8
THE MORNING OREGOJJTANV SATURDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1920
ESTABLISHED BY HENRY I PITTOCK.
Published by The Oregonlan Publishing co-
. 130 Sixth Street, forlimna. ui
C. A. MORDBN. E. B. PIPBA ,
Mnfl-r Bailor.
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i: ' . -- FEWER DEATHS, MORE CARE.
f If any consolation la to.be had
' from the fact that there were fewer
fatalities from automobile accidents
In Portland for the year ending- De.
cember 1, 1920, let It be taken.
Twenty-elgrht persons were killed
as against forty-two during the pre
vious year. The driving public, it
may be, is becoming: more careful
or perhaps it merely had better luck.
Twenty-eight dead is exactly twenty-
eig-ht too many. The time will never
come when casualties willv be en
tirely eliminated, but it should come
when every motor-car driver under
stands all the risks, and consciously
:; takes none of them.
The record shows 10,038 accidents,
of which 5961 were due to careless
ness. There were 1896 collisions.
:t -caused by refusal to give the rig-lit of
. way. Why anyone having the right
: of the road should persist iakee'ping
'- it, when he is aware that a mishap is
likely to occur, through the thought
. lessness or stubbornness or reekless
t ness of the other driver, is astonish-t-
Ing evidence of the perversity of the
humanmind. There are some men,
who would deliberately run a little
car into a five-ton truck, if the truck
traversed their rights. Road rules
;:are made for convenience and for
safety, and they shduld be as flex
ible in actual application as the
emergency demands.
The traffic chief. Captain Lewis,
thinks that an automobile should be
brought to a foil- stop when ap
proaching a main thoroughfare from
the side. It would result unques
tionably in fewer collisions. Every
one knows, but not everyone heeds,'
the dangers of rushing at high speed
across a well-traveled street or car
track. Ninety-nine times in a hun
dred the way is clear, but the hun
dredth time, which always comes,
the man-in-a-hurry runs into some
body or something, unless the other
driver is cautious and is able to get
out of the way. There is a special
providence. It is said, over fools and
drunken men, but none over flying
automobiles and their occupants.
. The chief protection of the rash and
heedless driver is the care and
promptness of other drivers, and the
agility of the pedestrian.
The railroad engineers think that
.automobiles should be required to
come to a full stop at unprotected
railroad crossings. Sound enough,
but it is rather hard to see how any
such rule can be enforced unless
there is an officer at every crossing.
This is impossible, but it is not im
possible to eliminate the grade
crossing in many places, nor to keep
up the campaign for greater careful
ness and good sense among the men
and women who run automobiles.
HOUSEWIVES, WATCH FOR FRAtt).
One of the1 first acts of the house
at the present session of congress has
been to pass a bill aimed at a fraud
which has grown out of the great
rise in prices. Being required by the
pure food law to mark the quantity
of goods contained in a package',
. manufacturers found themselves in
, a predicament when cost of materi-
als rose to the point where they were
''compelled to raise prices. If they
raised the price of a standard pack
Age, business would be injured. If
. they reduced the size of the package
sold at a certain price, there would
be an outcry. They met the diffi
s culty by using a container of the
same size as before but only partly
filled, and would state the contents
correctly, but not in such large type
as to attract attention, and would
trust to the consumer not to notice
that point and to observe only the
size of the package, assuming it to
. be full.
In introducing a bill to make de
ceptive packages fraudulent, Repre-
an,o T-T J . I I
1 . taininir thrpA nunrea rt nntatn f.Viina
i: iiii.ii noa ic.vi i i , . i ii 1 1 .1 1 1 tii 1 1 ii n
.wki.V ....... 1. ,l i , . . .
' other containing spaghetti only ,a
quarter full, a candy box with 'a
false bottom that occupied a quarter
of its capacity, and a bottle with in
i i- ' dented panels which made Its cen
. tents -much less than they appeared.
Spices are- packed in boxes with isin--..
crlajts front thrrtTsto-h wbloTn tfen stn
tents can De seen, but when the box
is opened the half or two thirds of
B'"ii. nuvw L ii a lomgiUBa IB fSIUUlV.
One of the most ingenious frauds is
putting olives in a bottle which mag
, nifies and prevents them from fit
ting close together. When the house
wife opens the bottle, she finds small
olives and very few of them.
Though these tricks-are contempt
Ibly fraudulent,' the house was in
Aduced by Representative Mann to
j;.tdefer operation of the bill until elgh-
ipnn mnninn s i ;pr ire onnnt m n n , r
; j the plea that "packages are ordered
iia year and a half in advance" and
that that tlma must be allowed in
I'lj which "to dispose of the packages
" - uhdhu in tuts ueui ui lann vy every
', . body after purchase from the manu
facturer, and in most cases in the best
-of faith by the manufacturer him
elf." Though there may have been
good faith on ttje part of the mer
chant, there was none on the part of
the manufacturer who resorted to
such palpable fraud. He must have
made enough money by his deception
tn rnmripnsa.tA for what wnnlrl ha
I.UlUtl U119Ut.Ul7 UilVU(,U UAUXtSUlite
- enforcement of the act, if he were
required to redeem all that remained
In the hands of merchants. Mr. Mann
is too tender with such men, but he
had his way. . - j
Therefore the housewife would do
T- -well to look out during the next
eighteen months for cartons halt
full of potato chips or a third full of
spaghetti, for spice just as high as
the isinglass In the box, and for mag
nified olives few in the bottle.
; REFORM THE PRIMARY.
