Morning Oregonian., January 14, 1920, Page 8, Image 8

V
THE MORNING OREGONIAN, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14, 1020
I KSTABUSHKU BY HENRY I PITTOCK.
Published by The Orearonian Publlahlng- Co.,
i3i sixth Street. Portland. Oregon.
C. A. MORDEN. JS. B. PIPHK.
JIanaarer. Editor.
The Oregonian is a member or tne ao
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K. J. 51dwell.
IT the supreme court had been con
struing the constitutional provision
on the gubernatorial succession upon
the basis ot what the law ought to
be we fancy that the justices would
not have been so closely divided in
interpreting: that indefinite section.
But courts are supposed, and thes
endeavor, to say what the law is, not
what it ought to be.
Now there is confirmed a more
or less absurd situation. A gover-
All" nao uiru in-cii li.k ui.f, ii.i.ijig v
a term which expires in January
1923. The office falls to the secre
tary of state whose term as secre
tary of state expires in 1921 or two
years before the expiration of the
deceased governor's term. Under a
specific constitutional provision the
secretary of state in this Instance is
ineligible to re-election as secretary
of state. Yet because he was secre
tary of state at the moment the gov
ernor died he is continued in a higher
office for a period of two years after
the date on which he would have
been compelled to retire from the
lesser office.
It Is only fair to the framers of the
constitution to say that they did not
anticipate such a situation, for here
is virtually office by inheritance,
though not of the blood. Descent of
office, except for interregnums that
cannot otherwise be provided for,
violates the fundamental principles
of our form of government.
The Oregonlan Is still of the same
mind that it was last June, when in
commenting upon a decision by the
court touching other phases of office
tenure, it said:
We have our own ideas about what the
Taw ought to be and they are not In
fluenced by Incumbencies, past or present.
A governon Is choeen by the people, and
it would seem that the people should be
permitted to choose his successor, in
vent of a vacancy, at the .first oppor
tunity. Provision for the interregnum be
tween the death of- a governor and the
succeeding general election is essential.
To have the succession fall upon the
secretary of state is not Impolitic or Im
proper. But the duties of the two offices are
far different. The secretary of state is
elected to be secretary of state; the gov
ernor is elected to be governor.
There is a probability that the leg
islature will provide for a special
election at the time of the May pri
maries for disposing of one or more
measures of some importance. It
would be wholly proper if in the list
of measures there were included one
to correct the existing unsatisfactory
and unreasonable constitutional pro
vision relative to the filling of a va
cancy in the office of governor. It
is not a matter of " submitting an
amendment directed at a person but
one of submitting an amendment to
correct a condition that violates
common sense a condition that now
exists and is possible of repetition.
It would add to the immediate value
of such an amendment if, the con
stitution permitting, statutory pro
vision were made for consideration
tn the primary of candidates for gov
ernor, nominations to be subject to
adoption of the gubernatorial tenure
amendment by the people. -
OTJR BELATIOX9 WITH JAPAN.
The rebuke which Mr7 Wheel
wright administered to Senator Reed
for his wanton abuse and misrepre
sentation of Japan was well de
nerved, and others who deliberately
cultivate ill feeling between this and
other nations heed like treatment.
Some men seem to imagine that, as
the armistice deprived them of ex
cuse for virulent hatred of Germany,
they must busy themrlves with pro
moting hatred of some other nation
in order to keep in the public eye.
They should know that hatred is not
a. quality which Americans are prone
to cultivate, but the Missouri senator
seems unable to learn. His chosen
occupation is to conjure up perils
" black, yellow, red or any other color
which strikes his fancy.
While for sound economic and so
rtal reasons, the United ' States does
not welcome Japanese coolies as set
tlers, that is no reason why we shtould
Insult or slight the business men
statesmen, tourists and students of
Japan who visit us, or why we should
suspect Japan of bad faith before it
Its good faith in the Shantung affair,
or why we should suspect it of hav
ing hostile designs against us. In
the course or settlement or worm
affairs that is now being made, dis
putes with Japan may arise which
...will call forth the best powers of
enir statesmen in order to adjust
them amicably, and no true Ameri
can should desire any other kind of
adjustment. The work will be the
"." more arduous if it has to be done in
an atmospheie of enmity instead of
friendship.
Japan hasj fairly wort a position
of leadership in the affairs of Asia,
-ni la ovIHontlv rlnstined to share
with the United States the commerce
of the Pacific. It has a right to
- commercial expansion on the main
land of Asia, and that right can .be
reconciled with the similar right of
the United States. This nation will
tiltimately, if not soon, be a member
of the league of nations, and will
then have the means at hand to bring
about a fair definition of the rights
of. all nations on that continent.
Then why single out Japan and say
' that It shall not even hold a com-
mercial concession at Shantung,
when all other great powers except
the United States hold like conces
sions? Wo can best serve both our-
selves and China by Inviting: the co
operation of all other powers In as
sisting China to establish a stable
government free from foreign Inter
ference and encroachment. To pro
duce a state of Irritation between
this country and Japan is bad prep
aration for that work.
UK LP! UK LP!
Serious objection may be offered
to the bill taxing incomes offered by
Senator Pierce at Salem. The aver
age and the more-than-average in
come are already heavily burdened
by the government tax, which was
measured on the principle of all the
traffic will bear. When a man pays
his property taxes and his personal
taxes state, municipal, school dis
trict, library and all the others, di
rect and indirect and has made his
reckoning with the government, he
has none too much left to tackle the
other great problem of living costs.
He wants relief, not excess of taxes,
and he faces small prospect of get
ting it through the inevitable ad
vance in present levies.
