6
THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND, SEPTEMBER 29, 1912.
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PORTLAND, SUNDAY. SEPT. z,
, THE NEW . COMMISSION CHARTER.
The citizens of Portland are to have
an opportunity Jn November to choose
between the present cumbersome and
complicated system of city govern'
eminent and the simple system em
bodied In the proposed commission
charter. The unsatisfactory, unwork
able character of the present charter
has been so clearly demonstrated by
painful experience that there should
be no doubt of a majority in favor of
the commission system. There Is,
however, danger that It may fall of
adoption through division of the com
mission forces between two or more
alternative schemes, while those who
oppose the change will at least be
united;
The charter proposed by the com'
mittee of nine includes all the essen
tial features of the commission plan
together with all those provisions for
direct popular rule which have come
to be known as the Oregon system.
It has also borrowed from the expe
rience of our neighbors some additions
to and Improvements on the Oregon
system. It Is a distinctly progressive
chatter, without attempting to try any
experimental fads on this city
The most distinctive feature of the
commission plan is adopted In the pro
visions for a Mayor and four other
Commissioners, all sitting together as
a Council, In whom Is to be concen
trated all the legislative and executive
power now scattered among the Coun
cil, the Executive Board and various
ether boards. These Commissioners
are all to be elected by the city at
large, not by wards, and will there
fore represent the whole city, not a
number of fractions. Each one of
them is to devote his entire time to
the city's business. Is forbidden to
have any Interest In any concern
which has dealings with the city, and
is to have entire charge of one of five
departments into which the city's af
fairs are divided.
It is made worth the while of able
men to seek, these offices under these
conditions, for the salary of the Mayor
la raised to $6000 and that of each
Commissioner Is made. J 5000 a year,
and after the new plan is in full oper
ation the term of office will be four
years. . The Auditor Is the. .only other
elective officer, the charter makers
deciding that, as he is to keep check
on the Council's acts, he should be
independent of that body and should
receive his mandate direct from the
people.
"At the first election under the new
charter the Mayor, four other Com
missioners and Auditor are to be
elected, but the Mayor and two Com
missioners receiving the highest vote
are to serve for four years and the
Auditor and the other two Commis
sioners for two years. Thereafter all
terms will be four years, so that there
will be only three officers to elect at
large biennially, instead of the swarm
of officers and Cduncilmen we now
elect. Thus we secure the short bal
lot. by which public attention is con
centrated at election on a few men
instead of being lost among many.
Who can recall the names of the
fifteen Councilmen, let alone the ten
members of the Executive Board, let
alone the various other boards? With
only three men to elect, it will be
easy for the voters to fasten their
attention on the retiring officers and
, to weigh their merits against those of
their would-be successors. No "light
weights" or grafters can sneak into
office under such a system, or, if by
any mischance they should, well de
fined responsibility and full authority
will prevent their shirking blame for
their misdeeds. The voters can recall
them or at the worst retire them at
the next election.
That Is the great merit of the com
rrflsslon plan. It abolishes the system
of checks and balances, which a cen
tury of experience has proved only to
. check initiative and achievement and
to balance the obstruction of one offi
cial against the willingness of another,
but has not checked waste and in
competence. The commission will have
no more power than the present city
government, except the power to ap
point all subordinates subject to civil
service rules and to remove them sub
ject to appeal to the Civil Service
Commission. But the power now ex
istent will be concentrated, whereas
now it Is diffused. The people will
thus be in a better position to ob
serve, reward and punish their public
servants.
The new charter does away with
party divisions in municipal affairs.
Candidates for office will be nomi
nated by 100 individual petitions and
their names will go on the ballot
without party designation. Should
there be more than two candidates
for each office, the voters will express
their second choice; if more than
three candidates, their third choice,
and in the latter cases a majority
determined by adding second and
third choice votes will elect. The
voters will be called on to choose men
because they are the best men to
transact the city's business, not be
cause they are Republicans, Demo
crats or members of any other party.
The Commissioners are given power
to appoint the city treasurer, engi
neer, attorney and municipal Judge.
The Council Is given power to remove
these higher officers named, stating
the cause in writing, and the officer
removed may make a counter-statement.
Subordinate officers are to be
appointed and removed by the Com
missioner at the head of each depart
ment, but subject to civil service
rules. In case of removal the reason
must be stated in writing, the employe
may appeal direct to the Civil Service
Commission, which shall investigate if
he reastfi appears to be political, re
ligious or not in good faith for the
purpose of improving the service. If
employe is to be reinstated. - This
provision appears to meet all legiti
mate criticism on the present civil
service rules from the appointing of
ficers and to protect appointees front
wrongful removal.