Back in Kansas, where they start
things In the line of political reform,
and occasionally finish them, there
is a great hubbub over a proposal to
change the direct primary law. It Is
surprising to note that the chief pro
vision, of the proposed amendment is
the simple and usual requirement
that the voter should register before
an election. . William Allen White,
who speaks for Kansas to the world
through the Emporia Gazette, is all
het up over the diabolical assault on
the primary. . Says he:
We are as a world deep In the trough
of a wave of reaction. Free speech and
a free, press are restricted. Free Krtvern
ment is thereby threatened. The Kansas
farmers now have a real grievance Is
It not queer that just as the farmers
have a grievance the forces against
whom they complain are restricting - the
primary restricting it by putting In
a registration provision, which will cut
down the number of farmers and their
wives who will vote?
C It Is not possible here in Oregon,
where we have long endured the pri
mary and have grown used to it, to
get excited over any plan (for regis
tration, even if the books are to close
several months before an election. If
a man- or -woman Is not interested
enough in protection of his or Tier
franchise to register, there is no loss
when he is unable to vote because of
his own neglect. A primary Is for
parties to preserve and protect
them, according to the preamble of
the original Oregon act Registration
la a record of eligible voters, devised
to prevent a raid at any election of
floaters, Ineligible, repeaters, and
non-citizens, and It helps to purify
the ballot. Evidently the Kansas
farmer thinks the balloT is pure
enough; or. If it isn't, it is not worth
the trouble to make It more whole
some.
Mr. Bryan Is so well satisfied with
the workings of the primary through
out the United States that he wants
a uniform presidential primary, to be
held on the same day, with first.
second and third choices. Hiram
Johnson has gone to Washington
with a bill in his pocket for a presi
dential primary for all the states.
Hiram does not like conventions.
Conversely, conventions usually do
not like Hiram. ,
It is quite generally agreed that
something Is the matter with the
primary: but the doctors do not
agree as to what is to be done about
it. It should be agreed, however,
that if there is to be a presidential
primary in every state, It should be
held on the same day.
THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE USEFUL.
Dr; Mather, the national park di
rector, is much wrought up by at
tempts' to develop waterpower and
to impound water for irrigation in
the national parks. His protest
against extension of the waterpower
law to the parks led President Wil
son to approve it on condition only
that an amendatory act excepting
the parks should be introduced at
this session of congress. Senator
Jones gave the pledge and has intro
duced the bill. When some Idaho
farmers sought the right to build a
reservoir in the southwest corneiof
Yellowstone park, a great uproar
was raised by lovers of the wild. The
irrigators said the land in question
was an unsightly swamp, but the
devotees of scenic beauty say it has
several waterfalls and mountain
meadows. , ,
An investigation of such spots on
the ground is proposed, but it will be
of small use If conducted exclusively
by the kind of men that now fill gov
ernment bureaus, for many of them
are so absorbed in one idea.that they
can see nothing that conflicts with
it. An investigator who can see only
what he seeks is worse than use
less, for he misleads those whom he
should inform. A nature-lover sees
only scenery, where an irrigator will
see a dam site, or an electrical en
gineer a ' power site. The nature
lover will enthuse over the brilliant
coloring of the rock where a pros
pector will see the red iron cap of a
copper vein. An investigator, to be
of any use, should havcTils eyes open
to whatever is there and should be
able to appraise its best use. Then
he may realize that an irrigation
reservoir is more sightly as well as
more useful than a swamp, and that
a power plant near the outer edge of
a park may be very useful to pro
ducers without coming under the eye
of nature lovers to offend them.
There is so much waterpower out
side of the national parks that the
sordid capitalists are not likely to
want to invade those sanctuaries of
nature for many years to come, and
the same is generally true ot Irriga
tion. The time will come, though it
may be remote, ,when the power and
the water of the parks will be needed
to sustain tne lire of the nation.
When that time comes, the people
will decide that a full stomach is
much to be preferred to eye-filling
scenery, since emptiness detracts
from taste for natural beauty.. But
that time is so remote that nature
lovers should cease to worry.
SHIPS AND DISTANCE RATES.
Quoting the interstate commerce
commission as saying in the Colum
bia basin rate decision that Portland
feared a demand from ships for
higher rates for the additional dis
tance of 100 miles from Astoria, the
Astorlan says that "Astoria has a
right to lower charters than Port
land and eventually she'will secure
the differential." It bases the claim
on the principle of cost of haul in
rate-making, which was sustained in
Portland's behalf.
Whatever fear may have been en
tertained that Portland would have
to pay higher rates than Astoria for
charters has been dissipated by ex
perience. Though freight from the
inland empire could be hauled to
Astoria for the same rail rate as to
Portland, it stopped at Portland to
be loaded on shipboard and ships
came to Portland for it at the same
rate as they asked to Astoria. They
have done so and still do so because
Portland Is a central point for as
sembling cargo and Astoria is not.
Portland has the railroads and termi
nals to handle tralnloads which
make up a cargo. Astoria has only
one single-track railroad and the
cars for one cargo would congest its
yards. If a ship were to secure part
of her cargo at Astoria she would
probably have to come to Portland
first for that which should go In the
lower hold, then go to Astoria for
the next batch and then come to
Portland again for her deckload. If
transcontinental freight should be
delayed till the ship had sailed It
could be diverted from Portland to
some other port to go on another
ship within a few days without ad
ditional charge. If sent to Astoria
it would either have to wait for the !
next ship from that port or be hauled,!
back to Portland at the shipper's
expense. '
There is no comparison between
railroad rates from the inland em
pire and charter rates on the ocean.
