Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 1916)
PORTLAND. OKEOOX. Entered at Portland (Oregon) Fostoffice as second-class matter. Subscription Rates Invariably tn advance: (By Mail.) Haily. Sunday Included, one jrear. $8.0 Ijally. Sunday Included, six months..... fj Jjaily. Sunday Included, three months. - Xaily, Sunday included, one month .o IaIIv, without Sunday, one year J-oo Dailr. without Sunday, six months f" i-'SliV. WllilOUl CUllUii. ....... Ijally. without Sunday, one month ." weekly, one year zz Sunday, one year ry Eunday and Weekly, one year .-.. ; (By Carrier.) Iailv, Sunday Included, one year.. -? Xaily. Sunday included, one month-.... How to Remit Send postoffice money or der express order or personal cheek on your local bank. Stamps, coin or currency are at sender s risk. Hive postoffice addresses in lull, including; county and state. Feotace Kates 12 to IS pages. 1 cent: is to iJ pages. 2 cents; S4 to Pref. J "i C9 f. n paces. 4 cents; 62 to . 6 Pes. cents; IS to a2 pages, tf cents. Foreign post age, double rates. K..trrn Business Office Verree & Conk lln. Brunswick tuildlng. New York; erree Cnklln. Steger building Chicago San J-Tanslneo representative, R. J. Blawell. . -Market street. PORTLAND, TCESDAY, JAN. 1. Ml DO TOC WA.VT ICOSOSIf Benton County has undoubtedly not Buffered a greater proportionate In crease in taxation than other counties in Oregon. The situation there is herein cited because tt is typical and lor the further reason that the con dition has lately been given promi nence by discussion at taxpayers' meeting adequately reported by the Benton County Courier. In 1903 the-taxes levied In Benton Countv aggregated the modest sum of $43,367. In 1914 the levy produced $301,984. Thus in eleven years the taxes contributed to support county government increased seven-fold. As to gains in population during the lull period, there are no accurate statistics. But in 1909 the population of Benton County was 6706 and in 1910 it was 10,663, according to the Vnited States census. In 1910 the amount raised in taxes was 1193,705. Compare the two gains. The increase In population in ten years was 59 per" cent. The increase in taxes in eight years of that period was approximate ly 350 per cent. As an illustration of the effect on the individual, one farmer reported that fifteen years ago the taxes on his farm had been $25. This year he pays 1200. It is indeed an amazing record. What is to be done about it? The taxpayers of Benton County have formed an organization which will en deavor to reduce taxes. Its plan of action has not yet been definitely adopted, but there is talk of co-operating with other countries in the formu lation and pressing of an initiative measure to consolidate county offices. One speaker declared that to be the only way; that "the taxpayers could expect no hope from the Legislature which had proven false to the people who elected it." , Do the taxpayers of the several counties of Oregon know why the Legislature does not reduce the num ber of county offices? It is not be cause the members are not anxious to serve the best interests of their constituents. It is because, whenever a measure of that character is pro posed, the only persons the Legisla ture bears from are the officers whose jobs are threatened and the intimate friends they can induce to exert pres sure at Salem: The ones whose toes are about to be stepped on protest, while the great body of taxpayers who would be benefited remain as silent as the Sphinx. Taxpayers" organizations formed in every county and co-operating to gether tan, if representative, get any thing they want from the Legislature.) And they are more likely to get a measure adjusted to the requirements of each county than if a few of them attempt to devise an initiative meas ure. If plans are made now to elect members who are pledged to reduce taxes and if those members receive when at Salem the backing of the taxpayers' organizations, the reduction will be accomplished insofar as the limited authority of the Legislature over county expenditures will permit. There are certain offices which the Legislature cannot abolish or consoli date with others. The positions of County Clerk. Treasurer, Sheriff, Cor oner and Surveyor are established by the constitution. But following are a few things the Legislature can do and which It doubtless will do if there is demonstration that the people want them done: It can abolish the offices of County Commissioner. There are two Com missioners in each county, with the exception of Multnomah, which has three. In the smaller counties the duties performed by the Commission ers could probably be performed Just as efficiently by a board composed of the Treasurer. Clerk and Surveyor. It can abolish the office of County Judge, transferring the probate and other Judicial work of that officer to the Circuit Court. It can abolish the office of County Recorder, which exists In Benton, Clackamas. Jackson, Marlon, Uma tilla, Union, Washington and Yamhill counties. The Legislature can, without vio lating the constitution, we are confi dent, provide a business manager sys tem in the several counties. It can abolish all county offices except those of Clerk. Treasurer, Sheriff, Coroner and Surveyor, constitute some or all of these as the County Commissioners, authorize them to appoint a business manager and vest them or the man ager with authority to have the duties of tho Prosecuting Attorney, the As sessor, the Recorder, the School Su perintendent, the Health Officer, the v.t.ritrln and the Fruit Inspector performed by deputies or appointees. But while considering these matters let