There is ample provision to protect
the people in their relation to public
utilities. The -Commissioners are given
power to regulate rates, and to exact
reductions in lieu of added taxes; to
value corporate property; to compel
full reports and to buy in public utili
ties at a fair valuation. Exclusive
franchises are forbidden and common
user clauses are made obligatory. Full
publicity of proposed franchises is re
quired and 2000 voters may call for
a referendum on them.
Should Portland adopt the commis
sion charter, this will be the largest
city In the United States having that
form of government. It has worked
beneficially in smaller cities and Port
land should have the courage to give
it a fair trial. j
MAKING SPORT OF THE INITIATIVE.
An impressive example of the Inex
cusable abuse of the Initiative in the'
proposal of complicated and obscure
measures of miscellaneous legislation
is to be found in the proposed act (No,
358,339) said to be offered by the
Medford Traffic Bureau. The cap
tion of the bill, as it will appear in
the ballot, is:
A bill for an act fixing the percentage
that freight rates on less than carload lots
shall bear to carloada and to eatabllsh
minimum weights and maximum freights
and providing penalties for violations of
tne act.
It is clear enough to the voter that
the measure has something to do with
railroad freights and weights in Ore
gon. If he seeks information he will
encounter a stone wall in the text of
the act Section one, for example, I
reads as follows:
Section 3. The classification ratings of
freight shall bear a uniform relationship of
one class to another class, and the per
centage of the first class shall be loo. and
tne other classes snail be the following per
centages of the first class:
Classes 1 2 3 4 5ABCDE
Per Cent'gs. .100 84 70 59 00 42 35 29 .24 20
The people of Oregon are herein
asked to resolve themselves into a
body of experts and determine classi
fications of freights and their intri
cate relationships. It is an Impos
sible proposal, on its face presumptu
ous and preposterous.
Are the proponents of this measure
seeking to make the Oregon system
and the Oregon electorate ridiculous
before the world?
added 21,000? Or Wilson the extra
40,000?
The Oregonian is quite unable to
answer the questions it asks. But the
men who know all about it will find
the answers easy.
THE SAME OLD GAME.
The Northwestern Electric Company
has been granted a power and light
franchise by the City Council, and the
Portland Railway, Light & Power
Company sets afoot the circulation of
petitions to invoke the referendum.
The interest of the established light
and power concern is obvious. It
would defeat the franchise if it could;
but in any event it would hold up the
grant until the election next June.
Here now we find one corporation
employing the machinery of popular
government to fight another corpora
tion. The public be damned. The
motives of the Portland Railway,
Light & Power Company are selfish
and revengeful, and Its tactics 'are
arbitrary and high-handed. It can
have no hope that the referendum will
be eventually successful. It cannot
hold the field alone and it must soon
or late give way to the public demand
for competition. But meanwhile the
monopoly will not be disturbed for
the larger part of a year.
Here again is the logical operation
f the free-and-easy referendum.
Some voices that are now raised in
igorous protest against the insolence
of the light and power monopoly are
the identical influences that have re
sisted and denounced all proposals for
safeguarding the initiative and refer
endum. Petition-hawking and name'
buying Is a game anybody can play at.
even a corporation.
TAFT, WILSON OR ROOSEVELT ?
The outright statement of the La
Grande Observer, edited by the ex
chairman of the Oregon Republican
State Central Committee, that the
state will go for Roosevelt In Novem
ber If the Taft people vote for Taft
ought of course to be considered in
conjunction with the fact that the
Observer is now a bellowing Bull
Mooser. We assume that the Observer
has been making a profound study of
the returns in the recent Presidential
primary in Oregon, and Is greatlv
encouraged to find that Mr. Roosevelt
had then a considerable plurality of
Republican votes (or rather of citi
zens who voted in the Republican
primary). Mr. Taft was third. The
actual returns were as follows:
Roosevelt, 28,905; La Follette,
22,491; Taft, 20,517; total, 71,913. Th
Democratic vote was: Wilson, 9558:
Clark, 7857; total, 17,445.
We shall not enter Into a fruitless
discussion of questions that can be.
settled only by the official verdict in
November; but we refer these inter
esting figures to the political prophets
and expert mathematicians, with a
suggestion that they consider the fol
lowing queries:
Why was the total Republican vote
in the April primary nearly 10,000
more than the total Republican vote
for Taft In 1908 a phenomenon
present in no other state?
Why was the Democratic vote in
April over 20,000 less than the vote
for Bryan In 1908?
Did 20,000 Democrats vote in the
Republican primary? If so, how
many voted for Taft? Or did these
20.000 Democrats remain at home?
If they remained at home, where did
the surplus Republicans come from?
Will Roosevelt get in November all
his 28,905? Will he get part, or most,
or all, the La Follette vote? If not,
where will the La Follette vote go?
If the Roosevelt vote stands pat, will
Taft have enough, even with all the
La Follette vote added?
Assuming that the total vote in
November will be 125.000, how many
must the winner have to carry the
state over his four opponents (all be
ing Taft, Roosevelt. Wilson, Debs,
Chafin)? Will 50,000 be enough?
