THE SUNDAY OREGOSa'Ay. FOKTXAJTP. yPTEHBER 1, 19QS. ,
(DrrjDPttian
rORILANH. OREOOW.
Entered at Portland. Oregon. Poetofflc. a.
Fti uDl-Clio Mailer.
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(Fy Hall
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PORTLAND. Bl-XDAT. SOT. 1. MO.
A SPECIAL IteSI'E FOB THE PACIFIC
STATES.
Mr. Bry&n's platform demands aban
donment of the Philippine Islands.
Let. us see exactly:
We faror an Imroedtat. declaration ot
th. Natron-. pui-soa. to reeogTiln. th. ln
Uaipendonr. ot th. PhJlippin. lalanda a.
oon aa a stable (tovernment can b. es
tablished, auch Indepemjeno. to b. guar
anteed by ua a. we guaranBe. th. Ind
pendenc. of Cuba, until th. -neutralization
ot th. Isl&nds can b. ..cured by treaty
wltii other power Democratic platform.
Thai Is not a. minor Issue of the
campaign; certainly not a minor Issue
for our Pacific states. Are we to quit
the Philippine Islands T What -would
that mean for our Pacific porta and
our Pacific commerce?
But It Is said -we are to guarantee
their Independence, aa we have guar
anteed that of Cuba. This la another
deoeptlon. We" -withdrew our forces
from Cuba and soon had to send them
bade Our forces are In Cuba today.
These people are not fit for Indepen
dent fitill less fit are those of the
Philippine Islands.
The Republican platform has a spe
cific statement about the Philippines,
to wit:
la th. Fhrttpplne. Jnmirreotlon baa been
am.ipra.aai1. law eatabUehed, and lire and
property mad. aettur. Education and prac
tical axperlanc ar. there adranclng th.
capaelty of tb. pjpl. for sor.rnm.nt, and
th. poUcla. ot McKlnley and Hooaavelt ar.
- landing th. Inhabitant, step by atep to aa
.rr-lneream4- ma.ur of horn, rura.
But there is no promise of "Inde
pendence" to the Philippine Islands,
because It Is not best either for them
or for ourselves. Simple truth Is we
can't quit the Islands, nor ought we.
Under our direction the condition of
the people Is being steadily Improved.
We are Introducing our laws and lan
guage, and the humanities, among
them. For the first time since the
beginning of history tranquillity reigns
in the islands. Schools under Ameri
can teachers have been widely estab
lished. Our language, the language
of government and law and order,
language of enlightenment and hu
manity, too. is making rapid progress
among them. Our flag in the Philip
pines is the emblem of civilization, of
progress, of hope for the people and
of good for mankind.
Hut in the islands there Is a turbu
lent class. Inflammatory material, with
which ambitious politicians and rob
bers and outlaws of all sorts are asso
ciated. To suppress these gangs has
ost much blood. Election of Brynn
would set them all aflame again.
Should Bryan be elected, on this plat
form for Independence of the Philip
pines, agitation and Insurrection In
the islands will begin again, at once.
What then will follow? We shall
be compelled either to suppress the
insurrection or to abandon the Islands,
embarking all our people who may
still survive for the United States. Is
either course a thing to be sought?
Wouldn't It be better to go on with
the work, and In the way we have
been pursuing these ten years? The
problem now is practically solved
unless we quit the field.
So much for the humanitarian as
pects. The case presents to our Paci
fic states the additional aspect of our
Interest In Pacific commerce. Aban
donment -would be a blow to us In this
direction. We ought not to think of
permitting it. If our votes can put a
check upon It; and to this end we
should see to it that we maintain right
.representation and influence at Wash
ington. But in those matters every
thing depends on the rejection of the
Bryan party. To quit the Philippines
la almost the same thing as abandon
ment of the hope of pushing our com
merce in and upon the Pacific ocean.
To the Pacific states it Is no minor
Issue of the present political campaign,
but Indeed a leading one.
A PREY KXT ABLE ETSEASH.
For reasons economic. If for no
other, strenuous means ahould be ta
ken to guard against typhoid Infec
tion. . Dr. R. C. Yenney read a paper
before the Slate Board of Health at a
meeting In Roseburg recently. In
which the cause and prevention of
typhoid fever, and Its cost In Individ
ual cases and In aggregate, without
considering the fatal cases, were set
out In detail. Typhoid, as is well
1 understood. Is a preventable disease.
Its germs are water-borne, or perhaps
tt should be said liquid-borne, since
milk Is one of Its leas common car
riers. By far the greater number of
cases result from drinking water that
has been contaminated by human
waste. A number of cases In Oregon
City within recent weeks were traced
to the water of a spring which to all
appearances waa pure, yet which upon
examination was foun-d to be Infected,
though the source of the infection was
not traced.
Our statistics, says Dr. Yenney, srro-w
S60 cases of typhoid fever as the prob
able total for the present year. Reck
oning the loss of time to each patient
at two months, and nursing car, med
ical attendance) and medicine at tt a
day. It la found that the cost to each
for the unwelcome, distressing and un
necessary visitation of this wasting en
teric fever will aggregate t460. Sim
ple multiplication of this average cost
to each by the number of patients
places the cost, exclusive of special
expenses In fatal cases of typhoid In
the state for the year, at 1 100,000.
