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V. HAT THE ST ATM WAST.
A correspondent uki The Orego
nlan to define the Western Idea of
conservation as opposed to the Fed
eral pollcv, or Pinchotism. so-called.
The writer of the letter can probably
do no better than read the Salt Lake
addre of Governor Hay. of Wash
ington, printed Friday, and the
resolutions adopted at the Salt Lake
conference of Governors, which ap
peared yesterday. It would seem,
too. that careful perusal of this paper
during the last several months ought
to have made clear to this correspond
ent or anyone the Just grievances of
the states against the Government.
The states of the West, which have
most at stake In operation of the latter-day
scheme of conservation. In
tend also. If possible, to have some
thing to say about what shall be done
with the public lands. They have
only lately awakened to the tremen
dous blight Pinchotism has placed and
will continue to place on their devel
opment. They have found that the
wholesale withdrawal of mighty areas
of the public domain has retarded
settlement, discouraged Immigration
and increased the hold of monopoly
upon the timber areas and power sites
without the reserved space. Governor
Hay states that the radical Plnchot
policy operating In Washington has
Increased the value of the Weyerhaeu
ser holdings in the gigantic sum of
(100.000.000. The great timber bar
ons are highly favorable to Pinchot
ism. The less available timber there
Is for the public the higher value, of
course, they are able to place on their
possessions.
Under the Federal conservation
rheme one-third of Oregon, two
thirds of Idaho, a fourth of Washing
ton and large parts of Colorado.
Wyoming and other Western states
have been withdrawn from settlement.
Water-power sites have been made
Inaccessible. The Government under
takes to hold Western people from
the resources of public lands within
their borders. It puts over them a
lot of salaried agents sent out from
the theoretical and Impracticable cen
ters of the East. It denies the public
the right to pass through the reserves
without sanction. They cannot make
homes en the land nor obtain Umber,
water power or minerals. The Gov
ernment treats the states as mere
wards and denies their people access
to their own heritage.
The states want the lands devel
oped. They want them settled. They
want their resources properly util
ised. They want control over the
water powers, for In the states the
title of such streams Is vested. They
want homes made, towns built. Indus
tries encouraged and civilization sub
stituted for the howling wilderness.
They believe that the proper attitude
of the Government Is that the public
lands are a mere trust held by the
Government for the growing states.
They think that the Natlen should
Co-operate with the states In legisla
tion for the purpose of utilization of
the resources within the states and
n-.t subject the states and their citi
zens always to the complicated, ex
asperating and unreasonable opera
tion of the present Federal conserva
tion laws.
We think, in brief, that the first
duty of the Government Is to permit
these lands to be settled, cultivated
nd civilized for the benefit of the
people who live, or seek to live, on
them, and not for the benefit of the
National Treasury, and the great
horde of conservation employes and
cents maintained at public expense.
FOREST FIRM IX FOUR STATES.
. If forest fires continue to wipe out
tract after tract of splendid trees In
Montana. Idaho. Washington and Ore
gon at the rate of the three weeks
past, a huge hole will soon be burnt
In the standing Umber of all four
states. Sooner or later the long
promised rain will have extinguished
flames and put an end to the destruc
tion which all effort of man has
erred feebly to stay. Forests will
be once more accessible and the hot
and blackened trails opened again for
travel. Losses will be measured,
boundaries reset and the balance de
termined by the cruisers between tim
ber ruined and that burnt over but
still In some sense marketable. Then
many an opinion will come to be re
made, and the views of some of us
on forest conservation will have
gained fresh light.
The first question put will be:
Whose fault la it that early efforts
failed when fires ware small to hold
them from passing ail control T Some
one will reply: They started In the
forest reserve: there were not enough
rangers nor enough men to be hired
at early stages to stay the flames.
Others will say: The fire began In the
great tracts owned by the Weyerhaeu
ser people and others of the big cor
porations, and they were not organ
ized, and their lands were not guarded
by men enough to stop the damage.
And one more will say: The settler,
tn such and such a district, or the lo
cal sawmill owner, set fire in the
slashings and It broke away and up
the mountain before they could do a
thing to put It out. And every an
swer may be true. Forest fires. In
times like these, resemble epidemics
of disease and sweep from point to
point with no resson to show why.
U the careless hunter or thought
Use traveler Is the culprit he may,
possibly, be sought out and punished.
But the punishment will be far below
the offence It as tn many rases, death
aa U as destruction has followed In
tie path of the Tames. If the rancher
or millman la at fault there may be
mere chance of bis detection, for h
acts are more often under observa
tion. Probably in all these states se
verer and more efficient laws for fire
protection may be devised.
