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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (May 24, 1908)
6 THE STDTDAT OKEGOXIA-, PORTLANT, MAT 24, 1908. BIB8CKIFTIOX RATES. INVAKIABIJtr IN ADVANCK. (Br Mall.) .Dally, Sunday Included. ons year-. . .4a.0 tally. Sunday Included, six montw.... 4 rtally. Sunday lncluaea. uinw ""J"t"-' Dally. Sunday Included, one monuV... 2.25 .75 Daily, without Sunday. o.e year . Daily, without Sunday, all montni e oe 3.2S 1.75 .60 Z 50 x.&a 3.50 Dally, without Sunday, th.' Dally, without Sunday, one monttis. month.... Sunday, one year . .-- Weekly, one year (Issued Thttrsdjayy. Sunday and weekly, one year-, ...... BY CARRIER. Dally. Sunday Included, one- yeiw" JJ Dally. Sunday Included, one n"- : HOW TO REMIT Send nomtolTlc nioney order, express order or personal check on your local bank. Stamp, coin currency are at the sender's risk. Give poet off ice aa ree la full. Including county and state. POST AG K RATE9. Entered at Portland, Oreon. postoBsco as Fecond-Claee Matter. . 10 to M Pages J 1 to 38 Pi ? 2StI 80 to 44 Pagea J 40 to SO Pagea cents Foreign postage, double rat pi. . . . IMPORTANT The poatal laws are stMet Newspapers on which pontage la not nil ly prepaid are not forwarded to destination. EASTERN BCSTNES8 OFFICB. i The 8. c. Bockwlth Special Agracy TJ'W Tork. rooms 48-50 Tribune building, l-ni-cago. rooms S10-612 Tribune building-. KEPT ON SALE. CbJcaar Audi tortum Annex : Fostofflcs News Co. 178 Dearborn street; Empire jwews stand. Bt. Paul. Minn. K. Bta. Marie. Commer cial Station Colorado Borings. O"- H H. BaH. Drum Hamilton at Kendrlck. 0-Slz seventeenth street; Pratt Book Store. 1214 Fifteenth street: H. P. Hansen. B. ': Oeorga Carson. Renins City. Mo. Rlrkseeker Cigar Co.. Ninth and Walnut; Toma Newa Co. Minneapolis 5t. Cavanaua-h. 60 fouth Third. . Cwclnnatl. O. loms lew Co. Cleveland, O. James P-jsbaw. SOT Bopor lor street Washington. T. C. EbWtt Roue. 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Fort Worth, Tex, Southwestern N. and A. Agency. Ajnarllls, Tex-rlmmone at Pops. Ban Francisco. Foster A Orear: Ferry News Stand; Hotel St. Francis News Stand; 1.. Parent; N. Wheatley; Falrmount Hotel News Stand; Amos News Co.; United Newa Agency. 14 ft- Eddy street; B. E. Amos, man ager three wagons; Worlds N. 8.. 2925 A. nutter street. Oakland, Cal. W. H. Johnson. Fourteenth and Franklin streets; N. Wheatley; Oakland News Stand: B. E. Amos, manager Ave wagons; Wellingham, H. G. GoldiMd. Ney. Louie Follln. Eureka, Cal. Call-Chronicle Agency; Eu reka Newa Co. PORTLAND, SUNDAY. MAY 24, 1908. THE PROBLEM OF ANARCHY. The government of Russia is so in human that it has made maniacs of many subjects. When they escape from the horrors of their native land they take their mania with them. Naturally, until they learn better, they think evry "government is like their own. urven wnen tney come to Amer ica, in spite of vague ideas of the free dom which is enjoyed here, they can not rid themselves of the prejudice that our Government as well as every other exists only to bully, rob and tor ture. Hence when the authorities In terfere with them their first impulse is i fo retaliate, as they have learned to do in Russia, by throwing bombs. This : Is the only possible method, so far as their sad experience and limited knowledge go, of defending themselves . against injustice and avenging their wrongs. Conservative writers have expressed the opinion that. If the gov- - ernment of Russia could be made de cently civilized, the sect of bomb throwing .anarchists would disappear. Since at present the whole world lives in perpetual terror of dynamite, some have asked the question whether It would not be wise for the nations of Christendom to unite in an effort to compel the Russian autocracy to adopt less abhorrent methods in dealing with its subjects. It has been suggested that one-half the energy now spent by the great powers in suppressing an archy would suffice to weed out the Czar and his coterie of uncles, substi tute for them a modern constitutional ' government and thus free the earth from anarchy forever. Russia, it is said by these observers, is like an Infected cesspool from which poisonous emanations float upon "the wind, spreading disease and death everywhere. So long as the pool ex ists it is of little use to fight the dis eases which it breeds. The only ra- tional and effective thing to do Is to drain the source of Infection. One can perhaps imagine a time when the more humane nations of the earth will organize something Ilka a great cru sade against Russia, or rather against the autocracy. Just as we have had - to go to India and Arabia and fighf cholera where it originates, so we may have to go to Russia and fight an archy in that poisonous spring whence It perennially streams out over the world. The cleansing of Calcutta and -i i t 1 1 , i . . i. ; found to be much more efficient pro : tectlve measures against cholera than any quarantine, no matter how vlgl- t lant. In fact, for all diseases quaran ' tine has been found impotent in com parlson with the disinfection of ' sources. May it not turn out that our experience with anarchy will prove to bo similar? Thus far we have tried to get rid of it by applying a rigorous quarantine and by deporting the pa tients. Some time perhaps we shall , discover that It would be better and cheaper