8.
TITE MORXIXG OREGOMAX, FRIDAY. DECE3IT5ER .10, 1021 '
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WHAT IS FRANCE'S PI'KPOSK?
"What is the matter with France?"
is the question that must have arisen
to the mind of every man who read
of Unit country's determination to
enlarge its submarine fleet when
every ntlier great naval power agrees
to reduction. The other nations
represented at the Washington con
ference li.ive heard with sympathetic
understanding' the reasons Riven by
France for maintaining a great
army. France feared isolation, but
all the other nations replied that, if
France should again be attacked, it
would not be isolated. France now
isolates itself by standing alone for
a larger submarine fleet when all
other nations are for smaller ones
atul when the greatest of all naval
powers has proposed that the sub
marine be outlawed as a weapon
of war.
Among naval authorities it is
ucrepted that tonnage of auxiliary
ships, which Includes submarines,
should be in a certain proportion to
that nj capital ships. Accordingly
the United .Slates. Great Britain,
Italy and .Japan consent to reduction
in submarine strength proportionate
to reduction in capital ship tonnage.
They consent to a slight increase in
French capital ship tonnage, which
France accepts, but are met by a
proposal almost to treble French
submarine tonnage and to make the
total French auxiliary tonnage almost
double the capital ship tonnage.
Such a fleet of auxiliaries is not
needed to operate with a battle fleet;
then tho surplus must be intended
to destroy commerce. Are we to
linfer that France seriously contem
plates following and perhaps im-
roving upon the evil example of
lermany in the next war? Against
horn would this great underwater
ieet be used? Only against a first-
ass naval power, but all such
lowers were France's allies in the
i. ar, are its friends today,, offer to
liake their navies too weak for
:tack, and for at least the duration
Ith, ten-year naval holiday no
her naval power can arise which
ance would have cause to fear.
For an explanation of the French
Ititude, which seems inexplicable,
must turn to the French temper-
Kient and the French state of mind,
'ith the splendid defense against
rman invaders, the losses ana
Offerings of France fresh in our
lemorles, we still cannot forget that
(he French are a martial race, pre-
lisposed to that intoxication of vic
tory which launches nations on wars
of conquest. Though the wars of the
first revolution were begun for
defense against invasion, victory
quickly changed them to wars of
conquest in wTtich all of Kurope and
the near east were involved for over
twenty years. In the final battle of
those wars, after three years of
continuous disaster. the French
fighting spirit was still so high that
the morule of the army did not
break as did that of the German
army after the Hindenburg line was
broken. That spirit produces the
mania of greatness in many French
men as they exult over humbled, at
least half disarmed. Germany and
over the removal of the stain on
French honor that was betokened by
the statue of Strasburg in mourning.
Kvents since the armistice have
provided the militant French with a
valuable ally in the fear of another
invasion that haunts the peace
loving French, who doubtless con
stitute the great majority of the
nation. To allay this fear. Clemen
ceau demanded annexation of the
German Rhine provinces in order to
give France a strategically defensive
frontier. Wilson and Lloyd George
said in substance: "No; that would
create another Alsace-Lorraine; the
league would guaranty French se
curity." Clemenceau objected that,
in case of a sudden German attack,
the league could not get into action
soon enough to save France; a more
substantial guaranty was necessary.
The American and British treaties
pledging military defense of France
for five years, during which it was
expected that the league would
become effective enough to make
France safe, were then signed, but
the American treaty was not ratified
and in consequence the British
treaty died.
Then France in a species of panic
set about providing its own defenses.
It encouraged formation of the little
entente by Czecho-Slcrvakia, Jugo
slavia and Roumania, which, though
designed expressly to prevent res
toration of the Hapsburgs, would
readily turn against Germany, since
Czeeho-Slovakla has 3.000,000 Ger
mans to hold down and all three
states have cause to oppose union of
Austria with Germany and alliance
of Hungary with both nations.
France also reached an understand
ing with Poland for mutual defense
"nd promoted an agreement between
Toland and Czecho-Slovakia, which
thus buried a bitter feud.
In justification of France's large
army, comparison is made between
that country's 40,000.000 population
and Germany's 70,000,000, when in
f.ict the population of Germany has
bfen reduced to 60,000,000 and
France, Czecho-Slovakia and Poland,
enclosing Germany on three sides,
have a combined population of about
Hi. 000. 000. While Poland has a long,
arduous t:tsk of organization ahead.
Its people are as good soldiers as
any in the world. When supplied
with artillery, ammunition and an
able Ktaff. they mad-: short work of
the Russian red army In 1320. The
Czechs showed what they can do by
fighting their way across bolshevlst
Russia to the Pacific ocean. France
has the greatest supply of iron In
Kurope and has gained much coal
Irom Germany 'by the war. Poland
with its acquisitions in Silesia has a
good supply of both coal and iron
and has oil in Galicia. Checho
slovakia has the great bulk of the
coal and iron of the old Hapsburg
monarchy, has a well developed
steel industry, which includes the
great Skoda works, where the 42
centimetre howitzers used by the
Germans in battering the I.iege forts
to pieces were built, and has 60 per
cent Cf the entire industrial capacity
of the old empire. The three repub
lics combined have a great prepon
derance over Germany or any other
Kuropean nation in manpower and
the principal war materials.