From Pendleton to Portland Is 216
miles, to Astoria 318 miles, a dif
ference of about 30 per cent. Across
the Pacific ocean the distance is
about 6000 miles, of which 100 is but
1 2-3 per cent. An ocean vessel Ig
nore such slight differences and
makes the same rate to the place
where the cargo Is, but a difference
or 30 per cent bn a short rail haul
is too great to be igpored
These are elementary principles of
the railroad and shipping business
with which all are familiar who have
to deal with traffic by rail and sea.
xcey snould M studied at Astoria.
null V rillllK AH IMC.
tendency, we cau it, wnen tne
city of Vancouver provide In one
building the man who Issues the
marriage license, a parson-auditor td
perform the ceremony and, just
around the corridor, three county
commissioners to act as witnesses
and kiss the bride, regardless of eon-
sequences.
- The original Gretna Green had
nothing like It The marriage was
not much of a ceremonial. The vil
lage blacksmith did most-of the wit,
nesslng no officiant being required
or perchance It was the toll keeper
or the ferryman.- Doubtless they
quarreled over which should do the
work and get the honorarium, but
being rather coarse, impudent fel-
lows, their troubles quite naturally
failed to arouse the sympathetic in-
terest that this quasi-official compt-
tltion with courteous ministers of the
gospel arouses in. Vancouver.
Though wholly neutral in the fee
quarrel, we should like, purely as a
sporting proposition, to see the pres-
ent quaint custom prolonged awhile.
By making ceremonies simpler, and
quicker, Vancouver may in time be
able to marry Portland couples
faster than Oregon courts Can di
vorce them. 'Whatelyoubet?
RrvALRY FOR WORLD TRADE,
The cable controversy between the
United States government and the
Western Union broadens out into a
struggle for control of means of In
ternational communication between
the United States and Great Britain.
That struggle is but an important
feature of the Intense Competition
for world trade which has begun be
tween the two nations. Not only
control of cables for official and
commercial use is involved. Trans
mission of news, especially the kind
of news that governments desire to
circulate as propaganda, Is also con
cerned. But shipping, fuel supply,
marine insurance and international
finance are also Involved. As to all
these factors In world trade, the two
nations have become rivals, and each
strives to score points against the
other.
Before the United States entered
the war, it began to make serious
inroads on British foreign markets.
Driven from the eea, Germany was
out of the field. Britain was so en
grossed in the war that It could
barely hold Its former share without
taking much of Germany's, and the
United States fell heir almost with'
out effort to as much of Germany's
as it could handle, and began to cap
ture much of Britain's. But this
country lacked the machinery for
foreign trade, the knowledge of the
needs and tastes and products of
strange peoples, which Britain had
acquired through centuries of com
merce. -American business men be
gan to make good this deficiency
while we were still neutral, for ship-
building became active in 1916 and
American banks were established' in I
foreign countries, especially South
America. British merchants, having I
awakened
from . overconfidence by
discovery of German economic pene
tration in all lands, Including Brit
ish colonies and even the mother
country, began at that time to evince
alarm at the appearance of this new
rival. Though the military aid. of
the United States against Germany
would be welcome, anxiety for it was
moderated by consciousness of the
great Industrial and commercial ex
pansion which would follow for this
country, letting loose a far more
dangerous commercial rival than
Germanv had been.
' Hence when Germany drove the
United States to fight, Britain sought
to influence the military action of
the United States in such manner
that it should not, so far as could be
prevented, extend into the field of
commerce or equip this country with
vessels for War of such type and
quantity as could be used in com
merce. That Is doubtless the ex.
planation of attempts to place Brit
ish representatives on the advisory
council of the shipping board, which
ex-Chairman Denman properly de
feated. It would have suited the
British far better If the shipping
board had: confined Itself to building
ships adapted to transport troops
and war material, but unsuited to
commerce without costly alterations. I Much bad temper and more lm
Britaln probably was very willing to patience will be avoided in the lines
provide an tne ships needed for war
that could be used In commerce with
little If any change. But the first
shipping boar-d saw that the only use
for its war fleet after the war would
be In commerce, and that shich an op
portunity to "establish an American
merchant marine should not be neg
lected,
Admiral Benson has pursued
that policy in operating the fleet
and in selling ships, though with
better zeal than judgment. The
people will look to the present board
to make the merchant fleet a more
"1Btu,e msirument ior extending
Auicnuiu iiauH ia competition witn
Britain and every other nation.
Control of cables is only second in
importance to ships. It gives a na
tion direct, speedy communication by
which . its merchants gain an ad
vantage in time- over those whose
messages' must go roundabout. It
enables a nation to send news which
will influence foreign opinion favor
ably to Its policy and tra&e. and to
block ' that of other nations which
may have an adverse effect, or to
iuliify its effects with a prompt re
ply. Britain long enjoyed an advan
tage over this country, because cable
messages had . to be sent first to
Britain and thence to South America
and because passengers had to
travel by the same route. "
-The specific charge of betraying
business secrets of an American cor
poration . to a British competitor,
whereby the latter was enabled to
underbid for a valuable contract In
Brazil, is an example of dishonorable J
use of cable control which calls for
decisive action by the United States."!
Nothing short of dismissal and pun-
ishment of the guilty official and
payment of damages to the coraora- I
tion that suffered should satisfy the I
government. Several Complaints 1
were made while this country was
neutral in the war that American I
business secrets leaked from British I
censors to British competitors of
American business houses, and
though denied were not disproved.
In time of war or domestic dis
turbance the right to censor mes
sages cannot be denied to the nation
on whose shores a cable lands. The
United States has exercised that
right, will want to exercise it in fu
ture, and"- should not abandon it.
