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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (May 9, 1917)
0 THE 3IORXIXG OEEGOMAX, WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 1917. I i t. c I . . 1 i xmtan v.; rORTLAXD, OREGON. r Entered at Portland (Oregon) Poatoffice as ' "-. second-class mall matter. - Subscription rates Invariably in advance: (By Wall.) Dally, Bunday Included, one year ....... $8.00 Zaily, Sunday Included, six months. .... . 4.-3 . . Dally, Sunday Included, tbree months. .. . 2.25 ' Daily, bunday included, one month. .... .7& ' Dally, without Sunday, one year 6.00 Dally, without Sunday, three months. ... 1.75 Dally, without Sunday, one month - .60 Weekly, one year. 1.50 Puntlay, one year. ..................... . 2.50 Sunday and Weekly.. 3.50 (By Carrier.) Dally, Sunday Included, one year. 9.00 ' ; Dally, Sunday included, one month .75 . How to Remit Send postof f ice 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. Postage Kates 12 to 1 pages, 1 cent; 18 to 82 pages, 2 cents; 84 to 48 pages, S cents; B0 to 6o pages, 4 cents; 62 to 76 pages, 6 r. " cents: 78 to 82 pages, 6 cents. Foreign post- . age double rates, -' Eastern Business Office Verree A Conklin, '"" Brunswick building. New York; Verree & t Conklin. Steger building. Chicago; San Fran- - Cisco representative, JR. J. Bldwell, 742 Mar ket street. ( VOBTIASD, WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 1917. THE FETISH OF FORM. Such dissatisfaction as exists in Portland with commission form, of government doubtless arises from that (system's failure to live up to the ex travagant promises of Its promoters. It was offered as a certain means of relief from municipal extravagance and as a sure vehicle for municipal efficiency. It has been neither. It has not saved the $1,000,000 a year promised by its advocates, nor has it saved much of anything. Efficiency in city government has appeared only incidentally. Now two new charters are offered and adoption of either would wipe out the commission and bring about return to a more or less modified form of Councilmanic government. One at least of the proposed charters is of dubious origin. Politicians have hoped to derive . political profit and prestige from a presumably wide spread dissatisfaction with the com mission form. It is not the purpose herein to dis cuss the merits or demerits of the two charters that have been offered. Rather the point sought to be im pressed is that form or system is but a small factor in successful city gov ernment. The Oregonian has never been a be liever in the all-powerful influence of mere system. Therefore its disap pointment over results during the last four years is but moderate. The re lation of system to success in city gov ernment is indirect. It may encour age Inefficiency or extravagance if the men in office are inefficient and ex travagant by nature. If they are ca pable and conservative, the opportuni ties offer by the system to be other wise are likely to be of no effect. The commission charter was adopted in Portland by a small majority of the people. Apparently there was not a great and stirring demand for re form, although preceding administra tions had spent more than they should of public money and here and there there had been suspicion of graft and underground influence. At that time municipal and other governmental ex travagance was still viewed with a de gree of tolerance, but there was more or less of a revolt in progress against corruption and political Intrigue in governmental affairs. This temper of the people was il lustrated better in the first election that occurred under the new charter. The moral stamina of candidates was the all-powerful asset. Little or no inquiry, with a possible exception as to one Commissioner, was made as to a candidate's training or fitness for the position he sought. The publio elected good men morally and let it go at that. Portland has had a clean government for four years, but not an economical one. Today the situation seems to be re versed. Decency in government lags in public estimation and economy is the watchword. Failure to accomplish the promises of economy that few be lieved in or cared much about at the time they were made are now recalled to condemn the charter. It is popular to ignore the one virtue accomplished under it and criticise ifcs apparent eco nomic failure. Its opponents can per ceive no way to get economy without going back to a system that was noted neither for its economy nor its morals. He who is disposed offhand to ques tion present prevalence of indifference as to cleanliness in public affairs need only to scan the names of the promi nent citizens on the petition of one candidate for Commissioner. That candidate was and is under the parole of the Circuit Court on conviction of crime and his general character and career 'have given him a notorious dis tinction. It is said that Portland needs a Council composed of a Mayor and Commissioners instead of one com posed wholly of Mayors or one com posed wholly of Councilmen. It does. But the existing charter confers broad . authority on the man elected' as Mayor, except that the veto power is not accorded him. It was a favorite objection to the commission charter when it was before the people that it conferred autocratic powers upon the Mayor. It is now opposed by the same persons with the charge that it does not provide a real governmental head. The cause of this peculiar reversal of opinion is not in the charter but in the character -of the man elected Mayor under it. .The