THE MORMXG OREGOXIAX. SATURDAY. DECEMBER 27. 1919.
Ittflmutjj Jhmtiatt
ESTABLISHED BY HENRY L. PITTOCK.
Published by The oregonian Publishing Co..
i8." Sixth Street. Portiami. Oregon.
C. A. MOUDKN. E. B. PII'KR,
Manager. Editor
The Oreiconian is a menioer of the Asso
ciated Press. The Assoc i;t tea Press Is
cluslvely entitled to th' ie lor publica
tion of all new!" uiapateitcs credited to U
or not otherwise credited i" this paper and
a o the local news published herein. All
rights of republication of special dispatches
herein are also reserved.
lausc in the compromise bill which
must be framed In conference. If
the president or congress should fail.
the more reason will there be to
lect a president and congress next
November who will stand firmly for
the supremacy of the law, for free-
om of the government from dicta
tion of any interest and for the su
premacy of the right of the people
to live over the right of any part
of the people to strike for more than
justice when justice is assured.
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It. J. Btdwell.
f
doubtless become heated when sen-1 mortality statistics which show that
ate and house consider the report of I it is in the cities, with their greater.
the conference committee. The I complexities of life, that the greatest
temptation will be strong to some j progress is being made. Life is
congressmen to make political medi- growing more and more complex; it
cine for the presidential campaign, ! entails more wear and tear on the
BV-rRUDttTS OK THE Tivit;
and the champions of the Plumb
plan will make a last effort to im
pose the soviet system on the Amer-
can people. Congress should be led
by unmistakable expressions of pub-
A STRIKE FOR DICTATION.
No sooner does passage of a rail
1 road bill become imminent than the
machinists announce that, if it con
tains an anti-strike clause, they will
. strike. They thus maintain that
their right to resort to the strike as
a means of settling disputes with
their employers, to the exclusion of
. any other means, is superior to the
right of the people to railroad serv
" 'ce. They go farther. They assume
. he right to coerce congress into re
Jecting a bill which displeases them
by depriving the people of railroad
' service, expecting that the whole
. population will then unite with then
J In demanding that congress obey
I their command
This is a bold attempt to impose
. ' the will of a minority on the Amer
lenn people by the exercise of physi
cal force. There is no difference in
essence between compulsion by active
exercise of force, as was attempted
j by Germany, and concerted refusal
: to exercise force in useful work, as
ls threatened by these railroad men
If the people should submit, govern
, ment by the free and untrammeled
use of the ballot would become i
mockery, for it would be supple
. mented by government by any minor
. lty which undertook, under threa
to deprive the people of some neces
sary of life, to dictate what law
mk should be passed, how they should
i li- administered and what price
khoultl be paid for the necessaries
Efcf life. If the attempt which the
co.-il miners made and which the
. railroad men threaten should sue
.- ceed, their example would be con
tagious and would be followed by
men employed in any highly organ
' izetl craft. Such a condition would
not be far removed from anarchy.
The provisions of the Cummin
bill to which unions object provid
ample means for railroad employe
.- to obtain justice. The bill estab
lishes a committee of wages an
working conditions and sectional
"boards of adjustment, half the mem
J bers of which are to' be employe
nominated by themselves and hal
by the railroads, and these board
are to have full power to compel at
.V tendance of witnesses and production
' of evidence. These bodies would
. have full knowledge of all the in
" tricacies of the railroad business
Their establishment removes any ex
' J cuse for resort to strikes, for they
could do justice. The conclusion is
unassailable that the determinatio
to retain the right to strike, when
a ample other means of securing jus
tice are provided, is prompted by a
desire to exact more than justice by
Imposing loss and suffering not only
on the railroad companies but on the
. entire population. Congress will
therefore be justified in forbidding
' strikes on the railroads.
:jJ, The anti-strike section of the bill
rfoes not apply to employes only; it
'. 4 applies to "officers, directors, man
'. agers, agents, attorneys or employes."
It forbids them "to enter into any
combination or agreement with the
i intent substantially to hinder, re-
'1 strain or prevent the operation of
, trains or other facilities of transpor
,i tation," subject to a fine not ex
ceeding $500 or imprisonment no;
v exceeding six months or both. It is
"aimed at combinations, not individ
uals. It docs not deprive "a man"
. of the right to quit his job. as Sam
V tiel Gompers has falsely stated. It
.j-r 'forbids large bodies of men, acting
kj-ln concert, to suspend work while
"holding their jobs. A striker does
5, not "quit his job": he stops work at
. it. yet holds it and trie.s to prevent
KM any other man from taking it.
Then it is a plain question whether,
j after having been provided with all
, means of obtaining justice from
, i their employers, railroad employes
' ! shall be permitted to retain the right
y to strike as a means of extorting
I more than justice. If some indivld-
v i uals should be dissatisfied with a de
1 cision of the wage committee or the
regional board, they would be free
to quit. The anti-strike clause would
! only affect a suspension of work on
the same day by so large a number
of men in combination as would ob
struct operation. The issue there is
between the railroad men's pretend
, j. , ed. unlimited right to strike and the
whole nation's right to railroad serv
:y!y.f ire- Cnder the circumstances which
rVvj tne Cummins bill would create, the
.. ( right to striae would be a naked
right of a minority to dictate. s
But the dictation implied by the
machinists' threat to strike if the
i anti-strike clause is, enacted is even
I more serious, more insolent. It is a
- claim that they, not congress, shall
define the rights which they enjoy
under the constitution. It is notice
that, when legislating for the rail
roads, congress shall enact into laws
the will of the railroad men in pref
erence to the will of all the people.
