10 the" aroiixixG oregoxiax wedxesdat," February -23, 1020 li? : 4 ; Jr i I l 4 i m 7 r r-iTABLISIIKD BY HEVRY L. PITTOCK. Publithed by. The Oresonian Publishing Co.. liO Sixth Street. Portland, Oregon. C. A. MORDEN. fc. B. WER. ' Manager. Editor. The Oresonian li a member of the Asso ciated Press. - - The Associated Press w :usively entitled to tne uo 'or V?"!"1' -- tion of a. I u' dispatcbes ;rll".,' ; r not otherwise creuiti d in this paper ana parties with the aid of the interstate commerce commission to remove the least justification for a. railroad strike by promptly -adjusting wagis on the scale prevalent in other in dustries. Shippers realize that this will involve higher rates, but If jus tice to the railroads and their em ployes dotnands it and if the advance is equitably distributed, they will not ito the loca. nests published nere a. trtb , . ,... th., ation 01 spe J mints of republic h-rein are also reserved. 75 6.0V 1 12-. .60 1.0U 5-CM) : Subscription Kate Invariably to Advance. (By MalU. Dilly, Sunday Included, one year a "V I'aily. Sunday Included. six months ... J " Xaii . Sunday included, three months -o I-s:iy. Sunuay included, one. montn 1 i.i:y, with 'jut Sumla. one year . Liaily. without Sunuay. six months Iai:y. without Sunday, one montn "Weekly, one year Sunday, one year (Cy Carrier.) Dally. Sunday Included, one year ..... liaiiy, Sunday included, three months -Lai:y. Sund.iv included, one month ... Lmily. without Sunday, one year ...... I-V I'aily. without Sunday, three months !.; I'aily. without Sunday, one month .... How to Kemlt Send postofflce money order, express or personal check on your local bank. Stamps, coin or currency are at owners risk. Hive poutoftico address In full, including county and state. in.t. 1 m 1ft naces. 1 cent; J to J- panes. cents; 34 to 48 pages, J eenia. .11) to 114 pxges. 4 centa; bo to BO pige.. 5 cents; hi to 88 pages. centa foreign postage, double rates. Kaxtrrn Business Office Verree & Conk lin. Brunswick building. New York; Verree A Conklln, Steger bui.ding. Chicago: er ree at Conklin, Free Press building, De troit, Mich. San Francisco representative, K. J. B.dwelL be obtained without- them. When that Is the case, a strike is stamped in advance as an attempt to get by coercion more than is just, The people will not tolerate that, for in the end the people pay the cost of a strike. They have but dimly real ized that hitherto, but they realize it forcibly now SHORTNESS OF LIFE IMPRISONMENT. - It may almost be doubted that "life 7- Imprisonment" for crime Is more than a statutory threat against evil " doing. It Is true that the sentence' :v has been carried out in the cases of -" '. twenty-six of the 264 persons who have been so committed in the his tl tory of the Oregon penitentiary, but - the twenty-six were singularly un- fortunate in that their average pe riod of life after entering the peni- tentiary was less than four years If they had managed to survive five ' ": and one-lialf years the law of aver ages governing that institution would apparently have released them. We are indebted to the Salem, Or gon. Statesman for the figures. That newspaper's investigations disclose that 154 of the 264 "life-termers" have been pardoned, ten have es '": caped, fourteen have been trans. ferred to the state hospital for the :r insane, three have been sent back to Multnomah county for new trials, and twenty-six have suffered an un timely end. Of the whole number - of 264 oiYly fifty-six are now in the : penitentiary, and one of those was once pardoned but violated the terms V of his release and was sent back. The Salem newspaper does not '- produce the number of hangings tnat occurred prior to abolishment of capital punishment in 1914, but it does reveal the fate of twelve men who were originally sentenced to hang but whose sentences were com v muted to "life imprisonment." Only two of . them are still in prison -'' Kight have been pardoned, one -has escaped, and one is in the insane - nsylum. The ones who were .par' I.' rioned maintained the usual average. They served about five and one-half years. ; We can think of several among 1. the unfortunate fifty-six, still in the penitentiary, who have by no means completed the usual five and one' " half years. They may be left to a .j life of hope. But there must be some "I: smong the others who are excep ' tions to the general rule. They have 7 no friends on the outside, they com mand no influence, or have no money with which to employ legal aid to demonstrate to the pardoning power the injustice of courts and society. . Here is work for the Oregon League of Mushy Sentimentalists. To those of sterner minds it may lie said that capital punishment is not a complete preventive of the ex ercise of leniency toward major offenders. Life imprisonment is im posed for other crimes than premed Hated murder. It is imposed for mur der in the second degree, and may be imposed for' rape and certain forms of robbery. But by far the greater number Tf men sentenced for life have been found guilty of mur - der. But there is a value in the death penalty as a deterrent in the fact that once imposed there is no recall. The life sentence is severe In sound only. The chances are bet ' ter than even that he who- receives . it will sooner or later be released generally sooner. WHICH ONE IS SUITABLE? The Oregonian, in weighing the other day. the various" troublesome phases of the problem concerning the succession to the governorship,- made the following remarks: - The dilemma is perplexing. We fear that we sba.l have to get back to the d idea, several times voted down, of a HeU tenant governor elected by the people.' But the people have said they want no snctr prerogative and no such official . Wjiat a to oe doner Now an esteemed correspondent at Corvallis expresses himself as pleased that The Oregonian has at last come to indorse the proposal for the lieutenant-governorship. A more nearly accurate definition of The Or- egonian's observation is, we think. that it expressed an apprehension rather than a conclusion The basis of The Oregonian's ob jection to the lieutenant-governor ship Is that it is, or has been, i superfluous ofUce, and that multipli cation of jobs, however pleading to politicians, is a burden on the tax payer. The scheme was beaten in 1912, and again, by an overwhelm ing vote, in 1914; yet it was revived at