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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (May 12, 1907)
6 THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN, PORTLAND, MAY 12, 190T. . h irBfiCRlPTIOX RATES. C7" INVARIABLY IH ADVANCE. Xa Dally. Sunday Included, on year $8 00 Iallr, Sunday Included, alz montha.... 4.20 Dally, Sunday Included, threa montna. . 2-25 Dally, Sunday Included, one month.... .75 Dally, without Sunday, one year 00 Dally, without Sunday, six montha. .... S-25 Dally, without Sunday, three montha.. 1-75 Daily, without Sunday, one month -JO Sunday, one year '59 Weekly, one year (Uaued Thuraday)... J-JJJ Sunday ul Weekly, one year ..- a-8" BY CABBIES. ral!y. BunVJay Included, one year...... Dally. Sunday Included, ona month. ... HOW TO REMIT Send postottlcs money rder, express order or personal check on our local bank. Starope, coin or currency re at the sender's risk. Give postoltlce ao Uraaa la full, including county and atata, POSTAGE BATES. Xntered at Portland, Oregon. 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Jamestown Exposition News tHsnri; Potts A Roeder; Schneider ft Kaiser. Pine Beach, Va. w. A. Cosgrove. PORTLAND, SOfDAY, MAY ' 12. 1907. THE SONS OF MARTHA. Mr. Rudyard Kipling has favored the World with another of his poems. As a rule his writing, whatever Its de merits may be. Is not difficult to under- Ttand. A Jingling- glorification of pagan ust. a hymn of praise to feudal cruelty, si eulogy of some superstition that the 'vorld has outgrown, an adulatory tribute to some decadent fetich, these things may fill the mind with sorrow for a great genius sadly misapplied, but they do not often puzzle: us. His latest poem is not only deeply Immoral, iko many of Mr. Kipling's productions, Ibut It difTers from them In that It Is Jibscure. One scarcely knows at a first reading whether the poem "The Sons of Martha" Is a satire or a frank plea for class slavery. It contains lines so BTOtesquely brutal that, were they from any other writer, one would in stantly suspect sarcasm; but , Mr. Kipling's sarcasm has hitherto been Invariably directed against the Ideals of Justice and human 'brotherhood, while here, if It exists. It Is directed against the exploitation of one class by another. We cannot believe that the gifted author has suddenly changed all his predilections so completely as this would Imply and therefore we con clude that the piece Is not meant to be satirical. The author's brutality ' has simply overreached itself as It did in the nauseous Stalky Stories. The literary critic is compelled in our day to draw a distinction between In decency and - immorality. Most of the great writers of English arid all other tongues Jiave been at times indecent; but few of them have been Immoral. Voltaire often shocks one's sense of delicacy; Rabelais disgusts us on every page; but both these authors are emi nent moralists. They speak unerringly for the right. They plead always on the side of justice. Many passages in Shakespeare can not now be read to a mixed audience because of their coarse language. Fielding sometimes seems to revel In Images which our taste re jects. Byron's Don Juan, a profoundly religious poem, occasionally makes a sensitive reader blush. Walt Whitman wrote verses which seem better suited for mural decorations In a den of vice than for a literary work. Mr. Kipling rever offends in this way. He is never Indecent, but he is' perversely immoral In his short stories, his novels and his ipocms. Upon all the nobler aspirations gf human kind- he heaps obloquy. Upon Hhe long, heartbreaking struggle of the rommon man toward freedom, purity fcnd gentleness he pours contempt. It is ' the lingering remnants of the brute in .is that excite his admiration. It is the Upward striving of the lowly that pro vokes his scorn. At the sight of some fluttering rag of feudalism he bursts Into Joyous song; but who can cite from Ell that he has written a single line In praise of that- septa-lf which has broken the chains of feudalism and set the modern man free In mind and body? frills poem of "The Sons of Martha" di vides men into two classes, one doomed to serve and cumbered therewith as the Biblical Martha was; the other, "the sons of Mary." privileged to live and enjoy themselves upon the fruits I pf servitude. With this division we rave no fault to find. It has always Misted in the world and Is llkeJy to Txist for a long time to come. Whether Us slaves, as feudal serfs or as modern Vage earners the world has never been Xvithout an exploited class, and those "who plundered them have never failed to And plenty of reasons in religion nd logic to prove that their privilege was the will of the Almighty. Neither Ik it possible to complain of Mr. Kipling's . description of these classes. It is done with a keen sense of the value of words and with poignant power, as all his descriptions are. Martha's sons must "wait upon Mary's eons without- end, reprieve or rest." "It in their care in all the ages to lake the buffet and cushion the shock" for rthe sons of Mary who take the benefit "pleasantly sleeping and unaware." "They finger death at their glove's end when they piece and replece the living wire;" they bring water to the cities, they delve in mines, they build rail roads, they tend machinery, "Wary I tad watchful All Jieir d.av&. that their brtheren's days may be long in . the land;" and from their incessant toll they have no relief until death. This