TITE MORNING OREGONIAN. TUESDAY, AUGUST 10. 1915.
referee) at Faniaad. Ona. roetofflce a
eeeaad-t-laae matter.
Sttaecrtpuo Jlatee Invariably la advance;
T" B MuL
- rwi'r. uataf tnetetied. eae year .......
Ialir. Vttidfty haiteneU. at nosiht -
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Lativ. suntlav laWwdeo. eae mouta . - - .
" imiir, tiftout bi47. lr ........
IU J. w It llut SuBda). "oothj S.M
" I ilr. vuhout .vuntl.I. lnr raoAl&j .....
J I-aiiv. aiinaut ual. eae meat
we.l, eae rear
" otr. m Tr J JV
r suadajr aad Weekly, eae year .......... aw
CMtUr.1
i." tallr. Soaaav Ineladed. eae jaw
c lailv. Sea.lv Included, one bodU .....
r - Maw I Ind poetofftco money ar-
- er upr.M order ar aereoaai check aa our
l-jl mi1 atarnaa, coin or wrf are at
c - Knur a rulL Olie poetofflce addreea la tali.
" lartadlnc ouatv aad elate.
IT Nmw kin 12 ta 1 rasea. I rnf. Is
I. r 4J peare. 2 ceata: la 43 p. cenia.
in ta v caaea. canta; lo
.- rente: ; is U3 pasea. ccala. urelsn
noetase. double ratea.
' lawtern Baatneea OftVae Ycreo f"a-
He. Hrunaolck buUdin. .sea- tork;
roaktin. ater euiidlns. Cbeo: San
Vranciac repraeeatauve. K- J. Wldw.il. 1
a . yara.c etreet.
rORTUD, TVESU.r. At GI ST 10. Itl.
FKOHIBITION AD rOUTICS.
In publishing the courteous letter
from Mr. J. Sanger Fox on the pro
hibition question today, we do not
. feel justified In letting It pass with
out considering an Inaccurate Impres
sion he obtained from an editorial in
' The Oregonlan and his apparent con-
elusion that the pledging or political
candidates Is the sure road to dry law
enforcement.
The Oregonlan did not Intend to
convey the Idea that -local option Is
responsible for the more successiui
' enforcement of prohibitory law In the
stairs that have recently gone dry-" I"
i fact, we do not know that such states
- have been signally successful In that
; regard up to the present. They do
have a better opportunity to eniorce
. the dry law because the dry states now
hare a form of National co-operation
. that their predecessors did not have
; affecting Interstate shipments, and
" they have before them the experiments
of older prohibition states wun cu
farcins- statutes.
Local option Is responsible for the
. spread rather than the enforcement of
state-wide prohibition, under lis in
" flnence- some localities attain real
prohibition, and a generation soon
grows up to which drinking is un
known. In other communities under
local option the law is not enforced
and the result Is a wavering between
wet and dry. of which Massachusetts
and Ohio, cited by Mr. Fox. offer ex
amples. It Is quite natural for a gen
eration which has no knowledge of the
open saloon to turn to high license
or some other restrictive or regulatory
form as a relief from the blind pig
and the bootlegger, and to turn back
, again to no license when the regu
latory provisions governing the saloon
are not enforced.
The Issue resolves Itself Into a mat
tar of enforcement and where local
option has been enforced It has cre
ated a powerful trend toward state
prohibition. But the Idea that en
forcement can be accomplished solely
by electing officials pledged to com
pel obedience to the law Is one of the
fallacies of the Prohibition party. The
successful enforcement of a criminal
statute does not depend wholly upon
the diligence of the police, the earnest
ness of the prosecuting attorney and
the hlghmlndedness of the court. Pub
lic sentiment pronounced public sen
timent must still be reckoned with,
and It Is expressed through the trial
Jury. There are certain health ordi
nances In effect In Portland good
laws, too that are only partially en
forced because It Is practicably Im
possible to get juries to convict. Such
enforcement as is obtained is the re
sult of threats of criminal action which
would not be carried out did the guilty
violators of the ordinance but know
It and defy the officers. The officers
would not take a case Into court. They
are diligent. They want the law en
forced. They may have conclusive
evidence. But they know they are
blocked by public Indifference ex-j
' pressed through Jury acquittals.
It may be conceded that the election
of officials pledged to strict enforce
' tnent of prohibition Is made an aid to.
; although not an Insurance of. the ef
. fcctlvenesa of the law. But even so.
dry law enforcement can be but tern-
porary as a political Issue. The peo
. pie will not subordinate every other
Issue forever and a day to prohibition.
It would be like attempting to con--tlnue
an anti-slavery party In exist-
- ence after slavery has been abolished. J
Pronounced public sentiment for dry
law enforcement wilt In Itself bring
that enforcement. We do not have to
organise a special political party to se
cure the enforcement of law against
theft or murder. The public servant
knows that If he winks at murder or
theft his official life la the forfeit. He
does not have to be pledged.
Like Mr. Fox. we give a great deal
of credit to the Woman's Christian
Temperance Union and other educa
tional agencies for the spread of pro
hibition. Indeed, we give them and
local option more credit than we do
the Protflbltlon party, which devotes
too much of Its energies to politics
and too little to the firmer foundation
cf temperance education.
raosrECT or wheat market.
A Government crop report which
raises the estimate of wheat to .-
00.00 bushej. an Increase of 1.000.
