g TIIE SUNDAY OREGONIAN, PORTLAND. FEBRUARY 31, 1909.
W tepman
PORTLAND, OBEOOM.
Enured c Portland. Oregon, Fotofflo aa
Second-Class Matter.
fcubecrlplloa 1U1M Invariably la Advaaea.
(By Mall
Pally. Sunday Included, ou year II JJ
Ially. Sunday Included, six months.. t il
Daily, Sunday Included, tore month. ..I.2S
Daily. Sunday Included, one month.... .J
Daily, without Sunday, o&e year
Dally, without Sunday, six month!..... J. I
Dally, wlthojt Sunday, three months.. 1.S
Dally, without Sunday, one month.....
Weekly, on year J-J
8unday, one year. W
Sunday and Weekly, on rear
By Carrier.)
Dally. Sunday Included, one year......
Dally. Sunday Included, one month. ... 7fi
How to Semit Send postotflce money
order, express order or parson al check on
jour local bank. stamps, coin or currency
are at the sender's rule Give postofllce ad
dress In full. Including county and state.
Postage Bates 10 to 14 oases. 1 cen: It
'to 29 pages. I cents; 10 to 44 pases. I cents:
44 to 40 paces, 4 cent. Foreign nostag
double rates
Eastern Business Office The 8. C. Beck
wlth Special Agency New York, rooms 41
t Tribune building. Chicago, room ilD-tll
Tribune, building.
POBTLAXD, BUJfDAT, FEB. II. 1909.
A SIMPLE rEELVDE.
There Is to be a fight In this state
on the proposition of total abolition
or destruction of all the muniments
of the old constitution. The proposed
"amendment," for state construction
and ownership of railroads, Is a so
cialistic scheme, which would com
pletely annul the constitution and
abolish it altogether. It la completely
socialistic; for If the state is to con
struct and to operate railroads. It may
undertake everything else. It Is an
Introduction of the socialistic plan of
control by the state of all the means
and Instruments of production and
distribution. This Is the end and aim
of socialism. One step will surely lead
to another and that to another.
Kvery socialistic enthusiast Is delight
ed with such hopeful Introduction and
prospect.
Mr. Selling, Senator for Multnomah,
rot only voted for this proposition,
but Quoted others saying that
"wealthy and brainy men from Mult
nomah had come to Salem, showing
that It was wanted." These men are
exceedingly shallow. Not so would
their fathers have done Including
the father of Mr. Selling. The father
of Mr. Selling would not have dodged
his representative responsibility, by
the subterfuge of "passing the ques
tion up to the people." Nor dldour
"wealthy and brainy men" well con
sider what they were about ;-M.hey
will be compellod. before this Is over,
to recede from their position, for pro
tection of themselves as well as for
protection of the state. They are un
chaining the tiger and don't yet know
It. Governor Chamberlain has sent
to the Legislature a message In urgent
support of the folly. Governor and
Senator Chamberlain is merely a bub
ble, cast up amid the froth and foam
lapped by the tide in Its ebb and
flow. He studies the variable and
changeful moods of that portion of
the people with whom an opportunist
demagogy may prevail. His goal Is
personal success. He has no sense
whatever of responsibility to higher
principles that must guide a state, or
to fundamental principles that must
lie at the bottom of-'the state. The
only principle that he possesses Is that
of a sentimental and reminiscent de
votion to the loBt cause that was rep
resented by the Confederate States, of
which his native state was one. This
makes him a nominal Democrat, and
as such enables him to command al
ways the Democratic party vote. Sup
ported by this, he makes excursions
for additional support into these so
cialistic fields.
The Mephlstopheles of this business
is J. N. Teal. He Is an industrious
man. an Innovator, with no knowledge
of the past and therefore no concep
tion of the future. His object Is noto
riety. He has no talent or ability to
make himself felt in auy other way;
and having little business of his own.
ha is ambitious to interfere with that
of the state, and with that of the gen
eral body of his neighbors. He It was
who led tWt delegation to Salem, for
support oia policy that. If carried
out, would strip every one of them of
all they possess. This might be toler
ated. If It didn't wreck the whole state
with them. When Mr. Teal lost his
position In the Harrlman service he
turned general agitator and promoter,
but has risked very little of the estate
with which he is understood to have
connected himself by a lucky mar
riage. The people of Oregon will turn
down these shallow sophisters and so
cialists; and The Oregonian, to the ex
tent of Its ability and energy, will help
them and cast in its lot with theirs.
Its appeal will go to every man and
to every woman in the state who has
property and business and true sense
of the sphere and function of the
state; who believes in an independent
citizenship, wishes to avert the curse
of public ownership, and desires to
maintain a true democratic-republican
state, Instead of a socialistic travesty
of a state, wherein personal Independ
ence and private property will disap
pear. For a beginning, this statement Is
sufficient. It Is a simple prelude to
a considerable body of plain talk on
this subject by The Oregonian, be
tween this present now and Novem
ber, 1910.
