0
THE OREGON DAILY JOURNAL, PORTLAND, MONDAY . EVENING, DECEMBER 10, lOlJu
THE JOURNAL
' f INDEPENDENT KKWSPAFEB
8. JACKSON..
. .Publlnhor
t'uM!h(l r,t ninf texrept Bundnf)
-ry Pund morning at Tba Jourol Build
. 7th mi V.mi.Uf eta.. Portland. Or.
Hinerea it the prartofflca at portUnO, Or..
f 'i' tiiimiiiloB tUroiurh tbe WU Mfoud
gradation corresponding with the give:, an .1 Informed and . weighty
Increase over the minimum income, opinion . at short notice on compll
'I l UJI'HONKS Main TITS; Horn. ' A-l,
All !' pirtrewnt retohad by thiw aunitmra.
'Idl iba oprritar wbit aprtiiwtit ro nt.
"KKHiN AUVKKT1BI.no BKI'KKHK.NTA'llVi
. r-iijniin k Kentoor Co. Hraniwlrk Bulldlnt
?X Hfib anm,; Nw York; 21S I'appta'a
iK Building, Chicago. - " "' '.
i ilmcriptkia Trni by moll or to o (dUrcH
In Uultitd BUtet oT Ueilcol
DAILY
On fr..,..,,.30n ) Orot month
"vv''", ; Sunday '. ...
i fMfmJm.9,H4 BlOBth
, DAILY AND 8UNDAT
Oii rr........$T.M I One month.
.$ .68
la to accord with the generally ac-
cepted idea of . tpday that the rich
should be taxed more hoavlly than
the poor. Aa compared with indi
rect taction the direct income tax
offers an eailkr way of getting at
that resut. ,
GATHERING KKCltl lTS
E
, It is a sad thlnft to begin Ufa
with low .conceptions of It, It
may not be possible for a young
man to measure life; 'but It Is
possible to say, I am resolved
to' put Hfe to Its best and
noblest use. T. T.- Munger.
A STAGGERING COST
1TRKSIDENT TAPT'S last official
&jr word to his countrymen ro
ll spectlng their business la a re-
ciiest ror ii,iuo,.uo,aDJ ior
running the government one year.
It is a sum more than double the
annual expenditures sixteen years
ago. In the aame period, expend!
lures have nearly doubled relatively
to population, The cost per capita
- sixteen year ago was a" little" mora
than 1 6, On President Taft's est!
mate for the coming year, It Is now
nearly 12 per capita.
Since 1878, the cost of govern
ment has Increased more than 400
per cent, Population . has Increased
hut 84 per cent. The cost In 179C
was: $1.34 per capita, against nearly
$13 per capita Jn 1918.
Senator Williams recently de
clared In the senate that ours la "the
most extravagant government main
tained and dominated by the white
race on the face of the earth." :
Only 17 yeara ago.Grovcr Cleve
land ran thr national government
for $650,000,000 a year less than it
.now costs. The average expenditures
are now nearly three times aa much
as during Cleveland's second admin
istration, y ;
Only 25 years ago, Crover Clere-
land ran the government for but one
fourth the present annual cost.
Economy, retrenchment -d re
form have been unknown and un
popular words In the federal gov
ernment In. ..recent administrations.
Eight years of "aft and Roosevelt
cost In appropriations 'more than
$8,000,000,000, or nearlv five times
the total expenditures of the federal
government under fifteen presidents,
from the inauguration of Washing
ton to the beginning ol the Civil war.
When was there over greater need
for application of the old Jeffer
sonian rule of a "simple government,
economically administered ?'
What right have Tve to complain at
the high cost of living when we Der-!
mlt the Washincton government to ln connection with each college.
tax every man, woman end child in
' the United States $12 per head for
being governed?
VERYWHERE, the white slavers
are working with awful activity
and audacity.
A well dressed young ladyjaf
20 was walking down a well known
London street, partly residential and
partlyji fashionable shopping center
j wo "nurses" tney were pro
curesses as!.ed her their way to a
placo in thedirection she was walking.
They walked on .with' her, and pres
ently fell In, one on each side. , Then
they' began to hustle her along, tell
Inc.her she must come with them. In
her fright, she appealed to a police
man. Ono of the nurses dropped be
hind, and looking at the officer, sig
nificantly tapped her forehead. Tho
man was deceived, thought it a men
tal case, and told tho girl to go on
with her friends, ' It was one of the
cunning processes of white slavery
In Chicago recently, a pretty girl
of seventeen' was seized by two
strange men and thrust quickly Into
a waiting taxlcab, Just as she was
about to enter the gate to her home.
A sister saw the act, gave the alarm
and the girl was saved. It '.was sub
sequently confessed that the girl was
to have been taken to the vice-world
of West Hammond.