' eoo bushels on the July report In spite
t of rumored damage, turns attention
! to the question of what price the
; fanur wilt obtain. Will this second
banner enp cause prices to sag be-
low those of last year or will the war
- cause a continued high price?
Reports that France and Italy have
' become liberal buyers corroborate the
statements of Broom hall, the British
authority, that the French crop has
been damaged by wet weather and that
-importation will be necessary on a
; liberal scale." Broomha.ll discredits
optimistic official reports from Russia
and says that, while labor is plentiful,
r.rrses are scarce and the outlook for
Spring wheat is not favorable. While
European acreage Is larger, bad
weather and Imperfect tillage have off
set the Increase. In Britain the re
port for July 1 showed a condition
more than 1 per cent below the ten
ear average.
Kx ports to Europe have not begun
' as briskly as last year, for then sup
plies were low, while the heavy ship
ments of the year have stocked up the
trttlb. But the Argentine crop 1
about cleaned up and was not as large
as expected and shipments from India
have fallen below expectations. Brit
ish tmirters seem to hold off In hope
that farmers will loosen up and In
confidence thst SO. 000. 000 bushels
above normal from Canada and an In
creased surplus from A.stralla will
Jaold down prices. They hope that the
allies Tt III force the Dardanelles and
release Russia's export surplus of
If 0.069. 009 bushels and that they may
then leave the Americans with a large
carry-over In case the latter hold for
a stiff price.
Buying by France and Italy and by
American millers, who have an active
demand for flour, has caused prices
In Chicago to advance in the last few
days. Farmers usually hold wheat at
this period of the season unless tney
need money, and few are In that po
sition. They are disposed to hold, in
confidence that the market will go up
rather than down and that the Turks
will not be driven from Russia's
southern gateway for a long time to
come. If they have a surplus after
supplying the foreign demand, they
can feed It to stock or carry It over.
At present the wheatgrower perhaps
does well to wait and see which way
the tide turns. In another month the
situation ahould have cleared up suf
ficiently to enable him to Judge, but
caution Is needed not to overstay the
market.
WALKI0 K TUB DARKNESS.
A child's swine- breaks and a beau
tiful young woman la dashed to the
ground, and later dies from her In
juries. The sweeping current of the
ocean takes In its powerful clutch i
lovely young bather, and sne is res
fmA with rrflt difficulty. Only
to
Aim, at axhauKtlon on the beach. With
In a few days two shocking accidents
have darkened Portland homes and
two precious lives, full of the Joy of
belnar and of doing, are taxen.. com
were, tender flowers in the garden of
vnunr woma nhood. Both had been
ruj with th most anxious solid
turfa Rmh were unon the threshold
of life. Both were Justly admired for
their loveliness of person and graces
of mind and spirit. Both had every
thing in live for. and'nothlng to fear
In the great accounting. Yet. because
of trifling mishaps, wnicn couia not
have been prevented by numan tore
i-ht hoth are called away.
No one knows when the curtain is to
be drawn. We are but shadows an
shadows we pursue. We all of us-
walk in the dark, ana me wa
... arav la full of BltTallS. HOW CS
life young and active and Innocent
lira And its Imperative expression ex-
nftl t h return the employment of
youthful pursuits and youthful pas-
i . Th,.. ia nn kit to aive ab
solute safeguards against the Imper
fections of man's handiwork or the
cruelties of Nature s meinoa. i is
hut an h nil r arn since it was nine;
and after one hour more H will be
eleven." so that time or years or youth
or ace count for little or nothing
In the divine plan.
But what a tragedy wnen a young
man or a vounc woman, with every-
in iiv. and fiona for. dies. It
Is easy to understand why the old
must die. but not the young.
FRESH AUK.
The Impression left by the assembly
of osteopathics In Portland last week
Is that there Is a wide territory not
yet explored In medicine and surgery.
We heard of the osteopathlsts doing
new aad wonderful things we heard
It from the osteopathics, to be sure
and certain radical views In dissent
from accepted practices of the regu
lar doctors were advanced. The Ore
gonlan was led the other day to sug
gest that perhaps the osteopathlsts
don't know It all, nor the regulars.
Many of the theories and experi
ments advanced by the various schools
come ss new discoveries, but we sus
pect ' that most of them are. mostly
old truths In a new guise- We are
fortified In that opinion by a newspa
per cllDDtnr sent in by a reader, con
taining the views of Benjamin Frank
lin, who lived more than a century ago,
on fresh air. The fresh air cult is
now auite fashionable, and the sleep
ing-porch something of an Innovation.
Tet here Is what Franklin said, in ais-
cusslng the prevalent dread of fresh
ain
Expartaaca haa convinced ma of any Error.
t lack boob fraah Air aa a friend: I
tvta alaap wltn aa opas Window. I am par
atudad that so common Air from without ia
ao aBwholaeome aa Iba Air wlthla a cloaa
Room, that haa saan eftaa oraatn d ana noi
chaocrd. Molat Air. too. which lormarly J
thought Parnlcloua. (Iaa mo no jtpprenaa-
aioaa. Tod payalriaaa nara ox lata nappiiy
dlacovarad thai traan and cool Air doea good
to Parana In the smallpox and oincr ravara.
it i. to h. tonal that la another Century
or tare w may find out that it Is Dot had
van for People la Health.
