TIIE SUNDAY OREGONIAN, rORTLAXD, MAY 12, 1918.
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T.HIO AND WOOL
Kotrt Si.Tfi.-l-i is a candidate be
fore the Kppiihliran primary for the
1 iiiir.i si.itr . senator. He I." a cittxen
f coii.sc-iurif e and successful achieve
ment. It Is not the purpose of The
ormonian lo make an appeal for Mr.
Stanfield' nomination: but it has not
failed to note that he is bclnr steadily,
persistently and wantonly muckraked
for his vital work in creating ai ron
land a National wool market through
taNlshment and operation herd of
the Columbia Basin Wool Warehouse
"ompany. and the chars is made that
lie is a "profiteer" and a "hoarder."
A "profiteer" Is one who makes dis
honest and exorbitant profits by tax
lng- advantage of his country's needs
In the crisis of -war. A "boarder" is
one who, for the purpose of manipu
lating a market and advancing prices.
procures and withhold from sale any
article or product which the nation
or the public desires and in the ordl
nary course of business would be able
to get at a price determined legiti
mately by the rule of supply and de
mand. If Mr. Stanfield has profited out of
all proportion to the measure in which
other producers of and dealers In wool
have profited, he Is a profiteer. If
Mr. Stanfield has accumulated large
stores of wool to prevent the norma!
operation of purchase and sale on the
market, keeping It when the Govern
ment or the buying public wanted It.
and was willing to pay the prevailing
price for It. he Is a hoarder.
The Oregonian is able to say on in
formation and knowledge that he Is
neither a profiteer nor a hoarder. It
says It now. because it ought in fair
ness to be said now. It would pot
have him. or any man.' penalised
through politics, or partisanship,- or
newspaper unfairness, for having per
formed to the state of Oregon and to
the Northwest an invaluable service
In creating here a great wool depot,
and In helping lay the foundations for
an important industry In the manu
facture of wool products of all kinds.
What encouragement can Portland
offer to others to Invest their capital
here, contributing a share to the de
velopment of desirable enterprise, if
they are to be assailed and libeled
merely because they happen to be
candidates for office?
The facts about Mr. Stanfield and
wool are that he has beeti a sheepman
from boyhood. He has been a dealer
In wool buyer and seller for a
decade or more. Through his thorough
methods his business expanded, until
he became the largest producer of
sheep and wool in America, and one
of the largest dealers. With other
sheep and wool men he became dis
satisfied with the conditions of the
wool Industry and he aided In locating
storage warehouse at Portland, thus
making it one of the primary markets
of America. He thus helped to take
the Western grower out of the grip of
the Kastern dealer.
A storage warehouse performs the
function of supplying wool for the
market It Is Indispensable that It
have on hand adequate quantities.
The wool comes to the warehouse In
the grease, and ,1s there graded, and
then sold, as the owner directs. Let
It be understood that the Portland
warehouse operates on commission and
Is not a buyer. Mr. Stanfield con
signs his wool to Portland, as other
producers and dealer do. He sells
It through Portland, as others do. He
takes his profit when there is a profit
as others do; and he pays all commis
sion and storage charges as others do.
The Portland wool warehouse han
dled last year about 1. 000.000 pounds
of wool, of which Mr. Stanfield had
about . 000. 000 pounds. It represents
about 13.000.000 in money, and Is a
large operation. The entire wool prod
uct of this Northwestern territory is
about SO. 000. 000 pounds, and of the
Nation 140.000,000 pounds, and of the
world nearly 3.000.000.000 pounds.
Wool, a world product.- sells at prices
absolutely controlled by world condi
tions. America produces ' less than
one-tenth of the world's supply, and
Mr. Stanfield. though an active and
Important dealer and the largest single
producer, handles about one-fortieth
of the American output. It ought
thus to be clear that any endeavor by
him to manipulate the market by
"hoarding" would be wholly futile.
Alt the dealers In America together
could not greatly influence prices.
It would appear that it should be
an occasion fo pride that any man
In Oregon might by his ability, energy
and vision become a large factor in
a great Industry, both as a producer
and as a merchant. It would appear,
also, that there would come from the
people of Oregon a chorus of appro
bation that he had sought to make
as others had not made, though Ore
gon fcr maay years been a great
wool state the city of Portland a
real center of wool trade. The storage
warehouse Is. Indeed, a large asset,
and Is the forerunner of definite and
profitable expansion In wool manu
facture: for where wool may be had
in quantity, and other conditions are
favorable (locution, freight rates,
water power and the like), as they
are In Portland, there will be mills
to convert wool Into finished mate
rials. Now. indeed, a genuine start
has been made, largely by tho efforts
of Mr. Stanfield.
The Oregonian had sought to be a
mere spectator In the Senatorial con
test.. It will not pretend that it Is
cot sympathetic with the cause of Mr.
