11
WAR, CIVIC PROBLEMS AND OTHER ISSUES CAUSE COMMENT
. THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN, PORTLAND; DECEMBER 17, 1916.
PORTLAND. Dec 16. (To the Edi
tor.) The history of war Is the
history of the human .race. "War
!s. therefore, one of the normal func
tions of mankind. Some one of the
leading- nations of the earth Is nearly
always engaged In It. It may safely
be said that the sun has never set
upon the world wholly at peace.
Civilized men with Ions and women
with short hair regard war as a great
evil, but It is by deliberate and philo
sophical thinkers recognized as an in
stinct of humanity. It is., therefore, of
divine origin and cannot be replaced
by the idealists' hope, by any sort of
human device like tribunals of arbitra
tion, or submissive trust in the gen
erosity of competitors. ' As long as ter
ritorial possessions, material and com
mercial interests, or civil and religious
liberty are prized among men war wili
be upon the earth. And, withal, a care
ful study of war, with its causes and
outcome during the lapse of ages, is
found, upon the whole, favorable to
the interests of humanity. The battle
field, therefore, is the world's in
heritance to the end of time; nor does
anything Christ ever said promise dif
ferent conditions. "And when ye shall
hear of wars, and rumors of wars, be
ye not troubled, for such things must
needs be," were Jesus own words.
It is a great fallacy that all of des
olation and horror are on the ''side of
war. The evils of pece may be
greater, for of such are cowardice,
selfishness, meral corruption, stagna
tion, irreligion and practical atheism.
These have had their most vigorous
growth, not in times of war, but In
limes of peace.
The unspeakable war now In prog
ress In Europe is. by most persons, con
sidered an unmitigated evil, but this
depends upon whether unbroken peace
would be better. History does not teach
that it is. The greatest of nations, in
their most fruitful periods, have not
found It so. The instinct of the wisest
statesmen has declared the reverse.
The great Englishman, Chatham
XWilliam Pitt), seemed to abhor peace,
and yet he had a heart as tender as
a. woman's. He adopted a war" policy
as a matter of Christian statesman
chip. He set Europe by the ears, and
fed the fires of war with subsidies that
laid the foundation of England's great
ness. He made England, by one pre
text or another, a party to every Con
tinental war, spending English blood
and English money in every part of the
world. He found England a little In
sular kingdom., with small Influence,
and left it a world empire. He en
couraged England in war In every
duarter of the earth, save with the
American colonies, the last public ef
fort of his life being an impassioned
appeal to Parliament to withdraw the
iEnglish army and give to th Ameri
can colonies freedom. He gave Eng
land the Dominion of Canada, just on
our north, with nearly - all the rest
of her colonies, and the universal com
merce which his successors have been
driven to endless shifts of treaty and
alliances to perpetuate.
So that the England of Lord Chatham
and the Prussia of Frederick the Great
were, all in all, far healthier states
than the Germany of the present Will
iam, who burns with unquenchable se
verity to be the greatest ruler of the
Prussian throne, or the England of the
Keaconsfields. Salisburys, or even Glad
stone, who was no friend of ours in
1861-65.
The bottom fact is, the nation that
Is fighting for existence, or for a prin
ciple, is greater than the nation that
dickers, writes notes and shuffles to
maintain itself. War is the nursery
of national strength. Struggle is the
inspiration of national power or man
hood anywhere, and little Belgium,
suffering unprovoked desolation, is
greater- today than if she had acceded
to the demand that ner son snouw oe
a highway for the invasion of France.
All hail! brave little Belgium. Hence
forth, no man with Belgian blood In
his- veins need be ashamed.
Peace is a good word, but the only
peace fruitful of national development
is the peace which is not repose, but
recuperation which conserves nation
al force; .not relaxes it. This is what
France experienced after the Franco
Prussian War, and what the Southern
states realized after their defeat by
the North. And this, it is hoped, will
be Europe's reward.
The peace which brings the sluggish
confidence of security in a man against
further want, or a nation against fur
ther war, will bring to both the man
and nation alike certain degeneracy,
no matter what the outer show of
strength and prosperity. This is his
tory. Greece grew great fighting for
her life.-
Rome, always at war, became the
mistress of the world, an remained so
till the disease of peace and luxury
snapped her sway. The great nations
have been fighting nations; and the
strongest nations have been weakest
when they have forgotten how to fight
and learned how to trade and lie on
soft beds. England was greatest when
she fought for existence against Spain
and when she struggled with France
at Waterloo for world empire. France
was never so great as when she grap
pled, on tne neia 01 conmct against
allied Europe; while Germany laid the
foundation of her later Drevalence In
the long and painful wars against Na
poleon. What war has done for this country
everybody knows. By means of a long
and doubtful conflict, our forefathers
achieved independence as a nation,
while the Civil War eliminated maladies
that a long period of peace was power
Jess to destroy. While the forging to
the front of little Japan is a fresh in
cident and there are reasons for sup
posing that a mlxup by us In the pres
ent conflict of the old world powers
would not be without compensation, it
would change Instantly the whole face
of things In. the United States, where
patriotism is mostly a memory.
Commerce and money Instantly would
feel the quickening effect not only
with the -manufacturers of war muni
tions but in all channels. Political
higgllngs'- would cease and patriotism
would be aroused in American youth,
now dormant or dead. It would be
everywhere as though each dropof the
morning dew had enlarged suddenly
into an ocean.
My candid opinion Is, we are in sore
need of an able-bodied war to slough
off humorous growth. Sacrifices of
human life, certainly;' but what .of
that? Human life is the cheapest, most
abundant and the easiest produced
thing there is. And withal, what sig
nifies a few million lives in the evo
lution of the human race? American
manhood is fast becoming the boneless
turkey sort- . C. E. CLINT5.
