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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (May 13, 1916)
8 THE MOKXINQ OKEGOXIAX SATURDAY, MAT 13, 1916. PORTLAND, OBECOS. "Entered at Portland Oregoa) Fostorfice. as second-class mail matter. i. Enbscriptibn. Rales Invariably in advance: r- (By Mail.) f Daily, Sunday included, one year...... JL'aily. Sunday included, six months... Z-'iiiy, Sunday included, three montha. , 3)aly, Sunday Included, one month... a Ijally, without Sunday, one year...... fr2aily, without Sunday, six months.... jtXmily. without Sunday, three months.. fr'-Xaily. without Suaaay, one month.... ''Weekly, one year Sunday, one year Juilday and Weekly, one year........ 8.00 4.27 2.23 .75 .. 6.00 .. 3.25 . . 1.75 . . .60 .. l.BO .. 2.50 ...8.50 .. t.00 ... .76 (By Lamerj Daily. Sunday mrluded. one year... tlaily. Sunday Included, one month. !. Mow to Remit Send rostoffice money . erder, express order or personal check on our local hank. stamps, coin or currency .art at sender's -risk. CJive postoffice ad-a-resees in full, including county and state. INtstage Rates 12 to 18 pages, 1 cent; 18 ' to 32 paes. 2 oents; 34 to 4 pages, 3 cents; fT.0 tp 0 pag-ss. 4 cents; 62 to 18 paces, S 'cents; 78 to M' r;a?es. o cents. foreign .joPtage. double rates. tastern Buxioewi Office Varree fc Conk l RiHnguu t.tiilHino- vw V nrir - Vorree 'lin. Conklln, Steeer building. Chicago. San !ranoisco representative, K. J. Bidwell. 742 'Markpt street. Ejl-ORTI-AXO. HTVHDAY, MAY, 13, 1918. K TOO MICH EFJflCIlSN-Cy. Several reasons for the overthrow yy Denver of the commission form of J government, after trial, are given, but itia significant one is the extravitgance i'jerpetrated under tho new system. a-High cost of government is accentu ated in the public mind when a com mission charter is in force. Tho charter is usually adopted, as it was in Port Hand, and probably was in Denver, with glowing promises as to what it will accomplish in saving to tho taxpayers. It Is advertised as a sort of automatic contrivance to care the defects of. In capacity or dishonesty in office. j y But system does not remedy in 'rcapacity or dishonesty, and when neither one occurs it is exaggerated in the public mind because of disap pointed expectations. Moreover, when ;there is inferiority in a commission it is more pronounced because of one ot Jiho very virtues of that form of gov ernment centralization of responsi 'bility. The man or men who promote extravagance stand forth in the lime jlight. It is quite natural that the .same mind that expected system to 'eradicate evils of city " government olames system for evils which it does , Hhot eradicate and which occur under Jany system. Commission government, aside from "r?ts occasional high cost, has one Im portant defect. It is in the constant Overplaying of so-called efficiency. Efficiency, in the true meaning of the word, is an excellent attribute for any ,'city government. But the word is apparently taken to mean introduction ,of any frill that happens to strike tho jfancy or meet the thebries of the com missioners. Just now, the country ;over, the public's hankering for econ omy is far stronger than its taste for .novelty or experiment. Yet we con tinually get novolty and experiment through commission government at the expense of economy. ' If city commissioners would forget .for a time the word "efficiency," or learn its true meaning, high cost of municipal government would be alle viated and repetition of the Denver iverthrov would no longer be sug gested or in prospect. 1 THE HALI.OWKD CANDIDATE. ; Ho who publishes libel against the ordinary citizen is subject, upon con 'viction, to imprisonment in the county Jail for not less than three months nor more than one year or to a fine of 100 to J500. j But he who libels a candidate for joffice becomes a felon upon convic tion. He must be sent to the peniten tiary for from one to three years. Moreover, he is not, when, on trial, al lowed the full measure of defense Wanted the person who libels tho un hallowed individual. He may prove that he had reasonable ground to be lieve and did believe that the charge -'lie circulated was true and that he was not actuated by malice, but it is a defense only if he can prove that at Jeast fifteen days before publishing the charges he submitted same to )he candidate for office and read any denial, defense or explanation offered by the candidate. ' It was probably the peculiar pro visions relative to political criminal libel that impelled Judge McGinn to say that "the Oregon law seems to have been passed by a lot of people afraid of adverse criticism." Under its strict enforcement, the crook run hlng for office would be reasonably afo from expose at least for fifteen days prior to election unless his de, relictions were matters of court rec ord. Affidavits or confidence in the word of informants are not very safe protection when a term in the peni tentiary may be the penalty for in abiity to substantiate in court the truth of a charge. Legal proof often falls short of public knowledge. It is hampered with formalities and the difficulty of assembling witnesses. Ve have long thought that public policy would override this provision of the corrupt practices act, which seeks to- give- the candidate a special sanctity not enjoyed by any other hu man being, and to impose unusual nimishment upon him who questions iws morality or integrity. Judge Me tj.inn has given the grand jury sensible aBvice in holding that the motives and belief of the publisher of a , false cnarge snouiti tie considered. Bfll.D MORE SILOS. That Oregon and Washington are to become two great