19 THE 3IORNIXG OREGOXIAN,, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10, 1917. mt flawiYrtittait 2 PORTT.AM, OREGON. Entered at Portland (Oregon) Postolllce as second-class m&ll matter. Subscription rates invariably In advance: (By Mall.) Dally. Sunday Included, one year $3.00 Dally. Sunday Included, six months ..... 4.23 Xaily. Sunday Included, three months . .. 2.3 Xaily. Sunday Included, one month ..... .73 Xally, without Sunday, one year ........ 6.0 Daily, without Sunday, three months ... l."5 Dally, without Sunday, one month ...... .30 Weekly, one year ....... 1.50 fcunday. on year 2.50 bunday and "Weekly 3.50 (By Carrier.) Dally, Sunday Included, one year ....... 8.00 Dally, Sunday Included, one month ..... .75 How to Remit Send postofflce money order, express order or personal check on your local bank. Stamps, coin or currency are at sender's risk. Give postofflce address In full. Including county and state. Pontage Rates 12 to 16 pages, 1 cent; 18 to 32 pa.ges, 2 cents; 34 to 4S pages. 8 cents; CO to 60 pages, 4 cents; 62 to 76 pages, 3 cents; 78 to 82 pages, 6 cents. Foelgn post age double rates Eastern Business Office Verree & Conk lln, Brunswick building. New York; Verree & Conklin, fiteger building, Chicago. San Francisco representative, K. J.- Bldwell, 742 Market street. POBTLAM), WEDNESDAY, J AX. 10, 1917. THE GOVERN OR'S MESSAGE. One does not have to read through several columns of greetings, con gratulations and administrative re view to find the meat in the Governor's message. It is devoid of extraneous material and in that respect It is somewhat novel. This much must be admitted even by those who do not approve its recommendations. In the main the Governor's advice to the Legislature Is pertinent and sensible. In some particulars it is courageous, for a few of the suggested measures for curtailment of expendi tures invite vociferous objections, be cause they tread on their toes, of of ficials and Institutions entrenched behind custom and state tradition. Some of the good recommendations will not be heeded. It is ever so. The wholly . proper suggestion that the Legislature cut Its own expenses fell ' yesterday on the ears of a body that had already begun business along the old lines. The message Is devoted In consider able part to this subject of retrench ment. The Governor's proposals, as he admits, may be largely modified and revised, but they are a good work ing basis. We could, ourselves, sug gest an Important item or two that might be added to them. Consolida tion of commissions and offices could attain a broader scope, for one thing, without Impairment of state functions. The Governor's proposed reductions amount to $461,000.' It is necessary either to eliminate some $715,000 or provide additional revenues. The Governor proposes an Increase in in heritance taxes and in the tax on in surance premiums to make up the deficit. We would cut the entire $716,000 from the budget and, if more revenues were available, apply them to road construction or some other Imperative need. There is reason in the Governor's recommendation that there be a greater centralization of authority over state institutions. In control of the penitentiary, for example, the Governor's voice is no more author itative than that of Secretary, of State or State Treasurer. Yet if there is failure in administration of that in stitution the Governor, who is ex ecutive head of the state in name but not in fact, gets all blame. This is but one illustration. The Governor is elected with all the solemnity that attaches to the selec tion of a leader. Discussion as to his executive qualities produces tons of literature and loud trumpetings In all the halls of the state. But he cannot lead in fact, because in apparent fear that his leadership might not justify the people's confidence, his authority is divided among other officials whose qualities as leaders have not been in Issue. The people do some queer things, but nothing queerer than blaming a Governor for not doing something that they are wholly re sponsible for his not doing. The Governor's recommendations (concerning employment of peniten tiary Inmates at construction of a new . prison unquestionably is sound. His suggestion for limitation of appeals to the Supreme Court is In the interest of poorer litigants, as well as of the overburdened Supreme Court, and is not antagonistic to true justice. His urgency of a sterilization law, applying to the feeble-minded. Is fear less, if nothing more may be said con cerning it, though we think a good - deal may be uttered in commendation. Sterilization has been defeated by pop ular vote. We shall await expectantly the criticism that this recommenda tion Is in defiance of the rule of the people. The chances are it will come, too, from some flagrant offender in the resubmission of revolutionary or experimental legislation, otherwise known as a ."friend" of direct legisla tion. But, as we are frequently re minded, no issue is settled until it is settled right. Why the pestiferous "friends" should be entitled to ex elusive use of the latter argument is beyond comprehension. There Is much in the Governor's message to be heeded and much to be seriously and carefully considered It comes from one who is in close touch with state affairs and there are serious economic and other problems confronting members who are not so familiar with them. Self-sufficiency Is a common fault of legislators. Yet the very method of legislation, con fined as It is to forty days and en trusted to men chosen from near and remote sections of the state, bespeaks the need for wise counsel from one equipped to give it. BONDS FOR ROADS. There was introduced in both houses at Salem yesterday a bill, adoption of which will insure that Oregon may fully avail itself of the Federal road funds apportioned to this state. The Government money that may be expended in Oregon for rural post "roads In the next five years exceeds .