lO
THE MORNING OREGONIAN, FRIDAY, MAT 4, 1917.
PORTLAND, OKEGOX.
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"PORTLAND, FRIDAY, MAY
1917.
WHKKK DITV LIES.
We shall be constantly confronted,
as time runs on, with problems sim
ilar to that of the farmer and father
of six sons, all of whom strongly de
sire to serve their country in the best
sense and whose letter on the subject
Is printed In another' column on this
page. His case Is exceptional only In
the respect that he and the "boys"
have more' than the average equip
ment for either branch of the Nation
al service that they may choose. They
are trained farmers,' but they are also
the material of which the best sol
diers are made.. The younger men
have felt the call to duty in a more
spectacular field, where there will be
no end of excitement and, also, a
greater prospect that they will be
called upon to make the supreme sac
rifice. The father, although beyond
military age, believes with reason that
there are many things at the front
that he could do as well as a younger
man.
It Is not hard to understand how
men In this situation feel about their
duty. The question with them, as
with many another " farmer, is not
what they would best like to do but
what they can do that will be of great
est service to the Nation. Doubtless
the young men referred to In the let
ter. If they consulted only their own
desires, would be off to the nearest
aviation recruiting station at once.
But they are more than commonly
useful where they are. It is worth
noting that they own a tractor and
that they have several gas engines
and other machinery. They are pre
pared to carry on .food growing on a
big scale. No city man, however pa
triotic, could quite take their places,
and other farmers are needed else
where. The common laborer cannot
supplant the skilled farmer In - this
emergency, though he can help.
"We are inclined to agree with the
writer that if he should turn his farm
over to the Government to be operated
in the absence of its present possessors
production would suffer. Army meth
ods have not yet been nicely adjusted
to farm conditions, and probably will
not be for a good while. Vastly great
er results will be obtained If this farm
er and his sons remain on the soil.
There Is no question of the willing
ness of the farmers of the country to
co-operate in all measures necessary
to win the war. A great many doubt
less would be willing, as this writer
suggests, to surrender their properties
to the Government for a nominal
compensation if that were the better
way, which It is not. It is food the
country wants, particularly grain-, an j
plenty of it, both for ourselves and
for our allies and the starving vic
tims of the conflict wherever they may
be. Men who know how to farm are
badly needed on the farm, and a good
many men in the cities are needed on
the farm besides. Men are not going
to be called slackers who stand by the
tractor and the threshing machine and
keep both moving In their seasons,
nor is their patriotism going to be
called into question. That much Is
settled now.
It would seem that this farmer and
his family ought to stand by the coun
try by sticking to the land. Doubt
less the authorities will take the same
view when they begin to enforce the
universal service law. It is a funda
mental principle of universal service
that It does not rob our vital indus
tries, as would the system of pell
mell volunteering. It may seem a
little hard to stay back of the firing
line, and away from the music of the
band, but it is sound patriotism. Also
It is common sense. The tractor and
the separator have as much work to
do as the guns.
A REAL MOVEMENT TO THE SOTJL.
The present enthusiasm for greater
production of food may prove more
effective in sending the people back
to the land than all the exhortations
and dissertations of the last ten years,
The average town dweller's Idea of
working on the soil is associated with
"hayseeds," "rubes," horse - drawn
plows and driving a slow team over
muddy or dusty roads, also with isola
tion and with deprivation of social
amusements. He thus had an aver
sion for country life which could not
be overcome, by appeals to reason or
even to desire. for gain.
An appeal is now made to patriot
ism on behalf of the farm and gar
den, and sentiment will overcome
aversion in the minds of many. They
may begin by cultivating a garden in
the back yard, but that will give them
a taste of the pleasures of outdoor
exercise, of watching things grow un
der their care and of the superiority
of vegetables taken fresh from the
ground to those bought from the ped
dler or the grocer.
me iitrie tney learn there may
tempt them to a suburban acre and
ultimately to a real farm. In many
sections they will find that the farm
life which they have pictured in their
minds is a fiction. Many neighbors
will prove to be well-educated men,
graduates of agricultural colleges and
ther universities instead of "rubes."
On large farms plows are drawn by
tractors, and on all farms machinery
is used for work which was formerly
laboriously done by hand. Neighbors
will be found going to town in auto
mobiles over paved roads, and will ex
tend invitations to accompany them
to a dance, a theater or a movie in
town in the evening. Much of the
drudgery and isolation will be found
a thing of the past, and the physical
vigor derived from outdoor work will
be found full compensation for tho
garish pleasures of the city which
have been sacrificed.
There may result a general revival
of farming in sections, like New Eng
land, where farming has been largely
abandoned as unprofitable, - New
England raises less than one-fifth of
the food it consumes, but the strain
which the war will put on the trans
portation system may be bo great that
needed supplies can no longer be
brought from a distance, and neces
sity may compel home production,
within easy reach by wagon or auto
truck. Many an abandoned acre may
again be brought under cultivation,
and by application of scientific meth
ods, to be learned from Agricultural
College bulletins or from the county
agricultural agent, may be made to
yield a good living. Patriotic citizens
who fail to pass muster at the draft
may resolve to "do their bit" by
adding to the Nation's food supply.
