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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 29, 1919)
8 THE 3IORXING OREGOXIAX, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1919. ESTABLISHED BI IIENBY I- FITTOCK. Published by Th Oregonian Publishing Co.. 15 Sixth Street, ForUand, Oregon. C. A. MOiiDEN, E. B. PIPER, Manager. Editor. The Oreponlan !s a member of the Asso ciated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for publica tion of all news dispatches credited to It or not otherwise credited In this paper and also the local news published herein. All rights of republication of special dispatches herein are also reserved. Subscription Kate Invariably in Advance). (By Mall.) Dally. Sunday Included, one year J8 .00 Dally. Sunday included, six months .... -f? Iatly, Sunday Included, three months. . 2.- Dally, Sunday included, one month I-ally, without Sunday, one year . . .. Iaily. without Sunday, six months . Daily, without Sunday, one monta "W eekly, one year ............. Funday. one year .......... cuntlay and weekly By Carrier.) 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The doors of the state penitentiary have closed on the three murderers who killed Newton Burgess and George Peringer closed forever, it may be hoped. But the public. Just cow deeply agitated about capital punishment, may well have its doubts. A life sentence is a legal fiction. It does not exist in fact in Oregon. Chief Justice McBride offers the conclusive testimony that he had, during his long service as a state circuit judge, sentenced nine felons to prison for life; and every one of them was freed by human hands, and riot by death. It would be interest ing to have the whole record. It would doubtless show that few con victs, nominally committed for the term of their remaining years, have died in prison, unless perchance they had the misfortune to die soon. The tragic story which began a week ago at Claremont should not end now, not even with the restora tion of the death penalty. The pub lic is mightily aroused by the affair and is sternly disposed to do some thing effective to suppress or check the rising tide of crime. But what? The police cannot do it all. The public must help. It must be made to realize that peace, safety and order are its business. The suggestion for a committee of public safety meets general ap proval. Eleven civic clubs have joined in the proposal that the new Civilian reserve take charge for the public. One organization names the American Legion. All excellent; but there the matter stands. Will it remain there until another dreadful outbreak of assassination again stirs the public consciousness that some thing is wrong, and something or Other should be done? MIDDLING THE COAL CONTROVERSY. The miners and operators having failed to agree on revision of their scale, the government having orig inally intervened in their dispute as representative of the superior rights of the public, and the miners hav ing rejected the scale offered by Fuel Administrator Garfield as agent of the government, no alternative remains to the plan of the govern ment to put that scile in effect with out the miners' content and, using all its power to put the mines in operation. The people must have coal, and men must be found to mine it. If they will not mine it for the operators, then the government must take possession of the mines and find men to mine it for the govern ment, whether they be the former employes or some other men. But confusion of purpose and of counsel on the part of the govern ment and of several meddlers has muddled what was originally a clear case as between the people and the original parties to the dispute. The government rightly maintained that the miners had no right to strike in violation of their contract, and that they and the operators had no right to deprive the people of coal while they negotiated for revision of that contract. But it no sooner got them into conference than it began to blunder. It permitted both Secre tary of Labor Wilson and Dr. Gar field to speak on behalf of the gov ernment. Jlr. Wilson had in mind an advance in wages proportionate to the rise in cost of living. Dr. Oarfield combined with this basis of calculation the condition that the advance must not be added to the price of coal, but must be taken from operators' profits. The ratio which living cost has risen has been determined by the bureau of labor statistics and is represented by its Index number. It should not be difficult tassk for a good mathemati cian to calculate what increase of wages was justified. xet after an advance of 0 per cent with a rise of 35 cents in price has been offered by the operators and rejected by the miners, Mr. Wil son as mediator proposes 31 per cent on the basis of the index number. The operators reject this proposal and then Dr. Garfield proposes 14 per cent, which he too claims to be in proportion to the cost of living. This being less than the operators had offered, the miners reject it, but it is now to be enforced by the gov. crnment. The operators are not per mitted to raise the price of coal in consequence and, if any of them refuse to operate their mines on this condition, the government will com mandeer and operate them. To add to the confusion, W. G. McAdoo uses information which he gained as secretary of the treasury to publish a general statement that operators made from 15 to 2000 per cent profit in 191". He does not say how many ma4e 15 per cent and how many made 2000 per cent, nor what was the average, nor what profit was made in 191S and 1919, when prices were under federal con trol. The mine-owners flatly con tradict him and say that their profit comes out of a residue of 16 cents a ton from which certain deductions must first be made. They sav that ihey offered arbitration with the miners, which would have brought in their income tax reports as testi