THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND, OCTOBER 11, 1903.
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PORTLAND. 8 UNDAY. OCT. 11. J08-
OREGON'S BAILROAD OITLOOK
Mr. Stubbs. director of traffic of
the so-called Harriman lines, said. In
his recent address at San Francisco:
A great majority of cltlaena who ara
served by tha railroad Indirectly, but never
theless In a way and meaaura that make for
tuelr well-being, do not apprehend tha In
terdependence or tha right relatione of tha
public and tha carrier.
Tha aeveral aldea of a aqukra ara equal.
A "deal" Implies at leaat two part lea. A
equare deal" meana that the deal muat ba
fair to both.
Mr. Stubbs means that the public
is not in mood and temper to deal
with the railroads so as to give them
a fair chance. They who are looked
to for supply of capital for new rail
roads are not willing to sink It. New
railroads are always a venture for a
time, and old ones are not always
profitable.
But there have been profits for
railroads In Oregon In particular for
the O. R. & N. The reports all show
It. and prove It. Why are not these
profits Invested in Oregon?
Answer is made that the O. R. N
is but part of a great system. Some
parts of it pay more, others less. The
general scheme that supports the
whole. It Is urged, must be main
tained. It Is a whole or entire sys
tem. For anaJogy It is urged that the
expense of Government mail service
in Oregon is greatly in excess of re
ceipts from the mall service. whJch
is an entire scheme. Again, Govern
ment receives from sale of timber
lands In Oregon far more than it ex
' pends in Oregon for recovery of arid
lands. Again, that it spends on harbor
improvement and maintenance of
lights and ports and other branches
of service sums greatly in excess of its
receipts from customs. Other parts of
the country pay this deficit. This Is
a big country, it is urged, and a great
railroad system extending across the
continent, feels obliged to pursue a
course of similar kind.
There ought to be railroad exten
sions In Oregon. It Is a crying need.
They would make returns: and. devel
oping the country, they would make
Increasing returns. There Is now one
question, namely, can the money be
had? Can the necessary bonds be
placed? Harriman says It la not pos
sible at this time. In .other words,
that it is a condition, not a theory.
Oregon and the Northwest think the
profits derived from traffic within
their territory ought to be used for
extensions within this territory. But
It is urged that the whole system, of
which this Is but a part, must be sup
ported: and moreover, that bonds for
new mileage cannot be marketed
now.
This, we believe, is the real situa
tion. Accusation, denunciation, crim
ination and recrimination, will not
change this situation now. Conditions
next year the election being over
and settlement of the public mind as
to some sort of policy reached it
may be possible for the railroad work
we require to go ahead. Mr. Bryan
advertises himself as the advance
agent of this prosperity. Unfortu
nately there is some dubltation.
THE INDl'STRIAL EMERGENCY MJI AO.
The Canadian Pacific Railway nas
again demonstrated its power as an
employer of labor. The skilled ma
chinists of the company's shops, who
went on a strike over three months
ago to force a reconstruction of the
wage and time schedule in their de
partment have failed in their conten
tion. Strikebreakers shipped in to
take their places have been sent back
whence they came, and the old em
ployes have been reinstated at the old
rates.
In a triangular fight of this kind
the position of the strikebreaker
seems to be the least enviable of all.
Hawked hither and thither at the be
hest of corporate emergency: 111 pre
pared for the work In hand and con
scious of his deficiencies: detested. In
sulted and menaced in life and limb
by the rank and file of organized la
bor: taxed with a responslbilty which,
from lack of training and of the ex
perience that can only come through
steady, responsible employment, he Is
unable to discharge: used while the
pressing need for his service exists
and cast aside as soon as this emer
gency passes, he must reflect In his
own self-estimate the contempt that
his vocation inspire among working
men. A nomad In the field of industry,
the strikebreaker Is here today and
there tomorrow a thorn In the side
of trades unionism, a makeshift
without stable standing In the indus
trial world. His status 1s sufficiently
Indicated by a dispatch from Winni
peg announcing the end of the ma
chinists' strike on the Canadian road
and the capitulation of the strikers,
supplemented by the announcement
that the company on the day and date
named "shipped all strikebreakers
. bark to the East and South and all
strikers went to work."
Professional vagrants ' hovering
upon the outskirts of industry. listen
ing for the emergency call of capital
which they are under contract to an
swer, even those who use them feel
relieved when the need for their pres
ence and such makeshift service as
they can render no longer exists. Tet
such as they are. they are the product
of the times and have their legitimate
place In the great scheme of modern
Industrial life, and more especially in
the colossal requirements of a com
mercial age. the very life of which
is centered in modern transportation
methods. Trains must move on time
and streetcar systems must be oper
ated, even if the Industrial emergency
squad has to be called out for this
purpose, pending a display of power
by opposing forces of labor and capi
tal. From the inconvenience and
loss and bitterness and strife that ara
engendered by calling upon - the
strikebreakers' squad corporations
and communities and laboring men
may well hope to be delivered.