But the. virtual impossibility of stop
ping all leaks proves the necessity
of minimizing the risk by securing
direct cables to all parts of the
world. The United States should not
tolerate sending of messages to
Brazil or any other country by way
I of Britain, France, Italy or Germany,
where they may pass under the eye
I of a competitor in business or-an'
agent of the government. The whole
auvjcm Luna lur luieruauuutii icgu
lotion nf rabies, whir.h will urevent
i -
i huSB of t. . . . -
rnssr.rs.h in and
will secure prompt punishment of
offenders against th'ese rules.
Competition by. he United .States
for world trade has fairly begun and
Britain is ourf chief rival. That
country la entrenched in possession
of : the greatest merchant marine,
control of cables extending to all
lands, fuel stations at convenient dis
tances on all seas, and the greatest
international, banks, marine insur
ance companies and a survey system
for ships which has long held the
field. The British empire is deter-
mined as far as possible to trade
within itself. The Canadian govern
I ment now has railroads and steam
ship lines which girdle the earth,
connecting It with Australia, the
mother country, India, South Africa,
land it .has "all-red" cables across
the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The
I British government holds Mesopo
I tamia In order to hold the-oil fields,
I and its oil agreement with France
partitions their oil Interests in colo
I nies and foreign countries.
In order to compete on equal
terms, the United States should have
all-American steamship lines, cables,
banks, insurance companies, marine
register, fuel stations, and should se
cure an ample oil reserve by acqui
sitions in foreign countries. There
Is no reason why the rivalry should
not be' friendly, but If any attempt
should be made to use cable control
for underhand favoritism to British
trade, the American eagle should
show his claws.
Notwithstanding the report from
Dawson City that every ' home is
stocked this winter with the largest
supply of cheap but appetizing cari
bou meat ever known, the prelimi
nary figures of the census Of Alaska
show a falling off of the population
of the territory from 64,356 in 1910
to 64,718 in 1820. Reindeer roam in
herds to the very outskirts of the
settlements, but people leave the
territory! to seek the costlier living
of "the States." Something, it is
plain, is essential ' to happiness be
sides low-priced meat. The enter
prise and initiative that led men to
.seek their fortunes near the Arctic
circle are not to be satisfied with
bare gratification ot the physical
appetites, oe it attained with ever
so little enpenditure of energy. While
men were ' getting ahead in Alaska,
or thought they were, population in
creased steadily. As soon as it be
came a question of easy living, but
nothing . more, the exodus, as the
census shows, began.
While the secretaries of state of
five Pacific coast states are meeting
to agree oh uniform automobile
laws, let them not forget the neces
sity Of regulating road hog motor
truck drivers. Every truck should
be required by law to have a mirror
so the driver may see cars coming
from behind him, and should also
be required to hug the right-hand
side of the road
In Klamath Falls a man has been
found guilty of murder in the first
degree for killing a man who boasted
of intimacy with the killer's wife
which she strenuously denied. This
totally upsets the "unwritten law"
idea and may be hopeful sign or
not, as one views it. .
Depend upon Hugh Wallace to
keep up the dignity that attaches
to representing this nation.. w May
I not present this here Deutscher?"
says the French host at the dinner.
'Forget it!" says the Tacoman, which
was indeed classy and classic.
The police say that more than
half the 10,038 automobile accidents
in Portland so far this year Were the
fault of pedestrians. The trouble
with the pedestrians seems to be that
they get in the way of cars that are
going too fast.
Now there'll be .a rush for jury
duty following the" experience of
that Spokane jury in a bootlegging
case, which drank up four pints of
the evidence trying to reach a deci
sion. .
at tne postornce it some would man
their 'packages at branch offices,
where there is not so much business.
Postmaster-General Burleson pre
dicts the postofflce department will
lose $36,000,000 in 1921 unless a
change is made. Let him be easv.
The change will be made.
A woman who owns an automobile
vih0ni t ii ..
her but monopolizes the car. Aren't
sotne men mighty mean?
Burleson has a deficit of seventeen
millions and blames congress that It
Is not that muc surplus. Poor busi
ness methods did not save his face.
Presideat-elect Harding says em
phatically that there'll be no secret
envoy for him. Colonel House Is
down and out for good.
Must be disappointing to a despon
dent young woman who takes poisor)
with suicidal intent to find she still
is on earth.
Will the day 'ever come when the
police enforce the anti-muffler cut
out law against motorcyclists 2 ,. .;.'
. ... - v - - .
Looks lk4 the "constabulary was
trying to make Filipinos oyer on tb
good Injun" plan, . ; '-, - .
Sugar at retail is near the 10-cent
mark, stlll abput twice "nprmalcy.1
V : - . ' - , '.
' Nobody Is going to grieve on learn,
ing the sugar refiners lost moneys:
" ::::
Some fellows are" wondering ab'out
the size of the Christmas bonus. ' ;
Issues are Joined and the Christ-
mas turkey will come high,
SQUABBLE OVER FEES UNSEEMLY
Profeasloanl Harris a- Offlrfaata
Ought ta Take CKaaeea Wrtk Otker.
r THE DALLES, Or., Deo. .!. (To
the Editor.) The controversy about
marriage fees reported In The Orego
nlan December 10 at once interests
and amuses me. Conflicting systems
of ohurch government have lfl a meas.
urs been responsible for a squabble
unworthy of professional men who
should be," by the way, patterns of
geptlemanlinefis.
A marriage fee,' or any kind of fee.
should flot be looked upon as a source
of revenue, but rather as a thank of
fering Tor blessings conferred or re
muneration for loss of time needed
for other business. Wfth respect to
marriage fees; it may be remarked
that a man who cahnot pay a fee can
not afford to be married. And in the
Episcopal church where voluntary
fees have been known to amount to
hundredSjOf dollars no well-bred per
son has ever questioned the offi
ciant's right to possess.
