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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 8, 1915)
10 THE MORNING OREGOXIAX, FRIDAY OCTOBER S, 1915. ' PORTLAND, OREGON. fcntered at Portland, Oregon, i-Mtoffice a Second clans matter. Euoscrcptioii Kales Invariably In. advance. (By Mail.) rally, Sunday included, one year ....... )aily. Sunday included, six months ..... 3-'ally, Sunday Included, three months - o gjaily, Sunday included, one montll laily, without Sunday, one year .u0 iJally, without Sunday, aix months (Daily, without Sunday, three month 'f Saily, without Sunday, one month. ...... Veekly, one year ......-.------ ; tunday, one year ................ -ru feunday aAd 'Weekly, one year (By Carrier) Xatly, Sunday Included, one year ....... ! Uaily. Sunday Included, one montll ..... How to Remit Send postoifice money or der, express, order or personal check on your local bank. Stamps, coin or currency are at sender's risk. Give postofflce address In lull. Including; county and state. Postage Bates 12 to 16 pases. 1 cent: Is to 32 pages, 2 cents; 84 to 48 pages, 8 cents; to to H-J pages, 4 cents; 52 to To pages, o cents; 78 to 92 pages. tf cents. Foreign postage, double rates. t-axtrm Buslneee Offices Verree As Conk lln. Brunswick tulldlng. New York: Verree t Con kiln, stefcer building, Chicago; San ranclaco representative, K. J. Bluwell. 4 Market street. WUTLAM), FRIDAY, OCTOBER S, 1915. , PENALTY OF ITXBEADINESS. The present hesitation of the Bal kan states whose interests obviously accord with those of the allies is due at bottom to doubt of the allies' final nuccess. All Bulgaria, Greece and Roumania have much, to gain by al lied success, little to gain by Teuton Turkish success. Bulgaria can gain much territory from Greece and Serbia by opposing: them, but can gain fax more from Turkey by helping them and can gain some in addition from them. By aiding Germany, Rou mania might recover Bessarabia from Russia, but by aiding the allies she would gain far more from Austria. The only chance of great expansion open to Greece is from Turkey; aid to the Teutons can gain the Greeks no territory except perhaps in Albania. The Balkan states are influenced by fear of Teuton victory, fear of "'backing the wrong horse." That is an argument by which pro-German or neutral Greek and Roumanian pol iticians have restrained the people. Thus is proved the truth of the old idage: "Nothing succeeds like suc cess." The Balkan peoples see the Teutons fighting everywhere on the enemy's territory, while the allies oc cupy only corners of Alsace and Aus tria. The logic of facts holds them back from what might prove a fatal plunge. Had the Russians held their ground In Galicia, or even in Poland, it might have been different. Had the British s.nd French sent an army with their fleet to the Dardanelles last February and taken the straits with a rush, the Thole Balkan peninsula would prob ably have rallied to them. But a series of blunders has left the allied army blocked halfway up the hills of Gallipoli until the Teutons are able to make a new drive through Serbia with the aid of Bulgaria. Good strategy dictated the sending ft an Anglo-French army to Serbia months ago. The allies are not de ficient in strategists; they lacked the men and material necessary. The lack of men was due to Britain's obsti nate adherence to voluntary enlist ment, while her enemies enroll every man; to the British workman's equally obstinate adherence to time-killing union customs; and to British politi cians' fear to incur unpopularity by adopting conscription. Failure of allied diplomacy in the Balkans is due to railure of Russia find Britain in the field, and the lat ter Is due to their failure to take their enemy's measure accurately and to provide means at the outset to over come him. The present situation of the allies is a terrible warning to every nation against unreadiness. The odds may be in their favor in the long run, Jbut years of war may be necessary to nake those odds count. Readiness Mould either have prevented the war or would have ended it ere now. . A CONTRAST. Those who accept the argument ad vanced in Portland that efficiency in municipal government really has no connection with economy will be astonished to learn that the financial comparison between old and new is the main argument advanced in be half of the commission-manager sys tem. This heresy is promulgated by Richard S. Childs, chairman of the National Municipal League's commit tee on the commission form of govern ment, and it is endorsed by the Phila delphia North American. Mr. Childs cites these results in three cities hav ing the same commission-manager system which is so roundly denounced us autocratic and reactionary by the self-elected progressives of this com munity: In Dayton the total operating expense n lni was Sl.0U7.0li::. an increase ot $77,708 over th year brfore, but the new regime avo $140,000 worth ot new services, or an Improvement in efficiency of about 6 per cent, jn tho first year, without taking into consideration thi fact that the old adminis tration used a considerable part of a flood Pruvcmioti bond Issue of $SU0.000 for ordi nary operating: expenses, and thus made an c-siensibly remarkable showing. In Springfield the operating expenses were re.lined from $4,'0,000 in 1SU3 to $400,000 in V.I14. ihc first j .iar linden the new plan A floating debt nf Jioo.noo was wiped out In fourteen months. Meanwhile the town was potting more service than before. The area el-a led by the street-cleaning