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PORTLAND, SUNDAY. JULY 28, 1814.
ABE THEY IN DANGER OF PRISON
Attorney McReynolds' civil suit for
dissolution of the New Haven rail
road and steamship merger under the
anti-trust law promises to be the
principal of a series of lawsuits which
will occupy not only Federal but state
courts for several years. The present
suit is for separation of the New Ha
ven from the Boston & Maine Rail
road, the Connecticut & Rhode Island
trolley lines and the New England &
Long Island coast steamship lines. A
criminal prosecution against the di
rectors under the Federal anti-trust
law is also threatened for conspiracy
in forming the merger. Civil suits
have already been begun by New
Haven stockholders against directors
for recovery of the money of which
they were defrauded by the Morgan
management. State criminal prosecu
tions of those guilty of these frauds
are also threatened, but these were
offenses against the laws of New
York, Massachusetts and Connecticut,
and the prosecutions must be brought
in the courts of those states. Thus we
may expect both civil and criminal
proceedings in the Federal courts and
in the courts of the three states
named.
Little doubt is entertained that the
United States Supreme Court will
hold the merger of the several other
properties with the New Haven to
have been illegal. The trolley and
steamship lines were clearly competi
tive, but the Springfield Republican
maintains that the Boston & Maine
was only slightly so. as but a small
proportion of its traffic was competi
tive with the New Haven, and as the
two systems were complementary of
each other rather than competitive
prior to the merger. That paper holds
that until the dissolution of the Har
riman merger was ordered there was
reasonable doubt whether the merger
of two roads so slightly competitive
was illegal. Before the Harriman
decision, Attorney-General Wicker
sham was so doubtful of success
against the New Haven merger, since
Massachusetts had sanctioned It, that
he withdrew the suit for its dissolu
tion. The Republican, therefore, ex
presses the opinion that, as the result
of criminal prosecutions by the Gov
ernment under the Sherman law. "no
director will ever be landed in Jail."
The Republican seems to overlook
several facts in reaching this conclu
sion. One is that the prosecution will
relate not only to the Boston & Maine
merger, but to the absorption of the
trolley and steamship lines and of
the Westchester road, which were a
clear reaching after monopoly, and to
the fraudulent operations by which
the merger was effected. A jury will
have before it all the Jugglery with
Billard and with various holding and
subsidiary companies, the deal with
Byrnes, .the excessive prices and com
missions paid. It will have to consider
not merely the recently established
crime of combination in restraint of
trade, but the fact that numerous acts
of a character which for ages have
been punished with prison sentences
were committed in order to accom
plish the main purpose.
It will have before it the disastrous
consequences of the conspiracy a
splendid, lucrative property brought
to the verge of bankruptcy and many
of Its stockholders reduced to poverty.
In Judging of the criminality of a con
spiracy, a Judge and Jury consider all
its incidents, all its results and all the
means adopted to effect it. They can
not fall to see that the New Haven
conspiracy was as black a crime in
the field of monopoly as was the dy
namiting ironworkers' conspiracy in
the field of violence.
The conviction has also been gain
ing ground In the public mind that
thV time has come to" put violators of
the anti-trust law in prison. Juries
have convicted the Naval Stores Com
pany and the National Cash Register
officials in criminal prosecutions, and
courts have imposed prison sentences
In these cases. Though appeals have
delayed or prevented execution of
sentences, it has been proved that
Juries are getting into the frame of
mind where they will convict in such
cases. The New Haven case sur
passes either of those named in the
enormity of the offenses charged. If
ever there was cause to show no
mercy, it is in this case.
Should the New Haven officials
avoid prison through the leniency of
a Federal Judge or a Federal Jury,
they would still have to run the
gauntlet of the criminal courts In the
states whose citizens they have de
frauded. The wronged stockholders
are so many and are so scattered
among the people of small means in
New England that the consequences
of the conspiracy cannot but influence
the temper of Juries in that section of
the country. The best hope of the
guilty is that they may slip out of the
law's net through some legal trick or
may delay decision until public indig
nation cools and until that sympathy
which so readily confounds the prose
cuted with the persecuted becomes
active.
The- Oregonian is upbraided for
villainously assailing" Dr. C. J. Smith
because it ventured mildly to suggest,
the other day. that he probably would
not be able to declare himself on the
subject of prohibition until the return
of Governor West to Oregon. In other
words. The Oregonian Is accused of
intimating that Candidate Smith Is
"controlled." Precisely. For that is
what candidate Smith has himself in- 1
uicated. He is the Residuary Legatee, i
He Is for the West policies. He says
so. What are they? Who knows so
well as the great originator of the
West policies? Candidate Smith can,
of course, have r.o other reason for
delay in answering Mr. URen's letter
than that ha desires to consult the
Governor and get a new and authori
tative interpretation of the West pol
icy on prohibition.