(Taft had 62.530; Bryan had 38,049.)
Will Wilson carry,all the Bryan votes
of 1908? Wrill he have enough Re
publican accessions to make up the
losses. If there are losses?
Is Wilson with his 9o88 in the April
primary farther- from the necessary
50.000 (approximately) in November
than Roosevelt, with his zs.sos, or
Taft with his 20.517? Will "Wilson
get all Clark's 7857?
If 20,000 Democrats voted in the
April Republican primary, did they
vote for Taft or Roosevelt or La Fol
lette? Are they going to Wilson now,
or to Roosevelt or Taft?
Does any Taft man know a Demo
crat who entered the April primary to
vote for Taft? Who does not know
that many Democrats then voted for
La Follette or Roosevelt?
FACE TO FACE WITH A CRISIS.
The election of a Presidenital candi
date for a third term involves a de
parture from the historic policy of the
Government, held inviolable from the
beginning and preserved for more tnan
a hundred years as a sound principle
of our unwritten law. If we elect Mr.
Roosevelt, we declare to the world
that' the apprehensions of our fathers
were groundless and the repeated ad
monitions of our statesmen foolish.
Mr. Roosevelt is himself a recent
convert to the new theory that any
man provided- his name is Theodore
Roosevelt who may have been twice
President of the republic is Justified
In seeking a third term.
On the night of November 8, 1904,
when he had Just been triumphantly
re-elected to the Presidency, Mr.
Roosevelt voluntarily gave out his fa
mous pledge to the people that "under
no circumstances" would he be a can
didate for a third term, for the "sound
custom which limited a President to
two terms should be rigidly supported.
' President Roosevelt stoutly adhered
to his contract with the people during
his term of office, resisting successful
ly the blandishments of the second
elective term boomers and the appeals
of political mercenaries.
Repeatedly after he left office he
declared he was not a candidate, and
could not be. He wrote to a Pittsburg
newspaper editor that his nomination
would be a "genuine calamity." So
it is.
Later be said he would accept the
nomination, if tendered, but would not
seek the office, and invented the shal
low subterfuge of the "consecutive
terms." His method of proving that he
was merely a receptive candidate was
to run all over the country after the
nomination.
Defeated at the Republican conven
tion for the nomination, Mr. Roosevelt
became the candidate of his own spe
cially organized party at a specially
conducted convention.
If Mr. Roosevelt shall be elected to
a third term, he may fairly claim a
fourth term, for the country will have
demonstrated to his satisfaction that
the need of his services entirely over
balances all considerations of prece
dent, caution and experience. He will
be warranted In accepting his election
as a mark of the supreme National
confidence in him. and in him alone;
and in assuming that It was intended
to place in his hands alone the Na
tion's authority and the Nation's
welfare.
Is it safe or wise to elect Mr. Roose
velt President in these circumstances?
Would it be safe or wise to elect any
human being?
that imperial genius at anything like absorption of the Tennessee Coal &
his true value. Like so many others Iron Compa'hy; his failure to prosecute
of that crudely provincial period he the sugar trust, though the evidence
saw Poe's addiction to liquor highly offered him by George H. Earle has
magnified and overlooked the essen- since been made the basis of prosecu-
tial elements of his character. He told tion by Taft and has been the means
his son an anecdote of the poet which of enforcing restitution of nearly
discloses more of the narrator's liml- $2,000,000; and his refusal to prose-
tations than it does of Poe's real na- cute the harvester trust.
ture. He came ' hurriedly into Put- When a man describes his opponents
nam's office one day, half tipsy, "a indiscriminately as crooks and corrupt
condition in which much of his work men, he invites unusually searching
was done," said the publisher con-1 scrutiny of his own acts. Judged by
temptuously, and announced "in a I his acts and his failure to act, Roose-
fine frenzy" that he had made a dis- velt is not in a position to stand such
covery which would revolutionize the scrutiny.
thought of the whole world. He sat
aown at tne aesK ana oegan to write EDUCATIONAL ADVANCES.
runousiy vvnen rulDam If one paIr of shoea costs ,6, hcm
tor itie id, ,.c M many pairs can you get
did not stop until the Janitor turned There are tW(j of dot;
mm out. me next uay ne icpeateu
the performance. The outcome of it
was his "Eureka," which in fact con
tains the Nebular Hypothesis. Of
course Poe was not the first inventor
of this theory of the universe. Kant
had worked it out long before and
Laplace after him, but Poe knew
for $132
ways of doing this sum
in simple division. One has been used
by all sensible people for a million
years and will be used till the day of
Judgment. The other was invented by
a visionary in one of his foggiest day
dreams and willed to the Portland
public school children for their sins.