dairy states is the belief of many of the best-informed scientific agriculturists of the present time. Perhups no sections of the coun try are .making more rapid strides in the' direction of successful dairying than those portions of the states men tioned which are contiguous to the Pacific Coast and embrace all of the area west of the Cascado Range. In deed, in many parts of what may be termed the interior of the two states, dairying has taken deep root and the thrifty and intelligent owners of dairy cows are sure to succeed. For many years we of the North - west lagged far behind in the dairy business. Up to less than a dozen years ago the large cities of both Ore iron and Washington were shipping butter from the Middle West by the dozen carloads, and much of this was finally consumed on the farms. It , was not until we found that- corn could be raised successfully in this section that the dairy business took on-considerable growth. Now we know that both of these states are destined to rank well up with Iowa and the other great corn states of the Mis sisslpi Valley. Many of the best-informed agriculturists think that we will within a couple of decades out strip nearly all of those states with the exception of Iowa. It must be remem bered that there was as great and as slow a struggle in that state to get the corn industry on its feet as wo have had in the Northwest. Corn, ia really, tho foundation of dairying, and the silo is the key to the greatest success.- In no other wav can com be so profitably used as by feed ing it to the dairy cow through the silo. All practical dairymen agree on this proposition. No other Winter feed known so assists in making up a bal anced ration as corn ensilage, a. word which has by common consent almost universally been cut to silage. No other crop can be so conveniently and economically converted into silage as corn. It costs even less to put it into the silo than it does to husk it and put it into the bin. In tho latter proc ess the stalks, or fodder, are of but inconsiderable rvalue, while they are of great value if passed through the silo. To this must bo added the great fertilizing value of the stalks when fed as silage. Every dairyman with ten cows or more should have ft silo, more than one if the number of cows warrants. These silos should every year be filled with corn silage. If 75 per cent of our dairymen would adopt this plan we would see a mighty change for the better in the Northwest during the next few years. In a decade wo would bo shipping out butter and cheeso by the trainload. As to the size and sort of silos to build, as to their cost and mode of filling, as to the stage at which tho orn should be cut as to all such de tails, write to your nearest agricultural college, to tho Department of Agricul ture, at Washington, on. ask your coun. ty agriculturist, in either case, one will secure quick and reliable informa tion. But let every dairyman make up his mind that he wm have a silo erected before the Summer passes unless, of course, .ho has been wise nough to have installed one already, THAT PORTLAND RING. The Benton County Courier, some time Socialist and always Democratic, I calls upon tho voters of the state to rally to the standard of Mr. Olcott for Secretary of State. "Block the Portland game," it cries. Two para graphs from Its philippic against the Portland ring will do: Portland wants another office and o B. Moores, an old-time Republican, office holder. Is the candidate put out by the Portland ring to down Ben Olcott for Secre- tary of State. So the play for the Democrats is to write in tha name of Ken w. Olcott and show that Portland bunch of political hogs iricK, or two.. The only Portland ring The Orego- nian knows anything about is the busy little cabal which has to its credit tho scalps of two Republican candi dates for United States Senator, and which but lately had a Democratic Governor as a choice flower of its ceaseless efforts. The headquarters of the Democratic ring is in Portland, and the chief grievance of the many Republicans who have expressed a desire for Mr. Moores' nomination is that Mr. Olcott is closely allied to the Democratic machine and that his con tinuance in office is a part of its plan. On geographical grounds Portland is ahle to. make a strong showing for Mr. Moores. Not a single principal elective office in the state government is from Portland. Not one. The Gov ernor, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Attorney-General, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Dairy and Food Commissioner and every member of the Supreme Court come from the state at large. Only the Labor Com missioner and State Engineer claim Portland for residence. But the two Democratic Senators are from Portland. Both of them. IRRELEVANT. I The Oregonian is quite unable to I understand why the nomination or I election of a Representative in Con- gress from tho Third District, or any Oregon district, should hinge on tho question of National prohibition. It is not the issue'. Yet out of a con- troversy over so irrevelant and re-1 mote a subject, a number of citizens have been moved to say and do things which would better have been left un- said and undone, a libel suit is under I way, a grand Jury is (presumably) I making an investigation, an anti-Sa- Ioon League worker has been as- saulted in a public courtroom by a political hanger-on, and a mighty furore of bad feeling and sensation is sweeping over the community. The Oregonian has sought to keep out of the Congressional contest. It has seen that there was no likelihood of the success of Lafferty, with his impossible legislative programme