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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 11, 1919)
THE 3IORNIXG OREGOXIAX, MONDAY, AUGUST 11. 1919. ESTABLISHED BT HENHT 1- PITTOCK- Published fev The Orcgonian Publishing Co.. 13S Sixth Street. Portland, Oregon. C. A. MORDFN, E. B. PIPER. Manager. Editor. The Oregonian is a member of the Asso ciated Press. The Associated Preas is ex clusively entitled to the ue for publica tion of all news dispatches credited to it or not otherwise credited in this paper and ako the local news published herein. All rights of republication of special dispatches herein are also reserved. $8 00 4.25 6.00 8.23 .) ion bnbscription Rated Invariably in Advance: (By Mail.) raily, Sunday Included, one year . . . . . rai!y. Sunday included, six months I'aily, Sunday Included, three months . Iaily, Sunday included, one month .. . Iaily, without Sunday, one year taiiy. without Sunday, six months . . . raily. without Sunday, one month .... "Weekly, one year Sunday, one year trv Sunday and weekly 3.oO (By Carrier.) raily. Sunday Included, one year $9.00 Iai!v, Sunday included, one month ..... .75 laaijv. Sunday included, three months .. . 2.-5 Ijaiiy, without Sunday, one year J- laily. without Sunday, three months ... l.5 laily, without Sunday, one month 5 How to Remit Send postoffice money or der, express or personal check on your local bank. Stamps, coin or currency are at own er's risk. Give postoffice address in full, in cluding county and state. FiMlare Kates 12 to 16 paws. 1 cent: 18 to 32 pages. 2 cents: 34 to 4 pageF, 3 cents: 60 to HO pages, 4 cents; 2 to 75 pages. 5 cents: 7S to 82 pages, 8 cents. Foreign post age, double rates. Eastern Business Office Verree & Conk lln. lirunswick bunding. New York: erree & Conklin. Steger building, Chicago: erre & t'onklln. Free Press building, LHitroit. Mich. San Francisco representative. R. J. Bidwell. WHAT THE KATE HEARING PROVED. Whatever may be the decision of the interstate commerce commission , on the Columbia basin rate case, the hearings nave brought to light, so clearly that even the railroad men themselves were unable to deny the facts, a deliberate discrimination igainst Portland for the purpose of 'orcing the traffic of the interior to Puget sound. In the effort to justify : his practice the agents of the rail roads and of the Puget sound cities et up the theory that the prevailing i-ates were made in order to give the producers of the inland empire the benefit of competing markets, not in order to discriminate against Port Hand. This was the alternative theory : et up against the claim of the Co lumbia basin people that rates should b based on distance and cost of serv i 3, which would take into account ti e difference between a haul down a v .iter grade and a haul over a moun tain range. Evidence adduced at the hearing g es to prove that the competitive t: eory was an afterthought. As is u: ual when an offender constructs a fictitious alibi, the railroad men over li 3ked certain facts which destroy it. If that theory had been the guiding principle in making rates for this re g;on it would have been followed in other cases than rates to Portland and Puget sound. In fact it was fol-lo-.ved in no other case. So carefully w is the relation between distance and rates followed in other cases that in comparative rates from Seattle and T icoma to a number of points in extern Washington a difference of 1 cent is maintained in favor of Se attle. In making rates to such cities 8 3 Walla Walla and Lewiston, which a -9 considerable jobbing centers within a limited radius, variations have been made according to distance. Visdoni of building up competing r irkets with Spokane was ignored, t.iough enlarged upon in discussing 'ortland. A carefully guarded terri l ry was reserved for that city, but smaller cities must bear all the handi caps of distance. When questioned ; to the justice of this differing i atnient of the smaller cities, the s gacious traffic men said they would b: given the same advantages when t.iey had grown to a point which Justified it. No attempt was made to c :plain how they were to grow when t:ie direct effect of the rate system was to prevent growth. If it is such a good thing for the Inland empire producers to have com peting markets on the coast that i ttes must be equalized in disregard jf the natural advantages of Port land and the natural disadvantages of i'uget sound, it would seem also to be a. good thing that Alaska should have tompeting markets by application of the same rule. If a difference of a hundred miles in favor of Portland i hould be ignored in making rates on a maximum distance of 306 miles from Pendleton, surely a difference of 150 miles against Portland in a distance of over 1100 miles to south aastern Alaska should also be ignored. Jut the railroad men do not see it that way. It is something else yet ttgain. The rule does not work both ways. - The fact is that the so-called com petitive rule has not been, and was never intended to be, generally ap plied. It is a special rule designed solely to take business away from Portland and convey it to Puget sound, for it has only been applied against Portland, not against other cities. Where circumstances would have warranted, it has never been ap plied in favor of Portland. It is the result of a deliberate policy on the part of the railroads .to build up Puget sound cities at the cost of Portland. This s more plainly seen when we trace the growth of ocean traffic from Puget sound. Seattle has been praised for its broad vision in turn ing to foreign commerce and building up steamship lines. In fact these are the work of the railroads, not of Se attle. The first Seattle steamship line was that of the Pacific Coast Steamship company to California and Alaska, an eastern concern owned by the Villard crowd. It was the foun dation of Seattle's Alaska business. When the Great Northern built to the coast it built docks at Seattle and formed connections with a Japanese steamship line. That caused the Northern Pacific to build more docks and tie up with another Japanese line. When the Milwaukee road cane it followed suit, and then the O.