Stanfield. In his campaign: but it has
sought, nevertheless, to give both him
and Mr. McNary a, fair field, and it
has not sought to influence any citi
zen for the one or the other. But it
would not have Mr. Stanfield nor Mr.
McNary. in the same situation, made
the victim of false representations in
matters not properly related to the
campaign: nor would It have him, or
his opponent, elected to the Senate
for any reason except his worth to the
state in its service.
The facts in detail about Mr. Stan
field and the Portland wool warehouse
are presented elsewhere In The Ore
gonian today.
WHAT 1H riOXOMY?
Nothing mould he more appropriate.
In connection with the many injunc
tions we are reiciving upon the sub
ject of economizing, than a symposium
upon the subject of what constitutes
true economy.
A few years ago it would have been
possible to save a few dollars a year
by going without a telephone, but now
it would cause a w-tc of time that
would run into more money than the
telephone rent would come to.
The man who has tried wearing
shoddy clothing to save the difference
between Its price and the cost of an
all-wool garment prolwbly has his own
views on that score. One can econo
mize on fuel to the point of increas
ing .his doctor's bills, and economize
on filling his teeth only to be com
pelled to buy an entire new set, and
he ran economize unwisely as to food
and lower his efficiency and lose his
Job.
Still there undoubtedly is room for
economy In the scheme of things. It
Is admitted that we are extravagant.
The difficulty lies in distinguishing
true economy front fa He.
nriuo.r.u.int:D atrx.Ks.
The State Supreme Court has able
and respected Judges, all from places
outside Mnltnomah County, with a
single exception:, and the latter is
Justice McCamant, an appointee of
the Governor. It cannot be true that
the people at large are suspicious of
judgeship candidates from Multnomah,
for there are In the bar here eminent
lawyers who would adorn the bench.
But it is true that their claims have
been given little consideration, evi
dently because better men, in the de
terminative opinion of the infallible
electorate, are to be had in the
country.
Now there are three candidates for
the Supreme Bench, to fill one va
cancy. One Is from Multnomah and
two from the state. It Is not the pur
pose herein to say that any of them
should be elected: only to say that all
are men of high personal and profes
sional repute: and that the people are
fortunate in having so choice a field
to pick from. Whoever shall be nomi
nated there will be no mistake. The
sole regret will be. as it must be, that
there is only one place to fill, and
that while one will be selected, two
must be left at home. It would be
difficult, indeed Impossible, to find
three other men better qualified to
be Supreme Judges than C. A. Johns,
Percy R. Kelly and John S. Coke.
It might be wished that as much
might be said of all the candidates
for Circuit Judge in Multnomah
County. We would not be Invidious.
but a sense of duty to the public Impels
us to say that Judge Stapleton meas
ures up to the requirements.
ALLIES RELATIONS WITH RtSSIA.
Demands of the Bolshevik govern
ment are a sign of the delicate state
of the allies' relations with that which
remains of Russia. On the part of
the Bolshevik! they betray a desire to
force the hand of the allies, both as
to the tatter's policy in Siberia and as
to recognition of the Lenine govern
ment. On the part of the Germans
they show a desire to force the Bol
shevikl Into an attitude of open en
mity to the allies and consequently
into an alliance with Germany.
The circumstances Indicate that
any of the Bolshevik ministers who
are not willing tools of Germany have
been intimidated by that country, for
the demand for recall of the consuls
from Vladivostok came Immediately
after arrival of the new German am
bassador at Moscow. Germany's aim
seems to be to force the allies to leave
the military stores at Vladivostok un
protected by driving the Bolshevik! to
hreaten open war. By this trick the
Bolshevlkl would be used as a tool by
which the stores would pass ultimate
ly Into the possession of Germany.
Also ir the allies were to have deal
ings with the Lcnlne government In
regard to Siberia, they might be led
Into some sort of recognition of the
Bolshevlkl as the lawfully established
government of Russia.
This recognition would play into the
hands of Germany. By withholding
it the allies treat Russia as a country
without a government, which has been
forcibly occupied by the armed forces
of another nation, and they are In a
position to occupy Russian territory
themselves for the purpose of expel
ling the Invaders without laying them
selves open to the charge of having
attacked Russia. They also impose
circumspection on Lenine and the
German In order that no valid pre
text may be given for occupation by
the allies, also In order that the Rus
sian people may be kept In submission
and may not start any .movement
which could be construed as an invi
tation to the allies to emancipate their
country from the Germans and the
Lenine government.
In view of the character, deeds and
words of the Bolshevik leaders, they
cannot safely be regarded as capable
of sincere co-operation with the allies,
or even of neutrality; willingly or by
coercion, they are tools of Germany.
Probably the longer they and the Ger
mans hold mastery In Russia, the more
ruthless they will become In exploit
ing the country to meet the growing
necessities of the Teutons, the more
open will become German domination
and consequently the more earnestly
the people will look to the allies for
deliverance. Thus time will work for
the allies, and the state of Russia must
grow worse before it can grow better.
