TIIE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND, AUGUST 16, 1908
6
Entered at Portland. Oregon. Fostofflca a
fiecood-Claaa Matter.
Bubeertptlou Ratce InTarlablj In Advnno
(By Mali)
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pally. Sunday Included, aia moniu. ... J "
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Dally, Sunday Included, one monta. . . .
Ially without Sunday, one year o u
bally, without Sunday, six roJntha. . . .. 8 -
L-ally. without Sunday, thrie months.. J-T
Iaily. without Sunday, one moniu.
Weekly, one year
6unday. one year
Sunday and Weekly, one year
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60
1.50
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00
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How ta Remit Send poatoftlce money
order, expreae order or pereonaJ check on
your local bank. Stampa, coin or currency
are at the eenaere rlsa. oive poeioziice w
creee In fulL lncludlae county and elate.
Foetae Rates 10 to 14 pares. 1 cent; IS
to 28 pacea. 2 centa; 30 to paaea, 1
centa: 44 to 40 pasea. a centa. Foreign f
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Eaatera Baatoeaa Office The S. C. Beck
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PORTLAND. SUNDAY. AUG. 18. 1908.
' MONEY AND ARMS.
Paul Mauser, it is announced from
Germany, has invented a new rifle.
of much greater efficiency than his
former one. The principal feature of
the new arm is a 25 automatic cart
ridge feeder. The rifle may also be
used as a single-shot piece, the rfearer
loading after each shot, while the
magazine of 25 cartridges remains
ready for emergency. The new arm
weighs but a few ounces more than
the rifle now used in the German
. sen-ice.
A notion has been common during
recent years that the means of de
stroying life in battle had become so
effective and deadly that nations
would shrink from war, rather than
risk annihilation ot their armies. But
experience, since the invention and use
of the new implements of destruction
does not support this Idea at all. Since
the use of the new arms began there
have been several wars, on a very
large scale as that between France
and Germany in 1870; between Russia
and Turkey in 1877, and between
Japan and Russia In 1904-5. Long-
range, rapid-fire arms were used in
all these wars; yet more destruction
was wrought with the old flint-lock
musket, and before firearms, with
sword and spear. Men in battle now
seldom close, in melee, as in the form
er time, and if present weapons are
more destructive, the combatants keep
further apart. In the latest war be
tween France and Germany there
were no battles so murderous as those
ot the Jloskwa, Lelpsic and Water
loo; and the battles of the old time,
such as those of Hannibal and Pyr
rhus against the Romans, produced
greater proportional slaughter than
any recorded since the use of fire
arms. In the battles of the recent -war
between Japan and Russia, there was
no loss greater than 20 per cent of
the numbers engaged. At Gettysburg,'
fought with muzzle-loading arms, the
casualties on either side, were above
30 per cent. It is the fighting spirit,
not the rifle, that causes losses in
1 battle.
It Is not fear of destruction of life,
therefore, that deters nations of the
modern time frpm war; it is the enor
mous expense of war material, and
of equipment and support of armies
and .navies. A single great battleship
now costs $10,000,000. Cost o'f forti
fication and ordnance, effective for
the new methods of war, is enormous.
Equipment of every description must
be the best, and Its waste Is excessively
rapid. An officer of the German
army General Blume has published
a book in which he says that the
direct cost to Germany of a war with
at first-class power would be $1,600,
000,000 a year, as long as it lasted;
and greater still would be the indirect
loss, through paralysis of Industry
and -financial depression. Best guar
anty of peace, therefore, is the finan
cial cost of war. Japan was at the
last gasp when President .Roosevelt
interposed for peace between her and
Russia. Of course, Japan is in no
condition now for war with any na
tion. General Kuropatkln, of the
Russian army, says in his recent book,
that Japan certainly would have been
crushed had Russia continued to
fightfor. although Japan was domi
nant on the sea, her financial resources
were practically exhausted and her
command of the sea, therefore, would
have given little advantage to her,
had the war continued. For Russia
was Just getting into position to main
tain herself on the continent; when
the negotiations for peace began her
soldiers in the field of the war for
the first time outnumbered those of
Japan; the railroad was running four
teen military trains a day, and sup
plies for the first time were coming
up in adequate quantities. But the
Czar is a man of timid character and
was easily persuaded to peace, and
It was well; for the judgment of the
world did not approve Russian ag
gression upon Corea and Manchuria,
and intervention from some quarter
would soon have been necessary.
