the STiypAY OREGomy, portlaxd. march 21, 1909.
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PORTLAND, SUNDAY. MARCH Zl. 1909.
ITALIAN POLITICS.
The Italian voters have shown their
satisfaction with Premier Giolittl's ad
ministration by giving him a large ma
jority in the new Parliament which
has just been elected. His govern
ment has been in power since .1904.
when he was supported by a coalition
of radicals and moderates and par
tially broke with the socialists. The
moderates included a certain number
of Catholic voters who were permitted
by the Pope to take part in Italian
politics for the first time since 1870,
when King Victor Emmanuel united
the states of the church to the king
dom of Italy and made Rome the cap
ital of the nation. Pius IX declared
that this was outright robbery of the
patrimony of St. Peter. Although the
government allowed him a large pen
sion and established entire freedom of
religion for Catholics and others, nev
ertheless the Pope declared himself a
prisoner, shut himself up In the Vati
can in resolute protest against what
, had been done, and forbade the faith
ful to participate in the elections of
the united kingdom. Some Catholics
obeyed his mandate. Others did not.
The Italians as a people are disposed
to reverence the spiritual authority of
the church while they reject its guid
ance In matters political. In' this they
resemble the French.
The abstention of the more rigorous
Catholics from politics naturally in
creased the power of the radical par
ties. In particular It worked to the
advantage of the socialists, who made
a great showing in the elections of
. 1900. When this fact was brought
home to the Pope, he somewhat re
laxed his prohibition against voting.
It was not formally repealed, but inti
mation went abroad in Italy that it
might be disregarded without offense.
The result was that In the election of
1904 a new conservative element made
Its appearance In politics. In Italy as
elsewhere, the church Is the irreconcil
able foe of socialism, and most of the
Catholics who had abstained from
politics in obedience to the Pope were
men ,who agreed with its policy on
this point. For the elections of 1909
the papal restriction was still further
relaxed. Catholics were formally per
mitted to vote in seventy-two constitu
encies, three of them in Rome Itself.
Whatever one may think of socialism,
therefore. It deserves the credit of
breaking down the isolation of the
Vatican and opening the way for even
the most devoted Catholics to exercise
their full citizenship In Italy.
, For many years it has been apparent
that nothing could come of the sullen
refusal of the Vatican to accept the
accomplished fact of Italian unity.
The church has rather lost than gained
influence on the Continent of Europe
In the interval, while Italy has
marched steadily forward. The real
or fancied necessity of keeping up a
great military establishment has made
taxes onerous for the people, but agri
culture has been- promoted, the state
has built numerous lines of railroad
which are operated by the government
at a good profit, and a great deal of
humanitarian, legislation has been en
acted. Old-age insurance for work
Ingmen has been instituted by the gov
ernment, the hours of labor for women
and children have been reduced, and
the penal code has been reformed.
The school system has also been made
Incomparably better than it was. In
1870, when Italy became a united na
tion, only 5.000,000 people out of the
22.000,000 it contained could read and
write. This universal ignorance ac
counts in a large degree for the almost
hopeless poverty of the country, while
the conviction that the old regime was
responsible for it has emibttered the
Inhabitants against the political domi
nation of the church.
The reappearance of a clerical party
In Italian politics has caused the vari
ous radical factions to coalesce against
it. These factions when they act to
gether, control a heavy majority of the
votes, both in Parliament and outside
. of it, so that there is no hope of a
ministry devoted to the interest of the
Vatican. The most the church can ex
pect is by deft management to gain
the balance of power. We know from
Germany how much can be accom
plished by a clerical minority which
acts with resolute determination
against every interest but its own. The
art of log-rolling, as it is called In this
country, has been carried to a perfec
tion in the fatherland which would
surprise our most facile politicians,
and there is probably no good reason
why it should not succeed quite as well
In Italy. We may infer possibly from
recent events that the politicians of
the church are planning to play off the
radical factions one against the other
and thus accomplish purposes of their
- own. .
Such a policy is likely enough to be
successful In the long run. It is un
deniably wiser than the alternative of
remaining In seclusion and doing noth
ing, but Its Immediate consequence has
been the union of all the radicals, in
cluding the socialists, to oppose the
clericals. The struggle between the
Catholic Church and the socialists is
In a certain sense world-wide.- Just
why it should have arisen is not en
tirely evident to one not in the secret
of ecclesiastical policy, since the social
ists in many particulars simply reiter
ate the doctrines of the founder of the
church, but the fact is known to
everybody. It is also curious to an
American observer to see the epithets
"Freemason" and socialist" linked
together, as they almost always are In
the fulmlnations of the clericals. In
this country. If there is any sympathy
between the socialist party and the
Masonic lodges, it is not discernible to
the public, but in France -the two or
rUaaUons were closely allied in the
recent struggle against the church, and
in Italy the Freemasons are classed
with the most active elements of radi
calism. Some persons profess to s.ee
in this a survival of the ancient strug
gle between Manichaeism and Chris
tianity. It is academic and useless to
speculate whether this inveterate Eu
ropean contest will ever extend to the
United States.