is- true enough, is It not? ' It is also true, as Kipling says, that "Lift ye the stone or cleave the wood to make a path more fair or flat, Lo, It Is black already with -blood , some . sons of Martha spilled for that." The contrast between the fates of those who toil and those who enjoy has' never been more truly perceived or more clearly stated than .by Kipling in this poem; but when thus much has been said there is no more to offer in its praise. With his piercing insight into the Iniquity of servitude and its everlasting injustice one might have expected that Mr. Kipling would have had something to say in the way of hope for its cessation, or at least a line of pity for the slaves and condemnation- for those who plunder them. He has not, however. He glorifies it all as the decree of the extraordinary monster whom he calls "the Lord;" and he in vents a puerile fable to explain how it came about. Just as Milton tells us that the mortal taste of the forbidden apple "brought death into the world with all our woe." so Kipling explains the hard lot of the laboring man by the fact that Martha complained to Jesus because Mary, her sister, "had left her to serve alone" and asked him to "bid her therefore that she' help me." To punish Martha for this rudeness "to the Lord her guest." her sons must continue- slaves to the sons of Mary till the end of time. , We say this fable is puerile. Poets are not required to be strictly logical, but there should be some semblance of proportion between means and ends in their concepts. Puerility, however, is not the worst charge against Mr. Kipling's perversion of one of the most beautiful stories in the life of Jesus. He reverses the whole significance of the incident and makes it tell on the side of wrong instead of faith and love. Not only that, but Mr. Kipling in his poem harks back to an outgrown conception of God whom he makes a vengeful and' irrational savage in the childish medieval style.- For such reasons as these we hold that the poem is immoral; but It is doubly to be condemned for its dire pessimism in teaching that the degraded servitude'of labor is without hope of mitigation. In a world striving, as ours Is. toward light and the beauty of social regenera tion Mr. Kipling's song Is like the flap ping - of bats' wings in a noisome dungeon. WHY DO THEY DO ITT - Some half dozen Oregon newspapers have taken up the cry against Presi dent Kerr, of the Agricultural College. They express misgivings as to dhe wis dom of his election because he was once a Mormon and a polygamist. Do these papers know what they are doing? Do they understand that they are aiding the Mormon hierarchy to wreak Its re venge upon Mr. Kerr for renouncing polygamy many years ago In his young manhood and fighting the Mormon po litical machine ever since? The hier archy has driven him out of the Utah Agricultural College; It has determined to drive him out of the Oregon, col lege. These newspapers are helping on the wicked purpose. The hierarchy has resolved that no man who fights it shall ever enjoy a position of honor west of the Rocky Mountains. Mr. Kerr has fought it - for many years. Some of the newspapers of Oregon are joining In the conspiracy to punish him. Is this simple innocence, or is it some thing worse? The tone of the Eugene newspapers Is especially malignant. What can be the motive behind the innuendoes which have appeared in the Guard and Register? The Guard speaks of Mr. Kerr as "one of them," -meaning "one of the Mormon leaders." It must know that this is untrue and that the Mor mon leaders are his bitter enemies. It says, with, cruel injustice, that Ore gon is "not ready to accept even nega tively the tenets of the Mormon faith." Mr. Kerr does not hold these tenets and Is the last man in the world to teach them, either positively or nega tively. The Guard says "his selection was a grave error of judgment on the part of the board of regents.". It was really the soundest judgment, for Mr. Kerr Is reputed to be a man of high attainments, great executive ability and singular fitness for the position In every way. The Eugene Register speaks of Mr. Kerr as "the new Mormon president of O. A. C." It adds that "he would no doubt be a polygamist but for the law against It," and suggests that "he will be quite a stimulus to Mormon ism In Western Oregon." What could be meaner than these remarks? Mr. Kerr Is a better Christian than those who malign him, and, Instead of stim ulating Mormomsm, so far as It means the Mormon machine, or polygamy, he will fight it here as he has In Utah. Do the Eugene papers think they will help the cause of the State University by. such methods? The university must depen-d for its salvation upon the favor of candid, fair-minded, intelligent people. Such people are not won by slander. Innuendo "does not attract them. They are not likely to Join in a conspiracy to ruin one of the principal enemies of Mormonism because he Is an enemy of Mormonism. They are quite likely to conclude that an Insti tution which must depend upon malig nant slander for its defense is past de fending. We guess that the appropria tion for the university will not gain many friends by the attack which the Eugene papers are making upon the Agricultural College through Its emi nent president. ALWAYS TROUBLE SOMEWHERE. These are troublous times for a few. people. In New Tork a few railroad manipulators and Wall-street speculat ors are worried over Government in terference, and