-W. R. & N. joined in the game. Not until tne railroads had gone very far with the building of docks did Seattle take up the work. That city has shown commendable enterprise in using the facilities which the railroads provided, but it owes them and its great com merce to the particular, exclusive favor of the railroads. In order to block any chance that a competing road might come down the north bank of the Columbia, confer like favors on Portland and make this port a vigorous, dangerous competi tor, the Northern Pacific and Great Northern clubbed together and built the North Bank road to Portland Events have proved that the purpose was not to haul traffic to Portland, but to haul it past Portland to Puget sound. If that road had been built to earn revenue for itself as an inde pendent line it would have sought traffic to and from Portland and would have extended branches to right and left, but when asked why it had not done so. President Oilman asked if any man expected the S., P. & S. to compete with its own father and mother. Thus the two roads which should serve Portland by hauling traflic to and from it on the water grade route have been turned to the service of the carefully nurtured com petitor on the north. One characteristic of abuses is that they grow until they become so monstrous that they force their own remedy. - So it has been with rate discrimination against Portland. This port has been so patient, complacent, indolent, lacking in pugnacious public spirit that the railroads have piled one wrong upon another until it has been goaded Into a fight for a just rate system. The inequities have been so glaring, and Portland has been so slow to resent them that the only wonder is that the railroads did not go farther. Why did they stop at equality of rates where the factors which should decide rates are so glaringly unequal? Why did they not make the rates to Portland higher than to Puget sound? That might have finished the job by condemning the city to the status of an inland town. We are even moved to aston ishment at their moderation. But the railroads have gone far enough to goad Portland into united resistance to continuance of these accumulated injustices, and the long suffering wtth which this port is tauatld has served at least one good purpose that " it has tempted the railroads to pursue their policy to a point where its unsoundness stands out plainly, beyond dispute even by its defenders. Some measure of relief will surely be derived from the pend ing suit. If it should prove inade quate, the Columbia river still flows downhill and offers opportunity for relief to a city,which is now animated by the spirit of self-help that never fails. ratification by them and without a new I state- where land sells for $100 an conference. He is a strong-willed j acre, but, fortunately or unfortunately. man. but he surely realizes that fur- there are inequalities without num- tner delay to conclusion of peace ' ber in an the states as wen as in an would be disastrous to the United States, to the whole world and to his own fame as a statesman. the realms and provinces of life. There are dozens of facts and conditions that figure In the cost of living, in addition to land prices and land values, and Those Wfeo Come and Go. Najib Khury, an Arabian scholar, ar rived in Portland yesterday on a tour at the Tnited states. He came to this country via Syria, Egypt and China ana will remain on American soil until accurate comparison of the cost of living in different states a difficult TO PREVENT LYNCHING. -It is a hopeful sign that the press or tne soutn is Deginmng to aamii inai if not 1mIssihl thine. lynching is a disgrace to the com-1 AU things considered, however, it raunity that tolerates it. and is advo- is prorab,y within the truth to say caLiii5 i rtmeu, ui l8" i an that ln ho production orofits Oreeon ranks well with the other states, and these naturally make anything like an he has completed his translations of law by every automatic removal" state. The law alluded to is one . under which the sheriff of the county in Which a lynching occurred automati cally renders himself liable to removal by the governor, without further hear ing except to determine that there was a lynching. It is assumed that the business of a sheriff is to preserve or der, and it is based on the theory that a large proportion of lynchings could be prevented if the right kind of sher iffs were in office. The Louisville Courier-Journal does not see how the congressional inquiry into lynching proposed by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People can do much good, be cause congress cannot enact an auto matic removal law operative in every state. But it, and other southern newspapers which now hold that the white race and not the black race will be the chief beneficiaries of the sup pression of negro lynching, are doing more to elevate both races than would have been accomplished by centuries of denial of established facts. that in some lines Oregon leads. Land prices here are somewhat higher than in some of the states of the middle west, for example, and homes here may be a bit more costly, but it must be remembered that homes here are a little less liable to be carried away by cyclones than in the middle west. And there are other advantages here, as every Oregon farmer knows. There are honest, level-headed men who would rather live in Oregon than in Kansas, even if the cost of living here were considerably higher than in the Sunflower state. More Truth Than Poetry. By James J. Montague. In Other .Day. NOT DEPENDENT ON FOREIGNERS. 