In Collingswood, P.. C., a depart
ment Bioro gin was nounaea by a
man and one day In the itore, when
he had persisted in his attentions,
she confided her troubles to an
apparently extremely respectable
woman customer who was standing
by. The woman offered protection,
and Insisted that the girl should be
taken home In her automobile, then
waiting at the . door. ' Tlie offer
was accepted and the girl has
never been heard of, end never will
be. The respectable customer was a
procuress.
It is now said that her parents are
convinced that Doroth;' Arnold,
whose mysterious disappearance was
a country-wide sensation for months,
was spirited away into white Blavery,
and has become a part ofthe great
army of 200,000 girls, who, by force.
by kidnaping, and by every known
process are recruited to white slavery
every year.
Nobody knows what home may be
touched by the awful blight at any
time. Nobody can tell why parents
are so little concerned at the cwful
activity and audacity of the slavers.
cated questions Involving tlie Inter
ests of his country. lie must have a
toorougn acquaintance witn content
porary politics la all 'nations. He
must possess tact and charm of per
sonality and manner, . making him
not only a competent but a graceful
representative of his country. He
must be a student to enable him to
answer the many calls to universities,
colleges andai(arned societies, whore
the ' particlpflTOn of tho' American
ambassador is expected as well as
desired. He will find the posseosion
of considerable wealth a help t- him
In giving as well as receiving the
costly courtesies incident .o his high
position at the court, as well as in
the. Inner circles of society in Great
Britain. '
To all these requirements, White
law Reid was fully equal, lie will
leave behind him In England a large
circle of mourning friends.' He was
a man of vast experience In so many
exciting scenes-from the battles of
the Civil war, and the conduct and
ownership of a great newspaper Ja
New York, to the representation of
America in the closing of tho Spanish
war that Ills mind was stored with
precedents suited to every emer
gency. , S3
THE WAR ON
T
HE movement for repeal of the
free tolls provision of the Pan
ama canal law Is on at Wach-
MlglUU. .
- A'news dispatch In Sunday's Jour
nal says United Stares senatgrrs are
receiving through the malls from all
over tho country requests and argu
ments for repeal of the provision for
coastwise exemption. It adds:
Th analysis of the voteln the senate
published this wck "hows plainly that hlrfhor menUl standVrd
pressed as to the stability of the gov
eminent ,",',,
And even yet, in face of the won
derful achievement of the first year
of the republic, , recognition . from
powera profossing friendliness to
China la still withheld. Jt Is gener
ally Bald that the refusal of China to
accept the, terms of the loan offered
by the six powera, and to sacrifice
her economic freedom, la the cause.
California also protests against
ballot : titles so haiy'and mystifying
that nobody can tell what'they mean.
On this page, the Fresno Republican
discusses that Issue vigorously and
entertainingly What is the use of
so heading a measure on the ballot
that nobody but' the man who put it
there can. understand?
The New York World says that
Europe has dropped the Blue Danube
waltz for the Balkan Turkey trot. :
A BrltlBh critic says Mark Twain
was "the poorest specimen' of the
man of letters known." , It wasn't
Mark's fault that a bloomin' Brit
isher cannot understand a Joke, '
COMMENT AND NEWS IN BRIEF
, OREGON sIdEUGHIS
1 . , SMALL CHANGE
Bay, Mr. J.., Bull, It's our canal. Isn't
Jt It become too late to be early,
be aa early aa you can.
Perhana iitm, nf tint Infant t
day will, live to see a comparatively
,r-:VV'H Headlines v
Letters From the People
(lommumfMfinni nt Tk t...i
""Hinuuii lu iui noinrrmunt houhl b writ
ivn on duly one alrin r th nun. .k..m u.
xen M) woril In li-ngih od rount be c
coiniitaled .bj tb nam and rldre. bt tbt
ndr If rhe writer dw not dedr to b
FARMERS AND THE NATION
T
HE foundation stones on which
modern farming in the United
States rests r.re the Morrill act,
under which an agricultural
and mechanical college wasestab
lished In each state, and the Hatch
act, creating1 an experiment station
AN INCOME TAX
THE fact that a Federal income
tax is to be imposed on the
American people, tb make a
material addition to the re
. sources available for the Federal
budget, win invite abundant discus
sion on details.
, Whatever may be decided as to the
Incidence of such a tax that is,
what exemptions for wage earners,
or of incomes of small amounts from
realized property may rlghty be al
t lowed there are certain features
common to all income taxes.
All assessments must be based on
returns and Information supplied by
the individuals themselves, subject
' . lo revision by the authorities when
such returns, on examination shall
appear to be defective, incorrect or
, fraudulent. Generally, each man
will be his own assessor.
One great difficulty is the avoid
ance of double assessments. A very
wide ground may be covered by en
acting that all corporations shall pay
the Income tax from their nit earn
ings before any dividend is set aside
for stockholders, or any interest for
bondholders. The same principle
may be applied to partnerships,
which may pay the tax for all part
ners before distribution of profits.
' - Judging by English experience it
will be found very hard to make the
individual understand how to draw
the line between expenses and prof
its on any business that he may!