Peace was. however, an Inestimable
boon to Japan. For the demands of
this war her resources for many years
had "been anticipated; and perhaps
the exhaustion of her financial re
sources has been ever since the
surest . guaranty of . peace In the
Orient. This, too, is a general situa
tion. ' War will not be deemed too
costly in life, but too costly in money
and material. Where is the nation
that now could support a war of long
continuance, without financial and in
dustrial exhaustion?
-THE STRONG" AND "THE WEAK."
It is a government of the people, of
course. But then there are some peo
ple, and then some others and some
more.
To assume that any man and every
man is as wise and fit for direction of
government and affairs as any other
man and every other man, may be a
mistake. Some counsels, perhaps,
may be wiser than others.
It is an old story; it runs back to the
beginnings of recorded time. It is a
fight, and always will be a fight, for
equality; where, nevertheless, equality
never can exist. It never - can exist
betause the intellects or talents of
men are unequal. And yet the people,
the masses of the people, must have
a way to get and to hold their rights,
and to rise and" to make progress; and
this can be accomplished only through
assertion and progress of the demo
cratic spirit.
The state chairman of the Socialist
party of Oregon protests against the
ascendency of the intellectually strong
oyer th intellectually, weak; but bow
is he going to hold the Intellectually
strong down to the level of the Intel
lectually weak, he doesn't explain.
Yet, he seems to think it would be de
sirable to do so, if possible.
Human society doesn't get on, nor
the intellectual and moral progress of
the world isn't promoted, by curbing
the intellectually strong, nor by holding
them down to the conditions of the
intellectually weak, nor by trying to
make those who are strong in intel
lect and industry and purpose carry
those who are indolent, inefficient or
of feeble purpose.
There never can be equality of op
portunity, because talents are unequal.
Some men can do things that others
can't. Is this oppression of the weak
by the strong? .
Tet, no man is to treat another man
unjustly. It is the business of society
and its laws to take care of that. But
it is not the business of society and its
laws to require the active, earnest,
prudent, purposeful members to carry
the Idle, worthless, inefficient ones.
They do it voluntarily, indeed, within
the demands of humanity; but it is
not for the good of the world that
they, should go further. Inefficiency
and dependence are Increased and
multiplied by efforts to care for and
support them.
NO MONOPOLY OF WEALTH.
The old assertion of the promotors
of discontent that 6 per cent of the
people own 95 per cent of the wealth
of the country has received a rude
shock from tHe Saturday Evening
Post, which ascertains from Govern
ment census reports that there are
5,739,657 farms in the United States,
owned by almost as many different
people. The value of these farms
represents 20 per cent or tne total
wealth of the country. Thus it is
shown that about 16 per cent of the
people own 20 per cent of the wealth
of the country, which makes lmpos
sible the owning of 95 per cent of the
wealth by 5 per cent of the people
When there has been added to the
number of farm owners the number
of city residents who own their homes
or business property, it will become
evident that a very considerable pro
portion of the people have Just about
the share of wealth to which an equal
division would entitle them. Special
privilege, combined with dishonesty,
has enabled some few to amass enor
mons wealth. - Ignorance, misfortune
and vice have combined to make
paupers of many.
To governmental policies as ex
pressed in our laws, part of the in
equalities may be attributed, but it is
folly to seek in legislation relief from
all undesirable conditions. Means
must be found to- regulate the avarice
of the crafty and unscrupulous few,
So far as possible the condition of the
thriftless, idle and ignorant must be
improved- But in the meantime we
must not forget that the great mass
of the people are both honest and in
telllgent and that they are enjoying
the comforts of financial prosperity,
The idle rich, like the idle poor, are
the exception and not the rule. Per
haps each will always be with us,-but
we can earnestly try to solve the
problem of making both classes use
ful and happy. Neither furnishes a
cause for pessimism.
HIS LAST WEEK ON EARTH.
In response to the question how he
would spend a week if it were the
last one he had to live, Chauncey M
Depew, contrary to what might have
been expected, endeavored to answer
seriously. But his reply will strike
the public as being just a little
humorous. First, he would "make
his peace with Heaven," as though
one who deliberately delays such a
matter can make his peace whenever
he chooses. Second, he would so ar
range his affairs that courts and liti
gants could not divide his estate, as
though any man, particularly s law
yer, could arrange any business affair
in such a manner that lawyers could
not find a court to disarrange It.
Third, he would revisit the scenes
of his childhood and spend a few
hours under the elms of old Yale,
Depew evidently Is In his second
childhood now, or he would not im
agine that a 'visit to the scenes of
innocent childhood could bring hap.
plness to one who has devoted the
years of his manhood to misrepre
sentation of his fello-w citizens.
