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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1918)
10 TIIE HORNING OKEG0NIAS, TUESDAY, JAXUART 1, 1018. m (Dv K)Tm D. OBEGOX. lateral l FerUaad frrfoa Paetorfice aa mcmi4-(.im metl matter. It: rates larta:y la advance: Br M... !!'. Slater t' u!al. year f v. f iniif ti.ul-1. as mat 4 2i I'e. 7. S'-ialer ! ulej. tare mn:;;a. . 1 - t'e . tn Itr ln.uie4. eae niAU.M.. .71 t'e. . w:-Pio.t )jn.!iv. ene Tear.. ...... 0 Z' r. w.'&out ratiar. not -' ' r. ,'fti4t Si'vlae. mr anentaa.,. 1 S ! r. wtcaout Sua4.tr. see Bnaa:a..... -' ece yer ..................... 1 aia:y. ana yer 3 tuiXu ea4 wee T e.Jd rir "rr.r.) r.'. nnar lac eae rear ......t J t T. fmiar In!le4. eae mat!& t-e v. w.'S.at funU;, eae rear T t. wrvut S.n-ler. three montx 1 J V r. v.tAoat Saa4ar. eae saoeen..... .Si Hwar to attain poet' ? f'.ea moaey er aer. ep-ee ertfer r i.rMal cee aa roar 1a a l unk. Iuum c. or cumncy ere at j ownera ri e poetorri.e aUdraoa la I.!. Ia):-i4.af coaa.tr ea4 state. Nolact Rale 13 to ! Ml 1 coat: It l ?. i one. la e pe-e. 1 cease: t to ;ut. I cene. S3 to ' pesee, 4 ee:a. T t J pea. casta. ere.sa a-a. do(i6;t ra taetera Bwaiaeee Office Ve free Ceeik II a. B'oniwin la..il:a. Naar York. Verre a :. eeser aiti.c-ne. CM-ee; Sb a-rartvect repreaeateue. sU J. fe4we.i. 12 Ma-Bet etreet. MFVSER or TBI ASSOCIATED TtLI. Te Aa-:ate4 Press ta ese!usHrs:y an tft 4 to tta boo for repob.icatioa of ail cVspstrbea credited to It or sot other w.a croi:ta4 tft th:a tpr. ad aao ttio aacal paaliah4 harata. A.I r::a ot r.puK icaiioa of spoctaJ 4l yatraao aarata ara a.ao rmm rrtd. Xw chacnels of trade must b oprnd. Ship line rnu't ba e ta t l!hol that will plac Oreron Jn direct connection with the business of for. elm porta. There are Invisible but powerful ancle working to that end today, i'lane are under wit to "put the port In I'ortland. One of the most im portant factors is the present condi tion of the entrance to the Columbia r.lver. Today the minimum depth of the channel at the entrance of the river Is nearly 41 feet for a width of more than 1009 feet. The' channel depth of the river between I'ortland and the sea Is more than 10 feet Thee facta are of treat Importance to Portland, for ther mean that the biicg-est ocean carriers can have easy I a practical matter. It Is extremely dlS cult for a man to maintain authority over another with whom he associates In familiar social Intercourse; hence the bar to fraternization. The distinc tion between officers and enlisted men has nothing; to do with their social status; it concerns only their military status. It reminds them that every minute of the time during- which they are In the Army they must never for ret that they are- soldiers. That thought must ever be uppermost, and Its kernel is discipline, failure In which may cost the lives of their comrades, even victory for the Army. and. with that, the safety of their country. the Civil Ward period many Southern citizens opposed to secession found themselves offered a choice between treason against the state and treason agulnst the United States. Leg-al authorities recognize the ex istence of concurrent power of states and Federal Government to .define certain crimes and prescribe penalties. The following- rule is laid down in the American and English Encyclopedia of Law: Inrress to and easy earess from this . Readiness with which courses port. We must capitalize these facts. I Instruction In astronomy in sev, American colleges nave pn rORTLAMD. TfESDAT, JAXCART u isu. "ORE GO TOUT." Oregon Is now well organized en a war basis. After entry of the United States Into the conflict Oregon people were quick to realize) what might be expected of them la meeting the exi gencies of the hour. Army. Navy, country these occupied first place in the hearts of the people. From peace ful pursuits, followed uninterruptedly for nearly a score of years, there burst forth a fervcr of patriotism that re sounded from corner to corner of the state. A new loyalty was born; the "Oregon First" spirit pervaded the commonwealth. Oregon dutifully set out to marshal Its great resource for the Govern ment. Of men. It supplies, of funds It gave freely. Kvery appeal for wa seeds was met whole-heartedly. Tb Importance of greater food production and of food conservation at once was fully realized. Elimination of waste ful habits of living and of wasteful methods of production became a fixed purpose. The spirit shown by manu facturers. farmers. stockmen an commercial Interests was commend able. In numerous cases offers were made to the Government of such of their production as might be needed. In a broad sense, this war pro- frramme entailed few sacrifices, but It did bring about economic effects o far-reaching proportions. It stltnu lated established Industries: it created new Industries of vast Importance. Guided by a genuine sense of patri etiscn In doing their full part for the Government, the peeople of Oregon are the unwitting beneficiaries of the war. The people, as a whole, are en Joying much more prosperous times today than a year ago because of the greatly increased volume of war busl nee. One thought remains uppermost In the minds of the people: Greater than matrrt.il benefits from the wa an appalling offset are the lives of the brave men who are at the front that National honor may be preserved and National safety assured. There. fore. It Is not for us to dismiss lightly the ruthless aspects of the war. to Ignore the consequences of human suffering. In epitomizing the substan tlal progress In Oregon during the ) ear Just brought to a close. The