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. PORTLAND, SUNDAY, APRIL 14, 1807.
THE GOOD FIGHT.
' That would be an interesting book
which shouid set forth for our edifica
cation what "success has meant' to men"
and. boys; of one-nation after another
coming" down from the "backward and
abysm" of time to our own day. It has
never meant the :same thing to two
peoples or in two ages.' The ancient
Persians, Xenophon tells us in his novel
of Cyrus, thoughtthey had been suc
cessful If they -passed through -life al
ways riding well and. never swerving
from the truth fori love, fear or money.
How would the latter part of their ideal
suit our trust magnates? . Lying has
almost attained to the status of a vir
tue in our world of high finance.? It
has certainly become as fine an art
with many pillars of education and re
ligion as it was with Machiavelli and
the Borgias. Shivering exiles our cor
.""ForaQosr. lawyvrSV would, have ..been
among fhose primitive Persians where
a falsehood made a man an outcast.
The countrymen, of Cyrus have proved
thoiriseives' one of "the most virile and
...persistent stocks, of history. Almost as
old as the Jews, they have held their
own hotter both lii war and statecraft.
To this day the Persians inhabit vir
tually the same iand as when Cyrus led
them down to' plunder the treasures of
Croesus and revel In the spoils of Baby
lrm: and" they .exhibit to us of; the
modern -world their .perennial, vitality,
like the Japanese,, by outstripping the
'" Hussians on the rftad to civil liberty.
Persia, the land whence Xerxes -mar
shaled his "men in nations" against the'
liberties of Athens, now declares her
faith In those theorems of human right
which 2500 years ago she vainly sought
- to overthrow by force of arms. Telling
the, truth and riding horseback, one per-
veives,v compare fairly well with stock
'..'Rambling as manly exercises. . . "
The Spartan ideal of success more re
sembled in some particulars that of our
- magnates of high finance. It was a
" great credit to a boy of Sparta to steal
without being found out. The old writ
ers tell of one who had assimilated a
' fox and hidden it under his cloak.
When' he was accused he let the beast
!tear out bis bowels rather than confess,
j What a railroad president he would
; have made had he not been born too
I soon. But this famous people were
; curiously blind to the beauties of money
; making. They passed S00 years vlctori
ous and dominant in their world, hold
ing the hegemony of Greece in war and
politics, without, any currency at all
except what they rudely fashioned from
1 iron. They were without bank notes,
' stocks, either common or preferred,
( bonds or mortgages, and they bore a
"white mans'a burden" without failure
"or faltering; conquered, ruled and spread
'justice among mankind quite as well as
, we do with our tracts and whisky bot
ftlcS. Of the successful Spartan when
jhe'eame to die it was asked, not "How
much did he get 7" but "How ran the
courso'of his life and how did it end?"
Youths found glory there who perished
in noble attempts, though unachieved;
and motherts -when they- sent their
sons to battle bade them seek the high
est success In death. Strange and bar
baric would the ideal have appeared to
i the hard living Spartan which measures
success by piles of gold and holds only
that life desirable which is passed in
sumptuous eating and drinking. In
stead of the gorgeous paraphernalia of
, modern education they had only the
open air and" sunshine for their colleges
and fed' their boys on barley . broth.
But they grew men whom our Carnegie
Institutes and Standard Oil universi
ties must strive somewhat arduously to
rival in stamina and virtue.
What success meant to the Christians
while they still believed In the lmmor
lallry of the soul and feared the Judg
. ments .of God we. read, with wonder.
Some "of them counted It not failure to
' be torn in pieces by wild beasts. Others
sang hymns of triumph while the
flnrtlAit f-i'lll.ittlic thum Tn tnnnlir .1 c.
. rts they satisfied their ambition by
J f.W.'lerlng .the problems of eternity.
"They wrecked! their bodies upon the tn
'. f inite.' . They died for the. ideal. They
" biirjled themselves to ashes with pas
sionate love for the souls of men.
"What shall"' it profit "a man," cried
Jesus, !'lf he gain the whole. world and
lose his own soul?" Paul did not boast.
In that great chapter wtldv-iecorda the
Christian's hope and glory, that, he had
amassed- half a billion dollars and
founded a university. His highest hope
was to die as he had lived, a witness, a
martyr. "I, am now-ready to be of
fered." said he when the' time of his de
parture was at hand. "3 have fought a
good fight. I have finished my course.
I have kept the faith." , .
It was the fight that counted with
Paul. . The w inning or losing did not
matter so long as he handJed his weap
on manfully and stood to his post while
he could stand at all. Like the sentinel
at the gate of Pompeii he died with his
harness on. . Luther had all the genuine
spirit of the Christian when he cried to
the 'assembled powers of the Empire,
"Here I stand. So help me God, I can
not yield." It is the fight that counts.