people chose a Mayor who preferred to be no more in city deliberations than a Commis sioner. It elected among the Cora, missioners one who without charter authority aspired to be Mayor, or at least the dominating force in the Council, but who had' not the mental fitness to make himself a real leader. Through such means there was built up, without a directing head, five lit tle, quarreling principalities in the form of city departments. Every Commissioner has insisted on going his own gait and on putting his own claims to prestige above the common weal. But the cause lies not with the, charter. - The identical thing could happen under Councilmanic govern ment. The Oregonian does not deny that the veto power should be extended to the Mayor in a way superior to that now extended to each member of the Council. Nor does it dispute the value of a change that would divorce the tax-levying authority from the tax spending authority. But it seems clear that the way to fill these omissions is not to discard the whole charter and return to a discredited implement but to amend the present charter wherein i; is defective. ' The real road to bettor government stands out a broad white' way, plainly marked with the guide posts of ex perience. The faults that have been disclosed are not primarily the faults of the charter. They have come from the weaknesses and the idiosyncrasies of the men elected to office. A change of form or system will not be remedial in the slightest particular if the public disregards business capabilities and elects men to office solely because they are members of this or that class, this or that church, or because they are all-around good fellows. The Oregonian urges its readers in Portland to cast aside the fetish of form and to exert their intelligence in the selection of officials. . Nothing herein is intended to discount the moral factor. Rather the purpose is to emphasize that it is but one ele ment to be considered in the choosing. Certain things are required in city office besides sheer piety and common honesty. They are mental capability, efficiency and training. They are not conferred on men by charter phrase ology, but may be obtained readily by intelligent selection of men for office. HIS WAY. The Republican minority in the Sen ate complains that its leaders are not consulted by President Wilson, and the Democrats are obliged to acknowl edge that, in great questions of emer gency legislation, they are equally in the dark until the President tells them what he wants. Something is to be said for the President in his policy of solving all great problems for himself, and com mitting the results in solitude to his trusty typewriter. He has tried the scheme of discussii.g state secrets with certain eminent Democratic Sen ators, and they have promptly found their way to the newspapers. Nor is it forgotten that the chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee not only openly opposed the Presidential proposals in the final diplomatic crisis with Germany, and thereafter, but that, in a moment of rare exuberation, he disclosed a certain naval secret, thus creating vast consternation in Administration circles. A further re sult of the Senator's astounding can dor was a definite acceleration of the prohibition movement in Congress. The Senate condoned the serious of fenses of Senator Stone by continuing him at the head of the foreign rela tions committee. We do not wonder that the confidence of the White House has been withdrawn. Let us recall, too, that the Presi dent, with much consideration for Congressional sensitiveness, docs not merely send for a Representative or Senator to tell him what he wants. He goes in person and delivers his message. When we look over the roster of the official Presidential advisers we do not now refer to Congress we are bound to add the observation that the country is the gainer by the Presi dent's steady refusal to consult them, or some of them. We have Colonel House always at hand, or rather, at elbow. A GREAT SERBIAN SCIENTIST. Announcement that Professor Mich ael I. Pupin has given to the United States Government an invention of such importance that it is being close ly guarded as an official war secret will arouse exceptional interest. Pro fessor Pupin, now a professor in Co lumbia University, was born a Serbian, and it is fitting that a representative of that nationality should make an important contribution to the success of the war which has for part of its purpose the- liberation of his people. He is the greatest scientist his nation ever has produced. He shares with Marconi the credit tor making the wireless workable, and with Bell the honor of making long-distance tele phone communication what it is today. The wireless telephone is also the re sult of his researches and experiments. Speculation will be rife as to whether it is not Pupin who has given so much encouragement to the Coun cil of National Defense in his efforts to devise a method for combating the submarine menace. Unless officially informed to the contrary, a good many of those .who know him will strongly believe that this is probably the im portant Invention which the Govern ment is protecting with such Jealous care. So many marvels of yesterday become the accepted facts of today and tomorrow that it is not much wonder that we are almost as credu lous as. the people of the Middle Ages. Another scientist already has suc ceeded in demonstrating on a theoreti cal basis that an electric wave can be projected without wires and made to destroy a magazine filled with