The objection to the present
situation is not that France is not
safe it is abundantly so but that
in order to gain security it has been
driven to' form alliances, for one
alliance breeds another to offset it,
and the consciousness of power
which it inspires breeds desire to use
that power for the purpose of con
quest. As French generals look back
on their country's triumph in the
war and then survey the great re
sources in men and material con
trolled by France and its allies, they
may easily swell with pride and
confidence in that which French
arms could accomplish, and French
admirals may call for sea power to
match this land power. Because
these are the psychological effects
of alliances, the American people
condemn them and would prefer
some general understanding that all
nations should combine against any
one that wantonly broke the world's
peace. While a more definite pledge
than now exists should te given to
nations like France that are particu
larly exposed to attack, true security
consists in the common purpose of
all free nations to hasten to the
rescue of any nation that Is in
danger from superior brute force.
An appeal will go out from the
American people to the sober, peace
loving, practical people of France
against the decision of statesmen
who are influenced on the one hand
by soldiers and sea-fighters nthirst
for glory, on the other hand by
apprehension of another invasion on
the part cf the general population.
They will ask: Asainst whom does
France need a great navy for de
fense? The demand arouses mis
givings as to French policy which
the American people are loath to
entertain as to a nation which stands
so high in their admiration and
affection.
C'O-OPKK.-VriOX AMONG DAIRYMEN.
Liquidation of the Oregon Dairy
men's league is to be simply the
preliminary to a new organization
which will profit by the mistakes of
the old. The merits of co-operation
have been too well proved for one
failure to caue abandonment of the
whole system by the dairymen. JCot
nil districts in Oregon were Included
in the disrupted league, for some
successfully practice the system in
dependent of the league.
The causes of the old league's
failure are not hard to discover and
avoid. It was started on too large
a scale by trying to cover too wide
a field in its infancy. It was in
adequately financed and it under
took to operate too many industries,
probably paying too much for them.
P.y centralization it brought the local
Interests of districts into conflict.
Add to all this the personal enmities
and ambitions of the officers, and
there was plenty of material on
which the league's enemies could
work.
But co-operation in the farming
industry has come to stay, for ad
versity has taught the farmers the
necessity of stopping every leak on
the journey of their products to the
consumer, while spread of informa
tion as to the cost of present methods
of distribution has proved that these
leaks are many. The great boon that
co-operation has been to the frult
growers, poultrymen and potato
growers of California shows that this
system, well organized and managed,
stops these leaks and pours much
money Into the pockets of producers,
whence it spreads prosperity through
whole counties. With the aid of
such able men as the dairymen have,
called into their councils they should
be able to organize as successfully
as their neighbors to the south.
They will doubtless avoid the mistake
of over-centralization and build up
from local leagues on the federal
plan.
FKEAK SKKDS.
The warning sounded by Professor
Hyslop of Oregon Agricultural college
against the pursuit of the false gods
of freak seed is timely because the
memory of so many frauds is still
fresh, but it is not intended to dis
courage progressive farmers from
conducting experiments in seed
selection on their own account, and
it assuredly will not stay the progress
of agriculture for all farmers to
confine their researches to estab
lished lines while they let the ex
perts, who have the facilities for
that purpose, do most of the ventur
ing into untried fields. One of the
favorite confidence games of a few
years ago was the sale of so-called
"bonanza" seeds of one kind and
another, and it is yet to be shown
that anyone except the salesman
ever profited by these deals that
promised such fabulous returns.
It is well to bear In mind also
that seed selection is not experimen
tation in one of the commonly
accepted senses of the term. The
rules have been pretty well worked
out, and within definite limits those
who practice it can be reasonably
sure of results. The quest for the
"sport" in agriculture and horticul
ture is engaging as a hobby and it
can well have a place in the well
ordered farm scheme, but for con
sistent results the practice of select
ing the plant which seems to thrive
best under the conditions imposed
upon it, and saving the seed for
separate planting, and repeating the
process year after year cannot be
improved on. It has been employed
with marked success by vegetable
growers in the market garden sec
tions, and it is particularly adapted
to corn and potatoes, the excellence
of which is most easily observed, but
it is applicable to every product of
the farm. Wonders have been
accomplished' by individual wheat
growers in improving the strain of
their grain in this manner and
before the advent of agricultural
college experiment stations about all
tho advancement we had made In
( improving crop yield was due to the
I initiative of progressive men.
1 But home seed r-electton is a far
different matter from wasting time
on the marvelo js alleged discoveries
which Invade the market from time
to time. Alaska wheat, which
Professor Hyslop mentions, was a
famous swindle in its day, but a
typical and not an isolated case.
When It had been exposed 1t re
appeared under other names, because
there were always buyers who had
not learned that there is no royal
road to success in farming. Eureka
clover, largely exploited for a time,
made extravagant promises which
any prudent man ought to have
known could not be fulfilled, and
the list or other forage crops which
almost promised reversal of the
processes of nature would fill a
good-sized book. The methods of
their exploitation were suspicious
from the beginning and ought to
have put buyers on their guard.
Kxperimental work in the hands
of experts has accomplished results,
but only, by choosing a few successes
from among a greater number of
failures than the average individual
can afford to make. The chance of
obtaining a bonanza seed by another
than the normal and slow process
of repeated selection may be one in
a million, but it probably is not as
great as that. j
A HANKRtPT'S IMNi.
