THE SUXDAT OREGOyiAX, PORTLAND, MARCH 28, 1915.
8
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PORTLAND. SUNDAY, MARCH 18. 1913.
CLASS AID.
It is somewhat singular that while
In Oregon public sentiment in favor of
state aid to employers in insuring
against industrial accidents induces the
Legislature to make no change, other
states look askance even at a high cost
of administration of compensation
laws. In Oregon not only is a share
of the losses incurred by industry
through payment of compensation
taken overby the state, but the cost
of administering the law comes out of
public funds. The state stands praC'
tically alone in this respect.
The recent Idaho Legislature
adopted a compensation law, which
Governor Alexander vetoed. A chief
reason for his disapproval "was the
large appropriation made for adminis
tering the law. Another reason was
found In the low schedule of compen
sation specified for Injuries. In the
veto it Is said that he had the support
of the major portion of organized labor
In that state.
In New York In the first three
months of the fiscal year 1914 the
Compensation Commisison expended
all of the $500,000 appropriated for its
expenses for twelve months and ere'
ated a deficit of $25,000. The New
York Compensation Commission now
recommends that after July 1 the ad
ministration expenses be borne by
those carrying Insurance. In other
iwords. It Is proposed in New York that
the general public pay notning to
maintain the compensation principle,
but that industry bear all the cost.
Oregon, in paying not only adminis
tration expenses, but part of the in
surance premiums, is certainly gener
ous in comparison."
New York has provided a striking
example of the tendency of state de
partments needlessly supported by the
public to outrun the bounds of reason
In their expenditures. The dissipation
of the Compensation Board s appro
priation caused Governor Whitman, on
February 3, to send an emergency mes
sage to the Legislature. This message
recited that the commisison naa rentea
elaborate offices in New York at a cost
of $35,000 a year: had paid one spe
cial counsel $10,000 for three months'
work; that the number of its em
nloves was grossly excessive, the rate
of their remuneration inexcusably
high, and that the office furnishings
mere absurdly extravagant.
But another cause was found by
Governor Whitman for depletion of
the funds. He said:
Th. law itlf la an attempt to work a
complete separation between employer and
employe, so that they may not only be
apart as separate laicreow, wut iu i
may be opposing interests, when they should
be a single and unified Interest. In this at
tempt tho law provides that in every case of
accident, great and small, tho whole transac
tion of adjustment and payment must be
done through the workmen's compensation
commission. The result shows that the at
tempt by the state to do the business of Its
citizens must Inevitably cause enormous
expense to the state government, besides the
inconvenience and disorganization of private
business and injury to private interest,
whether of capital or labor.
Tho necessity that every claim be
passed upon by the board before pay
ment may be made has led to extreme
delay in almost every case in New
York. Employes suffering temporary
disability have recovered and gone
back to work long before their claims
were paid. In the face of these con
ditions and of Governor Whitman's
message, one Assemblyman has
charged that the effort to amend this
defect in the law is the result of col
lusion between the casualty companies
and the bosses, the casualty companies
being permitted to write compensation
insurance in that state. An uninformed
New York newspaper observes that
whatever the inspiration back of it,
an amendment that would permit im
mediate payment of claims by private
companies would bring back the ambulance-chaser
and open the way for
all manner of abuses.
An equally uninformed Oregon news
paper, taking its text from the New
York newspaper, congratulates this
Hate on having escaped the struggle
that Is now going on in New York
through the refusal of the Legislature
to pass the Michigan law, recommended
by Governor Withycombe. Facts and
sound argument ought to be more
weighty than expressions of mere sus
picion. Yet such suspicions have been
encountered at every turn in the ef
fort to save Oregon from plunging
Into needless expenditures in main
taining the compensation principle,
and they seem to have taken hold. -
Truth Is, the adoption of the Michi
gan law would not have plunged Ore
gon Into the struggle New York is now
undergoing, for the reason that the
provision in controversy in New York
Is not contained in the Michigan law.
In Michigan, payments to injured
workmen or their dependents are not
tlrst passed upon by the state board,
but are paid immediately, thus saving
the workman or his dependents need
less suffering for want of money. The
claims are, however, checked up later
by the board and if found incorrect
adjustment is required. This system
Old not bring back the ambulance
chaser or lead to abuses. Some of the
high National labor leaders are au
thority for that.
Whatever mild tolerance the Oregon
public may now give to state aid to
industrial employers It is quite proba
ble that ultimately, as the cost of that
policy grows, the people will ask them
selves why they should help the em
ployer take care of his industrial in
surance, when the state does not aid
him to pay his fire insurance or help
the individual to carry his life in
surance, or assist the owner of the of
tlce building to carry the public lia
bility involved in operating his ele
vators. It seems absurd that any person
should have expected the steamer
Great Northern to come from Phila
delphia to the Pacific Coast empty
when hundreds of people wished to
travel on her. The law against use
Of the Canal by. railroad-owned steam
ers was evidently intended to apply to
vessels running regularly on the Canal
route, not to vessels passing through
the Canal to a route where the law
does not apply.