SALE OF THE EVENING TELEGRAM.
The Evening Telegram has been
sold by The Oregonian Publishing
Company to John E. Wheeler, L R.
Wheeler and John F. CarroLl. The
transfer has already been made, so
that the first issue of the Telegram
under its new ownership will be made
tomorrow evening. The paper will
continue to be published from its
present quarters until a separate me
chanical and business plant can be
procured and installed; but The
Telegram is now under the inde
pendent control and direction of the
purchasers.
The Wheeler brothers are timber
men who have large interests in the
Northwest. J. E. Wheeler is presi
dent of the McCormick Lumber Com
pany, and is a director of the Lum
bermen's National Bank. He has been
a resident of Portland for about nine
years, and has become prominently
identified with various public move
ments. L. R. Wheeler, who was grad
uated from Yale a year or so ago, has
recently made his residence in Port
land and has joined his brother in
his several enterprises.
Mr. Carroll will continue as editor
and manager of The Telegram. He
has been in charge of the paper for
the past eight years. He had previ
ously had a wide newspaper experi
ence in the Middle West, where he
became well known and is still well
remembered. He has acquired in the
Northwest a high position as a Jour
nalist of skill, energy, character and
capacity. He has a very large per
sonal acquaintance and a thorough
understanding of the needs and inter
ests of all parts of Oregon. He has
an exceptional grasp of public prob
lems and a sincere and eager desire
to Improve the social condition of his
fellows. He has ideals, and the cour
age to uphold and the ability to de
fend them. With his personal and
professional equipment, and with the
support of associates of such excellent
repute, It may confidently be expect
ed that he will make of his newspaper
both a great force and a prosperous
property.
The Oregonian Publishing Company
severs its relations with Mr. Carroll
regretfully; but it is pleased to feel
that for the Evening Telegram, which
has been its own for so long a time,
there will under Mr. Carroll be no
lowering of Journalistic standards and
no loss, but decided gain, to the
public.
WHY DOES MEAT STILL GO UP?
Once more an Inquiry Is begun Into
the question: Why does the price of
meat still rise? The bars have been
thrown down which limited foreign
imports. Cargoes of meat have been
coming in from Argentina. A New
York Importer of beef from that
country says that, but for these im
ports, the price of beef would be 4
cents a pound higher, but he adds
that If he could get cars he could sup
ply it at 3 to 5 cents a pound under
the domestic price.
The old explanation of the advance
in meat prices is offered, that, while
population has increased 21 per cent
between 1900 and 1910, the number
of cattle decreased 9 per cent, swine
1 V per cent and sheep 15 per cent.
We are also Informed that the ratio
of animals to population has decreased
from 0.67 of one animal per capita
in 1900 to 0.36 in 1914, while the
average yearly consumption of beef
per capita is now three pounds more
than In 1900. We are reminded that
in consequence of the short corn crop
last year farmers rushed cattle to
market, thus reducing the supply,
while, now that they have a good corn
crop in prospect, they are holding
what cattle they have left.
One would naturally suppose that,
with prices high and supply short, the
time-honored law of supply and de
mand would cause more people to
engage In beef production. The state
ment that the range is exhausted or
enclosed is no sufficient answer, for
more and better beef for a given area
can be grown on the farm than on
the range, and the greater quantity
and the higher price compensate for
the higher value of the land and the
greater expense involved In growing
forage. Then why is there no boom
In cattle-growing, as there has been,
for example, in apple-growing in the
Northwest?
The explanation seems to be that
the cattle-grower has practically but
one customer the beef trust and
that this one company owns almost
all the means of carrying beef, so that
any competitors who try to get in are
at an immense disadvantage. The
Importer from Argentina mentioned
above Is quoted as having said in let
ters to the Department of Agriculture
and to the Interstate Commerce Com
mission, that the transportation sys
tems seemed to be in league to prevent
the distribution of South American
beef throughout the United States and
by their action had prevented a pos
sible reduction in the cost of meat to
the consumer. Officials of the rail
roads deny that they have discrimi
nated against South American meat
shipments and say that they have
promptly filled all orders for cars for
that traffic and are anxious to get all
the freight of any kind they can
carry. But this paragraph in the New
York Sun exposes the "nigger in the
woodpile":
The Pennsylvania's transportation officials
admitted that the American roads were not
well equlppped to handle the South Amer
ican chilled meat business, as Armour. Swift,
Sulzberger and the other big packing con
cerns provide their own refrigerator cars.
At the same time, they said, their facilities
even now are ample to handle all the busi
ness offered.