mony, but the miners declined the offer. Then comes Mr. McAdoo's successor, Mr. Glass, with a state- mnt that profits in 1917 were 100 to 150 per cent, but are now much less and the operators' challenge to publicity still stands. The effect of this confusion of counsel on the part of the govern ment and of these -biased, one-sided statements for political purposes on the part of. ambitious politicians is most injurious at a time of crisis. It gives such a radical as John L. Lewis, acting president of the miners, an opening to talk about "oppression and repression" and about "intense suffering on the part of the mine workers and our citizenship." It j proves the need of a strong hand at the head of affairs when President Wilson is an invalid, in order that at least the representatives of the government may act and speak in harmony. At present the govern ment seems to be run by a cabinet. and by subordinate officials who work at cross purposes with it. DEATH PENALTY STC8T WAIT. Organizations and individuals that propose a special session of the leg islature for the purpose of restoring capital punishment are wasting words and effort. Capital punish ment was not only abolished in 1914; it was specifically prohibited by con stitutional amendment. "The death penalty shall not be inflicted upon any person under the laws of Ore gon," reads the amendment. "The maximum penalty which may be in flicted shall be life imprisonment." As this section is now a part of the constitution, the legislature is power less to restore capital punishment. Only by constitutional amendment adopted by vote of the people may that be done. Adoption of the amendment quoted left Oregon with no penalty for first degree murder or treason. Before the amendment was adopted both were defined by statute and the sole punishment was death. Three. leg islatures have met since then, but none of them prescribed a penalty for treason or first degree murder. Today any attempt by force to overthrow the state government could not be punished as treason. The only recourse for the authorities would be to indict for some lesser crime, such as criminal syndicalism or riot, and punishment would be less than life imprisonment unless murder were committed during the treasonable acts. No indictments are now returned in Oregon charging murder in the first degree, although several mur ders, plainly deliberate and premedi tated, have been committed since 1914. A verdict finding a defendant guilty of murder in the first degree would describe no crime, for there is no legal punishment for the of fense. Therefore a murder indict ment, when the homicide is deliber ate and premeditated or is commit ted in furtherance of rape, arson, robbery or burglary, charges murder in the second degree. The defini tion of the latter is broad enough to include such erimes as the Clare mont tavern murders, and the only prescribed penalty is life imprison ment. WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN. Publication of Theodore Roose velt s record as a worker for pre paredness before the outbreak of the war with Spain and of the degree to which his predictions of coming events have been verified gives some indication of what this nation lost by not having a man of his stamp as president during the last five years. It was due to him that some preparation was made before war with Spain began, and he, as a sub. ordinate official, had to accomplish this against opposition from bureau crats and pacifists. Owing to his foresight Dewey was sent to Manila to strike the blow which destroyed hpanish naval power in the Pacific. He foresaw not only the Russian revo lution, but the attack of Germany on civilization at a time when few Americans dreamed of a war with ny European power. It is inter esting to speculate what would have been the course of events since the war broke out if Roosevelt had been president. it is quite conceivable that there would have been no war! or that it would have been post poned until a man of different mold occupied the White House. From his experience during the Venezuela episode the kaiser knew what man ner of man Roosevelt was and might have shrunk from arousing his fighting Americanism. Roose velt would certainly have moved con gress to- preparation for the worst as soon as the storm broke, and he might have called for intervention when the full extent of the outrage on .Belgium became known. It is doubtful whether Germany would have ventured .to stir his anger by sinking the Lusitania and, if' it had,' Roosevelt would have summoned the nation to war then, not after two years' delay. If, after all, Germany had pro claimed unrestricted submarine war, there would have' been no two months' hesitation between armed neutrality and war, preparation would have been well advanced and would have proceeded much faster, and an American army would have been at the front in 1917. Nor would the war have ended until the military power of Germany had been utterly crushed in the east as well as the west Ther.e would have been no half measures in dealing with pro utrmans, traitors and slackers or in crushing out bolshevism at its breeding place. Such speculation may seem fruit less, but it has its value when presidential . election is near. It teaches the wisdom of electing to office men of deeds, not men whose achievements are embodied only in words. It teaches that we must look beyond the ideals which a man pro fesses to their inherent soundness and to the degree and manner in which he has put them in practice. CANCER PREVENTION. The campaign now being renewed by the American Society for the Control of Cancer for public educa tion on this important topic will gain some impetus from statistics mus tered by the society in support of its contention that the death rate from this cause can be materially reduced by persistent effort. It is shown that in 25 American cities in 1916, the