This Is Indeed, as Dr. Yenney ob
serves, a large sum to pay for the
scourge of a preventable disease, and
the more especially so since the cost
falls In detail very largely upon those
who can least afford, from an eco
nomic standpoint, to bear It.
Medical science has camped persist
ently upon the trail of typhoid fever
for years. It has found that in all cases
the disease arises from a rre-existing
case, and that the infection from the
pre-exLstlng case comes from human
excreta. Disgusting, even revolting.
is this statement, and yet sufficient
care ts not taken to prevent its veri
fication In something Irss than 4 00 or
500 cases a year In this state.
When a case of typhnid feveraris.s.
says rr. Yer.ney. it may be said with
out fear of contradiction that in pric
tically every instance the afflicted per
son had been drinking wat?r contam
inated by a previous patient. This is
plain and to the point and yet the
old well at the farmhouse, the spring
on the hillside above or below the vil
lage, and the creek or mi'lrace that is
at best but an open server, continue to
furnish drinking water for the
thoughtless, regardless of the fact that
a patient is slowly recovering from
typhoid, or perhaps a victim has died
from it In the vk-tnlty of the water
suoplv.
! As an economic question the pre
I ventlon of typhoid fever commands
the attention or tne tnruiy. as a nu
mane question it asks the considera
tion of the humanitarian; as a medi
cal and sanitary question It is being
persistently pursued by bacteriologists
and sanitarians. Yet all of these forces
combined have been unable to arrest
the Individual carelessness that makes
It possible to pass this scourge on
through a family or a neighborhood.
KdCRt n iUR the marplot.
The Rockefeller incident bears the
plain earmarks of a calculated plan to
embarrass Mr. Taft and discredit and
ruin his candidacy. It will fall, of
course; yet It Is carefully timed at
five days before election when there
la barely opportunity to make effective
denial of a harmful story- It is in
stantly seized by Democratic orators
and Democratic papers everywhere as
their one chance, perhaps their one
opportunity, to turn the tide obviously
running so strongly against them. It
is Just as If they had been told in ad
vance what to expect, and then to
unite In one great onslaught follow
ing a pre-arranged plan. It looks that
way.
It ought not to be regarded as of
much Importance whom Rockefeller
will support; but if It Is to be deemed
important tt should be remembered
that never before In his long and un
worthy career has Mr. Rockefeller de
clared publicly what he wants. Why
Is the secrecy and mystery that uni
versally have marked the course and
policies of Standard Oil now to be
abandoned, and why should it, or Its
head, now openly declare Its prefer
ence for any candidate for President?
Mr. Rockefeller la either a great ass
or a great villain, and no one has ever
till now accused hint of stupidity. If
he Is genuinely for Taft, then he Is
not aware of the odious position ha
and his monopoly occupy In the public
mind, for he ought to know that his
favor la likely to do Taft the greatest
possible harm. But he does know.
If he la not genuinely for Taft he
could do nothing more effective in
achieving his defeat than by fastening
the taint and odor of Standard Oil
on him.
All this Is perfectly obvious to the
public, which knows that Rockefeller
Is no fool and has added reason now
for showing that he Is a great mar
plot. IS IT CLASS LEGISLATION?
The Indiana Supreme Court has
laid down a rule of law which over
turns all precedent upon the subject
In that state and which would reverse
similar precedents in all other states
If the Indiana view' should be gen
erally adopted. The decision rendered
by the court was that a legislative act
Which prescribes certain procedure In
"counties of more than 25.000 inhabi
tants',' is a local and special law and
not a general law within the meaning
of the Constitution prohibiting certain
legislation of a special nature.
It has been the universally accepted
view that acts of this kind are-general,
for thfy apply to all cities that
come within the class thus established.
Here in Oregon it has been the prac
tice to enact special legislation for
Portland and for Multnomah County
by making the act apply only to coun
ties of 50.000 Inhabitants and such
laws have been held to be general be
cause whenever any other city reaches
a population of 60,000 it will be gov
erned by the act. Though this method
of classifying cities Is subject to abuse,
and quite likely has been resorted to
for the purpose of evading the Con
stitution, yet it Is difficult to con
ceive how cities and counties could be
classified otherwise than according to
population. And it is necessary that
they shou.d be classified, for what Is
suited to a large city or county is not
suited to a small one.
The Indiana court is right In say
ing that there is no reason why a
city of 25.000 should be governed by
one law and a city of 24,900 by a
different regulation. But classifica
tions seem to be necessary, and if they
are made at all there must be a defi
nite dividing line between the classes.
There is no good reason why a man
should be refused the right to vote a
day before he reaches the age of 21
and be permitted to vote when he
reaches that age, except that it is nec
essary to prescribe an age qualification
and the limit must be fixed arbitrarily.
When the effect of its decision has
been fully realized, the Indiana Su
preme Court will see the error In Its
reasoning.
NEW RECORD FOB PORTLAND.
Portland wheat shipments for the
month ended yesterday have broken all
records for the port for any corre
sponding month. The actual clear
ances for foreign ports for the month
reached a total of 1,818,400 bushels.