In Idaho there is anxi ety in some circles over the outcome of a murder trial. In San Francisco a few thousands of people are engaged in a strike of comparatively large propor tions and those who participate are more or less In danger of getting them selves or some one. else Juto. trouble. Harry Thaw has another trial to think about, though he does not seem to lose any sleep over It. Mr. Corey has a wed ding coming off after a disgraceful di vorce, and, as a consequence of the Corey and Thaw affairs, the good peo ple of Pittsburg are worrying somewhat over the -reputation of their city. Then we have had a little war down in Cen tral America and some talk of other strife in the same part of the world. All these Incidents have served to give the newspapers plenty of material with which to fill news columns, and. if one were to judge 'by the news columns alone, it might appear that .the whole world is full of trouble.' 'But while there is trouble enough and to spare, the number of people who axe tiius nffllcted is Inconsiderably. small. "Where there, is one family row airing itself in the divorce court there are thousands of happy families pursu ing the even tenor of their way, caring not whether divorce courts exist or whether they don't- The few thousands of city laborers who are disturbed over strike difficulties are but a handful compared with the hundreds of thou sands of workmen in other cities just as large and in many cities much smaller, or in rural communities, who are working contentedly day by day under conditions satisfactory to them and to their well-fed families. ' The representatives of Big Business on Wall street, who are In agony over the possible outcome of agitation against them and their methods, are scarcely to be considered- when there are a thou sand times as many representatives of smaller but legitimate businesses en gaged in profitable operations in every city in the land. Where there are two nations at war there are scores enjoy ing unthreatened peace. If a few men and a few cities force themselves upon public notice by reason of their wicked ness, it Is reassuring to reflect that others in immeasurably greater num bers are "without fault. These aie troublous times for the few who have sought trouble and for another few who are the victims of trouble-makers, but the times are peaceful and prosperous for the many who follow the paths of virtue and the many whose good for tune it has been to be thrown into as sociation with the upright. THE TKOIB1.K WITH DR. AKKD. Dr. Charles F. Aked, who left a com fortable pastorate and a company of self-complacent parishioners in Liver pool to accept a call to the Fifth Avenue Baptist Church, New York, neglected to bring along with him the tact that is as necessary to smooth sailing In religion as in politics in these days of a sugar-coated Gospel and rich pew holders. Caught by the ubiquitous. Inquisitive, persistent newspaper re porters upon his arrival In New Tork, Dr. Aked made some statements, so un American in sentiment and so Indica tive of class discrimination that half the people that he came to serve were Up In arms before he preached his first sermon in "Rockefeller's Church." The Liverpool pastor, strictly speak ing, cannot be blamed for what he did not know of the social and Industrial conditions Incident to American life. Where he made the mistake was in declaring himself before he had had time to take his soundings of conditions with which he was unfamiliar. One of his first misconceptions was voiced in the assumption of class distinction in religion between American womn who are employed and those who art) main tained in homes. The mistake was one of birth, breeding and environment, since In England "shop girl" Is not spoken of in the same breath with the woman of leisure and the mixing of the two, except by his gracious permission, even in Rockefeller's great Bible class had never entered the imagination of Dr. Aked. Hence he meant no harm in-deed, he meant to be extremely affa ble and condescending, and perhaps to teach Americana a lesson in Christian charity and equality when he told the reporters that "shop girls," and indeed all working girls would be welcomed to his church. Dr. Aked Is said to be a fine example of a British minister earnest, aggres sive and self-compiacent. He looks down on .Americans, and their social philosophy is inscrutable to him. In the words of the Kansas City Journal, he "in common with other scholarly men of Great Britain, is incapable of that flexibility of attitude which we call adaptability." He must readjust himself to meet the situation, however, or it is safe to predict that his mission to the benighted Americans will be short. Of course Dr. Aked heard from this interview quickly and at once became busy in explaining that he intended no disparagement of our working women. While he did not Uke to admit that he was Ignorant of that attitude which holds the worthy working woman In the respect and esteem of "all good American citizens, this was the only excuse possible for what was undenia bly a "bad break." If Dr. Aked stays In this country he will doubtless learn our ways and become useful in his vo cation. But he will, as said by the journal above quoted-, find that we are un-Brltlsh, not through ignorance, but because we have a better way, or a way at least, "better adapted to our institu tions which is the outcome of our na tional growth. And he must learn first of all that