10,
TSTE MORNING OHEGONIAN, SATURDAY, MARCH 4, 1923
13IAEUSHED BY I1ENKY I PITTOCK.
rubllftied by The Oregonian Publishing Co.
13S Sixth Street, Portland, Oregon.
C A. MOHDBN, E. B. PIPER.
Alanager. Editor.
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HABDING'S FIRST YEAR.
After one year as president, how
m does Warren G. Harding stand In
the eyes of the American people?
Z, That is the question which the first
" anniversary of his inauguration
- brings to many minds. From a po
sition In the senate where he had
not taken first rank before the peo
pie, though he had won the respect
and confidence of his colleagues, he
was raised to the presidency by an
overwhelming majority at a time
wherthe nation's affairs, both do
mestic and foreign, were in worse
confusion than In apy year since the
close of the civil war. Great expec
tations were raised by the tone and
trend of his campaign speeches and
by the power that he should derive
from support of large majorities in
both branches, of congress. How has
his performance measured up to
these expectations?
Mr. Harding established himself
firmly in public confidence, by
choosing men of the highest char
acter, ability and experience for his
cabinet, and by giving them wide
discretion in dealing with the many
knotty questions which confronted
them. He did not try to do all the
work himself and he showed no
jealous fear that his able lieutenants
would eclipse him. That was recog
nized as an element of greatness,
and it went to his credit.
President Harding found the
country still nominally at war with
Germany and the remnants of the
Hapsburg monarchy, isolated from
the allies by the rejection of the Ver
sailles treaty, and with sharp con
troversies with Japan drawing to a
head; while that country was still al
lied to Great Britain, with which we
were most loath to fight. This situ
ation dictated that we should greatly
enlarge our navy in preparation for
evil eventualities. But not only the
people's instinctive aversion for war
but the state of internal affairs de
manded that we should "reduce our
armament and peacefully compose
our difference's with foreign powers.
He found the country suffering from
a collapse of prices, from depression
in the market for farm products and j
from a severe shrinkage of foreign
trade which" extended the depression
to all industry and to mercantile
pursuits, railroads and shipping.
Government expenses had swollen to
billions a year,' revenue barely suf
ficed to meet them, the floating debt
was enormous, yet the people called
for relief from a taxation which
slowed down industry and artifi
cially raised prices when means of
paying them had shrunk. This was
an appalling sea of troubles.
farmers' programme, .cut off Its
radical excesses, procured its adop
tion by his party and put it through.
In regard to the soldiers' bonus,
Mr. Harding again showed of what
he was capable when he exerted his
latent power. Committed though he
was to support that measure, he
realized last summer that to act then
in the existing disordered state of
the national finances and while de
pressed industry was already over
loaded with taxes would be disas
trous. Congress also realized this,
but had not courage on its own ini
tiative to act on its knowledge. Fear
less of political consequences, the
president came forward with a
warning to defer action till funds
could safely be provided. Congress
readily acceded, gladly letting him
take the responsibility.
Since that episode and on other
matters the president has not had
equal success. His hold on congress
has beei slipping, not that he has
hesitated to express his opinion, but
that he has not backed it with the
power conferred by the instruments
that his office places in his hands.
He has insisted that a bonus bill
must be accompanied by a tax pro
viding the necessary funds, nut con
gress inclines to evade its plain duty
by voting the bonus without the tax,
and he hesitates to insist that it vote
both or neither and face the result
ing unpopularity. He has opposed
high Income surtaxes. and has advo
cated a sales tax, but has exerted no
pressure to have his. advice followed
and It has been set at naught
deference to ignorance and dema
gogy. Senate and house, committees
nave Decome aeaaiocKea on tne
tariff bill, but he is loath to force
them into agreement by judicious
use of his influence.
fit them to be better citizens, it will
support. It has never opposed a tax
measure for their betterment. It
will not begin now. But it will say
to the directors that economy in the
schools is just as much In order now
as in any other department o the
public service.
In his first year Mr. Harding has
done great things and has displayed
many qualities of the statesman, but
he has fallen short in. that political
leadership by means of which states
men achieve success. By nature
amiable and prone to conciliate, to
coax when a not too gentle push is
required, he is further restrained by
the ties of friendship that he formed
and by, the traditions of congres
sional prerogative that he learned
when in the senate. Absence of se
vere criticism in the newspapers, of
savage caricature in cartoons. Is not
a favorable sign, but the reverse. In
politics men are not so mild with
opponents whom they fear. If he
were dally excoriated, lampooned
and hideously caricatured in the
newspapers and speeches of the op
position, that would be evidence that
he had displayed power, scored tell
ing points on his adversaries and in
spired fear. He is nominally sup
ported ii congress by majorities so
great that confidence in their num
bers has impaired their discipline.
Elected by methods which weaken
party fealty, they resemble a herd of
untamed steers, which need a-ekill
ful driver to round them up. That is
the part for Mr. Harding to play.
