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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 6, 1907)
THE SUNDAY OREGON! A", PORTLAND, JANUARY 6, 1007. 8UB8CRHTION KATES. & IS VARIABLY IN ADVANCE!. VJ (By Mail.)' rtty, Sunday Included. , ona yp $8.00 XKtly. Eundr Included, mix montbi. ... 23 J j I !-. Sunday Included, ibrea montbi. . z.25 Pally, Sunday Included, one month 73 lally. without Sunday, one year lUy, without Sunday, six months....- 8.25 X lyr. without Sunday. thr month. . l.T. T !ly, wl i hout Sunday, ona momb ..... .BO Sunday, one year 2-fto Weekly, one year (iisiftd Ttiurjflay)... i.w tun day and Wkly. oua year ( . WV CARRIER. Xf ly. Sunday Included, on year. ..... V.OO Uaily, Sunday Included, on month..., .7 HOW TO MMIT-Sttd poitolllci mOMI ordpr, express order or personal check on your lot ! bank. Htampa. coin of currency mm at thf nend !" risk. Give poitofflga drn la full, including county and atata. , fOSWCE RATES. ' Interd at Portland. Orecon, PoatofFlca aa Bacond-Clua Uattar. SO To 14 Pases ........1 cnt JO to 3 Pages a cn HO to 44 Pages 3 cent. 46 to SO Pasea cants Forflgn Pogtaft, doubl ratea. IMPOHTAT The postal laws ara trlct- Newipapers on which postage not ruUar prepaid are not forwarded to destination. ' EASTEKN BUSINESS OrFICE. The ts. J. Brvknltb Hpciel Aency M w York, rooms 43-00 Tribune building. Chi- ugo, rooms SlO-Mli Tribune buUdtnc KPX OIX 8AL.J Chlcsfo Auditorium Anaox. Post, off lea Nw Co.. ITS Dearborn street. 8t. Ftul, Mlun.-N. fit. Marl, Commercial Station. Colorado Sprln, Colo. Witn N.w lenver Hamilton H.ntlrlrl.' SO-Hl 2 Seventeenth (treat; Pra'.t Book Store, in rifteanth treet; L Welnateln; H. P. Han aen. kuiiu ly. Mo. Rlcksecker Cigar Ca, Ninth and Wamu. . Minneapolis M. J. Kavanauh. 50 South Third. Cleveland, O. James Pushaw. SOT Su perior street. Atlantic City, V. J. Ell Taylor. New York City I Jones Co.. Astor Upum: Broadway Tboater New. Stand. Oakland, Cal. W. H. Johnson. Four teenth and Frankltu streets, N. Wheatleyt Oakland News Bund. Ogden D. U. Beyle: W. O. Klnd 11 23t h atr.et. lint Hprlnss, Ark. C N. Wr, .r Oo, ' Omaha Barkalow Bros., 1012 Farnam; Mugeath Stationery Co., 1308 furijam,- out h Fourteenth. harruuirnto, Cal. Sacramento Nw Co 3H K. street. Salt Lake Moon Boole Xt Stationery Co KoHufnia & Hansen. Lo Aatelet B. B. Amoa, manager Wia tret w a nonts. tSaan ll-jca B. IC A moa. Long llrach, Cal. IS. E- Araoa FaMtR-na, tal. A. F. Horning. tku I'fantlni'o - Foster t OitM, Frrj Niw t-stu.-id: Hotel tet. Francis News Stand; I l-'at rr-m. ?C. W hHt ley. Kr--Ua. !. Call-ChronlclB A ncy. Wunhinffton, I. C. iS bL.lt t House, Penik- lylvRiiin avenue. Norfolk. Vn. Jamestown Nwa Co. I'inn Beurh, Vo. W. A. Cosrov. I'lillaUeiphiav jHyan's Theatar Tl Clare e J'ORTl.AM), SlNIAY, JAMARY 6. 1fM7- ERE TUB SUN iOK9 DOWN. Most men purpose. Apn the oppor tune moment arrives. to reform " all their bad habits and repent of all .their rins. The only reason in the world why the average citizen Is not a virtu ous pilgrim in the straight and narrow path the failure of thia opportune moment to present itself. Concerning his ability to loose the' clutches of habit no man entertains the slight est doubt. "I could quit smoking thin minute," says one. . Another assures Ilk friend as they lean up to the bar that he can "make this glass of, beer hi la-st." "Why Jnt you do It.1 .then, and put your nickels in the savings bank Instead of the' barkeeper's till?" "Oh, I haven't got ready yet." When It comes to those larfter and more seri ous backsliding which we "have agreed to call fins, every man cherishes in his eaecret heart the belief that he can n t any ' moment forsake them and square his account once and for. all upon the record books of the Almighty. Still, the precise conjuncture that would make repentance desirable In his sight never arrives. At daybreak he thinks noon will be Soon enough. At noon the evening twUljrht seema a bet ter time. "When the eun eoea down and the lengthening- shadows warn him that "thf night cometh when no man can work." he still delays, waiting for tho ftrt stroke of the passtnft bell to make his peace with the ruler of the universe. Wliiit t'ohfirlonee we all have in the Tintlrlns; mercy of God! The e-entiine intent of most men, which they hide' from themselves under a thin veil ot elf-ckepption. In to sin all their lives up to the moment when -physical weak ness makes further p?In impossible and , then- affront the Almighty vith a "deathbed repentance." In current theological beliefs there is much to en . courage this practice. It Is never too late, we are often taught, to make our peace 'with the just and righteous Judge. He Is more ready to forgive than we are to ask forgiveness, and no matter liow long we put oft repentance he Is ever eager to accept it. Hymns which children sing in Sunday school encourasre this disastrous faith by sug KfstlJir that the Lord is just as much 1'leasea to receive the wreck of a senile sinner's mind and body as to enroll li i m among the redeemed In the vigor ous bloom of youth. He to "knockingr at the door," according to one of these dubiously.' moral songs, and will con tinue KnqckliiK- though admittance be ,lenlrt in," to . til end of 1 1 r-. '!..( w.'