, carry on or be interested in
alllos, the transcontinental railroads of
the United States, are back of 'thlB de
mand for rrpcal arf they may continue
to dictate the frotght rates between the
coasts. The roll call of 'he senators
favorable to arbitration sounds like the
roll call of the legal staff of the rall
roaJs of the country.
There Is but one issue in this effort
at repeal. It la an issue of whether
the $400,006,000 of United States
money spent on the canal is for the
bpnefit of the people of the United
States or for the benefit of the rail
roads of the United States.
All the high sounding talk about
treaty agreements Is bosh. The Hay
Pauncefote treaty was not made for
the Panama canal. Ah Hannls Tay
lor, this country's leading authority
on international law has pointed out,
it was framed with the idea that the
United States was to build a canal
through Nicaragua. As originally
planned, the United States and Great
Britain were to Jointly build a Nic
aragua canal, but Great Britain with
drew, and the Hay-Pauncefote treaty
was framed on a program in which
tho United States was to build the
canal alone.
Conditions have changed. The
canal is not through Nicaragua. It
Is at Panama, and is built through
United States territory. It is built
with United States money. It la de
fended by the United Statea flag.
No other nation on the face of the
earth has contributed In the slightest
Duty of Women m Voters.
Friend, Or., Dqo. 14. (To the Editor
of The. Journal) By a plurality of
woav un mm measure, woman imf
cameo, j nus, the women and
girls of Oregon are virtually thrust Into
the vortex of politics. In sn!t nf th.
vjuinB 01 true womanhood, to again
vote the measure down. I am ambitious
to see true reforms, to see true advance
ment and to see our people raised to a
rner mental standard. Therefore, of
,. nv. usr.ny, must oe opposed to wo
man suffrage, but now that v
bo called woman suffrage, let us strive
10 iimu its aeieterious consequences to
in lowest possiDie degree.
Therefore, I strongly urge our women
or good morals and mind, to Interest
themselves In (or at least endeavor to)
and study politics, and to exercise the
rigm or voting. And by all rheans, do
not confine your reading strictly to any
who parry ontan.
Our people must rise, are bound to
rise, and even with suffrage, we may
nui retrogress 10 any marked degree,
although It Is certain to be a great
hindrance to our advance, if not an ab
solute check. And a check thus once
maao, especially, when the splurging
about and struggling that will- invari
ably ensue on the hlflside we've been
"unging to It will be excoadlnifly dtffl
cult to again start the ball a rolling
upw&ra.
Suffrage has come to stay until we,
ao a peopie, Deconie more enlightened
j i may noi seriously arrect us now,
but anyone gifted with the faculty of
seeing farther than today, cannot be
blinded to the Injurious effects it will
liave on the generations following.
, Since those beneficent acts came
Into operation Instruction in the sci
ences of the farm has reached every
state.- In its generosity the doors of i to its construction. No other nation
those colleges have been opened to; has aided In any way to finance It.
the students of every nation by the , No other nation will contribute a
Lnitea btates, on equal terms with penny to its maintenance.
our own children.
The colleges were designed, first
of all, for the farmers' children. The
experiment stations dealt with and
for the active farmer. Action on his
part was required to make him a
beneficiary. But there were thou
sands of farmers still standing in
the ancient ways. They were satls-
It Is enough that we cut this
canal, taking all the chances of fail
ure, paying all the cost In men and
millions for its construction, and
then permit the nations of the world
to profit from it as a great inter
national waterway. To go further,
and permit outside nations to direct
how and under what terms we shall
I
oppose It because I am Interested In
the welfare, spiritual, moral, mental and
physical, or our posterity. Men and wo
men were not created to perform the
same functions and it ts that, the plac
ing them In the wrong sphere that
causes the trouble.
am endeavoring to influence) thone
whose natural Instinct and logical
reasoning have led, them to oppose wo
man suffrage, to vote, for without their
votes I realize we wtll be hastily pulled
downward, and with them, wo hope to
"keep level."
I hope you women that so earnestly
fought the passage of the measure will
likewise see the necessity of your vot
ing and persuading others to vote, for
even as we fought suffrage, we must
nowa fight to eliminate Its deadly con
sequences. It Is now your duty to vote.
Let ua stay with our ship of state
and work to quench the fire that was
lighted November G, 1912, bo that we
may again resume our forward Journey.
J. CHAS. GUYER.
fled with existing methods of farm j operate it in our own domestic corn
management and had no inspiration merce, a commerce in which no out
to Beek after knowledge, exact and i side nation can engage, la sheer non
Bcientlflc, which was stored in the: sense. To talk in hleh sounding
(college and experiment station. The. terms about "national honor" ns !-
worst of it is that these stay-ai- leged to be Involved in the coastwise
homes far outnumbered the progre-! exemption, does not proceed from
sive farmers. Unless they could have! the people of the United States, but
from the railroads of the United
States, railroads whose concept of
"national honor" is in terms of divi
dends, stocks and bonds.
