TITE 3IORNTNG OREGOXIAX, MONDAY. DECEMBER 15, 1919. 8 t-nbHrrlption Kates Invariably in Advance. (By Mail.) )a!ly, Sunday included, one year ally, Sunday Included, six months .. ai!y, Sunday included, three months 'ally. Sunday Included, one month .- aily, without Sunday, one year aii. without Sunday, six months .. aiiy, without Sunday, one month. . .. eek.y, one year jtion politically."" The St. Louis con- l ierence was me rwun. ' The Questionnaire is a fine ex- STABLlSHKn BY HENRY PITTOCK. ample of propaganda by suggestion. ubiiKhed by The Oregonian Publishing Co.. it shows the committee to be a hand maiden of the labor party by aslcing 133 toixth street, Portland, Oregon. . A. MORDEN". E. B. PIPER Manager. Editor. The Oregonian Is a member of the Aeso iated Press. The Associated Press is xciuslvely entitled to the use for pubiica :on of all news dispatches credited to it r not otherwise .credited in this paper and mo the local news published herein. All ights of republication of special dispatches er-in are also reserved. first: Do you favor the programme of the American labor party in regard to the worker? m - Do you favor the programme of the non-partisan league as regards the farmer? Then comes a mixture of questions on such moderate reforms as the budget and a federal department of education with others on 'literal re storation of the constitutional rights of free press, freedom of speech and public assemblage or in which a fl.oo j radical scheme like the Plumb plan 3 jj lis named together with its conserva i!oo tive alternative. Thus "liberals" were unriay. one year 2.50Ii.j -"h tVior thev favored the unday and weekly a.so i - control or (By Carrier.) I ' th inn. uuciaiijJ ui iiuuuimipi., ' c age law, public machinery for dis tribution of profits, compulsory mm $8.00 2.1!5 3 fcaily. Hunday Included, one year . . . . .$9.00 aiiy nuiiuny inciuuea. xn ree moiiin. . . aiiy, Sunday included, one month 75 -aily, without Sunday, one year ...... 7.H't Jally, without Sunday, three months.. . l.Wt vaity, without Sunday, one month 60 How to Remit Rend postoffice money rder, express or personal check on your oca! bank. Stamps, coin or currency are vt owner's risk. Give postoffice address a full, including county and state. Postage Kates 12 to 16 pages. 1 cent: S to p:ik8. 2 cents: 34 to 48 pages. 3 :nli; DO to 60 pages, 4 cents; 62 to 76 ages, B cents; 78 to 82 pages, 6 cents, orelgn postage, double rates. Eastern Business Office Verree & Conk ia, Unjnuwick building. New York; Verree i Conklin, steger building, Chicago: Ver oe A Conklin, Free Press building, De roit, Mich. San Francisco representative, ,T. Bldwell. J'KOTHCDINT. PREROGATIVES. ' Official life in Washington seems o be one wounded sensibility after mother. This situation is not al ogether due, it appears, to the com- "licated system into which our gov- rnment has grown. Though num berless new prerogatives have been reated and lie around ready to be tepped on, some of the older ones re carelessly trod under foot- To be aore explicit: There was Lindley M. Garrison, Vho somehow gained the notion that 9 secretary of war it was his pre ogative to recommend to congress ha erection of a citizens army with embellishments devised to produce in adequate state of preparedness, "trst the president thought well of t: then he thought ill of it, and without informing Garrison decided o squelch the whole business. So he wounded Garrison gave place to nother. There was also William Jennings iryan. As democratic secretary ol late, he deemed It his prerogative o pilot the ship of state. He wrote several notes to Germany, pacific and conciliatory, but one day the president dictated a sharp note of his own, and said to Mr. Bryan, "Sign here." The non-consulted Br. Bryan retired from office humiliated, but with benignity unimpaired. There was Senator George E. phamberlain of Oregon, who a: chairman of the committee on milt tary affairs, fancied it was within his province to criticise the war de partment and suggest a new advis ory-'system for conduct of the war. But the president In effect applied a short and ugly word to the criticism. and having thus logically and con clusively set the senator in his place. 1 ' I VI VJ l U bill? llllllll 0 11 d (, V .1 1 1 W 11 OH Tts own. The friendship of the two now hardly noticeable. Wounded nators do not resign. t Away back in 1787 the framers of no . constitution decreed that the resident should negotiate treaties iV and with the consent of the sen te. But In 1919 without the advice consent of the senate and without ming any senators as peace com issioners, the president negotiated treaty of peace with Germany ow, the wounded senate, as another dserver puts It, is for the treaty ust as it stands, which Is flat on Its ack- We repeat, that senators, no latter how badly injured in the nsibilities, do not resign. Another controversy with Mexico rose. Secretary Lansing wrote the ustomary notes to Carranza about announced that the president had rt been consulted, and congress was bout to consider a resolution declar- ig for severance of diplomatic re tions with the southern neighbor, ut a committee from the senate ught the president's chamber and politely told that conduct of a relations was the prerogative fv ae president, not of congress. uuiik came a coal striae, ton 8 had created the office of fuel lininistrator. Dr. Harry Garfield eld the post. He fancied, despit listorlc precedents, that he had some irerogative or other in the conduct f the affairs of which he was pre iumably put In charge. He propose a settlement, said "take it or leav it," and the department of justice be gran to stir, but the president arose from a sick bed, ignored Garfield, proposed another arrangement an lettled the strike. The outraged 1 parfield. not being a senator, of f (course resigned. 