A Lackawanna official, too, says his
road "will be delighted to carry all
the Argentine beef it can" and "is
after all the freight it can get," but
he continues:
We can't, however, ship It In the private
refrigerator cars owned by the big packers
like the Swifts and the Armours. They would
not allow a competitor to use their prop
erty. No railroad can afford to fit up refrigera
tor cars to carry meat unless it is going to
be assured that it will have plenty of meat
to fill them. It costs a good deal to build
refrigerator cars, for they have to be spe
cially constructed, with places for" Ice, heavy
beams, hooka, etc. At present, with the pack
ers using their own cars to carry beef, we
have no demand for refrigerator cars of that
sort. However, let anyone assure us that
there will be continued importations of Ar
gentine beef that will require us to fit up
refrigerator cars and we win be glad to do
so at once.
It is easy to reason out from these
statements the basis of the beef
trust's control of the meat supply. A
specially-equipped, expensive car is
required. Ice is necessary at frequent
intervals along railroads. The pack
ers, seeing the power they gain, pro
vide these facilities themselves and
have cars always ready to hand. The
railroads, finding practically the only
shippers in this line ready to relieve
them of the necessity of making a
heavy investment in equipment, glad
ly consent and pay the packers a lib
eral mileage on their cars. When
competitors enter the field, the rail
roads have few, if any, cars available
for their use. The Chicago packers
have also chartered a large part of
the space on refrigerator ships plying
to Buenos Ayres. They have packing
houses in Argentina, and probably by
the time' American railroads were
equipped to carry beef of independent
Importers the trust would control the
Argentine supply.
If the American people wish to se
cure an enlarged supply of meat at a
lower price, they will need to find a
way to take control of the means of
carrying beef away from the packers
and to place refrigerator cars at the
disposal of all shippers on equal
terms. Then successful competition
with the trust may spring up and the
farmers, assured of more than -one
customer, will be encouraged to grow
more beef.
ANOTHER SHORT CUT MADE.
Man has circumvented another ob
stacle put in his way by nature, since
a canal- has been cut through the
Isthmus which unites the Cape Cod
peninsula to the mainland of Massa
chusetts. Not only will coasting ships
save much distance by taking this
short cut instead of going around the
Cape, but they will avoid the storms
which rage around that headland,
where the bones of many men and
many ships have been left to bleach.
The canal has been cut by a private
corporation from Sandwich on Cape
Cod Bay to Bourne on Buzzards Bay,
a distance of eight miles. It is 300
feet wide and twenty feet deep and
will in a few months be deepened to
twenty-five feet. It will get much of
the coasting steamer, schooner and
barge traffic, though the tolls are
pronounced heavy. Doubtless as the
owners learn that lower tolls will at
tract a much larger traffic, they will
reduce the rates to a figure which wHl
attract the great bulk of shipping,
except in fair weather.
Short cuts are being made all over
the world. The greatest is the Pan
ama Canal, which does away with the
long, stormy passage around Cape
Horn or through Magellan's Strait.
Second only to Panama is the Suez
Canal, which saves ships bound from
Europe for Asiatic and Australian
ports the long circuit of the Cape of
Good Hope. Of lesser importance are
the Kiel Canal, which pierces the
Danish peninsula and avoids the voy
age around the Skaggerack and Cat
ro.r!t in nnsslncr between the North
and Baltic Seas; and the Corinth
Canal, which cuts across the Isthmus
of that name, forming a direct route
frrvm the Aeeean to the Ionian Sea In
place of the circuit around the Greek
peninsula. Some men look forward to
the completion of a waterway skirt
ing the Atlantic Coast from Boston
far into the Southern states by con
rivers with short canals, ex
cept for an occasional dart into shel
tered open waters like those or wng
Island Sound and Chesapeake Bay.
Here we see a tendency to turn to
iraiw transportation, a reaction from
the supremacy of the railroad.
' AN OFFER.
Voaterdav in a letter to The Ore-
Mr F. M. Gill showed in a
concrete example how the adoption of
the 11500 exemption would make
harder the lot of the man who has
Just taken over a run-down farm
having few or no improvements there
on, while his already prosperous
neighbor would have his taxes de
creased. Thp letter was similar to numerous
other arguments advanced against
this measure, not one oi wnicn, mat
we now recall, has, except by appeals
to prejudice, or impugnment of mo
tives, been answered.
A few days ago THe oregonian
quoted the leading exponent of the
amendment as saying that the land
lord passes his taxes on to the renter
and it pointed out that there would
he no evemntlon under the Droposeii
amendment on rented property that
in fact taxes thereon wouia De in
creased as a result of its adoption and
thereby fall in greater force on tne
renter. What was the reply of the
leading exponent of the amendment?
t ,-c Tnrlv a r-hallenae of The Ore-
gonian's interest in the renter. Not
one word was said by this rriena or
a measure proffered as a poor man's
amendment to refute or destroy the
conclusion that Its adoption would
burden the lot of those who form a
large per cent of the pool' the
renters.
