G
THE StTNTJAY OREGONIAN, PORTLAM), MAY 9, 1907.
Ut (Drctfontatt
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PORTLAND, SUNDAY. JUNE , 1907.
THE LIQUOR TRADE ON 8UNDAYS.
Prohibition of the sale of liquors on
Sundays is now enforced in nearly all
our cities. It is not done on the
ground that Sunday Is a holy or sacred
day, more than any other day. but on
grounds of police regulation, of secur
ing: quiet for the rest day of the week,
and of general conservation of the
public welfare. Portland has lagged
behind most other cities in this re
spect. But from 'this time another
course will be pursued. .
There will be question, .no doubt,
whether 'the" law of the state, on the
statute book during many years, has
not been superseded by a clause in
the charter of the city; but even If it
should be so adjudged Sunday closure
of saloons will not long be deferred,
since the people have it in their power
to amend the charter at their will. No
one can reasonably doubt that the de
mand for change of the charter to
meet the requirement for Sunday
closure would be pressed with speed
and vigor: nor can any observer
doubt what the result would be. No
one expects to enforce prohibition in
Portland. But rational regulation of
the liquor traffic is to be enforced,
and one measure to this end will be
the mandate of the people that the
sale of liquors shall not be permitted
on Sundays.
Nor will it avail in the least to set
up the retaliatory demand that if
liquors are not to be sold on Sun
days streetcars must be stopped, and
livery stables and boathouses, news
papers must not be printed or sold,
ice ' cream shall n?t be supplied, and
places of amusement must not be
opened. Thy people regard the liquor
trade in a class by itself, liable to
grave abuses, and therefore to be kept
under regulations not required In
others pursuits. It will be found that
the people want and will have the
liquor trade closed on Sundays, but
will not demand suspension of such
activities or incidents thereof as may
hp necessary to their proper amuse
ment, convenience, or instruction, on
Sundays. It will be a mistake to as
ume that the people do not know how
to discriminate between what is de
sirable or not desirable, for the public
.welfare.
In the great movement toward bet
ter social and moral conditions, which
has recently beei making: unusual
progress throughout the country, Port
land can not permit herself to fall
behind, as she will do if she allows
conditions to continue In her municipal
life which will catise her to be pointed
at as a solitary, or almost solitary, ex
ception to the cities that close their
drinking places on Sunday. If amend
ment of the charter shall be necessary,
as a means or measure toward this
end. The Oregonian cannot doubt that
the charter amendment will be forth
coining. This is one of many subjects
bearing on "moral sanitation," on
v hich the people are aroused as never
before.
COMMENCEMENT.
One of that great number of for
tunate circumstances which make so
many of us optimists Is that college
commencements come in the Spring.
Suppose one had to graduate In Win
ter, to cut loose from the apron string
of Alma Mater and sally forth into
tlia battle of life amidst rain and
s-iow; would It not take twice the
v jurage that it does to begin among
the roses?
Graduation is a beginning, but it
is an ending also. It is a time of joy
f il enthusiasm, but not entirely with
out sadness: for. do our best to make
o;r seasons gay. the close of every
c.'iK-h In life is melancholy and parting
H tinged with grief. Commencement
day closes an epoch and It is a time
..f parting. No other years are like
lie four spent In college. The grad
i ite speaks In his oration ot "passing
from the college Into life." as if he
h'd been living In some world ot en
chantment. And he speaks truly.
That world of books, rules, professors
ii.-jj sports is an enchanted realm.
The time that passes there scarcely
counts toward growing old and what
is learned counts not at all among
humdrum realities.
The learning of the colleges pertains
to an Ideal world. It cannot be called
preparation for practical affairs be
cause It resembles nothing that takes
place in the family. In business or
government. Its value is for itself, not
for anything that It subserves. The
ideal does not draw its worth from ma
terial ends. Perhaps the opposite Is
true and the material and tangible
possessions that we vaunt so highly
would seem little worth having tout
for the. light of the ideal that tints
them with alluring gold. College does
not prepare for life any more than
childhood prepares for youth. It is
complete in itself and Infinitely
precious for Its own Intrinsic value.
FREXCH RESTACBANTS.
Mr. Ruef seems ot have played the
part of a guardian angel to the French
restaurants in San Francisco. Proba
bly most guardian angels, of the de
cent sort at least, would prefer to exer
cise their watchful care over something
less nauseous than these resorts, but
from all accounts Mr. Ruef was not
particular so long as he received his
"fee." He was careful always to take
a "fee" instead of a bribe from the
restaurant men, and the amount was
large enough to neutralize a good deal
of putridity.