Fourth, he would invite to dinner all
those who have written the nastiest
things against him, where they would
unite in endeavoring to neutralize past
vitriol with present honey. . This is
but evidence of his desire to escape
deserved criticism without removing
the occasion for it.
Almost anyone could map out a
week's programme for Depew that
would be immensely more profitable
to his future state and to the present
welfare ot the people of New York.
First, he should resign; second, repay
his ill-gotten fees; third, engage in
some useful occupation for the re
mainder of the last week of his life.
THE TRUTH ABOUT OREGON.
In the effort to secure new inhabi
tants and to induce Eastern capitalists
to Invest their money here. Oregon
occupies a strong position, because de
ception has never been resorted to for
this purpose and none is necessary In
order to make a good showing. One
may look over th Immigration litera
ture distributed throughout the Unif
ed States twenty years ago, and find
In subsequent developments a fulfil
ment of all the assertions that were
made regarding the resources of the
country and the opportunity for new
enterprises. In many respects the
representations that were made were
too modest, owing to the fact that our
own people did not realize the future
that awaited this state. The lum
bering industry has developed beyond
the expectations of those who told
of our forest wealth and the value of
timber land has increased .many fold
more than anyone believed it would.
No man who came to Oregon and
Invested judiciously in timber land
has failed to realize an almost incredi
ble profit on his . investment. ' The
wheat-raising industry. In Eastern
Oregon has developed more rapidly
and to a much larger extent than the
most enthusiastic boomer believed
was possible, and grain crops are now
produced annually on land that even
a conscienceless real estate agent
would not have tried to sell twenty
years ago. Men have made fortunes
oq such land. This state has always
been advertised as a good fruit-growing
region, but no one who tried to
induce immigration In the .'80s told
half the story of the wealth our
orchards will produce. The wildest
dreamer did not ihea Imaglna .the,
Rvalues that would bo reached by good
orchard land. Never, in the history
of Portland was a prediction made
that fully measured up to the growth
of values of city property, such as has
been experienced here In the last
three years. No man wh came to
Portland and invested money on. the
representations of responsible men
has failed to realize a large profit on
his investment.
Very few people who came here
from the East or Middle West ever
returned to their former homes to
live. Very frequently, they sent back
reports which brought their relatives
and friends to Join them in this land
of opportunity They found, after a
year's residence In this state, that the
descriptions of the climate and other
natural conditions were well within
the truth and that this Is an lncom
parably better state in which to live
than any east of the Rocky jnoun
tains. The absence of excessive heat
and cold, the proximity of mountain
and seashore resorts, the freedom
from cyclones, thunder storms and
blizzards, have all appealed strongly
to newcomers and have made them
contented in their new surroundings.
None of them have been disappointed
in fulfillment of their expectations.
Nowhere m the East has the report
gone that people who came here were
deceived as to the conditions they
would find. The truth about Oregon
Is good enough, and there Is no excuse
for telling anything else.
THE MAN WHO WATCHES THE CLOCK.
"He who nevr does more than he
Is paid for will never be paid for more
than he does." Such is the motto
printed in large type on a postal card
offered for sale by post card shops.
Though, the rule thus briefly stated
may not be always and invariably true
as applied to particular Individuals
and limited periods of time, yet as a
general principle It is as infallible as
any law of nature. For a short time i
one who does less than he is paid for
may get pay for more than he does,
but in the long run adjustments will
be made and the final balance will be
struck in accordance with the uni
versal law of compensation. And the
rule applies more frequently than one
might think, even in the temporary
affairs of individuals who seek to get
through the world with as little effort
and as large returns as possible. A
young man at the beginning of his
career Tannot do better than accept as
true the broad principle set forth on
the postal,
In the practical affairs of the
work-a-day world the law of equaliza
tion of work -and pay has frequent
illustration. In these days of keen
competition employers must know
that they are getting service for their
money, else they will be surpassed
and ultimately vanquished by rivals
In the same line of business. It be
comes necessary for them to observe
which of their employes work most
faithfully and effectively. The large
wholesaler keeps a careful record that
shows Which of his traveling salesmen
gets the most business. By modern
systems of checking, the retailer
Knows wnicn. o ms
most goods. The manufacturer
watches his men, promotes those who
are capable and willing, and when
work is slack discharges first those
who are least efficient. His scale of
wages Is regulated to correspond with
the results attained. And yet, in par
ticular instances, the law of compen
sation may seem to fall. A really
capable drummer, a successful clerk
or a competent mechanic may in rare
instances not be appreciated. But in
a larger sense and. application the law
seldom fails in Its operation
The safest rule for getting on In the
world is to be ready and willing to do
a little more than you are paid for, to
give the world" a little more service
than it expects, to have the world al
ways owing you something. There is
no very brilliant future for the eight
hour man or the ten-hour man the
man who watches the clock and drops
his work on the minute, to take it up
again only when the hour for work
has arrived. Such a man will always
be an eight-hour or ten-hour man.
and will perhaps get pay for his time,
but there is not much prospect of his
becoming more than a time server.