and his record! of fake, pretense and buncombe: and It has assumed that the fight is between Mr. McArthur and Mr. Llttlefield. It will say frankly that it has not been pleased with the organization of the McArthur campaign, nor the personnel and conduct of certain of his political captains; and it has thought that Mr. Littlefield. an active, respectable and capable citizen, had a right to become a candidate against Mr. McArthur or any other. But there are certain aspects of tho Littlefield campaign calculated to disturb the impartial citizen's sense of propriety and fair play; of these The Oregonian does not approve. It feels obliged to say that the activities of Mr. Hutton, an im - ported worker on the payroll of the Anti-Saloon League and now more or less martyrized by the brutal assault of Amidon aro just about as offensive as the ostentatious outgivings of Fer- dinand Reed. It is the duty of a Representative in Congress at Washington to care for the interests of the community whole, and not to -be either the dele gate from the Anti-Saloon League nor tho commissioner of tho organized brewers. He is a Congressman of the United States from the state ofOre gon, and particularly from Portland. The Oregonian thinks that the ma- terial welfare of Portland and Oregon Is involved directly in tho election of a Representative in- Congress. In a large sense, tho Representative should think and act in terms of a strong and efficient Nationalism, and for that reason it appears desirable to have a Republican; but he should also be well qualified to present in Congress and before the departments all the needs and desires of his district and state. It ought not to be necessary to call from trading with. Baltic ports of Ger to the attention of the public the vast many unless they prevent all nations importance of efficient and resultful from doing so. They have absolutely representation in Washington. All the great commercial questions, develop- meht problems, land matters, conser- vation and water-power affairs, and many others, are of immediate concern to Portland and Oregon. Is it pos- unable or unwilling to take those risks, sible that they are to bo neglected and yet they claim the same belligerent forgotten in tho uproarious dispute rights as if they had won full naval over tho exact method by which we supremacy in the Baltic. By avoiding are to have National prohibition if those risks they supply Germany with we are to have it? There is prohibl- an argument for avoidance of corre tion in Oregon. It is not feared nor spondlng risks to submarines by sink, charged that any candidate for Con- Ing merchant ships without visit, gress on any ticket can alter that ob- search or warning. By enforcing the vious fact. blockade .against non-Baltic neutrals Let the contest between Mr. Little- but not enforcing it against Baltic field. Mr. McArthur and Mr. Lafferty neutrals, they discriminate against the be determined on its merits, and upon former, chief among which is the the general Judgment as to which of United States. ' i them will best serve Portland and Ore- The best defense which Britain can gon at Washington. If the primary mako of this discrimination is that the sh5,U decide for; either; Mr. Littlefield Baltic is an enclosed sea- which, tho or Mr. McArthur on that basis. The Oregonian will be content, and the public, which is no mere bystander nor outsider in this affair, will doubt less, also be content. SOMEBODY IS TO BLAME. . Tho wreck of the steamship Roan oke should be the subject of a. rigid investigation with a view to punish ment of those who are responsible for overloading the ship,-for sending it to sea with cargo so badly stowed that it listed and turned turtle and for hav. ing the boats in such bad condition that only three of the crew survived. This is a catalogue of crime which amounts to manslaughter and for which somebody should be punished. Greed of the owner or charterer is the most natural explanation of the overloading of the ship, of the bad stowage of the cargo and of the rotten mast In the survivors' boat, miscalled a lifeboat- But there must have been gross dereliction of duty on the part of the inspectors who permitted the ship to go to sea thus loaded and equipped with such boats. The steam boat inspection service was proved la mentably inefficient by tho Eastland disaster last July, but that event does not seem to have led Secretary Red field to overhaul the service generally. Lifeboats with rotten masts and with out provisions or water do not speak well for enforcement of safety pro visions in the seamen's law. The state ment or survivors mat inexperience among the crew caused loss) of two boats is no favorable commentary on the certificate system established by that law. No shipowner who sends forty men to their Tdeath by such indifference to everything but profit should escape punishment, and no official negligence which permits such things should be overlooked. Mr. Redfleld should -in spect his inspectors, CASE FOR BLOCKADE IS WEAK Although President Wilson rightly refused to accept the restriction of Germany's submarine war as condi tioned upon enforcement by the United States of its demand for modi. ficatlon of tho British blockade to ac cord with law, the blockade con troversy calls for prompt settlement now that the German dispute is, for the time being at least, out of the way. In defense of the British meth ods it is pleaded that they are simply an adaptation cf accepted principles to modern implements of war and that Britain atones to neutrals for possibly exceeding belligerent rights in one particular by not exercising those rights to the full