The California shipments for the
month are not yet available, but are
expected to Increase the amount
shipped to more than 2.200,000 bush
els. During the month there were also
dispatched 340,946 bushels of barley,
making a total of more than 2,600,000
bushels of grain cleared In the month
of October. In September, which was
also a record-breaker for the month,
there were shipped foreign and coast
wise from Portland 2.162.647 bushels
of wheat and 299. 9S8 bushels of bar
ley, or a total for tha two months of
6.000.000 bushels of grain.
The shipments from Tacoma for the
month of September were 1,335,724
bushels, and for October are about
S30.000 bushels. In October. 1907,
the shipments from Portland were
1,243.939 bushels, and from Puget
Sound ports 1,105.163 bushels. For
the season to November 1. last year,
the Portland and Puget Sound exports
were practically the same. This year
the Portland shipments are nearly
1.500,000 bushels in excess of those
from all Puget Sound cities. The
showing Is all the more favorable for
Portland when it is considered that
the crop ot the Pacific Northwest is
this year more than loDOO.OOO bushels
smaller tha In 1907.
Portland in a single season has re
gained all of the prestige lost by the
shipping differential, which was not
removed until last season. This ex-
1 cellent showing has been made wlth
! out the opening of any new territory.
or the efforts of any new transporta
tion lines, and it is a reminder of what
we may expect next season, when the
North Bank Railroad opens up to this
city a territory from which Portland
wheatbuyers have in uhe past been ex
cluded. This city already stands close
to the head of the list of big American
wheat ports, and by the end of the
year may reach first place.
M R. . AIU-KBOLD'S STYLE.
There is one trait of the famous
Archbold letters which Mr. Hearst has
been using in the campaign that seems
to have received less notice than it
deserves. It is their wonderful amen
ity. Henry James once- said of "The
Vicar of Wakefield" that as a novel It
did not amount to much, but its ex
treme amenity had saved K from ob
livion. A similar happy fate may
await the Archbold contributions to
the literature of the Twentieth cen
tury. When Foraker and Haskell and
the Pennsylvania Judges in whose wel
fare he took such a kindly interest
are all dead and forgotten Mr. Arch
bold may still be celebrated as Gold
smith is for a perennial' delicacy and
charm of style. Recall, If you please,
the pleasing mildness of Mr. Arch
bold's suggestion to the Governor of
Pennsylvania about appointing the
Judges. He would not obtrude for the
world. He would not think of inter
fering with the gubernatorial Judg
ment, and especially did he shun any
appearance of violating the guberna
torial conscience; but If the- Judges
could be appointed consistently with
the highest fidelity to right and duty,
why Mr. Archbold would ba so much
obliged.
Not that he expected the slightest
advantage to himself or his octopus
from their promotions to the Supreme
bench. Perish the thought. But
these candidates were well known to
be great experts in gas and oil, sub
jects la which Mr. Archbold's interest
was purely Impersonal and patriotic,
and he felt In his heart that if they
were appointed they could beoome the
instruments of boundless beneficence
to the Buffering poor. So he urged
their names upon the Governor's at
tention. Or, rather, he reminded the
Governor of them allusively, as it were.
"Urged" Is too violent a term to de
note such a finely artistic feat.
All of Mr. Archbold's letters savor
of urbanity and philanthropic serenity
of soul. AH his mandates to the Sen
ators, Representatives, Governors and
Judges whom he had under his sway
were given with marvelous gentleness
and a suave condescension . which
marks not merely the master of ad
ministration but the literary genius as
well. Mr. Archbold's power may some
day take wings and fly away, but his
pen has made his fame immortal.
TIIE MVINE EVENT.
It would be hard to Imagine two
men who were more unlike than the
poet Tennyson and the philosopher
Nietzsche. The latter, though he has
been called "the sledge-hammer phi
losopher," was a man of slender
physique, who wrote almost always in
feeble health and finally died prema
turely with his mind clouded. Tenny
son, on the other hand, lived the ro
bust life of an English country gen
tleman, pensively passing the peace
ful and healthy years at his estate
on the Isle of Wight and only bidding
farewell to earth when age made his
fnrthar atnr a rtenanee These two
! great men impressed themselves pow
erfully on their time, but it would be
folly to compare the Influence of Ten
nyson with that of Nietzsche. The
latter'a concept of the "Superman"
took the mind of young Europe by
storm and has transformed the
thought of the world, permeating phi
losophy, economics, literature and art;
while Tennyson's serenely lyrical ex
positions of evolution have done noth
ing more than to adorn and humanize
a victory already won by the thought
of Darwin and Spencer with their
compeere.
The deeper kinship which underlies
the differences between Tennyson and
Nietzsche consists in their both being
poets. It Is an old tradition among
mathematicians that the idiosyncratic
Sylvester, who was one of the early
scientific glories of Johns Hopkins
University, delighted in writing son
nets. Liks Richelieu, he is said to
have valued his poetic muse far above
his other gifts. Writing once to the
German mathematician Klein, Syl
vester bewailed the fact that his son
nets provoked ridicule rather than ad
miration, and declared that a mathe
matician was necessarily a poet
whether anybody believed it or not.
Klein in his reply agreed with the
British savant. "Ja, wir Bind Dich
ter," he wrote. "Indeed we are poets."