us say that there Is abundant scope for effort toward consolidation also of state offices and commissions. State and county taxes all come out of the same pockets. It may be recalled that the last Legislature was composed largely of men ambitious to do some consolidat ing of state offices that Is to say, their pledges so Indicated. But prac tically nothing was done. Most mem bers contentedly waited for other members to prepare the bills, and when the bills were submitted late in the session the cry went up that tt was too late to give them proper con sideration. Therein lies another matter for ob servation and action. Nobody need malt on anybody else in the Legisla ture, Pledges do not count for much unless the pledger has Initiative. The tax organizations can accomplish con siderable by letting it be known that -passing the buck" will not be accept ed as an excuse for Indifference. Tho purpose of this article is, in general, to point the direction to low er taxes nr.d to accentuate the fact that a Iite organised, work preliminary to a session of the Legislature is worth a lot more than angry rebuke after the session Is over. Meanwhile it is trusted that the would-be lawmaker of 1917 has been given a few hints that will be of value to him when he drafts his platform. ' PLAIN EVASION. The charge of breaking a pledge of the platform upon which he was elected, in case Mr. Wilson runs again for the Presi dency, may be pressed by some: yet the reading of the Baltimore plank shows clearly that he was pledged to nothing in case the constitutional amendment providing for a single term failed of adoption. Springfield (Mass.) Republican. It is a surprise to find a newspaper which loves ' the truth, and rarely spares itself, or its party, or the public, in proclaiming it, adopting a view of a moot question which savors of petti fogging. It is the plea which will be put forward by the President's parti sans who wince under the charge that he has persistently Ignored and freely violated the promises of the 1912 platform. "We favor," says the platform, "a single Presidential term, and to that end we urge the adoption of an amend ment to the Constitution making the President of the United States ineligi ble for re-election, and we pledge the candidate of this convention to this principle." It is quite absurd to say that the pledge meant anything else than- to commit Mr. Wilson, the candidate, specifically to "the principle" of the single terra. Else why is the "candi date of this convention" mentioned ? But if the other view be taken, what shall be said . of the Palmer letter, wherein the President headed off the adoption of the Congressional resolu tion? GOOD WORK. The activities of the Young Wom en's Christian Association In Portland have been carried on so quietly that there is no general understanding of the large field they cover. It is an institution conducted by good women for the benefit of other women. It is not a reformatory, but it undertakes social sen-ice of various kinds for young girls and for others not so young, who have their own way to make. It Is a great community ceu-, ter which gives protection, shelter, comfort, advice, companionship, in struction and assistance. It has done and is doing much for hundreds and even thousands of young women; and more and more is it an indispensable factor in their dally lives. " Just now the Young Women's Chris tian Association of Portland, is making an appeal for funds. It is not, and is not intended to be, a profit-making institution; but it is expected, and it is even designed, that there shall be a deficit at the end of each year, J.n other words, the charges to the girls for meals and other things are fixed at a low figure and the result is neces sarily a loss. If such charges were higher the service would not be avail able to many. No one who is Informed about the work of the Y. W. C. A. can fail to be impressed with its great value. It is unthinkable that it should be aban doned, or even modified either in measure or quality. AN ANTI-FKMINIST JilGHTMAKE. Tt Ik a m Hav when someone does not discover' some new and serious flaw In our civilization. Or if a new one is not discovered an old one is res urrected, embellished a bit and put forward amid cries of alarm. Dr. Hugh Cabot, a recent speaker before a con vention of ministers at Boston, re habilitated the bugbear of feminism in the public schools, contending that the preponderance of women teachers is tending to soften the race and deprive America of that robust masculinity which has carried us from obscurity to International greatness. There Is nothing new In thercry. It has been raised with peculiar persistence in view of the fact that there is very lit tle, if anything. In the charge. New York's schools are cited as an example of the menace of feminism by n,. rahnt ThurB are some 17.000 teachers in the New York schools. Of these but 4000 are men teachers, uo. vlously the men are outnumbered hopelessly. Yet no deduction may be made from these figures alone, it must be remembered that In the grammar schools the rates of pay are not especially attractive to men. Men t.o.)iora riafnmA more numerous when the higher grades are reached. They serve as principals and as instructors and" assistant instructors in the high schools. It Is safe .to say that after emerging from childhood the pupils are under the influence of men teach ers quite as much as they are unaer the direction of women. Nor is this condition a new one. The schoolma'am pervaded the rural dis tAi. in thA mtvxt vigorous davs of our civilization. She taught our fathers and our grandfathers. iave rney shown any symptoms