THE 11" T NAM I.I BEL CASE.
Mr. Reames is probably mistaken
in his opinion of the importance of
tne Putnam libel case. He says in his
letter, which is printed in another
part of the paper today, that it is a
case of small importance. The Ore
gonian does not believe -that anything
which seriously concerns the freedom
of the press can be deemed trivial.
Mr. Reames has a good deal to say
which is of more or less interest, but,
upon the whole, he does not Impart
any new information or advance any
adequate reasons for altering one's
previous views of the subject. The
truth is an issue in every libel case.
It is virtually the only issue there is
under our statutes, because, if the
Jury is convinced that the truth has
been told, it will almost certainly de
cide that the motive was justifiable.
Every circumstance in any way con
nected with the affair was part of the
truth. In order to make up their
minds intelligently about .what hap
pened, the Jury had to know all the
facts. Judge Hanna held that, no
matter what the facts were, they
would not show that the officers were
corrupt. That was his opinion, no
doubt an entirely honest one. Still to
the jury those very facts might have
proved that Putnam told the truth
when he said the officers were corrupt
and the accused had a right to take
his chance upon it. There can be no
doubt whatever in the mind of an un
prejudiced person that the Supreme
Court decided properly when it or
dered a new trial for Putnam on the
ground that the whole truth of the af
fair should have gone to the jury.
What the effect of that truth will e
it is hardly safe for anybody to pre
dict. Mr. Reames thinks it will do
Putnam no good. Perhaps it will not,
but, however much of a cheap scrub
he may be, and however reprehensible
his methods may have been, still he is
entitled to his opportunity under the
statute, and the Supreme Court has
done "well to shield him from wrong.
MAKING THE DESERT BLOSSOM.
Of the thirty-one irrigation projects
undertaken by the Reclamation Serv
ice, nine were completed by the first
of the year. The expenditure at that
date was $42,091,000 for all projects,
with a balance of over $47,000,000 yet
to be spent on work in progress. It
may be of interest-to know that , the
most expensive is the Okanogan proj
ect in Washington, where 9000 acres
are to be reclaimed, at an estimated
cost of $585,000, about $67.50 per
acre, and on which about 80 per cent
of the work is done. The least expen
sive, as estimated, is the Minidoka
pumping project in Idaho, to reclaim
49,900 acres at J12 an acre. This,
however, Is in connection with the
Minidoka gravity project, which is
complete at a cost of a trifle above $21
for each of its 84,200- acres, which is
a factor in lessening the cost of the
sister project. Other expensive canals
are the Tleton, in Washington, for
30,000 acres at $60 an acre, and the
Umatilla project of 20,446 acres at
a dollar less. These two are about 80
per cent complete. One of the largest
projects is the South Side division of
the Payette-Boise, about half done, to
cost $36 per acre for water to reclaim
132,000 acres. The greatest acreage
is in the Klamath project, in Oregon
and California, 165,000, the estimated
cost of which Is $36 an acre.
All of the projects are located in
regions where the soil is very fertile,
and just as soon as water is put on
the land its value rises to a minimum
of $200 an acre. Such will be' the
case with the Malheur project, in East
ern Oregon, latest reports from .which
state the. owners of the road grants
have signed up. Reclamation of the
land in that part of the state will add
millions to its taxable value, a bless
ing much to be desired, to say naught
of the addition to the producing ele
ment of the population of the state.
DISCOVERIES OF OIJ GREEK PAINTING
At last samples of ancient Greek
painting have been unearthed, show
ing that the Greeks probably were the
world's champion painters, as well as
the most artistic sculptors and build
ers. Discoveries of painted grave
stones or stelae, at Pagasae, in north
ern Greece, twenty-four hours' sail
from Athens, at the northern head of
the Gulf of Volo, off the Aegean Sea,
have stirred the enthusiasm of archae
ologists. The painted figures, some 6t
them In their original colors unfaded,
bridge mankind across the intervening
gap of twenty-two hundred years, to
reveal an art that civilization has been
striving to see through many centu
ries. Pagasae was the home of Jason,
whose mythical voyage for the golden
fleece has Inspired the literature of all
Aryan peoples. From Jason's ship
Argo has come the word argonaut,
and many a ship has borne that name
since. Jason was reared by the cen
taur Chiron, in hiding from his half
brother Pellas, who had deposed from
the throne of Iolcus his father Aeson.