outstanding activity of Ore gon's Industrial record of the year was shipbuilding. Almost like magic this Industry developed to great pro portions. Today there are twenty- one shipyards In Oregon actively en gaged in speeding up tonnage pro duction for the Government. Add! tional yards are being established: the capacity of some of the largest golr.g plants is undergoing enlargement. In cluding recent contracts the pro gramme represents a total of 110-odd wooden and steel vessels, aggregating In value approximately $ 150.000.00d. Virtually 80 per cent of this Immense volume of business was launched In the past year. Today the Industry provides employment for more than 24.000 men. Gratifying as the record is. re sourceful Oregon Is prepared to achieve still greater things In 191 It stands ready to deliver to the United States Shipping Board S:5.0U0 tons of wooden ships and 400.000 tons of steel ships In the next twelvemonth. In wooden ships the output may ex ceed the estimate, for, despite Re.ir Admiral Bowles recent testimony be fore the Senate commerce committee that the wooden shipbuilding pro gramme was an almoet complete failure, the Oregon yards have been keeping op the production expected of them. It has remained, too. foi Oregon to supply ship timbers to the Southern yards, which, because of the lack of special timbers la their own localities, have been unable to fill contracts within prescribed time This is another specific Instance In which the "Oregon First" spirit ha Been efficacious. W must let the maritime world know that Oregon Is preparing for every shipping need, not only In port facilities, but In cargoes. Ehall the "Oregon First" spirit seise the oppor tunity ? As In every other Important en deavor. farming In Oregon has ha a profitable year. Notwithstanding unfavorable growing conditions and the consequent shortage of most of the major crops, the value of farm production in HIT showed a big gain over 1)K. The total value of soil products for the year was In excess of $180.000.000 a gain of 115,000, 000 over the previous year. Pue to war demands, prices for vir tually all products were unusually high, the shortage In crops being off set by returns realized. Ideal bar vesting weather was of great ad van tage and all crops were gathered at a minimum loss, .despite the general shortage of labor. Substantial gains in the value of production of the live stock, fishing and mining Industries also were reached In the year, Withal a foundation has been laid upon which has been built not only present prosperity, but a structure of wealth and development that neither continuance of war nor ad vent of peace Is likely to wreck or depreciate. rABTIS.OtT OS r AT RIOT f IB Its effort to make political capital otu of tho raro&t a.ac:oeuroo of ahertasa of equipment of tho Arm jr. Tho Ortronian either has forrottea or deJberate! chooeea to ignore tho ap;orbie conditions that ex laled at tho time of tho 8 panlao-American war. Tho Repuoucao party was la control then. ha4 boea for several years, and waa lor aeveral rears thereafter, rot what or fort waa made br Con trees to profit by the ieaaon ttiat waa learned, or should bava bee learned by til at eiporienca ? ai;aa Item 14 r ( Data-). Well. no. The Oregon Ian has not forgotten anything worth remember. Ing as to the Spanish-American war, nor Its antecedent or subsequent con ditions. The Oregonlan. It would ap pear, did not fail In Its duty then, for it made public the scandalous facts about various features of our unpre- paredness and Inefficiency. For ex ample. It printed an article on August 5. 18JS. about the deplorable plight of our troops before Santiago, saying among other things: The harflahlpa (In Cuba) ara without ex- cue-, for they point to utterly Inefficient quartermaeter and commleeary aervice; to atieriy Inadequate medical and hoapltaj aerrtro; a)4 to criminal nef.eft of or dinary sanitary precaunona oa part of the me.llcal officers; precaunona that would ro aav4 the Army from any aenoua eickneoa. for tho bea.ta of the Army waa excel. ent UBIll It waa permitted to a.eep lnl.f tea houeen and aaaoclata with a aat crowd of filthy and diaeaaed refugee a. Again another vigorous and plain- spoken protest was made on August . ltii. in the foahlon of the follow- ng paragraph: COMING DOITX TO EARTH. o era con verted to the study of navigation and piloting furnishes another Illus tration of our adaptability in th National emergency. For the period of the war, astronomical maps are not likely to be enriched with addition of newly found nebulae, but the cum ber of young men who can estlmat accurately the distance between th muzzle of a six-inch gun and the peri scope of a threatening submarine will be greatly Increased. Professor Harold Jacoby, Ruther ford professor of astronomy at Colum bis, was quoted recently as saving that the change had been made with out loss of student Interest or of cul tural value. No attempt is made to minimize the importance of explora tions of the skies, but these can wait while telescopes are being trained on the horizon. Emphasis will be laid for the present upon the practical knowledge that enables a man to con duct a ship through seas Infested with submarines. Recognition Is given at the same time to the pressing need for com petent navigators growing out of ex pansion of our merchant marine. It is not a secret that the Government has been deeply concerned over the problem of supplying officers for the thousands of new vessels which will be required to bring the war to a suc cessful conclusion and to meet the demands of ocean trade afterward The sea beckons, as it