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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 18, 1922)
8 THE 3IOBXIXG OREGONIAX, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1922 ESTABLISHED BY HENRY L. PITTOCK Published by The Oregonlaa Pub. Co., Hi SUttb. Street, Portland. Oregon. C. A. MOKDE.1, El B. PIPER, Manager, Editor. The Oregonlan is a member at the As sociated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for publi cation of all news dispatches credited to it or not otherwise credited in this paper and also the local news published herein. All rights of publication of special dia patches herein are also reserved. Subscription Rates Invariably in Advance. (By Mail.) Daily, Sunday included, one year . . . .IS 00 Daily, Sunday included, six months . . 4.115 Daily, Sunday included, tlftee months 2.25 Daily, Sunday included, one month -T5 Daily, without Sunday, ones-ear 6.00 Daily, without Sunday, six months .. 3.25 Daily, without Sunday, one month . . . .60 Sunday one year 2.60 (By Carrier.) Dally, Sunday Included, one year $9.00 Daily, Sunday Included, three months 3.25 DaUy, Sunday included, one month. .. .75 Daily, without Sunday, one year .... 7.80 D,aily, without Sunday, three months 1.95 Daily, without Sunday, one month ... .65 How to Rftnlt Send postofflce money order, express or personal check on your loeal bank. Stamps, coin or currency are at owner's risk. Give postofflce address in full, including county and state. Postage Rates 1 to 16 pages, 1 cent: 18 to 32 pages. 2 cents; 84 to 48 pages. 3 cents; 50 to 64 pages, 4 cents: 66 to 80 pages, 5 cents; 82 to 96 pages, 6 cents. Eastern Business Offices Verree & Conklln, 300 Madison avenue. New York: Verree & Conklin, Steger Building, Chi cago; Verree & Conklln, Free Press build ing, Detroit, Mich.; Verree sc Conklin. Monadnock building, San Francisco. Cal. DOC. PIERCE'S GOLDEN MEDICAL DISCOVERY. Candidate Pierce has wandered from one end of the state to the other telling the taxpayer how ill he is looking. Doubtless the tax payer is not feeling very chipper, particularly when he reaches into the pocket where his money ought to be. But if any taxpayer was feeling first rate on any of these bright fall mornings, he is nicely over it by this time under the sug gestive psychology of Candidate Pierce. Now Mr. Pierce' offers his af flicted fellow citizens a solemn compact. If they will make him governor he will try to reduce taxes. For a perfectly concrete $7500 job he will trade an unex plained scheme to save public money. Mr. Pierce has had ample oppor tunity to show his ability to reduce taxes. He was a member of the 19"i7 and 1919 legislatures. Tax re duction had been a political de mand and a political promise be fore that. In 1914 it was a definite issue in the campaign. Candidates for the legislature in large majority specifically pledged themselves to reduce state taxation by consolidat ing departments and removing duplications in state activities. They were elected on that issue, but they did not do it. Yet the furore over economy, confined though it was to talk and unkept promises, extended into the years that Mr. Pierce served in the law-making body, and he was the biggest spender of all among the promisers of economy. Those later years of Mr. Pierce's service in the. state senate saw the beginnings of the larger elements of the. present excessive state tax burden. The state taxes of, 1922 aggre gate $9,376,289. - Of this total $1,429,125 is repre sented by millage taxes of which Mr. Pierce is himself the author. The further sum of $4,294,163 i3 levied by millage tax laws for which Mr. Pierce -oted. A further sum of $1,819,946 is represented in appropriations for purposes which Mr. Pierce ap proved by his vote in 1917 and 1919. A still further sum of $J, 020, 804 is raised by a millage tax law which Mr. Pierce openly supported. Thus has Mr. Pierce, who com plains of the excessive burden of state taxes, been .responsible as much as one individual and legis lator could be, for 92 per cent of the total tax levy of 1922 or $8, 564,039. Most of the remaining 8 per cent he did not get a chance to vote on. Mr. Pierce also weeps with the farmer over the cost of county government. The salaries of county officials and in many Instances the number of their deputies and the deputies salaries are fixed by legis lative enactment. Mr. Pierce was a member of the 1903, 1905, 1917 and 1919 legisla tures. In those sessions he voted for sixty-one bills increasing county salaries or creating new offices oi deputyships, involving nearly 200 positions. Had Mr. Pierce had his own way, the tax burden on farms and other tangible property would have been heavier than they are now. He proposed a measure to exempt from taxation money, notes and ac counts, buch property pays in taxes upwards of $1,000,000 a vear. Had his measure been adopted that $1,000,000 would have been trans. ferred to other property princi pally land and the owners would pay it Mr. Pierce Is also the author of a plan to give everybody who asks for It a state job. ' He proposed to start tnis Russian soviet scheme by expropriating a ' large part of the accumulations the prudent citi zen makes to care- for his family alter he is dead. Another of his schemes was to raise the present 4-mill road tax another mill, a lift of $1,000,000 a year in tax money. - He was the author of a scheme to build a new penitentiary at a cost of $400,000. we lathered a bill to pay the state highway commission $12,000 a year, when men of the highest type were serving on that body wnnout remuneration, and still are He sought to bring Into Oregon the non-partisan league, that pre cious North Dakota aggregation win its socialistic schemes for breaking the back of the taxpayer, were you have indeed a golden medical discovery. Work early and late to pile up taxes until the prop erty owner is sick unto death. Then sell