THE PUBLIC'S INTEREST.
The Portland gateway case seems
to be developing into a serious matter
for the railroads. The testimony in
troduced at the hearing before the In
terstate Commerce Commission In
Chicago makes soma interesting dis
closures of precedents established, by
the Harrlman lines, by which the Hill
lines might be perfectly Justified in re
fusing to open their roads for long
haul traffic over the Harrlman system.
This testimony further reveals an un
usual degree of similarity in the policy
of the rival lines toward each other.
This policy, unfortunately perhaps for
all concerned, has failed to consider
the convenience of the patrons of the
roads. It seems perfectly clear from
this testimony that. If a traveler de
sired to make a round trip in Hill or
Harrlman mutual territory, the re
spective roads would place, all obsta
cles in the way of his returning over
the rival road.
The particular case which seems to
have forced this matter to an issue is
one in which Portland would derive
some benefit by a victory of the Har
rlman forces; but, regardless of any
advantages which might result, there
seems to be a much greater principle
involved than appears on the surface.
That principle Is the right of the peo
ple to demand some consideration In
A policy which so vitally concerns the
publio as well as the railroads. No
longer Ago than Wednesday Mr. B. H.
to ao avBtnOTiMa inwrfn
on the general railroad situation, said:
Lfon I m uiv jiv. w ' .
the railroads ar entirely free from blame.
I think they ar In a measure responsible
for the row raised recently. That 1 what
Inclines me to the belief that there is strong
need of mora co-operation between railroads
and the people and through them with the
la wm altera
Mr. Harrlman. probably did not
have- the Portland gateway case in
mind at the time he expressed his sen
timents as reported, but he brought
out the point which railroad man
agers in the past have either Inten
tionally or unintentionally overlooked.
In the present case we have two tub-lic-servlce
corporations serving the
same territory. They are permitted
to charge rates which are presumably
remunerative, and In return for these
charges are expected to give the pub
lic the best service possible in the ter
ritory concerned. One of these roads.
In its efforts to retain the greatest
possible amount of traffic on Its own
rails, is accused of, and has practical
ly pleaded guilty to, the charge of
placing obstructions in the pathway of
its competitor. Accused of the ob
structive policy, the offending road
sets up the plea that the complainant
in some other part of the country,
where the two lines operate In mutual
territory, is following exactly the
tame obstructive tactics. It does not
appear to have occurred to either of
these lines that the person who really
suffers by this unnecessary turmoil is
the humble passenger who pays the
bill, and who, by reason of the squab
ble, is put to unnecessary trouble and
expense.
Mr. Harrlman is right; the railroads
are not "entirely free from blame,''
and he Is also right In his belief that
"there Is strong need for more co
operation between railroads and the
people and through them with the
lawmakers." If the railroads were a
little more considerate of the rights
and conveniences of the people, there
would be a material lessening of the
antl-rallroad sentiment," which is
rather pronounced. Every west-bound
traveler who has his route disarranged
and Is put to unnecessary trouble In
rechecktng his baggage at Portland
will have anything but a friendly feel
ing for the road that la causing him
all the trouble.
ORATORY.
In his Commoner Mr. Bryan has an
article on "Lincoln as an Orator."
But Lincoln wasn't an orator at alL
He had no tricks of speech. He sim
ply "talked right on." But when he
spoke he said something. Now Bryan
is an orator. He engages the atten
tion of all or most who hear him.
But her never says anything.
Oratory 13 not for the reflective but
for the emotional mind. The greatest
orator, therefore. Is the best actor. It
doesn't matter what he says. It's his
way or saying it. The close thinker,
the deep thinker, can't be an orator at
all. His audience canVt follow him.
It was publication of Lincoln's
speeches that made his fame. Read
ing his speeches, people admired the
closeness of his statement and the
force of his reasoning. But merely as
an orator he was Inferior, Infinitely, to
Douglas. Hence Douglas carried the
crowd and was elected to the Senate
over Lincoln.
Before a general or miscellaneous
audience Lincoln would have no
chance at all against an easy, confi
dent, claptrap talker, like Bryan. An
audience must be entertained. It will
not listen when required to think.
For, as Shakespeare says, "action Is
eloquence, and the eyes of the Ignor
ant more learned than their ears."
DISHONEST STREET CONTRACTORS.