never did be fore, to educated and adventurous young men. Rewards promise to be greater and hardships fewer than ever before In the history of the world. For those who Intend to make as tronomy their profession, the advanced courses will not be abandoned. But educators believe that the value of the new course to those who do not In tend to apply It practically Is at least as great as that of general astronomy pursued as a cultural course. So far aa the War tepartment la con- erned. whether la appointment et offlcera. provtatoa for needs of men at the front or ejection of camp euea. reau!ta have come a.oas. and their rave.etlona ara uniorm.y ecanUaloua and ahAckinc. Tho txati el tha A.fr serpeat Is over them a.1. The Oregonlan has had nothing to say tn the present war approaching In severity and candor Its outright criticisms of 1S3S. The measure of provocation has. Indeed, beert far less. But there have been grave errors. with resultant abuses. hardships. misery, sickness and death. The American people are entitled to know the truth. This little Dallas paper. and others like It. would cover it up, for the sole reason that It thinks first In partisan and second in patriotic terms. The greatest service The Oregonlan can render the American people is to Indicate them and the American Government, speaking through its President for then in their support f the Great Cause of Humanity and Democracy. The greatest disservice It can render would be to fail in its plain duty of constructive and helpful criticism, to the end that mistakes may be corrected. Incompetency dis covered and routed, tardiness, feeble ness and sloth In uniform denounced nd supplanted by vigor, courage and nderstanding. and the Army and avy made fit to fiht the roost power ful foe that ever threatened and con fronted any nation. Rehabilitation of the lumber Indus try made the past year an epochal one. For a long period lumbering liad txen tn a more or less depressed condition. I'aradoxical as it may ap pear, i? remained for modem warfare. with its great enrlnes of destruction. thought of only In terms of steel, to find an important place for wood and wood products. Fir for ships and spruce for airplanes Is the Govern ment s urgent cry. Oregon is first In meeting this great emergency. Its afre t timber resources are to prove an Important factor in winning the war. Every logging camp is operating despite Winter weather, and the out put will be Increased greatly In the early part of the year. Every saw mill Is operating steadily, turning out materials to meet the wartime de mands. Domestitc markets are be ing taken rare of as well as transpor tation facilities permit. Not tn many years has the lumber Industry been tn so prosperous a condition. Many allied Industries accordingly have been stimulated and Indirectly all Oregon Is feeling the effect of the lumber trade revival. Never before h the people of Crecon sensed so keenly their oppor tunities. Never before have thej realized so clearly the Importance of Community endeavor. Concentration of all elements In producing sinews Of war Is clearing the way for a greater and more definite programme erhen peace arln shall reign. There andouhtedly will be a great surfeit pi production above domestic needs. ARMT DIHClri.INE AND F.qrAIJTY. It is most significant that several protests against the dividing line which drawn in the Army between com missioned officers and enlisted men call forth a letter of condemnation from a veteran non-commissioned offi cer to the Army and Navy Journal. One writer said "Abolish the salute" on the assumption that It Is an ad mission of Inferiority on the part of enlisted men. Another bewailed the fact that oilicers and men do not fra ternize at social entertainments, and Representative Miller tells with dis gust of having seen "young, virile Americans blacking the shoes of offl cers" In France, and says that "any Army officer who has a decent respect for the uniform of his Army would not ask any soldier wearing the unl form of the Republic to be his body servant. The non-commissioned officer men tioned protests axainst the plea that o CI cers and men fraternize socially, on the ground that "It Is as wrong as anything can be," an'd points out that the supposed snobbery is reaiiy only a part of that discipline without which no Army can exist. He adds that "wo have far too little discipline In the Army at present." Quoting this opin ion with approbation, the Journal de nounces Mr. Millcras expression as pure bunkum." and says that, do offi cer can order an enlisted man to black his shoes or perform any other service of that nature: the men do the work willingly for extra pay and perquisites. The Journal then says: Tho cola troth of this matter la that no real eoUiirr thtnka of or taika about I a ir rtori'r or Inferiority In ronnec:n with officer and private la our Army. All itieruaeioa of thla kind Invariably wmanatrs frvra tho ctvllia.a antnd and tB uenaliy dona for some aurpoaa mora or leaa aaaa. The tiuth seems to be that the life of an Army depends on discipline, that discipline Is embodied in the authority of the officer, and that the salute Is a sign of rejptct for that authority, A3 rrs AIRTIGHT. Objection to the technical wording of the National prohibition amend ment first expressed by Senator Borah Is not the only well-intentioned criti cism offered as to the phraseology of tho amendment. The provision that the amendment shall be Inoperative unless It shall have been ratified by the states within seven years is a defi nite departure from established pro cedure. It has been generally as- umed that a proposed