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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (April 22, 1918)
mrsm-x-r-K-n .-TT,.-!rwT A V f r VTI A V A TT?TT. . 1 0 1 S. AllUi jluaJUMT wiu.n.-i - ' rOITU3D. UKI.WM. fen'er t at Portland (oreeoa) FoetorMce as ra;Cet-cls mail matter, haacrlptloa rate lrv-rtably la advanca: lfT JllL T"rr. Pineal ln-lull. on. year ......." I'aliy. Sunilajf li"''U'e'l. xnonlha . I'allr, S'm.Uj lnciuJel. tare months 4 : la!jy. ir4jy ln.-Iulel. ona cinnia ..... lat:. a itimut Sunilay, ona er Imji). viMiout suaur. t month...... Tlly. atttiout ituadjr, oaa Jnontb V'klT. ona jfr I V. hindty. ona ye.tr Sanaa and W-lyv X'l!y. Sunday Im-.udfd. ona year. ...... .19 J J'aitr. tunj4r inrlu ted. na month...... lit-r kithAul Snnitr. oat war ........ . 7 lwl!y. without S'ipt. Ihraa montfaj.... 1 Ija'. r. without Muna.tr. an month.. ..... .- Haw ta Kewill Snd poatofflca money Tder. aprees or personal rn-ek on your local an. Stamp, com or cut, ..r ... aanf ri. line poaroffica addraaa in In". Ia. .udinf rnuntv and s:.tte. Paalasa Kalew IS to II Ps. 1 nt: 1 P i. - cnu: 54 to pat'". 3 raota: & to an paces. cenr: to 7 PCea. . centa. rifea. a cent. or:n poal Igr, Uoub.a ra:ea. Mm Ho1b a Ofiw Verrea Conk Itn. iirumw,. a but. dins. .New York; erraa tonk.m. .--aer I. .ii. I. nr. hlrc-: arre 4s i onkl n. Kre. IT- kui.dlrc I m trolt. Mich. ; r-n Frnriri) rrprcMnuine. It. J. JJiawell. 7 ij Market alrcet. MTMBrB OF THE ASSOCI ITKD PBKSS. Tlia JK-atd I reaa la cxrluatve!? nil fed lo Ihq use for republication of all Tiewa dP':hca credited to It or not otlirria crtdltrd ti ln. p.'ner. and a. tne local B plM:-hed herein. All ngii.a of repuWN-s'.ion of apecial ois-pat'-hea herein srr . f'Wn'ii. I-ORTl. M. MOMl.tV, ATBIL tl. MOKR TAXES? Among the nine measures on the ballot In the special city election are four which provide new or Increased taxes. Three of the four are specific, the fourth Is an act enabling the council in Its discretion to levy four tenths of a mill. Ono levies a tax of four-tenths of one mill to pay the cost of a proposed two-platoon system In the fire depart ment. Another levies a tax of one mill to provide Increased pay to police men. Bremen and other city employes now receiving; not more than $115 a month. A third levies a tax of one mill to provide free collection of garbage. Tbe fourth enables tho council to levy a four-tenths-mill tax to make up the losses In revenue If the council hall also decide to eliminate bridge tolls and certain other charges levied against the street railway company. These four tax measures would in crease the burden on the taxpayers an approximate total of $794,000 a year. It Is a large sum to add to city expenses at a time when there are frequently recurring demands upon the savings and resources of the people for war work. But It may be said of one of them that the same conditions that make Increased taxes seem unwise argue In favor of the measure. At prevailing salaries and wages many city employes are underpaid. Departments are los ing valuable men to other employ ments, and those who remain have diftlculty In paying the Increased cost of living. It is a matter of Justice to the em ployes now receiving less than J 1:5 a month that the salary measure levy ing a one-mill tax should pass. It is Justice to the city Itself, for unless It be done the functioning or the munici pality will be Impaired. But aa this salary Increase will apply to firemen It seems to be asking more than the city ought to grant In presenting again the tuo-platoon system with Its at tendant tax levy- Elimination of bridge tolls Is aimed at reduction of street railway fares. It is proposed to relieve the company of about $100,000 In annual charges In expectation that It can thereby give up $500,000 In annual revenues de rived from the sixth cent In the cur rent fare. It is a vain expectation. Enabling acts are generally taken as a moral mandate. Adoption of this mrasure would likely mean that the taxpayers would be required to assume $100,000 a year of the present expenses tif tho street railway company and that the sole beneficiary would be the company. ' The garbage measure Is clothed In a military uniform. It Is asserted that lt- adoption will make possible salvage tif material now Incinerated, thereby Mopping a waste, and that this salvage will pav the cost of the collection sys tem. Before the voters are called upon to pass judgment upon this measure an opinion as to Its merits as a purely war measure would be informative if that opinion came from . . . i M n emnlnllnna BOW ine ccii v .. e. active! v engaged In auxiliary war work. nly If It shall be authoritatively rec ommended aa a necessary war meas ure and shown that salvage of mate rials now wasted can be accomplished la no other way than by the city's paying the cot of collection, will It . liava a standing. Taxes j-hould not b Increased tinless It be to meet a rear emergency, and $94,000 is a great deal of money. THE WKLCIt'M Or AM. In disregard of the fate of Belgium, (ii Alii nrnMia to convert Palestine Into the Belgium of Asia by establish ing it as an Independent state under International guaranty. As Belgium In modern tiroes has been used aa a road along which tbe powerful nations n each side advanced to attack each other. was FalcMlne in ancient times. By turns tUe riittites of Ala Minor marched through thin country to attack Habylon aud Kgypt, the Egyptians to attack the Hittltea and A.