AGAINST THE BONDS.
The case for the opposition to the
$1,250,000 bond issue for roads in
Multnomah County is fully set forth
in a letter from Mr. Korell, printed
today. The several main points of the
anti-bonding argument are: (1) that
Portland, which will pay most of the
road tax. is heavily in debt now; tJ)
that present roads are good enough;
(3) that hard-surface roads are chiefly
desired by automobilists; and (4) that
the value of the Columbia Highway is
purely scenic.
Like other objectors to a definite
programme of road development, Mr.
Korell protests that he is "heartily in
sympathy with every movement for
securing good roads in Oregon. What
he complains about obviously is that
they must be paid for. Undoubtedly
if a plan could be devised by whicn
we might have splendid roads which
do not cost the taxpayer a dollar, Mr.
Korell and his fellow-objectors would
be for It. But there is no such way.
If a way could be devised to keep,
heavy traffic off the present country
roads, undoubtedly they would be good
enough.. But the march of the times
has brought the automobile and the
auto truck, arid it Is Just as great folly
to Insist that all traffic on roads shall
be carried on by horses and wagons as
it would be to suggest that we tear
down our trolley lines and go back to
horse-drawn streetcars. SJiall we pro
gress or shall we retrograde? That
Is the question clearly put forth In the
issue over hard-surface roads.
But there Is more to be said about
the money cost of paved roads. From
the standpoint of economy, they must
be built. Here Is the situation In a
nutshell: "
The present cost of maintaining 70
miles of roads In Multnomah County
per annumr'is $1000 per mile, or $70,
000 per year. The cost of oiling is
$18,000 per year. For ten years hard
surface roads are guaranteed by the
builder, so that these Items will be
eliminated, at least for that period.
Here Is a total of $88,000 per annum
which will disappear with the advent
of the paved road.
The annual interest charge on $1
250,000 bonds is $62,500 per year. So
that, for at least five years, when the
county undertakes to begin paying part
of the principal, the road tax will be
less rather than greater, and thereafter
it need not be greater.
If the road bonds do not carry. It
Is inevitable that paved roads be built
anyway, and it must and will be done
out of current road revenues from
taxation.
The cheap way to get good roads is
to build them systematically and com
pletely, under the bonding plan.
ANSTlirS IJMIT.
It will be a long time before we
hear the last of the question how much
alcohol a person can consume daily
without injuring himself: Some say
none at all. Other estimates run all
the way from a thimbleful to a hogs
head. The Prudential Life Insurance
Company adopts "Anstie's limit" and
those who do not exceed it are accept
ed as good risks if their habits are
otherwise praiseworthy. This limit
cannot be stigmatized as ascetic. It
permits a person to drink eight table
spoonfuls of whisky or a quart of beer
dally, enough to satisfy moderate ap
petites. The best medical opinion of
our day does not quite agree with
Anstie on the subject of alcoholic bev
erages. The doctors are decidedly of
the opinion that abstinence is prefer
able to moderation. . Laboratory ex
periments have shown pretty conclu
sively that very small quantities of
alcohol impair a man's bodily and
mental efficiency. The ability to add
numbers declines, the memory is
weakened, and the Judgment Is per
verted. No man can expect to be quite
at his best with a dose of alcohol In
his stomach even if it is a small dose.
Moderate drinking may not injure a
person's health to all outward appear
ances for a long time and yet it may
prepare the way for Internal disorders.
It is admitted by all authorities that
alcohol promotes that arteriosclerosis
which is the scourge of advanced age.
It affects the kidneys disastrously and
predisposes the lungs to pneumonia.
What it does to the brain is a matter
of controversy, but certainly the "in
hibitory faculties" are weakened by
alcohol and a man Is thus rendered
unduly susceptible to low temptations
of many sorts. There is a great deal
of evidence to show that alcoholic
drinks impair a person's powers of
resistance to disease, especially to
pneumonia. Wounds heal with less
than normal speed on patients who
uso alcohol even in small quantities.
Without any regard to law or morals
it appears to be well established that
alcoholic beverages are more profit
able to those who sell than to those
who consume them.
TYPHOU) AND SCTRVr.
The privation and disease at
Przemysl were much the same as
every city has to undergo during a
prolonged siege. Civilians must have
suffered more than Uie soldiers and
this Is also characteristic of sieges.
The commander of an invested town
usually deems it his duty to provide
for the troops first. If anything is
left after their wants are satisfied it
is doled out to the non-combatants.
In some sieges useless civilians have
been slain to enable the defenders to
hold out longer. Sometimes the old
men, women and children have been
driven from the city for the same pur
pose. Occasionally it is recorded that
the investing troops have driven the
fugitives back again to embarrass the
defenders. In time of siege the civil
ian appetite always fights on the side
of the enemy. In Przemysl it appears
that little or nothing was left for any
body to eat long before the fortress
surrendered. Both soldiers and citi
zens were reduced to the last extrem
ity of hunger and, naturally, their
surroundings must have been unen
durably filthy. Under such conditions
the filth diseases such as typhoid and
typhus are amost certain to sweep
away thousands.