There is btrt one course for the
. government to pursue in the face of
rthis threat; that is to fight dictation
"and to tight to a finish. President
Wilson and a former congress sur
rendered before such a threat in 1916
Sand thereby encouraged the making
-of the present threat. Mr. Wilson
made a brave beginning at a fight
t?for this principle when the coal
fcminers struck, but he afterward side
, tUlstepped and muddled the issue. It
3".remains to be seen whether he will
ar'KO into the fight if the railroad men
"Scarry out their threat, and whether
... he will see it through. We shall see
whether the senate can infuse the
house with its courage and can in
mice it to
WHOM ELSE? AND WHAT ELSE?
"Aside from Bryan, McAdoo and
Clark," inquires the Aberdeen World,
'what else has the democratic party
to offer?"
What else? A record which has
plainly alienated if not wholly for
feited- the confidence of the country
n its competency for administration.
A record of partisanship which has
driven all but the ever-faithful and
never-dying and seldom-resigning
nto the ranke of the opposition.
A record for waste and extrava
gance which has made the average
itlzen weary and sick and has caused
him to determine somehow to relieve
himself of the burden.
A record of preference for little
men in big jobs which has given just
offense to a public which wants to
see great tasks done in a great way.
A record of surrender to class in
terests which has tainted all admin
istrative effort with the color of
cheap political opportunism.
There is more, much more, but
these are enough.
Perhaps the World also means
whom else? Well, there Is Palmer
A. Mitchell Palmer. He is the per
fumed political darling of the demo
eratic machine, the champion, the
slim chance, the new sun shining be
hind the democratic clouds. Don't
overlook Palmer. He will lose
Pennsylvania; his home state, per
haps, but he will triumphantly carry
Mississippi. Texas, South Carolina,
Georgia and Alabama and perhaps a
few others in the solid south. That
is as much as any democrat may be
reasonably expected to do in 1920.
bodies and minds of individuals than
it did in former days; it is in the
cities that these reach their highest
Intensity. Tet it Is in the cities that
the death rate is the lowest, and in
Two Gardeners.
By Grace B. Hall.
lie opinion to suppress' all attempts i the country, and especially the iso
to play politics with the railroads or Mated, sparsely populated rural com
to Import Russian ideas of govern- I munities. where it is brought to
ment. It should be held to the task
of giving good railroad service, and
should dispose of the question before
the time limit is reached.
A QUESTION OF FACT.
It is likely that th several oil
companies will not deny that a re
peal of the Oregon law fixing a grav
ity test on gasoline would please
them. It is probable, also, that the
companies can make more money
selling gasoline of the California
Washington standard at 23 H cents
in Oregon than they can make sell-
overwhelming proportions. Either
we are wrong in supposing that life's
complexities tend to shorten it, or we
have succeeded, by greater social
adaptability in the more thickly
populated regions, in offsetting
greater tension with better educa
tion, larger co-operation for mutual
welfare and consequently gTeater
care.
The spirit of independence which
comparative isolation breeds also
fosters other things, such as pro
crastination in affairs outside of the
everyday "routine. Incipient ailments
are neglected where even to ascer-
Thnna W l-i r. ffime and Go
-Jirntsi iiurnrr, Karr bat slgntiirsui
BrouuM In Kentucky. Th ft rc,,itecfs job in Seattle
The rare but significant charge of i t no small one. according to F. A a rosy sun-blush on the sky
"mental murder" has been 'brought I Naramore. formerly of Portland, who promise of the div.
by the commonwealth attornev of Is here several days taking a vacation The robin flashed a bit of scarlet
from the strenuous duties of working
rtiit nlan f i . r t ti- ri n.u- i ll schools.
a paroled convict. It is i . intrm.rlit buildiners to
charged by the state that Mlllstead cost $500,090 apiece, and three elemen
caused the death of Robert Moore- j tary buildings, to say nothing of
head, a farmer, "by the weapon of . school district shops and warehouse,
fear." Moorehead took his own life Until last February Mr. Naramore .was
witn the Portland scnoois. out ne- m
now superintending some of the ex
penditures to be made In the J4.000.-
000 Seattle school building
save
ert Millstead,
recently after enduring for a long
time the terror of exposure held over
him by the man who is now charged
The veil of morning. lifted hish.
caught on the first gold ray
And clung against the east, a gauzy
thing.
Two mortals then fared forth to toil
within the morning glow
More Truth Than Poetry.
H.. Janes J. Moetsgae.
MR UbHUOD MAKES A DISCOVERY
When Comrade Nicholas L.enlne
Declared that every Russian peas
ant Should share the nobles' cash and
wine?
His hearers cried. "How very plea
ant!" And, suiting action to the word.
With rough and raucous exuKa
lions
Each planning what In time should They robbed and looted, undeterred
ing the Oregon standard at 25 cents. ,am treir nature might entail a long
BRYAN'S BCGI.E CALL.
