G
THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAN. PORTLAND. APRIL 28, 1907.
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PORTLAND, SCHDiAV. APRIL 28, 1907.
HERMANN V1NDZOATED AT LAST.
Mr. Hermann is acquitted, evidently
because the Government could not show
that his alleged relations with persons
defrauding tho Government of the pub
lic lands had brought to him unlawful
pecuniary benefits. That Mr. Hermann
destroyed letterbooks containing semi
official documents, in order that they
might not fall into the hands of a
hostile successor, Is evident; that men,
within his circle of friends, received
from him "tips" in advance of creation
of reserves, and made use of -the in
formation for their own profit, seems
substantiated by the evidence; but that
Hermann received any of those profits
or sold his official serviced to the land
thieves Is not 'borne out.
Hermann's acquittal is likely to be
the "vindication" which he has been
seeking since in 19tf3 he came back to
Oregon, after being forced out of the
Land Office, and was elected to the
office of Representative in Congress for
the First District. There are other
indictments hanging- over him, for
which he is to be tried In Portland, for
alleged complicity in Blue Mountain
land frauds. But in view of the ac
quittal in Washington, he will probably
be vindicated- of the other indictments;
nt least such Is the appearance of
things and the reasonable conclusion
from the failure of the Government to
make a convincing case against him in
"Washington. The Blue Mountain evi
dence was used against Herhann in
Washington, but it was not convincing
and will have to toe bolstered up if the
prosecution is to accomplish anything;
with it.
Mr. Hermann was thrifty to the ex
tent of sharing the salaries of stenog
raphers and of saving his own postage
stamps; he opened positions for mem
bers of his family in the Government
service; he favored his friends with
secret Information from within the
General Lend Office, which they used
for their own profit; ho evidently knew
ot fraudulent land transactions, but fol
lowed the custom of the time and his
own habit to keep himself out of en
tanglement with them; and (what is to
Ills credit and what acquitted him in
.the mind of the jury) he did not share
In the sioils.
Mr. Hermann hrfs emerged safely
'from a very difficult and trying predica
ment. He lias many friends in Oregon
and they will renew their greetings.
It is to be expected that their number
: will regain more of the old legion of the
, palmy days than it held before the
verdict. It is to be expected-, perhaps,
that the Hermann handshake will come
(Into vogue again and that the grand
; father, stories will be heard as before.
I Kre long w e may hear of his working
for a third term for Roosevelt, provided,
I of course, there should toe an unmls
j taxable demand for it.
; Kor Mr. 'Hermann 1 not vindictive.
I Ho knows when and) how to lay aside
, bitterness. He held on to the office of
'Representative until after his efficiency
for Oregon was gone, but he needed the
! ealary and the Government probably
-owed him something for treating him
I the way it did. The people may forget
, their lame representation in Washing
i ton. In the last -two years. And there
tre offices to be filled in Oregon, many
of them, all the way from United States
Konator and Governor down to Collector
of Customs of Yaqnina. - So here's hop
ing for good luck to Binger.
HOW THE HORKK HAS "PASSED."
A St. Paul dispatch to the Boston
Transcript says that one of tlie most
noticeable features In the progress of
Western Industry Is the scarcity . of
draft horses and men in the W'est.
Good draft horses which eight years
ego were worth only $40 are now selling
from $30 to $S00 each; & good span Is
worth 1500. These horses are in de
mand ia the lumber woods and on rail
way construction, but not enough can
bo had. A man with a good team com
mands wages of $9 a day hauling lum
ber and logs. Wages were never be
fore so high or the prices of horses
no trreat s now.
A few years ago, it will be remem
bered, the "passina; of the borse" as the
result of applied electricity was freely
jjredicted, JiLany obituary, notices were
written in advance of the exit of this
faithful servitor of man. Prices
dropped, the horseraising Industry was
practically abandoned and large herds
of horses were "run in" and slaughtered
for canned meats or were allowed to
starve to death: on the bleak sage
plains. ' But the horse refused to pass.
Electrical energy failed to drive him
out. The demand revived and horse
raising again became a feature of the
American livestock industry. And still
we are told that the demand for good
draft horses is far In excess of the
supply. AH of which shows that it is
foolish to Indulge In prophecy or to
bury, any American' industry until It Is
dead.
T AIT AT CINCINNATI.