On reaching manhood Jason demand
ed the. kingdom, which Pelias prom
ised to give him should Jason bring
the golden fleece from the king of Col
chis, now Kutais. in Russia, on the
east end of the Black Sea. This was
a stupendous voyage, for those days,
and Pelias thought he would see Jason
never again, since the golden fleece
was guarded by a dragon. Jason suc
ceeded through the black arts of the
enchantress Medea.
It was customary for the old Gre
cians to erect gravestones to their dead,
as modern people do. The Grecian
slabs, or stelae, as they" were called,
were carved or painted. They stood
three or four feet high, and were one
or two feet braad. Some of the
choicest carvings of antiquity have
come down on these tablets, but the
paintings have not withstood the rav
ages of time. Those recently discov
ered lay for more than two thousand
years as the filling between two parts
of a wall that was built around Pa
gasae for defensive purposes. While
none of the paintings are by eminent
masters, they are extremely valuable.
In the absence of any master paintings,
they indicate a highly developed art!
The slabs represent some episode in
the life of the departed. One portrays
the pathos of death in childbirth
the mother lifeless, the husband grief
stricken, the infant in itie care of a
nurse all with a fidelity and beauty
that make modern people believe that
Greek . painting rivaled the excellence?
The discoveries are described in a
brief article in the Independent, by
Professor Edward B. Clapp, of the
University of California. "Perhaps
some one may be inclined. to ask,"
says the writer, "how we know that
the admired works of the painters of
the fourth century B. C. were mas
terpieces. The answer is easy. We
know it from the testimony of the
ancients themselves. And among
these ancients there are not a few
whom we have learned to respect as
unerring" critics of art. The paintings
of Apelles, for example, were held in
quite as high esteem by his contempo
raries, as the statues of Praxiteles, and
this in a generation whose critical
taste was instructed and refined by the
daily study "and enjoyment of works
of. art of all kinds, which the iworld
still regards as of supreme excellence.
Incredible as it may seem, it is not
unlikely that if we possessed, unin
jured, the Aphrodite Anadyomene of
Apelles, we should rank it even'above
the Dresden Madonna, just as we are
forced to admit a grandeur in Phidas,
which even Michael Angelo could not
attain."
All this suggests anew the unques
tioned antiquity of an art far antedat
ing the Greeks, upon which Greek art
was bullded. One thousand years be
fore the time of Pagasae stelae, the
Egyptians were doing surpassing work
in sculpture and architecture. The
products of the Egyptians of course
did not equal the skill of the Greeks,
yet occasionally were remarkably life
like. "The modeling ' of the human
figure at this time," says Breasted,
in his history of Egypt, speaking of
the reign of Ikhnaton, Pharaoh of
1375-58 B. C, "was so plastic that at
first glance one Is sometimes in doubt
whether he had before him a product
of the Greek age." Eight hudnred
years later, or two hundred years be
fore Alexander's conquest, the Egyp
tians attained results in sculpture
which the same author says "can only
be compared with the portraits . of the
Greek sculptors at the height of their
skill, and they do not suffer by the
comparison'
Egyptologists are also making im
portant discoveries. Recently it -was
announced that the coffin of Ikhnaton's
mother had been discovered. But no
discoveries in any part of the Mediter
ranean will surpass in interest those of
the sepulchral paintings in Pagasae.
BEST-SELLING BOOKS.
In the little play of "Pygmalion and
Galatea," In -which Mary Anderson
used to shine with a radiace so mild
and lovely, an old Roman plutocrat,
having bought a statue of Pygmalion,
desires to pay him for it by the pound.
The sculptor rejects the offer with
scorn, holding that there is no quanti
tative standard for estimating the
worth of works of art. Their value is
a matter of feeling which can neither
be weighed nor measured, and any
payment which is made for a picture
or statue must be merely in the na
ture of a suggestion or symbol of its
real worth. The money standard, how
ever, fights for existence with terrible
tenacity. We are prone - to measure
the amount of genius in a statue, by
the price it brings in the market, and
to compute the literary excellence of a
book by the number of copies sold.
Nor is this method so bad as some
people think, or pretend to think, it is.
The only way to test it is by observing
how it works in practice. Are more
copies sold of good books than of bad
ones? If more copies of good books
are sold, then clearly the sales record
is a fair indicator of literary value.
Few will undertake to deny that the
best book in the world is the Bible.
If our rule for estimating literary ex
cellence is correct, it ought to sell
faster than any other work, and as a
matter of fact It does. Except a crank
here and there, the man who has not a
Bible in his house feels deeply dis
graced. It is -a necessary article of
furniture, and many people will go
without a carpet on the floor to have a
Bible on the center table. , Certainly
in this case popularity is a true meas
ure of literary merit. How is it with
Webster's spelling book? This work
of genius is despised and rejected by
persons who profess to find consola
tion in "Paradise Lost," but it does
not necessarily follow that their judg
ment is correct. Tolstoi defines a work
of true art as one which tends tounite
mankind into one great brotherhood.