to go to Russia and quaran tine or deport the Czar and his uncles. Of course violent anarchy is not thing that can be argued with. It Is, as we have said, a mania, and very likely it should be treated like other mental disorders. There was a time when every imaginable cruelty was in flicted -upon the insane. They were confined in filthy prisons, chained to posts, tortured and starved. ' Then mankind became a little more Chris tianized through the efforts of John Howard, Dorothea Dlx and other saints of God, and insanity began to be treated with rational kindness. In our opinion there is not the slightest doubt that violent anarchism is a spe cies of insanity, a terribly dangerous species, to be sure, but that does not justify us in treating It with savage barbarity. It only imposes upon us as civilised men and Christiana a more binding obligation to apply to the problem which It presents humanity and reason, instead of panic-stricken ferocity. It is Idle to think of trying to eradicate anarchy by Russian meth ods. Those methods have failed sig nally In the land of their origin. Their only result has been to turn Russia Into a slaughter-house and infest the whole earth wftth the mania of bomb throwing. Is it conceivable that they would succeed amy better in the land of the free and the home of the brave? Doubtless the violent anarchist ought to be sequestered and treated for his disease by humane methods. In dealing with Ms case there is no more excuse for excluding reason from our counsels than there is in dealing with any other murderous maniac But there is a school or sect who call themselves "philosophical anarchists," who do not advocate or practice vio lence. What shall be-done with them? The Kew-York Times said in Its haste soon after the bomb episode in Union Square- that the profession of philo sophical anarchy" Bhould be made a capital crime. This is Impractical for many reasons; for one thing -It ..would require an amendment to the Federal Constitution. Philosophical anarchy makes pretenses to being a rational doctrine. One may Imagine, therefore, that the most effective way to defeat it is to show that it is absurd. Its creed is not difficult to understand. It is this: 'The, will to live should be per mitted to fulfill Itself without hin drance from, the state." Of course this implies that government ought to be abolished. It ought to be abol ished, they say, because It does more harm than good. But even if their premise were true, their conclusion would not follow necessarily. ' Grant ing for argument's sake thai govern ment does more harm than good, we cannot at once conclude that it should be destroyed. We must first Inquire whether It cannot be so reformed that It shall do more good than Harm, or no harm at all and nothing but good. The Ideas of the anarchists are akin to those of Thomas Jefferson, who said that the best government was the one that governed least. Naturally we conclude that one which governs not at ail wouia De Detter bum. xxms tai lacy lies in assuming that..lt is the in nate tendency of government to do wrong. The anarchists have not grasped the modern conception of government as an agent of the people to execute their corporate wllL They cling to the old notion of government as an Instrument by which a few men plunder the many. Just as Russia is a nation in arrested development, so anarchy which cornea from Russia la a system of thought which clings to an tiquated premises. It fails to note the truth- that there Is a social "will to live," as well as an individual one and that the social will must have a brain to act through precisely as the individual will must. The social brain la tUe government. THE GOVERNMENTS REMEDY. If Federal Courts entertain the same views of law and justice that were expressed by the Oregon Su preme Court In the Oregon City locks case, there can be no doubt of the outcome of the Government's suit for the cancellation of the Oregon and California land grant. So far as prin ciples of law are concerned, the two cases are apparently, the same. The Oregon Court took a view of the law that appeals to the average citizen as being in complete harmony with equi ty and good sense. Possibly there may be fine points of law In whicji the land-grant case differs from the locks case, but In general It seems to be the same. The state of Oregon appropriated a considerable sum of money to aid in the construction of the canal and locks at Oregon City, but donated the money upon certain express conditions. Among which were that certain tolls should be charged, that the state should receive 10 per cent of the net profits, and that, after 20 years ttfe state should have the right to pur chase the locks at a price to be determined-in such manner as the Legis lature may prescribe. The money was accepted, the canal and locks con structed, and the property transferred several times from one corporation to another. Only one payment of a share of the profits was made. The present owners finally claimed to own the locks absolutely and free from any rights therein on the part of the state. Suit was brought and the Supreme Court declared that the original con ditions follow the property into the hands of successive owners, and that the negligence of state officers in fall ing to collect money due cannot have the effect of relinquishing or forfeit ing the