These offensive resorts were able to
pay Mr. Ruef handsomely for his pa
ternal guardianship because the privi
leges which they afforded their patrons
were of the sort that bring large re
turns. All the French restaurants have
private apartments, and what went on
in their Inviolable seclusion was no
concern of the proprietor, so long as his
pay was forthcoming. Of course they
were simply brothels, and it was the
professional duty of Mr. Ruef to defend
them from the police and keep their
licenses intact.
Since this was a service performed
for his clients, professional ethics
seems to have interposed no objections.
It Is not recorded that Mr. Ruef lost
caste among his loyal brethren by re
ceiving fees for protecting brothels
against the law. For all that they
ever would have done to bring him to
Justice, he would still be flourishing
like the green bay tree.
1JVESTOCK SHOW IN PORTLAND.
Frequently this paper has pointed
out the merits of the livestock-show
plan, which has been much discussed
since the livestock exhibition of the
Lewis and Clark Fair, two years ago.
The many advantages of a great
yearly display, both to the livestock
Industry, other activities and this city,
have been cited so often that they
hardly need repetition here.
But it may be repeated that the
breeding and feeding and care of
horses, cattle, sheep, goats, swine and
poultry are promoted immeasurably by
displays of fine stock, the meeting of
their breeders and the exchange ol
Information. This exchange brings. out
the best adaptations of Northwest re
gions to particular breeds and makes
the knowledge gained by a few dis
coverers and Inventors the common
property of all breeders. This process
continued many years will make the
Northwest the most famous breeding
ground in the world. Hood River
apple and strawberry-growers, by
following this method, have made
their district fumed the world over.
A livestock show, recurring annually,
would stimulate the public Interest in
livestock as nothing else can do. No
exhibit of the Lewis and Clark Fair
attracted greater . Interest than the
livestock show. The recent horse sale
In Portland drew immense crowds and
people came hundreds of miles to it.
The meets of the Hunt Club always are
attended by great throngs. Poultry
and dog shows also get large atten
tion. The evidences are plain that the
people of this" city and of the whole
country take tremendous interest in
livestock. So many kinds of people
take Interest in different ways that all
together they are a large body. Never
before has livestock presented such
favorable opportunities for production
of wealth as now, and never has there
been such heavy demand for good
horses and mules, superior dairy and
beef cattle, and high-bred swine, sheep
and goats. Livestock is at the basis
Of all prosperity and all the people feel
this fact.
The plan for a great annual Western
show in Portland Is full of merit. It
should have the approval of the people
of Portland and they should make pos
sible its consummation. Promoters of
tho Country Club and Livestock Asso
ciation give assurance that the plan
Is about to be carried out, by the rais
ing of $100,000. There is opportunity to
establish in Portland the "greatest ex
hibition in the West.
A TIIKORE.TICAI. IjOSK.
The New York Sun prints an impos
ing array of figures which show the
value of exports from this country for
the past forty-six years to be more
than J66.000.000.000. of which only about
J13.000.000.000 has been carried in Amer
ican ships. The reason for presentation
of these figures, according to the Sun.
is to "give a partial idea of the many
hundreds of millions of dollars we have
lost by the transportation of American
exports in foreign instead of American
ships." As usual, it is difficult for the
hard-headed business man who never
believes in paying t'-i for a service or a
commodity which he can secure for $1
to understand where we have actually
"lost" any millions by turning over to
other people a business which would
not return profits sufficiently alluring
to induce the withdrawal of money
from industries where it was earning
good dividends to engage in the ship
ping business.
By exactly the same kind of reason
ing the Sun has "lost" vast sums of
money in the past forty-six years by
paying other people for manufacturing
its paper, ink, type, presses and other
material used in Its business. It has
"iost" further large sums by paying
the express companies, railroads and
steamboats for carrying Its papers to
the subscribers instead of doing the
work with its own Immediate force.
By what -peculiar system of mathe
matics is It possible for the Sun to
figure out that we have lost so "many
hundreds of millions of dollars" by
permitting the foreigners to carry our
freight, unless it is also shown that
the charges exacted were more than
the service was worth? Any "loss"
would be impossible If they performed
the service for less money than we
could do It for ourselves. On the con
trary, it would be highly profitable for
us to permit them to do the work.
