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POKTLAND. SUNDAY. ACG. S, W0S.
WHY CONCEAL THE FACTS?
Why Professor E. K. De Cou. ot
the University of Oregon, should wish
to deceive the, readers of The World
Today Is past comprehension. Yet
that is what he has done. In the Ai
gust number of that magazine he pre
tends t set forth the experience of
this state under direct legislation, but
by telling half the truth he leaves his
readers with altogether false and mis
leading impressions of what has ac
tually taken place. He relates some
or the steps by which enactment of
the direct primary law was accom
plished and tells of results of two
elections under it. but entirely Ignores
the fact that under that law there has
been fostered the most flagrant bal-lot-box
stuffing that ever went unpun
ished In any state. Men stuffed the
ballot boxes at the primary election,
boasted of it and laughed over their
success, and yet there-seems to be no
criminal law to punish them. These
facts Professor De Cou ignores,
though there Is nothing more im
portant in Oregon's experience with
the direct primary law.
Professor De Cou knows, as every
body else knows, If he knows any
thing at all, that primary elections
are held for the purpose of enabling
the members of a party to nominate
their candidates. At the primary elec
tion Republicans are expected to
nominate Republican candidates, and
Democrats to nominate Democratic
candidates: then at the general elec
tion choice Is made between Repub
lican and Democratic candidates. A
Republican has no right to partici
pate In the nomination of a Demo
cratic candidate, nor has a Democrat
any right to help nominate a Repub
lican candidate. A Democrat has no
more right to vote- in a Republican
primary than he has to vote In a
secret lodge of which he is not a mem
ber or to help elect directors of a
corporation In which he Is not a stock
holder. The primary election is
strictly a party contest, and it is so
declared by the direct primary law;
jet in the contest of 1908 Democrats
voted In Republican primaries.
But Professor De Cou closes his
eyes to facts. He tells his readers
that the Oregon direct primary law,
so far as It relates to election of Sen
ators by direct vote of the people, has
worked thus far successfully, when
everybody knows that it has opened
the way for perjury and for election
frauds as notorious as any that were
ever perpetrated during the days of
machine rule in this state. The rec
ords show it and many of the guilty
persons admit it. Why, then, should
De Cou. who poses as an Impartial
educator, attempt to mislead the peo
ple of other states and encourage
them to adopt the Oregon law which
will permit similar frauds in their
own elections?
When a Democrat casts a ballot in
a Republican primary he stuffs the
ballot box. That Is the plain truth of
the matter and the sooner we under
stand it the better. It is stuffing the
ballot box just as surely and effec
tively as though a voter had come
here from New York to vote. The
ballot of a Democrat has no right in
a Republican primary box no more
right than has the ballot of a Repub
lican or Socialist or Prohibitionist in
a Democratic primary ballot box.
When a ballot has been put In there
wrongfully the box has been stuffed
just as effectively as when rounders
were colonized and voted in precincts
where they did not reside. The fact
that the law made the fraud easy
does not make it less a fraud, but It
does throw discredit upon the law.
All over the State of Oregon men
who had been life-long Democrats,
who had voted in Democratic pri
maries, sat in Democratic conventions
and voted for Democratic candidates
in state and National elections, regis
tered as Republicans this year In or
der that they might vote in Republi
can primaries and help nominate the
weakest Republicans so that Demo
cratic success would be made possi
ble. In some counties these Demo
crats registered first as they ought to
have registered, but the word was
passed along and they went to the
courthouse and asked to have their
party designation changed.- They
were never Republicans, never had
any intention of x supporting the Re
publican ticket at the general election,
did not believe in Republican princi
ples. They did not go to the pri
maries to help the Republican party,
but on the contrary for the purpose
of injuring that party. Is any man
so stupid as to declare that the direct
primary law has worked "thus far
successfully." when it encourages such
frauds as that?
The whole purpose of a primary
election is to secure the nomination
of the strongest candidates In each of
the parties. A law which operates to
the contrary is seriously at fault, and
cannot be said to work successfully.
When Democrats go into a Republi
can primary and help nominate the
weakest Republican candidate and
then in the general election vote for
the Democratic candidate, it cannot
be truthfully said that the successful
Democratic candidate is the "people's
choice." No such construction can
be placed upon the reAilt of the vote.
All that the people said by their votes
was "we prefer the Democratic can
didate to the Republican candidate
who was nominated by the aid of
Democratic votes." They declare that
they do not want the man for Sena
tor whose nomination was aided by
deceit and fraud. They do not want
a man for Senator whose nomination
was aided by ballot-box stutters.
