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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 15, 1917)
6 THE 3IOIIXING OREG ONI AX, MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 1917. PORTLAND. OREGON. Entered at Portland (Oregon) postoftice a second-class mail matter. Subscription rates invariably la advance: (By Mall.) pally. Sunday Included, one year $9.00 IJally, Buniiay included, six months 4.25 Llly, unua included, three months ... 8 23 JJHily, Sunday Included, one month 75 iJuily. witnout fcunday, one year C.oO Jjuily, without Sunday, three months ... 1.7.1 xjaily, without Sunday, one month 80 Weekly, on, year 1.50 fcunda one year 2.50 Sunday and Weekly 3.50 (By Carrier.) pally, Sunday Included, one year 9.00 laily. Sundai inciuued. one month . .75 How to Remit Send postoftice money order, express order or personal check on your local bank. Stamps, coin or currency are at sender's risk. Give postoftice address In full, including county and state. rootage Kate 12 to 18 pages, 1 cent: 18 to :Vi lug.1, 2 cents; 31 to 48 pases, 8 cents; 60 to 60 pages, 4 cents; 0 to 74 pages, 3 cents; 78 to .:! pages, 0 cents. Foeisn post age double rates Kastern Uiivinrs Office Verree A Conk lln, Brunswick building. New York; Verree Conklln. Steger building, Chicago. Ban irancitco representative, n. J. iiiuwelL, 142 Market street. 1-OKTtAXD, MONDAY. JANUARY 15, 1817. A RADICAL CHANGE OF POLICY. ' In his note inviting the belligerent nations to state the terms on which they would make peace. President Wilson went farther. He pledged the United States to join the other na tions in "measures to secure the fu ture peace of the world with every Influence and resource at their com mand." That declaration is to be read In the light of his speech to the League to Enforce Peace, in which he Indorsed its programme of concerted war against any nation which makes war for aggression or to settle any question which can be decided by ar bitration, or against any nation which undertakes to decide by force any other question without having first submitted it to a council of concilia tion. Mr. Wilson said that "the United States is willing to become a partner in any feasible association of nations formed in order to realize these objects and make them secure against violation." .Many Senators opposed the Hitch icock resolution because It approved the President's note as a whole, and thus would have committed the Sen ate to this policy. These Senators ap proved his efforts to hasten the end of the present war, though some of them held that, in expressing an opinion at the present stage, the Senate would have been meddling in the exercise of a purely executive function. For this reason they supported the Jones reso lution, which did not indorse the note as a whole, but confined its approval to the President's efforts to end the present war. The reasons for withholding ap proval of the President's pledge that the United States would join a peace league of the kind which he described In his note and in this speech were ably stated by Senator Borah. Mr. Wilson has, in fact, proposed that the United States abandon its policy of non-interference in the affairs of Eu rope and that this Nation throw open the gates for interference of all na tions, not only of Europe but of Asia and Africa, in the affairs of America. Jn other words, he has practically proposed that we abandon the Mon roe doctrine. Mr. Borah showed that. If the league were formed, if a dis pute arose between some European nation and Argentina and if Argen tina refused to submit it to arbitra tion, the United States would be bound to join that European nation in war against Argentina. If Russia and Ja pan had a dispute as to Manchuria, and if one of those nations Refused to arbitrate and occupied the dis puted territory, the United States would be bound to join the one na tion in war upon the other. We should fight either Japan or Russia in a quarrel with which we had only re mote, if any, concern. If Mexico were to lease Magdalena Bay to Japan and If we were to protest, we should be pledged to submit the matter to arbi tration or to a board of conciliation. Mr. Borah asked: Would the United S-fates submit that question to a tribunal where It has but one vote or one voice and permit its entire fu ture to be disposed of by a court where It has but a single representalve and prob ably no friend, so far as that question would be concerned ? In such a league the United States would have only an equal voice with the petty and revolution-torn repub lics of Central America, with Afghan istan, Siam and the new kingdom of Arabia, with Liberia and Abyssinia. China might be completely under the Influence of Japan, Persia under that of Britain and Russia, Turkey and Bulgaria under that of Germany, but those states, because nominally inde pendent, would have equal voices with completely independent nations. Are we willing that remote states of this character should have a voice in adjusting relations of the United States with other American nations as to matters which may concern our vital Interests? Before the American peo ple can indorse the complete reversal of foreign policy which the President's note Implies, they must be ready to answer that question in the affirma tive. The President said, in announc ing his adhesion to this policy: "'I am sure that I speak the mind and wish of the people of America." Does he? So far only one side of the sub ject has'bcen discussed in an academic manner, and many persons, in un thinking enthusiasm for peace, have given the scheme their support with out consideration of the other side. The time has arrived when the American people must consider the , subject in all