The generally accepted opinion In
regard to street work Is that property
owners are forced to accept such
service as is given by contractors In
material used, the kind of work per
formed and the time taken in its per
formance, regardless of specifications
In all of these lines by which they are
supposed to be bound. In the lang
uage used by contractors to protest
ing property owners, they have "the
city back of them," meaning, of
course, the city engineer's office, and,
as everybody knows, the city "needs
money." That this Is an exaggerated
opinion based upon the supposed
helplessness of the Individual tax
payer, has been frequently shown in
recent years by the united and suc
cessful resistance of a number of tax
payers to the demand for pay for
work obviously, and sometimes no
toriously lacking in vital points af
fecting its durability.
A case in point occupied the atten
tion of the State Circuit Court tn this
city during several days of a recent
week in which a number of property
owners on East Burnside street stood
together, resisting payment for an
improvement of that street as made in
1902. The protestants were anxious
with others, to have the street graded
and macadamized at that time. Many
of them had suffered from a plank
improvement of that thoroughfare
a few years before, and were anxious
for a durable Improvement, as street
paving goes and were willing to pay
adequately for such an Improvement.
It was specified in the contract un
der which the work was undertaken
that no rock larger than four inches
in its greatest diameter should be
used In the first course laid after the
street had been brought to the proper
grade, and that the top dressing
should be of screened gravel proper
ly packed and rolled. It soon be
came apparent that "four inches In
diamter" for rock of the first course
was being stretched to six, eight, ten
and twelve Inches tons of such rock
being mixed with smaller rock and
deposited on the street. Remon
strance on the part of some of the
property owners affected was disre
garded and in due time the fraudu
lent foundation was covered to a
depth of several Inches with "a mix
ture of loose earth, gravel and Boft
chipped or broken rock.
To make a compact, durable surface
of this by rolling or any other process
was of course impossible. Fall rains
came on and the street was soon a
quagmire with large rocks protruding
here and there through the surface of
the muddy pool. Summer came and
the top dressing of the street literally
"went into the air" In clouds of dust
except as It was wet down by street
sprinklers, scraped Into piles and
hauled away In the city's dump carts.
In the meantime those who had re
sisted payment had had their day in
court and upon some technicality
were defeated. Appeal to the Supreme
Court followed and the case was re
manded for rehearing. Disagreement
of the Jury followed in this instance.
The protestants rested, ' and lately,
they were called upon to pay up or
resist re-assessment. They chose the
latter course and after a stubborn
trial. In which, as at previous trials,
coany large recks taken from tfto
. i - . j k- tmrT-tnlril that
Street when it was opened shortly.
after the work was nnisnea, Dy ine
Water Company for the purpose of
laying a main, were in evidence, and
a number of property owners on the
street, besides the contestants, had
testified as to the nature of the im
provement, the Jury; after many hours
of deliberation compromised upon a
verdict which ordered the property
owners to pay twenty per cent of the
original assessment, thus throwing off
eighty per cent for defects in material
and construction.
Individual interests In this case
were small Insignificant Indeed as
compared with the public Interests in
volved. The result shows that If prop
erty owners will stand together to re
sist the Imposition of first-class pay
for Inferior material used, in viola
tion of contracts on street work, ana
present their case strongly and truth
fully before an open-minded Judge,
and Intelligent Jury they will not have
to submit to palpable fraud under the
name of street improvement. Whether
It acts as a warning to fraudulently
disposed contractors against Juggling
with specifications, or encourages
property owners to resist payment
made for fraudulent work In full con
fidence that they will get Justice In
the end by appeal to the courts and
Jury, this legal battle and its outcome
will prove valuable as an object-les-,
son.
While the city, on the part of the
contractors, feels that it was not ut
terly vanquished, the property own
ers In this case feel that they won a
substantial victory since they are gen
erally, willing to admit that the work
was perhaps worth one-fifth of the
sum that was claimed for it, having
served as a makeshift for traffic near
ly seven years. A petition for the
substantial Improvement of this prom
inent thoroughfare will doubtless soon
follow this decision, and it is safe to
assume that the work will be done the
next time with due regard to the
specifications.
THE MORALS OF THE STAGE.
Persons who feel the burden of pub
lic morality upon their souls seem to
be at their wits' ends for some way of
purifying the stage. They confess
that the theater is growing worse and
worse every day. Plays which were
deemed something dreadful ten years
ago are now received as models of
propriety, while the ones which scan
dalize us granting that we are ever
really scandalized, are frankly Inde
cent. How far Is this to go ? The
president of the Theatrical Managers'
Association in New York thinks it has
gone far enough already, and would
put a stop to Its baleful progress by
appointing a censor of the stage.
The censor is an ancient expedient.