Now nothing promotes brotherhood so
vigorously as a common lagnuage, and
it is idle to talk about a common lan
guage unless we all spell it in the same
way. If one man spells "turner" with
the letters "tyrniour," and another
with "phtholognyrrh," both of which
combinations indicate the desired
sound equally well under our admir
able system of orthography, they iwill
not understand each other and there
fore cannot be said to possess a com
mon language. Fortified by consider
ations of this nature, and relying upon
Tolstoi's theory, with which William
Morris and Ruskin agree, we conclude
first that Webster's spelling book has
done more to promote the brotherhood
of the human race than any other
book except the Bible; and secondly,
that it is next to the greatest literary
work ever produced. It ought, then,
to be ,the second best seller in the
world. Upon investigation we find
that it Is. One rejoices to record that
since Webster's epoch-making., work
was first issued more than 30,000,000
copies have found an eager market.
Even the most recalcitrant adherent
of old creeds and outworn theories
ought now to own that he is van
quished and heartily concede that the
number of copies sold is the true
measure of the literary value of a
book. In case he still holds out, he is
invited to'answer the question whether
a thousand times five hundred is more
or less than twice a hundred thousand.
At first glance the inquiry may seem
impertinent in a literary discourse, but
it is not. It goes to the very heart of
the subject. By its aid we shall dem
onstrate our thesis beyond all possibil
ity of cavil. Let us make the ludi
crous supposition that five hundred
copies of Shakespeare will be sold an
nually for a thousand years. The sup
position is ludicrous because many
more will be sold, but one likes to
be on the safe side in conducting an
argument. The sum total will be half
a million copies. On the other hand,
of a work like "Trilby" a hundred
thousand copies will be sold annually
for two years and then the book will
be forgotten forever and ever. Ap
plying our measure of literary merit,
w-e find Shakespeare to possess at least
two and a half times as much of that
desirable quality as "Trilby."
The truth of the matter is that in
the long run popularity is the best and
in fact the only measure of literary or
any other kind of value. Fundament
ally, all value is the same, and those
j who undertake to discriminate between
the value of a work of art and that of
a spade will always find themselves in
great difficulty. At first glance, to be
sure. the difference sems -lna.
enough. A spade Is useful, while a
picture simply pleases. One has es
thetic value, while that-of the other is
only utilitarian. But if wa in riii T0-a
ourselves for a moment in the luxury
or oemg honest, we must admit that
the spade also pleases, that in simple
truth it pleases a s-reat deal -mnrA
poignantly, and affects many times
more people than the picture does. At
the bottom of things the esthetic is
nothing more than a faint and fer.in
Image of the utilitarian. People -who
say mat a spade is not beautiful are
only less silly than those who say a
picture is not useful. Everything
which contributes to the extension of
life is both beautiful and useful. When
we delve beneath the surface of things
the two words are found to mean the
same.
THE DEMONSTRATION TRAIN.
The railroad demonstration train
has become one of the most important
features of promotion and educational
work on the part of our great trans
portation systems. For several years
"corn specials" have been running
through the great cereal-growing dis
tricts of the Middle West. So effec
tive has been their work that in many
localities' there has been directly
traceable to their efforts an increase
of 50 per cent in the average yield'
per acre where demonstration ' train
methods have supplanted the old-time
system of farming. In the South sim
ilar good results have followed the ap
pearance of the "boll weevil specials,"
which the railroads have operated
through the cotton districts, where
farmers annually suffered tremendous
losses by the ravages of the pest that
ruined such a large proportion of the
cotton crop in many counties.
The Harriman lines in. the Pacific
Northwest have undertaken this work
on an elaborate scale, their demonstra
tion trains which have already made
tours of the farming districts not only
attracting large crowds, but actually
awakening an interest in the subject
that cannot fail to show good returns.
The two demonstration trains which
will be operated by the Harriman lines
next week will cover widely divergent
features of farm life, but each in its
special field will accomplish much
good. No farmer wio will pay strict
attention" to the advice and 'instruc
tions given by the experts who, accom
pany these trains can fail to derive
some benefit from them.
The truth of this has been- demon
strated " so' often that the railroads
cheerfully spend large sums of money
equipping and operating these trains,
knowing to an absolute certainty that
the money will be returned to them
In the shape of .increased traffic cre
ated by better methods of farming.
The high prices at which all classes
of farm products are' selling have quite
naturally made the agricultural indus
try much more attractive than ever
before, and with the railroads striving
to increase the output and showing
how it can be done, the value of the
industry to the country will be rapidly
enhanced."
m -
AS TO PORTLAND'S MAYOR.