It is publication of such ridiculous
statements by papers ot the standing
and reputation of the Sun that is re
sponsible for much of the misunder
standing- that exists regarding the ex
act statu6 of the ocean carrying trade.
Our people have been led to believe
that our foreign commerce ts suffering
because there is an Insufficient num
ber of American ships with which to
handle It- Only recently a lugubrious
wail arose over withdrawal from the
Oriental route out of Puget Sound of
three American carriers, the ostensible
reason for withdrawal being; failure of
Congress to pass a subsidy bill. The
actual reason for withdrawal of these
ships was that the Japanese, having
purchased a large fleet of second-hand
British steamers (Americans are pro
hibited from buying foreign ships, no.
matter how cheap they can be secured),
cut freight rates out of Portland and
Puget Sound ports from $5 per ton to
3.25 and $3.60 per ton. As the pro
ducer of the freight saved the differ
ence between the high rate and the
low rate, it is not clear where this
country was a loser by the change. As
to the steamers which were withdrawn,
one of them loaded at Portland last
week and was paid $3 per ton for car
rying cargo 600 miles to San Francisco,
compared with $5 which she formerly
received for carrying it 4000 miles to
Hongkong. The others found even
more profitable business in carrying
freight to Alaska. It will require some
thing more than the idle statement of
a subsidy-seeker to convince the Amer
ican business man that we are "losing"
money by permitting a foreign steamer
to carry our freight across the Pacific
at $3.25 per ton instead of paying $5
per ton to an American vessel.
The Sun says .that Its statement gives
a "partial idea" of what we have lost.
Why not .afford us opportunity for
something more than a "partial idea"
by printing an estimate of how much
it would have cost us to ship that $66,
000,000,000 worth of freight in American
vessels instead of with the foreigners?
A PLEA FOR LAWYERS.
It is very well to scold the lawyers
for taking advantage of technicalities
and evasions In order to win their
cases. They deserve all the scolding
they get and a great deal more. Their
reputation for trying to make black
look white and substituting the worse
for the better reason is at least as old
as the Greek sophists and It has
always been richly merited. The
sophists whom Socrates found so much
to blame for perverting the morals of
Athenian youth were nothing but law
yers who taught rhetoric in addition
to their other sins. Beyond all ques
tion they were a bad lot but they
never did anything worse than the
deed of that Chicago attorney for the
Beef Trust who bribed a couple of
young reporters to perjure themselves
for the sake of his client. The law
yers of the Roman Empire were as
fond of quibbles aha as neglectful of
the merits of their cases as our own
are, nor did the judges of those days
succeed any better than our modern
ones in holding justice to the fore
and technicalities in the background.
The practice of the law has in all
ages and countries tended to degen
erate into sheer quibbling to the neg
lect of justice and the injury of liti
gants; just as official religion has In
variably become in course of time little
more than a set of meaningless
formulas, and education the mere stuff
ing of the mind with windy verbiage.
Whatever men can do by turning a
crank they will, no matter what may
be lost by it.. It is vastly easier to
make lawsuits turn on sly tricks and
artful dodges than upon fact and Jus
tice. We must expect therefore an
ineradicable inclination of the lawyers
toward artifice and the expectation is
seldom disappointed. The path of
least resistance is the one they choose,
like all other men. If lawyers sought
justice In their contentions Instead of
victory there would be small need of
judges. Judges are appointed to um
pire the game and see that it is played
according to the rules; but it is also
their duty to see that the stake is not
forgotten in the heat of the contest.
In a lawsuit the stake that is played
for is justice between the litigants
and as the game goes it is, more
often than not. trampled in the dirt
of the field. When the flurry is over
the wondering spectators ask each
other what it was all about and 'no
body Is able to tell them. Like little
Casper's grandpapa we are able to say
that it was a glorious victory hut
what good came of it we cannot even
guess. -
In fact, as Mr. Frederick Trevor
Hill clearly points out in his article
on "Legal Defeats of the Law" in the
June number of Putnam's Monthly,
for the most part no good at all comes
of It. but rather evil. For that failure
of justice which is so common in mod
ern lawsuits Mr. 'Hill blames the law
yers. He states his case with the skill
of a practiced advocate and fortifies
it with instances ot trickery so glar
ingly iniquitous that there seems to bo
little worth saying on the other side.
He tells how they lay snares for the
trial judge and set traps for his un
wary feet In order to prepare the way
for a reversal on appeal; how they
use the statute of limitations to defeat
just claims and employ vain technicali
ties to set red-handed murderers free.
