THE MORNIXG OREGONIAN, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1922
ESTABLISHED BY HENBY L. PITTOCK
Published by The Oregonlan Publishing Co..
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GET ON WITH THE TREATIES.
I That a treaty of any Importance
will pass the senate without reser
vations at least proposed is no longer
to be hoped. Always Jealous of its
constitutional power, tle senate has
become most . sensitively so since
President Wilson tried 'to put in
actual practice the opinion expressed
in his "Constitutional History" that
the president can so far bind the
United States before,, asking the
approval of the senate that the
latter cannot refuse to ratify his
compacts, and that therefore his
power over foreign relations is in
practice absolute. That attempt
rendered the senate hypercritical o
the Versailles treaty and stiffened
the determination of the majority
to attach reservations. It now gives
both the republican irreconcilables
and the democrats tin opening to
weigh down with reservations the
treaties emanating from the Wash
ington conference, and they begin
with the Pacific treaty.
On its face that treaty is so in
offensive to any American except
those who would make no compacts
with any other nation that It might
safely be ratified as it stands. The
preamble declares . the purpose of
the four powers to be "the preser
vation of the general peace and the
maintenance of their rights in rela
tion to" the Pacifio islands and
Jominions, and by a supplementary
agreement the home islands of
Japan are expressly excluded. The
four powers "agree as between
themselves to respect their rights
in relation ' to" the islands and
dominions. If any controversy
arises between any of them "out of
any Pacific question and Involving
the said rights" which they, cannot
settle by diplomacy, the powers
concerned agree to invite all four
to a joint conference, "to which the
whole subject will be. referred for
consideration and adjustment." If
any outside power should threaten
aggression on "the said rights," 'the
four powers "shall communicate in
order to arrive at an understanding
as to the most efficient measures to
be taken, jointly and separately, to
meet the exigencies of the particular
situation." The treaty Is to stand
for ten years and ' thereafter is
subject Jo termination on twelve
months' notice from, any of the four
powers. It terminatls the British
Japanese treaty of alliance.
All that the United , States is
bound to do in order to maintain
,the rights of vihe other powers is to
respect them, to confer with the
other three powers for adjustment
of any controversy that may arise
among ' them, and to communicate
with them as to "the most efficient
measures to be tak,en" in case of
aggression by any third power.
But Senator Brandegee's- reservation
declaring that "the United States
understands that It assumes no
obligation, either legal or moral, to
maintain the rights ... of any of
the other high contracting, parties"
assumes that without It we might
be ; bound to do much more than
the treaty provides. By declaring
that "the consent of congress shall
be necessary to any adjustment or
understanding under article 1 or 2"
it assumes that the present or some
future president might put an ad
justment or understanding in effeet
without that consent. As any such
arrangement would be in the nature
of a treaty, which must be ratified
by the senate, the proviso is super
fluous but for the fear that some
president will forget the lesson that
the senate gave Mr. Wilson with the
subsequent approval of the people.
By previous experience other powers
had notice before the Paris confer
ence of the authority of the senate
in such matters, and they are not
likely to forget the fate of the Ver
sailles treaty. Then the Brandegee
reservation would serve only as a
re-assertion of the senate's co
ordinate authority in treaty-making
and as a warning to the president
that no encroachment would be
tolerated. ;
Senator Johnson's reservation
declares that the signatory powers
do not bind themselVes to any
guaranty or opinion of the validity
of any rights claimed but which
may by other powers be deemed
invalid, and that In any dispute
regarding validity of rights each
signatory reserves "full liberty of
Judgment." To this is might be
reasonably objected that a right that
is now disputed is not a right within
the meaning of the word as used in
the treaty, but that the reference to
future questions as to, the validity
of rights is a direct invitation to
raise such questions. If that proviso
should be adopted, the treaty could
not addto any nation's security in
possession of its islands until some
thing in the nature of a suit to quiet
title had been decided by a world
court. ' -
It should suffice to adopt, ty way
of extra caution, the reservation
suggested by Senator Lodge affirm
ing that nothing in the treaty shall
commit the United States to exercise
of armed force without consent of
.congress. That would be super
fluous but for apprehension that
some future president might exceed
the limits of his constitutional power.
It would still leave agreements made
in conference subject to ratification
by the senate.
The American people want this
and the other treaties ratified.
While they may excuse re-affirma
tion by the senate of Its co-ordinate j
power in making compacts with I
other nations, they will have no
patience with attempts by either
irreconcilable republicans or demo
crats to deprive the treaties of their
force by reservations. All have been
anxious to see the British-Japanese
alliance . wiped ut Though the
dangers against which it was aimed
at its inception have passed away,
it still had a potential value to both
parties, and they could not be
expected to annul it unless some
thing took its place. The Pacific
treaty is that something and, when
analyzed, it gives them little that
they could not have had without it.
They knew there was no danger that
the Unid States or France would
try to seize any of their Pacific
islands, so all that they gain is a
promise not to do that which we
intend never to do. We get rid of
the alliance very cheaply, and we
gain a pledge not to attack our
islands, of which we have quite a
few scattered about the Pacific. If
disputes should arise, we only agree
to confer. There is no probability
that military action would be pro
posed by the president as a result
of conferences unless our interests
were menaced; if it should be,
congress could block it.
One compelling reason for prompt
ratification is the beneficial moral
effect that it would have on the
world." It would demonstrate . that
the president and senate can work
together in making treaties after
recent events have spread an im
pression abroad that they cannot.