The president has succeeded so
well in so many and so great things
that he certainly has it in him to. win
success in his management of con
gress. He still has three years in
which to establish firmly his right
to fame. If he will profit by the few
failures of his first year, he can per
fect his record in the remaining
three years. But it is not well with
him when all men speak well of him,
or when very few speak very ill of
him.
; By the way in which Mr. Harding
began he showed a clear conception
of the course to be taken In foreign
' affairs. After snuffing out German
hopes or mediation in regard to
reparation, he approved a resolution
of peace and followed that with
! treaties of peace and resumption of
relations. While congress with its
- naval limitation resolution treated
symptoms of trouble in the far east.
he did not interfere but he attacked
'- the cause of the disease by calling
the Washington conference to deal
not only with that subject but with
all far eastern and Pacific affairs;
His fine character and temperament
never showed to better advantage
than when he associated the leading1
, senators of both parties in that work
and left the master hand of Secre
tary Hughes to carry it through.
opening and close. He thus gave an
example of confidence ia his secre
tary of state and of teamwork with
lijc ocuaic, uiuugui tile tuiteu
States again into co-operation with
and leadership of other nations,
cleared away the whole tangle of far
U eastern difficulties and started the
world on the work of actual arms
reduction, all by one stroke of policy.
Thanks to this achievement, Mr.
Harding had attained a position of
moral power far transcending that
of his Tiartv Whpn thf ilramaMn
opening of the conference assured
its success. He showed wisdom in
picking a strong man to conduct the
campaign for economy, in giving
, him a free hand and ill backing him
nuuuui sum. j.iie one point or
weakness has been in his manage
ment of congress. His experience in
the senate had given him an under
standing of the congressman's mind,
and sympathy with it; his predispo
sition for harmony and his aversion
against any species of compulsion.
Yet, if congress was to carry out a
sane programme or to adhere to any
programme at all, never was it in
greater need of a strong leader and
it, was i.i.-fviiis in uteri ui tne ngm
calibre that the president alone
could fill the gap.
On two notable occasions he rose
to the occasion. So acute was agri
cultural distress that men of both
parties combined to pass measures
cf relief, threatening neglect of that
which he deemed essential. Con
servative republicans opposed the
bloc, democrats supported it in de
light at the opportunity of partisan
advantage, and break-up of the re-
- ECONOMY IN THE SCHOOLS.
The Oregonian sought the other
day to describe the method by which
the common schools have grown
from an elementary institution, in
which the three R's and ' little else
constituted the basic curriculum, into
a vast establishment, with many de
partments, many specialties, many
fads, and some extravagances. Now
School Director Woodward, profess
ing and doubtless feeling deep sym
pathy with the universal demand for
economy, makes what amounts to a
challenge to The Oregonian to men
tion any extravagances of the school
district i the past five years and to
indicate what may properly be cut
out at this time.
The Oregonian, it happens, is not
a member of the school board; and
it offers no dissent from Mr. Wood
ward's Insistence that the school
management is doing all it can to
hold down expenses. The present
school system is not the creation of
the past five years, but largely of the
uecade immediately preceding. The
Oregonian knows, as every informed
person knows, why 'the public
schools cost vastly more than they
once did; and it knows, too, that no
proposal to reduce materially . the :
present wide scope of public school
activities would meet, with public
favor. The board is helpless to
make any radical changes in method
or policy; but it is none the less the
duty of "the directors to make the
hard-earned dollar of the taxpayer
go as far as possible.
It has not Been so many years
since there was only one high school
in Portland; now there are-eight. It
is not difficult for men and women
of middle age themselves the prod
uct of a fairly efficient and satisfac
tory school system to recall the
time when there were no trade or
commercial schools, no polytechnic
schools, no sewing, or cooking, or
gardening, or manual training, or
millinery, or industrial art, or metal
art, or pedagogy, or public speaking,
or any one. of many new courses now
a permament feature of the school
system. Nor were there pretentious
and elegant buildings with audito
riums, gymnasiums, and swimming
pools, and more or less elaborate
conveniences of various kinds for
teachers and pupils. The little old
red school house is only a memory.
All these elaborations mean a
greatly increased cost of mainte
nance, a vastly enlarged adminis
trative and teaching staff, and coin
cidental expenditures of all sorts. It
explains the startling fact that the
school lax in Portland which was 2
mills In 1875 and was about 3 mills,
or a trifle more, on the average, for
thirty years, began to climb rapidly i
at the end of that period until in j
1920 it was 9.8 mills and In 1921 6.7
mills (not counting the two-mill
state educational tax, from which
Portland derives a proportional
benefit). v -
The Oregonian frankly finds dif
ficulty in saying where to begin to
cut down. It would deprive no youth
or maiden of an opportunity for
education. It has much concern
about the public school system, loyal
appreciation of the fundamental and
indispensable character of its service
to all American citizens, an abiding
faith in its future. Its purpose is
- MENTAL SIICIDK.
The term "mental suicide" Is suit
able enough as a. description of the
man who was hanged in Chicago for
murder of a particularly atrocious
and premeditated type. It is not
what the professors of psychology
would call technical, but it serves.