There Is' no politics in Mr. . Taft's
speech hsfora the Western Federation
of Yale Clubs at Cincinnati. That is,
no apparent politics. But things are.
not always what they seem. Tale men
ere numerous in -Ohio. -as they aro in
every other part of the country, where
the blood of New England prevails, and
their influence in the battle whose open
ing roar we Just now begin to hear will
not be slight It is well and. wise for
the peripatetic Secretary of War to re
call to their recollection at this junc
ture that he is himself a Yale man with
tho welfare of Ms alma mater still
precious to his soul.-
Mr. Taft indicates in his speech that
he is proud of Yale and assigns excel
lent reasons for his pride. On the other
hand, the venerable university which
bestowed upon the world a Depew, and;
which has been refreshed with the
I blersed dew of a Rockefeller million,
has no, neason to be ashamed of Taft.
He graduated number two in a class of
120 and was salutatorian of his year.
i .. .aevinsr college he has done his
derrir.g-do with an energy and dexter
ity that most, of us admire without
much hope of emulation. Whatever he
has undertaken to do he has done well.
In an age of compliance he has never
complied. In an epoch of low political
morals he has kept the faith of Wash
ington undeflled-. On the Federal bench
Mr. Taft made decisions which in the
clearer light of this decade he would
not be likely to repeat. Were he a
Judge now it is quite likely that he'
would overrule himself.
The advance in the rights and im
munities of labor is indicated by noth
ing more conclusively than by the im
possibility of a repetition of the antt
labor rulings of Taft and Jenkins made
several years ago. That they were mis
takes Is now admitted by everybody.
But who has not made mistakes? It is
Impolitic and unjust for union labor to
cherish perpetual resentment. Like
other men they should look to the
future rather than the past and ask of
a man, not "What has he done?" but
"What is he likely to do?" If MV. Taft
should rise to be President of the
United States, there, is not the slightest
question but that he would strive for
equal Justice to all men. Union l.ibor
would receive better treatment from
him than from any imaginable tool of
the corporations whom opposition to
Taft may place in, the White House.
Human affairs are not directed! by re
sentment. Revenge plays but a small
part in successful policy. Discreet for
getfulness more often wins political
battles than a too persistent memory.
Mr. Ts.ft has broadened mentally as
well as physically while he has been
serving his country, and those who de
siro the advancement ot the common
welfare without regard- to class or. sta
tion have no truer friend than he.
HOW ONE CHURCH BIX AVTK RICH.
Trinity Church has long been known
to be one of the heaviest owners of real
estate in New York City, but until
recently there has been no information
whatever as to the actual value of its
property. Even now there Is nothing
that shows its value further than the
announcement that Its annual income
from real property is $775,000. This
revenue is from property not directly
used -for church, school or hospital pur
poses. The Trinity Church corporation
maintains eight chapels, twelve parish
schools and a hospital andi contributes
largely to the support of twenty-six
other churches, hospitals and missions.
Twenty-four clergymen are employed1.
The contributions, amounting to $80,000,
more than pay the expense qf the par
ish work, amounting to nearly $72,000.
Expenses outside of the parish amount
to $31.00 Out of Its income of $775,000
the church pays in taxes $127,000, re
pairs and insurance $135,000, leaving
something like half a million a year to
be given away in endowments, or added
to the producing capital of the church.
Trinity's property was originally re
ceived as a grant from Queen Anne in
1703. Much of the property has been
given to churches or sold, but some of
it remains and is rented to tenants who
erected 'buildings upon It. While the
church has retained ownership of the
property and has profited by the in
crease in value, it has not withheld It
from useful occupation. Trinity Church
Old with some of its property what this
paper has suggested Portland school
district should do with public school
sites which cease to be desirable for
public school purposes by reason of the
shifting of the residence district. Prop
erty of that kind in a growing city may
be rented for a term of years, and in
time it will boconie a valuable revenue
producer. .
HARD TO PLEASE.
It seems Impossible for a newspaper.
In publishing the news of a trial like
that of Binger Hermann, to please all
persons Interested. The reason Is that
personal bias or opinion of Interested
individuals sees only one array of evi
dence and resents what is Intended for
an impartial recital.
Both friends and foes of Hermann
have expressed dissatisfaction with the
newspaper effort to steer Impartially
between their contentions. For ex
ample. Will G. Steel, witness against
Hermann, on returning from the trial
In Washington, nearly two months ago,
remarked in a Portland evening news
paper: The accounts published by The Oregonian
regarding the Hermann trial are very much
colored In Hermann's fayor. I do not know
whether the coloring Is put In at this end
or br order from here, or whether it Is done
br the Washington correspondent, but It Is
colored. From the accounts reaching Port
land and published tn that paper it would
appear that Hermann was gsttlng the best
of the argument In his trial, when the re
verse is the case. It is my opinion that he
will be convicted, as the evidence Is against
him. and has been throughout the trial.
Mr. Steel, possessed of hJa Idea that
Hermann was guilty and. would toe con
victed, wanted the news accounts to
depart from the version of the trial
that now is seen, -to have been Juatlfledv
and to represent Hermann's defense as
hopeless. In tbe fixedness of his idea
and his unwillingness to admit his
error, he aspersed the honesty of the
dlspatclies.