Franklin seems also to have had an
Inkling of the fact that colds are due
to ' micro-organisms, as witness the
following:
Vapors arlalns from Marahaa and atasnant
Poo la. a which many Inaecta dia and cor
mm th. TV-tar. afford unwholesome Air:
and It 1 not the mere Water contained In
the Damp Air. but tha volatile Partlclea of
corrupted animal matter mixed with that
Water, which readers aucn air pernicious to
thAM vhn breatha It. And I laifll It a
Cauee of the tame kind that reader tha Atr
In a cloaa Hoom where the perapirmDie
Matter la breathed over and over asain by a
number at aaaambled People so hurtful to
Health. After belns la euch a Situation,
msnv rind themeelvea affected br tha Pebrl-
cula which tba tBlLh alone call a Cold and
perhapa from the Kama imagine mat mfj
causal tha malady by solas out ef the
Room, when II waa In fact by belac la It.
Benjamin Franklin lived to a ripe
age i practicing all his life the
virtues of frugality and moderation In
eating and drinking." He was a vege
tarian, and he frequently spent two
hours In the bath tub. He knew from
his own experience and practice many
of the things that are now regarded as
revelations in sanitation and In medi
cal science.
STATE BOAD POLICIES.
It Is significant that those states
which have succeeded best In estab
lishing and maintaining good roads
have taken the work nnder state con
trol. New Jersey was the first to
vote state aid. having appropriated
funds In 1S)1. but Massachusetts and
Vermont followed In lt2. The Bay
State to June 1. 114. spent about S14,
000.000 on 1000 miles of state and SS0
miles of small town highways, funds
being derived from state bonds and
automobile licenses. The work is done
directly by the highway department
at state expense, but the counties re
pay one-fourth of the cost of state
highways. Connecticut has sent
about 111.500.000 derived from bonds
and automobile licenses, paying three
quarters to seven-eighths of the cost
of roads.
New Tork established a highway de
partment In 18l and up to 11 had
built 4300 miles of road at a cost of
SC7.1SS.000. About tZ5.S00.000 had
been spent from appropriations and
automobile licenses down to 1906.
when a state bond Issue of 130. 000. 000
wss made, and in 113 a second issue
of like amount followed. . In that
state roads are divided-Into classes:
State highways, to be Improved and
maintained solely at the expense of
the state: county highways to be Im
proved and maintained ; at the Joint
expense of state, county and. town;
county roads. Improved and main
tained by the counties, aad tow a blga.
ways. Improved . and maintained by
the town with the aid of the state.
Maryland.' though one of the small
est states and one of the latert to un
dertake highway construction, has
done as much In proportion to size
and has profited as much as any. That
state is building 128S miles of road
at a cost or tl8.000.000. of which 110.
000.000 has already been spent Of
the result the Boston Transcript says:
In th. n.lahborhood of Weahlna-ton the
nmfli.hl. tMiilt of laarvland'a liberal road'
bulldins already la evident. Tha at ate la
thronged with vlaltlne; autnmonlliete. who r.
develnplne Maryland Summer reeorts and
..Mnnrtn, hr- hnl.l, while acrOS th
Una from tha District of Columbia for
many miles home seeker and capltallata
ara buying up thousands of acre of hitherto
relatively Idle farmlne landa. me nun
rum appropriated by Maryland seema stag
serins for ao email a state, but one need
only perambulate the beautiful Maryland
eountryaid to aea that the money Is be
lns returned to tha state treasury In- en
hanced valuatlona aven taster than it la
belns spent In road building.
The most progressive public road
states have succeeded by adopting the
system of state control over construc
tion and of state defrayal of part or
the expense. Roads are no longer
means of getting from a farm or vil
lage to the county seat; they are
means of going from one county to- an
other and across a whole state into
the next state. Public policy and
economy require that the trunk high
way be located and built by the state
with this purpose In view, and that
none but purely local. roads be built
by local authority. The road system
has outgrown the capacity of county'
courts and district supervisors and has
become a charge for the state at
large, and Maryland's experience
shows that It pays to treat It as such.
OVR RESOURCES OF WA MUNITIONS.
So much uproar has been raised
about American sales of war material
to the allies that it Is as well to know
what dimensions this business has at
tained. The New Tork Times says
that inquiries by the War and Navy
Departments have revealed that since
the beginning of the war American
production of war munitions has in
creased fourfold. Output of small
arms ammunition has increased from
1.000,000 to S, 000.000 rounds a' day.
on a working schedule of twenty-four
hours a day. Although orders for
small arms have been placed by bel
ligerents, none have been shipped, and
the amount of artillery ammunition
that has been shipped is so small as
to have made no showing. Shipments
of other forms of ammunition and ex
plosives have shown a marked In
crease. The export of arms and am
munition Is Just about to begin in
earnest, some factories having com
pleted their alterations and extensions.
Bo far the United States has sup
plied only about 1-25 of 1 per cent of
the ammunition used by the allies since
the war began. Compared with the
requirements of this country in case
of war, our productive capacity, even
on the enlarged scale, is infinitesmal.
Germany began the war with five
rifles for every soldier, regular or
reserve, and 2000 rounds of ammunl
tlon fqr each rifle. This means a total
of 25.000.000 rines and ao.ooo.ooo.vuv
rounds of ammunition. The United
States has about 600,000 modern
Springfield and 365.000 Krag rifles.
the iatter not being used by the regu
lar Army, but being available for an
emergency. If the United States
should put 1,000.000 men In the field
we could supply each man with five
cartridges a day by running the exist
ing factories twenty-four hours a day.