Senator Pierce purposes to raise
millions through his income tax for
the roads. It is needless, and it is
unfair. It is an unwise diversion of
such revenues. It would be much the
same if the .United States were to
double its present taxes, using the
new revenues to buy and operate the
railroads. Who would not see its
injustice? The road programme is
doing well with its present tax
resources. i -
It will be well to consider long and
carefully any state income tax meas
ure before it is placed on the ballot.
Certainly, no proposal of an individ
ual, nor of any single group or inter
est, is likely to be the best or most
equitable that can be devised. Every
such proposal should carry with it
the weight of an authority that con
siders all interests. There is too
much of snap-judgment about the
Pierce plan.
WE SHOI'LD WORRY.
Because the subject is of academic
Interest to those absorbed souls that
would "distinguish and divide a
(grammatical) hair "twixt south and
southwest side" The Oregonian is !
moved again to refer to the enter- i
taining subject of the "sitting" hen I
as distinct from the "setting" hen.
The North Yakima Republic, dis-
coverer and champion of the . hen j
that sets, has been enjoying itself
lately in the pursuit of textual flaws
in The Oregonian. For example,
this: .
When the esteemed editor of the Ore
gonian writes ". . . and nobody who
goes there will be dlsappdinted, but will
be refreshed, enlightened and altogether
pleased," or "Scarcity of pulpwood and
high price of newsprint paper has in
spired Gifford Plnchot," etc., the pre
sumption may be. raised in some minds
that he does not know how to write
good English, or that he Is & country
editor who' never has been able to get
used to the ways of the city; but if so
will not be correct (sic). The Oregonian
editor la a man of great ability and knows
his way around anywhere and his paper
is one of the best there is. The reason
he blunders occasionally In the use of
words is that he is an exceedingly busy
man. We are glad to boost him. even
when we criticise him. Under all these
circumstances It is time that he come
'through with an apology for disturbing
our "setting" hen. When he did that
he distressed a fellow slave, which no
one should ever do.
Waiving aside any impertinent in
quiry as to who or what "will not be
correct," let us say:
"Nobody who goes there will be
disappointed, but will be refreshed,
enlightened and altogether pleased"
may not be accepted as sound gram
mar in North Yakima nor. Indeed,
in Walla Walla, where lives a lexi
cographical prodigy that not only
defines grammar but creates it but
outside these repositories of super
enlightenment, it will pass for ex
cellent Knglish. We might enter
into a learned dissertation on ellipses.
adversative clauses . and negative
relatives and other strange contradic
tions and transformations that sur
round the conjunction "but." We
say we might; but we shall not. We
shall make it easy for the reader by
suggesting that he insert "who" be
tween "but" and "will," and all the
clouds raised at North Yakima will
vanish. "Who" in the preceding
sentence may be employed as the
subject of the final clause. Or, if
he prefers, he might try "nobody
but will be refreshed," etc.
Quite simple, when you know how.
But let us seek to add composure.
not agitation, to the worried North
Yakima mind. Take the "setting"
hen. We don't mind saying that,
when the Republic used that inele
gant descriptive term, it may have
violated the rules of grammar, but
it fell upon a great biological phe
nomenon. When a hen sits she may
be merely meditating ruminating.
If you like about the day's pleasures
or worries, as the case may be. But
when she sets, she sets, and attends
to business. Some day the diction
aries will catch up with the facts, and
a sitting hen will be setting wher
she is set, if the setting is good.
ATTACKING THE PLAGUE AT ITS
SOURCE.
The appeal of Herbert Hoover for
a credit of $150,000,000 to be used in
feeding the destitute people of
Kurope until the next harvest, al
though it is based on commercial
grounds, corresponds with the re
cent statement of Sir George Paislv
made on his arrival in this country,
that unless help is forthcoming for
certain localities, notably the Balkan
states, there is grave danger of a
revival of plague which may sweep
through other countries and, sup
posedly, find its way to America. As
is well known, plagues are favored
by undernourishment of populations,
and the help in the form of food
which would be given by the United
States would not only build up
securities for $10,000,000,000 lent
abroad," as" Mr. Hoover says, but it
would materially lessen our own
peril from an invasion of disease.
Sir George did not specify the
plague to which he alluded, but it
may be any one of three known to
be showing signs of new life. In
fluenza, which took the name "Span
ish influenza" from its occurrence in
Spain shortly before its appearance
in this country, is known to have
been quite serious in that country
again as recently as last November.
Typhus, whih is peculiarly virulent
in times of destitution, with conse
quent undernourishment and- poor
sanitation, is always a menace to be
reckoned with in the Balkan coun
tries. But even more grave is the
possibility that there is truth in the
rumor of reappearance of the bu
bonic plague in Constantinople. This
particular disease has always been
regarded as an especial menace of
our western coast, through our rela
tions -with the orient, and we have
heretofore succeeded in excluding it
by drastic quarantine, but with re
vival of travel on the Atlantic it may
be a different matter. We kept
typhus out while bringing our men
home from France, but largely be
cause every passenger on every ship
was subject to the strictest military
discipline. The. record of "not a
cootie allowed to land," which we are
able to boast, may not be easy to
maintain under non-military condi
tions, and it is well known that
severe discipline sooner or later palls
on civilian administrators.
Mr. Hoover does not propose a
loan to fight plague, but food goes
directly to one of the causes of it, .nd
would be quite likely to relieve .the
whole situation. It will be immeas
urably easier to fight the epidemic
at its source than to permit it to get
a foothold here and then try to
stamp it out.