the legislature of 1919, in cold blooded contemplation of the prob able death of Governor Withycombe, and placed on the ballot for the June election, where it was again roundly defeated. The principal purpose of The Ore gonian, in bringing forward the mat- tor for discussion at this time, is to remind the people of the fact that at least three times lit the history A BLOW TO LOBBYIST COKItt IWN. .' No more striking contrast in legis- - lative conduct within a brief period i is to bo found than that between ; the action of congress in 1916 on the Adainson bill and in,l:20 on the t'uminins-Ksch bill. In the former ear congress bowed meekly to. the liemand of the brotherhoods when they threatened a strike. This year the brotherhoods have lobbied as persistently and.hajt'e been as free with strike . threats, but the two houses of congress on two consecu tive legislative days passed the bill in defiance of them. The explanation is to be found -in the temper of the people. When they make their wish known beyond doubt, congress obeys in spite of the importunities and threats of the most active lobby representing a minority. With a few honorable ex ceptions congress has just as much courage in resisting the demands ol well-organized sections of the com munity as the people infuse into it. Ou many occasions the majority ol the people have a more or less defi nitely formed opinion en a pending measure, but for lack of expression it is disregarded in favor of the de mands of a minority which makes it self heard persistently. On this oc casion the people have declared un mistakably against the PIunb plan or any other scheme of government ownership, against railroad strikes ttnd in favor of return of the rail roads to their owners under such conditions that they can render good .service. Although strikes are not forbidden, such provision is made for tettlement of labor disputes by ar bitral and judicial means that strikes would surely meet with public con demnation. The action of congress is a rebuke not especially to the railroad brother hoods nor to labor unions generally, thot e;h thty happen just now to be tn trie public eye: it is a rebuke to any class or any minority which tries to dictate its selfish will or its pet theory to congress. We have heard much about efforts of this, thar-or the other interest to dictate or influence legislation to its pur pose, y The people have risen up against that sort of thing. They have before them an example of minority rule -carried to perfection in Russia, and it does not please them. It rcuiaius for the railroad com- ! of Oregon, there has occurred, through death or otherwise, a va cancy in the governorship, and the secretary of state has, in- accord ance with the constitution,' succeed ed him. On the ballot, for June, is a measure changing the succession so that the president of the senate, and in turn the speaker of the? house, will take the executive chair. In an emergency. If. it b true, as has been said mistakenly, we Xhink that the people. In electing a- secre tary of state, have in- mind the ex pectation that he may bcome gov ernor, and govern themselves ac cordingly, ' we should like to hear the-arguments as-to .the suitability of any of the present candidates, for secretary to be governor. tion has been to preveajt rebates, dis crimination or extortion at spots, not to prevent too high a general level of rates. It was perverted to the lat ter purpose under the influence of public clamor and of prejudice which survived from the days before the roads were brought under public con trol. The most salutary leseon which the people have learned from the war period is that, when they hold rates to a point below that at which reasonable net earnings can be made, they injure themselves, by impairing tne quality of service and by block ing improvement, antf extension. After, the roads arer handed back, to their owners, the people will not need to learn that lesson again, and a fair start will be made. v The United States' promises to be the only country of any consequence where the American policy of pri vate ownership and operation under public regulation will be fairly tried Great Britain has temporarily adopt ed public operation for the period of reconstruction, and socialism gains power so rapidly, there that this pol icy may become permanent. Canada Is fast traveling in the same direc tion, and -allEurope. Australia and South .America have already reached the goal. The demonstration which this country has given of the super iority of individualism to . socialism may be expected to -aause socialists to- concentrate their attack upon it, for so long as this standing example of the fallacy of socialism exists, oth er countries may revert to the indi vidualist system. A COMMON FORl'M. A public-spirited citizen of.Tam- hill county has devised- a' plan of a forum which shall discuss all affairs of current moment in government, and which shall make recommenda tions to taxpayers, to public officials and to the general body of citizens; It is noted, for example, that at the coming June election there will be a number of measures on the ballot bonding, capital punishment, suc cession to the governorship, millage tax, and .the like--and there is no convenient opportunity for an inter change of opinion as to their respec tive merits. To be sure, each com munity has its commercial club, or its grange, oY its debating society, its church or social organization, each of which has more or less to say and do about current affairs; but no county, so far as we know, has any representative organization with accredited delegates, which shall make a study of all problems of current political interest. - To investigate any question does not necessarily mean that there shall be a formal decision by the whole body. But certainly there will be a clearer understanding by the citi zen as to the viewpoint of others as well as his own. He may easily learn something by debate that he did not know, and would not know if he refrained from contact with others. Possibly u common ground vill be found on which all can stand; ;f not, it will at least be' ascertained where the individual will not stand. Curbstone and corner-grocery opinion is good, as far as it goes. Its danger is that the enlightening apostles of argiimentatioa who find eisure to pursue It lire rather more fond of dialectics though