The men who have accomplished
things In this world who have be
come famed as workers and as leaders
never stopped to consider whether
they were doing more than they were
paid for. They did such work as
their hands found to do, and usually
did more than was required. In the
end, the world paid them for-all that
they did.
FROM THE STANDPOINT OF LABOR.
The effort to throw the labor vote
in mass to one political party is some
thing new in America, though it is
common enough elsewhere. The Na
tion remarked the other -day that the
radical and labor vote has become so
strong In England that neither the
Liberals nor the Conservatives dare
to refuse anything It may ask. This
strength has been acquired by mass
ing the labor vote where It would
count for as much as possible. Of
course, the same line of policy might
be expected to produce the same , re
sults here in the end. If the unions
should vote unanimously for Mr.
Bryan they could, perhaps, elect hlny
but whether that Is the kind of mass
ing which would produce-the greatest
positive advantage is a question.
Naturally, it would not be good
policy for labor to give ground for a
belief that it would cling unwaver
ingly to either party, no -matter what
treatment it might receive. The re
sult of such a course Is illustrated in
the case of the negroes. Being Re
publicans whatever might happen
their loyalty at last (brought them into
a sort of contempt and the leaders
began to reckon on their support, with
no thought of giving any return for
it. The New York Evening Post,
though It supports Mr. Taft, says
wisely that a "certain mobility in the
negro vote" will be a good thing for
the colored race. The same is true
of the labor vote. It should not be
too much like a barnacle. There is
such a thing as being too securely
settled. Politics is a game of give
and take. He who is always ready
to give his support for nothing is not
likely to get much for it. It is only
reasonable for labor to make the best
bargain It can in return ! for Its polit
ical value; but to cast that value to
Mr. Bryan In a fit of passion la not
the best way to make a bargain.
Almost any group of voters can
exercise a terrifying power over the
politicians if they set astutely- at
work to do it. The country mer
chants, for example, are not by any
means an overwhelmingly numerous
body, but they are well organized and
the politicians know that they will
cast their votes in the direction of
their profits. Their loyalty to their
pockets exceeds their loyalty to either
party. Hence, when the question of a
parcels post came up, the country
merchants were able to defeat it.
They did not threaten to vote for Mr.
Bryan if a parcels post were estab
lished, but they made it pretty clear
that they would vote against any
Congressman, be he Democrat or Re
publican, who favored it. Think for
a moment also of the political power
of the Grand Army of the Republic.
Whatever this organization has asked
of Congress it has obtained, but it has
never once openly threatened to vote
Vr
One Imagines rather that it has kept
careful tab on individuals and quietly
rewarded or punished them as they
seemed to deserve from its point of
view.
It is mobility of this species which
will make the labor vote efficient in
securing its ends. There is no reason
to expect that the Democratic' party
as a whole will or can do any more
for labor than the Republican. Either
party will do precisely as much as
Individual leaders can compass and
no more. The wise course for labor,
therefore, is to attend to these in
dividuals. Has Mr. Gompers ever
thought of the truth that it is not
parties but persons Who have hearts
and brains? Nothing was ever done
in the world except through the ini
tiative of some individual. To the
calm observer, therefore, no policy
could appear more foolish than for
labor to throw its vote as a whole to
I either party.
Mr. Gompers previous
plan of selecting particular men for
reward or punishment was incom
parably more astute. Moreover, in its
dealings with labor the Democratic
party has not made a very enticing
record when it has been in power. If
anybody knows of a single measure
favorable to labor that it has ever
enacted he would contribute some
thing to the knowledge of the world
by making it public. The promises of
the Democratic platform are voluble
Evidently they are limned with a lib
I eral hand. But between the promise
and the performance there is such a
wide gulf that one may doubt whether
it is a wary bird who lets himself
get caught. Speaking from the stand
point of labor Mr. Gompers may have
I good Intentions, but his latest political
generalship is fearfully blundering.
ONE MAN'S GRIEVANCE CONSIDERED.