its bearings. If they decide in favor of membership in such a league, they must be fully aware of all the consequences, and must be prepared to accept those con sequences. They cannot have the peace league and keep the Monroe doctrine, with its implication of dominance in the American hemisphere and isola tion from the affairs of other conti nents. "Viscount Grey put this aspect of the matter forcibly when, in an ; nounclng British adherence to the pro- gramme of a league to enforce peace, he said: The nations of the world must be prepared not to undertake more than they are pre Pared to uphold by force, and to see when the crisis comes that it is upheld by force . . . We shall have to ask when the time comes for them (neutrals) to make any de mand on us for such a thing: "Will you play up when the time comes?" It is not merely the sign manual of sovereigns or Presidents that is required to make a thins like that worth while; it must also have behind It parliaments and national sentiment. A declaration by the President can- not alone insure that the American people will "play up"; they must, after thorough discussion, have de clared unequivocally their readiness to make the sacrifices and assume the obligations which the league demands. Without that crystallization of public sentiment the Senate would not ratify '. the treaties which would make the United States a member of the league, That they may be qualified to decide this momentous issue . wisely, the American people must have a broad education on foreign policy In the light of changes that have been made by the present world convulsion. WHY THIS HASTE? The unceasing clamor for the Leg islature to get busy and do something speedily is no doubt largely respon sible for the purprising haste with which the kindergarten bill passed the Senate just before adjournment the other day. Otherwise it is inconceiv able that such a measure, given due consideration, would have received an unanimous vote. The plan is to require that is to say, force the School Board of Port land to establish a kindergarten In any Portland school, upon petition of twenty-five parents or guardians liv ing within the radius of a mile. Whence comes the urge for the elaboration of an already too elab orate and costly school system? From the parents? We think not. But everyone knows how easy it will be to procure a petition with only twenty five names, compelling the school au thorities to adopt this new and ex pensive scheme of instruction for children not now eligible for school admission. Not less than three nor more than five kindergartens are to be estab lished the first year. After that will come the kindergarten deluge. The Oregonian is not opposed to kindergartens not at all. They are a good thing. So are baby nurseries. But we do not think they belong in the public schools. The cost of kindergartens In all the schools will be very large. If it be said that- only a few schools will be required to have them, let it be an swered that every elementary school in Portland will be adorned with a kindergarten within two years. The aspiring kindergarten teachers, or their friends, who are armed with the club proposed to be placed In their hands by the Legislature, will see to that. Let us have a compromise. Let the twenty-five or more parents or guar dians who demand a kindergarten for their children also pay for it. Three million dollars a year for the public schools a tenfold increase in 13 years is quite enough. SMOKELESS, TOOT It has been a favorite, albeit bitter, sarcasm in some circles of Oregon to remark that the next thing will be prohibition of tobacco. So it happens that, although Oklahoma is many miles away, news that a bill prohibiting smoking as well as sale of cigarettes has passed one house of the Legislature, causes a shudder of apprehension. If it can be put over in Oklahoma will the advocates of chemical purity rest content in Ore gon? We guess not. The Oregon Legislature Is already promised a struggle with an anti cigarette bill, but no outline yet given has included more than prohibition of sale. The argument in favor of the law has a serious as well as a vulner able phase. Superintendent Hale, of the State Training School, for exam ple, asserts that 90 per cent of the delinquents committed to his institu tion are cigarette users, while BO per cent are slaves to the habit, and many of them are under 12 years of age. It i3 not seriously disputed that use of tobacco by growing youths stunts physical and mental develop ment and the moral sense. It is ar gued that if the fathers smoke the boys will follow their example, and that the only way to break the fathers away from cigarettes is to deprive them of supply. Having thus forcibly reformed the fathers, it is assumed that protection of the children from the tobacco habit will be easy. The plan might work out benefi cially if the anti-cigarette law could be enforced. Perhaps Oregon would be found better at that job than other states, but several have prohibited sale of cigarettes only to abandon the law because of its general and apparently irremedial violation. It is probable, too, it one were to test the influence of example by In quiry among tobacco users who con tracted the habit when young one would discover that in one-half the cases the urge came from example of companions rather than fathers. Pro hibition of sale, if enforced, would of course deprive youthful companions as well as elders of eigarettes. But there is now a drastic law in Oregon which prohibits sale or giving of to bacco to minors under 18 and pro hibits its use by such minors In public. That is a law which has the full backing of public sentiment. It ought not to be difficult to