TOVB rNCLE JOB CANNON.
Against Uncle Joe Cannon there Is
a fight in his district, and In some
other districts, where candidates are
required to pledge themselves not to
vote for htm for Speaker again. He
will probably be elected by the people
of his district, but It Is not probable
he will be elected Speaker again
even If the Republicans gain a major
ity In the House. He Is regarded as
"too old for the Job."
The main accusation against him
Is that he refused to allow certain
bills to come before the House, for
debate and vote, but stifled or throt
tled them In committees, and espe
cially in the Committee on Rules, of
which he is the head. For these rea
sons factions of labor unions and of
prohibitionists are making bitter war
on him. The war of the prohibition
ists is especially hot. There is no
large town in his district, and the
labor unions in his district are not
strong.
The fury of the prohibitionists is
due to his alleged refusal to allow
the bill to forbid liquors to be carried
from other states into a prohibition
state to come to a vote. He should
have allowed the bill to be brought
before the House for debate and vote;
where undoubtedly It would have
been rejected. Congress has power
to regulate commerce between the
states, not to prohibit It. Of course
any state, under its police power, can
suppress traffic in liquors within its
own limits, if it will. But no state
can stop interstate commerce.
After all. since It Is a familiar say
ing that the world is governed too
much, something may be said, in gen
eral, for the man who checks attempt
ed legislation. Re-election of Cannon
may be expected, for his district is
much disposed to stand by him. He
is a picturesque character and an
honest man. Two years ago (and It
was an "off year") he won by over
10,000 plurality.
THE CRITICS AND THE BIBLE.
In one of his remarkable sermons
at the Free Synagogue which he
founded In New York, Dr. Stephen S.
Wise lately asked and answered the
question "Is the Bible In danger from
the higher criticsm?" The question
Immediately induces the thought that
any book, whether It be called Bible
or history, which is endangered by
the search for truth can scarcely be
called an unmingled benefit to man
kind. W hen a man or an institution
or a document begins to shriek that
the progress of research must be
stayed lest he or it suffer, it would
seem that the time had almost come
for that Individual or thing to cease
to cumber the earth. Apparently
this whole controversy over the
higher criticism and the Bible re
solves itself Into the simple inquiry
whether or not the higher criticism
Is a search for the truth. If It is such
a search and the Bible suffers by It,
then so much the worse for the Bible.
Those who composed it ought to have
taken care that it should not prove an
Impediment to the advance of knowl
edge. We may safely say that If the
author had actually been the Al
mighty he would have foreseen this
difficulty and ew-olied It.
The gist of the matter is that the
higher criticism, docs not injure the
Bible in the slightest degree. What
It does injure Is a certain theory about
the Bible. This theory Is like other
human Inventions. Its destiny is to
flourish for a time and then to fade.
"Our little systems have their day."
When Niebuhr made It clear that a
good deal of Llvy was pure myth, the
great historian of Rome did not "suf
fer." Our way of accepting him
changed, but he was none the worse
for It, while we were a good deal bet
ter off, inasmuch as we got rid of a
big burden of ignorance and replaced
It with knowledge. It Is the same
way with the Bible. As our ignor
ance of its authorship and meaning Is
replaced by knowledge, a vast accu
mulation of superstition and misun
derstanding vanishes, but the book
stands just as it did and we stand
much more securely. Nothing in the
Bible that is true can be made false
by the higher criticism, or the lower
either, and nothing that is good can
be made bad.
WHY SCHOOL TEXTBOOKS?
In one of his frequent efforts to
spread a feeling of discontent and to
block the wheels of progress, the edi
tor of the Capital Journal, at Salem,
denounces the use of textbooks in the
public schools, hoping, apparently, to
gain favor in the opinion of some par
ent who has recently purchased
schoolbooks for his children. Con
cluding a venomous attack upon the
textbooks in use in Oregon, Mr. Hofer
declares that textbooks "take children
away from real education Instead of
enlightening them. The active child
whose mind seeks expression in doing
things, making things, creating things.
Is dwarfed by textbooks more than
helped." If this be the Salem edi
tor's opinion of the Influence of text
books, then he must be opposed to the
use of any textbooks by any children,
for surely he would not approve con
tinuance of a system which dwarfs
children's minds. Plainly, therefore,
he would send children to school
without books, expecting the teacher
to Impart all the Instruction and leav
ing the members of one class to sit In
idleness In their seats while the
teacher gave her attention to another
class. It Is needless to discuss the
matter for the benefit of the Salem
editor's readers, for there is not a
newspaper reader anywhere so stupid
as to believe that the use of text
books dwarf a child's mind rather
than help it.