W. J. Bryan has grown impatient
at the backwardness of candidates
for the democratic nomination for
president about showing themselves
Such modesty is unnatural, not to say
undemocratic; certainly it is un-
Bryanesque. So the Commoner
sounds a bugle call to them to come
forth, or, as he puts it, to "advance
and give the countersign," and"tells
them that 1920 will furnish a politi
cal opportunity "such as seldom
comes to a party."
Possibly the democratic would-bes
thought there was no hurry, since
Bryan had become a candidate emer
itus, but they would better not be too
sure, for some of these fellows who
have been put in the emeritus class
come back. Perhaps they remem
ber Bryan's past performances as a
prophet too well to value highly his
talk about a great opportunity. The
features of some have been recog
nized as they hid In the bushes, but
they are slow to come forth.
Surely the Commoner's memory
must be failing or he would not have
said that "the democratic party can
win next year with a platform that
meets the issues and a candidate who
fits the platform." What has the
platform to do with it? What is
there left of the beautiful platform
of which Bryan was the chief archi
tect at Baltimore or of that verbose
mass of pacifism adopted at St. Louis
which was summed up in the slogan:
"He kept us out of war"? Tet un
dismayed by the spectacle of these
ruins, Bryan brings the old lumber
out of the closet and gives it a coat
of new paint. ,
Most artful is the way in which
Bryan counts President Wilson out
of the race. Oblivious of that single-
term plank which he inserted in the
Baltimore platform, he now tries to
bind Mr. Wilson to what he calls "the
two-term precedent" by saying that
the president would not violate it
e'ven if his health would permit htm
to run again. That may be, but Dr.
Grayson is likely to have more influ
ence than Mr. Wilson in guarding
that precedent.
It may be true. also, that the ad
vertisements announcing the increase
in price were timed forcibly to at
tract the attention of legislators
about to meet in special session. But
notwithstanding these circumstances
it seems to The Oregonian that the
issue is one of fact and not of
prejudice or politics.
The fact is impressed frequently
upon the consumer that be is pay
ing 1H cents more for his gasoline
than the consumer in the neighbor
ing state of Washington pays. The
question to be determined is whether
the Oregon consumer is getting a run
for his money.
The legislator naturally does not
like to be forced to enact or repeal
a measure. But as between a show
of independence to largo corpora
tions and consideration of the purse
of the public, the tendency ought to
be toward the latter. The oil com
panies Insist that gasoline of the
Oregon standard is inferior in serv
ice and that it costs more to produce.
They promise a return to the old
price if the Oregon standard is elim
inated. So the question resolves itself into
an inquiry as to whether the com
panies' representations are correct.
If It Is true ihat consumers solely
Decause oi me legal standard are
not getting better gasoline but in
ferior gasoline for 'the higher price
they pay, the duty of the legislature
is obvious
with his murder. The state takes the gramme. On January 2 he says bids
ground that the prisoner is Just as are to be opened for five additions to
responsible for the death of his vie-I elementary structures, a new one
tim as if he had Inflicted It with pol- ! f a fSf.iSTS
LUC 111 IIIII..U llli Hoi -
there arcrnr-
pro- I The one saw but the srarden soil, a I
shovel, rake and hoe.
And murmured much at what he
had to do.
GOOD SERVICE THE FIRST REQCISITE.
The two months that President
Wilson has given congress in which
to enact a law placing the railroads
in financial condition for private op
eration and providing for their fu
ture regulation, should suffice if con
gress can curb its obstructive mem
bers, but the fact that there is a
limit will be a temptation to fili
buster, for it has the same effect as
the expiration of the term of a con
gress on March 4. This has been
used frequently to talk important
bills to death. The house has power
under its rules to limit debate. The
senate has like power under the
cloture rule, and should not hesitate
to use it if irreconcilables of any
stripe should render It necessary.
A new law to put the railroads in
good condition financially and phys
ically to serve the people is urgently
needed. Having for years before the
war denied them the increased rev
enue which would enable them to
expand their facilities in pace with
the increase of traffic, the govern
ment took possession of the roads as
a measure of military necessity. It
has increased wages to swollen pro
portions, has added enormously to
the number of employes, has ex
panded other expenses, has per
mitted maintenance to fall behind,
and has stopped improvements and
extensions.
as a national system, while necessary
for war purposes, has also diverted
traffic from one road to another and
has complicated the task of renew
ing private operation. Having thus
disorganized and scrambled the
roads and loaded them with new
financial burdens, the government
THE COST OF AERIAL MAIL.
One will hesitate momentarily to
pursue to its logical conclusion the
statement in the report of the post
master-general that it was possible
to make a reduction in the postage
on air mall because It has proved
cheaper to carry first-class mail
by air than by train. Our pre
conceived notion of airplane trans
portation as largely more expensive
than any other form, arising, per
haps, from the novelty of the thing.
receives a shock when we read the
following from Mr. Burleson's annual
report:
With the creation of large welgrht-car
rymK planes for the mall service, con
staeratlon was Riven to a reduction of the
air mail postage rate to the regular rate
for all first-class matter, namely, two
cents per ounce or fraction thereof, as with
the larger planes the saving In car distri
bution space on the railroads will more
than pay the cost of the air mall serv
ice. This economy In letter transportation
for long distances by airplanes over the
cost of distributing the mall on trains Is
made possible by the fast transit by air.
which enables the distribution of letters
In the postoffice Instead of on the train.