TIIH BOYCOTT FlAJf IS CRITICISED
Alrlle Man Says Housewives Are On
the Wrong Track.
AIRLIE. Or.. Dec 15. (To the Edi
tor.) I was thinking today of a story
that Is told of a man with a well. The
well was known for its good water un
til, one day, the fine taste was gone,
and day by day it grew worse. The
man stood it as long as he could until
he was forced to act. So he locked
up the pump and nailed down the cover
of the -well, deciding not to use the
water until it became good again. Time
went on and occasional tests fonnd the
water growing stronger. Of course the
man became very thirsty, for it was a
matter of pride with him and he would
not go to any other welL But one day
his thirst convinced him that "watch
ful waiting" wouldn't even purify
water, so he opened the well and there
in the shadowy depths was a mule.
And the mule was at the bottom of the
well.
And now when I read about the boy
cott on-eggs and the ideal way of cor
recting the high prices. I think, of the
water In the well. Not drinking the
water. won't purify it. There may be
lots of it, butjt will not do you any
good until yon' get the mule out of it.
In other words, you may force the
price down temporarily, but you are
bound to force the producer and the
handler to the wall, and you know what
happens then. There will be still fewer
eggs produced vand the naughty man
who must have beans in cold storage
will, have an easier Job on the egg
corner business.
When I think -of the meetings of
people deciding on boycotts, I think of
a capsized boat and two people in the
water. The man who believes In
drowning a fellow unfortunate -to save
himself can feel a thrill of enthusiasm
at the word boycott. Who upset the
boat? . Not we. But we must save our
selves at any cost to the other fellow.
Dear boycotters. I am writing this
because I feel keenly the justice of
your protest and the Injustice of your
remedy. I beg to remind you that we
are enjoying prosperity, and that this
kind of prosperity made the West and
the country go Democratic. The fact
that necessities of ' physical life are
needed here but sold abroad, simply to
keep a deluge of dollars dripping with
European blood blazing a red trail
across our land, and calling this the
road of Peaceful Prosperity, is the mule
in our well. It takes Democratic clev
erness to show us Just where present
prosperity ends and high coat of living,
or hard times, begins.
If we are so certain of the enormous
profits In egg production, regardless of
the unusual high cost of living for hens,
wouldn't it be a good, paying business
to go Into? Of course we would not
want to do the work; we could hire
some ordinary man to do that and still
leave a nice fat profit for ourselves
for, as one writer advises, a bit un
advisedly, that 38 cents a dozen is high
enough for eggs at this time of the
year. Did you ever hear of any good
business venture chuck full of possi
bilities get howled at by the clever pub
lic before? The real energetic ones
don't howl a bit; they get busy in that
business in a hurry. Doesn t this snow
that away down in their hearts the
boycotters know they are punishing the
wrong man? If they are "hard up"
enough to go hungry they must be hun
gry enough to seize thie special dish of
prosperity and get some of it for them
selves.
Oregonlans showed their Intelligence
by boycotting Democracy last Novem
ber. They were on the right track then,
but they have Jumped off. We have
nailed the cover on the well and the
water tastes bad.
We should, have an embargo on every
food article that seems to be too high
in proportion to what a man can earn.
This would tend to discourage cornering
stocks. Democracy says our first and
only embargo was a failure: therefore
we must not try it again. Why, then,
do they keep on running for office, if
this is true? Are they afraid that if
we stop shipping grain to the allies it
will lessen their war prospects of suc
cess? Do they really mean this while
they want us to believe that they ad
vocate neutrality in its broader sense?
Or are they afraid it will bring Jb-ng-
land s displeasure if we keep the goods
our people sorely need? If fear is their
ruling passion, then what will they do
if Germany ever becomes a mistress of
the seas? Why, take the matter up by
letter, of course.
The goods that are shipped out of
our country have much the same ef
fect on food prices as does a crop
shortage. I maintain that Americans
have the first right to use American
made or grown goods, and at prices
proportional to a laboring man s earn
ing power. Do not deceive yourself into
thinking that a mans wage Is insuf
ficient to keep him alive because 'of
manipulation of stocks. It, is Demo
cratic prosperity that Is doing it, and
nothing else. War, did you say, is to
blame? Don't say that, because it Is a
joke. If Democracy cannot run the
car unless all outside conditions are
perfect, they had better step out.
EDWARD B. BIBKEXBEUEI
PACIFIST'S
TALK
DISAPPOINTS
Dp.
Dole Declared Not Safe Guide In
Time of Stress.
ROSEBTJRG. Or.. Dec. 15. (To the
Editor.) I heard Dr. Dole speak re
cently on "The United States as a World
Power. I came away disappointed. Dr.
Dole Is essentially a pacificist and. like
all pacificists, is well meaning, but in
these times of stress is not a safe
guide to follow. He favors doing away
with the Monroe doctrine on the ground
that it may have had its use, but should
be relegated to the political scrap heap.
He is opposed to the flag following
American enterprise and throwing its
protecting folds about our citizens who
venture in the far corners of the earth.
He would disarm or at least 'not arm
any farther, regardless of what other
nations are doing.
Like all pacificists, Mr. Dole is an
idealist and as such he looks on the
world as it should be and not at con
ditions as they are.
Mr. Dole' for the sake of peace would
take a long chance, or, as he puts it, a
risk. There is the rub. Our very
destiny may be wrapped up in that
risk.
I turn from Mr. Dole to a'nother
American, Leonard Wood, Major-Gen-eral
of the United States Army. In
his new book he comes to the pith of
the 'matter when he says: "It Is better
to be ready for war and not have it
than to have war and not be ready for
it." The advice is sound.
