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THE MORNING OREGONIAN, WEDNESDAY. FEBRUARY 22, 1922
ESTABLISHED BY HENRY I,. PIXTOCK
Published by The Oreg-onlsn Publishing Co..
135 Sixth Street, Portland, Oregon.
C A. MORDEN, E. B. PIPER, '
Manager, Editor.
The Oregonian is a member of the Asso
ciated Prese. The Associated Press is ex
clusively entitled to the use for publication
of all news dispatches credited to it or not
otherwise credited In this paper and also
the local news published herein. All rights
of publication of special dispatches herein
are also reserved.
Bubwrription Rate Invariably in Advance
(By Mail.)
Dally, Sunday included, one year fg.00
Daily, Sunday included, six months ... 425
Daily, Sunday included, three months . 2.25
Daily, Sunday included, one month .75
Daily, without Sunday, one year 6.00
Dully, without Sunday, six months ... 8.25
Dally, without Sunday, one month... .6"
Sunday, one year , 2.50
(By Carrier.)
Pally. Sunday Included, one year ..... .$9.00
Daily, Sunday Included, three months. 2.25
Daily, Sunday included, one month .. ... .75
Daily, without Sunday, ons year..,. 780
Daily, without Sundav, three months .. 1.95
Dally, without Sunday, one month 65
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ITS TTSEiTLNESS ENDED.
At the end of Its opinion reaffirm
ing its decision in the telephone rate
case the public service commission
rebukes tha petitioner! in the case
for causing expense and waste ef
time through needless agitation, the
reprimand, being In both English and
Latin. The comment provokes the
reminder that those who formally
appeared In the rehearing did so
upon the Insistent demand of a pub
lic which, then believed and still be
lieves Itself outraged. Believing
also, as It may have done, in the
wisdom and fairness of the commis
sion, and In the righteousness of its
own cause. It of course did not fore
see that its agitation would be need
less. How could it? I'he august
and learned attitude of the commis
sion, after the case Is all heard, can
.lead only to the conclusion that re
hearings of any kind before the
commission as at present constituted
are a waste of time; that when it
speaks It speaks when it says that
is that, why that is that forever
after.
Whatever ridiculous quality was
developed in the course of the re
hearing was not peculiar to one side
in the case. The issue here was a
rate schedule promulgated In a time
of decline in cost of commodities,
which so enormously Increased rates
over anything ever before heard of
in this community that they were
wrong and preposterous on their
face. In support of them there was
at hand a lot of flub-dub in the form
of valuations which segregated
properties interlocked both physi
cally and In operative practice which
purported to untangle an inextricJ
able mass of financial wires, which
estimated this and estimated that
and presented all the non-under.
ytandable statistical formalities and
solemnities that always attend that
variety of flub-dub.
Let us repeat for emphasis. The
new rates were on their face exorbi
tant and inexcusable. Every user of
the telephone knew it and every user
1 was indignant. Conscious of injury
the public had no confidence in the
intricacies of calculation with' which
the commission justified that injury.
The public was willing to concede
that there was but one orderly way
to correct the telephone rate abuse.
That was through the formality of
another hearing. It had some hope
that the obvious exorbitance of, the
new rates would convince the com
mission, as It had convinced the
public, that the commission's calcu
lations and estimates and theories
were wrong; that being wrong they
save a false indication of company
profits. It was a false hope. It may
have been a foolish one. But It was
not wrong to entertain it nor does
it justify a reprimand from the com
mission.
Now there will.be a new flare of
public indignation. That it will take
the form of revival of recall peti
tions already partly, perhaps fully,
filled, is one of the things to be ex
pected. It is also one of the results
to be feared. - The recall movement
has not been in trustworthy halids.
If continued ltg probable result, un
less It can be diverted to more re
sponsible promotion, will be the can
didacy of theorists or adventurers or
opportunists and the election of one
ot them.
The public has in the past voted
its indignation, rather than its good
sense, in a similar circumstance. It
retired from office a capable com
missioner and elected in his stead a
theretofore unknown man -whose
principal qualification was the en
tlcfng slogan, "Six cents is too much
for a 5-cent ride." The public thus
vented its indignation; it thus pun
lshed a commissioner; but It did not
get the 6-cent fare. Instead, the
brave and firm supporten, by impll
cation, of the 5-cent fare permitted
streetcar fares to go to 8 cents with
out his protest after he had been
elected.
The great defect In the recall is its
application, almost invariably, in
time of public passion or resentment
and therefore in a time when public
" judgment is warped. But it will not
be disputed here that the publie
.service commission, as now constl
tuted, has lost public confidence and
is at the end of its usefulness. It
. ought to be dismissed, but dismissed
by some dispassionate method.
The public service commission ex
ists by will of the people expressed
turecuy inrougn tne initiative or
through their representatives in the
legislature. It can be abolished sim.
nariy. i n e commissioners are
elected by the people, two from dis
tricts and one at large. Whether it
is because of the elective system or
some other factor, the quality of
membership on the commission has
declined since the first few years of
its creation. Two capable, efficient
members have been ejected; one has
retired to go on the interstate com.
merce commission. We now have
on the commission the gentleman
with the inventive genius for slogans,
another- member Who is spending
much time and effort in arousing
sectional antagonisms in the state,
and a third who is reputed to do
most of the work, such as it is, in
quality.
The Oregonian suggests that it is
time for a new deal. It now offers
no definite suggestion other than
that the cornmission as now consti
tuted be abolished. Whether it Is
best that a new commission, p.