The next question coming up Is
-what set or sets of timber-owners
can be justly charged with the duty
and cost of forest protection against
fire? Who are these owners? Tim
ber lands In forest reserves, as well
as In untaken Government land out
side reserve, continue In the National
ownership: In the former case so long
as reservations conUnue. lnthe latter
' case until passed Into possession and
ownership of the prlvat citizen unaer
general laws. In both cases the duty
of the Government is plain: To guard
and conserve the timber within neces
sary and reasonable limits of ex
pense, as trustee for the property of
the nation and of the future citizen
owner. But flrrt stretch to and from these
Government lands from and to ad
joining lands In private ownership.
How shall such lands be guarded or
fires extinguished T The organization
and control of such efforts should
surely be that of the state. Here
enter two considerations. The state
owes protection to her citizens, spe
cially when damage to one destroys
the property of many. It seems plain
that th'e basis of taxation for fire pro
tection should be the value of each
Individual ownership. The Immense
worth of standing Umber. If rightly
computed, would easily pay a tax for
fire protection. The charge on each
district would naturally rise with the
value of the Umber therein and the
larger fund be available for greater
needs.
THE DISTRESSED PESSIMIST.
It must be very distressing to the
few pessimists who have been pre
dicting a slump In Portland to note
that the eighth month of the year Is
drawing to a close with bank clear
ings, building permits, postofflce re
ceipts, etc stni breaking records, and
no sign of a relapse visible. But one
other city of Portlands class In the
United States matte a heavier gain In
bank clearings last week. The near
est approach of any of the big Coast
cities was San Francisco, with a gain
of 6.6 per cent, compared with I0.
per cent gain by PorUand. SeatUe
and Los Angeles both showed de
creases. Building permits for the
first half of the month were $500,000
In excess of those for any correspond
ing period, and postofflce receipts
showed a gain of nearly 10 per cent
over August last year, although at
that time the city was crowded with
visitors who came West to the SeatUe
Exposition.
These Interesting figures have been
printed In detail and are only men
tioned at this time to show the utter
lack of foundaUon for any pessimistic
preachings. Yet the cry of the pessi
mist Is heard, and has some effect.
Many a solvent bank has been driven
Into Insolvency by Just such unfound
ed and unwarranted discussion as
seems to afford pleasure to the
chronic pessimist. The clear-headed,
patriotic cUlzen. In taking note of
these numerous features, which point
so clearly to unmistakable prosper
ity, will reason that the Immense
urns being spent by the railroads In
developing new country, and by the
tens of thousands of new settlers that
are pouring Into the Northwest, will
not precipitate a slump. He will rea
son that with grain crops worth more
than 1(0,000.000. and with fruit, bops,
lumber and livestock worth more
thsn $60,000,000. to be turned off this
year, nothing but an artificial scare
and wholesale misrepresentation of
facts can produce trouble.
The pessimistic croaker, who al
ways lives In the past and to whom
the future Is an Impenetrable wall,
sees none of these tangible factors
which make prosperity, and harks
back to years ago. when the popula
tion and development of the country
were so meager that legitimate com
parison with present conditions and
prospects was an Impossibility. For
tunately, the pessimists are daily be
coming scarcer.
r XPCMsnzi) t rime.
While listening to the voices of the
many prophets who describe the dan
gers which beset civilization In the
t'nlted States, one Is occasionally
moved to ask whether some of the
perils which they enumerate are not
fanciful. The thought Inevitably In
trude that If they all are real our
doom Is sealed and it Is Just as well
to alt down and have a good time
while the frail old machine holds to
gether. The day of wreck Is bound
to come any way In spite of all we
might do. It would seem, and It Is
best therefore to eat. drink and be
merry ere the pitcher Is broken at
the fountain or the wheel at the cis
tern. Some of our Jeremiahs empha
sise one impending woe. some an
other, but they all agree that without
the IntervenUon of a miracle, and a
pretty stiff one at that, the country
Is going to the bow-wows. Predatory
wealth loom up before one school of
prophets as the woman of Babylon
who hath mad us drunken with the
wine of her abominations. The alli
ance between big business and politic
appears to another school as the beast
with seven head and ten horns to
whom It Is given to make war upon
the saint and overcome them. Judge
George C. Holt, of the Federal District
Court of New York, discerns in un
punished crime and mob rule a mon
ster which sooner or later will bring
us all to perdition.