he cannot Britonize us, but, if he is to be of service in his new position, he must Americanize himself. THE KNOCKER. One of the stock resources of the man without a reason is free use of the word "hammer." Whenever op portunity offers, this sort of man will accuse his adversary of "hammering" or "knocking," hoping thereby to de feat his opponent by creating prejudice rather than by convincing by argu ment. If an assertion of fact should be made that is displeasing, derogatory or uncomplimentary, it is in order to charge the author with knocking, throwing mud, etc., regardless of the truth of the statefent. As an instance of this, if some newspaper publishes the facts about a typhoid epidemic, a certain class of short-sighted citizens make a display of their alleged patriot ism by condemning the newspaper as a "knocker" of the community. They want all subscriptions stopped and all advertising withdrawn, so that facts shall be published no longer. Then, If some man arises in a public assemblage or through the columns of the press to enter a protest against - the grasp ing operations of a public service cor poration, he is to be censured for "hammering" the' industries of the city. In politics a man who d-lscloses any moral delinquencies on the part of a candidate for office must be condemned as a "mudslinger." and the mere use of this term is sufficient answer to the charge made. At ordinary times it is proper to discuss a man's character and his record In public and private life. J As soon as he Becomes a candidate he must be protected! by a sort of unwrit ten law against "mudslinging." If a candidate has 'been made a victim of the character of assault commonly called "mudslinging," he thereby be comes entitled to public sympathy and should be elected regardless of the truth of the charge made against him. This view of public discussion tends to perpetuate evil and prevent progress. Ignorant of the growing prevalence of typhoid, the people of a community permit unsanitary conditions to con tinue, whereas they would seek reme dies if they knew of the dangers that existed. Having but a one-sided view of a candidate's character, the voters elect him to office and find out after- .ward by, dear experience what, mari- ner of man he is. The man who pre vents publicity and free discussion by setting up the cry of "knocker" and "mudslinger" is really the .man who wields a hammer upon the best inter ests of the people. If a city has ty phoid or any other contagious or in fectious disease, the sooner all the people know it, -the better for them. They will not remove disease-breeding conditions until they learn how serious the situation is. If- a candidate is im moral or dishonest, the more widely known that fact becomes, the greater should be the probability of his defeat and the election of a better man. In such circumstances the man who knocks strikes openly at an evil, while the -man who opposes publicity is se cretly driving a dagger into the vitals of his community. In this connection it is appropriate to give a moment's attention to a criti cism recently made upon the work of Melville Davidson Post, who published a book a few years ago and Is now publishing short stories, the purpose in every instance being to show the man ner in which criminals may commit grievous wrongs with perfect safety. The author bases his stories upon ac tual court decisions, building upon those decisions interesting stories which emphasize the point of law and indicate clearly how the criminal may escape punishment. The American Lawyer censures the author, though expressing high regard for his legal attainments and acknowledging that his stories are true in their representa tion of court decisions. Stories of this kind are condemned as "very danger ous publications," whose author may be considered a "benefactor of the criminal classes if causing two ideas to grow where only one grew before is sufficient to entitle him to that distinc tion." The -opinion is further expressed that the stories will suggest a few thoughts to bunco steerers. The American Lawyer does not be lieve In directing attention to court decisions through which guilty men have escaped the penalty of their crimes. There should be secrecy about such things, lest evil men learn how to commit wrong without endangering their" liberty. In. the opinion of the American Lawyer, Mr. Post is ,a "knocker" and should be suppressed. even though it be admitted that his stories are true to life. As a matter of fact, the stories should result In ultimate good instead of harm, for they point out the flaws In our legal system and show where remedial legislation is needed. An epidemic of typhoid is no more serious than an epidemic of mis carriage of justice. In either case, let the people know where the trouble lies, and they will apply themselves to the task of remedying the evil. The true knocker is one ' who falsifies or sup presses truth. COM PROMISE IN OHIO? It is reported that Mr. Taft, with, the President backing him, declines to com promise with the Foraker forces in Ohio. He has resolved to drive the "Fire Alarm" out of the Senate and retire him to private life.. It is often said that politics, all life in fact, is nothing by a series of compromises, and most of us' accept the motto that half a loaf Is better than no bread at all. ,The difficulty Is that ' in . most agreements' between the forces of prog ness and. those. of retrogression half a loaf is accepted