Every war is followed by great so
cial changes, and by redistribution of
population. As a result of this war.
there may be a genuine backward
flow of people from the cities to the
country which will restore our badly
disturbed balance.
HIS WRECKED HOBBY.
Put yourself in the place of Mr.
Daly for a moment. Suppose you
had nursed along for four years a
presumably popular political issue in
hope of getting into higher office and
at the last moment discovered that it
was full of holes. What would you
do?
Mr. Daly's choice is to stand pat.
He impudently pretends superior
knowledge. The world is wrong and
Daly is right. Three -engineers, one
of his own approval, do not know as
much as Daly about costs of mu
nicipal lighting plants. Training and
experience in hydroelectric engineer
ing cannot cope with the wisdom ob
tained from sticking type in a Job
office.
fo Mr. Daly informs his fellows on
the Council that a sieve will hold
water, that nature will be kindly dis
posed toward 'an open flume con
structed on a sidehill angle of 45 de
grees, and -that the drain of a three
years' war on tho world's supply of
materials has only a momentary influ
ence on prices.
These trifling matters having been
disposed of so satisfactorily, Mr. Daly
proposes that the honest taxpayer dig
up a million and three-quarters of
money to prove that there is no god
but Daly.
So far as the municipal light project
or Daly's political fortunes are con
cerned, it does not make much dif
ference whether the measure now
goes on the ballot or is kept off by
the intelligent members of the Coun
cil. The scheme has been thoroughly
discredited and its sponsor has con
victed himself of political charlatanry.
But there are worthy measures
which, if associated with the light
measure, would be adversely affected.
The mere submission to vote by a. re
sponsible official body of a proposal
criminally to waste millions of public
money would create doubt as to the
good faith and common sense of that
body in presenting any measure on
the ballot.
KAISERISM LOSING ITS GRIT.
The fury with which submarines
are attacking commerce and the reck
lessness with which fresh divisions
are hurled against the British line
in France, only to wither before 'ar
tillery and machine-gun fire, are the
measure of the desperation with which
the ruling class in Germany is striv
ing to hold its power. Such a gov
ernment can survive only by contin
ued success, but President Wilson has
proclaimed that the aim of the United
States is Its destruction, and proof
multiplies that the conviction of fail
ure Is spreading among the German
people. Internal discontent approaches
the point of open revolt, and domestic
foes are being added to those without
the empire.
The most direct evidence that Kai-
serism la losing its grip on the Ger
man people is given by A. Curtis
Roth, former American Vice-Consul at
Plauen, Saxony, in an article in
World's Work. He remained In Ger
many until shortly before Mr. Gerard
left Berlin, and he tells facts about
internal conditions which have been
concealed by rigid censorship. Be
hind the veil there Is "smoldering,
growing, torturing discontent," and
Liebknecht's attack on the govern
ment was only a little premature, for
"the sentiment for revolt was broad
cast." . The Socialists are propagating
this sentiment surreptitiously by
means of pamphlets and leaflets
passed from hand -to hand. One of
these he quotes from memory as fol
lows: We are winning victories and bleedine- tn
death. We are devastating ever more of
our neighbors' lands and dying of slow
starvation. We are defying the anger of a
world in arms and staring ruin In the face.
The physical strength of our people is ex
hausting; the financial power of our nation
is exhausting; our aupplles of raw material
are exhausting; our great organizations for
the work of peace are slowly disintegrating.
We must have peace. If our government
cannot procure peace, what must we do?
Mr. Roth says he has heard many
such phrases as these:
Our enemies will never make peace with
our government.
what have the French and English
against us? It Is our Kaiser and his friends
they are fighting.
The Kaiser and his officers stand between
us ana peace.
If It weren't for our Kaiser and junkers,
the English would make peace with us.
Why should we be hated? The leaders
are nated ; we suffer.
The "fighting machine is still in
splendid condition," but danger
threatens from the ranks of a fagged,
dispirited, tormented people, grown
sullen in their misery." This senti
ment spreads all over Germany. The
boasted equal division of food is a
farce, for the workers "cannot find
tne money tnrougn twelve hours a
day of drudgery" to buy the" rations,
while the well-to-do are full fed on
luxuries. "A strong leader," he says.
"could sweep the workers in desperate
surge against the conditions of their
misery." Terrible riots have occurred
in Plauen, Chemnitz, Leipsic and Mu
nich. The riot in Munich, which is
described in detail from information
given by an officer of the secret po
lice, was particularly menacing and
was a determined battle, not being
suppressed until "after several hours
of embittered conflict." Abuse of the
Kaiser no longer causes arrest, for a
woman who vented it in the presence
of a policeman was not arrested and
the policeman "slunk out of the
room."
