8
THE MORNING OREGOXIATf. WEDNESDAY, MAY 29, 1918.
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PORTLAND, WEDNESDAY, MAT S. MIS.
NOW FOB A FLAX TO GET OCT.
The man-beast Horner tag pleaded
fruilty to the murder of a woman, his
companion, and her two children and
will speedily be on his way to the
penitentiary at Walla Walla, to serve
a life term. He will join others who
have thus escaped their just deserts
on the gallows for foul and deliberate
murders or so many of the well-fed
crew of blood-thirsty malefactors as
remain within prison walls. Among
t'hem is a fellow from over Kent way
who killed his entire family, includ
ing several children his own flesh
and blood for a miserable sum of
money, a few hundred dollars, which
lie thought he would get out of Insur
ance on their lives.
There is, of course, no life impris
onment for murderers, or anybody, in
America. Kansas is a state of fairly
good repute, yet it is tender about ex
ecuting its slayers of women and chil
dren. In the past thirty-one years,
according- to reliable statistics, 339
murderers have been sentenced to life
Imprisonment in that state. Of this
total only 96 remain In the hands of
the authorities. Forty-two died, one
escaped, two were freed by the courts,
and ninety-four were pardoned. Thus
It Is seen that only one in eight
forty-two out of a gTand total of
339) has carried out to the full the
penalty of his crime. Seven out of
i eight had influential friends or per
sistent relatives, who doubtless start
ed the movement for their release as
soon aa the prison doors closed on
them.
A guess may be made that the aver
age time served by the convicted mur
derer is not over five or six years.
The unconvicted murderers do not, of
course, serve at alL They are the
great majority, for It is a shameful
fact that the average trial for murder
ends In an acquittal or a mistrial.
Horner is sorry, but sorrow restores
no lives, undoes no deeds. There is in
his printed confession a note of self
justification for the woman had de
manded that he marry her, for rea
sons obviously good, but he had re
fused because she was "too old," and
it was impossible. She was not too
old to contribute to his pleasure, only
too old for him to do for her as an
honest man should and would.
If the state were to put such a
fellow in a cage and label him "mur
derer of women and children" and
"enemy of his kind" and exhibit him
to all who might want to see, it would
be terrible punishment. But it does
nothing of the kind. It incarcerates
him with other felons, and hides him
away, and feeds him regularly and
scientifically, and lets him work a
; little, and provides amusements and
recreations for him, and gives him
time and a fair opportunity to set
afoot plans to get out. In seven cases
put of eight he succeeds.
THE ENDC8TRIAL VALUE OF KNGLISU.
Further stimulus to the teaching of
English to foreign workers in the
I'nlted States will be found in definite
statements by employers of aliens that
knowledge of the language of the
country adds greatly to efficiency, and
lessens costs of manufacture of goods.
Instruction in English In large indus
trial plants, therefore, has been taken
from the classification of philanthropy
and is being treated as a "straight
business proposition." The. hard head,
no less than the soft heart. In the
words of a member of the National
Americanizing Committee, can be em
ployed to advantage In solving the
problem of unifying our people.
Secretary Lane's amazing presenta
tion of the statistics of Illiteracy in the
United States before a recent confer
ence In Washington also has proved
thought-provoking. He said that there
are five and a half million persons
of working age in the United States
who can neither read nor write
English, and that of this number a
million and a half are native born.
There are now being drafted into the
National Army some hundreds of
thousands of men who cannot under
stand orders given them to read, and
a considerable proportion of them do
not understand spoken commands.
Unless this latter condition were cor
rected, military success would be Im
periled by the presence of numbers
of soldiers who did not understand
commands and- signals. It Is being
overcome, under the pressure of ob
vious necessity, 'by schools established
in the training camps. The conten
tion of. the leaders in the Americani
zation movement is that we will not
have attained our maximum of effi
ciency until the same principle is
adopted in industry, and every worker
has both an opportunity and incentive
for mastering the language of his
Adopted land.
Kvidence accumulates, asthe sub
3ect is Investigated, that ignorance of
English is responsible for a vast
amount of waste, and also for great
loss of life in hazardous occupations.
The number maimed or killed from
this cause alone is beyond computa
tion. Language instruction in certain
manufacturing plants in large Indus-
trial centers heTs been found ' to re
duce the percentage of accidents of
all kinds remarkably. Considerations
of humanity, as well as of economy
and efficiency, dictate an intensive ef
fort to bring about the 100 per cent
Americanization of the language of
the' people who live in the United
States
This would seem to be self-evident.
That there axe guU some localities in
which Americanization still needs to
be emphasized is shown by the state
ment of an official of the Federal
Bureau of Education, that in Fort
Wayne, Ind., last year. J14.S72 was
spent for teaching German, as against
only S 108 for instruction In English
and citizenship to immigrants. Phila
delphia expended $70,000 for German
courses and $14,000 for English and
citizenship. These are typical cases.