- - - '
. , . .
pointed by the governor, take Its
place; or to let rate regulation be
left more largely to "home rule In
cities, or whether It is time to admit
that state regulation of public utili
ties has completely fallen down and
that a systeu--of broad statutory re
strictions with original jurisdiction
in the courts should be the alterna
tive whether one or the other of
theie things would be best it is not
necessary now to discuss.
The outstanding facts are that a
change is advisable; that the recall
Is inadequate and that the citizen in
every community has a duty to see
that the candidate for the legisla
ture for whom he votes is committed
to reform in the regulation of public
utilities.
ENDING THE SEED NUISANCE.
The diligent correspondents, who
have set out to ascertain by personal
observation just what is happening
on the national political field, pre
liminary to the coming campaign,
are agreed that Senator Jim Reed of
Missouri, has quite a fight on hia
hands for re-election.
No doubt Missouri has had many-
painful moments during the past
five or six years over Mr. Reed. And
Mr. Reed has had a few troublesome
experiences on hia own account in
that time. His resignation was once
demanded by the democratic politi
cal organization and he was denied
seat in the national democratic
convention at San Francisco, after
having been duly elected a district
delegate.
After being thus kicked down
stairs by his own party, one might
assume that Reed would take the
hint, and get out. But that is not
Reed's way. He never gets out; he
must be put out. That hs will be re
nominated by the democratic pri
mary is not likely; that he will be
defeated in the election if nominated
is certain.
If the republican party has its La
Follette, the democratic party has
its Reed. But La Follette has the
republican organization ( of Wiscon
sin in his pocket; Reed is not so
fortunate ia his own state. It is no
offense in Wisconsin for a repub
lican, senator to repudiate a repub
lican administration; but It is differ
ent in Missouri. A democratic sena
tor may not run muck, and" live,
politically. S
Mr. Reed is never in step with his
party, or his constituency, or his ad
ministration, or the senate. 'He is
an incorrigible minority. sure of
himself only when nobody agrees
with him. How do men get that
way?
PORTLAND STH.L THE TERMINUS.
Proof, in the shape of the text of
the contract, that in its arrange
ment with the General Steamship
corporation for Interchange of trans-
Pacific traffic, the Union Pacific
railroad named Portland as a termi
nal port on an equality with Seattle
will be welcome to Portland ship
pers, and they will join The Orego
nian in giving the Union Pacific due
credit. In making the synopsis of
the contract which was published in
The Congressiorjal Record and from
which The Oregonian , quoted In a
former article, soipe employe of the
nterstate commerce commission
made Seattle appear to be the pnly
Pacific terminus recognized by the
railroad and the steamship company,
omitting the name of Portland en
tirely. Portland will now be interested to
see the fact that the Union Pacific
recognizes this port as its real ter
minus reflected in the volume ot
transcontinental traffic exchanged
with the steamships hre by com
parison with that at Seattle. There
may have been a plausible excuse
for the railroad-to transfer its en
tire export and import traffic to Se
attle 'while 'the Columbia riven bar
was still an obstruction and when
there was deficient depth in the
river channel after every freshet,,
also when Portland lacked modern
docks for large vessels, but those
conditions have passed away, There
is now 43 feet of water on the bar
for a width of half a mile, mainte
nance of a thirty-toot channel in the
river is assured, increased width is
being provided at the bends, and tha
docks will compare in extent and
speed of handling cargo with those
of any port of Portland's size. Port
land is equipped to handle the traf
fic of the railroads of which it.is'the
real terminus, and will welcome all
that the Union Pacific turns over to
ships here. '
As the Panama canal has brought
nearer to parity the oqan rates
across the Pacific from Atlantic and
Pacific ports than they were before
that route was opened, .the dividing
line in mid-continent between the
territory whence traffic flows to the
Atlantic coast and that whence it
flows to the Pacific coast has been
moved to' the westward. Thus ships
bound from Atlantic ports to the
orient now capture much traffic
which formerly flowed to Pacific
Lports. That is the more reason for
close co-operation between the? port
and the railroads of which it Is the
terminus. They have a common in
terest in drawing business this way,
and the port will do its part.
CLIMBING PROSPERITY HILL.
Evidences that the United States
has made a good start on the up
ward climb to prosperity are multi
plying. The statement of Controller
Crlssinger shows that between Sep
tember 6 and December 31 bank re
sources, especially Individual de
posits, increased appreciably, while
loans increased so slightly that they
may be said to have been stationary.
He sees that we are "well on the
road to getting the frozen credits
thawed out." Money received by
farmers for their crops does the
thawing and sets credit free for the
ordinary purposes of trade.
This is a result of the increased
demand and sharpadvance in prices
for farm products. Europe can no
longer hold off from buying wheat,
flour, corn, meat. Farmers have
been enabled by the i credit extended
by the war finance corporation un
der the law passed at the last ses
sion of congress and by their co-op
erative associations to hold their
produce till this demand became
strong enough to give them a profit
able price. Wheat is again worth
over a dollar on the farm, corn h
become more valuable for food than
for fuel, hogs have risen appreciably
and wool has doubled in price within
a. year. Money is again flowing to
tha farm and thence to the bank,
The .farmer rriay not buy much be
fore fall, but he is getting into po
sition to buy then.
