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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 5, 1921)
THE JIOEMNG OREGONIAN, WEDNESDAY. JANUARY 5, 1931 ttuIu.AuUA-AMtttt I would be refunded by settlers, espe- (lost increase of the war years be JllUl nilTU WTFflini WIIr I daily by those who were not vet- made good- That Increase of con- TZ v 2 " j erans. Royalty under the land leas- , sumption may not appear In the established by HENRY i rrrrooK. i ,ng and wa'terpower laws would swell value of foreign commerce, but it Published by The Oreg-onian Pubiibin Co.. the fun(js available in the west, re- will appear in the tonnage and will - .l.,S,ifr'V.5t,"", '"""'"'BpfpBR. ! ducing the amount to be provided by i employ a greater number of ships. C A. moroen Editor, taxation. Portland has good cause to ex- The purpose ana enecx 01 tnis un pcti u iair snare oi luture ajiiy- ls to put the veteran about where he building". It has advantages of labor wonld have stood financially if he and climate which ro far to offset had stayed at home. To appraise proximity of Atlantic coast yards to the difference between his pay aa a raw material, and freight is reduced The Oreg-onian la a member of the Asso ciated Preaa. The Aasociated Press la ex clusively entitled to the use for publication ef all neaa dispatchea credited to it or not otherwise credited in thia paper and also the Jocalfnewa publiahed herein. AW rlxhts or publication or apecv dispatches herein soldier and what he could have earned as a civilian at a maximum of $625 cash or $875 in other forms is to be moderate. The bill puts a on the thrifty and a virtual Sabscriptlon Kate Invariably In Asian ee. (By Mall.) a- - r . . . . a nn aauy. .-ur.aay inciarcea. one . . . : nrpmium Dally. Sunday included, tare munths. U penalty on me spenainmi uy uci- the sr.ape ot certlfl- Dally. without Sunday, one month w ( cate, or of vocational education, or 2.50 Ually. Sunday included, three monuis. --' i pciitiiiy wic bvciium. taily. Sunday included, one month... JJJ ' ing much more in tj E& ;;E: iylZo"::. SSS j cumulative investment Weekly, one var Sunday, one year. (By Carrier.) ZsJly. Sunday Included, sne yesr 19.00 Pally. Sundav Included, thrse months. Ut Pally. Sur.day-uiciuded. on month .75 Pally, without Sunday, one year T.80 Pally, without Sunday, thrse months. 1.95 Pally without Sunday, one month aft How to Remit Send poetofflos money rder. express or personal check op your local bank. Stamps,, coin or currency are at owner's risk. Give postofflce address In full, including- county and state. !W.ice RIe 1 to ie pages. 1 cent: 18 to 2- p.tK-s. :.' cents; 84 to 4S pages. 3 cents; SO to 04 pages. 4 cents; tie to M) pages, ft rents: S2 to 96 pages, C cents. Foreign postage double rste. KaMern Huslnesn Office Verres A Conk hn. Brunswick building. New York; Verrea A Conklln. Steger building. Chicago; Vsrrss A Conklin. Free Press building, Detroit Mich. San Francisco representative. R. J. Hldwell. ADJUSTED PAT FOR YKXERANS. A duty which the Harding admin lstration will have to face and to perform unless the present congress should perform It and unless Presi dent Wilson should act contrary to the opinion of his secretary of the treasury by approving the bill, Is provision of compensation to vet erans of the world war. That the people recognize and are willing to meet this obligation is evident from the action of many states In voting compensation to their soldier clti xens. although this is an obligation of the nation, not of the states. Op position comes mainly from those who dwell on the need of economy and on the great burden of taxation nd debt that the people already bear. They point to the cost as so great that it would require a further bond issue, and as valid cause for refusing the soldiers' demands. They refer to adjusted service pay as a "bonus," thus Implying that a plea for charity is made. The vr-terans ask no charity or any expression of the nation's gratitude In the form of cash. They resent the mere suggestion. They make what they consider a just, equitable claim to final adjustment of the payment for their services which woul put them on an equality with those who did not serve in the armed forces And who profited by war prices and war wages, while they had to be con tent with the modest $30 or $33 a month plus $15 a month allowance to their wives. They have a just claim for aid in reinstatement in civil life, to compensate them for in terruption of their career' a claim which was coldly Ignored at the time of demobilization but was later ad mitted by payment of $60 each, mis called a bonus, though not enough even to provide civilian clothes. Can ada, Australia and the Kuropean allies provided more liberally for their men on demobilization, did so promptly and admitted it to be Justly due. Then whatever Is due the veterans should be paid as a debt Of honor. The bill passed by the house and now before the senate finance com mittee does not provide for imme diate cash payments to all veterans to a total of $1,500,000,000, all in one year, as might be inferred from Sec retary Houston's statements. Cash payment is only one of five alterna tive plans of adjusted service com pensation of which the veterW is given the option, and It Is estimated by officers of the American Legion who have sounded the members that not more than 40 per cent would take cash. These payments would not all be made In one year, for they are to be made in rwelve quarterly in lnstallments, extending over three years. Though the $60 payment was -voted by congress almost two years ago, many ex-soldiers have not yet claimed it, hence we may infer that the first four quarterly installments would not have to be paid during the first year to all men who would adopt the cash option. Five options are provided as fol lows: 1. Adjusted service pay for time In excess of SO days, $1.25 a day for oversea service, $1 a day for home service between April 6. 1917, and July 1, 1919. but not exceeding $500 for men who performed no oversea service or $625 for those who served oversea., to be paid in twelve quar terly Installments. 