"Did he bear himself bravely or did he
blench?" That' is the only question of
any import.' No matter what happens
to a mn. If a good God rules the
"world it cannot be evil In the end. "This
I am sure of" said;, the tpacher .of
Athens when he was drinking the hem
lock, "to a good man nothing evil can
happen." Death is nothing. Disgrace
is nothing. The loss of friends and
fortune does not count. The only thing
worth remembering is the approving
smile of God and the long reckoning of
eternity.
Who is it that says opportunity has
left the world? Have the battles all
been fought . and won? America still
listens for the 'voice of her master poet.
History, fiction, science still Invite in
genuous youth with the same voice that
allured Gibbon, Thackeray and Newton.
The country awaits the man who shall
solve the riddle of reconciling criminal
Jurisprudence with liberty and social
welfare. The law of corporations has
yet to be evolved from the sad slough
of casuistry and conflicting precedent
where it blindly welters. The tasks of
the engineer demand higher ability and
wider learning every day. The ancient
problems of society, the social evil,
poverty, disease, the equal distribution
of comfort, are all unsolved. The pul
pit clamors for genius and courage and
for the most part clamors vainly. The
new agriculture allures. Politics offers
a glorious fight to the brave and true.
Think of the men who have made their
names eminent, and some of them im
mortal, by takiry up the cause of right
and Justice in our cities and states
within the last few years. Opportu
nity never was so plentiful as now.
The battle never raged more strenuous
ly nor had so many posts of trust a-id
danger. For the youth of high ambi
tion the world was never so good a
place as it is today.
FREE WATER AND THE BRIDGE TAX.
The people of Portland have a right
to vote on the question of free water
and they have a right, if they desire, to
vote on the question of a two-mill tax
for city" bridges. They have demanded
that the" free "water aiiestinn h
ted to them, but they have not demand
ed tnat tne bridge quesion be submit-?
ted. There is a distinct issue ivpi th
one; there is "not over the other. Yet
the two are involved and onuniAH to
gether by a species of hocus-pocus in
me so-cauea -tree water" amendment
so that there can be no niih.Hr
slon on the one without vbtinghe other
up or down. The means by which the
brjdge matter was sneaked into the "free
water amendment or, rather, sneaked
out of it can not be justified. Yet the
City Council is not entirely warranted
in its expression of hot indignation that
deceit and misrepresentation were prac
ticed When that horiv wan noi-euaHo, tr
placethe "free water" amendment on
me oauot. it was tne business of the
Council to know what the amendment
contained or did not contain.
It is difficult now to say how steps
taken can be retraced-. The petition for
the so-called "free water" amendment
to the Council was properly presented.
It had a very large number of signatures
The'Council directed the City Auditor
to place the amendment on the ballot.
It is to be 'doubted gravely if pres
ent action rescinding the previous reso
lution would be regular. If the amend
ment shall be drawn off the ballot,
there will be no chance whatever to
submit the. matter under the initiative.
Withal The Oregonian. surmises that
entire rejection of the bunco amend
ment, if it can be legally done, would
be a wholesome lesson to its promoters.
Next time, when they pretended to
frame a free water ordinance, they
would probably confine its provisions
to the text and not stealthily and se
cretly attempt complete reform of the
city's methods of building bridges. It
is no good argument for this pretty,
scheme that the bridge tax was framed
in the interest of the Portland Railway
Campany. Very likely it was. But a
fair and honorable way to get a pub
lic expression on this subject would be
to submit it on Its merits. It cannot be
done 'now, probably. It might easily
be done two years hence.
In-any. event, if the Council shall not
interfere with submission of the present
"free water" ordinance to the public,
we may look for its overwhelming de
feat; and. In any view, its promoters
would seem to have overplayed their
hand.
ENFORCING THE PURE-FOOD LAWS.
Establishment of a Federal Pure Food
Laboratory in Portland, as announced
Friday, is important to the commercial
Interests of this state. We have passed
the time when people feel that business
is likely to be injured by such disclos
ures as a pure food official 1b likely to
make. On the contrary, it is now uni
versally recognized that such thorough
inspection as will insure honest dealing
is one of the most effect) ve . agencies
in building up trade. . If confidence
is one of the fundamental necessities of
prosperous financial conditions in the
Nation's commercial affairs, so also is
it a most Important factor in determin
ing the permanent success or ultimate
failure of communities and individuals.
When housewives know that a pound of
provlsibna will contain 16 ounces, that
the meat will not be drugged, that milk
will not be watered, that vinegar is not
a product of drug store acids, that Jelly
is made of fruits and sugar, they have
no hesitancy in ordering freely over the
telephone instead of waiting until it is
convenient to go to the store and "see
the goods before buying." The dealer
who has built up a reputation for hon
est goods and honest measures has an
enormous advantage in the long run
over his rival who prefers-to reap great
er profits by methods which will even
tually drive his customers away. Con
sumers who know they will get a square
deal are more tree In their buying and
they do not hesitate to recommend the
square, dealer to their friend6 and
neighbors.