explo sives. The distance was too short to make the device of practical use. The question now suggested is whether Pupin may not have supplied the nec essary "finishing touch," as he did in the case of the long-distance tele phone, to make the scheme entirely feasible on a large scale. Professor Pupin's , career illustrates the boundless opportunities that every man has to rise in America. When ho landed at Castle Garden he was as poor as any immigrant who ever came to this country from Southern Europe. He began work as a laborer, driving mules. He was so little versed in our ways that when one of his early em ployers, a pious Baptist, took him to church he suspected a plot of some vague kind and ran away, hiding in the woods to escape he did not know what. He was as guileless a boy as ever sought advancement in the great land of opportunity. Now he is easily the greatest Serbian the scientific world has ever known. If there is a striking lesson in Pu pin's life it is that success which he has achieved in the highest possible sense is won not only through oppor tunity bu by hard work. He has been a tireless student and has never been moved by desire to live a life of ease. It is said that he is now as in dustrious as Edison, although his in ventions have placed him beyond the neeil of working for money. It was quite to be expected of him that he should make a gift of a great inven tion to his adopted Government, and it can be .taken for granted that hi latest contribution, whatever it is, will play an important part in the result. It is so necessary for us to conserve all our industrial materials that recent investigations into the proper 'method of nailing boxes in which canned goods are racked attain unusual im portance. It has been found that the strength of the box depends more upon the manner in which it is nailed than upon the thickness of the wood, and that by developing a proper nail ing system many millions of feet of lumber will be saved for other pur poses. The holding power o' a nail is in proportion' to the arc: .f the surface in contact with the wood, pro vided the wood docs not split. This points to use of exceedingly long, slim nails, rather than nails of large diam eter, and to greater care in driving them, because over-driving tends to destroy the fiber of the wood and con sequently the retentive 'power of the nail. Investigations along this line made recently as a small part of the plan to conserve every resource show how important little economies be come when multiplied by the require ments of a great industry. PROPHECY. Only a few years ago, as time runs these days, Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote these lines on the feelings of a man who hd just experienced the sensation of riding in a rowing shell: Kers you' are, then, afloat with a body a rod and a half long, with arms, or wings, as you choose to call them, stretching more than twenty feet from tip to tip; every voli tion of yours extending as perfectly into them as if your spinal cord ran down the center strip of your boat, and the nerves of your arms tingling as far as the blades of your oars. This, in sober earnest, is the nearest approach to flying that man has ever made or perhaps ever will make. Now we read every day, and it does not even thrill us any more, about great flocks of planes in the air along the battle front, or a Lieutenant who has just "brought down" his thirtieth "enemy machine," or of the bombardment of a munitions factory across some border, or a raid on Eng land by monster Zeppelins, which combine the principle of the airplane with the lighter-than-air balloon. Our allies want us to manufacture for them 5000 flying machines. Domina tion of the air is now regarded as essential to victory in a great war.. Aerial navigation is an accepted prin ciple. Yet the Autocrat of the Breakfast Table had an open mind. Sixty years ago Trowbridge had not ridiculed fly ing in his "Darius Green," and Pro fessor Langley's experiments were not even dreamed of. But Dr. Holmes protected his reputation as a prophet with the saving word, "perhaps." WATER LINES TO BE TRIED. Central control of railroads for war purposes will give the American' peo ple a demonstration of possible econ omies and improvements in manage ment. Already Chairman Willard, of the National Defense Committee on Transportation, has in view reduction of duplicate passenger train service on rival roads by which 4000 locomotives may be released for ihe use of the al lies. He also has in view a somewhat similar reduction of freight train serv ice and an economy f cars .by which time will be saved in loading and un loading, train movement will be swift er and cars will be loaded closer to capacity. These measures are ex pected not only to do away with the shortage of cars but to leave a sur plus for sale to the allies. But a measure of equal importance, and in its bearing on future transpor tation of greater importance, is fore told by this statement of Mr. Willard: We are also working on plans for the utilization of the inland waterways to help relieve the railroads of freight congestion. We believe the Mississippi River can be more extensively utilized In hauling coal and flour up and down the Mississippi Valley. These plans will give a practical demonstration of that co-ordination of rail and water transportation which has been much discussed and which was recommended by the late James J. Hill, but with which practically no progress has been made.' A sort of Inertia seems to have prevailed in putting this plan into effect, and