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THE SUXBAY OREGOXIAJSV POETLAM). JULY 12, 1903.
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POKTLA.VD, h LVD AY. JULY US. 1908.
JUST A FEW REMARKS.
The Oregonian supported the pri
mary law, but never approved State
ment No, 1. It favored the Initiative
bud referendum, but has expressed Its
disapproval of many of the methods
and measures employed in use and
misuse of It. This is sufficient answer
to the following diatribe and ail simi
lar ones:
Why dOM The Oregonian rage at the
Initiative and Referendum, the Direct Pri
mary Law and Statement No. IT Because
the "editor is disappointed la the action, of
these laws. Evidently Mr. Scott believed
what so many people feared, that these laws
would make a new boas tor Oregon, greater
than Mitchell or Lotan, Simon or Carey,
and that this new boas would tfr H. "W.
Scott, because he controlled the great Dally
Oregonian. The Oregonian counted that
nnder the new system Its opposition would
fefeat any law, no matter how meritorious,
and Its support would Insure the aucceas
of any law, no matter how bad; also that
very Republican aspiring to any public
effloe must conciliate The Oregonian or be
Sure of defeat. . , ,
M. W. Scott cannot send himself to the
United States Senate. He carnot defeat
S strong; candidate for the Republican nomi
nation. He oannot defeat a good law. Hi
oould not defeat the Recall. Ha could not
oof eat Statement No. 1 candidates for the
Legislature. He has been utterly unable
to restore the auction-block method of
making United States Senators.
Therefore The Oregonian editorially con
temns the Initiative and referendum and
the people's nomination of candidates and
selection of United States Senators by the
direct primary law and Statement No. 1.
Therefore The Dally Oregonian editorially
and by its cartoons condemns the people of
Oregon for fools, cranks, and geese, and
applies to them much other billingsgate,
the Daily Oregonian cannot govern the peo
ple of Oregon, and therefore the weeping
and waiUng, the lamentations axd gnashing
of teeth in its tall tower , . .
In the tall tower of The Oregonian all
Is grief and sadness, woe, sorrow and
misery, all because the people choose to
govern themselves instead of accepting the
dictatorship of 11. W. Scott.
The above is from the Oregon City
Courier. Never has The Oregonian
Imagined that it could control politi
cal parties or the making of laws.
But it has supposed that it was at
liberty to utter some voice about pub
lic matters, and this it has often done.
It is likely to continue to do so.
The primary law is right in prin
ciple, but practice under it Is fraudu
lent. This is one feature that The
Oregonian has condemned. It per
mits and even invites false statements
in registration, so that voters of one
party may control the nominations of
another. Of the consequences there
has been abundant proof through ex
perience. In the operation of the law
a "statement" that was purely volun
tary and might be accepted by the
candidate for the Legislature or utter
ly Ignored by him if he should see
fit, has been interpreted by many as
the cornerstone and essential princi
ple of the whole law. Nobody could
Imagine, when the primary law was
before the people, that such a thing
would be done.
Nor, as to the initiative and refer
endum, could it have been supposed
they would be invoked for any of the
numerous wild schemes, such as sin
gle tax, overthrow of the state uni
versity and the abortions known as
proportional representation and re
call. The truth appears that many
persons of the present day have lost
the old sense of the necessity of con
stitutional limitations, on which our
whole system was founded by our an
cestors, under long experience with
representative government.
It Is the misuse, therefore, of the
primary law, and of the initiative and
referendum, that The Oregonian has
criticised; and the spirit that has, as
it believes, misused them.
As to this newspaper. It has had a
good deal of experience quite enough
to have learned long ago that it
wasn't, Isn't and never could be "the
boss of Oregon" even if it wished
to be. It is content simply with its
supremacy as a newspaper. It always
has known that It couldn't "govern
the people of Oregon," and never has
tried to govern them though it has
had something to say on certain im
portant topics, as our devotees of sil
ver, and others, may remember. Nor
has the editor ever expected to send
himself to the United States Senate,
and he has "a Job" In every way
superior to that one. To the serious
man the Senatorship is a mighty sac
rifice of time, labor and money end
less drudgery and no thanks for it.
Nor is the honor great, unless one
has the peculiar talents necessary for
a great Senator "the applause of lis
tening senates to command." It is
thought some o our Senators have
not been highly successful that way.
In all kindness, then, men and breth
ren, let this humble editor (now
growing old, God help the while!)
urge you to give yourselves no con
cern about him on this subject Sena
tors will come and go; but no man
again will hold the primacy in the
Journalism of Oregon for fifty years.
This editor Is fairly content there
fore with his achievement and suc
cess. Since he doesn't worry about
either, his critics need not though
they think it perhaps their only way
to notice and fame.