It is reported that a quarter of the
garrison at Przemysl were down with
typhoid in the course of the siege. The
number of citizens who suffered is not
given. Such trivial facts are of no
consequence in war. For some reason
the garrison at Przemysl was not
provided with typhoid vaccine which
has proved so efficacious in most
armies. In our own it has reduced
the typhoid death rate to zero. Per
haps religious prejudices prevented
he use of the vaccine. Human life in
same Of the mid-European countries is
of small account in comparison with
superstition. The- city also suffered
from scurvy, which is a disease that
attacks the human system when it Is
deprived of proper . nourishment. In
former centuries it was the scourge of
deep sea navigators and arctic voy
agers, but with the hygienic diet which
modern conditions enable sailors to
enjoy scurvy is no longer dreaded on
shipboard. It survives, however, as
one of the blessings of war.
POWER OF BdUEAtTCRACY.
The letter from Mr. B. F. Jones,
printed today, illuminates the methods
by which an overgrown and vigorous
bureau overturns the gentle efforts of
Congress to give western states re
lief from the Pinchot policy of reser
vation. The law very plainly says that agri
cultural lands in the National forests
are open to homestead entry. But
there must, of course, be some author
ity to determine whether lands en
tered upon as agricultural are in fact
of that character. If the authority
selected be opposed to settlement in
the forests the way to defeat the law
Is simple.
The homesteader, almost invariably,
has no capital, and cannot live in
idleness for an indefinite period. If
action on his application awaits In
spection and re-inspection, survey and
re-survey, he isj more than likely to
become weary of his efforts to begin
the making of a home and abandon
the application. But if he sticks he
usually learns that he may take up
twenty, fifty or seventy acres, only,
with boundary lines of fantastic ir
regularity. The case Mr. Jones cites
well illustrates the point. The tract
that homeseeker was finally permitted
to file on contained only seventy-two
acres, was half a mile long, from five
to eleven rods wide and had fifty
four corners.
It is no wonder that in 'the Roseburg
land district in which the reserved
land aggregates more than 4,000,000
acres and contains much agricultural
land, fewer than 400 claims have
been filed in nine years. If each of
these claimshad been allowed to the
full extent of 160 acres the land taken
would be less than 64,000 acres. The
land . settled was probably nearer
20,000 acres a mere speck In an area
larger than the States of Connecticut
and Rhode Island combined.
GOOD FOB SWITZERLAND. NOT FOR VS.
In its search for arguments in favor
of public ownership of railroads, the
New York American has discovered
that Switzerland bought the railroads
in order to remove the cause of cor
ruption in the Legislature. It then
asks: "If good fcr Switzerland, why
not for us?"
One reason "why not for us" is that
while Switzerland owns 2000 miles of
railroad on which there is a debt of
$300,000,000. there are In this country
over 200,000 miles of railroad capi
talized at about $20,000,000,000. It is
a much larger contract for the United
States than it was for Switzerland.
Another reason is that we are try
ing to reach the same end as Switzer
land bv a different route, namely, pub-
hic supervision of privately-owned
railroads. We have made commenda
ble Drocress in that policy and we
should try it fairly. It has borne
pretty hard on the railroads so lar,
but iwe hope that, when the hostility
to them which it started has died
down, it will do equal justice both to
the railroads and the public.
We have succeeded fairly well in
taking- the railroads out of politics
and are making progress In that line,
so why resort to the drastic Swiss
remedy?
Public ownership does not aiwajis
succeed as well as if is alleged to
have succeeded in Switzerland. For
example, France no sooner acquired
one railroad than operating expenses
increased amazingly, because of the
Frenchman's yearning for a govern
ment job. Government roads in
France do not pay, and there is good
cause to expect the same result in the
United States.
Our Government must show much
higher ability to manage the busi
ness it has already in hand Deiore
we can safely trust it with more. Any
railroad manager would be ashamed
of such a record as the Government
has made with rivers and harbors,
reclamation, public buildings and other
things. A Government of which it
can be said that $300,000,000 could be
saved if it were run on business prin
ciples is not to be trusted with an
additional $20,000,000,000 job.
These are only a few of many rea
sons why what is good for Switzer
land Is not good for us.
TEAM WORK.
At the present time there seems to
be a movement all over the state in
behalf of better promotion work. Per
haps the merger of several organiza
tions in Portland into one great Cham
ber of Commerce has had much to do
with the activities in various other
communities, for this work, now so
near completion, has been well adver
tised throughout the Northwest. When
the start was made a few months ago
to weld these organizations Into one
harmonious whole the task looked
rather visionary, for -such a work has
been dreamed about by enthusiasts for,
at least three decades; but, thanks to
a splendid leadership and the loyal
support of a hundred or more able
workers, the task is about completed.
When it is done Portland ought to
take a day off and hold a celebration
In honor of one of the greatest achieve
ments of our citizens.
Looking at similar conditions in
other cities of the state, we find that
wherever there is a good working or
ganization, composed of men who deep
down in their hearts have a love and
pride for their home owns, such or
ganizations are accomplishing much
good. But even in these smaller cities
the work might be more efficient were
a welding together of the various civic
organizations brought aDout, as nas
been done in Portland.