But there are other features of this
diatribe which may be given a little
attention. The real complaint is
against a change In textbooks, which
change. It may be remarked, took
place more than a year ago and does
not materially affect schoolbook buy
ers this year. The Capital Journal
undertakes to say that there was no
need for a change In any textbooks
except arithmetic: by which assertion
It shows the fallacy of the whole con
tention. There Is no branch In the
common school course that changes so
little In subject-matter as arithmetic.
The only reason for a change would
be that books already In use do not
present the subject In the best man
ner, or that the books cost too much.
These same reasons and others Justify
a change of textbooks upon other
subjects. Geography, history, and
even English, are continually chang
ing, and authors are finding more at
tractive and more effective methods
of presenting the subject-matter.
Mathematical processes today are Just
exactly what they have been for cen
turies. We are not only adding to his
tory every day, but ire are freauentlr
discovering that some of the records
of past events were untrue or Incom
plete, and that some Incidents which
have seemed unimportant bad a large
bearing upon the course of National
life.
Though Mr. Hofer expresses the
opinion that there has been no im
provement In reading, arithmetic and
grammar, his own article upon this
subject discredits his assertion. It
has been thirty years or more since
the occupant of the Capital Journal
sanctum studied grammar. He must
have used a textbook that Is now very
much out of date, for he writes such a
sentence as this: "The man who will
take his boys and girls to town and
teach them to. study the markets they
will learn agriculture that Is practi
cal and resultful." Presumably that
sentence was constructed in accord
ance with the rules of grammar con
tained In textbooks in use when Hofer
was a boy, but If any sixth-grade
pupil In the Salem public schools to
day should write such a sentence, he
or she would be In overwhelming dis
grace. Yes, there has been an Im
provement in grammar In one genera
tion, for which let us be truly thank
ful. It is difficult to resist the tempta
tion to discuss the novel idea that tak
ing boys and girls to town and teach
ing them to study the markets would
give them an education In agriculture,
but to do so would be a waste of time.
Suffice It to say that If by studying
markets young people may learn the
art and science of agriculture, the
college at Corvallls is doing Its stu
dents a gross injustice and a whole lot
of highly educated farmers are wast
ing their time In the produce ex
changes of our cities. Some of these
plungers in wheat and cotton, who do
nothing but study markets, should be
able to raise Immense crops if they
would but devote their knowledge of
agriculture to practical operation of a
farm.
THE RI.TT RX TO NATURE.
We hear a great deal nowadays
about returning to nature. Poets and
novelists tell us what a good thing It
would be to get back to a state where
we should be emancipated from the
false conventions of society, where
women could wear shoes that did
not pinch and waists that did not
cramp; where men could put on
shirts unstiffened by starch or even
go without shirts if they liked; and
where children could grow up with
sound bodies and uncorrupted souls
instead of sacrificing both body and
soul In the schoolroom for the sake
of their minds, a sacrifice all the
more deplorable since it accomplishes
so little. The common Idea of a "re
turn to nature" is the peeling off of
the thin veneer of cleanliness, good
manners and decent habits which
civilization has more or less firmly
wrapped about some of Us. That
feat accomplished we are to disport
ourselves in such native beauty as
we happen to possess, the beauty be
ing enhanced by dirty nails, long
snarly hair and canine yelps in place
of conversation.
This gospel has been preached be
fore and not without results. There
was a return to natuVe In the time
of Nero. Slenklewiz describes it 'In
a popular form in Quo Vadis. The
romantic emperor and his comrades
used to strip oft their outer Integu
ments by the shores of a lovely lake
beneath a silvery moon and gaily
gambol the night away In dewy glades
to the music of groaning martyrs
ablaze on pillars. There was another
return to nature Just before the
French revolution. Rousseau was Its
evangelist, and Marie Antoinette with
her retinue of dissipated nobles put
It 1n practice. Carlyle tells us how
the poor creatures, unaware of im
pending doom, decked themselves out
like shepherds and played their
pranks while fate grinned horribly to
think what was soon to happen to
them. Dr. , Samuel Johnson once
made a remark which very well
characterizes the return to nature
which consists in discarding civiliza
tion. Somebody had been telling In
his presence how delightful it would
be to wander over the wilds with a
savage bride free from the cares of
politics, religion and clothing. "That
Is to say, you want to change men Into
cattle," was the spirit' of Johnson's
comment.