The free tolls provision should
stand. Its repeal would be a sur
render to the railroads. Nothing
could do more to Justify the accusa
tion that plutocracy and privilege
the new methods brought to their
very doors they would not move.
To this last class the Lever bill,
now In the United States senate, hav
ing passed the house, makes its di
rect appeal.
ThlB bill requires the establish
ment and maintenance of extension
departments In every agricultural
college. It provides that trained farm (dominate the Washington: govern
uenionBiraior3 oe sent out, not tiiment
centers or population In towns and
villages, but to the r ctual farmr. The
man on the land is to be reached.
The bill appropriates $10,000 to
each state, regardless of -any state
contribution, that the work may be
commenced at once. Then on Jul
l, lvii, a further sum of $300,000is
rrt,
tronhla la th matw when i i 111 proportion io rural population.
are kept, and the individual may be Dut the tiUe f each fitate to lts share
Innocently in doubt how much hia 18 t0 be governed by the sums a
income 13. The Eneliah nlan t. stato snaU appropriate for this work
make a. ma
truthfulness
ine ungusn plan is to i r UJ -"' worn
m responsible for the:lip the total of the aPPortlonment
of his signed return, ap-l for,that 8tB uThe 300-00 1 to
CHINESE REFORMS
plying punishments for perjury to
cases .where false returns are fraud
ulently made.
The first Imposition of the tax
will probably be followed by many
prosecutions. It will take several
yeara to get the machinery Into reg
ular working order.
The apportionment o the tax on
varrying incomes -win iead to much
debate. If $5000 be aet as the low
est Income to be.assessed the tax net
will slip through lta meshes very
many who are Just aa well able to
pay as those who enjoy $100 a year
more. To set $1000 as" the" mini
mum wcAild be more net&ly In ac-Tr3rvhfig:ilrrIencer-Tlle
one per cent proposed corresponds
roughly with the five- pence In the
round eterling, about which aum
the English tat hung for jmany
j ears To raise the tax In regular
ready accomplished by the new gov-
to be apportioned among the stafies61-111116111 ot, China, are of apecial ln-
adviser to the Yuan Shi Kal govern
ment, and was for many years the
Times correspondent in Peking.
Dr. Morrison Bays telegrams havei
been cheapened and brought Into
be Increased each year by a similar
amount, until, in 192 i, the maximum ' now 80 daily to the remotest corners
of $3,000,000 Is -reached. Of the 'of tne Iand- Newspapers are carried
money 75 per cent it; to go for actual
field demonstrations,' 5 per cent for
printing and publications, and 20 per
cent either for household economy
or for more field demonstrations.
WHITELAW REID
I
T HAS long been the excellent cus
tom of presidents of the United
States to give special and per
sonal care to the selection of the
ambapsador to Great Britain.
Special qualifications are needed.
The arnbjad.pr.ju ugt.be
can, without fear and without re-
Dealing With Vice.
Portland, Or., Dec. 15. (To the Editor
of The Journal) The futility of acting
on the theory that evil can be abolished
by government, unould bo apparent to
all who reasii. That h been the
default in nearly all oast efforts to
put down the vice conditions In our
cities. Sentiment and ideillsm utterly
oppose restricted districts, a though
government thereby authorUea "Ic-s; be
lleving also that It Is really possible
to clean up a city by putiimj taunt
things for a time out of tlstlit. But
lay aside sentiment and coolly think
out the subject to lta end and It will
appear quite otherwise. Let us first
start with this: that government is
for the welfare of all lnvldiduals com.
ing within its scope, regardless of their
tnorala or lack of morals. All muit
agree in this for Its authority is the
great ruler tho Is "kind unto thtt un
thankful end the evil," and "sends his
rain upon the Just and tho unjust."
We may well deplore ihe fact that
In our city of Portland, a in all cities,
whole bands of people are moral dis
figurements, but it Is quite childish
to assume that to conoeal for a iline
these blots on the city In any senso
cures or even corrects the evils. To
drive them out of their accustonnd
haunts into the cleaner parts of 'he
city, may make them lesa 'conspicuous
but much more dangerous to the com
munity, and to banish them from the
city is foolishly selfish the reverse of
the golden rule. "
Because government segregates thope
undesirables and keeps them under strict
surveillance, does not In the least im
ply a partnership with, crime. Reverse
the proposition and eay that the city
Jn order to keep clean neighborhoods
for Its cleanly, citizens, draws a iline
over which no recognized vlo shall
.trespass and we have the true oblact
reach of the masses. News dispatches 1 or regulation. Readers of Swedenborg
will recall his description of the spirit
ual world and the working of Its laws.
He tells us that in the heavens In
numerable societies are built up by
mutual attraction or similarities of char
acter and become each a body acting
unitedly in all things as one man. This
same law propels those in evil or un
toward states In an opposite direction
far removed and beneath such aa are
pure minded and this region we term
hell. There also are grouped societies
of Individuals of lte states.