Judge . Holf address upon "Un
punished Crime." delivered last Jun
before the Wisconsin State Bar Asso
ciation, has been published In the In
dependent for August II and Is now
accessible to everybody. Very likely
it will be widely read and excite deep
reflection, but It Is not to be supposed
that Its conclusions will Impress all
readers alike. 8ome will accept and
some will reject them.- For example,
Judge Holt seems to believe that elec
tive judges are more open to Improper
Influences than those who are ap
pointed for life. This opinion Is open
to serious objections. All Judges are
accused more or less vlgorouslly of
partiality and political bias sometimes
and tne Federal Judge, who are ap
pointed or life undergo fully a much
of this etiUdsm their elecUve
brethren. That the elective Judge I
tempted to curry favor wtth the voters
may be admitted candidly, but. on the
other hand, the appointive judge Is
equally tempted to win the good will
of those who have power to advance
him. So far as the effect upon Judi
cial fairness goes, what is the differ
ence? Judge Holt's point Is that the elec
tive Judge will not enforce the law
vigorously against strikers and mobs
because he la afraid of losing votes.
This Is a statement which needs proof
THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAN. POBTLAyD. AUGUST 21, 1910.
(, fan Ha hAl loved, and it will
be met by the counter assertion that j
appointive juages oo dui buiui hw
law vigorously against corporaUons
because the latter control the power to
which they look for promotion. Com
parisons between the efficiency of ap
pointive and elective Judges are upon
the whole rather futile. Good lawyers
are commonly of the opinion that a
- ...j,.,.! rlll
man oi proper juua-iai t it. . j
do well upon the bench no matter
whether the President or tne etecioraio
puts' him there. On the other hand.
If he is a truckler and a sycophant,
what Is bred in the bone will come out
In his conduct on the bench as It
will everywhere else. We are brought
back. In discussing this question, to
the fundamental importance of per
sonal character. The discussion of
every other pollUcal and ethical ques
tion brings us to the same goal.
The reader of Judge Holt's Import
ant article will be inclined to decide
that he Is an observer rather than a
philosopher. He sees certain phe
nomena very clearly, but when it
comes to Interpreting them one can
not follow him with entire confidence.
There Is not a word In his address
about the cause which have produced
lynching and mob law In the United
States, nor does he tell us why crime
is so often unpunished. It Is the un
derlying causes of mobs and unpun
ished crime which constitute the. real
danger to our civilization. Remove
them and we should not be troubled
with lynching, while criminals would
be dealt with promptly and adequate
ly. To be sure. Judge Holt enumerates
certain habits which he takes for the
causes of mob violence and crimes
against life. Our National liking for
revolvers 1 one of them. The indis
criminate sale of dynamite is another.
Judge Holt would forbid the sale of
revolvers to everybody but those who
have been licensed to possess them.
He would greaUy restrict the right to
purchase high explosives.
Sensible people will say at once that
he Is right about these things. Still the
propensity to wear revolver Is not
the disease from which we suffer. It
Is only a symptom. Even If we were
all forbidden by law to buy or carry
pistols, neither our behavior nor our
feelings toward law ana our fellow
men would be much altered. Crime
would be about as common then as It
Is now. The man who breaks the law
against carrying weapons Is In no
more danger of punishment than the
breaker of any other law.
This brings u to the basic question
which we have been getting ready to
ask. What Is the use of piling up new
restrictions upon the conduct of the
citizen so long a we cannot enforce
those which already exist? Crime Is
undoubtedly gaining the upper hand
In this country. Just as Judge Holt
says, and to the lay mind the reason
why Is not at all obscure. It Is two
fold. On the one hand we have too
many laws and they are too complex
and contradictory. On the other
hand, the courts and lawyers are too
much occupied In annulling, evading
and trifling with the law. Infuse into
the Judiciary a resolute determination
to apply the plain meaning of the stat
utes Instead ot. subtly "interpreting"
them: cure judges of the habit of an
nulling legislation which does not
strike them as proper; Inspire law
yers with a spirit of obedience to the
law and sweep the courts clear of
useless technlcallUes and the end of
mob rule would not be far off. ' So
long aa the law Is treated In Its own
temples as a thing to be eluded and
trifled with, how can the laity be ex
pected to bow In reverence before It?
AX EXCEPTION.
The Pendleton East Oregonlan Is
greatly disturbed over the proposal to
divide Umatilla County and create Or
chard County, and falls In gracefully
with the suggesUon that all the
county division measures should
probably be rejected for the reason
that they are "local questions." They
are local question and they should
be determined by the people of the
territory concerned or by the Legisla
ture. The East Oregonlan, which is one of
your people-must-rule-at-any-cost pa
per, now" has an uncomfortable ap
plication of Its own theories right at
home. Why shouldn't the people rule
on this Umatllla-Orchard County mat
ter, as well as In all other matters
over which the people may determine
to take Jurisdiction? They shouldn't,
because It Is proposed to divide Uma
tilla County and the Pendleton paper
doesn't want Umatilla County cut in
two. Therefore the Pendleton paper
finds an Important and selfish excep
Uon to the rule of the people.