2. Adjusted service certificate. Face value would be HO per cent of adjusted service pay plus interest at the rate of 4 4 per cent a year com pounded annually for twenty years, payable to the veteran at the end of twenty years, or to his named bene ficiary or his estate in case of death within that period. This would re quire setting aside a reserve each year to rover certificates payable through death, and the bulk of the obligation would not have to be met till the expiration of twenty years. As applications for certificates would spread over several years, final pay ment would be spread in like man ner. . 3. Vocational training aid, $1.75 for each Bay of attendance on a vocational training course, payable monthly or oftener, the total not to exceed 140 per cent of adjusted service pay. Payments under this option would probably be completed In two years. 4. Farm or home aid. A sum equal to 140 per cent of adjusted eervice ray to be paid in one pay ment or installments "only for the purpose of enabling the veteran to make Improvements on a city or suburban home or a farm not select ed under the land settlement plan" or to purchase or make payments on them. This option has been found most popular among Oregon vet erans, being favored by about 8 0 pe' cent of them, almost equally divided between farms and city homes. 5. Land settlement. This is In substance the plan proposed by Franklin K. Lane for employment of veterans on reclamation of arid, swamp or other waste land and for their settlement on it. A veteran's adjusted service pay would apply as the first payment on a farm unit further payments not beginning till two years later. Probably the bulk of the payments on the fourth ptlon would fall with in a few years, but those on the fifth option would be spread over a con siderable period as reclamation pro jects were completed. The cost of reclamation would also extend over a term of years, and as projects were completed and settled their cot of aid to home buildtng. or farm owning than it offers in cash. It alms to establish firmly as citizens the man who fought for their coun try by making them home-owners in the city, farm-owners and producers in the country, and by the land settlement plan it aims to use them In making -waste land productive. Thus the nation, in fulfilling its obli gation to the-soldiers, would greatly and permanently benefit Itself. While the federal government has been laggard in doing what is Its own duty, the states have of their own accord come forward to atone for its delinquency. No less than nine states have voted sums ranging from $10 to $25 a month up to vary ing totals. The state of Washington has voted $15 a month to a maxi mum of $465. To provide against possible failure of congress to act the American Legion will propose a bill to the Oregon legislature pro viding for substantially the same payments as are made In Washing ton with the option of home or farm aid loans not exceeding $2000, to be repaid at the rate or z per cent a year with 2H per cent Interest. If congress at the present session should take proper action, the Ore gon bill Would doubtless be dropped. Certain salient facts should be borne In mind In discussing service payment. It is not a gift; It is a debt due from the nation to those who have the strongest moral claim on It. It would not involve an ex penditure of $1,500,000,000 in one year; the cost would be spread over a term of years. The money Is not sought in a lump sum of cash to be squandered; preference is given to options which insure its investment In education, insurance or homes or farms. How better could it be applied? WHO ELECTED HARDING? The Capital Journal says Harding's plu rality of 7.509,000 is easily accounted for. The German vote was S.3O0 000. The Irish vote u-i.a 3 OOO.ftfkV -The Italian vote was l.OOO 000. and all voted solidly for Harding. New berg enterprise. It was hardly so simple as all that. If there was any element of the population racial, business (big and little), agricultural, industrial, secu lar, financial, labor, and all the many groups of a complex and var ied people that resisted the over whelming Impulse to vote for a change, to put on the brakes, to sup plant an administration adrift with an administration neaciea ior sate waters, to safeguard America, to go back to normaley, it has not yet been identified. It is futile and untrue to talk of the paramount influence of the Irish, German and Italian vote. There are no such votes. There are men nd women of alien birth or ancestry who have become American citizens, and they vote as Americans, not as Germans, or Irish, or Italians. At least they should. Certainly they did last November. It was the voice of America that then spoke, and not the voice of Germany or Ireland or Italy. If it were otherwise. It might be expected that these foreign in fluences would now be making de mands on President-elect Harding In the making of his cabinet and In the determination of his policies. There is not the slightest sign of It. Nor was there the faintest Indica tion in the campaign that Candidate Harding was catering to any group by use of ships to bring steel from the east. JOHN H. ALBERT. The passing of so conspicuous a figure In 'community and state life as John H. Albert ef Salem should have mention. He was long active as a banker, as an educator, as a leader in various movements for the common benefit. He was identified with the good roads campaign from its Inception, and performed valu able service In converting the pub lic mind from small and isolated effort to a great and comprehensive plan, including the entire state. It is interesting to recall that Mr Albert, though essentially a business man. found diversion and cultivation In scientific pursuits. Years ago he had the only telescope of any con siderable magnifying power in Sa lem, and one of the few in Oregon; and he spent long hours In search ing the heavens and in making abstruse astronomical calculations The students in Willamette univer sity found in Mr. Albert a ready re source in the pursuit of their scien tific studies. It is remembered of him. too. that he had an abiding in terest In the welfare of the public schools and did much for their de velopment. He was besides a leader in religious and humanitarian work. and was exactly what is commonly known as a pillar of the church There are not many men who for so long a time in any community occupied