7'he house has made a good move to maintain permanently the new indus tries which sprang up in the United States as a consequence of the war by passing a bill increasing the duties on laboratory glassware and porcelain ware, optical glass, scientific and surgical instruments. Before the war manufacture of these commodities was almost unknown- in this country, and they were Imported vfrom Ger many duty free for religious, scien tific and educational institutions. After the blockade was imposed, a serious scarcity arose, but factories have since been established which adequately supply the domestic market. The war has proved this to be one of the key industries, for its products are necessary not only in schools and colleges, but in many important branches of manufacture and in prac tice of medicine and dentistry. In crease of the duties was asked not only by the manufacturers but by the consumers, and was approved by the tariff commission. When the block ade is raised, heavy imports from Ger many may be expected. Many fac tories Wave also been established in Japan, with cheap labor and trans portation which permit importation to this country below the cost of production. This is one of the points where the war taught us to fortify our national economic independence. There are others, to which, it is to be hoped, congress will give attention. Not until the league of nations has been in suc cessful operation for many years, if ever, should this country become de pendent on imports for any of the essentials oi life or industry. WE MI ST PRODUCE MORE. Other countries than the United States are trying to solve the problem of the high cost of living, and there is agreement among leaders in those countries that the best way to reduce prices of necessities is to produce more necessities. For example, in response to de mands for summary action in Canada, the official report made by the par liamentary committee of inquiry said: No materia! reduction in the cost of the commodities in regard to which inquiry was made can be expected except by Increasing the volume at a lower cost of production, or by lowering the cost of distribution. Any effort on the part of the government or parliament attempting reduction in the sale prices which the farmers are receiving would Intensify the present difficult situation. The British food controller, accord ing to a recent report by one of our trade commissioners in London, main tains that "apart from the profiteer, the chief causes of high foodstuffs are increased consumption and decreased production." Demand for choice cuts of bacon is so great, he finds, that it is proposed under the food control act to increase the price of these cuts, now around 60 cents a pound, in order to make it profitable to sell the inferior cuts at a still lower price than at pres. ent. But he is dubious as to whether inferior cuts will be acceptable even at a reduction. Punishing profiteers will bring costs down only in part. At the bottom of the high cost of living is world-wide under-production and over-consumption. This means that we must pro duce more of the prime necessities of life, even if in order to do so we de prive ourselves of some luxuries. The world must get back to work. DOIBTFIL POINTS CLEARED VP. An example of the extent to which opposition to the league of nations is due to lack of information as to the provisions of the covenant and as to the safeguards against abuse of excess of authority which our constitution in common with those of other coun tries provides, is to be found in a com munication published in another col umn. The writer's misgivings are evi dently expressed in good faith, but they have no real basis in fact or rea son. They appear to have arisen from loose talk abput surrender of Amer ican sovereignty and about the league as a super-state. The league is to be an association of independent nations, each acting through its normal agen cies in the normal way. The four members of the league, other than the five great powers, whic'i are to be represented on the council, are to be selected by the as sembly. Nations are termed members of the league, and these four nations would choose their delegates. The covenant does not undertake to dictate how each member of the league shall appoint its delegates; that is left to the nation concerned. The practice varies. Dalegates to peace conferences from the United States have been appointed by the president without consulting the senate; that was the case with the men whom President McKinley sent to Paris in 1898 and with those whom President Wilson sent to the present peace con ference. But delegates to the league may be regarded as permanent diplo matic agents, and for that reason may be classed with ambassadors and min isters. In that event congress may pass a law creating the office and pro viding the salary'. Delegates would then be appointed by the president and confirmed by the senate. Possibly the council or the assembly would fix the length of delegates' terms, but the several nations would more probably reserve the right to change them at will, as they change ambassadors. No government would be willing to let the league decide that a particular man should continue to represent it against its will. In like manner the extent of a delegate's au thority to bind his government would be contingent on its constitution or on the degree of authority which it chose to delegate to him. In the case of the United States, all agreements made would be subject to approval by the president