death rate from cancer was 9 3.4 per 100,000 of population, or the highest on record for any year to that time for which information is available. In 1917, the year in which the after-effects of an enthusiastic campaign in these cities would have been logically noticeable, the rate fell to 92.3. Then came the war and with it our preoccupation with other af fairs, and in 1915 the rate rose to i 9S.S, or nearly the same as that of 1916. The figures from these cities. in which an especial effort has been made to preserve comparative condi tions in the years mentioned, are re garded as exceedingly hopeful. Outstanding facts about cancer are that it causes about 80,000 deaths year in the United States, one- eighth of all deaths among women above the age of 45 and about one fourteenth of those of men past mid dle age are due to this cause, and that the rate has Increased mate rially since the beginning of the present century. That the increase is due in part to progress made in conquering the diseases of earlier life, thus bringing a larger propor tion of the people to the "cancer age, does not render the new move ment less Important. The Massachusetts State Federa tion of Women's clubs was told re cently by a leader in the movement that scientists had concluded that from three-fifths to three-fourths of all cases were preventible if observed time. The United States public health service is co-operating with the society and with other agencies with similar purpose. The statistics presented clearly indicate that the effort is worth while. COMETS. The comet discovered by the Jap anese astronomer Saas Kaki and re garded by the superstitious as an evil poj-tent is not the first, as it probably will not be the last, comet to arouse the fears of those with little faith in scientists. In vain do the latter reassure the world as to the extreme improbability of colli sion with the nucleus of a comet or the probable harmlessness of con tact with the highly attenuated sur rounding matter. There are people who simply insist on being fright ened and who, we suspect, would be unhappy without their belief in sud den death. Halley's comet in 1456, appearing Just as the Turks had become mas ters or Constantinople and were threatening an advance into Europe, aroused all Christendom and gave rise to the prayer, "Lord, save us from the devil, the Turk and the comet." At Constantinople about that time a lunar eclipse was ob served that gave the Turks also a bad season, in view of their equal receptivity to evil portent. The no tion that comets and eclipses signify the early end of the world is almost as old as time. Probably the world more than once has come in contact with the diluted vapor in the tails of comets, without, however, experiencing no ticeable shock. One of our more pleasing superstitions has been that this has a salubrious effect on mun dane things. The vintages of 1811 and 1858 were called "comet wines" on this account. Effect of the pres ent comet on the coming vintage re mains to be determined, but it is rea sonably safe to predict that the ap proaching visitation will be followed by a dry year. ASBESTOS CLOTHING. Scientists now promise us asbes tos clothing for everyday wear, which offers the best prospect yet held out for reducing the high cost of living by cutting down our laundry bills. The advantage of being able to throw one's clothing into the fire, the con sequent abolition of Blue Monday from the household calendar, the saving in soap and other cleansing agencies, to say nothing of elbow grease, will appeal to the most un imaginative. There is a new era dawning if the scientists make good. Yet there will be skepticism among those who have studied history. Asbestos textiles have been known for more than 3000 years. As "amianthus cloth," from a Greek word meaning "unpollutable," it was used for funeral cerements in very ancient days. Charlemagne is said to have had a table cloth made from the substance, which he cleansed by casting into a convenient bonfire. But fable' cloths were then reserved for the elect and had not become a prob lem for housewives. Asbestos nap kins do not seem to have been thought of, and garments recently made have found use only among workers who deal with fire. New possibilities of development hinge on discovery of a process of further dividing the almost infinite ly rine ribres of which asbestos is composed. Recently a microscope magnifying 900 diameters revealed fibres estimated to be five one-mil- lionths of an inch thick. Beautiful white, gray, green and blue hues will lend startling natural colors. The heat-resisting qualities of asbestos are due to myriads of microscopic lr cells. Theoretically, a suit of asbestos would be suitable for wear both in winter and summer. In win ter it woum exciuae cold, in summer afford protection against heat. The possibility that overcoats will not be needed opens a further way to re duce living expenses. So much for the scientific end. But it will be suspected that there is a catch somewhere. There is a wide gap between the abstract and th concrete nowadays. Therdis room for doubt, for example, whether peo pie would buy the stuff if it were now on the market Practical in destructibility, elimination of dupli cate garments, abolition of laundry bills are not necessarily good sales arguments. We could prolong the use of present materials by mending them, and save duplication by wear ing last year's modes, and beat the laundryman by doing the washing at home, yet we do these things less and less. Asbestos clothing would be open to the objection that used to attach to the corduroys worn a generation or so ago they lasted so long that everybody got tired of them, and presently they went out of style. PROGRESS IV NATIONALIZATION When the air is full of clamor from relatively small sections of the na tion for nationalization of mines and railroads, little attention is