Our great trouble is and has been
lack of education. Our school histo
ries are one-sided. They paint our
victories in glowing colors and never
mention what they cost us, while the
defeats are noUmentioned or are light
ly glossed over. The fact Is we have
conquered not because of our efficiency,
but In spite of our inefficiency. We
have paid for it with interest In the
increased cost In blood and treasure.
A man like General Wood, who has
given his life to the cause of pre
paredness. tries to interest the people
in a sound military policy In terms of
today and is Instantly 'pooh-poohed.
You get the response that it doesn't
take any more lead to kill a trained
man than an untrained soldier. To
disprove this we have but to point to
the German military machine once
more, as It goes thundering into Rou
mania. You have but to note how the
trained German walked over everything
In his front. It is possible there were
some seasoned troops with Mackensen
and Falkenhayn, but It Is doubtful
whether they were all such. The
chances are that the bulk of those
forces was a strategic reserve held in
readiness for just such a contingency
The lesson I desire to point out here
is the confidence created in the German
by his training as compared with the
Ruman. He is losing men, to be sure,
but he keeps right on going.
"Troops, like a plank." says Colonel
Morrison, of the United States Army,
"have their breaking point. You want
to find the enemy 8 breaking point be
fore he gets yours." Don't let him get
your goat. Nothing is so conducive to
this end as training.
It Is foolish to count on our geo
graphical isolation, -which may at one
time have been one of our assets. Mod
ern invention has made such strides
as to eliminate time and space. Look
for instance, at the two trips of Jthe
Deutschland and the sudden appearance
of the u- 63 at Newport. R. L Declar
ationsof war are no longer the formal
ity they used to be. They come like a
bolt from a clear sky. Is it too much to
suppose, as does a recent work (Amer
ica Fallen) that a submarine may sud
denly appear in Brooklyn Navy-yard
and inside of 20 minutes sink every
ship? Is it too much to conceive trans
ports with such submarines and the
taking of thodefenses of New .York
harbor from the rear? None of our
coast defenses are fortified to the land
ward. Let us tranfer that situation to this
Coast? Japan has a trained army of
more than 2.000,000 men. Granting that
they overcame our fleet, it is possible,
according to the experts, to land 41.000
men on t-nese shores In 21 days, to be
trebled in 42 days. Is it too much to
suppose the landing of such a force
at, say, Tillamook. Or., and at South
Bend, Wash., detaching a small "force
to isolate the defenses at the mouth
of the river and making a dash with
the bulk of the forces for the pass of
the Columbia before we could get
get enough men from the East to hold
it? What can be done here could oe
done at the six or more passes where
the railroads cut through the " moun
tains. These are but thoughts for pause.
Why not change your course of read
ing when there is so much to be had
and your education as an American will
be so much enhanced. You will then
take a saner view of our preparedness
and will be prepared for compulsory
military service as the only safe alter
native for a military policy of our
country. A HOWITZER.
ILL-TIMED
PROJECT
OPPOSED
Writer Asks Why Rose City Park Via
duct la Keeeasary Just Now.
PORTLAND, Dec. 15. (To the Edi
tor.) While I realize that municipal
improvements must constantly be
made, and paid for out of the public
funds. In order that we may keep pace
with the demands of public safety and
convenience, and that a large percent
age of proposed public improvements
are necessary, as well as desirable, I
cannot restrain the feeling that some
of the Improvements proposed are un
necessary and Ill-timed, and calculated
principally to promote the selfish in
terests of the originators.
I- have no desire to condemn any
proposal that will promote the inter
ests of the public at large, nor oppose
the progressive administration of the
city in its effort to make Portland a
larger and a better city, as long as the
expenditures made are necessary, and
full value is received for the expendi
tures made.
At the last city election the people
voiced their approval of expenditures
to safeguard the lives of citizens at
dangerous railroad crossings within
the city. There are numerous railroad
crossings of that character In the city,
and adequate safeguards should be pro
vided. For instance, at the crossing of
East Morrison and Water streets,
where there Is heavy traffic over a
double-track streetcar line, crossed by
a double-tracked steam road, over
which there is operated each day nu
merous passenger and freight trains
and much switching done. At that
point there is immediate need of safe
guards, but I have heard of no agita
tion to eliminate the grade crossing
there.
On the other hand, it is proposed to
build a viaduct over the railroad tracks
at Sandy boulevard and East Thirty
seventh street, at an estimated cost of
$845,000. of which 60 per cent is to be
paid by the railroad company, 20 per
cent by the city at large and 20 per
cent by the property owners in the
vicinity of the proposed viaduct.
There are only four regular passen
ger trains that pass over this cross
ing every 24 hours, all freight trains
being routed around the loop.
The streetcar company has a derail
one block from the crossing; there Is
a good view from every direction, so
that there Is no trouble In ascertain
ing whether or not the track is clear.
A great hue and cry has gone forth
from this community, as well as from
others, condemning some unknown
force at work, which has resulted in
the high cost of living. Every private
corporation and Individual has been
forced to economize because of the
great depression which we have under
gone, and from which we have not as
yet ' recovered. Yet It is proposed to
burden the city with a special tax of
$169,000, and .the people of the little
community In the vicinity of the pro
posed viaduct another $169,000.
As a property owner. In the district
affected, and one who would receive
as much benefit as any other Individual
In the district, I am opposed to such
a burden being thrust upon the people
under existing conditions. It is un
necessary and a shameful waste of the
people s money.
Why select such a time of financial
depression to further burden the peo
ple who are already loaded to the
guards with public obligations. What
has caused this point to so suddenly
become so dangerous?