enforce, yet it is persistently violated. Democracy has produced a peculiar trend in human nature. It is to turn to the lawmakers for more law when adequate laws already given on a sub ject are not enforced. The proposed anti-cigarette legislation does not at tack use of tobacco by minors from a new angle. It is but a proposed ac cumulation of more unenforcible law. Whether to prohibit smoking of cigar ettes by any person would be consti tutional or enforcible may be doubt ful, but Oklahoma at least Is not fol lowing the beafen path. "WHAT A DOLLAR BCYS. .Some eloquent facts as to the cost of living were given to the House by Representative Dill, of Washington in a speech In support or the pro posed increase in salaries of Govern ment employes. He gave tables pre pared by the Bureau of Statistics, showing the quantity of. the principal articles of food which could be bought for a dollar In each year since 1890, or 1907 and in isovemDer, 1916. in every case there is an increase in price, which in some cases is as much as 100 per cent The following table) is condensed from that given by Mr. Dill. It gives the quantity of each commodity which could be bought for a dollar, in 1890 in some cases, in 1907 in others and in November, 1916, In each case: Nov., 1890. 1907. 1916. 6.5 S.7 8.1 ... 4.2 6.7 4.8 9.3 ... 4.4 8.0 ... 3.3 6.6 ... 8.3 10.8 ... 4.7 7.4 ... 4.1 . 4.8 ... 2.0 , 3.9 ... 2.3 14.7 ... 10.1 . 1.41 ... .72 52.6 ... 27.8 . 4.0 ... 2.0 .14.5 ... 11.6 Commodity- Round steak., pounds Rib roast, pounds .... Pork chons. pounds Smoked bacon, pounds Smoked ham. pounds . Fresh milk, quarts ' Wheat flour, bags Corn meal, pounds Potatoes, pecks Granulated sugar, pounds In most cases the purchasing power of the dollar has been marked since 1913, but less so in the case of meats than in that of other food. It fell from 4 to 3.7 pounds of sirloin steak; from 4.5 to 4.2 pounds of round steak; from 5.1 to 4.8 pounds of rib roast; from 4.7 to 4.4 pounds of pork chops; from 3.7 to 8.3 pounds of bacon; from 3.8 to 3.3 pounds of ham; from 6.3 to 4.7 pounds of lard; from 4.7 to 4.1 pounds of hens; from 3 to 2 dozen eggs; from 2.6 to 2.3 pounds of but ter; from 11 to 10.1 quarts of milk; from 1.25 to .72 bags of flour; from 34.5 to 27.8 pounds of cornmeal; from 3.9 to 2 pecks of potatoes; from 18.2 to 11.6 pounds of sugar. The advance in prices was practically continuous for many years before the war; it has only been accelerated by the war. The price of clothing has risen in equal proportion. Only an economic revolution can arrest and reverse this trend of prices. The tide of population must turn back from the cities to the farms; the pro duction of farm land must be in creased, and great areas which now lie waste must be brought under cul tivation. It is possible that, after the war, scientific agriculture will be ex tended to Russia and the Balkan states and that great areas in Asiatic Turkey and Persia may be redeemed from the blight of misrule. Tropical regions in Africa and Central America may be reclaimed under the direction of white men. It is conceivable that a prolonged peace may bring about such development as to open an era of low prices. The phenomenal prog ress in manufactures and transporta tion that followed the Napoleonic war; equal progress in agriculture may fol low the present war. 1 SCIENCE AND SPIRITUALISM. It is passing strange that when a spirit in the world beyond tries to com municate with some one on the mun dane sphere he Invariably falls to make himself clear beyond dispute. Looking down upon us from what must be a superior vantage ground, he would be expected to take pity upon us in our relatively benighted state and employ such means of communication, acces sible to himself, as would leave no doubt of what he meant. Tet it ap pears from the recent experience of Sir Oliver Lodge, related in a book which has created a furore in England, that the spirit world Is still up to its old trick of making mystery darker where, it would seem, a few words, timely and well calculated, would make every thing clear. It is not always difficulty of communication, in and of itself, it seems. Even when that problem Is solved, the spirit always employs a cipher where a simple phrase In the vernacular would have sufficed, or by some other roundabout method, sub stituted for the direct, leaves ground for the skeptic to stand on, when every one could wish he had seized the op portunity to put end to every doubt. It is not to be wondered that tne death roll of the war and the greatly increased roll of the bereaved should have been the cause of a revival or spiritualism, not only in England, but in every other country that is suffering from poignant grief. But Sir Oliver Lodge, who is one of the world's most noted physicists, had been engaged -in investigating the possibility of life after death some years before the war began. As a material scientist, it long had been his task to weigh the evi dence pertaining to the actions of nat ural forces and to reject every theory not supported by facts. He had been slow to accept the. explanation that spirit forces" were responsible for certain occurrences that were difficult of explanation on other grounds, but some years ago contended that even if these were physical demonstrations they were of the highest importance to humanity, because "a new -or pre viously unrecognized human faculty is not the kind of thing that may be ex pected to turn up every century. He said about the same time that "if the knowledge displayed by a medium is possessed by any living person, it must be traced to that source." He spoke then as the scientist who was mindful of the fact that fie had a reputation of his own to take care of. and