given to the experiments in nationalization which have already been made. The greatest of these is the federal farm loan system, which was originally designed to assist farmers in estab lishing a co-operative credit system, to be managed by themselves under the supervision of a federal board and backed by government guaranty of bonds. By an amendment adopted in 1918 congress barred farmers from the management and lodged it com pletely in the federal farm loan board, thus eliminating the co-operative feature. Farm loan bonds were to have been sold on the open market, and the government was only to have furnished that part of the original capital which the public did not sub- scribe, certain deposits at 2 per cent interest and the cost of supervision. In fact it has in addition bought $149,775,000 of the $321,255,000 of bonds issued. The government has gone on a grand scale into the mort gage loan business. It bought the bonds when Liberty loans practically closed the money market against them and when war conditions had raised interest rates above the limit allowed for farm loan bonds. The government has also gone into the business of building and selling or renting houses. The United States Housing corporation was formed to satisfy the urgent need of houses near munition works and shipyards produced by the war, but had spent only $20,000,000 on Armi stice day. Though the need had passed, it spent or allocated the rest of the $110,000,000 appropriated, and congress has provided money for current expenses and fixed no date for the corporation to dissolve. The corporation finished 6000 houses in the district of Columbia and .2 3 states and continues to do business, paying no taxes and earning no interest; in fact its assets are worth $28,000,000 less than they cost. That scheme encouraged Secretary of Labor Wilson and his socialist friends to propose that the housing corporation provide the one million new houses said to be needed each yeas. They failed there, but they now support Representative Nolan's bill to federalize building and loan associations, to have the government provide money for them to lend and pay their overhead expenses. The bill would establish eleven building loan banks similar to the farm loan banks, and would bring within the power of the bureaucrats over four million members and almost two billion dollars of assets of the 7484 building and loan associations in the United States. That would furnish jobs for a few hundred deserving democrats in a brand new bureau. Bills for soldier settlement are used as cover for schemes of land nationalization. The plan originally proposed by Secretary of the Interior Lane was to utilize the soldiers' need of Jobs and their desire for farms as a means of having waste land re claimed and cultivated, but the states which had little or no such land wanted a hand in the game, so an amendment was offered broaden ing the government's power to con demn land. The land nationalizes hope to use this scheme for promo tion of a general policy of land na tionalization. Quietly and by easy stages we are traveling toward socialization of everything. Followers of Karl Marx already see the first streaks of light from the bright red dawn of their millennium. . Food necessities show a slight de cline In prices for October, while the non-essentials, which include foods that can be omitted if necessary, how an advance. On the whole prices may be considered even and stationary. it was well for the lake region there was a large body of water to receive the meteor that caused the aerial flare a few nights ago. It would have been the end of the world where it hit if it had alighted on Jand. More power to Florry Sullivan of Seattle, who bailed out every man of the name Thursday, saying it was no day for a Kullivan to stay in jail Even old John L. could not have had a greater inspiration. So many Salem people stay out all night that an ordinance is necessary to abolish parking in the small hours of the morning to let the sweepers work. One hardly can believe that of Salem. And now it's proposed to trans. port convicts to the penitentiary at Salem by airplane. -Probably on the theory that we should take no chances of railroading a man to prison.. The coal strike is not without its pleasing side. Kansas City children are not likely to invoke a referen dum on the edict closing the city schools because of the fuel short age. Frank Branch Riley offers "sweets to the sweet" when he tells Hood River of the charms of Oregon scenery. Being tickled is a most delightful sensation, however. The disadvantage of depending on one kind of fuel is shown in Kansas City, where schools and places of amusement must close next Week on account of coal shortage. King Victor Emanuel of Italy has announced that he will visit the United States next summer. Why not bring D'Annunzo with him and make it a real party? The royal commission on aviation gives credit for the "tank" to two Englishmen and that settles the vexing question. They will divide fl5,000 sterling. "Johnny" Coakley of New York is king of the -"galloping bones" on his record of winning $75,000 in a week. "Lady Luck" surely is his queen. . If Viscount Astor" really wants to be rid of his title, William Hohen zollern might be able to give him a few hints on how to go about it People who negotiated 'the front steps early yesterday found them slippery in places, but a miss is as good as a mile in a "silver thaw." Violin music is to be tried to arouse a woman who has slept for 51 days. It might be more effective to tell her that the senate has adjourned. Burglars stole 30 watches from a Third street jewelry store.. No doubt to insure against being late on the Job. Post-thanksgiving Includes the tur key so small It is not lasting, as usual, two or three days. But then we don't all wear silk shirts, and the cost of living seems to hit us just the same. Why not