This prerogative of clergymen nor
mally remains unquestioned for the
reason that a clergyman should not
be regarded as a loafer. However,
when clergymen areOoafers (or lay
themselves open to the charge of be
ing such), especially when they.make
clandestine or quack'sh bainesles of
accumulating marriage fees, it seems
to me good discipline for them to take
their chances along with officers of
the law. But a clergyman who is an
officer of the law must be respected
for having ability to secure Tegular
employment and a fee In his case can
be regarded as remuneration for the
disturbance of his daily routine of
duties. It should he assumed that
magistrates and clergymen have dally
programmes ot work, Just as other
men have.
It must be remembered that at the
time a wedding Is taking place a call
for a Clergyman to visit the dying
may be coming In. For such and
kindred reasons no man should con
sider himself excused for paying a
marriage fee." On the other hand bap
tisms and burials which require time
and change appointments properly
bring no fees except In cases of the
latter sort when a person to be buried
Is not a member or contributor to a
local church. Then the claim on a
minister's time is a demand particu
larly when the parties are transients.
Under those circumstances a bill for
the use of the electricity for lighting
the church and for pumping the organ
and for sexton's services ought to be
presented in addition, and similarly
In tne-case of weddings.
The privilege of active membership
In a church hormally carries with It
the right to a funeral from the edi
fice and baptism at the font without
cost.. Marriage, however, involves
more than church affiliation. And
marriage fees are matters pt decency.
To quarrel about the matter in public
excuses legal interference in what be
longs within the province of etiquette
and courtesy. It would serve the
quarreling ministers quite right If
public disgust should be responsible
for enacting a measure lowering the
regular fee from $5.00 to 50 cents.
GEORGE G. HOISHOLT,)
Rector St. .Paul's Episcopal church.
FAhMERS NEED EXPORT BOUNTV
Tariff Alone Won Id Merely Promote
Gambling in !Unraln.
PORTLAND, Deo. 17. (To the Ed-
itor.); The Oregonlan under the cap
tion, "Farmers' Relief Voted by Sen
ate." quotes Representative Toung of
North Dakota as proposing the fol
lowing: iTODort duties: "wheat B0
cents per bushel; rye -30 cents, corn
30 cents, barley 30 cents, flax 60 per
eeut ad valorem not to be less than
50 cents per bushel, sheep $2.50 per
head, horses $50 per head."
Let ub take wheat as an example.
We export about 100 millions of
bushels per annum, consequently the
price or wheat to the Amerloan farm
er is the price paid at Liverpool, Ens
land, less tbe cost of freight and com
mission paid in getting the wheat
Miere. At the same time, Argentina,
inaia ana an the woria-ftre compet
lng with the American farmer There
fore the highest protected labor and
machinery and produce of all. kinds
are the things the American has With
which to compete with all the lowest'
paid labor, eto.. in the world. No
wonder he has been forced to cry out
for a special law for fedral loans ot
money, even though it Is unconstitu
tional.
The 50 cents import duty precludes
any wheat being imported Into the
United States, but this does not help
the farmer any, and that import duty
allows the gamblers and speculators
to play ducks and drakes with the
margin. Neither producer nor the
consumer Is helped In the least. We
saw that put Ih effect by the Keene,
Leiter and Hutchinson corners when
the lmDort duty was ii cants rwr
busnel. ... -:v - ' ,
If along with the 50 cents Imoort
duty there is placed a BO cents ex
port bounty, the measure would be'
come immediately operative to ths ben
efit of American agriculture, and the
American farmer would not need class
legislation for federal loans, nor Co
operative marketing He would be
able to Q(y business as a real Ameri
can business does get credit at ths
national and-Btate banks and pay the
ame interest on money. In order to
fix the minimum price of $2.25 on
wheat, as suggested by W. C. Lyon
In, the article referred to. lt would
be necessary for the federal' govern
ment to pjace 30 per ton import duty
and $30 per ton export bounty on
wheat.
If all our rural products were cut
on -this Daslft we would add 100 bil
lions of dollars to our national wealth
overnight, and poverty would be
swept out of our ruraf and city life
forever. The low ebb of rural life
in America is the cause of all our
poverty and unrest In both city and
country, '
THOMAS WITHTCOilBE.
OLDER WOMEJf MORE PAItTICXlLAH
That's V"ky Some Mlddlr-Aged Ken
Seek Voting Wives.
PORTLAND, Dec. 16. (To the Edi
tor.) 'May I say Just a word in thi
matrimonial conversation? Thus It
has ever been, the women must help
the men to see. Men are less pro
gressive than women, perhaps with
reason, but that Ls another ques
tion. The time may come when men
will be glad to- get even wrinkled
elpmates for we are some judges of
looks ourselves.
Let he men revise their Ideas of
matrimony as they have had to revise
their Ideas along business lines and
as we have all had to revise our ideas
along religious and social lines and
just see If this old world isn't a
pleasanter place to live in. Wrinkles
eonnt for experience on tbe face of a
woman just as much as they do on
the face of a man. Few women of
40' want men with no .experience of
business to look- after them and ne
sane man we know plenty of crazy
ones -want an' Inexperienced girl to
administer: to hi daily want and b
a companion to him.
Men are merely tfylng to Justify
themselves Itf not marrying woman
of their own age, when the truth Is.
they can't get them, The older a
woman is the more particular she Is,
which accounts for so many men of
middle ago marrying young girls.
; If my experience as a companion
and a housewife does not off-et my
few facial blemishes, ' then I have
little respect ' for- "Mr, Widower's
judgment ' anyway and prefer my
book and cat as companions.
Ye Godot It ia companionship we
want. ..... ,WUOW.
Thfcse Who Come und Go.