Opinions will differ as to the truth of
this oracular dictum, but whatever the
fact may be about mathematicians
there is no disputing that all really
great philosophers have possessed a
decided vein of poetry.
Everybody knows how much the-
undying attractiveness of Plato de
pends upon the music of his language
and the vital sweetness of his imagina
tion. The Phaedo is a triumphant re
ligious hymn which vibrates with the
passion of faith. All through the dia
logues there are strewn significant
myths full of poetic charm. Nietzsche
boldly claimed the poetic crown. In
one of his strange letters he ventures
to doubt whether the world' will ever
again behold such lofty hymns as he
had written. Certainly it is not likely
to see any more hymns quite like
them, for all that Nietzsche' wrote is
unique in form and substance. ' His
pages fall Into brief apothegms some
what as Emerson's do, but the New
England sage composed In a mild
serenity of soul which Nietzsche never
knew and which he would have de
spised If he had known. Many great
philosophers have loved the apothegm
and thrown their choicest thoughts
Into that charming form. Bacon,
among others, used It. Tennyson's
In Memoriam Is little more than a
series of apothegms scarcely connected
except by the very vital thread of
rational religion. For Tennyson the
only faith which was worth while
must grow out of the solid earth, fer
tilized and tilled by reason.
In the light of rational faith Ten
nyson, in one of his surpassingly beau
tiful verses, predicts a "far-off divine
event toward which the whole crea
tion moves." What this event was to
be he did not venture to guess. At
its nature he did not even hint. All
he could say was that it would be
something glorious beyond the power
of Imagination to conceive. "Eye hath
not seen, neither hath' ear heard;"
and yet he believed profoundly in its
reality. Still, because to Tennyson's
mind the hope of the world remained
formless, indefinite, vague, naturally
he could lay down no rules for- at
taining it. We may be never so sure
we are going somewhere, yet if we
have no idea where we can not map
the route. Nietzsche says this has
- nn!,,.r.a1 falltrtO- Wltrt OUT arir
itual guides. They were going some
where, but they never knew where.
"Noch hat die Menschhelt keln Zlel,"
he says In one of his marvelous chap
ters, or cantos. "Heretofore Man has
hail nn cron 1 anrl ao lonar as the goal
is lacking, doth not Man fall short of i
himself?
T In vain to rlrenm of the far-off.
divine event. We must set our minds
to work to think out -what it Is to
be and direct our footsteps toward it.
Tf ie ih p-iorv of Nietzsche and the
cause of his power over the new gen
eration that he discerned tne goai. n
has made it possible for all the lso
wavrlnrii who are fighting the
good fight to coalesce Into a united
band. Like a pioneer nrst nnaing a
way through dark forests and over
untrodden mountains, he has blazed a
trail, he has mapped tne passes, ne
voo aen a vision of the green and
golden vales beyond. Overpowered
with the splendor of the promised
land his intellect veiled its iace nite
Moses on Sinai, but the highway has
been surveyed once for all. It remains
for us to build it.
What is this goal toward which all
eVtiitfttf effort milAt tend? It is to
produce a race of men through the
laws of evolution and heredity who
shall be adequate to solve their prob
lems. Hitherto most oi our rem preu
lems have baffled us. We stand be
fore them helpless and say or pov
tv trir-o war. th social evil. "Thus
they have always been and thus they
must forever be." Nietzsche's New
Individualism says: "Thus tney ai
wova hnvA rtaen hut thus they shall
be no more." Produce the Super
man by rational ureeaing ana selec
tion and you will have a being so
Ann,nlat.lv nrlertnar A to bis World that
he can no longer be vicious, poor or
quarrelsome, we may estannsn tne
VlnerAnm rtt TTuDVPTl llV making OUT
children strong and wise, but as for
ourselves we shall never enter re uur
wanderings In the wilderness and our
framiAnt rebellions: aeainst common
sense have made us unworthy of the
land of milk and honey.
A GREAT OPPORTTJNITY.
It Is the good fortune of The Ore
gonlan today to print a remarkable
letter from Mr. Harry Yankwich.
Unless we are mistaken his letter will
mark an epoch in history. It will
probably introduce a new era, for one
may confidently anticipate that It will
be the means of opening up communi
cation with the world beyond the
grave. Perhaps before some of us now
living have passed over, a route of
commercial travel will have been es
tablished between the two spheres of
existence and trade will flow back and
In o nenneful and DrOSDerOUS
stream. We feel perfectly safe In mak
ing these predictions, Decause mi.
Yankwich has promised o produce a
person who can "really and truly in
the open light of day without conceal
ment, subterfuge or evasion bring
word from the other world;" and he
promises that this shall be done be
fore a committee of 25 persons to be
selected by The Oregonlan "under any
and all scientific tests" which are not
Inhumane.
This proposal Is very attractive both
in tho pnmmprrlnl and the scientific
sides. On the one hand it promises the
most interesting revelations since mo
visit of Mohammed to the seventh
heaven. On the other, as we have
suggested, nobody knows what profit
able lines of trade it may open up
between the carnate and the discar
nate Inhabitants of the universe. W
cannot, of course, expect to sell to
the discarnate such things as bonnets,
shawlstand shoes, for they seem to be
able to produce those articles at will
out of nothing; but Judging from what
has been heard of their conversation
in numerous seances one might well
suppose that there would be a lively
demand for primers, spelling books
and elementary school books of all
sorts on the evergreen shore.