To do the sum, any person not utterly
nothing of their writings on-the sub- ou(. Qf hlg wUs w of courge
Ject and his essay is therefore as llgix goes Jnto 132 twent tw0 Umes.
purely original as if nobody had eve Hence can twenty-two pairs of
anticipated him. There is no doubt
that Poe possessed a wonderful Intel-
shoes," and there the matter ends.
There Is no more to say about It. The
lect and if he had lived in naPP'ei: subject has been aettiea and disposed
circumstances he would have rivaled
the splendor of Leonardo's achiej
ments as far as variety and perfec
tion are concerned. The country Is
of.
But the faddists who lay down the
law for school children thought other
wise. They devised' the following puz-
only beginning to understand what , a ' lm,
much occupied with his grog that it
nits lorgoi.ei. nuuut uio B'""- lee nr twontv-twn " Now no r-hild un
UlieieaiJiis . .. . .
matters wonderfully: "You can get as
many pairs of shoes as $132 are times
Another of Putnam's
descriptions refers to Daniel Webster's
oratory as compared with Henry
Clay's. He was charmed with Clay's
beautiful enunciations. His whispers
could be heard farther than other
men's shouts, but when it was a ques
tion of explaining a difficult point,
give him Webster. The godlike Dan
iel could unravel the most compli
cated difficulties without apparent
effort and make a child see through
der the skies can understand this lingo,
and for a very good reason. It doesn't
mean anything. What sense is there
in the phrase "$132 are times $6?
It is a crazy man's jargon. Dollars
are not times.
The pedagogical machine runs In
curably to fads. Not many years ago
it was overwhelmed by the marvelous
discovery that "you cannot multiply
by a fraction." Some unparalleled
Where Is Taft to get the extra 30,000
the- r founu to be the reasons, the! votes he needs? Or Roosevelt the
AN INTERESTING BIOG3APHY.
The biography of his father which
George Haven Putnam has written Is
an extremely entertaining book. The
elder Putnam, roundel of the publish
ing house of which his son Is the head,
was a man of letters, a soldier, a pub
lisher and a persevering traveler. In
the course of his Journeys through
Europe he met many interesting
authors and statesmen who figure in
the biography, among them Thack
eray, Charles Read and John Bright.
He had a house in London for a time
where he received some of the revo
lutionary agitators of that day. Th
time was about 1848, which is known
as "the revolutionary year" in Europe
The famous Italian patriot Mazzini
used to visit his house and Napoleon
III, who was then an exile, also came
but not with Mazzini. In the Spring
of 1848, when the Chartist agitation
was exciting all England and the
Londoners were afraid of rapine and
slaughter, the young Napoleon served
as a special policeman and mounted
guard on London bridge, where Put
nam saw him patrolling his section
One of the curious pages in the book
gives an account of Putnam's call on
John Bright, who was then in the
Cabinet as president of the Board of
Trade.
Bright lived in the most modest
was-, occupying longings oi wnicn a
statesman would certainly be ashamed
our time. He received his young
visitor without ceremony and made
him feel so much at home that he
almost forgot how great the man was
with whom he was talking. No doubt
a certain pomp is usually essential if
magnates wish to receive the homage
which is their due. Few statesmen
can stand the test of familiarity. In
judging of heroes we are all valets if
they let us approach too near, but
Bright seemed to be exempt from the
common lot George Haven Putnam
does not believe that his father felt
any sympathy with the revolutionaries
who used to meet at his London house,
but one never can tell. Men who de
velop in later years into the most
hardened conservatives have often
been hot radicals in their youth. We
should not be surprised if the elder
Putnam were discovered to have cher
ished the wildest dreams of Utopia in
those days and only renounced them
when his business affairs made it
necessary for him to adopt respectable
opinions. The economic motive de
termlnes the revised and ripened views
of many a wise man upon both politics
and religion.
In those days Washington Irving
was to be seen in London occasion
ally. He was Minister to Spain and
his principal occupation was the col
lection of material for his "Life of
Columbus' and other works on Span
ish subjects, but he ran over to Lon
don now and then and was made
much of by the lights of the city.
Putnam was at a dinner with him
where Prince Albert presided and
made three felicitous speeches as
toastmaster. All his life Albert
rather shone in diplomacy and im
pressed the world more by his stodgy
German solidity than by his wit, but
in his younger days he was gay and
not seldom a little giddy. At this
dinner Irving was referred to most
flatteringly by the Prince Consort and
naturally had to make a speech in
reply. What he said was, "I beg to
return you my most sincere thanks."
It was not much of a speech, but per
haps It served the purpose as well as
some more extended efforts. Irving
was even less of an orator than Haw
thorne, who was dumb whenever he
could be. Precious few of Irving"s
countrymen have inherited this
charming incapacity. If there is a
man, woman or child in the United
States today who is not able to make
an hour's oration at a moment's no
tice on any subject under the sun we
have Vet to hear of him. Irving was
always popular in England and found
life there more " congenial than at
home.