Go to the beaches, brethren; it is
the hot season. Full oft your socks,
roll up your trousers and wade
around till you reduce that super
fetation of Intellect with which some
of you appear to be overburdened.
We must have serenity of mind in
Oregon. Don't let The Oregonian
make you unhappy all your days; for
even you must realize, however you
may feel about it, that to use a fa
vorite expression of one of your dis
tinguished members "we are here to
Stay."
Eastern newspapers comment jubi
lantly over the fact that 50,000 men
In Pittsburg and its environs returned
to work last Monday after a long lay
off. Three of the Carnegie mills
which had been running on half time
returned to full time and a number
of other Iron .and .steel concerns put
on additional men. Another encour
aging feature is that railroad companies-
haying headquarters at Pittsburg
ordered repair shops on double, time
to keep pace with the demand occa
sioned by the resumption of business.
Of itself, standing alone, .Pittsburg's
renewed activity would not be partic
ularly significant, says the Baltimore
News, but reports sent out from there
are duplicated in many, other cities.
With the assurance of " good crops,
there is every reason to hope for a
steady increase in business activity.
The railroads will have all they can
do to haul the great wheat crop al
ready made in the West and the
great corn crop that is promised. It
takes time, of course, to recover from
the tremendous backset caused by
the financial panic, but unless all
signs fail, the country is rapidly get
ting back to its- normal condition.
WHY EERX WAS NOMINATED.
John Worth Kern,' candidate for
Vice-President with Mr. ' Bryan,' was
a gold Democrat, but not thought to
count for much or for anything. When
his party was carried away by the
free silver craze In 1896, he went
with it, and there he has been since,
as he was before. It made no differ
ence to him what mistakes the party
made on any subject at any time. He
stood for them all. Nothing would
be wrong done in the name of De
mocracy, or, if wrong. Democratic reg
ularity condoned everything. That's
the kind of Democrat Mr. Kern is.
He knows better, and proclaims it,
but still he's a Democrat.
Kern was nominated because he is
a thick-and-thln Democrat and be
cause he comes from Indiana, which
in the present circumstances the Dem
ocrats think may again be a doubtful
state. It gave Roosevelt nearly 100,000
plurality over Parker in 1904, but the
Democrats Justly think that a Roose
velt vote is no true criterion of the
probable Taft vote in 190S. Indiana
Republicans are supposed to be great
ly dissatisfied because Fairbanks was
beaten at Chicago, and his candidacy
and representatives treated with posi
tive disrespect. Besides, there is a
large colored vote, perhaps 30,000, in
Indiana, and the colored vote Is this
year "available" to the proper influ
ence from the right quarter. The
labor vote, too, is large in some parts
of Indiana, and the Democrats are nat
urally hopeful. But they have to
contend there with a growing con
servatism that has in recent years
taken the state out of the Democratic
or doubtful column and placed It on
the Republican side. But will there
be a change this year? Perhaps. The
Democrats think that they have at
least a good chance, and they are
letting New York and other Eastern
states slide and going for the Middle
West, of which Indiana is a part.
REGTJLATTNO PRIVATE PROPERTY.
If natural resources make a coun
try great what is to become of the
United States when its coal, Iron and
petroleum are exhausted, when its
forests have . been cut down and
shipped to China, the land where the
trees grew burned over and the
streams which flowed from the syl
van springs have dried up? Supreme
Judge Bean seems to have been med
itating upon this question with whole
some results. It would be well if
other Judges and statesmen would
pay some attention to it. Better still
would It be If every farmer in the
country would inform himself of the
true relations between the forests and
the soli of his farm, the water in his
well, the navigation of streams and
the existence of water powers. Judge
Bean has learned a lesson, he says,
from the state of things in the East.
He remarks that "the people there
did not realize until too late what
would be the consequences of the
policy they were pursuing" in destroy
ing their forests. What they did was
to attack their timber supply without
a vestige of forethought, cut down
the trees and leave no opportunity
for renewal of the growth. .Now in
place of tree-clad mountains which
afford perennial refreshment to the
lowlands and wealth to the producer
they have bare and unprotected slopes
down which. Judge Bean tells us, "the
water from rapidly melting snow
pours in torrents, overflowing river
banks, destroying farms and flooding
cities." The yearly damage from
floods in the East exceeds the entire
commercial value of the original for
ests whose destruction accounts for
them. And who received the benefit
from the death of the trees, small as
that benefit was comparatively? Did
the people receive it? By no means.
