the ravages of her submarines by
consenting to any restriction of our
rights which Germany may presume
to dictate.
RIGHT TO TEACH TIIOVGH MARRIED.
We very much doubt that the chil
dren of the public schools will become
adepts at throwing rice and old shoes
because of woman's new equality as
established by Judge Morrow in Mrs.
Richards' case. It does not exactly
accord with the notions of mostoung
women to go home from the school
room, take a husband and come back
to work the next day.
"Women as a rule have the home
making instinct. It is hard to eradi
cate, although It is sometimes done
by long years of congenial employ
ment. Here and there, too, one may
be found who is so bound up In her
art, career or profession that house
hold tasks seem dull and common
place. Again, there are cases where
finances prohibit the realization of
love's fond dream.
To such as these the right to teach
though married may prove -welcome.
But in the long run we shall expect to
witness practically little reduction in
the traditional number of resignations
yearly among school teaefcers for ro
mantic reasons.
: HCRTING THE CAITSE.
If it could be proved that nagging
women are successful in domestic life,
we should be Inclined to believe that
the Congressional Union is pursuing
the proper methods In the campaign
for National woman suffrage. The
policies of the organization partake
rather strongly of the stuff that so
often makes homes unhappy. Much
of its activities could not have been
better devised If they had been In
tended to defeat votes for women.
The planned descent of the women
of (he organization upon the capital
next Winter Is .not an exception. Much
of the opposition to equal suffrage
among men would disappear if they
could be convinced, as we have been
convinced In Oregon, that women
would accept political duties in a matter-of-fact,
common-sense manner,
and -not be induced to ways spectacu
lar or unwomanly.
Inopportune presentment of the is
sue, untimely appearance of commit
tees and Coxey army tactics tend to
convince opponents that their fears
concerning woman suffrage are Justi
fied. Resort to militancy or direct action
is perhaps the surest way to postpone
National woman suffrage. , .
IX THE INTEREST OF PEACE.
At a meeting at Cartjegie Hall, New
York, which Mr. Bryan "addressed on
June 19, persons leaving the hall were
handed by a woman the following
pledge:
I. being, over 1 years of age, hereby
pledge myself against enlistment as a vol.
unteer for any military or naval service in
international war, and against giving my
approval to sncn enlistment on the part of
others. ,
This pledge was circulated by a
committee, the chairman of which is
John Haynes Holmes, pastor of the
Unitarian Church of the Messiah,
which became famous through the
pastorate -of Rev. Robert Collyer,
whose voice was ever raised on behalf
of sturdy patriotism.
In critical times like these no loyal
citizen will take any pledge- which
might prove an obstacle to doing his
duty as a patriot, nor will any
loyal citizen ask others to sign such
a pledge. "The circulation and signing
of an' anti-enlistment pledge Is trea
sonable, because it sets the opinion of
the individual above the fundamental
law of the land, which is the will of
the ruling majority. The Constitution
recognizes war as a necessary means
of National defense, but Mr. Holmes
seeks to pledge citizens not to fight
.when their country calls upon them.
This pledge, though ostensibly
aimed against war, is a direct incite
ment to some aggressive nation to
make war on this country. It pro
motes that which it seeks to prevent.
Such a nation, knowing that large
numbers of men of military age ere
binding themselves not to enlist,
would be encouraged to violate the
rights of this Nation and to commit
acts , of wanton aggression -which
would goad this country into war.
That this is sound reason is proved
by the recent change in the attitude
of Germany. So long as Mr. Bryan
was Secretary of State and was
known to be an obstacle to adoption
of any warlike measures by the Ad
ministration, Germany showed no
signs of yielding in any respect to
President- Wilson's protests against
outrages upon Americans at sea. No
sooner did Mr. Bryan resign than a
decided moderation was noticeable in
the tone of German official and
newspaper utterances.
PANAMA CANAL'S FIRST YEAR.
The Panama Canal started opera
tion under the handicap of the wir
as well as under that other handicap
inseparable from new undertakings,
but its earnings in the first year, from
July 1. 1914, to July 1. 1915, exceed el
expenses by about t224.000. the earr
ings having been $4,424,306 and the
cort of operation -and maintenance
$4,200,000. This balance falls far
short of paying Interest on the cost,
which, at 3 per cent on $400,000,000.
would be $12,00.000. but traltic win
doubtless Increase this year, and when
the war ends the estimate of $10.5X10.
000 a year made by Professor Emory
R. Johnson for the first year may be
reached or exceeded.
The canal's showing Impresses on us
one of the strongest objections to
Governmnet ownership of those pub
lic works which should pay their way.