There is lacking only the element
of volitiorwto make Church's condi
tion suicide in fact. But the -case
in all its aspects presents interest
ing material for study by those who
believe in the predominant influ
ences of the mental over the physi
cal in human conduct.
Church began by attempting to
starve himself in an effort to cheat
the gallows, but it is agreed that his
unconscious condition at the end
was not the result of physical weak
ness. His plight so wortced on his
mind that the center of conscious
ness succumbed, just as men in
moments of great fear have stood
benumbed and unable to act. The
mental shock, as the mentalists
would call it, or the lesion, as It
might be termed by those who look
for a physical cause for everything,
was so great in Church's case that
he did not recover. He was almost
literally "scared to death." That
much seems to bo .undisputed,
though scientists are not In agree
ment as to the steps by which
Church's . condition was brought
about.
Of greater importance than the
profound effect of fear upon this
condemned murderer are the possi
bilities which would seem to be in
dicated if the process might be re
versed. If a man may think himself
to the verge of death, as Church did,
why may he not also think himself
into a state which is the opposite to
that of death? As a matter of fact
there is evidence that men, moved
there was a great to-do if a baron
married the daughter of a merchant,
though he might be penniless and
she wealthy. The ideas which Ger
man princes imported to England
were repugnant to the people, and
they rejoiced when their princesses
married Britons rather than strut
ting petty princes who in their every
act expressed 'their belief that rank
divided them from lower mortals by
an impassable barrier. -
One blessed effect of the revolu
tion was that it made the oppor
tunity for Americans to wipe out all
distinction of class and saved us
from- the necessity of an illogical
compromise between monarchy with
its accompanying . aristocracy and
democracy. Yet we may try to un
derstand the point of view of the
Briton who cheers a princess at her
wedding, but. heckles a lord at a
political meeting.
by the spirit of high exaltation, have
done virtually that very thing. Com
mon . manifestations of this phe
nomenon are the immunity to physl
cal weariness of those laboring under
a vast intellectual inspiration, and
the Insensibility of soldiers to minor
wounds when greatly excited by
events around them. But they are
also seen In another phase in the at
titudes of those whose work, is
agreeable to them, or irks them, as
the case may be. The greater ca
pacity of men for achievement in
compatible than in incompatible vo
cations is not remotely associated
with the phenomenon of a man liter
ally paralyzed with fear.
A BLOW AT PUBLIC- REGULATION.
i
In a letter to his home paper
Public Service Commissioner Corey
makes a defense of the commission's
order sustaining Increased telephone
rates and says that "order gives
point to-what Theodore Roosevelt
said to the California commission
twelve years ago at the beginning
of public utility regulation in that
state," then quotes from Roosevelt:
Your first task will be easy. Elected,
as you will be, under a movement respon
sive to the people and independent of the
corporations, you will find it easy to re
duce rates where they are too high, and
you will find many rates are too high.
Your real task will come later, when you
have to do Justice to the corporations and
raise rates in spite of the public clamor
to lower them. The test of public regula
tion will be the ability of public men to
do that and to maintain popular confi
dence in doing it. , ' , -
That Is the more reason that the
Oregon commission should have
given full consideration to all
reasons advanced for revision of its
original order and, if it found that
revision was not justified, should
have told the people so in respectful
terms. A critical stage in establish
ment of the principle of public
regulation had been reached and, In
order that that principle might be
maintained, it was more than usually
nnblican majority into factions was
threatened. Mr. Harding came for- to educate, so as to qualify our boys
ward none too soon, adopted all that and girls for useful life and intelli
waa sound and necessary of the gent work. Whatever will serve to
THE BRITISH PARADOX.
When a people so proud of their
democracy as the British turn out in
their millions to rejoice at the mar
riage of a princess, we wonder at
such devotion to anything that
smacks of monarchy. It is one of
the paradoxes of the British charac
ter, which the Briton explains to
his own satisfaction, and he does
not care whether his reasons satisfy
others. He loves his democracy and
his royal family, both at the same
time.
But there are particular explana
tions for the popularity of Princess
Mary's marriage. She has endeared
herself to the people by her work in
war hospitals and by being a natural,
lovable, clever woman. Her choice
or a husband is popular, both be
cause the match Is believed to have
been made by Jove and because Vis
count Lascelles Is an Englishman
who fought in the war. When Prin
cess Louise, daughter of Queen Vic
toria, married the marquis of Lorne,
she was the first member of the
royal family in modern times to wed
one not of royal blood nor member
of a reigning family, the Innova
tion was welcome, for the people
were weary of seeing Queen Vic
toria's numerous progeny bring
home German princes and prin
cesses, man of whose domains were
o larger tnan an average American
county, and they considered their
own nobility as good as any German
grand duke. The war and the Ger
man revolution ended that custom
once for all, for German royalty is
ow out of a job and on the blacklist.
There being objections to intermar
riage with Catholic dynasties, the
field for matrimony among royal
families is so narrowed that King
George's children perforce look at
ome for mates, and they find the
people better pleased. -
Thi3 is one of the several explana
tions of the contradiction between
tfTe well founded priue or tne British
people in being pioneers of demo
cratic government in Europe and
their devotion to the monarchy.