1 I The list Is doubtless incomplete ... ... , ... out tnese are tne major casualties oi an era of protruding prerogatives. tary training. Sandwiched among these is the significant question: Do you favor the federation of the labor party, the non-partisan league and the committee of forty-eight to function through a common political channel? The answer to this question is not known, but 93 per cent endorsed the labor party programme and every radical suggestion had an enormous majority. It appears that the new labor arty is to be a new cave of Adullam, that its original promoters have gathered in all of the labor element that they can control, the Non-partisan league Is on hand to represent the radical farmers, and now the ommittee of forty-eight is making a round-up of all the unattached rad icals in order to establish its claim to part in the convention. insurance fund, but we all know tnax i come more intimate, as nrooismi i-uim.is "" - wages are not fixed- They may rise j which used to be individual onu cn-nw intr. rnmmilililv nrob ems. It IB I ATOCtt anwn necessary that the neighborhood and the community spirit be infused into the churches themselves. still higher; they may fall materially. But whether they rise or fall the pro portion of accidents to the number of men employed will not increase or diminish. If the law be not changed in this regard the. commission on the to Kdgrar Allrm Poe. It has remained for a foreigner Vicente Blasco Ibanez, Spanish author This is not to say. of course, that j to'begln a movement toward a mon carried to absurd extremes, consou- ument to Edear Allan Poe. When the i Those Who Come and Go. COL. HOFER DEFENDS TOBACCO first of next July will fix rates of j dation might not defeat its own pur- j author of "'The Four Horses of the pose, mere is sucn a mias a Apocalypse" arrived In New York re- contribution for the succeeding two sears. They may do the best the human mind is capable of doing, but no one will be able to foretell whether the rates will produce an other unnecessary surplus, or cause a deficit or compel depletion of surplus. WILSON THE ONE OBSTACLK? Plain intimations from the allies that they would not object to Ameri can reservations to the treaty with Germany are apt to leave President Wilson in a highly embarrassing po sition. He has said in effect that to do anything except ratify the treaty unreservedly would be fatal to it and would "break the heart of the world." Now come the leading na tions of the world and say that a few reservations which will satisfy Amer ican caution in going into so ex tensive a deal will not break their hearts but that pleasure at ratifica tion on such terms would quicken the palpitation of those organs. In truth, all the bone and flesh of the most important reservations can be preserved while their cloth ing of words may be so changed as to make them more pleasing to the eyes of the allies. The latter may well prefer saying by their silence: 'We don't object" to saying: "We accept." as required by the Lodge preamble. After all, the military, economic and moral power which the United States would add to the league would insure that any rea sonable conditions of remaining in it would be accepted, while the conse quences "would restrain this nation from making any unreasonable con ditions which would wreck it. If the allies have no apprehension that we shall impose such conditions, why should Mr. Wilson? Germany is watching events in Washington, and to confidence that Mr. Wilson will not bend his stub born will may well be due the new courage which prompts objection to signing the final protocol prelimin ary to putting the treaty in effect. : THE TALKER, Whenever there is need of prompt action in passing an important piece of legislation. Senator La Follette can always be relied on to interpose a flood of talk. He did so in oppo sition to the Vreeland currency bill in 1908, and rode his hobby against it, but the democrats who then chimed in with him found it to be a life-sayer during the financial' crisis which followed the outbreak of war. His freakishness has been displayed on every occasion, on none more than when he opposed war and the draft bill- Passage of railroad legislation before the new year Is imperative, for confusion must ensue unless President Wilson can be in duced to defer return of the roads to their owners, but La Follette talks by the day in opposition. Without going into the details of the Cummins bill, the fact that it was approved by all the members of the committee on commerce except one should be conclusive in its favor. If any doubt remained, it should be removed by the fact that La Follette was the one objector. The Wiscon sin senator's contention that the bill is too favorable to the railroad com panies is sufficiently met by the fact that it is fathered by Senator Cum mins. The latter was a veteran in the war for regulation of railroads when the Wisconsin colleague was a young recruit in that a.r, and he was never known to favor giving the railroads more than their due, but he knows that to bankrupt them would be a poor service to the pub lic. But one motive can be found for the La Follette filibuster to post pone decision in order that an op portunity may be made to campaign for public ownership. Public opin ion is clearly against that policy, and will not suffer delay in putting the railroads into condition to render good service. This is an appropriate occasion'for the senate to resort to the cloture. That instrument was designed to stop a flow of verbosity which Is kept up by a small knot of members for the purpose of preventing the great majority from reaching a decision by a vote. The Wisconsin senator and his few aids are flagrant obstruc tionists. They have had their say, and should be silenced. ful emulation, -and a body might become unwieldy with mere size. Rivalry within reasonable limits may operate as a check and balance. But it will be a long time before the average American town will be bet ter served by a multiplicity of churches than by a few of them, vigorously conducted, militant for the right, and we certainly do not re quire for mere purposes of balance the more than 100 denominations which found places in the last fed eral census. There are too many feeble church organizations, and not enough efficient ones. There is too much overlapping of work. One su perintendent of educational work, for example, is enough for several churches, if he is the right man for the job. One man can direct the training of a good many Bible teach