With pride and pleasure we take
note of the accomplishments of the
people of The Dalles, assisted by a
committee of six. nearly all, perhaps
all of whom belong to their Business
Men's Club, which is the name of their
civic promotion organization. Mr. Ed-
.-ard C. Pease is at the head or tnis
committee and during the last few
months they have accomplished the
seeming impossible by saving the O.
W. R. & N. shops. The railway com
pany had determined to remove them
to Sherman, and the division point was
to go with it. Now The Dalles is not
onlv assured of tne retention or tne
shops, but that they will be rebuilt
on a new site and on a very large
scale.
However, the greater achievement
has been consummated in the last
two weeks the securing of a fruit
packing plant, which Is to be erected
in time to take care of the cherries.
pears and apricots this season. When
the nlant is compieieo. it viu Danube
all sorts of fruits and vegetables. The
buildings, now about to be begun, will
be on the riverfront, with the railroad
on the south. This structure will be
290 by 260 feet. In the shape of a
hollow oblong, the buildings being 60
feet wide. From 200 to 300 hands
will be employed during the working
season.
Already the owners, Messrs. Libby,
McNeill & Libby, a concern with a
world-wide reputation, have contracted
for 1000 tons of pears, 400 tons of
cherries aiMY 500 tons of apricots for
each of the coming five years, at re
markably good prices. Many cities
larger than The Dalles were in com
petition for this plant, notably Walla
Walla and North Yakima. But Mr.
Pease and his co-workers were able to
show to the satisfaction of Messrs.
Libby, McNeill & Libby that The
Dalles was the ideal spot for such a
plant and they won.
STARVED CHILDREN.
It is a question whether the chll
dren of the rich or the poor suffer
most for want of proper food. The
petted .darlings of the rich usually
have enough to eat, such as it is,, but
their diet often lacks the proper ele
ments to nourish the human body.
The children of the poor are frequent
ly dwarfed and depraved physically
from sheer starvation, but the wealthy
dwellers in hotels and sumptuous
apartments probably suffer quite as
much for lack of proper nourishment.
The pampered little creatures devour
everything they ought not to have and
get very little that is really good for
them.
It is a distressing sight to see the
6-year-old daughter of a millionaire
sit down at a hotel table and choose
for her dinner the most indigestible
dishes on the bill of fare with nobody
to correct her appetite. Of course
such a child cannot grow, up a healthy
woman. She will necessarily be dys
peptic, hysterical and hypochondriacal.
Still the rich are not all simpletons by
any means in the management of their
families., Many of them employ com
petent nurses and tutors who regulate
the children's diet with strict regard
to the requirements of health.
No doubt the worst pampered chil
dren In the United States are, upon the
whole, those of the comfortable mid
dle class. Among these people there
is zealous competition to make "our
children" outshine the neighbors'." So
the unhappy little creatures are over
loaded with fine clothes, reared In
idleness and Indulged In every peevish
whim at the table and in the drawing
room. The result Is a badly nourished
mind as well as body. Ill-health in
mature years aritl race suicide.
The best private schools in the
country are those patronized exclu
sively by the enlightened rich. The
boys who attend them are rigorously
exercised, taught a variety of useful
knowledge and fed on nourishing food.
It is among the middle-class worship
ers of the rlchxwho Imitate their fol
lies but not their virtues that it is most
the vogue to spoil children.
STONEWALL JACKSON.
General Thomas J. Jackson, better
known to readers as "Stonewall Jack
son," was. mortally wounded at the
battle of Chancellorsvllle in 1863 and
died not long afterward. His second
wife, whose maiden name was Anna
Morrison, died last Wednesday, hav
ing survived him fifty-two years. In
1892 she published a Life of her dis
tinguished husband, which gives an
extraordinarily interesting account of
his personal character and public
services. He was born in Virginia in
1824 of parents not very well to do,
and after their death, which occurred
in his boyhood, he saw many hard
ships, some of which must be at
tributed to the daring adventurous
ness of his disposition. On one occa
sion, in company with his brother,
he ran away from his adopted home
and the two boys made their way
as far west as the Mississippi, where
they lived one whole Summer on an
island, earning a scanty living by
cutting cordwood for steamboats. - But
this wildness was a passing phase of
Jackson's character. He soon devel
oped those serious, meditative traits
which endured till his death and Im
part to his letters more of the tone of
a pastor than of a military com
mander. At the West Point Military Academy,
to which his friends secured him an
appointment, he drew up some rules
for his personal conduct which breathe
a stern sense of duty far beyond his
years. He had adopted for his life
motto, "You may be whatever you
resolve to be," and began his precepts
with the injunction, "Through life let
your principal object be the discharge
of duty." This rule he seems to have
obeyed almost literally at West Point,
where his somewhat less than brilliant
mental powers obliged him to study
with severe diligence in order to keep
up with his class. There, as every
where, to the day of his death, he
won the affectionate respect of all who
knew him. His Christianity was too
simple and sincere to be misinter
preted, even by the relentless cynicism
of young students, and Its mild beams
shone as steadily on the battlefield as
in his lecture room at the Virginia
Military Institute.