Old enmities of the Saxons and
Bavarians against the Prussians have
been revived, and a soldier Is quoted
as saying that "many in tho Saxon
regiments would desert to tho French
and British lines wero It not for their
fear that they would bo traded back
when once the war U over," Saxons
"have had more than their share of
forlorn-hope attacks and of covering
retreats because there were so many
Socialists among them," The mass ef
the people are beginning to feel that
their Interests are diametrically ep
posed to those of their leaders, and
they "only lack a leader and the eour-
C of -organization' but the Social
Democrats are quietly striving for the
latter. ,The article concludes:
According to my observations intimate
observations covering various parts of Ger
many German officialdom Is riding the
whirlwind, and Its Inst desperate cards are
the submarine and a final mighty offensive.
President Wilson's declaration that
the United States would make war on
the government, not on the people,
of Germany was shrewdly calculated
to fan this smoldering revolt into a
flame. No doubt the Kaiser and his
officials received its -full text and,
perceiving its import, did their utmost
to keep it from the people, while they
redoubled their efforts to wear out the
allies by slaughter at sea and terror
ism on land. But that message will
be scattered broadcast through Ger
many by the allies' airmen, and it will
widen the gulf between the Kaiser
and his Junkers and the people.
HEALTH AS AN ASSET.
Life and time are more than ever
Important in a national crisis. The
more efficient we become in the In
dustrial sense and the faster we are
able to turn out not only munitions
but every other prime necessity of our
industrial life, the fewer men we shall
be forced to sacrifice In battle. The
highest possible state of individual
efficiency is essential to the shortest
possible war.
It is therefore the duty of citizens
iV all occupations to safeguard their
health as a National asset. It has been
estimated that the average worker in
the United States loses nine days a
year because of sickness. Dr." Fred
eric W. Loughran, medical adviser of
the New York State Insurance Fund,
puts the probable annual total loss
to all workers in the country at 739,
7 36 years.
If the average wage is $2.60 a day
and the average cost of medical at
tendance and medicine $1 a day, the
annual loss of 30.000,000 workers Is
nearly $1,000,000,000. There is no
compensation for this. The product
which the worker might have turned
out Is lost forever. The employer also
loses heavily by the sickness of the
employe, but the amount is not so easy
to ascertain precisely.
Twenty-five per cent of present-
day illness is regarded as preventable
by methods now known to medical
and sanitary science. If It were pos
sible to add 65,500,000 days to the
average working time of the men in
America, the economic gain to the
Nation as well as to the men them-
Tselves would he enormous.
These figures point to the Impor
tance of individual study of health
measures and sanitation. The worker
who takes care of his health is also
'doing his bit." It is important that
every man should take especial pains
to "keep well."
CONSCRIPTION OF IEMOCKATIC ORIGIN
Conscription has acquired, a bad
reputation because of its association
the public mind with aggressive
military monarchies. The very men
tion of the word causes advocates of
voluntaryism to rave as a red rag in
furiates a bull. The truth is that the
word is of democratic origin, and the
system to which it applies, at least in
modern times, was first used by a
democracy to repel invasion by the
volunteer armies of absolute mon
archies. Conscription was mentioned In the
French National Assembly in 1789, but
It was then decreed that free enlist
ment alone befitted a free people, al
though the army of the Bourbon kings
had been raised by that means. The
remnants of the old regular army
checked the invading Austrians and
Prussians at Valmy and Jemappes in
1792, but in 1793 the execution of
Louis XVI and the French invasion
of Belgium raised a host of new ene
mies. Dumouriez's army, composed of
a few old regulars and a host of new,
raw levies, was routed at Neerwinden
and fled in disorder across the border.
The road to Paris lay open before the
Austro-Prusslan forces and the cap
ital was saved only by the dissensions
of the allies and their fear that prompt
-advance would cause the execution of
Marie Antoinette. Then the National
Convention established universal lia
bility to service, and the Committee of
Public Safety decreed: "The levy is
to be universal. Unmarried citizens
and widowers without children of ages
from 18 to 25 are to be called up
first." This levy brought 450,000 re
cruits. At first the army was an un
disciplined, disorderly rabble, but Car-
not gradually whipped it into shape,
the invasion was stopped and in 1795
the French became the invaders of
Germany.
When Napoleon became supreme, he
simply continued to use conscription
as a tool which the republic had made
and left ready to his hand. The mon
archies of Europe learned from revo
lutionary France, but so did the repub
lie of Switzerland, the British domin
ions of Australia and New Zealand,
and the republics of Brazil and Ar
gentlna, for universal service became
generally recognized as the most effi
cient means of democratic defense as
of autocratic aggression. It Is not in
Itself militarism, but, like other effi
cient tools, may be used" for either
good or evil purposes, according to the
will of the power which wields it.
- 11" TO THE SHIPPING BOARD.
The strictures of Chairman Denman
of the United States Shipping Board,
on shipbuilding companies which have
taken contracts for slow-time con
struction for foreign account since the
board announced its programme of
rapid construction, including wooden
ships, cannot apply to the wooden
shipyards of the Columbia -River dis
trict. Shipbuilders of this district
have been ready to take contracts
from the Government for fully a
month, and have even gone so far
as to refuse private contracts in or
der to keep their facilities free for
Government service.