Why not first select the most dan
gerous places for improvement Instead
of one where the risk Is already re
duced to the minimum? Why should
the people of Rose City Park pay more
for this Improvement than any other
community? Have tey demanded this
expenditure?
When a private concern or Individual
contemplates any large expenditure
they first take stock, and ascertain
their financial condition, and consider
whether It would be advisable to carry
out the proposed undertaking at that
particular time.
Would It not be well for the city
fathers to Inform the public that pays
the bills, through the press from time
to time, what the city obligations are,
that the people may know where they
stand financially?
At the present time I am paying on
four separate assessments against one
lot in Rose City Park, and new it is
proposed to add another. Of course.
this would not cause me to oppose the
expenditure proposed ir It was neces
sary.
I am Informed through reliable
sources that it costs approximately
$25,000 a day. or nearly $10,000,000
year, to maintain our city government,
and instead of Increasing the burdens
of the people by additional taxation in
times of depression,, let us endeavor to
curtail them. A. 6,
WOM.Uf SIDES "WITH PRODUCER,
Eggs Declared to Be Well Worts 65
Cents If Fresh.
REEDSPORT. Or., Dec. 15. (To the
Editor.) This Is from one who used
to be in the poultry business, but re
tired because of the high cost of feed
This boycott on eggs that the Portland
housewives started Is, to my mind, one
of the most damaging things they could
t T .. . V. a lAn H -..111
Have in 1111. lUHh 1 i' 1. IIH J "111 . . - - -
suffer as well as the producer, for lfto. tne fctato Superintendent, along
the producer can not make a small
profit he will go out of business and
then eggs will be high indeed. The
price of fresh eggs Is not one whit too
high. While the price of wheat has
almost doubled, eggs are the same as
two years ago: in fact. In California I
sold my eggs for 65 cents a dozen, re
tail, in November, 1914. We must re
member that during the Fall of the
year, when few eggs are produced,
fresh eggs are of course high, but cold
storage eggs have no such excuse. They
are put In cold storage when the pro
ducer receives from 15 cents to 20 cents
a dozen. Many a case I have sold in
California for 13 cents a dozen. There
fore it is the cold-storage eggs that
should receive the boycott. They could
be retailed at profit to both middlemen
and retailer if sold for 35 cents a doz
en to consumers. . The cold-storage is
helpful to both producer and consumer
alike, but the price of cold-storage
eggs should be made right. Yet it can
not be made right by putting the pro
ducer out of business, and that is what
this boycott on fresh eggs will do. With
the high cost of feed at this time, many
are selling off a part or all of their
flock for he who produces his on wheat
can realize more by selling to the allies
than he can to feed poultry, so the poul
try gets ths axe. Eggs and poultry
will be high next year without a doubt.
for there will be few chicks raised
under present conditions, and the Amer
ican hsusewife Is helping to lay the
foundation for these higher prices by
this boycott.
There Is one thing the Portland
housewife should be thankful for:
Poultry Is quoted wholesale in yester
day's paper thus:. Portland hens. 12 to
14 cents a pound; Springs, 15 cents a
pound; in San Francisco, hens, to 20
cents a pound; friers, 20 to 22 cents a
pound; broilers, 27 to 30 cents a pound.
If I should embark in the poultry
business again it would not be in Ore
gon. There Is one thing the American
housewife can do, though, if the price
of domestic eggs should go too high:
she can eat Chinese eggs. They can
be had at certain times of the year
very cheap, as they are imported free
of duty, thanks to a Democratic admin
istration. But if the American house
wives knew under what conditions
these eggs are produced they would not
feed them to their family cat. let alone
serve them to their children and hus
bands. Every family In China keeps
poultry and let them run In the lanes
with the hogs, and here In this open
sewer, for it is nothing else they pick
up their living. Eggs produced from
such filth are allowed to be shipped to
the United States and sold here, free
of duty. They are cheap, and why
should they not be cheap, for the Chi
nese hen eats what our crows would
not eat. and as it serves two purposes
for the Chinese, to disposes of their
sewage first, and second. produces
both poultry and eggs, with but little
or no expense to them. It suits them
O. K. I get my Information from a
friend doing missionary work in China.
It seems to me that there Is but one
way to put down the prices on food
stuffs, and clothing also, and that
would be to put an embargo on all ex
ports that affect the higher cost of
living in any way. Unless this Is done
it will continue until the war ends, for
the war is responsible for most high
prices, and moreover the war would
have ended six months after it began
if an embargo had been placed on all
exports at the very beginning. In con
clusion let me add this: Why not econ
omize along the line of clothing? What
about the higher cost of clothing? Could
not many an American housewife cut
her clothing bill in two and still dress
becomingly and Btylishly? Many a
woman could save from $100 up in to
the thousands this way and not have to
pinch their stomachs to do so. Look
at the price of hatsyifor Instance. They
are out of all reason. Why not boy
cot hats rather , than "eggs? Many a
woman could make her own hat at a
great saving If she only thought so.
MRS. M. M. MILLER.
POTJLTRYMAN
GIVES
ADVICE
Suburbanite Makes Money With Chick'
en Feed at 83.50 a Ilnndred.
PORTLAND. Dec. 9. (To the Editor.)
There are always two Bides to every
question and between the two, wisdom.
tempered by prudence and softened by
charity, often hesitates to draw tha
line.
Sixty cents a dozen Is an excessive
price for the consumer to pay for ta
ble eggs, but $2.60 a hundred Is also
an excessive price for the noultrv-
keeper to pay for feed. It is extortion
on both sides, with the consumer pay
ing tnc Diu in the end.