Yet the people may know Just as
much "about county division as about
many other question to be submitted
under the Initiative. Will any one
say that the public as a whole will be
able to have a clear view of propor
tional representation, a complicated
and elaborate scheme set forth in a
measure of vast length? It Is enough
that the electorate should be required
to pass on the primary question as to
whether It should or should not have
proportional representation, voting
"ye or "no." But how can the vot
er In mas "legislate" on the ques
tion, working out its details, consider
ing it various phases, or making
needed revisions, and accepting or re
jecting any pertinent amendment? It
cannot be done. Moreover, the peo
ple do not try to do it. If they favor
.- niiKinia of nroDortlonal represen
tation they must adopt the exact I
method, to Its last detail ana in us
most minute particular, offered by the
Oregon City law factory.
Herein Is the great evil of direct
legislation. It Is the feature that is
growing more and more impossible
and dangerous, and that, unless regu
lated and confined to simple and ele
mental question or Issues, must
eventually break down the entire sys
tem. HOPS AXD HOP-PICKTSO.
Hop throughout the Willamette
Valley, except upon the uplands, that
are drained of moisture by the long
drouth, promise a fair yield. What
Is of greater Importance, the crop Is
entirely free from the pests that In
humid seasons besllme and practically
destroy It. Favorable weather at pick
ing time, which will probably begin a
few days earlier this year than usual,
and a sufficient number of careful
hands to strip the clusters from the
vines, will Insure a good return to
hop-grower and picker as well.
There Is a no more fragrant or
wholesome Autumn odor than that ex
haled from ripe cluster of hops de
pending from clean, well-matured
vines. Hop-picking In the rain Is
dismal to a degree, but It Is difficult
to Imagine more wholesome and pleas
ant work than that of picking hops In
a dry field. Thi 1 especially true
where there is comradeship among the
pickers, where adequate provisions
have been made for their comfort,
and where prudent moral supervision
is exercised over the young people
among them, who find In the hop har
vest a September outing, at once re
munerative and enjoyable.
The occasional tragedy and the too
frequent scandal that have found ex
cuse for occurring In the unsupervised
associations in the hopyards of boys
and girls whose emotions are a most
unsafe guide, lend their warning to
parents and others in authority, to
the end that these sorrowful Inci
dents of past years be not repeated.
It Is well to remember In this con
nection that girls and boys at what
is sometimes characterized as the fool
age, or more euphoniously a the
impressionable age. are neither moral
nor Immoral; they are simply unmoral
and veer this way or that accornldg to
environment, or to restraint or the
lack of it. Let them go to the hop
yards, enjoy the outing-, and earn
money for their school book and
Winter clothing. But go with them,
parents or duly constituted caretakers,
to the end that the outing be not
productive of much more harm than
good.
COMPETITIVE FARMERS" UNIONS.
According to a WaUa Walla dis
patch In The Oregonlan yesterday,
the officials of the farmers' union of
Oregon, Washington and Idaho have
asked for a conference with the traf
fic official of the three trans-continental
railroads with a view of se
curing a lower rate on wheat to East
ern points. The Inland Empire farm
ers are of opinion that the present
rate of 30 cents per bushel is too
high and believe that. If it were to be
reduced, they could ship wheat into
the Eastern localities where the crop
Is short. Just how much of that 80
cent rate would have to be deducted
in order to admit of the "diversion of
wheat from Its usual route to the
world's markets Is uncertain. It is
possible, however, if the railroads
would haul it East at no higher rate
than it is hauled West to the Pacific
Coast, some business might be worked.
Quite naturally an invasion of the
Eastern wheatgrower" field by the
North Pacific growers' would not be
relished by the grower who find a
market In Missouri River territory.
If the movement should reach very
large proportion the price of the
Eastern cereal might be affected to
the extent of several cents per bushel.
The views of the Eastern grower who
Is now selling his wheat at Missouri
River points at about $1 per bushel
will hardly accord with those of the
North Pacific farmers' union. The
sacred idol of protection has many
worshipers In the region on which the
Oregon. Washington and Idaho wheat
growers are planning an invasion, and
the threat that a reduction of the
duty might bring Canadian wheat
Into their markets always causes a
furore among the Eastern farmers.
The situation offers some Interest
ing points on the ethics of the farmers'
union here and in the East. Wheat
is high in the East, because the crop
Is short. Eastern members of the
farmers' union naturally desir to
take advantage of strength In the
statistical position, but. If their
Western brethren are successful in
securing lower freights all of the ad
vantage which they now posses will
be nullified. Fortunately for the in
terests of peace In the union family,
the Pacific Coast, markets are still
so far above the Chicago parity that
there Is small likelihood of the rail
roads putting in a rate low enough to
bring the Western farmers union into
direct and costly competition with the
Eastern farmers' union. Europe a
usual will supply the market and buy
the surplus grain from both sides of
the Rocky Mountains.