-syrUn. and the Assyrians to Invnde -ypt or to conquer Aala. Minor. The line of march was from Gaza, the Kuthern gateway, along the coastal r'-Ttn. acrc the vass of Megiddo. over the plain of Esdraelon and acrws the Jordan Blver at Bethshan to the tiesert. or vK-e versa. The long sur vival of the Jentsh nation Is one of the wonders of the ages. In view of Its having camped on this conqueror's Mghway. and Its many wars and final tiiripersion are explained by that fact. Hope that a neutralised ralesttne would escape the fate of Belgium liangs on the defeat of Germany and the destruction of Turkish power In aia It those alms should be accom plished. Use Jews would have for neighbors an Arab state lu Arabia and Mesopotamia on the vouth and east and an Independent Armenia on the northwest. Thea states would also have guaranteed Independence, and the League of Nations would protect each against aggression by the others. In the course of years they might grow Into a new triple alliance which would control the caravan routes and eas connecting Europe and Egypt with I'ersla and. Central Asia, though railroads will hereafter take the place of caravans. The allies' pledge to the Jews has Troved an act of wise policy in an other respect, as well as an act of Justice. Russian persecution of their race caused many Jews In other coun tries to withhold sympathy from the allies during the first years of the '. war, TtaX motive haj fctca removed by the downfall of the Cxar. and It has been sugplahted by a motive for active aid to the allies since restora tion to Zlon has been promised. The change of front thus effected by tbe Jews may go far to offset ibat of the Ituasians, for the former are wealthy and Influential In all free countries, while the latter are poor and their resources can be made fully available to the Germans by degrees alone and In the face of passive resistance. If active resistance should not break out again. The Jewish nation, scattered though It la. is no mean ally. A T.TX or WHAT IS TO COME. By repelling the German attack at Sclchajirey the American troops gave the bocTets a .strong taste of what is to come In constantly larger doses. That this was no mere raid is proved by the fact that the Germans came over equipped to dig Inbn the ground they expected to capture. They are evidently alarmed by the growing length of the American line on both flanks of tho sharp St. Mihicl salient, which may suggest to thent that an effort Is to be made to cut off this angle and to drive them from the Hrtcy iron district. Loss of that sector would swing back the German line around Verdun almost to the frontier and would strengthen tho French posi tion for defense of that fortress. ' Tho Americans fought with the valor and skill which has marked them in every war in which they have been engaged, making tho enemy's visit to their trenches short and costly. A hint was given of what may be expected when our airmen get there In force, for they shot down two enemy planes without loss to themselves. Though the action was small by com parison with the long, fiercely con tested battles along wide fronts on the Somme and Lys rivers, it prom ises to be the forerunner of real bat tics In which our troops will be en gaged and the result of which, we may be confident, will cause the Hun to rue the day when he challonged America to combat. The stirring story of that battle should spur' on the laggards In the liberty loan 'campaign to go over the top with tho same alacrity as was shown by our soldiers, until a large oversubscription proves the full meas ure of our devotion to the cause for which they fight. By comparison with what they do. what a small thing is the loan of money to fho Nation. COM MBIA RIVER AGAIN LEADS. Launching of the Wakan fifty-one days after tho keel was laid has put the Grant Smith-Porter Company, and with It tho Columbia River district. In the lead In building of wooden ahliis. When it Is considered that for two months this company has launched an average of more than one hull a week. fhd that at tho same time many ships have gone Into tho water from other yards, cumulative evidence Is given of the speed and efficiency of this district in building wooden ships. One objection after another has been raLsed to wooden ships, only to be overcome 'by facts. It was said that they wonld not be seaworthy: they hava mnria lone vovarcs and have re turned. There were not enough skilled men to build them: men nave oeen trained, and have produced results. rtniM.nie them was slower than that of steel ships, and wonld take four months from kccl-laying to launcning; the record Is now fifty-one days for wood to Orty-nve days lor steei. The Shipping Board Is now disposed lev KnlM nn mora, wooden ShiDS Of leSS than kqoo tons deadweight, because the country's capacity for producing engines is 11 ml tea ana oecause it is considered poor economy to waste an onoHna rn a 33n0-ton vessel when one slightly larger would push 5000 tons to Europe. II mat De tne programme, the Columbia River can deliver the roods, for It can as readily build 5000- tonners as J500-tonners, It is also getting Into position to build more engines, so that It may soon turn out complete ships without calling on the overtaxed Eastern plants. One suggestion coming from Wash Invtnn ahnll Irl. and doubtless will, en counter determined opposition, namely. that some yards built ior wooaen hips be reconstructed to buna steei Mais. Time Is an essoutial element of the contract which I'nulo Sam has undertaken, and much time would De consumed in reconstructing yards. For ha inh in hand one 6000-ton wooden ship now Is worth more than one 10,- 000-ton steel ship six months Hence, anri at th Tiresout race three hulls of the smaller slxe can be launched In that period. Change In design and plans has cost so mucn ume in pro ducing aircraft, rifles and machine guns that it should be a standing warning against radical change in me plants lor producing ships. ALL ARMIES OOMBITir.D TX OJSK. Tranafoe nf a considerable Italian army to Franco is an event of the first Importance in the war. ine new force enmea under the supreme com i e,f oonernl Foch. and. whether It occupies an Inactivo part of the front or is held In reserve, nuns &o many men to the army of maneuver, which is the allied striking force. Of equal import Is tho fact that its com ing to tho western front siejiiOcs the ...mijri nnnltiiir of the Italian re sources with those of the other allies. . 