He has been tried and abandoned in
almost every country in the civilized
world. It Is pretty commonly agreed
by those who know anything about
the history of the stage that no censor
ever helped its morality an atom,
while in his various embodiments he
has done incalculable injury to dra
matic art. A stage censor must either
follow hi3 own taste In licensing plays
or he must follow the taste of some
clique or faction. . If he follows his
own taste, then we have the lovely
spectacle of one great domain of liter
ary art subjected to- the gross preju
dices of a politician, for the man who
rises to the censorship is always a
politician, and one of the dullest sort,
since no decent man wishes such a
position, and no intelligent man feels
competent to fill It. If the censor
obeys a clique his decisions are in
evitably as narrow as factional fury.
But there Is no profit in discussing
the proposal to put the stage under a
censorship, because the public Is not
likely to permit it. The police already
exercise as much censorship as the
people will tolerate. We may gather
from a hint here and there In the dis
cussions that part of the present out
cry against the immorality of the stage
proceeds from commercial rivalry.
One manager puts on a successful
play, while his competitor Is caught
by a failure. What could be more
natural than for the unfortunate man
ager to attack the morality of the
other's play? All he needs to do Is
to define "immoral", as anything dif
ferent from the tone of his own pro
duction and he can rail to his heart's
content with no fear of an answer.
There Is also a clear tendency
among the old-fashioned New Tork
managers to call every play immoral
which seeks to do more than merely
amuse an audience. Thus Mr. Charles
Burn ham says in the New York
World: "If the play is good it enter
tains, and that's all clean-minded per
sons attend performances for." Bad
plays therefore are those which try
to do something else besides enter
taining, and people who attend such
plays are not clean-minded in Mr.
Burnham's estimation. Evidently he
has formed his opinions from a study
of his own audiences. It cannot be
admitted, however, that he is right or
anywhere near right. A great many
persons whose minds are as clean as
any theater manager's in the world go
to see plays which do much more than
entertain. There is little mere enter
tainment in King Lear. It is a severe
trial of the emotions to see the play
through, yet many persons undergo
the ordeal because they find noble
exercise of the intelligence in Its
poetry and moral instruction in its
plot.
"You don't go to the theater in the
hope that you will gain erudition. One
goes to a theater to distract his or her
mind and attention from the ordinary
troubles of existence and business."
Thus salth . further the sage Mr.
Burnham. Of course he is partly
right. Some people go to the thea
ter for distraction pure and simple,
but there are others who go not for
that purpose, but for high Intellec
tual enjoyment. They do not go when
they are tired, but when they are at
their best, in order to taste the full
excellence of the play. No person
wearied with business, or anything
else could enjoy Ibsen's Ghosts, and
for such It was not written. The
opinion of far the greater part of the
civilized world, both ancient and mod
ern, holds that the stage is a valu
able means of education and that the
cultivation it offers goes immeasure
ably beyond the entertainment of
tired traders. The New York man
agers have pretty generally forgotten
that the drama Is the highest form of
literature, and the stage the most ef
fective means of popular education.
Others are reminding them of it, how
ever, and they retort the best they can
by calling the newer plays Immoral
and declaring that people who go to
the theater to think instead of grin
are not clean-minded.
There is no Immorality In the dis
cussion of the vital problems of Ufa
on the stage. That Is what the stage
t for. Person who think It exists
merely to make somebody laugh and
forget his money troubles are sadly
mistaken. For that exalted purpose
the vaudeville and dime moving-picture
show exist. The true theater has
a higher mission. The immorality
which does really threaten It Is of a
character entirely different from what
Mr. Burnham and his ilk decry. It
is the immorality of indecent specta
cles, of lewd dances, of suggestive
songs. It is these things which cor
rupt the theater-goer, and they act
upon the mind of the "tired business
man" just as strongly as upon the
young boy and girl. It may be as
serted without the slightest fear of
contradiction that no person not al
ready hopelessly degenerate was ever
Injured morally by any play of Ber
nard Shaw's, of Ibsen's or of Pinero's.
Nor can they be harmed by such a
play as "The Easiest Way." Plays
which discuss serious subjects ear
nestly and reverently are not to be
feared. It Is the amusing, the enter
taining play, the one which appeals to
the senses and not to the Intelligence
which contains, the deadly poison and
instils it into the minds of the aud
ience. "
LIBERIA.
An echo from a far-away time of
perplexity and anxiety In the world
of philanthropy Is the word that heads
this article. A sign of earnest effort
for the elevation of his race long be
fore he was born, the word, carrying,
as it has always carried, a plea for aid
and comfort, falls from the lips of
Booker T. Washington. Now, as ever,
It stands for the theory that the negro
Is, under proper environment, capable
of self-government; it represents an
effort, now within ten years of a cen
tury old, to provide him with this en
vironment. Facing negro slavery at a period
when its abuses cried aloud to human
ity for abatement, and the negro prob
lem when there was practically no
place in law or ethics for free negroes
in the United States, wide-minded, but
to an extent visionary philanthropists
conceived the scheme of colonization
upon the west coast of Africa of such
members of the colored race as could
be induced to turn their faces toward
the land of their ancestors. The
United States Government" had begun
to- feel the prick of conscience in re
gard to its treatment of the negro,
and in response to appeal gave coun
tenance and aid to the scheme, . and
Liberia came into existence.