As to selecting a committee of 25
it would be a fearsome task, but if
Mr. Yankwich is In earnest some half
dozen intelligent inquirers can be
found who will seriously Investigate
his medium and honestly report what
happens.
A ONE-SIDED ESTIMATE.
General Corbin, in commenting
upon the notorious Halns case, now
engaging the attention of the civil
authorities of New York, says that
most of the trouble that occurs In
garrison life Is due to the "fool wom
en" who are the wives of officers.
Growing reminiscent, after the man
ner of old men when descanting upon
present-day evils, he adds: "Such
things as are described as occurring
at Fort Hamilton were never known in
my time In the Army" a statement
which he immediately refutes by say
ing: "There were several such cases
in my time, and we had to get rid of
the women."
The truth is that in the Army, as
elsewhere, idleness la the mother of
mischief. This Is especially tru when
it is accompanied by plenty of money
that comes by merely signing a check.
"Fool women" are en element In such
mischief, anU In conjunction with
men who, In addition to living lives of
Idleness are high livers and iwine
blbbers, they occasionally violate all
the rules of social decency, domestic
obligations and marital honor.
"We can control the officers and
men," General Oar bin further re
marked, speaking In the capacity of a
military commandant, "but we cannot
control the women." The question
that naturally arises is: Why, then,
are not the officers and men con
trolled ? Does any one, does even Gen
eral Corbin, undertake to say, in view
of the disclosures in the Hains case,
that Captain Peter C. Halns was under
the control of common decency? And
do not the Army records, gingerly as
they deal with the. social sins of bibu
lous and otherwise dissipated officers,
still contain many reports of court
martial for sins cautiously described
as "conduct unbecoming an officer
and a gentleman," for the findings of
which no penalty is inflicted? The
disposition to screen men at the ex
pense of women in the Halns and sim
ilar cases Is nowhere more marked
than in the Army. There are "fool
women" in garrison life, no doubt, as
there are in every walk of life where
Idleness and luxury make for self
indulgence and false views of life and
its duties. If this were not so mili
tary "heroes" of the Hains and Tucker
stripe would go wifeless to their
graves, as would also the degenerate
Goulds and Thaws, who play at hon
orable marriage only to disgrace it
The truth is that now, as in the sim
pler times that yet live in nursery
rhymes, there never was a Jack with
out a Jill a -silly goose without a
pompous gander. There are "fool
women" in Army life, "fool women"
in social and domestic life in exact
proportion to the idleness In which
they pass their days and to the "fool
men" who support them therein upon
-kot t lofr after the financial obli
gations of their own moral delinquen
cies are met upon the unearned incre
ment of a position that carries with
it no obligation of labor. This is a
plain statement of a well-known fact,
over which it Is useless to waste hon
est indignation, and unjust to cast
the blame upon one party or the other
in the mutual compact or social u-b-radation
or marital dishonor. The
world still contains too many hqnor
oHia orirl riecent men. too many vir
tuous and womanly women, to Justify-
even the extreme moralist to say
nnihin of n fi-rimled veteran and all-
around man of the world like General
Corbin to grow cynical because tne
Halnses. and the Goulds, and the
Thaws, male and female, disgorged
from the overloaded maw of Idleness.
unearned luxury and social corruption.
hArnnA for n time a stench in the
nostrils of decency. The proportion
of these to the nonesi wives uuu u
cently beloved husbands, even of their
own blood. Is so small that the moral
pessimist should not lose hope of the
race, nor the cynio regard as proven
the question he has raised of the de
generacy of mankind.
In regard to tne nains case iuo w
already sufficient proof that Annls,
who was shot to death by Halns' last
August, died as the fool dleth; that
Halns. his wife and his brother, lived
as fools live, and possibly will pay the
penalty in a felon's death. Mrs. Halns
was probably the weakest of Jhe quar
tet that played this game, and she
should receive only her Just and equi
table share of the censure that is due
to all who engaged In playing it
THE PETITION NUISANCE.
For several weeks prior to the pri
mary election, every two years, the
voters of Oregon are annoyed by per
sons who circulate petitions in be
half of various candidates who wish
their names placed upon the primary
ballot. Every candidate for a nomi
nation for a state, district, county or
precinct office must have his petition
circulated in order to secure the re
quired number of names. As a mat
ter of convenience candidates have
formed the practice of employing men
to circulate petitions for them, and
lr. nearly every county there are men
vho make a business of this kind of
work, prior to a primary election.
To secure 600 signatures duly certified
costs the candidate about t50, leaves
the petition circulator a good profit
on his industry, and causes the gen
eral public a great deal of annoyance.