Although Mr. Denman says that the
Government realized the necessity of
speeding up ship construction as long
ago as the third week in February,
the board has as yet done nothing to
avail itself of the resources" of the
Pacific Coast, where material Is most
abundant and where the greatest out
put could be secured In the shortest
time. But it lias been able to let a
contract for twelve ships to a Tensa
cola company and has given enough
definite encouragement to New York
capitalists to induce them to lay down
seven ways on the Texas coast near
Beaumont,
Statements of Mr, Don man himself
and of Secretary Lane shtw that in
creased destruction of tonnage by pub
marines makes prompt, inareass of the
American output an urgent necessity
Such vessels as the J'acifis Cuatt can
supply are pest iuieii to eorry sup
plies to the allies and to $ght the
U-boats, for Admiral Browning, of tins
uritisn navy, is quoted as saying tha
the effectively armed merchantman
Is probably the best weapon for use
against a submarine."
If contracts are let at the present
time for the ships contemplated by
the Shipping Board, the first fleet
should be ready for service about the
beginning of November. The domes
tic crops of the allies should suffice
to feed them beyond that period, and
these ships would carry some of the
first cargoes of American and Cana
dian wheat from the new crop.
Nothing but absolute assurance that
these 6hips would be ready at that
time to take up the work of feeding
the allies can justify diversion of much
tonnage in the meantime to carry an
American contingent to France, for
that course would impose on an al
ready depleted supply of vessels the
task of carrying the troops and of
keeping them supplied with food and
munitions. We are told that wooden
shipbuilding will not be in full swing
till some time in the Fall. It should
be in full swing long before that time.
If it should not be, the good results
of the appearance of American
troops on the western front might be
annulled by under-nourlshment of
French, British and Italian troops.
Oregon is ready to do its part. Log
gers an waiting to cut the timbers in
the woods, mills are waiting to saw
them and shipyards are waiting to
frame them. The Shipping Board has
the next move.
Efforts to revive the sheep Industry
in the Kast, stimulated by recent high
prices of wool, have culminated in
passage by the New York State Leg
islature of one of the most drastic
laws ror trie control of dogs ever
enacted in any state. The new law
requires a license for every dog and
provides that any unlicensed dog may
be shot on sight. It is easy to fore
see trouble on account of both pro
visions, for a good many mistakes will
be made and a good many persons are
ikely to take advantage of the oppor
tunity to vent their spite on dogs tn
general. No provision Is made for
discriminating between dogs that kill
sheep and the harmless and law-abid
ing kind, and the old provision of the
common law that every dog was en
titled to one bite is entirely ignored.
City folks, wno are not commonly
equipped to shoot wandering dogs,
view the outlook with unconcern, but
farmers who do not own sheep have
been deeply aroused. The law be
longs to the class that promotes acrl
mony among neighbors, and it remains
to be seen whether the good it will
do will outweigh Its disadvantages.
A Massachusetts man, writing In
the Springfield ' Republican, recalls
Johnny Appleseed," an altruist of
years ago, who went about the coun
try planting apple seeds by the way
side, and offers the suggestion that
automobile tourists this Spring can
serve their country in a small way by
following his example, but by substi
tutlng sunflower seeds for apple seeds.
The sunflower is a hardy plant and
will grow almost anywhere, while the
seed Is valuable for poultry and every
pound consumed will take the place of
an equal amount of grain. The har
vest, the Springfield man believes, can
be left to the poultrymen. The idea
has merit, even If it Is not a big idea.
but it ought to be carried out early
In the growing season to be effective.
In sending Slgnor Marconi to the
United States to discuss war prob
lems, Italy is merely returning him
to his old friends. No people have
benefited more from his work In per
fecting the wireless than the Amer
icans.
Mr. Kerensky, the new Russian
Minister of Justice, learns the ways
of democracy quickly. Instead of ar
resting Lenlne, the anarchist peace
agitator, he let his man discredit him
self by continuous talking.
There is none to question the ac
curacy of statements made by Carl
W. Ackerman of sex conditions and
s sexual relation in Germany. If
what he tells is kultur, a little is
enough.
The thing to keep uppermost is
what kind of practical service the cltl
zen can do best. A good many are
still talking of fighting who belong
in the back yard with a hoe.
In campaigning for a big poultry
product, the possibilities of the Bel
gian hare should not be overlooked
The hare makes liner meat and is a
cleaner feeder.
Now It is predicted that there will
be a shortage of coal next Winter,
which is another reason why we
should raise all the heat-producing
foods possible.
It's a pretty safe guess Captain Koc
nig, who brought over the Deutsch
land, is not in command of one of the
submarines sinking American vessels.