-11 the saddle and the ground," one f the favorite maxims of this strange super- s t i t ion ru nil, mero y w h sou ch t and mercy found." The morality of all this lis extremely questionable because it oVflrs the universal law of conae- ciuenees. The punishment of evil habltB lies. In their votisequences. - These no repent- ance can aver t. Habit and the of habit are linked together, not chain of steel, but by the I ncomp stronger bond of cause and effect of habit are linked together, not by a chain of ateel. but by the IncompanLbl'y furongor bond of cause and effect. Broken boJy and ruined mind follow vicious indulgence inevitably. There is no avoiding? them. The Infinite1 power of the Almighty cannot work contra lietionft He cannot make three equal to four, nor can he construct a flat body which ahall not have two oppos ing surfaces. No more is there any power In Ita universe which fan Inter. pose oetween habit - and. its conse quences. "We ma-y. if -we like, believe that a man secure by repentance the cancellation of his guilt But the ruin he ha wrought upon himself remains It was. No norrow oan obliterate it. V regret oan change it. We must be- licve that strong resolution can break the insidious chains of habit, for every iy we see men emancipating them selves and attaining that freedom vhlclj only he Knowa who is complete ruler of himself. Mare!ou is the power of the human will. Not only does it subject trie invisible powers of Nature to the needs of man, but, more -wonderful still, it rends the intricate entanglement of habit: it emancipates the soul. Noblest of all things In' the universe is a free nrm. Seeing clearly, thinking: truly, undaunted by euperstl tiuii. uoappalltid by Uclusious, master of himself and the peer of his fellows. he walks the earth equal to life and ready for death. To most of us this nobility is some thing to dream of. but never to attain. Habit ts like those Lillputlane who came In the right while Gulliver lay sleeping and bound him with a million spidery threads. With a touch of his linger he could have broken one of them. With a little exertion he' couia bave broken a thousand. But all to- gertier they held him motionless and belpletsa upon the ground while the pi?- mies wrought thefr will with him. Habit comes upon ue like the drop of -oee leaves in the dewy twlllfrht. It Is Hfce- .th? gaudy Insect In the eastern talo which flew In through the keyhole of the door and charmed yie student with its screen and golden shards; but a. little later, when he thought to drive It out, behold it had waxed to giant size, and with its talons tore out his heart. "Tli i ( i will do Just for once." Thua sayeth the root In hte folly. II-' does it once and again, and In the day Tt-hen he thinks not the habit holds him llice the arms of that brazen statue "which, drew' the victim closer and etill closer until he perished. . Habit is like that vampire of the southern seas which et I r-s a' gentle breeze with Its wing's to lull a fluni- bering man while it sucks hie blood, It stupefies him with perpetual delusion. 'While It winds and sn-athes him with silken cords stronger than forged iron. it continually assures him that he can free himself. But let the victim once strain his muscles to the task. Then he ha!l see the truth. If there is no first dram there will be no need of a last one. If the first cigarette is nver smoked there will .be.no call for the broken nerves and paralytic -will to seek In vnin for the last one. The man try ing to free tiimfself from a vicious' habit Is like the child In the story book which had taken a red hot Iron in its hand. Crazed witb Jpain. the infant filled the house with it'e shrieks,-but it still held to the iron, It is a nne thing to paed from slavery to freedom, but it is still finer never to have been r a slave. Repentance is a noble act, but il is better to form habits which need not be repented of. He is a wise man. eays Professor James, who In lii youth forms habits which shall be his friends instead of. his enemies 'as he nghta the battle of life. There are foes enough in the world to keep ev-ery one busy with out admitting: them into his own "house- hold, Sfl YSTERIOL'8 MR. LI.KY. One of the many mysteries whkh hang with dubious aspect over Mr. Bailey's trarwactioiid with Standard OiJ is pet. forth with much analytical skill in the Springfieli Republican. We do not mean that the Republican ex plains the mystery. Nobody but the Texas Senator and- his oleaginous cli ents could do that. What the Repub lican does is to make it exceedingly clear that a. mystery exists, and to show how greatly 1t would advance Mr. Bailey's cause to unravel the puzzling circumstances. The train or baffling incredibilities which -Mr. Bailey asks riis admirers to accept upon his almost unsupported word. begins with a statement that he did not know that the Waters-Pierce Oil Company wa allied with- Standard Oil when he helped H to resume busi necs in Texae, To this he adds that he helped on the restoration of -th trust out of pure charity, receiving no fee for it. Such afi act is so little in harmony with either the legal or the Senatorial type of character that it Is a strain to believe Mr. Bailey when he says he did it. But there are other things. A cer tain draft plays an important part in the frame. It was drawn by Mr. Bailey upon Mr, Fierce, of the trust, appar ently: but th Senator dwlares that the draft was forjred. A telegra.m from Mr. Pierce alluding- to the draft and authorizing- it, was ateo forged, he eaye one forgery trepring the way for the other. All this is very puzzling. To the plain man who sees little probability in the sinuosities of melodrama, it looks as if Mr. Bailey's explanations themselves demanded explanation. The ccount of his adventures with Stand ard Oil reads like a dime novel, with a peculiarly wily villain in the dark dark background, and a. singularly simple-minded hero in the foreground. If Mr. Bailey is innocent of complicity with the hated octopus, he has been maligned with surpassing ingenuity IC he is g-uilty, he defends himself with brazen inventiveness. Unfortunately, his election or defeat will not settle the truth of the matter. In any caae. It will be a long- time before Mr, Bailey completely regains the influence he once had. THE