That's the truth of the matter and
everybody knows it Is. The success
ful Republican aspirant might have
been nominated without the aid of
ballot-box stuffers, but there Is very
grave doubt about it. The fraud was
so general that there is no way of
determining its exact extent. It was
so notorious that it was openly talked
of before and after the primaries.
Perhaps ballot-box stuffing of the
vtnrt described is not a crime under
the primary law to which Professoc
De Cou gives much generous praise.
That, however, does not affect its
moral status in the least. The facts
are well known, to a large extent they
are a matter of record, to some extent
they -can be proved, and it Is quite
likely they will be. In the meantime
ihnu who nretend to give the people
of other states an account of the work
ings of the direct primary. law in Ore
gon should tell not only the truth
but the whole truth. The Oregon law
has never resulted In the selection of
the strongest Republicans for the im
portant offices.
Because one approves the principle
of direct primary nominations is no
reason why defects of the law should
be overlooked. If the law is a good
one that is all the more reason why
it should be amended by curing Its
defects. The preamble of the direct
primary law expressly declares that
"the members of every political party
are rightfully entitled to know that
every person who offers to take an
part in the affairs of any political
party is In good faith a member of
such party." The principle thus an
nounced Is sound and the law should
be amended to harmonize therewith.
But the cause of good government
cannot be advanced by concealment of
tacts.
JAMXS J. H1IX OX 6HIF SUBSIDY.
"What we need to make ocean
carrying trade possible," says James
J. Hill, discussing failure of his Orien
tal steamships and the recent order
of the Interstate Commerce Commis
sionr "is not subsidies, but intelligent
legislation legislation that helps in
stead of hinders." Mr. Hill meant
that we need repeal of the laws
which bar Americans from building
and operating American ships as
cheaply as foreigners can build and
operate their vessels.
That is the whole secret of the lan
guishing ship industry of the United
State. Foreigners can carry freight
cheaper than Americans. Subsidies
are only high freight charges in dis
guise. So is high protective tariff.
The ship builders, protected by tariff,
want the American people to pay
those charges. They do not want the
American people to remove the tariff,
so that shipowners can afford Ameri
can ships. That would shut off the
prospective subsidy graft.
On another side, the failure of Mr.
Hill's ships exemplifies that success
ful men do not win In all their under
takings. The impracticability of his
big ships, Minnesota and Dakota, was
pointed out to him repeatedly, even
before their keels were laid, and the
project of their construction was dis
credited a long time. Mr. Hill's ships
were not adapted to the trans-Pacific
trade and their failure is hardly a
fair test, perhaps. But he knows
whereof he speaks when he says
American ships need "legislation that
helps Instead of hinders."
MEMORIES OF THE CIVIL WAR.
The suggestion has been made by
the Cincinnati Merchants' Exchange
that In 1915 the whole United States
Join in a great celebration of the semi
centennial of the close of the Civil
War. The idea has the approval of
the New Orleans Picayune, one of the
leading newspapers of the South, so it
is likely that there will be general dis
cussion of the proposition. If such a
celebration will help to create better,
feeling between the peoples of the two
sections of the country, it is undoubt
edly a project worth undertaking; but
there has been for many years a be
lief that the less said about the war
between the states the quicker will
old hatreds be forgotten. It would be
difficult for representatives of the
South to attend a celebration of that
kind and in their formal addresses ac
knowledge that the South was in the
wrong. And yet, if the South should
undertake to defend itself and assert
that it had merely been vanquished,
though in the right, the celebration
would hardly tend to promote good
feeling. Nor would it make the South
feel more friendly toward this section
of the country if compelled to listen
to a rehearsal of the deeds of patriot
ism by which the Union soldiers dis
tinguished themselves and saved the
Nation.
In National affairs, as in family af
fairs, the less said about a domestic
wrangle after It is over the better for
all concerned. Many a family feud
has broken out afresh through the
effort of those implicated to express
gratification over renewal of harmony.
Anything that will increase the good
feeling now existing should be en
couraged, but It seems doubtful
whether celebration of any incident
connected with the Civil War will have
that effect. In approving the plan,
thn Picavune says:
There la no question that the restoration-
of peace between tne warring aocuona oi
this great Repuouo waa. next to me wunu
Ing of thia mighty Nation, the moat Import
ant event that ever occurred tn Ita hls
tory. The terrible Internecine war of 1881-85
abolished African slavery and eetabllahed
a community ot interest between great
section whose people had for many decades
been engaged In most serious conflict of
material Interest.
THE AIRSHIPS ARE COMING.