Nevada, the haven for divorce-seek
ers,, leads all tho states in the union
in the percentage of enlistments. Here
is a real problem for the sociologists,
If you can. get off, arrange to go
to Champoeg tomorrow and see where
Uncle Sam grabbed a root on this
North Pacific Coast.
Haiti has asked for a part of the
loan. The best help Haiti can give
in the war is to keep quiet and enjoy
the novelty of peace.
Mayor Thompson calls Chicago the
sixth German city In the- world. He
is a misfit, and should be in the land
of Verboten.
One of the best ways to get early
vegetables is to get up early in the
morning and plant them.
How would it do to suspend the
Sunday law on fishing and then eat
more fish?
The wild goose that damages
wheat flfcld must bo treated aa a cen
tral ally.
Time for the wind to get into the
Northwest and pollenlze the early
bloom.
Jf we cannot exterminate the dan
delion, we can at least eat the greens:
Sinee the p.6ent loaf get into bis
euit size, U is a a well to lrep it.
'Blessings pn i;pu. bartfeet boy,'
You are saving shoe leather,
Fire Marshal Stevens should da.
cide and relieve tile agony.
Buy a liberty lean bond and frame
it.
How to Keep Well.
Dy Dr. W. A. Evans.
Questions nertlnent tn Trl,n sanitation
and prevention of disease. If matters of gen
eral Utrntt, will be answered in this col
umn. v here space wlil not permit or the
subject Is not suitable tetters will be per
sonally answered, subject to proper limita
tions and where stamped addrewed envelope
Is inclosei. Dr. Evans will not make diagnosis
or prescribe for Individual diseases. Re
quests for such services cannot be answered.
(Copjrlght, 116. by Dr. W. A. Evans.
Published by arrangement with the Chicago
Tribune.)
Ml'MTIOS WORKS HEALTH PERILS,
From all parts of the world where
high explosives are manufactured there
come reports of. in some cases, fatal,
in others serious but nonfatal, poison
ing due to the fumes and dust- Dr.
Hudson, of the Du Pont factories, tells
us that his people have largely escaped
such Injuries and this is how it has
been done.
In the acid rooms the men suffer
from acid splashing and add fumes.
All munition factory rooms are
thoroughly ventilated. The air is re-
oved by exhaust fans through multi
ple outlets In the floors and fresh air
enters through multiple inlets located
In the celling. Near every acid vat
there are water nozzles, tubs or
showers. When a man gets a splash
he turns on the water or Jumps into a
tub at once. Next he applies saturated
solution of bicarbonate of soda until
the foaming stops. Next he applies a
burn ointment.
Cabinets conveniently located con
tain soda solution, aromatic spirits of i
ammonia, cocaine, glasses, eyecups,
bandages and absorbent cotton.
In the nitro-aromatio room especial
cuiJiiiii o la (im uijuii , i ti, urn iv7ii , i v.
washing facilities. Washing the hands
Is made . attractive, comfortable and
easy.
The blood of every workman is ex
amined twice a month. A blood exami
nation will point out developing trou
ble days before symptoms appear. Men
who are heading for trouble are put at
work in the open air for two or three
weeks. Gas and oxygen helmets are In
the factories.
If a man shows symptoms he is
stripped of all clothing and his skin Is
thoroughly scrubbed with soap and
sand. If he Is working In an aniline
room vinegar Is added to the scrub
bing mixture. He is given effervescing
phosphate of soda and aromatlo spirits
of ammonia and plenty of milk to
drink.
Tho men who work in picric acid
rooms get an inflammation of the skin
similar to poison ivy. If they scratch
the irritated areas they are liable .to
become poisoned constitutionally.
The methods of prevention employed
In these rooms relate largely to clean
liness of "the skin. There are ample
toilet facilities. Floors are kept clean
and free from dust-
Much depends upon the worklngmen.
A physician should examine them pe
riodically. If the early symptoms are
recognized and the men are transferred
temporarily to open air work a toler
ance for these poisons can be gradually
established. Then, again, personal
cleanliness Is something more than the
provision of washing facilities. The
men must use them.
Just as Important as cleanliness Is
the necessity that munition workers
shall not drink. It has been proven
conclusively that drinking alcohol pre
disposes to poisoning. Munition work
ers must go without alcohol outside of
working hours as well as during them.
That Is the keynote of safety.
Illegal In Some States.
B. K. writes: "Where several people
In an office use the same glass for
drinking water. If one of the users had
a cold or grip, would the others be
likely to contract it? If so. would
rinsing the glass in the drinking water
prevent this? Isn't there some law
which compels office managers to pro
vide a glass for each employe? I would
greatly appreciate a reply." .
REPLY".
The common drinking cup is now Illegal In
most states. Cold, grippe, diphtheria and
other diseases are spread by common drink
ing cups.
Varicose Veins Cause.
W. J. writes: "Kindly let me know
through the columns of your paper
what is the cause of varicose veins in
a woman who Is pregnant."
REPLY.
Pressure on the veins In the pelvis. Inter
fering with return circulation from the legs.