Eighteen months In the Prlbllof
islands sound something like a pris
on sentence, but It isn't. For that
period. Howard W. Steward, son of a
rancher hear Payette, Idaho, was
with the radio station on St. Paul
island of the 'Prlbllof group. Mr.
Steward has arrived at the Multno
mah with furs, stuffed birds and ani
mals and curios valued at thousands
of dollars. He mads the collection
while on the island. The Fribilof
KTourj is of volcanic orirln and on St
Paul there are half a doxen cinder
cones, one 660 feet nigh. Ths Islands
were discovered by ths Russians in
1786 and small colonies of Alutlans
were established on them, for at the
time of their discovery the Islands
were uninhabited. The Pribllofs are
best known as the. rookery for fur
bearing seals. Thousands of seals
resort to the group of Islands or
breeding Durnoses and they select the
rocky shores In' Dreference to the
mainland. Seals, evidently, have been
using the Fribilof Islands lor count
less centuries, and at one time the
seal rookeries there threatened Inter
national complications, when the
United States government undertook
to prevent poaching and raiding
parties. The temperature has a max
imum of about 50 degrees and a min
imum of about 20 decrees above zero.
It rarely gets below zero, although on
Januarys 25, last, the thermometer
registered 25 degrees below. From
June to August subarctic flowers are
in bloom. There are no trees on any
of the islands, but few hardy shrubs
striggle along. Th" climate ls gen
erally damp, with a drizzle.
"Within two ypars the Standard
Oil company of California will have
a fleet ot 150 tankers," said Cap
tain Hiram Mitchell, who ls at ths
Benson, her because ths Standlfer
yards ls ready to dwllver ths 12.
000-ton" tanker Worthlngton. "The
company has the largest refinery in
the west and It has a capacity of two
tankers a day. To keep this refinery
operating It Is apparent- that the oil
company will require a great fleet of
boats, especially If they are coming
ud from Mexico or South America.
Contracts have recently been awarded
for some 15,000-ton tankers, the
largest tankers that have ever been
built There ls no joke about the oil
shortage. That ls why-the company la
building an armada of tankers for
the ournose of bringing oil in from
other countries. The company Is also
building some small tankers which
can go Into Coos Bay and similar
small harbors, these being of the Die
sel type. The cost of operating one
of our steamers is much greater than
it was a few years ago, for the com
pany not only pays its crews the best
wages, but the food cost Is an lm
nortant item, and then there Is the
cost of the fuel which the boats them
selves consume." The Llbby, which
was launched this week,, will be th
second 12,000-ton tanker turned , out
in the Portland district and will be
ready for delivery in about a month,
Gold! Hill's chlefsrfndVustry at pres
ent Is the cement plant, near Sardine
creek, and adjacent to the Sleepy
Hollow ranch. The plant ls perched
on the hillside and makes quite an
imposing appearance, especially at
night, when the entire plant is
Illuminated by powerful electric
lights. Business Is so good that the
plant is turning out cement day- and
night and a new big overhead switch
has lust been installed for the elec
trie energy. R. M. Wilson of Gold
Hill Is an arrival at the Hotel Oregon.
Officials of ths Paclflo States Tele
phone company who have assembled
In Portland from California and the
east are J. C. No well, , accompanied by
his wife and son; P. H. Coolldge, J. T.
Shaw, t. H. Corcoran, N. Wigton, C. E.
Fleager. M. Henderson and C. W.
Blanck. The company will have a
hearing before the public service com
mission next Tuesdayvfor an Increase
in rates and the officials are on hand
for the event. The visitors are regis
tered at the Hotel Portland.
Dr. J. C. Smith f Grants Pass,
imember Of the state senate for Jo
sephine County, ls at the Imperial
while attending the conference of
health officers at the Hotel Portland.
Dr. Smith will represent Grants Pass
in the negotiations pending for the
regulation of fishing in the Rogue
river. It is dollars to doughnuts that
Dr. Smith will be a member of the
senate Ways and means committee
when the legislature assembles next
month.
Owing to the turn the election took
there Is no demand on Dr. J. W. Mor
row for his official capacity as demo
cratic hational committeeman for Or
egon, so the doctor-politician has de
elded to take a vacation. Dr. and
Mrs. Morrow will leave this afternoon
for Paso Robles Springs, Cal., where
they will remain a month, or possibly
longer. If the resort doesn't strike
the fancy of the democratic leader he
may voyage over to Honolulu.
It was cold when a party from
central Oregon arrived at the Per
kins, for they had driven by automo
bile and so numb were their hands
that they could hardly write their
names. In the machine were W, New
ton of Madras; D. J. McLaughlin of
Deschutes, and 1 E. Thompson of
Moro.
George H. Graves of Salem Is at. th
Hotel Oregon. Mrs. Graves likes to
drive a big, flashy car and when ths
Elks held a state convention at Cool
Bay once he took his car there and
ever since Mr. uraves is as wen re
membered In Coos Bay as aay of its
prominent citizens.
Doctors must be 'somewhat scarce
In Klamath Falls Just how, for three
of the profession are in Portland from
that place. Dr. E. B. Boule. ths city
health offloer. Is at the Hotel. Port
land, and Dr. P. M. Noel and Dr. E. O.
Wisecarver are at the Benson, How
ever, Klamath Falls 1 pretty healthy.
Dr. J. V. Reddy Of Medfordl is at
ths Imperial There ls a strong prob
ability that Dr. Ready will visit Sa-
em ouring .tne session 01 mo legis
lature, as. he ls interested In almost
any bill thai has for its purpose the
development' of the state of Oregon.