It Is not often that this paper, or
any paper, "these days, pays atten
tion to anonymous communications,
Yet there is occasionally orle that de
serves some consideration even
though Its author be unknown. Here,
for example, is one from a man who
says he is prominent in business in
this city and who has a complaint
against a local retail merchant who
he says, employs a stupid clerk. The
purpose of his letter is to point out
to merchants the danger they incur
of losing custom by reason of the mis
fokaa tt Vi i. 1 VttrlralriillH pmnlnvps
whQ lngu,t patrons not intentionally,
but nevertheless effectually. The
particular grievance of this man is
that he went to the store to make a
purchase, and the clerk, in an evident
Intention to be friendly, asked: "Are
the roads very dusty out your way
"The clerk," says this complaining
business man, "either thought I was a
farmer or told me that I looked like
one. The fact is that I do not, but.
even if I did, the clerk should have
had more tact than to tell me that I
did."
While everyone will agree that mer
chants and all other persons dealing
with the general public should employ
clerks and assistants who are diplo
matlc and courteous In their commu
nlcations and conversations with pa
trons or prospective -patrons, it is dif
ficult to see that this man has any
real grievance. In the first place,
perhaps he really did look like a far
mer. What then? Is it such a dls
grace to be a farmer or to look like
one? Farmers are almost universally
honest, and they look; honest, They
are industrious, and their industry
shows in their hands and in every line
of their faces. ' Though their clothes
may be dusty, every one knows that
the modern farmer Is a cleanly per
son, and that the dust Is all on the
surface. Moreover, the farmer these
days Is an intelligent man, bearing no
resemblance to the "Rube" who fur
nishes the model for the cartoonist.
This complainant imagines that the
Clerk took him for a farmer, and
looked down upon him with contempt
On the contrary, it is altogether prob
able that this unfortunate, counter-
jumper had an altogether different
feeling toward his customer. He
probably thought: "Here I am shut
up, ten hours a day in this stuffy old
store, waiting on all sorts of cranky
people, quietly taking their Insults
and abuse, eating my meals In a
boarding-house where they give me
sktm-mllk for my coffee and no pros
pect of ever getting anything ahead.
Here Is this man from 'the country,
Independent of this continual re
straint, living In the open air, free
to seek his own associates, and not
compelled to listen meekly to criti
cisms. Ho waits upon grateful cows
and horses and chickens, and not
upon a thankless public His work
gives "him an appetite, and when -he
goes to his meals he finds on the table
an abundance of everything a -man
can want, and above all else, plenty
of creamy milk that he can drink to
his stomach's content. The fresh
air of the country makes his sleep re
freshing. He lives in a home of his
own. He is year by year laying up
a competence, slowly, it is true, but
sufficient to sustain him In his declin
ing years. Til engage him In conver
sation, and see if he can't tell me how
to get to be a farmer."
It was very likely with such
thoughts as these that the clerk
framed the question regarding the
dusty condition of the roads "out your
way." He wanted to be irienaiy. tie
wanted to get a few directions on the
road to a better life. He really com
plimented his customer upon his hon
est looks and his indications of in
dustry and prosperity, and the busi
ness man felt insulted. It was the
author of our anonymous communica
tion who was stupid, and not the
clerk. He perpetrates an offense a
dozen times worse than that com
mitted by the clerk, even if the worst
construction be put upon the clerk's
remarks. The youth did not insinu
ate that farming is a reprehensible
occupation, while our complaining
business man does. He Is angry .be
cause be thinks some one took aim i
for a farmer. He ought to be proud.
To be mistaken for a Hood River or
Yamhill County cherry-grower, a
Washington County dairyman or an
Eastern Oregon wheat farmer or a
stockman, is far more complimentary
than to be mistaken for a railroad
magnate just in from a hunting trip
to Klamath County. There would
have been a real cause for complaint
if the clerk had asked, "How are the
ducks at Pelican Bay"?. but after such
a compliment as this man has re
ceived he shows his stupidity by not
recommending the clerk to his em
ployer for promotion.
FINDING HELP.
PharlHoa frtp A nwncf fi nnntalna nn
J of a housekeeper w ho ad-
vertlsed for a servant. She had nu-
merous applicants for the place, but
of the whole number only seven were
half competent. Of these seven three
wept because they did not get the
place. "All the applicants," the ac
count continues, "were bedraggled,
disheartened and discouraged," with
but two exceptions. Nor did they
seem to' care very much what wages
they received. Their principal pur
pose was to secure a refuge from
want. This is a very different picture
from that of the supercilious, indiffer
ent, exacting servant to which we are
accustomed. Reluctant as we may be
to admit it, the consequences of the
panic still continue to cause misery
among the. working classes. . Many
worthy persons are out of employ
ment with an almost hopeless outlook
ahead. It is said by some statist!
clans that never before in this coun
try was there so much genuine want
among the decent poor. y
And yet it is no easier to get com
petent help for rural employment
than it was two years ago. - Farmers
declare indeed that for many kinds of
work they can secure no help at all,
Wages are somewhat lower than they
were In the country -districts, but
hands are no more .numerous. This
seems to be a case where the price of
labor has fallen with no increase of
the supply, which is something un
usual. Many landowners have planned
to take advantage of the drop in
wages to clear land and plant or
chards, but they have been disap
pointed. -.The price of work ' is pro
pitious, but there are no workmen.