WHEN THE WORKMAN LEARX9,
Whiting Williams, vice-president
of a steel company, took work under
an assumed name as a laborer for
several months in various steel
v
plants, shipyards, coal mines and
other large industrial plants. Back
at his desk Job, he finds that the
chief thing the workmen with whom
he was associated need to be taught.
ror their own good as well as for
that of industry in general, is the
truth as to the earnings of their em
ployers and the willingness of the
latter to advance an employe on his
merits. The exaggerated impression
of the enormous profits of business
is cultivated by radicals and agitators
who have no stake in the truth; but
belief that "pull" Is necessary to
obtain promotion Is often due to the
employer's own failure to keep In
sympathetic touch with the employe.
The fact that men who can earn
high salaries are normally in greater
demand than low-salaried laborers is
not made to carrv eonvirti
minds in which abysmal ignorance
forms an ideal soil in which to sow
the seeds of suspicion and distrust.
Mr. Williams' discovery that the
average common laborer is haunted
by fear of being thrown out of a job
at the whim of some petty autocrat
immediately above him suggests ob
viously the curtailment of the "power
to hire and fire now reatine- in
these hands. The plea that the fore
man is responsible for all results and
that it would disrupt organization to
permit appeals to be taken from his
decision has been nullified by a good
many enlightened em'ployers of large
numbers of men who have cut the
Gordian knot and have not suffered
disorganization in consequence of it.
The statement that this spectre does
worry laborers also will have a
tendency to correct the impression
that all of them are anxious to bring
about periods of idleness by strikes.
There are enough who want to work
steadily, it appears, to warrant a
campaign of education as a counter
stroke to the activities of the revolu
tionaries. Mr. Williams finds "tiredness" and
temper" to be other noteworthy
causes of unrest- The latter is the
corollary of the former; the former
may be the result of bad adjustment
of the worker to his job, or of bad
arrangement of the plant. Well to
ward the head of the list of causes
of dissatisfaction is the "colossal"
ignorance of the unskilled worker of
the real purposes and the profits of
the institution he is working for.
This Haroun-al-Raschid of the
steel business may have found light
that has been denied to mere social
workers whose brief sojourns among
the workers have been mainly in
spired by desire to bolster up their
preconceptions and to obtain mate
rial for a book. He has taken with
him an open mind, regulated by an
understanding of the real interests of
the employer himself. His conclu
sion that the unskilled workman is
most in need of protection against
the misrepresentation of agitators,
and that this can be given best in
the form of education, both to fit
him for a better job and to show him
that not all employers are his ene
mies, is perhaps not new, but it has
a new promise of producing results..
It is plainly time for a candid cam
paign as an offset to radicalism. The
motto of an eastern manufacturer
of agricultural implements who died
recently, "So long as we are right
they can't beat us," is worthy c
more general adoption.
WHO ARE THE PARTI SAN ST
A peculiarity of partisanship is
that it is most often condemned b
those who are most partisan. An ex
ample is presented by a letter from
Professor W. L. Lyman of Whitman
college, which is published else
where. He accepts without ques
tion President Wilson's assumption
that the only league which can keep
the peace of the world is the league
precisely as provided by the peace
conference, and that the only way
in which the United States can do its
part In preserving peace is to take
the covenant of that league without
any except interpretative reserva
tions. Because The Oregonian does
not accept these assumptions, the
professor berates it for partisanship.
After a direct appeal to the people
for partisan support had resulted in
ins uei-ea-L, lho jrtisiueni acted as
though he still had the unshaken
confidence of the people by under
taking to represent this country in
making a peace and organizing a
league without having first reached
an understanding on the main points
with the senate and without taking
the senate into co-operation with
him, although his work could not be
come effective without approval by
that body. Mr. Wilson insists that
the . covenant so amply protects
American Interests and that its
meaning is so clear as to render any
reservations needless. Because he
thinks so, he maintains that it must
be so. As a concession to weaker
intellects, he consents to reservations
which are merely interpretative,
though needless that is, to a list of
synonyms for the words and phrases
of the covenant. He holds them to
be needless because the commission
which drew, the covenant understood
and intended it to have the same
meaning as the proposed interpreta
tive reservations convey, yet he ob
jects to their being made part of the
act of ratification because that
would bind the other signatories to
accept that meaning. In his view
we are quite safe in accepting this
meaning as the true meaning, for it
Is in the minds of the men who drew
the covenant, therefore it will be ac
cepted after they are dead, and to all
eternity. For not accepting this rea
sonlng. The Oregonian is branded by
a partisan as partisan.
Many senators and many other
good citizens who are Just as earn
est as Mr. Wilson in their desire for
peace and for a league believe that
other reservations are needed to
. safeguard American rights and to
I preserve the war-making power of
congress. That Is to be expected
when we are making a depart
ure in foreign policy. The Orego
nian held their misgivings to be ill
founded, but it also held that their
proposals would not impair the ef
fectiveness of the league and that,
as the votes of the senators in ques
tion were necessary to ratification,
the president should make some
compromise which would satisfy
their scruples. For thus daring to
disagree . with the president. The
Oregonian is accused of partisanship.
When it had become apparent,
through adoption of the Lodge res
ervations, that ratification without
them was Impossible and that the
only hope of early peace and Ameri
can membership in the league lay
, : . i - . !
iu tuuijiruiuist: on reservations, iur,
Wilson wrote to Senator Hitchcock:
I sincerely hope that the friends and
supporters of the treaty will vote against
the Lodge resolution of ratification.