1. ffnnl oHnnrlnn- 1 nat eeiii sifcinuta u ....... mont of any attempt to fight several distinct wars against Germany in loose co-operation. Froru tho North Fea to the Adriatic there is now one front held by ono armyunder one supreme general staff. Italy, from the day of ncr declara tion of war on Austria to her defeat last October, has held out for Inde pendent action. For two years she continued to carry on a separate war on Austria, the aid of a contingent of British artillery being accepted only In the Summer of 1017. Her alms conflicted with those of Greece and made her reluctant to ro-operato In Albania with the Anglo-French army at Salonlkl or with Anglo-French di plomacy against King Constantine. Yet lack of the two most essential mate rials of war coal and Iron made her peculiarly dependent on her allies, w hlle sho had to look to Great Britain for ships and to the L'nttcd States for food. coal. Iron and many other muni tions, msastcr compelled Italian statesmen to accept aid of every kind from the allies. British and French troops were sent to Italy In order to ha morale, of a badly shaken army and to replace the great loss of artillery. Money, snips ana com were sent from America. This Indispensable help Involved moderation of Italian aims to conform with the principles for which the allies fight. It also won Italy's consent to central direction of military operations, under which the entire front from sea to sea is treated as one. Transfer of Italian troops to France Is not only a valuable contribution to tho military resources of the allies i- tVtaf eonntrv tint la a In rrft eCOnOmV of material resources. After due al lowance for losses. Italy has probably about three million men under arms. As the Italian front Is short by com parison with that of France and Bel gium, having been greatly shortened by the retreat to the Piave line. Italy has more troops than she can use. They are also ma'ny more than can be fed or munitioned withhe country's own resources, and carrying of sup plies from America requires a long, circuitous and dangerous voyage through the Straits of Gibraltar and up the Mediterranean Sea. where naval defense against submarines has not attained the efficiency which has been reached In British and French waters. Supplies can be sent far more safely, expeditiously and economically to France than to Italy, hence it was a measure of economy to send Italian troops to France to be fed, clothed and armed as well as to fight. The moral effect is not to be overlooked, for the coming of the Italians must have been cheering to the battle-worn British and French, while the sight of these soldiers standing firm against the Germans must have driven from the Italian mind the last vestige of that Austrian propaganda which did more than Von Mackensen's boasted battering ram to break the Isonzo line. The best augury for the final defeat of the Kaiser Is the fact that each victory he has won elsewhere has driven his most powerful enemies in the west Into closer union. His vic tory over Russia by perfidy ended So cialist agitation for a peace confer ence In France and Great Britain1 and is weakening pro-Germanism among American Socialist His victory over Italy has caused the western nations to close their ranks into a Greek phalanx, in which French. British, American, Belgian, Portuguese and now Italian troops are mingled. The more formidable becomes the Teuton menace, the more determined are the forces of civilization upon its destruc tion. The Kaiser by his blows simply welds together the Instrument for his overthrow. THE SEASON'S BOOKS. Continued predominance of war as the topic of books already published, or promised for the present season by American publishers, was to have been expected, and the classification stands, notwithstanding that 'fiction holds the nominal numerical suprem acy. A goodly proportion of the year's novels employ the war as a setting: obviously there are no slackers among the heroes of the day, and to com mand attention there must be -a pa triotic flavor to add interest to the love problem, without which, some one has estimated, more than 90 per cent of our fiction would not be read at all. But it Is a good sign that there Is a marked decline of the "rich-people-making-lots-of-money" style of literature. One recognizes the old heroes and heroines, who never change In their absorption with one another, but the backgrounds have changed. Where tho scenes formerly were laid on Fifth avenue and at Palm Beach, in the bonanza mines or on the ranch of the rich uncle, now trench and battlefield serve for the filling In. Our newer characters In fiction are engaged, not in amassing wealth or in dissipating it. but In winning laurels for themselves which are spiritually more satisfying. And since tho books we read do exercise a distinct influence on our spirit of emulation, it can be said that the new trend is an improvement over the old. In 1914 the year in which the great war began there was a note worthy falling off of production of fiction both in England and the United States. In that year and for some years previously English read ers had consumed a larger proportion of fiction in relation to the whole i literary output than Americans Had done. In 1913 the number of books published In each country was prac tically the same a little