Putnam naturally became acquaint
ed with the American statesmen and
authors of his time. He seems to
have known Poe pretty well, though
not well enough to have appreciated
ihlkest miirstoner The "biography 'V1;? Z.
is an unusually interesting work. It . ," ,. " h , -
lights up a period of our history with tlt : mult plication by a frac-
whlch most Americans are only dis- invo'vdv dl, vlslon y tJ,he, J??1:
tantly acquainted. nator and 1Uce f1" ?0 that found a
began , to "chortle.". Within a few
THE MAVERICK. months every teachers' Institute in
The following fine poem has already the country was chanting the chorus
been printed in The Oregonian, but not that "you can't multiply by a frac
in a very conspicuous place. It is so tion." Evervbodv who knew a little
good that it deserves to be reprinted geometry understood perfectly well
here, where more readers are likely to that you can multiply by a fraction
see and appreciate it. and must do It in order to compute
Jack Murphy, the author, is a Mon- areas, but the paean was sung Just
tana cowboy, but life on the range the same until it died of its own folly,
has not put him out of favor with the Now it has been succeeded by a
Muses. The sentiment of the verses Is stm wilder streak of mental perver-
true and tender and some of the lines sion. The schools have gone mad
are pure poetry. No lyric in the lan- over "division of reparation and divis
guage can beat the last verse for mu- ion Qf measuring." The sapient guides
sic and manly loyalty. And think of who instruct our youth imagine that
being roped and tied with roses.
Lay on the iron! the tie holds fast
And my wild record closes;
This maverick Is down at last.
Just roped and tied with roses;
And one small girl's to blame for It
And yet I feel no shame for It;
Lay on the iron! I'm tame for it;
Just roped and tied with roses.
I loped among the wildest bands
Of saddle-hating winners.
Gay colts that never felt a brand.
And scared old outlaw alnnera.
The world was pasture wide to us.
The wind was rein and girth for us,
And our wild name was pride for us
High-headed, bronco sinners!
So loose and light we raced and" fought
there .is some marvelous difference
between taking one-fourth of a num
ber and dividing it by four. The fact
that in order to take one-fourth you
must divide by four escapes them
completely. What a pity it is that
those who undertake to impart knowl
edge to the young have not first ac
quired a little for themselves,
that It has become easy to follow the
Savior. But it Is not so. It Is just as
difficult as it ever was. The trials
have changed their form, but they are
as real and as hard to bear as they
were at the beginning. Any man who
finds the Christian life easy Is prob
ably not a Christian. "If any man
will come after me," said Jesus, "let
him deny himself and take up his
cross and follow me. For whosoever
will save his life shall lose it and
whosoever will lose his life for my
sake shall save It." That is, "who
soever is willing to lose his life shall
save it." In truth that is the only
way to save it. The coward dies a
hundred deaths In anticipation. The
brave man dies but once and the
Christian never dies, for In his faith
he crosses the river without sinking
under the waters. "For," Jesus went
on saying, "whac is a man profited if
he shall gain the whole world and lose
his own soul, or what shall a man
give in exchange for his soul?" Will
iam Borden has pondered upon these
questions to good purpose. He has
seen into the depths of things and
weighed the values of what life has
to offer and he has made up his mind
that the one-thing worth all the rest
is service.
The servant of all Is the greatest of
all, as Jesus told the disciples. He is
greatest not only in power over cir
cumstances, but in happiness and
hope. There is no real joy In selfish
pleasure. Gratification which does
not flow outward to others is sterile
and disappointing. It is to the man
who gives that life brings the deep
satisfactions- One who is always
making demands never gets what he
wants. In the economy of- God no
body ever reaps unless he has sown
with his own hand. The harvests we
gather from others' toil are illusory.
They count for nothing in eternity
and for next to nothing in time. Mr.
Borden's resolve is one among many
signs that the gross falsehoods of
materialism which have been leading
the world astray for years are at last
losing their spice. Men begin to see
again that sensual indulgence is not
the true object of existence. Money
and pride and power are not the only j
things worth living for. The world
of service has better rewards to offer
and he who enters it and abides there
finds a treasure of happiness and
peace as imperishable as the laws of
God.
The Ballad of Freshmen
By Dean Collins.
Attend ye well, my gentle friends
And lo. I will warble thee
How gates of Learning were opened up
For venturous Freshmen three.
The lamp of Learning can ne'er be lit
Unto the proper blazing
Within the soul of the Freshman green
Save through the art of hazing;
So. altruistic, the Sophomores
Gathered the Freshmen three:
"Come, gentle youths, and we will ope
The gates of learning to thee."
And one they playfully bound and
gagged
And laid on the railroad track
And stole away but the train went by
Before they came ambling black.
"'TIs sad," they sighed, as the few
remains
On the lid of a box they raised
"But he never could be a college man
Until he was properly hazed.