When King Charles I tried to rule
by divine right," they made war on
him, deposed him and chopped off
his head. When King George V
cheerfully lets them rule, they sing
"God Save the King," all turn out to
his daughter's wedding, stay out all
night in the rain in order not to miss
a glimpse of her, cheer themselves
hoarse arid shower her with gifts.
Though the British people are so
cially divided into classes, the line of
division is not discoverable. This
arises from the . law and custom
which make the younger children
of a peer commoners, the eldest son
alone remaining a lord. These
younger children are still held the
social equals of the eldest, but they
preserve no mark of distinction ex
cept the prefix "honorable to their
names and any that they may ac
quire by public service or favor, and
their children are. plain "Mr.,"
"Mrs." and "Miss," as middle-class
commoners. Thereafter their tise
or fall in rank depends on their own
merits. Many become simple work
men. There is in Oxfordshire a large
family of farmers and farm laborers
whoy can trace their legitimate de
scent from the earl of Warwick, "the
kingmaker." The same rule works
more slowly with younger, members
of the royal family who marry into
the nobility. There are men in
humble circumstances who have
claimed 'legitimate descent from
long dead kings, and some of their-
claims have been substantiated.
Thus no lines of demarcation can be
found, but one class shades off im
perceptibly into another, from roy
alty all the way to the humblest
citizen.
It was far otherwise' In the em
pires that are no more. Germany
was sharply divided into nobles,
merchants, and peasants with whom
workmen were included. All the
sons and descendants of a noble
were noble or "highborn,' though
poor as the proverbial church
mouse. The line must not be crossed I
on . pain of social ostracism, and.)
1 necessary that the commission
should exercise the highest intelli
gence and tact. But the commission
not only denied the petition; it
ridiculed and rebuked the petitioners
for having wasted its time and the
people's money in hearing a case
which it considered weak.
Conceding for the sake of argu
ment all that the commission says
in behalf of Its rate order, a sudden
increase ranging from 30 to 200 per
cent would certainly cause a shock
to the people, and they would ask
for very convincing reasons before
they would be reconciled to It. They
may not have backed up their pro
tests with as great weight of testi
mony as would have been possible
if they had been able to command
as much money And expert knowl
edge as did the telephone company,
The people were confronted with one
among a great league of corporations
Which almost monopolizes the tele
phone business and consequently the
services of the men who are quali
fied to testify regarding it. Against
these were available few men inde
pendent of the company and possess
ing the requisite information and
expert judgment. Tet the people
are rebuked by their own elected
officials for presenting a weak case
against such odds. The commission
should rather have done its utmost
to insure that the case for the people
should be -as fully and skilfully
presented as that for the company.
The commission did not heed the
warning of Roosevelt, Jt so acted
that, while defying public clamor,
it forfeited the public confidence,
which it shorlid have sought to
retain. It was established as a way
of escape from undue exactions of
public corporations on the one hand,
from political corporation-baiting on
the other, as a means of securing
just rates and good service for the
people, a fair, stable Income for the
public utilities. The commissioners
have not only committed political
suicide; they have struck a severe
blow at the system of public regula
tion which they were elected to
administer and safeguard.
A philosophy of the migration of
culture might be written with the
protest of leading' Englishmen
against the exportation of art ob
jects to America as a text. Europe,
being impoverished,, has an oppor
tunity" to turn into cash certain
treasures by selling them to Amer
ica, which has money with which to
buy them. In a way it is part of the
penalty Europe pays for having per
mitted herself to be drawn into a
devastating conflict. Europe's need
is America's opportunity and so far
as we confine our acquisitions to
legitimate purchases in open mar
kets the exchange is fair. Neverthe
less it is Impossible not to sympa
thize to a certain extent with the
point of view of those who would
hold fast to their objects of art. They
oppose readjustment of the cultural
balance because they believe, no
doubt, that they' peed the finer
things of life more than ever before,
and think that these will help them
to readjust themselves in a different
way. Meanwhile, especially for
Europe, it is a hardv question to de
cide, for the temptation of one in
want of actual necessities is strong,
and for such articles as art Ameri
cans are about the only people pos
sessing the means to pay.
BOARD'S PURPOSE MISCONSTRUED
Public Service Commission. Not to
Uphold Public Right or Vrongr.
BOARDMAN. Or., March 2. (To
the Editor.) A state toscin rings for
a public service commission. Great
and small have their thumbs down
for this errant child of the people.
The public service commission in its
rehearing on telephone rates upheld
the decision of its first hearing,
which was in favor of the telephone
company. Hence the call for a re
call. - Did you ever look for the psychol
ogy of this commission? First, it
was born of the people. It was
christened "public- service." It was
nourished from the public breast
with the idea that its life duty was
to serve only the parent which gave
it its life. .That there might be two
sides to a question was "never con
sidered. - We. christened it "public
service," and that service we demand,
though it -robbed to give it.
The commission was conceived
because corporations had no public
soul. The commission was to be the
people's soul within the corporation.