Had any private corporation Invested
$4,000,000 and shown net earnings
over cost of operation amounting to
only $2240. g'.oora would have spread
from the directors down to the small
est stockholder, and there would have
been talk of a receiver. The promot
ers could not have raised the money
without a better prospect than this.
The canal can dig into the Treasury
for interest on its bonds, but the rail
roads, which In April had a net oper
ating revenue of t6S.86e.046. had to
begin by paying out of that sum 111.
106.959 for taxes, and the larger part
of the remainder went for Interest on
bonds.
The canal was built as a matter of
National policy, not with a view to Its
earning Interest on Its cost from the
start, but there la not the same de
fense for other enterprises which the
Government Is asked to undertake.
The ability to collect taxes to pay for
any scheme It adopts makes Congress
unbusinesslike in adopting public
work and it makes officials wasteful In
managing them. The best safeguards
for good Judgment and economy .are
a hard-headed board of directors and
the necessity of paying interest.
TRANSFORMING THE CVRRENCY.
Retirement of bond-secured cur
rency by the Federal Reserve Board
has begun and will be in full swing
next year. The currency law gives
the Board authority to compel the
reserve banks to buy not more than
J25.000.000 a year of (he 2 per cent
bonds which are held to secure Na
tional bank notes. The total of these
bonds Is J601.000.000 and S135.000.000
of other Government bonds are used
for the same purpose, but - the law
does not require their purchase.
The reserve banks' have already
bought in the open market 17,601.000
of 2 per cent bonds and on January
1. 1916, will begin .buying the first
125.000,000 required -by law. They
may either use the bonds to secure
circulation of their own or may ex
change them for one-year United
Statea gold notes bearing- a per cent
Interest or for 30-year United States
gold bonds at the same rate, neither
notes nor bonds bJng available to
secure circulation. .
This will be the beginning of the
process by which currency will be
divorced from bonds, after the two
have been coupled together since the
Civil War. That unnatural union has
been largely responsible for the alter
nate plethora and stringency of money
which has been a moving cause of
panics. The supply of currency being
based on the supply of bonds Instead
of on the needs of business, we have
endured the anomaly of being able to
get money when we did not need It
and of not being able to get It when
we did need it- -
. The National bank notes are to be
replaced by Federal reserve notes to
be Issued by, the Government to
reserve banks, the new notes to be
secured by 40 per cent gold and their
face value in commercial paper ac
cepted for rediscount. This latter
provision will cause the volume of the
new currency to expand and contract
in proportion to the needs of business,
while the gold reserve requirement
will guard against inflation.
The process of transition from the
old to the new currency, which has
already begun. may be extended over
twenty years, but It may be hastened,
for National banks have the right af
ter January 1, 1916, to retire their
entire old-style circulation and to sell
the bonds by which It Is secured to the
Government. Probably long before
the twenty years expire all National
bank notes except those In the hoards
of misers will have been retired.
PROGRESS.
K. S. Martin, the editor of Life,
said the other day In an Interview
that he was deeply impressed "with
the changes caused by machinery."
He referred to changes in our ways
of thinking and living. Machinery,
he added, "has produced Immense
alterations in the conditions of life
and the relations between people." He
must have had in mind external con
ditions merely and those relations
which pertain to business, transporta
tion and other superficial accidents
of life.
Machinery has not caused much
spiritual alteration in us. It has not
Improved the intelligence of the race
a great deal nor made us any more
moral and kindly than our ancestors
were before the age of Invention be
gan. Spiritually, It may be questioned
whether we are Essentially different
from people of the middle ages. Our
sacred volume Is the same as theirs
and we accept, or pretend to accept.
substantially the same articles of b
lief. The plain people Have the same
unflinching faith in magic and sorcery
that they had a thousand years ago.
The law of cause and effect works rig
orously in every piece of machinery,
but the ordinary pesson has little con
fidence that -it works anywhere else,
He puts his trust by preference in in
cantations of one sort or another.
The realm of disease Is pervaded
by this persistent trust In magic.
Even a man as intelligent as . Mr
Martin scouts scientific medicine. He
uses the great power of his periodical
to ridicule the experiments by aid of
which the healing art has made all Its
advances. The world Is full of lm
posture posing as science and. In spite
of popular education, it is a rare per
son who knows the difference between
the genuine and the false. The good
In our religion dates back to the be
ginnings of history. Machinery has
made no alteration whatever In It
Students of history doubt whether
the modern man Is. upon the whole
as intelligent as the ordinary Greek
who walked the streets of Athens In
the days of Pericles. His mind was
quick to solve Its problems and meet
Its emergencies. His mental resources
were at least as ample and as ready
to hand as those of Sherman's men on
their march to the sea. and from all
accounts that remarkable body of
soldiers Just about touched the high
water mark of pure Intelligence In the
modern world. The soldiers now
fighting in Europe give no particular
signs of Intelligence. They obey or
ders with strict fidelity and exemplary
courage, but there appears to be some
thing dumb and slavish In their obe
dlence. Mr. Bevcrldge. In one of his
war articles, described them as "look
ing up to their officers with almost
religious reverence and docility.'