It went to a little band of grabbers
who stripped the land and migrated
to some happier clime to batten upon
their plunder. They have played the
same game over and over from Maine
to Oregon, leaving destruction behind
them in a wide swath across the con
tinent. The spoiler has gathered his
booty In New England, in Michigan,
Wisconsin, Minnesota, all the way to
Oregon, and the farmer who humbly
follows him is left to make the best
he can of a country treeless and for
lorn. Judge Bean points out that It is
the duty of the State of Oregon to
see "that only mature timber is cut,
that young trees are permitted to grow
and that burned over areas are pro
tected, so that new forests may spring
up." But has the state a right under
our constitution to dictate to the pri
vate landowner how he shall use his
property? Is it not his privilege to
cut his timber as he chooses and to
set fire to what he does not sell? This
question came up in Maine. In that
state the matter of forest preserva
tion has become of more pressing im
portance than it 13 In Oregon, for the
major part of the wealth of Maine
has been in her trees and now the
trees are almost gone. Since some
thing must be done to protect the new
growth on private land, as well as
upon the public domain, the Legisla
ture asked the Supreme Court how
far it could properly go in the prem
ises. The exact questions which were
submitted are quoted in the New
York Independent of July 2. The
first was whether the Legislature had
power under the constitution of Maine
to enact a general law "to regulate
or to restrict the cutting or the de
struction of small trees growing on
wild or uncultivated land, by the
owner of the land, without compen
sating him for the restriction." The
second question was whether the Leg
islature had the right to restrict the
cutting of small trees when it was
"not required for the Improvement
of the land" or other purposes like
mining and agriculture. To both
questions the Supreme Court of Maine
replied that the Legislature had full
power to make the restrictions speci
fied. The court reasoned that the
preservation of forests fell properly
under the police power of the state,
since it was essential to the general
welfare. No man. It was said by the
Judges, had the right to make any
use of his property which would cur
tail the equal right of others. And
since the deforestation of the state In
jures every inhabitant either directly
or indirectly therefore the Legislature
may interfere to check it. and may
regulate the use of private property
to that end.
If the Legislature may do, this in
Maine of course the same thing is
possible In Oregon. Even If it should
be found that our constitution stands
in the way the difficulty is' not insu
perable. There is no valid reason why
this state should not forthwith set
about the duty of preventing further
forest destruction and assuming effec
tual control f of its waterpowers, as
Judge Bean so forcibly recommends.
It is usually taken for granted In
forestry discussions that the United
States Government must limit Its reg
ulations, to the National forests. Pri
vate owners must be left to do as they
will with their own. The Maine de
cision throws new light upon this as
sumption. If a state may regulate
the cutting of trees on private land
why not the Nation do the same? One
of the principal purposes in adopting
the Federal constitution was to pro
vide for the general welfare. The
truth seems to be that we are ap
proaching an era when the use of all
private property which is affected
with relations to the public must sub
mit to regulation and restriction. .
-WICKED PLAYS.
The bankruptcy of Arnold Daly, the
New York theater manager, is an in
stance of what may be expected by
the man who tries to drive the public
instead of following it. Mr. Daly's
financial troubles began when he de
serted the good old system of feeding
the public with salacious plays adapt
ed from the French and began to ad
mit to his stage the works of modern
moralists like Bernard Shaw. The
public, with its usual exasperating in
consequence, called morality indecency
and stayed in its wallow. Mr. Daly
could not entice the creature out of
the mire. So it still lolls in the mud
of French licentiousness and syndi
cated Idiocy while Mr. Daly Is bank
rupt. His fate will cause a shout of exul
tation to ascend from every person in
the country who prefers to grin rather
than to think when he goes to the the
ater, and from every one who likes the
nasty French drama better than he
does the moral plays of Bernard Shaw.
Nobody who ever read Shaw's plays or
saw them intelligently acted could pos
sibly speak of them as Indecent The
same accusation might as well be
brought against the ten command
ments or the Prophet Amos. The ills
of society will never be corrected until
they have been faced courageously
and studied. This Shaw In his plays
urges us to do, and he presents us
with object-lessons of what we should
discover if we did It
All this may be badly adapted to the
stage. Very likely It is, but it is not
immoral nor is it indecent Even in
"Mrs. Warren's Profession" there Is
not half the suggestion of licentious
ness that there is in the play "Divor
cons," from the French, which was
acted in Portland and other cities last
Winter without one word of protest
from any critic or the slightest inter
ference from the highly moral and in
telligent police. The fact is that we
go to the theater and sit out a genu
inely indecent play without a tremor
if it happens to be conventional in its
wickedness, while we hold up our
hands In horror at many a genuinely
moral play which shows us what mis
erable sinners we are. We like to sit
in smug enjoyment of our sins, and we
hate to be compelled to see what mon
sters they are.
BUMMER READING.