was prone to reject, as has been said, every theory not completely substantiated. But it now appears that Sir Oliver, in his book "Raymond, or Life and Death," has been deeply impressed by a prophecy made at a seance in Amer ica of the death of Raymond a month before he died. Raymond was Sir Oli ver's son. The message conveyed through a medium, of course was: Myers says you take the part of the poet, and he will act as Faunus. Ask Verrallr she will also understand." Myers" was F. W. H. Myers, also in this life an Investigator of spirit phe nomena, and about whose efforts to communicate with earth there had been previously a misadventure. Mrs." Verrall was a medium, a friend of Sir Oliver's. The message from "Myers" puzzled Sir Oliver completely. He sent it to Mrs. Verrall, who at once re ferred him to the famous odevof Hor ace, To Maecenas Sick, part or which. runs: What time Rome's "crowd through, theater thrice did send Glad shouts to greet thee, once more hale and well; For me, on hapless brainpan fell A tree trunk, and made end. Had not kind Faunus saved me, guard divine Of Mercury's guild. . . . It appears that Sir Oliver was well content with the Interpretation, which reached him a month before the blow of his stm's death fell on him. "Myers" in the spirit world takes the role of Faunus, in that he is supposed to lighten the blow of his son's death upon Sir Oliver. But the misadventure as to Myers' own efforts makes an other story which Sir Oliver seems not to have taken into full account. My ers had agreed with Sir Oliver before he died that he would write a mes sage, which was deposited, sealed in an envelope, in a secure place, and which he would endeavor to repeat from the world beyond if opportunity offered. Mrs. Verrall subsequently said she be lieved she had the message, but when the envelope was opened the experi ment was proved a complete failure. ' Sir Oliver's latest book deals with the evidence he possesses that his son Raymond has been trying to commu nicate with him. There is nothing in the evidence he presents that will con vince the skeptics. Rather it would seem that the hope was father to the thought, as in nearly every other in stance. There are the usual references to family matters. Raymond speaks like himself, but also like almost any intelligent medium, not necessarily' a sincere one, would have him speak. He Is solicitous for his mother. What son would not be? He begs his mother not to overdo; she protests that she has not attempted too much that she is very strong. "You think you are is his reply, "but you tire yourself." It is such a conversation as might take place between two members of any family; indeed, it borders on the com monplace. And then he makes refer ence to the place of his present abode. "It Isn't a dismal hole, as people think," he says, quite unintelligibly, one will say, for we do not believe the common Impression of the life beyond held by those who have faith In it, that it is a "dismal hole." The sad feature of it all is that, hav ing established a means of communi cation by which he was able to speak of Myers and Mrs. Verrall, and the poet and Faunus and to introduce in so devious a way the odes of Horace, he did not, instead, choose to speak Is terms so plain and straightforward that his father, who is a man of far more than the average keenness of perception, would comprehend In stantly. Evidently the ways of the spirit world are still past finding out. It is interesting to note that one of Sir Oliver's hobbles, in the course of his studies of the physical world, has been that ultimate continuity Is essen tial to science. He early objected to "the denial of those matters that make no appeal to the organs of sense and do not respond readily to laboratory experience." That Is, he pleaded for the open mind upon all those ques tions. He spoke of the realization of the ether waves In 1888, of the discov ery of the X-ray in 1895, of spontane ous radio-activity in 1896, and of the isolation of the electron In 1898, as showing that the world is making rapid progress in the solution of the problems of the unknown. From this he reasoned that science was a univer sal process, a "steady passage from past to future, only-The single instant that we call the present being actual." He said himself that all students of every subject were doing a service to the world, that proof might easily be cumulative, that no one knew the mo ment when the great discovery might be made. But for all the stir that the new discussion of the spirit world has caused In Sir Oliver's own country. It does not appear that he has added anything scientifically convincing by the relation of his most recent experi ences. When Mrs. John L. Smith was en gaged In a death struggle with her drunken husband, it was to her di vorced husband that she turned to care for their daughter. It was to him that she telephoned the first news that she had killed Smith. It was he who said: "I will stand by her and do everything possible for her." It was he who watched over her in Jail and hired counsel for her. She rec ognized that he was the. man to turn to In trouble, and he did not fail her. Does that not Illustrate the folly of woman in forsaking a tried mate to gratify an infatuation? Were divorce less easy and were the performance of duty by divorce judges less perfunc tory, there would be fewer such trage dies as that at Denver. Like Oregon, the New England states are burdened with a superfluity of commissions, and some of them are moving to reduce the number. Boston set the example by consolidating its port commission with its harbor and land commission, whereby it saved more than 40 per cent of the expense. The Governors of