$1,000,000. In addition there will be available in the same period $638,970 rtof Government money for construc tion of roads and trails within or part ly within the National forests of Ore gon. To acquire these funds Oregon must appropriate dollar for dollar. If It falls to do so the Government funds will be expended elsewhere. By pro viding $1,800,000 for road construction in the next five years Oregon will get $3,600,000 worth of roads. The bill introduced at Salem is a form of emergency law. There are limitations on state taxation that may make it impossible to meet the Gov ernment allotments. In the event tax or other road revenues are not suf ficient, and only in that event, the Board of Control is authorized by the bill to Issue bonds to make up the deficit. In other words, passage of the bill a ( may not mean that bond3 will bo Is sued. It only means that they will be issued in event the' proceeds from their sale are necessary to duplicate the Government appropriation. There is no question as to the legal authority of the Legislature to provide for issuance of such bonds. There is some doubt as to fhe validity of every other method proposed for increasing road funds. It seems to The Oregonlan to be a sensible pro cedure, in fact one that is demanded by the exigencies of the road fund situation. GIVING THE3I A REASON. Representative Anderson, who fath ered the present year-old dry law passed by the Legislature of 1915, has been placed in a position of similar responsibility as chairman of the House committee on alcoholic traffic. Dr. Anderson has given needed relief to a great many troubled spirits (we do not use the word alcoholically) by saying that he is opposed to the pro posal of the ultra-drys for a Stearch-and-seizure clause. Search and seizure is an after thought of the radicals. They are not content with abolishing the saloon, with stopping the manufacture and sale of liquor and now with prevent ing its importation. They aspire to loftier levels of reform. They aim now at individual custom or habit and would stop drinking by anyone in any quantity. Over in Idaho It Is a felony for one to have liquor in his possession but it is a mere misdemeanor for one to get drunk. An Intoxicated citizen, who had no visible whisky about him, was convicted by a virtuous jury and sen tenced to the penitentiary by the sa pient Dogberry on the bench, after a ruling that the liquor he had drunk was undeniably in his possession. Possibly we shall attain in Oregon the heights of non-alcoholic purity dreamed of in Idaho. But as a prac tical proposition there are lions in the path. It is said that if the extremists suc ceed in putting a search-and-seizure clause In the law a great many mem bers now favorably disposed will re fuse to vote for the emergency clause. The drys say that this action will be a mere pretext or excuse. It will be more. It will be. a reason, and a good one. BUTT A IX) BIXJ,. Nothing In his life became him like the leaving of it," said the great est poet through the lips of young Malcolm In Macbeth. Buffalo Bill, calmly awaiting the final summons, not only realizes the ideal of Shake speare, but closes fittingly the long chapter of heroic episodes which have marked his life. Possibly the average American boy, long edified by the sto ries of Bill's encounters with the In dians, would have preferred that he die with his boots o; but it has been ordered otherwise, and it is well.' The passage of William F. Cody removes the last of the great scouts and plainsmen of whom the famous Kit Carson was perhaps the earliest and best example. He got his pseu donym from his hunting adventures. for it is of record that in the days when the slaughter of bison was le gitimate Bill killed about 6000 in eighteen months and sold hides and meat. He was better known as ' a scout than as a hunter. He served with a Kansas regiment throughout the Civil War, and was probably in more Indian campaigns than any other man. Who does not remember the most thrilling of all exploits when Bill Cody fought and killed Yellow Hand, the fiery and valiant young Cheyenne chief? The plainsman was then at the height of his prowess, if not of his fame. Yellow Hand, at the head of the warlike Indians, which were being pursued by the Fifth United States Cavalry, rode in true cavalier fashion from amongst his copper. skinned braves and challenged any of the enemy to single-handed combat. Buffalo Bill promptly accepted the gage, and there, on the plains, under the blue skies and before the eyes of many hundred Cheyennes and other hundreds of American soldiers. Bill shot to death the Indian, after his own horse had been killed. It was an exploit which fashioned the plot of a thousand dime novels. Buffalo Bill was not in any sense a bad man, as many dead-shots, usual ly known as Wild Bill, were. But he lived by his physical courage and by his expertness with the rifle. In after life he was a showman, and a good one. The plains are not what they were The last frontier has given way to the farm, the schoolhouse and the church The wickiup has been banished to the reservation, and the Indian follows peacefully horse and plow. The cow boy and his chaps are seen now chief. ly at rounds-ups, and Buffalo Bill shoots glass balls before peaceful and admiring