In this part of the world It is still vir
tually impossible to hire a man, or
even a boy, in country places to pull
weeds, dig out stumps or work in the
garden. This is all the more exasper
ating when - one remembers that the
cities are thronged with men who are
complaining because they cannot find
jobs.
There ought to be some machinery
devised which will bring the job
hunter and the Job together. It is
often true that the city Idler knows
nothing of the opportunities which
the country offers, and if he did know
perhaps he lacks the money to pay
his fare. It is quite likely that every
idle man in Portland could find work
by going into the country less than
forty miles.
"SWEATING" A PRISONER.
The story from Mexico that two
Americans were tortured until they
gave the names of their companions
in a robbery, will excite horror in
this country, and yet torture of ac
cused persons Is not so uncommon in
America that we need express aston
ishment over It. While officers here
do not pull out the finger nails in the
effort, to secure testimony, they very
frequently "sweat" a prisoner until
he is a nervous wreck and will give
testimony in order to get relief from
his tormentors or, perhaps, in the
over-wrought state of his mind, will
confess to crimes he did not commit.
In the case of the men tortured in
Mexico, the authorities justify them
selves by the character of the men
with whom they had to deal. The
same Justification is given in this
country. In some instances quite
likely the torture administered i3 no
more than the prisoner deserves as
a punishment, but in other cases an
innocent man is subjected to the fear
ful ordeal. In practically all such
cases the accused is compelled to tes
tify against himself, which is uncon
stitutional, -and is punished before
conviction, which is another violation
of our Constitution., It is all right
for us to cry out against Mexican
barbarity, but we must not forget
our own cruelties. '
Speaking under the auspices of the
Jewish territorial organization, Israel
Zangwill has Just been repeating to
the Jews of London's Whitechapel
Charles KIngsley's "Westward Ho!'
But his call is to a country farther
away than the one Kingsley had in
mind. It is the land Horace Greeley
pointed out when he said: "Go West,
young man" the empire of the Mis
sissippi Valley. Zangwill urges his
coreligionists to emigrate to America,
but not to stop short of. the . Great
West. He specially counsels them
against halting in congested New York
City. It is the ambition of he organ
ization for which Zangwill is the
mouthpiece,' to form a self-governing
colony, and an investigating commit
tee is soon to toe sent to this country
to study the feasibility ot certain lands
for the project. The novelty of a
Jewish agricultural colony will be
watched with Interest. Fifty years
ago the Jewish Immigrant would have
been a sorry figure in a region where
nature had to be subdued. It isn't
In his blood to use the ax, the rifle and
the subsoil plow. If he had attempt
ed the fight,- he would have lanen.
But in these "easy" times of diversi
fied farming, dairying and horticul
ture, where Intelligence and unflag
ging industry count more man
strength and endurance, who dare say
that the Jew, always eager to Detter
his condition, will not succeed? As
in the various avenues of trade and
finance that he entered the past thirty
lears. when he puts his intellect into
cultivating the soil and marketing the
rroduct, may he not reasonably be
expected to keep pace with his more
experienced neighbors? There is
hope for the Jew as a farmer, Because
he isn't afraid of work.
A Lebanon woman has successfully
undergone an operation for the re
moval from her body of a sponge left
there by physicians who operated on
her more than a year ago. It is pleas
ing to know that the first operation
was not performed by Oregon sur
geons. At the same time, there have
been authentic stories of just such
carelessness on the part of physicians
here. This incident serves to point
out the need for extreme care in cases
of this kind and while It gives a rudej
shock to- the confidence people are
wont to have in doctors, it is merely
an Illustration of that fallibility to
which all persons, of all professions,
are subject. The doctor vho leaves
a sponge in the interior of his patient
commits a more serious act of care
lessness than does the lawyer who
omits an essential allegation of his
complaint and thereby loses his case.
His mistake is not so Important as
that of the railroad engineer or tele
graph operator whose slip of memory
endangers the lives of scores.