As with individuals, so with commu
nities. When the character of goods
sent out by a producing or manufactur
ing region is such as to. dissatisfy pur
chasers. It is only a matter of time until
that community will have an evil repu
tation which can never be entirely over
come. Unfortunately it lies within the
power of a few men to give an entire
CQpramnity a bad name. . Fortht rea
son, it is not only the right but the duty
of all the people to protect themselves
against such of their number as may be
willing to sacrifice ultimate good for
temporary profits. As .the brand of an
honest manufacturer has a commercial
value that can scarcely be expressed in
dollars, so the name of an honest com
munity on a package Of goods adds to
that package an attractiveness which it
could not otherwise possess, and which
is of inestimable value to all those who
have a right to use the name. AH the
producers and all the manufacturers of
this state have a direct and personal
interest in the good name of Oregon.
They have a right to insist that
every article of food that .goes out of
this state shall be true to its label,
wholesome in character and not lacking
in measure. The people of this state
may fairly demand . that when a pack
age of fruit or dairy products or canned
or preserved foods goes into the mar
kets of the outside world bearing the
word "Oregon," It shall be a credit to
this state and a promoter of our com
mercial interests.
This right of the people can be se
cured only by thorough inspection and
by enforcement of rigid regulations.
The National Pure Food law would be
of little effect without means of de
tecting violations and officers charged
with the duty of prosecuting those who
violate its provisions. The establish
ment and maintenance of a pure food
laboratory in Portland, will afford am
ple opportunities for discovering in
fringements of the pure food law.
PEOPLE VS. LAND GRANT BREED.
, Long overdue is the movement to
compel the Southern Pacific to carry
out the terms of the railroad land
grants acquired by that company's pre
decessors under Congressional acts of
1866-70. Prompted by Representative
Hawley and Senator Bourne, the Com
missioner of the General Land Office
and the Attorney-General, believe that
those terms can be enforced against the
Southern Pacific, without further legis
lation by Congress. '
If this is true, the people of Western
Oregon can expect to behold the 3,000,-.
000-acre land monopoly, owned by non
resident railroad landlords, broken up,
and the lands sold at not more than
$2.50 an acre and in tracts of not more
than 160 acres to each purchaser and to
actual settlers only. They can expect
to behold these lands opened to logging,
farming and. mining and sold to the
people within the maximum $2.50 an
acre price that the railroads agreed to
charge, when they accepted the lands
from' the National Government in 1869
70 the railroads entered, into a plain and
solemn agreement to carry out those
terms. Their acceptance of the condi
tions Is on -record. They consented to
receive the land bounty under a clearly
defined limitation on their power to sell
them. ' ; -- f- .-
AbsoiufeT arid" perpetual title to the
lands was not to be vested in the rail-:
rpads. The lands were to be held in
trust,' to be converted into money for
the" railroads' and to guarantee the
bonds for railroad construction. Congress-could
not give a cash bounty, so
soon after the Civil War, but could al
low lands for conversion into cash.
The land "was to be so converted un
der terms specific, and plain. Those'
terms are contained in the land, grant
acts of Congress. Before receiving the
land, those acts stipulated that the rail
roads should accept those terms there
by pledging themselves to carry them
out." Their acceptance was duly filed.
Now the Southern Pacific, as posses
sor of the land grants, lays claim ' to
absolute title to the lands and. declares
its right to dispose of or hold the lands
in the manner that will bring -to Its
coffers the biggest profit. In years
past it . has disregarded the terms of
the trust and in the last four years has
refused to sell any of the land.. -;
. This Is a flagrant breach of faith. It
is not to be enduned by the .people. If
means .can be found to enforce the con
ditions un3er which the grants iwere
made by Congress and accepted by the
railroads. .Oregon now has spokesmen
In Washington who have gained the ear
of the President and members of Ms of
ficial family, with this tale of greed and
brokertw-phg8S.' They will accomplish
big results for (he people of this state,
if they : cart be the instruments of
forcing the. Southern Pacific to redeem
the pledges, made by the railroad when
receiving the lands from the people's
domain. Those lands have been held
as a blight on the progress of the
state long enough. Oregon does not
aspire to the destiny' of striving for the
pleasure and profit of such non-resident
landlords. Its people never In
tended that to be, nor did Congress.
The terms of the land grants do not
contemplate it. The-' greedy grab
should be thwarted and It will be
thwarted.
i
INTHANS HALF A CENTCRY AGO.