The way would then be clear for
our co-operation in general recon
struction, but within the limits
which have been placed upon the
part we shall take. A stupendous
Job is still ahead. The senate should
cut short the- talk and strengthen
the president's hands to get on with
his work.
ALL'THE TRAFFIC WIIA BEAR?
"That the rates have not been
raised beyond "the ability of more
than a very few of the least bene
fited users to pay is shown by the
effect qd the number of telephone
users, says the public service com
mission -in publication of its tele
phone rate decision. ,
Has the Oregon commission never
heard of the complaint against
utilities which more than any other
one thing gave encouragement to
public regulation? It was to defeat
the practice of charging all the
traffic would ttear that the authority
of the state was exercised. The
argument here pre'sented by the
commission could without doubt
have been truthfully made as
regards any utility rate prior to
public regulation. No company
deliberately drove business away by
fixing rates that the 'public could
not pay. Most of them did, how
ever, aim at the maximum, beyond
which the people would quit the
service.
In the same connection the com
mission rejects the theory as absurd
that rates should be ased on the
value of the service. Although Mr. i
Williams of the commission joins in
this and other conclusions of the
present opinion, we are indebted to
an earlier, independent opinion on
telephone rates written by him.
for the following:
The parties representing the applicant
(Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Co.) in
this case consider the question of rate
making only from the standpoint of the
utility. The public, however, is entitled to
consideration. Even in the case of Smyth
vs. Ames, 169 U. S., 849, the court after
referring to the rights of the utility, said:
"On the other hand what the public is
entitled to demand is that no more be
exacted from It for use of a public high
way than the services rendered are reason
ably worth."
The interesting theory that a rate
must be all right so long as the.
public will pay it rather than give
up the service, seems to have been
lately .acquired by the chairman of
the Oregon commission. -
It is clear that we are getting
howbere if after creating a commis
sion to protect us against the prac
tice of charging all the traffic will
bear, that commission measures the
reasonableness of a rate, even inci
dentally or argumentatively, by that
yard stick.
' THE DISAPPOINTED FRENCH.
Disappointment of the French
delegates with the results of their
mission to the Washington confer
ence can be traced to failure of the
French government to read correctly
the mind of the American people or
to sense'the atmosphere of the con
ference. This was the more an un
pleasant surprise because the French
have been regarded as masters of
diplomacy and as experts In the in
terpretation of public opinion.
Representatives of five great na
tions were gathered in friendly con
ference, each confident in the good
will and good faithjttf the others, to
iron out their differences in the far
east and to agree on a basis of naval
armament which should make of
fensive war by any one impossible.
All of th6 separate talk among, the
Americans, British and Japanese
had to do with the degree to which
they, having tha three , greatest
navies, should reduce. As the French
and 'Italian navies were far below
the strength which these three con
ceded to be necessary for defense,
the French and Italian delegates
were not called in at this stage. The
Italians saw the reasonableness of
this course, but the French asked
for a tonnage of capital ships double
that which satisfied Italy and re
fused to accept any limit to subma
rines and other auxiliaries. This
followed an open bid by "Premier
Briand for an American and British
guaranty of French defense against
Germany as a condition of reduction
of the French . army, when France
already had a defensive alliance
with Poland and the little entente,
which hemmed Germany in on three
sides. When the other powers mini
mized the danger of another out
break by Germany and gave assur
ance that, - if it should come, they
would not leave France to de
fend itself alone, France became
"peeved." The French were but of
harmony with the spirit of the occa
sion, f
The Instability of French cabinets
and the attacks to which the na
tionalists subjected Briand are
largely responsible for the poor fig
ure that France cut. Every move
that Briand and his colleagues made
at Washington was in the nature of
a defense against these attacks and
I qf an effort to hold together their
uncertain majority in the chamber
of deputies. They talked not only
to the conference but to the French
chamber, and their stand against Mr.
Hughes' naval proposals was in
tended to disarm the jingoes who
want a great army and navy. Briand
was In an impossible position, try.
ing to represent France as a peace
loving nation, desiring to disarm but
in danger of attack, to the Ameri
can people, while to the French na
tionalists he presented a warlike
front and appeared determined to be
ready to fight alone and to force
Germany to pay the last, mark.
Probably it is well for the general
peace that M. Polncare has been put
in power and has been called, upon
to put his extreme policy In effect
He now faces the necessity of
either agreeing on a common policy
with Great Britain and Italy or of
undertaking alone to enforce literal
fulfillment of the Versailles treaty as
to reparations. He may discover
that, if he resorts to armed force, be
will collect no more of Germany's
debt than he would If. he preserved
a united front with the allies, and
that in that event the United States
will not be a lenient creditor. He
may realize that, on the contrary, if
he keeps France in line with. Great
Britain and Italy' on a more moder
ate policy, the United States will line
up with all three nations to bring
moral and economic pressure on
Germany and may defer collections
until German payments enable
France to pay without too great
strain. France may learn by at
tempting ta.put the extreme policy
in effect that much more is gained
by moderation.
A FARMING PROGRAMME.