LIGHT VPOy MA Kg.
The condition of things upon the
planet Mars continues to excite con
troversy among the astronomers.
Since the unsatisfactory outcome of
their predictions concerning the late
lamented comet, these savants have
not been o forward as they were for
merly In making positive statement
about the unknowable. Still they can
not be accused of excessive modesty.
Though they admit that they have no
accurate way 'of finding out. exactly
what goe on In Mars, nevertheless
some of them are zealous believers
that It is a dead world inhabited only
by the ghosts of departed populations.
Others hold that it Is filled with a
busy throng of plutocrat and wage
slaves bent upon getting the better of
one another Just as they are in our
own lovely sphere. To the latter
opinion Professor Lowell of Harvard
adheres, while the European astrono
mers with scarcely an exception are
convinced that Mars is extinct like the
moon. The famous canals which to
Professor Lowell furnish evidence that
Mar Is Inhabited by intelligent hus
bandmen are to hi opponents noth
ing more than fissures in the surface
caused by contraction aa the planet
cools.
Mars is a great deal farther from
th sun than the earth is. It lie
outside the compass of our trajectory
through space, and alnce the light and
heat which a planet receive from th
sun decrease Inversely a the square
of the distance. It will be plain to
everybody that it can neither be so
light nor so "warm in Mars as It Is
here. This might be a blessslng on
some occasions, but upon the whole
such a condition ia undesirable. For
Instance, less than half as much heat
flows to Mars from the sun as to the
earth. Hence the terperature there
never can be high enough to support
vegetation of the kind we are familiar
with. H. O. Well in his story of th
men who voyaged to the moon gets
over thi difficulty neatly by furnish
ing our satellite with a flora com
posed entirely of fungi, plants of the
mushroom specie. The cattle of th
moon feed on the fungi and the men
feed on the cattle. The arrangement
seems to work pretty well In th
moon, at least In Mr. Wells' book.
Perhaps something of the same
sort has been evolved In Mars so that
Intelligent beings . can survive there
even if It ia rather wintry the greater
part of the year. Upon the moon the
Interchange of season Is necessarily
rapid. It is Summer when the face
is turned toward the sun and Winter
when It Is turned away. Thus the
length of the seasons is the same as
that of day and night. The moon
turns on her axi once a month, not
once in twenty-four hours like the
earth. Hence the surface grows ver
dant, the ripened fungi fall into the
sere and yellow leaf, and Icy Winter
returns all within thirty day.
The reason why the sun's heat doe
not parch the surface of the earth to
arid sterility and kill us all is the
beneficent fact that the fitmosphere
act as a screen. It not only mitigates
the torrid rage of the sunbeams, but
it stores them up for future use. It
Is also full of moisture which now and
then descends in grateful showers,
though usually at a time when they
are not desired. Things are different
on the moon. There, according to the
learned, there is no atmosphere. The
orb floats unprotected In the solid
ether. To provide for this inconveni
ent circumstance Mr. Wells furnished
his travelers with a quantity of artifi
cial air. The gaseous envelope which
once surrounded the moon they found
frozen Into great lumps which mettea
and ran down the slopes in dancing
cascades when Spring opened.
It Is well known that the moon'
surface is broken Into vast fissures
which may possibly lead down to the
center of the sphere. Of course, what
ever water there was formerly on our
satellite has sunk Into these enormous
caverns. There It may He In the form
of lakes or sublunar seas with cities
on their shores and fleets navigating
their waveless expanse. This Is an
other pleasing fancy of Mr. Wells, who
gives the men dwelling In the interior
of the moon the appearance of ants.
Mars, of course, would have longer
seasons than the moon since it takes
the planet more than one of our years
to revolve around the sun, but if It is
really a .frozen world as the astrono
mers are disposed to teach. It cannot
have either air or water upon Its sur
face. The canals of which we read so
much are simply abysmal fissures and
the former oceans lie far down In
their depths. Even if all this ia true
there may still be Intelligent Martians,
but it is certain that they do not dwell
upon the surface of the planet. Like
the moonmen of Mr. Wells they must
live deep in the ground and perhaps
evolution has transformed them Into
some shape like that of burrowing in
sects. Insects are the most intelli
gent creatures "next to men In thla
world and it is reasonable to suppose
that in other planet they may be the
ruling race. They may attain that
eminence sometime even here. In
some particulars, that of co-operation,
for instance, both ants and bee are
more intelligent than men. If their
evolution should ever take a fresh
start, as Is entirely possible, they may
surpass us and drive us off the planet.