Other favorable signs are the re
sumption of work in the Montana
copper mines, extension of railroads
into untouched belts of Oregon tun
ber, marketing of securities for great
power enterprises, and a great in
crease in building in Portland and
other Pacific coast cities. Though
we. are still far from the summit .ol
Prosperity Hill, we are on our way.
This will be sad news for those
democratic politicians, like National
Chairman Hull, whose political capi
talwhen out of office is calamity,
The fruits of republican policy have
taken well-nigh a year to show
themselves, but the farm credit law
has carried farmers and livestock
men over the steepest" and rockiest
part of the road, everybody feels
eased of part of his tax load, and
there is good going on the road
ahead. - Progress toward ' the sum
mit of Prosperity Hill will soon be
so fast and easy that the time is near
when any one who raises the cry of
calamity will only provoke laughter.
. WHERE FAMINES OCCUR.
It is a peculiar fact, to which his
torians have frequently (jailed at
tention, that great famines have
nearly always occurred in districts
predominantly given to the produc
tion of grain. This is largely true
In Russia today, as it was in China
only last year, and as it has been
elsewhere in other years. The ston
iest valleys of the Balkans and the
perilous mountain slopes of Switzer
land have ' never known., complete
colIApse of food resources such as
has been more than once witnessed
in the more fertile regions which,
taking one year with another, fur
nish the so-called staple crops of the
world.
The reason Is partly that reliance
on a one-crop system breeds lack of
resourcefulness,- while- in any ex
tended period of years it incapaci
tates those - who practice it. from
making quick recovery from dis
aster.. Dispatches from Russia now
intimate that the danger of starva
tion will not be passed even with the
coming of summer, that not until
the grain harvest is made will there
be material relief, and that the peo
ple seem unprepared to meet the
situation with emergency crops.
Almost anywhere else than in a
grain country plans would already
have been made for the period be
tween springtime and harvest. Par
ticularly la a district where diversi
fied agriculture had been the rule
and livestock had been part of the
farm scheme, the first spears of
grass would have renewed the sup
ply of food. Tha nomada of the
semi-desert countries had a stouter
rod to lean on in their cattle -and
goats tjhan the one-crop farmers
have when anything happens to go
wrong.
The steppes of Russia are not, of
course, the plains of America, but
one wonders whether the pioneers
of the west would ever have suf
fered from more than temporary
shortage of food. There might have
been poverty, but certainly not star
vation. Not for more than a few
weeks at a time would they have
been without something with which
to hold soul and body together. One
apparent need of the so-called
famine districts of the old world is
a reconstruction of their wh-Je sys.
tern of agriculture, which has
proved itself a failure by the recur
rence or iamine at intervals year
after year. '
SAFETY IN NAVAL REDUCTION.
As was to be expected, pacifists
and- ultra-economists in congress
propose to outdo the arms confer
ence in reduction of armament.
Some would follow scrapping of bat
tleships by cutting the manpower of
the navy to 50,000, and others would
cut the Army to 100,000 men. They
would cater to the uninformed opin
ion of those who consider the possi
bility of, war as practically elimi
nated by the Washington treaties
and by the exhausted condition of
Europe, and whose one thought is
to reduce government expenses re
gardleas of consequences.
Tne limits set to the strength of
the American navy in capital ships
are the limits of safety for-defense
in proportion to those set for other
navies by statesmen and naval ex
perts. The whole purpose 'was to
reduce our navy without weakening
our naval defense. When eighteen
battleships are set as our limit, that
number of ships fully equipped and
fully manned was intended, for it is
to be presumed that other nations
will keep their ships in all respects
ready for action, the more so be
cause there win be -fewer of them,
because their forces will be down to
the limit of safety and because theif
potential enemies are nearer to them
than ours are to us. It goes with
out saying that a battleship without
a fully trained crew is not an effec
tive fighting unit and that in pro
portion as our ships are laid up for
lack of crew or are undermanned,
our navy will be below the ratio to
others that was adopted as the limit
of safety. The smaller our navy is,
the more care should be taken that
it is highly efficient and ready for
action. The navy department shows
that it is already underofficered and
undermanned. Reduction of person
nel should not go below the. point
where each ship has a full comple
ment of officers and men. -
By proposing to scrap 100 de
stroyers and to -reduce manpower by
10,000, Secretary Denby seeks to
practice economy without weaken
ing defense. In order to combat the
submarine we built a number of de
stroyers that is disproportionate to
the number of capital ships we had
in the war, and the scrapping of
thirty capital ships will increase
this disproportion. We are far from
any potential enemy, and by brand
ing as pirates any submarines that
attack merchant ships the confer
ence has virtually insured that all
nations would combine to hunt -them
down. Thus our destroyer force can
be reduced to the number needed to
operate with the battle fleet and to
defend our coast and commerce
against cruisers. Those require
ments leave a" wide margin .for re
auction. . .
But we are reminded by the Arms
and Navy Journal that the failure
of the conference to Umit numbers of
auxiliary craft leaves a considerable
field for competitive building. It
points out that the proportion of
ships of each type in a balanced fleet
"is elastic and depends upon the
nature of the campaign t to be ex
pected." and that "the fotal strength
of the fleet may be increased by the
addition of vessels of any class." It
gives this illustration:
During the height of the battle of Jut
land eleven Qerman destroyers made an
attack which resulted in torpedoing one
British battleship and in forcing the whole
grand fleet to turn away, thus saving the
high seas fleet. More German destroy
ers probably would have torpedoed mors
British battleships, in spite of the Ger
man deficiency in battleships, the German
total strength would have been considera
bly increased by the addition of destroyers.