Professor Andrew Boss ' of
Minnesota Agricultural college, urges
farmers to "adopt a strategy of their
own while they are waiting for
relief through national and local
legislative channels. He does not
agree with those who would retaliate
upon the rest of the public by reduc
ing crop acreage and -thus trying to
obtain higher prices which it is
certain would ensue if decreased
purchasing- power should .follow
reduction of the wealth of the coun
try as a whole. He would have
farmers, however, make an especial
study of temporary economies
adapted to individual needs. For
illustration, he suggests that live
stock be kept on homegrown feeds,
rather than on salable grains; he
would use the old machinery a little
while longer if possible; and he
would go in for greater diversifica
tion than ever
Every Successive attempt to frame
a "farm programme" only empha
sizes the highly Individual nature of
the farmer's problems. The exped
iency of buying new machinery, of
planting this crop or that, of hiring
more labor in the hope of intensify
ing production or doing only what
can be done without outside help
these are matters which each indi
vidual must decide for himself. No
industry is so nearly impossible of
standardization- or subjection to hard
and fast - rule. No two farms are
alike, any more than there are two
farmers who precisely resemble each
other. The gist of Professor Boas'
idea seems to be that while it is
conceded that legislative relief is no
more than the farmer's right, it is
more necessary than it ever has been
that the, spirit of initiative should
prevail.
In other words, even if the farm
"bloc" should obtain all that It asks,
and even if world conditions should
vastly improve, the farmer would be
in a poor position to take advantage
of his new -blessings if meanwhile
he had formed the habit of waiting
for outside ; help. Initiative, plus
luck, but not luck minus initiative,
might pull agriculture out 6 the
hole.
PREPARE FOR PROSPERITY.
If Secretary of Commerce Hoover
had : made fifteen years ago the
argument on railroad rates which he
W -.41 J ... 11.. 1 .....,.... ... l
icceiitiy uiaue lu luo unci oufctc luiut
merce commission, he would have
been hooted at the country over as a
tool of the railroads. Only the hope
lessly radical who want to sovietize
the railroads now question the
soundness of his reasoning. He
views the treatment of the railroads
as part of the general problem of re
viving prosperity and of equipping
the country to enjoy it. The spirit
of optimism runs all through his
statement, as when he says:
The fact is that we must predicate all
plans for the future on the ultimate re
turn of the American people to. a normal
economic activity, with our annual progress
in the expansion of our production, of our
plant and equipment, of our skill and our
efficiency. There can be no question that
this return will take .place and no respon
sible body will approach our problems on
any other basis. Not one of us would sub
mit to the charge that we were not pre
pared to bet against any odds upon the
future of the United States. Our problem
is to expedite this recovery to speed up
employment of our workers, and thereby
find market for our farmers.
Regarding railroads as a part of
"our plant nd equipment," he finds
that "since we entered the war in
1917 we have, constructed at least
10,000 . miles of railways less than
our increasing population and eco
nomic development called for, and
we are behind In rolling stock by
about 4000 locomotives and 200,000
cars." He warns us that unless we
make good this deficiency, we shall
"pay treble the cost in the losses of a
single season." When "we reach
anything like normal business," we
shall see car shortage, higher prices
for coal, premium on cars for mov
ing grain, shortage of goods in the
hands of consumers, gluts In the
hands of producers, factories filled
with orders closed for lack of cars,
intermittent employment, and "pro
fiteering due to a stricture between
the producer and consumer." He
makes these wise observations:
In times, of depression we should pre
pare for the future and by doing so we
can cure the depression itself..
We are drtvlay headlong (or a setback
for our comineWe the very moment that
we begin to get on our feet.
He calls on the railroads for "a
courageous programme of broad-
visioned - betterments" and on the
government to lend them its credit,
saying that this Is a proposal to save
the taxpayer "from paying treble the
amount of his guarantee in profi
teering and losses," and as to the ef
fect on general prosperity, he says:
A billion dollars spent on American
railways will give more employment to our
people, more advance to our Industry.
more assistance to our farmers, than twice
that sum expended outside the frontiers
of the United States.
Conceding that cost of operation
must be reduced in order that rates
may be reduced, he Insists that rates
must come down, for one great evil
is the increased spread in prices be
tween producer and consumer, in
which rates, especially the horizon-t
tal advance, are a large factor. He
sees the necessity of maintaining
net income in order that the rail
roads may Improve their credit and
may obtain the capital needed to
make the improvements which he
considers Imperative. But he be
lieves that in the Immediate future
there are "cases where earnings
could be Increased by lower rates"
and ia convinced that "lower rates
would recover lost traffic". He be-
lleves that wages and supplies will
"follow down to the levels of de
creased cost of living," and that ef
ficiency and volume of traffic will
increase, and he feels that railroads
will devote all these savings to "re
lief .In rates on primary commodi
ties." He estimates that, when con
ditions become normal, wages and
cost will settle down-to BO per cent
above pre-war figures and that then
"primary ; commodities can even
tually be" reduced to pre-war rates,
and still place earnings upon a basis
that will inspire such confidence in
investors as will se'cure a free flow
of investment capital Into construc
tion." ' ,
- When a man in Mr. Hoover's po
sition talks in that strain and when
his opinions are attentively received
by the public, the fact bespeaks a
state of the public mind toward the
railroads which their -owners would
be wise to -cultivate 'and preserve.