But the allies need to guard them
selves against repetition of the mis
take they made with regard to Bul
garia and Greece of treating as friend
ly or neutral governments in secret al
liance with their enemies.
The military situation In the west
makes a certain amount of temporis
ing necessary in any event, for, unless
they should entrust the task to Japan
alone, the allies lack the forces and
the ships for a military. expedition to
Russia. . But they need to prepare for
a move at as early a moment as they
have men and transports available, in
order that they may drtvo out the
Germans and put the government in
the hands of the Russian people be
fore Germany has become too strong
ly entrenched and has developed the
resources of the country to the point
where they may be made effective to
continue the war In the west of Ku
ropa. The time to move will be the
time when the allies can bring superior
forces to bear, can maintain it and
can be sure that all classes of Rus
sians win welcome them as deliverers.
BAKERS AND JITNEYS.
Announcement Is made that the
price of bread will advance another
cent tomorrow. It ia an increase in
cost of living that will be wider in its
effect than the advance of ono cent
in streetcar fares. It has been accom
plished by a process similar to that
which brought about the six-cent fare.
The bakers made a showing to the
Food Administrator that cost of mate
rials and fuel, advance in wage scale,
the eight-hour day and pay for over
time made production at the former
price unprofitable.
The street railway company went
before another public agency, the Pub
lic Service Commission, and made i
similar showing. The cases are iden
tical. .
But no public charges of political
collusion will he made against the
Food Administration. There will be
no meetings or resolutions. There will
be no proposals for cut-throat compe
tltion with the bakers. There is some
thing lacking In the situation. It is
the chance to bait a corporation and
gain public acclaim.
Yet there might bo a counter pro
posal offered as there Is In the case
of the street railway. We -might pro
pose to relieve the bakers of taxation
so they could sell bread cheaper.
There Is a similar measure on the
ballot affecting the streetcar company.
Or there might be offered a measure
to Invite new bakers into the field by
relieving them, and them only, of the
prohibition against hoarding of flour.
or by letting them use mill offal for
bread-making, or by encouraging them
to pay lower wages and work em
ployes overtime without extra pay, or
by relieving them of sanitary regula
tions, any or all of which would be
detrimental to the public welfare but
would enable them to sell bread at a
lower price and force the present
bakers into bankruptcy.
There is a similar measure affecting
the street railway company on the
ballot. It is proposed therein to let
jitneys operate without Imposing upon
them the regulations imposed upon
the street railway and thereby en
danger public safety and public wel
fare, as was done in the past, in order
to save the extra cent and drive the
company Into receivership.
The bakery business Is simpler than
that of running a street railway sys
tem. The ingredients of a loaf of
bread are matters of common knowl
edge. It Is also a matter of common
knowledge that those ingredients have
greatly advanced in price.
But the necessary purchases of a
street railway company are more or
less of a mystery to the people. It is
a false fancy that once constructed
tho plant will run Itself with only the
aid of employed labor. The fact that
the street railway company advanced
wages to a decent figure and estab
lished the eight-hour day at a time
when every sort of necessary equip
ment and replacement had also ad
vanced In price is ignored. Moreover,
it is a corporation, and It is assumed
that nobody loves a corporation.
But there would be just as much
logic in denunciation of the Food
Administration as there is in denun
ciation of the Public Service Commis
sion. There is Just as much ground
for complaint against the bakers as
there is against the street railway
company. Yet the public would re
sent an attack upon the Food Admin
istration. A jitney baker measure, one
that proposed sacrifice of public wel
fare to unreasoning prejudice against
payment of a just price for service
rendered, would be hooted off fhe
ballot. A bill to relieve, the bakers of
taxes would meet a similar fate.
1-et us be honest and consistent. The
wide-open jitney measure Is 117 No.
The amendment to relieve the street
railway company of certain taxations
Is 119 No. Defeat them.
OI.n-FASHIONKI CI.EAN-LP WEEK.
The New York State Health De
partment performed a distinct serv
ice when it gave currency to the con
cise statement that "public health is
purchasable." A good deal Is ac
complished by a slogan that crystal
lizes a truth. The point of the New
York argument Is that any community
can practically free Itself from con
tagious and Infectious diseases, and
particularly those which are dissemi
nated through the agency of dirt, if
It is willing to pay the price. Nor isf
it wholly a question of money. A
part of the price is vigilant supervi
sion and hearty co-operation by indl
vlduala. The old-fashioned clean-np week,
which we have been enjoined to re
store to fashion. - had the merit of
thoroughness, and was stimulated by
the spirit of emulation. . There was a
time when citizens vied with one an
other In the effort to show the big
gest pile of rubbish. The bigger the
pile, it was argued, the more thor
ough the cleaning up had been. It
might also have been evidence that
the householder had been the more
neglectful of his duty during the pre
ceedlng twelve months, but that fact
usually escaped attention; at any rate
it was not emphasized. It is unde
niable that the annual cleaning was
far better than none at all.