constitutional mendment has no life limit that once It has been submitted by Con gress It may be ratified at any time the states see fit. As the prohibition mendment contains an unprecedented restriction it Is argued that Congress has exceeded Its powers and that it Is possible the courts will rule that nothing at all has been submitted for ratification. But In the common understanding It will likely appear that there can be no such thing as an unconstitutional amendment to the Constitution. Rather It Is to be expected that the courts will admit the right of the states to ratify the amendment within seven years If they see fit, and the worst that can reasonably be forecast is that the courts will reserve opinion as to the efficiency of the amendment until after the expiration of seven years. If attempted ratification ehall occur thereafter it Is also logical to assume that the states will have rati fied an amendment which by its own terms Is Inoperative. Surplus phrase ology will have been added to the Constitution, Just as In Oregon there was recently a re-ratification of a con stitutional Inhibition against nesro suffrage. The provision is a delinite part of the Constitution, but it is in operative it Is deadwood. A more interesting criticism appears In the New York Sun, which expresses a friendly interest In submission of a prohibition amendment. The Sun's alarm concerns the grant to Congress and tho states of concurrent power to enforce the article by appropriate legislation. This, too, is said to be unprecedented. The Constitution now provides that powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by It to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people. The Sun contends that there Is no middle ground. Either Congress or the several states must have the sole enforcing power. It quotes from sev eral amendments in attempt to show that a middle ground has never been sought. The possible consequences are given as follows: Whoa aa act Is a violation of tha crtm Inal law of two different sovernmanta. Jeopardy or punlahment under the law of one soverament will not bar a proaecutlon and punishment under the law of tha other. In fuqb caaa tho ono act createa two aep arata and diatinrt crimes. It followa that In tha United Elates If the aama act Is transgression of tho laws of two stales. of a atate and tha United States, a trial In one Jurisdiction for a violation of law will not prevent a prosecution In ' tha oliier Jurisdiction for tha act regarded as a violation of toe law of tha ether. 0 Treason offers a case exactly in point with the hypothetical one pre sented by the Sun. In Oregon treason is defined but no penalty attaches to its commission. The Legislature In defining treason originally fixed death as the sole penalty. Later, capital punishment was abolished by Const! tutional amendment, and the Legisla ture has not since then prescribed a punishment for treason. A traitor might be Indicted, tried and convicted under the Oregon law and released. But he could thereafter be tried under Federal law for the same offense and be hanged if convicted. If the prohibition amendment shall be adopted and a state's law varies from that enacted by Congress, the violator of both laws, even though the violation be the same act, can be tried and punished under both laws. But if Congress prohibits manufacture of beer, for example, and a state permits it, the manufacturer of beer in that state can be prosecuted under the Federal statute. Conversely,. If the Congressional act permits manufac ture of beer, and a state's law pro hibits It, the manufacturer of beer in that state can be prosecuted under the state law. It appears that Congress has, in fact, presented an airtight amend ment, one that with rigid Congres sional enforcing legislation will reach the wettest state, while in states now dry additional penalties will have been added by the Congressional act and bootlegging be made so much the less profitable. Why Not End the War 7 By Harriaoa Rhodes, af the Vigilantes. The National good roads movement will receive impetus from experiments now being conducted by the War De partment in the moving of motor truck trains between Detroit and New York, under Winter conditions which will give opportunity to develop methods for meeting : every emergency. The advantage of the motor truck on short hauls Is that it carries unbroken loads from point of origin to final des tination, without rehandllng, and, con sequently, effects economy of both time and labor. Goods will not be hauled first to a railroad depot, trans ferred first to platform and then to car, and then rehandled two mofe times before starting on their final journey at the other end. The pri mary purpose of the experiments now being conducted Is to obtain delivery of the trucks themselves, but It is seen that they may become Important in freight-handling and possibly may take over a considerable volume of business now done by the railroads. The cltixen who does not read the newspapers is more than ever placed at a disadvantage In these times when the Government Is Increasing its re quirements of him. "Ignorance of the law excuses no one" had its origin not in the expectation that every man would know the law, but in the fact that If It were otherwise many would take refuge In their ignorance, and no method ever has been devised for dis tinguishing the true from the false. The latest move of the Government to obtain an Inventory of the food stuffs in the country takes no account of failure of Individual dealers in pos session of more than $250 worth of stock to receive schedules. They will