When , they contrast this attitude
with that which prevailed in the
days of anti-railroad agitation, they
should realize that it is a most valu
able asset. They continually at
tribute their present troubles to de
nial of their applications for higher
rates in the few years preceding the
war. They should recognize that
this was the consequence of the just
anger that they had aroused by their
former conduct, and that therefore
hostile public sentiment Is a heavy
liability. The present friendly pub
lic opinion is mainly the effect of
realization that an efficient railroad
system is a public necessity and that
it. Is possible only when the invest
ment pays an adequate return. If
the owners should grasp at such a
-return without giving the equivalent
In efficiency, which includes rates
such as the. traffic will bear, their
new .asset will quicky t evaporate..
Popular interest Is centered on the
railroads as an instrument of public
srvice, not on their owners, and un
less the latter so operate the transportation-
system as to give the ex
pected . results, they . will be sum
moned, to a severe reckoning.
All this means that the habit of
opposing everything that is asked oh
behalf of the public, no matter how
reasonable in itself, and of offering
the same arguments and sophistries
that were long since exploded, should
be abandoned. Prosperity can come
back to' the railroads only ka it
comes back to all of us, and the
owners should shape their course to
expedite this general prosperity and
to continue it If downward revision
of rates is to be accomplished only
against stubborn resistance at every
step, the owners maV secure the law
ful return, on their investment when
their present Inadequate plant Is
fully employed. That Is the aim of a
financier secluded in New York and
out of touch with the people. The
aim of the people in giving that re
turn is to have the plant constantly
enlarged to meet their yearly grow
ing needs. If they do not get that
equivalent, they will; be heard from.
The men in the background, who
permit the actual managers to say
and do only what suits their ends as
seekers of so much per cent, would
be wise to give more heed to what
these men, in daily contact with the
people, say and think. They will
profit by the help of such men as
Mr. Hoover. " '
The McCormicks are said to require
that Miss Mathilde's Swiss fiance
shall become an American citizen.
As it takes five years from declara
tion of his intention to achieve his
final papers, and many marriages
are up long before the five-year
limit, he ought to be willing at
least to take a chance.
The case of that. New Jersey
woman -who ia suing for divorce
because her husband Offered to sell
her to another .man for : $10,000,
shduld be thrown out of court. She
ought to feel complimented that he
didn't offer to give her away. ,
Church, who killed two auto sales
men in Chicago and who would
dodge the gallows by self starvation,
will be hanged seated in a chair if
necessary. Then hangmen may have
to dope him, which is pretty gentle
for his kind of murderer.
Technicalities should not , be in
voked to delay operation of a buss
line to -Linnton on tlve ground of
being a monopoly. That section of
the cityi needs rapid and regular
transit facilities and "needs them
quick."
Henry Ford has rewarded an in
jured employe who declined to sue
for damages by, giving him a life
job with Sundays off.' Probably
felt he owed the poor fellow one day
a week to tinker with his flivver.
Some h&y a Chinese .will para
phrase , Greeley with "come west,
young man!" and the history of the
settling of the great plains will be
repeated. Russia, however, is to be
the "last great west" of the world.
"Nifty knickers" an ad writer call
them, exemplifying the 'three graces
of i publicity, art, alliteration and
Ltruth. The ordinary man whose
viewpoint is limited to the store
windows will agree with him.
There Is merit In the objection of
policemen to being delegated to
"run pilot" for guests of, the city
and chamber on the highways while
unemployed men can be had. The
practice looks cheap, too. .
More charges have been preferred
against Tex Rlckard. It may be he
had too much money and not enough
to do. At any rate, Ijis associations
were not of the best.;'
The young fellow who leaves
salaried job to go into business for
himself is as1 much of a pioneer as
his ancestors who crossed the plains
In the middle -west, where a
shovel is not a spade, they call it
sleet and it is sleet beside" which
our silver thaw is a chilled mist.
. A great-grandson of Robert Burns
has just died and it is fair " to pre
sume the glftie tied him the pleasure
of meeting his great ancestor.
Of a surety, the young man seek
ing 4he right kind of wife will not
pick a cigarette smoker, though he
maj have the habit.
Although Miss Mathilde's fiance
is an ' accomplished horseman, we'll
wager that she "occupies the saddle
in that family. v
Initiation of new citizens Into the
American fraternity beats any lodge
ceremony that was ever invented.
The Listening Post.
Br DeWltt Harry.
SOME 'time ago when we told how
William Karambelas was making
a success of manufacturing caviare a
correspondent wrote In about the
sturgeon run up the Columbia. Caviare
originated in Russia and Is esteemed
as a prime Tellsh or hors-d'oeuvre.
Its vogue extended rapidly ' until of
recent-' years, especially ' since war
times. It has beea impossible to sup
ply the demand.. The result has been
that the' market has been flooded with
imitations, bearing every appearance
of foreign origin, but fabricated in
this country. .", . ,
Karambelas and his experts are, so
far as known, the first men to begin
manufacturing caviare ia Oregon
The correspondent tells of the stur
geon run ia the old days, up the Co
lumbia and tq the Snake. At that
time there was a packing plant at
Troutdale and these fish, resembling
a great marine hog, would lie in the
still water and sloughs and dine to
repletion on the offal from the
slaughtered cattle. - The sturgeon
growi to a great else and .eorae of
them weigh as much as 400, 'or 600
pounds, and their grunte and splash-
ings as they fought for the refuse
used to be 'one of the eights at the
mouth of the Sandy. These great
fish yield, from SO pounds upward
each of eggs or roe, but it is the
curing of this dainty, "that is diff i-!
cult. -- Few Americans .have mastered
the art. There is nothing la caviare
except the sturgeon roe and salt. The
roe is thoroughly cleaned .and cured
by drying and exposing to the air
and the. process is a long and elab
orate one. V-
Even today the fish-wheels have
occasional trouble with giant stur
geon that come upstream and ledge
in the nets and block the -traps. The
flesh of the fish meets with a .'ready
sale, but the roe is the most valu
able, portion. No other fish eggs will
make the proper caviare, though some
of the imitations are said to be made
from carp eggs, v
In Tacoma, as everywhere else, they
have the up-to-date mother and
daughter. A recent visitor to the
sound tells of this couple, no worse
than those of any other place. Mother
smoked, to did daughter. Each had
her favorite brand of cigarette. In
the family living room, when . they
went into , action, you could cut the
smoke with a knife. Both wer
clever dancers and had a thorough
knowledge of all the latest eteps and
wriggles. .'