The modern view that it Is easier
to prevent disease than to cure it has
as Its corollary, the belief that It is
easier to prevent the accumulation of
rubbish than to spend a week or so
once a year piling it in an inconveni
ent spot to await the coming of a
tardy and already overburdened ash
cart. The trouble with the violent,
once-a-year clean-up is that it Is usu
ally followed by relaxation. The glow
ing sensation of duty done generally
lasts longer than is good for us. By
the end of Summer there is another
unobserved accumulation of dust and
cobwebs, and scraps and junk, that
invites the breeding of flies and the
outbreak of spontaneous combustion.
Then Winter seta in and the mischief
multiplies. By the time the aver
age annual house-cleaning is complet
ed the early batch of disease-disseminating
flies is doing its worst. The
liveliest tittle fly-swatter in the family
cannot begin to undo the damage that
already has been done. Under ideal
conditions there would be no Spring
rubbish piles, which would be re
garded as testimonials to the slovenli
ness and not the cleanliness of thoye
who exhibit them.
. The practice of assigning a week to
first one and then another duty has
the merit only of being better than
nothing. Recently, however, the coun
try progressed from the "baby week"
stage to the more enlightened "baby
year. It is seen that If babies are
worth saving in any one week, they
are worth an effort the other fifty
one weeks of the year. The same is
true of the clean-up week.. ; There is
no doubt that the world is awakening
to the importance of sanitary meas
ures. Health officers do not encounter
a much resistance to their decrees
as they did a few years ago. We shall
not discourage anyone from observing
the annual custom this year, whether
housecleaning is needed or not, but
only call attention to the desirability
of persistent effort throughout the
year. It will be a sign of progress
when the rubbish piles, which are
now as intimately associated with the
month of May as the dogwood and
the wistaria, have become a thing of
the past.
THE GIFT HORSK.
h One good thing about the next book
drive for the soldiers' libraries will be
that it will be productive of much
less literary junk. The amazing ex
tent to which stay-at-home patriots
disregarded advice and warnings in
making- donations to the last collec
tion is only now beginning to be re
vealed. Theodore Wesley Koch, of the
Library of Congress, tells about it in a
pamphlet on "The War Service of the
American Library Association."
Mistaken judgment was exhibited
In the donation of "at least one copy
of every improper book that was ever
written," but since they were offered
for the use of adults presumably pos
sessing some discriminating judgment
of their own it is -doubtful if the
donors went much farther astray than
those who sent shelves full of the
Klsle books and Alger's juveniles.
There was a file of the Undertakers'
Review. ." School readers printed be
fore the Civil War and many out-of-
date textbooks were taken from the
home shelves.
Clearly, if the gift is to be Judged
by the thought bestowed upon it by
the giver, there are many whose sense
of duty to others is easily satisfied.
One wonders what was running
through the mind of the citizen who
sent a copy of the "Postal and Tele
graphic Code of the Argentine Re
public," or of the other who thought
that our soldiers would be interested
in the twenty-year-old reports of the
Kpiscopal Eye and Ear Hospital. Mr.
Koch thinks that special mention
should be made of Ruskin's "Letters
to Young Girls', and of Miss Leslie'
American Girl's Book, or Occupa
tions for Play Hours" (1866). But
there were several -copies of house
wives' books on home needlework, and
the prize gift was a 1916 diary, partly
filled by the donor. '
Fortunately, the books passed
through a sifting process before reach
ing the cantonment shelves. As has
been said, the effect must have been
favorable upon a good many of the
home shelves, and there should ba a
clearer atmosphere for the next book
drive. The cantonment library is a,n
essential part of the soldier's recrea
tion. It is especially noteworthy that
it has been pronounced by one au
thority to be desirable as a "refuge
from the constant music, songs, movies
and other distractions at many of the
welfare agencies."
GEOLOGICAL OPTIMISM.
Those who are by nature inclined to
view the world's future through dark
glasses will be cheered by the con
clusions derived by Dr. Marsden Man-
son, of San Francisco, from the Ant
arctic explorations of Captain Robert
Scott and Sir Krnest Shackleton, that
the world is growing warmer, that
the same energies which have but
recently converted the glacial lake
beds of Canada into the most pro
ductive grain fields of the world will
n time convert the tundras of today
into the grain fields of tomorrow."
The student of history, bent on dis
covering whether the world is growing
better or worse, is limited to a few
thousand years In the scope of his
research. Happier is the geologist,
with his eons to work with. Dr.
Hanson's "recently" falls from his pen
as easily as one writing about the
present war would speak of the day
before yesterday, or week before last.