permanently so prominent a position as ivir. AiDert tils in terests being varied, he came in con tact with many people, so that he was widely known and as widely re spected. McADOO NOT WITH WILSON. President Wilson's veto of the bill reviving the war finance corporation is in harmony with the views of his present secretary of the treasury, Mr. Houston, but is contrary to those of his former secretary. Mr. Mc- Adoo. In an article in the Manufac turers' Record the latter takes strong ground in favor of easing the proc ess of deflation and says: It la the Imperative duty of those In Civil authority and of those who control credit to exerclae their powers so as to prevent needless distress and preserve commence. He says that "the policies thus far pursued with respect to credits have been too drastic," that "a more lib eral policy should be put into effect immediately," that "reserve bank rates could be prudently reduced" and that "revival of the war finance corporation is highly desirable." Not only has the president lost authority with his party but" his party has lost confidenco in his judg ment and prefers that of Mr. Mc Adoo. Doubtless It was also driven by the demands of the west and south. Yet the president's reasoning as to the true cause of the farmers' troubles is sound. They are but one effect, of the whole international situation, and the war finance cor poration can be but a poultice on a sore caused by corruption of the blood. Far more is to be expected from private enterprise like the finance corporation which the bankers are organizing, for it can cover the whole field of international trade, and can help the farmer "net only directly by financing his exports but far more lndlreetly by setting gen eral trade moving, thus stimulating demand for farm products. Failing that means of relief, the most should be made of the war finance corpora tion. The president's objection that it was established to meet the emer gency of war alone has little weight for that emergency has been pro longed to the present time, and he of alien sympathies or Interests. The republican platform was silent on is mainly responsible. the so-called Irish question, for I Both Secretary Houston and Gov- example, and Mr. Harding made It clear in his speeches that he regard ed it as a domestic or internal ques tion for Great Britain, and not the business or concern of, America. On the contrary, the democratic plat form, under the caption of "Ireland." uttered glittering generalities about "self-determination" and expressed Its "sympathy . .for the as pirations of Ireland for self-government" Candidate Cox was moved to pledge himself to take the case of Ireland to the league of nations. Evi dently Mr. Cox thought there was an Irish vote There was and is an American vote. It gave Mr. Harding a plur ality of 7,500,000 last November. THE FUTURE OF SHlrBtll.DlNC. Practical cessation of work for the shipping board may lead to the impression that shipbuilding in the I'nited States has subsided to Its pre-war volume, but the figures from Marine Engineering that were pub lished 7n The Oregonlan Monday In dicate that it has permanently taken high rank among American Indus tries. It has risen trim 68th to 15th place, consumes 15 per cent t the steel output and produces six times the average tonnage of pre-war years, and is building 1,500,000 tons for private account. An American merchant marine of 19,000,000 tons, or more than one third of the worldrs total, which Is the tonnage predicted for July 1, 1921, Is alone a solid foundation for a prosperous shipbuilding industry. Replacements of wrecked or worn out ships are expected to require 950.000 tons a year, and many of those built during the war were of such a character that the total may run far higher for some years. A proportionate amount of repair work will also be done. The world's shipping has made good the losses of the war, but It has not yet made up the normal in crease which should have occurred during the war years. The present depression in the shipping business may create the impression that there is already a surplus of tonnage and that it will not be necessary to make good that lost Increase, but this ap parent surplus Is rather due to diminished consumption in other countries of the cargoes that should fill the surplus ships. Lowered con sumption is concealed by high values of imports and exports, which would' probably show a material decrease if measured In tons instead of dollars. Europe still has to make up great arrears of purchases to replace that which was destroyed or worn out In the war. As industry revives and as prices fall, it will buy In larger quantity to make good these arrears. These goods will employ more ships and may easily require that the ernor Harding of the federal reserve board are so strongly opposed to the new law that farmers need expect but meager results as long as they remain in office. The present ad ministration is remarkable for fail ure to enforce a law of which it dis approves, and we need not hope for eleventh-hour repentance, WINTER FLOODS. History of winter high water per iods in the Willamette valley centers around the date December 7, 1861, when the river reached the fifty-five-foot stage above low water mark at Oregon City. The Oregonian of December 9, 1861, had news from Salem that the crest had been reached there on December 4, and that "it was higher than any flood ever known the white inhabitants, though It is said that a similar one was witnessed by Canadian trap pers." The trappars, however, were little concerned about preserving precise data, and their observation for that matter may have been im perfect The 1861 high water still holds the valley record. Only once since then has the river in that sea son reached a noteworthy height, In February. 