Why are fresh eggs so scarce and
so high during the Winter? In the
first place. It is not the natural season
for hens to produce. In the second
place, too many poultry-keepers either
do not understand how to feed hens to
make them lay or will not take the
trouble to give them proper care. In
me tmra place, too many chicks are
hatched in the Summer, too late for
the pullets to mature ready for laying
during the coming Fall and Winter. In
the. fourth place, too many consumers
neglect tneir own Interest by not
storing eggs for the Winter when the
supply is plentiful and the price is low,
ir l can pay $2.50 a hundred for
poultry rations and feed hens at a cost
of 'A cent a day a head and in a man
ner to induce them to yield from 1 to
3 cents a day in eggs, why cannot other
suburban poultrymen do the same? If
I can keep eggs perfectly sweet for six
months, in an ordinary dry, clean base
ment, why cannot other consumers do
the same? Unhealthy eggs, carelessly
nancued. will not keep under any meth
od ior storing, but healthy, sterile eirirs
carefuly handled, can be very easily
kept for months if stored In a drv. cool
place that is free from trash or any
thing that will cause bad odors.
There are several good methods for
storing eggs, ir the housewife will only
put on her thinking cap and go to a
iittie irouDie.
Take this precaution, however: Eggs
Intended for storage, to keep perfectly,
must- be sterile, freshly laid, carefully
handled to avoid damaging the shell
or shaking up the contents and be pro-
uuceu oy nens never inrected with dis
eases and not forced to consume tilth
or putrid matter with their ratlrfnn
The prices being demanded for almost
every kind of food commodity is rank
extortion, which should be and can be
remedied. In too many families their
expensive mode of llvinsr Is rank ex
travagance and this can and should be
remeoiea.
Making a jroat out of h
chants or innocent producers Is not
tne successful way for the consumer to
reauce tne nigh cost or living.
O. G. SMALL.
5810 Eighty-eighth street Southeast.
MORALS DECLARED IMPROVED
Correspondent Takes I untie With Dr.
Cllne's Expression.
DALLAS, Or..-Dec. 15. (To the Ed
nor.j i am pleased that Dr. Cllne
prolific pen Is still busy writing for
The Oregonlan. This versatile writer
says so many splendid things and his
tnougnts usually ring so true to hu
man nature that It Is really nalnf ul
to me occasionally to have to take
issue with him.
The other day the doctor took for
ms text fetate Superintendent Churchill's
recent remark . in regard to cheating
by high school students In their ex
aminations, and he supplemented this
remark with one from the philosopher,
nam. uai we are living in an age
oi culture ana civilization, but not
moral age. etc." The doctor then nro
ceeds boldly to assert that "wr have
not advanced a single steo bevond th
stand taken by the distinguished au
thor quoted, and 'the trickery alluded
with frequent house-breakings for our
poses of robbery and theft by bunches
of schoolboys in this city fully con
firms Jt, . etc
I do not wish to be understood as an
apologist for tha misdemeanors
Portland's schoolboys, either In
"bunches" or as Individuals. I am
quite sure, however, that the social
morals of Oregon's beautiful metropolis
will compare more than favorably with I
the moral status of the age In which
Immanual Kant lived, though certain
Solomon Eagles may be going about
crying, "Woe, woe to this wicked city."
From a moral viewpoint the civilized
world is npt standing still, neither is
it going backward, and I should think
that a Christian clergyman would be
the last person to affirm the contrary.
The trend of modern society is clearly
towards higher ideals, and each suc
cessive age is leaving behind some
thing that was inimical to truth and
human happiness.
Kant died In 1804. but what an
awakening of the human conscience
there has been since his day. Human
slavery has been abolished from among
civilized men and human rights and lib
erty enthroned as never before. The
cause and cure of crime is being sci
entifically Investigated with bright
hopes of its amelioration, and the med
ical art ia slowly but surely mastering
the ravages of disease. The vice of
drunkenness, a common thing In Kant's
day. la now rapidly disappearing, and
felony is much less frequent In the
congested centers of population than
it was 100 years ago. . The angels of
humanity are visiting the hovels of
poverty, feeding the hungry and cloth
ing the naked, and thetr benign pres
ence is seen on the red battlefields
succoring the wounded and ministering
to the dying. The common schools are
educating the children of the common
people, and sanitariums and hospitals
abound everywhere tor the healing oi
the afflicted. There are no epidemics
of crime aa there were In the centuries
gone by. and the morality of today is
25 per cent ahead of Kant's day. 1
have reason to believe that Dr. Cline
is familiar with the history of civiliza
tion, but If he really believes that mor-
ls have not advanced a single step
in the last 112 years, what has he been
reading? I cannot think that the doctor
means to be a pessimist.
The immortal Kant seemed to lament
that the age in which he lived was not
a moral age. I Question if he could
have put his finger on a previous age
any more moral. Great thinkers are
often under the delusion that there
has been a golden age some time in the
vista of the past. A greater fallacy
never haunted the human soul. The
golden age. if it is ever to come, is In
the distant future. This was the dream
of the old Hebrew prophets, and it is
the dream of many thinkers today.
T. J. FORD.
GROCER VOICES
HIS
PROTEST
Riga Prices Often Mean Less Prent for
the Retailers.
PORTLAND, Dec. 9. (To the Editor.)
The writer is a Portland retail gro
cer and from articles he has read and
cartoons he has seen fn the newspa
pers he has drawn the conclusion that
retail grocers are classified as "holdup"
men and regarded partly responsible
for the present high cost ofaJlving.
I am of the opinion that if an Inves
tigation were made the average or
majority of retail grocers would be
praised for their part and not be
blamed.
Everyone knows that twine, paper
bags and wrapping paper have gone
up rrom 50 to 10U per cent the past
year and that the grocer's cost of doing
business has increased materially.