Shakespeare gives a pretty picture
of how the return to nature might
work out In "As You Like It." The
Duke and his companions did their
best In that enchanting play to con
vince themselves that they were hap
pier In the forest of Arden than they
had been in their palaces, but It Is
noteworthy that at the first oppor
tunity they all hied them back to
walls and roofs. In our intervals of
sanity we have to confess that nature
is a very poor model in many partic
ulars. What we have laid up dur
ing the ages In the way of health,
happiness and peace has mostly been
gained by defying, thwarting and im
proving upon nature. This Is true
not only of our domestic existence,
but also of the fruits, animals and
cereals which we depend upon for
sustenance. In every one of thera
the farther we get from nature the
better the product. Compare the
Ortley apple In its luscious perfection
with the bitter crab which was the
best pomological output of nature.
Compare the Norman draught horse
with the zebra and the wild ass.
Compare the Burbank potato with
the insipid little tuber which natural
selection ended with, and you will
begin to understand how we have
benefited by substituting the guidance
of reason for that of nature.
But In some things we have suf
fered. That keenness of sight, hear
ing and touch without which the nat
ural savage could not survive we have
lost because we can live without
them: and It is a law of life that
everything which ceases to be useful
must perish. We were lately In
fair way to lose our eyes, our teeth,
our ears and even our legs as super
fluities. H. Ga Wells has many a hint
in his books of the coming man who
shall be little better than a soft ball
of muscle enclosing a brain. But
there Is reason to believe that this
entertaining writer Is a false prophet.
A return to nature is actually in
progress which will make keenness
of sight, hearing and touch as essen
tial to life as they were In the pri
meval forests. We are entering upon
a world of electricity, alcohol and
gasolene Instead of migrating to ver
dant dales and flowery meads. It Is
a transformed nature that we are
seeking, but It Is nature all the same.
We are learning to speed over the
earth faster than antelopes, to fly
like birds, to swim under water like
fishes. This Is going back to nature.
1s It not? But It brings us in touch
with her great mysterious forces as
well as the trees and animals which
were all that our fathers perceived.
The human race la moving Into a new
environment where perfect senses
will again become lndiapensaiilfl to
survival. Consider the plight of a
man In a flying machine who Is deaf
or shortsighted. WThat would become
of the automobile driver whose re
action time was too long? A new
stage In evolution confronts us and
we must prepare ourselves for its
exigencies by a new education, one
which shall aim at the brain through
the senses and not through abstrac
tions. The ears, the eyes, the hands
must be taught, or the individual will
find himself helpless In his new en
vironment. Thus we can understand
the salutary race instinct which Is
beginning to throw the emphasis of
education upon the muscles, the eye
and the ear. It Is striving to produce
a being adapted to the altered world
where a man with dull . senses cannot
survive.
TirK NEW SLAVERY.
"When the world is completely
trustified what a happy place it will
be. We can predict the bliss that
awaits us because we already enjoy
a foretaste of it. There is, for ex
ample, the razor blade trust which
forbids us to sharpen safety blades
when they become dull; and the shoe
machine trust, which compels every
shoe manufacturer first to pay the
full price of his machinery for a
license to use it, and then charges
him an exorbitant rent forever. It
sells nothing and rents everything, a
pleasant habit which Is growing
among the trusts. Presently the mill
ing trust will rent each sack of flour
instead of selling It. and every con
sumer will be obliged to Incur a debt
which can never be discharged for
his daily bread. Of course, if the
flour Is only leased to him, he must
pay rent upon it even after he eats it
up. It is surprising that our eco
nomic masters have not already
thought of this effective way of en
slaving us even more thoroughly than
hitherto.
Considering the number of trusts
which have their probosces fixed in
our bodies and are vigorously suck
ing blood, it Is comforting to see that
Councilnian Cottel has plucked up
courage to attack one of the most
ferocious of the horde. May good
fortune guide the arrows which he
shoots at the plumbing banditti and
may none of them miss their mark.
If he should succeed In cleaning out
the predatory plumbers, posterity
will decree him a golden statue and
future poets will chant hymns to his
glory. Like many other trusts that
of the plumbers is founded on a fool
ish law. There is a city ordinance
which 1n effect, forbids a man to re
pair his own water pipes. He must
have It done under the magic -supervision
of a master plumber. This,
of course, delivers the public over
to the trust handcuffed and shackled.
But to make sure of their prey the
freebooters have bullied every dealer
In plumbing materials Into' such ab
ject submission that not one of them
dares to sell a foot .of pipe or a
wrench or a basin to a man who
cannot show the sign of the beast
on his forehead. Is it not a' lovely
condition? Talk about slavery! The
negro slaves were rampant freemen
compared with the citizens of Port
land. A STRANGE REPORT.
The resolutions committee of the
Trans-Misslssippl Congress has done
the exact opposite of what one would
have expected from an enlightened
body of men. It has recommended
ship subsidies and refused to recom
mend the parcels post. Of course a
person who favors ship subsidies Is
not necessarily actuated by corrupt
motives, but if he has not some pri
vate ax to grind it is pretty certain
that he Is densely ignorant of eco
nomics. The ostensible object of ship
subsidies is to build up a merchant
marine; but the history of commerce
shows unmistakably that they have
never accomplished this purpose.