From the advice of women
librarians as to our Summer reading,
good Lord deliver us. It is hard to
think up a worse list of books than
the one which Miss Roberts, of the
Newark, N. J., library, has contrib
uted to the New York Sun. It is long
enough, providing at least one book
a day for the most extensive vacation,
and it contains no "problems, trage
dies or harrowing scenes," just as
Miss Roberts says; but we doubt her
statement that the perusal of her list
will leave one "in a genial glow." It is
much more likely to affect us as
Milton said a diet of the east wind did
sheep.
"Flaccid" is a word which describes
the list very well, although "mushy"
would be better if it were permitted
in polite circles. Miss Roberts clearly
assumes that nobody cares to - exer
cise his intellect in the least degree
during the months of Summer. No
book is to be taken up which contains
a ray of thought No story is to be
read which makes the fainest de
mand upon the attention. The mind
is to float about placidly in a sea of
skimmed milk or tepid dishwater
without effort and with no sensation
but that of sloppy warmth. We do
not believe that a list of books which
includes none but the most insipid
and transitory novels of the past year
or two is suitable for Summer reading
for either men or women.
w There is no more reason why peo
ple should become inbeclle during
warm weather than during cold. One
need not read Kant's "Critique" in
August, but neither need he reel con
demned to books like Vance's "Brass
Bowl" and no others. Perhaps the
most inane novel of the last decade
Is "Her Ladyship's Elephant." Miss
Roberts includes it faithfully. She
has as sure a scent for an idiotic tale
as wasps have for peaches. She as
sumes that nobody cares to read any
thing but novels and those the very
silliest. In all her long list there is
not a single book of Howells', not one
by Mark Twain. She does not seem
to know that H. G. Wells has written
anything or that Gustav Frenssen
has been translated. She Includes
Stevenson's "Prince Otto" but nothing
else of his, while there are three of
Viele's books and three of Henry's.
Of all the dozens of delightful
"garden books" which have appeared
within a year or two Miss Roberts
mentions none but the . "Elizabeth"
series, which say little about garden
ing and much about Elizabeth. Of
all the charming books of essays
which are becoming so marked a
feature of our literature she mentions
none at all. No travel, no history, no
biography appears in this discourag
ing list nothing but novels, novels,
novels, and those the feeblest of their
kind. Miss Roberts must have a very
low opinion of the intelligence of her
sex, and perhaps of both sexes.
A DISGUISED BLESSING.'
There is a world of truth in the old
saying that our greatest blessings not
infrequently appear in disguise. New
evidence in corroboration of this as
sertion is to bet found on every hand.
A notable case of the disguised bless
ing is the celebrated Interview given
out about a . year ago by Bishop
Paddock, when he-, was appointed
Missionary Bishop of Eastern Oregon
It will be remembered that in 'a fine
line of. talk which the Bishop put out
for Eastern consumption, he pictured
Oregon as a country quite similar to
Kentucky in the days of Daniel
Boone, or "little old New York" when
Leatherstocklng and . the last of the
Mohicans were '. playing tag in the.
forest primeval. Naturally, with Tom
Richardson and William McMurray
under salary and working overtime
to keep the Bpot-light playing on pic
tures of a civilized Oregon, the
Bishop's little joke appeared some
what harsh to the Oregon Indians
who had long ago left the reservation,
and Nwere living in cities and towns
where the only warwhoop heard was
the honk of the buzz-wagons.
But "it ' now develops that the
Bishop's Joke, instead of being a.
knock; was a boost The story , trav
eled fast, and it also traveled far, and
at last has reached Old England.
The Liverpool Post and Mercury,
under, date of June 20, devotes one of
its entire elongated columns to a dis
cussion of 'Oregon, based on the hard
ships which Bishop Paddock was ex
pected to undergo In his circuit-riding
stunt through the wilderness. "We
are apt to think of the States of the
Union," says the Post and Mercury,
"as more or less populous and socially
organized. Oregon Is a case to the
contrary." This is, of course, the
natural deduction from the remarks
of the Bishop, but It la unwarranted.
It is perhaps excusable, however, as
serving to admit the opportunity for
the Liverpool editor to exclaim:
"What does the State of Oregon mean
in point of size? Who will guess?
England, Scotland and Wales could be
placed inside Oregon, and then there
would be ample space all round."
The Post and Mercury Is not a re
ligious publication and in its discus
sion of the Paddock interview, the
editor drifts away from the spiritual
phases of the matter, and from an
unecclesiastical standpoint, ventures
the opinion that "Oregon has great
promise." In support of the state
ment, he continues:
- In the mountain rangea of the vast area
is untold mineral wealth. There are forests
of the finest cedar and Oregon fir. There
are great fisheries, wonderful rivers, deep
harbors, a sea coast of over 600 miles,
millions of acres of unappropriated rich
agricultural lands. All this must make
Oregon presently one of the finest states
of the Union.