him a four-year treatment sight unseen for $7500 per. consolidation of the American Child Hygiene society and the Child Health Organization of America, with the purpose of co-ordinating all voluntary efforts In their field, will serve to call attention to re. sulta accomplished in a campaign which deserves to rank amono; the outstanding educational events of the past half century. Secretary Hoover's estimate that reduction of the infant mortality rate from J 6 per 1000 birth In 191s to 7 in 1922 has been due almost wholly "to general jmblio agitation, to vol untary effort and to conviction of the public of the righteousness of definite courses of action" is likely to accelerate the movement to pro. mote child welfare everywhere. It is significant also that Mr. Hoover insists that effort shall be "built upon the solid rock of inspiration in the local community to its re sponsibility, and not on the shifting sands of over - centralization." Which is but another way of saying that, in this as in other movements for the public welfare, the Lord helps them that help themselves. ATTACKING A MONOPOLY. The resolution of an Illinois Methodist ' Episcopal conference that it support' by every Vawful means, the efforts of their Metho dist breUi?es to establish a church of that denominatsm in Zif)15 City, 111., shows appreciation"c-f the fun damental issues involved. Metho dists,' it appeared from . testimony submitted to the conference, had sought freedom of worship in the community established by Dowie and over which one Voliva now as sumes a dictatorial control. They were unable to resist the physical forces arrayed against them and were compelled to leave Zion City to avoid mistreatment. The moral support of the denomination in a more determined attempt to estab lish their rights was asked for by the banished ones. The monopoly whch it is thus sought to destroy by legal methods is of the same kind as that which has made difficult the problem of the Americanization of immigrants from foreign lands. The tendency to form racial colonies, from which the members of all other races are in practice excluded, has been frowned en by all thoughtful stu dents of the immigration problem. It was this which led to the virtual exclusion of the Doukhoubors from parts of Canada and which makes the members of that sect unwel come in the United States. The Dowie theory that physical owner ship of a townsite gives its owners power to regulate the religious practices of those who dwell .with in its boundaries is again on trial. Bishop Thomas Nicholson of Chicago indicates the nature of the real issue when he says that it is a fight for private rights and the privileges of citizenship. In con tending that it is intolerable that in any community in the United States any group should be prevented from the exercise of free worship he strikes at an abuse which some of us believed had been eradicated long ago. Undoubtedly the same right which the Zionists asserted when they established the queer church over which Voliva now reigns is possessed in equal meas ure by all others, wherever they may reside- This is a principle that the followers of the prophet of a flat world disregard at the peril of no one more than themselves. WEATHER "SIGNS." First in the field with a weather prophecy for the coming winter is Pennsylvania trapper, who says that the whole country is in for a long, cold season. If he had not committed himself for the United States as a whole, he would be safe enough; there are a few sections where a long, cold winter can al ways be safely counted on. It was on this theory that the old- fashioned "farmer's almanac" fel- ows used to operate. "About this time look out for snow and cold" was a safe enough prediction at certain times of the year, provided oil didn't localize your forecast within too strict limits. And win ters over a good part of the coun try are apt to be attended by cold and snow which, to people who don't like that kind of thing, makes them seem long. The old notion was that a late spring would be followed by severe winter. It had its origin in some one's attempt to co-ordinate and nterpfet the statistics of a series of years, but the weather bureau has recently been doing that after a much more accurate method than formerly prevailed and it has dis covered that a late spring no more means a severe' winter than an early one does. Weather inclines to variation of course, and any man with a good memory who is able to recall that no two seasons are ever exactly alike is warranted in assuming that if we had a certain kind last year we are pretty sure to have another variety in the win; ter to come. But weather consists of a large number of factors. It is possible to experience successive winters which in no way resemble one another, yet will provoke millions of complaints. The safest thing one can predict is that the season, whatever it is, will not give universal satisfaction. The prophets had their chance in the fall of 1921. About the usual proportion forecast a "long, cold winter," and, taking the country as a whole, we had one. The law of probabilities ought to give us at least a shorter and a milder one for 1922-3. Since the Pennsylvania seer was first heard from he has re ceived the support of others who, if they cannot claim priority, at least have the merit that they give their reasons for the faith that is in them. One says that he has ob served that corn shucks are heavier this fall than usual; another re marks that he "never knew it to fail" that when fur-bearing ani mals have pelts of superior gloss and richness the ensuing winter is a rigorous one. These are old signs." They belong in the class of the goosebone of Indian George, the earlier-than-customary m4gra. tion of fish, the big .hazelnut crop. the early shedding of the leaves of the oak. Seldom do ' the "'signs' tell the same story. There ought to be a convention