Our lack of artillery and of ammu
nition for it Is even more serious. In
order to equip a mobile army of 500.-
000 men the general Starr estimates
that we should have 1292 guns, of
which a year ago-834 were completed
and 226 under contract. We had then
not more than IB per cent of the esti
mated amount of ammunition for the
entire number of guns and another 15
per cent under contract. We are equal
ly short of ammunition for the Coast
Artillery. To guard against Invasion
we should need 380.000 men. to man
our coast defense works and to guard
our coasts, but we have neither guns
nor ammunition to equip them.
The estimate of the number of guns
we should require has been proved too
low by the lessons of the present war.
and should be at least doubled. The
great successes of this war on both
sides have been won by artillery. In
his report on the second battle of
Tpres Sir John French says that the
German attack was supported by "a
mass of heavy and field artillery which
not only in number, but also In weight
and caliber, is superior to any con
centration of guns which has previous
ly assailed that part of the line," and
that to the east of Ypres his troops
were subjected for sixteen days "to
violent artillery bombardment from a
large mass of guns with sn unlimited
supply of ammunition." This artillery
fire made it impossible to dig efficient
trenches or properly to reorganize the
line, and on May 8 it "completely ob
literated the trenches and caused enor
mous losses."
The British and French were hand-
leaped by the loss or fifty French guns
in the gas attack which began the
battle, and by lack of machine guns.
One British regiment Is said to have
done "considerable" execution with
their machine gun." having only one.
while the Germans have so many as
almost to supplant the ordinary rifle.
The loss of ground by the allies was
due as much to this artillery attack as
to gas. and the allied line was saved
from being Irretrievably broken orily
by the heroic stand of the British
troops and at enormous, sacrifice of
men.
The same effects are seen where the
allies had superior artillery. Writ
ing of the-British success at Neuve
Chapelle. eyewitnesses said that "in
some cases entire companies surren
dered." that "many of the men were
completely exhausted," that "whole
battalions were destroyed," and that
some of the survivors crawled pain
fully out and knelt on the ground,
holding up their hands, utterly daxed."
Eye-witness sums up his conclusions
thus: i
It haa been proved acaln and azaln. and
tha flaht at Neuva Chapelle haa only aerved
to enforce the leoeon. that the etronseat
entrenched poalOona can b carried with leaa
loaa to tha attacker than to the defenders
If th aaaault be auf flclently prepared by
artillery, and. further, that under auch eon
dltlona. any counter-attack made by the de
f.aders to r(ain what la loat la almoet
bound to fall with immenae loaa to those
atteraptlns It- But to do thla demanda many
sun and unlimited ammunition.
All forward movements of the al
lies on the Dardanelles have been due
mainly to the same cause. Prepara
tion for an Infantry attack made by
bombardment, which destroys wire en
tanglements, often wrecks the first
line of Turkish trenches and demoral
izes the Turks so that the infantry
have little to do but take pos
session. The Turks lose because they
are short of ammunition.
Russia's series of disastrous defeats
Is mainly due to the same cause. Short
of guns and shells and with only
enough, cartridges to give each man
eight a day. the Russian army is hope
lesnly outclassed.
In order that the United States may
not only hold its own but have the
advantage over any enemy. Its Army
must have the superiority in artillery
and machine guns and must have an
abundant supply of ammunition. We
must not only enter upon a war with
an emple reserve supply but must be
able to manufacture more as fast as
the Army may need tq use it.
We must also be equipped to sup
ply ourselves with all the necessities
of war within our own borders guns,
rifles, ammunition and everything else.
A nation which imports war material
Is at the mercy of the nation which
produces It and which may become an
enemy. Not only Is its supply cut off,
but its military secrets are known to
a possible enemy. Germany has this
advantage of supplying not only her
self but. before the war, of having sup
plied some of her enemies and she
Is winning agafnst odds In men and
money. France has the same ad
vantage in a less degree, and, is hold
ing her' own. Britain started short of
guns and ammunition and has been
at a standstill. Russia relied on im
ported supplies and Is cut off from the
German supply by the war, while her
allies have not enough for their ovm
needs. That nation boasts of hav
ing 15.000.000 fighting men stlll
available, but she cannot equip them to
fight, Italy took the lesson to heart
when the war began. She supplied her
army with all Its needs and provided
means of continuing the supply before
beginning to fight. .
Thus the War and Navy Depart
ments do well to inquire into our
means of providing our own war ma
terial and to prepare to ask Congress
for an Increase in our productive ca
pacity. Arsenals should be enlarged
and arrangements should be made for
maintenance of private gun and shell
works with an abundance of skilled
labor to operate them at maximum ca
pacity. Congress should not stop
short of enough artillery and shells
to give us the preponderance of gun
fire nor of making the United States
independent of any other country for
our supply.
Alleged peace offers by the Kaiser
to Russia have a little foundation or
fact. The Ross chafes at getting all
the whipping and. knowing his weak
ness, easily can quit. This would re
lease large German armies to fight
where they desire to fight. Downing
Street must soothe the Bear quickly,
for his sores are smarting.
tf all tha vara nt nronprtv In the
city were put under cultivation, work
would be provided for a large propor
tlnn nf thai unemnloved. the food bud
ply would be increased ana tne tax
burden would be reduced. The means
in relieve us of manv of our troubles
are In our own hands, if we will but
use them.
r. Qniiwlu olirtn-. that tha fthin-
plng question is Veduced to a question
of how Uncle Sam, merchant, can
het nrnnlzn his own delivery system.
now that the transfer company can no
longer do his work. . Tne extent oi
our foreign commerce is limited by our
ability to deliver the goods.