limit of the law in another particular. This plea cannot be allowed by the United States consistently with our strict neutrality. It assumes that the affair Is between the allies and the neutrals alone and that neutrals may permit the allies to- exceed belligerent rights in exchange for a concession of greater rights than International law allows to neutrals. It Ignores entirely the duty of neutrals to the central powers. They cannot waive any right to the advantage of the allies without departing from strict neutrality to the injury of tho Teutons. They thereby entitle the latter to corresponding con cessions. If Britain were permitted to exercise greater rights than the law of blockade allows, Germany might with a show of justification renew its claim of right to sink vessels without visit, search or warning. Our best se. curity against unrestrained submarine war on merchant ships is firm asser tion of our rights as against the equal. lv illegal, though more humane, meth- ods of Britain It is urged in defense of the allies that, if their methods of blockade are Illegal, only property rights are in- volved and these are Justiciable; that the United States and France are bound by treaty to submit all such questions to arbitration and that an other treaty, negotiated by Mr. Bryan provides for a year's delay of military action as to all other disputes, during which period they are to be subject of Inquiry by a commission. That argu- ment contemplates prolonged delay of a decision, probably until the war is I ended during which the allies would continue practices that might in the end be declared illegal. The allies could fully compensate neutrals for their monetary loss, but they would have enjoyed all the military advan- tages of their illegal operatfons, which might aid them materially in winning final victory over Germany. It would I therefore be impossible to compen- sate Germany for the use of these un I fair means. I Believing, as he does, that the allied blockade ot the German Baltic ports is ineffective and therefore illegal I President Wilson cannot countenance I it in exchange for Britain s agreement not to confiscate non-contraband goods 1 or the ships carrying them. Y ere he to do so, he would substitute bargains between individual nations or groups 1 of nations for international law, which he has heretofore contended, applies impartially to all alike. If he may strike such a bargain with-the allies, 1 then Germany also is released from obligation to observe the law and may I use coercion in compelling the l-nited I States to drive a bargain with it. All restraints of law would then be re I moved, and the only remaining limita- tions on frightf ulness of either party would be the danger of arraying neu trals against it as enemies. The fatally weak point in the allies case is their failure to make the block. ade of the Baltic ports of Germany ef fective. . They may successfully de fend the. long-range blockade of North Sea ports as in - harmony with the principles of international law when the character of modern ships and weapons of warfare Is cousidered They can defend the seizure of goods destined to or coming from neutral countries in transit from or to Ger many, provided the rule is enforced as to all alike. They may perhaps make a case for taking suspected ships to port for search instead of searching I ships on the high seas, though that I practice reduces risk of attack while the search is in progress. But they have no right to prevent any nation failed to blockade those ports against I Sweden. Norway and Denmark. They might have succeeded had they taken the legitimate risks of war by sending a fleet to the Baltic. They have been states upon its shores treat as specially their property. The Hanse cities of Germany formerly upheld this doc trine and in the eighteenth century the Baltic states claimed the right to for bid hostilities within this sea between other states than themselves. The allies contend that the Baltic is there fore, territorial water and that the blockade of its entrance is ' legal as against Germany. But the entire tendency of recent years has been away from this doc trine of special territorial rights over enclosed seas. It received a severe blow when the United States whs de feated in its claim of a right to ex clude foreign sealing vessels from Bering Sea on the ground that the latter was an' enclosed sea. The same tenKency is apparent in tho' action of the nations to .extinguish territorial rights over the straits leading to such sea. Tho right of free access to enclosed seas through straits has been established both as to tho Danish Sound and he Dardanelles and Bos- phorus. As to tho former it rests on international law. both as to ships of war and merchant craft. Exceptions aro made against warships in tho Dar danelles by special treaty, which thus confirms the general principle. Brit ain can only uphold the theory on which it justifies the blockade of tho Baltic by admitting that it was wrong in its dealings with Denmark regard ing tho Sound and with the United States regarding Bering Sea. Tho President had no alternative to pressing first his demand that Ger many cease inhuman methods of war fare. Having- succeeded at that point ho now has no alternative to showing equal energy in pressing his protests against tho allied blockade. Were ho to refrain, he would supply Germany with a colorable pretext for wrosecut- ing submarine war without restraint, upon which that country would not hesitate to seize. In going to Ireland to check the severity of martial law, Premier As quith is once exercising his great gift of hindsight. . He surely