Massachusetts, Con necticut, Rhode Island and Vermont are moving In the same direction. In' Connecticut the building and loan com missioner's work has been transferred to the bank commissioner, and the bureau of labor statistics has taken charge of factory Inspection, but the Governor wants more changes In the same line. The city of Springfield, Mass., pays a contractor $65 a week to dispose of waste paper from the streets, but the high price which the material has reached causes discussion whether the city could not make some money out of it. There is money to be made out of all waste material, even gar bage, but a city rarely goes the right way about making It. One looks for the very best in the Army, and commutation by the Presi dent of sentence of dismissal to loss of twenty numbers for a Captain found guilty of fraud In the quarter master's department is an injustice to the officers and gentlemen and not likely to place that arm of the service in the esteem which It should be held. The central powers put the entente suggestion that all . territory ever wrested from another country be re stored to it on a par with the sug gestion that the United States should be given back to the Indians. Well, we have some among us who would do even that. Not many fathers of 7-year-old boys relish the thought of their sons being brutally beaten by a grown man for an alleged misdemeanor, even at the request of a relative. Each knows what he would do In like event. Can you blame him? The House rules committee will now renew its labor of investigating whether there Is a leak to investigate. and of giving warning through the wide publicity of Its proceedings to all who have any real, evidence to put it out of reach. Secretary Daniels may be slightly embarrassed by the Bethlehem com pany's offer to build two cruisers at cost and finish them ahead of the two which are to be buljt at Govern ment shipyards, but Josephus will find a way out. , The three men made the customary trip from Chicago to Elgin Saturday and sold each other the usual thirty tubs of butter, thus fixing the price for the country for this week. The proceeding Is becoming a hoary old humbug. Explosions In New Jersey munition plants wipe out a large part of the sudden wealth which has been made out of the war and give the makers of shells a taste of their own medicine. They at least have not been kept out of war. This Nation will be so everlastingly good by and by that wings may sprout prematurely. A beginning Is due in Oklahoma, where the House would make it a crime to smoke a cigarette. Bitter cold all over the -East and pussywillows in bloom in Portland are facts. Do not, however, neglect to put a little fuel In the furnace before retiring. Under the name of "grayfish" the dogfish Is held to be excellent food. So is catfish colored pink, by those who do not know better. Admiral Dewey's friends are alarmed over his Illness. As the Admiral Is 80, his homeward-bound pennant may be flying. It Is to be hoped that at least half the 1200 bathing suits the city Is about to buy will be attractively cut. i It Is time some of the graveled streets In the centrol portion of the East Side were hard-surfaced. If Inclined to rail at the chill north wind, read the weather reports from the East and take comfort. The five "miscellaneous" members of the next House are likely to set all they want. How to Keep Well Br Dr. W. A. Evans, 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. 1916. by Dr. W. A, Evans. Published by arrangement with the Chicago Tribune.) - COOL, DRY ROOMS HEALTHFUL. (Copyright. 1917. by Dr. W. A. Evans.) In another article I said that to carry out Dr. Robertson's suggestion ana reduce the temperature of our living rooms and offices to 60 and of our workshops even more would cut the high cost of living by saving in coal, increasing output, and by lessening sickness. I am sure everyone will ad mit that the first two points were proven, but most readers would say that the third was not. There is very good proof on that point as well. - Professor Lee, of Columbia Univer sity, says: "All experimentation and observation goes to demonstrate that a moderately cool and moderately dry air in motion constitutes the most physiologically healthful aerial envelope of the body. The customary figure of 70 degrees Fahrenheit for the atmosphere in which most persons engage in the ordinary occupations of the living-room of a dwelling Is too high. A range from 65 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit, with not over 60 per cent relative humidity, un doubtedly is better, but even such tem peratures are too high when much physical activity occurs." The New York commission on venti lation (Wlnslow. Miller and Noble) kept rabbits for three weeks in air that ranged between 85 and 89 degrees, and found that their capacity to resist di sease was materially lessened thereby. The same commission (Miller and No ble) found that when rabbits that had been kept warm were chilled and at the same time exposed to the germ which causes colds, they developed snuffles. The same authors found that suddenly placing a habbit in a hot chamber and simultaneously exposing him to the coccus of colds caused snuffles. Crampton devised a delicate appara tus which measures the tension of the blood in the vessels. Using this appa ratus, it is possible to determine differ ences In the tone of the different blood vessels in different parts of the body at different periods of the heart beat and under other differing circum stances. The New York commission on venti lation, using the Crampton apparatus. found that the tone of the blood ves sels was low when the air was hot and humid; it increased as the air be came cooler and