And all that he says is true. The
lawyers do these things to their ever
lasting shame and they Justify them
with arguments which are as hollow
as their picas in court. Perhaps the
worst of all the accusations which
Mr. Hill makes against his own .pro
fession is their way of bringing the
law into contempt by enticing the
courts to declare statutes void. This
abuse has been carried to such lengths
that nobody thinks of allowing full
validity to a legislative act until "the
courts have passed upon it." The
judicial veto power has come to be
much more important than that of
the executive and the result has been
to relax the sanction of iaw itself.
Still, there is another side to the
case. Mr. Hill's article, convincing
as it is at a first reading, is in reality
only another specimen of the same
sort of ingenuity which it seems to
condemn. . It Is apparently Impossible
for a lawyer even when confessing his
sins to get at the real point of the
matter. If cases in court are made
to turn upon technicalities rather than
merit, who is to blame for it? Mr. Hill
says emphatically "the lawyers," but
this is a superficial reply. Lawyers
make their living by winning cases
and they are only partially to be con
demned for doing so In an easy rather
than a difficult way. The stress of
competition would speedily drive out
of practice one who failed to take ad
vantage of the statute of limitations
and similar encouragements to fraud.
But it must be remembered that no
lawyer can profitably play any tricks
except such as the higher courts sanc
tion. He may set ever so many traps
for the trial judge; they will avail
him nothing unless the superior courts
give them effect. If cases are reversed
for trifling defects of form itiis tha
superior courts that do it, not the law
yers. They ask for the pernicious
favor but it is the judges who grant
it. The truth is that the courts of ap
peal could reform the practice of the
law almost instantly were they so in
clined and destroy the labyrinth, of
technicalities in which Justice now
wanders helplessly by simply declin
ing to recognize their fictitious im
portance. Lawyers are, of course, to
blame for not rising superior to the
exigencies of competitions So are all
the rest of us. But judges are exempt
from competition. They do not' make
their living by winning cases. They
are under no economic confpulsion to
exalt technicality and degrade justice.
Moreover, the " power to end the
wretched farce of our modern legal
procedure is theirs. Why do they not
exercise it? We hear a great deal
about the courage of Judges and no
doubt they are as brave as other men;
but in this essential matter of bring
ing Justice- to the front and banishing
form and precedent to the rear, while
some of them talk much they do very
little. In discussing the defeats of
justice it is only fair to place the re
sponsibility where it belongs and this
Mr. Hill conspicuously fails to do.
THE LAND OF TOMORROW.
Any statement that appears in con
nection with the name of John Barrett,
director of the International Bureau
of the American Republic, commands
attention in this community, the ob
vious reason toeing that Portland is the
home of John Barrett, hence an article
bearing his name as author which ap
pears in the current number of Mun
sey's Magazine, under the title of "The
Land of Tomorrow," will find no doubt
has found many readers in the North
west. It will perhaps cause no surprise
when the first glance shows that South
America Is the land thus designated,
since, as everybody knows, Mr. Bar
rett's official, duties have lately taken
him to and through the South Amer
ican republics. Furthermore no one
thinks of South America as a land of
today, nor is It a land of many dis
tinguished yesterdays, commerclally
speaking.
It may be said of Mr. Barrett's art
icle that it is at once interesting and
entertaining. It introduces the reader,
to use the words of the writer, to a
continent of vast and varied possi
bilities, with the announcement that
the traveler, the merchant and the pro
moter will find Its peoples, problems and
potentialities of impelling interest.
It is scarcely necessary to speak of
the ignorance that is generally pre
valent throughout the United States in
regard to this vast Southern continent.
Mr. Barrett characterizes this ig
norance as appalling, a characterization
that is Just when we consider its den
sity and its', commercial consequences.
This being a commercial age, it is
natural that the latter phase of the
question should attract instant atten
tion. The story of the development of
Industry and trade in the South Amer
ican republics, and of the stage to
which, this development has attained,
has the fascination of romance. The
great streams of this great continent;
its quaint, busy cities; its beautiful
harbors; its swarming population; the
remarkable advance that has been
made In railroad construction ; its
enormous areas; its delightful climate;
the productiveness .of its soil,, are ele
ments of a story at once wonderful
and interesting. This recital, however,
is merely a prelude to the story of the
commercial possibilities that await de
velopment in this Land of Tomorrow.
That part of the story that deals with
the commerce and trade of South
America is of paramount interest to the
people of a commercial era. It shows
the field to be one of critical im
portance to our manufacturers and ex
porters. It proves, says Mr. Barrett,
that South America has awakened to
a new life and is buying and selling
like any prosperous part of the world.