For this soul to give solace to the
corporation is treason, and betrayed
parents demand a sacrifice. Our in
dignation may only be satisfied by
the sight of warm blood, so on with
this recall and death to these -Judases.
The public service commission com
prises the following gentlemen: F. G.
Buchtel, F. A. Williams and H. H
Corey. For two years they studied
the telephone company at "long dis
tance." Fourteen months was given
to hearings and. investigations. The
last two hearings consumed 88 diays.
Four hundred exhibits were displayed
(we don't know what proportion of
this run to hello girls) and 7000 type
written pages of testimony were
taken. The cost to state and cor
poration is $300,000. As an employer
of this commission do" you think they
gave a proper amount of time for
investigation? Did they secure
enough testimony to give a proper
decision? Did they secure too much
testimony to give a proper decision?
Are these commissioners men of
thought or trailers of sheep? Do
tfieyv willfully betray the people or
honestly decide the case from the
evid-ence that is given?
I plead no brief for commission or
corporation but J do plead for fair
play. - If a man be not honest with
himself can he be honest to his neigh
bor? Does an off-hand, thumbs-down
decision contain the thought of 7000
pages of evidence? Ra not thought
centered more on the "exhibit" than
the evidence? We all love and re
spect a fighter. The child has pub
licly spanked the parent. We "see
red" with mortification. To chastise
the child, we must. That we may be
wrong never enters our head. What
of the psychology of this commission
if its parents had christened it "cor
poration service commission"? What's
in a name? Everything. Bring on
the sacrifice if you must, but temper
It with a seasoning of fairness.
S. II. BOARDMAN.
Those Who Come and Go.
Tales of Folks at the Hotel.
More Truth Than Poetry.
,. By James J. Montague.
ARB SCHOOLS KXTRAVACAKT?
Director Woodward Wants td Know
Where to Cut Dot.
PORTLAND, March 3. (To the Edi
tor.) The Oregonian editorial article,
"The Desired Impossible," calls atten
tion to a model five-room flat as
one of the latest educational features
in a new school house recently erect
ed in Brooklyn, N. Y. "
The matter attached is at once
Interesting, if not wholly pertinent.
Directors of school district No. 1
view with much concern the present
financial status of the district. They
have little thought of installing model
flats, their prayer being that the
taxpayers will give to the coming
hundreds of school children, next
autumn, necessary roofs for their
bodies. Swimming pools, let alone
other so-called "frills," have long
since been dismissed from our serious
consideration.
The Item concerning gymnasia
and the inference that such a build
ing in a rural district is hardly
necessary Is only measurably true in
Oregon's cUmate, where the suitable
exercise of several hundred children
as a part of the daily school exercise
in this climate, through the winter
months, is seldom possible (although
required under state law), uniformly
out of doors.
The writer sincerely requests that
The Oregonian set forth tentatively
the extravagances of onr school dis
trict, during the past five years, for
instance, and tuggestions as to what
properly might be lopped off at the
present time.
He speak ; in all sincerity when he
declares that the present members of
the board are deeply, Blncerely of a
common mind in seeKing out true
economy and common sense in our
school administration.
WILLIAM F. WOODWARD.
Director. 1
Sometimes one must grin and ad
mire a lawyer. ," A fellow convicted
for forgery and "paroled because an
officer is waiting to take him to
California has what appears a good
defense against extradition when his
attorney asserts he cannot leave the
state on 'account of the parole given
him.
The six-day law must be invoked
on that Salem hen that lays two
eggs- every day. She is violating
every rule of the egg layers' union
and helping depress a market to
two bits a dozen now.
WHY FEW ARE ASKED TO RIDE
Not Only Bother, Bnt Liability In Case
of Accident Influences Drivers.
PORTLAND, March 3. (To the Edi
tor.) The Oregonian recently car
ried an editorial raising the question
as to why drivers of autos with
empty seats so seldom offer a lift to
pedestrians.
It is the guess of one of these
drivers that the answer is compound
ed of many elements. A too large
part is to be ascribed to a lack of
the miik of human kindness. We
do not like to unbutton our curtains
on a cold, windy morning, or we have
again and again had the experience
that the passenger we hftve picked
up falls to rebutton them either when
he gets in or when he gets out.
Then there is another reason which
puts the auto owner on his guard.
If he asks the pedestrian to riae, ne
the auto owner, Is liable, under our
Oregon law, for any damage which
may result to the passenger in case
or accident.
A well-known resident of Portland
has but recently been the defendant
in a suit for damages in the sum of
$75,000, where a pedestrian whom he
had Invited to ride was injured in a
subsequent collision. The existence
of this law Is not calculated to fur
ther the practice of helping the other
fellow which The Oregonian contends
for, since the auto owner is compelled
to provide insurance as well as trans
portation whenever he tenders the
latter.
I believe the repeal or modification
of this law would help to solve tha
problem. GEORGE C. HOWARD.