The point, however, does not lie in
the expenditure for Instruction In Ger
man, but in neglect of the essential
education of the immigrant. It is a
good time, now that German language
courses are being discontinued In many
cities, to suggest that the funds for
merly employed be diverted to Eng
lish courses, and particularly for the
extension of the education of adult
aliens.
The "melting pot" simile will not
be applicable to the United States so
long as there are more than five mil
lion persons in the country who de
pend upon a foreign tongue for a
means of communication.
A SUGGESTION AS TO TOTING.
Only about one-third of the citizens
entitled to vote appeared at the re
cent primary. We hear various rea
sons assigned, but none is quite satis
factory, except that through Indiffer
ence to candidates and issues they
stayed away from the polls.
We have popular government con
trolled by a minority. The majority
stays at home, reserving the right, of
course, to complain if it Is not suited.
By the time next election day rolls
around, it has forgotten Its grievances,
and is deaf to all appeals to discharge
a plain duty of citizenship unless
there is a supreme issue, and then
the polling booths are crowded.
How may the public be beguiled to
the polls, so as to vote when it does
not care to vote? Judge Lowell, of
Pendleton, suggests compulsory vot
ing. It presents many- difficulties, one
of which is that your coerced voter
has no free Judgment. -- His vote,
therefore, isn't worth having.
The Oregonlan has another plan.
Let us submit it for wbat it is worth.
Let the elector who s'.ays away from
the polls, twice In succession, without
a reasonable excuse, forfeit his elec
tive franchise.
A BOON TO STAMP COLLECTORS.
The recently inaugurated airplane
postal service already has opened a
new vista of possibilities for the stamp
collector. Naturally, the new issue of
24-cent stamps possesses especial in
terest, and, also naturally, they fore
see the time when air service stamps
will become so common as to possess
no particular value. So the efforts of
collectors have been concentrated upon
the stamp bearing a postmark show
ing that it was used on the initial
trip.
The aim In life of your true col
lector Is to obtain something which
no one else possesses, and. If possible.
of something which no one else can
possibly possess. Intrinsic value has
nothing to do with the collecting
mania. There may be millions of
oblong bits of paper, printed in red
and blue, each entitling Its owner to
send a letter by airplane post, but
they will he worth at most 24 cents.
One of them, however, which had
seen its best days and had served the
only useful purpose for which It was
intended, has brought a dollar, and is
held by a speculator who doubtless
dreams of the day when it will be
worth a small fortune. As a work of
art, the new stamp, hastily devised.
is of little worth. There is some his
toric interest, however, in the fact
that It is the first stamp since the
Pan-American issue of 1901 in which
two colors have been used.
Twenty-four-cent stamps went out
of use in 1870. The Postoffice De
partment issued a few of this denomi
nation in 1860, and in 1869 adopted a
design in two colors green and lilac
-and by a mistake of the printer
some of these were issued with in
verted centers. These misprints have
become exceedingly rare, one copy
which had not been cancelled bring
ing $2850 and a cancelled stamp be
ing sold for $405 at an auction about
a year ago. In the former instance,
enhancement of some 11,000 per cent
in value from the collector's view
point was due to a mechanical imper
fection. It used to be urged that collecting
postage stamps was a highly instruc
tive pastime, because it stimulated in
terest in geography and history, and in
some vague way "broadened tire out
look" of the collector. It will hardly
be contended that the geography les
son taught by the 2 4-cent misprint of
1869 was worth $2849.76 to anyone.
We must look elsewhere for an expla
nation of the collecting habit.
A LIMIT TO WAR SUBSTITUTES.
Those who are inclined to waste
essential commodities, in the belief
that substitutes will be found for them
when they are gone, will do well to
ponder, over the latest failure of Ger
man "efficiency" to function in this
respect. For something more than a
year past the world has been regaled
with stories of the success of the Ger
mans in producing paper textiles, from
which it was said clothing of hlgn
quality was being made. But the
most complete possible confession of
failure has just been made by the
German government, in its comman
deering of all the extra suits of cloth
ing in the empire, for the use, not of
soldiers, but of workmen engaged in
producing war material. The high
command has undertaken to produce
in this manner some three million
suits of used clothing. Every man
who possesses more than one suit is
to be compelled to give his surplus
to the government at once. Only
smoklng jackets and evening suits are
to be exempt from seizure.
Paper clothing may be definitely
written down as a failure. The Ger
man textile workers' union recently
addressed a petition to the Imperial
Chancellor calling attention to the
bombastic promises made to relieve
the textile shortage by furnishing
paper substitutes and declaring that
expectations had not been realized. At
tho same time the war workers threat
ened to strike unless substantial cloth
ing was furnished them at prices
within their means. The number of
so-called substitutes offered was
large; the difficulty was that the
goods would not stand wear.