On the other sicta, friends of Her
mann, sure that he was Innocent and
that he was above all reproach, re
seated portrayal of the plain and un
disputed evidence of the case; such as
his manifestly friendly relations with
men engaged in defrauding the Gov
ernment, his thrifty .practices and his
widespread nepotism. They were not
content that The Oregonian should
show the lack of evidence to prove that
Hermann. ' had shared ''the profits of
land thieves. They wanted their own
version put on facts that - were urged
by the prosecution as contributory evi
dence of Hermann's grasping habit,
and that gave" Hermann visible em
barrassment and concern, but that did
not convince the Jury that Hermann
had committed a criminal act.
This divergent altitude of Hermann's
friends .and foes is a fair' sample of
many with which a newspaper is forced
to contend1. The conflict is incessant
and publishers hardly expect ever to
be free from It- ;the cause is self
interest, of Individuals who see only
their own version of thitigrs. There is
a class of newspapers like persons, who
have biased versions in contests where
they or their promoters have personal
interest. But they are always found
out by the public and their veracity
as vendors of news is not credited for
any length of time or distance.
DEBS.
The man w ho -says that Mr. Debs has
said a few things that are foolish, noth
ing more, must have overlooked "much
that Mr. Debs has said and done. Is a
cartoon, alleged to have been "drawn
from life," picturing the President as a
hideous black pirate with tbe blood of
his victims dripping from his hands,
nothing more than foolish? When Mr.
Debs publishes a picture representing
the little daughter of Haywood pleading
before the President for the life of her
father and the President with clenched
fists and terrible anger on his face
replying "I'll hang your papa and you
also If the mineowners ask it," is that
merely foolish? Those pictures, though
seen by many men who are not misled
by them, go chiefly into the hands of
men who do not read or reason, but
who look at the pictures and form their
opinions therefrom. R. A. Harris,
whose letter was published Saturday,
criticises the acts of President Roose
velt in a reasonable manner, as he has
a right to do, but Mr. Debs, whom Mr.
Harris defends, grossly misrepresents
the President of the United States in a
manner calculated to incite violence,
overturn government and promote the
spirit of anarchy.
JOHN CALVIN".
John Calvin's four hundredth birth
day being now only two years distant,
preparations are fnaking to celebrate
it by erecting his statue in Geneva,
where he did his work. Calvin was
eminent in at least four fields. He was
one of the two or three first theologians
of the world; his ideas of church gov
ernment have held their own against
the centralizing tendencies of Catholic
ism and in many places uprooted them;
he was an educator of the highest rank
and1 a man of letters whose French was
the best written before Rabelais and
whose Latin was unrivaled since Ter
tulllan. Calvin was born in Picardy,
in France, eight years before Martin
Luther posted) his 95 theses on the door
at Wittenberg. When Luther burned
the Pope's bull of excommunication in
1520 Calvin was of about the same age
as Jesus when he debated with the
doctors in the Temple. At that time
the great French reformer was al
ready endowed with the revenues of a
curacy and on the highway to the Cath
olic priesthood-; but by the time he was
20 years bid both his father and- himself
had decided that the law offered a
better field for his abilities.
Duther's defense of his theses had
then been thundering through Chris
tendom for ten years, and there can be
little doubt that Calvin' had heard the
message. At any rate, almost as soon
as he began to study law he began to
preach the doctrines of the young refor
mation and not long afterward incited
one of his friends to advocate them
publicly in Paris. ' For this -bold act
they were both banished and the King
of France, to fumigate "his . capital,
marched bareheaded In procession
through the streets behind a band of
priests bearing holy relics. Six times
the procession paused, each time at an
altar. Beside each altar burned a fire
and above each Are swung a heretic in
an iron cage, who was slowly pumped
up and down, now into the flames to
sizzle a while, now out of them to enjoy
the sensation. At the approach of King
Francis and the holy relics the heretic
was plunged for the last time into the
fire and permitted to die. Very likeiy
there was much regret among the
saintly men engaged in this lovely per
formance that Calvin was not in one
of the cages, but he had made his es
cape. A short time "after this experi
ence, when he was 27 years old. John
Calvin published his "Institutes of The
ology." a book which changed the
course of human history.