But we need not give up all hope
of communicating with the Martians,
even though It should be proved that
they live in fathomless caverns. No
doubt they visit the surface now and
then when the sun Is shining and the
cosmio cold has been tempered by his
rays. The stern conditions of their
life has probably quickened their in
telligence so that they are alert to
notice anything unusual In the sky
and keen to interpret It. Hence if we
should display some striking signal
such a many astronomers have advo
cated, perhaps they would notice it,
and in time we might arrive at a sys
tem of telegraphy. It would certain
ly be a comfort to tell our sorrows to
another world and perhaps the people
of Mara might help us solve some
problems which seem to be beyond our
terrestrial capacity.
ANXTJAI, SHORTAGE OF LABOR.
From numerous points in the In
land Empire come reports of a short
age of help. In some localities where
the grain ripened rapidly there will
be considerable lose through inability
of the farmer to ave it before it
shatters and is lost. This condition.
Instead of showing improvement, be
comes worse each year, and clearly
Indicate that the introduction of
labor-saving machinery has failed to
prove in the slightest degree detri
mental to the cause of labor. In the
past five year several hundred com
bined harvester have been placed In
service in the wheat belt. While each
of these machines, with a crew of five
men, can handle more grain than
fifty men with the old equipment,
there has been at no time since the
Introduction of the combine a surplus
of harvest hands.
Not until the coming of the mil
lennium will it be possible to induce
all of the able-bodied idle men in the
country to work. The soft grass of
the parks, the alluring chin music of
the street-corner anarchist, the mel
low sunlight glinting through the
tree which shade the park benches,
and the fragrant North End free
lunches combine to form urban at
tractions that chain thousands of men
to the city at a time when their serv
ices are much needed in the country.
Life in the Oregon country l one
unending round of toil at good wages,
if the Individual cares to exert him
self. If the harvest field, with its
high wages proves unsatisfactory,
there are fruit to be picked, potatoes
to be dug and general farm work in
wholesale quantities.
It might be supposed that thi labor
that has flefl from the wheat fields
of the Inland Empire had sought the
camps of the railroad contractors.
This, however, is an error, for on
nearly all of the new projects now
under way in the Pacific Northwest
there is a scarcity of men, and the
men coming, the men going, and the
men in camp, are forces of about
equal strength. The combined har
vester may not have Increased the
demand for farm labor, but If it has
decreased It, there is nothing In evi
dence that points to such an economic
condition. The strawberry culturist
and the grain grower have had to
wrestle with the problem of help, and
In a degree have lost. The apple fruit
growers and the hopgrower will be
the next to suffer by the shortage, but
there to nothing in the present situa
tion that offer any hop that there
will be any thinning In the rank of
the park lounger or the North End
street-corner statesmen, who nightly
settle the affairs of state.
ABUNDANT OCEAN TONNAGE.
The 10.000-ton freighter Kumeric
ailed from Portland yesterday with
730,000 feet of lumber and 800 ton
of flour, practically as much cargo as
Is carried by the average coaster. The
Kumeric returns to Puget Sound to
complete her cargo at that port. More
freight was available here, but as the
steamer already had space engage
ment from the Puget Sound ports,
she cleared with the comparatively
.oit hir.Tnanta mentioned. The
i transaction Is interesting. Illustrating
a it does tne super-aDunaance oi
tonnnage which Is at the disposal of
any shipper -who can sell good . In
foreign countries. It demonstrate in
th clearest possible manner that the
ships will seek the cargo Instead of
the cargo being obliged to seek the
ship.
The Kumeric not only took less
than one-sixth of her capacity in car
go from this port, but what was- taken
was carried at cut rates, the figures
being so low that the profit, if there
v. .. K.an smnll in
HU atJ , 111 UPl lit.' wv.. -
deed. The Kumeric is one of the
largest freighters that ever enterea
the Columbia River, but the quest for
cargo Is so keen that her agents have
already announced that a sister ship
will soon be placed on berth here to
load a part cargo at rates no higher
than were paid on the Kumeric. Nor
Is this keen competition for cargo con
fined to the great liners of the Ku
meric type. Nearly every tramp
steamer that enters the river for
lumber shifts to from two to four
ports in picking a cargo, although
each change involves extra expense
in addition to the time lost. During
the past week steam tonnage has
been plentifully offered in the Port
land market to carry grain from this
city. 14,000 miles, through two oceans,
on the basis of $6 per ton of 2000
pounds:
This abundance of tonnage, which
makes low rates and keen competi
tion in accommodating the shippers.
Is not a local condition. It is world
wide in its extent, and demonstrates
In the most effectual manner that our
foreign trade is not suffering in the
slightest degree by any lack of ocean
transportation facilities.