Jackson was made a professor at
the institute after two years' service
in the Mexican War, followed by a
short interval of that ineffective, dilar
tory w-andering from pillar to post,
which seems to be the lot of most of
our officers in time of peace. His
education had scarcely fitted him for
a professor's duties, but he managed
"to keep ahead of the class," which
was all that could reasonably be ex
pected of a teacher in those days. At
the institute he married his second
wife, whose affectionate and admiring
Life of her husband we are following
in this brief account of a remarkable
man. His idyllic professorial career
was rudely broken In upon in 1859
by a call to attend the execution of
John Brown in his capacity as an
officer of the Army. He wrote his
wife a vivid description of Brown's
death, telling how the sorely wounded
old man "behaved with unflinching
firmness" and hoping that he might
not be ordered by the Almighty to
"depart into everlasting fire." It
were much to be wished that every
man's chance of escaping those flames
were as good as old John Brown's.
But Stonewall Jackson regarded the
affair from his own standpoint, which
was that of an uncompromising
state's rights man and a believer in
the divine Institution of slavery. He
confessed that he could not quite un
derstand why the good Lord should
have doomed the negroes to perpetual
servitude, but he had no doubt of the
fact, and, like other pious Southerners,
both clerical and lay, could quote
plenty of texts to sustain his opinion.
He agreed with Jefferson Davis that
war was likely to bring terrible
calamities upon the South and pre
ferred to fight for the rights of the
states within the Union rather than
from the outside. Secession was not
favored by Jackson, nor, in fact, by the
State of Virginia, at first. It was not
till the National Government had an
nounced its purpose to coerce the
seceding states and Fort Sumter had
been reduced by the South Carolinans
that Virginia Joined openly In the
rebellion. Jackson then withdrew
from his peaceful pursuits at the Vir
ginia Military Institute and took
command of the state troops. Thus
the die was cast and the struggle
begun, which was not to end until
Jackson, with many other gallant
heroes, had been slain and the civ
ilization which nurtured them had
been destroyed.
In tent and field Stonewall Jackson
prayed fervently and continuously for
the victory of his cause. There is
no doubt whatever that the prayers
offered to heaven for the triumph of
the slave oligarchy were Just as sin
cere as those from Northern Hps
.!n,t if .Tnclrsnn'ji widow wonders
that the petitions of her people were
not granted. "T:nat so many uuit-cu
j .,,- .-t. -., stinulrl have been
ici rcifc 4j.cjv-.w - -
offered in vain," she laments pathetic
ally. Is one or tnose mysteries
ua fatiinmiid bv finite minds.
The mighty ruler of the nations saw
fit to give victory to tne strong arm oi
power and he makes no mistakes."
She might have added that he fol
lowed his usual practice In this par
ticular, as both Napoleon and Gibbon
noticed long ago.
TaoL-ann'c- conftCP-l tn the CaUSO Of
the Confederacy were inestimable.
Among a group of officers far too
ready to quarrel with one another and
complain or tneir superiors u
i ... .. v... kit. nit! ont lnva.1 and self-
llllpl-1 Llll UlilJ 1' I "
sacrificing. On the battlefield his
bravery was an inspiration to nis men
and his genius for command was un
failing. When he was able to lay
his own plans and execute them he
was scarcely ever defeated. For
blundering superiors ne oiteu sav n
disastrous day. He won his heroic
nickname at the first battle of Bull
r. ...-i. risnArnl T .Pf of South
' ,1 11.1 - ,
Carolina, seeing how Jackson with his
Virginians was turning iiireaieneu u
tr Tirr.' h firl "There he
ir.ii 1 1 1 1 1' L..i. j i
stands like a stone wall; rally behind
him." But his true glory was not. so
much his genius and courage on the
field of battle as his indomitable
fidelity to duty in life and death.
AN ARMY FREE FOR ATTACK.
Tutor rennrta of the surrender of
Przemsyl to the Russians enhance Its
importance as to the outcome of the
war. The number of prisoners is near
ly 120,000, a greater number than
surrendered at Sedan in 1870 or in any
.ik.. ..Mnmut nf the n resent war.
uiuci cie,.fc,v.". - .
The large number of cannon captured
by the Russians will be a very wel
come acquisition to them, for they
hoo hwn rpnuted to be short of
artillery and have suffered heavy losses
in that arm In East Prussia.
tv, tni,ni!) in the number or pris
oners over the first estimates must
raise our estimates of the numDer oi
Russians engaged In the siege and now
released for other operations. , This
..,i onroiv ho double the number of
besieged, or about 250,000 men. That
ti,mwn Kiirirfpnlv asainst the
Austro-Germans in the Carpathians,
might succeed in cutting a.
through into Hungary; it might beat
t.a. Anatrian resistance in
Bukowina, effect an entrance into Hun
gary from the east ana turn ia.
flank of the army holding the Carpa
thians; or it might advance west
ward. The Dunajec River has been
the limit of Russia's advance west
ward through Gallcia, but the
Przemsyl army might attempt to force
a passage in order to advance on
Cracow and threaten Silesia.