they would not call it that than of knswleagc. Socrates; to' be sure,, challenged all comers, and they came, and - the world as the gainer for'his method but hot-stove clubs usually enjoy an exclusive membership, and light does not radiate, far beyond their imme diate circle. , The county forum would, or should. eek to be representative of all classes and all Interests. It would be a symposium of varied views and would seek to promote sound under? tanding as well as good will. In a tate where the people have reserved to themselves control of government, and insist on deciding for themselves all issues affecting their interests, it would appear that a project which bids fair the better to qualify them pass on public questions would meet their favor. - BIGHTS AND THEIR ABUSE. Any citizen has a right to speak in favor of a constitutional amendment establishing the soviet form of gov ernment in the United States. Any citizen who proposes that a body of armed men should disperse congress, should kill or imprison the heads of government departments and should install a soviet government by force ought to be . locked up without bail and on conviction imprisoned for a long term. The one-man exercises the right of free speech lawfully,- the other abuses it. Any intelligent judge and jury shouid'be able to recognize the distinction, so that no man's proper exercise of his constitutional right would be restricted. . Change in the constitution may be advocated at'' a- public meeting, pro vided that citizens are simply urged to vote accordingly.- If change by violence be advocated, the right of free assemblage ' is aTbused,' and the speakers and all-1 who support them become, enemies of the government, and should be locked up (without bail and punished. ' . fa No surprise need be felt at the failure of convicted traitors Tike Hay wood, Debs and Berger to distinguish between lawful discussion of public affairs and open support of the na tion's enemies or open incitement to violent destruction of the govern ment. These men deliberately seek sympathy by. causing confusion in men's-minds between proper exercise of a right and' their , own criminal abuse of that right. Thus they as sume the pose ofwnartyrs. That is part of the .radical game. It should not deceive a man of the ability of Herbert Hoover, who says he could not vote'n with, "a pa.rty if It were dominated ti? groups who seek to set aside ourwconstitutional guarantees for free speech or free repjesenta-: tion.1' yet anti-sedttton bills were no sooner introduced in congress than the same hue -and. cry was raised against them. '. Congress . should be capable drawing a' 'bill which. would deal ef fectively with the reds by sending them to. prison, the gallows or their native land without in any way re stricting the proper exercise of law ful rights by loyal citizens. If congress canhpt draw sjjch a bill or lacks the ;ourage to pass it, the time has come for wholesale change in its member ship. A man who cannot or will not discriminate between freedom and treason 1st not fit to make laws for this republic. .' down needlessly, simply because we have not realized the possibilities' of prevention through properly organized scientific re search in this field. The sum of our knowledge of the laws of sound consisted in the be ginning of certain conclusions ar rived at largely in laboratories by research workers. But another high ly practical result was seen "in the work- of another group of mathe maticians who developed a method by which it is now known that hun dreds of great guns were located by computing the center of the sound wave from observations made on the time of the arrival of the wave at from three to seven suitably placed stations. This method had never be fore been used in any war and "it proved extraordinarily accurate, ' a gun being located five miles away with an .error of less than 50 feet." It will be recalled that the famous "Big Bertha" of the Germans was finally located in this Way. A three fold improvement in the ' accuracy of placing bombs by ' airplane was made possible by the abstract cal culations of other, mathematicians tnd physicists, and Professor Milli- kan reminds us that this was pre- isely equivalent to three-fold multi plication of production of bombing planes -and, . it may be added, ot trained aviators for manning them. . We are bidden, however, not to cherish the notion -that pure science is justified only by its great service in the war. The new. opportunity in science is based on a .more endur ing foundation. The war has taught chiefly how greatly we are depend ent on scientific training for success. Professor MiHikan has a larger vision of the possibilities of scientific research in industry. The scientist here is exhibited at his best, show- ng that he also is balanced by a romantic imagination. We like his issumption "that most men are at bottom altruistic, that most men like ;o direct their lives into channels in which they can make them most worth while for the race." Those who agree with him, and who assent to his division of altruistic effort into three - p; eaf classes reUgio-pniiO' soDhical. social (as those who are concerned with the! equitable diS' tribution of wealth), and creative (directed to creation of wealth rather than to its distribution) will find something to think about in his sug gestion that the field ot effective ness in contributing to human well being may be larger in the depart ment of effort to create wealth than in energy devoted merely to devising gvstems of distributing it. Sociology and pure science approach very close ly, even overlap, for.' 