J "Panama and Colombia, Central
America, are all right for anyone who
likes a hot climate, says B. E. Ken
nedy, who is in Portland on his way to
eastern Oregon after three years in the
canal zone and Colombia. "If a person
can get in the trade winds he remains
reasonably comfortable, but other
wise the weather is too hot for the
average individual. And speaking of
rain, when it rains in .Panama the
cloudbursts of eastern Oregon are
like mist. I have seen it rain four
inches in ten minutes. In the wet
season your , shoes are covered with
mildew over night and your clothing
is soggy. One way of overcoming
this is to place garments in a closet
which is heated." Mr. Kennedy says
that there is the richest kind of min
ing property in Colombia, the proper
ties being richer than anything he
has ever seen In the Baker district.
The gold is not being taken out very
rapidly as no one is willing to do to
day what can be put off until to
morrow. For about a year Mr. Ken
nedy was in the government service
in Panama. Once upon a time Mr.
Kennedy was proprietor of the Baker
Herald and later pwned extensive
wheat lands In Alberta. He came to
Portland, became interested in poli
tics, associating with the progressive
republicans, and was the "bull moose"
candidate for secretary of state.
John Bentley, a pioneer of Uma
tilla county, Is seriously 111 at the
Perkins. So grave is his condition
that relatives have been sent for. Mr.
Bentley, who was 81 years old last
month, became suddenly ill upon re
ceipt of a message stating that his
brother, at Modesto, Cal., was dying.
The brother, 95 years old, expired
about an hour after Mr. Bentley re
ceived word of his failing. A nephew
telegraphed Mr. Bentley, at the Per
kins, to . hurry to Modesto, but the
Pendletonlan replied that he was not
physically able at the time. The news
of his brother's fatal illness appar
ently brought on the illness of John
Bentley. Mrs. M. N. Blumenstaadt
of Rainier, a daughter, arrived at the
Perkins yesterday and R. N. Bentley
of Pendleton, a nephew, has also ar
rived. John Bentley went to Pen
dleton when the town was little more
than a settlement and was active in
public life there. He was a sheriff
of Umatilla county and chief of police
of Pendleton. For years he has al
ways been given star No. 1 of the
Pendleton police, as a sort of compli
ment. Recently he has been in the
insurance business.
The dozen or so irrigation projects
scattered around Oregon will be in
terested in learning that the bonds
of the Crook county irrigation dis
trict No. 1 have been disposed of at
par. So far as known, this is the
first instance where irrigation se
curities In this state have commanded
par price. Some of the bonds were
sold and others will be accepted at
par for installation of the system. The
project embraces about 1536 acres and
the total cost will be in the neighbor
hood of $150,000, according to Denton
G. Burdick of Redmond, Or.
State Senator Hare of Washington
county, who organized a sort of "west
side bloc" in the legislative session of
1919 when a member of the lower i
house, is in the city attending to
business in the federal court. Senator
Hare has been mentioned as a pros
pective candidate for representative
in the first congressional district, du
declares that his plans do not includ
such a thing at least for the present
When the, 1925 fair was being debated
in the senate in the special session
Senator Hare was one of the strong
est advocates o the exposition pro
gramme.
r Weather, erood or bad, starts at As
toria. Sam Webb of that city confided
to the clerk at the Hotel Portland
yesterday. According to Mr. Webb, a
real estate operator, the bad weather
is over and good weather is now about
ready to start in. About lo minutes
after this prediction a young gale
was sweeping the street intersection
outside of the hotel, playing pranks
with short skirts and reducing um
brellas to wrecks.
Ernest E. Hyland of Oakridge on
the upper waters of the Willamette
river, is registered at the Hotel Ore
gon. Oakridge was located on the
old military road between Eugene and
Klamath Falls and the forestry bu
reau is desirous of having this road
improved under the name of Willam
ette highway. Lane county has about
$200,000 of road bonds voted for the
development of the road.
- THE FAINT HEART.
Half a dozen blackbuhds 1
In the apple tree,
Jes' about ernough to make
A pie fo' me.
. Go an' git de musket
Off de pantry ho oik
Fix de fat an' flouh. -Ready
fo' to cook.
Amble thoo de orchahd,
Stickin' near de ground,
Blackbuhd he aint stay dere
Ef I makes a sound.
Gittin' nigh en nigher.
Quiet as er ghost,
Buhds is busy talkln
En I comes right clost.
Musket to mah shoulder
Pointin' towahd de sky.
Golly goodness gracious!
I kin taste dat pie!
Blackbuhds cock they haids up,
Lookin' mighty cute.
Right laik pickanninnies.
En I jes' cain't shoot!
Home I goes to dinner
Feeyn' soht o' beat,
A mess o' fat an' flouh
All I got to eat.
Blackbuhds know dls nlggah
. Got er chicken heaht;
Glory goodness, mister.
But dem fowls am smaht!
Only Exchange Value.
Tou can buy 3600 rubles for a dol
lar, but we wouldn't adviso you to
do it.
"
Bad Sign.
We always suspected our statesmen
were getting superannuated, and now
we find them, in their second child
hood, playing with blocs.
The Exception.
Tou can get used to almost any
thing except an income tax.
(Copyright by the Hell Syndicate, Inc.)
Burroughs Nature Club.