Sympathy Is certainly the due of
the woman who applied for divorce in
Oregon City a few days ago, after en
during the hard life of which she
made complaint before the court for
full forty-nine years. If the half that
she alleged In her complaint, of the
Indignities and oruelUes of past years,
suffered at the hands of a brutal hus
band, is true, the wonder in the case
is, not that she seeks release from
bondage in her old age, but that she
"did not seek and find it in her youth,
while yet life held something of
promise for her. Having "worked
like a slave," as she alleges, to help
accumulate the property and home
now in her husband's name and re
ceived kicks and curses for her pains,
this woman has at length arisen in
her might and seeks not only divorce,
but permanent alimony of $10,000 as
her share of the accumulations of
forty years. The property, all In the
husband's name, is said to be worth
$60,000. One-fifth of this is surely a
modest demand for a partner who has
given nearly half a century of strenu
ous endeavor to its accumulation.
Th Osonian should think twice h
for It urge county prohibition, or local
option, on th people. Even the county
unit m to he too lars to b aatlafac
tory. Thi ha been demonatrated In
Union County. In th rural district pro
hibition aeems to work much better than
in citie the Iie of La Grande, for her
the law la not respected, and the ale ol
liquor Is, according to th general opinion,
continued. La Grande Observer. 1
The Oregonlan ha not urged county
prohibition. It has merely inquired
why the prohibitionists and so-called
local optlonlsts, who once were In
dignantly and universally stigmatiz
ing as "saloonists" and "allies and
hirelings of liquor" all that ventured
to oppose prohibition with the county
a a unit, and who all the time and
everywhere declared the right and
privilege of every county to decide the
saloon question for itself, are now
using the same adjectives and epithets
in denouncing all who demand the
right of local or county option for
Multnomah. That la all. Meanwhile,
It is well for the prohibitionists and
all other interested persons to note
what the Observer has to say about
the failure of prohibition In Union
County. - -
There would seem to be no valid
reason why owners of automobiles
who drive their own machines should
be excused from taking the examina
tion prescribed for licensed chauf
feurs. No driver, man or woman,
whether he or she owns the automo
bile or not, should be permitted,
through probable Ignorance of the
management and control of the ma
chine, to place life on the public
streets or highways in Jeopardy. It
make little difference to the luckless
pedestrian whether he ia run down
by an automobile in charge of its
owner or one with a hired chauffeur
at the wheel.
In 188S. when the Northern Paciflo
firat ran through trains into Portland,
no one was so optimistic as to believe
that within a quarter of a century
there would be enough traffic in Pa
ciflo Coast territory to support six
more transcontinental roads on Amer
ican soil. But the end is not yet. In
this connection It Is worth remarking
that the Western Pacific, which opens
for through traffic tomorrow, passes
close to the Oregon line as it goes
through- Nevada. A branch into
Southeastern Oregon, and ultimately
continuing to Portland, is a strong
probability.
' If other cities have pneumatic tubes
connecting union depots with the
poetoffice, why not Portland? Don't
we contribute our full share of profit
on postal business? Is there another
place of Portland's size that does
more to stop the annual deficit?
All of Portland's activities which
may be accurately measured have
kept at the top notch throughout this
year all except the rain.' There is a
deficiency of 2.66 Inches. Hope of
catching np by September 1, when the
time limit expires, 1 small.
One of the September magazines
has an article on the awakening of
Arkansas.. She didn't make enough
noise getting up to be heard outside
of the state. '
Can any rational. ' unprejudiced
man, east or west of the Rockies, find
fault with the conservation platform
prepared at the conference of Western
Governors?
Two expedition having failed to get
to the top of Mount McKinley this
season, opportunity offers Itself to
Molssantto get his name on the front
page' " ' -
As the campaign progresses, the
chasm doesn't seem to grow so nar
row that Taft and the Colonel can
clasp hands across it.
Southwestern Washington is quite
as welcome to a reserved seat in the
Commercial Club as rain in the burn
ing forests.
What ambitions will not be roused
among an army of ballplayers if Al
Spauldlng should win- the California
Senatorshlp.
Now that we have the flreprooflng
of Lincoln High School off our minds,
we can take up a fireproof auditor
ium. -
There's no law against tackling
Mount McKinley with an airship.
TOPICAL VERSE
A Cnp o Good Coffee.
You may talk about your clarets, your
ales and your wines.
And your champagne the table adorn
ing; You may sing of your beer, but I tell
you right here.
Give me cup o' good coffee'n the
morning.
The fizz of the fountain I yearn not
to hear.
The sherbet or college I ever am
scorning:
But the sound I prefer is the coffee
pot's purr.