Meanwhile the lack of progress
made in the search by German chem
ists for a workable substitute for rub
ber is even more significant. The
shortage in this regard is both indus
trial and military. Electrical enter
prise of every kind already is seriously
crippled. Synthetics have been proved
utter failures for the finer uses to
which rubber is put. There is no
longer rubber enough in Germany to
permit its use in the manufacture of
drainage tubes for the treatment of
wounds.
It is interesting at the same time
to read the description by a Norwe
gian correspondent of tiie exhibits
made at the recent Spring fair at
Leipzig, which were noteworthy for
the impracticability of a large pro
portion of the surrogates for staple
articles offered. An artificial tea is
one example. This has been com
pounded from various leaves of plants
growing within the . empire, from
strawberry leaves to linden blossoms:
these are treated chemically so that
the taste has been cunningly imitated,
but no quantity of the infusion will
produce the genial feeling of stimu
lation created by the genuine article.
Imitation jams and marmalades are
numerous. They are mostly prepared
from garden vegetables instead of
fruits, and employ a minimum of
sugar. They are not meeting with
much success. Substitute soaps also
have their very definite limitations.
It is npon the production of tex
tiles and rubber goods, however, that
the energies of German scientists have
been concentrated. With respect to
rubber, the problem has .the added
interest of its probable effect upon
the destiny of the empire after the
war is over. Unless Germany wins
and recovers her lost colonies, she
will be excluded from the sources of
rubber production of the world. It is
said that a certain percentage of pure
rubber has been found in the juice
of the euphorbia, a plant capable of
production in Germany and Austria,
the gum resin of which was utilized
by some of our forefathers as a medi
cine. But the percentage is small at
best, and we have learned .by this
time to distrust the claims of the
German chemists. It is seriously to
be doubted that the artificial rubber
Industry has yet approached near to
a sound commercial basis. Drastic or
ders issued by the government for the
conservation of even the most minute
quantities of genuine rubber indicate
lack of faith on the part of the Ger
mans themselves.
There is an obvious lesson for
Americans In the situation with which
Germany already is confronted. This
is that waste of any essential mate
rial should cease at once. There can
be no consideration of price, of being
-able to "afford" to make reckless
use of this or that. We need to prac
tice economy from the beginning.
We Cannot count on finding sub
stitutes for everything. Every
square inch of . cloth, and every
ounce of rubber, and every pound of
metal must, be put to its full use, and
then saved to be reworked afterward.
By-using caution now we may save
much real grief in the months ahead
of us.
LEONARD WOOD.
In his speech to Congress urging
Immediate provision for war to the
utmost. President Wilson said:
The consideration that dominates every
other now and makes everv ether seem
trivial and negligible. Is the winning of the
war. We are not only- In the midst of the
war; we are at the very peak and crisis of 1C
There is only one way to meet that duty.
We must meet It without selfishness or fear
of consequences.
Politics Is adjourned. The elections will
go to thoee who -think least of It; to those
who go to the constituencies without ex
planation or excuses, with a plain record
of duty faithfully and disinterestedly per
formed. On the day when the President
spoke these words. Major - General
Leonard Wood, senior officer In the
regular Army, was detached from
command of the eighty-ninth division.
National Army, at Camp Funston, and
will, therefore, not command it in
France. Instead, he was assigned to
the Western department with head
quarters at San Francisco, and will
remain at home to conduct further
training of new troops. These orders
have since been modified, and he is
to remain at Camp Funston to direct
training there. He is still denied a
field command.
How do these orders square with
the President's exhortation to Con
gress? That question requires con
sideration of what manner of man
General Wood is and of what he has
done.
He is the descendant of a Mayflower
pilgrim and the son of a New Eng
land country doctor who served as a
soldier in the Civil War. Becoming
an Army surgeon, he took to fighting
in the Apache campaign, and helped
so much in the capture of Geronimo
that he was awarded the medal of
honor by Congress. That distinction
marked him for Colonel of the Rough
Riders in the Spanish war. He over
rode rules and cut red tape in cloth
ing and arming his men, to the pleased
astonishment of Secretary of War
Alger, who described his conduct as
"constructive insubordination." He
fought so well in the battles near San
tiago and took such good care of the
health of his troops that he was ap
pointed Brigadier-General and Gover
nor of Santiago province.
In that capacity he made war on
disease, especially yellow fever, filth
and famine with such success that in
December, 1899, he was made Gov-
ernor of Cuba- He extended the same
work throughout the island, author
ized the experiments of Dr. Walter
Reed which practically extinguished
yellow fever, effected sweeping sani
tary reforms which made Cuba one
of the healthiest countries in the
world, organized courts, schools,
finance and railroads and conducted
an election for a constitutional con
vention. When the independent gov
ernment was ready, he handed over
affairs to it In May, 1902. He was
sent to Europe, met the Kaiser and
saw the German army mapeuvers. On
nis return ne was maae jnajor-uea
eral in the regular Army in spite of
the opposition of the Army clique and
its political friends. He became com
mander of Mindanao in the Philip
pines and Governor of the Moro prov
ince, and conquered and pacified the
savage Moros, then for two years com
manded all troops in the Philippines,
On his return in 1908 he was ap
pointed commander of the Depart
ment of the East and began the move
ment for military preparedness in
which he has since been a leader.