to have prevented anybody from making a start. The emergencies of war promise to make us shake it off. By adopting' modern methods of barge transportation the Government may not only succeed in moving the great volume of war traffic which the railroads alone are physically incapa ble of carrying, but it may prove that which railroad men have persistently denied that transportation by water is cheaper than by land when efficient methods are adopted, notwithstanding the great reductions which have been made in the cost of rail transporta tion. When the railroads have proved this and have also become convinced of their inability to carry all the traf fic without investment of impossible sums of money, they may be willing to accept water lines as teammates instead of fighting them as rivals. RET AI.E SHIPYARDS TO WORK. The .request of the , United States Shipping Board for nn' appropriation of $1,000,000,000 to be expended in building 5,000.000 or 6,000,000 tons of ships 'implies that the board has at last decided on its. programme for making good the ravages of subma rines. Yet two contradictory dis patches from Washington, sent on the same day, indicate that the board and General Goethals are at loggerheads. The board announces that "the wood en programme will be carried out as originally planned." Mr. Brent has said that that programme involved building 1000 .wooden ships of 3000 to 3600 tons, but General Goethals is quoted by the correspondent of The Oregonian as saying that "probably not more than 100 wooden ships will be contracted for, as it has been deter mined to place chief reliance on steel ships." This contradiction points to a sad muddle of the entire shipbuilding pro gramme, due to a multitude of con flicting counselors. The board started with a plan to build 1000 wooden ships, and after a tour of investigation on the Pacific Coast Mr. Brent said that this section had abundant mate rial and plants to carry out two-thirds of this programme. But Southern lumbermen seem to have imagined that a juicy piece of pie was getting away from them and to have protested that timbers of the size required could not be obtained tn the Pacific states, while steel manufacturers put forward the superior qualities of steel ships. Then General Goethals, as a man who can do big things, was selected by President Wilson to organize the Fed eral Shipping Corporation and to carry out the programme in its name, in or der to enjoy freedom from the red tape and restrictions which surround work done directly for the Govern ment. The General is a genius at building canals, and harbor improvements, but is not a shipbuilder. He has no first hand knowledge of the resources of the Pacific Coast in that respect, but he knows what big Eastern contract ing firms can do, and is inclined to heed the opinions which they express and to turn, the job over to them. Having no big timber on the Atlantic Coast, some of these firms pooh-pooh the Pacific Coast's facilities and pin their faith to steel, while others are inclined to take all prospective Pacific Coast work into their own hands. While General Goethals and the Shipping Board confer and deliberate, many ships are sunk daily, and the need of more ships becomes hourly more urgent. The time-consuming methods pursued may be compared to Nero fiddling while Rome burned. As Premier Lloyd George said, what the allies need is ships, then more ships, and then still more ships. The allies and the world's commerce can use all the ships that can be built at all the yards, existing and projected, on all the coasts of the United States as long as the war lasts, and for some time afterward. It matters not whether they are of steel or wood, so long as they will float and travel, carry cargo and mount gunsi to shoot submarines. When such is the first requisite of winning the war. it is arrant folly to waste' time in discussing the relative merits of steel and wood, of Pacific Coast lumber and Southern lumber. When there' is work enough for all, there is no room for competition. The Pacific Coast has shown its timber, its sawmills, its shipyards and its ships to Mr. Brent. That should be enough for the most exacting Mlssourian. and his statements of fact should be taken as conclusive by his colleagues. The Columbia River alone' has ways for thirty-six ships to be built simultane ously, and has money, sites and men ready to treble that number whenever the Shipping Board will present plans and name prices and terms. There is no cause for hesitation lest we may not be able to do the work, much less for employing big Eastern firms as main contractors for work which the Pacific Coast is amply able and willing to undertake without the intervention of middlemen. Pacific Coast shipbuilders have a right to ask for prompt action. At the request of the Government they have held off from accepting new private contracts, and have kept part of their plants idle in order to be ready for Government work. Owing to the Gov ernment's delay, they have deferred additions to their plant and the con struction of new plants. The an nouncement from Washington of the terms of the new shipping bill indi cates that the entire capacity of the country is to be employed in carrying out the Government programme, and that all supplies of material are to be commandeered to that end. If any shipyard on this Coast should be? left unemployed by the Shipping Board, it should be set free to accept private contracts and should be permitted to obtain the necessary material and la bor. Every new ship, whether built for