Circulating the petition accomplishes
no good whatever, for any man who is
willing to pay the expenses can get
signatures to his petition. As a means
of relief from the petition nuisance it
has been proposed that the primary
law be amended so that petitions will
be unnecessary, but requiring each
candidate to pay a filing fee which
would in part pay the expense of the
election without placing upon the can
didate a greater expense than he now
bears. In view of this suggestion it
is worth while to note that the Su
preme Court of North Dakota has
declared invalid a law which incorpor
ated In its provisions a requirement
that certain fees be collected from
candidates. The court held that "If a
man whom the people were seeking to
place in office was either unwilling or
unable to pay the fee, the only way
to render him eligible would be for
the voters to make the payment,
which would constitute a condition to
their right to vote not contemplated
by the Constitution." In theory the
North Dakota court Is right, but In
actual practice the payment of a fee
would be far less an additional qual
ification than Is this regulation which
requires the circulation of a petition.
It is all a question of a small expendi
ture of money in either case. The
petition serves no useful purpose
whatever while payment of a fee about
equal to the expense of circulating a
petition would help cover the cost
of the primary election.
THE POTATO A JOY FOREVER.
Beauty Is only skin deep, and the
beauty of the humble potato is under
the skin this year, as always. The
potato, like other roots, being bred
In the soil's darkness, it is not an
ecstatic thing to look upon in the day
light world. Only when boiled in a
pot or fried In a skillet and then con
signed to the unseen place where it
does the most good do we perceive the
full beauty of the farinaceous tuber.
However, when the crop is short and
prices promise to soar ere the next
planting, the "spud" has an additional
fairness under its skin the kind that
turns to glittering gold. Faith in the
potato never falls to bring Its promised
reward In the Oregon Eden. The
starchy thing always grows, In dry
and wet, and though sometimes a
rainless Summer makes it small and
scant, still it comes in bravely at the
finish, Just as now. What a blessed
rule that when crops are small, prices
are big, and vice versa.
Wheat and milk and apples - may
come and go, but the potato brings
the fullest measure of Joy to the
stomach and the members, and boosts
along the family that scorns race sui
cide. Were we painters, musicians
or sculptors, we should be blind, but,
as moat of us are hewers of wood and
drawers of water, we eee the fair
virtues of the tuber that has Its home
under the ground and whose eyes and
skin and tan were not made for sun
shine's gaze.
Many more potatoes will be planted
next year than this, and prices may
go low. But if so, there will be profit
still. The thrifty planter will not sell
all he has this Winter, even for high
prices. He will keep a goodly store
for seed. Pharaoh and Ceasar lived
In vain, compared with the, modern
day's man with the hoe, since the
American home of the potato was
discovered after their time. That
may be the reason they left so many
of the world s tasks undone.
The passion for planting roses in
Portland is unabated. Thousands of
rose plants will be placed in the vari
ous suburbs this Fall and next Spring,
and each one that is properly Bet and
cared for will be a thing of beauty
in time. It must be understood by
those who plant roses, however, that
the planting is only the initial step
in rose growing. Of course, in this
favored climate and soil rose bushes
will grow and bloom even if neglected,
but to get the best, or even good re
sults, they must be fertilized, pruned
sprayed and cultivated industriously
and Intelligently. The woman who
while waiting for a car pulls off, me
chanlcal'ly as It were, the faded rose
petals and seed pods from her neigh
bor's rose bush, is one who may be
depended upon to look after her own
rose bushes and get the best ou"t of
them. Strictly speaking, it Is not
worth while to plant rose bushes un
less one is sufficiently interested in
them to take good care of them in
season, mulch them out of season and
keep a careful eye on them at all
seasons. No otner piant rcspt-uus
more gratefully to intelligent care -and
none shows neglect more plainly than
does the rose bush. Plant them,
therefore, if you intend to care for
them, but save your time and money
and the rose lover's feelings if you
Imagine that planting is all, and stop
at that.
woman in five has abandoned
the domestic life and has become
wnere-eArner." we are told by a
writer who thinks the home is dis
appearing. But this proportion is not
so appalling. What would we ao ior
schoolteachers, dressmakers, milli
ners, waitresses, etc., if aoout one
woman in five did not abandon, or re
fnQ riomftstin Ufa in order to work
for wages? Then, too, perhaps a small
per cent of the wage-earning women
are not fitted for domestic life any
way, and a large per cent of them
have merely postponed ana not aoan
doned domestic life entirely. It is
certain that not, one woman in five
dies an old maid. It is easy to man
ipulate figures. But the fact that a
vt-v lnro-e number of women work
for- wages is no indictment of exist
ing social conditions. There is no
reason why women should be idlers.
Society is at fault only when it per
mits women to work too many hours
a day or at work that is injurious to
health or under conditions otherwise
detrimental to the race.
An apple of a variety called the
ra Tt.antv" wpli-hlnc thlrty-
a .,T,nAM la In r-olrl aroraee at Yak-
i i .i , V,a Vattonat Artnla Show
una Bknttiviiis mo ...... ' '
to be held in Spokane in December.
As to size tnis appie kiwi v-
nn thl. aeore it will
Ulgiuua ft""
probably win for its producer the prize
of tlOOO offered for the biggest apple
shown at that time. Possibly, how
ever, like the giant rutaDaga, tne yno
on tna mammoth potato.