1890. The so-called winter floods have always been, relatively local and chiefly due to coincidence of warm weather and heavy rains in the snow reservoirs of the Cascades. In 1861 weather conditions were similar to those which have recently prevailed. The preceding month had been marked by higher than usual tem perature, and warm rains were gen eral. Numerous small Industrial establishments, including a number of wharves and warehouses were swept downstream. A fruitful cause of loss which fell heavily on the people was the sprouting of grain In storehouses. Excessive humidity and high temperatures caused the grains to swell, bursting the walls of granaries. Much of the grain was then shoveled into the river, in the hope of relieving the buildings of their added weight At least half. If not two-thirds, of the stock on the prairies, said a news account of the time., was destroyed. The river flowed through Salem In a chan nel three or four feet deep and more than a quarter of a mile broad. Or leans, opposite Corvallls, was carried away; houses were destroyed at Albany; the historic little settlement of Champoeg was practically oblit erated: Butteville lost a number of its best house A river steamer, the Express, made the trip down from Oregon City in thirty-five minutes on the crest of the roaring current. At Portland the Willamette, after spreading through the river front district, then the business center, came to a stand on December 8. The achievement of the steamer St Clair, plying on the upper river, in running the falls at Oregon City, I is still noteworthy in the annals of j river navigation. The St Clair made j the voyage with three men on board. witnout accident. Un the upper river the Onward, then commanded by Captain Pease, did valiant service in rescuing marooned residents. Ill point of loss of life and property this was the most disastrous flood the valley has ever experienced. Settlers In 18 90 were forewarned and suc ceeded in averting what otherwise would, have been a greater calamity than It proved to be. So-called spring freshets in the Columbia valley, which have been communicated to the lower Wil lamette valley and the vicinity of Portland in the form of backwater from the greater river, were excep tionally, destructive in 1862, 1876, 1881 and 1894. The flood which reached its crest in July, 1894, un doubtedly was the greatest in the time of residence by white men, and probably holds the record for all modern time. It is reasonable to suppose that there will be no recur rence of the extreme of 1S94. Deep ening of the lower channel has enor mously increased Its drainage ca pacity and irrigation in the Snake and upper Columbia river valleys at the normal high water season, com bine to-serve as an automatic flood control. Winter conditions are to a lesser extent within the possibilities of human regulation, but have been increasingly met by more substan tial building and by perfection of the system of measurements and warnings which now prevails. The annals of the flood of 1M1 are replete with Incompletely told stories of Individual heroism and privation. People were too busy In practical works of relief to pause to set down the record of them. The hard-woo accumulations of a good many settlers in the valley were utterly swept away. The Listening Post. VearaliR Bystanders Hear Crash ef Broken Bottles on Skip. Those Who Come and Go. "W HOME SHIRKERS ARE NUMEROUS Observer Tells or Women Working- in Opposition to Husbands' Wishes. The only survivor of the discover- PORTLAND, Jan. 4. (To the Edl ers of gold at Yreka. Cat. i Ed j tor.) I have read with keen Interest Wicks, who arrived at the Imperial i the articles on married women occu yesterday. Mr. Wick is 92 years old pying trie n s positions by "Reader," and Is an old-time resident of The j "An Unbiased Observer," and "Wife Dalles. Mr. Wicks recently went to Who Works." I agree with the first Yreka to look over the place and peo- 1 two. I have worked aide by side pie came for miles around to see and , with married women who did not talk to him and get first-hand data need to work and have listened with regarding pioneer days. All of the i disgust to some of the remarks made other gold diggers of that place have by these women. Why should women long since crossed the great divide, occupy the positions that should be Mr. Wicks was) the first eettler In I tilled by youne men men who havs ver, B. c. some of the supply bound i Scott's Valley, Cat. from which point , given up their opportunities and de there to assist In making the prov- I later many Oregon pioneers came. , voted their time in behalf of their Ince wet. Quite a considerable respite nis v- years jar. - ; country . wnue tnese same young amount was left here In a rather odd and unpreventable manner. More Truth Than Poetry. By James J. Montague. HERE there's a will, there's a way." was proved again thia week when the steamship Eurydamas docked in the lower harbor. In her assorted cargo the big English ves sel had 2000 cases of old King George Scotch whisky, destined for Vancou- been traveling around alone and i men were gone women were needed, feeling perfectly capable of taking : but why should they not readily care of himself. He Intended remain- j return to their homes and home It was found necessary to shift ing In Yreka longer because the peo- duties now? POLITICAL GHOULS AT WORK. The speech in which Senator Thomas rehashed the old slanders about the manner in which President Roosevelt acquired the Panama canal zone could scarcely be excelled for ghoulishness. The subject has been threshed out and the whole story told. By distorting facts, read ing hidden meanings and purposes nto documents, by crediting every thing that emanated from the states men of Bogota and discrediting all that came from those of Washington the relentless foes of Roosevelt built up a fabric of fiction which pre sented Roosevelt as a twentieth cen tury buccaneer. The men who engineered the Pan- ama revolution have told the story and say that Roosevelt had no part In It. He foresaw it as could any man with an embryonic brain after the Colombian senate had rejected the canal treaty. He was Informed within a day or two that It was to come off, and he promptly disposed his forces to keep open transit across the isthmus, as the treaty of 1850 required, and to protect American interests. In preventing the troops of Colombia from traveling from Colon to Panama and in compelling them to re-embark on their shins, he followed exactly the precedent se,t by President Cleveland in 1S85, and no hullabaloo was raised then. The real basis of criticism is the quick ness with which he followed Pana ma's declaration of independence with recognition, then with a new canal treaty