It has with varying fortunes main
tained this existence for nearly a cen
tury, making, however, little progress,
and, indeed, for the most part forgot
ten by the great world of civilization,
upon the border of which it has strug
gled for all these years without gain
ing a secure footing. This is not sur
prising. As stated by Mr. Washing
ton, the colony was composed at the
start of a small band of people Just
out of slavery in this country, with no
experience In government or In man
aging educational institutions and
without responsibility for their own
conduct. They were sent to a foreign
shore and practically abandoned to
their own efforts and devices. A lit
tle handful on the border of a mighty
continent, the great interior of which
swarmed with wholly uncivilized
black men. It Is surprising that for
ninety years these colonists, their de
scendants and such straggling recruits
as came now and again from the
United States, have held a place on
the map and even a precarious footing
among the peoples of the earth.
The citizens of Liberia now number
about 40,000, and back of them In the
Hinterland are about 1,600,000 sav
ages of their race. In the view of ex
Secretary Root, Liberia is an Ameri
can colony, and as such Is entitled to
the consideration, aid and comfort of
the Government. With this opinion
as the basis of his plea, Mr. Wash
ington urges the Government to' ren
der practical assistance to Its strug
gling colony. The people need advice,
direction and financial assistance in
commercial. Industrial and educational
lines. For the purpose of finding out
just what they need. It Is urged that
three commissoners be sent over there
without delay. Since the United States
Government stood sponsor for the
colony when it was established. It Is
urged upon It as a matter of duty that
the effort represented by the name
"Liberia" be not allowed to lapse and
the colony to perish.
IXXCOI.N'S REUGIOK.
The question whether Lincoln was
a religious man or not could never
have been raised by a very Intelligent
person. Everybody who has accom
plished anything In the world has been
religious, though not all of them have
been conventional or orthodox in their
faith. Lincoln, like many other great
men, paid little attention to the outer
forms of worship. He was Indifferent
to churchgoing and seldom or never
made a formal prayer, while nobody
thinks of asking whether he was ever
baptized or ceremonially united with
the church. Concerning such a man
as he was, these things do not matter.
The external rites of the churches are
like our clothes. To some they are
important to others trivial., There are
people who are uplifted by the knowl
edge that they are well dressed. Em
erson tells of a woman who said that
the consciousness of having seemly
garments on outweighed with her all
the consolations of religion. Plenty
of men and women become gentle, re
fined and even virtuous In proportion
to the excellence of their clothes,
while there are others whom raiment
makes contemptuous of those less
gaudily arrayed. It all depends on
what Is inside a man as to the way
outside things will affect htm.
So it la with ecclesiastical rites.
Some are helped by them to genuine
religion, to others they are an impedi
ment. Many mistake the- rites of re
ligion, which are but clothing, for re
ligion itself. Just as now and then a
man's attire is mistaken for the man
in spite of Burns and all the other
poets. The clothes of religion are no
more than a guinea stamp, like those
we wear on our- bodies. The gold
would be gold all the same if It had
never been to the mint. It was the
pure gold of religion, not the outer
covering, which Lincoln had. In
other words, he possessed faith in the
Innate justice of the world. If he had
not believed that Justice was woven in
the web of the universe, he could not
have found courage to sacrifice his life
for it. Men of his caliber do not
throw away their lives for something
they do not believe in. . Since Lincoln
gave his years and his energies for the
establishment of Justice among men,
we are compelled to admit his confi
dence In Its existence and its ultimate
triumph. He was not of those who
hold that the world' la a- good as it
ran Via that effort for the better
ment of insuDJcloA I ruaie, &a
that
contentment with present conditions is J
our duty. He was a great apostle ox
discontent j with evil and unconquer
able hope' for good. With his hope i
went tireless effort, for Lincoln was
anything but a dreamer. Above all
else he was a man of action striving
against terrible obstacles to make his
ideals real in the life of men.
Believing as he did In Justice and
the surety of Its ultimate reign on
earth, Lincoln must have believed in a
will supreme In the universe whose
rule is Justice. That he did believe in
God we krfow from his own words on
many different occasions; but if he
had never said so we should know It
quite aa well, for a universe without
a God is not one in which a man can
sacrifice himself to high ends or labor
for distant results. On the other
hand, Lincoln never tried to formulate
his idea of God in precise language.