There are now eight airplanes
transporting mail In the Cnited
States, flying 1906 miles a day and
each carrying 2100 pounds of first
class matter, a routine performance
that would have been unthinkable
even so recently as two years ago.
Carrying mail by air is no longer a
"stunt," but has become a matter
of economy.
The solution of our question of
fostering aviation would seem to be
near. If Mr. Burleson can actually
save money by the new method he
is unlikely to encounter much oppo
sition in efforts to extend the service.
It will be no time at all before all
first-class mail will be exchanged
between the principal cities by the
air route. We shall soon become as
indifferent to the sound of whirring
motors overhead as were the resi
dents of towns in the battle zone in
Flanders and France.
lourney. Community provision for
the care of the afflicted, from the
very fact of isolation, is absent. The
health problem has for some years
been one of the prime concerns of
those engaged in promoting rural
education. The cities are beginning
to do things better than the country.
They offer as compensation for less
absolute independence the measure
of better protection which the more
gregarious life makes possible.
The work of the New York re
construction commission seems to be
aimed, among other things, at such
a resuTungement of social agencies
as will best promote the efficiency of
the people as a whole. Its efforts lo
conserve rural life will be 'watched
with especial interest as part of the
broader movement to conserve all
the assets of society. It is as true
of the farmer who has reached mid
dle age as it is of any other class that
he is then at the period of his great
est worth. Viev ed as to his in
fluence in all classes, the man who
has reached forty-nine is just be
ginning to be able to profit by his
mistakes and by his counsel and ex
ample to help others to avoid mak
ing the same mistakes. The wel
fare of the adult so considered be
comes a subject of special concern.
Probably it is not so much a matter
of an eleemosynary programme as of
increased education. The adult who
is careless of his own longevity needs
to be impressed with the fact that
he has a social duty to perform that
although we may continue to rely on
young men chiefly for physical
strength, we need the older ones in
incraasing numbers as counsellors
and guides.
son. or knife or bullet.
The course taken by the prosecut
ing officer of Union county. Kentucky,
appeals strongly to the sense of hasp
Justice that underlies our legal enact
ments and conceptions. "Mental mur
der." Is not a theory. It is an unde
niable and tragic fact, whether or not
its commission can be proved In the
case now pending before the courts
of Kentucky. New York Evening
Mall.
In an article entitled "Swinging
Around the Circle," L.ieu.enant-Colo-nel
E. W. Halford, In Leslie's Weekly,
n speaking of'his trip from St. Louis
to Indianapolis representing the In
dianapolis Journal with the Andrew
Johnson party in 1867, uses the fol-
owlng words:
I was very much Interested In see-
ng Mr. Seward. His neck enowea
vividly the wound Inflicted by the
knife of the assassin, Atzerott, on the
night Lincoln was shot." .
Charles K. Kelser of Indianapolis.
n a letter to the Star, says Mr. Hal-
ford has made a mistake and asserts
that the facts are these: Atzerott had
nothing whatever to do with the as
sault on Mr. Seward. This attack was
made by Lewis I'ayne (.whose real
name was Lewis Thornton Powell).
Payne also struck Frederick Seward,
the son of the great secretary, knock
ing him down. Frederick was as
much If not more seriously injured
than his father.
Atzerott was by the conspiracy as
signed to take the lite of Andrew
Johnson, but he got cold feet and
made no attempt to kill the vice-
president.
Roekling, the German steel hog
who organized pillage and destruc
tion of French works, got the stiff
sentence of ten years in confinement.
fifteen in exile, and 10.000,000 francs
fine. He was tried by court-martial.
This will give the other looters an
idea of what is coming.
A woman who had been asleep
eighty days in Norwich. N. Y.. awoke
the day before Christmas, none the
worse, which is not remarkable.
There are many sleepy hamlets In
"York state to Induce the like.
A Seattle judge, sentencing a wo
man to the penitentiary for one year.
said he did so for the sake of her
health. His view of penitentiaries
as great health resorts is not likely
to be widely shared.
THE DANGEROVS AGE.
We are reminded again that an
average increase of longevity of the
race is a matter of only academic
Interest to many individuals, by the
warning given in an address by Dr.
Henry Dwight Chapin before the
New York state reconstruction com
mission that the period between the
ages of forty-nine and fifty-five in
the lives of men is coming more and
more to deserve the designation, "the
dangerous age." Where formerly the
maladies of childhood functioned as
a kind of early process of selection,
now, because of our concern for
child welfare, we are rearing more
individuals to adulthood only to
subject them to the dangers of mid
dle life. The period to which allusion
has been made. Dr. Chapin says, is
shown by statistics to be the one in
which many ailments develop and
most quickly reach their crisis, and
it is now at this period that death
becomes most . widespread. The
"better care for babies" slogan, hav
ing served its purpose, ought logic
Search is being made for a planet
outside of Neptune, but all those sci
'intiflc men could spend time much
more profitably in "sciencing" de
velopment of an eatable bird with
four "drumsticks."
Now we understand why Paderew
ski is going to resign as premier and
return to music. Having neglected
to give us a farewell tour, he wishes
to remedy this glaring breach in
musical ethics.
done. "People on the sound, he de
clared yesterday, "are more used to
supporting bond Issues than In Port
land and are much Interested In their
schools. At the last election 48.000
votes were cast." Mr. Laramore will
return to Seattle tomorrow night.