'example, ui Professor Millikan's proposition: S A IT II THE OREGON NEWSPAPER Those Who Come and Go. SOCLLIM-S CHANCE LOST. Return of the railroads to Iheir owners will end the final trial of public operation in this country, rather than begin the final trial of private ownership, as stated by Her bert Hoover. His statement of the vicious effects of public operation leaves no doubt "of his opposition to that development of socialism, and doubt of the success of private oper ation can be justified only by re fusal of the government to give pri vate enterprise and individual initia tive that free scope without which they cannot give results. Notwithstanding all the evils which accompanied unregulated pri vate ownership, it' is nevertheless! true that that policy gave the United States more mileage of railroad in proportion to population than any country which had government roads. It also gave better service at lower rates than any other country. Public regulation, was necessary to impress railroad companies that they perform a public service and must therefore render it on equal terms for all individuals and communities under the direction of public author ity. , The chief use of public regula- TRE ALTRIISM OF PURE SCIENCE. It is impossible to get away from practical application of the so-called abstractions ot science, as we are reminded occasionally by unexpect ed developments growing out of the researches of professors engaged in the pursuit of knowledge for its own nnlra -fin., nf .ha louunn ,i f tin, war l nointed out in a recent lecturft hv Professor R. A. Millikan, of the Uni versity of Chicago,' was that the en deavor of all the principal belliger ents to utilize the- inventive genlue of the""average citizen" was a dismal failure. .Every major belligerent had a board of invention and research to which every man with an idea was asked' to communicate .- that idea. "They all agree," remarks Professor Millikan, whose eminence in connec tion with the National Research coun cil is guarantee that he speaks with authority, "that not one sug gestion in 0,000 which came in that way. was of any value whatever, and that the occasional worth-while idea which was presented t these boards was in general, arrived at earlier in other ways." On the other hand, results obtained hy application of principles worked out by expert physicists were not only pro ductive of results. that helped to win the war, buf in many instances will be carried over into the-industries of peace. Lord Northcliffe reiterated on his trip to the United States in the spring of 1917 that the submarine was "the" problem of. the war, and itwas soon thereafter realized, as'Professor Millikan says oh the authority of Sir Ernest Rutherford, that the problem of submarine detection was a prob lem of physics pure and simple.-: It was not then evert a problem in engi neering. The - number-of trained physicists available was small, but a representative body of these were concentrated on the task. The most effective detector that actually was put to use was the "-result of the work of scientists of various coun tries, who, when they had previously made their original experiments to determine .the laws governing sound, had no idea of the use to which their determinations would be put. The same device is now being prac tically-applied to the elimination of the chief remaining terror of naviga tioncollision in fog. Professor Millikan will have? the support of thinking Americans in- his conclu sion that When it It remembered that the pre vention of a single disaster liKe the sink ing of Uie Tiruuic. or of the Kmpress of Ireland more than pays without any ref erence fo t.be value of human lives, for al! the time' an money spent by England. France and tne United States combined in developing detecting dea-ices it will be aeeq bow auort-sighted ft Is lor any country to fai) to find In soma- way tie funds .neces sary for carrying on research and devel opment work tit underwater detection. For centuries we hava- allowed ships to go It goes without saying that It is Impos sible to distribute mora.. wealth than il created. . . . Tire Inequalities and in justices which strike the eye" are of muc-tl less general significance than the super flcial observer realizes. A progressive economist told me that I was probably m.lilnr an overstatement when I stated that a. complete leveling of ail incomes in the United States might possibly increase the income of the average worker by 10 per cent. ... It is probable that the total- possibilities of improvement through changes in distribution are very lim ited, while possibilities of improvement through increase in production are incai r.iuhle . . The present distress in Europe is not due to bad distribution, but simply lack of production. One little neW advance, we are re minded, like the discovery, of ductile tungsten isa larger contribution to human well-being than "allTslnds of changes. 'in the social order." The man. who finds a way to harvest his hav so aa to make a given plot of ground feed twice as many cattle as it did. before has contributed im measurably, to human welfare. Or, again, the pure scientist who for ten -vears worked out the properties of dis charges of negative electricity througb highly exhausted bulbs and so made pos sible the use of pure electron discharges in multiplying enormously the possibili ties of telephonic and telegraphic com municationthe cornerstone ol' interna tional cood will have made their lives count for humanity as very few political or social reformers have ever been able to do. These are the sort of opportuni ties wLich lie betore the young man who Is now choosing his life work in science. It will be hoped that Professor Millikan is not too optimistic in his belief that "most men .are at bottom altruistic.":. There is, however, no inconsistency between this assump tion and the suggestion that the field of Dure science is filled -with oppor tunities. It is .an inviting thought that it. is impossible for a man to make the "-world ; better for other people without-.nialqng.it better for himself. , The pure scientist has at least succeeded- in making out a strong case for his own profession, izers of that party stand for. Romance la WaahlnsitoB C-oanty, Hillsboro Argus. "Will the Irish ' batcheldar who called on the widow on Commercial street some time ago call again, or write?X Please publish in Hillsboro paper once. Stamps to pay for publishing. ' Publisher's , note The Argus, re ceived the above Tuesday. As 1t is about up to leap year and this is "naebuddy's" business but the bache lor's and the widow's, we hasten to publish. ' .. . - - "Coonakin" Trie New- Deal. Port Orford Tribune. William Johnson, known to many bf his associates as "Coonskin," re cently decided that a jitney was too slow for him and invested in a Max well. Bill is an old deep-water sailor and more'recently a hunter and trap per. He knows how to make the ships and varmints go, but Sunday he went joy riding with some of his friends in his new car and was forced to hoist distress signals and come back in tow of the milk truck. One of Perry'a Dreams Is