and ratification by the senate, though ratification of the cov enant would constitute a moral obli gation to ratify any act of the league which conformed with it. This would safeguard the country against risk that its delegates might vote against its interests. He would naturally have instructions from the president, be in frequent communication with the government and be subject to recall. There should be no apprehension le6t President Wilson will refuse to accept reservations to the covenant which simply interpret or define its provisions as the senate understands, but any amendments in its substance would require acceptance by the other signatories and might require re-opening of the peace conference. When the president realizes that the treaty can not be ratified without reservations, it is to be presumed that he will seek agreement with the senate on such reservations as would be accepted by the other signatories without formal COLONEL HARVTTV NEEDLESSLY SHOCKED. In his extreme zeal against the league of nations Colonel George Har vey distorts the meaning of Senator McNary's recent speech, and then de livers a homily on the moral depravity of the opinions that he wrongfully at tributes to the senator. He accuses Mr. McNary of putting forward "a plea ln behaHf of the covenant, and particularly of article 10, which we should think any statesman of stand ing would be ashamed to utter, and which we should be sorry to think the American people could hear with out feelings closely approximating re vulsion and disgust. The argument quoted from the sen ator which provokes these feelings re lates to article 10 and reads: Indisputably this provision casts upon this country an undertaking to go to war to pro tect an associate or the league from In vasion, but this obligation is in no proper sense a legal one, but purely a moral obli- tlon. T?iat opinion was expressed in the course of a reply to the argument that article 10 casts upon this govern ment an absolute obligation to go to war under any conditions, however bereft of justice." He quoted from the article to prove that, in case of ag gression, the council shall advise upon the means by which this obligation shall be fulfilled." Thus other means than war might be considered, and any means would only be "advised," so that no moral or legal obligation to adopt those means would be imposed by the action of the council. After quoting the provision of arti cle 10 binding members of the league to respect and preserve each other's 'territorial integrity and political in dependence," the senator used the words which arouse Colonel Harvey's abhorrence. He proceeded to show by quoting from the constitution and from judicial decisions interpreting it that, in case the council should advise war, a declaration of war by congress would be necessary to give legal effect to the moral obligation to which he had referred. He further said: HOG RAISING, PAST AND PRESENT. In another column a reader of The Oregonian submits some queries touch ing the production of hogs and the profit to the producer in donation land claim days as compared with the pres ent. He says: "One person raises hogs on land that costs him nothing but the taxes and receives $4 per hun dredweight. Another raises hogs on land that he paid $150 per acre for. It is no more productive, and he re ceives $18 per hundredweight" for his hogs. "Which is making the more money for his labor and on his invest ment?" In any comparison of costs and profits in hog raising in donation claim days, when possession of land admittedly was free, and the present it is necessary also to consider the availability of land for hog production then and now. Was the land to which Mr. Olmsted refers ready, when filed upon by the settler, for the production of pork material, or was it necessary for the pioneer of those days to ex pend $75 to $100 an acre in clearing the land of fir or other timber before it could be put to use? If the land had first to be cleared before the pioneer farmer could make any use of it and that unquestionably was necessary on a good proportion of the donation land claims in west ern Oregon an actual investment, and one of considerable size, either in coin or its equivalent in toil, was necessary before the business -of hog raising was even possible. It may have been pos sible in those days to clear the tim ber away at a cost of $50 an acre, or even less, but even then the invest ment involved in making the land ready for hog production was inevita ble. So land in the days of free home steads and donation claims was not so free after all as it might appear. The raw material out of which producing farms were made was free, but it had to be fabricated, so to speak. It might perhaps be argued that the endless free range in the forests in early days was a factor of importance in hog production, but that contention cannot count for much, for the range- grown hog, strictly speaking, is not and never was the hog of commerce. The "razor-back" is rather a game animal than anything else and as a factor in the hog market proper is not to be considered. There are other matters also that should be considered in comparing the cost of raising hogs then and now. The markets in the early days were less accessible than now and feeds not procurable on the farms were less readily available than now. Distances before the era of good roads were a real and very serious matter. Now the farmer in almost any part of western Oregon is in close touch with the mar ket, and buying as well as selling is a relatively easy matter. That the farmer now engaged in the business of raising hogs has a very real advantage over the producer in pioneer days seems to be unquestion able. Land ready for use is available, and in many