Copyright, Housnton-Mlfflln Co.
' Postmaster Jones gives good ser
vice in telling the closing hours for
early evening mails. Those are the
kind of things people want to know.
Pronunciation of Names.
OREGON CITY, Or., March 2. (To
the Editor.) What is the correct way
to pronounce Lascelles, English sur
name: also Curie, a person of that
I name who is a well-known scientist of
Lascelles La-selz, "a" as in "cat,'
accent on second syllable.
Curie Ku-re. - Both ' vowels havo
long sound, accent on second syllable.
Mayor Gates of Medford elimin
ated himself from the race for govr
ernor, though Gates was, a name to
conjure with.
Ever notice the loafers wjbo stand
in sheltered spots at the city canyon
corners when a gale is blowing?
The fourth week is ending and
Portland stiil lacks much on Its
chest.
Shoo, flu; rain's here!
Address of Rockefeller.
BEND, Or., March 2. (To the Edi
tor.) Will you please give me the
address of John D; Rockefeller?
P. P.
Pocantico Hills, Tarry town, N. Y.
Carl J. Hackland of Cove, Or., Is
among the arrivals at the Perkins
Cove is a little-known community in
eastern Oregon in the northern part
of Union counts. It. is located in
fruit belt and is the , shipping point
for fruit and berry growers, the prod
uct being transported to the main line
of the Union Pacific system at Island
City.
Governor Hart of Washington was
registered at the Imperial yesterday,
but immediately left for Vancouver,
which is within his own domain.
J R. F. Servaes, marine Insurance
agent of San Francisco, is registered
at the Benson.
Eligibility to Soldier's Loan.
PORTLAND, March 3. (To the Edi
tor.) I have been a citizen of Ore
gon for 14 years and own city prop
erty, but enlisted from the state of
Washington, served over seas and
drew bonus from Washington. Would
I be able to get Oregon bonus loan
from the state? READER.
A person In order to obtain the loan
must be "fully qualified" to . receive
either loan or bonus. You would be
qualified to receive only the differ
ence between the Washington and
Oregon bonus, provided the former
was less than the latter, and therefore
not entitled to loan. This is only an
opinion. Better write to the world
war veterans' state aid commission,
Salem, to make sure.
Indian Lands In California.
ASHLAND, Or., March 2. (To the
Editor. Please advise if there are
any Indian lands in Siskiyou county
for sale. Also advise the name of
the agency to write to regarding
them. . D. A. A.
Write to United States land office,
Sacramento, Cal.
Cnn Yon Answer These Questions?
1. What is meant by "eclipse
plumage" in description of birds?
2. As watermelon does best in a
dry soil, why does it contain so much
more moisture than other fruit and
vegetables?
3. For what Is the wool of South
Dakota and Wyoming used? Local
merchants tell me it is not used for
clothing, as wool for that purpose is
imported.
Answers in tomorrow's nature notes.
Answers to Previous Questions.
1. Does the wild turkey ever drum
like a grouse?
No. Its wings make a loud swish
ing noise in flight, but it does not
drum by fanning the air grouse-style.
The wild turkey has a loud vocal note
and does not need to resort to drum
ming to summon a mate.
2. Is the arbutus tree of British
Columbia evergreen? Does it bloom?
Yes; we suppose you mean arbutus
menzipsii, pursh., commonly called
madrona. The flowers grow In
racemes, with terminal clusters from
5 to 6 inches long. The fruit ripens
in the autumn, is bright orange-red
and is liked by the Indians of the
locality.
3. Due to some hot discussion, I
want to know if a rattlesnake will
conceal itself in a banana stalk or
make its home there?
Rattlesnakes in different parts o
the country have different hablta
Those of the north commonly fre
quent ledgy mountainous ground, but
in the south swampy ground, cane
brakes, etc., may be preferred for a
habitat. Ditmars' "The Reptile Book
mentions a diamond-backed rattle-
snaKe or tsoutn Carolina that was
known to make a. home in a hollo
stump. There are some varieties o
rattlesnakes in Central and South
America, and possibly in a region
where banana trees grow, an Individ
ual might make a retreat in a tree
We cannot lay down any general
rule here.
High Lights
on
The Snuday Oregonian
Tomorrow
In Other Days.
Twenty-Five Years Ago.
From The Oregonian of March 4. JS!7.
Washington. On the eve of the
final adjournment of the 54th con
gress, the house voted, 193 to 37, to
override President Cleveland's veto
of tha immigration bill.
President-elect McKinley's cabinet
was completed with the addition of
Cornelius N. Bliss of New York as
secretary of the Interior.
San Francisco. The supreme court
this afternoon affirmed the decision
of the lower. court in the case of
Theodore Durrant, found guilty of the
murder of Blanche Lam on t in
Emanuel church, two years ago.
Lewi-s W. Robertson, chief of the
Portland police department, has re
signed.
Claiming that the new exponent of
modern journalism Is too racy and
naughty, the Portland Library asso
elation ordered the San Francisco
Examiner taken off its list.
Mining Assessment Extension.