knows that the natural disposition of military of ficers is to practice severity. If he wished to temper it with discretion, the time . to speak was before, not after, death sentences were passed and executed. The scarcity of leather caused by the war has already induced us to use whaleskln. Wo may learn to utilize tho skins of many other animals which we have been treating as garbage Such economies should be placed to the credit of Mars; he needs some thing to his j redit, in view of tho huge om against mm. Oregonians are familiar with whirl winds and th spirals of dust that float about wherever there is enough prairie or plain for their movement; but a dust storm that lasts four days, liko that which blew from North Da kota into Minnesota, would set them working magic for rain by the second day. a Recognition of a de facto govern ment implies its ability to maintain order and to protect life and property. Warning to American citizens to leave Mexico implies lack of that ability On which theory is tho policy of Presi dent Wilson based? At present he seems to act on both at the same time. . Scientists figure that at the rate tho horse has grown since ho was an eohippus, ho will weigh seven tons In 2,000,000 years. By that time the au tomobile will be so perfected as to fit into a suitcase when not in com mis sion. We shall all be dead then, so why worry? Too much sugar is used in home canning of fruit. All palates do not need tickling. Why not put up the stuff as some women make apple pie, which the head of tho house, if ho has a sweet tooth, splits and sweetens to taste? General Goethals' renewal of his resignation is cheering news to all who are interested in the Panama Canal, but only because it implies that the slides will be finally conquered by July 1. . . All hope of a 250,000 army has vanished, say reports. There never was any hope of it unless some new system of getting the men had been provided. Arrangements are no sooner made for makeshift intervention in Mexico than another raid requires their re vision. The way of the sidestepper 1 hard. If that $75,000 worth of liquor seized in Seattle goes into the sewers, as Mayor Gill suggests, there will be awful mortality among the sewer rats, a Tom Hurlburt has reduced the cost of. crushed rock at Kelly Butte from tl to 50 cents a cubic yard, and that's good enough business for anybody. It's going to end in hysteria. Tho cafeteria came and ia staying, the gro ceteria is on the way and now Chi cago develops a shaveteria. The Audltoflum may bo finished In time for a celebration of the election of a Republican President. Hobson. defeated by fifty-ono votes, will contest, for Hobson knows all the Democratic tricks. Why not put the pound on the golf grounds? There Is a connection be tween "dog" and links. It develops there was more scare than damage by the bad weather. Tis ever thus in Oregon. "Worse elsewhere" is the best way for every community- to consider this freaky weather. Reforestation has become . .signal success everywhere hut on the bald man's dome. i i Sample) ballots are intended for use before election day. ' Have you got yours? A French submarine has sunk an unarmed Austrian and whose "holler" is it? Two more rebels were executed in Dublin yesterday. That's enough now. How a lazy man does enjoy basking in the sunshine out of the wind! Four days a week seem to enough working time for Wilson. be There was never a raider the like of Mayor Hi Gill. Jiut a week to Lemon day in Ore gon. PARTIES C V.VDIDATKS .D lSt ES SnppaoM Student of the Times An- - alyarsj I"re-tllec-t Mtustlos. SCAPPOOSE. Or.. May 11. (To the EUitor.) What an immense amount ol confusion there exists among tho voters in the United States as to political 1s- ues to be decided at the comins Presi dential election: Practically speaking. there are no such things as Democratic. Republican or other parties. Both tho old parties, as well as the newer ones, are like vessels out at sea. drifting without chart or compass. Of course. he Democrats in the coming campaign are going to call attention to what they ani their Administration have done during the past three years, but lie truth o tnc matter is that all the best measures passed by the late and present Congresses, like the bankers' reserve law ami other good measures, have been enacted along non-partisan int'5, the Lemocratic representatives having been livide'rl. as upon Philippine independence and now upon the Army bill. it has not been a harmonious party by any means. Nor h'as the Kc- puDiican party, as such, any real Issues, except to "get together" and. to opposo he Democrats. Senator Hardinc wnom tne isauonat committee has se lected as the party "keynoter," .said soon alter his appointment at a meet ing of tho Hamilton Club in ChlcaKO that the principal issue of the lalti campaign is to be the tariff. But the probabilities are that even hefore the campaign is hardly begun the Demo crats will pass a tariff commission law and have a hoand appointed which will take the tariff entirely out of politics. There will bo no such an ani mal as a tariff Usue. But there is a very livelv issue bo- fore the people. As ono writer has re cently put It. "The Issue of a thorough ly disciplined Americanism, or in other wortis. America, etriclent. unlte.l and free." There is no escaplnit it. It ia bound to come to the forefront as tho campaign progresses. As the Outlook editorially has put It in its Issue of April 26. page 845: "There aro four un organised groups perhaps we should say trends of thought in tho United States, and each has its natural and logical candidate." First "There are a few rnnltont followers of