Remnants of 12 tribes of the Indians
that possessed the wilds of Southern
Oregon and Northern California before
"the coming of the white man," and for
some struggling and eventful years
thereafter, are still found upon' the
Grand Rondo Reservation in Yamhill
County. When this agency was estab
lished tn 1856 the Indians who were re
stricted to ,these lands numbered 600
and then as now represented 12 tribes
now number 362. all told. The war
riors of these tribes, the most warlike
of which were the Umpquas and Cali
pooias, had made the Government much
trouble, and were a terror to the set
tlers of the Umpqua and Rogue River
valleys for many anxious years. They
were subdued as far as active hostili
ties were concerned, before being taken
to the reservation, but hatred of the
whites still rankled In the bosoms of
many of them. While among them
were some fine specimens of physical
manhood, the 600 were, in aggregate
an unpromising lot lazy, thriftless and
revomgeful. A. F. Hedges, a pioneer of
Clackamas County, was the reservation
agent at that time. His knowledge of
Indian character and his tactfulness In
handling his charges served the Gov
ernment well in effecting the. peaceable
settlement of these Indians upon the
reservation."
From an old report of work done in
building the first cabins for the Indians
on Grand Rondo Reservation made by
one of the men employed to superintend
this work, but who has -long since,
passed away, it is found that the house"
of "Tyee Peter," once a. Chief of the
Umpqua tribe and still living upon the
reservation, was a log structure,' 17x22
feet in dimensions, lighted by one six
light window, the cost of the structure
being $65.
Many of the names of these Indians,
as shown by this report of the first
attempt to settle them in houses, are
significant of the part that those who
answered to them played in the wars of
immediately preceding years. We find,
for example, "Winchester Sam," and
"Winchester Joe," each coming into
possession of a log house 16x18 feet in
dimensions, built at the cost of $50
apiece and each containing "one six
llght "window." "Lame. Dick," ''One-
Eye Charley" and "Cut-Eye Tom," 1
were the disfigurement and disability !
thus designated, evidence of sharp en
counter with the foe;' "General Cass"
and "James K. Polk" were names sug
gestive of a commanding presence, al
beit the Indians, who bore them, were
settled, the one in a "board" house,
14 feet square, the other in a log house,
18 feet square "without windows." by
the Government at a cost of $35 and $65
respectively. '
So the story as given to a yellow
paper in faded ink runs, showing that
between September 9 and Noveinber 25,
1856, 32 homes were built for designated
members of the Umpqua tribe of which
"Tyee Peter," still living upon his al
lotment of reservation land at the great
age of 90 years, was chief. The Gov
ernment furnished the lumber (when
lumber was used), the nails and the
windows and paid a carpenter to super
intend construction of these houses
and see that the Indians did the work.
Thus was the beginning made. In
good faith, in the betterment of the In
dians located upon the Grand Ronde
Reservation more than 50 years ago.
The -Strain ot half a century has told
upon . these Indians. They were sav
ages of the moccasin and blanket era
then, accustomed to out-door life, to
the chase and the war path. In ap
pearance uninviting, even In many
cases revolting,' they still were in ro
bust health. Withdrawn from the acci
dents of war and the menace of want,
and domiciled in some sort of comfort
from the white man's standpoint, they
should have thriven and multiplied. In
stead of this, the semi-centennial of
their occupancy of the Grand Roride
Reservation lands finds them greatly
reduced in numbers, wasted with dis
ease and in circumstances, bordering
upoij poverty. Between the beginnings
upon this reservation and the present
stage of its development, the years of a
busy and fruitful half, century inter
vene. The showing is that of a vanish
ing race a race helped toward extinc
tion by its touch with civilization, a
race that long since passed Its meridian
and is now approaching oblivion ex
cept as it may live in tradition, or be
accorded a place in the romance and
history of the new world.
THE DIFFERENCE. .
A few days ago at a Democratic ban
quet at which Mr. Bryan was present,
John Temple Graves, prominent in
Democratic councils, proposed that Mr.
Bryan should nominate Mr. Roosevelt
for a third term and make his election
practically unanimous. Now comes an
Evansvllle, Ind., Democratic Club with
the counter-proposal that Mr. Roosevelt
nominate Mr. Bryan for the Presidency,
and make it unanimous. But that is
different. When the people eight years
ago and twelve years ago rejected Mr.
Bryan, they did so because they disap
proved not only of his policies but dis
approved of him as a proper person to
administer the affairs of government.
They rejected both the person and the
policies. When the people four years
ago elected, Mr. Roosevelt they heartily
approved both the personality and the
policies he-stood for. They believe Mr.