Subsidized merchant fleets have flour
ished, but it has always been In spite
of grants from the state and never
because of them. The usual effect of
subsidies has been to pauperize the
shipping industry and blight maritime
Initiative. The perpetual wail that It
Is a National disgrace to have our ma
rine freight carried in foreign ships
and that we ought to hand over a
dozen millions to the shipping trust
to induce that patriotic body to build
a fleet is too imbecile for contempt.
In the first place, the cry that our
shipping trade Is carried in foreign
vessels Is disingenuous. Many of the
vessels engaged In the Atlantic trade
are owned in America; but they have
been purchased abroad and" our In
sane navigation laws therefore forbid
them to fly the Stars and Stripes.
Hence they pass for foreign vessels.
A $10,000,000 subsidy could not make
them a particle more American than
they are, but a change in the naviga
tion laws would make their status
more honest. Their millionaire own
ers could not decently clamor for a
subsidy on the ground that maritime
freight is being transported in for
eign bottoms, in the second place, if
foreign nations are willing to subsi
dize their ships in order that they
may carry our goods cheaply, it would
seem to be the part of common sense
to bid them godspeed. The bigger
the subsidies are the cheaper our
goods will ride, the lower we can sell
them In Europe and the wider our
markets will be. Why anybody should
ask the American people to tax them
selves for the mere satisfaction of
having the shipping trust carry their
goods Is beyond comprehension unless
the person who does the asking ex
pects to get a share of the tax.
But it Is the hostility of the resolu
tions committee to the parcels post
which excites most amazement. In
modern times the parcels post has be
come a prime necessity of civilization.
The rapid advance of Germany to
the front rank among nations has
been largely due to the rapid and
cheap Internal freight transportation
which the Government has provided
through the postoffice. In the United
States it has been years since any dis
interested person has opposed the
parcels post. Hostility to it has ex
isted, of course, and has been power
ful enough ' to prevent the country
from obtaining it, but the hostility has
been notoriously unpatriotic It has
come largely from the express compa
nies, which cling to their privilege of
charging from three to ten times what
the service they render is worth.
These greedy and conscienceless mo
nopolies have also stirred up the
country storekeepers to oppose the
parcels post, but they could not have
done it if they had not appealed to
the most short-sighted selfishness. In
a brief time the parcels post would
double the profits of the rural stores.
but the express trust has succeeded in
making the merchants believe that It
would ruin them. - Its actual effect
In this country, Just as in Geramny,
would be to develop rural Industry,
Increase the country population, and
create Increased demand for goods.
throughout the territory which the
village stores serve. The express
trust loudly proclaims that this de
mand would go to the cities for sup
plies, but it Is not so. - Mr. Meyer's
plan for a parcels post gives' every
advantage to the country trader over
the city mail-order house, - and his
custom would Increase while that of
the department stores would fall off.
But even If the parcels post would
ruin every country merchant In the
land, we still ought to have It, be
cause where one man would be in
jured ten thousand would be bene
fited. The profit of a small group of
Individuals ought not to be allowed to
outweigh the welfare of all the rest of
the Nation. The great social demand
of the present day is for the improve
ment of the environment of rural life.
The New York conference of charities
has declared that the only effective
uplift we can ever hope for must be
gin among the farmers. Mr. Roose
velt has exhorted and preached for
years on the betterment of rural con
ditions, and now he has appointed a
commission of eminent men to see
what can be done about its Every
body agrees that the weal or woe of
the country's future depends upon
keeping the country districts populat
ed with a happy and Intelligent race.
But people will be neither happy nor
Intelligent without facile access to
markets both to buy and to sell.
Lack of communication makes men
sordid, stupid and restless. In pro
portion as country homes are Isolated
men flee from them and migrate to
town. It Is evident, then, what an
important' part the parcels post must
play in the future of our civilization.
It would hardly be too much to say
that the welfare of the country Inti
mately depends upon it. And know
ing all this, the resolutions committee
of the Trans-Mississippi Congress re
ports against the parcels post. What
a broad-minded, statesmanlike com
mittee it must be!
HAND AND BRAIN.
It has been said "by observant critics
that Americans more than any other
people In the world despise manual
labor. Their conclusion probably
overstates the fact, but certainly
there Is something queer In the won
der we all feel when a person who
might be idle decides to go to work
with his hands. It is reported that
astonished crowds followed young
Roosevelt from the wool factory
where he has taken a job to his dwell
ing when he went to lunch, and then
dangled gaping after him again as he
walked back to work. The phenom
enon of the President's son making
himself useful In the world was be
yond their comprehension. It was to
them as if a horse had begun to de
vour flesh or a whale had taken a
promenade up Fifth avenue.