Trne. ' Scio Tribune. . The .cartoons In The Oregonian of the country grocery club have their counterpart in Prochaska's store. Drop in and listen to the discussions. Oregon Colonel Optlmlflm. Jefferson Review. ;' We met our old friend ' Colonel Ho'fer Saturday, looking fine and as full of politics as a woolly -dog is of ( fleas. Sfew League Does Not Attrart Farm ersOther , Comment. Lehnnnn f"Vttrlrtn. There seems 'to be little danger of1 thero are five business the Oregon farmer being caught in ! blocks being erected in Enterprise, the net of the new political party and on i three-story. They sre all formed at Salem last week. As a ' made of brick." began Daniel Boyd, whole the farmer does not take too boosting his home town, "and we are kindly to such exploded theories as Paving 22 blocks with hard surface, "single tax," "government owner- We've got a new hotel and now they ship." "soviet rule" and the hundred ! are building an addition to it with y and one other -isms that the organ- i more rooms. The Commercial club uaa aig ura up to puna ivu auuKBi 401 it is impossible to rent a house in the town." Incidentally Mr. Boyd con fessed that he expects to be a candi date for delegate-at-large to the re publican national convention at Chi cago, providing his business arrange ments in the meanwhile do not Inter fere. Mr. Boyd was a delegate in 1912 and 1916. T. E. Keefe, superintendent of ho tels for Yellowstone park, was loafing at the Multnomah for a few hours yesterday morning while passing through the city. Once upon a time he was chief clerk at the Multnomah. Mr, Keefe is on his way -to Los, An geles to open the annual office to ar range for the beginning of hotel sea son and to secure help. We look for ward to an immense business, this coming season," he says. "The auto road between Yellowstone and Glacier park will be better equipped than last season and will be greatly appreci ated by those who wish to take in both of America's great parks." Stockmen from cattle land are clut tering the lobbies of the hotels in Portland this week. 'From all parts of the range In Oregon and parts of Idaho, the stockmen are bringing shipments to the North Portland mar ket. The price has been on the de cline recently and many of the stock men are trying to get their stuff din posed of before the quotations drop lower. Others have fed as long as they could and are now forced to mar ket their cattle, being short of feed. As a rule, the shippers are disgruntled ever the way the market is going, but they figure that it is better to pocket a small loss now than a larger ona later on. - On his way to look over California cattle, with a view to buying, Seth R Dickson of Prineville was at the Im perial yesterday. He recently pur chased 2800 acres from George Watt In the Wood river valley, in Klamath county, for $200,000. The Wood river valley is the mecca of stockmen, for there is always plenty of water and feed, no matter-what the conditions may be on the high desert range. The valley is near Fort Klamath., where Captain Jack, chief of the rebel Modoc Indians, was executed after he directed the massacre of General Canby and the pe3ce commissioners. ' "We are expecting a big travel to Cannon beach this summer." says Mrs. H. L. Harris, who Is registered at the Hotel Washington. "The highway from Seaside to the beach should be completed in time for the summer trade. The weather at the beach is beautiful." Mrs. Harris is thewife of tne postmaster at Ecola. which stu dents of Oregon history will recall was where the Lewis and Clark .ex pedition . found Indians carving and eating a whale which had drifted ashore through the breakers. Before going to Ecola Mr. Harris was in the wool business at The Dalles. . Bit of Wisdom From Morrow. Heppner Gazette-Times. Wherefore, the sooner all classes of people begin to realize that the big gest question now is , not greater wages and shorter days but rather a busier country, at least until this debt begins to shrink. The sooner we be gin to realize that the better for everybody, and let us deal justly, es pecially with the workmen, but let not fool away our capital nor smash our investments. Above, all, let us have an end to strikes. Farmers will plant corn next May as certain as the season comes b-ound. In the same way and for the same reason let all men- everywhere tifprk at the jobs which they have se-? lected by reason of the occupation they have chosen. '-An X-ray movie has been per fected and a man at all interested in his -"innards" will be able to see how they work. This will solve the time-honored problem of the woman who swallows a snake, as well as revi'al the contortions of the tape worm for people, grown blase on picture stuff;, if meddlesome, censors permit. The mayor, of Bridgeton, N. J. says he, has cured many a wild boy by. use bf a: spanking machine, com posed of barrel staves with handles carved, on them. Something con vinces us that the mayor is about right ' ' A. Bryn Mawr professor suggests smoke signals as ' a. good way to signal to Mars. - Irf that ,ase; the solution is eas We can be in com munication with Mars whenever con gress is in session. 1 The government is more excited over the little moonshine flurry in Iron county, Michigan, than over vastly more important issues. .But then it gives officials a chance to be spectacular. ' Mexico has increased the life of passports for Americans . to three months. It would make a bigger hit with the Americans if this" lib erality applied also to passport Sir Oliver Lodge says that de parted spirits flo' not smoke or chew. The presence of good spirits in the other world will be some consolation for the loss of tobacco. " Wanted Endeavor. Monmouth Herald. The common' laborer Is said to be going crazy over diamonds. It might be well at this juncture to call his attention to other cards, in the deck. The spades, for instance." x Defying; the "Allesrator." Harney County News. There is a standing invitation for anyone to say what they d d please please about the mean "wrapping paper contemuoraries." We're not afraid of just criticism and leave the unjust to the "contemporary" for sal vation; hy fire-cleansing. No More' m "Traveling Man." Jefferson Review. Our Maltese cat Carrie hack. He had been boarding with Charlie McKee at the butcher shop, bnt soo4t as he. seen that ad he came home at once. "Watts." the Answer? La Grande Observer. . Now the scientists say that light has weight. Light weight, of course. Ethics at Lakevlew. Lakeview Examiner. Hereafter all gentlemen attending the baturday-night dances at the Antlers hall will be required to pur chase a ticket, regardless of w;hether they dance or not. It has been found absolutely necessary to adopt a rule and it will be strictly enforced. Bryan fortExample. Weston -Leader. If a man will forget himself for a little while, other people are apt to think more of him. Sometimes It Happens. Woodburn Independent. , If you want a murderer or thief caught in Portland offer a reward, and make it big enough so that it will be worth while.: Fillers or Fuel. ' St.