dryer. Thus these results indicate that a distinct vascular benefit follows from exposing the body to a cool, dry air. The effect of hot and cold air on the lining membranes of the nose also has been Investigated by the New York commission on ventilation. "Exposure to heat causes increased swelling, red ness, secretion In the nasal membrane. The passage from a hot to a cool room seems to be especially favorable for the development of infectious micro-organ isms." The humidity that Is referred to In these citations are humidities higher than 70. The commission does not ad vocate a humidity of 20 or anywhere near it. Sixty degrees will seem less cold if the humidity be raised from 20 up to 60. We can cut the high cost of living by reducing sickness cost If we will lower the temperature of our rooms as Dr. Robertson suggests. Changes In Temperature, Mrs. B. K. writes: "Is It dangerous if some days my temperature is 97 and 98 in the morning and 98 and 98'i In the afternoon? I am nervous and worry. I don't cough and spit. Two doctors say my lungs are O. K. and have Just passed an insurance company test. I am 30 years old and was oper ated on a year ago for appendicitis." REPLY. A temneratnre of 97 In the morning and OS In the afternoon. In the absence of other symptoms, does not Indicate consumption. Hare Baby Examined. Mrs. S. M. S. writes: "My baby Is one month old and Beems to be in per fect health -except that she does not seem to sleep much of the time. She usually sleeps all day and is awake from 8 P. M. to 4 or 6 A. M. Is there any particular thing I might try In order to make her sleep more? She seems extremely uncomfortable when she does sleep." REPLY. Tt l Altogether unnatural for a month-old baby to stay awake eight hours. Taking this in connection with the statement that she seems uncomfortable when she sleeps think you should have her examlnend.. Or dlnarlly. fresh air Improves the baby's sleep Ing. Goiter Is to Blame. Miss D. C. writes: "I am unmarried, 33 years of age, thin and nervous. Every third week, lasting for the week and occurring about every other night for that week I have exciting dreams or nightmare. My heart beats 86 times ner minute ordinarily, but when I wake un from these dreams Ji must Dear. about 186. I have had a goiter since was a little girl not very large, but more prominent on the right side. Do von think this is the cause of these dreams; and why do they occur abou every third week? What would you adviser REPLY. I think It Tjrobable that your goiter Is re sponsible for your trouble. You slesp the alternate night because of tire. Possibly pressure from the Rotter Is an added factor In tha spells. secretion irom ins tnyroa m ihn main factor, fossioiy your menstrua habit Is responsible for the . periodicity of the condition. Cheer TJp and Diet. "What are the probabilities of a man of 50. with a blood pressure of Zlu, llv ing 10 years, providing he avoids ln- temDerance and excitement? would the fact of his never having used In toxicants be in his favor?" REPLY. I know a man of more than 70 who more than 15 years ago was told that he had a blood pressure of over 200. He Is living and at work. Nevertheless, try to get th pressure down by dieting and right living, OPEX SEASOX FOR CANDIDATES Writer Sees Gubernatorial Earmarks In Moaer-OIcott Matter. PORTLAND. Jan. 14. (To the Edl tor.) All sorts of reports are coming In from the state Capitol to snow ina the campaign for the Republican nomi nation for the Governorship two years hence has already opened up, and Leg islators from every section of the state are tellinsr amusing stories of the in terest that is being taken in seeing that they do not suffer from want courteous attention and assistance. The President of the Senate recently wrote a note to the Secretary of State suESresting the appointment of a sten ographer to represent Senator Bing ham in his absence. The note was lm mediately handed to the reporter of the Portland . Journal for publication, and the Journal immediately opened up on Moser. If the real displayed by the Journal, and the feeling that is al ready evident develops, as present in dications promise, there is certainly lot of fun ahead for the proletariat. It Is a good omen. Let the fight continue in the open. The pussyfoote Is not in favor with the dear people. Thev crave excitement. Give us campaign that we can all Join In with enthusiasm, ouTSiuttt. SHIPBUILDING IS SEW INDUSTRY That Fact Not Altered by Lona- Estab lishment of Concerns Encasttnir La It- PORTLAND. Jan. 13. (To the Editor.) In an answer to a letter of O. M. Plummer concerning the ship building strike situation, your corre spondent in a recent issue appears to find, to use his own words, "many comical angles to it." In a letter which he signs "Neutral." he proceeds to touch on these comi cal points, to "give the public a chance to enjoy them" as much as he has. I do not know who "Neutral" may be, but in selecting his comical points from Mr. Plummer's letter, he shows cleverness in attempting to divert at tention from the main issue. Chiefly he objects to the term in fancy" applied by Mr. Plummer to the present stage of the development of steel shipbuilding in Portland. He points out that the Willamette Iron & Steel Company has been es tablished here 40 years and engaged In the manufacture of marine engines and boilers most of the time. This he considers as a refutation of the assertion that the steel shipbuild ing Industry is in its infancy. The fact remains, however, that the entrance of this plant into the shipbuilding field is not more than a year old. He also points out that the North west Steel Company has been here many years and that the Smith & Watson Iron Works Is one of