Pacification of Haiti by force has
been so promptly successful mat we are
encouraged to hope it would have naa
uinii success in Mexico, though on a
much larger, scale. The principal
work for uncle sam in Mexico is to
reduce the swelling of Carranzas
head.
The Oregon Naval Militia ia com
ing home covered with glory, though
loot Tannarv It was declared worth
less and disbanding was proposed. It
only needed to De na ot its superflu
ous, ornamental officers and to get
down to business.
It is all very well for Admiral
Caperton to disarm the Haitian revo
lutionists, but if he is going to im
prison all the brigands, he will heed
concentration camps for nearly the
whole population.
Circuses, big and little, must have
a zebra "born in captivity," to ex
hibit if they have to stripe a mule
colt. They cannot afford to let the
New Tork Zoo have a monopoly of
this attraction.
The buyer who brings his wife is
a good man, for it is not well that all
metropolitan courtesies be showered
on the head of the family. The buyer
who has no wife is out of luck.
It people are careful about what
they eat these warm days there will
k- i i 1. 1 - ilanirpr rtt ao-cfl-lled Dtomaine
U C ...... U uwuo -
poisoning. A balanced ration is fine,
even for nogs. -
German submarines In the last day
or two got away with a few merchant
men and trawlers, but the allies hold
the score even by sinking a Turkish
battleship.
-Riill Run water should be put into
Lien ton before there are deaths from
tvohold to detract from Portland s
fame for health.
Tha mnvine- nlrture censors wrrlthe
when they are censored. They should
be able to U-ke their own medicliie
without a wince.
Obregon wants tcr- fight to a finish
with Villa, and Carranza hopes to see
it. All being sgreed, to arrange it
should be easy. -
The. Taeoma elrl who can throw
from centerfleld has one prime quali
fication, but etui she steal third and
slide home?
Mnw that we are without diplomatic
representation in Mexico, why not give
Funston a few credentials?
These are automobile days in Ore
gon, not rare, but so numerous as al
most to pass unnoticed.
Tn a. vear of war Great Britain has
lost 13.656 officers, most of them of
the flower of the land.
Having built the Canal, Colonel
Goethals thinks the Army is good
enough for him.
They expect to get the Eastland up
right today, ready for another spill.
We are in Haiti and the revolu
tion is over until we get out.
Welcome home. Beavers, and Just
show us.
New Mra'a Roll Cellars.
Louisville Courier-Journal,
n'tiat rln vmi think of thesa roll
collars the men are wearing?" "Looks
like the girls nave got tne iaugn on
... o i.ii . - -
ua
European War Primer
By National Geoarrapaleal Society.
A review of Italy's economic condi
tion before the war suggests the ntue
of the problems confronting her in the
present and forms a commentary or
interest to Americans upon the hap
penings In the southwestern war thea
ter In considering Italy's pre-war con
dition. It must be remembered that
Austria-Hungary, her opponent,, has
been considered by students of finances
to be in a bad way for years. The
main difference is that the dual mon
archy' is a land rich In natural re
sources, while Italy is poor In those
things that go to make up an In
dustrial nation. Austrlans have In
vested heavily in futures with consider
able optimism, while the Kalians have
faced the problem ot hewing out a way
of progress by better organization, bet
ter technique and by. territorial ex
pansion. Italy was Just getting Into the strug
gle of international trade competition
in earnest at the outbreak of the
European war. Of course. Italy's his
tory of economic growth as a nation
Is a matter of barely 50 years, most
of which time has been time of slow
preparationStep by step, in her north
ern states, an industry has been built
up. and its development has been in
spite of great odds; for Italy is a
land poor in natural resources, shelter
ing millions of poor citizens, yet sup
porting a large national debt and an
expensive government.
e e
Modern Italy is more a land of art
traditions than of art itself. It is a
material nation, absorbed ' in its
problems xif commercial and industrial
growth, of higher standards of life for
its people, and of more practical and
efficient organization. The Italian peo
ple are industrious, on the whole well
-HucAted ingenious mechanics, and pos
sessed of the keenest ambitions , for
themselves and their country.
Italy Is credited with a total national
wealth less than one-tenth as great as
tha of the United States, while Its
population Is equal to four-tenths of
the population of this country. It had
at the beginning of the war, a public
debt considerably larger than ours and
this debt bore Interest ranging irom
S to 5 Der cent. Part of Its heavy
government expenses fame from the
task of developing the seventh largest
navv In tha world, and the maintenance
in peace times of a standing army of
240.000. These expenditures are now
increased enormously.
-It has been said that the stream of
money that has flowed from the sons
and daughters of Italy working in the
United States has represented the
margin of comfort to the masses of
home-staying Italians, une annual re
mittances from this country have been
well over 1100,030.000, or about equal
to the yearly interest the government
has had to pay each year upon the
whole national debt. The credit of the
Italian government is good, and the
burden of interest carried by her peo
ple was greater than that of the United
States, or Germany before the war. The
amount of money brought into Italy
from the United States has been equal
to one-fifth of the amount raised by
the nation as revenue from all sources,
or more than one-half of the gross
amount received by the ' nation from
its total export trade. With the exodus
from America of Italian reservists, this
outflow will be greatly diminished at
a time of greatly increased expendi
ture. e . e e
There has been a tremendous emigra
tionof labor from Italy during the past
years of peace. Some of this was
transitory emigration, seasonal work
ers came from Italy to the United
States and to South American coun
tries, and returned with their savings.