Then take, for Instance, an article
like flour. Flour today Is worth to the
grocer $8 a barrel (local brands). Yet
how many are making the profit on
flour they are entitled to? You will
find flour selling all over the city for
and $2.10 a sack, making a profit of
5 per cent at the most, when It costs
In most cases three times that per cent
to do business.
Canned goods tomatoes, corn, sal
mon and numerous other articles are
being sold at less than the came goods
can be replaced at.
A certain grade of butter Is being
retailed at 40 cents a pound, showing
the grocer a profit of 3 cents a pound
oy buying In quantities.
Innumerable instances can be shown
where the wholesale price of an article
has been raised a few cents and the
retail price remains the same to the
consumer and the grocer absorbs the
loss.
It Is Tare though to see the whole
saler, regardless of how large his
stock may be, protect the retail gro
cer on an advance, but this Is done
every day by the retailer to his cus
tomers, and you will find very few. If
any retail grocers In Portland rated
by Hiadstreet at 11. AA or G AA.
There may be a few grocers In Port
land who believe in "stick up the prices
while they II stand It." but I believe
it's the exception rather than the rule.
A CREDIT GROCER.
ADVICE OFFERED LEGISLATURE
Judge Lo'well Would Abandon Primaries
f for Single Election.
PENDLETON. Or, Dec 8. (To the
Editor.) The Legislature Is about to
convene and presumably there Is much
legislation needed, although it would
secin that perhaps the public would be
as well served if that body would de
vote its 40 days to repealing some
existing laws and to perfecting and
modernizing others.
There are three subjects, however.
whieh the Legislature will do well
thoroughly to discuss, and thereafter
submit to the people for adoption or
rejection. The safest avenue for ap
proaching the initiative is the Legis
lature, because thereby the expense and
abuse of the petition system is ob
vlated.
These subjects are:
First An amendment to section 2 of
article II of the state constitution,
authorizing a reasonable and practical
registration law. The existing .law is
the source of almost universal abuse,
and the number of voters who neglect
to register and who swear in their
votes on election day s continually in
creasing. If a man has not Interest
enough aa a citizen to register prior
to election, he ought not to vote.
Second An amendment to the con
stitution transferlng proba. "Jurlsdlc
tion from the eounty courts to the
circuit courts. There Is no more Im
portant branch of the law than that
which has to do with the est- es of
decedents, and ths administration of
estates ought always to be under the
control and direction of men versed in
the law. Few county judges are law
yers, and they necessarily a: obliged
to affix their signatures to papers of
which they have little comprehension.
There is abundant work for the county
courts in the administration of the af
fairs of the counties.
Third An amendment to the election
laws abolishing the primaries alto
gether and permitting all candidates t
go direct to the people at the general
election. The existing system In this
state is a farce. Most of our citizens
register as Republicans, vote in the
Republican primaries and then the state
either goes Democratic or totters on
the edge -f Democracy. Far better
abandon the primary election and save
the state and the counties the expense,
which will probably aggregate $150,000.
The writer has no notion that the
members of the Legislature will pay
any attention to these suggestions, but
perhaps the people may give them con
sideration. STEPHEN A. LOWELL.
EGG CIRCLES HAVE BAD POINT
Shipments Made to One Person Who
Shoulders Responsibility.
GRESHAM. Or.. Dec 12. (To the
Editor.) The Oregonlan has devoted
columns of space to interesting state
ments on the egg situation, but no
practicable betterment of the unsatis
factory condition has been suggested.
One producer did advise the formation
of egg circles. There are such circles
that work very well, but are confined
for the most part to shops where the
salespeople agree to take a certain
number of eggs each week. These
circles 'are supplied by poultry keep
ers who are within driving distance of
Portland. The formation of such circles
in residence districts encounters several
difficulties.
Many women do not know and do not
desire to know their immediate neigh
bors. If (fie woman were to agree to
take two cases of eggs a week, she
would have to distribute to 30 other
women their allotment of two dozen
each. She would have to collect from
them women never have the right
change she would herself have to
stand the loss of the occasional broken
eggs. If she has no checking account,
she would be obliged to send the
producer a money order. One week of
It would be enough to make her loathe
eggs, boiled, fried, shirred, scrambled,
storage eggs, newly laid eggs, all would
be alike hateful. Either she must be
come a middleman perish the idea
and have some adequate remuneration
for her trouble or she must purchase
her eggs as best she can for her own
Individual needs.
Many of the residence districts art
outside the limits of free express de
livery. I long ago learned never to try
to market eggs outside that limit unless
the customer had a car and agreed to
pick up the eggs at the express office.
A housewife might put a case or two
In cold storage, but often has not the
money to Invest In so many eggs even
at 20 cents a dozen. Also she en
counters the expense of hauling to and
from the storage plant.
While as Mr. Geer said that there is
no egg like a newly-laid egg, still
many thrifty housekeepers find the
water-glassed egg not to be despised.
Its food value Is but little Impaired. I
am rather skeptical about women co
operating about anything, but I think
six women might safely agree to buy
gauon or water-grass. it is much
cheaper by the gallon. Two five-gallon
kerosene cans will hold a case pf eggs.
Directions have frequently been given
for this process. A more general use
of this method would help both producer
and consumer. The latter could have
t 25 cents a dozen, an egg as good
as a storage egg at 40 cents. It would
help the producer by taking eegs from
tne regular cnanneis wnen eggs are at
their lowest. If the farmers who keep
few hens would water-glass their
eggs Instead of sellinir them to the
village grocery they would have eggs
for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The
small producers could easily make a
difference of several thousand cases
by preserving merely enough for their
own use. The city housekeepers could
use several thousand cases.