when the whole might have been Won by a little more cour age and persistence. Wrong never com promises until it sees defeat plainly ahead. It Invariably fights as long as there Is the slightest prospect of suc cess. Whe it waves a flag of truce the battle is already won by the other side if they only knew it. It is one of the misfortunes of history that they so seldom know It. A very wise statesman once said that if you must injure a person you ought to injure him so severely that he can never retaliate. As human nature goes, an injured person is one who will take revenge if he ever has a chance. In this Ohio contest it Is impossible for Mr. Taft to avoid injuring Mr. Foraker In his dearest ambition which Is to be nominated for the presidency, and there is little doubt that were Mr. . Foraker returned to the Senate he would lose no opportunity to fight against the legislation which Mr. Taft will advo cate. Me would employ all his undeni able ability to make the administration futile and destroy his rival's prospect of a second term. At the end of Taft's first term it would be by no means too late for Foraker to aspire again to the nomination. If he could go before the people with a record of brilliant suc cess for 'himself and failure for his rival, who can say what the result would 'be? Taking everything into consideration, the retirement of Mr. Foraker seems to be a condition precedent to the success of the next administration if it is to' continue along the lines marked out by the President. A NEW ERA FOR SrArN. The next great ceremonial of the Court of Spain will be the christening of the new-born "prince. This event will take place next Tuesday, and it will accord in magnificence and sig nificftnee with the unquestioned su premacy of the Catholic Church throughout the Kingdom of Spain. Viewed in the abstract, and by the light of opinion that has grown away from creed and from 'the pomp of ec clesiasticism, this ceremonial is an empty one. To the people of Spain, however, schooled for generations in the dogmas of ecclesiasticism, the christening of the royal babe is an event of the greatest Importance. The splendor of the. occasion will inspire the most profound awe and in churches and cathedrals, throughout the realm solemn anthem and prayer will attest at once the devotion of the' people to the church and the King. The Spanish people, tolerant of the exactions of a monarchy and lenient In regard to the moral status of their Kings, give homage -due to the virtues and graces of royal womanhood. But. as proved by the repudiation of Isabella II, grandmother of the present sovereign, they have no mind to toler ate the lack of the cardinal virtues in a queen. Their present Queen," English born and carefully educated along lines of womanly duty, character and accom plishment, established by her grand mother, Queen Victoria, is worthy of the love and admiration of her adopted people. Fair, girlish, vivacious; rigidly subservient to Spanish traditions; a devoted Catholic by "conversion;" the beloved wife of their youthful King, and within a year after her. marriage, the joyful mother of an heir to the throne, Victoria of Spain Is a Queen to whom all loyal Spaniards give proud and cheerful allegiance. The blood 'of the Britons and the Ouelphs is mingled la the veins of the new born prince of Spain; his great-grandmother of the latter house was a model of all womanly virtues, a wise sovereign, a sagacious politician; his great-grandmother of the Bourbon line was im moral, dissolute, unwomanly, and her reign of faction and intrigue was ended by compulsory relinquishment of the throne. This -being true, the Spanish people are Justified in the hope that the new blood injected into the royal line of Spain will give them, in the offspring of Alfonso XIII and Victoria a royal family in whom virtue and wisdom blend. The Oregonian thinks It is the duty of District Attorney Manning to name for his deputy In the Multnomah County Juvenile Court some person who shall . be acceptable to Judge Frazer, who presides, over the Court It is true that the law places the ap pointment with -the District Attorney; but it Is also true that the law dis tinctly had in view the fact that the deputy should have a special relation ship with and responsibility to Judge Frazer when it provided that the Dis trict Attorney's nominee should be "satisfactory to the Judge of the Juve nile Court." There Is nothing, so far as we know, to be said against Mr. E. S. J. McAllister, who is a good lawyer and a good man, but who has no special training for Juvenile Court work; there is much to be said for Mr. Robert Galloway, who has long been a volun teer officer of the Juvenile Court, and whom Judge Frazer desires to have continued as a member of his official family. But, aside from the merits of the- two candidates for the position, it would seem to be unquestionable that Judge Frazer is entitled to be con sulted about the appointment, and that no person not agreeable to him. should be forced on the Juvenile Court by the District Attorney. Mr. M. O. Lownsdale, eminently suc cessful as an apple grower, gave, in a letter published yesterday; directions for securing a plean and perfect apple crop next Fall that are timely, prac tical and valuable. 