Reclaiming marsh land near Klam
ath Falls is the business which Is oc
cupying the time and attention of R.
W. Geary, who Is in the city ror tn
holidays with his relatives. Mr. Geary
i and brothers have reclaimed about
. 2400 acres. The system is to use a
I dredge and throw up a dike, keeping
water out of a section and then either
permitting the water In the inclosed
area to evanorate or to hurry the
process .by pumping. Mr. Geary says
that oriental ownership Is spreading
in the Klamath country, orientals
having secured about 6000 acres. Most
of these aliens are Chinese, although
there are also a number of Japanese
preparing to operate. The orientals
expect to make San Francisco their
market when they produce crops.
Christmas dinner was waiting, but
lStwas conrumed and everyone was In
bed when Wlllard F. Bond of Pendle
ton arrived at 1:30 o'clock yesterday
morning at the residence of R. L
Townsend. Mr. Bond, who Is a mer
chant and rancher of Pendleton,
started for Portland with a collec
tion of toys to spend Christmas with
relatives and eat the festive dinner.
His train, instead of arriving Christ
mas morning, came In early In the
morning the day after Christmas. In
stead of coming direct, the train was
routed up Into Walla Walla. Mean
while the relatives were anxious. A
Christmas dinner cannot be kept In
the oven forever, so the relatives sat
down, and when Mr. Bond arrived he
was too mad to go into the kitchen
to eat a cold snack.
Each haa a purpose to fulfill, a task
he could not shirk:
They labored for one master, side
by side.
But each was left to do his will, his
own small tract to work.
And wait in patience 'til the judge
decide.
One filled his garden to the brim
with flowers of brazen tone.
Determined they should catch each
casual eye:
They gave no fragrance, e'en to him.
yet laboring there alone.
He marveled no one paused in pass
ing by.
The other, loving as he wrought, grew
roses everywhere.
And mcdest. tender thli.gs with
sweetest breath.
While at the gate men paused and
sought from his great garden
rare
The hlocsoms that outlive the sea
son's death.
One workman eager but for praise,
self-satisfied and vain.
Grew nothing of real merit to dis
play.
The r.ther. striving but to raise the
best, thought not of gain.
Most of the Russian red plots are
vaporings of disordered minds. When
the reds meet Emma Goldman they
will realize the United States knows
how to handle them and their business.
Now a prominent French woman
wants France and America to set
aside three days each year to recall
their joint sorrows. We can do a
whole lot better by forgetting them.
ally to be supplemented by a move-
Operation of the roads , ment for the better care of grown
ups.
Like the old settler who noticed
that when he lived through August
he always survived the rest of the
year, the ordinary American man or
woman, once past the new age dan
ger point, "is reasonably assured and
I there Is every probability that he will
Carranza is sending all the sol
diers in the Mexican army an auto
graphed photograph of himself. No
wonder they have so many revolu
tions down there.
The Edge bill is well named. As
we understand it. the purpose of this
bill is to give American corporations
a little the edge in financing foreign
export trade.
There is but one conclusion to ar
rive at when a man going forty or
fifty miles bumps into a pole and
breaks it off. The machine is intoxicated.
The special dairy edition of the
Salem Statesman featuring some of
Oregon's world-famous cows is a
credit to the publisher and the state.
The United States mint buys gold
in any form, whether coined or not.
when presented In sums to the value
of $50 or more. The face value of
coins Is not considered, only their
weight and purity. An 1 equivalent
amount of lawful money is given In
exchange. Theoretically the gold la
coined and handed back to the owner
without charge. In practice! as a mat
ter of convenience and to save time.
the mint simply buys the gold and
pays Its, full coinage value that Is,
what it will be worth when coined.
e
The United States may be smart In
some ways, remarks a New Zealand
newspaper, but they still have some
thing to learn. A New Tork firm,
writing to a business man In Wai
mate, apologizes for having to send a
catalogue in the English language,
and explains that war exigencies pre
clude the sending of the catalogue "in
your own particular language." What?
e
An Englishman, unfamiliar with the
American negro, and a guest In a
southern home, showed much Interest
in the dark-skinned race.
"Do all of your negroes speak Eng
lish?" he inquired on the first day of
his visit.
"Oh, no." was the prompt reply of
his host, who greatly enjoyed a little
joke. "They speak their own lan
guage. Come along with me and lis
ten." Approaching an aged negro, he in
quired: "Wha' hee?"
"Wha' hoo?" asked the negro.
"Wha' boss?" replied the employer.
"Ober dah." was the final response.
"How extraordinary!" commented
the visitor. Everybody's Magazine.
Bishop Lawrence of Massachusetts
is said never to be at a loss for a
telling story. A friend tells of the
occasion when the bishop, as guest
at a country home. Indulged In lob
ster and mince pie. not wisely, but too
well. When he began to feel more
himself again his hostess ventured to
kid him a little, saying: "Why, bishop
you surely were not afraid to die!"
"No, madam," he answered solemnly,
"but I would have been ashamed to."
Among several other amazing things
wrought by prohibition, so the New
York Sun says, is a transformation of
the night life of the city. Both the
motion-picture theaters and the bil
liard rooms have reacted to prohibi
tion, according to statements made
by the proprietors of many of them.