of effeminacy? DneaiMv the niimhpr of women teach ers is greater today than ever before, but if women were aestroying me reu corpuscles of the male sex that fact would have revealed itself long ago. Even if our anti-feminists should succeed in placing all the boys of the country under men teachers, what would they do to overcome the "evil effects" of the boy's associations with his mother during childhood? No. there is no danger in the woman teacher. That Is, so long as she pur sues the even tenor of her way as an Instructor. When she beo5mes the victim of some abnormal species of altruistic philosophy such as ultra pacifism she should be prevented from preaching to the young. But for that matter we doubt If the woman fad dists tire more numerous than male dreamers among our school teachers. LAMPLIGHTERS OP THE SEA. a hrsnrh of the Government service which makes little noise, but does most valuable and arduous work, is the Lighthouse Bureau. Its report is mat-tar-nf-fnrt and statistical, but it re veals between the lines the wide scope cf the field covered by the lighthouse men. Familiarity with several sciences and mechanical industries is necessary to their efficiency. So also are the courage and endurance to battle with the elements at their worst In the ef fort to make the water highways safe for ships. In building and maintaining light houses, lightships buoys, fog signals and submarine be-'.s, the office's of the bureau must keep up to date with the latest discoveries and practice in shipbuilding, illuminating by oil and electricity, acoustics, erection ot build ings In places exposed to the violence of storms and Isoiatecl from habitation, use oX timber for varied purposes and care of lights by lonely families on remote rocks, islands and capes. A few points from the bureau's re port will give some conception oT its varied activities. It has ad led many i tv the number of 4703 buoys, which, are valued by mariners, and of oil vapor lamps, which "have been greatly ap preciated because of. their .superior brilliancy." At twenty-nine " stations "fixed lights were changed to flash ing or occulting." The service is build ing the new tender Cedar for the Alaska Coast, this being designed as "the largest vessel in the service," aDd to carry four light, quick-firing guns for patrol work in case of nsed. Ex posed shores of lighthouse reserva tions have been pr.-tected from erosion by the sea by the construction of bulk heads, seawalls or groynes. Electric sirens have been improved to -ivoid rising and falling notes. A new type of electric flasher has been developed and put in service. Line-throwing guns have been installed at isolated Alaska stations to facilitate the landing of supplies and mail. What a combination of scientific knowledge and mechanical skill must I nave ueeu ucgccoaij . . , - u, o signal, the blasts of the siren being given by pneumatic valves, supplied with air by a compressor 900 feet Dis tant and "controlled by solenoids. which In turn are energized by a bat tery and the time intervals ragulated by a timing device. Service tests have been made of new brands of red paint which resist heat and moisture. Off Cape Si. Elias, Alaska, a lighthouse is "being constructed on an almost in accessible island," the square tower standing on a shelf about fifty feet above water. The lamp will be about ninety feet above sea.level, have 1S0, 000 candlepower, and be -risible fifteen and one-quarter nautical miles. Ar rangements have been made with the Forest Service for' the reforestation of certain lighthouse reservations on the Great Lakes for the growth of timber for spar buoys. . The lighthouse men must know, manv things' and dare many things In order to guard ships against the dan gers of the coast with unfailing effi ciency. They deserve praise for deli cate and arduous work well done. THE. TRAGEDY OF MONTENEGRO. There is tragedy in the announce ment that Montenegro has surren-" dered to Austria, for it is the first confession of defeat by the no-surren der Serbs. When the medieval oero omnin wns ovprthrown bv the Turks at Kossova in 1389 a remnant of the defeated army retired to the Black Mountains, which frown down upon the Adriatic, and there maintained a refuge for those of their race who re fused to bow to the Turkish yoke. For m than son x'onra thev have hurled back every attacking army. Always threatened, orten hard pressea, mey have never until now confessed defeat. TKa fata nf 1 (1T1 1 11 LlTfl iX the niOTEJ tragic because the quarrel in which she dies was none of hers except as every quarrel of Serb with Teuton or Turk Is hers. When Austria attacked Serbia In July, 1914, Montenegro went to the sister kingdom's aid because she had always been the rallying point fiprh inrlpnendence and because she could not resist the tie of blood broth erhood. In 1876, when Serbia aeiiea Turkey, Montenegro stood beside her. In 1912 Montenegro was nrst 01 me Balkan allies to attack Turkey and forced the fighting. In 1913, after having won the long-coveted lortress nf s-ntorl hv the sacrifice of brave thousands, the Black Mountain people were forced. by the powers to surren der it in a vain effort to placate Aus tria. Recently they regained it only to lose it again and with it the inde pendence which they have so gallantly maintained for so many centuries. Unaided and with flanks exposed by the conquest of Serbia, Montenegro hH nn hnnn. Modern artillery and aiaTiM hnvA annnried the knell of those little nations which rely on the obstacles of nature to preserve tneir independence. The same means would have onnhlori RudOlDh of HaDSbUrg to overpower the Swiss, as a century