A Sacramento bankrupt listed a
dog. of no value, as his only asset.
Business adventures had despoiled
himof his last dollar. His creditors
were at his heels. Financially, his
affairs were a total loss and his fu
ture dubious. Yet, we submit, the
man was far from insolvent. Had he
not a dog? By the hard reckoning
of Potash & Perlmutter he was a
failure, but to that dog he was still
an unexampled instance of personi
fied success.
A man may go far with a dog, if
he is worthy of his friend. He may
journey to Australia, or Peru, or
Peoria. 111., or stay at home and live
it down. He may observe the one
ideaed fidelity of his four-footed
companion, who believes that in him
reposes the wit of L'lysses and the
might of Alexander, the sagacity of
Solomon and the omnipotence of
Jove. He may, if he chooses, con
trive in, some small degree to justify
this faith. The dog will always be
on deck to cock an approving head,
and pound his tail on the floor, and
say as plainly as words, "I knew you
had it in you."
Yes, beyond doubt, a dog is an
asset valueless save to his master.
Washington Irving said that Rip Van
Winkle's dog. Wolf, came home with
his tail between his legs when Rip
fell into that strange slumber in the
mountains. This lends an air of fic
tion to an otherwise charming and
quite believable tale. Dogs are not
built that way. Doubtless the faith
ful Wolf perished beside, his slum
bering master, in the bitterness of a
Catskill winter, on the same mound
where Rip met the old man of the
glen. You wouldn't cacth a man do
ing that, once he was persuaded that
Rip wasn't going to awaken. He'd
post away to supper and fireside, and
return with a relief expedition, and
pose for his picture In the papers.
But he wouldn't stick as Wolf did,
Mr. Irving to the contrary notwith
standing. This financial loser down Sacra
mento way made a mistake when he
even hinted to his creditors that they
might have his friend. He didn't
consult the dog, that's plain. Had
he done so he would have learned
that the dog preferred bankruptcy
with him to affluence and sirloins.
Any one who owns a dog, and
chances to be down on his luck, is
still comparatively well-to-do.
THE P)'HITTLKKY LEGEND.
The obstinate persistence with
which some people cling to un
attested fables that pass for history
is nowhere better illustrated than by
the continued insistence of many
that Colonel Charles Whittlesey,
when called on to surrender by the
German commander in the forest of
the Argonne, sent a profane, three
word reply. But it happens that
this particular legend has been dis
posed of, in the lifetime of men who
shared in that stirring episode and
who are consequently in a position
to know the facts, by denial that has
a chance of overtaking the apochry
phal tale. The incident is described
in the. book, "The Command Is For
ward," written by Sergeant Alexander
Woollcott, -who fought with Whittle
sey in France.
The chief facts of the five days of
desperate resistance preceding the
sending of the German message have
been repeatedly told. It is not so
well known that the messenger em
ployed was an American soldier who
had been captured while wounded
and nursed back to health by his
captors apparently for that purpose.
Woollcott givs the text of the
German communication, which was
written- in good Knglish and ran:
The bearer of the present has been
taken prisoner on October ft. He refused
the German Int-ellla-ence officer every
answer to his questions and Is-quite an
honorable fetlow. doing honor to his
fatherland in the strictest sense of the
word.
He has been charged against his wllU
believing it doing wrong to his country
in carrying forward this present letter
to the officer in charge of the second
battalion, with the purpose to recommend
this commander to surrender with his
forces, as it would be quite useless to
resist any more in view of the present
situation.
The suffering; of your wounded men can
be heard in the German lines, and we
are appealing to your humane sentiments
A white flag shown by one of your men
will tell us that you agree with these
conditions. Please treat as an
honorable man. He ia quite a . soldier.
Va envy you.
Thua far in the main the popular
version and the facts agree. But the
legend, until recently unquestioned,
had it that Whittlesey's answer was
written on a piece of crumpled paper,
wrapped around a stone and thrown
into the German lines. Another ver
sion is that Whittlesey shouted a
verbal reply. But "this." says the
author, "is pure legend. He sent no
answer at all. What he did was to
send some one out to take immed
iately in from their place on the
hillside the white cloth panels which
served to signal to the friendly air
craft the exact location of the bat
talion. The American commander
did this est the German commander
should mistake thm for a white flag
of surrender."
Somehow, the true story seems
quite as acceptable as the legend.
An authentic hero was Whittlesey,
albeit a man of action rather than
words. Could anything that he
might have said have been more
eloquent than silence, followed by
the immediate taking in of his only
possible means of communication
with friends, "Jest the German com-
mander mistake them for a white
flag of surrender"? -
The incidental tribute of the enemy
to the soldier who bore the message
is not without significance, also.
Here, too, was a patriot worthy of
the company in which he stood. In
the interests of the completeness of
history, it would be well if his name
also might be preserved.
REM RKENCK OF (5M.YI.I.POX.
Kansas City's recent experience
with smallpox illustrates a point
common to all smallpox epidemics
and reveals the reason why, despite
all the efforts of science to stamp
out the disease, it recurs from time
to time in aggravated form. It is a
curious fact that the very degree of
partial immunity which sound pro
phylactic measures give acts as a
stimulant of opposition to any kind
of control, as the result of which the
malady presently and more Tlrulently
gains a new foothold and the work
has to be done all over again.
Years of vaccination had so nearly
obliterated the menace of smallpox
in Kansas City that the epidemic
which broke out a year and a half
ago was exceedingly attenuated.
"Vaccination," therefore said the
anti-vaccinationists, "is worse than
the disease," and inasmuch as a few
sporadic cases of mild smallpox
caused no particular public alarm
the usual health precautions were
but negligently enforced. The in
evitable consequences ensued, the
more serious type developed, and
the United States public health
service now finds that in addition to
upwards of iOO deaths which have
occurred, more than one-third of
those who have recovered will be
disfigured for life. The disease in
its graver form has been transmitted
to other cities and has become a.
national problem.
The relative security which the
world feels today in the presence of
plagues is in strong contrast to the
terror which they aroused in olden
times, but this is in itself a tribute
to science, which benefits all alike
but which the minority of chronic
"antis" constantly deny. It is be
cause of the perfection of our sys
tems of quarantine, which are based
on knowledge of the nature of con
tagion, that we are able to view with
equanimity the results to ourselves
of the progress of the plague follow
ing in the wake of the Russian
famine and the epidemic which
nearly always marks the return of
the Moslems from their pilgrimages
to Mecca. The old overland route
by way of Russia was formerly the
path by which the gravest plagues
were believed to travel from central
Asia to western Europe; this has
been deprived of some of its terrors
by the closing of ports to emigrants
from the sources of peril, with the
result that if we do not relax our
vigilance we have a fair chance of
escaping scot free. The plague of
Cairo in 1902 frightened the whole
world; that in Russia in 1878 almost
caused cessation of business through
out Kurope; these were the last of
the great epidemics which were
amenable to quarantine which the
authorities ignored, and since then
their communicable character has
been recognized by students of epi
demiology everywhere.
The practical impossibility of
obtaining 100 per cent efficiency in
the extermination of plagues which
have been as well standardized and
are as well understood as smallpox
arises from the very circumstance
that established methods of preven
tion are ignored or openly flouted
before the battle has been won, as
is true when in periods of fancied
security i the opponents of vaccina
tion take the field. But .the world
progresses nevertheless. It took a
good deal less than a seventeenth
century visitation to bring the citi
zens of Kansas City to time.
It cannot be said that thrift
propaganda is wholly a failure in the
face of the returns of the life insur
ance companies for 1921, to which
the pessimists are respectfully re
ferred. It is a remarkable phase of
our social development that both
good times and bad have come to
be regarded as propitious for the
insurance salesman, the argument in
the former case being that the in
sured can afford the investment and
in the latter that he cannot afford
to be without the protection that a
life policy affords. That full advan
tage has been taken of the situation
during the past year would seem to
be proved by the fact that the total
of policies written, some eight billion
dollar's, is only about three-fourths
of 1 per cent below the high record
of last year. The eye to the future,
which distinguishes the civilized man
from the savage, and the natural
trait of imitation which gives mo
mentum to a movement once begun,
undoubtedly have operated together
to accomplish the result.
Prohibition agents in San Fran
cisco are said to have been poisoned
by brandy they were compelled to
drink in line of duty. ' The symp
toms are "lassitude, loss of appetite
and desire to rest." Well, well! Were
they ever otherwise?
Married folk of small means and
consequently happy might at times
consider possession of money the
panacea for all troubled; but contem
plation of the case of Mr. McCormich
and wife (born Rockefeller) will re
vise the view.
Jazz became the vogue about the
time war broke out. One problem
for unemployed scientists is to dis
cover which caused the other, if
either did.
Bank bandits yesterday killed a
cashier and clerk in New York state
and escaped. The east gets wilder
and woollier right along.
Hostility of major players toward
Commissioner Landia indicates it was
time the position was created for
him to fill.
As everybody breaks a law now
and then, it would seem an easy
matter to collect more fines and
pay more policemen.
A 10-cent advance In sugar here
meets the drop in the east. This is
about as comprehensible as a rail
tariff.
A sure way to restore business
activity in Oregon is for the lumber
men to take to the woods.
The veto power is designed as
balance wheel against hand-picked
legislation.
Row, this is real winter.
The Listening Post.
By IJeWlte Harry.
YOU'VE all heard the tiresome
speaker who marks each ora
torical period with an unctuous
"An-n-d-ahhh." Or the eloquent one
who works "grand" or "punchy" or
"efficient" to death. A lecturer In
the university extension courses fre
quently uses the phrase "manifestly
correct," until the too familiar sound
of the always-connected words jars
the ears of his students.
' Errata." "data" and "addenda" are
high-sounding words that are pel
aversions of a local attorney, who
places "pep" as another subject for
his chamber of horrors. A work
able" vocabulary is the aim of everj
writer, and while it is neariy im
possible to avoid mannerisms the one
who has a selection of words, ex
pressive and at the same time sim
ple, is the 'one that can make himself
best understood.
A news editor in Portland, who
ranks as one of the best in the coun
try, has a dislike for glowing adjec
tives and adverbs. He will merci-
tessiy prune tnese uuus num
stalk of the story, striving continual
ly for simplicity of expression.
Flowery writing is not wanted on his
paper, merely the correct facts prop
erly told.
