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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 2, 1917)
2 TIIE SUXDAT OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND, DECEMBER 2, 1917. r 4- . 1 ' 4 1: 4 F ' IDT J Mih2- A I Mi"!!0 Mstor I Mucfflir nil - tvA f PI MJJ! 1 If, v. ' , - - I " " ft " -- - bw Vincent Astor, Owner of Americas Richest Ianded Estate, Has Distributed Enormous Stints to Aid the War and Has Joined His Beautiful Wife in Per- sonal Service at the French Front A Photograph of Mrs. Astor Made in the Eary Days of the War. BY BARBARA CRATDON. WHEN a young man who was born with a silver spoon in bis mouth, who has no need for getting in the path of any unpleasant event, elves bis time, his money, his home, his servants, his yacht, the servicea of his young wife, and then goes along- to war himself, he has a pretty fair right to be rated as 100 per cent American. That 4s the situation of young Vin cent Astor, who holds the largest land ed estate, in point of value. In this country. In foreign countries, and In our own. a certain portion of the population has been prone to call the war "a rich man's war," meaning that the poor were called upon to fight for the Interests of the rich. Also a Rich Man'fl War. Astor is the best possible demonstra tion that the war is a rich man's war on the other foot. The rich man is giv ing his wealth, cutting down his fold ings by enormous contributions to the Government under the force o' law, and to benevolent institutions iTeely and voluntarily, as he never jrave it before. He is paying his large price in wealth to help make the world safe for the free pursuit of the path that leads to prosperity for the poor, and in this country there is an element of per sonal interest in the sacrifices of the rich that no other country knows, be cause nearly everyone of the rich came from the poor, and owe their own pos sessions to the right to freely progress without autocratic hindrance. The Astor who started the big- for tune that is now doing public work did not have any more money when he started than the average poor dissenter who now calls the war a fight of the rich. But the Astor who now has It knows That the freedom of a free coun try supplied the opportunity for mak ing it, and he wants his opportunity maintained, not only for himself, but for the poorest man in the land, who has, under our system, the right and chance to climb. Working as a Janior Lieutenant. Bo it happens that the rich Mr. Astor. ' Who in civil life might command men '. of great wealth and many servants, is now a Junior Lieutenant in the Naval Jteserve, where one of the brainiest men who commands him, and whose orders he must take without question is the son of a tailor in a small town In the United States. The tailor's son hasn't a dollar outside of his Govern ment pay. His father, during his life time, could not have bought the livery for the Astor servants, but his son. thanks to the wonderful system of free opportunity that the soldiers are now fighting to preserve, is the undisputed boss and director of the rich Astor and of many, many more rich young men who have gladly donned the livery of liberty maybe with the price of death to pay for the donning. The prelude is quite in place in open ing a narrative of a 100 per cent American, and his work for the war. Jt is only a matter of four years or so when a thin, pale lad. with small knowledge of the world, came suddenly to control the vast Astor estate. His ill A IT" M --h LJ .'71: - J . V -'Vr , "' ..,." . . i" , I' MP i ... . : -L c I . ; - Ml TO.. 7 J Aw. V . ' ' " : "' ' - X. - 3 ' XX J '1 k Y .a ' to s A- . . y w- 1 . i . ; ' 1. 4 " f 1 r V 4." " Mrs. Vincent Astor at the Time of Her Departure for France. Vincent Astor at Work in a Ruined Village. necessary to guard th railroads and bridgea of the country. This task a job for a $65 a month watchman in peace times, a soldier's task in wax called lor immediate action. Tae DradKery o War. "Send the naval n litis," ame the direction. So when the Captain, ordered "For ward march,", who was trailing along next to the last squad of the first com pany but young Astor?. The officers who were commanding him couldn't have bought one side of hie stable. But he trudged along and whtv headquar ters were opened at the custom-house he was put to answering the telephone for the commanding officer. Then- he was sent out to command the detach ment that was guarding Brooklyn bridge, and he did his tour just like a traffic cop. or a regular soldier, get ting nothing more than the average amount of contempt that it is the priv ilege of old enlisted men to bestow upon young officers who csme along to direct them. But he had some power left that even being commanded by other folks, and obeyed with reservations by still oth ers, did not affect. He still owned much . property and employed many men. To the men he gave as&urance that every mother's son of them would be paid fully while be was serving io. the Army or Jvavy, and he not only en- couraged the service, but set a. personal -example and paid the freight for thoae who worked for him. He added to the payment of the men their peace sal- T i ti tha ti Kdliru Mi-, that ba wmllft lstilr miner, oiori jonn Jacob Astor, had .