But he means, of course, some hun
dreds of thousands, perhaps millions.
of years ago. And what has come
to pass in the "recent" geological
past gives us a clew to what we may
expect in the "near" future a few
millions of years hence.
It is comforting to realize that the
earth is growing warmer, but more
reassuring to know that generations
of which we shall be the remote an
cestors are not going to starve. The
population of the earth will not eat
itself out of existence, for it holds the
vast plains of the Southern Continent,
and the tundras of the North, and
the higher slopes of great mountain
ranges in reserve. Mount Hood some
day will cease to be capped with per
petual snow, and growers of strawber
ries and apples will push their plant
ing tool and their marketing methods
to its very summit. That is, if by that
time they have not decided to grow
bananas instead. For by the time the
world is getting Its grain from the
Antarctic plateau and Greenland, Ore
gon ought to be in the tropics, with
not even an oldest inhabitant living
who can talk reminiscently of the last
silver thaw.
PROTECTION OF TIIE SIORATORICM.
The so-called "Soldiers' and Sailors'
Civil Relief Act," passed by Congress.
accomplishes In effect a complete
change in court practice concerning
default judgments, and extends a
greater measure of protection to per
sons in the military service of their
country than has ever before been
given in our history. The fundamental
reason why an act of Congress was
required, instead of legislation by the
separate states, is set forth In - an
analysis of the new statute made by
Archibald R. Watson, former corpora
tion counsel of New York, in a letter
to the New. York Times. This reason
is that State Legislatures are for
bidden by the Federal Constitution
to impair the obligation of a contract,
which in effect is done by the Fed
eral moratorium. The essential aim
of the law is to relieve all persons in
the service of anxiety as to their civil
rights. In order that they may be able
to devote their entire energies to the
military needs of the Nation.
The law is exceedingly broad in Its
scope. The protected classes Include
not only all officers and enlisted men
of the Tegular Army and the reserves,
and also of the National Guard, the
Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard,
but also all officers of the Public
Health Service on duty with the Army
and Navy, and of the personnel of
the Lighthouse Service and the Coast
and Geodetic Survey under jurisdic
tion of the War and Navy Depart
ments. Members of the Nurses' Corps,
field clerks and even civilian clerks
and employes on duty with the mili
tary forces detailed for service abroad
are also included.
Most conspicuous of all the pro
visions of the law is that made in
Section ZOO, which "provides that no
judgment shall be entered by default
unless there Is filed an affidavit show
ing that the defendant is not In the
military service." It is this provision
which, for example, has recently led
to the reopening of several divorce
proceedings. Including those in which
the defendants were not in the mili
tary service, but in which formal
showing to this effect had not been
made. But the law also extends a
measure of protection to the just
creditor, by providing that no order
of judgment shall be entered without
securing an order of the court, which
shall not be made until the court shall
have appointed an attorney to repre
sent the defendant's interests.
Plaintiff may be required to file
bond, to indemnify the defendant
against any damage he may suffer if
the judgment should afterward be set
aside. Numerous details of the pro
jection of defendants are included in
the law, and the whole is capped by
a broad provision that a stay of pro
ceedings may be ordered at any stage
in any case where it shall appear that
the ability of the defendant to defend
the action is impaired by reason of his
service to his country.
Eviction for non-payment of rent
not exceeding S50 a month is for
bidden, except on express order of the
court. Anyone who participates in an
illegal action of this kind may be inv
prisoned a year and fined $1000. Pro
tection is given against forfeiture of
property being purchased on install
ments, and there is a unique provision
against the lapse of life insurance
policies to an aggregate of $5000. . The
Secretary of the Treasury is required
to deliver United States bonds to the
life insurance companies as security
for the payment of the premiums.
The spirit of the law is that every
defendant shall have the full benefit
of his day in court. It extends the
especial favor of the civil law to all
in the military service of the Nation.
But there will not be much disposi
tion to quarrel with the liberality of
the Government's policy in this re
spect. It is realized that the protec
tion of the Government extended to
the stay-at-homes is being made valid
by the efforts of the defenders of the
flag. Plaintiffs in litigation against
soldiers and sailors will suffer only a
fraction of the deprivation and incon
venience to which its beneficiaries are
exposing themselves, and all alike will
share the general benefits in the end.
LEARNING FROM THE FARMER.
Those self-satisfied city persons who
proffer their services to the farmer
this season to help him make and
save his crops, and, incidentally, are
inclined to the notion that they are
going to "teach him something," would
do well to turn to the pages of Adam
Smith, esteemed as a political philoso
pher and observer. It was Adam
Smith's belief that the tiller of the
soil was the skilled worker par ex
cellence, and that "not only the art
of the farmer, the general direction
of husbandry, but the many inferior
branches of country labor, require
much more skill and experience than
the greater part of the mechanical
trades." This fact, we predict, will
be rediscovered by a good many vol
unteer farm laborers on their own
account.