Sherman's men felt no religious awe
of their officers and neither did the
Athenians. It is quite likely that
military drill carried to the European
extreme .has blighted rather th
stimulated the activity of the human
mind.
Nor can weeclalm any euperiorlty
either In morals or kindliness over the
ancient world. Our bad practices are
different from theirs, but no leas bad
Since machinery began to dominate
human affairs there has probably
been a distinct deterioration of our
physical stamina. The average length
of life has been extended, but tha
may easily be misunderstood. The
gain has been made by saving children
from premature death. Adults do not
on the average live as long or as hap
pily ns they did before the era o
machinery dawnfd. Fullness l done
today on exactly the same principles
as In the Rome of Augustus. Out laws
of business have for the moat part
dribbled down from Justinian's com1
pllatlons. The ethics of thinking have
not altered since Cornno de Medici
built up his business In Florence and
his practices came directly from those
of Home. Machinery has mado lltue
change In this respect. The more we
study the subject the more we shall
be disposed to admit that the chansea
In human affairs wrought by machin
ery are almost wholly superficial.
Man Is the same destructive animal he
was two thousand yearn ago. His In
ventions have not Increased hLa hap
piness, but they have multiplied his
capacity to slay his fellows.
Candidly, what Is the principal use
to which mJern machinery has been
put? The submarine -docs not trans
port food to the hungry". On the con
trary' it sends to the bottom of the
sea ships laden with wheat. Chem
istry and physlea are not engaged In
providing happiness for human beings
but In exploding poisonous gases on
the battlefield and making guns more
deadly than before. Our American
railroads still carry passengers and
relght. but those of Europe have for
saken this occupation and have little
room for anything but guns and
soldiers hurrying to scatter destruc
tion. The most frightful phenomenon
In the modern world Is man's per
verted Inventiveness. .It Is tike an en
gine running without a governor, or
demon from xophet let loose to
wreak havoc. Increase of machinery
without a corresponding Increase of
conscience and kindliness bids fair to
plunge the world Into worse than bar
barian darkness.
If Forester Graves will trust fhe
opinion of those who know about the
timber in the Chugach National for
est. Alaska, he will become less anx
ious for Its continued reservation. . A
witness told a Senate committee that
he had used some of this timber for
building and that rain went right
through It. It seems to have as much
merit as skunk cabbnge for ur-e ss
lumber.
so to Kansas for Ideas every time.
Governor Capper's plan of celebrating
his birthday by chartering all the
movie houses and Inviting all the chil
dren of the capital city has the nov
elty of merit.
Thieves appear to be getting Into
the athlete's class. In Roseburg one
lifted a sample stove weighing fifty
pounds and here at home a man Is
charged with stealing a ton of gasplpc.
The strike of the Chicago union car
penters has been settled on a ba.l
that Is called a compromise, and the
point Is that the men gel TO cents an
hour, 10 cents more than last year.
According to a New York Jury, one
Boy Js worth more than two girls. But.
with some personal knowledge on the
subject, we aver that one girl coats
more than two boys, anyway.
Russia Is planning to keep the
White Sea open later than customary
by means of icebreakers, and that does
not indicate that she expects the war
to end this year.
American ships are Increasing In
number in splto of our seamen's law,
thanks to the war. But the Increase
wlH last only so long as the' war, or
our present law.
It might be a better plan for the
Vatican to keep the palace grounds
well lighted, that the Austrian Zeppe
lins could avoid dropping bombs Into
them.
It Is predicted that In the future we
will be educated by the movies. .We
can already foresee the educational
slogan "mathematics taught In six
reels."
Municipal ownership of woodyards
does not prove such a great success as
to encourage Portland to attempt mu
nicipal ownership of anything else..
The United States Army might have
some difficulty displaying a regiment
superior to the Oregon command In
camp near Seaside.
Newbcrg will not -see the Liberty
Bell, but It has Editor Bell all the
time, whlcl: Is a heap more profitable
to the community.
Clcrmana, complaining that 1'rcnch
mistreat prisoners, have begun re
prisal. Pity the poor victims of this
misguided passion.