depart ment was increased by 25 per cent. Garbage collection, formerly provided for only a small portion of the city, was extended to every house. In Manistee. Mich., the 1913 budget was $104,000. The new regime saved $110,000 of I Ills, and Rt the same time greatly Increased the city's service, including the restoration of ten miles of paved streets which were in deplorable condition, as well as making unnecessary-the $o,ooo bond issue for a new sewer. The record so far as given is a very good one. It may be hoped that it is typical of the twenty-odd towns and cities that have adopted the commission-manager system. It is somewhat different from the results obtained with the plain commission stylo In sev eral cities. Jn Portland, it was prom ised - that commission government would save the city $1,000,000 annu ally. Sordid saving was considered good argument In the pre-comraissioa days, although it is held so lightly row. Portland has missed the economy mark set for it by nearly $1,600,000. In Leavenworth, Kansas, citizens have been meeting to inquire into the high cost of commission government. lt has raised the tax levy more than 7 5 per cent. Tnpeka, Kansas, is hav ing similar difficulties. In St. Paul, Where a commission has been in con trol for only little more than a year. tho tax levy is the highest on record. It is nearly $600,000 greater than for the preceding year. The city of Nash ville. Tenn., lias been practically bank rupted by its commission. There there was not only extravagance but graft. Under a law of that state financial affairs of Nashville havo been placed in chancery. Tbo-stock reply Jn Iortlana to cproTJrrpai tUa probability, arbitration. plaints against high cost of gov ernment is that the people are getting service and honesty in government, that everything is done in the open, the cards are face np on the table and the political boss and ward-heeler have been banished. Yet some cities seem to be enjoying all these delights and the added one of economy. How do they manage it? A TRUE POET. "Poets," said an ancient philoso pher, "utter great and wise things which they do not themselves under stand." That is clearly the reason why so many people who read avoid poetry unless it is in its simplest and most natural form. Great poetry ought not to be abstruse nor muddy nor difficult; but great poets too often make Jt so. There is a cult which denies that poetry may be great if it Is easy, simple, clear and under standable. But there are great poets who have shown that perfect literary form, absolute clearness of expression, lofty thoughts, deep sentiments are all to be had by the use of homely words and direct phrases. There is a fine poet some think he is a great poet who was honored yesterday in Indiana, his home state where his birthday was celebrated publicly and happily. He is James Whitcomb Riley, yet living and yet young. It was not of him that our own Longfellow wrote: God sent his singers upon earth With songs of sadness and ot mirth. That they might touch the hearts of men And bring them back to heaven again. Yet it is true that Riley has touched the hearts of more men and women than any other American poet. He writes of familiar topics, homely things, every-day experiences, boy hood days, the old swimmin' hole, the cornfield, the school all the things that somewhere touch the life and sentiment of the average man. There are readers of Riley poetry who read no other poetry. Perhaps the critic will say that it is thus proved that Riley does not write poetry. But it Is poetry, good poetry. Riley is a true poet, because he understands the American heart. GOOD WISHES. The country will assume its best smile and congratulate Woodrow Wil son on his approaching marriage to the lovely Mrs. Gait. She is evidently well qualified, by her many graces of mind and person and by her at tractive young womanhood, to be the first lady of the land. The way to a great popularity as mistress of the White House lies before her, for the plain people of the United States will think none the less of her that she was a jeweler's wife and that the exclusive social circle of Washington has not been open to her. It is one of the pleasing features of the President's romance that he has put his hand and heart in possession of a charming woman merely because she was fit to be his life's companion and to take her place by his side in the highest station, and for no other reason. The Nation will look with extra ordinary interest upon the season of gayety now about to open up at the vV'hite House, not the less agreeably because it was not altogether looked for. But it is to be remembered that it is a long year indeed, it is more than a year since the late Mrs. Wil son died, and the White House is properly a seat of social gayety as well as the great National center of official and diplomatic activity. The President has had a lonesome year, which has not been relieved by neces sary attention to momentous National affairs, nor by the constant presence of his daughter and his cousin. He has needed the help, sympathy and min istrations of some one even nearer and dearer to him, and he has chosen one whom his family approves. The announcement of the engage ment, heralding the approaching cul mination of a very happy courtship which evidently began last Spring, is the first inkling the Nation has had that the President wished to marry again. But why shouldn t he? After all he is a man with the feelings. hopes, desires, and longings of other men. and it is not good for man