Neighborhood cinema houses feel the
stimulation the most, and men who
formerly used to drop down town or
around to the corner saloon for an
evening now frequently take their
families to the pictures instead.
Along Broadway the billiard tables
were never more In demand than at
present. Indeed it is difficult to get
one In the more popular resorts of
this character without waiting.
The manager of Carpentler, the
French pugilist, is named Ducoln.
How he ever got away from Jess
Willard is a puzzle.
will hand them back to their owners
as badly damaged goods.
From the viewpoint of both public
interest and moral obligation, these
facts are grounds for enactment of a
law on the lines of the Cummins bill.
The American people realize as they
never did before the value of good
railroad service, and they wish the
railroads to be put in financial con
dition to give it. This requires a
guaranty of minimum earnings for
a limited period and the establish
ment of rates which with good man
agement w-ill pay that minimum
after that period. It also requires
that means be provided to assure
employes just wages and working
conditions by arbitration or media
tion, and that then strikes be pro
hibited as a wrong against the peo
ple. Those are the two chief subjects of
controversy in the conference which
is to evolve a bill from the alterna
tive Esch and Cummins bills. The
uclude the anti-strike I real debate will begin there and will
live to a -ipe old age." But as the
years go by, this prevalence of life
termination at the forty-nine to fifty-five
period of life, rather than da
creasing, is growing steadily stronger.
It is in direct contradiction to the as
serted rule of nature that the life
of the natural body should be five
times the length of time required
for the growth of the bones, aside, of
course, from death by accident or
special infection or other outside
cause. The bones of the human
animal continue to develop until the
child is well along In the teens. Dr.
Chapin concludes fhan "man, with
all his growth In the mastery of
sciences, with all his wonderful
achievements, is not only failing to
go forward in the greatest of all
sciences, but is going steadily back
ward." Logically enough it will be con
cluded that if the situation depicted
is remediable, the remedy will lie in
increased care and attention. This
is supported by the evidence of
Carranza has one advantage. If
he ever quits as president of Mexico
his whiskers would get him a job as
Santa Claus.
Alarmists talk of shortage in Ore
gon fruit next year, but there will
be plenty of something, and none
need worry.
Notice Portland drop into the old
business ways, with the womenfolk
keen for the annual sales?
They might let at least one mine in
Washington run open shop. Just to
see what it does.
After a week of Christmas cigars,
no wonder so many men swear off
on New Year.
The next cltmatological incident
will be the groundhog, several weeks
in the future.
Start early to work and business
and avoid the fog's delays.
Mr. Rockt
money wlier
feller does not waste his
In Eskimo land little girls are as
fond of playing with dolls as tiny
other children of their sex and age.
Of course, their doll babies are
dressed In the costumes of Eskimo
people.
Sometimes their doll houses are
snow huts In miniature, provided
with tiny kettle, soapstone, lamp and
other essentials. The dolls are cut
out of driftwood usually, this sort
of task passing many an idle hour for
the father of the family during the
long months of the winter night.
The Eskimos are clever carvers In
wood and Ivory, the latter material
being obtained from walrus tusks,
says the Kansas City Star. To amuse
the children a whole Noah's ark of
animals thus Is evolved, including
the polar bear, the seal, the sea lion,
the porpoise, the sea otter and va
rious species of whales.
The animals are a collection quite
different from that composing the
familiar fauna of our nurseries.
Conspicuous among them, however,
are the dog and the reindeer.
Some of the dolls turn their heads
from side to side in a lifelike way
by the help of a com le of strings
.'wound about the neck and pulled
bv a finger passed up beneath the
manikin's clothing.
Even mechanical toys are not un
known to the Eskimos. One of hem
has a whalebone spring, which, when
released, causes an alarming looking
animal to jump out of a box.
Member of the port of Bay City
commission. Russell Hawkins, Is at
the Hotel Portland. The port of Bay
City is plugging along, watching with
satisfaction the water deepening on
.ho Tiiiiitinnk bar and confident that
before long vessels deep-laden with
lumber, manufactured on me snorea
of the bay. will be steaming out of
the port. Being a port commissioner
is only one of Mr. Hawkins' actlv
ltl He exDects to be a candidate
for rleleaate in . the) republican na
tlonal convention, when the primaries
are held next May.
Leong Chew, manager for one of
the largest stores In Honolulu, Is at
the Multnomah. Leong Chew while
In the city is placing large orders
fur i.reicon-made Hoods witn lotai
mnmifa.-.turera and jobbers and this
may be the opening of a substantial
trade with the Islands, a trade which
in ...:.. . davs was essentially Ore
gon's. The i..crchanOise ordered by
the visitor wiu be shipped through
San Francisco as there Is no steamer
line from Portland to the Hawaiian
islands.
With a finKer frozen so severely
that it had to be amputated, T. J
Ma.niitun of Hanford. Wash., has ;
reminder of the 32 degrees below
zero which recently swept hlB neck
of the woods. ilr. Hamilton, who
Is at the Hotel Washington, says
that there will be considerable loss
of cattle in his district owing to the
storm. Many sheep were frozen so
that they could not open their mouths
to bleat.