By the way. have you awakened yet
to the fact that the most wonderful
thing In all this world Is our on Co
lumbia Highway?
It Is a wonder the secret service
guard did not kill the chauffeur who
bumped the President's auto and In
vestigate later.
If Father Schoener's new plum
tastes as sweet after it Is canned as It
does before. It is Just what the world
Is seeking.
In addtlon to the world's greatest
rose crop It will be noted that we raise
the most wonderful sweet peas.
We have not yet heard the opinion
of the fish about the Intrusion of the
submarine Into their domain.
As a last measure, why not try a
real ultimatum, with a time limit at
tached, on those Mexicans?
Once mdre Carranxa, may find
easier to take Mexico City than
hold It.
The Liberty Bell may speak with a
cracked voice, but it speaks true
words.
Turn out Thursday for that great
American Institution, the Liberty Hell.
Almost Irrf possible to resist the lure
of mountains and seashore these days.
Too bad Daniels can't be induce!
to Join the Bryan vaudeville sketch.
Local Shrlners sustained Portland's
reputation for hospitality yesterday.
Hide prices are being forced up. An
other skin game.
We aro now watchfully
forcible action.
raiting for
Bryan has become a mere unpleas
ant memory.
It's now
rortland.
a lor.g. long way across
The German aliunllon ls.tunlng up
again.
Twenty-Five Years Ago
From The Ors-gonlsn of Jo:y 12. lJO.
London. July 11. In the House of
Lvrrt Lord Salisbury moved a e-ond
reading of the bill iirovtdlr.g for a eva
sion of Heligoland to tSermeny. Ttiough
the Island had been serviceable during
the war with Napoleon, he said It had
stnre been unimportant and was wholly
worthless for strategic purposes.
Chief M or (ran. f the Fire Depart
ment, said yesterday that, the depart
ment is expected to occupy the engine
house on Kourifi street by the firivi of
AUBUi"t. The boys III hall the event
with great Joy, for their present quar
ters are dissKreeable and Inconvenient.
Rain leaks through the holes in the
tent, and they are obliged to sleep near
the horses. Then it l slow getting out.
as It la necessary to hitch tip by hand.
All these troubles will be done away
with In. the new building.
Five architects submitted plana for
the Chamber of Commerce building.
They were I. Hodron. J r.. of Omaha.
J. J'arklnson. of Seattle, and !-. re.
Whl.ltlrn & Lewis, Mc-Can A Martin,
and J. (iodard. of this city. The finance
xm mlltee i--nt some time examining
the plan yeerd.ty and adjourned un
til 3 o'clock this afternoon, when they
will probably come to a decision as to
which to select.
There Is considerable agitation
among the local followers of Aescula
pius on account of the forthcoming va
cancy in the office of the county phy
sician. Dr. C C Strong hns held the
place for some time, but the satisfac
tory character of his administration
cuts" no figure In the minds of the
horde of applicants for the position,
each one of which no douM considers
himself peculiarly btted . for the post
and very a'Ie to take care of the $100
a year th-t the office pays. Dr. Strong's
term expires August L
Tbe little hl.uk bear presented to
the City I'ark by Councilman Scoggln
some weeks airo ia no more. Its carver
as a ward and a pet of the rlty waa
brief and Its end Very a-d. It died and
was burled In the rapacious stomach
of the large cinnamon bear. It Is the
Ksme old story, "big fish eat little flan."
only In this Instance It was a bear In
stead of a fish. I'ark Officer Meyers
lad the cub In the pit several days,
and as the large bears seemed to b
pleased with the Increase In the fam
ily, and none f them even ventured to
lay a paw crt It, he ioucht bis cubrh'.p
waa perfectly safe. Hut one morning
the cub via gone. Mr. Meyers looked
high and low no bear. Taking a look
at the other bears, he noticed an ab
normal enlargement on one side of the
body of the golliy looking cinnamon.
This solved the mysterious disappear
ance. Little I'ete (that was the
rub's name) had been eaten for break
fast, and as Mr. Meyers examined the
floor of the pen more closely he found
a few hanflfula ef hair, all that was
left of i'ete.
fpokane Falls Globe According to
vital statistics more men than women
die niin-jally. Other statistics aaaure
us that more females than males are
borrt. That ought to encourage the
woman's right advocates. In the nat
ural course of events nun must even
tually disappear, leaving the female
sex In exclusive possession of the
csrlh. If the women will patiently
bide their time they will be able to
have everything their own way with
out trouble.