There are ten independent - South
American republics. The story of their
jealousies, their dissensions and their
wars Is familiar to the reading world.
This ts the only story, indeed, of a vast
continent with which the people of the
United States are moderately familiar.
Yet, the total foreign trade of these
republics, exports and Imports, as as
certained by Mr. Barrett, exceeded In
value in 1905 the sum of $1,250,000,000.
In this commerce the United States
shared to the extent of less than $250,
000,000, and of this latter amount the
balance against us between exports
and imports was nearly $100,000,000.
This situation alone, says Mr. Barrett,
shows that we are not mastering the
opportunity as we should, and that
Europe Is awake to the benefits that
will result from keen exploitation of
this wide commercial field.
Perhaps the eyes of the exploiters of
our commerce have been dazzled by the
show that Japan has made of rapid
and persistent growth in recent years.
Their attention has been drawn to
Japan, to the neglect, as it appears, of
the wider possibilities of commerce
with South American republics. Argen
tina's record alone in material progress
rivals that of Japan. With a popula
tion of only six millions the South
American republic conducted in 1906 a
trade valued at $500,000,000, buying and
selling more in the markets of foreign
nations than did Japan with a popula
tion of forty millions and China with
a population of three hundred mil
lions. Of this great bulk of foreign
trade, the United States received only
$52,000,000. Brazil sold to this country
nearly $100,000,000 worth of coffee and
other products in 1905, and bought of
what we had to sell only $15,000,000
worth. Chile has a foreign commerce
worth $140,000,000 a year; of this the
allotment of the United States was but
$17,000,000. Something is wrong here,
says Mr. Barrett, especially when the
heavy purchases in or from Europe
by these countries are noted.
The commercial value presented by
a continent of vast resources, large
population and awakening Industrial
development is practically incalculable.
Its development during the next ten
years promises to arrest , the attention
of the world. The part which the cap
ital, enterprise and industry of the
United States will play In this great
industrial and commercial drama will
depend upon our manufacturers, ship
pers, business men and mechanics. The
field Is wide, its resources are varied,
and it is ready to be explored and ex
ploited. Concluding, Mr. Barrett says:
There is no limit to the demands upon capi
tal for legitimate railway-buildinr. but tha
requirements for electric tramways, ' electric
Uchta, for utilisation of water-powers, for the
erection of factories, water-supply plants, sew--erage
works, telephone and telegraph systems,
for agricultural extension, atock-ratslng. and
kindred undertakings, offer Innumerable at
tractive opportunities for the personal or com
bined action and interest of North Americana
Another scandal in so-called high
life, with the name of Gould in the
title role, has been put upon the boards
in New York. Actresses and waiters
are to testify to circumstances In sup
port of the statement that Howard
Gould is a man "impossible for any
woman to live with and maintain her
self-respect." This dragnet of society
can hardly bring up anything new
from depths so often sounded. Names,
dates and places will alone lend va
riety to the oft -told tale of 'marital
infelicity and social Indecency, and of
such details it would seem the Gould
name has already furnished its full
quota.
The Albany Democrat is greatly of
fended because The Oregonian printed
a cartoon showing the threatened
rivalry for. party favor between Gov
ernor Chamberlain and Mayor Lane.
"There is not now and probably never
will toe any rivalry between Mayor
Lane and Governor Chamberlain, and
certainly at the present time no excuse
has been offered for such an uncalled
for cartoon," saya the Democrat. Then
why aU this fluttering? The Oregonian
offers no "excuse," for none Is needed,
but calmly awaits developments in
Democratic politics to Justify its early
prognosis of a great struggle among
our loving Democratic brethren.
Dallas College has just completed the
most successful year in the long history
of its educational endeavor. Under
the old name of La Creole Academy,
this school had its beginnings, and
under this name its memory still lives
in the hearts of many whose school
days were passed under its fostering
care. It added,' at the late commence
ment, seven to the long list of the grad
uates it has sent out.
A lot of Impassioned editorial writing
in the Orient might have been spared
if President Roosevelt explained to the
Mikado that San Francisco has always
been cursed with a crowd of hoodlums
who delight in cowardly attacks on de
fenseless foreigners who can't vote. It
is the one city in the United States
where a rotten police approve outrages
on Chinese and Japanese.