The . reformation was already fer
menting in Geneva, but it had not
triumphed there. Two parties struggled
for the control of the city, one devoted
to tho new doctrines, the other re
actionary. The preacher FareJ, a friend
of Calvin, led the progressives and at
his invitation the exile, in 1536, began
to preach in Geneva. But he did not
remain long. The reactionaries, or
Libertines, as they are politely desig
nated in history, drove him out and he
founded a church In Strasburg, where
he applied his theory of church govern
ment In practice. Here Calvin dwelt
and preached what he called the gospel
until he was 32 years old; then he was
recalled to the city by the beautiful
lake overlooked by a snow mountain
almost as bald and awful as bis own
theology, and there he lived until the
day of his death. Calvin's position In
Geneva Is easily understood by Ameri
cana He held no office except that of
preacher in his church, but for all that
he ruled the city absolutely. He was a
boss like Pericles in Athens or Abe
Ruef In San Francisco; but instead of
using his power to build a Parthenon or
graft upon franchise grabbers he
ground his subjects under the millstone
of theological tyranny.
Calvin believed in the separation of
church and state; but to make a place
in the world for his theorj to live he
had to extirpate the last, shred of op
position in Geneva. Never was a piece
of work done moVe thoroughly. Geneva
became veritably a city of God and the
God who -puled It -through Calvin was
Incarnate cruelty. He fought the en
emies of the reformation with blood
and Iron, but they were the only wea
pons that could have won his battle.
His theory of democracy in the church
united the distracted bands of reform-,
era In Germany, the low countries and
Britain Into something like a coherent
community. By an .easy transition it
became democracy in the state.- It
broke the rule of the ancient church
In Scotland and wrested Northern
Britain from the French alliance.
It nerved the fleets of Elizabeth In the
death struggle with the Armada. It
upstayed the Dutch in their hideous
struKaie with Spain. and the inquisition.
It Inspired the soldiers of Cromwell and
heartened the pilgrims In the New Eng
land forest. If the modern world takes
its religious creed from Voltaire and its
sentiment from - Rousseau, it takes Its
politics from Calvin. The iron-souled
boss of Geneva was the father of de--moeraey.
Tha-tyrant who put men to
death Tor art idle jest1 and burned Ser
vetus at the slake for an'-error In the
ology set us-all free. from the chains
of superstitution and annihilated the
divine Tight of kings.'
If Calvin had listened to Servetus
pleading .for mercy at the stake he
would have destroyed himself and the
young tree " of democracy would have
withered and, died.' The, flower of lib
erty Is rooted in granite. It has been
watered with blood and nourished In
flames. We of today dwell in the peace
that Calvin won for its. We lead our
easy lives in a world that he made safe
and sane. Shall we execrate his mem
ory because he fought with the only
weapons that were fitted for the -warfare
he ha to was-e? .
CHANGING SCHOOL BOOKS..
The Oregonian ofrer a plausible argu
ment to show that there has been a great
saving made by the Textbook Commission in
cost of schooibooks to the people who buy
then-i. It will take considerable argument to
convince the man who pays the book bills that
to throw away from 43 to worth of books
for every child he has every six years, or even
sell them at the price offered for second-hand
books in exchange for new ones, Is a "saving"
to him. He may be made to believe there is
a savins; somewhere.- but you can't make him
believe that he has been Involved In the "sav-
Ing." I-akevtc-w Examiner.
This complaint is frequently heard
from persons who have not opportunity
or disposition' to examine the subject
Impartially,. As a man's children grow
up, and pass out ot their successive i
school books, leaving them neglected j
about the house, he naturally gets an
idea of waste at the expense of his
pocketbook. Likewise, when books are
changed and he is compelled to buy
new ones for his chHdren, he thinks
there is worse waste.
But it depends .wholly on circum
stances whether change of books makes
waste. In this state six years ago,
when books were changed, the new
publishers allowed the old books to be
turned in as part of the purchase price
of new ones, the exchange value rang
ing from one-third to one-half of the
new price. In this way the cost of new
books was considerably diminished!
And while, in a number of cases, the
changes cost money which parents
would not have had to spend if the old
books had been retained, still there are
a great many more parents who have
saved by the changes In the last six
years than those who have lost by
them. .
The records show that in the period
July 8, 1901, and January, 1. 1907, the
total sales of books for the primary,
and grammar grades in Oregon
amounted to $472,487, this sum being
the product of the retail price of each
text, multiplied by the number of each
book sold. As a matter of fact, the
total sum paid was somewhat less than
5472,487, on account of the refund al
lowed in exchanging old books for new.
Most of the exchanging was done in
the first two years.
The same number of books as have
been sold since 1901, if they had been
the texts used.- prior to that time, would
have cost $109,000 more than $472,487,
the reason being that the retail prices
in the old book list were higher. It
will be seen that the state as, a whole
has saved money by the change. - This
means that most parents have saved
money. And while there are undoubt
edly parents who paid out. more money
for purchase of the new texts, the
greater interest of the greater number
should rule in this matter in comput
ing the profit and loss. Would it save
money to the parents of the state as a
whole, for most of them to keep on pay
ing the higher prices of the old books
in order that a fewer number might use
up the old book already purchased?