thousands. One may be pleased that it is so, but nevertheless there will be regret that the pictur esque frontiersman has told his story ana passed on. PRACTICAL DIET EXrERIMTCNT. There is promise of practical re sults from the new diet experiment in New York, in which a squad of hypky young policemen will try to demonstrate that they can live com fortably and wholesomely upon an ex penditure of 25 cents a day for food. This will cut 6 cents or more from the average established by the in conclusive experiment conducted un der the direction of Dr. John Dill Robertson in Chicago, and at the same time . will be based upon a class of" men of high physical development and presumably well-developed appetites. If they can be fed four days for $1, it will be concluded that the case of the "average man" is not at all as hopeless as some persons would have us believe. A far more encouraging showing than any other recently made public. however, is made by the report of the Indian Bureau of the United States upon the cost of feeding grown stu dents at the Carlisle school. In the year recently ended the school suc ceeded in giving good, wholesome food at a rate for the individual of 16 2-3 cents a day, $1.17 a week, or a little more than $5 a month. The advan tage of buying in large quantity, at course, was present, as will be shown by the amounts of some of the com modities that figure in the total. There are, to begin with, 527'students. Certified and itemized records show that these consumed on a regular day, of three meals, 900 pounds of bread, 880 pounds of beef, eighteen pounds of butter, eighty pounds of flour, thirty-five bushels of potatoes, twenty five gallons of milk and other articles in due proportion. There Is no evi dence of dissatisfaction on the part of the students, the annual cost of whose subsistence Is calculated to have been $60.63. The secret of this economy la probably revealed In the sentence from the report which says that this result has been accomplished "only by careful and exact calculation and the absolute elimination of waste." A fine farm Is operated In connec tion with the school, but any criticism as to the insufficiency of the figures is forestalled by the statement that all the products of the farm that were used on the table were charged against the Institution at the prevailing mar ket price in that locality. This was profitable both ways, because it in sured the students good quality and at the same time created a market for the farm products in which the mid dleman was absolutely eliminated. Nevertheless, the Carlisle school seems to have solved an important problem, since the reduction of the cost of liv ing to $1.17 a. week, even upon the basis of a group system, must be re garded as an Important achievement. The students maintained good health and many of them were employed In industrial occupations. Their dietary needs probably are not far from those of an average family, in which some of the members are employed at man ual labor and others at sedentary or Indoor occupations. The Indian school also has solved to a substantial extent the problem of the cost of clothing, but In this respect the example will not be so valuable to the ordinary citizen. The students are clothed at a cost to the Government of $28.43 annually, which covers all clothing shoes, uniforms, undergarments, hats and shop over alls. The average man is fortunate who can clothe himself for $5 or $6 month, and not many, succeed in doing so. It is also of academic in terest that the entire cost to the Gov ernment of the support of -an Indian student is $210. This Includes his education, medical and dental atten tion, physical and military training and -entertainment. Another item is transportation to and from their dis tant homes. This would be deducted from any comparative figures as to the cost of living for a family. The result gives some hope, as also will the experiment conducted by the New York policemen, since it has been made to appear recently that what is needed is not a demonstration that the family can live on .'40 cents, or even 31 cents, a day for each person for food, but on some amount that is within an earning capacity of many heads of families that makes even these figures Impracticable. When we begin even to approach $60 a year per person for a wholesome diet, we can say that we have a message for a large class of persons to whom the higher figures are not even theoret ically Interesting. THE MHAKNNIAI, TIES. Henry M. Lamon, head husband man of the Government farm in Mary land, told the exhibitors at a recent poultry show in New York that the hen of the future would have white plumage, yellow legs, red ear lobes and a moderate-sized comb. Also It will have as much meat on Its body as a Wyandotte or a Plymouth Rock. In its laying qualities it will resemble a Leghorn. Unfortunately for , an impatient world, Mr. Lamon does not Indicate the approximate date of the arrival of this prodigy, which is of course what we have long been looking for a fowl combining the laying qualities of the Mediterranean type with the pot-pie qualifications of the Asiatic. But the wonder Is that he has not been driven from his all-purpose am bitions by 'the discouragements of every man who ever attempted to de velop the all-purpose breed in any other department of husbandry. The all-around horse Is yet to be found, after all these years, and we are still a long way from having bred the cow whose male descendants will be as val uable for beef as his sisters are for production of butter or cheese. As a matter of fact, we have not even attained the type that is as