AMERICA! OF THE rTTCRK. By degrees, slow but sure, the human race i coming back to its famed or fabled period of longevity, for the ex treme limit of which the name of Me- thusaleh has stood for many centuries In the opinion of Dr. MoGee. one of the directors -of the St. Louis Museum, the American of the future will be a giant in intellect, in humanity, in . physical strength and . in bodily development, and Incidentally be will live longer than the American of today. . He cites In eupport of this statement that the average length of human life has in creasid within half a century from 2 to 2S years, while a. century ago th pnan ot life, calculated upon thie basis was from 24 to 25 years. We leave to those whose appetites for ' abstruse mathematical problems .ri stimulated into abnormal activity by uch ques tlons as ''How old la Ann?' the dues- tlon of how loner it will take at this rate of progress to gret back to the span of life which it is recorded was allotted to the Jewish patriarchs. We are uit willing1 to take Or. Mc Gee's Btatement that the average length of human life is increasing, and are more than willing to believe that the American of th-e future will be a. larger man In inches. In intellect and in strength than is the American of to day. Most people &r$ ready to believe statements that please their vanity as individuals, as a. race or as a nation, and, where all Is speculation, why not bslleve that which .Is the most pleas- ing and self-sattef ying? The world has come, in a. large measuw, to take Its theology upon that basis. Why not ex- tend It throughout the domain of speculative belief? Thus far, therefore. we are with Dr. McGe. Th world Is setting better every year, the span of human life ie Increasing, has Increased, between four and flw yeans in a cen tury; the race of the future will show great Improvement in mental, physical and spiritual development; and. in all of this grand march of improvement Americans will lead t h van. This much la settled to the satisfac- tion of all good Americans. But when . Ir. McG goes ' farther and points to John X. -Rockefeller as the y.pe of the1 improved American of the future; aa a man who has preceded hto day and generation In the development. ht the qualities of perfected manhood; first in the r.nks. of humanity, etc.. etc., -an observant generation will re- pudiate the statement as contrary to the known facts in the premises. The shadow of the Standard Oil story ob scures this eetltnate; the story itaelf tells ot method? that contributed to the Incidental accumulation of-great wealth" by .Mr. Rockefeller that will not bear Investigation from the stand point Of a perfected manhood. We would rather believe that Mr. Roeke- feller represents the occasional Amer ican of the present than that he ptanda fur the type of good Americans of the future. The span of human life among civil- zed nations Is lengthening. Tf any one doubt this assertion, let him con- ll the flgufee. Americana will lead e human race in all that pertains to tellectual and mora 1 growth, I-t the n erica n who doubts this consult his own vanity and b& reassured. But away with the idea that .John 1. Rockefeller Is a present example of the perfected manhood of the future. THE SFXILAR AftM. The Pacinc Christian Advocate feiicl- tates itself upon two encouraging facts which it discerns among the signs of the times. Xhe first is the vir tual disappearance of infidelity from the world. "Neither in public speech nor' in book nor In magazine article is there any longer any Infldef attack." So thinks the Advocate. The second hopeful fact le the abated virulence of the higrher criticism. Once It was a threatening apparition, but 'its danger most places is no lonsrer feared." One feels like congratulating the Ad vocate upon its cheerfulness. Deter mined denial of facts Is almost as good as proving: their non-existence. e hope our piouet contemporary has not made any mistake In its diagnosis. If t should turn out. that, after all, in fidelity and the higher criticism are tl.rampant in this wicked world, the disappointment of the Advocate would be something terrible. Still, the Advocate has something to complain of. There If- a crumpled leaf in its couch' of roses. It has discovered that men do not go to church. "Three- fourths of most congregations are women." it s-sse-rts. The Oregonlan made this same discovery some time ago and was roundly abused in certain riuartere for publishing It. We trust the eame vigilant c-enewrs of the press will not spare the Advocate. Other wise it might feel slighted. Rut the Advocate her made a much more im portant discovery than the mere fact that men do not go to church. It has rooted out the reason for their delin quency, and an appalling reason it is. They stay away from church to read the Sunday newspaper. 4They do not wish to go to church because they wish to sliRy at "home and read their paper." the Advocate thinki. For the same reason they slight the Sunday school and the Bible. And the Advocate be lieves that, if it could secure the en actment of a law abolishing Sunday newspapers, the churches would forth with fill up with eager listeners of the sterner sex. Perhaps they would. . . 1 1 has not. however, been the com mon experience of the -world ,that the- cause of -religion is very much fur thered by secular legislation. Laws in tended to compel men to go to church are almost as antiquated in these pip ing times as infidelity and the higher criticism. There. i& some ground to apprehend that men who are devoted to this idol of the Sunday newspaper might resent being rudely deprived of it by the pitileee hand of a statute ta promote church attendance. The fetish of "personal liberty" is unhappily abroad in the land, and plays havoc with ecclesiastical legislation of all sort?.