Tolstoy who think that all use or lorce la wrong: that the one way to conquer injustice is to yield to it; that If a nation is smitten on one check it should turn the other also. Their logical candidate is Will- lam Jennings Bryan, or, perhaps, Henry Ford." Second "There are a 1 at-ire number who regard war as the greatest calam ity which' can befall tho Nation, and keeping out of It at any cot the Na tion's first Outy. They Include soma who merely dread war and some who sincerely love peace, some who are in spired by a mere sordid love ot ease and gain, and some who aro Inspired by spirit ot genuine humanity. They are not all satisfied with present con dltlons, but they are content to endure tncm. Their logical candidate is Wood- row Wilson." Third "There are a considerable number who wish to avoid deciding America's foreign policy. The com plexity of the problem perplexes them. tne greatness or the problem appalls them. They would like to escape the peril of a decision by selecting a good man whose views nw unknown and referring It to him for decision (and I might add thus shifting responsibility). Their logical candidate is Charles K. nusnes. fourth "There are those who believe mat tne rights of a nation are its du ties; that we may surrender our rights. dui never our Jutles: that the nrimarv duty of a nation Is to protect its citi zens at home and abroad, on land and on sea; that this duty America should perform, whatever that performance may cost. Tliey are unwilling that any man, however wise ami good, shall decide for the people the question whether or not they will perform this duty; they wish to perform this duty and to eloct a man with tho will and tne ability to lead them in perform ing it. Their loc-ical candidate ia Theo dore Roosevelt." The foresroinfr Is to mv mlnrf n nrcttv clear, as well as forcible, statement of tha four groups of thought now pre vailing, but whether they will be segre gated and organized into four political parties Is quite another Question. I.lk- ly not. But I should be pleased to see It done and the four candidates as suggested nominated upon platforms so tersely indicated and thug give each voter a chance to express his or her particular view upon tho (treat ami burning question of preparedness. It would make a very spirited and Inter esting campaign. There are two other verv Imnortant questions before the American people, viz.; prohibition and woman suffrage, as well as many minor ones, which will not down, but notwithstanding cer tain of these groups are .either or ganised or will organize Into parties and have out platforms and candidates, they are non-partisan in their very nature and will be so se-ttle in due time. c. L. HATFIKLD. TIRMXti I(ISTRKt:i)'(.IRI, AWAY Action of Woman 1 bo 'lofted Door to Sllsainar lln Harris Baffllna. PORTLAND, Or., May 12. (To the Editor.) For the. life of me. I can not understand how a woman could have turned Miss Ella May Harris away In such mental distress. Afraid of publicity! Such modern social con ditions are found to create rather than check crime. For, only women know the cost of life. Every ounce of human flesh and blood extracts its toll of pain from some woman. Human lives are not as plentiful and as valueless blades of . grass. Would' that the girl had met with motherly kindness in that trying hour. What does a little breath of praise or blame amount to when a human soul is at stake? Publicity will speedily blow itself out and be forgotten. We know but little of tho present .ami absolutely nothing of the future. We know that within us and around us there Is a power over which we have no control and w-hich is constantly influencing our lives for good or evil. The bread that civeth strength X want to Kive: The water pure that bids the thirsty live; I want to help the fainting- day by day: I'm sure 1 shall not pass again this way. MIZFA1L Paylnar City- Assessments. PORTLANDI, May 12. (To the Edi tor.) I think the city authorities are making a great mistake in insisting on payment by property owners of all the street and sewer assessments as they becomy due. as part of a new policy. If tnis policy Is enforced, more money will come In on principal than is neceasary to take up the Improve ment bonds as they become due, and this is undesirable. It Is clearly proper that the city should insist on interest being paid as it becomes due. as other wise the city will be short of funds when called upon to pay Interest on Its bonds. But during these Democratic times, when leniency is being shown debtors In every branch of business life, it 111 becomes the city to be so harsh as it threatens. There are many property owners who nave had ex pensive Improvements thrust upon them by their neighbors. who are abaolutely unable to keep up their payments of both principal and in terest, and it is not right that the city should put burdens upon them that are unable to be borne. I hope that this matter will be brought to the at tention of the City Commissioners and that something will be done to go back to the former plan of taking the in terest only, where it Is offered. I admit that at the end of tho ten-year period the principal should bo paid up. but the need is urgent at this time that the city should not be more insistent than other creditors. TAXPAYER, EVIL Etr-KKCTS OP CIVILIZATION Oeneral Teadeaey Held to I pset Meatal ad I'hyaieal Co-orsUaattoax. MILWAUKEE. Or.. May IS. (To the Editor.) In every human action there are two distinct phases thought and motion. Every thought, every impulse, every emotion has its ellipsis in some action of the muscles: and when such thought. Impulse or emotion is per fectly