There were eighty senators In fa
vor of ratification with or without
reservations. If 'sixty-four of them
had agreed on a form of ratification,
the United States would now have
been a member of the league and a
party to the treaty. The reservation
ists were open to an offer, but Mr.
Wilson forbade It.
It was not The Oregonian, but Mr.
Bryan a member of Mr. Wilson's
own party who first said that "to
present the Issue to-the country" at
the election "would mean a delay of
at least fourteen months," that is,
until after the next president ttsm
taken office. The president pro
posed this delay when the only al
ternative that he offered was to
"take it (the treaty) without changes
which alter Its meaning (that is, in
his opinion) or leave it,
That declaration proves Mr. Wil
son to be the obstacle to peace. The
Oregonian has been for early peace
and for a league since Armistice
day. So long as the only possibility
of gaining this desire seemed to be
the leagueas Mr. Wilson presented
it, we stood by Mr. Wilson and en
dured without flinching much criti
cism for so doing. When It became
apparent that a league with reserva
tions, a league ' that Mr. Taft pro
nounced 90 per cent good, was the
only alternative to no league and a
long delayed peace, we declared that
for the sake of the league and ot
peace the president should com
promise on' reservations. When he
refused to compromise and said- the
senate must "take it or leave- it" or
fight it out at the election, he de
serted the cause of the league and
early peace, for which The Orego
nian still stands firm. That he is
the one obstacle to peace is proved
further by the efforts of democratic
senators to arrange a compromise in
spite of him. Partisanship has hith
erto restrained them and, when thej
break away from its restraints and
follow their own judgment instead
of his dictation, peace will come,
unless he still obstructs.
The trouble with Professor Lyman
is that, the only right way of which
he can conceive is the Wilson way,
that he can think only along the
single track of the Wilson mind, and
that all who do and think otherwise
are partisans. That is a character
istic which the professor who dwells
in Walla Walla seems to have in
common with the professor who was
transplanted from Princeton to
Washington. In fact one great trou
ble with the United States for the
last seven years has been that there
are too many professors in the gov
ernment. Wilson should not object to being
"taken" in a rolling chair for the
movies. Nobody thinks he is a dead
man or near it, and a lot remember
the close-ups of him in the last cam-
paign, when the moving picture was
a great institution.
A steamship from Quebec for
Buenos Aires got away yesterday
after a month in the ice of the St.
Lawrence, yet a few people wonder
at an ice-closed Columbia once in 30
years or so.
An official of a retail grocers'
association thinks "cash and carry"
in all lines will solve the problem:
but what will become of all the de
livery men,, bookkeepers and col
lectors? Eighteen cents for sugar will be
something awful to contemplate and
pay, but people must have it. An
administration with nerve to do real
things could change this.
The gang that makes Wisconsin
infamous is trying to get by in the
courts with a 2.5 beer. All Wiscon
sin is not bad, but she has many
festering spots.
Dr. Brougher cannot be enticed
from the Pacific coast. He turned
down the Syracuse offer at a figure
larger than many ministers earn in
a lifetime.
The hip pocket will not go. Man
must have some place to hold hand
kerchiefs that accumulate that is.
real men, not those who use the
sleeve.
Judge Rossman must not get dis
heartened when some of his sen
tences are knocked out. Takes a
whole bank of judges to do it some
times. Harry News counsel asks that he
be kept in an asylum for the rest of
his life, which is not as "raw" as
asking a bankful of judges to alt on
him.
The state fair is in good hands
this year with Mr. Jones re-elected
president and Mr. Lea secretary and
manager. '
Barring the "linger-rie," which he
never discusses, the contumacious
motion-picture mnn puts up a good
talk.
Every time that it comes we think
a cold spell unusual. Just -as we say
about 90-odd in summer.
What Berger needs is to have
somebody shake a. big fist in his face
and order him to quit.
This weather favors the closed
shop; at least there is none open in
these temperatures. ;
Wonder the prohibitionists are
not- yelling to make Friday a na
tional, holiday.
Mexico is hanging Villistas by die
dozen, but the supply Is unlimited.
If this special session will let dogs
alone, much else will be forgiven.
1 Pretty soon Sam A. Kozer will be
Pla"ing first violin.
BY-PRODUCTS OF THE TIMES.
Discovery Made la Nevada of Trees
Turned to Precious OpaL
"In Humboldt county, Nevada, in
the heart of the great natural won
derland of the west," writes H. P.
Whltlock, curator of the department
of mineralogy of the American Mu
seum of Natural History, "there have
quite recently been brought to light
soma wonderful fossil remains of
trees. These are remarkable not
merely because they are trees which
have been turned to stone, but be
cause the stone Is the much sought
after opal, which has of late years
taken a high place among the popu
lar gems.
"To reconstruct the process by
which this miracle of nature has
come about, we must jto back many
thousands of years to the time when
these trees clothed the mountain sides
or shaded the valleys over which
roamed the mastodon and the sabre
tooth tiger. . We must conceive this
country overwhelmed by some wide
spread disaster (possibly one of the
earthquak.es which must have been
frequent in such a volcanic region),
which reduced the growing forest to
a swamp and burled the tree trunks
under many feet of water-soaked de
bris. It was then, when the trees had
become mere water-logged snags,
that the process which converted them
into opal began. For the water which
penetrated to their inmost pores was
not the Innocent fluid we are accus
tomed to dip from a wayslda pond,
but a more or less heavily charged
solution of silica, probably heated by
volcanio action.