ago they enabled Napoleon to suoaue me rianntiosa Tvrolese led bv Andrew Hofer. No small nation can preserve its Identity when a great empire covets its territory, for modern science nas put personal valor at a discount. Montenegro deserved better of the allies than thus to have been left to her fate. She never flinched at over- biminir nrirts. She took at their face value the promises to fight the battles of the smalL nations, but the ara mat nq nonr in the shane of artillery and supplies was meagre and Inadequate. Had France and Britain, landed an army in Montenegro or Albania months ago, there might have been a Hiffaront ntnrv to tell of both Monte negro, and Serbia, also of Greece, Rou- manla and Bulgaria. Italy, naving only the Adriatic to cross, should have KAAn ohia tn Rnprnr the little moun tain people, but centered her attention on her own war, giving direct neip to no ally, big or little. Should Austria permanently retain UAntAnnirrA the dual monarchy will add to its coast on the Adriatic and win uiiivs its nort of Cattaro from the constant menace of Mount Lov- chen. Austria may go on to occupy iihonin ithpre the remnant of the Serb army has taken refuge, and to extend her frontier to Join that of Greece. But the ultimate iate or Montenegro and Albania has not been decided by the battles in the Black Mountains. It will be decided by battles in France and Russia, Mace donia, Thrace and even Mesopotamia. ar,am1 TOOIllt nf the War Will de cide whether Montenegro shall be come extinct as a nation or snail rise again, perhaps to be united with a newly-risen Serbia. BEWARE OF PNEUMONIA. Krt -ni a nririArf to the neace of mind of the average well-nourished. Jovial man of affairs Dy reading wnut Dr. A. R. Reynolds has to say in the current" American of the affinity be tween such individuals and pneumonia. But years of usefulness may be added to the earthly allotment of many such individuals by heeding what the doc tor has to say, particularly since he supports his contentions with facts. Who Is the man most susceptible to pneumonia? Dr. Reynolds describes the most favorable victim as "the man who Is naturally strong, has good digestion. Is overfed, overweight, fre quently overworked and a heavy drinker." He also adds the tobacco user as peculiarly susceptible. Dr. Reynolds, who formerly was Commissioner of Health of Chicago, presents some interesting data to show the full scope of the pneumon men ace. Using Chicago as an example, he finds that during 1914 pneumonia killed twice as many people as all the epidemic diseases combined. Its toll was a fourth larger than that of tu berculosis. Chicago, with a total death list of 33,952, lost 4077 from pneumonia in Its several forms. Fur thermore, this is nothing exceptional, since, the' doctor assures us, the Chi cago percentage of deaths is about the same as that of the country as a itfnniinn was called recently by The-. Oregonian . to the ..fact that pneumonia has been found to kill more people- tn America than the bu bonic plague in India; that is, in pro portion to the population. Pneumonia, moreover, strikes v at the most useful type of citizen. It is a disease peculiar to those between the ages of 35 and 65, men who live sedentary lives, drive" themselves at high tpeed In their work and neglect their health In the Interest of their toil a shortcoming of which they refuse to be broken until it is too late. Women are infrequent victims, appar ently, because women are more care ful in their habits. The disadvantages of the corpulent man of abnormal habits in combat ing pneumonia are easily traced. He enters the life and death battle with his organs tired and his tissues bur dened with waste, while his heart Is already weakened and weighted down with the burden of fat. Dr. Reynolds shows. The heart is the center of the conflict, and, unless it is strong and healthy, it soon becomes exhausted in the struggle of forcing the venous blood filled with waste matter through the plugged lung in order to exchange the oxygenated blood for It. Tobacco and alcohol not only weak en the body, but they are lively re cruiting agencies for pneumonia. To bacco sets up irritation and conges tion in the' lining membranes of the nose, throat and air passages. Tran sient germs find a fruitful field ror lodgment and growth here. As for. liquor. It benumbs the sensibilities and thus deadens those -warnings of cold and fatigue which the normal man would observe. Alcohol Is ac cused also of lowering the vital re sistance powers, of leading to exces ses of other sorts and of increasing the "heart beat to a degree favorable to pneumonia. Much the same advice Is given in guarding ' against pneumonia as that prescribed for the prevention of bad colds and grippe. Naturally so. Pneu monia is an outgrowth of a cold or of Influenza. Fresh air, carefully regu lated habits, ventilation in. the home. Those are the guardians of our health while In Winter quarters. - Pneumonia has never been a serious problem in Portland. Neither Is It uncommon. And in the present hour, we face weather conditions not .greatly dis similar from those existing in Chi cago and other prolific fields of the pneumonia germ. Those who arc ren dered peculiarly susceptible by their age and habits of living should re double their vigilance at this time. ins r-OrLlMHlA .luuim, .cc.o.o paring Presttlent Wilson to George Wash ington and Abraham Lincoln. President ,t . . J T . . .. 