- Helens Mist. , - Oh, no. Hoover will not be a can didate, for' president. We can speak witn authority, ror already we are beginning td receive bundles of free publicity eulogizing Hoover. The "Adroit Mr. West. Mdnmouth Herald. ': Whoever is steering Herbert Hoov er's: campaign for the presidency, if it'ean be called such, is making some aaroit political moves, we are be ginning to tnink .Hoover has some chance.. . '- His Grip Has Slipped. J . Scio Tribune. -fex-Postmaster Myers of Portland. though removed from office, strives to hang onto the job. He likes the J500 per month he has been getting the past seven years. When he was made postmaster Fra-nk thought he became the democratic party of Ore gon. He now thinks differently. " " Problem In Theft. Corvallis Gazette-Times. - An Oakland man pleads nervous disorder in defense of a theft. The next thing will be color blindness, the thief1 being unable to distinguish his own money, from the other fellow's. t In the f.rab Rag. Brownsville Times. If one of the big parties should get Hoover to head Its ticket It would stand a chance to get the union-labor vote, an element to be reckoned with in the next election. Fallbridge residents, the few there are of them, are quite willing to see some arrangement made whereby au tomobiles can use this structure across the Columbia river near the mouth of the Deschutes. The Dalles wants a bridge and so does Hood River and Stevenson, Wash., but the Fallbridge structure is now a reality and there is talk of adapting it for motor traf fic, providing the railroad officials are agreeable. Mr. and Mrs. F. J. Duryee of Fallbridge, are among the arrivals at the Hotel Oregon. Mayor Frank A. Rowe of Wheeler, who is also the banker at that saw mill town on Nehalem bay, is at the Multnomah. What Wheeler wants is a state highway connecting it with the beach resorts on the south and with Nehalem and Clatsop county on the north. When there is a fire at Lexington, Morrow county, which isn't often, the populace looks to Karl L. Beach to put the kibosh on It, as he is the fire chief. Satisfied that there will be no -conflagrations for a few days, Mr. Beach is in town at the Imperial, with his townsman, Lewis Frederickson. A party of Salem women, wives of well-known husbands, arrived In Port land yesterday, making the Seward their headquarters while out on a social expedition. The group consisted of Mrs. Ben W, Olcott, Mrs, Georg F. Rodgers, Mrs. William F. Lytic, Mrs. W. Melvin Plimpton and Mrs. George L Rose. Crook county stockmeni known as "big feeders," because they buy much hay for their cattle, are Gseorge Slaten and Linn Nichols, who were at the Imperia yesterday. Mr. Slaten oper ates on the Ochoco and Mr. Nichols has a ranch on Summit prairie and other ranches scattered around. M. W. Pettigrew, who was formerly editor of the Spokesman at Redmond, is registered at the Hotel Washing ton, ifr. Pettigrew sold out his news paper property and is now not wor rying about press time, copy or adver tising. - . . WHO SHALL SUCCEED tiO V KRAORt Arrrweat for the Piss of. ' Lies-J tesan-4Terar. CORVALLIS, Or, Feb. 13. (To th Editor.) I am much Interested in the discussion of the question of succes sion to the governorship In case of a Tacancy; and not with very great pleasure that Ths Oregonian .has finally come to endorse the provision calling for a lieutenant-governor to be elected by ths people. I get this endorsement from the editorial article in The Oregonian headed "A Dilemma" answering an srtlcl) by the Wood burn Independent. . Trosi our people have sevsral limes voted down this pcoposal -to -treats the office of lieutenant-governor, but I feel, as did the efficiency and economy commission of which I had ths honor to serve as chairman, and In keeping with their report as filed with the 30th legislative assembly, that Oregon should by all means have provided- a proper succession to the governorship In esse of a vacancy; and that this successor should be se lected by tha people wlt( ths view of qualification for this position Just as wo select our governor as one whom we consider qualified st the time of his election. If The Oregonian and the other leading state papers 'could have bsought themselves, through their editors, to a proper support of this measure ' heretofore, we would now have this law upon our statute books, I might add that the continual In crease in expense of government un der the old rule, and particularly under the conglomerate system which we have In our state, which has been brought upon us by ths addlng-to process for all these yeara and no at tempt to cut out or consolidate any departments will no doubt in time appeal to men of clear Judgment and thinkers, to the extent of calling for the support, from nawspapera and the public, for.. a complete -revision through proper consolidation of th many departments along the lines proven so successful in Illinois where Governor Lowden has shown it pos sible to reduce the expenses of state government in that state of approxi mately $700,000 each year for the past two years, right in the face of the high cost during and following ths great war. ' V May I not again appeal to you to study the report of our consolidation and efficiency commission above re ferred to If this plan approaches that of the great state of Illinois which seems to be working so verjc successfully as some other sttates are also- finding It to work during the short duratioi. of trial so -far then can we not expect your support for this, or some similar plan, so that our people may be educated up to tha point where they will rise up as one man and demand that our state gov ernment shall thereafter be organized and conducted on strictly business principles,-just as we insist that our private business must be organized and conducted. A. J. JOUXSON. More 1 ruth Than Poetry. I By James J. Moatasras. 