guaranteeing independ ence. By that action Colombia was out and injured, though Reyes had offered to hold a new election of a Colombian congress, which he prom ised to fix in favor of our own terms on the canal provided we would not recognize Panama. The plain fact Is that Colombia was trying to hold up the United States and the French canal com pany for a rich sum In blackmail. It thus provoked Panama to revolt. Co- ombia had forfeited any claim to consideration from this country. It had habitually tyrannized over Pana ma and had violated the terms on which it entered the Colombian con federation. Roosevelt took advan tage of circumstances to secure the canal zone and to preserve Panama's freedom. It is well to refresh our memories about the facts, for Senator Thomas' speech is one of several signs that an effort 13 to be made to ratify the shameful treaty with Colombia which was negotiated by Mr. Bryan. When the second anniversary of Roosevelt's death is near, an effort is to be made to blacken his mfemory by paying Colombia $25,000,000 as a practical confession by his poli tical enemies that he did wrong in foiling the blackmailers. The new Idaho Capitol Is a mag nificent building, but It cannot in spire the feeling of pride that greeted the old one half a century ago. Idaho then was Isolated and one had to go to Boise "to get into the terri tory," and the "statehouse" was one of the objects of wonder. With cabbages at the lowest figure In many years, it's a mystery hcJrf they still charge eight cents for a nickel cigar. There was much craft scudding before the breeze with almost bare poles yesterday. ' The ears, however, were well protected. One redeeming feature of these floods is that they provide plenty of water for chasers to moonshine whisky. The next distressing thing will be the individual income tax blank to fill out and pay on money spent hist year. The most comfortable place on a stormy night is in a seat at a show. Another person tends the fire. When you see a jag of wood at somebody's curb these days, think of what Is being said inside. We are moved to wonder why the post of minister to Slam holds such an attraction for editors, ' Pity" the poor mariner, but if you have any left pity the poor pedes trian on city streets. If an aged egg can be freshened by wlrelesB, there are other and greater possibilities. Milwaukee's richest man died the other day. What do you suppose made him famous? Yet it Is our own old Oregon, blessed in her rains, and who would live elsewhere? Jay Dobbin is not superstitious, yet he does not want the position. the entire shipment of liquor In order to get a cargo for this port. In the work a crew of stevedores, the envied of several hundred in tensely interested spectators who lined the dock to gaze at the hull that carried so much bottled joy were engaged. There were a number of accidents while the fragile containers were being moved; The gang at work seemed to "he exceptionally clumsy and took a long time at shifting the cases, preferring to move as many as possible by hand, and often stum bling over obstructions on the floor of the hold, with the result that they wero frequently only saved from bruises by falling on the boxes of whisky. When an accident of this kind would occur there was always a man handy who would place an empty can under the corner of the caee In order to prevent the floor from, be coming wet and slippery from the leaking Scotch. Some times the work men would drop the same case twice on a single trip so difficult did they find the work, but seldom was It found necessary to do so the third time. The stevedores were the envy ef the entire crowd of spectators as they reeled happily from their hard day's work, and there were several offers made by bystanders to pay even a bonus in order to get em ployment In the hold of the ship at moving the whisky. A prominent member of the local Greek colony has just received a let ter from Jim Starfas, who, for It years, was a resident of Oregon. In this letter Jim says that both he and his brother John yearn to return to Oregon, where they were so prosper ous and where they had such an ex cellent cbanoe to become valuable citizens. They can't cbme back. The 6tory of John and Jim Starfas aS'told by R. P. Bonham of the im migration service and aa known to their acquaintances here, is one of neglected opportunity of two country- boys who came to America and cocld not withstand the lure of easy money. Jim left Memplla, ureece, in May, 1902, when he was but 11 years of age and came to Oregon. A brlgtt boy, he progressed fast, and fi'e years later was Interpreter and as sistant foreman on a railroad con struction gang. His brother John, a year older, left Argos, Greece, a year later and also came to Oregon. Both Starfas boys, endowed with a magnetic personality, speedily be came popular among their country men and rose to positions of impor tance. They saved their money, and, about 1909, came to Portland and went Into business. Instead of choos ing some wholesome line, Jim opened up a club and later became inter- sted in a saloon in the north end with his brother. This wae not enough, for they became Imbued with wrong- principles and soon were op erating the lodging house above their saloon In a manner that attracted censure. With the passing of the saloon In 1916 they continued to run the lodging house, and soon got Into difficulties with the federal officials, whose duty It was to stamp out the white slave traffic. Young men of exceptional caliber, they had a wonderful opportunity to make good In the new world, but nstead became undesirable citizens. It was estimated by the federal in vestigators that these two men were responsible for the ruin of fully a score of local girls. They were denied citizenship and sent back to their native land, rejected as scum that came to the top of the melting pot. From indications there soon may be orchestras in every beanery in the cit-. Dinners at most of the hotels are now so used to music and dancing with their meals that it s doubtful if they would have any appetite did they not have their steps and trots between courses. At the restaurants that specialize In Chinese dishes are syncopated sets of melody makers whose strains even make the noodles curl. And now