Besides, the new books are . better
than the old in every respect in
method of instruction. In binding, In
illustration and print, and in informa
tion. The old books were outdated.
The new books were Improvements
There are improvements in books Just
as in tools and furniture. Who will say
that the school children of Oregon
should not have the nest? Is it the
father who begrudges the expenditure
of one or two dollars for schooibooks
for his child and then wastes more
than that, perhaps several times over,
for tobacco or beer or other useless
whim?
It will not be inferred from this that
changes every six years will .save
money. That depends on whether new
prices can be obtained lower than the
old. That is a matter for the State
Textbook Commission to Investigates
Doubtless it will be one of the main
considerations in deciding the commis
sion. -
' CONSUMING SMOKE.
The ordinary smoke which Issues
from chimneys and bollutes the air Is
largely composed of water vapor and
carbon. It is the carbon which makes
the smoke -black and which Is deposited
on objects in the form of soot. Sir
Frederick Treves, a London physician,
who is at the head- of the movement
to compel users of coal to adopt some
device to consume the carbon, or soot.
In the smoke, says that the lungs of
many Londoners are permeated
throughout with coal dust from chim
neys. According to him, this substance
not only makes people liable to disease,
but actually causes it.
It Is well known that the London
fogs, which are for the most part Lon
don smoke, are very de'trimental to
buildings and works of arL If they,
could be mitigated It would make the
city not only more agreeable, but also
more healthful, and it would; also en
hance the value of property. What is
true of London is true of many cities
in this country, perhaps of all. though
In less degree. We have no city where
the air is as foul with soot as In Lon
don, but Chicago and Pittsburg are not
far behind the British metropolis in
this particular.
Devices have been Invented which
make the consumption of smoke prac
tically complete- To apply them to fur
naces entails some-expense,, but this is
compensated by the saving In fueL
Where there ' is nothing wasted in
smoke, a ton of coal naturally goes
farther than when a large fraction is
poured out Into the air as soot.
But the great merit of smoke con
sumption lies in the enhancement of
tile' .beauty, healthfulness and comfort
of cities -which it effects. Human life
is much more desirable under clear
skies than -under -a pall of smoke and
dirt. It Is also safer. One of the most
lamentable of the ways in which man
has thwarted the evident purposes of
the .Creator is by the defilement of the
atmosphere. ' It took our cities many
years to learn the value of pure water
and take measures to obtain It. How
long will it be before we secure the
equal blessing of pure air?
There is a large measure of thought
lessness in the enthusiasm that urges a
crowd forward in the attempt to hear
the words of the President of the United
States, to the menace of the lives of
those in front of-- them. A herd of
frightened buffalo in its mad gallop
from supposed danger in the rear obeys
an instinct scarcely more unreasoning
and -uncontrollable than that of a crowd
of human beings actuated by selfishness
and seeking a point of supposed vant
age. American manhood never appears
in a more uncomplimentary light than
when, regardless of tho weak, it seeks
- to place itself in the front rank in a
crowd. President Roosevelt, shouting;
at the top of his stentorian voice to
Americans-Vlrrtnians to be true to
themselves and their -traditions by tak
ing care of women and children repre
sented the spirit of the manhood that
he invoked at its best. Called to Itself,
the throng halted for a time, but again
surged forward, when a detachment of
soldiers came to the succor of the
threatened people. The spectacle repre
sented a lack of self-control that Is at
the bottom of most of the troubles of
Individuals, but that all Governments
are prompt to rebuke.
While Editor McManus, of the Pilot
Rock Record, was lying In jail at Pen
dleton awaiting trial on the charge of
murder, he wrote editorials for his
paper as usual, though sometimes upon
topics different from those to which he
generally gave attention. 'His misfor
tune was due to drink, so perhaps it
was with this in mind that he wrote,
upon the discharge of one of the pris
oners, "In the Umatilla County jail,
from which Mr. Barnhart takes his
leave, there remain 14 inmates, 13 of
whom charge Kinft Alcohol with their
-downfall. There is no exaggeration in
the statement that nine out of every
ten persons imprisoned in the Umatilla
County jail every year are victims of
strong dirlnk." One might expect the
Pilot Rock Record to become a prohi
bition paper.
Woodrow Wilson criticizes the Presi
dent for his "loyal advocacy of trades
unionism" andl now the' unions are
planning a special day for demonstra
tions againstthe President. But Roose
velt isn't wildly asking, "Where do I
stand?" as Mr. Harriman did. Roose
velt stands for a square deal, no more
and no less, for organized labor and
organized capital. Wilson says that
what we want is not a square deal but
no deal at all old-fashioned equity and
harmony of condition. Mr. Wilson and
Mr. Harriman can quite agree on that.