val uable in a country of condenseries as it would be where the creamery Is the vogue. CBAW EtETATORS ARE NEEDED. Public attention is directed to Port land's need of Improved facilities for shipment of grain by Mr. Hegardfs report on the changes which are mak ing in methods of grain handling. The days of sacked wheat stored in in terior warehouses, shipped to- the Coast In open cars, again stored In warehouses and then loaded in sacks on sailing ships for the long voyage around Cape Horn to Europe have passed away. Elevators are being built in the grain belt to handle wheat and other cereals in bulk, rail trans portation in bulk has begun and elevators have been built at Seattle and Vancouver, B. C. for loading In bulk on board ships. The higher price of sacks and the difficulty of obtain ing them have called the attention of farmers to the fact that, since the opening of the Panama Canal and with the rapid passing of the sailing ship, sacking is no longer necessary and has become a needless expense. Sacking of grain was made neces sary by the manner in which It was exported. Grain was loaded on sail ing vessels which were often becalmed for many days In the tropics, during which period the grain .would "sweat." Thence the ships passed through the almost Arctic seas of Cape Horn, where there was danger that storms would shift a bulk cargo, then north ward to pass again through the tropics before they entered the temperate zone in the North Atlantic. Even had there been no danger of "sweating," methods of stowing cargo were not so well perfected that men were will ing to risk loss of crew, cargo and vessel by the listing of the ship In a storm. Change has at least minimized these considerations so greatly that they no longer control. The Panama Canal has reduced the time which a ship spends in the tropics and has elimi nated the perilous passage around Cape Horn. Grain is loaded more and more in steamships, which can pro ceed in calm or wind. Sailing ships are built with auxiliary, engines, which keep them moving in calms. Shifting boards are used to make a bulk cargo safe. The transition from sack to' bulk shipment is now mainly . a matter of providing port facilities for loading grain on shipgoard In the lat ter shape and of overcoming the proverbial conservatism of the farmer. It is probable that the latter will abandon sacks as fast as the ports provide facilities for bulk shipment. Portland must move promptly and effectively to meet this new situation, for upon such action depends its posi tion as the 'leading wheat-shipping port of the Pacific Coast. Mr. Hegardt shows that about 35.000,000 of the 60,000,000 bushels of wheat produced In the three Pacific Northwest states come from territory where Puget Sound competes with Portland for the business. Railroad rates being equal, this wheat will come to the port which provides the best and cheapest means of export. Already Seattle baa taken the lead In flour exports . In consequence of Its superior steamship service. Unless Portland moves quick ly and In the right direction. It may lose Its supremacy as a wheat port. The burning of several of our old style grain docks has made the erec tion of new ones necessary and has furnished the opportunity to make them fit the new conditions. As the city has undertaken to provide dooks by issuing bonds for the purpose and by establishing the Dock Commission, It Is proper that this body erect elevat ors at public expense. Issue of bonds for this purpose is not open to the same objection as would be a bond issue for Improvements which yield no rev enue. A public elevator, properly con structed and managed, would be an investment which should earn the cost of operation and Interest on Its cost. While It would be advisable to provide at the outset a site large enough to leave ample room for ex pansion, the buildings could be erected In units as the grain business grew. There is no reason to expect that the present famine of ships and rail ship ment of our export surplus will con tinue beyond two years at the most. At the expiration of that period we may look for abundance of ships and an Increased foreign demand for wheat. If the Dock Commission were to move now. It could probably not complete the first unit of elevators sooner than this revival of wheat ex ports began. Scarcity of rubber and the necessity for employing the available supply in the prosecution of the war has taxed the Ingenuity of German manufactur ers to find material for bicycle tires. and they have met with some success, although the item of cost is still se riously to be taken into consideration. Wooden tires have been developed that are better than no tires, but they are not completely successful unless shock absorbers are attached to the fork of the front wheel, and this In creases the cost. Leather and canvas covered tires also are used, and are made more durable by attaching small bits of steel to the wearing Burface. Another tire that is meeting with a considerable degree of favor is com posed of two parts, the inner part being solid and filled with a prepara tion resembling rubber. The effect Is to give the tire sufficient elasticity so that it can be used without shock absorbers, but the cost Is considerable. The substantial result of all the ex periments made has been to demon strate that the true rubber substitute is Btlll far off aud that rubber will come back Into use again as soon as it Is available. There are still several things which were taxed In the Civil War which have not yet been harnessed by Mr. Wilson and his party. Among them we may mention all manufac