comes the invading orchestra Into the peaceful precincts of the cafeteria, for just lately a progressive proprietor of one of these places In a downtown office building has cleared away a dance space and has hie saxophone, banjo, traps and piano grinding away dur ing the dinner hour. as "Where Is the buttermilk of yester year?" walled the devotee of the boiled dinner. "Spinach greens, pickled pork, corn bread and butter milk made an ideal meal, but how are you to get the 'buttermilk? To do It up rightly each diner should drink nearly a quart of the whole some milk right off the churn. Just a few years ago you could get all the buttermilk you wanted at about 10 cents a gallon; now some ask 17 cents a quart for It more than for fresh milk." Louie Ivanovich has an unusual oc cupation. In the summer months he retails slices of watermelon. In the winter he sells oysters. He seems to be his own manager, has a store for his customers out where Washington street cuts Into Burnside. No matter how late at night you pass the shop there is Louie opening oystere. e "Butch" writes to The Scout in a censorious vein anent Wednesday's story Tf the doctor's poor Christmas season when his patients failed to pay their bills. "What about the butcher?", wails Butch. 'We seldom get our collections in December or January and to make It rather gall ing we find It necessary to go out and spend much of our capital get ting plump Christmas birds for our customers and then have to wait often two months before we get paid. Their appetites seem to thrive on borrowed turkey." THE 8COUT. pie were making a sort of hero of 1 know personally married women him, but he had to return to The j whose husbands are earning 1150 to Dalles on legal business. The city jjoo a month who work to avoid the of The Dalles has dammed a creek j duties of a home. These women do from which Mr. Wicks obtains his , not maintain a home. They boaM, water supply, thereby cutting off the ; and have rooms and even have their water. Mr. Wicks resents this very j washing and ironing done for them, much and contends that Inasmuch as 1 personally know that the husbands he lived there 30 years before The I SOme of these women would rather Dalles was even Incorporated, he has 1 have homes of their own. What man some rights. "It Is the first law suit who has assumed the responsibility I've ever had in 92 years," Mr. Wicks of marriage does not desire his own confided in the lobby of the Imperial yesterday. Gold was discovered in Canyon City. Or., on January 7, 1862. and the town of Canyon City is now prepar ing to have a grand celebration on Friday and Saturday of this week. George H. Cattanach, who arrived at the Imperial yesterday, from Grant county, where he is a lawyer, brought the news. H. L Kuhl is chairman of the committee on arrangements and Invitations to attend have been sent to every old resident of Canyon City that anyone can recall. A swell fireside, bis own home-cooked meals, and children? In a majority of cases these women spend their own salaries on themselves. They wear expensive clothes, discarding such appaTel when it Is "out of style." with no thought of the real value of a dollar. This all tends to make extravagant, self ish and thoughtless women. I know young men who gave up good posi tions to go overseas. When they re turned these positions were occupied by women whose husbands were beyond the draft age and who were hnlrfinir vnnH inha nnH narnina croori time is promised and the wild days , alaries during the war. But these of the mining camp are to be imitated as near as modern conditions and the prohibition laws will permit. Gam bling paraphernalia, which has been gathering dust in cellars for a gen eration, is being dragged into day light and slicked up. Canyon City was a he-man's town in the gold rush days, and that's the sort of enter tainment that the celebration com mittge wants to revive for two con secutive days. "Little French Tahiti Is becoming very modern," reports E. B. Tappan of 8a!t Lake City, at the Multnomah. Mr. Tappan has Just returned from a trip to the islands of the South seas. "1 was in Tahiti ten years ago." said the traveler, "and at that time I did all I could to expedite my departure. The place wasn't very at tractive then on account of a num ber of conditions. AH that has changed and I have recently spent several weeks there. Hotels are bet te. sanitary conditions are Improved and the begging lepers, formerly a common sight on the street, have disappeared. The police system is better and the customs regulations are better. In short, there has been a general cleaning up and now Pa peete Is as fit to receive travelers of the best class as is Honolulu." Jefferson county people are get ting impatient about the building of The Dalles - California hlgUway through the northern part of the county, from Madras. To see what can be done about the proposition Judge J. M. King Is In Portland and is registered at the Perkins. The com mission has four prospective loca tions for the road between Madras and The Dalles, but will take no ac tion until there Is a new highway commissioner from eastern Oregon and until this commissioner Is famil iar enough with the situation to vote on it. The commission Is anxious to hurry along this end cf the highway, hut has been hesitating because of the costs, and wants to wait until the legislature Is heard from on road matters. Gilliam county owes J38.000 to the state highway commission and just when Judge L. E. Fowler and Sher man Wade, county commissioner, had asked for certain highway work to be performed, the commission un kindly hinted at payment. Judge Fowler says that $15,000, which the county promised to pay when the Co lumbia river highway was completed across Gilliam county, is now avail able and will be handed over to the road body. In May, when the tax money comes In, the balance will be given to the state commission. Hav ing made these assurances, the dele gation got the promise of an Imme diate survey for the location of the John Day highway between Condon and Arlington. For fear that the movie fans may suspect that the villyuns are aS tough as they look and that the women who appear as scarecrows are actually homely, Fred Anderson conridea in the Multnomah lobby yesterday that