Daughter worked; -was a bobbed,
rolled and beautified "steno." The.
corporation for. which she worked en
couraged athletics and sports among
fts employes. The boys had. baseball
and bow'Mng teams and the girls were
forming a basketball squad. Daugh
ter, always up and coming, wanted to
join. But mother would not permit
it, "Let you At out in bloomers and
act rough in front of a crowd? I
should say not. It's not ladylike."
-
A local club was to have a special
programme, and this necessitated
moving a great deal of furniture.
There were hardly enough volunteers,
so they phoned a free employment
bureau for two men. The new em
ployes were set to moving benches
They carried every article the longest
way around. Each move was slow
and deliberate, they, were in no hurry.
No matter how light the article to
be handled if there was room for
two pairs of , hands both got hold.
Finally the volunteers on the scene
became infected with the spirit and
the work lagged painfully. In des
peration the chairman of the com
mittee "fired" the men, who were
alleged to need a job. The rest, work
ing for nothing, possessors of in
comes, completed the task in a record
time. Some, men are always looking
for jobs. -
Paul Bunyan anecdotes continue to
pour in. - Judging from the letters
this patron saint of the logging in
dustry had many friends in the north,
west.' The real old-time stories, how
ever,;,ere of his activities before he
came to the coast, of which the -following
is a good example:
"I Was timekeeper for Paul Bunyan
quite a while. A tlmecheck was aa
big as a wlndowshade and It took two
husky men to put Paul's stamp on
each check. Paul never learned to
write so he had the blacksmith take
a front shoe of the blue ox and mount
it on a , block of ' wood; two men
hoisted this shoe up in a slide like a
piledriver frame and let it fall down
to stamp the check.
"There "were four men oiling on
Paul's watch, which was wound twice
a year, at Christmas and on the
Fourth of July. Two of the men used
hard oil and two used soft oil. Once
the hard oil tnen fell down on he
job and the watch ran a hot-box on
the main bearing, while Paul had it
in his pocket. The babbit melted out
and ran into Paul's pant's leg.
"This made Paul mad and as he was
standing by a stump he struck the
stump, which was eight feet across,
a blow with his fist," as he called for
the hard oil men to go get their time.
The stump was driven in the ground
even with the top. This gave Paul
an Idea for he had a contract to clear
North Dakota-oJ! stumps and that da)
he had the biggest tree in the woods
felled. It was 30 feet across He had
the butt log hauled in by the ox and
in the center bored i-hole and had a
handle put in, so it made a .mallet,
like .-a carpenter's mall.
. "Every day Paul worked a couple
of hours driving etumps. He used to
drive them ten feet below the surface
and then fill ' in the holes with a
scraper. . This Is the reason there are
no stumps in Dakota today. If you
don't . believe this, take a trip over
there and see for yourself."
y;
' Those skilled In reading the backs
of men who are-reading the faces on
a set of crap dice can get a fine kick
out of the regular noonday game that
runs on the sixth floor of one of the
big downtown office buildings. The
devotees of the galloping ivories are
all on hand and at their best along
about 12:45 o'clock, when the interest
appears to be intense. From office
buildings across the street the backs
of the shooters only can be seen, so
the expression of their faces must
remain a mystery. However, anyone
privileged to - watch the coterie of
active gamblers In action cay that
backs are fully as eloquent ia a crap
"game ae faces. ' t-
Those Who Come and Go.
Tales of Folks at the Hotels.
"Chinook are now in the Columbia
river," reports Chris Schmidt of As
toria, who has the largest cold stor
age fish plant in the -west and the
biggest plant for smoking and kip
pering salmon. 'The spring run has
started, - but it hasn't got yery far.
The fish find the water too cold and
too -muddy. The run should have
beea on long ago, but while the chln
ooks have been in the river for about
four weeks very few are being caught
It is also too cold for the- fishermen
to go out for them, although the few
gillnetters who have faced the disa
greable weather have made good
wages. Two or three of these Chin
ook, the more hardy pioneers, have
got up the river a way and have
been caught" Mr. Schmidt is in the
city to attend the meeting of the state
fish commission, of which he is a
member. He Is registered at the Im
perial. The price of the Chinook in
Astoria is about 20 cents a pound
to the fishermen. A few. of the fish
which are on sale in Portland mar
kets are priced at 45 cents, a pound.
Mr. Schmidt says, that a soqkeye
salmon was caught last month in
Young's bay a most unheard of
place for a sockeye salmon, and so
far as known It is the- only speci
men of the species that was ever cap
tured in the bay. :J.