Roosevelt's ideas of government are
right' and-that he 14116! best man to
carry.' them. into executUn. They l?e
lieve that Mr. Roosevelt -4s so well bal
anced, that his sense of justice Is so'
sound and. so little governed by preju
dice, that he can iaril.';wJIl deal -.square-,
ly with high and lbw.'rlch and poor. In
dividual and corporation, black and
white, hative and foreigner. No man
ever fought "'corporation t.evils harder
than has Theodore Roosevelt, yet no
corporation caji truthfully .say it has re
ceived injustice at his hands. He has
stood for a square deal for the railroads
and they show a realization of that at
titude when they cry for Federal con
trol as a rellef from more radical legis
lation pf states. , Mr." Bryan's, princi
ples upon the money question were
wrong and he has not changed them.
He is antagonistic to corporate abuses
without having any of that restraining
conservatism which would prevent him
from doing them an injustice.
Mr. Roosevelt's work as Chairman of
the National Civil Service Commission,
as head of the Sew York Police Com
mission; -as Governor of New York, as
President . of the United States gives
him a breadth of experience equaled by
that of no other man on earth. In
every position he has filled he has prov
en wise in Judgment and effective in
execution. Mr. Roosevelt has advo
cated policies which the people have ap
proved and he has put them into prac
tical operation. Mr. Bryan has advo
cated policies which the people have re
jected and he has demonstrated no
executive ability. Not one word can
be uttered complimentary to Mr. Bryan
that would not apply as well to Mr.
Roosevelt. There is a world of com
mendation that might be given Mr.
Roosevelt but which would in no way
be applicable to Mr. Bryan. Hence it
is clear that the proposal that Roose
velt should nominate Bryan is entirely
without reason.
STATISTICS OF DIVORCE.
Some months ago one of the statis
tical bureaus of the Government under
took to collect data whereby something
like the exact status of the divorce
question in the United States could be
determined. A large number of men
were detailed for this service, and, un
der the law governing the investigation,
court clerks were required to furnish
these agents with every facility possible
for making the results complete. Rec
ords that had, In the interest of influ
ential people, been kept from the pub
lic were thrown open for inspection,
and the results, as far as a preliminary
showing is concerned, are now being
made known.
A summary of the work, shows that
during the last twenty years one di
vorce has been granted every three
minutes during the working hours of
the court officials. It is furthermore
shown, by comparison between the data
of the earlier and later periods covered,
that this rate is increasing very rap
idly. For twenty years prior to 1887
there were 33 divorces for every 100,000
inhabitant's, while during the twenty
years between 1887 and 1907 there were
70 divorces for the same number' of
people- It Is further shown that de
crees of divorce are Issued to about
two-thirds of all who apply. Wives are
applicants in a vast majority of cases,
one very patent reason for this being
the frequent desertion of husbands,
thus leaving the burden of securing the
legal decree of separation upon deserted
wives. Drunkenness and the domestic
abuses that grow out of it furnish an
other reason for the fact that women
much more frequently than men seek
relief in courts from marital bonds that
have become galling and in thousands
of instances Intolerable.
A Government official who has charge
of this work finds the most astonishing
development of the investigation in the
fact that the greatest increase in di
vorces is in the rural districts. This is
not to say that the rural districts fur-
nish. the mpst divorce caseshut thatjbut the lawyers.
the increase is relatively greater there
than in the cities. The isolation of
country life which restless, irresponsi
ble men shake off by deserting homes
and families; the fact that rural youths
marry much earlier in life than do the
girls and boys brought up in cities, to
gether with the hardships tt)at fall to
the lot of farmers' wives, are some of
the reasons that may be assigned for
the relative frequency of divorce in
rural districts.
The investigation as to cause has not
progressed far, however, but measures
are being taken to develop this phase of
a growing evil, to the end that remedial
legislation may be invoked to check it
if possible. This "is at best doubtful.
Divorce seems to be one of the many
indications of the restlessness of a
transition age. It is based first of all
upon personal irresponsibility that
takes shallow refuge in change. Not
change of the type that Is induced by
a laudable desire to improve one's con
dition and surroundings, but change
merely for the sake of doing something
else or nothing. Bigamy is an accom
paniment of this restless spirit, and is
even of more frequent occurrence than
divorce. There are those whose sub
lime faith in human nature leads them
to believe that these conditions will
right themselves in due course of time,
and that the exhortation to
Wed one sweet woman
And love her well
will find response in a return to the
good old way of life upon which the
Nation's greatness was founded.
A tender tribute of an aged- man to
the memory of an aged man, the friend
of a long life-time to the friend of a
long life-time, was the brief eulogy upon
the late Judge Boise by Judge Williams.
"A man whose entire life , was filled
with fidelity and high Ideals of honor"
closed his record and passed on and out
This record covered In' the case of
Judge Boise 87 active, fruitful years.