1 na .1. . tn eflTYl- Wilson is a gentleman ana a sciioiar .k. i. nnant. ,i B formal Cabinet dinner with his blooming bride, while a dozen Americans are being murdered in Mexico, somehow does not Impress one as being either Lincolnesque or Washingtonlan -Mexuord sun. . rnr. ripar! Doesn't our Medford neighbor think the President and his Cabinet should eat, whatever happens in Mexico? . " Only a good man can take the place of M. S. Shrock, who has been chief deputy in the office of State Dairy and rmiH fommissioner Mickle for three years and leaves to Join the extension work at Corvallls. A church to cost 13,000,000 Is ninnnoH fnr n dlstxict in New York. Yet good people will go to the same place, from all the little "possum trots" arid chapels of the land. The Mayor of Wood burn Is a good man. He starts the kitchen fire on a cold morning.." A little affair like a boiler explosion ."gives him 'away." The new steel and oil combinations may prove the first in a new 'series of giant corporations such as were born with the twentieth century. it vn.i montinn the weather in your letters be sure to explain that it is extraordinarily extraordinary ior -ort-land to have such a siege. The main point in the scrimmage Sunday at Du. Pont, near Scranton, was the lack of dum-dums to make a good finish of a bad Job. t pnriiaTKi'R WrtVi rate is fiTBater than the death rate. In other words we are being born faster than we are cj ing off. Write the letters and make them of a roseate hue. The recipients will not believe the half, but that will- be enough. Admiral Ed Wright will keep the Columbia open- He learned how to do it In a mudboat in the last cen tury. We doubt now If watchful waiting could be pried loose from the White House even in event of Invasion. If a baseball catcher's arm Is worth $20,000, what is a millionaire's check-signing hand worth? . Judging by the Grahame- White marital troubles, aviators' weddings are but airy nothings. The Kaiser might forget he Is a gentleman and let the peace delegates stay put In Holland. The competent household head has the snow all cleared away rrom porches and walks. Congress hasn't so much as gotten its vocal organs tuned up in the pre paredness issue. - ' Some time within ten years the Jit neys may be actually subject to the law. , Wouldn't you like. Just now. to lis ten to the soughing of the south wind? Northern California might let go of a little of that rain and be neighborly. Still Chinese opera is quite as In telligible as grand opera to many of us. Many a good Christian stayed at home Sunday and cleared his walk. What place In Oregon Is to have the 1916 record for the lowest elow? Austria may now boast; "Anyhow we licked Serbia and Montenegro." The pugilist with a broken Jaw is injured in his most vital point. Many are the woes of a peace pil grim in the war zone. Wonder if it's anything like this in the Arctic circle! The man who lets the water run is not telling of it. .v ..',- '' f European War Primer " Br NatloaaJ . geographical 'Society. Alexander the Great, like an erratic meteor, flashed across the drowse of civilization-weary Egypt; and, perhaps, as a memorial of his deification in the land of the Pbaraohs. he left behind him the beginnings of a vigorous Greek city, Alexandria, destined to be the. gateway for a flow of Western re-' juvenation to the worn valley, and to day, with Constantinople and a few other places, one of the greatest prizes for the contesting army milliions In the East. Alexander built his city in 332 B. C upon the ruins of an Egyp tian town, Rhacotls. After more than 2000 years Alexandria has become the life of Egypt, its largest port, one of the busiest ports on the Mediterranean and an important world city. The modern city is divided into two parts, one of which, inhabited by Mo hammedans, is a listless tangle of Ori ental, .narrow, crooked streets and un inviting buildings, while the other, the European quarter, is solidly built and possesses "many of the essential con veniences or the American or European metropolis. It occupies a ridge of land between the Mediterranean and Lake Mareotls. Tie Rosetta mouth of the Nile lies more than 30 miles to the east,.' Cairo, the interior metropolis, lies 129 miles by rail to the southeast, and the Suez Canal is more than 140 miles to the east- The city is linked by a network of - railway and telegraph lines to the other towns of Egypt, and is in telephonic connection with Cairo. . Alexandria Is the counting-house and the commission office of the Nile Val ley. The British Chamber of .Com merce has Its headquarters there, and there, too, are located the head offices ofmany of the largest commercial or ganizations doing business in the Near East The value of the city's trade, in normal times. Is about $240,000,000 a year. The western harbor, designed for a modern, first-rank commerce, is visit ed annually by 3000 vessels. The chief articles of export are grain, cotton, beans, sugar and rice, and the busi ness is largely in the hands of Europeans, of whom there are 50,000 In the total population of 400,000. The city is connected by cable lines with Cyprus, Malta, Crete and Port Said. One of the Interesting phases of Alex andria's commerce is that It sends 80, 000,000 eggs each year to- London, where these products retail as fancy fresh eggs. This large yearly turn over gives Egypt an Intimate rela tionship with the Englishman's break fast table. Dinocrates of Rhodes, architect and friend to the famous Macedonian, laid out Alexandria. He planned the city as an affair of right angles and sharp corners. Including the whole in a paral lelogram quadriseeted by two main thoroughfares. This regularity of city plan that Dinocrates developed was the beginning of the school of gridiron city building, of the impersonal, strict ly business city only now waning in popularity. i . ' The exotic