"Such a mineral water, gradually,
as the woody substance of the tree
yielded to decay, replaced this sub
stance, particle for particle, with hy
drated silica, often preserving with
wonderful fidelity the cellular struc
ture pf the wood. Much of the opal
into which the wood has been trans
formed is of the variety called semi
opal; but some of the colloidal silica
has been deposited as precious opal,
and exhibits all the beautiful and
changing color of that gem."
m m m
The Wisconsin State Historical so
ciety Is preparing a history of the
Mormons who settled in and around
that state during the middle of the
nineteenth century. The history will
contain much new material concern
ing, the early Mormons . who settled
In Illinois and built their sacred city
of Nauvoo Just above Keokuk.
After the death of Joseph Smith,
leader of the Mormons, in 1844, one of
the claimants to the succession was
James J. Strang of Burlington, Wis.,
who was converted to Mormonism In
1843 by missionaries who came to
Burlington. Strang Boon gained a
strong following and established a
holy city at Voree, where his follow
ers made their headquarters, sent out
missionaries and became successful
rivals to the Brigham Young move
ment In Utah.
About 1849 Strang moved his fol
lowers to Beaver island, in Lake
Michigan, where he built a new sacred
city and had his headquarters from
1849 to 1856. The city of St. James
was the most Important between De
troit and Milwaukee. Strang met
death at the hands of two of his fol
lowers. He left no successor, and the
Gentiles, profiting by the confusion,
descended on hia domain and looted
it- The inhabitants were forced to
leave- with such of their possessions
as they could carry and were deported
by boat to Chicago and Milwaukee.
The church built up by Strang was
thus destroyed. It Is estimated that
of this branch of the Mormons less
than 200 now remain. Detroit News.
The construction of a lift which
will make Glacier Point accessible
from the floor of Yosemite valley In
less than two minutes has received
the approval of Stephen T. Mather,
director of national parks. The plans
were disclosed during a recent visit
to the valley of Mather and a party
of business men. The lift wib ex
plained by William E. Colby, secre
tary of the Sierra club. It will be a
shaft driven through the solid Yo
semite granite a distance of 3300 feet
from the floor of the valley. Its di
mensions will be 9 by 13 feet,, and it
will be equipped with elevators which
will be operated at frequent Intervals.
It will cost approximately $500,000.
To hasten the work of construction
drilling through the solid rock will be
started in six places simultaneously.
When completed the lift will be
unique, for as an outdoor feature
there will be nothing like It the world
over. The Improvement will make
the high Sierra back of the Yosemite
valley proper of easy access to the
thousands of tourists who annually
visit the park.
Mather announced that he would
urge the department of the fhterior
to start the work on the lift at once.
A long-lost Raphael was found a
while ago in an old curiosity shop in
Paris, and persons interested in the
oddities of.4fe.rt history have probably
read with Interest the accounts of
similar cases brought together, by a
writer in TId Bits. Another missing
canvas by Raphael was so little val
ued by the Italian peasant into whose
possession it had come that, when re
covered, it was being used to close a
broken' window.
A painting by Corregio, the inter
mediary adventures of which are un
known after it had mysteriously dis
appeared from a Dresden gallery, was
found In a hayloft. Now and again a
masterpiece of painting has been sto
len, proved of no value to the thief
for the simple reason that it was so
well known that he dared not try to
sell it, and has been thus lost to the
world until discovered in the posses
sion of somebody with no idea at all
of its importance. The fact has un
doubtedly safeguarded many a pre
cious painting; but. remarkable In
genuity has sometimes been exercised
in committing hopelessly unprofitable
thefts of objects -of art.
In correcting a misquotation from
the Declaration of Independence
which appeared recently in the Phila
delphia Public Ledger. G. W. D. di
rects attention to another of the fa
mous Jokes in that inspired document.
"The Declaration of Independence,"
writes G. W. D., "declares men are
created equal, and not free and equal,
as you put It. It also says they are
inalienably entitled to life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness. What
it should have said, in order to con
form to the construction generally
placed upon it, is that men are cre
ated equal and inalienably entitled
to life, liberty and the pursuit of
other people's happiness."
Those Who Come and Go.
"Up in Calgary country we've been
behind times this season with our
snow," remarked W. A. Kern of that
city when he arrived st the Multno
mah yesterday. Mr. Kern is with the
Canadian Pacific railway and is a
collection inspector in the land branch
of the department of natural re
sources in Alberta. "We have had
two good snowfalls, but a Chinook
took each of them away," he con
tinued. "However, I expect the coun
try will get its foil quota by March,
as we are largely dependent upon
the cold weather to assure good crops
the following season." Mr. Kern, who
is on his way south with Mrs. Kern
to spend the remainder of the winter
where it is warm, says he is inclined
to discount rumors on this side of
the line that all of Canada is going
to be wide open as in the old days.
He believes the government is going
to do away with saloons and the
treating practice, and Instead order
wines and liquors served at tables
and make it possible that stores' will
be able to supply home needs.
T. G. Bllgh of Salem is a most con
tented man and people wonder how
he maintains such unruffled de
meanor while looking out for so
many lines of business. In the first
place he owns all but one of the
theaters in the capital city. Next
there checks up against him the
Bligh hotel, and last, a complete Job
in itself, comes the managing of an
apartment house and a number of
residence propertlea Yet Mr. Bllgh
manages to devote a lot of time to
bis pet dog and to converse with all
the old-timers who visit his hotel
Mr. Bllgh Is leaving It to his clerks
to take care of the legislature crowds
that are seeking beds and has come
to Portland with Mrs. Bligh. They
are staying at the Oregon.