these effects are produced by make ud. Mr. Anderson might have gone further and explained that the doll babies of the screen, male and fe male, are made to look pretty by the makeup. Anyway, Mr. Anderson Is on bis way to Canada to appear In a film telling a story of the north west mounted police, a scenic back ground very popular of late both for movies and thrillers. Advocating a north and south road through Sherman county, from the Columbia river highway to Shanlko, County Judge McKee and A. M Wright are in Portland to consult the etate highway commission. The two delegates are not indicating any preference as to how or where the road should be located between women much prefer office work and no home worries or children. - I have heard young men remark: "I would like to get married but I cannot buy the luxuries most girls of today require, even though I am earning a good salary." I know stronr healthy young men idle for lack of posiTlons while on every hand you can see married women who have adequate means of support calmly filling these positions. With reference to the "Wife. WTho Works" it may be necessary for het to help out, but on what is she basing her statements regarding mothen-In-law? By carefully re-reading the artiole In The Oregonian, December 28. she will find it was written by a mother, whose greater knowledge, wider experience, and deep love tor her own daughter forces her to speak of the pitfalls she sees ahead of her loved ones. The time has surely come for the employer to take steps In favor of the unemployed man. LIVE WIRE. After Christmas. My engine doesn't go no more; I Just unscrewed a spring An' out it flew across the floor An' come untwisted. Zing! It ain't no good to play with now. You can't have any fun With busted things; but anyhow, I found out how It run. My new Walloon's no good to me. I guess because I tried To punch a hole in it and see Just what It had Inalde. It gave a sort o' funny pop . An' dried up very small An" soft an' sorgy. like the 'mop That hangs in our back hall. My 'lectric flash don't give no light; I got It sorta bent In flxin' it to make it bright. When, zip! an' out It went It had a black thing In It, and A little old glass bead That went and busted in mr hand An' made my f ingefbleed. My Christmas drum don't make no noise; I cut the top to show A bunch of other boys The works that mad It ro. I ain't got nothin' left to break An' Chrietmas day Is past I wonder why they never make' The kind of toys that last! GoInK Bark Too Far. We'll stand for law written by the makers of the constitution, but not for law written by the Pilgrim Fath ers. Fragile. Food Prices Break (Headline.) Curious, considering what a little distance they have fallen. a Bad Headway. It strikes us that there would be less graft it there was a little more team work between Investigating committees and grand Juries. (Copyrlsht by the Ball syndicate. Inc.) John Burrough; Nature Notes. "WILEY" SAND FLEA IN QUESTION "Wjldeat" Story Held to Contain Still Another Inconsistency. PORT ANGELES, Wash., Jan. I. (To the Editor.) I have read with interest The Oregonlan's comment on the inconsistency of a "wildcat" story of a recent issue of the Saturday Eve ning Post, in which Mr. Wiley has chlnooks, smel; and steelheads hop ping .nto the flshwheels and run ning up the Columbia in schools or droves, so to speak. I am very pleased to note that a paper wKh the un questioned prominence of The Orego nian will "go to bat" for the real facts of the case. It Is a little re minder of the controversy between the late President Roosevelt and Jack London of a few years back when Mr. Roosevelt took exception to fish climbing trees or walking along a dusty pike. As you have so well put it we should all be grateful to Mr. Wiley for bringing the "wildcat" to the Co lumbia river, but at the same time it would be better to have him per form as we are all led to believe he did as we followed him on his vari ous and Interesting adventures through France and back (as well as having his fling with the "Jazz beans") in a true, matter-of-fact manner. The writer spent tan You Answer These Questions f 1. Do hawks pluck the feathers of birds they kill to eat? 2. How was maple sugar first made? 3. Do maggots breed in decaying meat? Answers In tomorrow's nature notes. Answers to previous questions: 1. Are there any passenger pigeons left In this oountry? Si' far as Is known, no living' pas senger pigeon, wild or captive, exists. The last authentlo specimen was "Martha," hatched in captivity, and kept for years in the zoological gar den of Cincinnati, O. She died un mated September, 1914. Offers of large money rewards failed to produce a genuine male passenger pigeon mate lor Martha. a 2. Is it true that the horse-chestnut does not bloom until 20 years old? The blossoming age for a horse chestnut tree would ba influenced a good deal by the condition of the soil, and the care the tree iad. In a very poor soil the tree would tend to blos som sooner than In It very rich soli, because the rich soil would favor leaf-growth at the expense of (lower growth for reproduction. a 3. Are snow flakes all the same shape or any particular shape? Snow flakes placed on a strip of black cloth in a cold room, and exam ined under a microscope or a common reading glass, show an almost endless variety of beautiful geometric forms. The oonditlon of the atmosphere de cides the shapes. The colder and stiller the air, the more elaborate and star-like the flakes become. Some lozenge-shaped forms show patterns like etching, possibly caused by bub bles of air forced Into the snow crystal In Its rush toward earth. Tax Limitation Amendment. FOREST GROVE, Jan. 3. (To the good many , m win vnn tell me. nlease. years along the Columbia river and jus( what ia meant by the 6 per cent it seems re me mat tsa.nu ncas mcltax limitation law? (Z) how nas 11 not a common thing any place in the I wor)e.lj jn oregonY Do you think our Columbia basin. This may seem oddei taxt.s would be more or less If this to mention, but since really coming was not ln e(fect? (J) Has It worked In contact with the California sand a hardship on any certain localities? flea one cannot help but notice this I ,f go wnat way? (4) Would you further inconsistency in the lley call