The "flying machine" Is coming
fast. It no longer requires a heavy
strain on the Imagination to believe
that ultimately flotation in air will
trot far enoucrh rjast the experimental
stage to be of practical benefit to
mankind. History, ana not traaiuon,
tells us of the skepticism which
greeted the first attempts of Stephen
son to operate a steam locomotive,
and from all accounts his undertak
ing was generally regarded as much
more visionary than we now regard
the predictions of the aeronaut The
exhibition of Henri Farman. the
French aeronaut in New York Friday,
was certainly of a nature to impress
unbelivers in the ultimate success of
aerial navigation. The aeroplane with
which he rose at will from the ground
and soared through the air at express
train speed. Is a much newer contriv
ance than the old dirigible balloon
which until quite recently was re
garded as the only vehicle that could
float In such an uncertain and intangi
ble element as air.
It is this rivalry between experi
menters who are working on different
THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAN, PORTLAND, AUGUST 2, 1903.
lines, that offers guarantee of much
more rapid progress toward solution
of the problem. For years Santos
Dumont stood practically alone on the
eminence he had created as an ex
ponent of the dirigible balloon system
of navigating the air, while In the
aeroplane branch of the work the
Wright brothers for many years were
regarded as practically alone In their
glory.
But within the past two or three
years Interest in the problem has been
aroused to such an extent that ex
perts are springing up all over the
world, hardly a day passing without
some account of ascensions or inter
esting experiments. This competition
and the interest displayed in the dif
ferent types of craft insure a steady
improvement, and the progress that
has been made by Zeppelin, Farman,
the Wright brothers, and a large num
ber of other experts, if it continues,
may bring some startling discoveries.
Aerial navigation is no longer a Joke.
RECORD-BREAKING BUSINESS.
July commercial and financial sta
tistics, printed in yesterday's Orego
nlan, pay a magnificent tribute to the
stability of this city and to Its marvel
ous remunerative Dowers. In nearly
every feature bearing on the prosper
ity of the city tne Dusiness tor me
month ending Friday was fir in ex
cess of the record for the same month
in 1907. The most remarkable fea
ture in connection with this most sat
isfactory comparative showing lies in
the fact that July, 1907, had estab
lished a high-water mark in building
for the first month of the fiscal year,
and that every branch of finance and
trade was sweeping along on a high
wave of prosperity. The wall of the
pessimist had long been silenced by
the roar of business, a record-breaking
grain crop was assured, and every
sawmill In thn Pacific Northwest was
working over-time and swamping the
railroads under an avalancne or ousi
ness which overtaxed their capacity,
although every available piece of
equipment was working at the maxi
mum. Money was easy and confidence
unbounded.
Such were the conditions In July,
1907, when the making of records was
not at all difficult; but three months
later the pessimists had a long-deferred
inning, and the great money
centers of .the country were shaken
to their very foundations by the storm
of distrust which In many of the cities
leveled good and bad alike with an
Impartiality that was disconcerting
in its results. Portland and the rich
country tributary were well on the
outer edge of this cataclysm, and for
that reason the city emerged from
the storm In much better shape than
any" other place of corresponding size
in the United States. We of course
could not escape unscathed, but we
suffered most from the indiscretions
of others, and, as the cyclone van
ished In the distance, there was less
difficulty in repairing any breaches in
the cash reserves than there was in
silencing chronic pessimists and in
restoring confidence.
But Portland and the Pacific North
west have too much inherent strength,
th resources which have built up
the country are too great and varied
to admit of prolongation oi any panic,
no matter how severe Its Immediate
effect may be.' It Is for these reasons
that the steady upward movement
which began less than ninety days
after the panic was at its height has
carried us into the new fiscal year
with record-breaking building permits,
Tn5tnffli recelDts. " foreism lumber
shipments and a real estate move
ment equaling that or tne Dest monins
in the history of the city. The show
ing la gratifying in the extreme, but
It is far surpassed in brilliancy by
the .prospects for the immediate fu
ture. The first consignments of the
1908 wheat crop are already coming
into Portland, and, while the crop Is
slightly smaller than that of last year,
the price is opening higher and the
yield In the country immediately trib
utary to Portland has a cash value of
approximately $40,000,000, nearly all
of this sum going Into the hands of
farmers who are already comfortably
situated by reason of previous good
crops and high prices.