The people said by a vote of 10,042 to
3712 that the city councilmen should
not have $100 per month. But possibly
this isn't an entirely fair expression of
public opinion toward the council. Let
the council try out on its merits the
question of their worth by submitting
an ordinance abolishing the $25 per
month and giving nothing.
Crook County, which, by the way,
was named for the warrrlor, and not,
as evil-minded folk might think, with
reference to land frauds, raises prod
ucts worth showing and will hold a
country fair beginning October 5. If
ever a railroad is built through that
section, people who travel by it will
have cause to ponder.
While the Oregon National Guard Is
lifting imaginary warships of a hostile
fleet out of the waters of the Columbia
next month, they need not neglect cap
turing real salmon and torn cod 3 on
the same- 'battlefield.
County Judge Webster has returned
from another vacation, and has broken
the record for one day's business In his
office. That ought to entitle him to
another month in Southern Oregon on
his private business.
If the truth were known, many of
the "loyal" Republicans, made "sore"
by the election of Lane, doubtless were
tha identical Republicans who helped
elect Chamberlain, Manning and Word.
While feeling sorry for ourselves
that strawberries are so high-priced,
let us remember the growers and take
comfort in the thought of what we
should do in their boots.
Whil lamenting the tenacity with
which vast fortunes hold together, we
may rejoice that there are actresses
to help the young millionaires scatter
their patrimony.
We can think of no more auspicious
time for inaugurating the "dry" Sun
day than right now, after the people
have authorized a new water pipe
from Bull Run.
The Oregon National Guard Is to be
felicitated on having been detailed for
coast defense practice at a season
when razor clams and crabs are tooth
somest. Secretary Garfield does well to come
to Oregon. A look at the crops raised
on irrigated lands conveys knowledge
that he can't acquire studying maps in
his office.
Actor Nat Goodwin now announces
that he will abandon the stage. Doesn't
pay. Will open a barroom, no doubt,
if there is any liquor left for his cus
tomers. Close the . saloons on Sunday and a
large number of citizens will surprise
themselves with the ease by which
they get along without the stimulant.
"One hundred million dollars on the
way to the penitentiary makes a great
deal of noise," they say in San Fran
cisco. Sure. Money talks.
If you don't believe that dairying is
a failure, ask the farmer who depends
upon pasturing nis cows upon the pub
lic highway. He knows.
Between what he has confessed and
what others tell of him, Harry
Orchard's reputation Is a bundle of
reeking rags.
The stiff-necked Prohibitionists now
have evidence that they wasted their
votes when they opposed the election
of Manning.
According to the directory Tacoma
has 110,000 inhabitants. Allowing 100,
000 for possible exaggerations, that's
about it.
One of the evidences of Portland's
fast growth Is the rapid increase in
its school census and school attend
ance. In every city there is a class of drug
gists who profit by restrictions of the
liquor traffic. Portland Is no exception.
It may be expected that the side
boards at Portland clubs will not be
idle the first day of the week.
Have the home' fans - been so far
tamed that baseball defeat no longer
creates disappointment?
If the next election were not a year
oft. Dr. Short might be Induced to come
back again.
COMMENT ON CURRENT STATE TOPICS
Labors at tke State Text-book. Commission at Salem M ay the Eirtuge
of Old for New Books Will Cost Utile Small Publishing Houses and Taelr
Growing; Import sue Trouble ot the Railroad Commission A Modern
Pooh-Bah Over the State Line Jonathan Bourne's Namesake.
SELECTION of public school text
books for use of the public schools
of' Oregon for the next six years
was the most important event in this
stats during the past week. The meet
ing of the Commission at Salem at
tracted but little general attention, but
those actively engaged in educational
work awaited the result with consider
able interest. The event was of Im
portance not so much because of the
financial effeot of the selections as be
cause of the influence the selections
will have upon the educational interests
of the state. From a monetary stand
point there was little involved, for an
exchange of textbooks is not as expen
sive a matter as most people suppose.
While a change makes It necessary for
pupils to get new books, the exchange
price is low and the child gets, on an
average, cheaper books at the time of
exchange than at any other time. The
law requires the publishers to take In
exchange any book that may be in the
family of a pupil, whether that book
be of the grade used by the child or
not. The exchange must be of course
for a book of the same grade and upon
the same subject, but under the prac
tice that has been followed a child who
needs a third reader can get an old
reader any place and exchange it for a
new reader of the same grade by pay
ing the exchange price. The exchange
price is, as a rule, about Half the retail
price. The books offered In exchange
are, on an average, more than half
worn out. For every so cents paid by
him in exchanging books th.6 child
therefore gets more than 50 cents worth
of value. In other words, he gets more
credit for his old book than the condi
tion of the book warrants. Another In
teresting and important feature of the
textbook selection, from a financial
standpoint. Is that the contract made
with the publishing nouses Is that they
will sell their books for no lower price
In any other state than they are sold
for In Oregon. If, therefore, the pub
lishers offer their Dooks for sale in
New York, or any other state, for less
money than the contrast price in Ore
gon, the prtce must be correspondingly
reduced here. This Insures Oregon chil
dren lowest prices.