Perhaps he never even thought of do
ing so. Multitudes of devout people
find their concept of God too large to
be expressed In set terms. The llmi-x
tatlons of language distort the noDie
outlines and minify the qualities of a
being who Is best known In pure con
sciousness. No person can truly tell
to another what he knows about God.
The revelation is always immediate.
This is the reason why men like Lin
coln are shy of discussing religion. It
is something too near and intimate.
They know well that words cannot
convey its significance and are only
too likely to give a false report of it,
do the best they can with them. Lin
coln never confessed his faith except
In largo, indefinite expressions which
might suggest to illuminated souls
what he meant but could not mislead
those who sought something more
tangible. To him religion was far
from the tangible.
Of course Lincoln never set to work
to tabulate the characteristics of the
Almighty. If he had said anything
upon the subject, he would have
agreed with the great Russian poet,
Pushkin, who addressed the deity as
"being whom we call God and know no
more." The efforts of theologians to
catalogue the attributes of God only
belittle the concept of him, while they
are not devoid of absurdity, since to
make the catalogue complete It would
have to be of infinite length. How
can we possibly kno-w what his quali
ties are? Lincoln held invincibly to
his faith that God is good and that ho
is consequently Just. Whether his
goodness agrees with our ideas or not
Lincoln never tried to ascertain,
though he must have felt that we, see
ing through a glass darkly, can com
prehend goodness only In part. His
ways are above our ways and what
seems to us Just may be terribly
wrong In the large view of one whose
horizon takes in the outer orblta of
space.
Lincoln's religion, therefore, was of
that kind which most of the great men
of the world have possessed and prac
ticed. It consisted of faith, not cere
monies. It was a method of life
rather than a creed. It gave him
ground for hope, sustained his cour
age and provided him with an aim for
his lifework. Anatole France has well
shown in his "Garden of Epicurus"
how little there would be to strive for
and how hopeless our labors looking
to the remote future would be If we
had no belief in a God who would
treasure up results and preserve
achievement so that the world might
grow permanently better. Lincoln believed-that
there was such a God, one
who numbers the hairs of our heads
and takes good care that nothing
worth saving shall ever be lost.
THE FCLT. FLOWER.
Now here is the crowning triumph
of the bunco game engineered by the
Governor and his serviceable friends
in" the Legislature, through the emer
gency clause business. J. S. Coke, a
Chamberlain partisan, Is appointed to
be a third Judge In the Second Judi
cial District, where such an emer
gency exists as can be met only by the
award of a Job to one who has stood
In on this deal and other deals. The
salient feature of this whole discred
itable transaction is that it was con
summated over the written protest of
Judges Hamilton and Harris, of the
Second District, who declared that
there was no need for three Judges,
but that two could do and were doing
the work. What excuse can the Gov
ernor give, or anybody give, for this
dirty traffic In Judicial Jobs, for which
the long-suffering state must pay?
But we are now seeing executive
"non-partisanship" in its full flower.
No scheme for the creation of any
new office to take care of some hun
gry political dependent has failed to
meet the encouragement of the Gov
ernor who has boldly and without
scruple traversed his written messages
and stultified his record that he
might, before he abandoned Salem for
Washington, reward a Gatens or a
King or a Slater, or others like them
who enjoy the sunshine of the Cham
berlain favor. What has become of
the long-sustained assumption of "our
George" to superior virtue in publio
affairs? It Is gone, utterly gone, and
there is now no pretense even that It
was or is genuine.
THE NAVT'S VALOR.
The voyage of the fleet around the
world will be remembered by histori
ans as one of the great events of the
Roosevelt Administration. Its effects
will be far-reaching and will endure
for many years. It is worth all It has
cost and will take high place among
the many proud achievements of the
Navy. Curious investigators who
trouble themselves to compare the
record of our fleets with that of our
armies do not find that the seafaring
arm of the service has much to be
ashamed of. The fleet under Paul
Jones won pretty nearly the only vic
tory we had to boast of in the Revo
lution before Yorktown. In the War
of 1812 it won victory after victory,
while the army was uniformly defeat
ed until Jackson retrieved its credit at
New Orleans. When the Rebellion
broke out, the army officers who had
been educated at West Point went
over to the foe in euch numbers that
the troops were left without capable
leadership, and it was the Navy which
remained true to the flag and by its
victories kept the country in heart and
hope while the soldiers were learn
ing how to fight. This - last exploit
of the fleet takes its place, therefore,
quite naturally in a glorious list, and
perhaps Its results will turn out to be
as Important as those of any of the
rest.
One outgrowth is, that, though all
the money the people should put into
state ownership of railroads were lost,
yet other and greater values would be
created by the railroads. This is
beautiful. It means the robbery of
some of the people for the benefit of
pothers, th tranater cf nnei nr. w.
edict of the state from those who have
labored for them and earned them
and paid the taxes, for the benefit of
speculators In lands, in various parts
of the state, who got the , lands for
little or nothing, and are holding
them for speculative prices, to be ob
tained by taxation of all the people
of Oregon. The moving force in this
business comes from those Eastern
Oregon land grants.