This crop means more for Portland
than any other that has ever been
harvested in the Pacific Northwest,
as this will be the first year In which
the vast territory opened up by the
North Bank Railroad will be tributary
to this city. The coming of thia new
transcontinental line, bringing with It
the greatest packing-house west of
the Mississippi River, new sawmills,
and a train of smaller Industries, can
not fail to keep Portland moving at
a pace never before attained. In the
rntire history of the port, the future
of the city never appeared brighter,
and the records broken during the
first month of the new fiscal year will
seem small In comparison with those
which will be established In the near
future. '
AN UNMORAL FLAY.
As the closing event in a fairly at
tractive season of twentieth century
plays at its leading theater, Portland
last week listened to "The Thief," by
Henri Bernstein, properly advertised
as a new and original drama. It Is
distinctly bad. To the credit of play
wrights on this side of the Atlantic,
be it said that this picture of social
life is imported from France where
ideals of the marital relation are not
so high as our own. The one basis on
which Mr. Frohman's publicity bureau
may lay the claim of originality is
that "The Thief offers reward for
crime. Sardou, master of passionate
drama, who has painted the emotional
woman In every phase of guilt and
vengeance, has not dared to violate
the irrevocable law that you must
hold the mirror up to nature.
What else can one do but condemn
the theory that the only way perma
nently to hold a normal man's affec
tion Is for the woman to make appeal
exclusively to his sensual side? This
rule may apply to his mistress; never
to his wife. This foolish woman be
lieved she would lose her hsuband's
love if she did not gown herself richly.
His Income did not permit this ex
travagance. So she stole. What a
contemptible thief! Robbed her hus
band's best friend while she was a
guest In his house; not once, when
temptation came, but time and time
again; a cold-blooded, unrepentant
sneak thief who stood by, feelingless.
when an ardent boy who loved her
confessed at her solicitation that he
was guilty of the thefts she had com
mitted. No thoroughly selfish, con
scienceless .woman merited damnation
like this thief
Why, then, do cultured folk flock to
i 4
see this play? Where lies the power- C
ful magnet? In Its supremely ueit.
dramatic construction. A tremend
ously strong situation is presented
where a boy In his fond father's pres
ence confesses crimes of which he Is
guiltless. The scene grips, and this
sort of torture 13 enjoyed at $2 per
joy. Doubly strong is the next situa
tion where full confession Is wrung
from the real thief. Defending her
self against her husband's groundless
charge of unchastity, the thief rises
superbly to such height that previous
indignation as if by magic is converted
Into sympathy. Dramatic art succeeds
in paralyzing, for the moment, the
hearer's instinctive sense of justice.
As in the stories of the Grimm
Vrnthsn btc Hans Christian Ander
son thev lived happily ever after-
n-nrrla However, the dramatist is
here very skillful, for he holds you
In suspense until Just as the final cur
tain starts to drop, the forgiving hus
band enfolds in his arms the sinuous,
voluptuous, miserable, low-down thief.
No fault is there to be found with the
human interest attaching to this In
tense, original play. But It won't Ho.
You can't make vice and virtue reap
like rewards. '
NEW GUN INTENTION.
' When young David went out upon
the plain to meet Goliath he carried
with him his shepherd's sling and five
smooth stones from the brook. So
skillful was he in the use of the sling
that he threw a stone and pierced the
giant's temple. His weapon was a
simple and inexpensive affair, but it
accomplished the deadly purpose for
which It was made. It has apparently
remained for an inventor of the twen
tieth century to adapt the principle of
the sling' to modern mechanical and
electrical Inventions and to produce a
gun that requires no powder and
makes no-noise. Near New York, on
Saturday, there was tried a new gun
which has been constructed by a me
chanical engineer heretofore unknown
as an Inventor of instruments of de
struction. A description of the weapon
cannot be given for the reason that
great secrecy was observed, but it is
stated that the contrivance is operated
by an electric motor, which drives an
unseen wheel at terrific speed. The
bullets are not contained In cartridges,
but are poured loose into a hopper,
from which they are fed automatically
into the gun. There is no compres
sion of air and no explosion. While It
is merely conjecture, the most prob
able explanation of the machine is
that the bullets fall Into the circum
ference of a swiftly revolving wheel
and are hurled into space at the rate
of 100 shots a second.
The idea seems practical enough.
If a man with a sling could throw a
stone straight enough to strike the
temple of his adversary why should
not modern machinists, with all their
skill in making accurate instruments,
construct a wheel that would operate
as a sling and discharge its missiles at
Just the right time and in just the
right direction to strike the desired
object with as great certainty as at
tends the use of any other kind of
gun? The great advantage of such a
weapon would be that It would re
quire no powder and the steel balls
would be cheaper than the bullets
contained In brass cartridges.
PSYCHICAL RESEARCH.