cases at a cost not very much greater than the donation land claimant had to pay before he could count on dividends. In addition, todaj there are good roads, railways and rnd tor transportation. . plus the highest prices ever paid for pork material in America. Mr. Olmsted's other query is less readily answered. "'Land in one state sells for $100 per acre and labor is $1 per day. In another state labor is worth $1 per day and land no more productive sells for $150 per acre. Where will the cost of living be the higher?" he asks. If everything else were equal the cost of living would be lower in the It Is not consistent with reason to argue that article lo of the covenant lays a legal duty upon some future congress to declare war against any nation that attempts by use of force the invasion of the territory of a member of the league. Over and above that. It must not be said that this interpretation would mislead any other member of the league of nations to its Injury or operate to our dishonor, for the very solid reason that Internal lonal law recognizes the constitutional limitations under which a nation makes its treaty. The senator proves the fallacy of the argument that article 10 involves surrender to the league of the sov ereign power to make war. He ac knowledges the moral obligation which this nation would assume, but he shows that congress alone can give it legal effect and will therefore be the final judge in eLch case whether this nation is morally bound to declare war or to take any other action ad vised by the league council. There is no sign of desire to use legal forms for the purpose of evading a moral obli gation. We rather suspect that Col onel Harvey's "revulsion and disgust" were excited by the exposure of one of the anti-leaguer's pet fictions, not by any moral obliquity which he im agined he had found in the senator's line of reasoning. Important Arabian writings Into Eng lish. He says the American people are friendly toward a British protectorate. Najib Khury is at the Benson hotel. F. H. Adams can't see why Portland doesn't take itself more seriously as a summer resort. So far as he and his family are concerned it is about the best place they can think of to visit tfurintr the warm weather. Mr. Adams and family left their home at Paul. Idaho, more than a week aero because of the extremely hot weather. They hied themselves out to one of the beach resorts nearby, but It was so cold they decided to come on into Portland. Since their arrival here they have found the weather to their liking. They are at the Portland. 'If a special session is called. I shall expect to take my seat as a delegate from this county, and. of course. I shall vote for the suffrage amend ment." Sc paid Joseph G. Richardson, assistant state treasurer, who was reg istered yesterday at the Oregon. Mr. Richardson became connected with State Treasurer Hoff's office immedi ately after the legislature, and because of his removal to Salem there has been some doubt expressed as to his right to sit at the special session. He says the constitutional provision prohibit ing a man from holding two lucrative jobs cannot apply In his case, as he has consented to serve without com pensation. Although they did It without com plaint, the peonle have not forgotten about the substitutes for wheat flour which they were called upon to use during the war. Neither have they for gotten the important part played by the flour-milling men of the northwest, who operated their mills to capacity both day and night in order that the needs of America and her allies might be filled. Among the northwestern millers who did his part in turning out flour fo? war purposes was O. E. Fisher, president of the Fisher F'.our ing Mills company of Seattle. With his son. Burr, ne is registered at the Multnomah. From all outward appearances she is just one of the many groups of auto mobile tourists who have been coming through Portland during the summer months. But she is not only a tourist. but likewise a business woman, and busy one at that. She is Miss Frances Hennecke of Ocean Park, Cal., who is in charge of a quartet of young women magazine - solicitors. Miss Hennecke travels with her party of saleswomen in her own automobile, of which she is chauffeur, mechanic and pilot. She has covered more than 7000 miles so far this year and expects to add a few thousand to her speedometer before she closes her summer campaign this fall. She is at the Benson. Prineville is a busy town and E. L. Ashley is one of its busy merchants. With Mrs. Ashley he was in Portland for buyers' week, but the needs of Prineville's residents were so many and varied that he remained over to com plete his buying for the fall and win ter. They are at the Multnomah. A trainload of cattle arrived at the North Portland yards Saturday and with it came a group of stockmen who will return "on the cushions with few perfectly good bank checks to take the place of the stock they brought here. Among the stockmen arriving this week end were Sol IMckerson of Weiser. Idaho; O. W. Rhoades. William Williams and J. H. Rix. all of Pollack Idaho: N. E. Iodd of Haines, Or., and Oscar Cole of Wallowa, Or. They are all registered at the Imperial. THE LOST OPPOKTl.MTV. Hotels now propose to add 10 per cent, for the waiter's tip. to checks for meals. News Item. I've often wished I had the nerve To look a waiter In the eye And in a chilly tone observe: "The soup waa cold; the bread was dry; The meat was tough; the butter strong. The plates were soiled, the fish was bad. In fact, the whole darn meal was wrong; You get no tip from me, my lad!" I learned this little speech by heart And with anticipation grim I yearned to see the waiter start When I delivered it to him. often say: "I'll do it now. I'll