'His suggestion that orchardists of the Willamette Val ley begin now by spraying their trees to prepare- for a Willamette Valley Apple fair next Fall should be heeded. Dear to the heart of every loyal Ore gonian are the "big red apple" tradi tions of the section for which Mr. Lownsdale speaks, while without dis paragement to any other section 'of the State many are fully persuaded that "Valley apples' cannot "be surpassed in beauty, size, flavor and keeping proper ties by those grown anywhere else under the sun. This is not disloyalty to any other section of the state that rightfully boasts its .daptabllity in soil and climate to apple growing; it is simply loyalty to the Willamette Val ley and to Its practically boundless horticultural possibilities. Let us have two Apple Fairs this Fall, maybe three. The more the merrier. But first of alt let orchardists listen to the advice of Mr. Lownsdale and look to their orchards. A meeting of the food committee of the National Consumers'. League will be held in this city tomorrow (Mon day) afternoon, at which time a plain and practical interpretation of the Na tional pure food law will be given. The object of the National League Is of wide public significance. It purposes to secure an annual appropriation from Congress sufficiently large to enforce the Federal pure food ' and meat in spection laws; to secure the enactment of model and uniform state food laws; to work specifically to secure a supply of pure, clean milk in every state; to secure sanitary conditions in connec tion with the manufacture, storage and sale of products; and finally to secure the protection of the health and wel fare of employes in all establishments where food products are manufactured. A nation grows by what It feeds upon. This is literally true, whether taken in aphyslcal or moral sense. Hence, the time given to the promotion of a pure food suppiy is time wellatpent. - Newly posted cards on rear platforms of streetcars forbid smoking there. Announcement comes from headquar ters that policemen will be instructed not to eject men who refuse to obey the company's order. WTiat then? In the interests of peace and -harmony, why not require conductors in polite tones to ask smokers V desist and then await results without resorting to harsher means? It is interesting to re call the universal cheerfulness with which Portland women obeyed the or dinance requiring hats to fee removed at theaters. They instantly recognized the ethical side of the law. But we have no statute against smoking on the rear platform; still It may be expected that smokers, barring rare exceptions, will comply with a courteous request from the uniformed man in "blue. Return to normal streetcar service in San Francisco is handicapped by topography. Green men can not safely operate electric cars on steep hills. For heavy and dangerous grades, San Francisco is without a parallel. Liverpool will give Ian MacLaren a public funeral. As a writer who en deared himself to Great Britain and as a warm-hearted sympathetic, useful minister of the Gospel he richly merits the- honor. 'Salem proposes a rose carnival as one feature of her Fourth of July cele bration. We suspect that the managers looked at a wrong page in the calendar, or else don't care, about the quality of blooms. A lot of old-fashioned American mothers will approve Queen Victoria's notice to Infant food factories that she does not Intend to give their wares to her baby. Last week's test at Newport of sub marines developed record-breaking speed in diving; Btill the average Amer ican boy can beat the boats next month. No one has been heard to growl over the monotonous weekly statement that Portland leads an cities in bank clear ings gain. With grammar, grade, academic. amateur and semi-professional games. Portland will keep up the sport spirit until McCredle and his bunch arrive. And now the news center shifts from the capital of Spain to the. capital of Idaho. Oregon is duly grateful for the last 4S hours' much-needed moisture. Portland almost -won another game of baseball one day last week. SYMPOSIUM OF CURRENT STATE TOPICS How -BUI" Galloway, Was Was"t tiit-k ml a Lawyer, Made Goad aa fudge Copoty Appraisement of Timber La ads How to Make the Hop Industry ray Indian Women's Tribute to a Good Friend Marrlag a City Beautiful at Ashland Trouble About Shee-p Inspection and Dip ping; Woodnura aa a Wet Towa Witt Dry Offlclala. THOSE members of the legal fra ternity, who feared embarrassing results from the election of Wil liam Galloway to the circuit bench in the Third Judicial District have an other guess coming. Probably no where else In the United States has the experiment been tried of electing to a judicial position of similar importance a man who had never engaged In the general practice of law and who had made no extended study of law. ftuch an experiment was tried In the Third Judicial District when Galloway waa elected three years ago, and since that time the Judge has "made good." Law yers generally could not see how a man without extended practice at the bar could succeed upon the bench, but. If the records show anything, they show that Judge Galloway has been successful in that position. His de cisions have been affirmed In about four-fifths of the appealed cases a record that compares favorably with the average Circuit Judge in Oregon. Not having been schooled In the tech nicalities of law, Judge Galloway is Inclined to give slight attention to Is sues of that kind that may be raised. Preliminary controversies between the lawyers are disposed of with a view to getting to a hearing upon the mer its. Wrhen the case comes on for trial there