of long-distance weather prophets for the purpose of standardizing their lore. It is true enough that trappers are re porting exceptionally fine furs this season, but those of us who have been nut-hunting are not going to lay in any extra supply of fuel on the strength of what we found. The truth probably is that ant male are no better forecasters than men are, beyond ft few days or hours. It is wholly possible that some of them are highly sensitive to ' fcarometrlo changes, - such a those which indicate the approach of a storm, but they are not as re liable in that regard as the instru ments of precision which scientists have-jDeen able to perfect. As to the more diBtant future, there is no evi dence that will bear the test of laboratory conditions that any of theif pets are governed by the gift of elimatie prophecy. The beaver, the otter and the minK develop in fur In seasons which are favorable to the well-being of those of their kind, and not because.they are go ing to need an extra-warm coat next January. Squirrels lay by additional stores of nuts when nuts are plenti ful, and the fact that they often do so unnecessarily will be attested by any country boy who has come upon their unused stores. About all the animals know is that the weather is or has been good, bad or indifferent, and all that is proved by their acts relates to the past and the present, and not to the future at all. Forecasting on the other hand which is founded on the so-called law of probabilities is mere guess work, albeit somewhat refined. The mathematical long-distance fore casters are cousins of the man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo, with about an equal chance of guessing right. CANADA'S DISCRIMINATIVE TARIFF. Occasion for the discretion granted by the new tariff law to the president to retaliate against nations which discriminate against the United States is found in the tariff of Canada. That country has three tariffs the lowest on goods from Great Britain, the intermedi ate on goods from British possess ions, from nations which have com mercial treaties and from those to which most-favored-nation treat ment is guaranteed by treaty, and the highest on goods from all other nations. Having no commercial treaty with Canada, the United States is subject to the highest tariff. In order to get the benefit of the intermediate tariff, imports must be carried without tranship ment to a sea or river port of Canada. Thus Canadian railroads and ports get the business, for if it should be landed at an American port and shipped by an American railroad across the border, it would pay the maximum tariff. The example of buttons from Japan will illustrate the manner in which this arrangement works against Portland and other Ameri can v ports. If Japanese .buttons should be shipped to Vancouver, B. (?., for a Canadian buyer, .the duty would be 30 per cent, but If shipped to Portland and trans shipped from here to Canada, they would pay 35 per cent; so would American buttons. On buttons from Great Britain the duty is 22 per cent.. Mr. Harding has power to induce Canada to correct this arrangement and to put American goods on an equality with those of other coun tries, and American ports on an equality with those of Canada so far as the tariff is concerned. When he finds that any country discrim inates against American products, he may raise the duty on products of the offending country as much as 50 per cent or may entirely ex clude them. This may be done by proclamation giving thirty days' notice. Canada would be a good place to begin exercise of this power. The railroads of that country enjoy great privileges in the United States. They extend into American territory and gather American ex ports for shipment from Canadian ports by Canadian ships. Imports for the United States are cacried by Canadian ships to. Canadian ports and are hauled in bond by Cana dian railroads into American terri tory, duty not being paid till they reach their destination. Through the joint ownership of Canadian railroads and steamship lines, they are able to reduce through rates below the level that is permitted to American roads, which are forbid den by law to own ships and cannot offset a high rail rate with a low ocean rate. To permit railroads to own shipping lines is contrary to American policy, but congress should certainly withdraw the priv ileges enjoyed by Canadian roads when Canada discriminates against American goods and ports. THE I. W. tV. STRIKE. There is no room for misunder standing as to the strike on the Portland water front. It was started by the I. W. W. with the ad of radical members of the longshore men's union for the purpose, of breaking up the amicable arrange- ment'by which the -former strike was ended last June. This strike is not designed to secure fair wages or working conditions, thereby to promote harmony between employ ers and longshoremen and, to facili tate business. It is designed to' pre vent work on ships and to destroy business. Nor is that all. Every I. W. W. strike isv designed to render operation' of industry under the ex. isting economic system impossible and to compel the owners to aban don their property to their em nloves. that it mav be oneraterl hv the latter on the syndicalist plan which does not differ much from the soviet plan, which has wrecked the industries of Russia. The pro gramme goes farther. Seizure of industry is intended to be followed by seizure of the government. If that should, be accomplished, the I. W. W. would have reached their heaven, which other people would not be able to distinguish from the other place. From the day when the neutral hiring hall was opened, I. W. W. members went there not to obtain work but to prevent, work. Foul abuse of men who accepted employ ment, quarreling, fighting, drunken ness, refusal to work when called upon were their common practices, with the intention of