And one they placed In a barrel and
rolled
From the brink of a hill with glee.
"If thou survlvest, thou hast the stuff
For a collage man in thee."
They sent him home in a lacquered
caso
And a note to his parents ran:
"He scarcely showeth the staying
power
That maketh a college nun."
And one, through a mill of divem
stunts
With wonderful nerve came out.
And soon, by means of an Invalid chair.
Was able to be about;
And when he recovered reason and
speech
With humbleness he began
To thank the Sophs, who had proven
him
Fit stun for a college man.
For the lamp of Learning can never
flame
With a blaze of the proper hue
Except one proveth himself of worth.
At the cost of a bone or two.
Portland. September 28.
TOPICAL VERSE
LULLABY.
Ah, little one, you're tired of play.
Sleep's fingers rest upon your brow.
You've been a woman all the day,
You'd be a baby now;
Oh, baby, my baby!
You'd be my baby now.
Perhaps you had forgotten me.
Because the daisies were so wnue.
But now you come to mother's knee
My little babe tonight;
Oh, baby, my baby!
My baby every night.
Tomorrow, when the sun's awake.
You'll seek your flowery fields again.
A AIIT.I.IrtXAIRE MISSIONARY,
I? would be absurd to pooh pooh
William W. Borden's resolution to be
come a missionary or assume that
And every range w tasiea. utm f h will ronpnt In
corralled and caugnu w .-.... ..... -
a year or two. No doubt ne win see
And now since I'm
I know those days were wasted,
From now the all-day gait for me!
ThrtraTthatharYbtraigTt'for me! moments of discouragement, as every
man must wno unaenaites a. uinitun
task lasting for years, but there Is no
reason to believe that his courage will
fail. He has a sister who has long
been a missionary in India and during
his college days he found social wor
particularly to his taste. He estab
lished the' Hope mission in New
Haven. The property for it was
bought with his money and he direct
ed its work as long as he was a stu
dent. This Hope Mission ministers to
he needs of the lowest human wrecks.
Every Winter night it shelters more
Far down that trail who'll wait for me?
Aye! those old days were wasieu:
But though I'm broke. I'll never be
A saddle-marked old groaner.
For never worthless bronc like me
Got such a gentle owner.
There could be colts day glad as mine,
One outlaw's days as bad as mine.
Or rope flung false as bad as mine
But never such an owner.
Lav on the iron! and lay it red,
I'll take It kind and clever:
Who wouldn't hold a prouder head
To wear that mark forever! .
I'll never break and stray from her,
I'd starve and die away from her;
Lay on the iron! It's play for her.
And brands me hers torever.
It is pretty well established that than a hundred miserable creatures
poetic talent is inborn. When it crops who pay nothing for the rooms they
out In unlooked for places we are occupy. It is a charity pure and
likely to search the ancestral line for simple. The circumstance which
a gift that has been handed down makes Mr. Borden's resolve appear
silently through the predecessors of strange to many is his great weaitn.
him in whom the muse speaks. It Is said that his fortune amounts to
Whence comes it if not from such more than five million dollars. He
source? It is acquired rarely and has a palatial residence in Chicago,
then but indifferently. another on Lake Geneva, the wiscon
But how about Jack Murphy? The sin resort most favored by million
name is not a guide. His lineage can- aires, and others elsewhere. His wife
not be traced to some romantic versl- Is a society woman. His friends are
fier of the Emerald Isle. Jack Murphy, wealthy. Mr. Borden Is going to for-
we are told, is a full-blood Flathead sake all these earthly delights and
Indian. He was born on a Montana bury himself in a remote province of
reservation. His schooling has been China for the good of its inhabitants.
limited to that offered by the mission The people to whom he is going are
schools. The only poetry of which his among the most wretched in the
forebears knew was the solemn mono- world. Their religion is Mohammed
tone of the tribal council or the death anism, which does not encourage
chant of the stricken brave. Rhythm progress. Famine has been ravaging
was there, perhaps, but not rhyme, the population of late and disease has
Crude lyrics they were, sung to the followed in its tracks. Of course the
beat of the tom-tom. not to the meas- noor creatures are fanatics of the
ure of the tuneful viol or lute of our I most hopeless sort. There are no such
own medieval ancestors. furious bigots in the world as Moham-
The Maverick" is not one of these, medans who live cut off from the
It Is too far removed even to be world in the interior parts of Asia,
termed a refined outgrowth. Truly, If Mr. Borden undertakes to preach
genius is yet to be pinned down and Christianity to them he will probably
dissected by philosophy or science. incur serious danger. He may lose
his life. His existence will be solitary
in the extreme. Of course his wife
will go with him and the change will
WHERE THE FUNDS CAME FROM.