teach him not to be so flip." ut when he brings my change, some how. I always wilt, and leave the tip. ve had hot soup spilled down my neck. I've -found tresn flies In the souffle. My garments have been made a wreck By gravy trickling from a tray. et though these incidents have made Me fairly moan with discontent. With craven soul I've always paid The customary 10 per cent. And now 111 never have the chance However badly I may dine. To view the servitor askance. And crush him with that speech of mine. No utterance that passed my lips The waiter s haughty soul could vex. And he is sure to get his tips. ror now they put em on the checks! The Height or Hospitality. When New Yorkers go to summer esorts they find the hotel proprietors ave tactifully sought to make them feel at home by charging them just as much for meals as they would have to pay on Broadway. Warning:. If they don't try him pretty soon the kaiser will be able to get off by spring- ng the statute of limitations on them. Bless 'Is Eart. While the prince of Wales is over here all true patriots will have tea and am at 5 every afternoon, just as a sort of silent tribute to him. Twenty-Five Year Aso. From The Oresonian. August 11. 1S04. Shanghai. A Japanese fleet this morning attacked a Chinese fleet off Wei-Hai-Wei. wp.ere the Chinese are said to have an impregnable fort. There Is promisf that talk of the proposed Portland. Vancouver & North ern railroad, now organized, mav bear fruit. It is planned to tap the Yakima valley region. A flywheel in the Union Power com pany plant, weighing 2400 pounds, hurst Wednesday, disabling the e n c i n e and putting a stop to operations at present. L. Shirley, residing about 20 miles south of Portland, was drowned ves terday in Slab creek, or Nakowin river. If the Germans should restore the Hohenzollerns, they would only prove what many have suspected all along that the revolution was only a tern porary expedient to get easy terms of peace. The kind of alien who leaves the United States because he cannot en dure prohibition also probably has found some other laws that he doesn't like, and we are as well off without him. Now is a good time to watch for profiteers crying "Stop, thief!" One peculiarity of the breed is to call the other fellow's profit exorbitant and their own quite reasonable. Unfilled orders for steel are in creasing by hundreds of thousands of tons, and if General Trouble only stays his hand there are prosperous days due to continue. Panama need not worry. If any' body were to attack it. the United States would shoot first, then declare war and tell the league afterward. Loganberries possessing sufficient energy to burst the barrels which con tain them leave nothing to be desired in the way of "kick." at any rate. Somebody in Portland yesterday told the visiting editors that their specia train would leave the city at 8:30 P. M. That is why a number of taxis broke a few speed laws in fighting their way throush the trarnc to ream tne aopo at 4:30 in the afternoon, when the spe cial reallv started on its way south There were one or two who had to swing aboard while the train was in motion, but they all made it. J. B. Ecchston. an official of the United States shipping board, is in Portland on a brief business trip. He is registered at the Portland from New York. Mr. and Mrs. D. F. Gates and two children. F. H. Gates and P. G. Gates, make up a party of automobile tourists who arrived in the city late Saturday night. They are motoring north from their home at Pasedena. They are staying at the Oregon. If vou want to know anything abou Neff. Ohio, just ask Franklin Neff, after whose family the town was named and who has lived and prospere there for more than half a century, Mr. and Mrs. Neff came to the coast this summer to visit his brother, J. B. Neff, whom he had not seen In years. The two brothers, with their wives, are now on a tour of the coast. They are registered at the Multnomah. C. S. Judson, a well-known attorne livine at Bostonia, Cal., is at the Mult nomah. He is accompanied by Mrs. Judson. Louis Fong is one of the big appl growers of the Yakima country. H started in business years ago. but h wa an industrious Chinese and a bust ness man from the word go. He start ed in a small way. but now his appl holdings compare favorably with th largest in that country. He is regis tered at the Multnomah while here o a business mission. Mr. and Mrs. Percy Furber and fam ily are registered at the Benson from London, Engiana. M.i1or E. C. All worth. United State army, is registered . at the Imperial from Atlanta. Ga. Mrs. Guy Flemmer and daughter are at the Portland from Boise, laano. Flour at $6 a hundred at the post office is considered a "low" price by the war department. Those fellows are still up in the billions. The thrifty woman who has a lot of stuff "glassed" in the basement Is not a food hoarder by any means. She Is a wise provider. It is not always advisable to name anything after a living person, but in the case of Klepper field all objections are overruled. Fifty Years Abo. From Tl'.e Oregonian, August 11. 