the United States Government or for a citizen or corporation of an allied or friendly nation, will aid the com mon purpose of defeating the submarine." Spain is going ahead with the estab lishment of new industries, notwith standing the fact that it is suffering in a business way because of the war, and Great Britain is not letting public improvements in the Bermudas lag on account of the pressure of other affairs. Expenditures for roads In Bermuda in 1916 were fully up to the average of the five years preceding, and those for harbor improvements were greater than in any previous year. The Spanish government has received authorization to negotiate a loan of $27,000,000 for the purpose of subsidizing enterprises producing goods formerly not produced in Spain. All branches of business are repre sented on a National commission which will examine applications for state aid and decide which are the worthy ones. Manufacturers who are able to produce goods without finan cial assistance will receive help in putting their goods in foreign markets. American Socialism Is a German importation. When it opposes war by the United States against Germany and when German Socialists stand by the autocracy in this war, American Socialism is at least open to suspicion. Do they oppose the war through love of peace or through fear for Germany? The Administration does not pro pose to take the reported revolt in Cuba too seriously. If the Cuban gov ernment wants to be of real service tn the emergency it will proceed to re lieve us of the necessity of interven ing. . You cannot keep a pig in the back yard (more's the pity), but the boy of the family can care for a couple of hares. "Vegetable trimmings and the like will provide most of the feed necessary. There is no limit to the ingenuity of the opium smuggler. A hundred thousand . dollars' worth has been smuggled from Mexico in lemons, which have been seized in New York. Marshal Joffre may not be an or ator in the ordinary acceptation of the word, but his career is the most elo quent oration that w"as ever delivered. The Colonel realizes also that -bis 6plendid constitution would be able to resist the effects of any poison Sec retary Tumulty could concoct. When young women become con ductors, the sight of -one hanging out a rear window, juggling a trolley rope, will be hilarious. It is hard to believe a man is not more fool than criminal when ar rested with maps and other war data in Kis possession. Irrigation for the purpose of raising more cattle is a stock-watering prop osition of which everybody will approve. The war has inspired the New York World to coin a word. It is byg back-yard gardener. Are you a. byg? Germany wants a substitute hymn for "Hall to the Victor," perhaps with a view to historical accuracy. What a regiment could be made of all the young men who attend the boxing matches! The Chinese speeder who does not know he is breaking a law learns in one brief lesson. The old counsel .should be revised to read: "Plant a. garden' while the sun shines." If prices continue to soar, the food hoarding question will take care of Itself. The man who cannot get into some thing patriotic is a lonesome creature. The woman behind the hoe is the country's salvation not the man. Seattle objects to saving daylight. After dark fits her better.' Where are the popular war song and the marching tune? Recruiting slows down, awaiting conscription. The" Beavers won," of course. How to Keep Well. By Dr. W. A. Evass. Questions pertinent to nvzrlene. sanitation and prevention of disease. If matters of gen eral interest, win be answered in tins 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 Dreccrlbe for Individual diseases. Re quests for such services cannot be answered. 'tJopTlght, oy Dr. W. A. .vans. Put.ilFhed by arrangement with tho Chicago Tribune.) BENEFITS OF A BABY WEEK. A YEAR ago tho New York milk com mittee published a list of cities with low baby death rates. La Crosse, Wis., led the list. In the Baby week cam paign bulletin .of the extension division of the University of Wisconsin the claim is made that Marinette, Neenah, Baraboo, Sturgeon Bay, South Milwau kee. Beaver Dam, Madison, Kenosha, Appleton, Racine and Antlgo have baby death rates that are as low, or prac tically as tow, as that of La Crosse. The state of Wisconsin has reason to be proud of the way it takes care of its babies. Of course, there are many peo ple of Scandinavian stock in that state, and the babies of that stock seem to have an unusually good hold on life. But that is not tho only reason for the good showing. For one thing, they do exceptionally good campaigning for ba bies. The people of other states could learn from a study of what is done In Baby week there." In the first place, they like the baby show idea. They know that it reaches people in a way that gets across. The score card they use is that gotten up by the American Medical As sociation. The women who bring their babies to the baby show learn a lot. In the first place, the baby gets free medical exam ination made by a group of specialists, each expert in his or her lino. Each gets a chance to compare her way of caring for a baby with that of other mothers. She has a chance to talk ba bies with other mothers with an expert on hand as referee. The walls of the showroom are always hurfg with charts giving information about baby care. Another line of work for Baby week advocated in this bulletin is the making of survey of local commuultles. Baby week Is a good time for the people in a community to learn about the milk sup