intimidating other men from work. The manage ing committee recognized them as what they were agitators to de feat the very purpose for which the hall was established. When a rush of work came about the middle of September, the managing committee, was compelled to recruit men on the streets, while many loafed in the.hall refusing to accept jobs. In order to stop the con spiracy against work, the commit tee on October 5 adopted rules ex cluding I. W. W. members from work and agitators from the hall, and requiring men who desired to work to register. - The longshoremen's association, in which the I. W. W. had been gaining influence by constant agi tation, rejected these rules as "un just and unsatisfactory" and asked that they be abolished, also that two of Its members whom the man". aglng committee had hired to dis patch men to work be replaced by "direct representatives of the union, paid by the union," though Its own representative on the managing committee had participated in their election. The employers' union re- I imeu w yieia ana on ootober 13, at the direct instigation of the I. W. W., a meeting of the longshore men's association ,was called and held that afternoon without notice to the members at work on ships. Only 147 of the 635 members at tended and these men by a vote of 143 to 4 i voted to strike that day. , This is a fine example of minor ity rule established by rush action. That is the kind of rule for which the I. W. W. stands. It had been defeated at a former, well attended meeting, so it forced a decision by the non-workers while the workers were at work, and now it seeks to bind all to this snap decision by its customary methods of picketing, banner-bearing, verbal abuse and personal violence. It calls on all the labor unions of Portland to endorse such a strike, brought about and continued by such methods. There is abundant room in Port land for. unions of workers who stand, up for th'eir conception of right and which, when a contro versy is settled, make a contract, abide . by it and work faithfully. There is no room in Portland for the I. W. W., for it is not a union of workers, but a union of wreck ers. There is no room for it any where in the United States, for it is a treasonable conspiracy to de stroy the government of the re public by force against the will of the majority. Its method of attack on the longshoremen's union is typical of its method of disrupting unions until they come under its control and become a tool of revo lution. Its pretense that it stands for free speech is false, for it seeks to terrify all who oppose it into silence and submission. It scorns the ballot as a means of deciding public questions, for that is an in strument of majority rule the fundamental principle of American government and the I. W. W. strives to establish the rule of its own minority. If it should succeed, then woe to the man or woman who dares to speak or write against it. The rule of the kaiser would be mild by comparison, as the rule of the I. W. W.'s twin, the Russian soviet, has proved. Strikes like that on the waterfront are merely the first stage of its campaign of destruction. According to the laws of Oregon, it is a crime even to be a member of the I. W. W., and no half meas ure should be taken with it. The mayor does well to put police on guard against its pickets, whose argument is the blackjack when no one is watching, and the policemen chosen should be men of proved loyalty and courage, with no soft ness for those who falsely pretend to speak for labor. This is no strike to obtain fair terms for labor; it is a strike against work where justice is amply secured, a strike against industry, and in its ultimate pur pose a strike against the American form of government. Not less improbable ,than ful fillment of the prophecy: "Fear no, till Birnam wood do come to Dunsinane" seems the removal of an entire town of a thousand peo ple to another town, but that proves true in the removal of Jennings, Mich., to Cadillac. Prece dents are not lacking in the history of the west. When the Northern Pacific railroad was building west ward, an entire town moved for ward with the construction gang, and some townsites were platted and lots sold at the halting places, only to be left without a house when the end of track moved west. But Jennings is not that kind of town. As part of Cadillac it may have a larger life and grow as its other half grows. The Turks announce that vio lators of their prohibition law will be punished by 49 lashes, three months in prison and a fine of 60 to 300 Turkish pounds. All the bootleggers will agree that these atrocities must be stopped. If any other evidence were needed that Sunday is no longer a day of rest, a glance at the Monday morning list of casualties from hunting and automobiling ought to convince the mosskeptlcal. For one seeking a phrase ex. pressive of extreme velocity, how would "fast as the decline of a German mark" do? As a simile for "not worth a" rap" the mark is already in current use. Judge Gary says that it has been demonstrated that "safety first" is a paying proposition. But we need another argument to make it im pressive, judging from recent re sults. Between the cotffity commission ers, the welfare bureau and the community chest,- the poor of the county should be well cared for and the "overhead" not allowed to lan guish. Why doesn't Walter come out and say that the real reason for his candidacy for governor is not to reduce taxes, but to provide Jobs for Oregon's deserving democrats? The Turks announce that they will establish prohibition immedi ately in Eastern Thrace. We begin to see why Britain was so anxious to keep them out. ' When the rider of a motorcycle is injured in collision, people who have seen some of them go think of the law of compensation. Some of the crossings need a traffic officer early in the day. when many are going to work and delivery cars