-' ' -
the two-pnund and three-ounce apple
is usetui cnieiiy ior jjuivwca v.
bition and as an advertisement of
what the soil and climate of a certain
inoiKt, fan ha made to Droduce. Even
bo, however, the big apple is useful.
and as to the rest mere is
- annlaa thflt arA fi-OOd tO look
at, fine to keep and Juicy to eat. 3o
give the newcomer room im
If it wins it.
The editor of the McMlnnville Reg
ister undoubtedly Is one of the holiest,
r tha moat iitterlv holiest, of men.
He "hasn't anything to say against
Taft as a man;" but Taft is "not a
wn.,., in tha doctrine of the Holy
Trinity," and "a Christian Nation
must expect the disapproval oi umi ii
such a man is exalted to the Presi
dency." The pains that Democratic
editor must experience to witness suui
ungodliness in the world! He ought
to have lived when he could have
burned heretics. No doubt Tom Tag
gart, Tammany Murphy and other
Democratic politicians feel the same
way about it. Their distress about the
peril that threatens the Holy Trinity
must be as intense as that in the office
of the Bourbon Democratic Journal at
McMlnnville
C-Jitlir an.alelns- thft C0niD8Jll011-
ship of the man who can be induced
or enticed by his disapproving rela
tives to abandon his young wife is not
v, b1,itid- for However, the wife
in such a case Is entitled to support
according to the family means out oi
her recreant husband's estate, and for
such other consideration as the court
may consider her Just due. Upon this
basis a husband who leaves his wife
onrl a-oaa hack to "mother" may be
appraised as worth t200,000 without
exaggerating his financial uuty m mo
premises, though for all estimates of
honorable manhood he may not be
worth a farthing.
Nothing so silly as talk of coercion
of electors by employers. It is im
nnhi. TJVi emnlover attempts It.
r.nh man la in nosttion to do exactly
as he pleases, and both he and his
employer knows It. It an aepenas on
Judgment on both sides. Even though
the employer may reel mat tne mtui
nrhA nrnrio for him miiv be inclined
or determined to cast his vote in a
way that will be Injurious, ne win not
try to interfere. Men must work out
these propositions in their own minas,
fnlnnal OoAthnlfL WhOSS MOOTd-
breaking work on the Panama Canal
has won high praise from all parts of
the world, has been declared innocent
nt oil r-harc-aa of favoritism In con
tracts at the canal. This will be good
news to his many Faclnc coast inenos
and also to all others who have wit
na.aari tha remarkable spectacle of an
Army officer securing as good results
from an industrial undertaking as,
could be secured by a civilian.
Of course Rockefeller is for Bryan,
to beat Taft. It is his method of re
venge on Roosevelt. His expedient of
revenge is the statement that he is for
Taft honine that he might thus
throw votes to Bryan. But it's mighty
thin. Has Standard uu Deen lavorea.
by the Roosevelt administration t
It's mighty lucky for the Portland
h.nv avrackers that the District At
torney who will prosecute them is
elected by the people, not appointed
by President Roosevelt.
The cigar store vote appears to be
all right for Bryan; but strangely
enough the Democratic campaign
management refuses to pou tne sa
loons.
All things tend to show that the
Oregon man who has potatoes will get
pretty near his price berore spring.
The man with hay may De wun mm
The alternative to Hughes In New
York is Chanler and Fingy Conners
for Senator! Yet New York has some
how borne up under Piatt and Depew.
The hens are not lazy; it's the per
sons WnO enouia utile can) UJ. tne uriia.
All thlnes considered. Oregon hens are
doing mighty well.
Rockefeller saw that it was neces
sary to do something quick to beat the
Roosevelt administration's plan of
punishing him.
Senator Dolliver, of Iowa, says:
"This Is the last time a man will run
for the Presidency on his windpipe
alone." .
Judging from the vital statistics,
there are some things not held pend
ing "subject to the election of Bryan."
Mr. Rockefeller appears to be un
able to understand that his political
support, like his money, is tainted. .
Abruzzi and the Elkins girl should
remember that a long engagement
means bad luck.
ProfrsBor Y.nckwlrh Will Produce the
Rpal Thlnx Mediums.
pnp-PT.ivn nrt. 30. (To the Edi
tor l In laat Sa llirdjl VS iSSUe Of ThS
Oresonlan there appeared an editorial
entitled. "True Mediums. commennna
upon the action taken by the convention
of the National Spiritualists' Associa
tion of the United States of America,
held recently at Indianapolis, Inc.. In
waging war apainst fraudulent mediums.
You allege In that article that Pro
fessor James found only two or three
trustworthy mediums In the world.
There rertainlv must be more that! that
number of trustworthy mediums on this
globe.
Rtinnose that It should be a fact that
during the course of your life you em
ployed only two lawyers to attend to
your legal affairs. Your biographer,
after making your eulogy, could then
point out to his many readers that yeu
employed only two lawyers to attend
to your legal affairs during your life
time. Shall the readers then presume
that there could have been no other trust
worthy lawyers during your lifetime ex
cept the ones employed by you? What
about other people? They might hav.
emnlnved lawyers during the same pe
riod of time whom they considered trust
worthy.