Whatever creaence we may give io
this picture of the other world, It af
fords suggestions as to dealing with our
vice problems on eartn, C. K. B.
kan Christmas.
ne jrromDiuon party under any
other name, will probably get about
tun pbuio uuiuuer ot votes
.
Seemt Ilka .Great Britain ought not
to . kick about aDUlvlnir .lta own Hupi
caimi ruies to me i'asanm canal, ;;
We have a Parcels nost law and mnnn
will have an lncomo tax law; verily
ywwmt wurio is progressing lately.
Another reasonable excuse: there are
so very many things to chooae. from
that one can't make up his mind what
io . Buy. .. . ,v 4 ., J, i '
Colonel Eoosevelt aonears to admit.
ot rather assert.' thai his onlnidn of
the Idaho supreme court la one of
supremo contempt, v ', .
Man who servevd a sentence' tit it A
days' absolute idleness, regarded It us
severe ountshment. Nothlnor com.
pulsory is agreeable.
Two women quarreled, and the hus
band of one has been sentenced to 100
years in a penitentiary for killing the
husband of the other. But the quartet
can go op.
1
That publishing a news dtsnatch
though it contains A speaker's attack
on a court decision, la contempt of
court, l not likely to become the law
of this land. :
V
Colonel Roosevelt, having made an
other hot xpeech about Idaho, Presi
dent 'raft might retort with another
ono about California but tie ia not
foolish enough to do, mo,
Once or twice a year certain poor
people get a holiday dinner, a big, fine
feed. This is all right, and creditable
to the donors, but It lacks much of
sufficing for a year, or a winter.
The, men of the Methodist church of
From the Fresno, Cal., Republican.
Thomaa V. Cetor, president of the
Ban Francisco .board of election .-com
rtfhZ"!? vl!t BWletJ' missloners, will ask the legislature to
of tb Methodist Brotherhood. i laubmit a constitutional amendment
ICatacada Progress: Bo rreat Is the
travel between Kstacada and Portland
now that the cars are crowded every
trip. Three coaches ar frequently
needed, especially for the evening trips
after ( o'ejpek. - , ..- v. '..'
, r . . . : , ; ,. . .
Lebanon' Tribune: It la not often
one sees hit own work of twenty years
ago. The Santiarn News is quoting
from the f Ilea of the Solo Press, of
twenty yeara ago, when the editor of
the tribune supplied copy - for that
paper.,:- - -
Canbv Irrigator! A 'atranrer in our
midst would be surprised If told the
amount of business done by some of
our well known establishments. Where
will ono find In a city the size of Can
by as many business bouses as are
here, and all handllna-; an enormous
amount .of-, trade? iA:nv-.f: .
Hubbard Herald' A' new floor U be.
Ing laid In the Armory halt out of
the choicest Orcg!6n fir that can be
had. After the floor In down it will
putting' proposed city charter amend
merits under the same rule, as to tH'io
now imposed on legislative eria
ments that the title shall ' complete.
state every' subject In the enactment. -We
fear , that Mr. Cator la courtln
confusion worse confounded. Ilia PV
pose is to prevent deceiving voter
misleading titles. But If he can devise
anything less Intelligible to the, .voter
than the title commonly prefixed to
Our state law and constitutlonn
amenaments. he win have to exerciser
great deal , of .Ingenuity. One of the
chief handicaps 'of our "referendurii sys
tem Is the fact that the titles of meas
ures are rarely printed on the ballot In
such a way as to be Intelligible to
anybody. It would b simpler merely
to number, jthem and to trust , to the
newspapers to explain wjiat the num
bers stand for, The voters do find
out, somehow they '.'would probably
find out, If the ballots were printed in
5i?S?V-"J!re2.a?fVfid?h;d Chinese-but they do not do It by read-
..... ti;s i Knllnia ' Piran (ha am ntvi ai
court requires the assistance of two
smooth as can be made.
be uaed only for dancing and public
gatherings; no more roller skating will
D allowed on. this uoor. y :
Oresham Outlook! Two 'flat cars
were loaded, with sand at the big gravel
Pit on the Mount Hood road" last Satur
day by eight young men from Cottroll.
The sand is jntonaea ror a rnotpatn
from Cottroll station to the old town
of that name. The distance la over
half a mile and funds for the walk
were 'raised partly by subscription and
a basket social. The coat Is over
S150.
..
Astoria Budget: The Rldwell-Hay-don
company la making slow progress
on the big dam for the 100,000,000-gal-Ion
storage reservoir at the head works
of the Astoria water system oft Bear
Creek. They will probably be com
pelled to ask for a further extension
of time. The reason given . Is that
they have not been able to secure 'suf
ficient men to carry on the work;
NEW YORK DAY BY DAY
By Herbert Coreyi
Did you ever hear the story of Sylvia
Ann Howlund s will?