The release of this considerable
force of Russians and the elimina
tion of 120,000 Austrians are particu
larly fortunate for the allies at tils
time, for it comes almost on th eve
- iL inHi.tna teH offensive in the
vl mo '-"---'I
west with reinforcements from both
France and Britain. Just so many
more men will be needed by termaiij
in the east and Just so many less will
,,oii!iiio for her campaign In the
west because the Austrian fortress has
fallen. ; .
FRIEND OF THE MAIL-ORDER HOUSE,
Making the Parcel Post Ridicu-
" wnntrt h a suitable title ior a
111 Ll-J, . . .....
report submitted to Congress by Sen
ator BrlStOW, or lauaa, i"
explains In considerable detail how
Postmaster-General Burleson, largely
by exceeding his authority, has re
duced the efficiency of the parcel post.
. -t?,,.iAcnn Ytast uD&et and made
ludicrous the schedule of rates, and
t-ha nprrsi nost more an aajunci
of the mail-order houses of the coun
try than a boon to the farmers or a
benefit to- the city man hoping to re
duce the cost of living by this means
of transportation.
Senator Bristow was maae cumiuuui
int c0nat nnd House commit-
Ui juii-" ., .
to the Darcel post, and
ICC L U I . ' CI - -
the report recently made is a severe
arraignment of the aaminisirauuii ui
v. -..1.1 Tinar Rprvice under the di-
li 1 1; " . . . i-
rection of Mr. Burleson. Some of the
discoveries made by the committee are
startling. For instance, out of 37,7f&
rtnffii-p that submitted reports on
the parcel post, only 697 reported out
going parcel post business in excess
of their incoming business. More than
98 per cent of the omces receivea
more parcel post matter than they
sent.
It was found that 46,145,699 or 7,-
UOff,WAX jy.i .
six weeks throughout the United States
Tir from New York City and
r.n cm nari.nia Tianriieri in b. eiven
Chicago, the homes of the big mall-
order houses. While new iorx ois
,(,.v,rt in that Deriod. 26,696,489
parcels, it received only 1.895,453
parcels, and in Chicago tne percentaBe
k,, tho snmR. "The tremendous
was cmvu.
amount-of merchandise sent out by the
mail-order houses of those cities is, oi
course, the explanation of this condi
i snvs the Bristow report It
continues:
The amount, moreover, of the parcel post
business which originated in these two of
fices Is greatly in excess of that shown by
the report of the postmasters, because large
houses In these cities ship by freight their
catalogues and great quantities of their
merchandise to many distributing centers.
where the packages are dlstrlDutea tnrougn
the mall by the smaller omces.
From the best miormation tne commutes
has been able to obtain, it is convinced tnot
the practice of aenalng oy ireignt tor ais
tribution In the short rones by mail, and the
greatly reduced rates wnicn tnese mnu-iwuci
concerns have odwiuw uj mo mi-hb-hb
ii-..l.n nf ftici. PfltAlaeilM f TOTTl
tne iiiiB3iii.il."". . -
third class to fourth class, have resulted in
a loss to the -Government of many millions
per annum, iot cunmnvt ...... .
evidence that one firm alone has saved
postage aggregating approximately l,00fi,000
per annum by this change.
The reference is ,to the order of
March 16, 1914. Prior thereto the
rate on books was 1 cent for each two
ounces. The Postmaster-General, on
the date named, stipulated that par
cels of books weighing more than
eight ounces should take the estab
lished parcel-post rates. Thus, under
that order an eight-ounce package of
books is carried from New York to
San Francisco for 4 cents, while a
nine-ounce package costs 12 cents; a
six-ounce package is carried for S
cents. .
Bearing these figures in mind, the
committee points out that the order of
the Postmaster-General of January
'31, 1914, changes the third-class rates
as fixed by law and admits to the par
cel post miscellaneous printed matter
in packages weighing more than four
pounds, but retains within the third
class, with the third-class rate of two
ounces for 1 cent, all such printed mat
ter in packages weighing not more
than four pounds. As a result of this
order a package of miscellaneous
printed matter weighing four pounds
can be shipped from Washington, D.
C, to Norfolk, Va., 150 miles, for 32
cents; if one ounce is added to the
weight of the package, the rate drops
to 9 cents.
Continuing, the report says:
No other change made by the departmental
order has been so Inequitable as the one
which practically merges the first and sec
ond rones. Its effect is to benefit espe
cially the mall-order houses by giving them
an undue advantage over the local dealera
In transportation expense. Under the rone
system now In effect a mall-order house can
estabish a branch agency In the territory
which the concern seeks to reach, and within
a radial distance of 100 miles from the lo
cation of such agency, the mall-order house
gets exactly the same rate as the Govern
ment charges the local merchant, who anlpa
only a few miles, notwithstanding the
marked difference In the cost of the
transportation service rendered. The Gov
ernment olds the mall-order house by giving
him a greater service without charglug
him a correspondingly greater fee.