Portland looks so good to G. M
funnv of Avoca. la., that he intends
iivinir it a second look before de
. to locate elsewhere. Mr
Cuppy is in the west looking around
for a place to seme uowu im no
on his way to California to see 1
. hr. i anvthina there besides eye-
wearvina sunshine. The Rose City
has so charmed him mat air. t-uppy
will scan California with a more
critical eve than would otherwise
be the case.
W. B. Courtright of Reedsport. is
at the Seward. Reedsport is con
Kidered as one of the most ambltlou
small towns in the state and Is get
tinir to the front as fast as It can
Reedsport wants to see a road from
that town to Koseourg. a reguia
i-rod hunt bv county money, and thi
is .said to be the reason back of th
talk of a proposed division of th
coast end from tne rest ui miubi
county.
Lewis A. Ward, who years ago took
an Interest in ueiiiovi mm
in Portland and wno was inveigiea
bv the party leaders to help fill the
ticket on occasion. Is registered at
the Hotel Portland from San Fran
cisco. In the old days Mr. Ward
wore his hair longer than the gen
eral run of men. He continues to
cultivate the habit.
John Barde. of M. Barde & Sons,
arrived at the Multnomah from Los
Angeles yesterday to close up busi
ness details before his departure for
New York City, where he will remain
for a year. The firm recently bought
an immense quantity of steel from the
United States shipping corporation.
Carl Cooly. manager of one of the
big mercantile establishments at Pen
dleton, is at the Benson. He reports
that a crowd of Pendletonlans are
soon to head for California to see the
football game and root for Oregon, of
course.
oanrt Rrirrrnre for Precedent
Justice McKenna recently pulled
But men paused their tributes at his the gag about the man who called it
gate to lay. I near beer being a bad judge of dis-
I tance. When they jest in ths su-
TiRPEXTISB MADE HTCltF, IN I S93 i lreme court they tolerate no inno-
: vat ions.
George Pope Found Sale for Fir By-
rrodncta Daring Hard Times.
PORTLAND. Dec. 26. (To the Erti-
or.) I read in a local paper that
'the Northwestern Turpentine com
pany of this city Is to start opera-
Ions in producing very much-
needed turpentine and rosin, presum
ably in this city." I am delighted to
know that such Is the case. I am.
however, not pleased with anyone
trying to foist such news off on the
public as an original endeavor to
start a new industry.
Turpentine. rosin and colophon
were first produced In Oregon from
Oregon tapped trees by the writer
and the late Dr. J. A. Lamberson at
Lebanon. Or.. In 1S94. It came about
n this way:
In the winter of 1893 The Ore
gonian will remember that condi
tions in Oreiton were none too pros
perous. There was nothing to do for
the poor country people. So I made
arrangements with Dr. Lamberson to
contract lor me 200 barrels of balsam
from tne Abbls Douglassii. that Is to
sa. trom trees commonly known as I Twrnty-fWe Years Ago.
yellow Douglas fir, as I knew where J From The Oreeontan of December 27. 1S94.
to place the sap for foreign account North Platte. Neb. This was the
Dr. Lamberson gave out contracts ror j saddest Christmas ever experienced
200 barrels, but when spring time I in this counlv as there are 700 faml-
came around we found that about 500 lies which have been left destttute by
ciuany come into tne . the summer's blighting drouth.
-is at mat time our coun
By ethical considerations
For weeks and weeks they gaily
gleaned
Until the rich were nicely cleaned.
As soon as Nicholas took stock
To find how things were readjust
ed. He learned with a decided shock
The poor were rich; the rich were
busted.
And so he bade the former poor
Whose vaults with cash and goods
were swollen
That they tto make the land secure)
Must sive up half of what theyld
stolen.
"Divide!" they said. "Don't make us
smile;
We'll Just hang on to this here pile."
The bolsheviks refuse to share
The loot and such that they've col
lected: With no exceptions they declare
That property should be respected.
They laugh at Nick, they howl with
glee
When threatened by his legislature.
Which hows that red though men
may be.
They still are full of human nature.
When broke men revolute and plot.
When rich they hang to what they'TO
got.
We Shall Meet But We Shall Ml..
Tsrm,
Alas, we did not see our little
friends Tom and Jerry around the
Christmas tree this year!
More Than One la Alvraya m Lsxiry.
Turkey is Imposing a luxury tax
and the sultan Is hastening to get
rid of a couple of hundred of hia
wives.
Prophetic Soul..
Now we begin to understand why
political grafters have always re
ferred to swas as "sugar."
An Omar Mioolrl Have Said.
"We often wonder what the ginmills
buy
One-half as deadly as the stuff they
sell."
(Copjrlsht. IMiS by Bell Syndicate, Inc
In Other Days.
warehouse'
try could not absorb the entire 500
Darreis ror medicinal purposes, we
built a crude still and made the first
turpentine. rosin. colouhona and
printers' ink in 1895
The products found reailv accept
ance In the firm of Whittier, Fuller
& Co. and others. In cloning, permit
me to say that In the same year we
prqnueea tne tirsl peppermint oil ever
manufactured on the Pacific rami
There is no question but that under
present conditions an enterprise of
this nature could be made profitable.
GEORGE POPE.
Rome. Francis II, the last king of
Naples, is dying at Arco.
The conventions of the state teach
ers' association, the college associa
tion and the department of superin
tendents are In session at the high
school building.