Professor James found only two or
three genuine mediums. Did not Pro
fessor Hlslop find some? Did not Pro
fessor Lombroso find some? Did not Sir
William Crooks find some? Because one
man of science experiments with two or
three mediums only during the course
of his Investigation. It does not mean
that there are no other genuine mediums
In the world Desiaes tne ones no i -perlmenting
with. ,
You will agree with me that if there
was but one single genuine medium liv
ing on this globe, that could put us In
communication with what people term
,,j -ni-ua rwhn ara not rlennrted
liqiiu ICU DCllUO v"" 1
at all), and to connect us with what is
called another world (wnlcn is only a
nart of this world, there being but one
Linau .nrMi thara would slreadv be a
good and solid foundation for new sys
tems of religion, education, science aim
philosophy. Your editorial terminates as
follows:
"We can scarcely hope that a single
one (meaning medium) will be discov
ered In Portland. But if one should be
j i . i i ... - ha-, har.. a rjerson who
can really' and tru'y. In the open light
of day, without concealment. iumcnia
or evasion. Bring wore, irom me un..
u 4V.A a ltiKfn Who Will hot
felicitate himself upon the great good
fortune or the cuyi
T-t. a 1. a arnrw, riaal of Wlfldom in thS
saying "if you want to be happy, try
to make others nappy. Jo wi'"'
being present, after due reflection, I de
cided to obtain happiness if I can get
that luxury at a reasonable price; so
then I desire to maae ail wie uiu"
and aliens of the city of roses and rose
i.i-d honnv T nronose tO Our Citl-
Ul ViLia,
zens to Investigate with me a Bclentlno
truth. This investigation win tc mol
esting and instructive. We will let the
.ttami to relleious theories
and turn their churches Into one-ring
circuses in order to get tne crowas. in
the light of our present system of busl
.... Anootinn -nn science the churches
are the only showhouses where farces
are still successfully produced and ex
ploited. I suggest that you appoint a committee
of 26 reliable citizens and designate a.
place of meeting. At mm li,ji..lw
time, without any expense to you or th
i.a t win nroduce before your
lJlllllllkLc:, ..... , -
committee a person who oan really and
trully. In me open ngnt oi uj, n.u,.u.
concealment, subterfuge or evasion,
bring word from the other (?) world. 1
hereby agree that the medium be sub
jected to eny and all scientific tests
providing they be commensurate wltb
humane treatment.
HARRY YANCKWICH.
In Oklahoma,
Chicago Tribune.
Today's Tribune has a report of an
Investigation by its special correspon
dent of the condition of affairs at ths
Oklahoma experiment station. He saya
the guaranty system has "not been In
operation long enough for any deflnlcs
results." There is, however, a manifest
tendenoy to multiply small and unsafi
banks.
8tart11nr instances era beln related wher.
men who are without .lther tha moral or
business qualification, commonly and rlgnny
cn.ldered to be neoeesary for the manage
ment ot buslneis lnatitutlona are securing
bank charters, and on the ofenrth ot th.
guaranty act are making successful headway
In acquiring deposit.. . .
The correspondent says further thai
the guaranty scheme:
Unquestionably eliminates th. valus oi ex
perience and of established charaoter a. fac
tor. In attracting deposits.
Had not voters better wait a year oi
more to see whether the Oklahoma ex
periment will not come to a dlsastroul
end instead of voting for Mr. Bryan
because he recommends It?
Abraham Lincoln on Labor.
Remarks to a Committee of New Yorll
Worklngmen; March t4, 1864.
The strongest bond of human sympa
thy, outside of the family relation,
should be one uniting all working peo
ple, of all nations, and tongues and kin.
dreds. Nor should this lead to a wai
on property, or the owners of prop
erty. Property is the fruit of labor
property is desirable; It is a positive
good in the world. That some should
be rich shows that others may become
rich, and hence Is Just encouragement
to Industry and enterprise. Let not
him who is houseless pull down th
house of another, but let hlra work dili
gently and build one for himself, thui
by example assuring that his own shall
be safe from violence when built.
Unrecorded History.
Chicago Evening Post.
Brutus was haranguing th. citizen
XTpon what meat," he cried, "upon
what meat doth this our Caesar feed
that he is grown so great!" ,
Pausing for a moment for a reply. h
was about to continue, when a man
with a loud voice and flushed counte
nance arose in the front row and ob
served: "He eats Qulnclus & Polonlus' sugai
cured hams and bacon, now on sale a1
all first-class markets."
This, being a bald advertising scheme
was not given any prominence what
ever In the reports of the occasion.
JVotlce to Bards smd Bardesses.
Emporia (Kan.) Gazette.
A good many kind-hearted people re
cently have been sending original poetrj
to the Gazette, evidently under thl
Impression that this family newspapei
Is primarily an album of song. Poetrj
and the fine arts are essentially s!d
issues with the Gazette, however, iti
highest ambition being to present ai
much real news as it can get hold ol
every day. And so it will save a lot o)
unpleasantness, and perhaps bloodshed
tf people will remember this, and send
their poetry to the Ladles' Home Jour
nal and the Congressional Record.
Hetty Green's Husband.
PORTLAND, Oct. 28. (To the Edi
tor.) Kindly state In the columns ol
vour paper when and where Hettj
Green's husband died: also whethel
she was married -more than once,
H. J- M-
Hetty Green's husband died in ltOt
Mrs. Green did not marry again.
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