ers, and so on. In social service, the more nearly the organization ap proaches the population o the whole community, the better for all con cerned. There is as yet no visible danger from the tendency to consoli date, and there are weaknesses in division which all thoughtful citi zens admit. The basic demand on the social church is that it shall reach the community. Other considerations are mostly non-essential. Such questions as surrender of names of individual churches are minor details. It may be that the good people of Walla Walla have solved these, as is inti mated, by some plan of "federation"; but the name by which it is called Is also unimportant. The venture here will be watched with especial inter est because it is hoped that It will blaze a way. Not much that is prac tical has come out of all the talk of the past three or four years about church union, but it cheers us to know that the idea is not dead. There are forces at work that do not lose sight of the goal. Every success gives encouragement to others who heretofore have tried but failed; the principles which are basi cally sound, once they have been determined-, are bound In the end to prevail. Ham sandwiches and sweet cider are not generally considered the choicest combination for breakfast, especially during these days of freez ing weather, but this was the portion which Eugene L. Coburn. county I clerk of Josephine county, was com I naiinrt t n .ypnt when his delayed cently, he was astonished to find no- j Southern Pacific train, arrived at Al- With a Kick in It. ByUUD. He Would Not Insult Paat Generations With Vm rrrua ry Ban. SALEM. Or. Drc 13 (Tn :h V.A. ! tor.) Readers of The Oregonian will THE SAFE GAME, recall that a few years ago I warned "The world will end on them that the crusaders against per- ; Dr 17." sonal libertv would not atnn with Current fiction. seeking to enforce total abstinence in The guy who's foresighted won't Decem- where a memorial to the poet. Poe, according to the Spanish writ er. Is held throughout Kurope to have been the greatest of American liter ary men. one of the greater writers, in fact, of all time. When in New bany about 10 hours late, en route to Portland. The diner was taken off at Eugene and it was nearly noon when the belated train pulled in at Albany. During the 10-minute wait Mr f!oburn and a few of his hungry ! fellow-passengers skirmished around , - i . , , .1 : 1. M.on BRI MMING VP THE HIGHBROW REDS, The conference at St. Louis which resolved to launch a "liberal" party n the political sea is the product of the mysterious committee of forty-plirrtt- which William Allen White rcalls one of the "little Mabels of politics." It Is the intellectual wing of the radical element which has formed the new labor party, the latter having sent out invitations to the farmers. These have been ac cepted by the Non-partisan league but have been coldly declined by the Grange and the Farmers' union. Inquiry into the origin of the com mittee of forty-eight has shown it to ive been conceived in a tea room at reenwich village, New York, by a roup of parlor radicals and social Many of its moving spirits have connected with such parlor bol- ist organs as the New Republic, Nation and the Dial. One is the tor of the Dial, who has consti- ed himself champion of Soviet issla. Another is Arthur Le Suer ex-secretary of the Non-partisan league, who addresses W. D- Hay wood, head of the I. W. W., as "My dear Bill." But it has proved impos- Hble to discover the identity of all the members. S. Its first meeting was held In Jan l'arv and in March it advertispd "J ?all to Americans" in four liberal ournals. Then followed "A Call to Vction." which was mailed In Sep- ember to 17,000 editors. In June a platform drafting committtee was appointed, which sent a question naire to all who responded to the call and asked them if they would attend a conference "and thus have a voice in shaping the committee's pro rramme and in deciding on th method through which it will fuue- n i f 1 1 i f A TASK FOR THE LEGISLATURE. The need for amendment of the industrial insurance law which has caused the governor to call a special session of the legislature invites the reflection that the workmen's com pensation fund has a basis of income that is not as closely related to out go as was once believed. The income to the fund is derived chiefly from contributions from the employers and these contributions are a fixed percentage of average payrolls. Now a workman's liabil ity to accident Is not affected at all by the fact that he may receive twice as much for a day's work in 1919 as he received for the same work in 1914. Yet there has been a great in crease in wages over the pre-war period. As the employer's contribu tion is a percentage of his total pay roll he has accordingly been paying into the fund more than the antici pated need for compensating injuries and providing surpluses. . There is therefore accumulating in the compensation fund an unneces sary surplus, yet the injured work man cannot benefit from it as the law stands, for his compensation for in juries is on an Inelastic basis so much, and no more, for loss of an eye; so much, and no more, for loss of an arm; so much, and no mort for loss of both arms, etc. A present provision of the law would permit this unnecessary surplus to be cred ited to the contributing employers on July 1, 1920. Justice seems to lie in another direction. The cost of living has vastly increased since the schedule of benefits was made up. The beneficiaries of the system fina that as a result of the higher cost of living the benefits are not compen sation for injuries, but are little better than a charity relief. More over, the employers' contributions have already gone into the overhead costs of his business. He has not figured on a reimbursement. His outlay for industrial insurance has entered into the price charged for that which he produced and the con sumer, not he, has paid it. It is, therefore, but simple justice that the benefits to injured work men be increased, but it may be well for the legislature to consider also that a schedule of compensation es timated in relation to the prospec tive