over 13,000 in each Instance. But where the English public called for 2504 works of fiction, only 1156 were published In America. The figures are not con clusive. In the absence of data as -to the total number of books published, but they are straws showing which way tho wind blows. In the follow ing year production of books of fic tion declined to 2112 in England and to J053 In the United States. In the same year publication of books on religion and philosophy declined one third in England and increased by more than one-fourth in the United States. This was the natural result, perhaps, of the greater preoccupation of our -present allies with their own practical affairs, and the fact that we had at that time a more detached and rather impersonal Interest in the world conflict. But row It Is clear that wo are awake to tho war In all Its aspects. The war dominates our poetry, of which a greater quantity Is being pub lished than ever before: It Is seen in the abandonment of controversial po aitions in books on religion and in the devotional spirit in which this subject Is discussed; in particular it is reflected In tho seriousness with which tho topic of personsl tfflciency Is approached. Tho public appetite for instruction is Insatiable, and read ers are also far more critical. There Is greater merit upon the whole In the didactic literature of 191R. We are passing from generalities to spe cific Instances. We do not find so many abstractions on "How to Suc ceed," and there are fewer books tell ing us vaguely how "concentration" and "will power" are the all-essential factors, while there nre more books than ever before describing methods and processes and giving precise in formation. Tho library of the indus trial plant is taking concrete form. Great manufacturing and commercial Institutions are filling their shelves with books for tho use of their em plovcs. Not the leaat valuable of these books. It Is worth while to note, are among those Issued In tho past year. The same Is true as to home eco nomics and kindred topics. The de mand for something exact is being met. Whereas only a short while ago we were bclug fed with homilies on the abstract duty of being thrifty and cultivating the home garden and uslug food substitutes, now we are begin ning to find real guides for the ven tures we would like to make. "One Hundred and Fifty Ways to Cook Com," for example, is undoubtedly more Informative to the everyday householder than any number of ser mons on tho necessity for using sub stitutes for wheat. Scientific prepara tion of the daily menu, regulation of the kitchen according to the spirit as well as the letter of the food regu lations, and detailed instructions lo the home gardener1 the one who be fore the war had had no experience in growing things are features of the practical books now being printed. There has at the same time been a falling off in general works on sociology, and. as to those which are beius oubluihei. thwe ia a noticeably. larger proportion of books on Inter nal relations, the new diplomacy and Immigration. The New York Times In an analyses of the catalogues of forty-six Ameri can publishing houses finds that these announce 1562 books for the opening of the season, of which 321 are on war subjects and 257 are listed as "fiction." But these are interwoven, so that it is not possible to draw the line closely. The religious element Is ob servable In much of the fiction, and many of the works on avowed" re ligious topics are Inspired by war conditions. Poetry and .drama also admit In many instances of sub classification under headings both of war and religion, and the score or more of medical works and nearly two score on scientific topics have direct bearing upon the war. Indeed, there are few books which reflect the wholly normal mood. Among the ex ceptions it la, perhaps, accurate enough for all practical purposes to Include tho "mystery" stories, of which there are a larger number than usual. This is not quite explicable, but it Is a fact It would seem that they represented the reaction from war topics and catered to a desire to. bo removed as far as possible from the predominat ing conflict. These mystery tales for the greater part are Jnsubstantial, and do not possess much literary merit. But neither do they exact much men tal effort from the reader, and they are in their way absorbing and at least diverting. Tho problem novel at the same time has disappeared and there is a gratifying absence of books pretending to deal with sex psychology. The year thus far does not seem to have developed a great book, but the average quality can be said to have improved. It would seem that In creased cost of paper and other mate rials which enter Into the phystcal making of books had Its compensa tions, after all, by making publishers more careful. For pure entertain ment wo still have the old standbys. But writers and publishers of the present upon the whole appeared to be concerned chiefly, as are all the rest of the people, 'with the task of fitting the Nation, mentally and spiritually and materially for the win ning of the war. Germans are said to be solving the problem of medical attendance for civilians by Ignoring the- cases of men over 55 years old. The method -that Dr. Osier suggested In jest is being adopted by the Prussian militarists In real earnest. The machine cares noth ing for past performances. Nothing but present and future efficiency counts. It is not without significance that the Federal reserve districts which have made the closest approach to subscription of their full quota of the third liberty loan are those having the largest German population. Appar ently those Germans who are loyal to the United States have subscribed their limit in proof of