ROSE FESTIVAL MONEY NOT SPENT
It Is Circulated Among; Those Whose
Interests Opponents Profess to Serve.
PORTLAND. May 3. (To the Edi
tor.) I have read the letter, "Sum Is
Too Great for Gaiety," in The Orego-
nian tods-y and wish to say a word in
reply.
At a meeting of the Rose Festival
Auxiliary, held last Saturday night at
the Chamber of Commerce, there were
representatives of over 100 civic, busi
ness and fraternal organizations of
.the city of Portland, organizations
which in past years have all contribut
ed liberally to the support of the an
nual Rose Festival.
It was adopted with but a single dis
senting vote, and this dissenting vote
was under instructions, to go ahead
with the Rose Festival, and the board
was empowered to put on a rose show,
and was thus empowered by represen
tatives of people who have always
borne the brunt of the subscriptions
to the fund. If contributors to a fund
wish a project to be carried on, I feel
that that should settle the matter.
Your correspondent seems to dwell
on the fact that "so much money is
being spent." Bless his heart, can't he
reason out that this money fas not
spent, but that It Is only circulated,
and that it Is circulated among the
very class of people that your cor
respondent and others who signed that
protest seem (at least from their pro
test) to be deeply interested tn?
He further states that I misconstrued
the remarks of Miss Burke at the Pro
gressiva Business Men's lunch last
Thursday. I wish to stats that I mis
construed nothing. I quoted her exact
worda, taken down in shorthand, and
ran bring testimony from scores of
men who heard the remark that I have
quoted her exactly. Now then, if It
was a Joka for her to have made the
remarks she did. It was most certainly
most ill-timed and Inopportune. If it
Is unadvisedly wrong for the Rose
Festival to lie held this year in the
face of the present war crisis does your
correspondent think the "Joking re
mark" and the "Joking spirit" In the
face of such a crisis well timed or
opportune?
Subscribers to and supporters ef the
Rose Festival fund have decided to
hold the festival, and the proper thing
for every real, true, patriotic eltiaen
of Portland to do is to get behind the
movement and make it a success.
Knockers never, made a city,
E, B, LAR1MORE,
President Kota Festival Assn.
FARMER IS Pl'ZZLED AS TO Dt'TY
Question la Whether Man and Sons Are
More Needed at Front or Home.
THE DALLES. Or., May 2. (To the
Editor.) During these times of "wars
and rumors of wars" so many different
conditions confront a person within a
short space of time that it Is really
difficult to discern Just which way
duty lies, and what Is the most urgent
thing to do in order to serve one's
country best. With this In mind I am
asking your oplnton on the following,
which I am sure is of Importance to
many citizens and parents within reach
of your paper:
I am a farmer, the father of six
sons, three of. military age. Two of
these are macried and the third is soon
to be. We are all on a big combined
grain and stock ranch. Two of these
sons are and have been anxious to Join
the aviation corps of the Army, for
which they are quite well equipped by
reason not only of their University of
Oregon course, but by practical experi
ence with electrical apparatus and gas
ensrlnes. As a parent I have rather
retarded such a. move, especially after
President Wilton's recent appeal to
the farmers to raise more foodstuffs,
and his urging the need of farmers,
factory men and miners to stick to
theit tasks. Now comes the conscrip
tion. The question that confronts me, and
I am sure others along with me, is.
if our boys and hands go away to the
Army who will do our field work? I
have several gas engines and one 75
horsepower "caterpillar" tractor which
does part of the field work on the
farm. Common laborers on handle the
teams and ordinary implements quite
well, but not so with the tractor, the
thresher, the combine, the thresher en
gine, etc. and who is to do it With
common laborers who a year ago were
Klad of Joba at so to 40 ft ionth and
keep now refusing double that pay,
whore will we get off for expert help.
and that we must have or no crops, for
wise
In a recent issue of The Oregonlan
I noticed your comment on the letter
from Grass Valley, where it seems they
have a surplus of laborers. I wish
some would ship for these parts, for
no such condition exists here. Then
In yesterday's editorial, "Pouring
Water Into a Sieve." you note how the
Employment Bureau cannot rurnlsn re
quired farm help and at the same time
the Army and Navy are recruiting men
all the time, and for the moat part
from the small towns and rural dts
tricts, and the Government is still ask
ing, nay, urging us to enlarge our out
put of foodstuffs. If such wiseacres
as they make such blunders, how are
we shortsighted ones from the bacK
woods and sagebrush to overcome this
handicap and deliver the required
eoods?
If tho call Is so urgent as to need
our expert help, they need us. too. I
am 65 years old. but, like "our Teddy,"
I am ready for service. I can tire
many a younger man in the saddle.
and even afoot. When it comes to
lashing a pack onto a bucking mule I
can "throw the hitch"; or I can come
as near as the next man, be he young
or old, to making a balky horse hit the
collar when Indisposed, and such help
is tndlspenslble In the Army. I will
go even further than this.