"There is a right way to do every
thing. The things that are used most
should be the easiest to get; glass
fronts should be -placed in drawers
and bins so that articles inside can
be silent salesmen, selling themselves
to the customer and' not taking the
time of a clerk," eays W. M. Patter-
eon, treasurer of the Walker Bin com
pany of Penn Yan, N. Y., who is at
the Multnomah. Mr. Patterson came
here with the Lumbermen's special.
'Through making a scientific study
of how employes handle goods In
grocery stores, hotels and other places
where store rooms are needed, we
found we could specialize" .in ' a line
of fixtures. The glass cover protects
the goods. One' way to reduce th
high cost of living is for the grocer
to deal in bulk goods, "tastefully dis
played, which can be sold to the con
sumer much cheaper than goods that
are nationally advertised and sold in
jars, cans and expensive .-packages
in almost every case the consumer
pays the price of the extra packing
and the advertising."
E. M. Wasmuth, republican chair
man of the state committee of Indiana,
left the Hotel Portland yesterday for
the north. Mr. and Mrs. : Waamuch
have been making a western trip, Mr.
W asmuth making a study of the busi
ness conditions with respect to pho
nographs and kitchen cabinets, as he
is with a concern which manufactures
these. Just as they were about to
leave Monday Mrs. Wasmuth was at
tacked by the grip and Mr. Wasmuth
attended her, killing time by read
ing the decision of the state public
service commission relative to the
telephone case. Mr. Wasmuth says
that there Is a similar body in Indi
ana against which there is a rising
side of sentimeut and he was curious
to see what the people of Oregon in
tend doing with the public 'service
commission. Although Indiana is
supposed to be a debatable state, Mr.
Wasmuth says the republicans carried
everything last year and expect to re
peat the performance this year.
Whipping his revolver out, he lev
eled it square upon the burglar, get
ting the drop, for his draw was quick,
but the blamed old firearm . just
snapped and the burglar's life was
saved. The man whose revolver
failed at the critical moment was R.
E. Clanton. The burglar, a "hard
boiled guy," broke into one of the
shanties at the Bonneville hatchery.
When Mr. Clanton's gun went wrong
the burglar whipped out a .45, but be
fore he could bore a tunnel through
Mr. Clanton's anatomy one of the as
sistants at the hatchery "bashed the
burglar on the bean" with a club and
the intruder was overpowered. Mr.
Clanton was telling his experience
when he came to town yesterday.
"Rheumatism appears to be preva
lent along the coast this year," re
ports John E. Kelly of Carson, Wash.
At the springs there are more cases
of rheumatism this year than at any
previous" time, according to the rec
ords. . About 75 per cent of the visi
tors are afflicted with rheumatism,
many being carried jn. The rheuma
tic belt appears to be around Seattle
and Tacoma, Astoria and other towns
on the coast, but there seems to be no
increase - In Portland. Why there
should be so much this year no one
bag undertaken to explain. Neither
do they say why the coast townl
should be hardest hit." Mr. and Mra
Kelly are at the Hotel Portland.
"Business conditions are coming
back at Keedsport and Gardiner, down
on the coast," says Carl Shoemaker,
state rraster fish warden, who re
turned from Winchester Bay and
other points at -,the mouth of the
TJmpqua yesterday. "Two sawmills are
operating at Reedsport and this town
and Gardiner, which were hard hit
when the depression came, are now
getting back on their feet and the
people are optimistic." Mr. Shoemaker
was delayed in his arrival because . a
freight train on the Coos bay line
went into the ditch ahead of the pas
senger train on which he was travel
ing.
Before checking out of the Hotel
Oregon for his home in Los Angeles,
George D. Johnson decided to help
foster an Oregon infant industry.
There is no better place in the world
for growing prunes than Oregon and
the syrup of the prune is as medi
cinal as the syrup of figs. Recently
a company was formed here for the
manufacture of syrup of prunes and
after trying the syrup Mr. Johnson
invested several thousand dollars in
the proposition.
"In a short time I expect to an
nounce my candidacy for the repub
lican - nomination for state senator
for Yamhill county," said W. T. Vin
ton of McMlnnville, who was in tha
city yesterday with his partner, Wal
ter L. T002 Jr. Mr. Vinton has
served several terms in the senate
and has been its presiding officer.
Formerly In the -banking business
at Cathlamet, Wash.,- M. Gorman ' Is
now a resident of Astoria and a
member of the water board. Mr. Gor
man says tliat about 11 miles of new
water pipe are to be laid in the city
by the .-sea, to replace lines which
were installed many years ago. The
water supply of Astoria comes from
Bear Creek, at a point back of Sven
son. T
A E. Reames of Medford, attorney
and angler, is at the Hotel Portland
Mr. Reames is one of the crowd which
bought an island in the Rogue river
for a fishing place, from money won
on a presidential election in 1916.
It Is' 2 years since A. C. Hough
of drants Pass has seen Portland. He
arrived yesterday and is at the Hotel
Portland. Mr. Hough has no disposi
tion to avoid Portland, but his busi
ness trips of late have been' to Cali
fornia. - v ' .'
F. J. Coster of the California Bar
rel company is registered at the Hotel
Portland from San Francisco. ...
r German Conscience Slow.
Scientific American.
The Germans have at last returned
the ancient astronomical Instruments
stolen from Pekin in 1901, among them
the earliest known example of equa
torial mounting, made about 127. '
; :. J,
Burroughs Nature Club.