try the British way of Bending a few warships and dis cussing afterward? Speed will be an essence in divi sion of the reward for the tavern bandits. j It took an American-born woman to break into parliament CRACKER (LIB DISCUSSES ISSUES Notable Tillamook Club Settle Im portant laaaea of Day. , Adolphns Rennet, the enterprising cheese merchant of Tillamook and corresponding secretary of the Crack-1 er Box club, writes to The Orego nian to report as follows: "Our Cracker Box club meets every night except Sunday and discusses everything from archaeology to lym- urgy. We have even gone farther than that on one notable occasion reaching the word zyxomma in char acterizing Woodrow Wilson. If that isn't the limit. It is certainly close enough. Here is Just about the way the ozone is being spread hereabouts: Hank Smith insists that Colonel House is still in Paris, but Gua Stev ens says he Is still, but not there. 'Hank Stimson claims that a wheel barrow isn't the only example of an effect before a cause and has a let ter to prove it, which arrived here two days before it left Portland accord ing to the postoffice stamp. "Jake wants the league to stabilize the calendar and regards the daylight saving plan as an opening wedge by capital to sret control of time. The manner in which he can demonstrate that capital innds to satisfy labor by reducing the working day to four hours and increasing the length of hours is too involved for popular ex position. Deacon Curd calls his ar gument 'mental slush,' but the dea con has never been able to follow Jake's reasoning since they traded horses. He claims that Jake really ought to get better acquainted with his subject and that the three eating periods are hardly sufficient data for such sweeping generalities. bpike. Hogkiss says that the war didn't affect him in the lea.it out side of ruining his education. He has cut out geographical names en tirely and describes every place on the map in longitude and latitude. He can't understand how the paace conference ever overlooked these two things with so many experts snooping around for trouble. Slim Smlthers thinks they had too danged much lat- tuue and were long enough about it. the Good Lord knows! You can't take Slim too seriously, however, be cause he Is for the league just as it stands which Is flat on Its back. 'Speaking of Spike Hogkiss. he got all het up the other night over the problems of peace. His geometry and astronomy are all shot to pieces. The people or his day, he claims, paid their good tax money to have him learn that infinite spa-e is Infinite space and that straight linen never meet no matter how long. The last eclipse of the sun has knocked this all out, according to his contention. Infinite space is finite and straight lines are bending In the heavens like puppy love over the garden gate. That's enough for Spike. He's ready to surrender anything now. except his wife, and he would do that if he had anything to say about it. "Shorty Green claims that the sur geons are giving people a new lease of life by transplanting human In wards. Rev. George says it isn't vul gar to express the wish that the present administration had more of them things. "Hirum Pigmy Insists that William J. Bryan wrote a poem entitled 'The lute and the Peanut Whistle' in praise of Wilson's league attitude, but Red Haggerty says it was an Ore gon poet who wrote something of that kind. Pa Dobbins, who was born in Nebraska and ought to know what he is talking about, says that Wilson reminds him of that state. They have very promising springs but awful falls. "Our genial chief of Dolice and night watchman. Snoop Perkins, says that propaganda is blowing from all corners of the compass and that nobody really knows anything any i more. Snoop has held his job many years by never knowing anything and he should be an authority. All during the war and the league argument he has been, neutral in thought, word and deed and Is probably the only living man who fully understands the phrase, 'peace without victory.' He simply quotes others and lets you take it or leave It, Just as you please. Tor instance, on the one hand, says -he. the opponents of the leasue say it can't enforce its decrees because it hasn't any real power and on the other hand they claim it has so much power that it is really a super-state. The proponents of the league tell us that the world is going to the devil unless we get in. hut on the other hand. If we stay out the allies will divide the plum pudding among them selves. His recipe is a good physic and plenty of work without preju dice, however, to the merits of either side. Pardon this long letter, but the boys want you to settle a bet. Either way you answer you are bound to lose lifelong and ardent subscribers. but the truth must prevail. How Is President Wilson going to call the first meeting of the supreme council under article 5. when we ain't in the league of nations yet? "Bill Sykes says Wilson can do any thing he wants at any dang time he chooses and proudly points to his record as proof. Perhaps so, but will he do it legally or morally, or with a dash of each?" (ll'ALITIES OR JIHIST ADMIRED Bx-(ioTerior Geer ReminlHees of Late Judae Gantenbeln. PORTLAND. Nov. 28. (To the Edi tor.) The Spanish-American war came to a close during the first months of my administration of the executive office, and being desirous of recognizing some deserving and efficient member of the gallant 2d Oregon regiment In the selection of an adjutant-general, I retained General Tuttle in that position, which he had filled during the preceding ad ministration. Among the many com petent men who had distinguished themselves in the Philippines I found that Major C. U. Gantenbeln had rather the best recommendations for the position named and he was there fore selected. During the years that followed I found Major Gantenbeln to be a man of exceptional thoroughness and