state's right to insist) upon .an observance of the conditions. v The facts are similar in relation to the land grant. The Government ap propriated certain public lands to aid in building a railroad, hut the dona tion was made upon oertaln conditions, among which were that the land should be sold to actual settlers In tracts of not to exceed 160 acres, and at a price not to exceed 2.50 per acre. The railroad company accepted the land upon those conditions, and almost Immediately , began violating the conditions by selling in tracts in excess of 160 acres and at prices in excess of $2.50 per -acre, and finally withdrew the lands from sale entirely. Now the owners of the land claim title free from the conditions upon which it was originally granted. They refuse to recognize any right on the part of the Government., Suit has been authorized and the question of relative rights and objections will be settled by the courts. The ordinary citizen who believes that words mean what they say, and that laws were made to be obeyed, can see but one reasonable outcome of the suit, and that Is that the beneficiary of the land grant shall be accorded the right to secure J2.50 per acre on the total number of acres In the grant, and no more, and that the remainder of the grant above that necessary to secure this amount shall be forfeited to the Government. Since the company has sold some of the land at excessive prices, it should forfeit enough to make up for the excess collected. Un der no circumstances should It be per mitted to assert title free from the conditions upon which the grant was accepted. The conditions were clear and positive. No amount of derelic tion on the part of Government offi cials should amount -to a "TdTfeiture of the Government's ri9t. There is no occasion for the Government to be un reasonableto exact a pound of flesh If it could. Though the recipient of the land grant deliberately violated the conditions, the Government can afford to be magnanimous and permit j the company to realize the J2.59 an acre originally agreed upon. But it should not be required to conceded more than that. A common sense en- I forcement of the fundamental princi ples of equity as in the Oregon City locks case, will be fair and reasona ble to all concerned. A FH tSTOX SHIP.- i A weird story of the forgotten past ! was told a short time ago in the New Tork World, the subject being the old British warsWp Investigation. This vessel has been practically lost to the world since September 24,1851, when, in search of the Northwest Passage, she was. frozen in the ice at Baring Island. Reverting to the history of Arctic exploration, it is found that Sir Robert Le Mesurier McClure made his memorable voyage and discov ered the Northwest Passage in this ship. This was In 1849. The story of her staunch ribs of oak and sub stantial construction is told in the fact that in 1801 she carried the young and ambitious John Franklin on a voyage of discovery in the Southern seas, nearly half a century later she formed one of Captain Belcher's squadron that sailed around South America, up the Pacific-, through Bering Straits, and from there, pushed on and on until stopped by stress of Arctic cold. After varying adventures and hardship, the Investigation stuck fast in the ice and waa reluctantly abandoned in the Sum mer of 1854, Captain McClure taking passage for home in another ship more fortunate than his own. With the British flag flying at her ' mast head and all of her instruments and fittings on board, the old ship was abandoned and for 60 years she was forgotten, except as, how and then an American whaler, passing the moyth of the frozen bay sighted her, gaunt and grim, awaiting -deliverance. Last Summer was a mild one as Arctia Summers go, and the ice in which the old ship had been stuck fast since 1854 melted for the first time in all the intervening years. Ad vices received at Victoria, B. C, from Dawson recently are to the effect that the Investigation, in a good state of preservation, is afloat, and that the British Admiralty will take steps to have her returned to England, via Alaska and Victoria. A chapter more weird than this does not appear In the long and dreary an nals of adventure In the far North. It Is a tale of romance In a setting of fact", that will be of interest to mariners; of adventure, that clothes the history of Arctic exploration with a new reverence: of steadfastness of purpose that brings additional honors to the memory of Captain McClure, the Intrepid discoverer of the North west Passage, who died a third of a century and more ago. The history of Arctic exploration is full of pathos. Brave men have per ished in its service, or returned, dis appointed, but not discouraged, from the quest which inspired their heroic effort. Science, we are told, has prof ited largely from this ' effort. From a practical standpoint, wheth er economic or humane, the re turns thus far have not justified the expenditure in human life and In the treasure that has attended it. The story of Sir John Franklin formed one of the earlier and most pitiful chap ters in the history of this quest in the nineteenth cenutry. That of Dr. Kane followed, a record of hardship bravely borne, but without tangible result. That of DeLong formed a chapter not only of disappointment and failure, but of tragedy. General Greeley's experi ence provided