contributions to the fund may bring about another crisis in indus trial insurance affairs. If wages should fall materially, contributions would lessen and the fund would face a deficit, as it did in 1915, when the legislature hastened to raise the rates. It is true that authority has been delegated to the industrial ac cident commission to revise the rates that employers shall pay, but this revision may be accomplished -only bi-ennially and at a set time of the year. Authority to make an annual revision would seem to be an im provement. A complete change in the method of assessing the employ ers would be better. For as already stated, the risk of accidents to an employer's workmen Is not affected by the amount of his payroll, except so far as that payroll is increased or decreased by taking on or laying off employes. Accident expectation in industry is based upon number of men employed, the use and effi ciency of safety devices and the general hazard of the industry. If wage scales were permanently fixed, then the payroll would be a (better guide for contributions to the CHCRCH ONION Members of two churches at Walla Walla Congregational and Presby terian are soon to have an oppor tunity to vote on the proposition that they shall become organically one. which is a reminder that perhaps after all the movement toward church unity, which was greatly stimulated by the war and its at tendant demand for economy of ef fort in every department of human activity, may not be permitted en tirely to languish now that peace has come. The officials of the churches in .question have gone so far as to recommend that the churches be united. As is proper among a people whose social order is based on the principles of democ racy, the rank and file are to have the final say. We shall watch the news from Walla Walla with particular inter est because if it shall develop that union is desired and also that the members of each organization are willing to make the concessions and even sacrifices essential to bringing this about, they will be setting an example not at all common in this world of much discussion of theories and many failures to put them into effect. There was about this time last year a similar movement in an Oregon town not far from Portland, in which three churches were in volved, but it seems to have come to nothing. There were rival conten tions that this or that church was trying to get the better of the other churches, or something like that. The tendency of the times is toward relaxation of dividing lines between creeds, but the issue of property al most always bobs up. We do not ap pear to be able to surmount that obstacle as easily as we ought to do. It would seem that this, of all ques tions, would most readily lend itself to adjustment. The rules of mathe matics, even of commercial arithme tic, are pretty well established. But it remains a curious fact that people who are entirely willing to waive some point concerning baptism of nfants or the minor requisites of salvation will hold out to the last ditch on a question of title to a piece of real estate, or some small mat ter like that. ' It Is deplorable, but it is often so. The reasons advanced by those who favor church union in Walla Walla include one that will appeal with new rorce to the advocates of greater economy of church effort everywhere. This is that it will mean not only economy of material and effort, but also a widening of fellowship and opportunity. It ap pears that the consolidated organiza tion, if the plan goes through, would maintain relations with both denom inations. It would "send gates to the national and subordinate organizations and contribute to four teen instead of seven lines of denom inational work." But, locally, dupli cation would be avoided. To use a mercantile phrase, the "overhead" would be cut down; there would be only one pastor to pay and one build ing to maintain. Perhaps, as to the pastor, there is hope, not so much of a saving in dollars and cents, as of more nearly adequate payment for service rendered. The question of pastors' salaries, as is well known, is now a burning issue in church circles. But there -may also be an incre ment of goad from the sole fact of union In an undertaking. En thusiasm may be bred of numbers and inspiration be derived from teamwork in a common cause. When formerly we were more concerned over doctrinal matters than we are now, 4t was natural to divide on tweedledum and tweedledee. But the larger conception of the duty of cue cnurcn or today is that it has a social duty, which is also a relisious duty, to perform, and this dovetails conveniently with the idea of union. "Why, enough strawberries could be grown on the vacant lots and in the back yards and on the curbs of Salem to keep a big jam and jelly factory going the year through," ob serves the Salem Statesman in a re cent editorial, "or a big cannery part of the year." And it supports its statement with the account of a grower who produced strawberries at the rate of 1000 crates to the acre on the grounds of the agricultural college at Corvallis and of another who did as well at Falls City with another variety of berries and had a ' second crop besides. . Marion county, already claimant of the hon or of being the leaVg strawberry county of Oregon, with Polk county a close second, is going to fight to York, Ibanez visited the old cottage ' and found one Albany soft drink man in which Poe wrote some of his great poems and stories. "I look upon Poe as my spiritual and literary father," declared the Spanish author. "I first read him when I was seven years old. I knew then that I must become a writer. To write like Poe. to tell my stories like him. to translate my visions upon paper like he did was the end and aim of my existence. In Spain Poe is read in all the public schools. We never can understand over there why he is not so well understood and so revered in this country. "I almost can weep when I see so many statues erected tt men whom we regard as nonentities and none to the American who has affected so profoundly the literature of Europe and South America. I am willing to subscribe $100 toward a fitting me morial to trie man whose genius I re gard as one of the greatest of all time." An extremely strange bird is the singing pigeon, or Arabian laughing dove. They must not be confounded with the German laughing pigeon or dove, which is merely the common cage dove or collared turtle. The singing pigeons originally were found in Palestine and they were latterly bred in India, the na tive rajahs being enthusiastic pigeon breeders,- expending fortunes on their dovecotes. The singing pigeon weighs about the same as an African owl and Is similar in build, except that it may be a trifle fuller at the throat. In color these pigeons are usually red, mottled or checkered, though they are sometimes found of a bluish color. Their voice baffles all description, being tremulous and broken, with gurgling notes, like the noise of water poured from a bottle. The utterance Is varied, and, though there is a resemblance at times to the drumming of a true trumpeter, it Is not so. sonorous. It is frequently in terrupted by one or more of the in spiratory "ahs," which no doubt gives them the name of laughers. Their cooing is soft and melodious and both sexes takes part in the song. To hear them at their best absolute silence must be observed for they im mediately stop should any one speak or make a sound. A Detroit newspaper is responsible for this little yarn: "A man." says the teller, "had a little cold in the head. And his face was flushed. And he went to sleep who braved the frisid weather and opened shop. They breakfasted on cider and cold ham sandwiches. Mr. Coburn. who is thinking seriously of entering the race for the republican nomination for secretary of state, was one of the lucky travelers to be as signed a room at the Imperial. "Stockmen of the Pacific northwest have every reason to be proud of the showing they made at the Interna tional Livestock exposition in Chi cago." These are the words of A. H. Lea. secretary of the Oregon state fair, who returned to Portland yes terday from the Chicago exposition, where he saw stock raised on the Pacific slope carry off the highest honors in competition with the best the east could produce. Mr. Lea has been frequently mentioned as a pos sible candidate for the republican nomination for secretary of state, but he said he would make no announce ment of any. kind until he has had opportunity to size up political condi tions during the coming few weeks. Friends close to Mr. Lea and Henry Schulderman, corporation commis sioner, say that one or the other will seek the republican nomination. If one makes the race the other will withdraw, according to political gossip. As a usual thing, A. W. Norblad, state senator from Clatsop county, is an exceedingly veracious individual, but a fish story he '"pulled" upon his arrival in Portland from Astoria is one that would even make Carl Shoe maker blush with shame. "Just be fore I left home, I saw a big cake of ice heading up-stream at a fairly good speed." ruminated the Astoria solon. "Naturally, I was interested. I went down to the river bank to in vestigate, and would you believe It? a big salmon had been frozen in a cake of ice. His tail was still tree and he was whipping himself up the CLy-rent at a good gait." Phil Metschan Jr., host at the Imperial, is seriously thinking of presenting a silver loving cup to the guest who springs the best cold weather story during present 'conditions, and he is free in his predictions that those who follow must step lively to wrest the laurels from Senator Norblad. There are times when even a law maker reaches the limit of' his en durance. And this is exactly what happened to Denton G. Burdick. state representative from Redmond. Or., when 40 below zero weather hit his part of the state. Mr. Burdick de cided that the warmth and comfort of Portland hotels was preferable to the bitter cold of central Oregon, so he and Mrs. Burdick bundled themselves up and came to Portland to stay un til Boreas starts a new deal. They are guests at the Imperial. hold championship. Which is a kind on a railroad train. And when he of competition worth stimulating, in these days of competition for less worthy objects, and a spirit of emu lation that is worth as much as the strawberries and other things that result from it. It is an established fact that from its headquarters in Moscow bolshe vism conducts a worldwide propa ganda and organizes conspiracies to overthrow democracy and substitute soviet communism. This is a war no less dangerous and relentless than of Pan-Germanism. It should be fought at every point by enactment of rigorous laws and by employment of all the forces of the government to enforce them. Repressive laws should be accompanied by remedial laws, which would remove evils that enable reds to make recruits in this country. "Harney county has had one of the most delightful snowfalls in the memory of the oldest inhabitant," reads a dispatch from Burns, where the thermometer is 6 below zero. If they feel that way about it, they can have our snow, too. In a month or so probably the divorce courts will be filled with complaints by wives who had to arise first and build the fires. That's where old Brigham had the edge long ago; he could scatter the kicks." When the French talk of selling delicacies to America, they overlook the delicacies which we have for sale. Oregon apples and clams, for exam ple, it is a case tor exenange, for one-sided dealing. not By proper action, this congress and administration can prevent the speculators from forcing sugar to 25 cents. McNarys bill that has passed the senate willdo it. If the head of a comet hits us Wednesday the collision will change the immediate climate, and it cannot be worse. But, worse luck, "no can happen!" The railroad administration is re covering from the hysterics of i week ago and the canceled trains are coming back for Christmas. John Sharp Williams will retire in disgust, when his term expires, possibly to spend his days in reading dele-1 Irish literature. Villa is said to be holding an American for $10,000 ransom and to have let a Britisher go. Sounds natural. Well, well". Has the police depart ment got after the punchboards? Well, well, again. It can never be said of Mr. Burle son that he followed the lines of least resistance. Where do you suppose the weath erfolk get that stuff of "not so cold"? Out of the air. In the matter of honors, only the below zero towns are considered dur ing this spell. That loud noise you just heard is probably another bursting water pipe. If a freshet is due, it will come, and hoping and talking will not stop it- And Garfield may be right, for As neighborhood relationships be-'. that matter,. woke up he was under arrest. "You gotta go to the pest house,' said the sanitary officer. "You got smallpox." "He said the sanitary officer was foolish and a number of other un kind things. But he went to the pest house. Then he got the chief health officer to come out and ex amine him. After the examination he said: " 'You see, I haven't got any smallpox.' You're right,' said the chief health officer. 'You have not a sign of smallpox. It is too bad you were brought here." " 'Then lemme fcro,' said the .man. because I'm busier than a tin ped dler in egg time. I got a lot of things to do." " 'I'm sorry," said the chief officer. You haven't got any smallpox. You never had smallpox, as tar as i know you never will have smallpox. But you've got to stay here for 30 days, because you've been exposed." The man says this is a true story. He says the other inmates of the pesthouse asked to be segregated. They said they couldn't stand the sufferer's language. m w w The makeup man of one of Ameri cas best known montniy periodicals has another kick to add to the long list of which the present adminis tration has been the recipient. He has at least originality to commend it. "Sitting here at this desk, there are a lot of things that happen that get my goat," said he, the other day. "I don't mind getting proofs back O. K.'d in all sorts of different ways, such as 'O. K. as corrected, but not read for typographical errors." I don't mind helping the advertisers out If they don't know how to spell and I think it's my real job to look for wrong font letters, and that kind of thing. But this one got my goat. "In the first place, look how he spells It O-K-E-H. He has been read ing some more of Wilson's stuff. Then O-K-E-H, not as corrected, but assuming that you are to discover mis-spellings of all ordinary words. We will hold you entirely responsible for accuracy of figures and words. In accordance with copy, that you have Inserted proper key numbers, that all fonts are correct and punctu ation is perfect." "O-K-E-H!" said the makeup man in a tone of deep disgust. "How does he get that way?" A story they tell of Charles J. Webb of Philadelphia illustrates the great truth that you must stick at a thing hopefuly and prayerfully if you would be sure to make a success of it. Some years ago he became one of a group to create a cemetery out in the suburbs. The place was made as attractive as possible, but there was no patronage. "There's only one thing for you to do now, Charley." said one of the syndicate. "What's that?" "Pray the Lord to send us an epidemic." Speedily there followed an ex- i tended period of unusual Illness. The finger of suspicion pointed in the direction of Mr. Webb. But he might have repeated the tale of one of our Methodist bishops who strongly dis liked a presiding elder and prayed the Lord to remove him. One day he had barely risen from his knees when his wife brought the morning paper with the news of the death of the bishop's pet thorn In the flesh. Whereupon the good man broke out: "But I didn't mean it hat way, O Lord, really I dida'tl" Public Ledger. Along with the fuel and other shortages, a salt shortage impended not so many months ago, and were it not for the fact that a few new salt wells were discovered and opened up, the salt situation in this country mignt nave reached alarming pro portions. This is the testimony of A. L. Gove, a salt salesman of Roch- I ester, N. Y., who Is hugging a register at tne Aiuitnoman during the cold ni.ll one form but would enlarge their sphere of action to include tobocco. Rev. Clarence True Wilson then ve hemently denied the accusation and said prohibitionists would rest with their onslaught on wines, beers, whiskies and ciders. That was only sidestepping to gain time and make the necessary financial arrangements to launch a national campaign. During the great European war the matter could not be brought up with safety, as even church organizations were willing men should fight the German autocracy that threatened the world, with or without the aid of to bacco. Men were not asked If they were tobacco users and even the Y. M. C. A found it could not minister to the social needs of the men across seas or in the American training camps and deny them the use of to bacco. So even the government sup plied its canteens with the comforts of the smoke and the consolation of the chew. The output of entire to bacco factories was contracted and it was a notorious fact that government rations of nicotine were much cheaper than the prices charged by some of the moral compromisers and religious Drofiteers. Now comes the grand charge of the anti-nicotine brigade with the state ment that American soldiers left the fighting lines to get cigarettes and "had to be led out of the fiehtinp: ranks to have cigarettes stuffed in their mouths before they could stand up and hold a gun." He calls the action of the government in supplying tobacco to the soldiers, selling out to the tobacco trust, etc When the na tion needed fighting men it found most of them were tobacco users and very few of the pale-faced disciples of professional aceticlsm were found In the trenches. Of course, as local option was used as a stalking horse for bigger game, so tne cigarette rvu is used to strike at the general user of cigars, pipes and other forms of the tobacco habit. They never come out squarely and say we want to prohibit you from doing somemms that Is not hurting anyone but your self, but by proclaiming this or that as an immoral practice tney say to all who want to be considered moral it Is your duty to vote on the side of God, whose representatives we are. x rfimpmher manv years ago at tending a wedding at the home of the then Governor