No deal at all Just the same old kind
of equity by means of which Alton
deals can be made. Possfbly Harriman
would approve of a deal if he were
permitted to continue as the dealer.
Two New York .ministers have gotten
into trouble with their churches be
cause they went Into the disorderly
part of -town to study sociological prob
lems. They forgot the instruction of St.
Paul, "Whatsoever things are true,
whatsoever things are honest, whatso
ever things are just, whatsoever things
are pure, whatsoever things are lovely,
whatsoever things are of good report. If
there te any virtue and if there be any
praise, think on these." There are
sociological problems outside of the
slums.
"After an evening of riotous proceed
ings the House of Representatives of
the Minnesota legislature closed its
work last night. The Senate turned
back the clock and worked on until long
after midnight." This from the Pioneer
Press is astounding news concerning a
state supposedly as civilized as Minne
sota. Whoever heard of such proceed
ings in Oregon?
Before Honore Jaxon wrote his let
ter to the President he should have
employed a few press agents to inform
the public that he was one of the rough
and ready participants in Riel's Rebel
lion. The knowledge that he was a
fighter would have given added interest
to what he had to say. However, he
must be given credit for writing a
forceful letter. -
A North Dakota assessor wanted to
assess a farm at $7000 and the protest
ing owner exclaimed, "Why, I would
sell it to you for that," whereupon the
assessor wrote out a check for the
amount. Needless to say, the farmer
backed down.- When the assessor
comes, values are different from what
they are at other limes.
The widow of the victim of a St.
Louis automobile accident was per
mitted: to attend the trial of the owner
of the machine. That was presumably
the exercise of undue influence upon
the jury and the courts may be ex
pected to grant a new trial If the first
results in conviction.
If automobiles supersede the camel
on the desert, circus proprietors should
be able to add these ungainly animals
to their menageries at greatly reduced
prices. Where's the small boy whe
wouldn't rather see a camel than an
automobile? '
The barbers who ask a $1 raise in
wages because of the ten-cent raise in
the price of hair cuts ought to have the
sympathy of patrons. The man who
pays the extra ten cents would like to
see It go as far as possible.
The Oregon dentists will meet next
week. Perhaps to discuss the old Joke
a-bout the "new painless method." It
becomes serious when It passes from
the patients to the rent bills.
The policemen are ordered to stop
talking politics. As If any of them
would do such a thing. It ought to
make them mad enough to talk politics
for very spite.
AH this agitation over a possible
water famine in New. Tork City is use
less. If the supply in tlfe reservoirs
should be exhausted Wall Street could
be tapped. ,
As a watched pot never bolls and an
expected event never happens, these
parables may explain tho non-arrival of
the newcomer in Madrid.
Judge Hebbard, of San Francisco,
wishes to Jail Hetfey. We don't blame
him. but he ought to have got the drop
on Heney first
They are too late in trying to Jail
Heney. .They ought to have done it
before he broke loose. The damage is
all done.
Mr. Hermann will now have more
friends than before he was acquitted.
Or perhaps hj will only think so.
SYMPOSIUM OF CURRENT STATE TOPICS
Way Asphalt for Pavlnej Im Orrjcoa and No, Wood Bloekst Five A err a "Yot
KnouKta for Small Firm Brtttr Transportation la the Klamath Coun
tryTrouble About Local Trains Timber Srumpage Beeomlaa; More
Valuable Wild Blackberries and a Golden. Wedding;.
AT THE same time that Portland,
Seattle and Tacoma are importing
asphaltum and similar materials
for paving. Eastern cities such as New
York. Minneapolis, and Detroit, Mich.,
are laying wooden blocks for paving and
are abandoning the asphalt. Comment
ing upon this apparently anomalous dif
ference on the paving question, tbe West
Coast Lumberman says that some day
the cities of the Coast will learn the
lesson of wooden paving which the older
dtles of this country and Europe have
already learned, and millions ot feet of
the timber now left In stumps will be
used for paving. It does seem strange
that New York should use wooden blocks,
while Oregon, the home of great lumber
ing enterprises, should discard the wood
and import asphalt. Kaatern cities have
found asphalt unsatisfactory because
holes break in it and the patches do not
form good Joints, thus causing renewal
of the breaks in the pavement. It is said
that miles of wooden pavement in New
York are giving the best of satisfation,
though the blocks are only three and one
half Inches in length. They are dipped
In creosote before being laid, and
after carrying heavy traffic for
years are said to be in splendid
condition. . But this difference between
the Bast and the Coast on the subject of
wooden paving may quite likely have a
clear explanation. The East must con
tend with frost. In the Winter the
intense cold contracts the surface of the
ground, causing cracks from an inch to
two or three inches across. Asphalt is
not proof against such a strain as that,
and a crack onoe formed starts the
wearing of a hole. On the other hand,
the Coast country has its long dry sea
son in Summer and long wet season in
Winter, which'changes tend to the break
ing up of block pavements. It a block
pavement could be laid so as to give
good drainage and to avoid the occasional
defective block which starts a break, the
wooden pavement would undoubtedly be
as satisfactory on the Coast as in the
East.