ONE of tha interesting developments
of the recent meeting of trie State
Textbook Commission was the growing
Importance of the small publishing
houses In the textbook business. Here
tofore the large houses have furnished
nearly all the books used In the schools
of this and other states. Rgfeause they
did a large publishing business, adver
tised on a large scale, spent consider
able money keeping agents In the field
pushing their books and were able, by
reason of the magnitude of their busi
ness, to name lowest prices, they have
been successful in keeping their books
in the schools. But in the. last six years
a number of young and active men have
been going Into the textbook publishing
business in a small way add have been
succeeding. They begin on small capi
tal, secure a book of particular merit,
own no printing plant, 'but 'nave their
printing done by contract with large
printing houses. They employ no
agents, but go out and work personally
for adoption of their books. They have
only one or two books, and they center
their energy upon presentation of the
merits ot the few publications in which
they are Interested. Their expenses un
der this plan are no heavier than those
of the large publishing houses, so they
are able to name prices as low as any.
While some of the old publishing houses
are still urging retention of old books,
they are putting forth new and more
attractive works. While the agents of
the old houses are talking to the text
book commissioners upon the merits of
more than a score of books, giving but
a moment's attention to any one, the
small publishers are giving all their
time to one or two books, and are able
to present the merits of the few In the
most effective manner. If an agent has
an hour .in which to talk with, a Com
missioner, he can prive but superficial
attention to any ode of a score of his
books, but If he has but one book to
talk about and an hour to devote to it,
he can give the listener a pretty clear
Idea of its merits. While the Commis
sioners examine the books personally,
and compare their merits, there can be
little doubt that the arguments and ex
planations the agents have to offer are
of some effect in forming the opinions
of the Commissioners. The publishing
house that offers two books on one sub
ject Is hardly In a position to make as
strong ari effort In behalf of either as Is
the man who has but one Vok, which
he has published because he considered
it newer and better than any others on
the market.
THE success of the small publishers
is of interest to the people, because
It gives a measure of assurance that
no combination exists or will exist for
the purpose of preventing competition
either in prices or merits of books. To
get a book better than anything else in
use must be the effort of the small
publisher, for only In that manner can
he succeed. To abandon the old and
out of date and to substitute new books
must be the effort of the large ana
well-established publishing house. If It
would retain Its position in the busi
ness of furnishing books for use in the
public schools. The small publisher is
a specialist. He centers his efforts upon
one or two books, and must rise or fall
according to the merits of that publi
cation. He is therefore more zealous in
hunting for the best than Is the large
publisher, whose Interest lies chiefly in
keeping old publications in use in the
schools.
ONE of the textbooks on English of
fered for the consideration of the
Textbook Commission contained exer
cises Intended to give the children
practice In the formation of sentences.
These exercises consisted of questions
which the child must answer in com
plete sentences expressing his own
Ideas. This plan met no criticism, but
when tha agent of a rival publishing
house came across the question, "How
can your father make home more
pleasant," he Insisted that he had dis
covered an Insurmountable objection to
the book. Such a question, he said,
would bring up in thechild mind mem
ories of some Incidents at home which
It would be better to encourage him to
forget. Then. too. If he should answer
the question according to the Ideas the
question suggested) the answers would
sometimes bring discredit upon the pa
ternal parent, create more merriment
in the school than did Mary's little
lamb, and would eventually bring a
protest from an Indignant father who
disliked public disclosure of domesttc
infelicities. Whether the presence of
questions such as this in the book was
considered a fatal defet or not, the
book mentioned was not adopted.
BOOKKEEPING and business prac
tice will probably be taught with
much more satisfactory results In the
future than In the past, for the Text
book Commission adopted what H
known as the budget system of teach
ing. Briefly stated, this system places
In the hands of the pupil a series of
lessons on sheets of heavy papert with
the sheets placed in a pile and the cor
ners fastened together. Each day the
student tears oft a page or Bheet and
finds underneath the blank forms of
bills, notes, checks, drafts, mortgages,
deeds, etc., that are to be used In the
day's work. He cannot get the blanks
without tearing off the sheet of paper.