Geer. After the cere mony and the feasting we gatnerea around the great fireplace ana alter everybody had kissed tne Deautnui hri.a and consrratuiaiea tne (rruum his treasure, there was no offense In Grandma Eoff smoking her pipe. She was as fine an elderly laay as i ever met. and no doubt gave to the world descendants that will average with the offspring of puritanical total abstainers who wish to re-enact the blue laws that originated in Scotch Prhv(crlanism and disgraced the early history of our country by per secuting the Baptists and Quakers of the colonies. I would not Insult the generations that have gone before by making it a crime to use tobacco. Those gen erations bullded the wisest founda tions ever laid for a great nation, and it Is only the vicious leadership of the political ministry that is driving the common man to doubt whether this country is worth fighting for when dominated by whlte-necktied reformers who carry on campaigns to make the common customs and habits of working people the basis of being prosecuted as criminals. No wonder Samuel Gompers fights the prohibi tion crusaders. ... This same Clarence True Wilson alwavs told his audiences mat iu. slough at his tak. Stick around home, between blank ets stay curled; He'll hew to the line, no questions to ask Because day after tomorrow's the end of the world. The lad who has vision beyond his own nose Won't check any bets while he's stepping along; He'll stick to his guns, for the wise lad he knows That the chances are high that the prophets are wrong. The bird who is wise will not slacken his grip On the job he is jockeying day after day; The bird with the bean will' not give up the ship Because, day after tomorrow, the world's put away. On Her War-sal. "Is Emma Goldman a Russian?" "Well, she may not be a-rushin', but she's a-goin'." Ah. Ms, Not the Only. One. Diddle. Diddle, Dumpling, my son John Went to bed with his trousers on. Nor do I blame the poor dear soul We are shy of blankets and out of coal. Kansas City Star. Diddle, Diddle, Dumpling, brother Bill Climbed into bed as the wind howled shrill. Sack on his feet and sock on his head. "Wake me at noon." was all Bill said. Those A ho Came and Stayed. Robert Stnndish of Kosc City Park, was at the Oregon hotel most of last week. His brother Miles was with him. "It's the climate," said "Bob," when interviewed. Too Muoh Style Just to be in style, Tony Sued his wifey for divorce. When she asked for alimony Tony changed his mind, of course. S. II. W. To the PumpR. Men! "Frozen River Cuts City's Milk Supply," accuses a headline. December. The streets are lightly filmed with ice. The world is blanketed with snow; It's tough for those who come and go. But, after all, it's kindn nice. In Other Days. Lucky is he who can arrive in Port land unannounced these chilly days and get assigned to a room at one of the hotels forthwith. The hotel men say hotels are as crewded as during tne days eor tne biggest conventions. and the registers show a good sprink ling or i-ortiand rollt who have de serted family firesides for the cheer ing warmth of hotel rooms. Practi cally every hotel in the citv had Its lobby chairs and lounges filled with out-of-luck persons who were unable to procure rooms for the night but who were able to snatch 40 winks as they collected stiff necks and lame joints by sleeping in chairs. "I came down from Havre, Mont., to escape the cold weather, but I must say this Is even worse than we have had at home in many years." exclaimed Mrs. L W. Murray, a guest at the Portland hotel. "Havre, you know, has a reputation among Mon tanans as being about the coldest place In the treasure state, . but so far as being really cold, I never ex perienced anything like this at home even though our thermometers do reach a much lower altitude during the winter months." In spite of her criticism of Portland's Icy reception. airs. Murray still has hopes of warm er weather and she intends remain ing here rather than attempt the Journey homeward through the Rockies. Aatnan v ell, department store owner of Hillsboro, found his stock running a little Jow when the near blizzard tied up transportation facili ties, so he came to Portland to re plenish his goods. He is registered at tne Oregon notel. A meeting of traveling salesmen of the Marshall-Wells Hardware com pany will be held today at the Mult nomah. There will be 37 salesmen. in attendance if they are able to reach the city. Many of them ar rived during the day yesterday while others are expected on belated trains this morning. They are all quartered at tne Multnomah. This is no kind of weather for a salmon cannery, declares J. Kllven huser, a cannery operator of Altoona, Wrash., who signed the register yes terday at the Oregon. Mr. Kliven huser said his last shipload of salmon v as received at the cannery Just be lore the cold weather set in, so an expected shutdown was narrowly averted. L. E. Hooper, a Corvallis merchant, is registered at the New Perkins Other arrivals at this hotel include H. A. Tatum, a Hood River orchard 1st and Alexander Charles, a Clat- skanle timber operator. Mr. and Mrs. Frank Paxton Kansas City are ice-bound tourists who are making the best of the cold snap as they hibernate temporarily at the Benson hotel. prohibition for the benefit of the masses of the workers and on every referendum vote of labor unions they ote five to one against, ne win pi us ably tell the same lie in m -"""'' crusade. It Is such leaaersnip so-called moral forces mat u. the wedge Into tne ooay ponwi; ill end In revoiuiionai y viu..".