Yet it Is no new thing In the world
for the sons of eminent persons to
learn trades. Scions of the German
royal family do It as a matter of
course and nobody is surprised. Sen
sible people recognize that the educa
tion of the hand is as Important as
that of the brain. Unless a man's
muscles are properly trained by ac
tual use, a large portion of his brain
lies fallow. We see this only too
plainly In the case of our American
professional men. Having studiously
shunned muscular work in the days
of their youth, they reach manhood
with no adequate sense of reality.
They dwell among the shadows of
things, mistaking ghosts for living
bodies, preferring fine-spun theories
to actualities, and basing their rea
soning upon airy abstractions instead
of concrete facts. This Is very no
ticeable among clergymen, whose en
tire training deals with words and
verbal subtleties and eschews the con
crete entirely.
It Is also true of lawyers. In their
education scien.ee plays but a trifling
part if it appears at all, and as for
muscular training, in the sense of
work, it Is avoided altogether. Here
lies the reason why our courts of Jus
tice deal so much with theoretical
technicalities and so little with the
merits of the cases which come before
them. Their education has deprived
them of the power to distinguish be
tween the real and the delusive, be
tween the abstract 'and the concrete.
They have lost touch with things and
dwell in a world of mental figments.
It is safe to say that if every Judge In
the United States had spent live or six
years in a wool factory, as young
Roosevelt will, or had taken a tnor
ough laboratory course In natural sci
ence combined with manual training,
Mr. C. P. Connolly's article about the
finicky follies of the courts in last
week's Collier's would never have
been written. .
COLONEL STEWART.
No doubt Colonel Stewart is a dis
agreeable man and a disturber of
harmony. In a private station he
can indulge his cantankerousness
with less diminution of the general
weal than he could If he prolonged
his connection with the Army. Still
It la not very long till next December,
when in the natural course of things
he would be promoted and retired.
The Army has endured the Impossible
Colonel for a great while without se
rious Injury to Its morale and one
would imagine It could put up with
him for a month or two more. To be
sure the medical examining board
finds that he Is afflicted with a dan
gerous form of heart disease, but
since he haa lived under this hang
ing sword for 34 years, according to
the doctors themselves, it Is not likely
to "fall Immediately. Nor is Colonel
Stewart's blind eye, harmful as It
must be to his manly beauty, any
more of a military Impediment than
it has been any time this last ten
years. Why fasten upon it now and
make It a cause for the man's semi
disgraceful retirement. The great
Hannibal had but one eye.
It Is Incredible that there Is not a
good reason, for the dislike which
seems to be universal in the Army
toward Colonel Stewart. He must be
an extremely disagreeable person.
But even a disagreeable man Is en
titled to Justice. We do not mean to
Imply that Colonel Stewart Is likely
to be treated with Injustice, and yet
one could wish that there had been
less .semblance of persecution In his
case. The Army is an Institution
which Inevitably fosters a tyrannical
disposition In those who belong to it.
The rules which govern the relations
between man and man in civil life
do not extend to the military sphere.
There it is peremptory command and
unquestioning obedience, while in
civil life command is superseded by
persuasion and obedience Is modified
by individual traits. Colonel Stewart
seems to be a person In whom the
military habit of thought has pro
duced its most - unpleasant fruits.
Perhaps in Judging him it might have j
been as well to admit something of
the plea which Brutus made to Cas
sius and blame the man's heredity
rather than himself.
Dr. Cottel, Councilman from the
fifth ward, will have the sympathy
and moral support of many thousand
property-owners In his effort to
smash the monopoly of Portland's
plumbing business. How he will be
able to attack It successfully by leg
islative means Is problematical. It
extends from the smallest shop and
the smallest dealer in supplies,
through the chain of Jobbers and
wholesalers to the manufacturers.
Under the prevailing "shut-out" sys
tem the man who builds a house is
helpless. Likewise is the householder
who needs the most minor repairs.
To pay for six hours' time mostly
wasted for a fifteen-minute job is a
standing burden. The plumbing trust
Is so firmly entrenched that It can't
be scared into reasonableness. If
Dr. Cottell can frame an effective or
dinance and "put it onto" the defiant
master plumbers, he will be hailed as
a public benefactor.
Over one hundred La Grande busi
ness men visited the Wallowa County
fair at Wallowa, Or., Friday, a spe
cial train over the new road taking
them to the present terminus of the
Wallowa branch of the O. R. & N.
Extension of this road means much
to the entire Grand .Ronde country,
as well as to Portland. Next year,
or at least by 1910, It will be possible
to attend the Tillamook County fair
by rail, and possibly the Coos Bay
carnival. The remote regions of Ore
gon are slowly but surely drawing
together, and when we are connected
up by rail throughout the length and
breadth of the state, there will begin
a period of wonderful growth in both
city and country.