Copyright, Houghton-Mifflin Co.
Cam 1 oa Answer Tkese Questions!
1. Why do canaries want cuttle-
bone?
2. What makes a bird dog run-
shy and how can it be cured?
3. I have a collared lizard. How
can I keep it?
answers ia tomorrows jaiure noi.
r
Answers to Previous Questions.
1. What do peacocks eat? Do they,
keep their tails all the year round?
Eat land snails, many insects, worms.
small lizards, tiny frogs, grain. Juicy
grass, buds from plants, etc No, or
at least, do not keep the train, which
is not a tail, but an ornament of the
breeding season, kept from June to
December-
- "
2. Are bats as good Insect catch
ers as toads ?
. Yes, perhaps bettter. Bats are
warm bloodedV and need more food to
keep up their animal heat than do
cold-blooded creatures like toads.
They feed on the wing entirely, and
take quantities of winged insects. Of
course this applies to our common
North American .bats ndt to the
fruit-eating kinds of the tropics.
3. What makes goldfishes come to
the surface of the aquarium and send
up bubbles?
This is a symptom that there J too
little oxygen in the water. More
aquatic plants ehould be Introduced
to absorb carbon and give out oxygen.
Fishes get their oxygen through
the thin membranes of the
trills, iuet as we do through the
lungs, only their supply comes out of
the water, which in a sense they
breathe. But if thev water does not
supply what they need, they are
forced to the surface to gulp down
air, which passes over the gills and
then escapes through the gill silts.
TELEPHONE ORDER CRITICISED.
"One More Dagger in Heart of Public
Confidence," Says Writer.
PORTLAND, Feb. 22, (To the Edi
tor.) At last the oracle has spoken,
In an order which from the stand
point -of rhetoric leaves little to be
desired, save the ring of truth and
the power to convince,, the public serv
ice commission has upheld the in
crease in rates granted to the tele
phone, company nearly one year ago.
As an exemplification of the fine art
of circumlocution the order is a cla
sic; as a specimen of modern camou
flage It is typical, but as a decision
affecting the rights of the public it
is an insult to the intelligence and
one more dagger thrust into the heart
of oublic confidences
Seeking to justify its action, the
commission found it expedient to as
sume the role of the self-righteous
martyr and to impugn the good faith
of whole communities as well as that
of counsel in the presentation of their
case an artifice as reprehensible as
it is ancient.
If it be true that "not a scintilla
of evidence worthy of the name was
offered in support of the contention of
the petitioner," the commission stands
convicted of bad faith by its own
words. That fact was as obvious at
the time of .the hearing as now and
the public had a right to know that
fact then, as well as now. No ex
cuse, reason or Justifcatlon can be
found for holding Us decision in cold
storage for so many months under
such circumstances, unless perchance
there was a delay for political rea
sons.
Paraphrasing the language of the
order, "the people are now informed
of the extraordinary manner in which
they have been imposed upon." In
the face of continually lowering mar
ket prices of both materials and la
bor, an increase in rates is allowed
for the admitted purpose of securing
more capital for future improvements
and extensions, to a corporation al
ready afflicted with fatty degenera
tion from its gluttonous feasts on the
public purse. Public utilities are now
guaranteed profits on their invest
ment. In other words the commis
sion denies that such. is the case; by
deed it has nevertheless established
it as a verity. A premium is set upon
extravagant management and Incen
tive for efficiency removed. Nothing
further need be done until other in
creases are desired, at which time,
the public having become educated
and trained in the paths in which it
should go, will utter prayers of thanks
giving and great joy for the blessed
privilege of being permitted to con
tribute in larger portions to the re
lief of our chronic paupers, the pub
lic utilities. Such will be the out
come of supine submission to this new
outrage. Will the public submit?
J. H. G.
TAX RELIEF AFTER o YEARS
Exemption Suggested on Homesteads
of Aged Persona.
LEBANON, Or., Feb. .22. (To the
Editor.) I respectfully request
little space to mention a subject
which, so far as 1 am aware, has not
heretofore been brought up for dis
cussion.
The subject: When the reputable
head of a family in moderate circum
stances reaches the age of 70 years
should he not be relieved by a law
to be enacted, from any state, county
or local taxation whatever, on
homestead to the assessed valuation of,
say 11000, or such amount as lawmak
ers may decide? Some two years since
the writer was totally Incapacitated
physically from all earning power,
but had managed previously to earn
sufficient to provide an income bare
ly sufficient for self and family to
subsist on without becoming in any
way public charges.
I have no doubt there are many in
this state In similar circumstances,
and the opinion of some of them
would doubtless be of interest to the
balance.
I had almost forgotten to say that
my Idea would be that in the event
of the demise of the man the law
should continue, to apply equally to
his widow.
I am, of course, aware that such
a law would necessarily slightly in
crease taxation to the more fortu
nate but the ; few mills' increase
would scarcely be noticed by them,
but at the rate taxes have increased
the last few years is becoming in
creasingly hard on the incapacitated.
72-YEAR-OLD TAXPAYER.
Education and Income Tax.
SALEM, Or., Feb. 20. (To the Edi
tor.) Referring to the new pro
visions of the law affecting income
tax statements, I would like to in
quire if, in making out my state
ment, I would now be allowed as be
fore to deduct the amount expended
for my son's education last year in
another city, the son being still de
pendent upon me, although over i
years of age? J INQUIRER.
Internal revenue' officials ' say you
cannot deduct the amount.