The wall between this earthy life
and the life of the "spirit world" has
been tunneled through. So thinks
Sir Oliver Lodge, the famous man of
science. Or, at any rate, if the tunnel
Is not quite done there Is so little left
of the wall that the workmen on the
two sides can hear one another ham
mering away. Nay, voices can be
heard and greetings pass from the
living to the dead and back again.
Tn his inmortant article on psychical
research in the August Harper's, Sir
Oliver distinctly intimates his Deiier
that disembodied beings who were
once human are fully as eager to
communicate with us as we are witn
them, though naturally their Incenr
tivn must be less poignant For us
a single indubitably verified message
from the dead would establish that
doctrine whose truth is our only ra
tional hasis for unselfish morals. It
wouM nrova the continued existence
of the soul. For the disembodied the
nnwpr to communicate wnn us couiu
at most gratify affection or satisfy p.
Kindly longing to mriuj uui nuo m
the hereafter.
Sir Oliver Lodge thinks of the brain
and Its apparatus of nerves as an in
strument which the mind plays upon.
He envisages It as a piano where the
mind sits like a Liszt or PaderewskI
and deftly touches the keys. But
there are times, he opines, when the
owner of one of these instruments
leaves it for an Interval. He may be
asleep or In a trance. And then your
disembodied ghost, wandering the
viewless abysms of cosmlo space, may
chance to seat himself upon the va-
rnnt stool and strike the keys. Is
it anv wonder if the music he makes
is trivial or discordant? Sir Oliver
smiles at the common reproach that
spirit communications are inept, un
dignified. What else could you ex
pect when you remember how com
plicated the Instrument Is which the
visitant attempts to play and how lit
tle practice he has had? We humans
have been performing upon our re
spective brains all our lives. We have
had a great deal of practice, but for
all that our performances are not ai
wava harmonious.
The triviality of supposed spirit
communications does not impugn
their srenuineness in the least. In
deed Sir Oliver argues that a message
dealing with trifles is the only one
which can possibly be satisfactory,
because what we want is to establish
the identity of the spirit speaker, and
that depends on little matters of fact
which have no other value. The
present aim of Psychical Research Is
to collect instances, as many as possi
ble, where a disembodied spirit ap
pears to have taken possession of a
living brain and caused tne nana to
write or the tongue to speak. From
these Instances all those are to be
eliminated which can be explained by
telepathy or any other ordinary cause.
When thia has been done a residuum
will be left over, thinks Sir Oliver
Lodge, which nothing will account for
except the actual presence or a ois
pamato neraon oDerating the physical
organs of the "medium." He admits
that when Psychical Researcn nas es
tablished this proposition, if it ever
does, nothing really new will have
been learned. It will merely have
( n - ViAiiof- n old as the world.
Rut it la something to take this belief
out of the domain of superstitious
charlatanry and fix it nrmiy among
the truths which do not scare us. If
spirits do try to send us messages it
is better to face the fact candidly
than to evade it. Much better is it
to have the business handled by hon
est Investigators than by mercenary
impostors. Nor is it wise to thrust
the whole matter contemptuously
aside as if it were of no consequence.
One critic of Sir Oliver asks why we
should bother about the abnormal
psychology of spirit possession when
there is still so much to learn about
our normal minds. The question is
silly. Science never has waited to
exhaust old fields before opening new
ones. The Intellect forever strives to
explore dark continents. It is rash
to predict that spirits can tell us
nothing worth knowing until we have
heard what they wish to say. The
desire to learn what lies beyond death
has always beeri active among men
and, for our part,' we cannot see why
it is not as legitimate as any other.
We shall be glad to see Sir Oliver
Lodge and his colleagues push their
investigations as far as they possibly
can, and every new truth that they
discover will be welcome. To the
open mind all truth Is grateful. There
should be no domain of research from
which the Intellect is barred either by
ecclesiastical taboo or pseudo-scientific
prudery. All one can ask Is that
the Investigation be thorough and the
results honestly sifted.
THE CRIMINAL LAW.
A writer in The Independent ' of
recent date has collected a number of
cases which beautifully Illustrate the
way In which our higher courts come
to the rescue of convicted criminals
and thwart the administration of jus
tice. The instances are not in the
least exceptional, but being grouped
together they appear more startling
than one or two taken separately
might. They come from all parts of
the Union, California, Montana, Geor
gia, and each one of them relates
how a murderer or other nefarious
lawbreaker was found guilty before a
trial judge and then upon appeal was
set free by the higher court for some
trivial reason. In none of the cases
was there any doubt of the criminal's
guilt, but in all of them the higher
court preferred to follow the strict
rules of Its scholastic logic rather
than the plain principles of Justice
and common sense.