ply. On group of workers' In a survey takes samples of milk and has them analyzed for fat or richness, for bac teria, dirt and temperature. Another group visits farms where milk la pro duced; another, dairies, where it is pas teurized, bottled and sold. Another line of activity is to locate all babies and see that each receives one or more friendly visits. In addi tion to these, they advocate the usual speeches, lectures, lantern slide shows and moving-picture demonstrations. They do not limit their baby saving campaigns to large cities. They run campaigns in small cities, towns, vil lages and rural communities as welL Even a crossroads town can have a baby afternoon. Do you know the baby death rate of your community? If not, then find out. To do jo may save you trouble and money. Making: Men. By Maria Thompson aTlesa, of the Vigilantes. Taking; "I'lxx. Mrs. R. B. K. writes: "We have a habit in our family of taking what we call 'fizz for sour stomach. It is made by. mixing a little vinegar, sugar and water, then stirring in half a teaspoon ful of soda to make, it foam.. Is this harmful? "2. What causes warts, and what can I do to cure them? "3. I also have about a dozen little, bard, white lumps forming under the skin around my eye. Is there anything I can do for this?" REPLY. 1. People who take fizz and other soda compounds for Indigestion get ths Indiges tion habit as a companion for the soda habit. The indigestion habit begets ths soda habit, tho soda habit begets the Indi gestion habit, and so on ad Infinitum. 2. Among tho causes of warts is uncleanll ness. Sometimes they seem to come with out cause. Tho simplest method Is burning off with a hot needle. S. These small yellowish masses are of no significance. No ona knows why they come. They do no harm. There la nothing yon can do except have them cared for by a skin specialist. Rarely do they disfigure enough to make that desirable. I'mblllcal II era la. Puzzled writes:. "I was rejected by an examining doctor for a railroad com pany as suffering from umbilical her nia. Please advise through your col umns what causes that. Is it serious, and should I have It attended to? I never miss reading your articles. They are very instructive." REPLY. Yon have a hernia at Tour navel. It may have been there since you were a child. Umbilical hernia results from imperfect clos ing of the navel. Generally It Is not a se rious condition. In babies It can be cured by adhesive strips. In adults operation Is required for cure. LET WET LAND BE CULTIVATED Importance of l ae of Drala Tile la Not Sufficiently Emphasised. PORTLAND. May 8. (To the Ed itor.) At this time of great stress, when every nerve and thought of the Nation Is strained to solve the food problem. I have seen no suggestion to the farmers to lay drain tile under their wet fields. We. are urged to plant roadsides and fence corners and city lots, but we are overlooking a mighty good bet In not laying more stress on the tremendous dollars-and-cents value of proper drainaprn as a sure means to larger and bettor crops. Not alone could thousands of acres of Idle land be brought under the plow, but hundreds of farms on which there Is somo wet land could be worked much more expeditiously and cheaply were the wet places removed through drain age. All farmers know what a pest It is in plowing or cultivating or mowing to have some obstacle to steer around. Also thes uncultivated spots dispense weed seeds very disastrously. Our State Agricultural College has long realized the importance of tiling and has done splendid work tn its endeavors to edu cate the Willamette Valley farmers, to whom this subject should be espe cially pertinent and I think important enough to be given much serious pub licity. EX-FARMER. C ity men Poor Farm Hands. LA GP.ANDE, May 7. (To the Ed itor.) I learn from The Oregonian that the authorities are talking of polling the city men such as lawyers, doctors and college men; and other swivel chair artists of the city, to help the farmers out lii harvest time. As far as I am concerned and I farm quite extensively, and employ 20 to 25, it is this. If we have to depend on that kind of help we are surely up against the real thing. I don't believe one In 50 would as much as earn his 'board, even in normal times, let alone the way living Is now. If you want to help us ou, give us the Japs and Chinamen somebody that we can depend on to work for us, not somebody we will have to wait on. EASTERN OREGON FARMER. .'. There is a deep and biological reason why brass buttons so strongly appeal to the imaginations of women; a military training' stands in their minds as in dicative of the physical strength and executive force which they must de pend upon for tho protection and rear ing of the race which they must pro duce. Give a man in his youth six months of good, hard military training in open camps under the sun and stars, with the winds and the rains sea son! nn him, and he is then ready to meet life with the vigor that is required of him. which women require of him. If women are to have the same sort of seasoning for their place in life, in about two generations the weaklings will have disappeared and then In truth an army of 20,000.000 will spring to mobilization In a night: also when that Is the condi tion of preparedness no army will ever have to be mobilized for war. I am for turning every American boy and girl out Into the open for weeks at a time every year of their lives and making them march until they drop and then get up and march again; to let them burn so red that the tan will only