Not diffidence nor lack of duty holds
the many aspirants for Portland's
Mayor . from marching up to the City
Hall with petitions for Republican
nomination. The gentlemen all are
men of courage and patriotism. But
somewhere is a flaw. Two years ago
this day the candidates were not hid
den; nay, indeed, they had hied them
selves into the open, so that all their
fellow-citizens might see and choose.
It may be the aspirants are filled
with too much respect for Dr. Harry,
the incumbent, to declare by any act
of theirs that he is not good enough
to succeed himself. But, on. second
thought, the aspirants are probably not
to that degree respectful. Perhaps,
then, they have so much regard for
one another that they dislike to put
themselves first. But as such fine sen
timent was never seen in Oregon up to
this writing, one probably presumes
too much even to think of it.
It may be the aspirants fear their
respective superior merits may 'not
win the regard of the people. If they
feel that way, all good citizens will
seek to dissuade them from the no
tion. They ought not to look too
closely at the fate of the patriots who
were beaten by the present holders of
office in state, couflty and city govern
ment. Some day a Moses will arise to
lead this chosen people of Oregon out
of the wilderness, and who knows but
the next Mayor of Portland will be the
Moses ?
Candidates should not, therefore, be
dismayed by the dismal spectacle of
United States Senators, Legislature,
state officials or City Council. Merit
will find reward If it lives long enough.
Let the gentlemen all get in. The
people cannot be so bloodthirsty that
they will always scratch and slash.
FRENCH INCOME TAX.
The French income tax, which is
causing some disturbance for the
wealthy classes and corresponding
hilarity among those who have no in
comes, unlike some of its predecessors
in European countries, was not levied
as a war tax nor as a free-trade meas
ure. Instead, it is intended as an ad
junct to a protective- tariff, and is ex
pected to ease the burdens 'on those
who are in pcor condition for bearing
them and perhaps to bear a trifle
harder on those who have incomes.
The income tax in Europe is more than
a century old. It was France which
first forced Great Britain to levy such
a tax. Then it was regarded strictly
as a war tax, and, as soon as the Na
poleonic wars were ended, it was abol
ished, and for nearly twenty-five years
revenues were obtained from other
sources.
The Income tax was a prominent
feature of the Cobden financial policy,
and it has been retained since that
eminent free-trader incorporated it
with his scheme of finance as a sub
stitute for tariff duties. It has grown
into such proportions in England that
today nearly one-fourth of the ex
chequer receipts of the United King
dom comes from income taxes. The
new French law, while termed by its
opponents "a cleverly devised appeal
to the masses," seems on the whole to
be framed about, as fairly as it would
be possible to - have such a measure.
It is based on the theory that the
wage-earners and recipients of small
incomes should escape with lower
taxes than under the present system.
To accomplish this result many of' the
petty taxes which have made the
French tax system ridiculous will be
abolished, and in their place the deficit
will be made up by the graduated tax
on incomes. " ,
This rate of taxation will increase as
the size of the income increases, nnri
it will also be based to & considerable
extent on the sources from which the
Income is derived. For example, in
comes which are earned will be tn-rAri
less than those which are secured by
inheritance or investment. There is
also a provision in the law which pro
vides for "a hle-riAi- ia r f taTstiAn nn
an alien than on a French citizen. The
income tax in the United States until
quite recently has been a dead issue,
since the Supreme Court decided that
it was unconstitutional. The princi
pal grounds for this decision, which
was rendered in a test case to deter
mine the merits of the income-tax
feature of the Wilson tariff act in 1894,
was that the Constitution expressly
states that "all duties, imposts and
excises shall be uniform thrniirhnnt
the United States."
' The French experiment will be
watched with considerable, interest, as
It is certain to make some great
changes in the entire social and indus
trial system, its effect being radically
different from any which might follow
the levying of an Income tax for war
purposes. '
COLONEL BULLY SELLERS SCHEME.
Colonel Daniel J. Sully, who became
famous a few years ago by buying
large quantities of cotton "from men
who had no cotton and at the proper
moment accepting in lieu thereof gold
and greenbacks at par value, has an
other scheme. He sets forth its merits
in the April Cosmopolitan, and the
proposition in many respects resem
bles that of another celebrated Colonel
named Sellers. Colonel Sully is desir
ous that the American Government
shall take charge of the cotton output
of the United States and store it until
such a time as the price rises to a
point that is satisfactory to the grow
ers. Against this stored cotton Colo
nel Sully would have the Government
Issue certificates which would pass as
legal tender. He asserts that "the
steadying influence- these certificates
would have upon American finance
cannot be overemphasized," and that
the present resources of the banking
institutions consist of stocks abnor
mally sensitive to economic changes.
"Cotton certificates issued by the
United States Government under a
comprehensive chain of bonded ware
houses," says the Colonel, "would in
troduce to the American banks loan
ing money on these receipts and re-discounting-them
a new and all-important
form of what are called liquid
assets. Cotton would, therefore, cre
ate the elasticity long needed in Amer
ican finance."