This Is a suggestion, but I know It
Is not a solution. The producer-to-
consumer problem ranks with "How
Old Is Ann?" It puxzles me when 1
throw solid heads of cabbage to the
chickens. They are already gorged with
Kale and alfalfa, but we cannot sell it.
But thrift and waste Is another sub
ject.
ANOTHER POULTRY KEEPER.
GROWER IS NOT CHIEF GAINER
Farmer Points Ont Rlsh Prices Fall
to Heneflt Outside of Market.
CRABTREE. Or.. Dec. 8. (To the
Editor.) There has been so much .dis
cussion regarding the high cost of liv
ing in general and the high cost of
farm products In particular, with the
evident belief In some quarters that
the farmer Is the chief beneficiary.
A great many people base their
opinions on temporary high prices, fail
ing to take into consideration the pe
riods of low prices as, for instance,
with the price of eggs. Then again.
Portland retail prices are looked at
only instead of going back to country
points to the small towns, where the
farmers really sell their produce. I
here give the prices paid on a certain
date in a small Linn County town and
prices quoted In The Oregonlan on the
corresponding date:
Country town Portland
prices to quotations.
farmers. Avg. prlca.
Wheat per bushel ... $!.'-'
$l.r.:
nutter .............. ..i.i
Kem 3tl
Hena 11
SpriniM ............ .12
to .
.. to .."2
.11
.is
.2
.1.1
.1X1
.11
.13
to .13
to .17
to .23
to .1H
to .fx;
to .11 i
to .1 '-,
Turkeys ...... ....... .17
Ducks . , 1
Oood beef ....a...... ."
Veal
Dressed pork .OV
When the cost of transportation Is
taken Into consideration the spread be
tween farmer and the Portland market
looks excessive. The difference In the
price of wheat. 28 cents, will enable
some of our suburban poultry fanciers
to see where some of the hiKh cost of
feed is going. I will also let a little
on the high price of eggs, as I keep a
record of all my sales.
As nearly as I can find out the coun
try buyer's cash price Is based on the
lowest quoted Portland price; trade
prices at the stores are usually higher
than the cash prices paid. The highest
cash price that I have been able to
get for strictly fresh eggs was 40
cents and at this same time eggs were
retailing- In Portland for 65 cents. For
a period of over two months last Spring
19c was the highest price paid and
down as low as 16 cents. There were
no corresponding reductions in the re
run nrlcea in Portland.
My average price from January 1.
1916, to December 1 is a fraction over
cents ner dozen and 1 am sate in
saying that I have received more for
m v oarsrs than most ot my neignoors,
owing to the fact that I make it a
business to have my nens pruucing
when egg prices are up and therefore
bring up the average price for the
I "will here make reference to the
high cost of pork, which will show very
clearly the outrageous price manipuiu.
h nrirtlrrd bv the large meat com
t..ni When dressed pork was down
to Its very lowest in 1915, 5 cents for
dressed pork, barrel pork was quoted
at $20 per barrel and bacon and hams
.hnwed but slight price uiun.,
And in view of the fact that these same
meat companies are the dominating
in nther lines of farm produce
I believe it should not be a difficult
matter to locate the cause of consid
erable o the boosting of the cost of
living.
PLEA MADE FOR LOVIXG SPIRIT
tu..r Denleres Division and Discord
Noted In Community.
pnnTtiASD. Dec 16. (To the Ed
a few evenings since the writer,
striving to gratify her womanly curios
ity regarding one of Portland's popular
amusement attractions, attended an
Alexander session. There was a large
and enthusiastic audience of the leisure
class (at least none of them seemed to
be very busy) present. As a whole the
staging was fair. The cast, with the
leading lady In the title role, ably sup
nnrted bv Mr. Clark, with his One in
telligence and flawless diction, leaves
little to be desired. ir. jwaguire por
trays the Juvenile part admirably, while
Mlsa Tinicle as the Ingenue is simply
delicious. If Mr. Alderman does act
the nonchalant villain rather Indiffer
ently, with Mr. Thomas as the family
counselor In the background, the tout
ensemble Is remarkably good.
Could the School Board insert an oc
casional song and dance with orches
tral accompaniment and music during
the waits, I believe the thing could be
made a paying proposition aa a first
class problem play. But like a certain
maternal ancestor. I paid for my cu
riositv. I lest some gold pins I valued
more than I do my reputation and In
wastlnar the evening I neglected mat
ters of much greater importance. And.
alas! we "poor people of Montavilla's
have our problems, too.
I suppose sines morality, patriotism
and other requisites of civilization can
not be taught in the schools specifical
ly, teachers are supposed to create an
Intellectual and moral atmosphere so
potent that pupils will absorb their
virtue by daily contact.
But these emanations are sometimes
insufficient, as the fact that nearly a
score of schoolboys In this neighbor
hood hsve been continually stealing
and breaking into houses would go to
show. . A gang of about a dozen has
held a rendezvous In the house oppo
site, going and coming and stealing aa
they chose, until the writer, discover
ing it. caused the doors, which had
been broken open, to be nailed upland
telegraphed the owner. The loot in
this particular instance amounted to
$200 or $300, and. some ot it, 1 under-
stand, was found in the schoolhouse.
Last week the school flag was torn
Into strips and braided, and the sad
dest fact of all is that some of the
children do not seem to understand the
Infamy of the deed. They appear to
think It no worse than - if they had
broken a window or destroyed any
other piece of property.
It Is difficult to understand the con
ditions that have allowed such a
shameless thing to happen in- this
school, the picture of whose principal,
standing in the school garden, was sent
to the ends of the earth in a late copy
of the Ladies' Home Journal. Surely the
Eastern educator was riarht when he
said the trouble with Portland was
purely psychological.