Most of the emigration has been perma
nent however. It has all been forced
by reason of insufficient work at home
to keep the people above the starva
tion margin. Most of the Italian ad
venturers afield have come to this
country, Argentina being the next most
favored. In Italy tne laDorer wortcs
from 10 to 12 hours a day for 40 cents
or less.
The Italians are thrifty. They bargain
with all of the relish of the east, and
stores with "one price," such as the
rest of Europe and America demand,
would - not be appreciated in Italy,
where no- one ever expects to pay the
price asked. The poor buy their sup
plies in pennyworths, and haggle over
every pennywortn.
e e e
In recent yearsboth the products of
Italian farms and factories have In
creased largely. The Germans have
been the best customers and the largest
sellers to Italy. The United States has
been seoond on the list of customers,
but It has not sold much to Italy. In
dustrial Italy is almost completely de
pendent upon the raw materials of
other lands. She imports coal, iron,
raw cotton, lumber, wool, wheat and
raw silk. She exports textiles in cot
ton, silk and wool; fruits, nuts, olives,
olive oil and macaroni; marble, hemp
and art works.
The average purchasing power in
Italy has been very small, and there ia
little expectation that its imports from
this country will take on much per
manent increase. For is there anything
in the character of the Italian exports
to make for an Increased export to this
country. Japanese competition had
about wrested away from Italy her
market for textiles in British India
before last August, and this same
textile industry has been pressed bit
terly close by the competing industries
of other great textile-making nations.
Most promising in Italy's future, prob
ably, has been the fertile farm soils
and her rare climate for the growing of
vegetables and fruits.
Answer to Etc Problem.
PORTLAND. Or- Aug. 9 (to the
Editor.) In answer to "A Problem in
Eggs": "
James has 10 eggs, Harry has 30,
Will has 50 and they must sell "at the
same price per egg" and each" bring
home the same sum.
James sells his eggs at seven eggs
for 1 cent and has three eggs left
which he sells for 3 cents each, or a
total of 10 cents.
Harry sells 28 of ila eggs at the rate
of seven eggs for 1 cent, or 4
cents; he has two eggs left that he
sells at 3 cents each, or a total of 10
cents.
Will sells 49 of his eggs at the
rate of seven eggs for one cent and
has one egg left which he sella for
3 cents, or a total of 10 cents..
Therefore each brings home 10 cents
and has sold his eggs at the same price
per egg. N. O. LUNDBERG.
What Klad of a Doclort
ESTACADA. Or.. Aug. 6. (To the Ed
itor.) Suppose your friend should In
troduce you to his friend. Dr. Blank.
Arfe you up against it. Yes? How are
you to know what he is? Is he a doctor
of horses, or a doctor of teeth, or a
doctor of osteopathy, or a doctor of
divinity, or a doctor of chiropathy, or
a doctor of laws, or a doctor of corns
ad infinitum? What are we going to
do? It was rumored that if Os West's
nominee had been elected a law would
have been enacted designating and de
fining the term.
It is really a serious question, ana i
am sure the people would appreciate
some suggestions on this line. In Ken
tucky the term "Colonel' Is upheld to
can. common usage, any aauit maie
with a goatee and a thirst. .-
SUtJSt;Klt5.t.
International Law.
Buffalo (X. Y.) Express.
"Jiggs has a hoard of useless infor
mation." "In what respect?" "iie is
considered an authority on Interna
tional law.", ,
LOCAI, OPTIOJT IS POOR METHOD
Prohibitionist Says It Will Have to Be
Discarded For Real Method.
PORTLAND. Aug. 9. (To the Edi
tor.) I wonder if you will allow me
the privilege of referring to your lead
ing editorial under date of July 29, en
titled "Ready for a Nation Dry"?
I would like to emphasize two very I
important points which you bring out
In your article, namely: 1) the plac
ing of too much reliance upon an up
ward prohibition wave, and (2) that
the failure of prohibition law enforce
ment was mainly responsible for the
failure of the previous prohibition
wave.
With regard to the former, while it
is encouraging to note that we now
have 18 states dry, eight of which have
joined the dry ranks within the last
year, this fact alone is not sufficient
to warrant the belief that the victory
Is ours and that the present wave of
sentiment is bound to result In National
prohibition. For a state, to adopt pro
hibitory legislation is little more than
a declaration of war against the liquor
traffic. When It is remembered that
there have been 45 statewide, consti
tutional or statutory enactments, the
18 states which we now hold proves
anything but a satisfying portion to a
wide-awake prohibitionist.
With regard to the second statement,
the position of the Prohibition party
upon the subject of the enforcement of
prohibitory law is almost too well
known to need enlarging upon at this
time, further than to state that we
emphatically believe there will be no
successful solution of this question,
either In state or Nation, until the pro
hibitory law Is administered and en
forced by officials openly pledged to its
enforcement and upheld In their con
victions by a body of voters (i. e., a
political party) united upon the same
sentiment.