This review of the Bristow report
only touches a few items of malad
ministration charged up against the
present Administration of the Post
office Department. Mr. Burleson, by
arbitrary orders, has overturned some
of the most essential features of the
parcel-post law, and has made It an
unbusinesslike affair, whereas the law
left it on a sound basis, and one that
at least would stand the test of con
sistency and reason.
The Waldport Watchman is the
name of a weekly newspaper pub
lished at Waldport on Alsea Bay In
Lincoln County, Oregon, which made
its first appearance March 18. . The
paper is the first ever published at
Waldport and Frank M. Roberts, who
came from Idaho, is editor, publisher
and owner. Five years ago W. F.
Keady, ,of Waldport,, edited a monthly
paper devoted to the interests of that
locality, but the paper was printed in
Portland and only a few Issues ap
peared. The new publication has four
pages of local news and four of pat
ented items; it Is carefully edited and
makes a neat appearance and doubt
less will be well patronized by resi
dents of Southern Lincoln County.
Waldport lies on Alsea Bay, wiiich is
noted for its crabs, fish and clams.
There are numerous streams for trout
fishing nearby and hunting is unex
celled. A sawmill forms the princi
pal industry, but the town supplies the
lower part of Lincoln County. The
Pacific Ocean beach is on one side of
the town and offers fine surf-bathing.
Alsea Bay is visited by schooners from
Portland and when the enormous tim
ber resources back of Waldport are
developed, Waldport should become a
K-ery active seaport. The new news
paper will aid in upbuilding tne town
and advertising its resources.
There is a fine opening for Colonel
Lawson, dead shot, in Salem. A cham
bermaid in a livery stable fired at a
rat and hit a horse, paying a fine in
consequence. The late warden could
teach him to do better.
Texre Haute's tampering with voting
machines will militate against their
adoption In other states than Indiana,
But an Indiana politician would tam
per with the turnstile at the pearly
gates of heaven.
No, Edith, It is not exactly correct,
even for the society reporter, to refer
to a Jitney ride as motoring. To "mo
w vnn rouiiv Rhould occuov a pri
vate vehicle costing not less than $900.
rvha Tiiiii-tnirether all-toerethcr spirit
in the new Chamber of Commerce will
not abate until B00O memDers are en
rolled. Portland does not leave a Job
unfinished.
Canneries like that to be erected at
Tho rwlles. If strune through the Co
lumbia and Willamette valleys, would
go far to stop the "waste or Oregon
fruit.
In fiction, in a disaster similar to
that of the F-4. the men would be
released through the torpedo tube,
leaving the last to die a hero.
Smoking out the Turk from the
Dardanelles is slow work and the sus
picion grows that the Turk Jjaa an
air hole some place.
California's Olive day should have
a companion in Lemon day, when the
acid fruit is handed to defeated can
didates for office.
Perhaps Mrs. Marshall was too close
at hand to make the Vice-President's
acceptance of that glass of champagne
advisable.
Tho -iltnev has been declared a com
mon carrier and so it Is, rather a little
too common to suit the traction peo
ple.
PuriHc elections show that the Japa-
RAiaa. war nurtv has been upheld. Food
for reflection in that dispatch.
-Coea- talroa urA forbidden in Ber
lin, but the griddle cake, hot off the
pan, is a fine substitute.
ti nld srame of "Codlin's your
friend, not Short," has been played to
finish with ltaiy.
Pnii, n. throo more vearfl and the
popular vacation exodus will do to me
ruins of Europe.
British strikers are delaying war
material. This is no time for a strike
in England
Get out the old gray auto, put the
Jit sign on it and we'll go out for a
ride.
Fear of massacre moves Washington
to words.
After the Fair, come north to Won
derland. The western battle line Is still hiber
nating. ' Austria is close to her last gasp.
'
Some Chamber of Commerce!
Hints of peace are in the air.
Ball in a few more hours.
Gleams Through the Mist
My lira a Collins.
Easter Doaaeta.
Let wits delight to aling and alight
Mlladl'a hat with all their might;
With Hps shut tight. I'll shun the fight.
Nor make remarks upon It.
Since Adam dolved and since Kva span.
Each year the Jokesmlth's roast and pan
The atyles that lure the vlvee of man
Especially the bonnet.
Ere Easter was established cause
For ladles' hat with bright gewgaws.
Men muttered pshawe" and loud "hawbawa
About their styles of lidn;
And Adam's teeth he would unsheathe.
And snort at poor Eve's myrtle wreath!
Just as we've mocked the maid beneath
The far-flung "merry wld."
Myself, when young, my Jokes have hung
On maidens' hats, and aonneta sung
In Jest. In days of yore.
But years maturer make me surer
That I was wrong to be a skewerer
Of woman's fads. I cannot cure 'er, '
And so I Jibe no more.
Besides. I view with In'trest new
The hat styles men have turned unto.
And mutter. "O-ol What women do.
When everyimng eaio.