Roosevelt was asked ten questions .-n rAatr for her than for him
by the New York World on October They may neaT from heir friends once
1, 1904, as to how much money had fw.nft . vear DerhaDS. The only
been contributed to nis campaign acces3 to Kansu, where they are go
fund by the beef trust, the paper trust, ingf ls on foot an(j tne journey takes
the coal trust, the sugar trust, the oil six -weeks, so that mails cannot be
trust, the tobacco trust, the steel trust, very frequent. Now and then life will
the Insurance trust, the National h(, pnnvened for the exiled couple by
banks and the six great railroad the visit of some brother missionary
trusts. Judge Parker followed this and at jong intervals an adventurous
up on October z Dy cnarging tnat tne traveler may cross their threshold,
trusts were supporting Roosevelt and hut no other human beings will they
on October zs ne saia tney were rur- see except the miserable natives,
nishing campaign funds to his oppo- Mr Borden seems to have no illu
nent. Roosevelt did not reply till K-oriB about the work he has under-
three days before the election. Then taken. He has counted the cost and
he denounced Parker as a liar. made up his mind that the enterprise
It has since become known that win av. It will not pay in money,
Perkins contributed $48,702.50 of life but In other values. For the next
Insurance money to the campaign and year 0r two he ls going to study the
that two other insurance companies Arabic language at Cairo. Then he
gave $50,000 each. That answers one will take a medical course in London
of the Worlds questions and proves and finally,. after he reaches China,
Parker to have told .the truth in one ne will learn the language of the
particular. country. After such preparation he
It has also become known that Har- ought to be equal to any task which
riman raised $260,000, of which he nresehts itself if he carries the right.
himself contributed $50,000. That an- spirit with him and it seems pretty
swers another, question and further certain that he does. As far as one
corroborates Parker. can judge from what the papers say
We know from Perkins and from about him Mr. Borden is a Christian
the steel trust's counsel, Mr. Linda- of the kind that Jesus had in mind
bury, that that trust contributed both
In 1904 and 1906. That answers a
third question and still further cor
roborates Parker. Ground Is there
fore furnished for believing the state
ments of Penrose and Archbold that
the oil trust gave $125,000 and was
asked for but refused to give a further
$150,000, though Roosevelt denies
these, statements, as he denied Par
ker's charge.
As confirming the suspicion that
these contributions had their influence
on Roosevelt's official acts, the World
cites bu assent to Uie steel trust's
when he set up an ideal for the dis
ciples. He had been telling them
that he must go to Jerusalem and be
"put to death after suffering , many
things from the priestly politicians
who misgoverned the Jews. Peter
was horrified at the description and
cried out in his impulsive way, "Lord,
this shall not happen to thee," but
Jesus told him it certainly would hap
pen and not to him only but to every
one who should try to follow him in
all the ages.
Wre often hear nowadays that the
old persecutions are past and gone and
The Portland Spectator, a poor
lickspittle weekly, prints an extract
from the Ad Club speech of Ex
President Roosevelt, made in Oregon
on September 11, lauding Senator
Bourne for his labors in behalf of the
Oregon system. The Spectator adds
this comment:
give publicity to that part of the Colonel's But night shall fall, and for my sake
speech. You 11 be a DaDy men;
The Spectator relies upon Its Oh, baby, my baby!
obscurity and littleness to escape the My little baby, tnen.
b . l. . i v. . j ,. -j i r l..
i.u..cui.ra ot me I1CUUU...U. . . ..
hoods It nrints about The Oresonlan. " ...
. l .Happen you ll leave me ior your niwit
But since a friend of Senator Bourne And nrgnt tlraea when the shadows fali
nas Drougni tne statement to iub i ju Kreet as mother can;
uregonian, witn request ior an expia- i oh, baby, my baby!
nation, we shall furnish It. The expla- I As only mothers can.
nation is. of. course, that the SDec- I
loin. Ho Tk. nfsr.n-. In Sonatnr But now. ItlV little heart Of May,
Tlni.rno will ho found In full on naee L'e closely, sleep ls on your brow.
a , r.o c.- i Tou've been a woman all the day.
Moreover, the extract printed by the
Spectator was in all likelihood taken
from The Oregonlan's report of the
Roosevelt speech.
You'd be my baby now;
Oh, baby, my baby!
My little baby now.
-Richard Mlddleton in rne nnsiisa
Review.
Immune.
Th A ovnlr? who Bald "Chrlstia nitv
was not a failure because it had never He laughed with glee and said, said he.
1 care not; no. not .