I'llllD JTAMIPIHXT OK RTTI.KR
(lae Wke Ilea i.aae em Rsllrss4 I.aads
Oeje-ts te l assie la Terema mt tira-l
FOHTLAND. July XI. ITo the KJl
tor.) I wish to lake lasue with those
who. In discussing the railroad grant
lands. ould leave the settler only
skimmed milk. It Is claimed that no
honest person will object to the endow
ment of the Irreducible school fund
from the standing timber on the forest
land; no honest man can object to a
process that will guarantee tht these
Immensely valuable assets shall not
be stolen or squandered. I am not. a
thief or robber, but an honest tiller of
the soil, and I lay claim to 10 acres of
this O. & C. land when It Is ready for
my occupancy. 1 do not want the btate
of Oregon to take the most valuable
asset of the land o:f It. I. being a
poor m:tn. would then have no means
of securing auffK-lenl fun.la to put that
land In a tillable condition. If the
actual settler en the land, with a pur
chasing price of $:.&9 per acre, would
be deprived of the timber, or any other
aasct thereon, there would be left no
incentive to go onto the land unless
l e waa a person of great wealth, and
such persons do not very often go onto
l.ik-gcd-oft land and make a home
thereon.
It would be nothing but thievery for
the rotate f Oregon even to accept. If
tendered this land, and rob It of Its
value and band the land to someone
to clear It at an expense oi irera s.u
to $-'00 per acre. If the Plate of Ore-
in.-on Is to be benefited by this land-
rent tiermon, in ray estiinawvu m"
Is but one way that it can be accom-
Pitched.
The court decldee that the actual
settler's clause la an enforceable cove
nant. Some would ask that this law
passed br Congress many years ago
be rescinded. Let ue have this land
according to the original Intention of
tha arrant. Let the settler go on 10
acres of IU and If he cannot pay cash
In full. Ut htm rr f" It In Install
ments, for the security Is good: let
him build up for tlmaelf a fortune. If
need be; let him have whatever he
finds on the land that God r"t thereon;
he Is entitled to It: the state, companies
or corporations have no right to It
or any portion of It- They would
have Just the a m right to go
onte a man's wheat field and thresh
the gtaln and hand him the straw for
his many days of hard toll and expense
of growing the crops. My enforcing the
terms of the grant we win build up a
vast, wealthy community In the vari
ous aectlons wherein the land Is lo
cated. This Is a case In which I claim
the state Is an interested onlooker
only, and has no Just claim to this
land, or any eoulty whatover In It.
I am in favor of Irreducible school
funds, but I wish the fund to be cre
ated honestly and righteously. These
settlers will all pay taxes according
to the laws of the state, and they
should not be rohbed of any portion of
their rroperty to create a fund for any
purpose In the Interest of the public.
It la the duty of our state officers to
accept of the law as It la written and
the grant as It la made, and Insist that
our representatives In Congress favor
a law whereby this land must be sold
without further delay according to the
spirit as n:l as the letter of the grant.
All we need In addition to what we
have In laws and regulations la to
give the man who Is now and has been
on the land first right to purchase this
land which he has lived on and made
Improvements on. He Is an actual set
tler In a true sense and spirit. We
have preference right, according to our
public land lama, and the same should
apply In this case. The old saying of
f:rst come f.rat served would be a good
policy to pt:r'ie In the way of applica
tion for this land.
If. E. BRONJON.
314 almon street.
. raatlssi Itwbby.
I'lttshurg Post.
"Hubby, some ladies have asked me
to Join the movement for beautifying
our town." '
"Well 7"
"And I'd like to Join"
"And what's your Idea of beautifying
our town? Gelling a new leather tor
your bait
MK.ROKS SOT OM.Y mOTESTAMI
Jaate AadasaaasMl frefeeeee Hart ajeieleal
a laa.saaa- Fllsa.
PORTLAND. July 11 (To the Ldl-
tor.) la The Oregor.lan July a letter
appears defending Thomas Dixon's
"Clansman." written by Ueorge W.
Dixon In anawer to my protest against
the "Mirth of a Nation Dim founded
upon lhatnovcL
Mr. Dixon says that "these societies
of colored people could better defend
the history and race characteristics of
the negro by adopting different method.
If the drama la a vicious misrepresen
tation, why do they not calmly and dis
passionately show wherein It la such.
Instead of trying to secure Its suppres
sion T
First, the play was written by a
white man and first to be protested
against by a while man. The socle ty
that la making fhe greatest nght
against this Jlm, to- which Mr. Diavn
referred ia not a "society of colored
people. but a society of people of all J
rices Th National Association for
the Advancement of Colored J'eople."