are lively. But why worry about the cas ualty lists of the next war when we have the hunting season right here at home? Do people here realize the Pa cific International is one of the few big "cattle shows" of the country? The pedestrian can guide himself through straight traffic, but the right-angled turns bother him. The "punkin" is looking for frost any time and the fodder feels shocking. Has that Wlnburn check been cashed or is it Just "Exhibit A"? So far we have read of more hunters shot than deer. Mathilda MoCormlclf la In nrlnt ;ealn. No cards yet. The Listening Post." By DeWJtt Harry. Builders of homes are demanding more in the way of property. They no longer want a bare, level lot. Shrubbery can be arranged for, but trees big, tall ones are hard to create in a few months. Therefore trees are becoming an asset Which brings us back to the days when the entire site of the city must have been forest , Where did the trees goj In all likelihood when they were carving; a home out of the wilder ness trees were ' net esteemed as now, when they are somewhat scarce. But some wise old first citizens left a few standing' so that we can have some idea of what the city might have looked like. Then clear spaces were the desire there was too much of the forest primeval. Who could have fore seen this day and age? . Rural Oregon banks hold soms large stocks of coin, according to their annual statements that have to be published by law. It must be a temptation for the yegg to read of hundreds of thousands of dollars stored away in some out-of-the-way spot. . Grocers will tell you that theirs is a carefully managed business. To make it pay they must cut every possible cost corner. Efficiency is their watchword, yet there are many who think that this is an easy way to make a living. Unequipped and untrained, Tack ing in many cases sufficient capital, they expect to rush in where many an angel has failed and make a suc cess. In some sections of the city groceries are as plentiful as fleas on a hound. To gain business they cut prices to the bone and hurt everyone nearby. Pitiful in the ex treme are some of these battles for survival, when, the venturesome pro prietors are foredoomed to failure. Modern merchandising takes train ing and experience 'It's not a game for easy money. , Christinas is not so far away. The ships are landing many huge cases from far lands filled with the holi day toys and cheer. In this glad season America turns to all coun tries for her toys. The "made in Germany," or Japan, or Austria sign promises to be almost as com mon this year as before the war. This by way, of acknowledgment of the horse chestnut received a few days ago. Sprawled in the shade of a big maple, two men silently watched an old covered wagon drawn by two mules rattle down the highway. One was the old fisherman and the other was Ike, an old homesteader. "Seeing that outfit," said the old angler, "reminds me when I first came in this country. It was back in the fall of '79. I remembers we camps one night right over thar," and he raised up on his elbows and nodded toward the river. "Never will forget that night. We runs the wagon in the river to soak up the wheels, not knowing that some fool campers had left some salmon eggs in the seat.' Well, sir, next morn ing the whole wagon was full of fish. It took us three days to shovel them out; had to get four horses to pull it away." "I don't doubt it a bit," said Ike, as he beat out the half-burnt con tents of his pipe on the heel of his boot. "That's the same year that they got all my ducks, just swal lowed them feathers and all. They had to build dikes all along the river to keep the fish from eating up the gardens. EROWNHACKLE. A contractor who made great use of the same set of plans for all his houses had his tenth job well under way before he began to pay any attention' to details. As he looked the place over he was surprised to find the fireplace in the kitchen. His otherhouses had all faced west and this one faced east. . . . , Last Sunday in an east side pub lic park, in the warm glow of the springlike autumn sun, they were playing cricket, baseball, tennis, soccer and collegiate football, pitch ing horse shoes and pract'eing with golf clubs. Heard one Saturday night that hadn't been pulled for' years. A dainty girl hesitated before cross ing a street that had just' been sprinkled. She called out to her escort: "Wait "till I pick up my skirt." On a busy block In the heavy traffic zone last week the machines Were lined up and progressing jerkily for a solid block behind one hesitating driver who was smoking a cigar. Every few moments he would reach out his hand to knock the aahes and the drivers to the rear would mistake it for a stop signal. A railroad bulletin notes the changing of a southern California station's name from Poppy to Sham rock. Celts might take joy from this turning of yellow to green. Like bobbed hair, the plucked eye brow is again being allowed to roam at will. Fashion has decided to allow the brow growth to go to seed. ' Our Chronic Reader wants to know if a mafTswallowed a $10 bill, would it be advisable to employ the JC-raise? , Teachers and Religions Garb. PORTLAND, Oct. 17. (To the Edi tor.) In The Oregonian recently Oglesby Young addresses a letter to Walter M. Pierce in which he says: "I have lived for 30 years in this state and never heard of a teacher here wearing sectarian garb." Mr. Young could be very much enlight ened on the subject by making a visit to the public Bchool at St Paul, Or., where he would see Cath olic sisters In the garb of nuns teaching. There are other public schools in the state taught the same. E. A. MANNING. The Dears Are Still at It.' :' Life. - Mae I think I'll have my beauty nap now. - Marlon Take a good, long sleep, dear, t Those Who Come and Go. Tales of Folks at the Hotels. The cost of handling Olympia oysters is greater than of handling the