- We are of the opinion that preachers who have anything to say worth lis tening to seldom lack con gregrat ions with a fair sprinkling- of maled. The real reason why men. and women, too. shirk 'church-going may be somewhat clearly discerned in the Advocate's own remarks, though It was put there un consciously, we hope. It la that incon- sequential logic, that failure to grasp the true relations of things, that mag nification of trif!er3 and neglect of weighty matters which prevail in so many pulpits and in so much of the religious press. The Advocate's rea soning is of that futile sort which the plain man calls "nonsense." Its fact,) are mistaken. Itt? conclusions have not the slightest relation to its premises. We advise'both the religious press and the pulpit to try the effect of a little reform along these lines and see if the churches do not fill up without regard to the Sunday newspaper. The simple fact is that the Sunday paper eupplies moral instruction and sound religious teaching on many practical points which the churches neglect. To genu ine -religious work there ia no better friend and no more efficient' ally than the Sunday newspaper, - 1 ' ' WORTH V Of TIIK1R H1ICK. - The Government cannot afford to be niggardly with Its postal servants. In order to maintain the service up to the point of efficiency- demanded by mod ern business methods, trained men are required, and a sufficient number of them to handle the enormous business of the postal department promptly. In the opinion of First , Assistant Postmaster - General Hitchcock the salary ecale of rxwtofflce employes must toe adjusted upon a hiarbei- basis. If this class of clerks is to be retained. Thle opinion Is reinforced by the 'fact. as shown by the records of the depart ment, that reslstnations from the .serv ice Increased at an alarming- rate in the last fiscal year. Specifically stated, about 12.3 per cent of the clerks em ployed in first and second-class offices. whose ealaries range from $600 to $1000 per annumresigned during the period noted, while 2.6 per cent of the letter carriers attached to these ofTTcea volun tarily quit the service. As ft check upon these resignations Mr. Hitchcock has formulated a plan which he will present to the consider ation of Congress, whereby tlje service will he made, more remunerative and therefore more attractive to responsible- men. He proposes six grades of compensation for both clerks and- car-- .Tiers, ranging from J600 the first year to $1200 for the sixth year and there after. There is an incentive to con tinue In any service In a scheme that carries certain promotion, ana, If the recommendation of Mr. Hitchcock is favorably received by Congress, it will mean tbat the beet men those am hi- tious to Increaee their naming capa city as well .as their earnings will re main in the service to its advantage. The plan - is carefully elaborated, and It details' will be r?mbodieil In a bill that will be submitted to Congress w lctl tilt: reiMjrt ahowlur. the wisdom and Indeed the necessity of making the poetal service more attractive, rnore promising and more ieauineratlve to both clerks and carriers. "THE FIRST FTWITS OF THE I.A l." Under the above head, Dr. J. R. Card- well, for many years president of the Oregon State Horticultural Society. hlmeelf a devoted son of nature and an admirer of her works, discourses in a pamphlet pleasantly and profitably of early horticulture In Oregon and of the indigenous fruits of the land. The list that lie furnishes of the latter must bring to the minds of the older pioneers much that was grateful to the palate before cultivated fruits were common indeed, before they were to be had in any quantity or variety In the, , "Wlllarrwtte Valley. The wild straw-berries of early times, are held especially grateful in memory; scarce- ly less so are the blackberries, luscious and abundant, borne uron creeping: vine?, instead of the upright canes of the Middle West; the raspherriee that flourishetj in rlotoue abundance, and the. gooseberries. the wild. piquant flavor of which, when made Into pies with the addition of their weight In sugar, made a 'dessert for the noon day meaT fit for a King's banquet, or, better still, for the dinner of a sturdy pioneer and his wholesome, happy family. ; We recall, too. the delicious Jellies made from the little eour native crab- apples, .the pungent Oregon grape and the purple elderberry, and. rising above the mere taste of things, the beautj of the red-flowered Oregon currant, and the milk-white blossoms of the service berry. . ', Ravenously hungry" for fruit w?re the settlers of early Oregon, who ljad Veft well-grown orcharde behind them "in the States," and, while waiting for their own orchard trees to grpw, their children scoured the woodra for the "first fruile of the land." and re turned laden with the luscious spoil. Ther-e incidents and facts "belong -to memory, and are happily recalled! by rr. Cardwell's graceful treat men if Of Ills theme. And when lie te:is funther of the beginnings of horticulturi in Oregon : of the Hpplt neecVs bro h t here by the Hudson's Kay Company, growing into treea eighty years I-kl, still in bearing at Vancouver; of 1 he grafted apple sprouts brought acrfoss the plains In boxes in by Hend or- wn wic.mig ana pisntea at mhw kie: of the first nursery started f linm this stock, reinforced by seedlings! in 1S48; of a bushel of apple se'cn and half a WM of pear seeds, ptantecf in the Waldo Hills by Ralph Geer arjout the sa me t Im c, f r om which in a few years sturdy young treee were sVnt throughout, the entire sparsely settled country. ' forminsr the' nucleus of ? the ."'finst orchards." and throujrh all the etory, true in every detail, weaves ("the .golden . woof . thread, of romance,' he tells a tale that can hardly fail tp be appreciated, not only by pioneers i and their descendants, but by the people w ho make up the population of Oregon today. .1 There is much in this little paniihTet of lefe than forty paes that is vTorth preserving. It has, indeed, a historical value that, like all things historical, will be more fully appreciated ih later years. We cannot more filly close. Lthie necessarily brier review, which is hard ly more than a reference to the sub ject, then--by-, the following esl-imrftte of .fruit culture as presented : by, pr. Cardwell. in his interesting and' in structive little pamphlet: Fruit culture I most fits'-? I nut trite and nnbling, at wll at tti m o f t profits Hi- branch or nortlrulture, ana the idva nee In the fruit product i evidence of t!ir rqi tur and civilization of a people. It is hard to overestimate th brncflclal Influence n h-.lth. tnorli .nd manners of R Kenrmun fruit supply. The ornamental pcrounrlB aim! orchards of ino homesJead do much In child hood to strengthen that love of home and pride of family which is the foundation of-The- chrlnhd meniorli's of at 1 1 patriotism, The ?he home thus enriched art-, after the strongest bond of family to bring batik tiie absent and wandering to the roof tree; and the erring one is not wholly lot as loiif? as these sacred mernoriei of home and child hood sometimes come to swell the heart and dim the eye with the tear of repentance and contrition. . . rRFPARlNT. P-OR HAKO TIMEf At the beginning of the present beriod of prosperity it was r-vveral timej sug- geeted in these columns that thifc i a very good time for countlee and cities to get out cf debt. The suggestion met wide approval, and nearly all the coun- ties are either out of de-bt or have re duced their incumbrances to compara tively small amounts Some of the cit- lee have also 'been lifting part of their bonded indebtedness, but others have not. A good business- policy for the public as well as for Individuals It? to save money In good times and spend it In hard times. Of eouree, if all should do this, we would have no "good times" and "hard times' ; buv., since there is no hope that all men will be of one mind," there is opportunity for a few to lay the foundations for benefit to the many. It Is contended by some that during periods of financial and in- dustrial depression it e the duty of the state or the city to provide work for the laboring people. Those who hold thiij opinion assert that public Im- provemcnts should 'bp 'undertaken as a means of nroviding the employment, tf it be trueihat it is the duty of the pub lic to provide employment for the poor In hard times, then' it is the duty of the public In good times to prepare for that duty. In every part of Oregon, and of the whole country, for that matter, there has been great trouble for three or four years in fsecurlngr laborers. Wages are high and workers are scarce. There are not enough mm to do the wok that Is to be done. Farmer want "new land cleared, but cannot find men to do it. even at nigh wages. Xhe same men " who refuse such work at high wages now would have been glad to get it a few years ago at very little more than thir board. All over the state people In town and Country are puttinsfup rrew dwellings and otherwise improving their property, though at great coct. for -high wages mean costly f lumber and expensive construction. In many cities there is demand for street im provement and other public enterprise. Yet it would be difficult to find men to do the work If It were undertaken, All have-profitable employment. o w. a, man need not be a pessimist In order to see the possibility of a re- currence of .the industrial conditions that give rise to the assertion that the state or oity should provide employ ment for the poor. There are many men of good judgment who are ppylict- ng hard times within the next four or five years, or perhaps sooner. If such a period ehouJd be experienced. It would bp particularly fortunate if some of the cities of Oregon should be in a position to undertake public Im provements that would give employ- ment to. labor. Such enterprises "would be appreciated not only by the laboring: yeopl themselves, but U?o by the merchants and other business men who depend largely upon labor for their Irid JProbkbly ni) .'one would :dvo- eatft adoption of a policy by which a city would accumulate money in it treasury in good times In order to have some to impend in hard times. Such a policy would be un-American. In thle country it is the universal policy of government municipal, state and na tional to be in debt. The most that any one could suggest would be that in good times a few debts should be paid off. so that when hard times come again conditions would permit the In- currln? of new debts. Then a city that desired to help out it working people. and indirectly it merchants, could 1h- sue a few thousand dollars worth of bondand go ahead with improve- ments. They would get more work done for one dollar under such . conditions than for two dollars now. The city that has money for which it has no panic- ular ue may well spend it on public or a n improvemenxs. but either a city or individual carrying a debt would do well to use ware money to cancel the debt while there is opportunity. The city or individual that fx in a. financial condition which will permit spend ing money on improvements will not suffer greatly from a period, of hard times, come they soon or la te. Rugene suffers more afflictions of the unavoidable kind than should beset a college town, the soat of the State Uni versity. Twice this season hav the cellars of the lower sections of the town been flooded, the water works put out of commission