the old est concerns of its kind in Portland. But he ignores the fact that neither of these plants, any more than the Willamette Iron & Steel Works, has attempted to develop steel shlpbuild- ng until within the past year. Despite the writer's mirthful deduc tions, the fact remains that none of the Iron and steel plants in the city has endeavored to develop the ship building branch until recently; that the abor troubles did not begin to develop n any of them until organizers of labor began to see a young, new In dustry emerging, which they deter mined either to control from Its be ginning or wreck before It became strong enough to resist their demands for control. The plants mentioned may have been n existence a hundred years the ship building Industry has been launched only In the past year. Neutral' vindicates his letter by explaining: "I am not employed by any of these concerns nor are any of my relatives or friends of mine that I know of. He might have added, to make his merry letter perfect: "The same is true of those who are etlrrlns: up the strike agitation." C C. CHAPMAN. 1 INTERESTS QUICKLY" "PROTECTED" Slwrsrcd Store-Keeper Complains of Sale of Stock of Goods. PORTLAND, Jan. 14. (To the Editor). While the legislators are In session. It would be good for them to consider and. If possible, enact measures that would prevent a court from siezlng a person's estate as soon as he Is carried to the hos pital and turning it over to strangers to sell, when he has relatives on hand to take charge of the business while the patient is convalescent. I can make my point plainer by stating my own case. On the 6th. of December, 1915, In my store at 229 Larabee street, I was struck on the bead by a club in the hands of some unknown person, leav ing me unconscious. Some friends found me and-called In a doctor telling him I was paralyzed. Three days later I was operated on and the shat tered pieces of the skull were removed. My sister lr California was notified by wire the second day and arrived here the day after the operation, four days after I was struck. She asked what she could do to save my business and was told that she was too late, as the court had already taken my store and ordered It sold. In a short time the stock was all carried away and sold for practically nothing. Not enough to pay my creditors. In two weeks 1 regained conscious ness and In two months was able to take charge of my store, if It had been there. When I wrote to the Judge he was surprised that I was dissatisfied with the way my estate had been handled. I should be pleased to lose everything I had. The attorney for the guardian wrote me that I had un justly falsified against them. In fact, I was stlll dead and my estate had been sold in accordance with law. I say such laws are wrong and I would be glad if the legislature would enact stringent measures to protect a person who has been slugged by a robber or Injured In any other way. In Pendleton a man locked up his store and went on a vacation and when he returned his "estate" had been dis posed of in the same way. Courts are too quick to appoint guardians for people who are not yet aesra. C. MILTON MOORE 227 Larrabee street. Election Figures Given. PORTLAND, Jan. 14. (To the Edl tor.) The writer will feel greatly ob ligated if you will give him the fol lowing Information: (1) The number of registered voters In the state of Oregon in November, 1916. (2) The largest number of votes cast on any one measure or for any one person (3) The number of votes cast for and against the bone dry law in the state of Oregon. (4) The number of votes cast for and against the bone dry law In Multnomah county. Thanking you, I am A CITIZEN. (1) 293.007. (2) The question Is Indefinite. The measure which received the largest total of yes and no votes was the so called brewery bill, the aggregate be ing 226.573. The total vote of the high est Presidential electors on the four tickets was 261,340. The largest in dividual vote was that cast for Ben W Olcott for Secretary of State 199.336 The largest affirmative vote on meas ures was that of 141.773 on the single- Item veto; the largest negative vote was 154.980 cast against single tax. (3) Yes, 114,932; No, 109.671. (4) Yes, 31.338; No. 41.157. Problem In Finn. PORTLAND. Jan. 14. (To the Edi tor.) Please give solution of the fol lowing problem: The head of a fish Is 9 Inches long, the tail is as long as the head and one half of the" body. The body is as long as the head and the tail put together. How long is the fish? JOHN DULY. If you will add the head (9 Inches), tail (9 inches, plus one-half the body), and the body (18 Inches and one-half of Itself), you will have 36 Inches plus the body as the length of the fish, be cause you have added half the body twice. The head and tail together, without the body, are therefore 36 inches long. As the body is as long as head and tall together It also Is 36 Inches long and the whole length of the fish Is 72 Inches. Boy Escapes a Bath. American Boy. It was bathing time, and from the bedroom of twin boys came the sound of hearty laughter and loud crying. Their father went up to find the cause. "What's the matter up here?" he in quired. The laughing twin pointed to his weeping brother. "Nothing," he gig gled, "only nurse has given Alexander two baths and hasn't given me any at alll" In Other Days Halt Century Aid, From The Oregonian. January 13 1S67 PittsburgRev. Henry D. Moore, n the Academy of Music here recently, spoke on "Popular Amusements." and among other things said: "if the news paper should suddenly drop out of ex istence what estimate could we attempt of the loss of the moral power the com munity would sustain? The newspaper Is not merely a reflector, a mirror, a tell-tale of human events. It is an edu cator and a reformer. The newspaper Is the daily preacher out among the people." Dr. Moore discussed the power, influence and character of the newspaper at length durinc: his lec ture. To dcte the total lentrth of com mercial railroads In the United States Is 30,793 miles and the estimated cost $1. 