There is no reason why the state
or any state institution should be
"held up" by property-owners who
wish to exact an unconscionable price
for land needed by the public. " The
state can and should condemn the
property and take it at such a price
as a Jury will say is reasonable. And
the state has no desire to be unrea
sonable. It can afford to pay a lib
eral price, especially where property
is condemned, but it should not pay
an exorbitant price. To do so would
be an injustice to all the taxpayers
who contribute to the fund from
which the payment is made. Every
man holds title to property subject
to the right of the public to take it
for a public use upon payment of the
reasonable value thereof. State insti
tutions needing additional property
for their grounds should not yield to
those who would extort money from
the state.
In view of the past record of her
husband, perhaps the second Mrs.
Stevens should not be too sure of the
reality of her marriage. After being
introduced to the public for sixteen
years as his wife, the first Mrs,
Stevens found out her mistake. The
public found out that it had been de
ceived. Then, again, if the second
Mrs. Stevens has not been deceived
perhaps the time will come when she
will wish she had been. If a man will
deceive in one case, will he not in
another? Even the law lays down
the principle that when a man has
been found untruthful In one respect
he'is to be doubted in others.
The 100-bushel wheat seems to be
turning out about like the seedless
apple it is a reality but not worth
having. The 100-bushel wheat lacks
the good qualities of the kind that
produces 25 to 50 bushels to the acre.
The seedless apple looks good, but
no one who ever ate one wanted an
other. There Is a limit to the boun
ties nature will bestow and it is pretty
safe, as a rule, to discount stories of
enormous productiveness or of fruits
and vegetables that possess all the
good qualities with none of the bad.
Every rose has its thorn.
The 16-year-old girl who bought a
dollar's worth of merry-go-round
tickets with the money she had stolen
did exactly what many an older thief
has done. Most of our embezzlers
spend their money on some sort of
merry-go-round, though the going is
not always on wheels nor in a small
circle. There Is some difference in
the accompanying music, too, and as
a general rule the amusement is not
as innocent as that of the merry-go
round on wheels. But imall cases the
pleasure is dearly bought if paid for
with stolen money.
When 2000 birds were killed in Chi
cago the other day by a violent storm
some pious persons taught the mourn
ing children that "God did it." What
kind of a concept of God will the chil
dren obtain through such teaching?
Ponder the logic of it. First comes
the dogma that He is all-powerful;
then follows the precept that He could
not send the storm without killing the
birds. Would it not be better to as
sert less about the Almighty's acts
and purposes until we know a little
more?
Fred Grant, no one should expect,
can ride on horseback tilnety miles.
He has been too Indolent; he has fed
too fat; horses might be found that
could carry him, if relays were had.
and he were able to mount. But
Caesar and Bonaparte didn't ride on
horseback when they were at his age
because neither of them ever
reached his age. Fred Grant is about
58. He has had fame enough, out of
the name of his father.
Two methods of keeping women out
of saloons present themselves for con
sideration. One is to reform the sa
loons; the other, to reform the women.
Which is the harder task It may be
difficult to decide without actual ex
periment, but St. Anthony and some
ether great authorities incline to the
opinion that it is easier to close all
the saloons in Portland than to keep
"one woman from getting what she
wants.
A well-known Socialistic paper de
mands that all public employes be
given a month's vacation on full pay.
Then as soon as this demand has been
granted the same paper will raise a
howl because officialdom enjoys a
month of idleness at the expense of
the taxpayers. There are some peo
ple who do not intend to be satisfied
with any existing conditions.
That Rhode Island woman who
climbed 25,000 feet up Mount Huas
caran, Peru, ought to make the' Ma
zamas turn green with envy. That's
as high as Mount Hood on top of
Mount St. Helens and "then some."
The Oregon soldiers won decisive
victories in the mimic warfare at
American Lake. That was play, of
course; but the Oregon troops know
how to win real battles, as well. Ask,
the Filipinos.
Why does the Bryan party want a
great big campaign fund? Can't an
honest reformer vote the ticket with
out the encouragement of a campaign
fund?
It Is gratifying to learn that Mr.
Bryan was not so overtaken by sur
prise as to render him unable to re
turn thanks for the nomination.
The Japs probably will not bom
bard San Francisco or Portland, for
Uncle Sam's seizure of two of their
seal poachers.
Indications are that this campaign
will be an exhCbltion of the survival
of the fittest and the fattest.
Chorus girls are said to be scarce
In Chicago. Probably because million
aires are so numerous.
SILHOUETTES
BY ARTHUR A. GREENE.