a shuddering tale, the tragic incidents of which have been given to science. Lieutenant Peary has returned from his several voyages unscathed, yet without achieving the prime object of his undertaking. The record is a long one and contains many names that stand for courage, daring and selt-sacriflce.' THE PACIFIC FLEET. The long outward cruise of thewfinest fleet of battleships that ever came into the Pacific is ended, and the peaceful waters of Puget Sound are lapping the sides of the great white sea-fighters. We term them sea-fighters, but it is .questionable whether they w(ll ever "be 'used for any other purpose than such peaceful parades as "trie great Journey Just "ended. There is only a possibility of their services ever being In demand on the Atlantic for any other purpose than mild-mannered police duty, and yet nearly the entire squadron is to be ordered back over a 15,000-mile route to points where they will be useless in case of war on the Pacific the only fighting field on the world's map today. The visit of this fleet to North Pacific wa ters, where more than 300 years ago Sir Francis Drake and his freebooting compatriots were following the flag of Spain for purposes of plunder only, will serve to dispel one fond illusion so often embodied in a figure of speech , There Is no trade following the "flag" into this region. As a matter of fact, our "flag" was seldom seen here until the ships of Great Britain and other countries had established a trade. The Pacific Coast for the last half century has received from the National Government but little else than contemptuous sneers, and the Government has never undertaken to send along any "flags" which might be followed by trade- until long after the hardy" pioneers have developed a trade. Two-thirds of the entire popu lation of the globe dwells In countries which have the Pacific for a shore line, and so marvelously rich are these Pacific lands that, had the discovery of the American hemisphere been made from the Pacific, and not the At lantic side of the Continent, the rock bound region along the Atlantic would still be a disputed territory between the Indians and the "varmints. " Commerce and war are the two great factors in making political his tory. On the Atlantic, commerce has attained such proportions that war is practically out of the qpestion. There are no new fields for conquest on which our white armada can be turned loose. Civilization has been completed on both sides of that great ocean, but across the Pacific, it is still in the making. The commercial des tiny of the Pacific may be worked out on peaceful lines, but there is so much at stake, and the , situation is so fraught with possibilities for trouble, that It Is a very short-sighted policy on the part of the Government to take these battleships away from -the ports where they may be needed and send them thpusands of miles away to stations where they may never again be under the fire of an enemy's guns. The visit of the fleet to the Pa- ciflc, as an object lesson to the rising generation, may be,, worth all of the vast sum that it has cost, but It Is a reckless waste of money to force so manv of these bie shiDS to steam back to the Atlantic. If the battleships are ever needed anywhere In the worlds it will be at some point in the Pacific and, when j they are needed here, the urgency of tne case win do sucn mac mere wiu be no time to bring them over a 15.-000-mlle stretch. The ships should be kept where they are now anchored until they are needed for actual duty in upholding the dignity and power of the United States. OLD-JTEW OAS ADA. The colonization of Canada ' by Champlain 300 years ago will be cele brated at Quebec the coming Summer. The Province of Quebec is said to rep resent the past in its rural conditions and the customs of its people more faithfully than any other . section of the American continent. The primi tive devices of civilization "here suffice for the comfort of a. contented, un questionably religious and simple minded people. Neither poverty nor riches is their portion. -The first con dition is impossible where individual and family thrift prevail; the latter Is equally Impossible where, in the gen eral estimate of the people, a suffi ciency to meet the common wants of life is enough. The new Western provinces of the Dominion of Canada are as unlike the old Eastern provinces as growth is un like a settled condition as American energy and enterprise are unlike plod-P ding French Canadian simplicity. This spirit of latter-day enterprise it is the policy of the x government, both at home and in Great Britain, to encour age and assist in every practical way in the newer provinces, while still pro tecting and cherishing, as Is seemly, the customs and traditions of the peo ple of the old colonies of Eastern Can ada.. The Western dominion has had marvelous development through means of rapid communication and a wise policy in encouraging settlers to pos sess and develop the lands has pre vailed. The United States has paid tribute to the wisdom of this policy in the last decade by giving a large farm ing population to the prairie lands of Manitoba and Winnipeg. The Scandi navian countries have also sent out a sturdy yeomanry to possess and till this American-British soil In response to the opportunities offered. Ahd yet great areas invite settlement and v the government continues to offer strong inducements to settlers of the agricul tural class. To bind more closely the Interests of the, mother country with those of this great, abounding empire of the west is the constant aim of the British minis try. 