Being unrestricted in the number
of auxiliaries, the powers may ex
pend on other types of vessel the
money, that they save on battleships
and may thus actually expand their
navies beyond the agreed ratios.
France by building submarines may
force Great Britain to build anti
submarine craft. Until the limita
tion agreement is extended to auxil
iary craft, we should be cautious not
unduly to weaken our navy in thU
respect.
f
DECLINING DEATH BATE.
The figures of the federal census
bureau showing a decline of the
death rate of the nation from 1496
per 100,000 in 1910 to 1306 per 100,-
000 in 1920 contains no surprises for
those who have followed the recent
trend of events. The decrease for
all groups is attributed largely to
reduced rates from tuberculosis, ty
phoid fever and Bright's disease.
The showing in these particulars is
the more Impressive because it so
much more than offsets gains in
deaths from cancer, about which we
know almost as little as we ever did,
and from influenza, the recent epi
demic of which caught not only this
country but the whole world un
aware. There is no mention of
smallpox tin the comparative returns
because that malady was practically
conquered by vaccination some time
prior to 1910 and figures negligibly
in' any of the statistics of recent
years.
'Since it is seen that typhoid must
nevitably also yield to scientific
prophylaxis, it would seem that the
vanquishing of the so-called white
plague is the next reliance of those
who wish to banish sickness from
the world. The' progress herein
made is decidedly encouraging. In
twenty years the mortality rate frcm
tuberculosis has been reduced from
little more than 2 to 1.26 per
thousand. In some of the larger
cities, where congestion of popula
tion presented peculiar obstacles.
the rate has been cut more than
half. The reduction is shown not
only in the United States, but in the
greater part of Europe as well. In
Birmingham and Edinburgh, two
important cities of Great Britain, the
tuberculosis death rate is even lower
than that in New York, and London
is on a par with the latter city.
The gradual conquest of tubercu
losis is the product of several fac
tors, but the important thing In con
nection with them is that those
which have counted for most have
been those which involved civic ac
tion. This is within the reach of
any people possessing capacity for
social organization and consequently
is most encouraging. Infected milk
has been eliminated in most com
munities, the water supplies of' most
cities are irreproachably pure, slums
are slowly being eradicated, cleaner
and better food is constantly obtain
able; in short, conditions favorable
to the incubation and the spread of
the tubercle bacillus are being over
come,. Incidentally, it ought to ba
placed to the credit of the automo
bile that that Instrument of modern
civilization has played its part in the
conquest of the disease. The result
is due to two causes a greater incli
nation to seek the open air and
cleaner streets, due to the elimina
tion of the horse. v.
Nor are the figures indicating a
somewhat higher death rate from
the degenerative diseases of later
life as discouraging as they would on
first glance appear to be. By reduc
ing the rate in the earlier years we
bring a larger number ot people tq
the later staged but this problem.
judging from the experience of tha
past, is also likely to be solved in
time. " - !
A healthy - product of Portland
shipping business is the Export and
Shipping Journal, the February
number of which contains articles
on what Is being done in that respect
and who is doing it. A portrait of
H. L. Hudson, traffic manager of the
Port of Portland dock commission,
accompanies an article on how he is
'Selling, the Port" abroad. K. D.
Dawson, manager of the Columbia
Pacific company; George Powell,
president of the Oregon Pacific com
pany; Arthur C Callan, agent of the
Williams line, and George N. Black,
president of the Foreign Commerce
club, are portrayed in picture and
words, and much is told about the
Port and the 1925 fair. There) is
room for this paper to grow.
Perhaps the MeCormicks finally
consented to their daughter's mar
riage to that Swiss riding master on
the theory that It doesn t make
much difference whom she marries
the first time. .
It still ia good fashion to name a
boy born this day after the Father
of His Country. Martha, too, is a
fine name for a girl baby. She will
not be able to "Madilynne" It when
grown. '-
Pretty near time to let the Mc-
Cormick girl alone. She'll be com
ing home agtiin, "by and by, anyway.
Grandfather John is satisfied, or
seems to be; he knows American
girls.
The trouble with some peace
makers who try to pour oil on
troubled waters is that they use gas
oline instead and then throw
lighted match after it.
There is one comforting grain of
salt in it all. When needed the tele
phone is the handiest invention ever,
ranking the doctor's runabout " by
just one point.
Every small boy 'who is home doc
tored at the approach of spring
should call his, mother's attention to
the dangers that lie in- that course of
medicine.
"Americans are polite," says Mrs,
Asquith in Chicago. Therefore
Americans will refrain from telling
her to "Shut up and go home!"
The first horticultural "robin" of
the season is seen at Hood River In
the letting of a contract for straw
berry boxes..
One comforting thing about this
chilly weather is that it discourages
most of the girls from rolling 'em.
There's nothing like doing things
right. In time the government may
provide a chaser for every drink.
Judge Landis may find it harder
to bat 300 in baseball than he did
on the Federal bench. .
Another holiday! Yet the fellow
who works today will feel better to
morrow morning;.
The LUteningT Post.
By DeWItt Harry.