The bridge commission has author
ized negotiations with owners of the
Morrison-street bridge to secure free
passage for pedestrians by paying a
rental estimated at between $400 and
$500 per month.
Find Old Relic In Scotland.
Detroit News. Fifty Yeans Ago.
Several large caves in Scotland. ! From The Oregonian of December 27. 18n.
which were used as houses a couple ' Washington. The postoffice depart
of thousand years ago. have been dis- ' ment has completed Its selection of
covered. Many relics have been left designs for the new series of postage
In these dwellings. There are weav- stamps as follows: One cent. Frank
ing combs, whorls and spindles used ' linv two cents. Jackson; three cents,
by women, enameled brooches, pins Washington ; six cents. Lincoln; ten
and colored glass armlets with which I cents. Jefferson.
tney decked themselves. Women's I
and children's shoes were also found.
Besides these are household utensils,
wooden dishes and spoons, some lamps :
and platters and pottery of various
kinds.
The men left tools and weapons, '
plows, picks and rakes made of deer i
antlers, wheels and carts, harness j
mountings and large .-'ecorated ;
swords. Professor James Carl, who ',
made the discoveries, declares that
the Romans who were once In pos- I
session of the country taught the j
people to make all these things.
I
Salt Lake. Brlgham Young has de
tailed 110 saints as missionaries to
preach the Mormon faith on this side
of the Mississippi.
The state teachers' institute will
convene In this city in the central
school building tomorrow..
We learn that Mr. Holladay has in
vited the citizens of Oregon City to
take a ride on the cars thence to this
place on next Friday.
Martin King, who "pulls 'em over
the hump" on the Kamelia section. Is
at the Hotel Portland. The veteran
locomotive engineer went to HIlls
boro to celebrate Christmas and Is
about ready to return to his throttle.4
Dr. E. D. Monroe of Seattle, a bud
die of Harry Carroll, cashier at the
Benson, dropped In to shake hands
yesterday. The doctor and the hotel
man saw service together overseas.
All the Beau Brummels of Walla
Walla are looked after by C. N. Mc
Kean. haberdasher, who la registered
at the Hotel Oregon.
N. J. Larkln. of the Larkln-Green
Lumber company, of Blind Slough, Is
at the Hotel Oregon. Blind Slough Is
a bit of water down Astoria way.
Charles White, an internationally
known lightweight scrapper, is at the
Hotel Portland. He comes from Chi
cago. President Campbell of the Univer
sity of Oregon, accompanied by Mrs.
Campbell, is at the Multnomah for the
holidays.
Ralph Terrlll. who represents a
Portland Jobbing house at Medford.
has come to the city for the holidays.
E. M. Peck, an orchardist of White
Salmon. Wash., la among the arrivals
at the Perkins.
E. S. Prouty. lumberman of Seaside,
Is at the Hotel Oregon. He drove up
by machine.
Romance of the Great
River of the West
Men of letters have taken the tales of the giant Mississippi,
laden with its lore of speedy side-wheelers, contraband, drifters,
gamblers de luxe, epic wrecks and floods, and have woven them into
a distinct fabric of American literature. But the majestic Columbia,
foremost of all rivers of the west, is without its chronicler. In the
Sunday issue, illustrated, De Witt Harry delves into the rare old
yarns of the western river, the stories of pioneer hardihood, the logs
of steamers long since gone to the ports of the past, and therefrom
tells a yarn of commanding interest, breathless at points of its nar
rative, and heavily freighted with adventure and romance. You
should search it out. A two-part Sunday serial.
Five Ages of Woman. Are the women of America many years
behind the rest of the world in their appreciation of love ? This
startlingly abtruse and perplexing question is but one of the many
that have arisen from the work of an American sculptor, Sherry E.
Fry, whose marble representations of the "Five Ages of Woman"
have roused the art critics from their affected apathy. In the Sun
day issue, with illustrations of the individual statues, is a story of
the sculptor's searching work and interpretative value.
A Play That Gives the English Idea of Lincoln. All America,
from the country school to the great academies and the congress, has
its own true opinion of Abraham Lincoln, whose memory is revered
today as it will be in the ages to come imperishably shrined in his
tory. It is interesting to learn of the typical English opinion of this
magnificently simple and human son of our own soil. Critics say
they have found this viewpoint in the recently completed play,
"Abraham Lincoln," from the pen of the eminent British playwright
and poet, John Drinkwater. The production will appear on Broad
way soon. In The Sunday Oregonian is the text of the play itself.
Look through the magazine section.
When Policeman Marries Policewoman. Cupid and the "cops"
have many secrets in common. It couldn't be otherwise, when one
considers the omnipresent bluecoat and the human elements amid
which he is constantly tossed. But on the New York force, quite
recently, there was a genuine dilemma for one of the policemen
"fell for" a comely policewoman. The commissioner objected, but
anyway the romance of the force is in the Sunday issue.
How Long Would You Like to Live? Marion Harland, for many,
many years a familiar name in the literature of household economics,
has written for The Sunday Oregonian an article on this special
subject. And Marion Harland ought to know what she is writing
about, for she herself is 89 years of age and still looking forward
with the vision of youth. The recipes from her cookbook of life, as
they appear in tomorrow's magazine section, ought to have a place
in your own spiritual kitchen.
Bigger and Better Than Most Magazines
THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN