THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAN. PORTLAND, 31 AY 9, 1909.
PORTLAND, OREGON.
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POR1XAKD, 8UNIAV. MAX , 1909.'
I'NDER ONE'S OWN' BYES.
It Is astonishing-, and it is pitiful,
too. One may see, here and there
about the streets of Portland, able
bodied men. with their hook and bag.
picking up bits of cast-away things
here a nail or spike or bit of wire,
there any chance thing that may have
been dropped, as a paper bag contain
ing a few peanuts, or nothing men
able to work, in this country, where
work in productive Industry is wanted
doing this sort of thing!
Are these people oppressed by
wealth? Not at all. They prefer this
kind of parasitic life about the cities
to better and purer and successful life
In the country, and about the suburbs,
where work Is wanted and will be
readily paid for; where food is abun
dant and good, and lodging perfectly
comfortable, but where steadiness of
Industry and fidelity to engagement
are required. No. These people pre
fer to pick up rags and cigar stubs and
bits of wire on the streets. Then
comes the politician to tell them they
are victims of oppression.
This country wants and needs work-
ers in every line and department of
Industry. It Is a new country. The
opportunities are wide as the country
Itself. Men and women, who will do
faithful and intelligent work are
everywhere In demand. They can get
fair wages and good living.. But most
of them wish to herd In the towns,
under the blaze of the electric lights
and the bray of the brass bands. Sel
dom can you ' get a man and wife to
go Into the country to work In your
orchard or to tend your sheep. Or a
woman, who advertises for "a place in
a small family" to go out of the cen
ter of the city as far as Woodlawn or
Mount Tabor.
But the politician, seeking his own
interest, plays on this class of people
and their sentimental sympathizers.
You might suppose from the pitiful
appeals for them that this class or
description were the whole people,
cheated out of their heritage by those
who have some property which they
have accumulated by Industry and
saving.
What this country needs, more than
anything else, la return to the lessons
of industry, of fidelity, and of econom
ical living. The parasitic class flocks
to the cities, or is developed in the
cities, where the politicians and the
low and vile newspapers call them
"the people," and tell them they are
deprived of their rights In the govern
ment. But when the Yamhill orchard
lst wants men to cultivate his trees
and handle his apples, or the Clacka
mas landowner wants wood cut in the
forest or his potatoes lifted from the
ground, he never will hear from these
people. Or', it he should be so unfor
tunate as to get a brace or a bunch of
them, he will wish he never had seen
them.
People of this sort, of either sex, of
varying degrees of worthlessness, are
those, mainly, to whom the existing
social order is said to be unjust and
oppressive; and the scurvy politician
and the yellow press steadily propa
gate the idea.
OCR NORTHERN" NEIGHBOR.
Rapid progress of settlement and of
railroad building in Canada Indicates
that within a few years British North
America will have a population of ten
millions, and ere long of twenty mil
lions; but the difficulty of maintain
ing permanently a large population
mainly on "a wheat basis" will after
a while begin to appear. For wheat,
after a time, will exhaust any soil,
and it is a question whether the
Immense area of wheat lands in the
climate of Canada will support the
mixed agriculture necessary for small
(arms and large population.
The area of the Dominion of Can
ada is about 3,750,000 square miles
exceeding that of the United States,
Including Alaska. But much of the
country Is frigid and practically unin
habitable, so that no population com
mensurate with such an area can ever
be expected to occupy It. However,. It
will be no exaggerated estimate to
suppose that within the present cen
tury there will be a population of
twenty millions in British North
America. At the beginning of the
nineteenth century the whole popula
tion was but 201,000. It now is esti
mated at more than six millions,
nearly one-half of which . has been
gained wtlhin the last twenty years.
The country about Hudson's Bay has
been occupied by the English during
more than two centuries, and now is
receiving considerable accessions to
its population: for wheat Is grown In
the country down to the borders of
Hudson's Bay, where there will be
large wheat-shipping ports at no dis
tant day.
' Canada formerly sent large num
bers of people to the United States,
but the reverse movement has been
In progress for some years, and great
numbers of new settlers are "Ameri
cans." The -wheat lands of the coun
try are very attractive, in spite of the
climate and other drawbacks. Not
a few families have gone even from
Oregon - and our other Northwest
states; for wheat is money, and there
is no surer way of making money A-ith
reasonable rapidity than on good
wheat lands. The railroads and the
Dominion Government alike do every
thing In their power to attract set
tlers and to establish them In the
country- But we have plenty of terri
tory ourselves, and good wheat land
and dairy land, so of course though
people of the moving habit will do as
they please It Is not. at all necessary
for any. to leave our states for Canada;
'whose harsher climate and other
drawbacks cannot but be known and
acknowledged..
We spoke of "Americans" going to
Canada. The Canadians themselves
dispute the appropriation of this title
by the people of the United States, for
the Canadians are Americans also.
Yet the designation is one that stands
in literature and history for the peo
ple of the United States, and is com
monly used still by English writers.
Nobody, however. Is going to deny thstt
the people of British America are
Americans. So are the Mexicans, for
that matter: and they are North
Americans, too.
But what we set out to say Is that
British America has a great future
and is a coming empire; and British
Columbia is destined to be one of the
most Important parts of . it. For,
though mountainous, it has much
agricultural land, great forests, much
coal and abundant ores, and the mild
est climate of any part of the Domin
ion. Its territory, moreover, Is larger
than the combined areas of Oregon
and Washington. Its present popula
tion Is perhaps 300.000.
THE PRIMARY.
From the voting, one may Judge
there is some disposition to try to re
habilitate the Republican'party and to
redeem It from its impotence and
nothingness.
But this Is not the real motive of
the primary vote. The purpose was
and Is to get an efficient municipal
government.
TO AVERT WAR.
Admiral Evans has an energy of
expression that one may approve
even, if the piety of the expression now
and then Is doubtful. The Admiral, in
a statement at Colorado Springs on
Friday, declared triat the sure way to
preservation of peace - was through
maintenance of armament; and,
speaking profanely, he added for em
phasis: "I shall oppose disarmament
until hell freezes over and the devil
goes skating on the Ice."
The use of such an expression Is
merely to fix the attention. "The
proposition," added Evans, "is precise
ly the same as If a town should dis
pose of its Marshal and Constables; a
city of Its police force; a county of its
Sheriff, and a state of its militia. How
long do you believe peace would be
preserved under such conditions?
Now, the Navy and Army ; constitute
the police force of .the Nation, and we
will have our hands filled with trou
ble unless they are maintained in full
strength and to a high degree of ef
ficiency. The United States must not
be a laggard in naval and military
preparations if she is to maintain her
supremacy."
Armament is ,not so much for war
as to avert war. yet for readiness
should war occur. We shall be much
less llkely-to have war if we are pre
pared for defense than If the world
knows we have no preparation.
There Is always possibility of war.
It exists in or arises from the very na
ture of things. Differing interests of
competing nations are liable at any
time to produce it. The liability will
be greater if the nation whose inter
ests are menaced has no armament.
A nation must have an armament as
a bank has a reserve. The bank
known to -have no reserve, or but a
weak one, will not stand long.
To Insist on maintenance of arma
ments, therefore. Is not to show fond
ness for war, but desire to avert it.
Men of Judgment and foresight don't
like namby-pamby people who are
merely sentimentalists, prepared for
no emergency, but willing to leave
their country dependent on the good
will of others. "Good heavens! Mr.
Indian," exclaimed the pioneer settler
who thought he might appeal to the
innate goodness of the noble native
who showed signs of hostility, "you
wouldn't kill a man of a family, would
you?" It is not recorded that the na
tive, for all his magnanimity, recog
nized the force of the appeal.
WHEAT'S STRONG POSITION.
The Government crop report, which
appeared Friday, placed the condi
tion of the growing wheat on May 1
at 83.6, which was something better
than the bulls in the trade were ex
pecting, and worse than was predicted
by the bears. As the report tallied
closely with the previous forecasts
made by unofficial experts, it was re
ceived with more confidence than Is
usually shown a Government report,
and the new-crop options showed a
gain of nearly 4 cents per bushel. The
most bullish feature of the report was
that which, placed the decrease in
acreage, due to Winter kililng and
other unfavorable Influences, at 2,
000,000 acres. Deducting this acreage
from the amount seeded, and estimat
ing on a condition basis of 83.5, ex
perts placed the figures Indicated for
the 1909 crop of Winter wheat at
393,000,000 bushels, compared with
the Government reported out-turn of
420,000,000 bushels for 1908.
This decrease of nearly 30.000,000
bushels would be less formidable were
it not for the fact that stocks on hand
are so seriously depleted that It is a
certainty that this country will go into
the new season with the smallest
stocks on record for a carry-over.
Now that depleted stocks from the old
crop and poor prospects for the new
have put the world's buyers face to
face with a supply and demand prob
lem which cannot be affected by ma
nipulation or speculation, we shall
hear less nonsense about an alleged
wheat "corner" being responsible for
present .prices of the cereal. It is
only necessary to turn back as far as
February, when Patten's alleged cor
ner had begun to attain prominence,
to note that, after alt. It is the Euro
pean markets, and not the American
markets, that have displayed the
greatest strength.
When May wheat touched $1.15 per
bushel late In February, the best quo
tation on Walla Walla cargoes was
38s 6d per quarter of eight bushels.
Yesterday they were quoted in Liver
pool at 45 shillings, an advance of
19 cents per bushel, while May
wheat during the same period scored
an advance of less than 15 cents per
bushel. High prices and short stocks
In the United States have prevented
Europe from drawing supplies from
this country, and that country has
been obliged to depend almost wholly
upon Argentina, Russia, Australia and
India for supplies. It Is ridiculous to
assume that Mr. Patten or any other
man could have any control over these
marketing countries, which have set
the pace for prices for the past three
months.
The plain truth regarding the situa
tion is that three years of short crops
throughout the world have caused
consumption to overtake and pass pro
duction, and high prices will prevail
until restricted consumption and in
creased production regulate matters.
Meanwhile Secretary Wilson's March
report on - stocks in farmers' hands,
which was termed by Patten as the
"Joke of the century." has become a
very serious matter, not only for the
short sellers, who hammered the mar
ket, but to the actual consumers of
wheat. It would be no surprise to
the trade that is familiar with actual
conditions if Mr. Patten's claim to be
ing a public benefactor by purchasing
the wheat and keeping It here, where
it is most needed, should come true.
IS SHAKESPEARE DEAD?
The most exhilarating contribution
to the perennial Bacon-Shakespeare
controversy which has blessed the
world for a long time Is Mark Twain's
little book entitled "Is Shakespeare
Dead?" Mr. Clemens' thinks he was
never alive, at least never alive In any
sense which would have' made it pos
sible for him to write the- Plays and
Poems. If Mark Twain had been a
lawyer, he would have been a good
one. No corporation counsel ever
marshalled the arguments for a bad
cause more skillfully than he does
those which seem to wrest the palm of
poetry from the hand of Shakespeare
and bestow it upon the "greatest, wis
est, meanest of mankind." Just how
much real force there is In those ar
guments It is not easy to decide now
conclusively. - They must be sifted by
time and weighed by the long, deliber
ate Judgment of mankind before a
final conclusion can be reached. Mark
Twain himself says that it will take
300 years to release the human race
from the enchantment of the Shakes
peare superstition, as he calls it.
Probably it - will take a good deal
longfT, even if it actually Is true that
Bacon, and njt Shakespeare, wrote
the Plays and Poems.
-The strongest reason, intrinsically,
which the Baconltes advance against
Shakespeare is the one which has least
weight with the mass of men. They
ask how it was possible for a person
who had no opportunities of educa
tion, no familiarity with high life, no
hooks, no travel, no home culture, and
during his youth no environment ex
cept that of a stupid village commu
nity, to have produced this divine
poetry, which treats all knowledge as
Its domain and is at home with all
ranks of mankind? The only reply is
that it was a miracle, and since' the
majority of mankind dearly love mira
cles, the reply has always proved suffi
cient, and perhaps always will, for un
doubtedly it is the true explanation.
The opponents of Bacon have tried to
lessen the magnitude of the miracle a
little by inventing a life which they
say Shakespeare might have lived, and
their faith has added substance to the
fiction little by little until it seems to
them to be solid fact; but In reality it
remains nothing better than the con
jecture it was In the beginning. Mark
Twain Is certainly right in laylng It
down that we know of Shakespeare's
life only a verv few facts, and those
of but insignificant importance. He
might have attended the Stratford
Latin school, he might have served as
a lawyer's clerk, he might have trav
eled on the Continent, he might have
been caught In the deer-stealing
scrape, and he might have been a
butcher boy; but there is scarcely a
scrap of evidence for a single one of
these things. Looked squarely In the
eyes, they 'are mere conjectures.
' It strikes Mark Twain as a wonder
ful circumstance that within a few
years after Shakespeare's death no
body in Stratford seems to have re
membered anything about him. How
could this have been so if he had been
a - man of great reputation? Mark
Twain's own experience convinces him
that it was impossible. He has now
been laway from Hannibal, the Mis
souri town where he passed his boy
hood, more years than Shakespeare
lived altogether, and yet the people
there have not forgotten him. They
tell stories and invent myths about
him. He is the hero of the commu
nity. Nothing of the sort -happened
in Stratford about Shakespeare. The
people cared nothing for his memory.
They invented no myths, told no
stories. Even the dubious butcher
boy tale comes through a person who
moved to . Stratford after Shakes
peare's death. His fellow-citizens saw
nothing remarkable in him. Could
this have happened if he had been the
famous man his biographers suppose?
Mark Twain thinks not, but his con
clusion is not necessarily correct. The
very stupidity of the Stratford people
of which he makes so much in decry
ing Shakespeare's early environment
may have rendered them indifferent to
their townsman's fame, no matter how
great it was.
Mark Twain says he is wililng to
rest the whole controversy on the an
swer to the single question, "Was
Shakespeare ever a practicing law
yer?" In his opinion whoever wrote
the plays had such a profound and in
timate knowledge of the law in its
niceties and technicalities that he
must have acquired it by practicing
the profession. It could not have been
gained from books or from associating
with . lawyers. Great authorities like
Richard Grant White, Lord Campbell
and Lord Penzance have been of the
same opinion. It Is so widely accept
ed, in fact, that the biographers have
felt obliged to invent ways of making
their "Idol," as Mark Twain calls him,
familiar with the law. They all admit
that no outsider could have shown
the intimacy he did with its nooks and
depths. However, it is to be remarked
that this opinion originates among the
lawyers themselves, and may be, in
part at least, attributed to their pro
fessional pride. They are reluctant to
admit that a mere peasant boy with
out much learning could have mas
tered their difficult art and language,
but frankly it may be doubted whether
the law is quite so profound a science
as some lawyers would have us be
lieve. Most of its vaunted "princi
ples" are little better than tricks of
dialectics, and as for its language, it
is not half so difficult as that of the
calculus, for example. Mark Twain
says it would be impossible for any
body but a practicing lawyer to display-
Shakespeare's complete mastery
of legal phraseology. On the contrary,
there is good reason to believe that
Kipling oould make himself so profi
cient in it within a week that he could
deceive the elect. Kipling has the
trick of tongues which Mark- Twain
evidently lacks. Probably the great
lawyers who make such a marvel of
Shakespeare's lee?al word-handling
lacked it, too.
Of course, the purpose of all this
talk about the miracle of Slrakes
peare's law knowledge is to create a
presumption against him and in favor
of Bacon. Bacon was the greatest
lawyer of his age. Shakespeare could
have learned no law except by hook
and crook, at odd moments and
through incidental conversations.
Hence the more'you magnify the legal
lore of the plays the more likely you
make it that Bacon wrote them. In
our opinion it has been too much mag
nified. The man who declares that
Shakespeare could not have written
the Plays and Poems because he was
a poor boy, born, in ignorance and
nurtured in poverty, impeaches the
possibilities of his kind. The argu
ment against Shakespeare is an insidi
ous attack upon democracy. It is the
old. aristocratic idea that all excel
lence dwells In wealth and high birth,
reappearing in a new and not very
seductive form. Mark Twain might
have been in better business when he
wrote his book. '
MONEY CHEAP, STOCKS DEAR.
A further advance of ' ten points
from the high mark reached last week
will carry Union Pacific stocks to an
even $200 per share, double the par
value. Many other prominent rail
road stocks have moved up pretty
close to $150 per share, and some of
them are not far behind Union Pa
eiflo. At these figures there was an
enormous amount of buying dur
ing the week, and predictions are
frequent that the upward movement
will not be checked until the price of
Union Pacific is carried over $200,
with other stocks proportionately
high. Perhaps the most remarkable
feature in connection with these se
curities lies in the fact that the net
earnings and general financial condi
tions of the roads are not as good as
they were a few years ago, when every
available piece of rolling stock on the
road was kept in service all the time
moving the traffic.
This phenomenon is due almost ex
clusively to the abundance of cheap
money apparently at the disposal of
the Wall-street speculators, who are
the most liberal purchasers of railroad
stocks. Union Pacific is a 6 or 7 per
cent stock, although prior to the panic
the cutting of an occasional "melon"
increased its value as an investment.
With the -price hovering so close to
200, it is quite plain that this 7 per
cent must be cut in half, if the pur
chaser has paid nearly 100 per cent
above par for it. The present figures
thus transform the 7 per cent stock
Into a 3 per cent investment. At
first glance there is nothing very at
tractive about this, and one is prone to
wonder why there is such a mad rush
to buy Union Pacific at $185 to $190
per share, when the figures quoted
will make possible no greater net re
turns than 3 per cent.
But for nearly a year Wall street
has been very much congested with
idle funds. Call money has gone beg
ging at rates as low as 1 per cent, sel
dom in that period rising above 2 per
cent," the quoted rates yesterday being
1 per cent. It is easy to understand
that even a 3 per cent investment will
prove quite remunerative if the money
for making it can be secured at from
1 to 2 per cent. This was the situa
tion two years ago, when there was a
rampant stock market for months.
Everything was lovely so long as there
was no interruption of the endless
chain of speculation by which cheap
call money was borrowed to be used in
buying high-priced stocks, and the lat
ter in turn were hypothecated as se
curity for more- cheap money with
which to buy more high-priced stocks.
. So long as the borrower and the
lender have , perfect confidence in the
situation and the railroads secure suf
ficient business to enable them to
bring home the dividends, no trouble
will ensue; but if there is a pro
nounced falling off im the net earn
ings and the leeway between the cost
of call money and the net returns
from the high-priced stock 'becomes
too close, there will come another de
cline in the price of stocks and a read
justment of the relation between stock
prices and call money.
Union Pacific Is especially men
tioned because it is one of the most
active stocks in the market, and even
at present prices there is a safe mar
gin of profit. Last week the most ac
tive stock on the list was Reading,
which is only a 4 per cent proposition.
Since the Supreme Court decision
Monday this stock has shot up above
$150 per share. At that figure the
regular 4 per cent dividend thus dwin
dles to less than 3 per cent. Viewed
from almost any standpoint, it would
seem that the price of stocks had ad
vanced enough for the present.
ANFTAVr-GENEBAL HAMILTON-.
The story is an old one. Only the
names of the characters change from
age to age; the facts remain sub
stantially the same. Whether she is
called Delilah or Cleopatra, ' or Lady
Hamilton or Poppaea, the scarlet
woman ever has her lure out for vic
tims and ' the victims are ever eager
to be caught.. Ortis Hamilton is no
more lonely in his folly than his Hazel
is in her wily arts. Samson, Mark
Antony, Lord Nelson, Alexander Ham
ilton, and. heaven knows how many
other men, famous and infamous, will
answer with him to the title of fool
when the roll is called on the day of
Judgment. Everybody who knows
anything about human nature ac
knowledges that, no man is wise
enough or cool-headed enough to be
sure of escape when the enchanting
widow sets her trap for him. The
chances are that he will be caught,
and the better, the more innocent he
has -been theretofore, the sadder will
be his downfall. Emperors, judges,
preachers, bank cashiers and saints all
go the same road when the temptress
lures. They always have done it, and
it is greatly to be feared that they al
ways will.
Let us not waste any time, there
fore in expressing- futile and insincere
astonishment over the downfall of
Hamilton. His fate is perfectly nat
ural. It might have happened to
many another man in the circum
stances. Those who feel most certain
that they would not have yielded 1 to
Hazel's seductive charms would prob
ably have been her first and most will
ing victims. The surprising thing in
connection with this new expose of the
morals and methods of Washington
officialdom is that Hamilton could
carry on his forgeries- and embezzle
ments so long and so openly without
detection. All his vouchers had to
pass under the eyes of the Governor
and the State Auditor. If these gen
tlemen paid the slightest attention to
the amounts and the goods called for,
it is 'nowhere apparent In the reports.
They must have known that the bills
for ammunition, were running up to
an unheard-of sum. W'hlle in former
years the cost had been but a few
hundred dollars, Hamilton thrust it
into the thousands very soon after he
had heard the siren's song. For all
that, the Auditor passed the vouchers
without remark, and the Governor's
rubber stamp was duly affixed to them
as if it were the most natural thing In
the world. Perhaps the dashing young
general of militia fascinated these
grave officials with his charm of man
ner. Perhaps they did not care
whether the state money was "stolen or
not, .
Even the notorious facts of his con
nection with the scarlet woman and
the way she was sowing money broad
cast did not seem to rouse the officials
from their lethargy. Ex-Governor
Mead says he knew Hamilton was
going the pace, but he "could not take
cognizance? of it." No, but he could
permit his rubber stamp to be affixed
to the vouchers jvhich he must have
suspected were keeping up the auto
mobiles and wlne suppers of the gal
lant pair. The officials of Washington
appear to' have been under some sort
of an enchantment for. ttye past few
years. Think of Schlvely and his do
ings. This person has been Insurance
Commissioner, either by election or as
deputy, for eighty or ten years. All
that time he has' been crooked and
everybody around Olympia knew he
was crooked. Every , insurance man
In the state must have known it, yet
they all paid tribute to his graft and
kept silent. Secretary Nichols must
have known all about it, and yet he
connived at .Schively's pickings, if he
did not share them. It is Incredible
that the Governor and his official fam
ily at Olympia did not suspect what
was going on in Hamilton's case. Still
they complacently passed his vouchers
and thus made themselves moral par
ticipants in his guilt. Sensible men of
the world could not from the be
ginning of the liaison r.ava had any
doubt of its true character. The signs
of these psychic cyclones are unmis
takable. The symptoms are well'
known. It is notorious that a man
under the spell of any Hazel who hap
pens to ensnare him will forget every
principle of honor, that he will lie,
steal and murder to gratify her whims.