-- Give us contentea mimuna m ence to compulsory total tinence DECEMBER SNOW. Fifty million whirring snowflakea Clad in spotless white Fell softly on the. city's streets All through the silent night. The grown folks sighed and wept and cried. And said. "What shall we do"? But out the children quickly ran. And fast the snowballs flew. They built a snowman tall and white And fair beyond belief. They stuck a pipe into his mouth Although he had no teeth. "Hurrah"! they cried, "We like the snow. Despite what grown folks say. We have a dandy time outside. When with our sleds we play." H EL F.N DAN DAVIDSON. Twenty-five A run Asa. From The Oregonian. November 15. Chicago. Eugene V. Debs, presi dent of the American Railway union, was today found guilty of contempt of court and was sentenced to serve six months in jail. The Sellwood Improvement asso ciation, recently formed, is seeking a straight five-cent fare. The fare for most of the district is now 10 cents. It is expected that Van B. DeLash mutt will succeed Mr. Hardt as pres ident of the Portland exposition to day. Y. M. C. A. leaders, at a noon lunch eon yesterday, discussed plans for a new building in Portland. Fifty Years Ago. From The Oreronian, November 1;'.. lsoy. London. Charles Dickens is en- tratred on u new slorv which will labor leaders of the country wanted j come out In serial form, the first in- FREPARATIOX FOR WORLD END Writer Clte ScTlpturnl Veraea for Comfort ol ranlc-Strlcuen. cnoTi.ixn Dec. 13 (To the Edi tor ) This article is given as a loving i.-Vin are terror- message to vnvioc - --- stricken at the tnougnt. oi dieted coming of the end of the world December 17, given mat k.j turn their terror Into joy. a-"? 'j; Itlng into activity: mai not it be that tne ena i. m they may meet the Issue In a Proper state of mind by learning from the only source given to man by the cre ator, how the end will come how to know when It is near, a.iu ""-".'", to be ready when It comes This will mean a definite line of coquet, which is the best possible thing to know in facing any perplexing event. This will mean turning i - isg given to man "'I ".hi known as the noiy d.uic. l"; book at Matthew, cnapier - 9. tiH learn mere now mc cn shall 'be. 'Reading the chapter through ill tell how we may kh" end is near, and verse - us that no man . P""'",1"0,"' v. - A,,, hi. reaa uukc - ' . .ri?f or now IMC cim .. ... , hv the COU1B. I'"" . events given in tne prw"'" . Daniel and Revelation: also Isa ah and Jeremiah. These need be read and compared with history only by the doubtful, many come to pass. ui in nreoare one s sen iu 'i'". the coming will be taken from the ten commandments, given to Moses by God. and the one to the world by rK.t st. John xiii:34. Matthews -fi.7 tells us what to do to be obe dient to God s will, as also does any one of the letters written by Paul. To any who think they have sinned too greatly to be considered by Goo, ,,1-r. Isaiah 16 to 18 and Luke xv:7, and then to St. Johns viil.32, St. Johns xiv:6, all of First Jonn. Then, having this knowledge, we may read all the word understanding ly as God intended that we sh.ild. arid they will be as Joyful at his com ing to take them to the place he has prepared for them (John xlv:2) as they would be at the coming of a loving earthly father, who was taking them to a new, beautiful, earthly home. , Read Thessalonians iv:16-17, and Revelation carefully and prayerfully, and know that death is only going to Bleep and staying asleep until the savior comes to wake us to go . with him. if we believe on him and loving ly try to do his will, as John xiii:34 and the first of the ten command ments teach. Obeying these, we obey all. A PORTLAND WOMAN. stallment appearing in March. Grading on Morrison street has progressed to Sixth street and plank ing half way from Fifth to Sixth. Charley Lawrence drove Into the pound yesterday quite a number of hogs found running at large. Froposals of the postoffice depart ment call for bids for transportation of the United States mails over 41 loutes iu Oregon. THE IDEAL, I know what the sea-winds are tell ing, But how shall I tell what they say? I know all the truth that is glow ing On the star-girded brow of the day. I hear what strange singers are singing In the stillness and shadow apart; And 1 know all tlfat rushes unwrit ten Through the coral-red halls of the heart. But who has the key that will open The way to the word and the strain. To the memory, the mood and the longing. The burning, the asking, the pain? Oh, the true note shall never be sounded! The real song shall never be sung. For the feelings which torture the spirit Can never be told by the tongue. But we know that it dwells In the water. The storm and the stars and the sea : The twilight the love that was blighted. The sweet hope that never could be. Yet I think if but once we should tell it. The passion, the ache and the thrill. That the songs which so many are singing. And the harps of the world, would grow still. GUY FITCH PHELPS. When Rent Is Rained. PORTLAND, Dec. 13. (To the Edi tor.) (l) When the landlord notifies o tenant that his rent will be in creased on a certain date and the ten ant refuses to pay more, how long can tenant continue to occupy place after being notified to vacate? (2) Can the old or new rate of rent be collected for the unpaid time? SUBSCRIBER. (1) If the tenant is in default of rent for ten days the landlord may bring proceedings to oust him. (2) The new rent. Lowell and Whlttier Wrote TKem. ALPINE. Or., Dec. 12. (To the Ed itor.) To settle a controversy, please print in your colftmns the author of the following: The snow had besun In the sTloaminc And busily all the night Had been heaping field and highway With a silence deep and white. Every pine, fir and hemlock wore ermine. Too dear for an earl. And the poorest twig on the elm tree Was ridged inch deep with pearL And also: Blessings on thee, little man; barefoot hoy with cheeks of tan: With thy turned-up pantaloons and thy merry whistled tunea. W. J. O'NEIL The first is the opening stanza of James Russell Lowell's "The First Snowfall." The second Is by John Greenleaf Whittier. Claim Against Decenaed Hersona. PORTLAND. Dec. 13. (To the Kdi Itor.) I made a mortgage loan last year to run five years on a farm situ ated In eastern Oregon, for several thousand dollars. The note and mort gage were signed by the owners, two brothers and tneir iwu wives, smct then one brother was accidentally killed and lately the widow died. Will you please advise me if It is necessary for me to file my claim with the executor of the two estates, or are the two remaining names sufficient legal security for me? J. P. P. If you wished to hold the estate of the deceased makers of the note liable it would be necessary to file the claim with the executors. N i 4 7