Here is something truthful about
Oregon, almost equal to some of the
prize-winning statements of Miss
Matiel Howe or Rev. Mr. Straton, and
it appears "next to pure reading mat
ter," in a paper two hundred years old
and nine columns wide, with a circu
lation reaching throughout the world.
Before we further blame the Bishop
for his romancing, we should thank
him for. the publicity he has given
Oregon. Some, of the timid readers of
the Post aiid Mercury may hesitate
about making the trip to such a wild
land, but there are other venturesome
spirits who may come out for the ex
press purpose of accompanying the
Bishop on one of his perilous trips,
and bagging a few bears, cougars, In
dians and other "varmints" which
must abound in such a "wild" country.
ANOTHER FLAG RESTORER.
The duty of restoring the American
flag to the high seas by the ship-subsidy
plan has become too onerous for
President Harvey D. Goulder, the
Cleveland attorney who has been
serving as president of the Merchant
marine League of the United States.
To fill the vacancy caused by Mr.
Goulder's resignation, the "league"
has elected Joseph G. Butler, Jr., of
Youngstown, O. As Youngstown is
as far removed from salt water as
Cleveland, and Mr. Butler's claim to
fame is, according to his biography,
due to his being "the widest-known
authority on pig-iron in the country,"
he is on at least even term3 with At
torney Goulder as to eligibility for a
position in which the ocean commerce
of the country is concerned. Mr. But
ler's knowledge of the merchant ma
rine, however. Is not confined to the
manufacture of pig-iron, for he also
delivered an address on the subject
of ship subsidy at a meeting of the
league held in Cleveland last Decem
ber. At that meeting the new president
of the league emphatically stated:
"What we want Is a comprehensive
bill, something that will do business.
Every country that amounts to a d
has subsidized its merchant marine,
and we should do the same." This
statement shows how much easier it
Is to secure accurate knowledge of
the world's merchant marine in Ohio
than it Is at the seaports on both
coasts of the country where the fleets
of the world come and go, carrying
American products to the most re
mote parts of the globe. Neither
Great Britain, Germany, nor Norway,
all great sea powers which certainly
amount to something, pays subsidies
gets nothing in return, as the subsi
dized vessels are all engaged In ear
to the merchant marine. France pays
a subsidy to her merchant marine and
rying freight for other nations at less
cost than would be possible were the
vessels operated on the same business
principles as are followed by the Ger
mans, British, Norwegian and other
up-to-date maritime powers.
The French subsidy aids the British
exporter and- the Oregon wheatgrower
tc secure cheap freights, but it is of
no advantage to France. The ignor
ance which prompted such a state
ment, however, does not disqualify
Mr. Butler for the post of honor for
which he has been chosen, for his bio
graphical sketch discloses peculiar
qualifications for such a cause as he
expects to advance. When the "pig
iron trust," composed of the largest
Bessemer iron producers in Ohio and
Pennsylvania, was formed a number
of years ago, Mr. Butler was placed at
the head of the organization and still
retains the position. What Mr. But
ler and his fellow captains of indus
try In Ohio and Pennsylvania have
done with iron, steel, coal and coke
under the beneficent workings of a
tariff subsidy, is a matter of history.
The ocean is the one remaining in
dustrial field that has not been ex
ploited by the tariff-protected trusts.
A ship subsidy -would enable them to
further "the interests of American
commerce" on the high seas In the
manner in which they have succeeded
In other lines on shore. If Mr. Butler
really wants a bill that "will do the
business," let him start the machinery
of his Merchant Marine League on a
bill that will enable Americans to buy
ships at as low rates as they are
bought by every other country that
"amounts to a d
THE WORLD MOVES.
When truth grows old it becomes
falsehood. This sentiment Is from
Dr. Stockman's public address In "An
Enemy of the People," which is in
some particulars the most Intensely
modern of Ibsen's plays. The scene
of the action is a little town whose
stores and boarding-houses are pat
ronized by the visitors to a water
cure. The community is highly pros
perous and the management of the
water cure is supported, of course, by
a "compaoi majority" of the tax
payers. This pleasant state of things
is disturbed by Dr. Stockman, physi
cian to the establishment, who dis
covers that the water used there is so
polluted that it causes many deaths
among the patients. Not trusting to
his personal judgment in the matter
he had some of the water analyzed by
an official chemist who confirmed his
opinion. Dr. Stockman then wrote
out a careful statement of the facts
which he asked the local paper to
publish. At first the article was ac
cepted, but finally, by the advice of
the mayor, it was declined. The
Mayor was Dr. Stockman's brother, a
subtle hint of Ibsen's that in the mod
ern warfare against, graft brother
shall rise up against brother and
father against son, as was predicted
in holy writ.