And, though they knew all this per
fectly well, the Governor and Auditor
of Washington passed Hamilton's
vouchers with the forgeries staring
them in the face as complacently as if
he had been perfectly sane.
Was not Hamilton sane, then, dur
ing his liaison with his Hazel? Per
haps he was. Still, we must not for
get that from the moment he met her
his character suffered a marked de
generation. Before that time he had
been honest, manly, trustworthy in his
private and public conduct. So far
as anybody seems -to know, he had
been loyal to his wife. He had cer
tainly been a good man of business.
After the fatal meeting he lost control
of himself completely. The things he
would previously have abhorred he
now did rashly, eagerly, blindly. There
was a total change in his way of liv
ing and in his moral nature. In the
transformation he lost his self-control.
His reason was utterly perverted. If
a psychic cataclysm like this does not
constitute insanity, what does? In
these days of ingenious defenses for
criminals, it would be at least a pleas
ant diversion to see the plea of insan
ity -set up in Hamilton's defense and
argued to a finish by some able lawyer.
The jury might convict him, but if
they did they would break a custom
which has pretty nearly acquired the
force of law in our criminal procedure.
THE MOTHER.
"I will do everything I can for her,
because she is my daughter." This is
the response of motherhood, based
upon' true womanhood the world over,
when an erring daughter turns her
footsteps again toward the home to
which she has brought sorrow and
disgrace. This was the response of
the mother of Hazel Moore, the young
woman whose name appears in con
junction with that of ex-Adjutant-General
Hamilton, of Washington, and
who encouraged him, if she did not
lead him, in the way that leads to dis
honor through the betrayal of official
trust.
There is a sad, even a pathetic, side
to this type of maternal devotion,
since it is not always, indeed not often,
met by the returned wanderer in a
filial and repentant spirit. The refuge
that it offers is made use of too often
for a selfish purpose alone; the moth
er's anxiety is Velieved but temporarily
by the return of the wayward one, yet,
nothing daunted, her hand is out
stretched in welcome as often as the
daughter presents herself at the door
of her home.
The distilled bitterness of life is in
the cup of sorrow, anxiety and dis
grace . that the wayward daughter
holds to the lips of the mother whose
love is her sure and abiding heritage.
And the very essence of heroism is in
the welcome that a disgraced and suf
fering mother extends to the daugly
ter who, having brought dishonor
upon her name and discredit upon her
bringing up, comes back to be pro
tected, if possible, from herself.
W1XD-CATTER LOT-SELLERS.
Real estate transfers and building
permits point quite clearly to unprece
dented activity in Portland. The situ
ation is pleasing in the extreme, and is
warranted by the natural conditions
which were responsible for Portland's
original existence and for the steady
growth since the city was founded.
Based on population, trade territory
that is tributary to the city and
great tributary resources, Portland
real estate is today much cheaper than
that of any other city of a similar size
on the Pacific Coast. Naturally there
will be heavy advances in the value of
this real estate, and while the heaviest
advances will be scored in what is
known as "inside" property, residence
and suburban property will also ad
vance in keeping.
There is one feature of the situation,
however, against which tWe buying
public should be on guard. The
present general activity in all kinds of
real estate has afforded an opportunity
for foisting off on the public much
property which during a normal move
ment would not receive serious con
sideration. The purveyors of this class
of real estate are strictly within the
lines of truth when they inform the
intending purchaser that the property
offered will surely advance in price,
and also when they promise that
streetcar service, sewers, city water
and all other city improvements will
reach the tracts in due season. Quite
naturally we can hardly expect prop
erty located three or four miles from
the heart of the city to sell at the same
prices quoted on other property two
miles nearer town, and "as a rule the
distant property will be much longer
in securing the promised improve
ments. If this distant real estate were sold
at figures in keeping with its location
and with cost of prospective improve
ments, no complaint could be made
and the unsophisticated purchaser, f
while waiting longer for the inevitable
advance. I would not be risking much.
Where acreage several miles from the
city is hurriedly platted and thrown
on the market at a greater price per
lot than It is actually worth per acre,
there is some risk of coming trouble,
not alone for the buyer, who will be
come aweary of waiting for the prom
ised advance in price and of paying
for improvements, but also for the
holders of much better real estate
much closer the center of the city.