In which, we rtnd such prominent men
and women as Mooreneld storey. Una.
ton; Dr. J. K. tu'invem. New York;
Dr. W. i;. It. Kullois. New York;
Oswald Garrison Vlllar.l. editor of the
N'w York Post; Miss May Chllds Ner
ney. New Y"ork. oo the board of direc
tors we find Jane Addama, Chicago:
John K. Milholland. New York; Mr.
Florence Kelly. New fork; Charles Kd
ward Itussel. New York; John U. fnder-
mii. New lork; William Lnglish Wal
ling. New York, and many more 1 could
mention.
The "Clansman.- Mr. Dixon says. "Is
an historical production of over half a
century ago.- and that it Is not even
exaggerated, "to say nothing of false
representation. he add.i. I can better
answer the above statements concern
ing its historical value by quoting In
part Albert Hu.hnell Hart, professor
of American history of Harvard Uni
versity, and Jane Addama. a woman of
National fame. Mr. Hart says:
This show does not give a true lmpresia.
"'"" o' anle-t..um perlud. me t. il
wsr or the reoe-netrtreiioa, it contains u.
I"HmK s.eaosra upon sums Northers
ir.men and ur-on the I ailed Mates Army
F.r)t.uiT aco.. thai ( laborers In fac
tories and workshops then worked from lj t
14 hours per csr and sisves sorely d:4 bm
have a better time. If Thomas 1:jh la ar.
of the 4-"U volumes hicb Me boaala of leaj-'"S-
can point to a alr g.e authentic c .r. i.m-r-.rarv
statement that on any p.antalloa. in
any s eve state, tho rusr ..i!ni boars
"" ten a dsv I elll c.rr-.:; a.tmit that
,n-w one a;s-.onrsi trutn In the le-e.
It is an ir.aj.i to ('resident Joknxan. to the
""-retary of War and ti eety comman4ie
t.ereral. oClt.r sad so:d'.er in ln irn.r of
th Kouth. te Ua4 poop; to t.:ioie ir-at trie
I'r.lted e;ates of Amertre waa the remoree.
lees tool of Bvgro adventurers. dlre--leo. br
Northern haters or the b-autbera peop;e. T !
raoet brutal a eg rose are rent-d t ou
tn the flcturee: rnea of tjie earns I po mm
Color.el so;diera. pictured In thai
n.scnf.cei rnoaomeut ol posts rhe tato
hoaoe. are presented to you as unworthy of
thetr uniforms: The wearers of the t-lee
weie aof m'i saints, but m.t of them were
shite ar.d sut;ect to cout tenart.a. .
As a maker of a book f,r moving f. Inures.
Mr. bltos Is highly suorewsfu:; if he wou.d
onlr leae the luM and Itie pssalon out. h'-s
how would bo worth seeing. As an'hie
tr an. he har.lly Invites d.tsent. SoUov
wl.l lel.tve. r.J. hecsuse he as so, that
ThtdJrtf rteer.s threat-red to har.g AD
o'ew Jt-hr.son from the r-e:cnny of ii-.e White
louse; or tl-.at ho set up flea ade te be
dictator. probably nobtHlr In the oorla ev -cert
lton believes that all the laws n-.a.te
b the re-ontru-tion legislator v.f ti.e
South were drafted by the Kreedmeo s
iiureau,
Jane Addams. In speaking of Its his
torical value, says:
One of the most unfortunate things about
lh;s f'.lm Is that it appeals to rare prejudice
upon the Lsais ef cond'.tlrirs of half a cen
tury ago, whlrh have nothing te do with
facts we bete to consider toder. The pro.
uer seems to have followed the princ-l le
of gathering the raoat vlclot and ro
teecjue ln.1t ;.1ua.a he could find among I no
eo..red people and showing I hem aa rrrre
ear.!atlve of the race The asms met rod
r-ould be fo. lowed te imlnb the reputation
of any race.
Mr. Dixon further states that the t!av
does not seek to secure hostile legisla
tion against the colored American. If It
does not seek that, then what Is the
object of this show 7 Why should a
man like Sr. iiiun, against whose pri
vate life1 nothing can be said, spend
a lifetime sowing firebrand through
out his country? Why Is a colored man
a colored soldier pictured as the one
who commits the nameless crime on an
innocent white girl the Incident toward
which the whole show leads ud? What
does It all mean If not to create senti
ment against the colored American?
We cannot be absolutely positive of his
motives, but the effects are perfeclly
clrar. whether they are Intended or
otherwise. The "lilrth of a Nation."
like the novels. "The Clansman. upon
which It Is founded; "The Leopard
Spots," and "The Traitor." Inculcate a
gospel of bnte toward the colored race.
MK.H. EDW. M, CANNADT.