There is no occasion to mourn the pass
ing of . a life that has accomplished
life's great end. Judge Williams him
self, approaching the farther verge of a
long and useful life, spoke as sage and
philosopher when, he- said: "When a
man reaches the age that was attained
by Judge Boise, he has no occasion to
regret to depart and there is no occa
sion to mourn his loss. It is just as
natural for him to die as it was for him
to live." It is thus that the philosopher
accepts the Inevitable. v
The Pendleton stockman who has al
ready Imported 180 stallions from Eu
rope for breeding purposes and is about
to start on a trip to purchase 100 more,
is rendering a great service to the live
stock industry of the state. The impor
tation of high class animals means a
grading up of our horses and the Infu
sion of blood that will show in the build
of draft horses in this state for all time
to come. The livestock industry will
not only receive an impetus in the num
ber of horses raised but a still more im
portant benefit from the improvement
of the stock. Whether he engages In
the breeding of horses, cattle, sheep,
hags or poultry, the man who intro
duces new blood Is a public benefactor.
t - For the first time in history, so It Is
said, a Kentucky jury has awarded a
verdict for plaintiff in a suit to recover
money lost in betting on horse races.
In years gone by it has been the belief
of the people that when a. man bets his
money on any kind of game and loses
he should accept, his loss gracefully.
But lately it has come to be recegnized
that - few gambling games, including
horse races where pools are sold, are
fairly conducted. Juries are getting to
be a little more sympathetic toward the
bettor, for a verdict in his favor has
the law to support it and in the major
ity of cases it is in accordance with
justice.
With a view to discouraging those
who are engaged in the occupation of
burglarizing houses, the New York Tri
bune suggests that it might be well to
turn golf links into target grounds and
teach the city dweller how to shoot
with revolvers and rifles. If city resi
dents were experts in the use of fire
arms there can be no doubt that life
would be more exciting for the mid
night prowler, but there is reason to be
lieve that life would very frequently
prove much shorter for the members of
the family who come in at unexpected
hours or who move about the house at
night. '
The pupils of the Barclay School, Ore
gon City, paid a graceful tribute to
Governor Chamberlain, Arbor Day, by
naming a beautiful sliver birch tree on
the grounds for him. The christening of
the tree was -an unique expression of
gratitude to the Governor for his veto
of the law allowing the destruction of
song birds passed by the last Legisla
ture. Like Bryant's apple tree may
the Chamberlain birch lift for a century
Boughs where the bird with crimson
, breast
Shall haunt and sing and hide her nest
The disagreement of the Jur in the
Thaw case was not surprising. Neither
would his acquittal have been surpris
ing. The American public is not by
any means of one mind in regard to a
killing of this type. The standing of
the Jury, 7 to 5, is about that of the
public upon this case though it Is by no
means certain that the preponderance
of Judgment would have been against
Thaw.
The attempt to call a referendum
upon the university appropriation is not
at all popular In Eastern Oregon. " In
the minds of C. J. Mcintosh, Superin
tendent of Schools for Grant County:
"Taxpayers were held, up on a measure
less popular two years ago and are now
paying the cost over $30,000."
Man-killing is a serious matter, as
Thaw will believe even more after wait
ing six months in jail for another trial.
The person who kills another, for what
ever motive, takes big chances with the
prison or the noose.
The Salem Statesman attempts to
solve a mighty problem by defining a
Democrat as "any man who can beat a
Republican for office." Possibly. But
not any man who has beaten a Repub
lican for office.
Three Los Angeles millionaires, badly
scared by the Heney probe, have hired
a lawyer. Scared millionaires evidently
are like humble folk: they are not re
sponsible for their actions.
T. Jefferson had a birthday one week
ago yesterday, but evidently Mr.
Thomas was the only Democratic can
didate for Mayor who cared about it.
The- Thaw trial is said to have cost
the Thaw family $235,000. It has cost
the newspapers more than that.
Just to think that Mr. Hermann's
close thrift is now benefitting nobody
SYMPOSIUM OF CURRENT OREGON TOPICS
Training: the flrrgoa National -Guard In Coast Defense Work Judare H.
P. Bolar and the Uwyem AKrlruKnral Land Near enter of P opa
ls t ton Who la the Real Father of the Jultlntlve and Referendum
Literature nt Prlneuille Selling; Timber From Koreat Reaervea.