eastern oysters, according to J. J. Brenner of Olympia, at the Multnomah. . The Olymplas are small and it takes as much time to open one of these as it does an east ern oyster, and it takes a large number of Olympias to equal the size of the average eastern oyster. This is only one of several reasons why the native oyster of the west cannot compete in the eastern mar kets with the large eastern bivalves. Efforts to transplant eastern oysters and make them grow to their usual size have not been successful, ac cording to Mr. Brenner. He says he has shipped 15 carloads of eastern oysters to the west, but the water here is of a different saltiness and temperature from the waters of the Atlantic coast, where the large oysters grow. Mr. Brenner says there are 5000 acres being used for oysters in Washington. Oyster men in the east can secure trom tne government their oyster grounds at a more reasonable figure than what Olympia oyster producers have to-j pay for their beds. However, every thing else aside, the Olympia oyster is the only one that is fit for a cocktail. 'A wonderful section is Jordan Valley," declares Sam A. Kozer, secretary of state. "I visited the valley a few days ago and am now on my way back to Salem. The trip was to look over the irrigation situation there as a member of the land board." While at Jordan Val ley Mr. Kozer met a couple of Cali fornia boosters. One of the boosters declared that people are divided in to two classes: Those who live in California and those who want to live there. The booster pointed to a map of the United Statesand showed that all the Toads lead to California. "That was piffle," ex plained Mr. Kozer, "for the same can be said about Portland, Salem, Astoria or Eugene or any other town in America. All the roads will lead the traveler to any town he wants to reach." "So far as Marlon county is con cerned," declared Thomas B. Hand ley, state corporation commission er, "Andy Gump won't get 10 per cent of the votes. The people of Marion county do not like his deal ings with Widow Zander in settling the breach-of-promise case of hi3 uncle. Outside of that political in formation I hay nothing to say." Mr. Handley states that the blue sky law is commanding more at tention from his office these days than any other activity. Since sell ing liberty bonds got the public into the habit of investing, many companies have undertaken financ ing themselves by selling bonds, and in these cases the state cor poration- commissioner's department has to investigate. "From Drain to tidewater, the road from the Pacific highway to the Roosevelt highway in Douglas county has all been graded or is under contract, except 3.6 miles," said Robert A. Booth, chairman of the state highway commission. "This road is a county and not a state road.' It will probably be placed on the secondary map which the commission is preparing for submission to the government, and if this is brought about, then the forest service, if it desires, can aid in building the 3.6 miles. When completed this road will be the shortest connection between the coast highway and the Pacific high way and it traverses a wonderful and beautiful country." "Best town on earth is Lebanon." asserts Dr. J. ,G. Gill, who was in Portland yesterday. "Lebanon is the only toWn that is holding Port land back from being a big city." Dr. Gill has been on a' pheasant hunt in eastern Oregon, up Stan field way. "I can go out in an hour and get the limit of birds at home." explained the doctor, "so it wasn't necessary to journey to Stanfield for a hunt. I've got a couple of fine dogs and took them along to lrelp some friends. With good dogs you don't lose the cripples, as is the case of the hunter without such helpers. The first China pheasants were released in Linn county about three miles from, my home." While passing a pawnshop in Denvi-r, Colo., a few days ago, T. M. Jones of Milwaukee, Wis., saw two very rare specimens of early western money. They were two $50 "slugs." Mr. Jones paid $100 each for the slugs and is proud to have them In his collection of old coins. Scarce as the gold slugs are, they are more plentiful than the beaver gold pieces which were minted in Oregon in early days. Mr, Jones is field sales manager for a big manufacturing concern and his hobby is old coins. He is registered at the Hotel Portland. Sam Garland of Lebanon, candi date for his old seat in the state senate for Linn county, was in the hotel lobbies yesterday listening to the political sages prognosticating on the November election. Senator Garland hadn't any notion of being a candidate, but his name was writ ten in on the ballot and taxpayers called on him and induced him to make the race. Now that he is in It he admits that he wants to be elected. Never before has the telephone business In Coos Bay been so good as it is now, for the people are using the phoneB freely and long distance calls are frequent. Charles Hall, who is the boss of the tele phone company In Coos and Curry counties, registered at tne tsenson vesterdav with the cheerful in formation that the telephone in dustry in his section is in a most thriving condition. Ninety-two years of age, W. P. Hunt arrived in Portland yester day from Lewiston, Idaho, in time to mis3 his train for California. Mr. Hunt, who is an Idaho pioneer, was a rider of the pony express in the '60s, carrying the mail between Warren camp and Lewiston. He is on his ' way to California for the winter.- C. C. Fisher of Baker is regis tered at the imperial. Mr. Fisher is the engineer for the North Powder irrigation project, which will include about 35,000 acres. Much interest Is now being centered in this project and when developed it is expected to be one of the prize winners of tlie state. William Stewart, cattleman inter ested in irrigation, is at the Imperial from Baker. He is one of a dele gation which has been In Portland for several days negotiating with the railroad officials of the O.