it a "freak law"? (6) Has It story. I hope I may be pardoned for tak ing issue with a writer of the ability and pleasing style of Mr. Wiley and I can truly say that this letter has no personal motive except to get at the real facts. I am simply following thn lead which you have taken and as a reader of both The Oregonian and the Saturday Evening Post I am taking this opportunity of "having my say. juh-n h. mukkiou.. WHY PICK ON SANDY BOULEVARD t Confusing Results of One Proposed Name Change Pointed Out. PORTLAND, Jan. 4 (To the Edi tor.) In The Oregonian January 1 I noticed an article signed "L. H." suggesting changing Sandy boulevard tc "Highway boulevard." Why a of names? Why not also sug gest East Stark street, which Is also known as the wase mm roaa, or Washington, or any other old street la our city? TTiirt hermore. he also suggests call ing East Broadway "Highway Douie Wasco town and the Colurrtbia river, vard." Would that not cause a little as there are many things to take into consideration in determining the location. The proposed road would serve the extensive agricul tural territory of Sherman county, affording an important line of trans portation for the grain and other products. It Is known that the com missioners, unofficially, feel very kindly toward euch a project. A. J. Bewley of Sheridani thinks that it is a waste of money to ma cadamize the five and a half miles between Sheridan and Willamina, on the road to Tillamook. He contends that from the advice he has received from contractors it wouldn't be a bad Idea to hard-surface the section without spending $8000 a mile on crushed rock. Mr. Bewley came to town to confide this information to the state road department, but the matter is stiH in abeyance. Seven Wonders ef WosM. GRASS VALLEY, Or.. Jan. 3. (To the Editor.) What are the seven wondfers of the world? A READER. The name is applied to a group of famous works of antiquity. One list is: The walls of Babylon, the statue of Zeus by Phidias at Olympia, the hanging gardens of Babylon, the Colossus of Rhodes, the pyramids of Egypt, the Mausoleum at Halicar nassus, the temple of Artemis at Ephesus. Another list combines the walls and hanging gardens and adds the Pharos of Alexandria. Other lists make still other substitutes among which Is found the temple at Jeru salem. Mrs. Wilson's Church. MCMINNWILLE, Or, Jan. 3. (To the Editor.) Kindly tell me the reli gion of Mrs. Woodrow Wifson. MRS. J. P. HUMPHREYS. Episcopalian. confusion; for he should remember that East Broadway joins sanay boulevard at East Fortieth? If so. we would have two Highway boule vards, from East Fortieth down as far as the river. Why not leave our old landmarks as they are, instead of trying Ao tack some fancy names on them, which a lot of us old-timers don't like? A. D. KEENE. Citizenship and Submarines. PORTLAND, Jan. 4. (To the Ed itor.) 1. Please tell me what nation ality is a person who was born at sea on, an American ship of German par ents, the parents never having been on American soil. 2. Did Great Britan or any other nation ever build submarines using steam for surface propulsion? EDWARD J. WESTWOOD. 1. If the family was aestinea ior America and the child has made this his permanent domicile, probably his citizenship rights would not be con tested. There Is a court decision which seems to establish the ruling that a child born on the high seas taJtes the citizenship of Its parents, but authorities are not convinced that a precedent has been established for all cases. If the parents and child returned to Germany or settled In an other country, the citizenship of the child would be that of the parents. 2. France built steam-propelled submarines until about 1910. In the first submarine ordered by the U. S. government steam engines were spe cified, but they were later changed. The first British submarines had either gasoline or heavy oil engjnea. One of the early types of modern sub marines was built In Scotland and was propelled by steam, but none were built for the British government caused a larger use of the Initiative and referendum? M. L. i. (1) The 6 per cent limitation limits the turn raised by taxation In any one year to the sum raised by taxa tion in the preceding year plus 6 per cent, except that the limitation does not apply to taxation to pay princi pal or Interest on bonded Indebted ness. However, the 6 per cent In crease may be exceeded when author ized by vote of the people. (2) The general affect of the law has been to restrain increases In tax ation, although In some instance It appears to have been considered a grant of authority to exceed by per cent the preceding year's taxes, whether essential or not. (3) Some complaint Is made that it deprives political units of needed rev- TL.t la in MV thCV CJinnOt enuco. 1111 o f-mji . j levy taxes sufficient to do the things disbursing officials deem necessary. Whether actual hardship has been suffered or merely ambition curbed would require a formal survey to de termine. (4) No. , (U Direct legislation has been re sorted to in instance where taxation In excess of the 6 per cent limit was desired. (iOD GIVE US PEACE. c.nd aiva us peace: the lasting kind With greed dethroned, nor fetters bind The souls of men, an,d where tne niiri In bondage 1s unowned. Grant, nations may awake to see Through visloed eyes and prophecy That no enduring peace can be With selfishness enthroned. May nations look to greater good Than thought of self. If they but would Unite In world-wide brotherhood; Then warand strife would cease. With greed and gold and pelf denied First place at treaty time. But let abide The Prince of Peace, to Jead and guide. Then we will have world peace. O. V. BADLET. Naturalisation Requirements. PORTLAND, Jan.- 4. (To the Edi tor.) (1) Must an Immigrant know the exact date of his arrival ln this country when he applies for citizen ship papers? (2) If he forgot the date he landed in the port of Philadelphia to what authorities should he apply for afore mentioned Information? MORRIS BARISI. tl) If you arrived since June, 1906, you are required to furnish the date of your arrival. (2) The United States naturaliza tion service, room 321, new postofflce building, Portland, will furnish you 1 with blanks and detailed Informa tion for procedure.