MEMBERS of the Oregon National
Guard who go Into camp at Fort
Stevens, at the mouth of the Co
lumbia, this Summer, will acquire some,
thing entirely new in the way of military
experience. The Government apparently
realizes the need for more men trained for
service In the coast defenses, for upon
that department would fall a large share
of the activities of war in case of an in
ternational contest. There is little like
lihood of danger from an invading army
certainly none, if the coast defense be ef
fective. At the mouth of the Columbia is
one of the strongest fortifications in the
country, a fort of modern construction
fitted up with the latest equipment in the
way of large disappearing guns and ma
chinery for operating them. Tire solid
work' of the fortress is of concrete, but
around the walls huge banks of sand have
been placed, thus forming a protecting
shield, proof against projectiles which
would pierce the masonry. Presumably
the Oregon National Guard will be trained
at Fort Stevens for work in two capaci
ties operation of the big guns and rear
defense. South and east of the fort there
is a large, thinly settled country, hilly,
sparsely timbered, and cut by lakes and
marshy grounds. It will be an admirable
place for practice marches and skirmish
ing against an Imaginary foe. Operation
of the large guns will be something en
tirely new to the soldier boys. The aim
ing is done by machinery in response to
orders from an engineer, who, safely
sheltered in an underground room, knows
exactly how the gun should be loaded
and aimed to drop a shell in any particu
lar place out on the ocean. In handling
the ammunition the men will work much
underground. It Is said that when these
large guns axe fired the concussion is so
great that it will sometimes cause blood
to flow from the ears of those who work
in the concrete covered rooms under
neath. THE late Judge R. P. Boise, of Salem,
was what one would call an "easy
going" Judge. He was not exacting In
his treatment of lawyers who practiced
before him and in order to facilitate the
final determination of a controversy would
adjourn a trial for a day or two to let
attorneys secure witnesses without whose
testimony the case must, be dismissed
without anything being accomplished. He
thought it better that the litigation be
decided upon its merits rather than be
thrown out of court because some witness
had been overlooked or had failed to ar
rive. But such favors were granted the
attorneys' only where they were endeavor
ing in good faith to get a hearing upon
the merits. On the bench Judge Boise had
in his later years a rather sleepy look,
yet there was nothing In the testimony or
the manner of a witness that escaped his
noitice. He often seemed not to be giving
attention to what the attorneys were say
ing, but his occasional interruptions to
bring out a paint more clearly left no room
for doubt that he heard and weighed
every word. While he was ''easy-going"
In one sense, he was never accused of
permitting lawyers to Impose upon him.
Those who tried it Invariably heard and
felt something drop. On one occasion
an attorney, who may ' be called Smith,
had tried a case before Judge Boise and
seemed to have the idea' that the judge
was not paying attention to the testimony.
He formed that opinion from appearances.
When the case came up for argument,
this attorney repeatedly misstated the tes
timony and was promptly called down by
the Judge. After repeated interruptions,
the attorney lost his temper and ex
claimed, "Well, your honor, it may be
that I know nothing about the facta In
this case." Instantly the Judge replied,
"You can have no controversy with the
court upon that point, Mr. Smith; the
court will agree that you know nothing
about either the facts or the law." Com
pletely squelched, the attorney took his
seat.
IT is a very common idea that agricul
tural land lying close to a large city
has a much larger value than land at a
distance, because of the proximity to
markets, and that the farther one goes
from the populous center the less valu
able the land becomes. This theory of
land values has come down to us from
years long past, but changing conditions
have made the theory less true to fact
as the years roll by. When transporta
tion of products to market was accom
plished by hauling with team and wagon,
nearness to the city was of great im
portance, but since the coming of rail
roads, and more especially electric lines,
this advantage has been largely eliminat
ed. One would quite naturally expect that
garden lands near such cities as New
York, Boston and Washington would
have a very much higher value than
lands ot similar character of soil a hun
dred miles away, but it is said that the
difference is not appreciable so .far as
agricultural purposes are concerned. The
farmer a hundred miles away can load
his produce upon the cars and have it
hauled to the city dealer at very little
more cost than the man who has a gar
den a mile or two outside the suburbs
can haul it to his customers with a
wagon. Sometimes the producer at a
distance has little the advantage, and it
has been found that agricultural lands
near a railroad, but within two, three or
four hours' run from the city, have as
great a market value as those closer in.
What the gardener at a distance may
lose in transportation he makes up in
not being compelled to pay city wages for
his help. This subject is of interest to
residents of Oregon just at present, be
cause Portland is -becoming a much great
er market for small fruits and garden
vegetables, and the construction of elec
tric lines is affording much better trans
portation facilities. - Garden lands all
along the electric lines will have prac
tically as large a value as though they
were within a half-dozen miles of Port
land. ATHER OF THE INITIATIVE
title that has been conferred by com
mon consent upon. W. S. U'Ren, of Ore
gon City. Though the title has been
rightfully conferred, with all the honor
or contumely that history may accord
when experience has demonstrated the
value of his service, yet he was not the
first man to urge the amendment before
the Legislature. Friends of W. R. King,
now Supreme Court Commissioner, say
that the first appearance of the principles
represented by the words "Initiative and
referendum" tn any practical form in
Oregon, and probably the first introduced
i Into any lawmaking body in the United
States, was in the form of a proposed
amendment to the constitution Introduced
by King, then Senator from Baker and
Malheur, at the session of 1895. No vote
was taken at that session and ' it was
Introduced In revised form at the session
of 1S97, when it was adopted by the Sen
ate, but the House, which did not or
ganize, took no action. Most of the
features of the present initiative and
referendum clause were taken from the
King measure. To Mr. U'Ren has been
accorded the credit for the adoption ot
the amendment because It was he who
agitated the question until the state con
ventions of both political parties indorsed
it and practically all the candidates ad
vocated it, thereby securing for it the
overwhelming popular vote by which it
carried.