The' jokesmiths have been wont to
picture their rural cousin with chin
whiskers and a single gallus, and to
poke no end of fun at him for his
bewilderment amid the clangor of
city streets. He is the stock victim
of the lightning rod agent and the
gold brick man. He gets credit for
shrewdness only when he Is camou
flaging- his produce or piling his big
apples at the ends of the barrel. He
has borne it patiently enough, and
has had few spokesmen to point out
that the city man in the country is
as "green" as the farmer In town
But Adam Smith goes more deeply
into the subject than is implied by
discussion of the relative opportuni
ties of each class to acquire informa
tion. He thinks that the countryman
is an individual of greater innate ca
pacity; that the nature of his employ
ment makes him more resourceful and
gives him command of a greater va
riety of expedients. . He goes on, for
example, to say:
The man who works upon brass and Iron
works with Instruments and upon materiais
of which the temper Is always the same.
But the man who plows the ground with a
team of horses or oxen works with Instru
ments of which the health, strength and
temper are very different upon different
occasions. The condition of the materials
which he works upon, too, is as variable
as that of the instruments he works with
and both require to be managed with much
.Judgment and discretion. The common
ploughman, though commonly regarded as
the pattern of stupidity and Ignorance. Is
seldom defective In this Judgment and dis
cretion.- His voice and language are more
difficult to be understood by those who are
not used to them. His understanding, how
ever. Is accustomed to consider great varl
ety of objects, is generally superior to that
of the other, wnose whole attention irom
morning until night is commonly occupied
In nerformlnK one or two very simple oper
ations. How much the lower ranka of the
people in the country are really superior
to those in the town Is well known to every
man whom either business or curiosity baa
led to converse with both.
It is true that this was written be
fore the modern city had reached its
present stage of development. Cap
tains of industry were rarer than they
are now, and the modern intricacies
of trade had not so sharpened tne
wits of the merchant and the clerk.
But it remains true that the farmer
still must adapt himself to changing
seasons even more uncertain than
market vagaries, and be master of a
score of trades and have a smattering
of a few of the professions. He Is a
kind of mechanic and botanist and
doctor and utility man all rolled into
one. He may not be versed in the
fine-spun theories of physics, but he
knows how to empty a barrel of cider
with an improvised syphon, and he
can keep a hydraulic ram chugging
day and night. If he does not know
the name of the peony that captured
the latest grand prize, he can spot a
poison weed in a sheep pasture on
sight. He has studied the anatomy
of livestock from the inside, and he
knows, how to make a pair of gate
hinges out of a hickory crotch and
two pieces of barbed wire. He knows
when to let the chickens into the
garden to get rid of a maximum of
bugs and lose a minimum of vege
tables. He knows whether a heifer
calf is more likely to develop Into a
beef or a milk animal, and instinct
tells him almost as much as the
scales about the point at which it
ceases to be profitable to feed 60-cent
corn into a young hog. There is a
knack in cutting hay at just the right
time to obtain the most nourishment
in proportion to woody fiber, and an
other trick in curing it and piling it
in the stack. Every day of the three
hundred and sixty-five in the year is
a new problem to him, and no one
year furnishes a reliable precedent for
the next.
The city youth who ventures Into
the country this season will be wise
if he takes a reasonable humility with
him. What he can teach his farmer
employer about books may or may not
bo worth while, but it is probable that
it will not be a fair exchange for the
information he will acquire. He will,
among other things, have an oppor
tunity to enrich his vocabulary greatly.
He will learn the difference between
horse's withers -and his pastern
Joint, and the number of stomachs
possessed by a cow and more names
of the different parts, of a harness
than he ever dreamed of. Ho will be
a long time learning to distinguish
one horse from another by looking It
in the face, and all sheep will look
alike to him, in all probability, after
he has worked a whole season. He
has prided himself on his sense of
orientation, in town, but he will lose
himself in the woods. If he does not
carry his watch with him, he will be
too late or too eaxly for his meals,
although he will not get up too early
In the morning. His resources will be
taxed by a hundred emergencies and
as many unfamiliar tasks. Perhaps
he will acquit himself creditably. We
do not subscribe to the extreme notion
of Adam Smith, and, besides, times
have changed, but if he does so he
will be richer for the experience. The
farmer may not be versed in peda
gogics, but he will need to be a teacher
if he gets his money's worth out of
the new help that is being offered to
him. And somehow, we think, he is
going to succeed. It will be a familiar
task to solve one more new problem.
He has been confronted with strange
situations every year of his life.
It would be unfair, perhaps, to com
pare the successful farm proprietor
with the average city laborer. But
the country man suffers little when
he is set side by side with his city
cousin, grade for grade. Those whom
Adam Smith calls the "lower ranks
of the people of the country" cer
tainly manage to get more out of life
than those in a relatively similar sit
uation in the town. And the farmer,
if given his choice, would rather have
their labor than that of the city men,
whose coming he views with curiosity,
not unmixed with dread. Our city
friends are about to have the tables
turned on them. They are going to go
out into the barn and harness the
horse wrong end to, and be "hicks'
for a while. They will find that being
"green" is almost altogether a matter
of the point .of view. And it will do
them good.