-W. R. & N. relative to the tracks of the company and the reservoir site of the North Powder project. H. A. Dunbar and A. C. Dixon of the Booth-Kelly Lumber Co. of Eugene are at the Hotel. Portland. They are in the city to act as wit nesses In a case now on trial. Having brought to Portland and sold a shipment of stock, Donald McKay, cattleman of Gateway, Or., Is at the Perkins. Burroughs Nature Club. Copyright, Houghton-Mifflin Co. Can Ton Answer These Questions t 1. Where do butterflies go at night? 2. Are orchard orioles common as Baltimore orioles? 3. Kindly tell me how the chame leon, changes color. Answers in tomorrow'a nature notes. Answers to Previous Questions. L Do all salmon die after spawn ing? The species that frequent the Pa cific coast of America do. But some species found in British waters are said to spawn twice previous to reaching 8 or-9 years of age. After that age they do not appear to spawn; or possibly do not live be yond that age. 2. Do hummingbirds ever perch? Probably not while feeding, as they vibrate the wings so rapidly with the aid of tine powerful breast muscles they can hold themselves apparently suspended In front of the blossoms. But parent hummers perch on the nest while feeding the young (by regurgitation) and have been seen occasionally perched on telegraph wires, dead twigs, etc., sunning and preening. 3. What are the fungus flat, shell-shaped growths often seen growing on both dead' and living trees? Are they harmful? If you refer to what are called bracket fungi (popyporaceae), very harmful to forests, even on dead stumps, as their spores are likely to reach wounds on 1 living trees and get a foothold. Branches broken off by the wind, gashes from an ax, etc., leave a healthy tree defenceless to these wind-blown spores. The spores take root, then send threads pene trating the heart wood and cause a slow rot, which spreads and spreads. ABSOLUTISM ENTERING SCHOOLS Rending- Circle Law Is Condemned, Other Bills Feared. OREGON CITY, Or., Oct 16. (To tne Editor.) The next session of the Oregon legislature will have more responsibilities resting upon it with reference to the public wel fare than any legislature of recent years, both tne individual member and the legislative body as a whole. If ambition is still a characteristic of the American, then for their own future's sake they will listen to the longings of the great mass of com mon people of the state instead of paying too much attention to the cunning approaches of those who are stealthily fastening the fetters of absolutism upon us. Among the various classes and professions into which our people are naturally divided there are some that are slowly being "chained" and the process is so gradual and so sugar-coated that we can hardly realize the fetters that are slowly being forged. One of these classes Is ,the teachers of Oregon. By de grees there is being built in our state a machine among the "aristo cratic" element of our profession that unless the law-making body of our, state will keen awake will make serfs, humbled and Inanimate atoms, to be moved about at the will of a state superintendent of public instruction through his Ifeu tenants, so-called county superin tendents. The first step or link in the chain is already made. The compulsory reading circle law, whereby the county superintendent can at his will annul and the state superin tendent can take away the certficate or diploma granted to a teacher by the educational board of this state, at the head of which is the gov ernor of Oregon, unless the teacher reads some book designated by cer tain individuals each year. What a reflection upon the com mon teacher. Are our memories so short and Is our intelligence so small in quantity that we must read each year a certain book? We have no choice but to dig up our money and slowly but surely the public will feel the evil effects on their children of a class of teachers who like (S be "serfs" instead of free, independent Americans. Imagine, if you can, a law that would give the master of the state grange the power to take away the deed from any farmer who refused to read a cer tain book fundamentally designated by him each year. The favoritism that could be given and. is given, by superintend ents. Some must read and favorites don't have to. The county unit plan is the next link in the chain a plan whereby the power to hire their own teacher will be taken from the districts. ROBERT GINTHER. PARTY REGULARITY ASSAILED Republic Held Safest When Voters Are Not Bound Down. PORTLAND, Oct. 17. (To the Edi tor.) There has been considerable printed of late concerning so-called two party government and severe criticism by partisans of those who would interfere with this system. The generally accepted definition of the word "party" is assembly, faction or group of persons, and the legal definition in the laws of Ore gon is an affiliation of voters which at the last general election cast at least 20 per cent of the total vote polled for presidential electors, or a legal party may be formed by peti tion signed by 5 per cent of the total vote caBt for presidential elec tors. Under the first provision there could legally exist in Oregon five political parties, and under the last 20 parties could be on the ballot. We can easily see by this that the laws of Oregon, which it may be presumed are as fair as those of other states, would expose the two party idea as a 'fallacy. There could be no justice or free dom in such an idea, for if any body of citizens honestly disagree with the dominant political party or par ties it is unquestionably their right to form a new party and arguments against such a right are mere "piffle." We would be more logical to say that there are only two political divisions in the United States, which can easily be named liberal anl conservative with all the groups, factions or parties