to be alone. Not one of the hundred mil lion people of the United States but will wish for President Wilson a full realization of all his 3reams, and not one but will send him good wishes and good thoughts for his second wedding da j". OCR DISPUTE WITH BRITAIN. Having adjusted the dispute with Germany, the Administration's hands are free to take up the differences with Great Britain in regard to inter ference with American trade. The President has withstood efforts of Germany to make modification of that country's methods of naval warfare contingent on our exaction from Great Britain of respect for those rights which we believe Great Britain has! violated. He has thus established the ' principle that violation of American rights by one belligerent shall never excuse some different violation by an other. He can now consistently pro ceed to prove this Nation's impartial ity by being equally insistent in his demands on Britain. Good cause ex isted for adjusting matters with Ger many first, for that country's offenses sacrificed human life, while those of Britain concern property rights which can be adjudicated at more leisure. There is no danger that our con troversy with Britain can reach so acute a stage as that with Germany. In the first place, Britain and her allies have shown anxiety to respect American rights; the difficulty is that caution lest Germany derive some ad vantage prompts British statesmen to define those rights in a far more re stricted sense than that for which our Government contends. All the points In dispute are capable of settlement by diplomatic or judicial means, and these means have been provided by treaty. Under the convention of 190S differences of a legal nature are to be referred to The Hague tribunal. Under the Bryan peace treaty all disputes which the two nations have failed to settle by diplomacy and which are not justiciable, must be investigated by an international commission before any resort can be had to arms. Had The Hague convention estab lished an international prize court and the London Declaration defining the rules of maritime warfare been ratified and put jn operation, little or no room would have remained for such differences as havo arisen. As it is. the points at issue appear capable of settlement by judicial means in ac cordance with the accepted principles of international law and with the usage of nations as they existed prior to the London Declaration The chief danger of friction arises may be -impracticable while the war continues, and that the war threatens to continue for a year or two. Britain may be unwilling to modify her prac tices and this country may be un willing to permit their continuance pending arbitration, since we hold them to be illegal. Hence early dip lomatic agreement is preferable in the interest of peace and friendship, which neither nation desires to rupture. EEASOX VERSUS INSTINCT. From the American Genetic Asso ciation there emanates a pronounce ment on the subject of instinct and reason and their respective relation ship to race betterment. He who would be a eugenlst must not heed the calculating dictated of his reason, we are told. Instinct is a safer guide, and while we my not know it, instinct really guides the world, since it dom inates our beings under the artificial ity of reason. Conscious reasoning is selfish and superficial in its trend and leads the individual to actions that are hostile to the interests of the race. We take it from this that it would be an especially grievous species of error to exercise the reasoning powers in selection of a life mate. If our in stinct leads us in the direction of what Brand would term some snub-nosed peasant girl, we should not be misled by the cold and ominous promptings of intellect to choose a Helen of Troy. Such prosaic questions as to whether the prospective mistress of our joys and woes is possessed of those finer qualities which we are prompted by a civilized state of being to demand are entirely apart from our own best in terests. I fit instinct discerns no fur ther than the color of her hair, the shape of her head, the thickness of her lips and the profuseness of her physical charms, then it is unsafe to unleash reason for a more searching scrutiny. We might ultimately dam age the human race. However, we suspect that the American Genetic Association may have slipped a cog in this particular matter. About the most dangerous thing we have to guard against in our rising generation is that specious in stinct which impels very young per sons to the verge of hopeless and wholly impossible matrimonial ven tures. Instinct as" a matchmaker could be depended upon to double, triple or quadruple the grist of our divorce mills. There is nothing quite so mis leading to the young as their instincts and it is not until they have culti vated some reasoning faculties that we encourage their mating. The happy union is likely to be the one to which some serious thought has been given. The individual who safeguards himself from untrammeled instincts by appli cation of his reason is in a fair way to prevent a serious misstep, one which might plunge his whole life into sorrow. SElF-DESTKrtnoX. It is needless for the authorities in investigating a case of self-destruction to come forward with announcement that the victim was unbalanced at the moment. The deed Is prima facie evi dence of mental stress. Suicide is not the practice of a sane person, and while the insanity may not be of pro nounced character, there must have been a fatal loss of the normal