The writer In The Independent In
troduces his article by quoting from
Mr. Taft the statement that "the ad
ministration of the criminal law in
all the states of the Union Is a dis
grace to our civilization." He forti
fies this opinion with an assertion by
Sidney Brooks, in the London Chron
icle, that "the criminal law of Ameri
ca is a refuge and comfort to the law
yer and the criminal, and a menace
and vexation to the rest of the com
munity." There Is no need of repeat
ing the Instances of the failure of jus
tice through the quibbling of the
courts which The Independent gives.
Everybody knows some which are just
as good of their kind. We in Oregon
have perhaps a little more than our
share of them. We have seen a crim
inal released because a strap was
gravely decided by the highest court
in the state not to be a whip. An
other of our lawbreakers, a murderer,
was granted a new trial because the
Court conceived a suspicion that he
might possibly have been drunk when
he shot his mistress.
It Is a curious question why It is
that our Judges have so forgotten the
real object for which courts are main
tained. Society, In establishing courts
and setting Judges over them, did not
in the least "intend that their time
should be occupied in spinning schol
astic riddles. Higher courts were not
included in our polity in order that
they might systematically undo the
work of Justice and make crime a
safe as well as a profitable business.
Things may not have quite reached
that pass, but they are pretty near it.
Everybody who has paid any atten
tion to this" subject must have re
marked that when a case is appealed
to the higher courts it is no longer
the accused person who Is on trial. It
is the Judge of the lower tribunal.
His every word Is scrutinized with ap
parent hostility. His charge to the
Jury Is examined with the same mi
nute attention which a schoolma'am
gives to a bad boy's composition. The
whole effort is to find something
wrong with it. No matter how cor
rect it may be In all essentials, no
matter how much knowledge of the
law It may show and how Just it may
be to all parties, if It contains one
little mistake, "or what an over-refined
critic may regard as a mistake, then
the work of the trial must all be gone
over again, or the prisoner is set free.
One trial judge mentioned in The In
dependent happened to tell the jury
that if they found from the evidence
that the defendant had a good char
acter they might let It weigh in his
favor. There was no evidence intro
duced about his character and the
appellate court made this the ground
for reversing the case. The fict Is
typical.
Why do Judges do such things?
Can we suppose that merely Beating a
man on an appellate bench destroys
his common sense? Hardly that.
There are certainly three reasons and
probably many more. One Is that a
sort of competition seems to have
arisen among Judges to see which can
be the most perversely scholastic in
his opinions. The one who can de
duce his conclusions from premises
the most far-fetched and by logic the
most Intricate and tortuous stands
highest in the profession. The effect
of this competition on the mind is
like that of any other. It causes the
courts to lose sight of their real pur
pose and attend only to winning the
game. We must not forget either that
judges are lawyers and that lawyers
as a class are almost as badly edu
cated as ministers. All that they learn
during their school and college life
tends to withdraw their minds from
reality and occupy them with vain
symbols. Their Latin, their rhetoric,
their antiquated . philosophy and
economics fit them for a visionary,
unreal world, but hot for the world
we live in. But perhaps the greatest
cause of the perversion of justice
which takes place in the Courts of
Appeal is the awe of the judges for
the lawyers. Attorneys in large prac
tice are, as a rule, men of ability su
perior to the judges before whom they
plead. They advance sophistries
which would not stand for an instant
before men as able as themselves, but
when forced upon Judges whose
knowledge of law- Is somewhat dubi
ous and who feel their mental In
feriority, these pernicious pleadings
pass at par. The bar seems to have
hypnotized the bench and filled it
with suggestions which are ruining
the administration of the law.
In a circular of campaign literature
which has been sent out by the Demo
cratic campaign managers, it is assert
ed that "the press of the country, with
rare partisan exceptions, admit the
saneness and conservatism and pro
gressive radicalism of the Denver
platform." Isn't that a good one
conservatism and progressive radical
ism! In other words, it is an attempt
ed straddle. Continuing, the Bryan
booster circular conveys the Informa
tion that the perpetual candidate, "by
universal consent, has been lifted In
the public estimation from the ranks
of the demagogues, to the ranks of the
statesmen."- Not yet lifted, nor by
universal consent. Wait till we see a
few of his campaign utterances be
fore placing him on the high pedestal
of statesmanship. When the Bryan
booster acknowledges that Bryan has
been In the ranks of the demagogues,
it assumes tlje burden of proving that
he has risen above that class. Mere
assertion Is not sufficient. We shall
see.
