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TIIE SUXDAT OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND, DECEMBER 2, 1917.
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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
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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,-
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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.