Mrs. Hetty Oreen, today's queen of
finance, was one of the actors in this
first great will case In America. The
story is SO years old, but It is given
dramatic Interest because In certain
features it is analogous to the case of
Albert Patrick, recently pardoned out
of Sing Sing by Governor Dlx. It was
in the contest of the Howland case
that handwriting experts were first
usod to effect before an American
court. The next similar case was that
of Millionaire Rice's will, in which
Patrick appeared as claimant. It Is
worth noting that the methods of the
handwriting experts seem not to have
advanced measurably in half a century.
They have been refined, perhaps, but
.otherwise they have been altered very
little. Even in their differences the ex
perts of today resemble those of-1883
Each la still able to demonstrate that
the thinking apparatus of all the other
ides experts have been clogged by
oiue mud..
Patrick owed his four times repeated
death sentence to the handwrltirg ex
perts. The state's case on his- Indict
ment for murder was technically weak.
rested on the confession of VaJet.
ones that he had chloroformed Kice
at Patrick's orders. But the indictment
was dramatically strong, because the
experts proved conclusively that Rice's
will had been forged. Each of the four
pages of this document bore a signature
which was presumably that of Rice.
Tlie experts showed that these four
signatures were Identical so admir
ably Identical that when superimposed
each fitted the other to tho thickness of
an eyelash. The experts contended that
no two genuine signatures are ever Just
alike. They even found the true sig
nature from which the four false ones
had been traced, and found that on the
day Rice was supposed to have signed
the will he bad signed five other docu
ments. The five genuine signatures
differed widely from each other and
from the four forged ones.
Sylvia Ann Howland, an aged bin
ter, died In New Bedford. Mass.. in
1863, leaving an estate of more than
,000,000. Two wills were produced.
In the will of 18C3 lier nitca and com
panion, Hetty Robinson, afterward
known as Hetty Oreen, waa generously
remembered. By the will of 1860
Hetty Robinson Inherited practically
all. It consisted of a single page,
marked "second page," Inserted after
the first page of an admittedly genuine
earlier will. Miss Robinson testified
that Miss. Howland had dictated this
"second page" to her in duplicate. Both
pages were in Miss Robinson's writing,
but each boro the signature of Miss
Howland. The beneficiaries under the
will of 1863 charged that the signatures
on this duplicated, "second page" had
been forged by Miss Robinson. Every
handwriting expert of note In the
United States was engaged. The con
tention of the defendants was stated In
these words in volume 4, American JLaw
Reporter:
"The signature to the will was con
fessedly genuine. But it appeared on
superimposing the other two signa
tures, whioh appeared on the dunll-
cated 'second pages,' over this, that
the covering waa so exact, letter for
letter, stroke for stroke, and that not
merely this covering existed, together
with Identity of all the spaces between
lawyers, and several months for 'con
sideration, to find out what, the ordi
nary title to a. .statute means. Trie lay
Inan can not find out, at all.
There Is only one sure way to make
these titles and ballot descriptions In
telligible. .. That Is to hang all the law-
yers. That being, however, too drastic
it may be sufficient to make It a felony
for any lawyer to write the title to any. r
law. Let the lawyers write the bodies
of the laws themselves. If they must !
The laws are Intended only for the
perusal ofhe supreme court, and they
might as well be written In Mandarin
lareon. if that is the lantruaae the
court prefers to read, But the head- S
lines, especially the ones, that go on
the ballots, aro for the people to read),
and therefore they ought to bo In Eng
lish. . That makes It Imperative to keep
the lawyers, away from them. "
( Newspaper reporters are cheap, a
every newspaper can supply plenty ot
them who know how to write head
lines which people can read and under
stand. The test Is that they do write
those headlines, every day, and that
the people do read and understand
them. Let legislators and charter re
visers hire a few of these reporters,
and let them write the headlines. There
need be but one restriction the head
lines should all be required to bo un
constitutional. Anything which the
supreme court would pass as Intelligi
ble should at once be . rejected as un
intelligible. For It.ls a safe rule that
whatever the supreme court can under
stand, nobody else can, and vice verba.
Th Part That Whisky Playa.
From Colliers.
At the last election West Virginia
voted for a constitutional amendment,
to take effect July 1, 1914, prohibiting
the manufacture and sale of liquors In
that state. The amendment was adopted
by a majority of 91,000 votes. Only
three counties out of E5 save a malorltv
the letters and the words, but that the I against the amendment. The vote was
locality on the paper and the distance a surprise. The large vote In favor of
from the margins of the signatures
so nearly coincided that the defendants,
supported by the opinions of some of
the best experts In the countrv. wer
hsd.to bring forward the theory that
this extraordinary coincidence was not
the result of chance, but of design.