PORTLAND, March 3. (To the Edi
tor.) Was the time limit for assess
ment work on mineral claims ex
tended until July of succeeding year
instead of January 1 as formerly?
, MiNER.
It was.
Transportation of Connty Officers.
BEND, Or., March 2. (To the Edi
tor.) Would anyone working in a
county office b entitled to free rail
way transportation under the inter
state commerce law? W. S.
No. -
Type of Hawthorne Bridge.
BEND, Or., March 2. -To the Edi
tor.) How does the Hawthorne-street
bridge open? Is the draw elevated or
is it a swing? This is to settle a bet.
COUI LE OF NUTS.
It is a lift bridge.
Date 'of Lusltanla Sinking.
PRESCOTT, Or., March 2. (To the
Editor.) Please let us know the date
of the sinking of the Lusitania.
CONSTANT READER.
May 7, 1915. -
Fifty' Years Ago.
From The Oregonian of March 4. 1872.
The Plank Road company is propos
ng to build a road from Portland to
WilkinS' place 12 miles away.
Tonight Shakespeare's great drama
of "King Lear" will be -produced at
the Oro Fino theater.
New York. A dispatch says a strike
occurred at Columbia, S. C, among
the postoffice laborers there, because
he superintendent prescribes ten
hours as a day's work.
Prescott, Ariz. At Mineral park
camp where there are 500 miners,
there was not one day's- rations of
anything except wheat and corn in
the ear, intended for horse feed. The
Iridians are destitute and are stealing
stock and threatening to attack the
town.
Educational Aid for Service Men.
PORTLAND, March 3. (To the Edi
tor.) I am an ex-service man and
am taking advantage of the state
aid for vocational training. I am
taking a course that requires the
purchase of instruments. In a local
paper a few days ago it was stated
that the state would allow $800 for
vocational training. I will use about
$400. and want to know if the stats
will allow me the other $400 to pur
chase the instruments with. A. H. M.
Soldiers obtaining vocational aifi
are not entitled to a specific sum
The law names three maximums not
more than $25 a month for not to
exceed eight months in any one year
for not longer than four years may i
be paid by the state in the soldier'!
behalf. The executive head of ths
institution you are attending should
able to explain to you your rights
dcr the law.
inE
Jbe
I un
IN THE MAGAZINE
The Romance of the
Girl on the Dollar
How the face that to the
world symbolizes peace,
stands for love and faith to
the strugKlino; sculptor who
has won fame at last.
Old-Pashioned
Girl's Triumph
"Bobbed hair passe," eayt
fashion, and the long-haired
lass laughs, but an eminent
doctor tells how scientific
ally to reprow locks . that
havo been clipped.
Another of Those
Exclusive Stories
"The Culvert" by J. J. Bell,
which is the fiction feature
for tomorrow, is fully up to
tho high standard of prev
ious stories. Never printed
before.
News of World
Seen by Camera
More of those interesting
pictures of persons and
events in the news.
Loom and Spinning
Wheel Little Alike
The development of the in
dustry of. weaving and how
Oregon is taking its place
as a center for wool and
wool products.
Curious Tangle of
Second Alarriage
Failures
How a chain of divorces in
three prominent families has
raised the question whether
a man who has brought
unhappiness to one wife can
bring happiness to another.
The Purity of
Our Nation's Food
What has been wrought
within 15 years by the
bureau of chemistry of the
department of agriculture.
OTHER FEATURES
James J. Alontague's
Humorous Feature
One of the products of this
famous humorist's facile
typewriter will appear in
The Sunday Oregonian.
Bridge Whist
Popular Column
The latest news. and inter
esting problems relating to
this popular game are
treated.
Special Department
for Radio Fans
The news and gossip for
radiophone users has
aroused wide interest. Look
for it tomorrow.
Literary Gossip
and Book Reviews
The latest in books is told
in comments, including "The
Literary reriscope.
For the Chess
and Checker Fans
There is a special depart
ment which works out some
interesting problems and
gives the latest news.
Dean Straub, Pioneer
of University Campus
How this well-known edu
cator has endeared himself
to hundreds of students of
-the University of Oregon
during his many years there.
Road Building Brings
New Era at Coos Bay
Many students who formerly
had to go to school by boat
may soon travel the new
highways in that section.
Sporting Features
Are the Best
by Robert Edgren and Jock
Hutchison, considered two
of the best sports writers
in the country.
Baseball News From
the Training Camp
is now being sent by Harry
Grayson, former sport
writer on The Oregonian.
L. H. Gregory, sports editor,
is now en route to Pasadena.
And Then There Is
the Comic Section
With "Polly and Her Tals"
and numerous other features
of interest to old and young.
MANY OTHER
FEATURES
The Oregonian
Leads the West
for the variety of its depart
ments and news features
'catering to all classes, of
readers. There are the so
ciety, clubs and fashion
departments for the woman ;
business, financial and real
estate features for the busi
ness man; school news for
the young people; and
automobile, moving picture,
theater and magazine feat
ures for all members of the
family.
All the news of all the world
The Sunday Oregonian
Jnst 5 Cents