the fact. Honors must go to Raleigh Hughes, Portland man and graduate of An napolis, for declining naval appoint ment that meant a desk job and en listing at Camp Lewis to get Into serv ice that includes action at the front. "He wouldn't be a Blicker" is some thing great to tack on a man. rvnTitv rrierk Bevoridge need have little difficulty in filling election boards If precinct committeemen attend to a moral duty. Why not fill the boards with women? There are hundreds of women in this city to make much bet ter officials than lots of the men who have served on the boards. Those bright fellows they have to be to get In of the Ad Club figure everybody must add two ounces of potatoes to each meal the next three months. There are only about bo many mouthfuls In two ounces de pends on the size of the mouth. Every body go to It. King Alfonso has a ready remedy for the bombardment of Spaniards In Paris by the big German guns. He can intern some of trte 100.000 Ger mana in his own kingdom. He has good cause otherwise, for recent strikes in Spain have been tracea to mem. There Is no real difference between the Austrians who melted the statue of Adelaide Ristorl and the vandals who hacked to pieces the statues of ancient Rome, except that the Aus trians know better. They are cultured barbarians. "Anglicizing" In the case of German names of streets, cities and organiza tions, seems to mean nothing short of complete change. The American for Bismarck, for example. Is Pershing, and maennerchor becomes "singing society." Britain proposes a law to draft all unmarried women between 19 and 81 for work of national importance. This is legitimate, with all the difference in the world from the German, abhor rent and unprintable. The boys who want to become physically fit for military service can not adopt a better means than going to work on the farm, and in so doing they will do useful war work. What this country needs Is a" sort of discriminatory spanking machine for women like Ixira Little, who go about setting up their cranky notions In opposition to Government. Tbe seven California women who joined In voting the death penalty rather upset calculations of people who did not realize that woman can be depended upon to do what Is right By the time a war correspondent's dispatch gets through the hands of the censor it looks like a dinner with everything eliminated except the trim mings. . - It is said the Yankee telephone girls going over speak French fluently, as If French could be anything but fluent In tho mouth of a phone girl. A budget that calls for $15,000,000. 000 will not scare the Britisher. "His old empire" Is worth more to him. This is not the time for Great Brit ain to fool with Sinn Feiners who de clare Germany their ally. The gobblers at Oakland are red headed. Every family will have a lib erty bond. It is a sure sign of Summer when Ice dealers begin to talk of advancing prices. There is at least one clean tramp in the vicinity of Eugene. . Aren't the cherry trees beautiful in their bloomt I PUBLIC GETS KIKTII OK ESTATE Wilcox Heirs Mast Pay 93,000,000 la Taxes n 10,000,00 Valuation. PORTLAND. April 20. (To the Ed itor.) The late Theoaore B. Wilcox willed his large estate to his wife and children .and nothing to charity, so the news story goes, which moves many persons to remark that Mr. WJtcox neglected the last duty that every rich man is said to owe to the public insti tutions of the community. It will be seen, however, from the following schedule that Mr. Wilcox's estate will yield very richly to the public in the . form of inheritance taxes. The aggregate sum of these charges will run close to $2,000,000 out of a reported valuation of $10,000. 000. They will have to be paid in cash to the National Government and the state of Oregon. It need not be said that the payment of so great a sum as this In cash In the comparatively short time allowed by law will en tail sacrifices upon the remainder of the estate. The estate will have to pay the fol lowing kinds of taxes: Estate tax, war estate tax. Income tax, excess profits tax, Oregon inheritance tax and local property tax. Assuming mat tne loiai valuation will be $10,000,000 (the esti mates range from $7,500,000 to $13, 000,000), we may compute the succes sive taxes as follows: Rstata tax. 1 to 10 per cent $ S40.r.OO War estate tax. Vi to 7 per cent.. 40.250 Oregon tnherltanca tax. 1 to 4 per cent 393,0i5 Total $1,693,825 The writer has no means of know ing Mr. Wilcox' income tax and ex cess profits tax, to be paid this year, nor the amount of his local property tax, but If an estimate of $300,000 is approximate, the grand total of taxes due this year will be seen to reach close to $2,000,000. These are new charges, imposed by recently enacted laws, except for the local property tax. They show that rich estates are now very severely charged for the privileges of succes sion. It may be expected that gifts to charities from rich dead men's prop erty will-'be curtailed under the new regime that has been recently begun. Also It may be doubted that prudent men of wealth will leave estates so large as to be badly sacrificed for cash to meet the heavy dues. Possibly Mr. Wilcox felt that the public would be getting a generous slice of his prop erty by exacting $2,000,000. In The Oregonian Wednesday an edi torial paragraph stated that inheri tance taxes to be paid by the estate or the late James Stillman, of New York, will be $13,736,000, out of a total valuation of $50,000,000. The Literary Digest says the income tax of James Stillman, due this year, is $2,240,000. These two taxes amount to nearly $16,000,000. These ar very great sums of money, and any person who knows how slow and difficult it is to realize great sums of money out of