They claimed that these signatures
had been forged to these DBDera hv the
complainant, oy tracing the original
signature of the will. It was bevond
th amendment was no doubt due to a
protest against certain corrupt condi
tions connected with the liquor trafflo
in some counties of the state. Saloon
licenses were farmed out through the
county court or board of commissioners,
by certain firms who sought a monopoly
of th1? traffic. No one not agreeablo to
these firms could secure a license from
the county court. The licensees were
compelled to buy their supplies from
m ff PJbabait7 ther argue1' these local firms at arbitrary prl.os.
mm mil i-ujuuuience or precise eov-
erlng could occur lnlhort. nracticallv
an Impossibility but infinitely Incredi
ble that Just the signature the plain
tiff wanted could match the onlv onn
she had. They claimed the disputed
oitsnaiures Dore signs or tracing.
The saloon men themselves made little
money. These local liquor rings con
trolled the politics of their countlen,
and It was the general belief that mem-,
bershln on the county court was an
open sesame to sudden wealth. In some
k&s m, ass.' hKy-jri'traiH:
the contentions of the defense, point
for point, statement for statement. She
s supposed to have spent ll50.ono fnr
counsel and experts, that being by far
the greatest sum ever expended for
such employment In an American law
sun up to that t me. In th
from these liquor firms. In addition to
the salary oald by the state. The county
courts and the local liquor monopolists
were also accused of political alliances
with coal mine operators, who sought
control of the courts, the prosecuting at-
compromise was reached, and the court torney's office, and other local offices,
did not decide the case. This com- In ,nan)r of th countle(' ,n the ,tat
promise, according to the Law Reporter the 'il"or interests did more to corrupt
"Is understood to be the withdrawal of lx-al politics And politicians than ait.
Uie complainant's appeal on payment of other -Causes combined. . It Is safe to
her expenses, costs, and counsel fees ar thaLJhe liquor people themselves
etc. The will of 1863 remains the will furnished stronger arguments for the
of Sylvia Ann Howland." amendment than all the preachments of
reformers and evangelists. Borne runner
self.
the writ
Th. thought presents itself to I Of course, we would have to have a law lrXla wmap
Iter: Will it pay to throw this authorizing the county to do this, and lTmontl And In due course
I
N ANTICIPATION of a visit from
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, the statements
made by Dr. Morrison, a few
weeks ago, regarding reforms al-
at a cheap rate. Walls of many cities
are belngf. pulled down. Those of
Shanghai have gone, those of Can
ton are going. - In every province
native officials are installed, lnste-d
of prohibited as formerly. Methods
of government, are simplified. The
board of foreign affairs is displaced
by a minister and vice-minister. The
Christian calendar i3 in use. Sun
days are daya of rest in all public
offices. The position of women has
been much improved.
Foreigners are everywhere safe,
lfand. .treated .",wlth.i frtcfldUneag.-aal
courtesy. - Unnecessary troop ,aro
proaph one who would yield lo -n ! v.Din mm rt wban rii0ha .
BefluctlonB In the atmosphere of the lawlessness la steadily giving way lo
court to which he is accredited. HeJorder. The authority of the Yuan
must have sufficient knowle'dr nf
International law to enable him lo
Shi Kal government is nowhere dis
puted, jaor la ' any fear locally ex-
family still further into the depths of I then after the county had taken
sname and despondency? will It pay
to still further wreck this home and
pauperize this man's loved ones, for
whose sake he thoughtlessly committed
this crime? Or will it pay to give the
offender a chance to square himself
with the world and begin anew? When
this man's record is considered, we fall
to Bee where society at large, will be
benefited by Jailing him and pauperis
ing his family. It is evident that Let
ter Carrier Rigdon has taken up a task
that sickness in his family haB prevent
ed his ultimately accomplishing. The
moment of temptation came and he was
too weak to fight. Don't you think that
if given another chance, the experience
he is now undergoing will make of him
a wiser and better man? And if It does
that and saves his family from that
Ignominy and poverty that his discharge
and imprisonment will force upon them,
don't you think it will pay to forgive
this one offense?
This ia the season when the Christian
spirit should, go out to all those that
suffer, and. surely this Innocent wife
and mother and these Innocent children
are worthy of society's beBt help.
O, B, WRIGHT.
In a we shall print a series of artloles whioh.
will include, among other aspects of li
quor business, its control of law and
the instruments of Justice In some
communities.
AI
ways .in
Good H
umor
COMB AGAIN!
"That's fair done it!" muttered
th
Ono AVay to Ruise Valuations.
Independence. Qr.. Deo. 12, 1912, To
the Editor of The Journal Among the
good things that happened at the last
election was the burial- of the single
tax proposition beyond resurrection,
and now it behooves us to set about
to procure such an equal and ust as
sessment and taxation of .the property
of the state that we may never, again
run up against such a fanatical prop
osition. The first and most Important
thing is to devise some way to have
property all assessed at its actual cash
value. Of course the law provides for
the assessor to do that now, but he
doesn't do It because he Is not smart
few pieces of property that was valued
too low there would be no more trouble
In getting a correct assessment. Then,
with property assessed at Its actual cash
value, the man with his wealth in money
woyld not feel so much like hiding It
away to avoid being unjustly taxed.