LITERARY people at Prineville re
cently undertook a presentation
of "Macbeth" by home talent. The
cost of getting costumes and stage ma
terial and otherwise presenting the
play was 128.30. while the receipts
were only $102.40. leaving a deficit of
$25.90. A few were somewhat disap
pointed over the result from a finan
cial standpoint, but those who under
stand the cost of preparing for the
first presentation of a play and who
fully appreciate the value of the study
and practice the undertaking requires
are not in the least discouraged. As
a matter of fact, it is no uncommon
thing for Shakespearean plays to lose
money, even when given by profes
sionals, who do not have the expense
of costumes to pay from the receipts
of one show. But to the people of
Prinevelle, and of every other town
whose enterprising citizens carry out
a literary project of this kind, the
educational value of the work to those
who participate as actors, and to those
who witness the play, far more than
compensates for the deficit in cash.
Prineville people will have the cos
tumes on hand next Winter, and can
give other plays, at -much less expense
and of just as great benefit to the edu
cational interests of the community.
Interior towns where few show com- '
panles can go must rely largely upon
their own resources for entertainment
of this kind.
IN Northern California, just over the
line from Klamath County, the
Government has first placed in prac
tice its policy of selling timber from
forest reserves for lumbering purposes.
The purpose of the Government Is to
sell mature, timber, preserving trees
and retaining title to the land. The
sale recently made was of all the ma
ture timber on three quarter sec
tions of land. Government officials
branded the stumps of trees that are to
be cut, and the quantity of timber to
be paid for was estimated at the same
time. The lumbermen will 'pay $2.50
per 1000 for sugar pine, $2 for yellow
pine - d $1.50 for fir, and he must
burn all refuse, thus guarding against
forest fires and leaving the way clear
for new trees to grow. On the three
quarters there are 3,000,000 feet of
timber, so that the Government will
receive about $6000, pr $2000 a quarter,
whereas quarter sections are sold un
der the timber and stone act at $100 a
quarter, which sum bnys both timber
and land. The Government co'uld se
cure a larger price but for the re
quirement that growing trees be not
injured and that the tops and limbs
be burned. In the end, this policy, it
Is believed, will be more profitable
than to exact the highest possible price
now and pay no attention to forest
preservation or reproduction.
AW. GIESY, the Insurance man,
a recently had an experience with
an unquarantined smallpox patient that
made him worry oft a few pounds of
flesh and convinced him of the need of
a more effective system of protection
against contagious diseases. Some time
ago he got on a train late at night in
a small Eastern Oregon town and went
to the only hotel for the .night. He regis
"tered and was taken upstairs -to the only
empty room. Tacked upon the door next
to his own room he saw a yellow flag
and inquired what It meant. "There is
a woman in there who has smallpox,"
the clerk explained, "but there is a solid
wall between her room and yours. She
couldn't go any other place to stay and
Is going away in the morning." Glesy
occupied his room, but didn't sleep much.
The next morning he Inquired of tha
clerk when the woman would leave and
learned that she would go on the same
train with himself. "She will wear a
heavy .veil,", the clerk Informed him, "so
you can watch which car she goes into
and take some other car yourself." Giesy
watched, all right, and took another car,
but has been wondering how he and the
passengers on the car with her escaped
contracting the disease. The woman rode
all the way from the eastern border of
the state to Portland with only a heavy
veil to keep smallpox germs from spread
ing. EXTRACTION of pitch, tar, resin, oil
and turpentine from the stumps of
refuse materials of lumber camps is an
enterprise undertaken over in Washing
ton, and. if It proves successful there will
quite likely be taken up in Oregon. The
promoters of the project assert that at
an expense of $12 these products can be
extracted from lir wood to the value of
$33.20 per cord. While the figures look
pretty large, if the project should prove
to be practicable it will be a wealth
producer even on much smaller net re
sults. Its value to the timber industry
would be great for the reason that it
would furnish a means of consuming the
materials that now lie upon the ground
to become dry and furnish fuel for forest
fires.
"H
ARD AS A ROCK" is an expres
sion, that does not suffice to con
vey an idea of the difficulties encountered
by some wellborers operating near La
Grande, in Union County. At a depth
of 800 feet they struck a layer of soft
blue clay, the stickiest stuff a well drill
ever struck. They can make much faster
progress through solid rock than through
the blue clay. The drill has gone through
200 feet of it and no bottom has been
reached yet. The indications are that
when when they get through this stratum
hot mineral water will- be found, and
perhaps the results will repay the difiicult
work.