151,630.820. The first term of Miss Birch' select school for young ladies will commence January 21 in the vestry room of Trin ity Church. William Kapus was elected presi dent of the German Literary Society "Germania". at the last regular meet ing. Paul Rlchter was elected librarian and Dr. Charles Blach, vlce-president-M. Blumenthal is secretary. An effort is being made at the Wash ington Territory Legislature to put through a specific contract law. but it is expected to fail. William Patterson and Clarissa Howes and Charles W. Staley and Eliza J. Folker were among those married in this city January 13. Charles Cartwrlght. of Salem, has presented the editor of this paper with a handsome meerschaum pipe. Twenty-five Years Act. t From The Oregonian. January 13, 1S02. The first rivet in the line of the battleship Orccon was driven yester day at the Union Iron Works. San Francisco. In the presence of Army and Navy officials. At the annual meeting of the Port land Builders' Exchange yesterday the following were elected: William Sheehy, president; William Teare. vice- president; A. J. Sutherland, financial secretary; A. J. Lawrence, recording secretary; Felix Findley. treasurer. The following were elected members of the executive board: H. Milt-n. T. A. Davey, A. J. Bingham. W. C. Daw son. D. L. Povey. K. Killfeather, Robert Brady, M. D. Kribs and John Jur.ge. Councilman Dane Is circulating a pe tition for the lateral extension of Haw thorne avenue, five feet on each side, thus making it 70 feet wide. Mrs. R. L. Hawthorne, who owns nearly 3000 feet on this avenue, has already signed the petition, and the move is receiving general encouragement. London. Jan. 15. Prince- Albert Vic tor Christian Edward. Duke of Clar ence and Avondale. oldest son of the Prince of Wales, and the heir-presumptive to the throne of England, is dead. His marriage with Princess Victoria Mary of Teck was to have taken place January 27. Prince George, the second son of the Prince of ales, is now heir-apparent. Washington, January 14 War is Im minent between the United States and Chill. METHOD OF SELECTION IS WRONG Heads of Navy and War Departments Should Not Be Civilians. PORTLAND. Jan. 14. (To the Edi tor.) There has been so much criti cism of the Secretaries of the Navy and War in the last few years that it seems there must be some good rea son for it. The grounds for this criti cism must be based on inefficiency of the man in ortiee. or neglect of duty on his part for which an effective rem edy should be sought one that would give permanent strength to these im portant departments of our" Govern ment. I have thought a great deal on this subject for a means to remove all rea sons for Justified criticisms of these two secretaryships, and my plan is this: That the Secretaries of the Navy and Army be chosen from the ranking offi cers of their respective callings. That the Secretary of Navy should be se lected from the ranking officers of the Navy, and the Secretary of War taken from officers of the Army. v Appointment of men from civil pur suits as head officers of the Army and Navy is like putting the cart ahead of the horse, it appears to me. Their minds have been too far away from the new lme of work to know the needs of their departments in equip ments. Neither can they be efficient in strategy. They are Issuing orders to men who know far more than their superiors; they are raw In their offi cial capacity over men who have made a life study of their callings. CHARLES BARXETT. ANSWER TO BACH.VLOR'S PRAYER I want to live upon a city lot. Where there is ample room. I want a modern house and husband And I can wield a broom. Can keep my home all slick and clean. And cook plenty of good grub. I'd like my husband to do his share. And here, I fear, I find the "rub." I'll do the work that Tm to do Inside the home but not the barn, I'll feed the babies, not any pigs. And keep them from all harm. But. Oh, I want that beau of mine To be a helper true. And If he holds his own Job down He'll provide enough for two. He must not chew or yet to smoke, I. once had one like that. His breath must be so very sweet For the kiss I hold "down pat." I want him to be a model man To be with me much you know. And above all else I pray For him to furnish me the dough. I could not stand to have a shirk To share my home with him, I want a chance to love and live My husband must have vim. I could not stand a stick-like man Who'd pout and grouch all day. Lord, send me my rightful mate. Please send him right away. , Alfalfa Widow. Worthy Relief Work. PORTLAND, Jan. 13. (To the Edi tor.) Among the many appeals for charity and relief coming to my im mediate notice in these days of boom ing Democratic prosperity Is one for the aid of families of members of the G. A R. A young woman has tlcketa to sell at $1 each to an annual ball, the proceeds to be directed as above stated. I had supposed the Government pro vided for its heroes and their families. My sole reason for this letter Is to In quire if this charity Is what its spon sor claims it to be, INQUIRER. It Is. The concert is to be given by Lincoln-Garfield Women's Relief Corps for relief work among needy families of ex-soldiers. That Depends. Widow. "It always gives a man conf remarked the popular candidate ly. "to know that a vast body pie are behind him. "Not if they are coming murmured the horsethief Juc