power to analyze impressions and maintain inhibitions. Suicide by supposedly' normal per sons merely indicates that a serious affliction has run its course unchecked by inner or outward rorces. Morbid changes have occurred in the brain and the mental functions are so dis turbed that the sufferer is unable to make his adjustments. An overwhelm ing oppression drives him to find re lief in death. Very often this condi tion has been preceded by a long siege of worry. Possibly the victim has gotten into financial, family or social difficulties. Perhaps he has fallen victim of an incurable disease. Or it may be that a long course of wrongful living has impaired his vitality and disturbed his bodily functions. If one goes over the border of sanity, if he ventures beyond that in definable line that separates the in sanities from the milder nervous dis orders, there must have been an in herent weakness or the morbid changes in the brain must have been progressing during a protracted period. If we may believe the best authorities, a person never emerges from sanity into complete insanity in a brief lapse of time unless through some severe bodily injury, any more than one passes from perfect health to general debility in a Jew hours. If the appar ently normal person loses his mind under some sudden powerful stress, then we must suspect inherent weak ness. The cable that snaps under a strain less than it is calculated to endure must have had a flaw In its structure. When we read of the ordinary case of self-destruction we may know that a dangerous malady which might have been checked has claimed another victim whose symptoms were not noted in time, either by the sufferer or by his relatives or friends. The death certificate in such cases might read that death was brought on by an acute attack of depressive in sanity. This will remain true even if the victim showed no symptoms of morbidness, even if his dying moments were well ordered and his farewell note coolly penned and nicely Dhrased. There remains in his abnormal act the only evidence that is required for a proper and complete diagnosis of the case. It would be difficult to gauce the hopeless wretchedness, that must pre cede the moment ot carrying the im pulse of self-destruction into effect The mental state may range from a Drooamg, self-absorbed outlook on life to a frantic, frenzied revulsion at con tinued existence. Life may represent itself as something no longer to be endured, as an agony from which death would provide grateful relief. When the inhibitions have been so broken down that this gloom cannot be dispersed by the mental processes, often the actual courage to put the impulse into effect is lacking. The patient is held in check by fear and unless this fear is overcome the im pulse is not obeyed. This is taken to explain the easy routes into the Valley of the Shadows which many an unfor tunate adopts. There are numerous recorded cases of unsuccessful attempts at suicide which were followed by complete re covery from their morbidity. It would be interesting to know - how many thousands of persons have approached the chasm and turned away at its very brink to find later comfort and happi ness in life. Morbidity of the kind that leads to the majority- of suicides ami as distinguished from the true in sanities and serious psycho-neuroses lends itself to ready treatment and it is surprising what simple measures serve to turn Jha patient from his. wretchedness. Fresh air, wholesome diet, rest, exercise and harmonious surroundings work wonders. But the effort must not end with these meas ures for the benefit of the functions. The patient needs re-education, a new viewpoint. The old habits of thought and life which brought on the crisis must be put aside and new habits formed. Cheerfulness and a tendency to seize upon the bright spots of mor tal existence carry the patient farther and farther toward complete recovery and happiness. Under such gentle ministrations wonders have been wrought. The man who sat gloomily alone, pistol in hand, hovering on the verge of death, by his own hand, now stands erect, clear eyed, happy, hopeful, a normal being who tastes the true sweetness of life. It is a pity we cannot recognize the symptoms of an approaching climax in those unhappy hypochondriacs and victims of morbidity prior to the mo ment of mental aberration that will carry them into an untimely grave. Thousands of unfortunates might be saved from themselves and set on the course which would lead them to the haven of mortal contentment that is their birthright. Commenting on the mortality among Union veterans, the New York World says: It is cause for wonder that so many of the men who faced the dangers and hardships of the great war should have lived to cele brate the fiftieth anniversary of the restora tion of peace, for they fought at a time when tho care of the troops was indifferent and the medical service was far less effi cient than it is today. It-is not so much cause for wonder when we consider that fresh air is one of the great specifics of modern medicine and that soldiers live out doors. Correspondents have com mented on the ruddy health of men in the trenches of France, who a year ago were pale, hollow-chested clerks in London or Paris. If war does not kill a soldier, it very commonly gives him long life. In applying for divorce a New York bride complains that her husband stutters, something she did not dis cover until after the ceremony so she says. Is it possible that the swain was so intent upon wooing and