PIVE-ACRE farms pay well on paper
but most men who try them find
them too small to pay well in actual,
practical agriculture. A Benton County
man has proposed to cut up his farm of
several hundred acres into five-acre
tracts, but, unless experience in Benton
differs materially from , that of other
regions, it will be found that larger tracts
are needed. Except in the case of a very
few crops, such as celery, strawberries,
and perhaps one or two more, five acres
will not suffice to keep a family. If one
were to figure what can be produced on
five acres, and what it will bring in the
market, both ends could be made to
meet at the close of the year; but prac
tice presents a few problems which the
theorist does not take into consideration.
In the first place, some of the land must
be taken for farm buildings, and, if the
barn is to be a respectable distance from
the house, the space for buildings will
not be small. The borne must have a
generous front yard, and space must be
left for a -family garden. If the family
keeps a cow, there should be a small
pasture or a field for crops which will
supply the cow with green feed. There
must be a small family orchard and
room for chicken yards. When all these
deductions have been made, the five-acre
tract will have been reduced at least one
half, leaving a pretty small tract for
revenue production. A Danish colony
has recently purchased several- farms
near Junction City with a view to divid
ing them up into 50 small farms; but
they figure at least 25 acres to each
family, which experience will prove to be
small enough, on an average, though for
some purposes a smaller tract will do.
A five-acre farm is proportionately as
much too small as the Umatilla County
farms are too large. The East . Ore
gonian finds that nine farmers In that
county own 43,000 acres of Lwheat land,
or about 4S00 acres each. If each of the
farms were divided into 20 there would
be land enough in each division to sup
port a family. But five acres, even under
Intensive farming, is too little.
PARMER3 in the irrigation district
around La Grande are raising a pro
test because the city people Use the irriga
tion canal for sewerage purposes. And tbe
same difficulty arises,- or is likely to be
presented, in every irrigation country.
Farmers In many instances would find it
convenient to use the water of the canals
for domestic purposes, or to dig wells
near enough to the canals so that they
would get seepage water purified by pass
ing through the soil. In such cases they
quite naturally object to the use of the
canals and ditches for sewerage purposes.
But Inhabitants of an. irrigation region
very frequently have no other water
courses into which to turn their waste
pipes. Under such circumstances the
septic tank will furnish a solution for a
difficult problem, and give satisfaction to
all concerned. The sewerage of a house
hold can be turned into a septic tank
where- the impurities are all consumed
and the overflow rendered harmless and
Inoffensive. There are. now In use In
Oregon' hundreds of septic tanks and
they are all giving satisfaction except the
few which have been Improperly con
structed, or which, though properly con
structed, have not worked well because
flooded with water. For some four
years the Chemawa Indian School, which
has 600 inmates, has disposed of all its
sewerage by.. use of a septic tank and the
plan has given entire satisfaction. Any
town or rural community situated away
from a stream, as Chemawa is, can solve
its sewerage problem In the same way.
and at no greater expense than would be
necessary for the installation of an or
dinary sewerage system.
eT LAMATH people are now rejoicing
I I over the establishment of boat ser
vice between Klamath Falls and Fort
Klamath, the first trip having been made
the past week. These two points are
about forty miles apart by wagon road,
and the trip Is a -tedious and disagree
able one, especially In the dusty season
of Summer. Shallow water has always
been the chief obstacle to navigation, but
recently a boat hag been constructed that
can get over the shallow places, even
with a load of passengers and freight.
Navigation on the lake has not been so
difficult, but Fort Klamath Is six or
eight miles up Wood River from the
North end of the Lake, and it is this part
of the course that has heretofore given
trouble. The trip by wagon has taken
practically a day. while the boat ' will
cover the distance In about half a day.
Klamath people expect thlB water trans
portation service to make the Klamath
route a popular one for tourists going to
Crater Lake. The boat will reach a
point about 20 miles from Crater Lake.
INOCULATION of the noil for the pur
pose of preparing it for the production
of clover or alfalfa Is not such a difficult
or mysterious proceeding as to call for
the possession of scientifically prepared
materials or special knowledge of chem
istry. It is an aid of which any farmer
may take advantage at very little cost.