-out for the folks they left behind. set the example and the fashion of mil lionaire service to the country in the Spanish-American war. Vincent Astor was better fitted for afternoon tea dances than for war. 3ut he threw over this delicate handicap and took up at once the manly and dangerous task of aviation. To this he found that he was not fitted, and he then oast about for something that would give him a chance to serve where service would count. He knew yachts and something of the sea. so he hired an instructor to teach him the rudiments of naval work, and enlisted In the naval reserve as a private.. He worked for an ensign's commission and won it. and then, through the force of expansion that elevated all of the early officers, he became a junior lieutenant. He was .still an ensign when the country Joined the war. and it became He found time also to send t'5,000 to the St. Francis Hospital at Poughkeep sle, and then offered to the medical corps the use of his J8.000.0OO country home -at R-hlnecliff. New York, to be used without cost for such wounded or sick -soldiers and sailors as might be sent over from the other side. His town bouse in New York ajso went into the hopper for public service. He not only loaned It for neighborhood and Americanization work., but personally conducted -gatherings looking to the support of the country, and then told the Government to o as far a it liked in using the mansion for any other purpose. Men are frightfully alike in matters of heart. And, whether rich or poor, they prefer generally to see everything taxed, everything lost, before the home is touched. Which aocouma for the de gree of sacrifice that must have been his when he gave his wife to the serv ice of the country. He had given to the country his steam yacht, the Noma, and they had .told him to sot aboard and take the gift over to French waters, where it might be of Immediate service, and might, incidentally. Inter fere with the peaceful progress of a German torpedo. So he went along with the boat the man being thrown into the gift pile along with the money. Right behind him, through waters where German U-boats lay in wait ruthlessly to sink, if possible without leaving a trace, all vessels from this side, came Mrs. As-tor. He found her running a little rest station, restaurant and general comfort resort for soldiers at a French port where many Ameri can soldiers and sailors land. Mm. Aster at Work. From there she went down to Paris, where she took a leading cart in the Y. M. C. A. and the other charitable works, and then, joined by her hus band, who got a leave, they went along the battlefront, looking at the devasta tion wrought by the German guns, and using their great fortune to relieve the distress and. suffering of the people. Old women, with little children cling ing to their tern and worn skirts, watched the young people come with a mixture of fear and wonder, and then saw them depart with regret, and fol lowed by the prayers and the benedic tions of those who had felt the kindly and magic toucl of their saving hands. The young wife had not gone into the work unprepared. Before starting she took a nurse's training course, and the Lord knows that if there is anything in the world that calls for self-sacrifice it is the training of a nurse. Hand' in hand, these young people, with the support of their millions, are going to help rebuild France. They are already giving lavishly to support America, andt what i vastly more to the point, they are doing this in add!', tion to giving all that a poor man can give their own services in points of danger, taking a chance with the beet of them. I have written enthusiastically, but I cannot but pay tribute to an American ism that has had so many temptations to be something less. LEGAL SIDELIGHTS FOR LAWYERS AND LAYMEN BY RBYNELLK G. E. CORMSH, OF THE PORTLAND BAR. H' OME-MADC. DRINKSThere has been considerable discussion as to the legality of the manufac ture at home of small quantities of wine lor