win ning his bride that he succeeded in overcoming his impediment to the easy flow of conversation? Equally marked .defects have been Jiept con cealed in the ardor of courtships. Shrewish tempers and other frailties of temperament rarely manifest them selves until after the ceremony. Or, perhaps, in the pre-nuptial days the bride-to-be mistook his stuttering for the mere stammerings of embarrass ment. Not unlike a chapter from olden days is the story from Chicago of an organized protest from the liquor men at Sunday-closing orders. Most towns have passed the Sunday-closing stage long ago and have entered into the era of local option or prohibition.' The liquor man has ceased to be a fac tor in municipal politics, openly at least. Hence the action" of Chicago saloon men In going to the Governor and demanding an extra session of the Legislature to protect their inter ests sounds queer out in these enlight ened parts. Offers of nine firms to build the eighteen submarines authorized by the last Congress assure the United States of ample competition, and the specifi cations prove that the lessons of the war nave oeen lasen to neart. The vessels designed for coast defense will have a surface speed of fourteen knots and the two seagoing boats will have a maximum cruising radius of 6000 miles, and will equal the best that Germany has. .We are to have no more F4's. President Wilson sums up the exact situation when he says we Amerloans are pacific but independent. Our In dependence goes to the extreme' of a chip on the shoulder as other nations sometimes, view the matter. So we should be prepared to back up our independence. The South js thriving because its short cotton crop came at the same time with an increased grain crop. Corn production this year is one-third greater than in 1914. and the -total gram yield is 350.000,000 bushel3 greater, with war prices. Henry Ford has followed up his jit ney submarine scheme with jitney finance. lie says the future genera- tions of Europe should repudiate the war debts now being incurred. Dr. Tuft's plan of making Sunday a day of rest by general law contem plates imposing the hardest kind of work on people who will "have no place to go." Suppose the Red Sox have the ad vantage in the infield, haven't the Phillies Dave Bancroft on short? That's enough for the fans here. Russian armies are now concentrat ing on the frontier of Bessarabia. Evi dently seeking a fight with someone they can whip. A new planet has been located in the heavens. The Czar might do well to claim possession of Jt for his future palace site. Now we know what the dispatches meant when they said the President was so busy at Cornish during his va cation. High cost of living,, forsooth, when a man can make a profit in furnishing meals for Hty prisoners at fourteen cents. ' . In marrying a widow President Wil son emulates President Washington. Verily, there is nothing new under the sun. As a first step toward securing that Navy "which the world will resDeet" the President might replace Daniels. It is to Hood River's credit that a man who began the business of pawn broker wants back his license fee. Goethals Is hurrying back to th Canal zone. It may have to be dug over again, you know. - Eat a huge breakfast and Flynn it this noon, so you can watch the score boards. Bulgaria's 400.000 troops means an other British million and conscription. Wilson will be fifty-nine in. Decem ber. Well Z PIA.V FOR rXE-MFLOYED DISCtSSED G. Wyns Wilson Sees Good In Proposal of J. JP. Newell and Offers Suggestions. PORTLAND. Oct- 7. (To th Kd- itor.) In The Oregonian October 4 there appears a letter from J. P. Newell outlining a plan for dealing with the unemployed and the settle ment or our logged-off lands. These are two distinct problems, but they dovetail naturally, and Mr. Newell is quite right in treating them together. His plan is valuable in that it gets "sui aown io cases, ana, until we do get something down in black and white we can neither amend nor add to it. I take it that Mr. Newell advances his plan for discussion, and is willine- to change it if he can be shown that the change is beneficial. He question of how much a mans gets In wages is not so important as how much he has left after paying board. Thus a man at $1.50 a day. with board at 50 cents, is as well off as one at S2 a day, with tl a day board. A man who really wants work will go ' at i.z3 a aay. Due arter he has proved his willingness to work, say at the end of the first month, he should be given an increase to $1.50 and an increase of 25c a day each month after that. Probably Mr. Newell will be willing to agree to that modification of his plan, as it undoubtedly has advan tages. If a man feels that he has a charity Job, or that someone is making Dig- money oir nis necessity, he Will not iiKeiy do a good day's work, but the provision to turn all profits to charity will answer that. A word as to boarding? the men. Uncle Sam, in Vanvouver Barracks, feeds his soldiers for $1.75 a week each. Surely it is possible so to man age things that the men on the clear ing job can get good board for $3 a week. A charge of any more than that will be evidence that somcthinsr is wrong with the commissary. me idea or having a privately owned company managed on business lines to handle this question is excellent. Mr. Xe well's capitalization, however, -n'ill need considerable increase. Last Win ter the city spent $60,000, giving men an average of 13 days' work each, and. wnne that may not be a fair criterion as to what a private