While the Department of Agriculture at
Washington has been sending out In
small bottles a seeding of bacteria from
which the farmer may produce more by
placing the seed in material In which the
bacteria will multiply, It is not necessary
for the farmer to procure his seed in that
way. He can take a few bushels of soil
from a field In which clover or alfalfa
has made a good growth and sow this
soil over his fields as he would grass
seed. . Thus will be supplied the bacteria
which will make conditions more favor
able for the starting of a crop of clover
on ground that has never been used for
that purpose.
WHEN a railroad undertakes the es
tablishment of a local service for
the convenience of Us passengers it must
expect to have many requests for an
extension of the service. The O. R. & N.,
for example, has a local service as far
as Biggs. Pendleton some time ago
asked that the local be run to that point,
and now Baker City insists that the train
must go as far as the mining metropolis.
And it probably will. Several years ago
the Southern Pacific established a local
train between Salem and Portland. In a
year or two it was run out to Alfeany.
later to Eugene, and now it comes Into
Portland every day from as far south as
Cottage Grove. Without the local to
lighten the load for the overland, the
road could scarcely handle the business.
With the overland late more than half
the time, the people could not endure the
service without the local. . And the in
habitants of the O. R. & N. territory feel
that they are, similarly situated.
SIGNS of Summer in Oregon are con
temporary with signs of Spring in
the East. While they are still having
blizzards in the Middle States. Oregon
Is beginning haying. According to the
Central Point Herald the song of the
mowing machine has been heard in that
vicinity the past week, and the first
load of new alfalfa hay has been hauled
to town. Sam Murray, of Bear Creek
farm. Is the farmer who hauled the
hay. According to the same authority,
J. H. Gay. a Central Point lumberman,
was hoeing his potato patch last Thurs
day and accidental y dug out a hill,
disclosing spuds as -rge as hen's eggs.
Ho planted his garden in February.
But Easterners will not believe such
stories, even if they are furnished with
the names- and addresses of the men
who produced the crops. .
THAT timber stumpage for lumber
ing purposes will advance from Its
present value of about $3 per thousand
to $10 or even more, is the opinion of
a cruiser who has been interviewed
recently by the Albany Herald. Supply
and demand, he thinks, will bring about
the change. That heavy capitalists ex
pect a very considerable advance in
timber values may be Judged from 'the
fact that the Weyerhausers have some
$15,000,000 Invested in timber land and
the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul has
set aside about the same amount for
the purchase of that class of property
along the line of its proposed exten
sion to the Coast. The railroad, of
course, sees two opportunities ahead.
It will profit by the advance in values
and will also get the lumber traffic
just as it wants It.
MRS. JOSEPH WILLIAMS, of North
Yamhill, has a can of wild black
berries which she put up 31 years ago.
Shortly before their marriage she and
Mr. Williams picked the blackberries
and canned them In anticipation of
their approaching wedding. All tho
berries were eaten but one can. and It
Is the, intention to keep this 19 ; ears
longer, when the can will be opened
and the berries served at the celebra
tion of the golden wedding. "They ex
pect to live that long if only for the ,
purpose of eating the berries gathered
so long ago on the sun-kissed hills of
Old Yamhill," says the Hillsboro Argus.
"Who is there so gross as to say that -sentiment
is dead and gone in this
commercial age? Bring him here and
we will give him , full membership in
the Ananias Club."
OILING the streets of Salem is a
project to be undertaken by Mayor
Rogers, of that city, upon his own ini
tiative and without waiting for the
cumbersome proceedings of a City
Council. He has ordered two carloads
of oil from California and will soon
have It ready for application. It has
already been tried on the streets sur
rounding the Court-House square and
last season the experiment proved quite
satisfactory. The oiled street was dust
less all Summer and needed no sprink
ling, but sprinkled streets were dusty
withlrt an hour after sprinkling with
water. At first there is quite a strong
odor of oil, but after a week or two
It is not pffenslve. In any event, so It
Is said, the odor of oil is preferable to
the dust.
BIG egg controversies In the Willam
ette Valley are getting pretty near,,
as strenuous as the Hood-RIvcr-WU-lamette-V
alley apple question. Several
poultrymen have reported their finds
of remarkably large eggs, but thus far
the record seems to be held by T. M.
Jones, of Salem, who has a hen's egg
that measures 84 by 1 inches and
weighs 4 ounces. But probably some
one will go him a little better.
The Empty , Lama.
Indianapolis News.
Oil will eoRt a half cent more?
Haven't we heard that before?
Huch a bromide fit a bor.
Though one hates lo say It.
What we'd really like to know
For. of course, they'll make It go)
Is how we'll eer get the dough
That we'll need to pay it. -