wear oft Just before they go Into camp to be burned again; to till them so full of good, coarse food that their bones and muscles will be like steel and their blood show deep red when it Is shed in many a rough and tumble game of maneuver. I was born under the shadow of tho old Kentucky Military Institute and I know how well a military train ing equips men mentally, morally and physically, and I declare for. plead for universal military training and service. In Other Days. Twenty-five Years Ago. From The Oregonian of May. , 1S92. Washington. Tho American fleet as signed to the duty of patrolling Behrlnir Sea. now at Tort Townsend, will start north in a few days. jOn Thursday morning nest The Ore gonian will publish a largo amount of special matter relating to tho cen tennial at Astoria. The Alblna people are thoroughly aroused on the free bridge question. It is & subject that is talked about in business houses and on the streets. When one friend meets another, the first word tpokca is about the free bridge. James J. Corbett. the handsome young t'aloforntan, who is to meet John L. Sullivan at New Orleans September 7 for tho heavyweight championship of tho world and the largest sum of money ever contended for in tho prize ring, will give an exhibition at tho Park Theater tomorrow evening. The robberies committed around Mount Tabor last week is evidence that there is a gang of thieves at work. FOR ' HEFERESDl'M OS FESTIVAL Woman Woald Have People Vote on Having Event This Year. PORTLAND. May 8. (To the Editor.) Why not request the Rose Festival committee to give tho people of Port land an opportunity to vote on the question of the Rose Festival for this year?. Two books, plainly marked 'for" and against," could be put in half a dozen conspicuous places in town, lob bies of stores and banks, and in the public libraries, for Instance, and peo ple given a week in which to vote by registering their names and addresses in whichever book they chose. Mr. Larlmore raises the question of what to do with the money already subscribed and with tho debts already Incurred if the Festival Is not held. If the vote is negative, pay the debts from the money already subscribed and re turn the balance to the subscribers pro rata, or. better still, use" it. under the direction of Professor Kerr or some competent man. in the great food drive. Plant every vacant lot in the city of Portland, not already assigned to some one for planting, to legumes, root or forage crops, crops which will not In terfere with any established industry, such as truck gardening. We have the Festival not for our own pleasure, but for the attraction It offers outsiders and the advertising it gives us. Leave our parks and play grounds so the people may have recrea tion other than in the streets, but wouldn't It be the greatest advertisement we could have, and wouldn't it im press the outsiders an an indication of our thrift and general good common sense and level-headedness (very at tractive points to the prospective new business man), if It could be said we had not one foot of ground, otherwise unoccupied, which was not bearing a useful crop? Let us try to make our yards and parks' more beautiful than ever, by giving them the very best of care, and let our visitors marvel at the beauty of our city In Its everyday dress, with Its flags floating from every building, and at our drives and scenery, and at our willingness to face the conditions cheerfully, and with our labor, but let us not spend thousands of dollars for which there is no return. It would go far toward ridding the city for. the future of the weeds which our visitors see on the vacant lots. Just as they see the roses. AN ANTI-FESTTVAL WOMAN. HOLIDAY FOR WAR REGISTRATION Bands Ought to Be Out When Men Re port for Military Selection. PENDLETON, Or.. May 7. (To the Editor.) Is it not meet that the day upon which the Chief Executive of the Nation proclaims that registration un der the selective draft shall open be declared a. holiday? Is It not fitting that upon that occasion every house of business shall close, that the people, and all of them, may assemble at the places designated to cheer the young men who are thus honorably called to colors? Ought not the bands to be everywhere In evidence that martial munlo and patriotic song may fill the air? This Is not conscription in the ac cepted sense of that term. It Is legal recognition of the fact that in a re public every citizen must perform his duty, and that in registering each man is voluntarily assuming, under the. laws of his country, one of the prerogatives of citizenship, high, honorable and sacrificial. The men who are within military age ought to be ushered to duty amid the acclaim of their fellows. They seek no easy places, no honors. What their duty may be the regularly constituted authorities, upon due con sideration, will determine. It may be upon the farms, or in the factories, or upon the waters or at the front. Wherever it may be. all are equally soldiers of the republic, bearing the burden for the common weal. Surely the citizenry of the state ought to greet the advanced military legislation of the Nation with cheers and with thanksgiving for the crea tion of a true army of democracy. Let the President and the Governors of the several states proclaim a holi day. To the colors all. STEPHEN A. LOWELL. RESULT IS SAME IX ALL CASUS. Mathematical Catch Snld to Prove War's End in 1017. ST. JOHNS. Or.. May 8. (To tho Editor.) I have Just received nn Knjr lish newspaper containing a numerical catch which will probably be interest ing to your many readers. An ingenious wit has figured It out that the war will end during the pres ent year, lie is proving it to the sat isfaction of all .doubting Thomases. He first asks the person's year of birth, then year of marriage, number of years married and present age. Add ing. thus series together and dividing the total by two ho gets tho figures 1917. Example: Tear of birth 1870 Year of marriage I'.mo Number of years married 17 Present age :,. 