be expected to make returns whether for mally notified or not, and will be penalized If they do not do so. The survey will be the first of the kind ever made in the United States, and is highly Important because upon its completeness will depend tho future food policy of the Administration. Host people say they wish the war waa over. Well, then, why not end It? Why not end It by making war efficiently, unitedly, whole-heartedly? People have got it Into their heads that war Is made only by Washington They listen to the never ceasing stream of gossip that flows from the capital and wisely talk, of how well or how ill war Is being made there. Everybody is eager to help if he can get a Government job (even at fl a year) or a definite commission with the Red Cross or the Y. M. C A., or a uniform of any kind. If he can't. If he is tied to business and private life and no khaki, he seems inclined to let George at Washington do the war making. But we will never beat Germany until we fight as hard as Germany, save as much and eat as little as she does. And we must not wait for the command to come from someone in Washington. The Nation, the whole embattled Nation, will be in the fight when, for example, we hear of a pe tition from a million motor car owners going to Washington begging that they be given gasoline cards and be put on reasonable - allowance of the fluid that is so precious on our battle-line in France, Every motor owner knows today that he is using too much gaso line. Why not stop? France has stopped It. So has England. A few luxu rious and ingenious people in London drive their cars by illuminating gas, and the huge gas-bags on the top of the limousine bodies look like a giant's family wash being taken to the laun dry. But moat Londoners manage with the public conveyances, and they get along. They go to their business and they even go to the theaters be it said in greater numbers than at this moment of theatrical depression go here in America. Life, it may safely be claimed, is possible without gaso line. There are people alive who can remember when there were no motor cars. Why wait for Mr. Hoover to put on bread cards? We might ask for themunless Indeed we are so sure of our powers of self-restraint as to know we don't need them. When" your club steward or your boarding-house keeper or your restaurant proprietor continues to give you wheat bread. why not ask for corn? Why try to put the enforcing of economical food meas ures upon somebody else? It isn't George's war. It ts your war. It wil not be someone's else peace when it comes, it will be your peace. Never until the Great War came have the individual and the individual's per formance of his patriotic duty seemed so important. This is what is meant when we say America, is at war. There is no humble and obscure sacrifice of any American citizen which does not count, which does not go to make up the sum total of American effort. If It Is the day of brave and gallant deeds, of supreme devotions, it is the day, too, of the small virtue. And it is the email virtue as much as the great which will win the war for us. In Germany there is nothing too small to be worth doing. We fight a vigl lant and determined enemy. Are we vigilant and determined? In Berlin they are not wasting electricity and gasoline and food. What must they thlnkof us who are? They think us soft, boastful, money-loving. Are we? We say we wish the war was over. Well, then, let's pull together and end it. These British boys, home born and colonial, who are enlisting are doing It with a determination and steadfast purpose. Just as American boys are doing in neutral .lands. Heroes all! Would the failure of the state ts act concurrently with Congress Invalidate the law of Conrrw within tha bordera of that atate? Might Congreas. for eaampia, define intoxicating lluuura ao as to Include mail beveragea of low alcoholic potency and to decree their prohibition, and a stats Leg islature at tha same time define the phrase "Intoxicating liquors" so as to permit the manufacture. aa;e and traimportation of the mud fluid prohibited by Federal authority at TVaahlngton? Vhrra wnultl be no Con current action In that caee: would the Federal law fail through, so far as th dlsaentlng state waa concerned? ur. again, as to the police power to enforce prohibition, alight Congress enact measures for enforcement which should be rind and effective, while a state, or several statea. or Indeed, all the atatea, acting con currently, adopted provlalona eo framed a to mitigate the rlgora of enforcement and make evaalon easy? in such esse would the law of fongreee or tha law of the an prevail within the state's own boundaries? There Is more than one historical precedent that disposes of the fore going criticism. We have never heard doubt expressed that a state has no power to enforce the Fifteenth amend ment. or that it has power to r.