There isn't 'much at Pratum, but
It ls a station on the Southern Pa
cific eight miles east of Salem. The
power for operating the mills in
Pratum comes from Pudding river.
C. sA. Arnet of Pratum arrived at the
Perkins yesterday.
Among the health officials in town
are R. T. Boals of Tillamook; B. H.
McCallon of Dallas; W. H. Snook of
Madras; O. C Hagmeler of Seaside:
C. E. CUShatt of Salem; J. W. Huff
of Baker, and . O. D. Dowd of The
Dalles.
Henry M. TeeL whose name Js as
sociated with the big irrigation, proj
ect nr Echo, is at the Imperial
from Echo, accompanied by his wife.
Frank Durbin, hop dealer of Sa
lem, and once on a time an active
democrat and office-holder, was ,a
Portland visitor yesterday.
Perry Otteson, chief of the com
missary of the Admiral line, is at,the
Multnomah from Seattle.
.Charles B. Walker, handling dairy
apparatus at Eugene, is, an arrival at
the Multnomah. , v
John Burroughs Nature
Notes.
1. What makes a dog's sense of
smell keen?
2. Should a wall bs of uniform
helghtT ,
S. Is the Canadian whits-throated
sparrow musical while migrating?
Answers to tomorrow's naturs
notes. .
ee.
Answers to Previous natations.
1. Do skunks rob henhouses?
The skunk renders himself obnox
ious to the farmer by his partiality
for hens' eggs and young poultry. He
is a confirmed epicure, and at plun
dering henroosts an expertNot the
full-grown fowls are his victims, but
tlis youngest and most tender. The
birds, especially the ground-builders,
suffer In like manner from hla plun
dering propensities.
t. How do rays of llghtr'shlnlng
through an opening; In the clouds,
appear?
There Is a peculiarity about the
rays of light one often sees diverging
from an' opening, or a aerlea of open
ings, In ths clouds, namely, that they
are like spokes In a wheel, the hub
or center of which appears to be Jst
there In the vapory masses. Instead
of being, as ls really the case, nearly
93.000,000 miles beyond.
e
8. Are woodpeckers aonglessT
A trait that our woodpeckers have
that endears them to me, and that
has never been pointedly noticed by
our ornithologists. Is their habit of
drumming in ths spring. They are
scngless birds, and yet all are musi
cians; they make the dry limbs elo
quent of the coming changs.
(Rights reserved by Houghton Mif
flin Co.)
NEED fort STREETS IS GBEATtCtl
Writer Wonld Save for Improvement
by Eliminating Rose Festival.
PORTLAND, Dec. 16 (To the Edi
tor.) In The Dally Oregonlan was arf
article recently which referred to
ths "Rose Festlvnl as being In dnn
er." The commissioners wers called
upon to mod I is- the budget to pro
vide $15,000 for this fete.
Let the Rose Festival rest a year.
Portland Is economizing In some
ways, but Its many rlile srreets are s
dally annoyance to the numerous de
livery men who have to travel
through deep, almost Impassable mill
to serve their customers. Until ws
can have more street paving let us
"Cut out" the rose fetesL
There are hundreds of our worthy
citizens who have to be .lnconvlenced
every day and will be for dreary
weeks to come by the muddy condi
tion of many of the suburban streets
The Rose Festival has its attractions,
but It is short lived. Millions of beau
tiful flowers are used and too "soon
their beauty la gone and they are so
much rubbish.
There are many other pleasures be
sides attending a rose fats or motor
ing out on the highway In a sedan!
Save the money for street Improve
ments and please everyone.
MATTIE B. ROSB.
CnARITY IS FOUND M1STLACED
Writer Discovers He ITns Helped Pro
fessional Pnnhnndler.
PORTLAND. Dee. 1?. (To the Edi
tor.) Tuesday night as I stood on
the corner of Broadway and Aider a
young man about 22 or 23 walked up
to me and asked me If I would help
him to get a meal. It was the same
old story, about not having -eaten
since ths day before. His story
sounded all right so four bits and I
parted company.
Thinking I would do a little sleuth
ing I decided to shadow him. In the
course of ten minutes he had
"mooched" three other believing
pedestrians like myself, the last one,
of the sum olj one slmoleon.
It ls getting now so that one does
not know whom or what to believe.
IS lt'gettlng to be the oocupatien of
some of these young men to get their
living by "mooching' a couple of
hours, thereby earning a goodly day's
wage easily?
We all know that the times ara not
of the best at present, and that some
of these men are worthy of a 11ft; but
what about these professional
moochers?" STL'NG.
Suggestion From "Normalcy. "
Monmouth Herald. .
Sneaking of utility, there Is a great
nance for Luther Burbank to evolve
a plant from tha sunflower, tha dan
and the potato that will produc
dibla product above and below tha
ground and an ornamental plan that
will delight all who behold.
Christmas Cheer for World
Made Here
v
Time was when Portland sent to distant cities and far land for
its Christmas toys. Some of them are still purchased in other
marts, but a Yulctide fact worth knowing is that the city by ths
Willamette is now in the toy construction industry on its own
account. And as for holly and -other Christmas greenery well,
as for that, the rest of the country comas to us. De Witt Harry,
in the Sunday magazine section, chats of the Christmas industry in
Portland, with illustrations.