Shut out of the newspaper,' Dr.
Stockman then asked the editor to
print six or seven hundred copies of
the article, offering to foot the bill
himself. This also was declined by
the Mayor's advice on the ground that
the publication of the facts about the
water cure would injure the business
of the town. Dr. Stockman then tried
to hire a hall where he proposed to
read his article to the people,- but the
authorities' so intimidated every per
son who owned a hall that he could
obtain none. Finally an old sea cap
tain of an independent disposition
opened his house to the Doctor and
the meeting was called. But his
troubles were not yet over. The
Mayor and his crowd captured the
meeting, elected a "safe and sane"
presiding officer and Just barely
missed shutting out Dr. Stockman's
speech after all. But they did not
quite, succeed. He had his say and
in the course of his remarks he took
occasion to affirm that "the majority
is always wrong."
The majority is inevitably wrong,
he argued, because its political and
religious creeds are by necessity anti
quated. New truths from their very
nature can only be held by a few
people because it takes long to propa
gate them, and by the time they are
spread abroad and have gained ac
ceptance by the multitude they have
been superseded in the minds of the
progressive minority by truths still
newer. Thus the creed of the major
ity is always in ' opposition to the
latest aspect of truth. But in these
days of investigation and exact
thought the latest aspect of the truth
is sure to be freer from error than
the old one. It follows therefore
that the majority Is always contend
ing for errors and fighting against
the light. What seems to them to be
true inevitably tends with time to ex
hibit the falsehood which it involves,
so that Dr. Stockman's bitter remark
cannot be completely refuted. Old
truth, or what appears to be truth,
does become falsehood. Nor can we
hope for a time ever to come when
the majority will be as nearly in the
right as the minority, because this
would imply that the multitude are
as eager in the search for truth as
the few and as capable of discovering
it Hence, according to Ibsen, the
world must forever present the dis
couraging spectacle of a little band,
or even a single individual, discover
ing and preaching the truth while the
majority, wedded to their falsehoods,
shower him with brickbats.
But Dr. Stockman left at least one
fact out of consideration in his fierce
ly radical speech. If there is a min
ority which marches ahead of the
multitude, there Is another which
marches behind them. If there is
a little band of prophets which seeks
to drag the people forward into the
light, there is another band composed
of reactionaries which tries to hold
them back in deeper darkness. We
cannot deny then that the majority
is always and' necessarily wrong, but
for our comfort we can assert and
prove that it Is not nearly so much
in the wrong as the reactionary min
ority. In fact if Dr. Stockman had
been concerned to picture things as
they truly are he would have posited
two minorities, one of them far in
advance laboring to lead the multi
tude forward, the other Just as far
In the rear holding back, and the
mass of the people hesitant between
them with divided sympathies, but
always, in the end stepping to the
front and never to the rear." In spite
of all that the pessimists can say,
the world does advance and this it
never could do unless the multitude
moved forward Into new truth. '
To the literary student one of the
Interesting things about Ibsen's thesis
is the way in which it forestalls the
doctrine of the pragmatists. Those
adventurers in philosophy declare that
the world creates Its truth as It goes
along. . Any belief is true as long as
It works well. When it ceases to
work It becomes false. But owing to
changing circumstances old Ideas con
tinually become unworkable and
therefore turn into errors. This
agrees with Dr. Stockman's dictum
that truth necessarily becomes false
hood as it grows old and, so far as
one can discern, the rule admits of
no exceptions whatever.
While it is likely that either the
Lusitania or her sister Bhip will hold
the speed record for some years, both
will soon be relegated to second place
for size and magnificence. The
White Star Line is preparing to build
at Belfast a veritable Aladdin's pal
ace which will probably be named
the Olympic Her length will be 840
feet, fifty feet longer than the Lusl-
tania. She will be propelled by four
screws, two driven by high-pressure,
quadruple-expansion reciprocating en
gines and two by low pressure tur
bines. It Is not intended that the
speed shall exceed twenty-one knots
per hour. In gorgeous internal fit
tings, this twentieth century wonder
will eclipse all rivals. - The cost will
be over 17,000.000.
Never before have changes so swift
and extensive been witnessed in the
movement of aliens into and out of
the United States as during the last
six months. Here is the record for
the first half of the present year and
all of last year:
lOOS. 1P0T.