I note that some -of the manufac
turers are offering the Government
their plants at 10 per cent profit. They
can have my "riant" while the war
lasts, and it Is above the average In
Its possibilities, and I will cut the per
centage In two. which will a trifle
more than pay taxes. At the same time,
I doubt if with a lot of theorists (ex
cuse me!) to run It they could get the
results from boII or stock which we
old hard-headed ones have produced in
the , na.su They cannot get results
without help any more than can we
I am at Uncle Sam's service and I
think I voice the sentiments of a large
majority of the farmers. If not all,
when I say we are ready to co-operate
anywhere and In any way; we are
ready to do our duty. We wish to
avoid clashing of the departments. If
we are to produce foodstuffs we need
the Government s help just as much
as It needs ours.
ALBERT S. ROBERTS.
OVERPOPl'LATION AS WAR CAVSE
Statistic on Side of Dr. Gilbert In "Rib,
bit Theory," Says Writer.
PORTLAND. May 3. (To the Editor.)
May I suggest to Mrs. M. A. Albin,
who seeks to disprove Dr. J. Allen Gil
bert a contention that war Is caused by
overpopulation, the advisability of
reading over her communications before
sending them to the editor? In this
way she may discover a contradiction
or two. Thus In her letter in rne ore
gonian. April 29. she tells us first that
man has a free will, and therefore free
choice. A little farther on she says the
laws of Nature are Immutable. Man
being himself part of Nature, how can
he sfe called truly free, if he has to obey
Immutable law?
These two propositions cannot be
reconciled. If we believe in Immutable
law. all conduct then Is necessary con
duct, that Is, determined as cause and
effect, with no place for a will that acts
independently of that natural law which
Is unvarying and invincible. Free will
then is at best a delusion. This was
also the opinion of the great philoso
pher Spinoza.
But after all suppose man had a free
will. That would In no way affect Dr.
Gilbert's argument. He contended that
mankind breeds so rapidly that It out
strips food supply. The statistics are
all on the doctor's side, regardless of
toe truth or falsity of determinism. His
critic produces no evidence whatever to
overthrow Dr. Gilbert's facts. She
meets his argument by saying substan
tially that man Is not so foolish as to
overbreed. In making this statemen
Mrs. Albln makes a fatal blunder. She
assumes that mankind has a higher av
erage Intelligence than Is actually the
case. She displays her own generosity
of spirit but Is none the less mistaken
when she Infers that because she her
self l.i a wise and gifted lady, exercis
ing an ideal self-control, therefore the
most of us are like her. Her opinion of
us is really too flattering.
Has it never come over her In the
course of her career as a controversial
ist how difficult It Is to bring others to
her way of thinking? That is proof of
her own superiority and of the uncon
querable stupidity of a majority of the
rest of us. If she reflects on this fact
long enough she may gradually come
to see that there is something to the
rabbit theorv of population after all.
OBSERVANT SPINSTER.
Ssesee for Bonds In 1912.
' TILLAMOOK. Or.. May 1. (To the
Editor.) Can you advise me as to the
authorship of the bill providing tor
bonding counties for building roads
which was passed in 1912. I believe,
and was attributed to Mr. Spence?
F. R. BEALS.
No county bonding bill was passed In
1912. One "providing the methods by
which voters of any county in this
state may provide for the Issuing of
bonds for the construction of perma
nent public roads in that county" was
promoted by a state Grange committee.
Mr. Bpence signed the argument in
favor of the bill aa published in the
official voters' pamphlet. The bill was
defeated. -
Price Paid for Coin.
NEWBERO. Or.. May 3. (To the
Editor.) (1) Please Inform me the
valua of an American $2 60 gold piece
dated 1861. (1) Also inform me of
hotliM or banks that deal In oM coins.
SUBSCRIBER.
(1) It Is. not Hated among cftlns for
which eolleetors pay a substantial pre
mium. (2)' New York Coin Sk Stamp
Co., New Yolk.
In Other Days.
Tvrenty-Flve Yearn Ago.
From The Oregonlan of May 4. 1S92.
The street railway horses that have
been replaced by electricity were al
most given away at the sale at the
company's barns at Seventh and G
streets yesterday.
The'resldents of Beaverton hope that
the proposed motor line from the end
of the Portland Heights cable carllne
to that place will soon be built. If this
line is built it will add another at
tractive suburb to Portland.
A. W. Cuthbert. from Pendleton, is
exhibiting some samples of the opal
discovery. on the Big and Little McKay
creeks, about 20 miles from Pendleton.
Emperor William has donated 3000
marks to encourage outdoor athletics in
Germany.
The hired-help problem has become
a serious one to farmers all over the
country. Steady and reliable men who
will stay on the farms cannot be found.
Brick and materials are being hauled
for the three-story brick building to be
built by Charles Locus at Fifteenth
and Washington streets.
Fifty Yearn Abo.
From The Oregonlan of May 4. 1867.
Chicago. May 2. A mob of 500 work
lngmen. representing all trades, swept
in a disorderly manner through the
streets this morning, protestlmr against
the ten-hour working day. They en
deavored to get the men from all the
manufacturing plants to join in a strike
for an eight-hour day.