0 ERROR I.V. NEWELL FIOl'RES "Grand weather at Newport," states D. M. Walker of Yaquina bay. who Is at the Hotel Washington with Mrs Walker. The Walkers take things easy. They divide their time between Newport and southern California. One of theheavy taxpayers of Aber deen. Wash., is K. Zejasko. who is registered at the Perkins. Being the owner of houses and store buildings, Mr. Zelasko is classified as a cap' italist. t Engineer Defesds Statistics and De nies Advocating R-Crnt Fare, PORTLAND, Feb. 24. (To the Ed itor.) On reading the communlca' tion in The Sunday Oregonian from E. G. Hopson on the street car stu atlon I was astonished to find him stating that serious errors had been found In the figures which 1 1 pre pared for the city council, and that this fact was brought out at the hearing before the public service commission. Mr. Hopson Is entirely mistaken. I presented to the council a state ment of the company s situation, as based on the revenues for last July, the latest month for which figures were available when I began my In vestigation. I gave them also an estimate of what might be expected for a year, if the same traffic con ditions continued. The same state ment was presented before the pub lic service commission, where no one disputed it. I also gave the commis sion similar figures for the inter vening months. I showed that there had been a alight increase in traffic with a corresponding reduction In the cost per passenger during the latter part of 1919, but there Is nothing sur prising in this, for street car traffic varies constantly, Tn accordance with the seasons and with climatic and business conditions. The earlier fig ures were correct in every detail and the latter merely gave additional information. It is also Incorrect to charge me with advocating an S-cent fare. I presented to the commission calcula tions showing the revenues to be ex pected from various rates of fare, hut have not at any time recommended any specific rate, in response to a direct question I did say that In my opinion, a 7-cent fare with 1 cent lor transfers would yield sufficient rev enue to meet the present situation, but added that I would prefer a rate of seven tickets for fio cents with an 8-cent cash fare, since the burden on the car riders would be about the same, with less annoyance. I'ndor such a plan all regular passengers would use tickets at 7 1-7 cents, and only the occasional rider would pay 8 cents. This is very far from ad vocating' an S-cent faro. . . . J. P .NEWELL THAT I'COMC TAX I1LANK. Tts filed my Ineoms tax return. (A modest one withal) I stated frankly what 1 earn. And. ttaounh the sum Is small.' I'm filled with terrirymg doubt, I csnnot sleep st night For fear that when I mads tt silt, 1 didn't gel It right. The thing waa full of baffling blanks I ditin't understand. Like, "Interest on Cash In Banks." And "Funds From Siile of Land." And "Income from Fiduciaries." (Which were not even named) And "I-iontisea. Director's Kees." Ard "Obsolescence Claimed." All these appalled end puitlrd nts Profoundly." 1 confuss. What obsolescences mlcht bs I could not even guess. On ranching them, I recollect, I skipped 'em. every tlrr.e. And I'm afrnl.l that thin neglect atay constitute a crime. For I cannot forget one line - Whhh nmkos nie cringe and snail. It rends "Ten Thousand Dollars Pins Or else one Year In Juil For Making Fraudulent Return." And chill my pulses run ' And I srn filled with deep concern Lest that Is what I've dons. Kot Worth It. If a congressman's time Is wort 120 a day. It has cost a little mors than IWJ.000.pOO to deride that Victor Berger Is still entitled to a hsarlng. s s $ Tsey Are Hot leoaorUsta. Ths osturs of ths eontents of number of suit cases nowadays hss moved even baggags smashers to b a little bit careful. s Ahnnt Right. The woman who left ?0 0 In a taxi ought not to complain. That was probably the amoi.r.t of the (are. (Copyright. 1020, by' Ths lisll 8m ,11 rats. Inc.) 'Mornin, Mr. Robin." i Br Craor K. Hall. 'Mornin', Mr. Robin! Been a right smart spell Since I s?en you hoppin' 'round hope you're rcelln' wellT Look ss pert as ever eyes are Jost ns keen. Seems as thouirh your crimson vest has a brighter shetni Plndin' many early worms on my greenln' lawn? Heard you kind of chlrpln' there Just at break of anw-n; Like to se your spindle legs sort of struttln round. Head cocked always to one side. vlewin' what you've found! Say! You always make me laugh w-hen you pry and pull At them stubborn Hngl) worms when your "tomu-h's full! Like as n,t you're packln' them for the wtnter, though Never thought of that before, I was tickled so! Build yourself a heme 'round here plan for babies, too. Needn't have a single fear no one sore at you; Limber up your little threat, hang around and sing Glad to pay you fcr each note, with cherries. 1n the sprlr.u! In Olh.r Days. Twenty-five Years g-. From The Oreaoniiin of February 2o. IWY Golf, the Scotch national giinie, has at last struck this section, and a f w who arc familiar with it have taken to playing at Piedmont. A movement Is on foot at Dnyton to have a flouring mill built at that place. Milton A. Stratton. president of tli East Portland Natlonul bunk, died suddenly yesterduy afternoon at his residence, 82 East Tenth stri et. Work Is proceeding favorably at the Cascade canal and one of the bla sted gales is partially hung. IF FOR INK, WHY MOT FOR ALL? After doing business a few years with the consolidated ticket office, Portland would not like to see. a change. It is a great "store." Butchers will note the -order ' to trim prices and obey, of course. Butchers are accommodating fellows when it comes. to trimming.- It may be true enough that whisky is worthless as a cure for flu. Where its great popularity comes in seems to be as a preventive., ' ?'