In view of the Springfield outrages it
would appear that there's no law for the
negro south of '-Fifty-three."
e e e
The day the divorce is granted may
properly be referred to as the grass 1
widow's heyday.
e e e '
A man was robbed of $2000 at the
Meadows racetrack, at Seattle, the other
day and he didn't bet it on the ponies,
either.
e e e
Repentence may sometimes come at the
eleventh hour, but it usually arrives In
the cold, gray dawn of the morning after,
e e e
The love of God's creatures is the sln
cerest love of God.
e e e
The Sunday morning church bell has .
shades of tone. To many it means no
more than an unwelcome disturbance of
the tardy slumberer. To others it is
an Invitation to gather in public places
and Intone the excellent goodness of
their hypocrisy. There are those, how
ever, to whom the sound of the bell is :
a call to worship and it is they who
through all generations have been the
chosen people.
With Taft and Bryan canning their i
speeches the man who hates phonographs !
has little inducement to vote with either
of the big parties.
e
"Knowledge is power," says the proverb
but it doesn't take into consideration the
knowledge of the motorist that he is out
of gasoline.
The Ballade of the Haunted Flak,
Don't turn me down, stranger!
Don't gaze at me like that!
I know rm a-lookln' seedy
But remember I live in a flat;
In a house that is horizontal,
A place in which breathing room
Is as ecaroe as it is in a corset.
Where to open your mouth is a boon
And you have to take down the pictures'
Every time you hang up your hat.
You see we moved into this capsule.
My wife, Arabella, and I
A long year ago come next Christmas
And I'll die, Little Egypt, I'll die
Unless we escape from those quarters
And find a more comfortable home,
Where we won't always strain the pertU
tlons
Every time we give voice to a groan.
Once my hair was the raven's blackness
And my wife's ebon tresses turned blonde
Say our life's been a purgatory
Since we signed up that flat-owner's bond.
Now to make our sad lot more distress
ing
Hear me out, stranger kind, it will pay
You to bear with my mournful digressing
While I tell you this tragical lay
This monstrous affair we exist in
Went wrong months ago, and today
It's a nightmare-house, darksome and
frightful.
The abode of such horrid gnomes
That you cannot conceive of their terrors
For yours have been happier homes.
It's a "patent inside" contraption
Where the beds and the tables fold
Themselves into secret panels
As' trr mystical casties or ola.
The bathtub, at rest, is a sofa.
The piano a clothes-press, and say
Every time someone rings at the door-bell
The cuckoo-clock starts in to play.
For everything works automatic
And the wires get crossed every day.
The gas fireplace is a cupboard
The bookcase a standup buffet.
Our arm-chair's a hot water heater
Our dresser an Ice-chest we find
That everything in the blamed household
Is with some other torture combined.
Well sometimes the system starts going
All at once, morning, noon or at night
Do you wonder now why I am growing
Afraid of my life and wish that (
The Angel of Death would get busy
And bear us away from that flat?
I observe that the most ordinary
mutt becomes "a prominent clubman
and well-known financier" Just as soon
as he breaks into police court with nil
marital difficulties.
The unattainable beauties Hke the
song we never near, mo i"LLU1a
never see and the hopes we never real
ize add the zest to life which makes
It worth living. ''
-
It Is better to be alive In a hovel
than dead In a rich mausoleum.
e e
The best revenge is the forgiveness
of a wrong.
If you would have things come your
way you must go out and show thero
the right road.
Eternal vigilance is the prloe of
woman's complexion.
a e e
Between automobile and airship dis
asters the problem of what to do with
our surplus population is rapidly being
settled.
While you are bowing troubles oht
of the front door others are eneaklng
n by the back.
I take it from his published utter
ances that Colonel C. E. S. Wood would
be delighted if the howling Dervishes,
who hold nightly socialistic rallies on
Sixth street, would adjourn their meet
ings to this admirably-kept Kings
Heights lawn.
Food Preservatives Unneceaasry.
Evening Wisconsin.
A manufacturer's testimony at the
conference of dairy and food commis
sioners at Mackinac Island was posi
tively against the use of deleterious
drugs by packers. He said: "There is
no honest food product on the market
today which cannot be successfully and
satisfactorily packed without the aid
of chemical preservatives." He went
on to predict that no manufacturer will
be forced to discontinue business if
chemical preservatives are absolutely
ruled out. How long will the sale of
poisonous food continue to be tolerated
in the United States?
Merely by Remembering.
St. Louis Globe-Democrat.
There are seven Presidential plat
forms in the field, but a majority of
voters can make up their minds- by
simplv thinking over the achievements
of the Republican party for the last
12 years, to say nothing of Its previ
ous history.