and the publW schools closed by reason of floods all for lack of drainage and a well-devised water system. For the first caus? there its probably no remedy for the low lyinj? districts of the town, the levels of which approach that of the river at an ordinary stage of water. Tlio second disability can only be overcome by the investment of a sum of money large enough to bring- in a full water supply from a mountain stream of de pendable volume and assured purity, Xhe situation mny prdperly be de scribed as acute when a community of eeveral thousand people And them .sflves for a period of several days, through tlie exigencies of a sejsonn ble iitorm, without water to fluiVi their toilets, supply their baths or Doll their dinner, though basements and streets a re flood od. The oltua J ton ma be de scribed Ji s one w lie rein there is Water, water everywhere, Nor Hny drop to drink. W f z h i n the month the ra i 1 ion d s will be assailed ty the Legislatures of a dozen or more states on the question or car shortBge. A yea r of uncxa m pled prosperity would. but for thin block upon traffii:. with its attendant fuel famine, lumber shoiago. livestock detent ion and e-uffcrinsr. srra in conges tion and merchandise blockade, have been a year of universal prosperity as well. The pulso of industry has been quickened as, never before in the world's history, but the facilities of traffic have not kpt pace with the de mand made upon them. Legisjative in quiry "win be directed to the why and wherefore of this traffic infirmity. It, may. be, hoped that answers to theisc inquiries will be elicited that will load to prompt, remedial measure. Boyr are coming1 into great " promi nence, in the Pacific Northwest. Be tween slipping up behind people and killing them and running away from home, they keep the courts and con stabulary busy, and in the determina tion to control the high schools by means of "frate" they keep educa tional "authorities on the rack. Time was (so we pre frequently told) when the men of the state controlled its boys. The latter, ho wcv-cr. 'eeem to have got the whip hand, and are driv ing at a pace that makes the achieve ments of "Jehu" of song and story ap pear tame. It may be hoped that the present owners and the appraisers will ''get to grether" and agree upon a reasonable price for Havthorne Park and that the Common Council will take prompt measures. providing the ''price is right. to pu rchi se t'n ft bit of wood land and water so close within the- city limits. Tho spot is an idea! one for ' hade. recreation and meditation on 1 hot Summer f.fternooiw and evenings. The city wants it. but not at a pre- miiim. Doubtless it will be willing to pay a. proper price- for it. Unfortunately. Chancellor Day pulled out a prop when he attempted to ftrenKthn his weak position by quot ing; from the editorial pasre of the New Tork Sun. Notoriously the organ of trusts, with Standard Oil as its chief patron, that onre great newspaper as well as Dr. Day thinks by "inspira tion." Large educational bodies in the" corn belt have resolved in favor of "thru" and S99 other apelllnga that Congress disapproved. Kxperimcntally, write the word "thru'' In your natural ehlrog- raphy nd note whet her you can dis tinguish it. except by the context, from "then.' The menace of a heavy rains tbat 1 Pacific Northwest flood following the el! throughout thi during the flrst three days of the new rear har? passed. The damatro from the ptorm was. rela tively fipeakin, nominal and weather conditions hav again become normal. Part of the 5 per cent dividend on all Its stock m Ijrht ba.ve been uned by the Southern Pacific to pay a ftrifie more wages to Its section hands. These men and the flange on the wheels are what makes railway travel safe. Portland's gain of 39 per cent In bank clearances ft anrjfi out in happy con trast with New York-!! decrease of 14 per cent. Portland doesn't overplay hwaelfjn stocks; the other games aw closed. . In- the interests of social and eco- nomlc science, the Census Bureau ought to And out how many men who got on the water wagon January 1 fell off before tiie end of the first week. On sworn testimony before the In terstate Commerce Commission it may be truthfully declared that Harrlman is the biggest hired man in the United States. Nowhere-ln the land will Secretary Hitchcock's order to tear down Illegal fences be hailed with greater satisfac tion than In Oregon. Among the January bargains, don't overlook Bull Run water; family elze. regrular $1.50. marked down to (I. No charge ot Portland's proverbial conservatism can lie against the pres- tn. City. Council. COMMENT ON CURRENT STATE TOPICS The Proposed New Water Code and. Its Provisions Appropriation Bills and the Referendum Sums Needed, by the State Candidates' Expenses Under the Direct Frimary Law-Higher Assessments and Moro Taxes. Tl I E proposed new water code, pre pared by a committee of the Portlund Board of Trade, differs In several particulars from the hill in troduced in the House by Representa tive Cole at the session of l05. That bill, known as house Kill SI, Was the subject of much discussion and contro versy n 1 1 through the session. Mnny' meetings were held by the irrigation committees and advocates and oppo- nentR of the moastit e were heard in extended arsumentu, Tlio bill could not pass ill its original form, and was amended to such an extent that when it finally pnsed It wa. at 1 togetlier differ ent from ti e Vi 1 1 introduced. Tho law enacted merely provided for condemna tion of water rights by the Government for It projects', and created the office of State Knglnoer, with power to make hydropraphlf and topographic surveys in co-operation with the Government. Tlio act a lo khvi the State Knjrincer charge of the