Yet the writer who has to cover
a continuous daily grist of deathly
sameness finds himself lapsing into
too-frequent usage of some favored
word, some adjective likely that has
a certain appeal of novelty, and it
is only at great pains that the pen
chant to abuse is corrected. When
any speaker or writer gets so bore-
some that for sake of something to
do you begin to count adjectives
that person is about done.
Amateurs specializing in wireless
telephony are getting a great kick
out of the air these days, for their
apparatus Is improving so rapidly
that little of the universe is longer
dumb. Just a few days ago we read
in the news that, could permission
be arranged, amateurs would be able
to send their messages across the At
lantic. These boys no longer get a
thrill from magazines of fiction, for
their world is much more Interesting.
It's nothing strange for wireless
messages from 700 miles distant to
be heard in Portland, and the com
mercial range is continually be'ng
extended. The listeners on these
many-party lines are uncountabla
and small but choice morsels of gos
sip, some of the greatest importance,
are soon spread over thousands of
square miles. There are few secrets
entrusted to the air thse days unless
in code.
When De'mpsey met Carpentler the
navy relayed the result to the boys at
sea with the result that many an
amateur In Portland heard every
announcement and had the full facts
even before the operators of the
wire presg circuits. On most impor
tant events there is something gen
erally flying about in the atmos
phere that can be heard with in
terest.
"When we got that wind storm a
few weeks ago I knew it was coming
an hour before it hit us," one young
man who dons his head-set nightly
said. "First I heard an operator off
the mouth of the Columbia telling
of the gale and describing the gen
eral direction of the blow. North
Head then felt it and other operators
on their guard ' reported the wind
coming inland while later ships on
the river told of its progress up
stream." Nightly concerts are not unusual.
During the recent music week art
ists' programmes were sent broad
cast by wireless.- Many operators
swap phonograph music. Some gos
sip and tell strange tales. Well,
there's hardly any limit, and most of
the operators seldom know to whom
they have been talking except by
station name.
In the first place, birda are generally
well covered to withstand winter
days. Of course, hundreds of varie
ties familiar in Oregon during the
summer migrate, but in Portland we
always have with us the pigeons.
During the holiday cold snap, when
humans stoked the family furnace or
clustered close to the rattling reg
ister, the birds had their warm nooks
as well. Food might have been rather
difficult to get, but in a big city there
Is always a certain amount of forage
for those who know where to fly.
The city gamins of the air know
their Tortland. The ones that suf
fered were the finches and others
who make their homes in the woods
or open spaces. For them a missed
meal could not have been extraordi
nary, and the chances are that they
had several cold nights.
About the crests of the office build
ings, where the pigeons make their
homes and frequently prove a nui
sance, are many cosy, retreats for
those endowed with wings. Exhaust
pipes give off hot steam, great chim
neys warm the air for yards about,
ventilator systems send forth their
cheer from the many floors of the
buildings. Close to these places could
be found the pigeons when the snow
and ice came, except for the time
when they were foraging. On one
metal hood that spat steam when
ever hit by a snowdrop the birds
even dared to walk about, seemingly
to the eminent riBk of baking their
feet.
Old-style furniture is coming back.
Second-hand shops are selling the
debris of forgotten years for top
prices. The modern manufacturer
specialises in "period" stuff and ex
perts make many pieces to order.
Master craftsmen who fabricate
woods can imitate nearly any design,
fix the wood so that it appears aged
and finish the order so that all signs
of antiquity are apparent. One such
dealer offered to "make antique fur
niture in modern styles."
One of the most eccentric charac
ters in Oregon is likely W. W. Brown
of Crook county. Brown goes in
heavily for stock and has some of the
largest droves of sheep and herds of
horses in central Oregon. It is said
of him that during the war he made
some large sales to the government
and at one time it became necessary
to write a large check. Brown did
not have a cheek book with him, but
this did not bother him much, for he
took a shingle and an indeliable
pencil, wet the cedar and wrote his
check for J500.000. It was honored.
Tuesday there appeared in this col
umn a little Russian story that was
sent in by Leonid Fink. Through a
mistake his name was mis-spelled.
THose Who C-ome and Go.
Tales at Folks act the HoOla.
Indians were on the warpath when
CJeorge S. Craig first jwent into the
Wallowa county. Tho women and
children were housed ur in the forts
for protection. The hoatiles were
drawn from four or fivo different
tribes and were engaging in the great
Indian outdoor sport of scalping the
whites when enough Indiaxia could
find a paleface alone. In thee days
the nearest railroad was lOkf miles
away. To reach a rallroadi from
Wallowa, the traveler had to come
to Portland or go to Utah, the" little
dinky portage railroad at Cascades
not counting. All stock had to be
walked to Walla Walla for market.
Mr. Craig admits that there tuxd
been a great many changes in Ore
gon since those stirring times anV
he doesn't refer to them as "the good.
old days." Mr. Craig says that he
has been reading The Oregonlan for
more than 40 years and is still i
democrat, being one of the few epeel
mens extant. He could have home-
steaded the townsite of Enterprise,
Joseph or any other place In Wallowa
county when he first entered that
section, but he didn't. Mr. Craig's
home is at Enterprise, where he is
in the hflnlrtnfr atnftr flnd fflmitrff
I business.