A writer 1n the Bulletin of the Pan
American Union thinks that Ameri
cans have been too prone to accept
without analysis the deprecatory state
ment that they have been inefficient
In their efforts to obtain their share
of the trade of Latin America. They
have been told so often that the Ger
man trader was superefticient and that
the American was not "giving the peo
pie what they wanted" that they bad
come to take it for granted. But the
figures are illuminating. In one-half
of tho twenty Latin-American coun
tries before the war, the imports from
Germany had sunk to one-fifth of
those from the United States, and in
the other half American imports were
rapidly gaining on Germany. The fact
seems to be that Germans in ther
struggle to maintain their ground had
taken to imitating American and Brit
ish goods, but it took so much time
to do this with characteristic German
thoroughness that they could not keep
pace with changing styles. Latin
Americans like to be up to date, and
German imitations of old goods were
being left on the importers' hands.
"Liberty" Potato week la an impor
tant time this year from the viewpoint
of the National interest. The fact
stands out that the United States pro
duced a crop of more than 442,000,000
bushels in 1917, which was 92,000,000
bushels in excess of the average of the
five preceding years, and that a large
part of the crop Is still on hand. There
are only two months in which to dis
pose of it, for by July the new crop
will begin to claim attention. Every
householder knows by this time that
grains are scarce and that even a bum
per crop of wheat is not likely to
result in relaxation of restrictions as
to the use of bread. The potato con
sumer, therefore, performs a double
duty. He prevents waste of a desir
able commodity at the same time that
he encourages the grower to repeat the
production of a bumper crop, which
he is unlikely to try to do If he fin
ishes the present season with a large
unsold surplus on his hands.
The total number of subscribers to
the third liberty loan approaches the
20,000,000 mark, and if the pace' is
maintained in succeeding loans it will
be as unfashionable to be without one
as it would be to attend church in a
bathing suit.
It being quite clear that the sheep
industry must be reorganized if the
country is to have wool and mutton
enough to meet its demands, it is up
to the small farmer to figure whether
he cannot find room for one more
lamb.
The shipbuilders of Oregon, having
got into their stride, are making the
National record for per capita sub
scriptions to the liberty loan, and they
are out for the per capita record for
ship production as well.
Appearance - of dairy cows in the
beef market at this time is not a good
sign, but it takes a man who has been
face to face with the inexorable re
currence of "cow time," . 730 times a
year, to appreciate the situation fully.
It is fitting that Oregon women
should be favored in -the purchase of
sugar for canning. For where on
earth is there a greater profusion of
excellent material for canning pur
poses ?
The 3000 or so reported to be vol
untarily idle in Portland should go to
Petrograd, where they will hardly be
noticed among the 350,000 who can't
find work.
One advantage that the Emperor of
Austria has over the Kaiser is that he
hasn't got six sons whose safety he
need worry about.
It looks as if Hindenburg might be
due for an eclipse almost a month
ahead of the sun that he was looking
for a place in.
Still, there is something to be said
In favor of a knowledge of German if
one happens to be assigned to a listen
ing post.
Regardless of who first made use
of the submarine, a good many Ger
mans have used theirs for the last
time.
Once again it is appropriate to sug
gest to the war gardener that a little
land well tilled means a big cellar well
filled.
The big German drivo is pausing
while the Kaiser's shock troops are re
covering from the shock.
Conscription of Irish potatoes prom
ises not to arouse opposition anywhere.
The British navy seems to be simply
filled to overflowing with Hobsons.
Clipping liberty bond coupons is fine
exercise for the hands.
The Peripterous.
Pertpterons A Structure Having Rows
of Columns on -All Sides. Dictionary.
(Synopsis of preceding synopses.)
The Oregonian, a great morning news
paper, employs a distinguished literary
architect to construct a perlpteroua.
He doea it. It Uaa rows of columns on
east. west, north and south.
The Peripterous becomes a Free Audito
rium for the expreasion of incompetent, ir
rolovent and immaterial opinion. new
verse and anecdotea. s
WAR POETS CANDIDATE.
Senator Gluten, who is pursuing a
novel campaign, having removed him
sell from the hands of his friends, is
now ready to announce the certainty of
his election by a handsome majority.
Senator Gluten has made an appeal
to a distinctive class never before Im
portant in politics for the reason that
it never before existed.
"1 expect to get the "unanimous vote
of the war poets," said the noted can
didate, yesterday. "Through the sym
pathy of a newspaper editor of verse
I have obtained a complete roster of
the war poets in Oregon.
"There are 75.4SS of them.