BIO K. Twenty-alxtb street North.
rofior.R ai.o hati: i..trEs
Aa eVsw I Herat wre. the Sowre-e Iswee
et I wear Trse Wwr-t b.
PORTLAND, July 9. (To the Edi
tor.) Referring to your Judicious edi
torial July f on "Good Muslo end B
I take the liberty of submitting a few
additional remarks.
There la a great deal of convention
alism In music too much for common
sens- Many people pretend to find
beauty In some Insignificant or un
comprehensl ve compositions In order to
appear superior to others who do not
-understand." The proof or this asser
tion lies In the fact that some modern
musical works praised very highly at
one lime by leaders of classical music
have been Ignored some years later bv
theae same people, showing therefore
the fad or conventionality of their first
Judgment.
Another observation Is that, refer
ring to works of even uncontested past
musical masters, criticism la hardly ad
milted for any part of their composi
tion a. To the "pure" everything that
they have written la "sublime" and
must be considered so by everybody,
while in fact some of their writings
ir sublime, some beautiful, some pret
ty, some poor. Insignificant or lengthy,
but it would be heresy or ignorance
to admit It
In music, aa In literature, human
mlnda show weakness at times j-ome
great wriiere have written some poor
book a. which are discarded or Ignored.
Why should not ft be the same In
music Wht we need In music, as In
any other art or science. Is love of
truth and good sense In our Judgment,
and II la too often larking.
To use the terms of Josef llofmsnn.
"fugue, sonata, symphony, what you
wl.l. musical milking." even substan
tiated by a long and laborious synop
sis describing Imaginatively from the
musle the whisper of the winds, the
murmur of the brook, the little birds,
the sorrow or happiness of the lonely
milkmaid, will never lake the rise's of
the selected, rlassial or not classical,
melodies which the common people de
mand to aatlsfy their musical wants
according to their plain common sense.
It Is no mstery that many listeners
of -high-brow music" fall completely
to find any charm In It. but It goes
with let "tune." and the "tone." and
It would not do to confess to a lack
of appreclaife-n. FIDDLE.
xntaewverlavat Year Olaews FTteade.
David Grayson, writing Ms story
-HempneW in the July American
Masaslne. eavai
"It la a curious thlr.g how people
surprise ua. In our vanity we begin te
think we know them to the uttermost,
and then one day. possibly by accident,
possibly In a moment of emotion, a lit
tle secret door springs open In the
smooth panel of their visible lives, and
we see within a lor.s. long corridor
with other doors and rsaeaKe or-vtiliig
away from It In every direct (on the
vast secret chambers of their Uvea,"
Half a Century Ago
Krom The Oreg.ii.ian of J -air lr. lUflX
New York. June I. A r.o'e from'
Crus W. Field, oaled lAin.lcn. June 1 r.
itatea that the Ureal lleMern will
probably sail from there on July s and
from Valencia about July 10. All Is
to.rtc on satisfactorily. The greatest
confidence Is enter:: Incd that the ca
ble will be successfully lai.l.
The musicians of the city vesterd .y
turned out to altend the funeral of Mr.
Patrick Quir.h. from the I.moc-ln U"ie.
in respect to his bavlni; been a miiicl
man. The procession w.is vrcr-rli-d ,y
a braiis hand of about 2 S j. t o.-, pil ing
gome of the most rolemr n-.trihr.
A telegram has been rooixrj at
Fort Vancouver from Ss-. rr -netto,
which statea that the Military Di.ir .-t
of Oregon has been chanced lr.t t
-Department of the Columbia." and th:t
General Oeorge Wright, who lor.g com
manded here, has been assigned to thu
department with headquarters at Van
couver. ,
The people of tlx. Houi? were so ter
ribly bitten by the Confederate paper
money that In many towns they am
till somewhat shy of taking green
backs. Insisting upon hard cash In pay
ment for their commoditlea. They will
soon get over this little prejudice.
New Tork. 'June I. Tod.iy. for the
first time In four years, direct over
land communication with I'.lchmond Is
to be had. The old railroad route with
connecting links. e'ean.boata ami
stages, being opened.
We learn that the Fourth was cele
brated In grand s:!e at Canyon City.
Our Informant sas that such a cele
bration would never have been expect
ed at the place which waa the seat of
the enrollment rebellion. The rebel
of that place as well as elsewhere
seem to be pretty thoroughly subju
gated. Juiige Hill, formerly of this city, de
livered the oration of the occasion.
T.e celebration was a moi enthu
siastic one through, ut. The people of
Canyon City have reason t .- rejoice on
account of the growth of National sen
timent In that once somewhat dllo)al
community.