is liberality In the admission of evidence. The effort to get at the ultimate Issue in the case predominates over every other question. Though not skilled in drawing close legal distinc tions. Judge Galloway has a very prac tical sense of justice and equity, as well as a good understanding of human nature, which enables him to form an accurate estimate of the value of tes timony. He has some old-fashioned ideas of the administration of justice, and. it is said, on one occasion an nounced that his decision was support ed ' not only by the testimony In the rase, but also by expressions he had heard from people who lived in the community where the controversy arose.' He believes In settling cases out of court, if possible, and has ad vised parties to settle their differ ences by agreement even after a case has been argued. His record of three years on the circuit bench is of particular interest" at this time, when there Is much general discussion of the dispo sition of American courts to g ve ex haustive consideration to technical and Interlocutory questions. -That he is not skilled in such phases of legal prac tice, and at the same time has a re markable record for affirmances in the Supreme Court, is deemed worthy of more than a passing thought. ' TILLAMOOK, the home of Represen tative Beals, who introduced in the last Legislature the bill for ap praisement of timber lands. Is the lat est county to make arrangement for the cruising of timber, notwithstand ing the defeat of the Beals bill. Tilla mook Is one- of the heavily timbered counties of this state, and practically all its timber land Is In private own ership. Heretofore the assessment of such property has been largely guess work, but the County Court has ar ranged for inspection by experts, who will fix the actual value of each tract of timber land. It is the plan to have an inspection but once .n.a number of years. After the first Inspection, the land can be assessed every year upon the same Btumpage basis, unless part of the timber has been logged off or destroyed by fire. It Is said that the Increased revenue tlfe first year will more than eflual the cost of cruising, and after that there will be no cost above that of making the ordinary as sessment. A number of other coun ties have made similar arrangements. According to the Polk County Observ er, similar plans are on foot in Linn, Benton, Washington, Yamhill, Ma rion and Polk. Clatsop Coun ty had its timber lands cruised two years ago. Lane County has purchased estimates made by pri vate parties, which will be used for a similar purpose." As there are a number of other timbered counties in the state, the results in the counties named will be watched with interest when the next assessments are made up. , TO ENJOY all the ups without suf fering the downs of the hop in dustry has been the fortune of Mark Skiff, a Salem dentist, who engages in hopgrowing as a side issue., Perhaps It would be more nearly correct to say that such an experience has been the result of good judgment, notwith standing the general assertion that the hop industry is a gamble from start to finish. But whether It is luck or not. Skiff has always come out on the right side of the market. Years ago, when hops were up. he made a three-year contract somewhat below the prevailing prices. Though the bottom dropped out of the market be delivered his next -three crops at a good living price. In 1S04, when hops were worth 20 cents, he made a four year contract at 16,' 15, 14 and 13 cents respectively. The 1905 and 1906 crops went at IS and 15 cents, though the market was below those figures most of the time. Last Fall, before the magnitude of the 1906 crop was fully known, Skiff sold out his yards and contracts at a good figure, and is out of the business at a time when many a grower is plowing up his hops or wanting to . do so. When conditions look right again, he expects to sret back into the hopgrowing Industry. Possibly he may find out that; he made a mistake In selling Just at this time, but if he does he will at least have the consolation of knowing that he hit it right so many times in the past that he can afford to lose once. His policy was to take advantage of a high market to make a contract for a number of years at a price that would yield a fair profit, and thereby protect himself against the slump which he thought he could foresee. It was . in the marketing of his crop that. h made his success. CITIZENS of Ashland are . much aroused over the granting of a building permit which threatens to result in the marring of a "city beau tiful." It seems that the City Council granted a permit for the erection of a one-story corrugated iron building. The permit was in accordance with fire regulations, so it met no opposi tion. But when the people found that the structure was to be erected in th business part of town, ' next to two . and three-story brick buildings, and that, worse yet. it would be occupied as a blacksmith shop, they raised a protest. They don't like a blacksmith shop in that location. Moreover, they think the building would show to par ticular disadvantage next to tall and stately structures. After learning of this permit they have reflected upon the efforts they have made to build up ' a well-balanced city, and now they are asking, "What's the use?'" PAYMENT of the fee of to a day and . expenses to a sheep .inspector Is tha requirement that has aroused the antag onism of Western Oregon farmers to the