- . ,,.. Tl- V. - .. mullah
IM Dot BO 1 Ul! 1 1 11 . " i' - - - 1
That women he will mock so cruellsh
Nor also view wltn nuinor gnoujim
The way men dress the head?"
So Mary, Mary, quite contrary.
I grudge you not your Tlpperary," i
Upon your hats, whose fashions vary,
I'll drop no Jokesmlth's curse.
I gare upon It, Eve, aa you don It;
I own it Is a dinky bonnet;
But I will stake my aoul and pawn IH
That Adam's hat la worse.
Note Well, there ought to be such a
word.
e e e
"Sir," said the courteous office boy
"Where were you last weekr I
roared.
"I was lost In the composing room,"
whimpered the C. O. ' B, "That's what
you get for trailing me along on the
end of the colyum." ,
"Well, what have you to say?"
"Oh sir!" he cried eagerly. "I have
begun to compile a five-inch bookshelf
for busy men."
"What Is ltf
"The Sporting Editor complains that
the classics are too long for the buy
man to read," explained the C. O. B.,
"and so I have boiled down 'Paradise
Lost' for him as follows."
"Shoot!" I said austerely.
He read:
e e
Satan's troop
Flew the coop;
Wily snake;
Eve's mistake;
Fig-leaf coat:
Man's the goat.
e e e
"Is that alir I asked.
"Yes, for the present," lie said with
a satisfied expression. "The geeond
volume for the 'Five-Inch Shelf will be
the 'Iliad' or 'The Lady of the La'-e,' I
don't know which, yet."
And I turned to the Market Editor
with tears as the C. O. B. dwindled
down the hall.
"Our little boy Is growing up," I
said fondly, "and will soon be big
enough to kill."
e e e
Solemn Thought.
"How sad," I oft think, as I dress,
"For this terrestrial ball.
If the man who Invented gallusses
Had never lived at alL"
e e
Tnllr nf nnlveran.1 Deuce la absurd ao
long as there remains one man who will
plant Spring garden and one neighbor
who will keep chickens.
e e e
Mary, our city's pride and pearl.
Hae got a com, I hear;
But Mary Is a Hello Girl,
And the corn is In the ear.
V
Here's some more reminiscent stuff
frfom departed day that came via an
old copy of the San Francisco Chron
icle: She's stopping at the Mountain House,
Hut great aecluslon aeeks;
She always dresses In the dark.
Because the mountain peaks.
We merely wish to add:
But once we saw the mountain peak.
When she her dressing tried.
A cloud o'erspread the mountain's brow.
And then the mountain side.
e e e
All the world's a movie film and all
us men and women merely flickers.
e e e
Our Own Popular Hong.
Gretchen was a noble girl, of very ancient
Hue;
Her father owned a contra-bass, Mid played
"Die Watch ain Kbein."
He tried to raise his children well and keep
them out of Jail.
But when It came to Gretchen's case, he
feared that he would tall;
For on the latest toggery ehe'e all her
money spent.
And often to Theaytcrs and to Grills wllb
fellows went.
Her father found her cracking crab In a
big grill one day.
And aa he swlpod her beer and cheese, thesa
words to her did say:
Chorus
Oh, daughter, to my Hp and eya It brings a
sigh and tear
To see you flying round ao high and tliua
behaving here.
I do not mind that Turkish cigarette, as you
puff on It,
But why, oh, why, will you put on that
Tlpperary bonnet?
Shoes are quite a nuisance, but I pre
fer being pestered with "Shine, airl"
rather than to hear gome fresh chirop
odist yell: "Toeg need manicuring, air!"
as I pass his stand.
Matt. 7l6 Ileilseil.
Why beholdest thou the wrist watch
that Is on thy brother's wrist, but con
slderest not the lavender band that la
on thine own headgear?
0E SIRE KOAU TO 1'IIOSPEKITY
Establish More Factories anal Patrwn
lae Oregon Indnetry, Saye Writer.
PORTLAND, March 26. (To the Edi
tor.) Permit mo to offer a few sug
gestions for increasing the prosperity
of our city and state. Pittsburg, Kan
sas City and Omaha have become pros
perous cities through the advent of
large factories and Immense packing
plants. Why ahould not I'ortlund put
forth gigantic efforts for the establish
ment of factories?
The swapping of real estate or tha
swapping of merchandise will not pro
duce prosperity. Millions of dollars are
sent East every year for clothing, ho
siery, shoes, etc., which could be pro
duced here. Ten million dollars, ata
tlstica tell us, are sent Kast for clxara.
Why not buy from the home manufac
turer? He la our friend. Ho spend
his money with ua. After all. the to
bacco is all grown in the same field.
Let "Made In Oregon becoroa the
slogan for tha entire atate. "Ood helps
those that help themselvel." Let ua
produce something. Let us establish
payrolls and business will take care f
itself. Strongly encourage the build
ing of more factories and assist those
rw.ur in motion. Make Portland and
Orearon more prosperous and therefore
more healthful un-i it. curuoqutnce nnp-
plcr. JOHN lilji I lv!.ill Lit.