41 Total l.tsr.4 Divided by two : JU1T As 1917 is the answer In all cases where, the series is honest, all doubt ers are converted to the hope that the answer will be true also. Wiil you, or any mathematician kindlv explain this? JAMES G. CL.AUKSON. There is no mathematical mystery In the formula. "Present age added to yeans of birth totals 1917 in every person's case.. Date of marriage and number of years wed a '.ways totals 1917. In effact you have added 1917 to 1917 and divided, by two. Next year the same process will give-a result of 1818... Lest year the result would have beenIlls. Half a Century Ago. From The Oregonian of May 9. 1S67. London. Tho Prussian press com plains that Franco is continuing mili tary preparations. Italy and Belgium. In addition to tho powers already an nounced, will ho represented at the peace conference. Chicago. Little change is reported in the eight-hour revolution. Many men are resuming work, but the strik ers still hold meetings and assert their determination to hold out to tho last. New York. The Tribune says there Is conclusive evidence that no offer to release Jeff Davis has been made. Grasshoppers are appearing In parts of Kansas and threaten mischief. New York. Sir Roderick Murchlson has letters from Zanzibar two months later than the alleged murder of Liv ingstone, but saying nothing of tho massacre. Murchlson Insists that an expedition be sent to solve the mystery. Two attempts were made yesterday morrdnp. to fire buildings in" this city, both of which, fortunately, failed. These incidents Indicate the presence of scoundrels for whom our police and private watchmen should keep a vigi lant look out. . - The Flag of Liberty By James Barton Adams. Born amid storm of war, flag of the free. And christened with tho blood of pa triotic sires. You've waved triumphantly o'er land and sea. Your stars undimmed by scorching battle fires. Foemen from foreign shores have vain ly striven To lower you to earth, and, sad to say. Brothers of ours, to desperation driven By tongues of trait'rous teachers, cast away Their loyalty and raised rebellious eyes To where you floated in the clouded skies. For years your brilliant tints have caught the glow Of Freedom's sun, upon your staff there perched The white-winged dove of peace, pure as the snow. Its plumage by no stain of strife be smirched. The sore oppressed from alien lands upraised Their eves to you aglow with hope's pla.l light. And when beneath your sheltering folds they praised The Ood above that from the gloomy night Of dire oppression they had made their way Into the cheery light of Freedom's day. Blood-stained, shot-shattered, borne by valorous sons. You have emerged from every 6torru of war. From every deafening roar of hostile guns. Without tho fading of a single star. You've waved as inspiration o'er tho braves Who battled for your life on many a field. Have shadowed colonies of new-mado craves Of heroes who for your dear sake had sealed Their true devotion with their life's red blood On open field and in shot-niangled wood. Again the peace is broken. War crazed lord. Who tramples underfoot ail human laws. In your fair face has flashed bisblood red sword. And fain would rend you as with demon's claws. Again America's bravo patriot sons Are rallying 'round you eager to de fend Your honor In the face of hostile guns. And when armed rule lies crushed and war shall end. They'll benr you back in triumph from the war. As did their forbears in the days of yore. Two Noted Phrases. ILWACO. Wash., May 7. (To tbe Ed itor .) While wo all owe our country all possible aid in its war, the. words of our public men are matters of his tory. Would you please inform the writer Just when President Wilson used tbe expression. "A man can bo too proud to fight," and also the ex pression, "Peace without victory." Did or did not President Wilson make use of these expressions? We have a dispute about it here. ' STUDENT. In a speech at Philadelphia Msy 10, 1915. President Wilson said in tho course of its delivery: "There is fui'h a thing as a nation being too prouj to fiKht." This was taken to have a special reference to the situation re sulting from destruction of the Lusi tanla, but the President disavowed any such application. On January 22, 1917, In his so-called, "peace speech" to Congress, wherein the President suggested participation of the United States in a concert of powers to insure peace, he discussed tho implications of announcements by statesmen of both groups of countries arrayed against one another that it was no part of their purpose to crush their antagonists. "! hey imply, first of all." said the President, "that it must be a peace without victory." t'ournce of Ilia Opinions. London Tit-Rits. "George." she said in a low voice, "would you make a great sacrifice for my happiness?" "Certainly,'- ho replied. "Would you Rive up smoking for my sake?" "Give up' smoking fnr sake?" ho replied. Then, after a silence, lie exclaimed, hojirsely: "i can refuse you -nothing. Hereafter when I smoke it will be for my own eaka." t l" I t" t 4 s I r T C r v i r r r c 5 r