And a cup o' good coffee'n the morn
ing. You may talk of the thrill of the
twenty-year-old.
Of the color the wine cup adornlnc:
But I sing with a will of the genuine
thrill
Of a cup o' good coffee'n the morn
ing! Boston Herald.
Milady Nicotine and I.
Milady Nicotine and I have called it off.
Our love Is dead.
And love that lit Milady's eye ha
turned to scornfulnees instead.
We two that 20 years were wed In spirit
have agreed to quit.
And lo! Milady is ahead In presents
and the like, to-wit:
Four pipes.
One tobacco Jar.
Three ash trays.
And one frog locked smoking
jacket.
Milady Nicotine and I were long time
quite a loving pair.
But all of that la past and gone, and
nowadays we neither care.
We pass with nothing but a stare, but
still my expectation Is
That she'll return In good repair my
own engagement pledges, vis:
One average weight.
Two clear eyes.
' And one feel-like-somethlng.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
A High Old Time.
His wife's gone to the country.
He sings In accents light.
Of pastimes gay throughout th day
And social games by night.
But 'spite of all his joking.
Inspect him close enough.
And you will see, 'twixt you and m.
His gayety's a bluff.
He simply goes on working
Like any other man.
When day is gone he sits out on
The front step with a fan.
His hosiery needs mending;
His buttons, too, are lost.
The morning meal Is an ordeal.
And dinner Is a frost.
He goes out every pay day.
And mails his earnings hard.
And without fail each morning's mall
Brings him a picture card.
And yet the playful neighbors
Come 'round to him and say:
"Enjoy yourself, you giddy elf;
Your wife has gone away!"
Selected.
- Love (In a Parenthesis).
(John K. LeBaron in Smart Set-)
In our little boat
We drift and float
Under the sheltering trees. -And
I fell the flush
Of her cheek's warm blush.
As it's kissed (by the passing breeze).
In our little canoe
That was built for two.
Just two and not any more.
We loaf and love
(The stars above)
As we hug and hug (the shore).
What Makes Home.
If I had wealth and I had health,
And I'd a roof above me.
If I'd a wife, to cheer my life.
But not one child to love me,
No rosy-lipped young laughing miss.
No bright-eyed, roguish laddie,
I'd cearch the town, both up and down.
Till one should call me daddie.
I would not have a roof that ne'er
Knew sound of childish chatter.
Nor keep a floor untoddled o'er
By little feet that patter.
Nor would I hang upon my walls
Great pictures just to show them.
Unless a tot had left a lot
Of finger marks below them.
I would not like to settle down
Within my old armchair,
And take my ease, with empty knees
I want a youngster there.
Likewise, with everything I have.
How incomplete 'twould be,
Unless I had a girl or lad
To share It all with me.
And so I say. if I had wealth
And had a roof above me.
If I'd a wife to cheer my life.
But had no child to love me,
Then I would search both up and down.
To beg or buy or borrow,
A child to be a part of me
I'd have one here tomorrow.
Egar A. Ginst. in Detroit Free Press.
Where Baby Is.
I used to meet him on the road, right
close to every day
And "Wish I was where baby is, this
drummer man would say.
He smiled with us and smoked with us
and swapped his yarns and all.
But when the twilight time grew nigh
and night began to fall,
He'd always heave a wistful sigh and
null his pocketbook
And at a lot of kodak-shot would
long and fondly look. -Then
he would say: "Did well today,
and business Is biz.
But wouldn't it be fine each night to
be where Baby Is?"
He was no mollycoddle man. this chap
who lugged a grip
And mingled with the rest of us on
many a tiresome trip;
I never asked him If he had grand
fathers and all that.
But yet I knew his blood was blue, each
evening asvhe sat
And conned the kodak pictures o er in
wistful solitaire
And breathed for that wee toddling son
one long, unspoken prayer.
He might not be an F. F. V.. yet royal
kith was his,
We knew who heard him wish each day
. "to be where Baby is.
Baltimore Evening Sun.
Teddy's Task.
Oh, what will Teddy do? ;
Oh what will Teddy do, you ask,
Will he select some mighty task
Or In fame's sunshine idly bask?
Ah, If we only knew!
" Oh, what will Teddy do, you say;
All men the answer seek;
Has he come home again to stay.
Or will he pack and hie away
To bunt big game and speak? i
Oh. what will Teddy do, you cry
On every side It's heard;
You wonder if he'll learn to fly
And write new stuff about the sky.
At record price per word.
Oh, what will Teddy do. say you
The query stirs the breezes;
But I can tell just what he'll do;
Take this from me because it's tr-c ,
He'll do what Teddy pleases!
Cleveland Plain Dealer. .