1SS9. Washington. Commander Sands, in charge of the naval observations, re ports that astronomers who viewed the total eclipse of the sun August 7 ob tained, 213 fine' photographs. Mr. Nicolai. returning from Rainier, reports that fire, which was discovered in the roof of the mill on Monday, de stroyed his sawmill there. The market is no-- well supplied with melons from The Dalles and the coun try above. W. A. Buchanan, who left Portland some weeks ago with the Intention of locating permanently in Georgia, has returned well satisfied to remain here. The Rose Lens By brace E. Hall. It was a day of which the poets write o erhead the azure sky, each tree a wand That brushed aside the gauzy clouds. gray-white, as they upon the blue bowl lightly dawned: The birds in idle mood made whisking night from bough to bush, un certain where to light: The flowers of gorgeous hue were all a-sway, and distilled dainty per fume all the day: There was no flaw In Nature, I ad mit and yet I sickened at the sight of it. Upon the street a gabbling stream flowed by the human stream with masks of mawkish mode: Among the grinning faces not an eye met mine nor spark of kindly in terest showed: Each had his aim, his sphere, his des tination, hope I was not there, with my craving heart, my soul agrope. fighting to thwart the monster of despair! I was bit of flotsam drifting by none heeded and none paused to won der why. The baubles in the windows how I cursed their blatant claim to no tice! Tawdry waste! The best were not improvements on the worst and loathing all their sham I turned in haste: The blind man with his placard how he leered with sunken eyes! How awful was his look! A lane of horrors sights that mocked and Jeered in desperation I the street forsook: But loneliness kept pace with me that night, whate'er my stride, what e'er the place or sight. xwas buine years nence wnen once again, by chance. I saw that thor oughfare through different eves For joy walked with me every beauty to enhance, and painted scenes that made a paradise: The baubles twinkled challenge to my purse: tne blind mans tin be came a tinkling chime. The grinning masks, denuded of my curse, were normal beings of a normal time; I'd found that rose-lens lend a rosy hue. ana that all joy dwells in tht heart of you! If the Huns blow up their airship fleet, they will have to pay for it by adding the value to the reparation bill. Helena, Mont., can never go broke. When all else fails, it can extract gold from the auriferous rock of its streets. Young Roosevelt, in his speech open ing his New Y'ork campaign, snapped out his words in the Rooseveltian way. The royal degree of the flatfoot fra ternity now is called, "identifiers." Portland has them, of course. Give the bureau -credit for winding up a crooked "cop" in short order, OTHER WORK FOR LEGISLATOR Coat of Living Might Be Taken V"p a Suffrage Session. PENDLETON. Or.. Aug. 9. (To th Editor.) Section 12 of article V of th Oregon constitution provides that th governor may. upon extraordinary oc casions, convene the legislative assem bly by proclamation and that he shall state to both houses, when assembled, the purpose for which they shall have been convened. Presumably this means that the Leg islature shall only consider those sub jects which the executive may pre scribe, although, were the entire mem bership of the house and senate pres ent, it may be that any subject can be considered at special session. That. however, is doubtful both morally and legally. It is now proposed to call the legis lature in extraordinary session for .the ratification of the suffrage amendment. That is not a very urgent matter. In deed it is largely academic Oregon women will vote in the next presiden tial election anyway. Perhaps we ought to br interested in the franchise of the women of the backward states. Very well. Let the session be called. But in the call there is another mat ter of very vital interest to all citizens just now and its consideration ought to be included in the governor's proc lamation, namely, the living problem. The states ought to place themselves in position to co-operate with the fed eral government ln regulating the cost of the necessities of life and Oregon may well legislate now. STEPHEN' A. LOWELL. SELECTION- OK LEAGUE MEMBERS Covenant Leaves It to Each. Nation to Prescribe Its Own Method. ATHOL. Mass.. Aug. 4. (To the Edi tor.) hile the covenant of the league of nations states how the action of he league shall be effected, what members shall constitute the assembly and the council, it directly provides for the election only of the four members who, with the representatives of Great Britain, the United States, France, Italy and Japan, shall constitute the coun cil. It may be presumed that the mem bers of the assembly and the remain ing five representatives of the nations composing the council are to be chosen by their respective nations. But how are they to be chosen? Are our rep resentatives to be selected by the pres ident in the same manner as President Wilson selected the members of the peace conference who were supposed to represent the United States? Will they be nominated by the president and their fitness and qualifications passed upon by the senate? These are ques tions that are not answered in the covenant. It seems that it would be wise to specify in the covenant that each na tion shall select its representatives, fix the length of the term of their service, and stipulate their authority to bind their nation. This would leave to con gress the power to control the repre sentatives of the United States. Here tofore, this country has not been prone to give to one man absolute authotity to decide important questions affecting the welfare of the nation, and no suffi cient reascn has yet been given for a change in the national custom. Is it left to each nation to adopt its own method of expressing its will in the council? If it were left to the dis cretion of one man (the representative in the council) he might, for one rea son or another, vote against the real Interests of the United States. Now is the time to set at rest all doubts concerning the intent and pur port cf the covenant, as it will be prac tically impossible because of the terms of the instrument itself to amend it after it has been ratified. Unless President Wilson and the members of his party are willing to ac ccpt criticism with an open mind and adopt amendments to the covenant of