Mr. Bryan is a man of many parts.
At Streator, 111., on Friday, he an
nounced himself as "an advance agent
of prosperity." The manner In which
money, the most potent factor in
prosperity, scurries to cover whenever
there Is any fear of the success of
this advance agent has made him
famous. This advance agent is this
year carrying a different line of sam
ples from those he put before the
people in previous compaigns, but the
former exhibits were so unsatisfactory
that there will be hardly any great
rush for the new ones he is now
carrying. Prosperity will arrive as
soon as Mr. Bryan gets out of the
way.
Assuming that many thousands of
voters throughout the state lied when
they went to register, calling them
selves Republicans when they were
not and swore to the lie to clinch it,
our Democratic brethren have been
entertaining high hopes of carrying
Oregon for Bryan. But the recent
registration, when there could be no
incentive for lying, as it is assumed
there was last Spring, shows two Re
publicans to one Democrat. Some
observers there are who may be at
a loss to account for this. Suppose
they put the problem up to Alex
Sweek. Maybe Senator Milt Miller
might help to solve it.
The Government penitentiary on
McNeil's Island must be an attractive
place of residence,, or else Mr. Tony
Gallagher has peculiar Ideas regard
ing pride. " Having no money with
which to pay his fine, he declines to
sign an application for his freedom
for the reason that it would be an
admission of his poverty, and he Is
too proud to admit that he Is poor.
It would occur to most men that a
protracted stay In the penitentiary Is
not much more desirable than the
pain of admitting poverty.
Judge Neterer, of the Belllngham
Superior Court, told the Washington
club women he hoped the day will
come when "the law will require the
prospective bride and bridegroom to
present a certificate of proficiency In
childralslng before the ceremony may
be performed." That Is when pedi
gree will count and we will have an
American Herd Book to back it up.
Some Judges, however, may be barred
for foolishness.
The Sunday river excursion season
is over, but the trolley cars take the
city man far afield, where Autumnal
changes of leaf and blade rest the
eye tired of brick and stone. The
town may be closed, but the country
Is wide open to the lover, of nature.
It is to be hoped that those Detroit
baseball fans who waited at the gates
all night, so as to buy the first tick
ets, got their money's worth. Their
team made six runs, which was great,
except that Chicago made a few
more.
The Bryan papers are especially
bitter towards Hearst for organizing
a party and nominating a candidate
for President. Why? Isn't this a
free country? Don't the people rule?
Can't anyone run for President?
Honest banks may be forced out of
business by law, but they can't be
forced to carry reckless or dishonest
banks. It concerns careful depositors
as much as it concerns careful
bankers.
If Portland had the Gresham spirit,
as shown at the little county fair now
being held, there would have been an
attendance of 60,000 every day the
Pacific National was running.
Pendleton has ordained that cur
tains, screens and other obstructions
of view shall be removed from its
near-saloons. So the blind pig can
see and be seen, we suppose.
The medical school inspector of
Portland who did not know a flea
bite from the itch should take a post
graduate course in California, where
they have 'em.
You don't have to pronounce those
Balkan names. Just growl a little
and bark and everybody will think
you're a real authority on wars, and
war clouds.
The few firms buying all the Ore
gon hops at 7 and 8 cents will be
able to resell at 15 cents "if things
go right." After election, of course.
Detroit will probably go down to
fame as the city with a ball team
Chicago had to defeat in order to win
that pennant.
13 t-van lj following In Taft's foot
steps and has won Missouri back al
ready. Solid South comes next.
Haskell is still writing. But the
procession has moved on. There are
no birds in last year's nests.
Let us have rain.
BOOTiS &
Mil'RIiJr-r
BY JOSEPH M. QUENTIN.
HENRY JAMES Is again complaining
of lack of appreciation from his fel
low Americans. The laRt time he was
over from England he was a guest at a
swell Philadelphia hotel noted for freez
ing exclusiveness. and he thought that
the attaches treated even him with frig
idity. Becoming desirous afterward to
find out what were the impressions left
of him at the said hotel, Mr. James wrote
to a mutual friend about the matter.
And this Is the gist of the letter re
ceived the other day by the author of
"Daisy Miller" and "Portrait of a Lady":
"I find that you were reported as hav
ing paid your bills promptly, but two
housemaids complain of what they call
your fussiness. One maid says: 'Mr.
James is a very flnnicky gentleman." The
other girl's story is:
" 'I could not please him. however
much I tried. Mr. James caught ma
using one of his razors one morning
to pry open a stiff window, and he talked
awful. Some folk hate a bit o' fresh
air. No, I never read any of his books.