new sheep-dipping law. The dipping pro vision has not been criticised, for it Is everywhere admitted that. If sheep art diseased, they ought to be treated with effective remedies, and that the law should require such treatment. But the t a day and expenses look pretty big to a farmer with but a small band of sheep, and some of them are up In arms. "Arms" seems to be a proper word to use In that connection, for It Is reported that Lane County farmers threatened to meet thelnspector with a gun if he came around. The feeling was so strong that the Inspector resigned rather than Incur the enmity of his fellow-citizens. And a similar feeling is evidenced in other coun ties, though apparently not so demonstra tive. Convinced that the law cannot be enforced to the letter In Western Oregon, the Commission has decided not to try to enforce the Inspection provision unless scab is known to exist. It is in this regulation regarding the payment of a fee that the sheep inspection law differs chiefly from the law for extermination of diseases of fruit trees. Orchardists are required to spray diseased trees or h liable to fine and destruction of trees. But no Inspection fee is required. Except In a few extreme cases, horticultural officers have not found It advisable to enforce the provision of the law which authorizes them to "chop down trees: Moral suasion, education, timely notices and agitation have been the agencies employed in prac tically aJ instances, and with fairly good results. The Sheep Commission seems likely to le left to the same remedies, ex cept in Eastern Oregon, where bands of shep are so large that the expeni-e jf In spection Is but a small tax per head of sheep. The farmers can be reasoned with or coaxed, but when a law looks to them like an effort to drive, they won't e driven. WOODBCRN.. which recently voted "wet" but elected a "dry" set of officers, haa Inaugurated a new plan of securing enforcement of the liquor regu lations. An ordinance has been passeri. offering a standing reward of $10 for the arrest and conviction of any person found guilty of selling liquor without a license, selling to a minor or selling on Sunday. The "town decided to have saloons but to put them under the strictest regulations and to give the enforcement of the law Into, the hands of the opponents of the saloons. Apparently the liquor dealers In . the "Oueen City" will be obliged to walk a stiight line. Some one may need the JBO. UNCLE SAM'S salaries in the postal service . are evidently not large enough to attract young men, or the young men of Baker City are not equal to the civil service requirements. At least, that much is Indicated by the re port that Postmaster Lachner has not a single name on his list of males eligible for appointment. According to a Baker City paper the office has sometimes been compelled to run short-handed because of the deficiency In male applicants. A temporary appointment has been made In the position of mailing clerk until soma eligible person applies and passes tha. required examination. A TAXPAYERS' LEAGUE In , every precinct, is the slogan of an or ganization formed at Silverton last week. The citizens of that thrifty burg want county and state expenses kept down, and they see no better way to accom plish that end than to Induce the people to organize and take an active interest in public expenditures and annual tax levies. They started the movement by forming a league of their own and adopt ing -resolutions demanding a reduction of county expenditures at once. They expect to take up various problems of government as occasion may arise, and make their opinions known to their ser vants In public office. If they succeed in the plan of securing organizations In other precincts, they will quite likely move for a county organization, com posed of delegates from the several pre cincts, and finally a state taxpayers' league, with delegates from the several counties. At any rate, they want offi cialdom to know that taxes must come down. SALMON fishing with hook and line it certainly good on the Umpqua, near Roseburg. A few days ago Roy McClal lan and a friend went fishing in the morning and in two hours and a half were back home with nine Chinook sal mon weighing a total -of 185 pounds. The largest fish tipped the scales at 37 pounds.' The weights given are for dressed fish. At 6 cents a pound the fish would be worth over $9.25, so It will be see that the young men were well ra warded for their time, in addition to .en joying some rare sport. THE rain of the last few days has made a splendid opportunity for ef fective use of the split-log drag In smoothing up the roads for Summer travel. Winter hauling left many of the dirt roads full of ruts. If nothing Is done-to fill the ruts they will be there pretty near all Summer, to wrack wagons to pieces and Jolt the occupants of car riages. Use of the split-log drag, par ticularly after a rain, would fill the ruts and leave the road well rounded and smooth as a floor. After the surface has become dry It Is not practicable to use the drag with good results. In the East, and In Oregon, the rule Is to , use the drag after a rain. A Hood River paper says that If not used soon after a rain, the drag can nevertheless be made of some benefit .if a harrow be run over the road first. I'ne Autoa to Round In Sierra. Boston Post. Six carloads of steers stampeded at Canaan, Conn., and a force of up-to-date cowboys with automobiles rounded them up. -