assets, however valu able, is aware that the heirs will be forced to sacrifices beyond the actual totals of the taxes. Are we approachinK the dissolution of great estates in America? And of lesser estates, also? Will not money makers decide to spend their money and give It away while they live rather than to have it handed over to the of fice holders? Will not such spirit as this be Injurious to progress? The writer is no apologist for Mr. Wilcox, has not seen him for 10 years and Is not acquainted with any of the members of his family. He thinks that the public should be reassured as to Its rich share of the estate of Mr. Wilcox. READER. KO PARALLEL I MEXICA.V WAR Criticisms of President The Do Kot Justify Attacks Today. UNION. Or., April 20. (To the Edl- . . w- - i - ..,tinn nf tha rja- triotism and true-blue Americanism of Theodore Roosevelt ana mere " no question but mat ne oesirea i 4 n-til PpttfiRianiam is war uuuuuwvw crushed. Before we declared war and since, Mr. Roosevelt has lost no im portunity to voice bis sentiments, re- ii. e what n whom he hit. But. like all other humans, he may on occa sion err in passing juagmeni oi and things. t i,i.i. that ATe Roosevelt errs in a recent article in Metropolitan when he quotes Lincoln's attltuae towara rui Administration and Polk as President j i .1 M Av!.a, War kTl (I 11 tl fi R T - during lu c M&.A.ku takes to justify thereby .criticism and condemnation or tne rresmcni. u Administration in the conduct of the present war. The Mexican War was denominated by the Whigs as a Democratic war for the purpose of adding to the power of .w- .t.i.. .nd th.rphv extend 1 1 1 13 CUIIUU .in..' i '--'. slavery in the United States. In the case of me Mexican war one srai party denounced it and the other fa- J 4. n.nimelntlnn Of it TIOVPT vuiru . l. - ceased. The Government under FolK was practically compelled to io action against conduct and talk which . u nroaent time and conditions could not be tolerated at all. For Instance, Mr. Koosevens iru quotes Lincoln as saying, among other IVi j i .einai ihA Presldent- miugB Mi"..-- - that "he (Polk) is deeply conscious of being in the wrongr ; mat ne ieeis nun. ..i kiMj I - fn-ine tn heaven against him." Could Mr. Roosevelt or any other patriotic American citizen tolerate such language airecmu asaiuot President Wilson at this time? tauch i waa tr.lsra.ted in 184$ because the sentiment of the country was al most equally balanced in favor of and against tne war. t liiariftr criticism &t BXtv tune it must be not only honest, but intelli gent as well. Intelligence must be depended upon to draw the line be tween justifiable criticism and sedi tious criticism. Honesty of purpose cannot always be taken as justification of free expression of opinion. In truth fn. nw ae-AinHt 311V mat- 1 1 ! t I K J 1 1 it. n 1 1 ' ' i - ter has but slight value nowadays un less based upon tacts wnicn "" stantiate It. It is the writer's opinion mai aurins -4tirim of tha President and of the Administration should be guard ed and directed wim tne uimwi mw'- : ntherwIsA the tendency is to do more harm than good. Always the Tnita Is Best. N. Y. Sun. Salvatore Cirigliano. the distin guished newspaper merchant or the , i, Tnv Kiiiitiinir. went to Wood stock. Mi, last week to see the ordi nation of his orotner ionnnitu Jesuit priest. He took his little boy with him. At the close of tho ceremony the child proceeded with the others to kiss the ring of Cardinal Gibbons. "What is your name?" inquired his eminence. "Antonio Clrigllano. sir, "Ah. the nephew of Father Dominico. And how old are you?" pursued the cardinal. ... it . , "I was four and a half on the train coming here." said Antonio, "but I'm really six." "Always the truth." said the cardinal, his eyes twinkling. "Always the truth." beat Is a Coed Waiter. Pittsburg Chronicle-Telegraph. Sandy and John were Fitting- in a car when a pretty girl got In and smiled at the former. He raised his h"bo you know hejT' asked the Eng- "Ohyes. very well," the Scot re plied. - . "Well, shall we go and sit over be side her. and then you can introduce n,e?" asked his companion. "Wait a bit." returned the canny Scot, "She, hasaa paid her fare jet," high rKItK rv I Ui m-jrvv. i . 1 Cost of Slabwoed Blamed ea Mills Rath er Than Dealers. PORTLAND, April 20. (To the Ed itor.) Comment as to the excessive cost of -fuel has been of frequent oc currence in the daily press for me past year without anyone, even the city fuel investigator, obtaining any satis factory information concerning the sit uation.' The writer, having been in Portland a few years, and being a fuel user, has had one ear to the ground, thereby gaining some information. There is a just cause for a limited In crease of cost of fuel. Horse feed has doubled in price; wages have in some cases nearly doubled within the last few years. This will probably account for the difference in price of coal and fir or hard woods, but not of slab or blockwood. Slabwood and blockwood, as well as shipwood, are by-products. This by product costs nothing, for if there were no demand for it the producer would be at the expense of hauling it away and burning it or dumping it into low ground, or making fills with it, as was done by the Portland Lumber Company, Inman fc Poulsen, and other mills in Portland, in the days when people did not think slabwood -worth the haul that was the price of it at ona time. The mills were glad to give it to anyone who would take it away. The same condition exists today in some of the interior mills, where the cost of trans portation is more than would permit of handling with profit. A sawmill buying logs only buys the lumber feet contained in a log. The remainder of the 'log, or slab cost to him is the disposal of it, whatever it