It was characteristic of the support
ers of the measure.
fh ararument Dresented for publi
cation in, the state pamphlet is of sim
ilar order. It makes the bald asser
ting that the amendment would bene
fit the poor, but does not say how. It
speaks sneeringly of great iana
owners" and "special privilege."
Moreover it contains false and mis
leading statements which The Orego
nian will from time to time point out.
Severn! organizations, bv commit
tee or otherwise, have Indorsed this
measure. Among them are tne
Grange, the Electrical Workers and
the rnrr,enters. These organizations
owe to their members and to the pub
lic an explanation or tneir position.
A statement would be in order of
their nninlon as to the totalamount
of property that would De exempiea
under the amendment; as to the In
crease in tax levy that would neces
sarily result; as to the identity of
those who would suffer and of those
who would profit by the change in
rate; as to how it. would affect the
renter, and affect such land-buyers
who must postpone improvements
until they have acquired larger equity
than they now own. Above all they
should tell why, in their opinion, some
should contribute more to the public
revenues than they now do and why
some should contribute less.
In the argument prepared for the
state pamphlet it is asserted that
statements in opposition to this
amendment are "for the most part in
such publications and under such cir
cumstances as to give no opportunity
for reply." In refutation of this
charge The Oregonian, which is one
of the publications that has been
printing opposing arguments, hereby
offers to the Grange, or the Electrical
Workers', or Carpenters' organization,
or any other organization that is not
political or composed of professional
agitators, reasonable space in which
to discuss this amendment affirma
tively. By discussion is meant calm,
sincere argument and truthful rea
sons, not appeals to prejudice or
charges of ulterior influence.
HIS IDEA OF ECONOMY.
The Democratic candidate for Gov
ernor. Dr. Smith, made a speech be
fore the Albany Chautauqua on "The
Business Side of State Government."
Among other things, he referred with
enthusiasm to the respective admin
istrations of Governor Chamberlain
and Governor West, ana? said:
"We had during all that time a Republican
Legislature, with an overwhelming majority,
who passed whatever they pleased, and
piled up appropriation after appropriation
on the people, and if It had not been for
Governor Chamberlain and Governor
Vest the state would have been out two
or three mllflon dollars more than they
have been as a consequence."
Dr. Smith was a member of the
State Senate from 1902 to 1910 (four
regular sessions). The period em
braced all the time (1903-1909) dur
ing which Mr. Chamberlain was Gov
ernor. Governor Chamberlain vetoed,
according to Dr. Smith, 110 bills,
"thereby saving to the state about
21,000,000."
But how many bills did State Sen
ator Smith endeavor to veto in this
time by his vote as a legislator? He
had the opportunity to record his
protest against any item in any meas
ure, by offer of amendment, or other
wise. How often did he take advan
tage of the opportunity to record
himself against the legislative extrav
agance which he now deplores?
THE WAVE RLE Y CENTENARY.
Waverley, the first of Sir Walter
Scott's great novels, was published in
July, 1814, Just one hundred years
ago. This notable centenary is re
ceiving some attention from booklov
ers in various parts of the world, but
not so much as it deserves. Scott's
novels really began the modern liking
for fiction in English-speaking coun
tries. Before his day there had been
plenty of novels but they made no
universal appeal. Richardson's inter
minable tales appealed to a sentimen
talism which quickly passed away.
They profoundly affected the history
of literature in England and all Eu
rope, but they never were read by
the people. Tom Jones strikes nearer
the mark but its indelicacies of lan
guage exclude it from the family cir
cle. Whoever reads Fielding usually
prefers to read him alone. Jane Aus
ten's first novels were published some
years after Waverley appeared. We
see, therefore, that Scott created the
taste which his voluminous stories sat
isfied so innocently and so well. In a
measure he dissipated the Puritan
prejudice against works of fiction
which still survives in quiet nooks.
Everybody can remember a time
when it was seriously debated whether
it was a sin to read novels. They
were placed in the dubious category
with cards, dancing and the theater.
People of serious minds shunned
them. Scott made fiction respectable,
as one writer puts it. He began the
upbuilding of that popular taste for
novel-reading which has made pos
sible the mammoth editions of current
best sellers. Whether by so doin,,- he
realy benefited literature is, of course,
another question. Certainly no greater
books have been written since his time
than before it. The author of Wa
verley avoided in his works those in
decent expressions which are so com
mon In earlier novels. This "purity"
made him acceptable to the taste of
Victorian chaperones who could read
his books aloud without danger of
stumbling unawares upon risky pas
sages. The fashion which he set in
this particular has been followed by
pretty nearly all the other British
and American novelists up to the
present day. A new fashion has now
set in which takes Fielding and
Smollett for models, but there is some
doubt about its duration. The repug
nance of the Anglo-Saxon mind to
outspoken discussion of certain sub
jects seems to be invincible.