'Way back in the early '90s thou
sands of distant suburban lots were
sold at vastly Inflated values. Some
of the thousands of purchasers, being
unable .to get their money out of the
property, aided in circulating the re
port that Portland was a dead town
and that "real estate" would not sell
for what it cost the buyers. This can
never again be truthfully said of Port
land real estate bought at As actual
value today, but It may be said of
some of the "wildcat" property that
has been attached to the skirts of the
strong movement in legitimate prop
erty. There are plenty of first-class in
side and suburban lots and blocks
which can be bought at prices which
cannot fail to show a substantial ad
vance, and intending buyers should ex
ercise caution before investing in any
other class of real estate.
It hasnot been thought worth while
in recent years to consider the feasibil
ity of holding the annual reunion of
Oregon pioneers anywhere outside" of
Portland. In the first place, Portland
Is accessible by rail and river from
any section of the state. The annual
banquet, to which all pioneers are In
vito.! and of which many hundreds
partake every year, would overtax the
resources or the generosity of any
small 1 lace, while a visit; to the me
tropolis is one of the features of the
gathering which many aged pioneers,
who must perforce remain at home all
the year round, regard as a special
privilege. The reunion will be held in
June in this city, according to the cus
tom observed for many years, and,
though many faces will be missed
more, perhaps, than usual', since death
has been busy in the pioneer ranks
during the past year there will be a
grizzled, smiling multitude waiting
their turn at table, and at final rollcall
cheerful, reminiscent, willing to stay,
ready to go, but determined to make
the most of the time that is left to
them before departing to the country
that they know not of.
The most conspicuous fact that has
been brought out in the Hains murder
trial is that Peter C. Hains was a boy
whom his parents did not' know what
to do with unreliable, irresponsible
and erratic. Not being competent, be
cause of inherited disabilities tending
to mental disorders, for a professional
life, he was yet, through the influence
that his father" was able to exert, put
in the Army. Idleness, late hours, fast
living and an assured salary did the
rest. Had he been born to useful toll
and dedicated to a quiet, regular life,
he would, in all probability, have been
a self-supporting, useful citizen; his
parents would have been saved the
humiliation of exposing his early
shortcomings and idlosyncracles, and
expert criminal lawyers would have
been relieved of the necessity of in
venting a new name for pseudo-insanity.
'
The killing of Herve and Sullivan by
each other at the little town of Gates
Friday was an excellent way of ridding
the community of two undesirables.
The cause of the shooting was a girl
whom Herve expected to arrive on a
train and failed to meet. Sullivan,
who had served a term for a statutory
offense, took off the girl, and the
shooting began on sight. The moral
of the affair If there are any morals
in it is that it is Just as well to break
all the commandments when one be
gins. Another chapter in a story or inci
dent that has been industriously
worked up into a naval scandal was
recited Friday before the board of In
quiry in the case of Lieutenant Frank
lin Wayne Osburn, U. S. N., accused of
misconduct in kissing the wife of a
brother officer under the mistletoe at
a Christmas festival in the latter's
home last year. But the mistletoe ex
cuse didn't seem to make good with
the husband.
Railroaders estimate that more than
2,000,000 people will visit the Coast
this Summer. Reduced to a compre
hensive unit, that means over eleven
thousand a day for six months some
thing more than the capacity of pres
ent train service. Of the great num
ber that will pass this way, all will
see something good in Portland.
An automobile Cnd a child collided
In Portland yesterday, and the child
was badly hurt, while the auto es
caped unhurt. But your speed maniac
will tell you what a narrbw escape It
was for the machine, which, of course,
was going along at considerably less
than eight miles per hour.
Those- two Gates lovers who were
determined to shut each other out
from the affections of a sprightly wid
ow had their desires entirely fulfilled.
One is dead, the other dying, as a re
sult of a duel between them. But was
the widow worth it? Or any widow?
Following a scarcity and consequent
high prices, there is likely to be large
planting of potatoes. The surplus will
not go to waste, for potatoes make ex
cellent feed for pigs, and the Oregon
pork product is woefully short, year
in and year out.
There would seem to be no reason
why the Republican party of Oregon
should not be cleared of the Bourne
Chamberlain combination, recovered
from its paralysis, given efficiency,
and made to stand for something
again.
Actor Hackett, bankrupt, shows as
sets of $774 and liabilities of $126,456.
which is Interesting in so far as it
shows how far some people can capi
talize hot air and good looks.
Mr. Patten, on his way back to Chi
cago, hopes the reporters will not
know him. He won't know his own
wheat corner when he sees it; so it's
a stand-off.
Where was the building inspector at
Seattle when that balcony was con
structed, or was the job sublet to a
deputy?