may be. In Portland at present the cost of disposal is absorbed by fuel users plus a nice bunch of war profit, made possible by the demand for fuel of this kind, by the legitimate (prob ably) cost of other fuels, and the com bined understanding of millmen. Shipwood which sold to dealers at $1.50 or $2 per load of about 75 cubic feet Is now being sold to them at from $3 to $4 a load. The small fuel dealer has no perceptible opportunity for prof iteering. O. B. SERVER. FAMILIES ARB OXES TO BENEFIT Writer Denies Merchant and Cafes Are to Profit From Garbage Measure. PORTLAND, April 20. (To the Ed itor.) In the Oregonian, April 20, I read a letter written by H. S. Har court. captioned, "Too Much Free Serv ice Now," in relation to the free col lection of city garbage, which measure is to be voted on May 17, submitted by the City Council after request of the women's organizations of the city. Mr. Harcourt is writing about a question in regard to which he is cer tainly unfamiliar, as the basis of his argument is absolutely wrong. He says that the effort of these women is to induce the voters of the city to relieve the commission-housui, hotels, restau rants and groceries of the expense of carting garbage from their place of business. It is all assumption, for the facts in the case are that this par ticular class of business is under little, and in most cases no expense, for gar bage removal. It happens at this time that every bit of salvage is very valuable and that this salvage will nearly If not quite equal the cost of collection, and there is no question, if this Is handled in a businesslike manner, as a private business is handled, that it can be really made a profitable business for the city. I would suggest that anyone who wishes to oppose this measure go to the headquarters of the Patriotic Con servation League and become familiar with the facts in the case. Mr. Har court refers to various measures that have been voted on and which cost the voters thousands of dollars, with not 10 per cent of the people bene fitted. I agree that such has been the case, but just as he has picked out the one class that would not be bene fitted by a free municipal garbage col lecting system, so he has in this ar gued against a proposition which would benefit at least 95 per cent, if not 100 per cent, of the 63,000 families that abide in this city. Each one will bene fit by this, more or less. ' M. DICKSON. RENDITION OK NATIONAL ANTHEM Objection Made to Variations and Fall- .- 4 plfl Through. PORTLAND, April 20. (To the Ed-j itor.) The letter irom -i-atrioi. -cerning the proprieties while any one of several so-called National airs is being played impels me to write this complaint. Cannot the music perform ers be compelled or requested to play the "Star-Spangled Banner" completely through when once they begin, and play it simply and not with so many variations and embellishments that it Is hardly recognizable? Testerday afternoon I heard it at the 4 o'clock performance at the Lib erty Theater and it was played about one-third fast enough and was filled with variations. Later I visited the Circle and we all arose at the first strains of the song and the artistic per former played with the tune and the audience to the extent of three lines and then quit. I am under the Impression that the Army and Navy authorities request that when, once begun' the air shall be played through without variations or other multilations. I would suggest that the musicians at the theaters go over to Vancouver and get the proper idea as to tempo and score. I consider it as disrespectful to the music to muti late ss described or to sit during the rendition. S. T. G. Flaa- Not for Kisses of Disloyal. PORTLAND, April 20. (To the Ed itor.) I have Just finished reading of one more contemptible cur being forced to kiss the American flag. Better they should be made to kiss the dust. Ifewe as a pople would only realize what an Insult It Is to tbe greatest em blem on earth we would not allow euch creatures to touch It. Anyone that would call our flag a d d filthy rag That it must be eterilized with alcohol before he would touch it, should not be allowed to live under it. It is up to us to fight, and fight hard, right here at home in more ways than one for the flag that means eo much to the mothers and our boys. MARY JANE ROBERTS, 1310 Clay Street Naval Officer to His Wife. Atlantic. Now, I realize that it is asking too much of you or of any woman to view with perfect complacency having a husband suddenly injected into war. But just consider suppose I was a i Hantlat e,e nrr.riitcr in e rf hunt on shore. Instead of in the Navy. By now you ana i wouw ds uuuuiiie ji . i. ; . , e- tTwlaclainn aa to whether I should enlist or no; it would darken our lives lor weerss or inoaian, ana m the end I should go anyhow, letting my means of livelihood and yours go hang, and be away just as long and stand as good a chance of being blown up as I do now. So I am very thankful that things 'have .worked out as they have for us. Washington Statute of Limitations. BATTLEGROUND, Wash., April 19. (To the Editor.) Kindly inform roe how long it takes for a debt or note to outlaw in Washington and whether a person could stop or hold wages of any body owing a debt J. I R. Judgments and notes outlaw In six years and open accounts In three years in Washington. Certain wages may be exempted from attachment upon showing that they are necessary for family support, In Other Days. Tw aty-ave Veara Ago. ( From The Oregonian. April 22. 