He initiated and conducted the Army
maneuvers in Massachusetts which
proved that coast defenses are useless
without the support of a mobile Army.
On a mission to Argentina he met Gen
eral von der Goltz and discussed with
him the advantages of compulsory
military training, and thereafter ad
vocated that system on the Swiss and
Australian plan. He was chief of staff
for nearly four years ending in April.
1914, and aa such established student
training camps. He then again be
came commander of the Eastern de
partment and started the citizens'
training camp at Flattsburg, N. x.
in 1915.
The greatly increased number of
men who attended the 1916 camp
were addressed by ex-President Roose
velt at General Wood's invitation, with
the result that the Government for
bade further speech making at camps.
When the Hay Army law federalized
the National Guard, General Wood
exerted himself for its adequate equip
ment, but be saw that the National
Guard and voluntary training were
mere makeshifts, and he conducted a
ceaseless campaign for compulsory
training. He urged it on Congress
again in December, 1916. only a few I
months before the United States en
tered the war, and the Scientifc Amer
ican has called him "the symbol of
the preparedness movement" He is
so well informed on military matters
that he testified before the House and
Senate committee without referring to
subordinates or notes, while other
high officers had frequent recourse to
such aid.
Since the United States entered the
war General Wood has been trans
ferred to the Southeastern command,
which Is only a part of the Eastern
command, thus taking a' step down.
He was sent to France to report on
the military situation, and on his re
turn recommended to the Senate com
mittee that an Army of four or five
million men be organized. He told
of the lack of artillery and aircraft
in the American 'Army and of French
disappointment at the small number
of men sent. Then he was sent to
Camp Funston. Though slightly
wounded In France, he Is In good
physical condition and is only in his
fifty-eighth year.
As to the motive for General Wood's
campaign for preparedness, the Out
looked quoted a rather cynical rookie
at Plattsburg as saying:
I've .been looking to see what General
Wood la going to get out of thia prepared
ness game he haa been working for so hard.
He can't get any mors pay; he can't get
any more rank. By thunder, I have almost
come to the conclusion that he is doing it
tor hie country.
As to his ability as a soldier, Isaac
F. Marcosson In Everybody's quoted
a European officer as saying of Gen
eral Wood:
"You've got one great soldier over
there."
That is the opinion all the way up
and down the line.
When a man of such achievements,
of such devoted service to his country
and whose opinions have been proved
sound by events, is relegated to a
subordinate position at home Instead
of being given active command at the
front, there appears to be a serious
contradiction betwoen Mr. Wilson's
declaration that "politics is adjourned,"
his solemn summons to duty, and his
treatment of this man. When we com
pare what General Wood said should
be done with what the Administra
tion at this late day is doing, the
General's-foresight appears to be as
clear as the President's hindsight.
When we recall the flurry about the
Roosevelt speech at Plattsburg and
the fury against the preparedness
agitation which was displayed by men
who now clamor for an unlimited
Army, General Wood seems to have
offended by being too close a friend
of the ex-President and by having ex
pressed opinions the correctness of
which the Kaiser now compels the
Administration to confess. Though,
like a good soldier, he says nothing
and obeys orders, his very presence
Is a constant reiteration of the words:
"I told you so." It irritates the men
who, having scorned his advice, now
follow it.
The hillbilly of Arkansas naturally
opposes the draft, as he also does
what he considers the oppression of
law and order, but always will re
spond to the call of his sheriff it
that official possesses and uses judg
ment. Therein lies the cause of mis
takes that lead to killings.
The old union rules bob up to ob
struct shipbuilding in the edict of the
British Boilermakers' Union against
efforts to break riveting records. The
Kaiser would show small respect for
rules limiting output if he should win,
and ships are built to beat him.
The aim and effect of economic
control over Finland by Germany will
be to make the Finns look, act and
talk like Germans, and. Incidentally,
to buy only German goods. But Uncle
Sam will upset that nice little ar
rangement. Records show tTtat men gain in
weight in the service, and it would
seem that latitude be given in favor oZ
the young chap bound to enlist but
barred by deficiency of a few pounds.
Somebody must be last, and It is
just as well Illinois holds that posi
tion in the Red Cross drive rather
than a small commonwealth, that
would grieve over such lack of honor.
Every time a Hun bomb is dropped
on an American hospital it goes into
the record for settlement day, by
which time we shall have sidestepped
much sentimentality.
That one distinctive American ar
ticle, the sawed-off shotgun, will
startle the Hun in the trench into
abject surrender If he survives the
first shot.
Compliments of the season to Mr.
Ed Wright, whose shipyard at Astoria
has the official American record of
celerity in laying a keel in five
minutes.