Down on the Coos Bay branch of
the Soirthern Pacific is a little sta
tion named Cushman. which got its
name from the proprietor of the gen
eral store there. I. B. Cushman. Now
Mr. Cushman is a great admirer of
fancy stock, and two years ago he
came to Portland to attend the live
stock show and brought with him
charminir voting Holsteln matron.
am so darned tired of milking her
and she gives so blamed much milk
that I'm too tired to feed her any
longer," he explained. "Want to buy
her?" Mr. Cushman Is paying an
other visit to the city and is to ba
found at the Imperial. He says pros
Dects down in his part of the coun
try this soring are for a good Una
of crops. ;
In "fruit Juices rests the fame of
H. S. Gila of Salem, president of the
eomnaniee nutting out the Phes prod
ucts. now nationally advertised. About
a year ago Mr. Gile was in tne east
reoresenting western manufacturers
in their efforts to change the tax on
soft drinks so that it would not work
a hardship on the producers of fruit
drinks. Mr. and Mrs. Gile registered at
the Imperial yesterday.
Up and down the Deschutes valley
in a high-powered automobile, Carl
Wodecki has been traveling for the
past few years while engaged in the
commission business. He is now the
best known traveling man in central
Oreeon and it is no wonder that yes
terday ha ran across many friends
around the Imperial. His ertay in
I Portland was a brief one, as he da
parted in the afternoon for Tacoma.
E. J. Farmer Is a man of good
Judgment. At least that is what thoso
who handle llvestocK in r-ortianu
think. Mr. Farmer, who hails from
Casrer. Wvo.. has Just passed up Se
attle and brought a big shipment of
cattle- Into this city. He Is exchang
Inir ranch aossiD with other stock
men around the Perkins-
After snending some time at the
Hercules mine at Wallace. Idaho.
Jerome Dav has Just returned to the
Portland hotel, of which he is one of
the owners. He Is accompanied by his
wife and daughter and by Harry L.
Day. who ie on his way to Califor
nia.
Preferring not to be confused with
standard brands of men's apparel.
C. W. Shurte of Heppner spells his
name with a "u" and an "e." Mr.
Rhurte. who is at the Perkins, is in
the machinery business at Heppner.
With the latest visit of It. W. Crum
melln of Pendleton at the Benson
come the news that the new flouring
mill, which he Is. to manage, is nearly
comDleted and will be grinding east
nrrt Oregon wheat in about two
months.
Although he is with the Utah Con
struction comDany and lives in ban
Lake, L. R- Wattis thinks nothing of
coming to Oregon to engage In road
work. He is supervising the laying
of a highway near Banks and paid a
visit to the Benson yesterday.
An optimistic man these days is O.
D. Teal of Echo, who is at the Im
perial. Mr. Teal is interested in the
irrigation projects in that part of the
country and Is extremely pleased
with recent developments along that
line.
The real estate business was for
saken yesterday by A. G. Beals and
his brother. F. R. Beals, who cams
over from Tillamook to loiter around
the Imperial. Both the Mrs. Beals
accompanied their husbands.
H. V. Alley, who is one of the
county commissioners of Tillamook
county, was at the Imperial yesterday
Mr. Alley Is a good roads boaster
from Nehalem.
"Let's clean up." Tbat'B L. . E.
Beebe's motto when ha comes down
on one of hla selling trips from Se
attle taking orders for soap. Mr.
Beebe was at the Oregon yesterday.
On the way to California a party
of Walla Walla folk are stopping at
the Multnomah a few days. In the
group are Mr. and Mrs. Dooley, A J.
Kainey, Mrs. John Smith and Mr. and
Mrs. Dacre.
Mr. and Mrs. M. O. Thles and Mrs.
C. A. McCannon of Sheridan are reg
istered at the Multnomah.
Dr. and Mrs. J. G. Gill of Lebanon
are registered at the Seward.
Authority tor "Okf."
TOPFENISH, Wash.. Jan. 11. CTo
the Kdltor.) Please tell me the au
thority for the use of "Okeh" when
O. K." Is meant? Which, In your
opinion Is preferable. If it has to ba
spelled out why not spell it "okay,"
and why treat it as a proper instead
of a common noun? .
B. R. STURM.
109 North Elm street.
Toppenieh, Wash.
President Wilson was the first one
to use "okeh" in place of O. K. It is
a word in the Choctaw Indian lan
guage having a meaning similar to
the symbols in common use. The Ore
gonian used "okeh" in reference to an
act of the president. When a person
appends to a document comment con
sisting of only one word It is cus
tomary to capitalise the word.
Addrean ot Joka IX Rockefeller.
PORTLAND, Jan. IS. (To the Edi
tor.) To settle a dispute, please state
In Tha Oregonian the present address
of John D. Rockefeller.
A READER.
Pocantioo Hills, Tarry town. 21. X.
SAD EFFECTS OF PARTISANSHIP
Pnfessor Limu Finds Preaideat'a I
Critics Have a Monopoly of It. I
WALLA WALLA Wash., Jan. 11. I
(To the Editor.) Just now most of'
congress, many of the papers of the
country, and all the narrow-gauge
party politicians seem to be gambling
across the starving populations of the j
uni Liu m cits, uiiu. wurne yet. to ub I
playing their miserable little partisan
games over the almost expiring bodies
of democracy and world peace. It is I
certainly one of the ironies of history
that, after having joined the progres- j
Five nations of Lurope in a "war to i
prevent war," we are the only great I
power still technically at war with :
Germany; after having set forth to
make the world safe for democracy. '
we are (some or us) now doins: our
best to retard the growth of democ
racy; after having showed the world
the greatest example of altruistic sen
timent ever known in national affairs
we have suddenly abandoned all de
sire to help a suffering world and !
have begun to weigh all things in the
scales of personal gain.