Concerning Masonic Home.
PORTLAND, Feb. 20.-MTO the Edi
tor.) Please inform' me as to wheth
er the Masonic and Eastern Star
home is finished or not, and where
it is located. ' MASON'S WIDOW.
Yes. Located on the Base Line
road between Cornelius and Forest
Grove.
Mora Truth Than Poetry.
By James J. Montague.
COMPLEXES.
When Willie kicks hie sister's shins
And breaks her playthings up.
And irritates with furtive pins
The inoffensive pup,
And hides his brother's rubber ball
And, like a catapult.
Shoots building blocks around the
hall;
His complex Is at fault
This complex little Willie brought
Along to earth with him.
It grew, so Mr. Freud has taught.
In distant days and aim.
From men who used to bite and cuff
In times remote and wild.
The tendency to cut up rough
Descended to the child.
So do not scold him when he seeks
In secret now and then
To lacerate the babys' cheeks
With mother's fountain pen.
Or on the rosewood chiffonier
To carve his little name.
He means no harm, the precious
dear
His complex Is to blame.
Don't scold him, es we said before.
You'll interrupt his fun
And he will lie upon the floor
And' sulk until you're done.
Just briskly tan his little hid.
You 11 find a nice thick stick.
If it is ardently applied,
Will cure a complex quick.
.
OvnrnppUed.
No wonder they won't let the- ex-
erown iprlnce go back to Germany.
They've got too" many marks there
now.
-
Dark Protipeet.
Wouldn't it be dreadful if the
Genoa conference should be broken
up by an unforeseen caddy shortage?
In tnr It Wow. -
The treaties enter "the senate with
the same feelings experienced by a
freshman at the beginning of the
hazing season.
(Copyright by the Bell Syndicate, Trie.) , V
Lavender.
By Grace B. Hall.
My memory of you I've laid away
As I would place a treasured, per
fect gem t
Within a golden casket there to otay
Far from the cold, appraising eyes
of men.
I've folded' It in eromatio leaves
Yielding a perfume sweetened by
the years,
And when my heart in silent eorrow
grieves,
I dampen down the lavender with
tears.
In Other Days.
Twenty-five Years Ago.
From The Oregooian of February 24. Ifi07.
A New York paper is responsible
for the statement that the recent
amalgamation of the Northern Pa
cific, Great Northern and O. R. & N.
companies is the first step toward
organization of a gigantic railway
trust.
Rev. William J. Arnold, who has
been pastor of the Third Presbyter'an
church, has resigned 'to take a pas
torate at Riverside, Cal.
John F. Cordray yesterday emphat
ically denied that Mr. Heilig may
take over the Washington-street
theater on which Mr. Cordray now
holds a lease.
O. A. Bowen, ex-treasurer of the
state of Washington, Is registered at
the Imperial.
Fifty Years Abo.
From The Oregonlan of February 24, 1ST2.
Berlin It i3 reported that Bis
marck proposes to issue Invitations
to the powers for an international
congress to consider mail and post
age systems.
Harvey Cole, Itvlng at Santlam.
Linn county, lost 120 sheep In a flood
the other day.
Along the upper Willamette, logi
which- had not been moved since they
were drifted in 1862, were floated off
last week, after a ten years' rest.
Last month It cost the city only
513.68 per day to board its prisoners.
Formation of Rndinm.
NEHALEM, Or., Feb. 22. (To the
Editor.) (1) Does science claim that
helium Is the final product of the
disintegration of radium? A says
that radium after having spent its
force is lead. Is he right?
(2) From what and how do the
Germans manufacture synthetic
drugs? JULIUS W. TOHL.
(1) Recent physicists assume that
radium is simply one of the stages
in the disintegration of the uranium
atom. The atomic weight of uranium
is 238.5, that of radium about 226,
that of helium 8.994. Radium would
then be uranium after the latter had
lost three helium atoms. The further
disintegration of radium through four
additional transformations has been
traced. It has been conjectured that
the fifth and final one is lead. If
we subtract 8x3.994 from 238.5, we
obtain 206.5, which is very close to
the accepted value for lead, namely
207. ..The authority for the foregoing
is ' Elements of Electricity," by Rob
ert A Millikan and E. S. Bishop.
(2) The term "synthetic drugs" em
braces all drugs which are made by
putting together the eHments, ob
tainable from various sources, of
which they are composed. It in
cludes a variety of substances. More
than 4000 drugs are derived from coal
tar alone.
LtaMtlty of Stockholders.
TWIN ROCKS, Or., Feb. 22. (To
the Editor.) (1) Does a bank check
have to be presented at bank on
which it is drawn in any specified
time?
(2) What is the liability of a stock
holder in a bank which fails in this
state? '
(3) Does a time deposit in a bank
which fails in this state have any
preference over a cheeking account?
J. F. EVANS.
(1) There is no fixed time.
(2) Bank stockholders are liable to
the amount of their stock at the par
value thereof. In addition to the par
value of suoh shares.
(3) " No.-
United States Securitiea.
PORTLAND, Feb. 23. (To the Edi
tor.) (1) Do you know of any United
States government securities being
Issued at the present time paying 7
per, cent interest? I understand they
can be secured at the post office.
(2) Are there any other securities
issued by the government and sold to
the public other than liberty bonds.
victory bonds, war saving stamps and U
treasury certificates; W. O. P.
(1) No.
- (S) No.