Instinctively one lifts his hat in
salute to the Starrs and Stripes floating
from that seventy-two-foot pole at the
Seventh-day Adventlst campground.
Anything that helps win the war is
worthy of respect. Have we not long
enough called the potato a spud and
is it not about time to anlt7
Sinn Fein is referred to Ukraine for
information as to the kind of inde
pendence Ireland would have If Ger
many should be the victor.
That Austrian offensive is overdue
and has been supplanted by an Italian
offensive. Cannot Austria move with
out German help?
Von Tirplta says Germany must
keep Belgium, but the first item in
the peace convention will knock him
stiff. I
Tomorrow will be decorated graves
of people who never receivea a iiower.
Why not begin the better way today?
Come to think of It, it was the bat
tleship Oregon that started "Oregon
first" in making records.
Peace by understanding In the
Ukraine has ended in a serious mis
understanding
Like the bricklayer who lays too
many, the English riveter is getting a
call down.
The less talk of lower wheat sub
stitutes the better. Make them do.
In the matter of State Treasurer,
Ole seems to be on the second "yump."
Bread is anything the housewife
cnooses lo call oreaa meae aaya.
'Save wheat by eating Oregon strawberries,
A Line o Type or Two.
Hew to Ike Line. L the tsdpe Fall
Where They May.
BT B. L. T.
(Published by arrangement with Chicago
Tribune.)
Arnold Bennett, writing of England
and Englishmen, doubts whether the
vast majority of us are practicing as
much self-denial as we might- If Old
Arnold were to take another flying trip
through the United States he would
discover that Americans have not be
gun to practice any sort of self-denial.
After more than a year of war our
withers are as yet unwrung.
Mr. Burleson "has yet to learn of a
patriotic reader, unless it be Mr. Roose
velt, who approved the article In the
Metropolitan Magazine, 'Is America
Honestr by William Hard." From
which one might almost suspect tbat
Mr. Burleson circulates exclusively in
administration society.
Lowest Ferns ef After-Dinner Story.
Sir This vital question was settled
many years ago at a convention called
for the purpose. .The lowest form is
the one beginning. "Have you ever
heard the story about the two Irish
men, Pat and Mike?" C B.
Rev Mr. Gllkey, of Hyde Park, de
nounces the "My country, right or
wrong" policy as international anarchy.
Fortunately the men who have put on
uniforms are with the late Mr. Decatur.
heart and soul, as well as an over-'
whelming majority of the citizens of
the United States.
Epitaph oa aa Amy of Memssries.
(A. E. Rouaman's tribute to the British
who made the retreat from Mona.)
These, in the day when heaven was
falling, -The
hour when earth's foundations
fled.
Followed their mercenary calling
And took their wages and are dead.
Their shoulders held the sky suspended:
They stood, and earth's foundations
stay:
What God abandoned, these delonded.
And saved the sum of things for pay.
Now that Mr. Creel has fit, bled and
almost died for his chief, it is up to
the President to refer to him aa "one
of the ablest," etc
Information for the Frantic.
Sir The term "Jake" used by the
boys writing from France Is purely a
Montana cowpuncher expression. It is
commonly used here by old residents
and cowmen and means "It is well,"
or "It suits me." It was probably car
ried to France by our "Powder Kiver"
boys. C C. O.
Sir To be "Jake" to a thing is to be
wise" to It In the Middle West it was
a farmer boy's witticism, when ques
tioned whether he would do some par
ticular thing, to say, "Leave It to your
Uncle Jake!" and. if he did it. ."Well,
you're Jake" was the recognition of his
ability. "To be Jake" was exported to
the Northwest territory in cans for use
as local atmosphere by novelists who
didn't know a Methodist ax from a
splitter.
"Bud" and "Sis" were the elder
brother and sister of country families
in Indiana. Kentucky and Tennessee,
perhaps other states. "Buddie" is an
endearing diminutive of "brother." and
was in current Army use In the
Spanish-American war by troops from
those states. Common early Western
and southwestern, as "Bud" Hamilton,
"Bud" Fraser, etc (See Ople Read.)
H.1LR
Sir Now that the origin of "Jake-
has or has not been settled, may I or
may I not inquire who was Sam Brown,
who has given his name to tho northwest-southeast
section of the British
officer's belt? M. K. M.
Thrift. Horatio, thrift! Tis a virtue
to be cultivated even unto death, re
ports E. J. S. A west side mortician.
who advertises inexpensive sepulture.
had three hearses in a thrift stamp
parade, with an ad for his buslnesa
The effect fell short of exhilaration.
Borrtoboola-Gm-au
Ever since I first read "Bleak House,'
Forty years ago, I have wondered
whether
Borrloboola-Kha is tho true name of a
real place.
Knowing that Dickens found at least
Some of his Immortal names
Traddles, Micawber, Peggotty,
Uriah Heep. Dick-Swlveller, Captain
Cuttle
On signboards and subscription lists,
I doubted his inventing
Borrloboola-gha.
And yet it seems too good to be true.
In all these years I have never
Looked the thing up.
And I'm not going to look It up now.
I prefer to pass to my reward
Ignorant, so that In good faith
I can ask C. IJ. himself.
Borrioboola-gha is a wondrous sweet
Collection of vocables.
I'd like to be a native of
Borrioboola-gha
(What was It Mrs. Jellyby's society was
making?
"Red flannel nightcaps for the natives
of Borrioboola-gha?")
The life must be so different from
The life of a Chicago "professor."
Of course, there may be no such place.
But, anyway. It's a lovely soft word
Borrioboola-gha.
It's mild, and yet It satisfies!
I'm very grateful to Charley Dickens
for
Borrioboola-gha! F. M. B.
This, by the Late Maeaalay, Might Be
Written Today.
"Such a display of wickedness, naked
yet not ashamed, such cool, audacious.
scientific atrocity, seemed rather to be
long to a fiend than to the most de
praved of men. Principles which the
most hardened ruffian would scarcely
hint to his most trusted accomplice, or
avow, without the disguise of some
palliating sophism, to his own mind,
are professed without the slightest cir
cumlocution and assumed as the funda
mental axioms of all political science."
Sea.
What have the years left us?
What will they bring?
Life life's not bereft us:
Still we can sing.
See! blue skies above us.
Green eo below;
. Friends laugh with and love us;
Bright the days flow. N
Time, drop shades around us;
Death, call us hame:
Say not that you found us
Sorry we came.
LAURA BLACKBURN.
Our attention is called, by T. R. D,
n . t. -hAMtlno- .. . W I .. n n n I
ta.i. v& v& oil i pcu lie 1 c
appears to be no close season on cuffs.
"You Must Have the Cask to Wed a
Dallas Girl." Headline.
An Array man, lately returned from
Texas, reports that the Dallas girls are
not peculiar in the respect referred to
above: that they are a spoiled lot of
darlings.
Know all men by these presents that
Louis Kaffel Is a real estate broker in
Waterbury, Conn.
Speaking of Gramsaar.
Sir In St. Marx's Hospital. Roches
ter, Minn., the barber, who says be
went to school with the Mayos, dropped
this on me: "Them dry goods Ttores
seems to handle those kind of a thing
pretty, well." .W. & J,.
PICNIC HELPS AFTER SO YEARS
Walaat Grows Is Arterasata Watch 'Will
PnrUe Gsnatocavs.
HOOD RIVER, Or, May 27. (To the
Editor.) President Wilson's request of
the Boy Scouts for a census of the wal
nut timber of the country and your edi
torial on the subject of the exhaustion
of the walnut forests of the United
States have Interested me much.
The people of the Mississippi Valley
have interested themselves more In for
est destruction than in reforestation.
In tho evolution of the farm from the
forest some valuable varieties of wood
have almost suffered extermination,
walnut among the rest. During a res
idence of SO years in Kansas I had
opportunity to observe much along this
line. ben that territory was first
opened for settlement In 1854 all the
water courses In the eastern half were
skirted with good belts of hardwood
timber, walnut predominating in many
localities. It is not the case now.
There la comparatively little left. It
was used for cabins and fences of the
pioneers and later for lumber for bet
ter houses. The village of Lecompton.
where the Infamous Lecompton con
stitution was hatched, was built of
native walnut lumber, and many of the
houses, among them "Constitution
Hall," after moro than 0 years' usage.
are aa good aa ever. Also millions of
feet of Kansas walnut was exported
for furniture.
In the Fall of 1885. when I came home
from the Army, the family had a picnic
In the woods, and the feature of the
sport was the gathering of some 20
bushels of black walnuts. They were
hauled homo and piled out in tho back
yard to bo used as wanted. In the
Spring those which had remained ex
posed to the frosts had cracked open
and were found to be sprouting. They
were planted on a few acres or the
farm which had proved too moist for
general cultivation- in rows five feet
apart, about as corn and potatoes are
sometimes drilled. cor a few years
they received the usual attention of
enough cultivation to keep down the
weeds and were then left to their fata
In addition to the planting In the bot
tom land, a portion of the nuts had
been planted around the base of a
prominent point of land that reached
out Into the valley and formed a head
land conspicuous for a long distance.
Fifty years after tho planting I vis
ited the old farm and wandered through
the walnut sr roves. The trees around
the base of the headland had not at
tained a remarkable growth and were
only about 60 feet In height with trunks
the size of large electric light poles,
but those In the richer, wetter soil of
tho bottom land were available for mill
logs and had a diameter of two feet in
many cases. They had pruned them
selves by close contact with each other,
the stronger had overcome the weak, so
that the great trees stood about 10 or
IS feet apart In tho rows, all In the
Intervening spaces having disappeared.