-.odify It, even though the enabling section provides that "Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appro priate legislation." Nor have the states the power to override it, as witness the retention of the anti-negro suffrage section of the Oregon consti tution and. the fact that negroes vote In Oregon. It Is a general assumption that Con gress and the states have concurrent power to enforce the Inhibition of treason. In the Constitutional con vention It was assumed that unless Cpngress were given the sole power there would be concurrent power. A motion to give Congress sole power to define the punishment was defeated. Ave states voting for it and six againss It. Probably every 'state has defined treason and prescribed penalties. In People of the Rocky Mountain coun try of a generation ago will hear with regret of the death of S. W. Eccles. He was a railroader of the days when they made them. There Is a man in Washington who has the hardest job since the time of Abraham Lincoln. Let us wish him the best for 118. Since there is nothing left to swear off, why not cut out the worry? This is a good old U. S. of A,, and she's going to win. This town's other name is Procrastl nator H. Portland, because she always gets there on the 11 hours and 30 minutes. The pussy willows are bursting and the bees are working, and the fuel administrator has a sinecure around here. While the wishing cap is on, let us include Judge McCredie and the Beavers. An Apache will be all right in the Red Cross until he gets near the battle line. Resolve to raise more this Specifications are unnecessary. year. No, we are not proud this morning, but just tell us how you like it- Forget the mistakes of 1917 in en deavor to do right this year. Wish your wife a Year" and make it so. "Happy ' New This will be a sane New Year's day almost everywhere. A dead cattle thief over the border is a good greaser. Some paper. Oregonlan. yes; but we're The coxrjrTEJrAxcB is not trce ixdex Bookworms Caaaot Be Truly Judged Within Questioning. PORTLAND, Dec Jl. (To the Editor.) In regard to bookworms, I differ with Rev. C. E. Cline. The finest faces to be seen in Portland are to be found in the library on view at 11 times. I will admit that the most fashionable clothes are not to be seen, nor the reflection of wealth there; but the bookworm of today stands a better chance of being a progenitor of tomor row's geniuses than his critics who make such unliberal remarks. The idea! Judging minds by faces without recourse to questioning is to laugh. One's personal tastes In reading does not mean art. science or morals. The most mediocre book requires more brain energy, with accumulated philos ophy ef its author, than that possessed by the "living human beings," who so cially spend 75 per cent of their lives exchanging thoughts too childish for their years. Kultur is costing us of the allies price for our ignorance, because ou oracles do not foster culture in of its forms. To be erudite is a 'per version." But from this war there will be a cultural impetus after the boys come home telling what they have seen, describing the culture that mark. the young French, Italian and German gentlemen. They will vote for and no blush at culture in legislative times. To criticise the unheard is ignor ance. Wisdom Is not innate.' Con ventional-minded men would put u all to rough work, then at permitted hours of leisure would allow us con versation with living human beings' whose intelligence is calloused with aires of tsrnorance. But in much comfort m the uiorary you can commune witn tne most exalted "super-sensitive souls" God ever made. JOHN TRULL1NGER, 211 N. Twenty-third street. STOLE AUTOS . WORTH $470,000 Tear's Thefts la Portland Would Re quire Four-Mile Street for Parking. PORTLAND. Dec 19. (To the Edi tor.) The writer, Friday evening, left an Overland car on Alder street be tween West Park and Tenth while at tending a picture show. The car was taken and, while this is being written, has not been recovered. While the police and the Sheriffs of fice have been notified, they report that the chances are about ten to one that the car was taken by joy-riders and that it will turn up In a day or so In some remote part of the city.! In conversation with the Police De partment I learn that the taking of cars is so common that it is expected that a number will be reported as stolen each day and that the persons taking the cars have cause to feel that, even if they are caught, there will be nothing done no fine, no im prisonment, no prosecution. Hurried count shows 784 cars stolen In 1917, of which 90 were taken in November. Most of these were found, but a number of valuable cars have been completely loBt. It is reported that there la only one man tn jail for this crime, and he was finally rounded up on his 28th car. Who is to blame for this condition? Apparently not the police, as they are in no position to make a case if the owner of the stolen car does not pros ecute. It is reported that most of the owners feel, when their car is recov ered, that they should go on their way rejoicing and leave the thief to be dealt with by the police. They have been put to a lot of trouble in recovering their car. It will get them nothing to bring action to punish the guilty parties, so why go to further trouble? The police apparently would like to do something to stop this pest. but are up against a thankless and hopeless Job. Apparently this is going to be al lowed to go on until the sale of new cars Is Influenced by the liability of theft to such an extent the automobile agencies will be forced to get some laws passed to protect their custom ers and give them the security to which they are entitled. If ten cars were parked In each block all the way from Mount Tabor to the head of Washington street, a distance of approximately four miles, and all taken at once, it would rep resent the haul in 1917. At an aver age value of $600, the autos stolen this year were worth about 1470,000. SUBSCRIBER. In Other Days. Twenty-live Tears Ago. From The Oreeronlan of January 1. 