effi ciency. His most pronounced official qualities were promptness and effi ciency. Upon hiB arrival at the ex ecutive .office to make his monthly report he would enter, give a military salute and. standing at the side of the desk, at once begin to present and explain the papers he had brought Having completed his business he was ready to depart unless by some sign he was made to feel that a friendly visit would be agreeable. . Judge Gantenbeln was always a gentleman and though of a decided military bearing was thoroughly democratic in his manner. He was a man of high ideals, was very indus trious and his activities in many use ful directions made him a highly use ful citizen. His passing while in the prime of his career was a distinct public loss and is deeply regretted by a host of friends. T. T. GEBR. IMctnre of Hongkpma London Echo. Hongkoni is essentially an entre pot where merchandise from all parts of the world changes hands or ships, or both. The colony produces nothing animal, vegetable or min eral of any account from a world trade point of view. Its local con sumption, except in the case of ma terials for shipbuilding, ship' repair ing and ship furnishing, is from a similar relative point of view neg ligiole. Thosj Who Come and Go. "There has never been a failure ii Sherman county," asserts N. S. John- How oft, when .deep within the rest son of Wasco, who Is at the Imperial. less brain "Even when there have been long dry spells, there was never a crop failure. ! and this year, when there was no rain after April, there were yields of 25 sacks of wheat to the acre. The wheat of Sherman county contains from 32 to 40-odd per cent of gluten, ' whlf-h i i PTi-i-titlnnnlW men. and th. ' Sherman county wheat is bought to mix with softer grains grown in east ern OreRon. The people of Sherman county, however, have not appreciated the value of their land. 1 know a man who wanted to sell his place, with the crop on it, for $75 an acre this year, yet when the harvest came the wheat yielded him $115 for every! acre. Our county hasn't been written up and boosted like some other coun ties, but is gradually becoming bet ter known and we've got the soil which brings results." Once upon a time Zoe Houser repre sented the .peace and dignity of the United States, and there was a framed commission hanging on the wall testi fying to that effect. That was when he was United States marshal for OreKon. Now Mr. Houser is a rancher, living between Echo and Stanfield, but a little nearer to the latter than the former, although he claims Echo as his postoffice ad dress. Crops could have been better, admitted Mr. Houser at the Imperial yesterday, but the price was good. None of the wheat he raised has yet been sold and he observed with a sense of satisfaction that there was a prospect of wheat going hitrher. Mr. Houser used to he quite a political prophet, so it Is worthy of note to say that he predicts that Governor Lowden of Illinois will be the re publican candidate for president, if it isn t General Leonard Wood. And speaking of the weather, Mr. Houser says It was 8 degrees above zero at Echo when he left which was a good time to leave, albeit he has seen it IS below. For 60 years P. H. D'Arcy of Salem has lived at lot No. 1. block No. 1. ward one, precinct No. 1. which is probably a record, although Salemttes are not'in the habit of moving around. The Judge arrived at Salem in the latter part of the '60s and, although Portland wasn't much of a town at that time, nor for some time later, Judge D'Arcy never felt the urge to leave the town on the upper Wil lamette for Portland. The judge was at the Seward yesterday and whisked home last night in less than two hours, although in the old times it was an all-day journey, or even a part of two days. Owing to the de mand for houses In Salem, the judge says a company is being organized for the express purpose of building residences, which can be either rented or sold on the easy payment plan. "There are more fishermen on the coast this season than there have been for a long time and the fisher men have been doing well, although I don't know what they have been making," reports' W. E. Mack, w ho re turned yesterday from a trip to the Siletz country. "Lots of the boys who were in the service are now back and are turning to the fishing business, some of the canneries providing the equipment." Mr. Mack was on his way to Taft when the boiler exploded in the sawmill at that place, killing five people and demolishing the build ing. One of the men who was killed was o have been seen by Mr. Mack. "I was awakened by the telephone in my room ringing at 2 A. M.," com plained the patron of a downtown ho tel, w hen I answered the phone the night clerk wanted to know if I had given a lead pencil to one of the bell hops. I never heard of such a fool proposition. Apparently, the bellboy and the nlKht clerk got into a dis pute over the ownership of the pen cil; the boy said that the man in No. So-and-So gave It to him. and then the clerk rang my room for confir mation. Can you beat it?" W. P. McCauley. an engineer from Chicago, Thanksgivmged on the Co lumbia highway. . Op his return he conceded that the highway is a great piece of work and that the concrete bridges a matter on which he is an expert are very, very Kood. Which reminds Portlauders that the only person who ever "knocked" the Co lumbia hiKhway is the current Gov ernor Hart of Washington, who re ferred to It as "a cheap road.'