The Hudson's Ray Compsny have es
tablished a trading poet f-r to t'-.e In
terior, on the Columbia l.lver. whlrh
Is called fori heppard. The new post
is calculate I as a uply point f.r the
mining regions late'y discovered in the
vicinity of Ileal Kncampment. and also
the ret Ion of Kooter.sl. Thev are row
encaged In forwarding goods to the
pot by the boats of the t. N. Com
pany on the Columbia. Ha l the "lllil
or fight" policy been adi-ered t .. and
we could have maintained the northern
bound-try against the o.ld of the lone
star acr-tumion of tcrrtn-y tor the
benefit ef the sunny Fju'.h. the locality
of this tort would have l!ln within
the lines of free Amerlcs. an.l our peo
ple would have reaped the t-eneflta of
its etaMlshmert. As It l. it comes
Just above the 4Mb parallel.
om: roir ox ximrii all Af.nr.n
Law 4 (Iraat Mkwwle Re Threw w Osrs fe
Aelwal s-etflera rsmtl);,
ItmTl-AND. July 11 (To the Ldl-
tor.) Recently In a communication to
The Orrgouian the writer made a sug
gestion that In the disposition cf the
grant lands they be divided into three
classes, namely, the agricultural, the
timber and the mineral lands. In the
past few days there hae been pub
lished many similar or diverging opin
ions on the stibject. There is one point,
however, on which nearly everyone
serins to agree: The lands In question
should be thrown open to actual set
tlers as speedily as possible under the
most advantageoua conditions possible
for rapid development. Hut who shall
disposal of It the Government, the state
or the railroad? How sliall it be done?
At what price shall it be sold? Who
shall be benefited thereby? These are
questions now- agitalinc (he public
mind.
M, J. Anderson. In an article July 10,
declares thai any attempt t claesify
the grant lands would be wholly un
desirable at the present time. "1 ho
cla.-slnaatlon, ff provided for. would be
in the bands of ao-callod technical men.
most of whom lack practical experi
ence In fanning, and a majority, either
through tha nature of their college
training Federal bureau con ne-c Loos, or
an exaggerated Idea of the importance
of conservation, are totally untitled for
the work.
Assuming that Congress w ill, b -so m i
arrangement, open the so lands for set
tlement not long after It convenes, it
would be the height of folly t ' go
blindly ahead and sell Ih.-se lands re
gardless of their adaptability for farm
ing purposes, regaruless of the heavily
timbered areas, regardless .f the va;
mineral resources reposed within them.
To be sure. In making a report of thes-
lands Government experts, or "tecl.nlca.
men." aa Mr. Andt-rson terms them,
nU;ht make a few mistakes In their
proper classification, but would that
not be much better thn t. disregard
altogether the suitability of the land
for farming, lumbering or mining? I
believe it ia better to be near right
than wholly w-rong. even though per
fection cannot be Immediately attained.
It must be understood, however, that
the writer made this suggestion of
ciasMn.etton only on the supposition
that the lands were to be thrown open
lo immediate settlement, which we tak
for granted that Congress experts So
do when It meets next December. 1'nder
these circumstances I wished merely to
cmphasiie the fact that some distinc
tion should be made as for what they
are most xaluablev
Our friend suggests that Congress
"leave Ihetn open for at least r.ve yeara
and let th man with calloused places
on his hands from contact with the ax
and th plow classify tbenv Give thn
prospector a chance to classify the min
eral lands of Southern free on Instead
of some Government freak with yellow
leggings and a toy pick. Leave these
lands open for five years wuh a reason
able law for thc!Y settlement, and the
non-agricultural land will be still va
cant." It Is here that I fully agree
with Mr. Anderson If Concrete deema
It wis In do such a thing. If this were
done. In five years mature wo ild read
ily adjust themselves. Settlers would
flock In upon th agricultural lands and
begin a ee4 development of them;
an Impetus would be given to prospect.
Ing. the mines would be opened up and
th state's output of gold arid other
metals materially Increased.
If. however, aa the general ronsensue
of opinion Indicates, an Immedfet sale
of th land la declared. I still believe
some provision should be msd for their
proper claae-flc-atlon. V VITRN'ON.
Things Forgotten
Isn't It aggravating just at
th last minute to find you have
forgotten eorr needful article
for your Vacation trip?
Rut In these days of service
It Is bsppl'y an error easily
remedied.
ciiance through the advertis
ing In this newspaper and de
cide where Is the best plac to
get It.
Then take down your tele
phone and give your order.
Two or three minutes' time set
the wheels In motion lcvfk.1 your
ants.
In the minutes when oulck de
risions lave lo be made, news
paper advertising Is a m.ghty
helpful friend.