Why this fall from the heights of
self-abnegation to the depths of self
ishness? The answer is found in one
word: partisanship.
The very people who two and three
yeurs ago were sacrificing life and
property to save the best civilization
in Europe, as well as the essential
ideals of "government of the people.
by the people, and for the people," are
now using those ideals and those in
terests purely as chips in the card
game of the forthcoming presidential
campaign.
In such an atmosphere of partisan
ship we are not surprised to find that
The Oregonian, after having defended
the league of nations with great
ability, has come to use it simply as a
club" with which to belabor President
Wilson. We need go no further back
than the leading editorial on January
10. entitled "And There Was? No
Peace." to find Illustration.
To abuse the president because he
tried to press the treaty to immediate
acceptance and in the i "xt breath to
accuse him of wishing t. postpone it
14 months, to declare him to have been
the chief author of the treaty and
then to declare him the chief agent
in Its defeat, to have abused Bryan
for years as an "idealist." and then
to back him against the president be
cause there seems a promising chance
of a split in tha democratic party:
Is not this policy a pretty big swallow
even for the digestive apparatus of a
republican paper?
There are sometimes boomerangs in
politics, and in my humble Judgment
the thoughtful readers of your article
of January 10 will see it to be an un
fair and unjust commentary on Presi
dent Wilson's Jackson day letter. He
did not insist, and he never has in
sisted, on a treaty with no reserva
tions or interpretations whatever." We
says that he must know whether it is
accepted or rejected. What more rea
sonable? He did not say that he favored post
ponement of the treaty till the elec
tion, hut that "if there is any doubt
as to what the people of the country
think on this vital matter, the clear
and single way out is to submit it for
determination at the next election."
Is not even a democratic president
entitled to correct quotation and Just
interpretation in the republican press?
W. D. LYMAN.
DCMPIXO CANS ALONG HIGHWAYS
Example Should Be lade of Thoa'e So
Wanting la Civic Pride.
PORTLAND. Jan. 13. (To the Edi
tor.) Now that the great northwnst
Ie making a bid for its share of the
tourists' attention and dollars in the
way of advertising the beauties of our
wonderful country it behooves every
man or woman with any degree of
civic pride to take up the cudgel and
make an example of the man who,
while desiring to have hia home pre
sent a cleanly appearance, has no
scruples about loading up a sack, or
two. or three, with empty tin cans,
bottles and the like. and. driving out
along theie scenic highways and
dumping them onto the property of
others.
Does he not realize that amde from
the annoyance of handling these cans
himself, and the sneaking feeling he
muAt have about driving out Into the
country after dark to avoid the eyes
of those who might ohject, he is no
doubt damaging tha finish of his car
with unsightly scratches and burning
up gasoline that could be used to
some better purpose?
Thcsa conditions can be verified by
anyone interested enough to drive
out Base Line or Powell Valley roads,
along the Willamette boulevard or
up Montgomery drive. In fact, one
instance hae been found by the writer
where a man was actually seen dump
ing a oouple of rackfuls of cans along
Powell Valley road.
A bill is to be presented to the leg
islature which. If passed, will provide
a remedy for this situation, and it
should have the Indorsement of every
civic organization and public-spirited
citlr.en and taxpayer not only in Port
land, but the entire state. Let's get
behind it and help put it through.
B. C.
THE VICTORY OF TRUTH
Oh, Wisdom, spread thy harvest free.
Untainted by past filth and tears.
And let the ages yet to be
Be manned with virtues beyond
years.
Although our hopes of yesterday
Were vanished e'er the evening
light.
Tomorrow's hope fades not away
Until eternal day is night.
What is this hope tomorrow brings?
"Tis this: that Truth may answer all
The doubts and questionings of things.
And raise the blackness from the
pall.
And truth shall tell ue yet some day
Tha laws entwined in the sky;
And man shall never go astray.
And never weep, nor fear to die.
M A. YOTHERS, Medford.
Keeord Baseball Tbrows.
OREGON CITY, Or., Jan. 12. (To
the Editor.) H. claims that there
Is no man in league baseball who
can throw a baseball a city block,
which is, I think. 400 feet, B claims
that he used to play ball with some
bush team In Iowa and that at least
one-half the team could throw a city
block. SUBSCRIBER. .
A "city block" is not a fixed dis
tance. The ordinary block In Port
land is 200 feet square. In some
other cities streets are more than
400 feet apart. Spaulding's Base
ball Guide mentions only two throws
of more than 400 feet, one by John
Hatfield at Brooklyn. N. Y., In 1872.
of 400 feet 7i Inches; the other by
Sheldon Lejeune at Cincinnati, in
1910. of 42S feet 9 is inches.
Primaries) and Sam Browne Belt.
NEW BERG, Or.. Jan. 12. (To the
Editor.) 11) Please give the date oS
our coming straw vote in the sprftig,
known in the Oregon system as the
primary election. 2) Please tell ua
the origin and utility of the leather
harness, consisting of shoulder strap
and belly band worn by ail United
States army officers. H. J. C.
L Friday, May 21.
2. What is known as the Sam
Browne belt was probably Intended
to transfer to the shoulders the drag
Of articles carried on the belt. Its
use by officers Is largely a matter of
custom. Its origin was overseas, but
there is dispute as to the Identity of
Ita inventory
In Other Days.
Tweaty-flTe Years A are.
Ftora Tha OreKonlan of January 4.