turers, physicians.' pedlers. lawyers, hotels and rock and coal oil; We offer this supple mentary list without opinion one war or the other, belns; merely- anxious to help the Administration out of its difficulties with as little discomfort to the country as possible, New York Sun. Just think of the possibilities pre sented by railroad and theater tick ets and by the poor man's tea and coffee. The great Democratic at tempt to put sugar on- the free list has been only temporarily abandoned. The billion-dollar Congress was a piker in comparison with Its present suc cessor. Those Pacific Coast ports which fall to be selected as a naval base will at least have the satisfaction of knowing that some high officers of the Navy have gained direct knowledge of their merits. We should hear no more from Washington about ships not being per mitted to enter the Columbia River lest they run aground. The Naval Base Commission could not find the bar at the river's month, and it would have difficulty in finding the bars In the channel. About the time when the state went dry the river went very wet. The motorshlp Oregon, being named after this state, owned by an Oregon corporation, built with Oregon mate rial and hailing from Portland, should be made a means of expanding Ore gon trade. Her owners are willing to use it In carrying Oregon goods to Alaska, If Portland merchants will supply the cargo and find a market for It. It is not too much to ask. The same opportunity has lain neglected for many years; will Portland at last seize it? Wilson "stalled" yesterday when he told the delegation that visited him for another purpose that he was lead er of a party that had not indorsed suffrage. Four months ago he might not have said as much. There Is no closed season on fight ing in Roumania. That unhappy country got into the war just In tim to furnish occupation "for- the Teuton armies during the closed season on the main fronts. The 16-year-old girl who left Port land in August to escape drudgery and went to Los Angeles with an Ital ian does not realize she will drop into worse aruagery wnen oiaer. The new officials of Halfway are more patient than those of Jefferson County, or they would not have waited till the City Attorney brought back the key of his office. . Wliile there Is no civil service In county employment, qualified men must be kept on their jobs. Reap polntment of Mr. Yeon is a 'good start. Senator Smith's bill to reduce sal aries of Circuit Judges is a startling innovation. The general Idea was that Legislatures always increased pay. Trousers and underclothes with small waistbands are now the fash ion In Europe, and waists threaten to grow smaller as v waste progresses. Perhaps the East is effete, but In New Hampshire a wife-murderer has been found guilty and the Jury recom mended capital punishment. In concluding to go to prison and not appeal, Caplan shows wisdom. The earlier he begins time the sooner he gets out. If Mr. Lawson knows all that he says he does, the wondef grows that one small head can hold so much. Twenty skunks from Pennsylvania are at Albany. Nothing personal Is intended these are real animals. Brother Tufts is needed In Dakota, where the Sunday-closing question needs an energetic man of peace. There -ought to be somebody who can give Tom Lawson the third de gree. Buffalo BUI la looking for -"sign." How to Keep Well By Dr. W. A. Etu Questions pertinent to hygiene, sanitation and prevention of disease. If matters of gen eral interest, will be answered In this col umn. Where space will not permit or the subject is not suitable letters will be per sonally answered, subject to proper limita tions and where stamped addressed envelope Is Inclosed. Dr. Evans will not make diagnosis or prescribe for Individual diseases. Re quests for such services cannot be answered. (Copyright, 11. r Dr. W. A, Evans. Published by arrangement with the Chicago Tribune.) EXERCISES FOR 1VIXTEH. TWO months ago the publlo health servloe began one of Its health news letters with this Illustration: "Dog fanciers have long noted that when a house dog begins to get fat and wheezy it Is apt to be attacked by a stubborn skin disease. In such a case they cut down the diet and Increase the open air exercise, thus relieving the over burdened body of poisonous sub stances." There are nicer comparisons, but none more apt than this. Human animals have been housed for two months now. They are getting fat and flabby. Many of them have noticed that they are. getting short of wind. Some are noticing that they are getting wheezy their wheezlness they call asthma. More of them have noticed stubborn skin eruptions. If they had masters something would happen. They would be put on short rations. Less meat and less fat would be given. They would get more col lards, spinach, turnips, beets, potatoes and fruit. v A way would be found to make them take more exercise and to get more fresh air. It is scarcely feasible to put man to chasing rabbits, but good substitutes can be found. One of these substitutes Is skating. Skating is the ideal exercise for midwinter. It takes one into the open air. ine exercise is good for the wind and for endurance, It builds up the muscles. It cultivates control by the nerves and co-ordination. It is sport and- has all the ad vantages of competition and play com blned. Another substitute for chasing rab bits Is walkins: in the snow with snow shoes or without. People who waltf with uncovered faces In enow storms rarely complain of pimples and black heads. Pitching horseshoes, while -not so pleasant as later in the season, can still be classed as a Winter sport, especially in those sections where the ground is not covered by snow. It trains the muscles and cultivates controL It has in It the necessary elements play and competition. A form of indoor sport adapted to Winter conditions is bowling. It de velops the muscles and cultivates co ordination and nerve control. Unfor tunately, the air in bowling alleys Is often bad. The great objection to bil liards is the almost uniform bad ven tilatlon in billiard parlors. Diphtheria and Baby. J. F. writes: "Which Is the safes way to save the baby from the dlph therla? Wo have a 17-months-old girl How can we keep her In good health? REPLY. Keep her awey from other children as much as possible until aha Is 3 years old Whatever her age, keep her away from chil dren with sore throat of any and every kind. Make a fresh-air slrl of her. Have her sleep In a well-ventilated room. Have her play In the open air every fair day, There Is a vaccination known as the Von Behrlns method. It Is fairly aatlsfsctory. I think the health department will vaccinate her If you ask. Wash Baby's Month. C. F. T. writes: "My five-weeks-old baby's tongue is coated. I understand it Is not good to wash a baby's mouth the first year. Please let me know If this is serious and what can be dona Could this be caused by rubber nipple on bottle7" BEPtT. If your baby's mouth needs -washing;, wash It. It la much more necessary to wash th baby's mouth durlns the first yesr than In any other year. Especially Is this true If the baby takes condensed milk or baby foods. Spitting. De W. writes: "'Spitting habit' may be "better," I doubt it. There's much more spitting, due, perhaps, to th great Increase in catarrh and like all ments. For a permanent exhibition of the spitters' make nothing can surpass the 'ramp' or Inclined walk to th 'concourse' In the Hudson terminal. The cement Is well spotted and but little Is done to clean the walk of th scats. But we must not blame th commuters, whose dally rides through the dusty tubes make spitting an act of self-preseryatlon." - REPLY. For several years I have made It a custom periodically to count ths spit marks on certain strip of pavement. I think ths habi Is lessenlns. I note now thatytho number of spit marks msde by persons with bronchitis, coug-hs and colds (probably eonsumptlon possibly pneumonia) are fewer. Most of the spit marks are saliva mads the products o: smokers. I Judge. Red Spot on Fare. M. T. writes: "I have had a red spot on my face for about two years. Itches at times and a small Bcab forms. It Is growing larger. Do you think it needs attention?" REPLY. Myadvlce Is that you leave if alone. From such places when persistently Irritated can cer )s liable to develop. If you must do something have It removed either by opera tion or by carbonlo acid snow, or have treated with radium. X-rays, or light. Books on Infanta' Care. C. A. writes: "Can you tell me where to write for a free booklet on 'How to Care for Infants"? Can you suggest any other book besides 'Dr. Holt's Care and Feeding of Children' T" REPLY. Write to the Children's Bureau. Depart ment of Labor, Washington, D. C. Also ask for "Pre-Natal Care." Bran Not Harmful. Lafiln writes: 'T have been takln bran with milk every night and find beneficial. I have, however, been latel told that this bran fills the appendi and later causes appendicitis. Is this true?" REPLY. No. Pensions for Soldiers' Widows. PORTLAND, Jan. 9. (To she Editor. Please Inform me If there has an law been made in the past year to in crease the pension of widows of of ficers and soldiers of the Civil War. READER. Pensions of soldiers' widows more than 70 years old were Increased to $20 a mentis. FISH ARB ITrXTRED BY HANDLING Few Released Trout or Salmon Arc Able to Reach Cpper Itosrae. ASHLAND, Jan. 7. (To the Editor.) -There are a few points to this fish controversy In the Rogue River Valley here that must bo taken Into consid eration, as there are two sides to every question. For 40 years the settlers In Rogue River Valley and Its branches, if they wanted a salmon, went down to the river with spear or gaff and took what they wanted, and did no barm to the trout or other fish; it Is true they did not make their living by commercial fishing, but they did clear up the coun try, build the roads and bridges and make the valley what It Is, and they own several hundred miles of - land along the river and Its tributaries. It is hard for them to understand that It not special privilege) for one man with a little strip of land, at the mouth of the river, to have the right with seines to catch nearly all of the sal mon that come Into the river. With the salmon, the steel head and other trout are also pulled out. Grant- ng that the trout are all thrown back Into the water, the pounding they get by the heavy fish and with the sand hey get In their gills and the handling they get In being thrown back, they are put In such condition that very few ever see the upper river. A few steel head with fungus growths about the head and gills, caused by handling, can be seen In some of the dead water of the upper river. The man who takes a salmon with a spear takes the fish he Is after and disturbs nothing else, but under the present laws. If he does take one salmon he will have a heavy fine to pay and his fish Is taken from him, although he may own twice the river frontage that the special privilege man at the mouth of the river does. If he wants salmon for break fast his only alternative is to hitch up and drive to town and get a piece of salmon at the market that was caught out of his river, shipped to Portland or Seattle, and reshlpped Into the Rogue River Valley and sold at a high price. The Medford editor who takes a stand a sportsman. Is all right and we want thousands more of them to whip their flies on the Rogue, but the man who tolls all day in the field and wishes to step down to the river and spear a salmon for breakfast, should have his rights also. As to the financial side of the question, more money is invested for fishing tackle and all that goes with the sport up the river than there is at the mouth of the river. Many wealthy residents of the valley were attracted hero by the good fishing and many more will come and the thir ty thousand people in this valley will not allow the fish to be destroyed where they enter the narrow river. here the conditions are totally differ ent from salmon fishing on the large rivers. ' ' E. T. MERRILL. BEX Ii. XORDEX AS A DEMOCRAT But His Son. Ben L.. Xorden, Was and Is a Republican. PORTLAND, Or, Jan. 9. (To the Ed itor.) "To err Is human; to forgive divine." I very much fear that I shall have to classify The Oregonlan with the genus homo, while I adopt for my self, if for but a passing moment, one of the divine tributes. The Oregonlan has been delivered at my home every morning for the last 50 years, but I have not been fortunate enough to have been a reader throughout the en tire period. One of the features or your publication which dally attracts my attention Is your column entitled In Other Days," wherein is reprinted the news of 25 and 50 years ago. Very often I have read in that column of my father's activities during the forma tive period of this city's growth. Yesterday morning there appeared. under the caption "Twenty-five Years Ago," a list of names of the gentle men selected by the old Tammany So ciety as representatives to the state convention of Democratic societies, and among those names was that of my father. Ben I. Norden. That news item was originally printed just one day be fore my 13th birthday. You can Imagine my surprise when this morning I discovered your edi torlal devoted to "Six Democrats." and my sincere regret that your declara tion that "all of them are yet happily alive and well" was far from true. Ln doubtedly the identity of names caused the error. My father never forsook the Democratic party. He helped to fight the battles of that party In Ore gon from the very day this state was admitted to the Union. He was a Dera ocrat every inch of him. He thought he was right, and triat made him right in his own eyes. And when ho went to his last sleep In 1898 he was mill staunch and true to the political faith of his early manhood. In 1900 I attained my majority. My father had always taught me the great American principle of political and re llglous tolerance and permitted me to decide tny own political affiliation. My first vote was cast for William Mo- Klnley and every successive vote since that time has been cast with the Re publican party, I am Ben I Norden, whom the Republican voters of this county have twice elected to office. Back In the late "70s my father was also twice elected to public office, but as a Democrat always a Democrat. But mark you thlsl Neither my father nor myself was ever accused before of "back sliding" or ""flopping." He thought he was right 60 years ago. feel certain that I am right (politically) today, and I hope that when 1 have reached the end of my allotted days I may, like my dear old daddy, go down Into the valley of the shadow loyal and true to mv colors. BEN L. NORDEN, M. D.. LL. B. WHES LEGISLATOR IS INELIGIBLE Conrts Net Likely to Interfere With Decision of Fellow Members. HOOD RIVER. Or.. Jan. S. (To the Editor.) Can a man be legally seated in the Oregon Legislature who holds, a remunerative office in the United States Army a captain's commission in the Federated militia? This is a question which Is very pertinent In tho minds of a number of Hood Elver people at this time. On page 23 Oregon Blue Book, constl tution of the State of Oregon, unUer the head of lucrative offices, we find this statement: "No person holding a lucrative office or appointment under the United States, or under this state, Khali be eligible to a seat in the Legislative Assembly." Tho law closes with the statement that where the compensation does not exceed $100 per annum itvshull not be deemed lucrative. The counties of Hood River and Wasco have elected a man as joint Senator who Is a captain In the Con Guard Artillery, which position to the best information that we have at hand, dbvi A salary of $600 a year. I and many of the readers of The Oregonlan in Hood River and Wasco counties would like an opinion frim you on this matter. ROY D. SMITH The constitution declares such a per son ineligible to sit in the Legislature and it also vests each house with au thority to determine, the qualifications of its members. Probably the Legis lature could seat a constitutionally Ineligible member without successful con tro ven tion. The courts might restrain the placing of an ineligible person's name on the ballot or later restrain delivery to him of a certificate of election, but they are not likely to Interfere with i legislative decision made afi-r a mem Iter has presented his credentials. In other words the Senate can winlt at the constitution in this case, if the facts are as utrfted, or It can deny the member his seat. In Other Days Half a Cestsry Ago. From The Oregonlan of January 10, 1S6T. Wo are In receipt of a codt of ths Portland directory for 1S67. a book of 145 pages. The directory is decidedly an Improvement over those of former years. The special canvassers for tha Port land directory return the population as boos, while a year ago It vra esti mated at C0C8. Washington. Jan. . Dr. SXudd. Spangler and Arnold, the assassination conspirators. It Is not Improbable, will do iiDerateo. In consequence of the decision of the Supreme Court and brought from Dry Tortugaa and deliv ered to the custody of a civil tribunal. Jefferson City. Jan. S. The Missouri Senate yesterday ratified the consti tutional amendment by a vote of SC to S. One of the results of the lite Cath olic fair at Oro Fino Hall Is that the church building Is now being sur rounded by a neat and substantial enclosure. Twenty-five Years Ago. From The Oregonlan of January 10. 