Grecian City w-as a bat tleground from the start. T'he East and the West met and fought out their differences to a finish there. Greek learning and Greek philosophy found refuge in Alexandria, and there an tagonized, and finally blended with, the philosophies of the East. Christianity and paganism fought some of their most bitter battles there; and the Jews, the Christians, the Pantheists and the philosophers fomented many bloody riots, in which the fickle, violent, loot hungry Alexandrian mob raged in un forgetable religious tjimults. In one such tumult the surpassingly beautiful pagan priestess, Hypatia, was torn to pieces to glut a brutish populace.. The famous Alexandrian library was the bridge between the culture of classic Greece and the cultural needs of early Christian and Mohammedan Europe. Much of its treasures filtered through to the Moors and to the Chris tians through the scholarship of Rome. The library was destroyed in the war flood which followed the rise of the religion from the desert, and the burn ing of the great book-treasury has been keenly deplored by scholars of each generation succeeding. In tha latter years of the 18th cen tury the city was held by the French. It had sunk to the status of a small village under centuries of Mohamme dan misrule, having a population of less than 4000. Under Mohamet AH, the wise and cunning Albanian, it regained much of its prosperity. English control of the city's, as well as Egypt's wel fare, dates from 1882. since which date a new city has been developed, and one that bears a greater degree of rela tionship to the West than to the East. THE LEGEND OK PORTLAND ROSES. Eden was a place of flowers. Ah, do you suppose Anywhere amongst the bowers Gleamed the Portlard rose? Yes, the Testout blushed and bloomed tht re, . ,j - Proud La France was known; And until man met his doom there,-' Gold of Ophir shone. When the wind with sudden wailing Fanned the flaming sword, All the garden flowers paling. Smitten of the Lord Eve filled up a jar of rose slips, (Though the thorns were growing). Through the gates she went with those slips. Toward the westward going. And her son into the West Land. For his mother's sake, Bore sweet roses to the best land In the low sun's wake. Eden thus deserves our pity. All her beauty furled; Portland is the Roseland city, . Queen of all the world. EVERETT EARLE STANARD. s- War to Help" Uejnployed. PORTLAND, Jan. 17. (To the Edi tor.) One of the producers of the Al berta market had to pay $300 a year rent for ten acres. The rent this com ing year was to be $400. Hei found a woman with eight acres, and last Sum mer It cost her $80 to get the weeds cut. She was glad to. let the producer have the land, rent free This is not charity but mutual benefit. Many people oould be helped If the organizations of the city and state would co-operate in bringing those who want to cultivate idle land In and out of town, with owners of unusued land Who are more-than willing to give free rent. There are about SO federated wom en's clubs of the state working on civic and economic lines. If all clubs working to improve economic condi tions, whether federated or not, would appoint a conference committee, through this unity a great amount of good work can be done. Those who would be Interested please address the writer. MRS. JOSEPHINE R. SHARP, 1033 East Twenry-fourth Street North. S Many Bird Fted. PORTLAND. Jan. 17. (To the Ed itor) I thought you 'would be glad to know that Mr. Wilson, at the Portland Sanitarium. . Sixtieth and Belmont, is feeding over '600 birds each day this cold weather. Doctors, nurses, pa tients and "everyone in the neighbor hood are greatly interested. I fear unless our citizens and children will take the trouble to feed these songsters many will die. They look so cold and hungry. A PATIENT. EVIDENCE OF IMMATURITY SEEN "Ex-Soldier'-1 Writes Hke One Witli I'ontbfnl Error, Saya Writer. PORTLAND, Jan. 17. (To the Ed itor.) The letter of "Ex-Soldier," who brands Mr. Hogan as Immature and deficient l- reasoning regarding con victs as desirable, soldiers, would seem to indicate the mental attitude which he assigns to Mr. Hogan. It has been well said: "In childhood we believe everything; in youth noth ing: (believing as authority and appear ance dictate), but in manhood more discriminatingly." It is obvious that as "Ex-Soldier" still holds the thoughts dictated by authority in our early training, believing that the highest courage is seen in donning the sol dier's coat, he indicates thereby the Immaturity he professes to see in Mr. Hogan. Real maturity sees that the military Instinct Is a relic of barbarism and the lure to the 'young mainly con sists in the promptings of a savage and theatrical love of gaudy uniform and military pomp, mixed with a perverted idea of what constitutes patriotism and love of country; the ex-soldier Tolstoi is a good example. No greater lover of men than he, and he decried the sol dier's trade and the fosterig of mili tary ideals, while the caustic Carlyle calls soldiers "simpletons," and Victor Hugo styles the military hero "a spe cies of assassin," while Ibsen so de tested force in any form that in all bis plays the hero is never a man in uni form. ' That wordy and theatrical patriot Ism is no indication of courage I saw In the Philippine campaign, being in the ranks myself, where I noticed that the loudest patriot was the poorest fighter. 