I do not agree with your editorial
when you state that local option is
responsible for the more successful en
forcement of prohibitory law in the
states that have recently gone dry.
Take, for instance, the state of Ohio,
the headquarters and stronghold of the
local optlonists. At the recent elec
tion, that state, after being held up
to the public for years as a model local
option state, went overwhelmingly wet.
As a matter of fact, it is now the wet
test state in the Union; it is constitu
tionally wet. More people were swept
into wet territory by Ohio's back-sliding
than were rescued by the action of
Arizona, Colorado, Washington and
Oregon, the four states which went dry
at the same election. Massachusetts is
a good example of the futility of local
option. This state has had local option
in operation for years. It has continu
ally chopped and changed between li
cense and no license; the fight has
never been settled and they never get
any nearer the solution. The state of
Alabama tried local option and -went
back into the licensed class. They have
now joined the prohibition ranks.
The prohibitionists have always been
glad to assist anyone In their fight
against booze, but it is disheartening to
see people waste so much valuable ef
fort along lines which cannot succeed,
but which will ultimately have to be
discarded for the real method. No
problem is ever settled until it la set
tled right. Option works both way. It
gives a community the privilege to li
cense evil or to banish it, and to re
hash the question every election. The
principle of local option and the de
mand for it is now being used by the
liquor people to fight prohibition Just
the same as regulation, license, high
license, and all other half-way meas
ures have been used by them as the
temperance people have, in turn, dis
carded them. That which is wrong can
not be regulated, licensed or optionlzed.
It must be prohibited and utterly des
troyed if our Nation is to hold its place
in the world.
As showing the trend of events It is
interesting-to note that at the annual
convention of the Local Optionists at
Atlantic City, ex-Congressman Hobson,
who. by his presence on their pro
gramme, presumably represented their
views, showed by his stirring address
such unmistakable evidence that he had
caught at least a portion of the Prohl
bitlon party's vision, that the leaders,
at its close, repudiated his address
through the public press.
While I am convinced that the pres
ent prohibition wave is built upon a
sounder basis than the previous one,
and that the time has come for us to
take National action, I do not believe
that the local optionists have had much
to do with this growth of sentiment,
for a very frequent result of their ac
tivities has been to turn the average
voter against the prohibition forces.
do believe that a very great deal of
credit should be given the Woman's
Christian Temperance Union and other
agencies who have systematically edu
cated the mothers and children of yes
terday, who are the controlling factors
at the polls today.
J. SANGER FOX.
Executive Secretary Oregon Prohibition
State Committee.
MOCNTAIX I!W ODD COJTVCLSIOXS
Settler's Spring Is Moved Across Ridge
at Bridge of Gods.
STEVENSON, Wash., Aug. 8. (To the
Editor.) Your correspondent who re
ported that the "north abutment of the
'Bridge of the Gods' was destroyed by
a forest fire" he saw raging around
the summit was mistaken. The only
fire in that vicinity in the past decade
was five miles away and was a small
slashing fire on Hamilton Creek, which
burned for a couple of days last weeK.
Even the smoke of this fire did not
cover nor come near the top of the
mountain known aa the "north abut
ment of the 'Bridge of the Gods,' " but
drifted away to the north of It.
What is happening, however, to this
jfeat of legendary tales is a steady
sinking down and sloughing off of the
face of the cliff, whereby Its contour
and general outline and appearance are
changing from year to year and almost
from month to month. As a result of
these changes great chasms are opened
up. engulfing large trees and boulders;
depressions in the surface are changed
to ridges; lakes and ponds become dry
land and springs and creeks issue forth
from hitherto dry hillsides. Wagon
roads and trails that settlers opened
up from Stevenson tothelr homesteads
have been repeatedly blocked by the
accumulations of earth, boulders and
trees swept down by these convulsions
of the old mountain, for which, like
the wicked, there seems to be no rest.
One of the last of the. dozen settlers
who have tried in vain to establish
homes at the base of the cliff, split
6000 choice cedar fence posts, for which
there is a ready market at the river,
but the mountain sent down a miscel
laneous collection of debris and cov
ered them five feet deep overnight.
One man had piped water to his house
from a spring and secured fine gravity
pressure. ' One day the playful moun
tain landed his spring on the other
side of a ridge andhis house quite a
distance above it.
With all Its tribulations, however,
the old mountain has not been afflicted
with a rire not during the lifetime
of any resident hereabouts.
ALBERT R.' GREENE.
Merely Book Detective.
PORTLAND, Aug. 9. (To the Edi
tor.) Kindly settle a dispute as to
whether Sherlock Holmes was a real
detective or only an imaginary charac
ter in a book. - A SUBSCRIBER.
Sherlock Holmes is a wholly ficti
tious character.
Call of the Witty One.
Boston Transcript.
Smart Alec (in stationery store) 1
want a nickel's worth of dates. Clerk
Wo don't keep fruit, sir. Hmart Alec
Oh, brighten up! brighten up! Gimme
a five-cent calendar.
Twenty-Five Years Ago
From The Oregonlan ot August 10. 1890.
i . i. . . . V .i t c nn HrArnn nlnilMr.
i . . - - - in - - - - - .
ji.j - Vila hnme at Irvine. Ijflne
UICU eifc -- - a.
it ... - . v. fith Ha i -j m u tn Ore
luuiiL;y, vii uiw - - - - - - - - - -
gon in 1854, and has resided here ever
since. He was 0 yeara uiu um Kama
a large family.