"Elasticity" and "liquid assets" are
fairly good terms for describing the
kind of collateral that cotton .would
make if it were stored away until tne
price suited the growers. It is to be
feared, however, that the elasticity
would be so great that it would be im
possible to prevent this new factor in
American finance from displaying such
excessive "stretching" that confidence
might be disturbed. There is also the
danger of some of these liquid assets
trickling out through the cracks in
the warehouse floor.
There is nothing new in the scheme
of Colonel Sully except the commodity
which is to supply the collateral.
There is also no possibility of its be
ing seriously considered. If the Gov
ernment began warehousing cotton
and guaranteeing the warehouse cer
tificates, it could not consistently re
fuse to follow the same course with
wheat, corn, oats, potatoes, butter,
eggs and all other agricultural prod
ucts which at stated periods and in
some localities display so much elas
ticity that they are not at all attractive
to purchasers.
OUR WHEAT "RESERVE."
The manner In which the misleading
Government report is being used to
depress wheat prices in the East is
shown in a circular Just received in
Portland. It is Issued by C. A. King &
Co., of Toledo, O., one of the best
known grain houses outside of Chi
cago, and reads:
- Pacific Coast wheat la 'coming East. Re
liable railroad officials say they are ship
ping Oregon,- Washington and Idaho wheat
east to mill in transit to southern markets.
Farm reserves in the three states this
month are estimated at 9.000,000. while
the crop this year was 43.000.000 bushels,
6.000,000 less than a year ago. Pacific
Coast shipped 20.000,000 east during the
Gates year, but cannot this season. Prices
are different and the supply is smaller.
There is no wheat going East except
the usual limited supply of fancy stock
which is used for breakfast foods.
The farm reserves of the, three states,
as previously stated, are not to exceed
1,000,000 bushels, and the total
amount In farmers' hands, at tidewater
and in the mills in the three states is
less than 5,000,000 bushels, an amount
hardly sufficient to supply home re
quirements until another crop Is avail
able. The ridiculous feature of this
story, which was eagerly gobbled up
and used by the bear interests on
the Chicago Board of Trade, lies in the
Impossibility of securing any wheat in
the Pacific Northwest at a figure that
would admit of its being delivered
anywhere in Chicago territory at less
than 1.34 per bushel on track.
Compared with this figure, it is pos
sible to buy wheat of a similar grade
In Chicago at less than $1.25 per
bushel, and in the outyling markets
for less money. If the gentlemen
who are engineering the bear cam
paign are depending on receiving a
considerable portion of 9,000,000 bush
els of Oregon and Washington wheat
to deliver on May and July contracts,
or to replace other wheat which can
be delivered on those contracts, they
are doomed to experience an awaken
ing that may prove costly.
FOREIGN LANGUAGES.
Fresh Interest in the study of mod
ern languages has been awakened, by
the action of Harvard University,
which has placed French and German
on an equality with Latin and Greek
as entrance studies. The student must
be able to read and write them and to
understand them when spoken. This
Is more knowledge than students often
acquire of any foreign language in
school. All that a boy or girl usually
acquires' is some knowledge of the
grammatical structure, the forms of
the irregular verbs and the ability to
read if there is a dictionary at hand.
Without a dictionary even reading is
beyond them. The Springfield Repub
lican well remarks that our schools do
not teach the languages as well as they
are taught in Europe. It Is a rare
thing for an American to speak French
or German as fluently as foreign pupils
learn to spaak English.
One reason for this deficiency is our
Inveterate love - of formal grammar,
which we conceive to Impart some pre
cious species of culture not otherwise
to be attained. Our pupils learn gram
mar, but not language. In the sec
ond place, we do not begin with them
early enough. The time for acquiring
new language is m the first school
years. In the high school it is too
late, except for rare scholars. Some
can take up a new language in middle
life and master it thoroughly, but most
people either learn a language in child
hood or not at all. French and Ger
man would be desirable substitutes for
the excess of arithmetic and geography
now taught in the primary grades, and
would have the great advantage of be
ing useful. Nothing adds more to a
persons's opportunities in the world
than facility in one or more foreign
languages. Beginning German in the
third or fourth grade and pursuing it
for three or four years, a pupil could
leave school with a good speaking and
writing knowledge of it. If he knew
uul nnie oi me grammar, it would not
matter. He could remedy the defect
later in life. - SensiblA ln.air.ii.tinn i
the foreign tongues, combined with
manual education, would make a great
Improvement in the curricula of the
public schools.