Immigrant arrivals 1SS.5S8 7S9.74S
Allen emigrants 377.664 133.7S2
. In no year heretofore have so many
people of the laboring class left our
shores as with the last half year
alone. The consequent drain upon the
supply of rough or unskilled labor in
Pennsylvania is so heavy that the iron
and steel industry is wondering where
help can be obtained when business
prosperity is restored to the full, for
it Is believed that few of the men
who crossed the ocean to their old
homes will return. However, in
time, labor from the same localities
will probably be obtained in abun
dance. Thus speaks the editor of the Pen
dleton Tribune: "The point attempted
in attacking a public official for ac
cepting a salary which everybody ad
mits was allowed by law is not clear."
Three plain errors in one short sen
tence. First, no attack has been made
upon an official; the attack is upon
the system of looting the public
treasury in violation of the constitu
tion. Second, not everybody admits
that the salaries are allowed by law;
on the contrary a very large major
ity of the people believe that the con
stitution means what it ' says when it
declares that certain officials shall re
ceive certain fixed salaries. Third,
the point attempted is entirely, clear
that of establishing the custom of
obeying the constitution instead of
evading it
In the crowded tenement quarters
in New York inhabited chiefly by
Italians and Jews a charitable organ
ization has Just started a novel meth
od of fighting tuberculosis. Attractive
colored posters have been prepared,
giving in simple language much-needed
Instruction and warnings. The
poster for the Italians has a picture of
a canal in Venice, so attractive that
it is hung up on the walls of homes
for decoration. Instructions are print
ed in English because most of the
adult Immigrants can neither read nor
write, therefore Italian would not ap
peal to them. However, their chil
dren have been taught English In the
public schools and decipher the dl-t
rections for the guidance of their
parents.
It is announced that the editor and
proprietor of the Commoner will sus
pend its publication in the event of
his election to the Presidency. For
this contingency however remote
some folk may regard it ample
preparation has been made. The
business manager Is now putting
aside a fund to be used, if the crisis
appears, to reimburse subscribers for
unexpired subscriptions. So sudden
a change would be unique in the. an
nals of American journalism; still
the if is so large and prominent that
Mr. Bryan's shop foreman need lose
no sleep yet over prospective loss of
his Job.
Two vocational schools for boys and
girls are to be opened in New York
City the coming Fall. These will In
augurate a kind of industrial training
for youth between 11 and IS years
of age that has been very successful
in Germany. They are to be estab
lished at the suggestion of the Society
tSt the Promotion of Industrial Edu
cation. This society is prepared to
aid any school board wishing to es
tablish elementary industrial schools
in laying out plans and in indicating
the subjects to be pursued.
Mr. Frederick V. Holman feels con
strained to apologize for his work as
an "amateur correspondent" He
need not. No one who read his Den
ver letter yesterday will fall to say
that he "made good." There are
those who may suspect that Mr. Hol
man, who is a Democrat all right,
or believes that he is, is not entirely
happy over the Bryan nomination;
but all that does not prevent him
from having a lot of fun out of the
game.
Portland is the Rose City. Salem
and The Dalles quarrel over Cherry
City. Prosser would be the Apple
City. If the undertakers meet there
much more, McMlnnville will be the
Bury City.
Mr. Hearst is sorry to say it but
he has "lost confidence" in Mr. Bryan
and the Democratic party. That will
make everybody very sad. We'd
hate to have that said about us by
Hearst
On behalf of the Democratic can
didate for Vice-President it may be
said that he has had as many thrash
ings as Bryan, having been defeated
twice as candidate for Governor of
Indiana.
The National Republican commit
tee expects to raise Its campaign fund
by popular subscription. No trusts
need apply. Put Mr. Harriman down
for a dollar.
Multnomah County is asked to
J spend $500,000 for a new courthouse.
Of course county officials are as much
entitled to marble offices as are city
officials.
. One way for humane officers to pro
tect horses from fire is to visit the
barn at midnight to see whether there
is a man on vigil there, or in a nearby
saloon:
And just to think that Democrats
picked up a man named Kern for
running mate, after sneering at Re
publicans for nominating Sherman.
It should be noted, however, that
Mr. Bryan has not said he would re
fuse to run a fourth time.
If Helle Is as wise as he looks, he
will not leave as much money for
the next fellow as-Bonl did.
Lastly, those detectives can't even
"find" another job. Or won't
SILHOUETTES
BT ARTHUR A. GREEJTE.
If his published portraits are correct
likenesses. John W. Kern looks like the
man who suffered with backache for
40 years until relieved by Catchem's
bitters.
e
With the women wearing lo-and-be-hold
gowns at evening porch parties and
sheath dresses on the street by day, the
1906 mosquito is a lucky dog.
Romeo Johnson,
Ike Johnson was a lucky coon.
Who never worked at all.