"About one-third of the Chitwood
Toledo section of the Corvallis-New-port
highway has been finished and
this work has been performed since
last August. It is expected that the
10.5 miles will be completed by the
last of next July. Some station men
are now working," reports F. H.
Vehring of Toledo, at the Hotel Ore
gon. "Contractor Young, who had the
grading between Newport and Toledo,
has finished and the Kern outfit,
which received the contract for rock
ing this section, has placed the first
spread of rock." By 1923 the Cor-vallis-Newport
highway should be
completed the entire length and make
the beautiful beaches of Lincoln
county accessible to the motorists in
the Willamette valley.
It requires six days for Allen Porter
to drive his beet to the nearest rail
road. Of course, the distance could
be covered in less time, but that
would mean a shrinkage, and weight
of the beef is far preferable to saving
a day or two. Mr. Porter, one of the
prominent and also successful stock
men of Grant county, owns about 8000
acres and a large number of cattle.
His place'ls about six miles north of
Long creek and his market for beef
is at Pilot Rock, in Umatilla county,
due north of his ranch. There Is
plenty of hay for feeding this winter
in the Long creek country and there
will be considerable left over when
grass comes. Hay Is very cheap.
"Chr'stmas business with the mer
chants in Spokane was as good as In
any town on the coast from San Diego
to Ketchikan," asserts E. B. Sherwin.
bond dealer of Spokane, who is at
the Benson. Also he declares that
the town is in as good condition now
as it was when the worid war broke
out in 1914, which is more, says he,
than most towns in America can say.
Spokane was not a war town, so it
had no wartime activities to lose
after the armistice and therefore did
not feel the slump that communities
did which had shipbuilding plants or
other war Industries.
Will R. King, who has arrived at
the Multnomah from Burns, Or., will
be' in Portland several days. Mr. King
was once the democratic nominee for
governor; wag later appointed' an as
sociate of the Oregon supreme court;
was the legal adviser for one of the
departments at Washington and came
within an ace of being appointed to
the cabinet when Woodrow Wilson
was first elected president. Mr. King's
headquarters are now at Washing
ton, D. C.
"Several hundred delegates will
pass through Portland next summer
to attend the home economics con
vention. ' said Eva B. Milam at the
Multnomah. Miss Milam has the home
economics department at the Oregon
Agricultural college and while here
attending the teachers' convention
she was making arrangements for the
convention delegates who are to
spend a day in the Rose City in the
summer.
"Maybe I couldn't play ball in the
legislature, but I'm able to fool
around with golf a little." declared
Albert Hunter of Union, who has de
cided to remain In Portland this win
ter rather than return to his home in
eastern Oregon. Mr. Hunter was SO
per cent of the democratic strength In
the lower house. He has discovered
the municipal golf links and is trying
them out.
Fred E. Kiddle of Island City,
where he is In the milling business
is at the Benson. In political circles
there is a report that Mr. Kiddle may
be a candidate for the house of repre
sentatives In the primaries next May
Mr. Kiddle's father was a member of
the state senate and was also a mem
ber of the state highway commission.
George Underwood, formerly of the
Bensen staff, is now on the desk staff
at the Marion at Salem. After hand
ing out keys to members of the legis
lature and the lobbyists during the
special session, Mr. Underwood came
to" Portland for a rest.
J. E. Smith of the state bank at
St. Paul, Or., was in Portland yes
terday visiting bankers. St. 1'aul Is
one of the oldest settlements In the
Oregon country and it was in that
vicinity that the provisional govern
ment had its start.
George H. Durham, formerly one
of the well-known bankers of Port
land in the days of the Merchants'
bank, is at the Imperial. He now
lives at Grants Pass, where the peo
ple boast of the climate and talk
about fishing in the Rogue river.
Walter B. Jones and family of
Eugene are at the Hotel Oregon. Mr.
Jones Is the state senator for Lane
county and was one of the 14 who
voted against the lBZo fair. He In
tends being a candidate for re
election. William H. Casey of La Grande,
where for years he had a large mer
cantile establishment, is in the city
for the first time in two years. Mr.
Casey is now In the contracting
business.
"We were stuck In the mud and the
road is awful." was the report of Mr.
and Mrs. H. J. Nutting and Mr. and
Mrs. W. H. Bunley when they ar
rived at the Hotel Oregon from
Seattle.
Lyman Rice of Pendleton, one of
the commissioners who are handling
the soldiers' bonus in Oregon, is reg
istered at the Benson. At home he
Is in the banking business.
The biggest hotel man in Oregon
is at the Perkins. He is Grant Pertle
of Albany, and he apparently weighs
somewhere in the vicinity of 300
pounds.
M. L. Burton of the University of
Michigan is at the Benson, accom
panied by his family.
Oscar Hayter. city attorney for
Dallas. Polk county, is registered at
the Hotel Portland.
J. H. McCune. a stockman of Moro, I
is among the arrivals at the Perkins.)
Burroughs Nature Club.
(opyriRht. Honabtoat-mrrlla '.
Can Yn Answer These (fcamittomf
1. Does the alligator use a nest?
2. Is there any way to exterminate
chub from a river without destroying
the fishes?
3. To whom can I appeal for protec
tion of doves? Aren't they absolutely
harmless?
Answers in tomorrow's nature
notes.
Aainrn to Previexm C)uraloa.