Monmouth repudiates any sugges
tion or intimation that it supports the
proposed referendum against the Ore
gon Agricultural College appropria
tion. The Monmouth Commercial
Club has adopted resolutions designed
to mate clear the position of that com
munity, which is of entire friendliness
to the Corvallis institution. It seems
plain that the great Ashland enterrrlA
will not have much indorsement else
where. Or is it an Ashland project?
ow many people there really fancy
that the movement is judicious or is
beneficial either to the state or to the
normal schools? Just now, when feel
ing is acute, it may be easier to get
signatures to the referendum petition
than later, when the inquiry will nat
urally arise in the mind of the average
citizen of Jackson County as to what
he is really accomplishing for himself
by endeavoring to injure Corvallis.
In connection with the article on
top grafting old apple trees, published
on page 2 of the magazine section to
day, M. O". Lownsdale wired The Ore
gonian late last night that, owing to a
fault in one of the illustrations (Cut
No. 3), orchardists are likely to be
misled in that particular. The scions
at top, bottom and left should be re
versed and all so placed that the cam
bium of scion and trunk coincide.
Nurserymen know and others may
learn that the cambium is the soft cel
lular tissue between wood proper and
inner bark. It is in this tissue that
growth takes place and perfect contact
Is necessary. If grafted according to
the plate,' a complete failure would re
sult. If. to save time, we must abbreviate,
let it be Taft, pure and simple, just
plain Taft. It may be forgivable on
the .unique occasion of the Yale din
ner for the President of the United
States to be universally hailed as
"Bill," but hereafter all should drop
that undignified familiarity. The
country had a rest from this fashion
during the period between "Jim"
Blaine's candidacy and the accession
of Roosevelt. After seven years of
"Teddy," this Nation can afford to do
without a diminutive name for its
chief executive. There are more ap
propriate ways of expressing respect
and affection.
It needed such an accident as hap
pened at "central" yesterday rnorr.lng
to demonstrate the universal depend
ence on the telephone. ' Fortunately,
paralysis of the service was of short
duration. No one suffered except the
subscribers ; still the loss of time and
temper in the aggregate was very
large. The mishap again illustrates
the fact that any wire carrying elec
tric current involves danger of fire.
Perhaps experience will teach builders
and electricians the cause of "myste
rious" combustion, and inventive skill
may fashion effective safeguards.
Mr. William Hanley has been indict
ed for illegal fencing of 85,000 acres of
land In Malheur County." He is one of
the gentlemen who want the state to
go into the -railroad business for the
benefit of their land in Eastern Ore
gon. C. E.,S. Wood, In the pay of a
land grant company, is another.
The Hawaiian Legislature has a
streak - of humor. The Senate has
passed a bill to forbid aliens fishing
in those waters. If there is anything
in the islands that is not alien, it is
in the dark. The bill is aimed at the
Japanese, of course.
Dr. Woods Hutchinson, formerly of
Portland, now at large, is now de
scribed by the reporters as "the emi
nent medical authority." That will
make the other Portland doctors feel
good.
When District Attorney Cameron
wagered money on his own election as
Governor next year, he did not have
In mind one of the provisions of the
corrupt-practices law.
When Mayor Lane says Portland
weather is unfit for monkeys, he ought
to specify the kind he means -those
in the City Park or those in the City
Council. '
Governor Benson is said to desire his
old office again after next election.
The next Governor might not, how
ever, be elected United States Senator.
Let us see. The telegraph is state
owned in France, and state ownership
is the great panacea for labor trou
bles. But not this year. Just yet.
District Attorney Cameron has bet
twenty-five dollars that he will be
Oregon's next Governor. Then he ex
pects to prosecute Banker Ross?
A woman spiritualist leader has
been jailed in Spokane for assault.
Locks and ropes should not detain a
true one of the cult.
Stormy weather again at the equi
nox. But of course it's an old fallacy
that the two have any connection as
cause and effect.
The gentlemen who want the Job of
Federal Judge in Oregon doubtless are
grateful to Fulton for having the job
created. -
There was no maudlin foolishness
about that Cooper verdict yesterday.
The jury said it was just plain mur
der. Luckily for Oregon's Senators, there
is no prospect of moving Portland's
postofflce to a Puget Sound city. .
It will be noted that Harriman's
physicians said he has done enough,
not that he has done too much.
THAT O. A. C. REFERENDUM.
KnniR. w
Harney County News.
The people of Ashland have started a
movement to call the referendum on the
appropriation for the Agricultural Col
lege. This is in a spirit of revenge be
cause the normal schools were knocked
out.
Spite Work.
Portland Labor Press.
The proposal to call a referendum upon
the appropriation for the Agricultural
College u spite work pure and simple.
The normal school sang are mad because
their graft" ha3 been cut off and now they
are going to do their best to cripple the
most useful educational institution in th
state. Whether the normal gang are get
ting any help from other sources or not
The Labor Press, of course, cannot say.
Proposal In All Wrong:.
Gervais Star.