1S02. Canton. O., Jan. 9. Governor-elect McKinley left this morning In a special car for Columbus and the inaugura tion. He will be Inaugurated Monday. Berlin, Jan. 9. The Reichstag this week will debate the bill for the re pression of drunkenness. The Bundes ratli has approved the measure as orig inated by Emperor William. The horrors of the famine In Russia and the attempts of the generous peo ple of the United States to do some thing in behalf of the starving people is a subject that attracts the attention of e'very philanthropist. The purchase of a block of ground between Hawthorne avenue and U street on East First street by R. M. Wade means the establishment of a lartje investment on the Kast Side. San Francisco. Jan. 9. The harbor fortifications in the course of con struction at Fort Winfield Scott will soon be supplied with an armament of large, new guns and carriages. MADAME nrBB DESOtXCES FASHIO.v. At meeting of the Women's Club, above McAdam's store, Madame Eu genia Myrtle Grubb asked leave to take tho floor. She said, in voice of angry ring, by fashion's fool decrees the la dles' skirts the coming Spring would scarcely hide the knees. Economy was now the cry, since women had to pay price for fabrics 'twas so high it took the breath away, and it was ter rible to think that skirts would be cur tailed till modesty was on the blink because of limbs unveiled. Necks now were cut dc-col-l-tay among the upper push until the ghastly nude display would make an angel blush, and upper crust society may even go so far that such display may reach near the appen dicitis scar. She hoped the women of the land would rise in hostile arms against the mad designers and conceal their so-called charms, and as for her, she would defy the rules of. female wear and not appear In skirts so high twouid cause rude men to stare. Until she rose on wings to where they twang the golden harps undress attire she'd never wear to please th.? fashion sharps. The ancient poet's rhyme she scorned that made the silly boast that beauty when 'tis unadorned is sure adorned tho most. The whiskered modistes horrid men ait like thev fain would see the women folk at tired again In Eve's simplicity. Her sister clubbists well knew why sha scoffed at fashion's whims and railed 'gainst skirts cut so hiRh the'd par enthetic limbs, and wore a wishcone that was quite unfit for public view; the epidermis fit so tight the knobs seemed wearing through, and nature, cruelly unjust, had given to the dame deep concavity of bust that was a beastly shame, and not a dame upon the floor, 'mong all assembled there, could censure her volcanic roar 'guinst un dress female wear. JAMES BARTON ADAMS. WHEN THE LEG I SL ATI' R E MEETS When the Legislature meets And the buoyant member greets His returning fellow worker with a smile, Twouid bn hard for you to think That before they'd time to wink They'd be quarreling like the deuce acrofu the aisle. They will gather 'round in groups And express their mirth In whoops. As they call up some event two years ago But which then had made them mad "You're another, sir, b'gad. Mr. Speaker, put me down as voting1 nol" He is sure he'll fight until That appropriation bill Is whittled down from every point of view; He Is "of the poorer classeo," He "hears the struggling masses," And that's the way he foels about It, too. But In less than 20 days He has fallen Into ways That at first he thought could easily be mlseed; And from that time on he bellows That he thinks the other Wlows Should eliminate their bills from off the list. And thus we have a tangle That precipitates a wranplo And the legislative fur is in the air; And the way they sling the verbs. The very commonwealth disturbs. And presents a scene that's racy, rich and rare. But they're a pretty decent bunch When they get the proper hunch. And we'll overloek the many things they say. For, though we give them all the rope They may want to spiel their dope. That per cent amendment saves the day. T. T. GKER. What Constitutes a Stater MEDFORD. Or.. Jon. 7. (To the Edi tor.) I am compiling a brief historical sketch of Medford and am in need of the poetry in which the following lines occur: What constitutes a state? bit embattled towers, or moated walls, men, high-minded men. I can think of no other lines and my library is inaccessible to me and I do not know where to search for it In the Carnegie local library, so I come to the "Encyclopedia" of Oregon that It may help me out and publish the poem with name of author, date, etc. S. S. PENTZ. The correspondent has In mind an extract from Sir William Jones "Ode In Imitation of Alcacus" (1772): What constitutes a state? Not high-raised battlement or labored mnind, Thick walls or moated gate; Not M;ip fair, v.ith spires and tsrrets crow ncd. Nn; men. h:-:h-mlnd.d mn. Men who tt-.eir duties know. But know tnelr rights, and knowing dare malntsm. And Hcwielsii law, that state's collective will O'er thrones and globes elate. Sits empress, crownlus (ood, repressing Ui.