company will do. it will give some idea aa to what money will be needed if any adequate relief is to be afforded. As for taking out big stumps with hand tools and main strength. I know positively that it cannot be done at a profit by the best workmen in Oresron. An experienced man will clear an acre In about two months, but he needs th aid of powder and a team to get that result. And that amount of labor, powder cost and team hire chanted against the acre makes it dearer land than anyone can really afford to farm. Power machinery and the intelligent use of fire by the newest methods are absolutely necessary if land Is to he cleared without incurring a loss, but given tnose things. Air. Kewell's com pany cannot fail to not only provide work for the unemployed who really want wont, out It will make a substan tial profit for its stockholders. G. WINN WILSON'. "SPIRIT MOUNT A IX." beveral years aco I was a resident of Hood River Valley for some time, and while there I was told, by old settlers that "Spirit mountain was the Indian name of Mount Hood. The Indians save tho mountain this name oecause ol tne fantastic plav of sun shine and shadow on the snow sheet of its gloaming sides. I have watched this shadowy play for hours myself. It Is weirdly beautiful. I have attempted to relate the story of this lesend in the followlnc poem. J. T. K. Thou child of seismic birth. Leaping from the troubled earth. Towards the lurid, vaulted sky. At the mad volcano's cry: ' And hot lava pouring forth In great streams of fiery froth. From thy belching flaming car. Shining in the night afar. Upbuilding thy gleaming sides With slow-flowing, molten tides. As a demon's plaintive yell Curdles up from that red hell. O rugged mountain, stern and grim, Scarred from rocky base to rim, 'Waiting thy bridal trousseau. Nature's pure, beautiful snow; The bright, all-powerful sun. His cunning work then begun. To sup water from the sea. Thus turned into vapor free, Where, floating In frozen air. It formed crystal snowflakes there. And clothed thy dark lava sides In vestments as the bride's. On thy gleaming, crystal sheet, Swift, dark shadows play and meet,. In radiant, bewitching glare. Like gay spirits in the air; Mocking, flitting, soaring go. As they frolic o'er the snow. In a game of hide-and-seek From forest base to crested peak; And now, flitting, back they come. Leaping, playing, on the run. Gracefully free and bizarre As the snowflakes in the air. The red Indian at thy base, . Stalking wild game in the chase. Saw the strange, dark, flitting play Of day shadows, weird and gray. Fleeting o'er snow and fountain,' And named thee "Spirit Mountain"; Gleam like the glacier's sparkling gems. Like a thousand diadems. From thy frozen, icy sides. As swift in his chariot rides The red, glowing, fiery sun. His diurnal course' to run. The bold Briton, unafraid, Thy canny spirits defied. When on his good ship he stood And christened thee. Mount Hood; But still the shadow sprites play O'er thv snows each cloudy day. As the golden sun's darkened rays O'er thy white shroud softly plays. Colossal mountain, sharp-domed. Towering high and ice-crowned. Nature's sentinel, thou doth stand O'er Oregon's lovely land. J. T. FORD. Dallas, Or., October 2. . Streetcars la Eugene. TIMBKR. Or., Oct. 6. (To the Ed itor.) Were there streetcars of any kind in' Eugene, Or., IS years aero? HARLEY STOW ELL. A. G. Holden, of Portland, estab lished a mtrVe car railroad system In Eugene between tho station and the university In 1891. He also built a railroad south from Eugene into the country that is now known as College Crest, a residence district, on a bonus basis. Tho bonus was not forthcom ing and the rails of the latter line were torn up. The university mule car system was discontinued in 1000 and the rails were removed, but the cars were run for many years and accord ingly the line was in operation 18 years ago. Mr. Holden brought to Eugene a negro named Wiley, who be came a character in Eugene . until a a year ago, when he died. "Nigger" Wiley, as he was known by everyone, was conductor, motonnan, superinten dent, trackwalker, manager and In tact the whole thing, so far as the railroad was concerned for months at a. tinte. Mr. Holden left him in abso lute charge over considerable periods August 6, 1014. PORTLAND, Oct, 7. (To the Ed itor.) Please, give the date of the death of Mrs. Woodrow Witson. SUBSCRIBER. At IS. INDKTENDENCE. Or.. Oct. 4 (To the Editor.) When does a single girl at home become of age? 1 A READER, LOW BOARD CONTIXUOUS WORK Orlprlnator of Roys Home Idea Explains Merit of Wage Plaa. PORTLAND, Oct. 7. (To the Editor.) In The Oregonian you report that my plan for the establishment of a boys' home received the indorsement of the Alberta Women's Improvement Club, with the exception of the wages to be paid to thA unemployed who are to clear the land. May I have a few lines to explain the wages question, prefac ing my remarks with this statement: I have been working among the unem ployed in Portland for the past two years, meeting them on their own level and coming to know exactly how they view various questions. I know that my plan of wages payment is fair and will appeal to the men who do the work, and, after all, they are the ones most concerned. I propose to provide comfortable beds and living Quarters with rood board at 0 cents on working days and free . on Sundays to workers. That fact is important in figuring wages. For the first month the wages will be $1 a day, or 60 cents net after paying board. The second