- Mr. McCauley is at the Multnomah. "There are 22 new houses being built in Albany," says Frank J. Miller, formerly chairman of the state public service commission, who is now presi dent of the Commercial club in the Linn county metropolis. "All of these houses are of subMtantial construction and are being built by people who in tend living in them. The shortage of houses for renting purposes is caus ing families to solve the problem of housing by building their own homes." Frank Patton, who Is the treasurer of the Port of Astoria commission, ar rived at the Hotel Portland yesterday on business connected with that en terprising port. It was under the auspices of the commission that As toria built its big; docks and is now planning developments which will take advantage of the opportunities presented when the proposed naval base station Is established at Tongue Point. F. S. Johnson of Myrtle Creek, which is on the other end of Roberts moun tain, where so many automobile ac cidents occur on the Pacific highway, is at the Imperial. A new road is be ing1 constructed to eliminate Roberts mountain, which will enter, the south ern end of Myrtle Creek on an un derground crossing1. The Portland stock market Is so attractive that it draws from Mon tana, and scarcely a week passes but stockmen from Montana bring ship ments, of cattle to this city. A. J. Marsh and Charles McLeod of Shelby, Mont., stockmen, arrived at the Per kins yesterday. Surrounded by rich horticultural and agricultural land is Alpine, which also has a fine body of standing tim ber near by. from these peaceful sur roundings came W. J. O'Neil to the Imperial yesterday. Alpine is one of the best little towns In Benton county. Mr. and Mrs. T. W. Tandy no re lation of Napper Tandy, immortalized in "The Wearing of the Green" ar rived at the Imperial yesterday from Marshland, which is the name given to a fertile section a few miles from Clatskanle, in Columbia county. , "It was snowing when we left Cas cade Locks," reports E. E. Ellsworth, who arrived in town with his wife yesterday. "The weather is moderat ing somewh-at over what it was Thanksgiving, a mighty cold day, in deed." "Call for Mr. Trotcky." announced a page at the Benson, and everyone sat up to take notice, thinking it" was the boss of the bolsheviki of Russia. Charles H. Trotcky. however, is a traveling salesman from Chicago. John N. IDolph of Pendleton, who operates a wheat farm near that city, is at the Benson. Mr. Dolph was the son-in-law of the' late George Per inger, who was killed by bandits in Lannton a week ago. G. C. Fulton, one of the best known - jof Astoria's legal talent, is registered 'at the Hotel Portland. Remorse. By Grace K. Hall Dead voices plead attain for living tone, When scenes almost forgotten bring the pain That In their vital hours we may have known: When words we spake come back to mock and sting, I We're prone to feel the .blame for what occurred, I Forgetting provocation. and the fllnsr j Which may have been at fault for every word! There Is no law by which man need assume A fault provoked by some one's angry speech; The blame, divided, soon had given room For each to view his half and heal the breach; ', But when one waxes wroth at shaft and sneer. And in defense resorts to barb and thrust. Through future years his own words he will hear. Forgetting those long silenced in the dust. I would be fair and give each one his due. No less to self than to that one who met My caustic speech with taunts that be may rue. Which I in answering likewise shall regret; I would remember always nor mis take Another s blame for mine it is not fair; ro single voice a quarrel e er can make I will not add remorse to my sad snare: MEXICO SHOULD BE CLEANED VP Forcible Restoration of Order Wemlel Be Uoom to CIvlllMtloau ALBANY, Or., Nov. 27. (To the Editor.) The United States has Just cause to aeciare war against Mexico- Mexico today is largely a nation of bandits and criminals, and the good people there appear to be hopelessly in the minority. The Mexican gov ernment during the last eight years has been, and still Is, in the hands of unprincipled men who appear to en courage the murder and robbery of citizens of the United States who have settled in Mexico. Under contracts of treaty, Mexico is bound to protect the lives and property of our citizens in her domain, but she has repeatedly failed to do so, and her repeated in sults to our government and the in nocent blood of men, women and children, citizens of this country, mur dered wiitully by Mexicans, cries aloud for vengeance. It would be a blessing to the civilized world, and to the people of Mexico, if the United States would conquer and annex Mex ico. Mexico is nearly 2000 miles lonir and has an average breadth of about 400 miles, and would In our hands be come civilized and prosperous. When Mexico was discovered by the Span iards, it was a nation having a civil government, an organized army, offi cial administrators, courts of justice, high agricultural and mechanical arts, huge buildings and temples of dressed stone whose architecture and sculpture astonished the builders and sculptors of Europe. The first book printed in America was printed at Mexico City in 1544 In the Spanish language, and entitled "Doctrina Christiana per eo los Indos." However, it appears that the Span ish masters were more Intent on rob bing the Mexicans of their gold and silver vessels, and In making peons of them, than Jn education. Their successors have followed faithfully In the steps of their predecessors, and today Mexico's native inhabitants are ignorant and pliable tools in thet hands of scheming politicians and bandit chiefs. Mexico has outlived its usefulness and is unworthy of the name of republic. GEORGE W. WRIGHT. Seore One for Father. (Carton, O.) Times. The son of the family was home on his first vacation since he had at tained to the digrnlty of class presi dent. He and his father were discuss ing affairs of the day. and finally the boy remarked, "Say. dad, I hope when I am as old as you are I'll know more than you do." "I'll go one better, my boy." the father replied. "I hope that when you are that old you will know as much as vou think vow do now." I How the Goat Frolicked to a Tilt With the High Cost of Milk Time was when Casey's goat was the battered jest of every joke