the leatrde of nations that are shown to be essential to the rights and inter ests of the United States, there seems no alternative for the senate than to reject the treaty of peace with Germany as presented to it by the president. EDWIN GORDON LAWRENCE. The points raised by the correspond ent are discussed in another column or this page. BIG WORK AHEAD FOR PORTLAND Belt Line Indorsed as Means of Stlmn latlnK City's Expansion. PORTLAND. Aug. 9. (To the Edi or Within the last several days an unusual number of plain but important truths have been given tlfe public through rale hearings before the inter state commeri e commission. They have been emphasized and explained in the very luminous Oregonian editorial of July 2S They should not be lightly dismissed, but carefully considered. Some may tako exception to Mr. Gil man's observation that the lack of In terest by Portland people was the cause of our waning ocean traffic, but he is largely rig"ht. In 1SS7 Portland was thorouirhlv aroused to the importance of Alaska trade. Steamers were built and fitted up for it. A delegation was sent east by the Chamber of Commerce, of which 1 was one. to talk up Portland as the best outfitting point. I was in Pitts burg on February 15. 189S. when the news came of the blowing up of the Maine. War with Spain became the overshadowing topic, causing a lull in the Alaska sensation. The disastrous avalanche at Sheep camp, the loss of the' steamer Sierra Nevada, the unsuccessful voyages of the Staghound and Gamecock, had a depressing effect upon the Portland public. I talked optimisticallv. insisting that the outcome would justify the needed sacrifice: that from the 142 deerees west longitude in Alaska the mouth of the Columbia had an equal chance with the straits of Fuca. I was told by a prominent and intelligent citizen that Portland had important tasks in the ueveloprrsent of the eastern empire by penetration of railroad lines and up- tuilding of Columbia river traffic: aleo the encouraging in our midst of new and greater industries, all of which was true. He reflected the sentiment of msny others. So the Alaska oppor tunity was allowed to pass, as well as some other ocean commerce. The present awakening will be nro- di-cttve of srreat good. "The meekness which has hitherto marked the attitude of Portland," to use the Oregonian's words, will, I trust, now give place to progressive and constructive endeavor. which should be conducted in a broad- minded way. Systematic effort should be marie to interest eastern people per manently to locate In Oregon and as sist in a needed development that would prove of great advantage to themselves as well as us. Not to be overlooked is the sug gestion of W. W. Amburn for construc tion of a belt line of railway which would give an equilibrium to the ex pansion of the city and be of great advantage in many ways. It is sur prising the ease with which the plan can be consummated. Existing lines of railroad and trolley lines would be so utilized from Oswego to the Colum bia that only nine miles of new con struction would be necessary to en compass a belt of 22 miles. The new road would extend from Lents Junction to the Mount Hood rail road, whose tracks would be used a short distance. Aeain. a new con struction would extend around the east base of Rocky Butte to a junction with the St. Johns cutoff of the O.-W. R. & N. Easy connections would be made with the St. -Johns municipal terminal and the present terminal yards of all the trans-continental railroads and all docks. I have not endeavored to give full de tails, but call attention to the great advantages it would afford by provid ing quick transportation for workers; ample facilities for industrial sites; better housing conditions: relieving traffic congestion and. not least, the keeping of our laborers-on the Oregon side of the Columbia. J. D. LEE. HOGS AD THE PRICE OF LAND Did Settlers on Government Claims Really Possess an Advantage? PORTLAND. Aug. 10. (To the Edi tor.) I read the editorials in The Ore gonian on the high cost of living with interest. They are analytical, but it occurs to me they have not touched the primary cause. A few years ago, when the price of hogs began to rise, I heard a native Oregonian say: "Farmers are making more money than any other people. My father-in-law sold hogs at $4 per hun dredweight and made money. Now they are $18 per hundred." I remarked: "I suppose he paid $150 per acre for land on which he raised those hogs?" "No." lie replied, "he raised them on donation land." Now I submit one person raises hogs on land that cost him nothing but the taxes and receives $4 per hundred weight. Another raises hogs on land that he paid $150 per acre for. It is no more productive and he receives $1S per hundredweight. Which is making the most money for hi3 labor and on his investment! Or take another illustration: Land in one state sells for $100 per acre and labor is $1 per day. In an other state iaftor is worth vl pr day and land no more productive sells for $150 per acre. Where will the cost of living be the higher? WILLIAM M. OLMSTED. Marriage Not Voidable. VANCOUVER, Wash., Aug. 9. (To ' the Editor.) I belong to a church, with whose teachings I agree, which opposes divorce. I have been married nearly two years and only recently discovered that my wife had a di vorced husband living at the time we were married, a fact which she con cealed from me. If I had known this we would not have been married. Can I obtain a legal annulment on the fore going statement of facts? READER. Probably not. . Parties to the mar riage in full possession of their facul ties are presumed to have acquainted themselves with the history of those they are about to wed. For failure so to do they usually must pay th penalty. V