Now these trees that are so closely
connected with the Civil War are to be
used for gunstocks In this greater war.
which, like the former, is being fought
that "governments of the people, for
tho people and by the people may not
perish from the earth."
ALBERT R. GREENE.
EVER-WELCOME CCESTS.
They come with soiled faces, with
cratch and mar and dent.
They come from many places, with
divers motives sent;
They come with fondest greetings from
lands across the sea.
And ever are they welcomed, and
fondled lovingly.
They're talked about In every place,
but never with a sneer.
And always there's reolcing when
countless ones appear:
They figure In the social game, and la
the lowest dive.
And atranga to say they have a way
of keeping both alive!
They speak a varied language, accord
ing to the ear.
To some they breathe of art alone, to
some of homey cheer:
They tell of dissipation, of lives that
went all wrong
Through listening to temptation In
their thrilling evening song!
They're waited for 'in anguish by many
a starving soul;
They're seldom left to langnish when
they have reached a goal;
They travel with the millionaire, by
htm are never spurned.
Although their sweet companionship he
doubtless never earned!
They may be soiled and battered, but
beloved Is every one;
The only criticism is for those that
do not come!
Oh, ever-loved and longed-for guest,
pray be our daily caller.
And do for us your level best, thou
great and mighty-dollar!
GRACE E. HALL.
EOT East Forty-ninth street North.
Registrants la Shipyards.
ATHENA. Or.. May 17. (To the Edi
torsWill a man in Class 1 In the
draft get deferred classification if he
accepts a position In the shipyards?
(2) Who will notify exemption board
If granted deferred classification?
(J) Give names of leading shipyards
la Portland. SUBSCRIBER.
(1) Technically, ho is rot put In a
deferred class, but retains the classifi
cation originally made In his case
While so employed, however, his lia
bility to service is suspended.
(2) He should notify his local board
within five days of any change of
status. Ho will also be certified to
the local board as on the Emergency
Fleet list by an official who prepares
the shipyard list.
(3) If you are looking for a Job your
best plan is to apply to the TJ. 8. Em
ployment Service, 247 Davis street.
Portland.
Increase la Widow's Feaaloa,
BEAVERTOJJ, Or.. May 17 (To the
Editor.) Please tell me why my pen
sion Is not raised as well as other sol
diers' widows. I am 8, and 112 a month
doesn't keep me. I belong to the Red
Cross and I do all I can to make me
worthy of the button I wear. I have
knit It pa'.ra of wristlets, furnished the
goods and made lots of cup towels. I
do love to do things for the Red Crosa
M. A PRATT.
"We think if you will write to W. C.
Hawley, House of Representatives,
Washington. D. C, he will be glad to
investigate your right to an Increased
pension and help yon get it if it Is com
ing to you. He Is the Congressman
from your distrlct.
Pi-etee Eyes la Watentagr Eclipse.
FORT WORDE.N, Wash., Way 27. (To
the Editor.) As I have seen no word
on the subject in the newspapers. I
take the liberty of calling your atten
tion to the very grave danger that at
tends watching the sun with unprotect
ed eves. And It is no less during an
eclipse than at other times.
Blindness haa been caused many peo
ple In this manner, and I believe you
will do w;ll to publish a warning. A
piece of glass rather darkly smoked
with burning camphor gum is the tra
ditional means used, and It Is very efficient-
SOLDIER.
Mick llpiagssBi Mom tm Aluka,
DALLAS, Or.. May 17. (To the Edi
tor.) Aa the Government is In search
of spaghnum moss, permit me to say
that I have tramped for hours throutrh
moss on the tundra adjoining Wrangell.
Alaska, that I believe is Just what it
Is looking fcr. It so, enough can be had
within a radius of a Tew miles in that
section to supply all the armies of
Europe, A. V, R, SNYDER,
In Other Day.
JL
Twenty-five Tear Age, '
From The Oregonlan. May to, ISM.
New Tork. New Tork Central In
augurates It-hour service between New
tork and Chicago.
Willis S. Dunlway leaves for Chlcae-o
as delegate from Portland Typograph
ical Union to attend National gathering
of that organisation.
E. L. (Jerry) Coldwell. writing from
Denver, tells of meeting the following
Portlanders in that cityj James Bangs.
William M. Davy. Emil Wedthoff and
"Salty" Boardman.
. Portland Transportation Bureau goes
before Board of Railroad Commission
ers with its grievance against tho
Union Pacific in the matter of dis
tributive freight rates, which are se
riously crippling Portland's jobbing
trade.
Alterations planned for' County Jail
whereby ceUs will be provided for-segregation
of witnesses and female pris
oners. Half a Ceatnry Ago.
t From The Oregoalaa. May 29. 1S8S.
J. Gaston, president of the Orecon
Central Railroad Company (West Side),
in report to stockholders lists com
pany's assets at 1587.000.
At annual meeting Oregon Central
Railroad Company. James W. Neamith.