But say, does he write any?" "
a a a
I wonder how long our memories will
be kept green? Longer, surely, than the
memory of the great Thomas Carlyle la
kept In hiq own native land. The story
comes from Edinburgh that a Boston girl
recently visited, that city to borrow some
of its literary color, and confidently ex
pected to find the natives quoting Burns
and J. M. Barrie by heart. Accosting a
big policeman, the artless Boston tour
ette inquired the location of Thomns Car
lyle's house.
"Which CiirlyleT" asked the polloa
man. "Thomas Carlyle."
"What's his trader"
"He was a writer but he's dead."
The big policeman pondered a min
ute, and then stolidly said: "Well. miss.
If the man has been dead, say five years,
there's little chance of finding anything
about him in a big city like this."
a a a
Rudyard Kipling attended a reception,
to London newspaper men the other day,
and one veteran scribe was Introduced
to him as "one who could quote more
of your poetry than any ten men In the
British empire."
"Do they allow him?" asked Kipling,
as he shook hands.
e a a
The new crop of Fall novels and new
books generally shows signs of harvest.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle announces the
near publication of a sheaf of "Round
the Fire" stories, weird tales for wintry
nights.
From London comes the news that H.
A. Vatchell Is to publish a study of char
acter entitled "The Waters of Jordan"
and that Marriott Watson will be repre
sented in "The Golden Precipice." a story
of a treasure hunt. Other new bills
for public favor in fiction are W. H.
Mallock's new eaovel. "An Immortal
Soul," and Miss Rosmond Langbridge's
"Imperial Richenda."
One new book of notable Interest will
be "The Journal of Lady Elizabeth Hol
land," which Lord Ilchester has edited
and which Longmans are to publish.
The Journal opens in the year 1791 and
ends in 1811. Lady Holland, from all
that Creville, Sydney Smith, Macauley
and others have related about her, had
a sharp tongue and was quite a leader
In. public opinion so much so that curi
osity is aroused to read the thoughts
she left.
a a a
An authorized biography of Madame
Melba. the opera star, and written by
Miss Agnes Murphy. Is announced. Melba
personally contributes several chapters
relating to the art of music and sing
ing as a profession.
a a a
"The Memoirs of Comte De Rambur
reau" will be welcomed for the varied
lights It sheds on the old French aris
tocracy and the character of Napoleon
the Great
a . a a .
"Egypt and Its Monuments," bearing
the name of Robert Hichens, of "The
Garden of Allah" fame, is one of the
big Illustrated art books of the Fall
season. The illustrations are from paint
ings by Jules Guerln. The story re
cently appeared in serial form.
a a
A freak book Is "The Whole Family,"
written by one dozen authors, from
William Dean Howells to Henry James,
and as the names of the authors are
concealed for the present. It will be a
great game of who's who?
e a . a
"The Witching Hour," a novel based
upon his successful play of that name,
will be out in a few days. And so will
Hamlin Garland's "The Shadow World,"
which lately appeared serially In Every
body's Magazine.
a a a
The Harpers announce , two superb
holiday editions of "The Chariot Race
from Ben Hur." Illustrated In colors by
Slgismond Ivanowski. and "Lorna
Doune," with a biographical and histor
ical introduction by H. Snowden Ward
and 60 illustrations of the wild Exmoor
country, by Mrs. Ward.
a a a
Mr. Howell's "Roman Holidays" will
be Issued early next week, along with
"Magazine Writing and the New Litera
ture," by Henry Mills Alden, the veteran
editor of Harper's Monthly.
a a a
"The Meal Ministry," a new volume by
Dr. Herrlck Johnson, of Chicago, is being
well received as a standard authority on
preaching.
a a a
The author of "Mrs. Wiggs of the Cab
bage Patch" haa written a new novel,
"Mr. Opp," which will run serially
tnrougn vciiiuij an.u a tui
tion of next year. Another new feature
in that magazine will be Augustus Saint
Gaudens' autobiography.
Judd Watkins.
Chicago Record-Herald.
Old Judd Watkins is a man seldom haJ
anything to say;
Sits around' and sometimes amlles in a klni
of fcnowln way;
Lets the other fellers talk, ahowln all thall
foolishness.
He'd make silly speeches, too. If ha alwayt
talked, I guess. , .
People think lie's mighty wiaa Just becausi
he often sneers
At mistakes his neighbors make and tht
foolish things he hears.
Others glibly rattle on; ho just sets ad
nods his head,
Makin' no remarks himself, hearln' it
that's ever said.
Old Judd Watkins seldom speaks; peopK
think he knowa a lot:
Mebby he is Just as wise as he seems, ant
mebby not;
Still, I guess it's not for ma to set up n
loud conplaint.
He's no fool that makes folks think ba'B 1
wise hijlu when, ha sia'w