1S93. San Francisco. It is learned today that, owing to the competition of clip per ships between San Francisco and New York, the transcontinental roads have agreed upon several important cuts in freight rates, to go into effect January 5. The river is fast resuming its nor mal condition. Tha current is becom ing less rapid and scarcely any drift wood is running. Yesterday the regu lar Stark-street ferry was running. The new year was ushered In this morning with the blowing of whlstlen and horns and the clanging of bells. The discordant notes could be heard for miles. Postmaster Steel was notified some time ago that the Postofflce Department had prepared a new set of postage stamps and stamped envelopes to be known as the Columbian series. Yes terday a lot of these stamps were re ceived here, and they will be placed on sale at once. The Oregon State Horticultural So ciety has been deprived of an excuse to complain of cold treatment by Portland. It has not only been Invited to bold its eighth annual meeting here, but it has also been assured a reception that will be extremely hospitable. MOJTET-RAISIXG METHODS WROXG LIFE'S STAGE 1018. Old Father Time has once again The hands upon the dial turned For some the hour is filled with pain, For some the candle s burned. For some it marks the noon of life, For some the shady downward slope Marks time for some where endless strife Has failed to reach the goal of hope. And some who strut upon life's stage Their little fretful hour. In mimic Joy or petty rage, Are shorn of place and pow r. For life at best's a fleeting show. Admission fee, ones birth; Nor count the cost as In we gj To have a litle mirth. The curtain rises, the play's begun. We lausrh or cry as is our mood; Presto! in the middle of the fun. Ere we can say 'tis bad or good. Death intervenes the play is done.- The lights go out. the curtains fall. In gloom we weep, we wall, we mourn Forgetting at the prompters call. For ev'ry death two lives are born. And still this Is a grand old world, Where people good and bad are met, Enjoying all Iifes giddy whirl. Forgetting all life's certain debt. Nor would I have it otherwise. As down life's path we tread. For it is writ that when one dies, He'll be a long time dead! THOMAS McCUSKER. A resolution to speed up Is always In order. " The slickers could not sidestep the Cansea of 1007 Panic. PERRYDALE. Or.. Dec. SO. (To the Editor.) (1) Please state the cause of 907 Panic Was it English financiers or American financiers who caused it, or was it too much speculation? (2) Was Colonel Roosevelt a fighter of the trusts to make them abide by the anti-trust laws? SUBSCRIBER. (1) Opinions as to causes of the panic vary. It has Deen cnarged to trust prosecutions inaugurated by President Roosevelt; to distrust rising from dis closures of high finance; to over specu lation; to war between rival financial Interests; to increased gold production and several other elements and inci dents. Justice cannot be given to the subject in this column. (2) He was. Writer Would Have Government Assess Costs ef War ReUef. PORTLAND, Or., Dec. 31. (To the Editor.) It is my understanding that the Red Cross is an organization inde pendent of the Government, yet indi rectly backed by it because of the good that it performs. The fact that the Government recognizes the necessity of a work such as performed by the Red Cross, in the writer's mind," would justify direct Governmental control and supervision. Let tha proper Govern ment officials tell us how much each should give and collect in a more effi cient manner. Let them see that each person gives his share and that those who give more than they ought keep a part of it. One hardly ever picks up a paper nowadays but what he learns of a new campaign for money to help the sol-1 diers being launched by some of our good citizens. Let me hasten to say that the providing for the needs of the soldier meets with the writer's full approval. But whenever I see one of our business men on a corner, or woman in a doorway making an appeal for money the thought always comes to mind. Cannot that money be col lected in a more efficient manner by our Government and the time given by so many persons profitably directed?" I know I have seen some of our lead ing business men freely giving their time in this manner when tha Govern ment could better afford to have them at their own desks. And the time thus spent by the women could be better employed by knitting regardless of what some have to say. Besides the time wasted here, could not the men hat print the posters and make our Red Cross buttons be more helpfully employed? Think of the money that spent for these things that would buy comforts for the boys over there. Why not make good bullets out of the buttons. The writer is one who may be called to go "over there," and although I have a family dependent upon me I will go gladly, but I know that I would feel better if Uncle Sam was making bullets, not buttons, out of all his metal. Let's have the Government collect the needed money; every business man at his desk, every woman at her knit ting, the paper for the President's masterly writings and the buttons made into bullets. A WILLING GIVER. Half a Century Ago. From The Oregonlan of January 1. 