There should be some way to correct
this evil, and I would like to sea .nm.
boay else give his views through the burglar, as his shin came Into contact
with a chair and overturned It. Ana he 1
spoke the truth. It had fair done It. A
sudden movement above. Hurried de
scent of stairs, and Pikes found himself
staring Into the business end of re
volver. "Now, then, hands up," cried the
aroused householder. "What hava you
Stolen?"
"Only your wife's pus; dog."
"If that's all, you may sneak out
quietly."
"Your motherjin-iaw's parrot stolen,
columns of The Journal
J- K. P. HARRIS.
The Thirst for Blood.
Portland, Or., Dec. 14,-To the Editor
of Tho Jouanal like Governor West,
think It will be years before capital pun
ishment will be abolished. Men's lives
In tha minllmsji,i)i . .
vununue io ne sac
rificed before the people will be edu
cated to a oIvIIIkkH .j j. .. .
tl, .
of people voted for camtal nuni.hm.-, too.
and as our governor says, they rot th.ir "Vou don't eay so? Here's some money
moody reast. More's the pity that everv fr you. Nothing else?"
man and woman who voted for it tm "Your daughter's phonograph.1
not have witnessed the result. They
perhaps would be like some people who
ffiL't-vi ttn 1 .Btand t0 t0 funeral."
nun meir reelings. Never
theless, they will vote for something
DtH.nu io witness. It Is not
a case of sentiment overruling- reason,
mere Is no reason why we should take
the life of a fellow being for punish- i
1 u0r .for a warning, as It Is not i
"Good! Here's a dollar for your
"And your eon s punching bag.
"Splendid! I shall, have peace In the
house at last. Will you have a eup of
coffee with me before you go?"
uuesn i u ii uemuae lie J "m bm" a iffthl n m.t. t. , - --
enough to know the eash valus of every Ui? maaketmlB.takf and an
piece of property in the county. In the ituL,f!, l Jl ln,noc,nt
first place he doesn't .e. half the prop-?"Z Z?"?1
Disgusted Diner You ought not to
have killed this fowl.
Restaurant Proprietor Why, slrF
Disgusted Diner You've robbed, It of
enough or either to. Justify the method. fln old a Pension
U Tl Z . proni-oy his punish
ment after he Is dead, and a life sen
- . i'iuui i'unisnment as we
vq mete out to any man.
mere is a reason whv wn ahnnM
take our fellow man's life, debarring
,..u,..7..i. j. ,ltn is necause we are set
ting tip a law defying God's "Thou shalt
not kill. Another reaann c
A Plea for Innocent Sufferers.
Portland, Or., Dec. 14. To the Editor
nf ... Tlifl-J uuraalYour dl l nrl l , wr
the caption, Jt Didn t Pay," can evoke
but one responsive thought "No, It
doesn't pay.". The deplorable condition
Into which this man has thrown him
self and family must at least cause
every person who has read of hi of
fense a feeling of deep sympathy for
bis wife and children, If not for hlm-
erty. and that which he does see be
doesn't have the time to examine. If a
man goes to buy a horse he will prob
ably spend a day examining the horse;
If a man la thinking of buying a farm
he will probably spend a week looking
at It. The assessor can't do that, and
of course can't, know the value of It,
Well, if the assessor doesn't know, who
iinea know? The owner of the nroneMv
Hiiwri whet it" worth m-4 ae he4iJortla nr.i; Ur .Daa,. 1 4, T the. 'fMrrw
a law to put it riffht up to him to put
the. value on his .property and let! him
knpw that thg county would have the
right to take and pay for 'the property
at his valuation, that would induce hira
to put a fair value on the property. This
would be equal to giving the county an
option on the property at his valuation.
for capital punishment voted for the
. , ,cen8--rr the sale of tha
stuff that man, once having created a
craving for, will sell his soul for, and
he Is the brute who takes the life of
his fellow man; he is the murderer that
we hang the poor, pitiful victim,
LAURA YELTON.
High Fulling.
of The Journal Can you find anyone
mat can iau nzo reet and land on a
little hay and not get hurt? We have a
man here In Oswego who fell 125 feet,
from a stack 16S feet high, and climbod
up again and worked two hours more.
I think this Is the record so far.
OSWEQAN.
Pointed Paragraph
His eatanlc majesty Invented politics.
When you get the best of some met
you see them at their Worst.
A married man Is never at a loss to
know what to do with his money,
e a
Those who are not disappointed wNl I
love are often disappointed the most. .i!V
The average man thinks his brand of
politics Is the only real one.
.',"..-'. ::' '
. The woman who sticks to her husband
like glue may help him to mend, his
ways. ". . .
I ir-'" .'. ; i' ","'
ii'la'mj-'lVwti -wtfwwfr to-i-rrt--'v!
A' married suffragette la a'1 woman
who carries a night, key and her has- ,
band doesn't. ; . $ '
During the courtship a. girl quotea "
poetry to a man; after marrying hint t
she quotes what he need- to say. to bet
Before they faced tha parson-. " '