Scott was the great father of ro
mantic fiction. His turn for that style
of writing was partly inborn, partly
acquired from the Germans whose lit
erature he loved and cultivated. The
tales of old Sco'tland and its border
feuds might never have fructified in
his mind if he had not read the Ger
man romanticists, but once he had
discovered the vein he worked it dili
gently and with astonishing success.
The first edition of Waverley consist
ed of 1000 copies and the price was a
guinea and a half, equivalent to seven
dollars and a half. To our modern
minds this is a pretty stiff price for a
novel, even for one in three volumes,
but Scott's contemporaries did not
balk at it. The edition sold out in a
week or two and another 2000 copies
followed it swiftly. Since the subse
quent Waverley novels sold as well as
the first one or better, it is easy to
see where Scott obtained the means
to live in baronial pomp at Abbotts
ford. Two books a year were suffi
cient to keep his household in splen
dor. After the bankruptcy of his pub.
Ushers he paid off an enormous debt
with his pen, although his productive
vigor had by that time begun to fail
a little.
It is likely that Scott's novels have
been more popular among men than
among women. The bloodshed which
smears many of his pages does not
especially charm the feminine imag
ination, which prefers sentimental ac
counts of intrigue and love-malting.
Scott's romanticism was of a virile
type. It did not exclude love-making
but it certainly reduced that delight
ful pastime to its lowest terms. He
liked better to describe sieges and
hairbreadth escapes from death. He
had romantic ideals galore, but they
concerned tournaments, knights In
armor and border forays more than
they did sweet lispings in boudoirs.
The poems, which preceded the novels
for the most part, pleased women bet
ter and are more read in schools to
this day. The sugary lilt of "The
Lady of the Lake" is singularly adapt
ed to the preferences of unmarried
teachers and they naturally impose it
upon their charges.
As time passes Scott is growing
comparatively unpopular. Immense
editions of the Waverley Novels are
still published and sold but they are
more for ornament than use. No
library is complete without its Scott
but when the owner of the library
wants to sit down and read he ehooses
Balzac or Dickens, or if his taste is a
little more delicate chooses Jane
Austen. Scott's history is as false as
possible and what has been called
"the social spirit" does not exist in
his books. The world that he por
trays was composed entirely of knights
and dames of high degree, with only
such underlings as were indispensable
for their convenience. He presented
the shallow and glittering surface of
cruel times. Modern readers know a
great deal more about the real facts
of chivalry, feudalism, armor-clad
knights and gay ladies than was
known in Scott's day and they find his
pictures painfully inadequate. j(He
no, one nt the greatest story-tellers
who ever lived and his books are read
nowadays for plot and narrative when
they are read at all. .Nobody expects
to find any particular depth of thought
or accuracy of social knowledge in
them. If we can forget how utterly
false they are to reality it is still pos
sible to enjoy them but the ordinary
novel reader naturally prefers to
spend his time upon stories which
contain more of the truth of life.
PLUCKING THE EFFICIENT.
Recent retirement of some of the
ablest and most efficient officers of
the Navy by the "plucking board"
has focused public attention on the
defects of that system and promises
to bring about a decided change.
The "plucking board" was established
to remedy one evil, but has done so
by substituting another evil equally
great.
The purpose was to open the way
for more rapid promotion, in order
that officers might reach the highest
positions while they were at the
height of their mental and physical
powers. There was already provision
for retirement on attaining a certain
age, but the way up the ladder was
so choked that a man did not become
commander of a ship or a squadron
until he was near that age. In order
to move officers along faster, it was
decided that, unless forty vacancies
occurred yearly by death or resigna
tion, enough more vacancies to make
that number should be created by
forcible retirement. The purpose was
to pick out the dead wood, and the
plucking board was to swing the ax.
But it is composed of Naval officers,
who, though sworn to decide without
prejudice and to have In view only
efficiency and fitness, have obviously
been inspired in some Instances by
professional jealousy or personal likes
and dislikes.
The most marked recent example
of the pernicious working of the
plucking system Is the case of Cap
tain John H. Gibbons. He has been
commended by ex-President Roose
velt, who frequently consulted him
when Captain Gibbons was In com
mand of the Dolphin and who pro
nounces him a man of marked effi
ciency. He has won gunnery trophies
on two ships he has commanded. By
his coolness and daring in the Apia
hurricane he was the means of saving
many lives on the Vandalla. He
served with distinction in Cuba, the
Philippines and at Vera Cruz. Of his
thirty-five years in the service, eigh
teen and one-half have been spent at
sea. He commanded the 3000 blue
Jackets on shore while the Navy po
liced Vera Cruz. He was fit to be
trusted with the dreadnought Utah,
but he had no sooner brought his ship
Into port than he received notice of
his dismissal.