belonging, or more in sympathy with one or the other of these divisions. In times of general dissatisfaction with existing political conditions these groups may be counted on to combine in the camp best represent ing their views, and this is as It should be and always will be in u. healthy republic. But the slogan, "My party, right or wrong," will never do for serious thinking men and women, because loyalty to 4 party which we know to be corrupt would be treason to ourselves and to 'our country. If, in our honest opinion, a party to which we have given our sup port, has lost its usefulness and in merely a .medium for job-getters, it is time to step up into the next plane of our political life Instead of remaining a cog in a selfish ma chine. G. L. CLEAVER. Sign of the Time. Hood River News. Apple picking time" is here, can, tell It by the rain. You More Truth Than Poetry. By James J. Montague. THE FALL OF THE RAINBOW. The minute that the snows are gone And April skies are blue, The Pixies gather in the dawn With pots of colored dew. And, leaping over stream and ridge. In hurrying crowds they go, To paint the flimsy rainbow bridge That spans the world below. All summer it is clearly seen By pleased and wondering folk. When rains have swept the heavens clean Of mit and dust and smoke A sweeping arch of brilliant dyes. That shine out bright and warm. Across the quiet evening skies Beyond the fading storm. And then, when autumn's here again. Jack Frost, his ax in hand, Comes creeping from his hidden den Somewhere in Pixie land. And, wearing now and then a smirk. And now and then a frown, The little rascal sets to work To chop the rainbow down! And lo! its gorgeoue colors fall Upon the world like rain. And tint the tree-tops one and all W ith red and golden stain. The children see the autumn, glow When comes the morning light And thrill with wonder, for they know Jack Frost was out last night! A Long:, Low Growl. It is a little late, but it still may be said that Mr. Kipling is the man who talks like a bear. Not Bad ns a Spectacle. We see no reason why prohibition jokes should have been banned In vaudeville. Few of the audience could see them. Too Lenient. It is surprising that the landlords of some apartment houses do not charge their tenants for cold stor age. (Copyr'grht, 192a, by Bell Syndicate. Inc.) Close of Kin. By Grace E. Hall. Kind faces that come smiling up to me Are circlets of rare gems each one apart; I strive all glowing, tender lights to see, And hide their radiance deeply in my heart. Kind faces mean so much! They may not know Nor guess the deep impression that they leave. But often I have sensed their after glow, When my own heart was made to sadly grieve. If I might weave a wreath of im mortelle And bind it with a band of prec ious gold, I'd have each flower a face whose kindly spell Had warmed my heart when It was lone and cold. Oh, friends and stranger-friends, our paths are one. And we are close of kin along the way ; -t Clasp hands with me before the day is done, " And share with me the things you long to say! In Other Days. Twenty-five Years Ago. Prom The Oregonian ot October 18. 18BT. Local Forecaster Pague offered to wager that it would rain before 5 P. M. today, but this dampened no one's spirits, and hundreds of bibyclers wheeled themselves out in the country to enjoy the day, even if it was to be the last of its kind this season. New York. Charles A. Dana, noted editor of the New York Sun, died at 12:30 this afternoon at Glen cove, L. I. San Francisco. A monument to Robert Louis Stevenson was un veiled today. Addresses were deliv ered and Mayor Phelan accepted the monument in behalf of the city and read from "The Wrecker," Steven son's description of San Francisco. Tacoroa. The railroad companies have compiled figures showing that more than 9000 men have started for the Klondike in two months. Fifty Years Ago. From The Oregonlan of October 18. 1872. It is stated that before the close of the present season the Northern Pacific will have complet ed its new road. When, the line from Fort Benton to the waters of the Columbia is completed it will make a second line of communication be tween the Atlantic and the Pacific. One of the finest and largest buildings for mercantile purposes in the city, that of J. S. Smith and brother, is nearly completed. It ex tends from Front to First street on Ash and covers an entire city block. East Portland's public school Is In a flourishing condition. One hun dred and thirty pupils are In daily attendance, and the number is being swelled by fresh accessions each week. Paris. An exodus is practically dispopulating the provinces of Al sace and Lorraine on account 'of the German occupation. At Otzercnain, a town of 6000 inhabitants, only 81 have remained of the native popu lace Ye Editor Communes With Nature. La Grande Observer. It Is autumn in the Grand Ronde valley. How beautiful, how grand. Yesterday was that "perfect day;" yesterday was a day when all man kind should be glad that life still lasts, that nature smiles even in the face of world troubles, of fi nancial reverses, of man's selfish ness to man. A trip over the val ley yesterday was an inspiration. God's bounteousness was empha sized to the person who will think. His ever present blessings are so numerous that we as a people should be able to adjust our dif ferences without discord. We should be able to appreciate what haa been done for us. But do we? Whimsies. Boston Transcript. Up and around Windmills. All play The musician's work. Man of crowning qualities A den tist. A coat you can't pawn A coat of tan. Song without words The one the kettle sings. Generally moves in the best so ciety A fan. Carries things with a high hand; The poker player. Under Severe Pressure. Life. Judge But If you weren't going to steal the chickens, why were you in the coop? Rastus I was jest testln' mab, will power, jedge. Dat's all.