engineering1 work in con nection with the reclamation projects under the Carey Act. ana provided that application tor tlie appropriation of water shall be tiled in his office instead of in the offices of county clerks, fls heretofore. Jn the new bill an attempt has evi dently heen made to avoid sonic of the ohjectiors . marie to tiic measure lire rented two years airo. The new bill provides, for example, that the pu!IU ownershlp of water snail be "subject to existing rights." thereby removing opportunity fcr the charge that the measure proposes to destroy vested rights. The new bill .leclaros. dlrl the old one, that the nenertcial use of water is a public iisp, and that, there fore, water rigli I under the law of may he condemned mnent domain. This .vas ono of the points ir. the former Mil over which there was a hard flsrbt. i nt- it I likely that the t-ontcst will bo re -ne won. . it is .isf?rt - ci oy romo mat tne beneficial use of water is not a piuiiic use. and that no legislative declara tion to tli at eff ect cn m ako It so. The purpose of this feature of the bill is to enable one wlio want? to use water to a--atiire the rlRht from one who assorts tit. i . hul d oo not lies nis riKht. In brief, it e?:preFsIy blares a limitation upon tin indefinite right of A riparian owner, by a uthorixl nsr the condemnation of h 1 1 h it right except that wh k-li he lias by virtue of hi use, whkh the law makes a public use. The committee's bit! difTfra from the Cole bill in prescribing the manner of appointing Water Commissioners. The Cole bill made tli Governor, Attorney CScnei al and St ate Tariff 1 neer a Y"h tor Board, with power to appoint three ComiviPFioriers, The new pUres the appointing power In the Supreme Court. Thrt Cole bill gave . the State Knginer power to m.ike rtiles with the Approval of the , Wa;. iJoani The present bill requires no S-uch approval, and permits a" clut ngc only 'In case of appeal, "One! thm Mpoii vote of two of the Commissioners. The Cole bill fixed the quantity of water to bo used at one ci-iic foot per second for each 60 arres. - The new bill allows tlir same quantity for 80 acres. The Cole bill proposed the appropria tion of $5000 for commpm-ini; .the liy- tlon drograpiiic t-urvcys for the ad.iuItoa of water rinbu; tho present lull appro- prlots ::". 000. The Cole liP. provided SIL',500 annually f o;- tin; Stalo Kn- giner'a department; the present bill $25.0lifl. The Cole bill fixed tho com- p.nsation of "YVa ter Commissioners at f r, p.-r day and expenses, for not to ex- cced 60 days in a year. The new bill extends the limit to -00 ?ays. and i.lso provides for the employment of water masters- at ?4 per day and expenses. without limitation as to time. The .m w bill Increases the salary of tl?j State Engineer f-om t- lOO n year to S3O0O. UK experience of the last T.eafisla held up by the referendum will almost ccrtninly rrsult in a rhano of policy in preparing and introducing impropri ation bills. In fact, d Isfusslun of thin sub.iect during the campaign made it necessary for many candidates to ex press themselves and there was a very general disposition to promise reforms. That appropriations for different pur poses should not be grouped, but should be separated, so that the veto power may be exercised as to one without in terfering with others, was pretty gen erally asserted by men who aspired to sit in legislative halls. Though not many pledges were made on another phase of the appropriation subject. It is quite probable that hills for appro priations will be Introduced and passed before the last week in the session. It has been the practice to leave the ap- propriation bills until near the close of the session and then the measures are enrolled Of the Gov placed I too late consider before adjournment. Under such circumstances, the Governor has been t'ompelled to perm It tlie tnllls to become laws notwithstanding his oh jectlons. or veto them and leave some of the institutions entirely without funds. If amendments are made to bills after passing one house, it generally takes about a week to Ket a bill throujcli both 1 o ues.s If tne Hpproprla- tlon bills should be introduced at the end of the third week of the session, and a weel spent in considering them in the two houses, they would sot to the Governor about 12 days before ad journment. That would Rive the ex ecutive a few days to loo It them over and Investigate the merits of the ap propriattons, and, if he so desired, veto some of them and send them back for further consideration before adjournment- Such practice would re lieve the legislature of any charge of attempting to force a measure past the Governor, and would place upon tho Governor responsibility for every meas- ure he permitted to become a law. PROM present indications, the de mand upon the coming Legislature will be the heaviest In the history of the state. In bis biennial report. Sec retary of State Dunbar presented an es timate of the appropriations that will be needed Ih the next two years. In this estimate, he made additional al lowances for the different departments and institutions In accordance with the growing needs of the state be- X cause of its increased population lie r.OOO for new building; for and 9150.0OO for a Homo for the feeble-minded, the approprta- tions for both of which are generally admitted to be n fccaary. H is esti mate foots up over" $2,340,000. But this estimate Included only whit tha Secretary could see from his official position were neces&nry for th main tenance of the state government and Institutions. Besides the amounts 11 found to toe necessary, there are m r n " appropriations demanded concerning which there will be more or less dif ference of opinion. Then Is tta Dl'rt- posa 1 . for ox ample, t hat 1 .000.000 he appropriated for the p urchane of thu locks at Oregon City, by agreement, if possible, and by condemnation if neOeS- sary. Then tho agitation in favor of the establishment of a jute mill at the prison calls for the expenditure of $12r.,000 for a plant. $100,000 for raw m atcrlHl and jL'n.OOO for opera ti rife ex penses while getting started, or a total Of J230.000. The bill for a law for the workiiiR . of convict on the roatls rarrlis n appropriation of I'.'uO.OOO. The N'ational Guard would like $100,000 wltlrwhiih to ronstriRt armories in different parts of the fttate. The Seattle Fair will want $100,000 and the Jamestown Exposition J65.000. The demand for removal of the printinK of fice from the Capitol and construction of r separate building therefor, to gether with the purchase of a print ing plant by the state, will require about $100,000. The University of Ore gon will want JjO.OOQ additional for new buildings and furnishings, and the Agricultural College a similar amount. The normal schools will need an mldi- tional appropriation of some $75,000. Under the proposed new Irrigation cocifs and tho hydrosraphic and topographic surveys. $50,000 will be . needed. Tl) State Ktilr is askinK for $10,000 addi tional ami the several district fairs will probably second tlie. request ny asking a similar sum. Kor the ex'n- tlon of the portage road from Vtic tC1a to The Dalles, 950,000 Is sskeo. The creation of a railroad mmmUMon wm cost about $40,000 for the ensuing two- year term. Th rrestlon of tlie offi-e of State Hank Kxamlnor will tK about" $10.0(10.. The free text booX movement, if successful, will reo, ulre about $100,000. Then there are a ntim- ber of minor demands which will ; grcfrnte In the neighborhood of J2.V00U, and all making up a total of some 300.000. The demands for approprta- tions in addition to those estimated ss necessary by the Secretary of State are about equal to his estimates, .and. if all were grained, the total would be In the virinity of $4.6"0,000. Mnnl festly. the work of the "Ways and Means Committee will not be light. expense of running for the direct primary law Hfi tienv;. office un. was a. frequent subject or comment our ins; the campaign and after the contest closed. Almost -ithout exception the candidates admit! d expending larger sums thnn they -pected. and much more than they wou:d have done under the bid convention s.tem, As th 1m- norliint contest was a lining Republican. 1 tlie RepirllcTi papfr. v.milil not smpytort 1 on, candidate to the exijunlon. of others, from their columns, but a rule ac cepted advertising from all. To siome ex tent political workws adoptcrt tli rw policy, and those men who dvotert con- sidcraile time ami work to tho inlrrwt of one candidate were In many cases paid for It. Wlill, a nrat deal of work waa done without pay, there was more paid work In the last campaign than In ny that preceded it. The result of this is that men elected to office are under lews political obligation than ever before. Vn- i)Pr the convention system, appointments and deputy-ships were pretty well prom j M before a nomination was sKUr"-a. The political boss who could deliver a dclrfration was In a -position to exact pledges of reward. Tn the popular nomi nation there were no bosses who could "deliver the good." and very few ap- pointnients were promised in "advance. As h consequence, the nfwly e!ertd ststs officers are free to appoint to office whom soever they please. Their re-election will depend upon their pleasing the" people, and not upon thir yielding to the de mands of bosses, hence they are likely to select subordinates with a view to secur ing good sen-ice rather than for the pay ment of political debts. Prom this view point the money-spending campaign has its advantages. TUB Department of the Interior to recently isuod a statement showing that in the permanent forest reserves in Oregon there are over 11,500,000 arre. Th rea of the state is almost SLOWA total acren. The forest reserves cover less than one-fifth of the area a little of tho Slate, hut temporary rrem-w win prou- ably be made permanent in sufficient area to bring the total up to one-fifth. r gHHiliS to 1) the evperiencd of nearly every county that raised its valuation materially that the assessed increase Included -3 the asylum llM raited in a marKea increaee in taxes. The theory that a higher assess ment would be followed ty acnrreitpond Inffly lower rate or levy has nt worked 01H "fffll 1 practice. In most innce the rate has been lowered, but not hi proportion to the ralro in valuations. In view of this experience, the flrnt year or marked advances, there is a tendency t believe tbat the same course will be fol lowed In the future and that the higher taxes this year, made poralble by the higher assessment, will be followed by still higher levies next year. The news papers of the state have pretty gener ally condemned the raise In taxes becaune it will very likely create a siron? rle- mand for a reduction to the former val uations. lle'i Aot Sfltl'flrit. Chleaca Niwg. S-h- ay wide m r-l etnt inwluc , m i-i Uite bint. And that tho duc! I think that he's a poor eicuw, Though I agree It May bi- the can. lie Py b fins And not what 1 would term a "shin. The error may perhnps be mine. Hut I ran't tr It. t Phe eavs has a rrobl mind. ' That lie is true and brave and Kind; Perhaps he K J may be bllnl And very stupid. At Irn ft h- wsmrs . unod ill i illai , But whfther that or otherwlne 1 always thought that bandaged eyes BelonH to Cupid. - He0 not bad look Inn. T aitrvlt Jf! clot h"f, too. h nlway ""raa -to ftt. Hut atill h .jpn"T. mnk- & hit With m. I'd rather fh'd Kt a boy vho's not in debt . And who abJurM the cfra.re.tt. Ferharu I have no ca'1 to fret Jiut 1'zu br tat bar.