In spite of this record, Rear-Admiral
Knight, a member of the
"plucking board," told the House Na
val committee that Captain Gibbons
and four other Captains who shared
his fate had "added absolutely noth
ing to the efficiency of the Navy, but
detracted from efficiency." He ad
mitted that Captain Gibbons' record
was flawless, but said the Captain had
been at sea only three of the last thir
teen years and had contributed noth
ing material to the advancement of
naval science. This is the man whom
Colonel Roosevelt, while President,
"consulted about questions of equip
ment, direction and general policy"
and whom he would have been "de
lighted to see in a position of respon
sibility and command" in war.
The "plucking board" has so obvi
ously worked against retention of
highly efficient officers in the Navy
that it stands condemned. Congress
Is almost sure to restore several of its
most recent victims to the service.
Congress needs to go further and to
revise the whole system of promotion
and retirement. A body so lifted above
the prejudices of the service that It
can act with impartiality is needed In
place of the board one that will
not throw on the scrap-heap men who
are at the height of their powers, nor
keep an officer on shore service for
many years and then make lack of
sea service an excuse for his retire
ment. No hard and fast line can be
drawn as to age. Some men are worn
out at 50; others have performed their
most notable feats of generalship and
statesmanship at 80. It should not
be permitted, as Admiral Knight con
fessed to be the case, that two offi
cers whose records were marred by
charges of intoxication are retained
In the service, while men of flawless
records are retired. Such anomalies
savor of favoritism and spite. We
need a system which will give the
Government the full benefit of Its in
vestment In an officer's education and
training and which will keep alive,
not smother, his ambition.
FAIR WEATHER IN BUSINESS.
Added to the assurance of a
phenomenal wheat crop, for which
farmers will get good prices In con
sequence of short crops In Europe
and India and of a small carry-over
from last year, there is now the daily
improving prospect of a corn crop
above the average. The average con
dition of corn on July 1 was re
ported by the Government to be 1
per cent above the July average for
the past ten years, and the forecast
was that the crop would be exceeded
by those of only three years during
that period. Though a better condi
tion on July 1, 1913, was followed by
a disastrously short crop, the fields
were then short of moisture, and the
corn was already beginning to wither.
This year, on the other hand, corn
entered the critical growing period
beginning with the last three weeks
of July after abundunt rain, which
put It in excellent condition to with
stand heat. The Government was
thus justified in pronouncing the con
dition "in the main ideal." The com
shortage of last year, when the crop
was the smallest in eleven years, was
in part responsible for the depression
of the past six months, as was the
crop failure of 1894 partially for the
continuation of hard times through
1895. The prospect held out that the
five principal grains would yield the
second largest aggregate crop on rec
ord, 13 per cent above that of last
year, has certainly stimulated busi
ness. This is already apparent at various
points. Bank clearings of the United
States for the first six months of 1914
were 1.4 per cent below those of the
same period of 1913, but In the first
week of July they Increased 3.4 per
cent and in the second week 14.3
per cent, attaining the largest total
for that week in history. As a Chi
cago financial writer points out,
"There have been no speculation or
inflation or new flotations to swell
the figures this year; they must rep
resent actual business." As to the
steel trade, the hitherto gloomy Iron
Age admits that "the corner seems to
have been turned at last." The trust's
nnflllerl nrriera HI the end f June
showed an increase for the first time
since February. The generally ex
pressed opinion In Pittsburg, accord
ing to the New York Evening Post,
is that "the second half-year will
show a much larger tonnage than the
first half with eventually a somewhat
higher level of prices." In anticipa
tion of this Improvement many mills
insist on higher prices for the fourth
quarter of the year. A conservative
Phlladelphian says that while mills
and factories are not operating at
over 60 per cent of capacity, this Is S
per cent more than a month ago and
that Philadelphia houses which have
been sounding conditions in the Mid
dle West "declare prospects to be for
the best volume of business in three
years." Railroads are assured of a
heavy traffic which will tax their fa
cilities and will surely end the period
of decrease and open a period of In
crease in net earnings.
The world's money market has
been eased by the successful floating
of the French loan, though adverse
Influences are the unsuccessful offer
ing of Greek and Turkish loans In
Paris and Brazil's financial troubles.
It is suggested, however, that the for
mer circumstance Is due t,o an under
standing among European bankers
that they will not put any Balkan
state in a position to break the peace
again. One -London correspondent
says the sentiment there is "one of
moderate cheerfulness," while an
other predicts "a prolonged period of
cheap money."