"Nothing has ever been dons for thl
deserving class of people by Congress.
No body of citizens is doing more to
keep the home fires burning or at
least the home fires of my newspaper
friend than the war poets.
"I am, as is well known, committed
to the enactment of a law that will pro
vide for the publication of all war
poetry "at Government expei.se. When
the National Committee on Publication
of War Poetry has been established,
there will be no more painful rejections
of earnest and patriotic effort.
"I feel that the publications by this
committee will be a welcome diversion
from the Congressional Record, the
Official Bulletin, and the voluminous
propaganda of countless bureau press
agents now franked to a helpless
public
"As the savior of the war poets 1
shall of course get all their votes. I
figure it is a cinch."
THE TEST POSITIVE.
The heartless local . organization
known as the Society for the Supprei
sioa of War Poetry, after a long silence,
has announced that the infallible test
of war poetry is the inclusion some
where in the poem of lines ending as
follows:
. .... across the sea
. ... to fight for liberty.
Sounds Familiar.
Old Tom Moon, the blind newsboy,
remarked the other day that one of the
six candidates for Governor talked to
him so convincingly abcut the cer
tainty of his election that he would
have congratulated him on the spot had
not the other five candidates got to him
first with the same line of conversa
tion. The Chump.
(Dedicated to the Kaiser's American
Dentist.)
There's one guy I don't understand.
Some folks don't know luck when
they meet it!
He had a chance to beat the band
And passed it up Now can you
beat It?
He had the Kaiser on his baok!
He had his nose where he could hit It.
He was all set to take a whack
He could have pinched it, pulled It,
bit it.
He had the fork-tailed Dutchman down.
He could have Just hauled off and
eoaked him;
He could have beaned him with his
crown.
He could have tied him there and
choked him.
He could have say, the chance was big!
There were a dozen ways to do him.
He could have took that buzzer Jig
And drilled him, drilled right through
and through him.
He could have Oh! gee, what's the use?
I 'spose it ain't my place to sass him..
But, jimminy cripes, he turned him
loose;
Great snakes'. He didn't even gas
him. v
He had his mouth pried open wide.
He could have made him drink it,
eat it;
What did he do? He let him slide.
Well, let me ask you. Can you beat It?
PAT RIOT, D. D. S.
The Great Bee Contest.
KLAMATH FALLS, Or., May 6. (To
the Architect.) Last New Year's eve
I was having a watch party at my
home. About 15 minutes before mid
night I noticed a loud, curious buzzing
sound. As midnight approached it be
came louder, and at exactly midnight
my overhead porch light darkened and
then became entirely obscured.
As I rushed forth to ascertain the
cause I tripped over a bulky object in
front of the door. I then looked up
and saw that a swarm of bees had
clustered themselves about the globe
covering the porch light, apparently for
the sake of warmth, and hence the
darkening.
As I returned to the house I picked
up the object over which I had tripped.
I found it to be four combs of fine
honey. It was perfectly apparent that
the bees had brought it as payment
for their rental privilege around the
porch light, i
In the morning the bees left or their
own accord and hived themselves In an
old joint of stovepipe lying by the
woodshed. They are there yet, and are
turning out excellent, though slightly
sooty, honey.
I have not yet heard of any bees
swarming earlier this year than mine.
This is, perhaps, due to our mild cli
mate, which is an advantage thou
not the only one of living near C.
fornia. B. HICK HONETWAX.
Bona of the Bread.
Sing a song of sixpence,
Our bread is made of rye.
Four and twenty other kinds
We are going to try.
And when this war Is over.
Then we all will sing:
"Wasn't that a pretty loaf.
To set before the King?'
We here in the home land
Are loaning out our money.
Saving with our sugar.
And in its place eat honey.
We send our wheat and sugar
Away across the sea.
To feed the boys in khaki
Who fight for liberty.
The girls are In the garden
Hoeing out the corn;
We none of us are happy,
And sometimes feel forlorn.
But we are going to work and save
And do just all we can.
To help our soldiers lick the boche
And bring them home again.
MRS. WILLIAM WILLIAMSON.
Questions of the Hour.
PORTLAND, May 11. (To the Archi
tect.) These vital questions which
confront us at the present time might
be discussed thoroughly in the Perin
terous just before election:
(1) Does Gus Moser expect to ba
elected Governor of Oregon?
(2) In a group of people taken in
this city recently, why was not George
Baker included?
(3) When people have their pictures
taken nowadays why do they open their
mouths and show teeth like a young
colt?
(4) Who Is the wiser of the twain,
Baker or Withycombe?
(5) Is J. Hennessy Murphy a Par
nelllte, Redmondite or Ulsterite?
(6) What form of law and order will
make the world safe for Democracy
with a capital "D"?
(7) I turned my clock back an hour.
Now it is two hours behind schedule
time. Does it make any difference in
standard time? IVAN BELL.