'In pursuance of this purpose the Prince of Wales will cross over to Que bec in a few weeks to lead in the cele bration of the trl-centennial of that quaint old province. He will not push through to the Northwest and Pacific provinces this time, as upon the occa sion of his last visit to Canada, the pol icy being to give the American sub jects of the British crown only such evidences of representative royal power as will please them without sur feit. "Though we have been success ful In many ways," said the Prince of Wales at a banquet In London recent ly, when speaking of the development of Canada, "we must not lose sight of our common Interests, alms and ob jects and the supremacy of Britain as a world power, based upon the loy alty of, her people wherever her flag of empire floats." That the velvet hand of peaceful de velopment may not be without proper power to protect what it covers In case of emergency, the Prince concluded his speech with the hope that substan tial progress may be made in thor oughly grappling the problem of im perial defense in these dominions be yond the sea. England has "some thing worth fighting for" In Canada, and In accordance with the estimate of Admiral Evans, which Is based upon the experience of all history, war will always be a contingency to be reck oned with while this is the case. Hence the wisdom of being prepared for war in equipment that, means something to the would-be aggressor. RAILROAD ACCIDENTS DECREASING. The Accident Bulletin of the Inter state Commerce Commission, giving details of railroad accidents in the United States for the three months ending1 December 81, 1907, shows a marked decrease In number of acci dents, and in loss of life. The figures are of exceptional Interest, reflecting as they do the extent to which human life is Involved in the complex work ings of our economic system. The de cline in railroad traffic, as shown by railroad earnings statements for the past eight months. Is of course re sponsible for some of the decrease In the number of accidents, as it Is hardly to be expected that there would be as many disasters when the num ber of trains in operation had been reduced as there would be when the roads were working up to their ca pacity. . . The total number of passengers and employes killed from all causes in connection with railroad work was 1092, compared with 1430 for the cor responding period in 1906. The em ployes as usual made np the largest part of the death list, 199 being killed In train accidents, compared with 294 for the corresponding' date In the pre vious year; while of the total of pas sengers and employes meeting death from all causes, 1011 were employes, compared with 1196 for the three months ending December, 1906. The most remarkable decrease shown Is In the number of passengers killed In train accidents, there being but 21 deaths, under this heading, compared with .180 in the same period in 1906. That It is the railroads and their em ployes who have become more care ful than the traveling public. Is no ticeable in the statement that there was an Increase from 54 to 61 in the number of fatal accidents to passen gers, due largely to their own negli gence or want of caution. This item also reflects the condition of the passenger traffic, for, while there has been heavy shrinkage in the volume of freight traffic, but few of the roads have reported decreases In passenger -earnings. The decreases in the number of accidents to trainmen can in part be attributed to the small er number of trains moving, but there has undoubtedly been more caution displayed, and the men have been working under less pressure than was In evidence when every road in the country was working both men and equipment up to capacity. Not only have the operatives bad the advantage of more rest, but with the larsre num-! ber thrown out of employment by the slackening in business, there has been a much better opportunity for the rail roads to pick only the best men, and not be obliged to put up with any good, bad or indifferent' kind of a man that could be pressed Into service. But, while there have been decreases in the number killed, the number of minor collisions and accidents shows but little change. In the thre months, the damage to cars, engines and road way, by accidents amounted to J2. 962,470. Due allowance must of course be made for the vastly changed conditions which existed during the closing months of 1906 and 1907, but, aside from these changed conditions, it is apparent that there is a growing tendency toward more careful han dling of trains. Wrecks are always expensive for the railroads, both through loss of money, and In pres tige, and! with the increasing use of safety appliances and more stringent rules governing employes, there should be continued decrease in the number of killed and wounded. BtTYTNQ BOOKS. 