In short, this country has entered
upon a period of steadily increasing
activity In manufacturing and mer
chandising. When Congress finishes
Its work on the anti-trust bills, finan
ciers will know better under what
legal conditions they must do busi
ness and, encouraged by an easy
money market, will launch new en
terprises and supply funds for rail
road Improvements. Thus all the
signs point to a period of business ac
tivity as great as and more prolonged
than the period of depression from
whla.li we have Just emerged.
The sale of property on the Colum
bia River to a man who Intends to
develop Its scenic beauties follows so
quickly on the assurance that the Co
lumbia Highway will be constructed
from Hood River to the sea that the
two facts clearly have the relation of
cause and effect. As a field for sub
urban and country homes where one
can enjoy pure air and water, outdoor
life and the Inspiration which na
ture's grandeur affords, the Columbia
far surpasses the storied Rhine, the
Thames and the Arno, over which
poets have raved. It needed only to
be made accessible by a good highway
In order to come Into Its own. The
same highway will furnish an eco
nomical outlet to market for the prod
ucts of the valley and will also create
a local market among those who set
tle along the river's banks.
There is a kind of Journalistic
monomania In Oregon that finds ex
pression In continued assaults on The
Oregoniart. Just now a Portland
newspaper of growing unimportance
is giving dally exhibitions of its ob
session, which Is a frenzied phenome
non of bad temper, declining influ
ence, disappointed hopes and mali
cious desire to injure. That part of
the public which reads the columns of
The Oregonlan's angry critic must be
getting very weary. The Oregonian,
however, could scarcely hope for bet
ter fortune than that the painful ex
hibitions continue.
If our National House of Repre
sentatives is wise it will drop the
Peary-Cook controversy. The matter
has already been decided by compe
tent authorities. Congressmen have
no authority to decide who discovered
the North Pole and they are not com
petent to exercise It If they had.
Should they award the merit to Dr.
Cook, the world would smile and ask,
"What will their next folly be?" They
are better employed passing silly la-.
Annie Bell makes a lively prisoner.
The London magistrate who tried her
the other day must have smiled if he
was a philosopher or wept If he was
merely an ordinary, humdrum func
tionary of the law Annie, who Is a
militant, sang the "Marseillaise" in
court and fought the bailiffs. When
she was not singing and fighting she
was guying the magistrate. Is there
any parallel in all history to these
unconquerable suffragettes?
Years ago, during the heated terra
In the Upper Mississippi Valley, peo
ple were merely prostrated. Now a
scientific chap dLscovers that high
voltage in the air. caused by excessive
humidity, produces Insanity. Before
such condition ensues, those liable
would better come to this Coast, where
the affliction Is unknown.
What sort of telephone service must
Dorchester have when the girls must
Jump on the desk every few minutes,
gather their skirts around them and
scream at the advent of a mouse? If
any phones are connected when this
happens, the subscribers must Imagine
themselves connected with an Insane
asylum or a Holy Roller meeting.
Since the secret machinery of the
loan sharks has been exposed, the
cities where they operate should have
no difficulty In keeping them on the
run. Their best protection seems to
have been their victims' dread of ex
posure in the courts, but this is de
stroyed by seizure of their books.
While the Industrial Relations
Commission Is collecting abstract
opinions on the causes of unrest, there
are some concrete facts in the Colo
rado strike and In the threatened rail
road strike which might better engage
Its attention.
The New York campaign promises
to be fought largely In the courts.
If both Colonel Roosevelt and Mr.
Barnes mean what they say. That Is
the fashion, as set in Paris by the
Calllaux trial.
Mexican factions find little difficul
ty in pulling together until they get
possession of the spoils. We shall see
what will happen when they have
possession and begin to discuss the
division.
The popular Impression being that
care, not a germ, whitens the hair,
Joseph Buettgenbach could have made
several million dollars by removing
that cause.
Mrs. Belmont's display of the loot
of Pekin had a parallel in the spoils
of victory which adorned a royal
triumph.
The Balkan cauldron threatens to
boll over again.
Gleams Through the Mist
By Uranj n.
Dame Tort une Is a fickle Jade.
For 1 have wooed her long.
Yet. spit of all the prayers I mad.
She give her smiles to Strong
Bill Strong, who and to plsy with me
In boyhood's era fan
Today I'm mostly broka. while ha.
Well, he's a millionaire.
Dame Fortune Is a fickle Jade.
She picked on Strong to win.
And spite of all the tries I made,
1 never could get in.
And Bill, who used to play with ms
In boyhood's era fair.
Is clean outside my plane for ha.
Well, he's a mllllonalra.
I oft remember. In the day
When Summer swoons Is heat.
That big and bully place In play.
The swimming hole's retreat.
Why. Bill would dabble In the mud
With all us fellows there.
Oulltlasa of wealth or rank or dud.