Some of the principal citizens of On.
wego who did not fancy the name
Sucker Lake, met last night end decided
to have the name changed to Oswego
Lake.
The California steamer last In from
Panama took about 10.000 barrels of
Pacific Coast flour to Now York. Anion;
the lot was about 2000 barrels from
Oregon City.
The Rev. I. D. Driver will deliver the
sermon at the 18th annual meeting of
the Oregon Bible Society to be held at
the M. E. Church Wednesday.
Judge Phattuck will deliver the fifth
lecture of the citizens' course at tho
Oro Flno Hall Saturday evening.
A society has been formed In S.in
Francisco with a capital of 3,000,0U0
to promote the Im migration of farmers
from Europe. It, is proposed to furnish
materials to them on easy terms.
NAVAL I1ATTL.E WORTH RKfALLIMi
Walt Whitman Compliments HdcII.i
Pluck In Veralun of Srrapln Defeat.
EUGENE. Or.. May 2. (To tho Edi
tor.) I was greatly pleated by a re
cent editorial in your paper wherein
you sot forth tha details of sonic of our
earlier sea fights. We hear far less
about those thrilling encounters than
we used to do 30 or 40 years aso.
What Is more worthy of reprint oc
casionally than Walt Whitman's ver
sion of the Paul Jones' fight of the lion
Homme Richard against the Scrapis?
And Is It not a little wonderful tiat
Whitman was so appreciative of Eiik
lish daring that the poem reads espe
cially well now when we are allies of
England?
Would you read In the sea-books of the old
fashioned sea lights?
Would you learn who won by the light of
the moon and stars?
Our foe was no skulk tn his ships. I tsll
you :
His was the English pluck, and there's no
tougher or truer, and never was and
never will be!
Along the lowered evening ho came, horri
bly raking us.
We closed with him, our yards entangled.
the cannon touched:
My captain Uslied fast with his own handsl
We had received some eighteen-pound shots
under water.
On our lower gundeck two large pieces had
burst, killing all around, and blowing
up overhead
Ten o'clock at night, and the full mooa
shining, and the leaks on the gain,
and five feet of water reported.
The master loosing the prisoners confined
In the after-hold to give them a
chance for themselves!
Our frigate Is on fire.
The other asks if we demand quarter,
if our colors are struck and the fighting
done ?
I laugh content when I hear the voice of
my little captain.
"We have not struck." he composedly cries:
"we have Just begun our part of the
flghtlngl"
Only three guns are In use.
On Is directed by the captain himself
against tha enemy's mainmast;
Two .well served with grape and canister
silence his musketry and clear his
decks!
No. a moment's cease:
The leaks gain fast on the pumps, ths fire
eats toward the powder magazine:
One of the pumps is shot away. It Is gen
erally thought we are sinking!
Serene stands the little captain!
He Is not hurried, his voice Is neither hlglt
nor low;
His eyes give more light than our battle
lanterns!
Toward twelve at night, there In the beams
of the moon, they surrendered to us!
As Teddy might say, "Wasn't that a
bully fight?" S. D. ALLEN.
Exemptions From Draft. .
PORTLAND. May 1. (To the Edi
tor.) Does the new conscription bill
require the registration of married
men? Are married men without chil
dren required to register? Would doc
tors, dentists and chemists be drafted
into the regular ranks? READER
Presumably, yes. Detailed Instruc
tions have not yet been received by
the Governor or Adjutant-General. The
President is authorized to exclude or
discharge persons In a status, with re
spect to persons dependent on them,
for support, which makes their exclu
sion or discharge advisable. He Is
also empowered to excuse or discharge
persons whose occupation is necessary
to maintenance of National interests
during the emergency. In other words,
the persons enumerated would. It ap
pears, be registered, but their selec
tion for military duty would be dis
cretionary with the President.
R ecru Ulna Drains Country.
MORO. Or.. May 2. (To tho Editor.)
In The Oregonlan recently much has
been said about needing the boys for
the farms.
The country around here Is entirely &
wheat-raising district and yet tho re
cruiting officer for the Navy comes
here and entices our hiKh school boys
awsy from us with alluring stories, and
the people here'resert this, as our boys
aro stronger and more used to farm
work thfcn city hoys, and we cannot
get help to take their p!a- s. Will yci
tell us whuhi r we can rrevent this,
and how? FARMER'S WIFE.
No Petition Referendum! June 4.
PENDLETON. -Or., May 2. (To the
Editor.) Please state if l.y petition
the Insurance and the sterilixatloa
measures are. to 1? voted on at the
election Jun 4. What other petition
measures will aluo then be referred t"
the people? J. W. r.l,ISVCUTIi.
No lr.f isut e.-i referred to the voter by
uet!ti-ti jite'e'ti the ballot Jun 4. l.'.l's
culi.li li. tr, I if . l lu. i-.iu petltit-u ulll
be v-ta uti .ii Nv . - r. IS-li.