1 Newspaper writers make a great deal of fun of the bucolic sojourner who blows out the gas, of the honest farmer who buys gold bricks, and of the village 'smarty," who tries to make a fortune handling green goods; but It really seems as if people of wealth" and wide experience were as easy to swindle as the rustic, only the sharper must go about his busi- ness in. a different way. We are moved mak tm,s "mark by the current story of a clever book agent who has plied his seductive arts In Portland, Chicago and probably elsewhere, so successfully that many wealthy people who ought to have known better than to be fooled by him are now lament ing their misplaced confidence. This agent dealt In "rare editions," "edi tions de luxe," and that sort of thing. He played upon that trait of human nature which makes much of the out side of things and cares little or noth ing for the inside. It is a trait which la displayed by all classes of people in buying books. The results of Its work are on exhibition In almost every farm house in the country as well as in the libraries of the rich. Think of the collections of books In many farmers' dwellings. There will be half a dozen horrors from the Government, departments, a huge Bi ble, which is too sumptuous to be read, and a stately row of volumes purchased from agents. Some of the titles are easy to recall, "Mother, Home and Heaven," "Travels in the Holy Land," "Science and the Bible," "Every Man His Own Physician," and so forth. One can imagine the recipe which Is used in preparing these de ceptive books. First an attractive title is selected. Then the binding is arranged, something striking and gaudy. Then a few miserable pic tures are devised. Last of all, ahd least important, the contents of the book, the reading matter Is thrown together without either accuracy or literary merit. The religion in these books is sheer sentimentality, mawk ish and crude; the science Is seldom anywhere near the truth; the history is misleading. They are products of greed appealing to ignorance and van ity. They are not made to be- read, but to be looked at. At the other end of the scale is the millionaire who buys rare editions, limited . editions, unique copies, and - so on. These people are much derided by genuine book lovers for their Ignorance and credulity. An extensive Industry has grown up in this country of late years, which consists in the manu facture of rare and exclusive editions to sell to millionaires. Of course many of them are honestly manufac tured, but some of them are hum bugs. The agent tells his victim that only a few copies have been printed and then the plates destroyed, that the edition Is sure to become of priceless value within a few years and that for tunate owners of the rare copies then in existence can sell them for fabulous sums. The victim gobbles the bait and a few months later he Is confronted with copies of his rare and exclusive edition for sale in the second-hand bookstores by the dozen and for a third the price he paid. We have no fault to find with the man who frankly buys his books to or nament a room. Just as he buys pic tures. Neither do we wish to waste words upon the bibliophile who buys them because nobody else has them, or because there Is a misprint on a certain page, or because they are old, or because the type is illegible. His case is hopeless. He is joined to his idols and it is best to let him alone. But It truly seems as If it ought to be possible to teach farmers and other people who wish to read good books how to select what they want instead of taking what the agent offers them. It has sometimes occurred to us that It would be an excellent plan for teachers, in the schools to make their scholars memorize lists of the best books in the world, bo that when they come to buy they, will have some sort of standard and not waste their money upon chimeras and mockeries. Nor would we confine these lists to the "classics." It is to be feared that the worship of Shakespeare, Milton, Gibbon and their compeers has done much harm inchecking the reading habit. Peo ple in general cannot enjoy these au thors To read them is a' task unless the mind has been prepared for it by long training la the appreciation of Btyle, sublime thought and intricate argument. Here and there an excep tional person is born to read such au thors with pleasure, but not the com mon man. If he reads at all it must be something else. Still, when he asks for advice about buying books he is told to begin with.-The Decline and Fall and follow that up with Paradise Lost: Now, this is a calamity. He ought to be told to begin with some author jOf his own generation who is aglow with the Ideas ,of the times. Literature is a living thing. Each generation produces its own books, just as each Spring produces its own flowers. The blossoms of this May are not so beautiful, perhaps, as those of the Mays which Dante saw on the hills of Florence, but they are our own, and we must make the best of them. For eveTybody but exceptional persons the rule ought, to be to be gin by reading living authors and gradually work back to the past. How much about living writers is taught in the schools? What do pu pils, or teachers, either, know about the men ' who are .thinking the thoughts of our day and, therefore, moulding the world for the future? Workers like Miss Marvin of the State Library Commission are doing a great deal to spread knowledge of books among the people of Oregon, but who is helping them? How many teachers in the public schools outside of Portland have read a dozen modern books? Methodlsts assembled in general conference in Baltimore