., The' (real offense. In Iron county will be lost to sight in the conflict over authority. , CRITIC DEMOCRACY Ql'KSTIO.VED Like -. Senator' Chamberlain, ; Mr. Hamaker Is Off lYIIsonian Track. PORTLAND, Feb. 24. (To -the Edi tor.) A gentleman named Hamaker, hitherto unknown to fame, criticising Senator Chamberlain for disloyalty to the democratic joss, appears to be dis loyal himself. Secretary Baker and the president have both declared for universal military training, but Ha maker says it will cost Jl. 000.000,000 annually and' abuses Chamberlain for joining Wilson and Baker in favor of it?. He la no better democrat -than the 107 who in caucus the other day deliberately slapped the president in the' face on that question. Hamaker also abuses Chamberlain for favoring the free passage of American ships through the Panama canal. He should read the national democratic platform of 1912 demand ing such free passage and some of the fierce editorials of the Port land Journal denouncing those who were false to that platform's demand. Taken all in all-Hamaker'a democ racy doesn't seem to be much better than Chamberlain's. OBSERVER, i C. S. McNaughtof Hermiston, whose father w-as a pioneer of that place when It took its position in the sun about 15 years ago. is at the Mult nomah and comparing cars at the auto exhibition. L. E. Whitler and C. P. Sands of New York are at the Benson. They have come west through arrangement with W. C. Slattery, timber broker, and will look over the lumber indus try in the vicinity of Cottage Grove. While the provinces across the line are not exactly "dry." Mr. and Mrs. C. W. ABhwin are registered at the Seward from Drinkwater, Sask. M. W. Mattecheck, president of the Mattecheck Hardware company of Kennewick, Wash., is at the Multno mah while attending the auto show; L. M. Eddy, fifth vice-president of the Order of , Railroad Telegraphers, with headquarters at St. Louis, Mo, is at the Multnomah. J. T. Hinkle, Irrigationist and for mer member of the legislature, is at the Imperial from Hermiston, where he is the city attorney. Among the dozen or more stockmen who are rounded up at the Perkins is A. W. Fargher of Maupin. - R. C Bishop, who knows all about blankets. Is at the Hotel Portland from Pendleton. J. Densmore, keeper of the general store at Scio, is making 's visit to Portland and la at the Perkins, I Books an' Vaudeville ec-d Censoring , More Than Movies. GOLDEN DALE. Wash.. Feb. - 2J (To the Editor.) I have been reading with much interest the discussion about "movie" censoring. Of this I know little. Perhaps it does need to be done, but our books of modern Tiction need it too, if it is so'1 neces sary for the films. What I want to know Is. why some- xns don't mention censoring vaude- vill shows. I was in rornana ior a month this winter, and having little to do I attended many shows, both moving picture and vaudeville. I al ways went to the test theaters. Dur ing that month's time I never noticed anything in the pictures that was vulgar or sugRestive, but oh! you vaudeville. The fact :s. I never went to a vaudeville show that didn't have acts that were both vulgar and suggestive. I can recall a dozen or more remarks and some of the suggestivenesw was simply "rotten." to use a bit of popu lar slang. t don't consider myself a modest person. -ne ract 's i can- seiaom muster" a blush. But l ve neen able to do so in some of Portland's vaude ville theaters. A FOOL GIRL. Getting Into Russia. PORTLAND. Feb. 24. (To the Edi tor.) Would It be possible for an American by birth to get to Russia without a passport from the United States government, or will they allow us to leave this country without one? READER. It is said that some have succeeded in getting Into Russia by bribing bol sheviks at the. Finnish border or by sneaking across the line. One can obtain a passport to Sweden whence ha would .'have to take chances on further progress.' .'- - His Speech Not Liked. "You -don't seem to care for my speech on economics," said Senator Sorghum. "Not exactly," replied the statistician. "What's the trouble with it?" "Over-production of phraseology and shortage of ideas." , Fifty Irani Ago. From The Oreannliin of February '.'". !"" New York Count Olto von Hiileu. the bogus Prussian count snd cousin to Bismarck, who succeeded In mar rying a rich young woman of Kllr.;i beth. N. J., and swindling the family out of $1 0.nofl. was arrested yesterday and Is In Jail. Roseburg. The steamer Ann was reported In the little canyon elitlit miles from Oakland on Saturday and is expected to riaeh here today or tomorrow, the object of the trip evi dently being to prove that Hie I'mp qua may yet be rendered navigable. All sleamers of thn P. T. company are kept busy carrying rrcittlit. Four came down the river yesterday SS'I probably as many will return today Dr. C. H. Mack, formerly s prac ticing dentist In Portland, has re turned after sn absence o! tp or three years and will remain licre per manently. i 1 I.AIIOIt STAND Wl OI'I'OMAT Prohibition Isaoe II e J g Itettled Writer Torus to IWcArthsr. PORTLANH. Feb. 24. (To the Edl tor.)I have differed from "Pat" Mc Arthur in the past on the subject of liquor. . In . the past he and Mr. Gonipcrs have been In sweetest accord on that subject. As a consequence I have never voted for him or talked for him. But the liquor question Is permanently settled. Now cornea Mr. Gompers, backed l the federation, adopting the tactic of the liquor men in the day whet they used to make the politicians be lieve that each of the) 250.0H0 saloons controlled 23 votes and would vole solid for the men who would run the country In their Interest ami against tho men who would run it for the people in general. 1 am an American and bell-ever In democracy and this plan to nave mi country run for the hennfit of or o..,iv..rf inhor about 10 per cent of the population probably and the rest of the country look on and approve roils - me. Mr. McArthur's stand against any such unfair plan hss won my admiration to the extent that If he Is nominated by his par.y, In May and I shall talk for him In the mean time will vote for him in Novem ber, and work for blm. I have nothing against labor ss labor, but the capitalist had to be controlled by the Sherman law, the liquor nen by ths prohibition amend ment and now comes this class seek Ing special privileges and I am against any and all special privilege. I stand squarely with Mr. Arthur on the labor question, tnsi they should have all their rights, but no one's else. PAKTT PROHIBITIONIST. fcre Figure Are Tisaated. Washington, D. C, Slar. "Figures won't lie!"' declared tli statistician. "Muybe you're right." sn swered the mild-mannered citizen. "And yet, somehow. I can't p it irn pllclt faith In the numbers that go up on a taxicab register."