To curtail the usefuln?ss of the Oregon
Agricultural College would be very un
fortunate Indeed. The proposition to In
voke tho referendum upon the O. A. C.
appropriation is all wrong and should
not be for a second tolerated by the peo
ple of Oregon. It 'was born in malice and
should have io standing. There is no
warmer friend of the normal school any
where than is the Gervais Star's editor.
We cannot believe that the normals
woul-i stoop so low as to interfere with a
more fortunate educational institution.
Better dwell in unity and keep everlast
ingly at it.
No Alarm Over This Bogle.
Corvallis Gazette.
The project will fail, as it-must Justly
deserve to, for the simple reason that the
Intelligent and sensible people of Oregon
know the great work that O. A. Ci is do
ing and . how necessary it Is for the col
lege to be properly equipped In order to
impart Just that sort of practical instruc
tion the people themselves most desire.
There Is no cause for alarm, no reason
for becoming hysterical over the appear
ance of this bogle, no profit to be gained
in arousing further animosity. The people
of Oragon know full well the necessity
for thoroughly maintaining the O. A. C.
and they cai be depended upon to do it,
too.
Overworking; the Referendum.
McMinnville Telephone Register.
There seems to be grave danger of the
referendum being overworked this year.
The result of Its abuse by the people of
the State of Oregon can be nothing short
of bringing an otherwise useful agency of
the people into disrepute. Whenever the
referendum is invoked through revenge
the intent of the act is nullified. This
referendum will very likely fail. The
agricultural districts of the State of Ore
gon will remain loyal to the only college
in that state that makes a pretense of
catering to the wants of the farmer, the
dairyman and . the horticulturist in the
dissemination of knowledge useful in
their several vocations.
School Stands for Enlightenment.
Pendleton East Oregonian.
It would be absurd, indeed, to hold up
the O. A. C. appropriation because the
normals were not properly treated. The
Agricultural College was not responsible
in the least for the mistreatment of the
normals. The Benton County delegation
fought for the normal schools. Possibly
the Southern Oregon people want to strike
a blow at the mossbackism of the Wil
lamette Valley. But they should not at
tack O. A. C. That school stands for
the progressive element, not for the moss
backiam of the Valley. Let it be hoped
that nothing will come of -the attempt to
refer The Agricultural College appropria
tion. Making; a Great Mistake.
S&ntlam News.
While the News thinks the appropria
tions made for O. A. C. are extravagant
and ought to be curtailed, the spirit of
revenge or retaliation with which our
Jackson County friends are invoking the
referendum, we believe, 13 a mistake. The
referendum should be invoked only from
a spirit of justice and fair dealing. Jack
son County people should remember that
the Crater Lake road proposition for the
passage of automobolies is not yet out of
danger. Other people can act from re
venge motives, as well as they, if they
wish to do so. Our Jackson County
friends are making a mistake. They
should have some other county start the
referendum movement against O. A. C.
Let Eugrene Set the Example.
Eugene Register.
Again tho Register desires to urge upon
the people of Lane County the wisdom
of passing up tha proposed referendum
on the Agricultural College appropriation.
The Corvallis institution needs and de
serves every dollar asked for and received
at the hands of the Legislature. If the
Eugene Commercial Club and all other
such organizations in the county as well
as the granges would pass strong reso
lutions in opposition to the movement it
would have a big influence not only in
this county, but over the entire state,
toward stopping the movement. Let the
Eugene Commercial Club set a good' ex
ample by acting at the earliest possible
moment.
Modern Legislative System to Blame.
Oregon Weekly (U. of O.)
That some citizens are so blind to their
own interests as to fight adequate support
of higher education at every opportunity,
would be no one's misfortune except their
own if the modern Oregon system of
making every man his own Legislature
did not give to any person with the time
and money to circulate a petition the
power to hold up an appropriation, how
ever just and however badly needed. In
voking the referendum on the O. A. C.
appropriation would not endanger it, for
after tho campaign of education waged
by the University last year no just ap
propriation for either school would be
refused by the people. A year's delay
In making needed Improvements would be
the unfortunate circumstance, a circum
stance hardly to be avoided if the gen
tlemen in Southern Oregon have not
enough business of their own to distract
bhem from securing the small required
number of signatures.
Jiew Excuse for Playing; Hookey.
Topeka, (Kan.) Dispatch.
An 8-year-old Ivansas boy, absent from
school two days, was required by his
mother to write his excuse, and this is
what he handed to his teacher: "Mamma
keptmehomewiththe smallpoxbutitbroke -out."
Rhubarb Walts Pie Factory.
Little Rock (Ark.) Dispatch.
A. S. Perry, a farmer in Canadian
County. Okla., has such A good crop of
rhubarb on his 45 acres that he worried
for fear that no one would start a pie
factory. ,
4