are proving themselves politicians of the modern type. So says Dr. Goodell, one of the finest platform orators In the church, an evangelist of approved character and methods, and a man who for 22 years has filled some of the greatest pulpits of the denomination, but against whom bitter opposition has been developed in the balloting for bishops. It seems that Dr. Goodell was divorced from his first wife in 1886. Notwithstanding the fact that the divorce was asked -and granted for the "Scriptural reason," the fact that he was divorced was sprung against him at a critical point, and carried such weight with his brethren of sacerdotal dignity, that he dropped from the fifth to the tenth place on the first ballot that was taken after this element . was introduced in the contest. This action Is characterized by Dr. Goodell as "a political move ment, which Is beneath the dignity of the average political convention." Fair- minded persons generally will agree with this . estimate. Unless you and your neighbors feel now and have felt for some time past a need for the constitutional amend ments that' have been proposed, It Is a safe plan to vote "No." Unless you can give some direct and practical rea son, why the constitution should be amended, the proposed change must be unnecessary. The burden of proof is" upon the man or organization that proposes an amendment. If you are not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that the proposed measure Is a wise one, don't give It your approval. Read the bills and proposed amend ments, and If in your best judgment they should be enacted or adopted. then vote ""Ees," but don't vote for them just because some faddist asks you to. A speaker before the Federated Trades Council Friday evening as serted that the real cause of intem perance in this country lies In our in dustrial system. The weak point In this argument is that our present In dustrial system, dealing as It does with steam and electricity as motors, and of necessity employing men to work its powerful enginery, has done more to eliminate the man who drinks heavily from its service and thus make for temperance than all other agencies working in the temperance field put together. Now that Mr. Cake has again pro claimed' his rigid and unfaltering ad herence to Statement No. 1, his pem ocratlc opponents, newspaper and oth erwise, are more dissatisfied than ever. However, there Is no need to try and satisfy any Democrat about this mat ter; It will certainly not do Mr. Cake, or any other Republican candidate any good whether they are satisfied or not. Democrats Intend to vote against Cake anyway. Why does not the woman wTio has reached the age of discretion and at tained to the dignity that puts away childish things, and whose baptismal name is "Mary," eschew such baby diminutives as "Mae," "Mamie," "Mayme" and "Mazie?" Why, ex cept that she is frivolous beyond her years, or haB little conception of the true dignity that, is conferred by a sweet, womanly name? Another annual report of the State Insurance Commissioner .shows that the Insurance companies receive 82 from policy holders for every $1 they pay back. Yet, If one were to remark that this indicates excessive charge for insurance, there would be a loud pro test from the companies and endless explanations of the need for bo large a margin". The Democrats of Washington are anxious and willing to submit the pro hibition question to the people, and. say so In their platform; but the Dem ocrats have profound confidence In the good Judgment of the Republican ma jority in that state; and their action is causing no great excitement In Demo cratic ranks. It really begins to look as If the Idaho Democrat were tired pf the tiresome Dubois and his tiresome Mor mon issue. Defeat Is a good thing for a Democrat, but obliteration Is not yet gratefully Invited by the Democratic rank and file. Will wonders never cease? Here we have It on the authority of the friends of the late Benjamin F. Carl lng, late of Chicago, that one of the skeletons unearthed at the Gunness farm core a strong resemblance to him. Just now there are people In Oak land, California, who are wishing that that largest - airship - In - the - world scheme had been just plain hot air. Then they would have had nothing broken but their pockets. Editor Harden, who told the troth about some of the German court but terflies, and went to Jail for It, gets a new trial. But somebody has to go "to jail for that affair, and now its Zu Eulenberg's turn. The Methodists turned down a man for bishop because he had been di vorced away back in 1886. When you get a wife, keep her. Is the Methodist view. It's also the Mormon practice. It is rumored again that Prince Helie and Anna Gould were actually married before they sailed away on that experimental honeymoon. That sounds better. The Portland ball team should re member that there's many a slip be tween the pennant and the cellar. Since Chamberlain wants party lines disregarded, how would it do for a lot of Democrats to vote for Cake? Mr. Fairbanks will not accept the Vice-Presidency. Sure not. Not un less he can get It. Well, It may not be real baseball, but It's a first-class imitation, and it will do. Getting Governor Chamberlain on" the defensive makes some difference, doesn't it? VERSE. BY HARRY MURPHY. America. i America! of God-like sires,'say Where