Chehalis. Wash. The lower por
tion of the town Is submerged by the
overflow of the Chehalle and Newau
kum rivers.
The deed to "Governor's Park."
the tract of two acres on Robinson
hill presented to the city by Governor
Pennoyer, hae been deposited with
tha city auditor.
The steamship Queen of the Pa
cific has been substituted for the
State of California on the Portland
San Francisco service.
The First Congregational church
yesterday dedicated its new home at
Park and Madison streets, built at a
cost of nearly $100,000.
Fifty Iran Ago.
From The Oreconian of January 14. 1R70.
Paris This city is greatly excited
over the pistol duel between Prince
Pierre Bonaparte of the emperor's
family, with M. Victor Noir. The
prince has surrendered to the police.
We learn that important measures
to further the building of the west
.side railroad are In progress, headed
by principal capitalists of tha city.
The total amount of wheat shipped
from here to San Francisco in 1K6
was 41.659 sacks; flour, quarter sacks,
542.157; oats. 58,503 sacks; barley. 204
sacks; salmon, 1937 barrels; butter.
1250 packagee.
Portland has a population of about
S000 and la growing rapidly. Salem's
population is estimated at 4000.
SEGREGATION OF PUPILS WATETJ
Separate Senoola for Dentera of Dis
eases Crura Writer.
PORTLAND, Jan. 13. (To the Ed
itor.) Parents are obliged by school
laws to absent their children from
school when they are not In a normal
state of health, particularly if any
sign of eruption appears on the face
or body of the child and until such
time as the case has been definitely
diagnosed by a reputable physician
and his certificate of health clearance
received.
In an Instance already familiar to
the Oregonian's readers through the
news reports of the occurrence, a
child was sent to school with a
noticeable eruption on his face. It
the parents could so disregard tha
welfare of their neighbor's children.
It remained for the teacher to fulfill
her office and enforce the health
regulations by sending the child
home, and reporting the occurrence
to the health department.
But if the report in the press Is
true, the parents and teacher, too.
were adherents to the doctrine of
Christian Science, and refused to
recognize plainly evident signs of
possibly dangerous contagion, where
by a number of children contracted
the loathsome disease of smallpox
and whole families were exposed to
the contagion carried by them.
The tenets of Christian Science
allow for the law-abiding observance
of tha quarantine prescribed for ordi
nary mortals, but if "there is no life,
truth, intelligence nor substance in
matter" there can be no disease,
therefore no contagion. It seems that
consequently some Christian Scien
tists cannot be relied upon to ac
knowledge the presence of contagious
disease and some teachers also seem
loath to safeguard the unintelligent.
So. why not segregate the Christian
Science pupils and teachers, using tha
weekly dark Science churches for
schools and permitting the children
of benighted ignorance to pursue
their way in fear, darkness and free
dom from the contagion occasioned by
doctrinal carelessness?
If the school department cannot
compel teachers who profess Sclenoa
uorrectly to Judge of the state of
health or danger of contagion from
Indisposed children. I. for one. shall
keep my children at home tmder pri
vate instruction until the grade taught
by the Scientist teacher is passed.
It is not my purpose to assert that
all Scientists would so disregard the
health laws as to send a child to
school with his face in a violent erup
tion, yet it seems that some of them
n. as in tha mentioned Instance, and
that others approve, as evidenced by
several letters to tha preae on tha
subject.
This letter would have been sub
mitted for publication weeks ago, but
for the reason that my family and I
are Just getting out of quarantine
H.C.
AnrzoxA.
I want to go back. I hear the can.
Out in the west there's room for all.
And when the evening shadows fall.
I dream of meequite bush and cactus
tall.
I want to go back to a nin kSased
land.
Where skies ' are aJw-aya timrootm
blue.
And folks seem a bit more trtre.
And thera again these sigh La renew.
I want to go back and touch, tha
leaves.
Hanging down from the pepper trees.
And see the cows, contented stand.
In the waving green alfalfa land.
I want to go back to tha Aztec's land.
And on my pony whisk about.
And hear the cowboy loudly shoot.
And drink again the ozone air.
And free the heart from anxious care.
I want to go back to the desert wide.
And there again with God abide.
For in this desolate, mysterious place.
I always see his smiling face.
Amid rugged rock and desert waste.
I want to go back and watch the sun.
Rest on the hills when day is done.
With Its Tea and blue and purple
bright.
Foretelling the coming night.
Portraying a picture of power and
might.
I want to go back to the land of
dreams.
Back to the soil where water re
deems. And makes it yield to the toiler's
' hand.
The bloom and blossom of a prom
ised land.
My Arlsona! Arizona, ot fertile sand.
LILIAN M. HACKLE MAM.
BAXQ.CKT NOT ON HIS BIRTHDAY
Andrew Jackxn Honored on Dnte of
Battle of New Orleans.
PORTLAND, Jan. 13. (To the Edi
tor.) On January 8 The Oregonian
published an article written by Louis
Slebold from Washington. D. C, for
the New York World, and which ap
peared in both papers the same day.
In which he says, referring to the ap
proaching "Jackson day banquet."
that "it will be held tomorrow night
to commemorate the birthday of
sturdy old Andrew Jackson." The
fact is that every American school
boy for the past hundred years has
been taught that Andrew Jackson
was born on March 15. 1787.
The public celebrates the birth
days of Washington and Lincoln but
choosing January 8 on which to d
honor to Jackson Indicates that the
participants in the festivities regard
the military career of that old pa
triotic hero of more consequence to
the country than was his birth.
T. T. GEER,
f