0"
CCASIONALLY through some for
tunate combination of circum
stances a person gains a reputation
for good works, enviable though un
deserved' to some extent. Paul P,
Nolan, who handles the cash for an
insurance, agency was once Just such
lucky man. Nolan is a stenographic
expert, and during hia student days
was working out on speed tests. ' The
best experience for work of this kind
is to- take the running remarks of
some public speaker, for in this way
the student gains exceptional school
ing. Nolan ia a Methodist and decided
he would take his pastor'a Sunday
sermon as part of his test, but the
work was too clow. The sermon was
all right, but the divine too solemn,
dignified and sedate, in his delivery
no speed. ' ' '
So Nolan went to the Presbyterian
church the next week and found the
sermon better, but not yet as rapid as
e wished. The third Sunday found
him iq the Congregational church,
where a fiery preacher just spouted
out the words and Nolan admits he
got the test of his life, so much so
that he returned agajn and again for
more until he nearly became one of
the fixtures of the congregation.
Of course any - preacher could he
forgiven if he took mora than a pass
ing interest in a member pf bia con
gregation who cam night after night
and hung breathless on his every
word, and Nolan did just this. Nolan's
otebook was held belew the level
of the pew and few realized that he
was making hooks and scrawls as the
preacher talked, none less than the
preacher himself,' In any event tha
minister singled Nolan out tor special
ttention and the young shorthand
student . had , an embarraslng time
side-stepping the mlnister'sinterest.
'
Under tha rigid provisions of the
Chinese exclusion law it is exceed
ingly "difficult for any Chines to
enter the United States. One excep
tion is made, a Chinaman who- has a
right to live in the United States may
bring in his wife. That this privilege
is frequently abused goes without
saying. One recent case will serve
as an- Illustration.
Classified as a merchant a local
Chinese had gone on a visit to -China
and on his return was accompanied
by a woman he swore waa -his wife."
A wife's rights are no more than her
husband's, and in this case there was
nothing to prevent the Chinaman from
bringing her into America, though it
would have been impossible for her
to have entered alone as she had
never set foot on this continent.
The Chinaman, who was an old
man and In delicate health, under
took this pilgrimage to the land of
hia birth likely in the full knowledge
that i( would be his last. The ship's
doctor prescribed for him, but a Chi
naman does not have any too much
faith In civilised medicine, especially
wen the end appears near. One of
the ship's officers came to inspect the
cabin where the Chinaman was lying
and feund him wit,h his head covered
by a blanket. The medicine lay near
by, untouched, and investigation
shewed that the man was dead.
The other oriental passengers on
the boat were trying their best to
hide the fact of his. death so that'
the woman posing as his wife could
be landed. The minute ha died she
lost all right to step ashore. In China
it is possible tq purchase a fine wornan
tor a. lew nunurcq auuare, wnue in
this country a Chinese clave la literal
ly worth her weight in gold. Five,
ten or fifteen thousand dollars for
one Chinese woman slave is not con
sidered a high price In America and
it means a tidy little fortune for the
man who can manage to Import one,
e
To a taxi-driver life has no tinsel
or glitter. Many of his experiences
are sordid and he must always be on
guard against the professional bilk.
His is a detached viewpoint and
eternal vigilance is the only method
of protecting his pocketbook for he
must stand bad bills from his own
small wage. v
A call came from a residence dis
trict. The cab stopped in front of
tha house and a wo-begone figure
came through the gate and tvied to
step kiside. The bedraggled indi
vidual who seemed so out of place
in a taxi wore a voluminous pair of
grimy and patched overalls, an old
slouch hat. patches of bare feet
showed through the broken shoes, an
old coat about ready to fall apart.
while from a corn-cob pipe emerged
a dense cloud of raw tobacco fumes.
No wonder there was an argument
with the bum. Where would such a
character get the price for a ride?
The driver expostulated, barred the
door, but the fare opened out a coat
that had been carried on an arm and
oenoia mere appearea. wna an ex-
pensive fur garment the person of a
young woman.
She was trying her Hunt club mas
querade costume on tha chauffeur,
and proved that as Huckleberry Finn
she had nothing to fear. Anyhow, the
taxi-pilot, accustomed as he was to
characters, paid her one of the best
compliments an amateur could have
by mistaking her for a real bum.
Two office boys In an elevator, dis
cussing the injustices of life. Said
one: ,
If I could only get paid all I earn
I would be rich."
And these boys are nothing If not
up on all the b.est tricks. Three of
them waited on a aide street until
the crowd began to jam the exists
after a film showing, and cleverly
managed to worm their way inside
the theater without paying or being
caught.
Big display ads in the newspapers
call attention to the desire of the gov-
ernmentto dispose of . a fleet of as
sorted ships, which causes one of the
observing "about-the-clty boys" to
suggest that this might be a chance
to annex a navy and go to amng
gling. Seldom doea a day go by
without reports of submarines or fast
craft bringing in cargoes of illicit
liquor from Canada, and' now the
rumor is that more money is being
made by -bootlegging- aliens barred
under the provisions of the new im
migration law. While the Bahamas
are far away and there Is no Bimini
bay on the Pacific many a rival, of
"Dapper Don" Collins is getting away
.with a fortune in smuggling.
Those Who Come and Go.
Tales ef Folk at the Hotels.
"Ever see the John Day highway?"
inquired R. A. Ford of Dayville.
"When that road is finished people
will go crazy about the wonderful
scenery. The formation In the gorge
and the fossil beds will attract thou
sands of tourists. What we want
particularly is transportation In our
country, for we have no .railroads
and no prospect of getting any, so
tha John. Pay highway will bo our
outlet. We don't want the truck reg
ulations to apply on the John Day
highway as they do on the paved
highways, for the heavily loaded
truoks will simply compress the
gravel surface and make the road
better than ever. The more loads the
trucks can carry the better it will
be for us, for it will reduce the cost
of operating trucks and, naturally,
reduce tha freight rate. Do you
know that on many articles we have
to pay more freight than -the article
costs in Portland? At present all
our supplies come in a round-about
way and the freight rate is exces
sive. Besides the route is circuitous
and takes a lot of time. When the
John Day highway is finished, and
Lit is almost completed now from Day-
vnie to tne coiuraoia Jttiver nignway.
we can get our newspapers and let
ters much quicker than at present;
the distance will be more than 100
miles shorter and there will also be
a big reduction in tha freight charges.
Tha John Day highway, is ona of tha
biggest benefits that central Oregon
could have."
"Because tha present generation is
still fond ot peanuts and popcorn is
the result of Indianapolis vhaving the
largest plant in the world for the
manufacturing of machines for pop
ping corn and roasting peanuts,
states J. 8. Hough of the Holcombe
& Hoke Manufacturing company, who
is registered at the Multnomah. "To
give some idea of the great amount
of peanuts consumed in, this country,
I might state that farmers grew in
the United States 62,000,000 bushels
of peanuts, - and Jobbers Imported
more than that amount also to supply
popcorn to our customers. It took
26,000 acres of the best corn land in
Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas to raise
it. Contrary to the general idea, pop
ping corn, in order to pop, must be
carefully grown and, if planted near
other eorn, will be of a mixed qual
ity and will not be suitable for pop
ping. .Fortunes have been made in
the popcorn business. One Chicago
firm uses from 12,000 to 16,000 pounds
daily, and we know of one man who
is only about 30 years old who saved
up more than $20,000 selling popcorn
on a city corner, another who started
14 years ago with $60 who is worth
110,000."
There is a matter of about 1170.000
of bond money dua the state highway
commission from Walowa county.
The commission, however, does not
intend making a demand for this
money at present, for the reason that
the commisison wants to help the
farmers of that county. The bond
money- is in the banks of Wallowa
county, divided according to the capi
tal stocic and undivided profits, but
the cash will eome in handy to en
able the farmers to buy seed. County
Commisisoner Johnson of Wallowa
yesterday came to Portland and of
fered to turn over the money if the
highway commission asked for it.
He explained how the money will
serve the farmers if left where it is
for a few months, and the hlghway
commission agreed to have it naid
over on the installment plan ' until
June, -which will enable the banks to
finance the farmers at the time most
necessary, waiiowa county la in a
peculiar condition; more than (0 per
cent Is within the forest reserve and
less than 40 per cent is on the tax
rolls, while the population is 'about
10,000. ,
Getting from Cove to Island City
nas been impossible recently, owing
to the condition of the roads. The
transportation problem ia such tlyit
the farmers are demanding that
something be done. Ray Duncan,
cnairman or tne Cove farm bureau,
and S. H. Weimer, secretary of the
Cove commercial club, and also in the
trucking business, are in town to
consult the highway - commission
about the matter, although the Cove
Island City route is not on a state
road. About 150 carloads of fruit are
shipped from Cove a year and about
4UU0-crates or berries, and the'Dro
ducers want better means of getting
to marKet. it is possible that some
way will be devised by the hierhwav
commission by which tha county can
start, mis year on the Cove-Island
City road. Messrs. Duncan and Wei
mer are registered at the Imperial.
. r
Cold weather has prevented work
in the past six weeks on the jrradlner
Job on The Dalles-California highway
wmcn me county- court has con
tracted to do in the southern end of
Desohutes county, according to
County Judge Sawyer, registered at
the Hotel Portland. The Judge, who
is also a newspaper editor and nro-
prietor. has been dickering with the
highway commission to get action on
the road between Sisters and Tumalo
and Bend. The commission is talk
ing of rushing the road from Sisters
to Redmond, but while that ia also
wanted by the county court, the Judse
aoesn z want tne Tumalo section over
looked. At Sisters the highway, after
crossing the Cascades, divides, one
going to Bend and the other to Red
mond and on to Prineville and the
Mitchell country. '
With sawmills operating, La Grande
is in good shape, according to A. W.
Nelson, manager of the Union County
Ad club, whd Js in the city. "The
market for our lumber is in the east
we cannot break into the Montana
country," explained Mr. NelBon. "The
orchardists are harder hit than the
grain farmers in our county," he con
tinued. "The reason for this is the
very high assessed valuation placed
on orchard land by the county asses
sor. The orchards are assessed out
of all proportion. This was shown re
cently in a study submitted to the
state tax investigation commission.
I prepared some of the statistics for
this survey, and therefore know some
thing of what the fruit men have to
contend with."
Former State Senator Johnson of
Corvallis, where he is in the banking
business, was a Portland visitor yes
terday. He was here to urge that the
road between Corvallis tnd Albany he
placed on the state map. At one time
tha highway commission favored this
idea and suggested its willingness to
the Benton county court, but the
court declined, expressing a desire to
wait- Now the commission has con
cluded that with the approaching
completion of the West Side highway
and the Pacific highway the link be
tween Corvallis and Albany will not
ba such an important traffic artery in
the future.
Langnuge Changes Presented.
: "The next round's on me."
"We're going for aacentury run next
Sunday."
i'She has such pretty ears.''
-"I'm not old enough to play golf."
"Woman'splace is in the home."
"Lift your skirt; this crossing is
muddy."
"Speed limit, 12 miles."
"Having a mlnuto or two to spare,
I telephoned' home."
"Nickelodeon."
"The land Of the free."
Burroughs Nature Club.
Copyright, Houghton-Mifflin Co.
Can "Von Answer These Questions t
1. Ia the tip of an opossum's, nose
sensitive to a blow struck to kill?
2. Does the ostrich really hide its
head in the sand to escape its enemy?
3. Please tell me a way to tan red
squirrel skina.
Answers in tomorrow's Nature Notes.
Answers to Previous Qaestions.
1. Can you give a recipe for a home
made scent to attract skunks and
coyotes?
No, though we know such a thing
is sometimes used. Rotted fish is
usually the base. Bits of fish cut
up and placed with a little water in
a bottle are said to make a horribly
effective fluid. To this some other
strong-smelling stuff, oil of sassafras,
or asafetida, is added as a reinforce
ment. Spoiled fish itself used in the
trap ia said to be effective bait.
2. Is it true that toads live to be
very old?
Barring acoident, they may live a
good many years. The life span of
any wild creature is pretty much a
matter of luck In keeping out of
harm, but the toad is a good hider,
'relying on keeping quiet and match
ing its surroundings to escape
enemies. An authentic case of a toad
36 years old is quoted by an authority
on amphibia.
- .
3. If birds have their eyes on the
side of the hepd, can they see one
object with both eyes at once?
Apparently they- can see straight
ahead, as otherwise they .could not
fly accurately toward a mark. Of
course, it is impossible to observe
how the eyes focus when the bird
is in rapid flight, but from the un
erring way a hawk, for instance, can
drop onto prey from a. height, power
to focus both eyes on the same point
seems to be inferred.
RELIGION IV PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Laws Vary in States as to Readinff
of Bible in Classrooms.
LEWISTON, Idaho, Feb. 20. (To
tha Editor.) Please name (1) the
states , that require religious instruc
tion in the public schools; (2) tha
states that prohibit it; (3) tha states
that allow it.
HENRY L. TALKINGTON.
The constitutions of all states con"
tain guarantees of religious freedom,
and the term "religious instructions"
is capable of wide differences of in
terpretation. Taking the reading of
the Bible In the schools as the basis,
the laws of the states fall into two
general classes those which forbid
the use of any books in the schools
which may be calculated to favor the
religious tenets of any particular
sect, leaving it to the courts to deter
mine whether a particular book is
sectarian, and, second, those which
specifically provide that tha Bible
shall pot be excluded or which make
more or less limited provision for its
reading in the classroom.
According to the "Cyclopedia of Ed
ucation," edited by Paul Monroe, the
following states have .declared by law
that the Bible shall not be excluded,
or have provided that it shall be read
in the schools: Florida, Georgia, In
diana, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts,
Mississippi, North Dakota and West
Virginia. Reading of the Bible is op
tional or permissive, according to the
wishes of each community, in Kan
sas, New Jersey, North Dakota, Okla
homa and South Dakota. Especial
provision is made by law for excusing
pupils from attendance on classes
during the period Oiich the Bible fa
being read in Florida, Iowa, Louisiana,
Massachusetts and North Dakota.
The extent to which the reading of
the Bible may be regarded as "reli
gious instruction," in states which
have nodefinite laws on the subject,
is largely a matter of construction by
courts and the decisions on this point
are numerous and conflicting.
Popes, Ireland and Traveling Cheeks".
BAR VIEW, Or., Feb. 19. (To the
Editor.) 1. Have any of the recent
popes been chosen from cardinals out
side ot Itjily or are all cardinals ex
officio Italian residents?
2. As applied to Ireland what are
"republicans, black and tans, Sinn
Feiners"? What are tile different po
litical parties now in Ireland and
what is their main difference in opin
ion :
3. A check drawn on the recently
closed Bay City bank was sent a Till
amook firm early in January last. It
was returned to the maker February
13, ana its indorsements showed It
had passed through three or four
Portland banks.. How comes it that
it dog not go direct from the Tilla
mook bank, where It was deposited to
tne aay Ulty banR7 SUBSCRIBER.
i. xne laBt non-itaiian pope was
the Belgian archbishop of Liege, born
in Holland. He became Adrian VI in
1522.
2. The republicans are those who
stand for an independent Irish repub
lic, entirely- separated from Great
Britain or bound to it only by a de
fensive treaty. The black and tans
were an auxiliary police farce com
posed of ex-officers of the British
army, expressly to combat the rebel
lion. Sinn Fein is the organization
which conducted the war for Irish in
dependence and which has accepted
the treaty creating an Irish free state.
There are now three parties in Ire
land, unionists, who stood for com
plete union with Great Britain, though
they have accepted a separate parlia
ment and local autonomy with re
duced representation In the British
parliament; free staters, who accept
the treaty with Great Britain by
which southwest' Ireland has domin
ion government like that of Canada
and becomes a distinct member of
the British empire on an equality
with all other British nations, and re
publicans under De Valera, who re
ject the treaty and hold out for abso
lute separation as aepublic.
3. Its travels were doubtless gov
erned by the business convenience ot
its various holders, about which we,
of course, can know nothing specific.
You would have to ask each indorser.
Widow Has Dower Right.
CLATSKANIE, Or., Feb. 21 To
the Editor.) A man and wife, having
two children, separate .without di
vorce. They have no property, but
afterwards the man gains consider
able. He later dies and the wife mar
ries aga4n. When the two children
are of aga they dispose of the prop
erty without consulting their mother.
The estate was never administered.
What recourse has she and what part
of the property could she recover?
INTERESTED.
Regardless of" whose hands the
property now may be in, the widow
has not lost her dower Interest 'or
life estate ia one-half the real prop
erty. If personal property Is re
ferred to, she has a legal right to
one-half.
More Truth Than Poetry.
By James J. Montague.
THE WAY TO FAME. -
When Gaggitt, the vodyveel actor.
Was standing 'em up in the tanks.
By walking about with his coat Inside
out
And other ludicrous pranks.
The critics considered him vulgar . '.
And looked at him only to frown;
We wonder," said they, "why the
public will pay
To watch such a dull-witted clown?"
Then Gaggitt went into tha movies
And thousands of houses he packed
By making his stuff quite a little
more rough
Than it was in his vodyveel act.
With placards the country has plas
tered
Which featured hia face and his
name.
And shortly he found that tha whole
earth around
Was singing his praises and fame.
And, lo! the once cynical critics
Wrote reams-Tipon reams to impart
To their readers the fact that this
Gaggitt could act
With a clever and consummate art.
They spoke of the way that hia genlua
Made noble the lowliest role.
And scribbled at length of the Bad
ness and strength
Composing his wonderful soul.
This incident teaches, dear children.
That if you are aiming at fame
And hoping to shine in the Thespian
line.
Which same is a difficult came.
Don't seek to achieve the great prizes
By step after arduous step:
The way to succeed and the way
that you need
Is first to go after a rep.
Making It Tough.
Every time business turns the cor
ner it sees congress putting up a
"Road closed for repairs" sign.
Acquiring Wisdom.
The coal miners have discovered
that public sympathy is necesary to
success. They have deferred their
strike till the weather gets warm.
Excellent Idea.
President Harding Is going to in
stall a wireless. Evidently he wants
to know what the .county thinks ef
him without having the information
strained through hia secretary.
(Copyright liy the BoU Syndicate, Ine.l
Tribute to a Woman.
By Grace E. Hall.
Oh,
dainty creature
of a
thousand
so deftly
moods.
With delicacy and skill
formed
I marvel that God labored thui to
fashion yoli
And then gigantic error of a master
mind!
Placed you on earth to fret your days
away.
Fettered with impediments of a hu
man form,
With all its grosser details and its
grief. v
You should have been a bird, with
( generous, flaming wings,
And such a song as bubbles from the
soul
Tn ecstacy of wild, full joy of life;
Your soul is so much like a thing in
flight
Lifted forever high above this cloud
dimmed sphere
Where ordinary flesh-clad mortals
blindly plod. j
Yes; aweet and dainty creature, you
should have been a bird,
And breathed the purer atmosphere
above
This narrow cosmic isle that others
tread;
Or, some gold-winged and brilliant
butterfly.
Etched, momentarily. In varied hues,
against a lily-cup.
i
Ah! such a soul as yours-ia like a
star
That, fallen, struggles to regain Its
lost estate;
And, shining here perforce, forever
reaches up
To touch once more the boundless
infinite.
In Other Days.
Twenty-five Yeara Ago.
From The Oregonian of February 22, 189".
Columbus, O. Governor Bushnell
has announced he will appoint Marcus
A. Hanna United States senator when
Senator Sherman resigns to enter the
cabinet of President McKInley.
Salem. Senator Mitchell said to
night substantially that so far as ha
was personally concerned he did not
care whether he was returned to the
United States senate.
The hop industry which has re
ceived such a backset In the state
during the past few years on account
of continued low prices, is being re
vived. Rev. William Arnold, pastor of tha
Third Presbyterian church, has re
signed to accept a call in California.
Vlfty Yeara Ago.
From The Oregonian of February 2-. 1S72.
Trade and general business has
been excessively dull since the trains
stopped running because of floors in
the rivers. "
The city councilmen were silent
last night about J263.40 for lighting
the town clock, though excessively
liberal in- some other matters.
There will be a parade today of the
second brigade of the Oregon militia,
consisting of Brigadier-General O. F.
Bell and staff, the Washington guard,
Emmet guard and Montgomery guard.
Liability on Withheld Check.
PORTLAND, Feb. 21. (To the Edi
tor.) A gives B a check on the State
bank dated February 11, 1922. B fails
to deposit or cash check and now
holds It after the bank's doors are
closed. Is A liable to B for the amount
of the check or is It up to B to collect
from the bank? SUBSCRIBER.
A is liable for the amount of the
check, unless a court holds that U
kept the check for an unreasonable
length of time before attempting to
cash It. If B did not present the
check to the bank within a reason
able period, B has no recourse, but .
"reasonable time" is not specifically
fixed and required court dttermina
tion. The bank is not liable, as the
check is not an assignment of A's ac
count in the bank 'untll the bank has
certified to it.
Knnria Raised for Cemetery.
GASTON, Or., Feb. 21. (Special.)
To raise money for grading and rock
inc the road leading to the entrance
I nf the rpmpterv at East Gaston, the
trustees of the Hill Cemetery associa
tion, Mrs. James Baker, Mrs. Bert
White and Thomas Carmichael, gave
an entertainment last night at the
school auditorium, which was an aT- "
tistic and financial success. A pro
gramme of vocal and Instrumental
music was given; also dramatioead
ings, recitations and a pianologua.
10
v