This future mllllonalra.
And now when ha goaa honking Vy
In his expensive car.
I let him pass without a alga;
For Juat Fate'a rulings are.
And though Immense his triumphs be.
Their daasle waxes dim
Beside the one Fate granted me.
In boyhood, over him.
I wateh him pass, and do not sigh:
But back my mem'rles roll;
I sea the twinkling ripples II
t'pon the swimming hole,
1 recollect and It enchant
My soul, that picture fair
Once I tied knots Int., the pants
Of Strang, the millionaire
a
"Sir," said the courteous offles boy.
"do I have to get Into your colyum
every week?"
Yes. my son." I replied gently but
firmly.
"And yet," meditated the C. O. B,
striking a Hackenachmldt poas. "one
would scarcely notlca that I am a
weekly boy "
"No." 1 gritted, "but If you pull off
anothar like that you will bs."
And I rang for an ambulancs and
went out to look for a club.
The Sporting Kdltor has ths kid In
terested In developing hi musrla all
right, but his Idea of wit and humor
gets worse every day.
ftkTJtat It Oa.
She married when her love was blind.
Now Cupid gets the blame.
She wishes she had changed her mind.
Before she changed her name.
Courier -Journal.
She jilted him when poor. oh. shame!
Now he ts rich, wa find.
She wishes she had changed her name
Before ahe changed her mind.
e
Forecast for Asinil.
Professor tl. Pythagoras Blmslack,
the prominent rag-time astrologer and
savant, sends the follow ing dissertation
and forecast for August:
August received Its name because of
the similarity of ambition betwaen
Julius Caesar Esq.- Aug. Caeaar. his
successor, and 1'. T. Ilnriium. who was
not personally acquaint,! with elthsi,
but had much t!ie aama Ideas.
J. Caesar first rscognlied that al
manacs were destined to bs In every
well I SgSlSlSl home, and grabbed the
seventh month of the year, naming It
"July" after hlmaslf.
"It never hurts to havs your nam
In print." he said, beating P. T Bar
num to It by 2000 years, and now Jul
ius is known wherevnr patent pain
killer In advertised or pink pills
possess almanac publicity.
Augustus Caeaar was quirk to grasp
the same Idea, and ths month follow
ing, which he named August after him
self. Even In this day I understand that It
la a source of regret to the lllg Nolss
of Oyster Bay that he overlooked stak
ing out a month for himself while hs
had the chance.
The Scorpion Is the sign that Is bus
iest In destinies for August, and practi
cally everybody geta atung excepting
ths proprietors of high-priced Summnr
resorts. Especially does Scorpio watch
over the poor bonehead who bats too
heavily against the Heavers this month.
Hot weather will bs prevalent and
the man who work's In ths ice plant
will look back without regret upon
those dear old days In tha hay field
before hs left the farm to saek hla for
tunc In the wicked city.
see
Solraea TbaugM.
The fisher cometh home to tall
About his luck, throughout the day.
And doth aver that It Is well
Too bad tha big ones get sway.
The Kduratlonal I pllft.
Sir: I am educating my son to b
a bellhop In a faahtonubla Summer
hotel. I should be plesN.d If you can
hurry along that movement of yours
to have a course In Elementary Piracy
In the Public Schools, a I want to
give my boy the beat preparation pos
sible for his life work. Youra truly.
AMBITIOI'S l'ABKNT
e
Reflection, of N. Mtln.
Bettln' hens sln't the only critters
that can't always tall ths ssssnllal
differences bstween a rhlny doorknob
and a regiar egg.
The National Guard man that cornea
home from the manoovere and baa to
put In thres weeka gettln' his feet
bsck In shape so as he can stand on
m, gats a slant on tha glory of war
that we don't find In tha standard
poets.
pprnslasate History.
71,221 B. C. G. Henry Bonrhook lugs
horns s good string of fish, but
sures his fellow nntedeluvlsna that
ths "biggest ons got away."
7S B. C Eclipse recorded In tha
tablets of Nineveh, but no notice of the
phenomenon Is wired to Greenwich
and the obaervers carelessly neglect to
take photogrsphs.
15J0 A. D. Monteiuma retiree from
the dictatorship of Mexico and a coun
ter revolution begins on schedula
time theresfter.
184 A. D. Oregon treaty signed
with Great Britain, giving us enough
territory to whlttl out several pretty
good states and still leave Oregon
enough to keep men kicking about
the "unearned Increment."
1912 A. D. Suffragette attacks Pre
mier of England.
1914 A. P. Suffragotta activities
hava advanced to the stage where they
now bounce rubber balls on ths hesds
of royalty.
1S14 A. D. Mexican situation sim
mering down. Looks like things ars
about due for another revolution. In
the meantime Mexico's space In this
column is open for other engagements.