is the promise of thy early day? The day thy bannered stripe and stars unfurled A hope and message o'er a bondaged . world ; When freemen's tumult woke the tlnsel'd drone V From dream of thousand years on velvet throne? m America! Who set the bu;ls to Thy lips and for the right and reason blew A blast that shook the ancient Idols down! America! Where is the high renown The purpose and the promise of that time? v Where-are the simple men ef deed sub lime On freedom's field, in Justice's holy hall Men deaf to whispering self at country's call? Gone, all gone! O my country, great Has been thy fall from-yesterday' es tate! America! of Washington the pride! Iso longer virtue is thy goaaess-guiae. Now avarice and tyranny aad wrong And all their unclean crew around thee throng. Thou who erst bade oppression' fetter burst- Ot wide earth' despots now are all but first. Thick! thlnkl my country, of thy former fame. Then, ere too late, think of thy present shame; Thy courts become the scheming rich man's tool; Thy senates, councils, subtle knavery' school; Thy children murdered by the mine and wheel'; Thy helpless babes dead at their poisoned meal Poison that makes thy soldiers shrink A foe more dread than frowning enemy; Thy weaklings wasting wealth they scorn ' to win In contest to contrive ome newer 1n; Thy carlet victims Bpurned Into a ditch; Thlnkl of thy growing poor, thy shrink ing rich I America I redeem thy destiny 1 Arise and play' thy high-born parti To thee The nations turn. Heaven leans to learn thy fate. Arise, and rear the pillars of the state Of selflessness and song! shed from thy soul Greed's apathyl Strike from their high Mintml The brutal breed of Mammon! Forever hence Thrust privilege, tradition and pretense! Uplift humiliated men; restore Their ' plundered manhood! Rise, my country, for Behold! the dark horizons gleam and break Where dawn the Purpose Purified. Awake! Intrepid Titanes of youthful might. The onward world swings splendid into light. Nate Day. Twas long ago my fair ship called. Sailed o er the distant sea And what though all but hop ha failed. It will return to me. I know, I know the breakers' roar. The head-wind'B chill with apray. Yet I will wait beside the shore; My ship will come some day. The Happy Land. I long to tread the land that gleam Beyond the Summer seas; Those shining shores that edge my dream. So fairer far than these. But when I stand toil-worn and weak Amid those ecene I find, v Alas I the Happy Land I seek Is that I left behind. DICKENS' CHARAOTML . Srnator Jeff avU and "Martin Cb.na alewlt." Chicago Record-Herald. "Martin Chuzzlewit" was published m 1843, when this country was pretty fresh , a imiijirallv Influenced ana rttw n -- by a frontier society than it is today. That its American scenes coniameu muuu -.u broad satire is undeniable, and Americans did not relish them, though they were highly delighted when Dickens bad fun with his own countrymen. There were Indignant denials, which are still heard from the lips of young persons whose memory does not go back a quarter of a century and who have had no experience of the crudities which were a fair enough target tor vtstuur ui u- But there is in the living present an In dividual who completely obscures all the imaginary characters of Dickens' story. There never was such another snorting patriot, such a ranting actor, such a spouter of grandiloquent nothings, such a cruel murderer of the English language. We refer to the Hon. Jeff Davis, Sena tor from Arkansas. It is said that during his latest deliverance not "more than half a dozen Senators were in the Senate chamber at the same time, and that "his colleague. Senator Clarke, was the only one remaining in his seat throughout, and he looked as If he felt ashamed to he there." Any one but Davis must necessarily havo, felt ashamed. The whole country should feel heartily ashamed of the Davis performance. This "Arkansas Bear" is ceasing to be a Joke. INTELLIGENT REVISION OF TARIFF Crystallisation of Such a Movement, bnt Tinkering; la Barred. Chicago Post. In spite of blind opposition, tariff re vision is slowly gaining ground in Con gress and by the sheer weight of the intelligent support behind it. Those who hold the tariff is not a political plaything or party slogan cannot but regret that tho Beverldsre bill for an expert commission has failed of suc cess in Washington, but with this wise measure smothered the next best thing seems sure of accomplishment. In the interim between the present and the next session of the National Legisla ture an investigation Is to he made which promises to be more than super ficial and perfunctory. This agreeable assurance was forth coming when the Senate on Saturday adopted the resolution drawn by Sen ator Beveridge and preaented by the committee on finance authorizing tho employment of Government experts "and such other assistants as may be necessary" to secure the Information needed for "an intelligent revision of the customs laws of the United States." An intelligent revision is what the countrv needs more perhaps than any thing else that it can receive from the hands of Congress. Tinkering with the tariff will do no good; in fact, it will do harm, while an equitable readjust ment will allay the uncertainty and re move the injustices which now rest heavilv unon the commercial and indus trial interest of the Nation,