individual use. Here is the recent decision of the Oregon courts reported in State vs. Marastone, 165 Pac 1177: "The principal question in this case Is whether the defendant 'manufac tured' the' wine which he kept on the premises. That he pressed the juice from the grapes, put it in a vat and permitted it to ferment by the usual natural process, with the Intent to use part of it in that state as a beverage for himself and family, is admitted. We are of the opinion that the word 'manu facture.' as used in section 5 of the act referred to, means to 'make' irre spective of the quantity produced, or also claimed that if section 36. art. 1. of our Constitution should be con strued so as to prevent the manufac ture of intoxlcatnlg wine for tb maker's own use. it la violative of the 14th amendment to the National Con stitution. This contention is not new and is disposed of In Mugler- vs. Kan sas. 123 C- a 633. 8 Sup. CU 297. 31 U Ed. 205, wherein Justice Harlan, speak ing of the attitude of the courts toward legislation of this character, observes: 'If, therefore, a state deems the abso lute prohibition of the manufacture and sale, within her limits, of intoxi cating liquors for other than medical, scientific and" manufacturing purposes, to be necessary to the peace and se curity of society, the courts cannot witbout usurping legislative function, override the will of the people, as thu the use to which It is to be put. It is expressed by their chosen represents,- Pv ' r. , . ..! ' V J I' '1 -i-" . -t ftJ - - -fc".-4-V .' " ; .ISC, X $ .UP... :, - HJ t . . .. . r . . . v. "if 'vt .-t l". v " 1- - j..v K.-"1 Mrs. Astor at the Ruins of a Factory on the Aisne. Uvea. They have nothinc to do with the mere policy of legislation. Indeed, it is a fundamental principle In our in stitutions, indispensable to the preser vation of public liberty, that one of tne separate departments of government shall not usurp powers committed by the Constitution to another department. And so. if, in the judgment of the Leg islature, the manufacture of intoxicat ing liquors for the maker's own aise, as a beverage, would tend to cripple, if It did not defeat, the effort to guard the community against the evils at tending the excessive use of such liquors, it is not for the courts, upon their views as to what Is best and safest for the community, to disregard the legislative determination of that question. So far from such a regula tion having no relation to the general end sought to be accomplished, the entire scheme of prohibition, as em bodied in the Constitution and laws of Kansas, might fail, if the right of each citizen to manufacture Intoxicat ing liquors for his own use as a bev erage were recognised. Such a right does not inhere in citizenship. Nor can it be said that Government interferes with or impairs any one's constitu tional rights of liberty or of property, when it determines that the manu facture and sale of intoxicating drinks, for general or individual use. as a bev erage, are. or may become, hurtful to society and constitute, therefore, a business to which no one may lawfully engage. Those rights are best secured, in our Government, by the observance, upon the part of all. of such regula tions as are established by competent authority, to promote the common good. No one may rightfully do that which the lawmaking power, upon reasonably grounds, declares to be prejudicial to the general welfare. No doubt, to many of our citUens accustomed to the use of wine as a table beverage to the same extent that others have used tea or coffee or milk, such extreme legisla tion may seem drastic and harsh. It certainly seems so to the writer, but whatever may he our individual opinions they must yield to the man dates of the law." " The Law on In-Laws "Who's boss In the household is a moot qvestion as between husband and wife, but where it lies between wife and mother-in-law, the court has a very decltle.1 opinion as isid down In the case of Fraier vs. Frarer. 101 AtL Rep. iS. It follows In part: ' It is the duty of a husband to pro vide a home for his wife, in which she Is recognized by its inmates as the household mistress, and when the hus band subjects his wife in the manage ment of her household aftairs to the Interference of his mother, who mani fests an enmity towards the wife and by words and acts assails her con duct and reputation to such an extent that she cannot er.dure it and leaves the home for that reason, her deser tion may be willful, but it does not be come obstinate, so long as the hus band makes no effort to induce her to return to a homo freed from the con tentious element.