There is no common meeting ground
in Montavilla. The schoolhouse Is al
most never opened evenings. The night -school,
that had 170 pupils two or three
years ago. is discontinued. The chil
dren of Montavilla have no community
playground, there Is no civic center
nothing but the picture shows and the
streets.
Oh. yes. there are the churches, and
each seems to have a highly religious
fence around It, on which its children
may climb and sing to those on the
other fences, "I don't want to play in
your yard." And each perhaps believes
its own the only way to teach moral
ity. No one class or creed has any ex
clusive right to the fundamental laws
of civilization. The washing of hands
and rinsing of the mouth before and
after eating religiously practiced by
the Mohammedans is simply hygiene.
"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God"
not my God. if you please, but the
ideal of right which should rule each
individual. Some miprht Include pa
triotism in this "and thy neighbor as
theyself."
If we love our neighbors as ourself
we will not steal from him or other
wise Injure or pervert him.
These rules are simply the founda
tion stones of civilization and must
be taught in the schools let the creeds
go as far as they may in the churches.
It is well we have gossips. Someone
has said they are the moral police of
the community. If an outlet is not
made for an ulcer it eats deeper into
the tissues of the body, and concealins
an Infamy undermines the body politic
w nen tnings get unendurable and are
cried from the housetops. God finds a
cure.
Meanwhile the to-be-contlnued-In-
our-next Alexander story still goes on.
6AKAI1 HINDS WILDER,
1895 Thorburn avenue.
EGG OUTPUT IS REDUCED.
Scappooae Producer Keeps Only Enough
for Own Use.
SCAPPOOSE, Or.. Dec. 15. (To the
Editor.) We have been keening chick
ens In and around Portland not less
than 30 years, say from 20 to 200 fowls.'.
If It had not been a labor of love for..
my wife I should have had their heads
all off years ago. We have alwavs had
the best we could get White Leghorns
until the last few years. We now have
some White Orpingtons. We have good
accommodations and an orchard for
them to run in.
Since Chinese eggs came on the mar
ket and feed has been so high we have
limited our production of eggs to about
300 crates a year for the use of our
selves and Immediate connections. Tho
eggs are all put In Jars when -at a low
price, then the chickens are culled,
thus enabling us to have fresh eggs. In
the Jars and the best of chickens to
breed from, not to sell.
If any of the boycotters think thev
can do better than this I should be
glad to hear from them. C. J. T.
m.lMIKHS DECLARED CRUEL.
Drivers Who Strike Beasts on o
' Are Condemned by Reader.
PORTLAND. Dec. 16. (To the Ed
itor.) After reading the article under
the heudlng of "A Plea for the Horse."
I have often wondered why the Orecon
Humane Society did not try to have a
f .passed prohlbitim? blinders on
horse.
It is pltful to see some whose blind
ers press on the eyes and sometimes
the blinders become loose from age and
flap back and forth, causing much tain
and Is often the direct cause ot their
restlessness.
A practice of many men of slaDDlnir
a horse on the nose is abominable; that
is tne most sensitive part and a horse
usually resents It and sometimes tries
to bite, which Is quite Justifiable, as
that is their only way of expressing
their disfavor.
And as for the sllnnerv navements.
I cannot see why the rough paving is
not used. Portland has quite a little
rain. A HUMANE READER.
GOVERNOR IS FAIRY PRINCE
Obscnre Little Authoress Writes Own
"Vgly Duckling" Tale of Heritage.
CHICAGO. Dec. 10. One of the old
laws of Virginia provides that If a
woman dies without a will the rtght "of
her husband to her property supersedes
that of her children. That statute was
directly responsible for the arrival of
Miss Estelle Frantz in Chicago, some
four years ago, to take up the task
of earning a rather lean living from
art. Later Miss Marybell Frantz came '
here to live with her sister. Estelle '
has been painting and drawing and
writing fairy stories, which have ap
peared In "children's corners." .
It was about two months ago that
the diminutive young artist began
thinking hard of the Virginia law and
the way it worked in her case. She
recalled the death of her father, her
mother's remarriage, and death only a
little later. She relived the period .
when only her stepfather. John Mont
gomery, held sway in tha Deerfield. .'
Vs.. home, and the unpleasantness that
resulted In the purchase of a ticket to
Chicago.
And she wrote "The Modest Duck.T..
a little fairy tale for children, telling
all about a yellow duck who was hon
est enough to say he didn't like some !
laws and the Virginia Inheritance law
in particular.
And then for this fairy tale was
printed she clipped her story and sent
it to the Governor of Virginia. 'With
it went a little note in a large, some
what childish hand. It said that she
did'nt like the law; that she Is the per
son the modest duck referred to. and
that she would like it If the common
wealth of Virginia changed the law. --Yesterday
In the office of a smalt",
publishing house In the stockyards dts- '
trlct a gigantic, silver-haired, warmly
smiling person made his appearance.
He walked up to the desk and asked
for Miss Estelle Frantz, and he was
so genial In his request that the office
boy made double speed.
"I am Henry Carter Stuart." declared'
the visitor in his most democratio way.
"Mr. Stuart?" questioned the artist.
The Governor of Virginia," he an
nounced. "I kept the fairy story of "The Mod
est Duck, " said the Governor. "It was -an
apt little tale. You are a clever
little girl: I wanted you to know that
I like It. that I have made some usd
of It. We are Just now revising and
codifying our statute laws through a
committee appointed by me, and It Is
certain many recommendations will be
made by the men composing the com-,
mittee.. It is possible' they will advo-.
cate some changes in the laws of de-'
scent. I have laid your letter and story
before them."
The Governor spent a pleasant hour
In the little business office. Then he
walked(back to the Saddle and Sirloin,
club. He had completed one of ths two
errands that brought him to Chicago.