month, $1.20; the third. $1.40: fourth. $1.60, and the fifth. $1.80. On the five months the average wages will be $1.40, or net 90 cents a day. Remember that there Is no lost time, that the work 1 done in Winter, when there is little employment to be had. Suppose these men were working on county highway work at $2 a day, and allow the low average of lost time through the Winter on account of weather of one' day a week. That will give them $10 as their weed's wages. Take oft 75 cents a day for board and 10 cents a day for lodging including Sundays, don't forget and each man will have left $4.0a for his weeK s wortc, and it is at prevailing Summer wages at that. Contrast it with tho $5.40 net which each man who stays the five months under my plan will have, and decide for yourself which is better. I believe in paying good wages, but in Winter no man can produce at land clearing much more than $1.50 a day. in my opinion. It must be remembered, too. that every dollar of whatever profit Is made goes to found and main tain a boys' home and many a man working there will be glad to know that there is such an institution that will properly care for his boys in case something happens to him. H. E. FAIRCHILJ. Manager Junior Agricultural College and Trade School. more: days lolt this oh that Correspoadent Would Kvea Aid Saloons rr With Tank-l p Day PORTLAND, Oct. 7. (To the Edi tor.) No doubt those who are responsi ble for our present fad of having a day for everything got their inspiration from those ancient inhabitants of Britain who named the days of the week after Lds and planets. For ex ample. Monti T was the day for the worship of the moon: Tuesday, day for the worship of the dark god Tiw, to meet whom was death; Wednesday, day lor the worship of Woden, the god of war; Thursday, day for the worship of Thor the god of thunder: Friday, day for the worship of Frea, the goddess of peace and happiness; Saturday and Sun day, days for the worship of Saturn and the sun. The idea, however, might be carried further, it seems to me. It smacks of "system and "efficiency," and in these troublous but progressive times might be an entering wedge for the impending necessity of nrylnir open tne door of family privacy in order to establish governmental control of all human habits. I therefore suggest the following: Let Apple day be followed by Cab bage day. Potato day. Bean day, etc The alert minded will at once see al"o the possibilities of subdivision. For instance. Apple day may be divided into Crapapple day. Sour Apple day. Green Apple day and so on. Mnce we have a Dollar day. by all eans let us have a Fifty Dollar day. Hundred Dollar day, etc.. for the relief of those who do not count mere dol lars. An Automobile day would be a boon to those who . are awaiting the proper time to purchase a car, and the value of a Diamond day is at once ap parent. After Dress-Up day should come Fill Up day, for the benefit of the restau rant keepers and doctors: Tank-Up day, to help outthe poor saloonkeepers, who will soon go out of business; Tear-Up day will destroy a lot of troublesome evidence; Walk-Up day will give the (levator boys a rest: Wake-Up day will stimulate business srenerally. and Cut Up day will Kive the policemen more exercise. By -means of a card index system It will be possible to reduce life to Its lowest terms in point of organization. A word to the efficient is sufficient. LACKADAISICAL. o covxtv road tax this year Good Condition of HisrhirayM Sugrsrests Kroiiom y I Ian to Writer. PORTLAND. Oct. 7. (To tho Editor.) For a number of years past there has been expended in Multnomah Coun ty for general road purposes over $200. 000 a year. In addition to this there has been paid out a large sum for the Columbia Highway. There has also been the bond Issue of $1,250,000 for hardsurfacing roads. The roads not hardsurf aced are macadamized. The roads of Multnomah County are said to be In fine condition. Recent investi gation has shown that there is a con fusion In the road laws caused by two conflicting statutes enacted by the last legislature, and a suit has been brought to obtain if possible a legal adjudication. Now times are quiet and there Is a concerted movement for low er taxes. Multnomah County has ex pended a great deal of money on roads, and also built the Columbia Highway. Most of the road tax is paid by Portland taxpayers because the vast majority-of property in this county is in Portland, and Portland property lias been bur dened with taxes. The roads are in fine shape, so why not pass by the road tax for 1916. save the $200,000 and let the roads go as they are for a year? They cannot surely deteriorate very much in that length ot time. There are always back delinquent taxes com ing in, so there should always be enough money in the road fund to pay for any emergency workc and In the meantime the next Legislature can straighten out the road laws muddle. CITIZEN. IXDIAX ROCK. Where Columbia rolls and rages To the dalles, a rock appears. Chiseled by the hand of ages. Changeless in the flight of years. And an India'iVs features, massive. - There are outlined cold and passive Nature's idtd of the Redmen's hopes and fears. There, 'tis said, the wolf god, gazing Upward, would with heaven vie; By his arrow chain upraising. Soon was heard his battle cry; Crash of club awoke the thunder. Flashed the lightnings, till, asunder Broke the chain and ten long years he fell to die. Like a meteor, he descended. And tlie dalles' deep sounding knell For the Redman's was blended With the wolf god's taunting yell: Thero his grave is the Great Spirit Carved and pfaced this rock anear it. Strove and fell. VALENTINE BROWN. Proper Form of Kiprriwlon. ALBANY. Or.. Oct. 6. (To the Edi tor.) Which is the better forni of ex pression. "The land lies well' or "the land lays well"? ALBANY. Tha land, lies well, y Twenty-Five Years Ago From The Oregonian of October 8. 