expressed In muscular activity -we have the Ideal human being. Of all the many evil effects of what we call civilization, the moat blaxtlr.it ia that its general influence is to break up the close Interrelation between thought and motion. Mental activity simply means certain chemical and mechanical changes occurring- In nervous matter. These changes occur not only In the nervous matter of the brain, but also in the nerves which csaise muscular action. Each emotion and'each thought has its corresponding output along the motor nerves that each emotion and each thought has a muscular picture which is peculiar to Itself. Now. if the muscles be free and flexible. the thought which occupies the higher nerve centers will be translated by a certain position of the muscles. In other words, a person marked by such peculiarity will bo expressive and in teresting. In order to be expressive several things are requisite. The body must bo erect, the muscular tonicity muni be at par, and a general mental and physi cal co-ordination absolutely essential. If you have been a mental man all ot your life, you have disturbed tho law of harmony, co-ordinatfon; the result Is not only the weakening of the- physical powers that nourish tho mentality, but the mentality itself has become hesi tant and tottering. Thousands are failures for the sim ple reason that they do not co-ordinate Iheir mental and physical activity. When the muscular system is at par when tho mind has a good education and when tho two are sent into action co-ordinately, according to constructive principles, there can be no failure, no doubt, no worry and no fear. Fear Is the element that will drag you into the mire of failure; and as the being possessed of full vitality knows no fear. It follows that the most Im peratively needed element is physical vitality. The next step, according to conservatlvo principle, is tho gaining of vitality; procure the Information on bow to build vitality, then proceed to build It constructively. Aa the vitality is built up so in a corresponding dO' gree will the undesirable traits disap pear, to be replaced by what Is natural and normal. Remember, above all things, to CO' ordinate your mental and physical faculties, and the law of harmony will protect you. and the law of compen sation wHl give you that which you seek; these Jaws are absolute: there fore attune yourself with them men tally and physically, and you will have the priceless key to health and abiin dance. DR. H. A. STOCiCDALK. PROPOSES WORI.U VOTE ON WAR Hood Itlvrr Man Suaseata Way for nlted Mates to Start Peace Plans. HOOD RIVER. Or.. May 11. (To the Editor.) While I am not Henry Ford I believe I have an idea that mlicht make for peace In this world war if it were tried. Going on tho theory that no great strike has been won in tho face of public disapproval. I believe the same would hold here. The "strikers or the corporations may have, like the belligerents, refused to arbitrate, bu public opinion has arbitrated whether or no. For example. we should through the proper representatives as certain as nearly as possible the mos lenient terms upon which the allies would make peace and tho most lenien terms upon which the central powers would make peace, then send a dupll cate f these two propositions to every one of our ministers in every cilixed neutral nation on the globe, asking our representatives to suhmit these two proposition to the different nations, with the request that a popular vote be taken Uiereon and tho result aent back to this government for tabulation. Should such a vote be overwhelming ly for either one of the propositions. Just think with what influence the President could then say to the nationa whoe proposition had lost favor, "The w-hilo civilized world is overwhelming ly against you In this struggle: don't you think you had better accept the terms that have been approved by hu manity 7" I don't believe tha common people of either side would have the heart to tight on In the faco of such disapproval. It might be argued that the cost of such a world vote would be enormous, but in reply I would say that evedy civil ized neutral i doing more in necessary relief work every month than the cost of this vote to the same nation would be. to say nothing about the saving of lives. 1 believe the idea is worth try ing. M. B. Orlarin of "Kreaaer"' Wanted. BUTTE VI LLE. Or.. May 10. (To the Editor.) The reason assigned by The Oregonian for the people, of Mexico trilling the people of the United States "grinsoes" Is plausible. Will some one tell why the people of the United States call the people of Mexico "greasers"? RUSTICUS. . CAMPAIGN EXPENDITURES in the SUNDAY OREGONIAN 1 In speaking: of American industries you do not, generally, include the strenuous game of politics as one. of them. Yet politics, it has been demonstrated, is the means of distributing at least $50,000,000 among the people every four years. A detailed story tomorrow will tell how it is done. PRESIDENT POIXCARE ON FRANCE This is an interesting story in which President Poincare tells how the republic of France ia governed. COPPER RIVER RAILWAY Frank G. Carpenter, in this issue, will describe the Guggenheim Railroad in Alaska, operating from Cor dova into the interior. HERBERT KAUFMAN'S PAGF. Are you reading the articles by Herbert Kaufman in The Sunday Oregonian? Mr. Kaufman has had a powerful influence on public thought if not, indeed, on pub lic action in this country. He is abreast of the times and his writ ings always are full of interest. j BIRSKY AND ZAPP ON MEXICO There is no subject too compli cated nor too complex for Montague Glass' mirth-provoking char