1 also observed that the men who talked of shooting their command ing officer in the back were not ex convicts) but "ex-patrlots," soured of overbearing treatment I agree with "Ex-Soldier" that a con vict is- not bereft of all human attri butes, as courage, honor, generosity and charity for the opinions of others, which so many at large lack. I likewise agree that convicts would make as good. If not better, soldiers than the average citizen. Their will and self reliance have been broken by the strict prison discipline, where their every act of the most private nature is deter mined by authority. The resentment to ward hi kind resulting therefrom would make him an effective tool for murder, arson and pillage, especially it- guaranteed immunity By autnonty, leaving him free to develop his passion for force. It is true that many convicts wear medals for heroic conduct, but largely these medals are for some act of spe cial violence in battle. It follows that the rewarding of violence under au thority leads to violence in civil life by the unthinking, resulting in imprison ment by the same authority that re warded the special violence as an act of merit. My comrade, the "Ex-Soldier," does well to speak of the soldier and- the convict in the same breath,- for in the election laws of Oregon I And both dis franchised, as soldiers and sailors are denied the vote, in company with idiots, insane, aliens and convicts. - LOUIS HONSTEIN. PLANS TOO HASTILY CONCEIVED How Mr. Ford Might Have Spent Money to Better .Purpose. PORTLAND, Jan. 17. (To .the Edi-tor.)--The Henry Ford peace mission having met with failure to get the sol diers out" of the trenches by Christmas is no worse a failure than might have been expected. The idea was hatched from an imaginative mind and hastily launched for action without any pre vious organization. The so-styled dele gates were, for the most part, men who were ready to make a voyage merely for the sake of adventure and, conse quently, were unorganized to carry out the function of peace making. Of course, failure is the result. 1 1 v.. tnn erpjit An undertaking to attempt to secure the attention of the infuriated minds of the belligerents, ex cept tnose wno naa everyimng to by the Immediate making of peace. The others had top much to lose, even their national identity. Sctch peace terms were too difficult to be approved of, for patriotism is the quality of mankind which will impel him to re sist to. the bitter end the invasions of a foe intended to confiscate his country and to take away his national identity. If Mr. Ford had not allowed his heart to overbalance his brain he might have used the hundreds of thousands of dol lars that his charter of the Oscar II is costing him (with all of the .other costs incidental to such an undertak ing) to have served a greater purpose, if he had, in the first place, organized a peace propaganda in the United States and also used discretion in se lecting his delegates. If they had then worked harmonious ly in forming resolutions and bylaws his scheme would have been given a permanent foundation. Such a well-conceived Idea of peace making might have received a credit able recognition from the United States Government,' which would have given it an intrinsic force of appeal to other neutral countries, and from them gain an Impetus to a greater achievement of recognition from the belligerents, and might have then have been the means of carrying out his scheme of peace with fairness to all. CHARLES BARNETT. Coins and Independence. TILLAMOOK, Jan. 16. (To the Edi tor.) Kindly, at your convenience, give me the worth of the following coins: A 60-cent piece, 1827; also a copper piece, on one side is a man standing and holding a tree, with te letters "L. C. R." (2) We have been having a dispute over the date of the signing of the Declaration- of Independence. Will you kindly Inform us? . SUBSCRIBER Write, enclosing stamp, to New York Stamp & Coin Co., 11 West Thirtieth street. New York. The Declaration of Independence was adopted July 4, 1776, but was not signed until after It had been engrossed on parchment . Fifty-three of the 66 signatures were attached July 19, 1776, the others signing subsequently. German Red Cross Aided. PORTLAND, Or., Jan. 15. (To the Editor) At the last meeting of the Women's Auxiliary of the German. Red Cross it was unanimously voted to ex tend to The Oregonian our heartiest thanks for the many kindnesses shown to us in the furtherance of our cause. MRS. L. C.i KRAMER, Gatfliorv nf the. Women's Auxiliary of the German Red Cross. Problem Calls for Roosevelt CORNING, Cal.. Jan. 16. To the Ed itor.) I have read many good arti cles in The Oregonian. but the best of all that I have read Is to be found on the front page of The Oregonian Jan uary 12. It will require Theodore Roosevelt at tho had of the errand old, party to un tangle the muddle Into which President Wilson's vain policy nas piunseu " American people. A. J. MOB. Address of Mr. Rockefeller. CASTLE' ROCK, Wash., Jan. 16. (To the Editor.) Please give me the ad dress of J. D. Rockefeller. VELMA CUMMINGS. Homes, Pocantico Hills, Tarrytown, N Y.; Cleveland. O.; 4 West Fifty fourth street, N. Y.. and Lakewood, N. J. John Pnrroy Hitchel. HEPPNER, Or., Jan. 15. (To the Editor.) Kindly advise who present Mayor of New York is. READER. In Other Days. From The Ore-onlan or January IS, 1S91. Judgp Moreland on Friday signed a contract for the erection of the Armory annex, which Is to be the same size as the present building. - The contract price is $28,535 and Robert Wakefield is the contractor. The glass desired and the cement floor are not in the contract and these extras will bring the cost of the annex to $32,000. Manager Friedlander has mailed checks for $125 each to the following five institutions, being the $625 real ized from the benefit given at the Marquam Grand Theater: Mrs. J. W. Kern, for the Baby Home; Sister Mary Teresa, St. Vincent's Hospital; William B. Walpole, Associated Charities; Mrs. G. H. Sharp, Good Samaritan Hospital: Colonel Louis Flelshner. Hebrew Be nevolent Society. The State Board of Commerce sent a telegram to Representative Hermann designed to aid him in supporting in the House the Senate bill Just passed appropriating money for the improve ment at Cascade Locks. Next Friday evening Sirs. Nina La-" rowe will begin a physical culture class at the Women's Boarding-house, cor ner of Fourteenth and F streets. Del sarte, wands, dumbbells and clubs will be taught Yesterday Frank Sperling received a letter from San Francisco from Mary Levy bringing the news that the writer was a proud parent Mrs. Levy present ed her husband with a 12-pound boy on the 13th inst. - Fifty Years Ago Today. t From The Oregonian of January IS, IStiS. Notwithstanding .the very inclement weather yesterday and last evening, a large number of the friends of Edward Kahn, of Kahn Bros., and Miss Ada May, late of Philadelphia, met at tho Synagogue at 2 P. M. to witness their nuptial ceremonies, performed by Rev. H. Burris, and then at Turners' Hall in the evening to attend the celebra tion of the occasion. -From a private letter received by steamer from New York yesterday we are informed that General Steele, who is probably now In San Francisco, after remaining there for a short time will come on to this city and resume the command of the Department of the Columbia. He has received permission from General Grant to make his head quarters at Portland. The steamship Sierra Nevada has at last been removed from her critical situation above Warrior Point and. ar rived at her dock yesterday afternoon. She was busy taking on coal after her arrival here. Colonel C. H. Larrabee returned from Owyhee by the steamer Tuesday even ing, whither he had been on a mission in connection with the suit of the Poor Man ledge. At 9 o'clock last evening the storm had not abated one whit, but was ac tually worse. snow in uhouiuh uimo piled up on the cross streets and at all convenient places. H Judge Wyche, of Washington Terri tory, who went East last June, arrived here on his return by the steamer Pa cific yesterday. We learn by private letter that the trial trip of tho Forty-Nine. Captain Len White, was every way successful. She steamed up the Columbia about 175 miles, finding a pleasant and open river to navigate. PROPOSED AMEXDMEXT ANALYZED National Prohibition Would Permit Three Ways of Acquiring Liquor. LOUISVILLE, Ky., Jan. .15. (To the Editor.) Efforts of the Anti-Saloon League to bring the Nation-wide pro hibition fight to an Issue again at this session of Congress lend timeliness to some explanation of the plan proposed. It is as follows: Section 1. The sale, manufacture for sale, transportation for sale and Importation for sale of Intoxicating- liquors for beverage purposes in the United States and all terri tory subject to the Jurisdiction thereof and exportation thereof are hereby prohibited. Section 2. The Congress of the States shall have power Independently or concur rently to enforce this article by all needful legislation. ' As Mr. Hobson admits, liquor would still be at hand, even with the enforce ment of such an amendment, supposing it ratified by the states. He acknowl edges that there would be nothing to prohibit these three methods of ac quiring it: 1. Any person might manufacture whisky.'wine or beer for his own use. 2. Any person might Import from abroad whisky, wine or beer for his own use. 3. Any person might give away whisky, wine or beer for his own use. These facts are sometimes over looked in a hasty reading of the amendment's phraseology and I think It important that the publio sheuld keep them In mind in considering the amendment and what it offers in the way of greater temperance as compared oti.i. kn evatem of regulatory control l.of the liquor business for which it is proposed as a substitute. v T. M. GILMORE. President National Model License League. . . Point In "Five Hundred." PORTLAND, Or., Jan. 16. (To the Editor) In a game of five hundred (no trumps was bid). I led spades and my partner held the Joker. By play ing it we would make our ten tricks, if we would not have played it we would have been set. My partner played It (the Joker) and called It a spade, but our opponents demurred claiming she could not play the Joker as long as she had suit. Please inform us on this matter through The Oregonian. XL, iCe Dt When the bid Is" "no trumps" the holder of the Joker must follow suit if he has suit cards In his hand. No Abbreviation for Oregon. WELLEN, Or.. Jan. 16. (To the Ed itor.) I sympathize with a correspond ent in a recent issue ot your PP protests against the mXauUfu1 abbreviation oi ,-,7, ,t-tB and euphonious name of our fair state 0fHermay take comfort from the fact that" such o? any abbreviation for the name of "Oregon" lacks official recog nition by the Ptrstomce Department, and that, therefore, Oregon enjoys the Si.tinntion as I believe, of being the y state " the Union without an officially sanctioned a.vlan. Ir. It Growing Harder to Sell? Competition is certainly more keen yet markets are .enlarging as population and prosperity increase. In the retail field merchants are better educated. They know costs and Profits. They are students .of conditions. . The live-stores survive and grow, the inert ones are forced backwards. Retailers are being educated to the advantage of co-operating with their newspapers. . i . th.m a trade They Know u - " - . advantage to show goods at the L thev are being newspaper ad- k vertlsed by the manufacturer.