A Sherman County farmer, . who
sold wheat last Fall, has Just pur
chased 100 bushels for seed at $1
per bushel. Before that Wall-stroet
clique, which is reported to be or
ganizing a fight to a finish against
Wheat King Patten, goes too far with
the game, it might consider the case
not necessarily of the Sherman County
farmer but of a good many thousand
other short sellers who may be forced
Into the market to buy wheat at ex
travagant prices. As to the fortunate
few -who still have real wheat for
sale; they can view the forthcoming
battle with equanimity, so long as the
foreign market continues to absorb
the world's offerings at prices well
above the normal figure of recent
years. In his present campaign, Mr.
Patten seems to be receiving material
aid from those irresistible economic
forces supply and demand.
Something must have gone wrong
with the plans of that reported Wall
street syndicate of bears who were or
ganized for the purpose of puncturing
Mr. Patten's wheat boom. The May
option at Chicago yesterday soared up
to a new record, and closed at the
highest point of the season, $1.15
per bushel. A few more days of such
strength as the market is now dis
playing will result In another meet
ing of the American Society of Equity
for the purpose of fixing $1.50 per
bushel as a price "equitable alike to
seller and buyer." The Minneapolis
Market Record chides the society for
its ingratitude in falling to extend a
vote of thanks to Mr. Patten and his
followers for their kindness In tak
ing the slack out of the market and
carrying the surplus until demand
overtakes supply.
Stubbornly fighting every inch of
progress made by the irresistible
wave of decency and morality which
is sweeping over the country, the
gambler and his friends are being
carried into oblivion. Even wild and
wooly Nevada is seeking to escape
from the unenviable distinction of be
ing one of the few remaining tetatea
where the gambling parasite can ply
his trade and is about to move up
higher through passage of a law pre
venting licensed gambling. The bill
ha3 been made a special order for next
Wednesday and a Carson dispatch an
nounces that it will undoubtedly pass.
The Anti-Saloon League local op
tion bill was defeated at Olympia
Wednesday by a very close margin of
two votes. The small majority by
which the "wets" won, leaves an in
teresting field for speculation as to
what might have happened had that
noisy, sacrilegious, blatant humbug,
Billy Sunday, remained away from the
state capital. Christianity and the
cause of temperance have suffered
much at the hands of their alleged
friends, but from no agency in re
cent years have they received so many
body blows as from this professional
assassin of language and religion.
"Nevada," says a Philadelphia
newspaper, "perched upon the moun
tains and at a considerable distance
from the Pacific Coast, is as valiant
aa the goat which, standing irpon a
roof, applies Injurious epithets to the
wolf on the ground below. Nevada,
with the population of one of the
wards of Philadelphia, Is entirely
ready for war with Japan." That
Isn't bad, at all.
California having scotched the race
track evil, an army of hangers-on now
have the opportunity of doing an In
ternational service by taking the
places of undesirable Japanese as
fruitpickers. While the vocation may
not be so remunerative it is more hon
orable. Now that the agony is over, let
every Oregon taxpayer Inquire calmly
into the sins of omission and commis
sion by a Legislature whose members
were chosen by the people to express
the will of the people and then
despair.
"Colonel" Hofer grunts and grum
bles at the death of the medical bill.
The "Colonel" would allow a China
man with a certificate to practice and
forbid his grandmother prescribing
boneset tea.
Having provided for the emascula
tion of certain evils In Oregon, Dr.
Owens-Adair moves on to Washington.
Trouble is, her reform is not suffi
ciently drastic. But It may do for a
beginning.
Five men fishing Thursday oflf Long
Beach, Cal., encountered a serpent
forty feet long with a head as big as a
barrel. Jag-curists should secure some
of that bait for anti-toxin.
After forty days and forty nights,
like an elderly gentleman in history,
perhaps Oregon also could see dry land
and the dove, if it were not for the
enormous taxes.
If on the first of next month ten
ants who have no leasehold are noti
fied of a 5 per cent advance, they need
not be shocked. Increased rentals
are inevitable.
What makes the matter more irri
tating is that we haven't a Tweed or
a Croker or a Murphy or a Ruef to
blame. U"Ren Is out of politics, or
should be.
The man with the hunter lust, that
generally unfits him for steady labor,
can now do himself and his com
munity good under the bounty law.
It Is-reliably reported that 80,000
homeseekers will arrive in Portland
before May 1. Sh-sh, don't say a
word about taxes.