J. C Ainsworth, T. B. Cornelius, WU1
lam T. Newby and J. Gaston are elected
directors for the ensuing year.
Another ordinance Introduced In City
Council provides for employment of city
prisoners upon the streets and public
grounds.
Longshoremen's Protective Union ar
ranges for elaborate torchlight proces
sion, with band and transparencies.
A B. Richardson, auctioneer, sells at
public auction a number of frame build
ings at First and Stark streets.
SCSTAISED BT UXCOIS PRECEPT
Cosnrt-Martial for Disloyalty Legal or
Emancipator Waf, Wrong.
McMIKXVILLE. May 27. (To tho Ed
itor.) A recent article in The Oregon
lan. entitled "Court-Martlal a Leaser
Evil." will bo universally approved by
your Q. A R. readers, who have very
vivid recollection of the conditions
which prompted President Lincoln to
permit, if he did not order, military
measures to suppress disloyal agita
tion during the Civil War.
In his first message to Congress at
the extra session called for July 6.
1S61. Mr. Lincoln explained the condi
tions under which he bad acted In cre
atlng an army of nearly 200,006 men
and a greatly enlarged navy and la
proclaiming a blockade of Southern
ports, etc In that message he an
nounceed an important principle of
constitutional Interpretation which has
never been better stated. He said:
"When an end is lawful and obligatory,
the Indispensable means to it are also
lawful and obligatory."
On that principle ho stood, and no
court haa ever presumed to hold ad
versely to It- Under that construction
of authority, he acted to tho end. "To
provide for the common defense" was
one of the declared purpoaee of the
Constitution, and certainly tho sup
pression of treason In time of war fall
within that provision. If that end caa
be attained only by military law, Mr.
Lincoln's interpretation clears away all
reasonable objection aa to the legality
of court-martial proceedings to attain
It. v
Mr. Lincoln made In that message tho
following remark as to the character
of the army he had thn organised:
There are many single regiments whoso
members, one and another, possess full,
practical knowledge of all the arts, sciences,
professions, and whatever else, whether
useful or elegant. Is known In the world:
and there Is scarcely one from which could
not be selected a President, a Cabinet, a
Congress and perhaps a court, abundantly
competent to administer the Government it
self. The same could be ald of the pres
ent National Army, and there is not
a single regiment from which a gen
eral court-martial of 11 members could
not be constituted, that would be as
capable of rendering Just and impartial
decisions as any of the civil courta
Indeed, such court-martial could be
composed wholly of trained and ex
perienced lawyers and judges men of
highest personal honor.
The present efforts of the Govern
ment remind older persons of similar
proceedings during the earlier years
of the Civil War. Civil police would
arrest persons charged with disloyalty,
and scouting parties of soldiers would
capture men, often carrying arms, and
bring them into camp. The punishment
was seldom more severe than the op
tion of taking the oath of allleglanco
to the United States, which treason
ably Inclined persons would readily do
Just as they are doing now. In ons
of the camps a newly arrived recruit
found a big yellow rattlesnake coiled
under the edge or his blanket, and
asked In his sudden fright what he
should do. "Swear him and let him
go," was the answer of a veteran com
rade, and we" are pursuing a similar
policy no, or offering them free board
and comfortable lodKlng. or letting
them out on bail traitors still. A. L.
Pat More Reverence la Antaeus.
PORTLAND. May 28 (To the Ed!-
tor.) Today, tomorrow and for cen
turies "The Star-Spangled Banner" will
bo sung. Almost all my life I have
been listening to an Incongruity In
the last verse, towit:
Then conquer we must, for ear
Cause It is Just,
And let this be ear motto: "In
Uod Is our trust."
Too many people, choruses and gath
er in jrs render that motto In jig time.
It should be sung with tho reverence it
insDlres, slowly and with profound re
spect for the sentiment and all It means.
Begin today. W. J. C.
FREE IJfrORMATIOTT FOR
ALL, BEADRHS OP THE
HKGOMAM.
Each reader of The Oregonlan
Is offered the FREE and unlim
ited use of the largest Informa
tion Bureau In the world.
This Service Bureau Is located
In the National Capital, where It
la in immediate touch with all ths
ftreat resources of the United
States Government.
It can answer practically aay
question you want to ask, butt
it cannot give advice, nor make
exhaustive research.
The war has forced so many
changes in the daily life of tho
American people that the serv
ices of this FREE Information
Bureau will be invaluable to all
who use It
Keep In tooch with your Gov
ernment during these trying
times. It can help you in a thou
sand ways if your wants are only
made known.
The Oregonlan pays for this
splendid service In order that
every one of its readers may
take free advantage of it. You
are welcome to use it as often as
you like.
Write your recjuest briefly, sign
your name and address plainly,
enclose a S-cent stamp for return
postage, and address
THE PORTLAND OREOONTAJf
INFORMATION BUREAU.
Frederic J. Haskln. Director,
Washington. P. C