Tearing off the sheet of paper Is
equivalent to opening his office in the
morning or receiving hi dally mall.
The forms are exactly like those used
In actual business practice, and the
transactions are as much like those of
actual business as possible. The budget
system is used In most of the business
colleges and In many of the high
schools of the country. Its adoption in
Oregon is considered one of the most
important changes made by the Text
book Commission.
OREGON'S new Railroad Commission
is evidently expected to cure all
the ills of the transportation business.
During the past week an Eastern Ore
gon woman complained to the commis
sion that she had lost a trunk that had
come West from an Atlantic state, and
she wanted aid in finding it. The trunk
did not come by the same route she
did, so it Is not remarkable that soma
error was madejn checking it through.
The commission good naturedly took
the matter up with the railroad com
panies and did what they could to get
a search started. On the same day a
railway station agent In a small town
complained to the commission that
some freight had been received at his
station for a resident of his town, and
after the freight had been taken away
he discovered that, though the freight
had been prepaid, the advance payment
was not sufficient, and he should have
collected from the consignee. But, af
ter getting the goods Into his; posses
sion, fhe consignee refused to pay. The
agent wanted the commission to aid
him In collecting the freight bill, but
this the commission declined to do.
HOLDING many Important positions
In the management or directorate
of transportation company . and other
corporations -is very common among
railroad magnates, bnt unusual among
railroad men connected with small
lines. The manager of the Klamath
Lake Railroad, however, enjoys a dis
tinction in this respect, and has busi
ness connections which are excelled In
number by those of few men doing
business in Oregon. Though the gen
tleman's home is in California, Just
over the Oregon line, he is an Orego
nian In business Interests. His busi
ness card reads as follows:
"E. T. Abbott, Thrall, Cal., station
agent Southern Pacific Company; agent
Wells-Fargo Express Company; agent
Western Union Telegraph Company;
agent Sunset Telephone Company;
Postmaster; landlord Thrall Hotel;
manager general store; local agent
Pelton River Sugar Pine Lumber Com
pany; local agent' Pokegama Sugar
Pine Lumber Company; local agent
Klamath River Improvement Company;
Weyerhauser .Land Company; general
manager Klamath Lake R. R.; general
freight and passenger agent Klamath
Lake R. R.; purchasing agent Klamath
Lake R. R. ; chief engineer Klamath
Lake R. R.; Superintendent of Schools;
subject to Railroad Commission of Cal
ifornia; subject to Railroad Commis
sion of Oregon; subject to Interstate
Commerce Commission; incidentally
keeping out of jail. Open to proposals
for other positions. Anything 1 ain't,
isn't."
THE name Bourne is not a common
one is a rare one, in fact. fio
alo is the name Jonathan. The two
names together are so seldom heard
that one would scarcely think that It
might happen that two men would
have that name. This is the case, how
ever, for the Southern Pacific has a
ticket agent at Salem who enjoys the
distinction of being Jonathan Bourne.
He is no relation to United States
Senator Jonathan Bourne, Jr. But pos
session ' of the name is not his only
distinction. He has the reputation of
being the wittiest ticket seller on the
line, for he is always ready with a
Jocular reply, no difference how impa
tient or angry a patron of the road may
be. Late trains, complaining travelers,
bad weather or Ills that disturb the
even temper of others never affect
him. Witty salutations and answers
come from him as naturally and as
easily as his everlasting smile. These
and his curly hair are as distinctive
as his name. He has no intention of
going Into polities or getting into jail,
so Senator Bourne won't have any
need to deny that he Is the Jonathan
Bourne of Salem.
JACKSON COUNTY real estate busi
ness Is evidently about as active as
realty business in t Portland. During
the month of May there were 513
transfers a pretty good number for a
county the size of Jackson, and as far
distant from the commercial center of
the state.
ConimeBcement.
Washington (D. C.) Herald.
Now Mabel's mind is much awry.
She's partly alad.
Tet very much Inclined to cry.
And sometimes sad.
She greets with Joy and yet a tear
The parting ways.
For now arrives delightful, dear
Commencement days.
What means this disconcerted look
The dam&el wears?
What means this far-away, gazook.
And stony stare?
Mabel walking In her sleep
With vacant gaze?
Oh, no; 'tis Just the usual deep
Commencement daze.