'Most every night he go around
To make a social call
Upon his dusky lady-love:
And there he always found
A cordial welcome so this swain
Decided he'd perpound
A question to his dark-skinned bell,
Because he loved that gal so welL
So Ike proposed he was disposed
To marry Llda Jackson right away.
He talked about the shining stars.
He raved about his love.
Told her of her lustrous eyes.
And called her his brown dove.
Ike made his argument so strong
He thought he couldn't lose;
That surely she'd decide to say
He was the one she'd choose.
But as he spoke she turned away
And shed regretful tears.
She couldn't marry him, she said.
Not in a thousand years.
She didn't want a hero.
Wasn't crazy on romance.
And didn't take much interest
In a lifelong song and dance.
"So beat It Mister Johnson."
Was the answer he received.
"I sure will miss your language '
And I know you'll be some grieved:
But life ain't no grand aria
When you spend it with a man
That's as long as you on ragtime
And as short as you on ham."
e
For the next few months we'll b
bored to death with the Bryan children.
Every time Chicago University gets a
new million from John D. or one of her
professors runs amuck, I feel like sug
gesting that It be renamed the School
for Scandal.
All the world may love a lover, but
it seems that it always has it in tor
the bridegroom.
The dlfferenoe between an automo
bile and a motor car is the difference
between hiring it at the livery and
owning it
A man may with propriety spend $20
on a carriage, theater tickets and a late
supper for her, but if he should give
the girl a pair of 15 shoes, which she
probably needs much more, she would
feel insulted.
If you've read "In Life's Shop Win
dow," you'll agree with me that it's
about time to Invoke the pure food law
on popular novels. ,
' .
When an ardent youth tells an under
taker's daughter that he's willing to die
for her, she may be sure his words have
a double meaning.
Some of the very best and the very
worst of people seem to be thrown to
gether a good deal on the streetcars.
Because an Irishman is accused of
making a bull out of a tale, it isn't fair
to call him a nature-faker.
In the tabloid republic of Panama
they're holding an election for Presi
dent According to reports, 278 Presi
dential electors are to be chosen. We
are led to infer that the other voters
are Presidential candidates.
Denver is probably sitting out on the
back porch in her oldest kimono today
congratulating herself that company
doesn't stay forever.
e
A peck of trouble is about equal to a
pint of rye.
Teacher Bias a Pick on Me.
John L. 8hroy, in Ltpplncott'a
All trouble that Is hangln' round oomes
finally my way
The teacher has a pick on me.
8he keeps, me In at reoess and denies me
all my play.
Because she has a pick on me.
She makes me do my misspelled words a
. hundred times or more,
She makes me do my tables till my finger
Joints get sore.
She makes me clean the Ink up that I spill
upon the floor.
Because she has a pick on me.
She makes me pay soma time off for the
notes that I forget
The teacher has a pick on me.
She tells my mother when she sees me
smoke a cigarette.
Because she has a pick on me.
She makes me study lessons that I say I
know by heart
The reason I can't say them la, I can's
think how they start
When I kick Jim beneath the seat the
teacher takes Jim's part.
Because she has a pick on me.
The very littlest thing I do she manages ts
see
The teacher has a pick on me.
She knows that I am talkin' when her back
Is turned to me.
Because she has a pick on me.
One day I didn't feel like work and talked
back at her fine;
She wrote a little note to Dad, that ha was
asked to sign.
He licked me like the mischief, said "You've
got to toe the line,"
And now Dad's got a pick en me.
The Defeated.
S. b. Kemper, In the July Metropolitan
Magazine.
Because It was good to be fighting, to put
forth my strength.
To endeavor myself to the utmost, the fail
ure at length
Is never less bitter and bard, or lighter to
bear
Because all the glorious memories of battle
I share
With the victors who pass me on horseback
(good fellows who won)
With stern, ardent faces fixed forward and
fronting the sun.
No, failure is comfortless, arid. When bat-
tie again
Is Joined I shall fight all the harder at
last not In vain!
Though my courage was solid and spacklese,
my arm good before.
This pure -bitterness strengthens and betters
me; no failure more!
At last I shall win, and that victory pure
shall redeem
All the mighty lost effort and hope, all
the disapproved dream.
And out of the depths of my knowledge of
bitter defeat
I shall know to the utmost that minute
how triumph Is sweet.
Look rp.
Folger McKinsey, In Baltimore Sun.
Look up the light is there!
Look out the steeps are farl
Dark valleys hold the care;
Over the bills, the start
Look up, not down; 'twere vain
Long seeking at one's feet;
Under the shadows, rain;
Above them, violets, sweet 1
Look up, and with firm tread.
Go on, straight on;
Only the blind are led:
Out of the deeps, the dawnl