They say at Salem that it's a $4,000,
000 state. But it has a 30-cent Legis
lature. King Alfonso refused yesterday
to fly high. It was high time.
Gervais says it has a good opening
for a dentist. Cavity, probably.
And the wonder is that there was
not more vicious legislation.
.Great la leglslatlv rab ,
SILHOUETTES
BY ARTHUR A. GREENTT.
raHE marked advance In the price of
(dried prunes which is reported on
the market page Is a severe blow at
boarding-house keepers.
e e
It is hard for a woman to make a
secret gift to a charitable fund.
ess
Many men who are as good as their
word are not very good at that.
e
The henpecked husband never fully un
derstands the Declaration of Independ
ence until his wlfo leaves town for an
extended, visit.
e e
ilany people are so tardy that they will
wait for Gabriel to blow hlB trumpet the
second time on resurrection morn.
If men would stay sober they would
keep out of a lot of tight places.
s
The country will soon be able to hear
itself think. Roosevelt retires in two
weeks.
A genuine friendship outlives many
Joves.
ess
The Tucker scandal emphasizes the fact
that the Army needs a war to keep it
out of mischief.
e
Each yesterday should be a teacher to
every tomorrow.
see
He who has heard the eagle scream la
not easily frightened by the hooting of
owls.
see
Too often we give flattery the keys to
our heart and slam the door in the face
of plain-speaking honesty.
s s
When a man with only one leg gets
Into trouble he discovers the futility of
lame excuses.
e
Any man who is father to a teething
baby should be able to "make good" as a
floor-walker in a department store.
The Ilousehol il Pet.
Little Willie Snodgraes is his mother's
pride and Joy,
Innocent and full of baby tricks.
Now he ties a can to Towser, now he
vlvisacts the cat.
Now he sweetly licks the next-door
neighbor's boy;
Pelting Sister Annie playfully with
bricks.
Pouring syrup into papa's Sunday
"kicks";
Always planning something cute.
Now he's learning how to shoot.
And his infant fancy dotes on cigarettes.
Everybody, in the block
Says his parents ought to lock
Willie in the cellar for a spelL
When they try to comb his tresses,
Petting him with fond caresses.
Baby boy lets out a most unearthly Toll
He is cutest when he tries
Poking sticks in grandpa's eyes.
Which his father mildly argues Isn't
right.
r
Mother says lve him hla way,
Tla a Joy to see him gay.
For the dear child's very far from well
tonight."
Then he plays the grand planner
With a hammer in a manner
Bad enough to make a perfect angel mad.
Makes you dizzy when he's busy
This original "Blzzy lazy"
When he's happy, peace and quiet take a
hike
Mother's cunning ltttla toy. original
rough-house boy;
Surely, Willie is a very lovely tyke,
e s
The more one learns tho less ha la
certain of. A
a
A genius mlstrnderatood la ft age4
nightingale).
a
""Every one should havo few euemleai tm
boast of.
The surest way to keep from faffing la
to keep on looking upward and climbing.
The most effective argument again
woman suffrage is the disgraceful con
duct of the London suffragettes.
s s
A coward should not wear hlgh-beetedi
shoes.
In (leu of argument, foots make beta,
A man la only as rich aa he feels.
e
Many of us would be counted charto
able for giving looking-glasses to blind
men.
He who ride's behind another never gerta
to the front
It is better to eat porkchops and pay
for them than to indulge in terrapin on
credit.
see
Many pew-holders bring their clothes
into church and leave themselves out
side. s
To convince yourself how little you
know, Just try to answer a child's ques
tions. s
Those who persist in "butting in" sel
dom make much headway.
It's a pity there is no gallery in tho
House chamber at Salem, for that body
seems to have played in vain during the
entire session.
s
A rose by any other name costs about
the same at the florist's shop.
e s
Isn't it about time to declare an open
season oh peripatetic evangelists?
TIIE l ORKLOl'EK.
The gull shall whistle In his wake, the blind
wave break In fire.
He shall fulfill God's utmost will unknowing
tils desire;
And ho shall see old planets pass and alion
stars arise.
And rive the gale his reckless sail In shadow
of new skies.
Btrong lust of gear, shall drive him out
and hunger arm his hand
To wring his food from a desert nude, hi
foothold from the sand.
His neighbor's smoke shall vex his eyes.
their voices break his rest.
He shall go forth till South 13 North, sullon
and dispossessed:
And he Bhall desire loneliness, and his de
sire shall bring
Hard on hla hec'.B a thousand wheels, a
people, and a king;
And he shall come back In his own track,
and by his scarce, cool camp:
There he shall meet the roaring street, the
derrick, and the stamp;
For he must blaze a nation ways with
hatchet and with brand
Till en hi last-won wilderness an amnlMra
bulwarks stand.
a-iRudyara p''r""aj i