186S. Jacksonville. Articles of Incorpora tion have been filed by M. Hanley, Cap tain McCall, J. D. Applegate, et al., for the purpose of constructing a wagon road from Ashland In this county over the mountains intervening between this valley and the Klamath Lake Valley. An alarm of fire was rung from the bells of several engine-houses about 8:30 last evening, proceeding from the burning of a tar barrel somewhere In the neighborhood of Morrison and Third streets. Statistics compiled by the Deputy Marshal show a decrease of 119 arrests for drunkenness during 1867 as com pared with the previous year. There was an increase in fights and cases of stealing. The old year Is busted. Tattered and torn, it has gone to sleep with its fathers. Who cares for it? It wasn't much of a year, anyhow. During 1868 the women are to run the machine. It is leap year, and they may exercise their prerogative whenever they see fit. There will be no Issue of The Ore aronlan tomorrow, this day being one of the four great annual holidays on which no printer with a printer's con science will work. OLD GLORT'S APPEAL. What am I and what do I mean to you. With my alternate stripes of red and white And forty-eight stars in a field of blue? Does my beauty alone your soul delight? Is color and grace of my waving all That exalts your thought as you see me flv O'er lowliest cottage and mansion tall That securely stand under peaceful sky? Look through and beyond my fair fabrlo thin; (Get a vision of those whose lives were given That justice be free and good faith begin In a land reserved by the Lord of Heaven. They labored for liberty tiresome years Of discouraging poverty, strife and pain; In anguish for losses too great for tears. To achieve a victory free from stain. I symbol their souls in my colors fair; Their unselfish aim, in tne purest white: Their honor and truth, in my blue de clare. And in red their sacrifice made for right. In stripes I number the colonies weak That united to form a rvation new; My stars are the beautiful signs unique Of its forty-eigin slates in union true. Again I would joy to be held on high By my lovers brave wno need tne can. Of millions of mortals who slave and die As the helpless captives, In despot thrall. LESSOR FROM AXCIET EGYPT Herodotus Cited to Illustrate Danger - In Discarded Csrwuig Gnm. PORTLAND, Dec. 31. (To the Edi tor.) In Book II, chapter 86, Herod otus gives a very complete descrip tion of the manner of embalming the dead in Egypt. In describing the most expensive of the three methods em ployed in order to meet the means of those who paid the bills, he tells of the 70-day preparation of the body, ending in wrapping the body tightly In strips of linen "smeared with gum." The Greek word "kummi" used in this connection siarnifies about the same as our modern gum. This kummi or gummi or gum was only used in the most expensive method for the reason of its cost, the poorer people having to content themselves with asphaltum, which left the mum mies not only black, but very brittle. as the ancients had no way of tem pering? the asphaltum. Bodies embalmed by these methods remain in good state of preservation today after over 4000 years have passed. The story is told that a grain of wheat bound up in the hand of one of these mummies and sealed with this gum was germinated after several thousand years. If such were the case, the query arises: If the germ in a kernel of wheat wrapped up in gum will sprout after 4000 years have passed, how long may it be reasonably expected that a tubercular or other contagious dis ease germ will live if properly chewed nto a gob of srum and carelessly spat out on a public street, where thou sands of people are passing every day? Anyone is liable to track it into home or hotel or church. Gobs are also stuck on chairs and tables in res taurants to be communicated to the clothes of the patrons? Look, see." Hypothetlcally and theoretically as a preserver and distributer of disease germs the gum chewer has the tooac co user beat a mile. O. G. HUGHSON. For homes are shattered and rieins laid waste, And the sea is the haunt of horrors sly. That sink without mercy the ships ' that haste With the food for which hungry children cry. , Restore to the peoples their lands de spoiled; With more lofty Ideals Inspire the world; Prove equal to sires who kept unsoiled The fair flag of freedom they first unfurled. The sea must be free to all nations' flags. And Old Glory be hailed as a friend endeared: The hungry be fed. no nation in rags. And no despot live to oe tougnt or feared. JOHN L VESTAL Ah! CHILDHOOD. days of my childhood give Monroe Doctrine and Third Term. PENDLETON, Or., Dec. 30. (To the Editor.) (1) Is the Monroe Doctrine an international law or is it merely National policy, with all powers save one admitting our right to adopt that policy? (2) Is there an absolute law prohibiting the election "of any President to a thind successive term r is it merely forbidden by tradition nd precedent? ' (1) The Monroe Doctrine has been ncidentally acceded to by several na- ions, but is, in fact, no more than an American declaration of policy. (2) There Is no legal prohibition of third Presidential term. the mvthical lore To my heart In Its joy as I'm musing them o er. For In all of my youth . I was glad I was free. And I loved with the love nature lav ished on me. As I sat on the rock where the brook babbled by. And the sweet setting sun stole a tear ' from my eye, And the red-painted cloud lent Its hue to the lea; Ah! I loved with the love nature lav ished on me. Ah! I played in the mead, where the violets grew. There to quench my soul's thirst in their bright sparking dew. While my heart rose and fell as the tide of the sea, I wept for the flowers as they each wept for me. As I lingered around 'mid the drowsy pine trees, And their low-mpaning song crept along on the "breeze. And the cataract leapt in his boisterous glee Till the fairies chimed In and they all sang to me. But their music has ceased, ringing deep in my soul. And the new-fangled birds do not sing or oia, While the cataract's leap does not stir the same Joy That it did in those days nature mad' me a boy. HARLAN NAPIER. finite An Enquiry. Detroit Free Press. "He's a stamp collector." or thrift?" 'Postagt