1. How can you tell when a crab
is going to shed its shell?
You can't, unless you happen to bo
present and can watch the procscs. It
is accomplished very quickly. After
shedding, it is easy to tell a crab in a
new coat from his behavior, as the
shell is still tender, and the wearer
of it timid, and likely to hide in con-
venicnt cracks.
When is the harvest moon Sep
tember or October?
The harvest moon Is so-called be
cause it comes at what is generally
harvest time, just after the autumnal
equinox, or about September 22. At
this tlntt the small angle between the
moon's vbit and the horlzan allows
the moon to rise only a few minutes
later each' day. In this way, all the
evenings (If fair) have the benefit
of a brlgh-t moonlight, sometimes
making it iiossible to work in the
fields at night.
3. Can you offer suggestions for
treatment of a canary that is moult
ing and has stopped singing? It seems
healthy.
We can give no advice on specific
ailments of pets and domestic stock.
As a fact of general acceptance
would say that the song always stops
during the molt, and Jhat a sluggish,
quiet behavior is normal at that time.
The normal molt requires about two
months. Canaries should at that
time be kept from draft-, and not
forced to bathe if disincliued. Give
nourishing food, and let the bird
alone.
COSPlKACY SKF.N' I.V PROPOSAL
Special F.lrrlion for I'alr Tax Held
I'nfnlr to TmpayerN.
ST. PAUL. Or., Dec. 28. (To the
editor.) The Oregonlan editorial,
"May and November." is very mis
leading. I hone it was not inten
tional. It tries to prove that a spe
cial election will bring the same re
sult as a regular one. Such Is not
a fact.
Let us briefly examine the last four
elections. At the regular election of
November 2. 1920. 12 measures were
voted on. Only one carried and 11
failed.
Since the first of June. 1919. we
have been blessed (?) with three spe
cial elections, at which 23 measures
were voted for. Seventeen carried
and only five were defeated.
Is any more proof necessary to give
a reason for Portland wanting this
decided at a special election? Then
the hard-working taxpayer has no
time to vote, but the bunch that pay
r.o taxes, the bunch In the city, only
need to go around the corner of the
block to the polls, and vote the money
out of the overburdened taxpayer's
pocket, without loss to themselves.
Within the last five years we have
had four special elections and within
the last two years we have had two
special sessions of the lenlslature.
Isn't It time to call a halt.
JOHN F. THEO B. BftENTAXO.
There .was no proposal that the
voters go to the polls especially to
vote on an exposition tax. The Issue
was to have been presented at the
regular pimary election, which will
be held next May at a time when
there Is a general turn-out to nomi
nate state and county candidates. Of
the last four special referendum elec
tions only one was held on tho day of
a regular or primary election. If the
correspondent's argument is good
that measures should not be submit
ted in May because it Is a busy sea
son it follows that candidates should
not be nominated In that month.
Candidates then nominated and
elected levy all our taxes nnd deter
mine how much money we shall spend
In state, county and city, within
broad cor?titut ional limitations. Does
the correspondent see any conspiracy
asrainst the taxpayers in the direct
primary law?
NOW THKHK'S TALK OK BOYCOTT
But That Is Not the W nj to Settle
Anything,
PORTLAND. Dec. 29. (To the Edi
tor.) The Oregonian's editorial arti
cles recently regarding opposition of
some of the papers in Oregon to the
exposition are strong and to the point,
but they might be made a little
stronger, especially toward the Pen
dleton East Oregonlan.
Personally, the writer Is not crazy
about the, exposition, but I like fair
play, and it Is apparent that those
sage-brush personages know not the
meaning of that common term.
I ask you in all seriousness, what
would the famous Round-up amount
to but for the support of Portland
and the Willamette valley, and what
would Umatilla think If we Inci
dentally organized a litt.e ant!
Round-ui)'' association down here
alonir the fair Willamette?
This is what they deserve and if
they don't stop their torn-foolery
and petty jealousies I know of one
seat at the next Kound-up mat win
be conspicuous by Its vacant Appear
ance, and In talking with others I
find I am not the only one of this
opinion.
By the way. do you think that the
East Oregonian really represents the
sentiment of eastern Oregon?
FAIR PLAY.
The Oregonian does not Indorse the
sentiment for a boycott expressed In
the foregoing article. The letter is
printed because it is authentic and is
from an active and influential citizen
and because it reflects a condition
which exists and which. If fostered
and permitted to grow, will do much
harm all around. One way to cure a
trouble is to recognize its presence.
It will be well for all concerned to
take time to think it over.
Where Cold Spike Wjs "Driven.
PORTLAND, Dec. 29. (To the Edi
tor.) In the "Do You Remember?"
column of The Oregonlkn, December
2", the following appeared:
That the Vlllard celebration was In
September, 18SI. follo-ins the driving; of
the golden spike at Horse Plains. Mont.,
connecting the east and west ends of the
Northern Pacific, and not in 1HT3? E. L.
E. L. has missed the location of the
driving of the golden spiko by a
good many miles. It was driven
near Gold creek, half way between
mile posts 53 and 64. and is 1187
miles west of St. Taul. while Plains
(formerly known as Horse Plains)
is 1J25 miles west of St. Paul. Let
us get the location as well as the
year of the celebration accurately
before the people,
JOLCN" SCOTT HILLS.
More Truth Than Poetry.
By Jamea J. Monfnutle.
THR KIDIt THAT WAS.
Mr. Gilder proposes to show that
Klibl was not u lrata and that ho
never buried an omnia of gold or
other treasure. From a prospectus
of tho Century Association.
Hack in the days when, with fervent
tenacity,
T ,tl..t-iuli..,' tt,., ....
I career.
Daily I dreamed of unbridled rapacity.
Scattering horror and dread far and
near.
GainiMa a name for fanatical bravery.
Wading in blood ami exulting in
strife.
Practicing guily tlie awfulkst
knavery
That, 1 was sure, was the life.
Kiild was the hero whose doings in
spired me.
Kidd, with his cargoes of jewels
and pelf;
From Kidd I derived tho nmhitinn
that fired mo
To embark In the pirating game for
myself.
Great ships would I sink when I'd
hunted and harried them.
Then forth on the wide rolling sea
would 1 rciiue.
With treasure chests waiting, in spots
where I'd buried them.
Whenever I needed some change.
But now I am told that a pattern of
piety.
A man who from righteousness
never backslid,
A person of probity, truth and so
briety. Was this much maligned and de
famed Captain Kidd.
Instead of a monster of frightful
ferocity.
With murder and pillage and evil
his aitn.
The man was a model of jovial
jocosity.
Who hadn't a cent to his name.
If this I hart known when my fancy
was flowering.
If I. as a tender and Innocent youth.
Had heard that these stories of piti
less scouring
Of blood-reeking oceans was far
from the truth,
I'd have thought more of Kidd, I'd
have hliflily respected bint
As kindly and just and high-toned
and discreet.
But, nevertheless. I'd have promptly
rejected him
As a lamp for my juvenile feet! ,
... ,
Only Natural.
In common with all baseball people.
Jiirlie. luLinlis obiects to suendinir all
hiM lima on tho bench.
... I
No Due PrnrriM of I. aw. t
Germany has abolished her court.
so there doesn't nppear to be any way
to buu her for that hack indemnity.
...
rtlKnuictlng.
Some of the Irish leaders seem bo
have discovered that If they accept
freedom there will he nothing lcCt
to fight about.
U'npvrinht v the Ttell Syndicate, Inc
The Human Cry.
lly t'rnre K. Ilnll.
I've called and you've answered
Across the wide space.
My soul tells me truly you hcurd land
you know;
But oh. I am hungering, dear, for
your face.
And nothing can comfort me, i
Nothing but you. ' '
'TIs sweet to believe that '
Our spirits oft meet
On the white wings of thought, in
communion sublime;
But oh! in my loneliness still: must I
heed
The call of my hunger, and
Crave what is mine.
To souls that are chastened
The heights may suffice.
The spirit-touch thrill with an. cx-
qulHlte bliss;
But I I am yearning to look injyour
eyes.
And tremble tonight "neath your
All-human kiss!
In Other Days.
Fifty Iriir Ago.
From The. Orenonlnn of December ".0, 1871.
It is reported from Kalama t9at tha
first 23 miles of the Northern 1'aclflo
railroad will be completed Saturday
night.
A Liverpool sea captain has d.lied
all ship masters not to accept busi
ness with Portland, Or., because, he,
says, the boarding-house nuisance is
carried on there to a great extent.
The sensational drama "Under the
Spell, or St. Patrick Eve," will be
given tonight at the Oro Flno the
ater, with George H. Waldron and
wife in the leading parts.
The board of police commissioners,
have decided to divide tho hour for
policemen into four watches of ix
hours each.
Twenty-Klve Yearn Age).
From Tha Oregonlan of December 30,
Philadelphia. John Wanamaker Is
opposing Boise Penrose for the seat
In the senate occupied by Mr. Cam
eron. State property valuation has been
raised 10 per cent in Baker county. 5
per cent In Clatsop county, 20 in Mult
nomah, 10 in Umatilla, 5 In Union and
5 In Yamhill.
The board of fire commissioners
will ask for an appropriation of J91.
1S0 to defray expenses for the year
1S9T.
The United States government has
commenced putting in harbor lights
in Coos bay.
HOW TO 15E WATCH AS COMPASS
Two Method Available, Depending ;
for I e on Time f liar.
PORTLAND, Dec. 29. (To the Edi
tor.) A little time ago a correspond
ent wrote in The oregonian anent
the use of a watch as compass. Mat
ing that the old method was only
good from 1 to 3 o'clock, but thHt
method he suggetea wias goon.
always, or. to quote, "the correct
way." He says that if you turn the
hour hand directly away from the
sun a straight line drawn through
12 to 6 will run north and south, with
the 12 at north.
May I be allowed to say that while
there mav be some time of day when
this is true it is not true throughout
the day. Try it between 1 and 3
o'clock and the straight lino through
12 and S runs from northwest to
southeast, with the 12 toward tho
northwest, and so varying one way
or the other, according to time when
test is made. Again try it in the
morning, with the hour hand point
ing away from the sun, and the 12
will be in a southerly direction.
Now, if at 2 or 3 o'clock, say, you
try tho old method (minute hand
not regarded) the hour hand point
ing to sun and take half distance
from it to 12 that half distance point '
looks directly south. Try them both.
ONE WHO H1KEC5.