1UO BLCBIUC1 - - J
ried down the largest crowd that has
ever been taken to the seasido on a
single boat.
iiti h -r-ov i-.ct rdn v made another
O L u J . ...-
-e. ..afivat. th hndv of Pat
Malloy, who was drowned in the river
near Ross Island frioay anernoon.
He dragged the river carefully at the
nntnt th a nVnwninir Is said to hav-
occurred, but without results.
Lost A reporter's notebook, bearing
in gilt letters name and address of
owner. Leave at Oregonlan office.
Excellent progress has been made on
the Centenary M. E. Church. The
waifs on the west side have been car
ried up nearly the height set down in
the plans. Great loads of stone are
constantly being received from Albany,
and a large force of men is constantly
employed.
Yesterday's Southern Pacific over
land was one of the heaviest trains of
the year. The three Pullmans were
completely filled. .
The latest nickel-in-the-slot fitke is
a phonograph which sings "Annie
Rooney" If properly fed.
Mr. Noel H. Jacks, general secretary
of the Young Men's Christian Associa
tion, will talk to men only today at
4 P. M., at their hall, corner First and
Salmon streets. All young men are in
vited to be present. The meeting is
always opened with an Inspiring serv
ice of song.
Hon Phil Metschan, the newly
elected State Treasurer, came up from
San Francisco yesterday and Is on his
way home at Canyon City.
Edwin Booth is passing the Summer
at Newport, R. I., with his daughter.
Mrs. Grossman, and her children. The
great tragedian is said to look very
much worn, and is not the same Booth
of five years ago.
Half a Century Ago
From The Oresonian of Aurust 10. 1S8.
A company of Eastern men have
purchased a tract of land on the east
side of the Willamette River six miles
below this city, and engaged upon the i
erection of a large steam barrel fac
tory. They expect to give employment
to about 60 men, we are informed, and
the works will soon be In operation.
Success to the enterprise.
Messenger West, of Wells, Fargo &
Co.'s Express, last evening delivered
$80,000 to the Portland office one
shipment from east of the mountains.
Considerable freighting haa been do
ing between Walla Walla and Union
town, Grande Ronde Valley, of late.
Two cents per pound is the ruling
price paid for freighting.
The Stockton Independent has en
tered upon its ninth volume. It is one
of the best papers in California.
The European em'girants to the
United States between the years 1840
and 1860 are numbered and naturalized
as follows, leaving out Great Britain
and Ireland:
Germany 1.54H.000
France siw.OOO
Switzerland l-M.oon
Belgium M.two
t . .. i .. aMa "7 til 111
,u,lj uu uyaia ...a..............
It Is computed that the number of
emigrants to this country from Eng
land, Ireland and Wales, for the same
period, is fully equal to the figures
given above.
The Union Vedette, at Camp Doug
las (Utah Territory), says: They say
that Brigham Young brought up with
him from the settlements, the trip be
fore the last, another buxom girl to
become his 69th or 70th wife.
Members of Columbian engine com
pany No. 3 will meet tonight at their
engine-house at 7:30 o'clock, precisely,
in full uniform. Members of the fire
departments are also respectfully in
vited to attend and join with the above
company in the procession to attend
the circus on the occasion of the ben
efit Mr. Buchtel has made a number of
excellent photographs of the late la
mented General Wright, from an origi
nal plate that was taken at the time
when he was a Colonel and residing
among us. We acknowledge a copy,
which we shall cherish in memory of
the departed commander. -
Home Damaged by Drainage,
PORTLAND, Aug. 9 (To the ' Edi
tor.) I wish to correct a statement
which appeared in The Oregonlan Au
gust 7 claiming to have been made by
me that the seepage from the city res
ervoir. No. 6, had caused the basement
wall of my home to cave. The facts
are as follows:
Ever since the completion of this res
ervoir there has been more or less
trouble with water In the basement of
my home, caused by the drainage from
the bank surrounding the reservoir.
Every time it rains the water Tuns
down the embankment and seeps
through the soy into the basement, un
dermining the house to such an extent
that there is danger of it falling down.
These statements have frequently been
made to the city, with numerous prom
ises by the officials that they would
investigate, but so far they have not
taken any action in the matter, except (
to install a drain pipe. In substantia
tion of the claims which I have made,
15 residents living in close proximity
to my house have viewed or are famil
iar with the premises and signed a
statement of the condition, which fact
was called to the attention of the city
officials.
All I desire Is justice and believe,
when the liability Is so apparent as in
this case, that the city should pay me.
without hesitation, for all damages sus
tained, and should prevent the water
fronv further damaging my property.
W. T. LYON.
Coming and Waiting.
Houston (Texas) Post.
n ..m. h.llairA thar, tn anv truth In
the saying that all things come to him
who waits?" "I believe more thincs
wait for him who comes."
Why Not,
Mr. Merchant?
Mr. Merchant, if a manufacturer
advertises his goods in this news
paper, ri
And they are good
And seasonable
And fairly priced
Is It not to your profit to sell
them?
And the more you sell the wider
will be the Influence of your store.
Is it not also a fact you will sell
more of them by putting them on
the counter and in the windows than
by hiding them away?
People are Interested In the goods
advertised in their own newspaper
and the time to show these par
ticular roods is when the newspaper
advertising is running.