The price of beef brings me no grief;
Let it go to the sky;
been tried," overlooked such preachers
as Dr. Aked. He has "tried Christian
ity," the real thing as the Savior And buuer may go all the way
taugnt it, ana ne nas persuaoea otners To sixty cents a pound,
to try It. His preaching ls one of the While folks may beg to get an egg,
great factors for righteousness In the Serene I shall be round
-mo Ufa la full nf
TT barrio for all that ls w nere lOlK 1IK6 me you a qu.cmy .
courage.
r- .1 J . o fall
Christlike in thought and effort. To Fr"u38" d, with goods unsold,
the gray-headed warriors who may Would soon begin to crawl,
sometimes think that victory is long They'd make a flop and rates would
delayed. Dr. Aked's glorious faith drop
brines renewed hoDe. To the vouns Be cheap as cheap could be;
he is an inspiration. To all of us he The way to bust each wicked trust
radiates the Influence of a strong, val
iant, good man - and consecrated
preacher.
Is to become like me.
I do not care for food that's rare,
Care not for food that's plain;
Why, its mere sight upsets me quite.
To taste it gives me pain.
Trailing Roosevelt is good sport f ir
the political spellbinder and it is good What do I eat? I simply heat
Dolitical stratesrv.' The philippics de- Some water in a pan
llvered by the Colonel while he was And melt In it a gluten grit;
President went unanswered largely rve ot dySpepS .nYor
York Press.
The World and the Egotist.
and he has become so accustomed to
having his own way that he has be-
.ftmo naraleca TTia 1raenihilltv van- I
ders himself 'vulnerable to criticism S0!"?"?" ' '"LT'
and a team of trailers can have good Wn.n Mriv e'vervhodv knows
sport and produce good results by tne Fate never meant to be his own.
encouragement to "heckling" which And yet the world, with face quite
they offer the Colonel s audiences. straight.
The Colonel shines when there is no Insists on letting him orate.
rpnlv trt him hut tint In a Inint rlehate.
j . . o,i He never lets a chance go by
KZ 'Zr .vl i To offer all his wisdom free;
an opponent are requisites to success Ha.a .enerallv savins- "Me."
in debate which he conspicuously And yet the world says. "Bring him
lacks.
The Medford Sun waxes indignant
over the widespread canard that
Roosevelt was drunk while in Port
land, and sarcastically remarks:
Washington was an embezzler, Grant was
a drunkard. Webster was a arunKard, L)n
coin was obscene. Cleveland was a wife
out;
lit cheers me up to hear him shout.
'For Jokes are scarce and laughs art-few.
Of all the Jests upon the list.
The best arise, twixt me and you.
From the unconscious humorist.
Thanks to this man I oft relieve
ht.r it eem' to be the Decuiiar fate Dull care by laughing in my sleeve."
of great Americans to be maligned and I , Washington Star,
vilified as long as tney remain in" public
lira
So it Is. So it is.
Some people ,.. o r.l,lt In . r.n.
far as to declare that And said it was nectarine.
even go so
Roosevelt is a common liar.
He grew exceedingly elate
There Is this difference between the When a producer set a date.
T" , Knit onH tViA Wilonn hr.lt-
-ij The leading lady was a peach
stand on the platform, Roosevelt be- u" "c "
cause he could not get the nomination. But gl-omy thoughts succeeded soon.
The leading man was such a prune.
President Taft has settled finally
th fuss made bv Commissioner Val- He felt forebodings or despair,
entine over the garb worn by the So ill-assorted was the pair.
teacners in reaervanuu su-ioois. ill .,,.... t-,ii, hi -(-
siiuuiu u.ivi .--.. 0.0.--CV1. I Particularly yells or "Quince."
Perhaps It would be better to let the Producer swore he'd bought a lemon.
mother, rather than the teacher, tell And changed from "angel into demon.
ha hntr (ho mratorv rt f hlr-th huf t r.n I
many mothers leave their boy's to find The critics gave the Play a.T
,o And said it wasn t worth a fig.
11 VUb UJ.avvu aAjwidbtai
Succeeding houses followed suit
The Democratic National Commit- I And killed the show with chicken fruit
tee needs three-quarters of a million
to :run the campaign. Also It needs
votes more than money. Here ls op
portunity for patriotic endeavor.
New York Sun.
A Good Memory.
I remember, I remember
The flat where I was born;
Where bill collectors came around
From the first peep of morn.
The youngest Vanderbilt has a $50,-
000,000 handicap up to which he must The landlord was a funny man;
live H will not have a fraction of I Ha used to want his Day,
the joy of life experienced by the And so when I was three months old
washerwoman's baby. e nau to .
xne Macvicnoias Droiners aemon- u,i. Maml.
strated the old truth that a sucker is v,iiB, nn Summer nieht.
born every minute. liverj-Doay dui Turned down the only parlor light
the sucker seems to know It.
The Judge, beside her, whispered things
Lothario Dickes has a better wife Of wedding bells and diamond rings.
than he deserves. But your midnight
rounder usually has.
He spoke his love In burning phrase.
And acted foolisn lorty ways.
Is Kellaher a standpatter?
been nearly a week since h
bolted
It's I When he had gone Maud gave a laugh
last I And then turned off the dictagraph.
Milwaukee Sentinel,