book. The popular belief prevailed that goats throve on a diet of tin cans and red flannels. So has the tongue of calumny besmirched the repute of this true friend of man. De Witt Harry, who tells of Portland's goats in the Sunday issue, with a page of accompanying photos of Nanny and Billy, skirmished around for the true facts. He finds that the goat is the friend of little children, the natural reposi tory of milk and cream to sham.e the prideful Jersey, and that the female of the species is the poor man's cow. This story may inspire you to own a goat. If you are goatless, read the genial tale of how other folk are getting along with theirs. FLYING THE ATLANTIC FOR A WAITING BRIDE In days of old, along about the time that Columbus put his caravels to sea, the bride that waited the return of a trans-Atlantic traveler would have entered a nunnery in despair ere the homing sail hove over the horizon. But Sir Arthur Brown, hero of a flight by air plane over the ocean, made the distance in a handful of hours. In the Sunday's issue there's a narrative of Sir Arthur's romance and of the girl who waited for him. TRAVELING OVER AN ARCTIC PARISH Twenty miles is a long drive for the country doctor or clergyman. But Dr. Willfred T. Grenfell, both missionary and physician, has the entire north Atlantic coast for his charge and his parish. The green combers of December gales know the prow of his leaky little boat, the Strathcona, and the leagues of enowfields are traversed by the pads of his dog-team. Pluck plus ia the narrative of the north country. Illustrated. FAR-FLUNG SPANS LESSENING THE WORLD'S CIRCUM FERENCE The titans of modern industry have turned to the task of bridging gaps in the course of world travel, of rearing mighty viaducts beneath which the tides of ocean pass all for the saving of mileage and the perfection of a direct route for commerce. American genius is at the forefront of these gigantic enterprises, which numb the imagination. A feature story by Charles W. Dujce, special staff contributor, appears in the Sunday paper. THE DOG BEAUTY SHOP Society has always its latest fad. When poodles were the vogue the limit appeared to have been reached. All the world loveg the dog but will all the world agree that' beauty parlors for canine pets are a modern necessity? Yet there are such. In mad New York the canine aristocrats have their own manicurists, barbers and other beauty specialists to perfume, curl and coddle them to perfection. Wouldn't any sensible dog be far happier chasing the cat or chewing an old shoe? We rise to inquire. The yarn of Fido's beautif ication appears in the Sunday issue, with actual photographs. All the News of All the World THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN More Truth Than Poetry. By Jibici J. Montagne. - TO A GLINKA PIG. Gentle little guinea pig Whistling In your sty. There's little you know how to do Except to- multiply. And yet. when epidemics come To scare us half to death. In mankind's cause you fold your paws And yield your fluttering breath. They fill you full of wriggling gesms- That spread abroad the flu And watch all day to note the w-ay They make an end of you: And if in vain your little lungs The bacilli assaK They peel your hide and search In side To find what made 'em fall. They feed you arsenate of lead To see how you will feel And stand around to hear the sound Of your departing squeal. And if by chance they still can hear The beating of your heart. To find out why you didn't die. They take you all apart. Gentle little srulnea pig. lou have but little sense; You would not rate as very great In brute intelligence. But what with ptomaines, teinpertr.. drinks. Wood alcohol and flu We rather fear we'd not be here If it were not for you! . Straaire. Sweet are the uses of adversity, but they never seem to help much in a sugar shortage. . Not Too Late Yet. We never declared war on Bul garia, but that's no Indication that we won't if she doesn't behave her self. Troables of Our Own. We sympathize with the Armenians, but they haven't any I. W. W.s at that (Copyright, 1919, by the Bell Syndicate. Inc.) In Other Days. Twenty-five Yeara Aire. From The Oregonian of Nov. 29, 1894. Washington China has been forced to the inevitable in the war with Ja pan and has sued for peace. Thanksgiving will be observed in Portland today with the usual serv ices at the churches and the cham pionship football game between the Multnomah club and Seattle Athletic club. New Yoi k It Is said on good au thority thi-t orders have been issued to close down all refineries of the American Sugar Refinery company because of poor business. At a meeting of 30 real estate men of the city yesterday a committee of six was appointed to suggest plans for a permanent organization. Fifty Years Aro. From The Oreponlan of Nov. 29, I860. New York The Spanish consul here flays his government has appropriated $6.-i0.000 for the building of six new corettes (warships) in this city, but now doubts if they will be construct ed here. Washington Senator Williams vis ited the president yesterday and pre sented evidence of the completion of the first 20 miles of railroad eouth from Portland. Albany has a ghost, a human form, but headless, which is the sole occu pant of the house it inhabits. Sealed proposals will be received at the auditor's office for painting the names of streets on the street corners. Iarly Morning: Scenery Best. "Washington Star. "What part of the scenery around here seems to attract the most atten tion ? "Well." said Farmer Corntassel'I've studied the boarders pretty close. I should say it's the ham and eggs on the breakfast table." Sherman for President. ROSKBURG, Or., Nov. 27. (To the Editor.) Hurrah for Sherman of Illi nois! His criticism of our peace dele gates has the true Rooseveltian ring, and shows more presidential poten tialities than a page full of platforms and policies. HAYSF.F.D. 4