18P0. Jackson. Miss., Oct. 7. The consti tutional convention today adopted sev eral sections relating to educational matters, among them one promising that separate schools shall be main tained for white and. colored children. Baltimore, Oct. 7. Professor John H. Hewitt, poet, writer and musician, died today at the age of S9. San Francisco will soon have a mon ster ferryboat, the Ukiah. which will cost not less than $175,000. A scullion in the employ of Archduke Sigismund. of Austria, poisoned the food for the Duke's table to revenge himself upon the chef by obtaining his ' ' one suirered seriously, physicians being summoned in rime. The Republican county convention of New York Monday night bv a vote of 146 to 4S refused to .nominate Chauncey Depew for Mayor. Depew was not present, thougli ho had been elected a delegate, and did not know his name was to be used. Had he known it he doubtless would have for bidden its use. The law school of the University of Oregon reopens this evening with an Inaugural address on the subject of 'Trial by Jury." The address will be delivered by Professor A. II. Thornton in the United States courtroom at 7:30 Judge Deady presiding. The names of about o are already enrolled for the coining session. TllPrn haa V. .. ' i H.H unusuauy target sale of seats for the engagement of the University ulce and Mandol in Club, who will give one of their celebrated , ,,, .narguam urand Opera house on Saturday evening next. istated that Astoria has in sight $1-0,000 In cash or its equivalent, be sides a liberal donation of land for a campus, as an inducement for the trustees of Willamette University o Jocatu In that ambitious city. Willamette si mmer. Old Summer. I hear your hoarse whis per. The soul in your body is dead. And frosts make your season some , crisper. Since the Summer sunshine has fled. Your flowers bloomed only to perish. To scatter sw-ct joys for a day. Time fadeth tho dearest we cherish; Why murmur If sorrow's our way. The cold snow from out the blue heaven Falls down in the mud and the clay. And comes with the Autumn winds driven To flurry, and then It's away. Old Summer, I see your red blushes; Your fragrance is out on the breeze. And winds now mourn through your dead rushes: Leaves are hurtling down from the trees. Life's wunderlust now is betraying: The white clouds are. bitter in strife. Your hair is thinner and is graying. Tangled copse with music is rife. Earlier dews lie on the outfielding. , Your shadows are palling our hearts. The long pine boughs their cones are yielding. As Summer, old Summer, departs. For whom have you labored, old Sum mer? For whom did you spin and did toil? We know your last harvest's a hummer, A breath from the silicon soil. The chlllinir winds through the dank darkness Is piling up the fallen loaves: In every woods and bush is starkness. You have reaped and gather your sheaves. The blossoms we loved so and cher ished Are passing before the cold wave; The best and the dearest will perish And pass to tho slumbering grave. The nights are now shredded with sil ver That sparkle in morning's red sun; On the brink of Autumn you uuiver; Your trouble and labor ii done. Y'et. old Summer, you brought us our Joys. Like shells from the ocean s white shore. And we thoughtlessly gathered the toys Then threw them away as before. Old Summer, your features are older; Your hair is scattered and brown; Your nights are longer and colder: Your smile is now changed to a frown. We'll bid you farewell, dear old season. And give you a few parting tears. You have served your timo and have reason To pass with the passing of years. D. ERNEST EVEREST. 132'. Union avenue. 1010. The Outlook. Tho Presidential issue for 191S is verv simple. It Is not tho tarifT. It Is not finance. It Is not the relation of capital to labor. It is not tho regulation of tho trusts. It Is the question of National de fense. Shall our citizens bo protected abroad and our country protected at home? The party which makes this iss'i rhe first article of its platform and tho candidate who regards it as the public question of paramount importance and whose deeds as well as whoso words are consistent with such a platform will, in our judgment, be successful. State Board of Accountancy. PORTLAND, Oct. 7. (To the Editor.) Kindly tell mo if thero is a law in the State of Oregon providing for ex aminations for certified public account ants and. if so. where I can get infor mation as to the preliminary require ments. S. There is sucTi a law. The Portland members of the examining board are John Y. Richardson, W. R. Mackenzie and Arthur BerridKe. 't Take "Just as Good" When you ko to a storekeeper and ask for a definite article do not bo persuaded to take something "just as pood." Insist on what you askfd for. and if you cannot pet it, go somewhere else. nomember that each FiiccenFful product breeds a. score of imita tions. , Imitators are more intent on copy ing labels than they are in dupli cating Quality. The dealer who prefers Imitations to the real article jtuts profit ahead of prestige. When you Fe an article adver tised in this newspaper. ask for it by name and Insist on retting what you ask for.