acters to discuss with analytical detail. This time they pass judg ment on the Mexican situation. It is more than usually funny. THE IRON CLAW This week The Oregonian will present the seventh episode of The Iron Claw, the sensational motion-picture drama, written. by Arthur Stringer, appearing weekly at moving-picture theaters. Read the story in the paper, then see the pictures. TEMPLE'S SKETCHES Three more true-to-life sketches by Temple, the artist,' will be offered tomorrow. They are works of real art. ROYALTY'S FEAR OF TRAGEDY If you envy the lot of royal children you should read this story in tomorrow's paper. It shows ' how they must constantly be under guard lest they be attacked by anarchists or plotters. THE TEENIE WEENIES The children will be greatly amused by the latest antics of the Teenie Weenies the characters created by William Donahey, a clever artist, who draws regularly for The Sunday Oregonian. PAGE OF SCHOOL NEWS Latest reports from many of the public schools will be presented by the children themselves. See what your boys and girls are doing and what progress the schools are making. OTHER NEWS All the activities usually covered by The Sunday Ore gonian again will be reflected tomorrow, including motion pictures, society, the drama, automobiles, sports, real estate, society, churches, women's clubs and various other lines. In Other Day. Twealy-the lean Ala. From Tho Oregonian ot May is. TS91. Tho smelter at Llnnton has been run ning a week and has turned out $:!5.o00 worth of bullion. A Chicago man Is ont here in sesrch, of a stick of timber 110 left loner and. four feet atjuare. He is workiuar in the interests of the Chicago Epol- ion. and It Is supposed that the st:cr is wanted for tho center pole, of that great circus. In view of the rapidly increasing buMne in the tate tircuft Courts, it ill soon become nevewarv to create another department in this district. Judge Morcland says that this will bo done during the next session of the Legislature. The city has now 1 s-prinkliner wasons. and four more will be rcatiy for use in a few day. There, is alo one In the city park, so the dust ouaht to bo held down pretty well this Sum mer. Yesterday was the 67th anniversary of Judge Deady. Ho celebrating it by holding court, both in the United States Circuit and the Vnited states District courts, and attended to a large amount cf business. Arrangements hae been completed for a series of open-air concerts at the I'laxa every Wednesday evening, begin ning at S o'clock, by the Marine Band. OX KI(KI(. THK CAT AROl'SD Modern Maltreatment of Unwelcome Domestic Animals Lamented. rORTIANT, May 12. (To the Edi tor.) Whenever anyone wants to say something mean they refer to the "cat as a nuisance" that "killa chickens and birds" and is nothing but a pest! Cats are certainly tho worst abused animals that live. It too often happens that someone who wishes to dispose of a litter of kittens will let the children play with them until they can supposedly live without their moiher; then theso help less lillo creatuea are packed off to some neighbor's back door, to bo driv en off as Intruders, chased by dogs, rocks or stove wood thrown at them. until they are terrorized and starved. If they aurvlca this cruel treatment until they are grown and can actually hunt their own living, they naturally go into chicken ards. if they find any. and gatrrer up the scraps to e.it The first person to see the poor ani mal is ready to accuse It of trying to steal chickens," and Is it any won der If this poor, unwelcome creature learns to catch chickens or stcai? Wo havo had our share of experience with "stray cats." Some were little starved kittens, too young to eat any thing but milk. It Is humane to chlo roform them, which. I thank. Is to be preferred to the common way of drowning. Either way i, to be preferred to the cruel practice of carrying them off to "drop" them in neighbors' yards. This is simply a cowardly way of shirking the "unpleasant job." We have learned that cats are af fectionate and intelligent: they quick ly acquire habits of neatness and are interesting aa pets. Ono of our kit tens used to try to open the door by rattllng the knob. This same kitty, by the way. had been a "stray "; someone "dropped" her when she was a half grown kitten. I found her on the back porch. She was very much excited when she first saw a young chicken. She was ready to spring on it. I caught her. held her and let the mother hen whip her good, and you. know a li.-n can fight for her littlo ones. When ilio kitten was released ana wa a badly frightened cat. but she never looked at a chicken to "kill If again. She was cured by the "old hen" and me. I cannot help loving anyone kind to the helpless, dependent domestic ani mals, and when I see anyone ready to set the dog on a strange cat. throw rocka or siovewood at them. I think i,.Am cold and thoughtless, to say tha .Tast. ' MRS. R. Worth Telllna Aaals. Pittsburg Chronicle-Telegraph. Aucustua O. Stanley. KcntuPay's new Governor, who has mounted the water wagon, announced recently that during hla four-year term not a drop of intox icating drink will bo allowed In the Statehouse. "The campaign that I propose to wage against alcohol." said Governor Stanley. "Is to be a thorough and hon est campaign. There is too much hypocrisy among drinkers. Here Is a tvpical instance: "I sat one evening on a trolley car beetde two women who were returning from an afternoon's shopping tour. "'My husband goes out every even ing for a little constitutional." one ot the women said. Then she inquired: Does Vnura" "No." replied the other. 'No. my hus band slwav keen II in the bouse.'"