VThe Charleston News and Courier,
which was one of the first Democratic
papers to call for contributions to a
Bryan campaign fund, says that "the
response to this appeal has not been
generous, but that is not our fault."
This Is the argument It uses for the
purpose of loosening up the coin:
Mr. Bryan ha appealed to the people
gently, but firmly, for the money to carry
on the campaign, because he needs It In
his business, that of running for President,
and this is one emergency in which he is
going to put the dollar above the man. In
that happy day when Mr. Bryan will nave
more postmastershlps than Interviews to
give out.- he will consult the roll of contribu
tors from South Carolina and not the roll
of the state convention delegates who sternly
Instructed for Bryan. Nor Is h going to
name for a ten thousand dollar Job any
hypocrite who refrained from contributing
because he felt ashamed, to contribute less
than more than ten thousand dollars.
Republicans of the country wanted
Taft nominated largely because Presi
dent Roosevelt Wanted him. They
had implicit faith in the wisdom of
Roosevelt's choice. The people of the
country will elect him, if at all, largely
because Roosevelt wants him elected.
And in this they are not yielding to
the mandates of a dictator. They be
lieve in Roosevelt's honesty and his
good Judgment. They accept him as
a leader and do so willingly not
from compulsion. They have confi
dence that Taft will carry out Roose
veltian policies in all essential panic
ulars and will come nearer than any
other man to giving the country an
other four years of administration on
the Roosevelt plan.
It Is no longer correct to speak of
the Standard Oil gang as "pirates.
Since Judge Grosscup has given1 them
letters of marque they are now "prl
vateers" and may prey upon commerce
at pleasure with no fear of the law
The kindly jurist really deserves din
ners from all the predatory corpora
tions which long for rebates, since
they may receive as many as they
can get without the slightest danger.
They need only swear that they did
not know the published rates, and
what is a false oath to your modern
rover full of "initiative" and "incen
tive?"
Superintendent G. W. Jones, of the
TiHnoia state Blind School, has at
tracted National attention by issuing
a bulletin In which ne declares mai
nno.thirri of the blindness among chil
dren Is due to the carelessness of
physicians and midwlves. He asserts
that use of a one per cent solution of
silver nitrate Is an absolute specific
for Infection -of the eyes of the new
born, and that this can be used by
any one without danger. Mr. Jones
was formerly superintendent of the
Oregon State School for the Blind and
is a native of this state.
In reinstating the eight West Point
cadets who were recently suspended
for hazing, the'Presldent has not de
clared them innocent, but has merely
ordered that their punishment shall
be administered according to the usual
rules of procedure. It appears that
the papers in the case were Improper
ly submitted to the President, and
wem armroved by him. The hazers
will undoubtedly get what is coming
to them.
At this season of the year fires
spread rapidly, and for that reason
the greater precaution Is necessary to
prevent a fire getting started. People
who smoke must be careful about
throwing away matches or cigar stubs.
Campers must be absolutely certain
that they have completely extin
guished their fires before leaving the
camping place. By such precautions
Immense losses can be avoided.
When Mr. Bryan retired from the
management of the Commoner and
turned it over to his brother, instead
of saying that he will not be respon
sible for what the paper printed, he
should have said that he will not take
credit for what it prints. That would
Have been a neat compliment to the
new editor.
In discussing the need of a Navy,
President Roosevelt said that an un
forgivable offense Is that of "hitting
soft." He evidently did not Intend to
be guilty of an unforgivable offense
when he hit the court that reversed
the Standard Oil decision.
A woman who recently died in Chi
cago at the age of 107 years resolved
when young that she would never wor
ry, and to this she always attributed
her longevity. Most people would have
worried because they found trouble
in keeping the resolution.
Four negroes were lynched In Ken
tucky Saturday for expressing their
approval of a murder. Rather severe
punishment for that offense, but per
haps it's the usual penalty In Ken
tucky. '
Even the Democratic papers In the
"solid South" are criticising Gompers
for trying to deliver the labor vote
to Bryan. They see that the effort
will have an effect opposite to that
intended.
Now the Democratic party stands
for a strong Navy. Isn't that stealing
Republican thunder?
"Brother Charles" will be a welcome
guest at the White House, anyway.
Like Roosevelt, Tolstoi does not be
lieve in "hitting soft."
SILHOUETTES
BY ARTHUR A. GREENE.
r.nitai minishment," muttered tilt,
inr.orrlB-iblB boy pupil when teacher
made him sit with the girls.
Tf a nttv a man cannot leave his
wisdom and experience to his heirs.