1893. Chicago. Whether or not the World's Columbian Exposition will be open to the public Sundays during its existence will be determined by the commission ers when they meet here Tuesday. Ebenezer C Clark, a pioneer of Moss Hill, is dead, aged 70 years. John G. Wooley, one of the greatest orators of the country, will be here from New York Sunday night and will deliver a temperance lecture at the First Presbyterian Church. Frank T. Dodge has shipped ten pairs of Mongolian pheasants to his brother, Harry, at Mount Vernon, Washington's home place. Tlnlf a fenturr Ace. From The Oregonian, April 22. 1SK8. .y W OrCeSier, HJitaa. A uti mm. ... at Clinton, near here, was assaulted by an Irish mob. Clubs and knives were freely used. One Irishman was killed and several wounded. A party of 27 men in the mountains near John Day River recently dis covered rich placer diggings on Deep Creek, it has been learned here. The Columbia River, which rose for two weeks, is receding and it is be lieved there will be no high water this season. Father Burchard, a Catholic mission ary, will be here soon and will hold missions here and at The Dalles. VON DAM NO GERMAN SPY. BY JAMES BARTON ADAMS. The patriot rally in Liberty Hall was sure some affair; it was what you might call a volcanic outburst of whorp an' hurrah as each speaker vibrated his eloquent Jaw. Such hot oratory, such Jewels of thought, plugged every heart in its tenderest spot an' kep' us a whoopin' an' stompin' the floor till the flat of our feet an' our whoopcrs was sore. 'Twas noticed a German who recently came from somewhere back yonder an" took up a claim sat silent an' never J'ined in the applause; seemed takin' no interest in the groat cause, an' whispers went "round that if he was a Hun some doln's to him v would be speedily done. 'Squire Buster remarked to the man in the chair: "If it Isn't un-par-li-a-ment-a-ry, sir, I rise to remark that the Kaiser has spies pursuin' their doin's right under our eyes an' missin' no visible chance to attack Uncle Sam with a stab in the small o' the back. If I'm not mis taken there's one in this hall that's showin' a surplus o' too-tonie gall. We have fh our midst a newcomer, an' one that's bearin' the earmarks an' i brand of a Hun by settin' as dumb as a low-water clam," an' he p'inted a finger at Heinrich von Dam. Then Heinrlch arose on his hind legs an' said: "Dot "squire got some doodle bugs up mit his head. I left dot old vaderland, Gretchen und me, to lif in a country vere we would be free und not bow de knee to a half cripple lord dot rule mit der threatenin" edge of der sword. I've five t'ousan' dollars und more laid avay In der bank und I'm here mit you fallers today to pick me some bonds from dot Liberty tree ein t'ousan" for Gretchen, ein t'ousan' for me. I don'd spank my hands till dey're blistered und sore und yell like der duyvel und stomp on de floor, for act shprachen louder, by cracky, as vords unde der loud bawlin" steers ain't de best in der herds, und vater mit stillness runs deeper, I t'enk, dan vater dot sloshes all over de bank, und a i tongue vat is still as der tongue of , der dead shows a faller got visdom. not noise in his head. I shprachen mit money und not through der neck. To v hell mit der Kaiser, und here is der check." When Heinrich walked up with his check to the front, we done an applaudin' hilarious stunt that made the hall echoes jes' flicker an' pop, fur it boosted our quota "way over the top. Uncle Sam Wants Musical Instrument. Have you a ukelele or phonograph in your home? If you have, the American Army wants to borrow it for the duration of the war. Banjos, violins, guitars, har monicas and, of course, records for the phonographs can be used too. In fact, any Instrument that will yield melody is wanted. ' The need for the musical instruments is greatest in the small, isolated Army camps and naval stations which have no entertainments and where the sol diers and sailors have only their guns and thoughts for company. In these places any number of men have been found who can play, but have been unable to exercise their talents because of the lack of instruments. A list of the camps and stations where Instruments are wanted has been prepared by the Commissions on train ing camp activities of the War and Navy departments, Washington, D. C. This list will be furnished on request of either Commission. Use for any number of Instruments can bo found the Commissions announce. Pay and Family Allowance. PORTLAND, April 20 (To the Ed itor ) What is tho Government pay and family allowance to a drafted or enlisted man with a wife and 16-year-old daughter? SUBSCRIBER. The enlisted or drafted man's pay in the Army entering grade is :10 a month. In this case he would be re quired to allot $15 a month thereof to his family, to which the Government would add a family allowance of $25 a month. , Name of Eastern Newnpapera. MAUPIN. Or. April 20.-(To the Ed itor ) I wish to secure copies of daily papers published In New York City and Pn Washington. D. C. Will you please ei,e m. addressesfAPublishcers.BEB In New York the leading newspapers are the "Times," "World." "Sun," "Tri bune." "Herald." "American, Pnat" In Washington ity wicie-- are the 'Herald," -Times," "Star" and "Post." You need no iaracr -Natural Born Cltlsens. LAKESIDE, Or., April 19. (To the Editor.) Must a man's eons who were . born rt the United States take out namrallzation papers if their father almost 30 years in the United States? The fact that they were born In the United States makes them citizens. FREE SERVICE AND INFOR . MATION. The Oregonian has established a bureau of Information and serv ice at Washington City fo- the benefit of its readers. No charge Is made for a reply to any ques tion relating to Governmental af fairs or for procuring any avail able Government publication. For reply send 2-cent stamp. Address Frederic J- H a s k 1 n. director Oregonian Information Bureau, Washington. D. C. Do NOT write to The Oregonian at Portland,