Christmas Romance of Blacksmith's Daughter. Laura Jean Libby
never twined her talent around a more romantic theme thsn do
the facts in this story of a real lord and a prenuine ffirl who met
in the sooty smithy of her father, the blacksmith, and who are
Boon to be wedded, whereupon the pretty English lass will become
mistress of the stately home of Kinloss. The young" master of
Kinloss followed the hounds after the fashion of his fathers, and
when his mount cast a shoe he led it to the village smithy where
Katherine Beatrice MacKenzie Jackman was deftly plying the bel
lows. A Christmas tfift of a frolden horseshoe will find its way to
her stocking this Yuletide, and they will live happily ever after
ward. Told in the Sunday issue. ,
Rich Deposits of Fuel Lie Neglected. rower and heat rest In
nndisturbed potency beneath the careless tread of America, declares
Dr. Frederick G. Cottrell, chief of the United States bureau of mines
who perceives no cause for alarm, for many years to come, in the
fuel situation. Where and how is this supply to be tapped T Let
Dr. Cottrell inform you, in Rene Bache's exclusive interview with
him, narrated in the Sunday magazine section.
How I Lost Forty Pounds. Divas are prone to rotundity, often
uncomfortably so. But for Frieda Hcmpel the Alps proved a sov
ereign treatment, and 'here and there, by many a crag and glacier,
she left the two-score superfluous pounds that had vexed her. ,
Mountain rambling, asserts the diva, is an heroic but entirely effica
cious system of reduction. And in the Sunday issue, with illustra
tions both before and after she tells her own story of the adventure
. in avoirdupois.
Three Hundred Years After the Pilgrims. This is a story in
retrospect and the present, told by Joseph H. Applegate for the
Sunday issue, and it deals with the approaching observance of Pil
grims' dky, not only at Plymouth, Mass., but throughout the land
that bears enduringly the impress of their Ideals and character.
Illustrated in the Sunday magazine section.
Talks With T. R. A continuation of the diaries of John J. Leary
Jr., close friend of ths late Colonel Roosevelt, told in chapters that
depict the man and patriot militant, human, Jcindly, sagacious and
filled with cleanly courage. In the Sunday issue.
Let George Do It Infallibly he will fill your heart with laughter
and your soul with contempt of shiffn, the one and only George Ade,
now writing in olden vein for the Sunday column of the Oregonlan.
AD the News of AD the World
THE SUNDAY OREGONLAN
More Truth Than Poetry.
By James J. MantastM. '
THE CADDIE'S" SOLILOQUY.
Whenever Major Wotaisnama
Gits bunkered off the second tea.
It's never him that ls to blame
The guy wot mads him flub Is m.
I hadn't ought of moved me head
When I waa waltln' on ths wall;
Hs always aces It It's so red
An' that's wot makes him top his
ball.
When Mister Blimp'glts In the rough.
An' can't find .where his ball is at.
He hollers at ma In a huff;
"Look hare, you caddie, you dona
that!
How kin I drive, do you auppoae.
No matter how good form I got.
When you aland there an' scratch
your nose
Juat when I'm gettln' off a shot?1'
When Doctor Hoosis rim the up.
Ha gives a dirty look at ma
An' says "Excep' far you, ou puo,
I might of made that hole In tares.
If you had sense enough to think
Instead o' being aucb a mutt,
Tou'd know you hadn't ought to blink
Whan I am runnln down a putt!"
An' that'a ths way It always goes,
' I Just keep gattln' m off wrong,
Them thera thres ginks can beat ths
proa,
Exceptin' when X com along.
I get bawled Out on every tea,
I don't do nothln' wot I should.
But I don't cars, for blamin' ma
Just halpa to make 'am think t
they're good. '
e
Ila Kepa a Rubber Itastn,
. If Mr. Harding Insists on slrnlnc
hla full nam to all tha documents
that coma beneath hla hand he'll bar
precious little tfm to do any pral
dettlng. Ten Lata) New.
If wa'd only known what th Purl
tnns were going to start we wouMa't
b celebrating their arrival.
e
And Fight It Ont.
If w wer th leagua ef nation,
wa'd rcmov th Intervening popu
rations and let Russia and Turkey
get together.
(Copyright, H20, by th Bell 8jmd1
' cats. Inc.)
In Other Day.
Twenty-five Year Af
Prom Tha Orejroniaa at Derembsr Is. 100.
Washington The meae of Trea
Ideht Cleveland, to Congress, trans,
mlttlng diplomatic correspondence
between America and Knarland In ref
erence to th Venesuel boundary
6li-pute, created a real sensation here
today.
Philadelphia Rioting I prevalent
In thi city as a result of th general
traction atrlka and tha city la all
but at th mercy of a sang of hood
lums. The farmers of Wallowa hav
pinned on the market thin fall about
4000 heAd of hogs, which at the pre
vailing price will bring the owner
about $13,000.
Comm'ehclng December 24. flrat
claaa excursion passenger ratea to
San Francisco will be. $15. Including
Pullman bnrth. while second class
rates ara $7.50, alao Including berth.
Fifty Years A so.
From The Orctunlan of lurctnvbsr Is,
Bordeaux, Although the govern
ment has as yet learned nothing of
ficial people ara rushing to this city
to hoar news of th aortl believed
to have taken place at Paris. In
tense excitement prevails.
Winter 1 becoming severe and the
poor familice of the city are beuln
nlng to fuel lta pint-Minna.
The ahlp Mongomery Csatle, will
complete her cargo of 1300 tuna of
wheat in about a week.
Court waa called In th United
Btatra district court today and with
out transacting any business ad
journed until tomorrow.
Husband Not Liable fr Wlte'a lle.
POUTLANP, Dee. 18. (To the Kill
tor.) My wife and I aepnraled yrsre
ago; no divorce, sne receiving moner
each month from me. r-nn lias ainee
enaaged In boarding and rooming
house business. Am I liable for her
house bill? KCUSCHII'.Llt.
The husband Is not liable for Ih
debts of a. wlf Incurred In business
Independently Conducted by her.
' : -- - . .I'-"' .-.'. : " "" . r ' - '