This lilac weather Is a good prelude
to rose time.
SILHOUETTES
BY ARTHUR A. GREENE.
In this cold gray dawn of the morn
ing after it would be a graceful act
for numerous defeated candidates to
sit down to their typewriters and
write: "Now is the time for all good
men to come to the aid of the party."
e e
others is mistaken. He who think3
others can do without him is still more
mistaken.
-
One way of retaining a woman's
affections is not to return them.
e
Give anyone a handle and he'll pump
you.
The susceptible see the loveliest
faces in the moonlight half with the
eye and half with the fancy.
Almost all married women like to
boast that they married to reform their
husbands and failed.
e , e e
If the truth were told not only a
woman's beauty is only skin deep, but
her convictions and emotions as welL
e '
Nothing is so fragile as thought in
its Infancy an interruption breaks It.
Nothing is so powerful when it reaches
maturity.
e
One's memory should be a treasure
chest; not a lumber room.
.
The letter P is like a selfish man
lr. that it is first in pity and last in
help.
see
Whm you .look at a picture yoa give '
It the benefit of the proper light. Be
as fair with your fellow creatures.
When you are in an argument with
a fool you may be sure he is engaged
In the same employment.
Is It Not Sot
Who discovered America and made it
the land of the free?
Who wrote the Constitution and gave
us libertee? (
Who translated the scriptures and
framed the moral law?
Who . put the Standard on the blink
and brought John D. to taw?
Who licked the haughty Spaniards and
tamed the savage Jap?
Who is the bravest man on earth who
doesn't give a rap
For the octopus-devil and the deep
blue sea.
But who modestly plugs for pos-ter-l-tee?
Rosenfelt.
Who was it set out all alone.
Far from kindred and home, sweet
home.
To conquer Afrlo's burning sands
And throttle elephants with his hands?
Who'll annex . Uganda to Oyster Bay
And make Mad Mulla join the Y. M.
C. A.?
Who may take & notion Big William
to shelve
And run after something- in 1912?
You say.
The most artful thing about a girl is
her artlessness.
There is no such thing as an easy chair
for a discontented man.
ewe
It is a glorious thing to resist tempta
tion, but a safer to to avoid it. s,
e
Love's sweetest meanings are un
spoken. The full heart knows no rhetorio
of words.
.
When men are confronted with past'
errors, they always complain against'
their memory never against their judg
ment: -
i
Eyes sometimes ae better foe being
washed with tears.
Words are poor fig-leaves- to cover the '
nakedness of deeds.
e '
Notwithstanding all our talk about free
institutions, this country is an. absolute !
monarchy of petticoats.
e e e
Don't hoaAd your charity for some:
great act of philanthropy. Death will
come down the road some day and check I
you out. The better system is to sow
kindness, here a little, there a little,
from day to day. It will make less
trouble for your executor after you are
gone.
1
TOP Direct Primary.
The Spectator, Portland.
What is the use of the direct pri-.
mary if some of the men who seek
nomination under it refuse to abide by
the decision the people render through
it? Mr. Rushlight, who wakens the
echoes around the rugged canyons of
Mt Hood by his speeches in favor of
thA npAnlp'i i (? i u n i ,1 -rtKa
menace to the public in aught that
touches the integrity of the direct pri
mary, declines to pledge himself to
support the man the people nominate
for Mayor under the direct primary.
If the direct primary Is to continue
in force, the people should demand
that those who avail themselves of its
advantages shall pledge themselves to
abide by its results. Otherwise It will
become a mere joke, not worth laugh
ing at
The Extent of Hi Knowledge.
He doesn't know that Homer ever sans
a thrilling song.
He doesn't know who won at Water
loo, He doesn't know that Caesar ever
swayed a cheering; throng.
Or what It was that Guy Fawkes
tried to do;
But he can tell you quickly, if you
have the wish to know.
Who have led the leagues in batting
for a dozen years or so.
He doesn't know an adverb from a pro
noun or a 'noun.
He mixes up his tenses when he
speaks; .
He doesn't know who Byron was or
that he won renown.
Or what range has the highest moun
tain peaks:
But he can give you quickly and with
out a moment's thought
All the details of the battles that old
John L. ever fought.
He couldn't name a dozen of this cou
try's Presidents.
He doesn't know who lost at Bunker
Hill:
Once he saw displayed a copy of "Poor
Richard" for ten cents,
And he bought it, but regret is with
him sUll,
"For," he says. "I looked all through
it and dere's nuttln' dere at all
Like dere is In dls here guide book wit
its records of baseball."
Chicago Record-Herald.