In Conferee.
nid M,mh(r to the New One: "You
haven't opened your mouth during the
whole session."
New One: "Yes I have. I've yawned
through all your speeches."
K(t th author of "Peg Woffing-
ton." once described Mrs. Oldfleld. the
ri -Rntriish actress aa "a creature
with the tongue of an angel, the prin
ciples of a weasel and the passions oi a
fish." How many other women he
might have characterized in the same
way.
mm
k nawnhroker is like a drunkard. He
takes the pledge, but is not expected
to keep it-
Ceremonies, like flags, are beat
waived.
.
The Song and the Book of Yesterday,
Where are the 'songs of yesterday.
The tunes the hand-organs used to
play?
.-u cmmortimft" and "Baby Lou,
."Wild Irish Rose" and "Huckleberry
nr."
And "The Banks of the Wabash Far
Away?"
Where are the books of yesterday.
The "six-best sellers" in covers gay?
Richard Carvel," "To Have and to
With heroines fair and heroes bold
That, the whims of the readers nae
' cast away?
On the bargain-counter they lie today
Unsung and unread, now your friends
all say
Hear the 'Soul Kiss' score, read Vlc-
And If you've a taste for current Bin
Drop In and I'll lend you my IMeauoi
Glyn."
Now I ask you the question,
Between us two.
Just a little query I Jeave to you.
Why have our tastes strayed so far
away
From the songs and the book of yes
terday? Prejudice and frogs croak loudest In
the dark.
e
The busy tongue, rather than not
talk, scandalizes.
Experience and time are the twin
wolves which prey upon youth's illu
sions. Within the deepest recesses of his
sou!, every man cherishes an ambition
to sing bass.
e
The Independence League has nom
inated a man named Graves for Vice
President. Considering the office,
could anything be more appropriate?
Charles W. Fairbanks, please write,
e
Sweet Charity.
A rascally mendicant was soliciting
alms with a placard. "Deaf and Dumb
on his breast.
"How long have you been in this
condition?" asked the kindly but absent-minded
old lady.
Taken off his guard, he answered:
"Since birth, muni."
"You poor man. Here's a dollar."
I conclude from the advertisements
that now is the time to prepare for a
hard Winter by laying In your supply
of Panama hats and lingerie dresses,
e
A Hopele Ce.
"Tell me, traveled winds,
That 'round my pathway roar.
Do you not know some place
Where troubles fret no more?
Some lone and pleasant dell.
Some hollow in the ground
Where demagogues don't yell
And fake reformers are not found T"
The loud winds blew the dust into my
face
And giggled "nary place."
Tell me, thou misty deep,
Whose billows 'round me play. -Know'st
thou some favored spot.
Some island far away
Where weary man may find
A place to smoke in peace.
Where politics are not
And candidates are out of place?
The loud winds, sounding a perpetual
shout,
Paused for awhile and spluttered, "Oh,
get out!"
My Motor '
Puck.
Who wa by Satan' self designed.
Who has more whims than womankind.
And never seems to know her mind.
My motor.
Who doesn't meet me at the train
Eliciting remarks profane.
As home I foot It In the rain.
My motor.
Who' always getting out of whack
And makes me work with wrench and Jack.
Until my hands and face are biaca.
My motor.
Who tried to climb a wayside tree
And tumble back on me . k
Who broke my arm and sprained my Xnee,
My motor.
Who pitched me from my seat pell-mell.
And mounted on me when I fell.
Bo I was weeks in getting well, i
bo i w My motor
Who costs me more for wear and tear
Than mv collapsing purse, will bear,
Who taught me how to drlr.k and swear.
My motor.
Who is It drags me Into debt. .
nd makes me fear the Sheriffs threat.
Who other than my pride, my pet
My motor.
Hot Enough for You?
Nashville Tennessern.
I can stand the sultry siascn.
Though the perspiration flows
In a stream of clammy moisture
From my hat band to my nosei I
But I shudder In my anguish . ;
As the fellow heaves In view
With the old, eternal question
"I It hot enough for youT"
Though my collar- limp and wilted
And my shirt front is a lake;
Though my clothes are sticking to me
I have no complaint to make;
But the horror of the season
Is to know the mutt Is due
With the query on each corner
"Is It hot enough for you?
The Young Man From Duluth.
There was a young man from Duluth.
Whose manners were very uncouth.
Being asked by his wife
'why he ate with his knife,
He said: ""Cause I'm hungry, forsooth!"
Glued to the Spot.
My eyes were fastened on her face.
Its " charming beauty held them there.
I grant It was a funny place
To have them fastened, on her face.
f