THE OREGON DAILY JOURNAL, PORTLAND, SATURDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 13, 1915.
THE JOURNAL
am iNpgpgKPENT SEWBPAPEg ,
c. s. jackson.. , publisher
hii.b.d Trr .rnxoc ,ex,pt Sander) and
,,' verj Sander owwnina; t Th Journal Build-
k&tmfo at tb ponlofflca at Portland, pr.. for
' - transmiaatoB tarocxb 0 ma 11a as aoeond
eiaaa matter.
a..i-EiHONES mib TiT3r Boot A-Hi. au guard lies in more efficient agri
, departmenta reached by taeas mubers. Tell . .,. i, finite, alnrifi. h
ma oner tor mill .eDarrmenr ra wan.
VOUKIGN ADVERTISING REPI-KSEMTATIVB
' s ftenJamJn ft Keutnor Co., Brnoawiok Bide-,
Jf25 ; rifts are.. Now York. 121 Paopla'a
' bat Bids., Chleajro.
Subacrlption term Sr cull or to any ad
' sreaa la tba United Hfpi or Mexico:
DAILY
On year $5.00 ' One month .S .60
SUNDAY
Ona year.. $2.50 I One month.. $ S3
DAILY AND 8UNDAT
One year.. $T.5u I One month $ .69
$3
-a
o Not having enough sunshine
la what alls the world. Make
people happy and there will
not be half the quareling, or a
tenth part of the wickedness
there now is. L. M. Child.
8-
.88
THE DIPLOMATIC NOTES
p'
URMNESS and neutrality,"
was the policy announced
by the Washington gov
ernment in its recent note
- ueuuuig is aiiuuue tuwaru me i
J . f i i : . .11 j i , .I
v warring nations.
There is emphasis of this atti
"tude in the diplomatic notes just
: Kent to London and Berlin. The
- dispatch of the two note3 simul-
taneousiy, eacti carrying messages
of cordial relation but presenting
the ' American contention with
firmness and clarity, Jsthe strong- j greenient, conflict and controversy,
est, evidence that cofim be given i To dispose of such bills in a legis
of the American intent to be just ! lative body often requires weeks.
" and fair to both sides in the great In fact, long and patient considera
' conflict. ' tion should be given them in
In the German note, there is a
cordial but firm insistence that the
.Imperial German Government will
be held accountable for the sink
ing of American vessels or the de
struction of American lives that
may result from extension of the ; period. There is not a member in
war zone and the proposed activi-lthe body but knows that he is
ties by German submarines. ; not able, in justice to his own repu-
In the British note, there is tation and to the interests of his
protest against the use of the ; constituents, to give one tenth of
..American flag by British ships and : the consideration to measures that
"an insistence that the Rritish gov- he ought to give in the rush,
eminent will be measurably re-j crush and hurly-burly of next
sponsible for the loss of American ' week.
lives or destruction of American! Yet there is talk of injecting
"vessels that may result from the i
improper use of the American flag ,
by . British merchantmen.
-President Wilson could not havn
djone less. But It was erough. I lis
. accountability to his own country
men makes it obligatory upon him
"'to use the power of the govern
ment to safeguard Americaji lives
and property on the high seas.
He
has made it clear to both nations 1
. that this is the American purpose.
snri ha htm Hnnk tf wttH t p ..ti ( !o.
ness but directness and firmness
that will appeal both to the good
will and respect of the two na- i
tions addressed. j
Mutual understandings thus as- .
sured before the unexpected can
happen is the best guarantee of,
.peace. The assertion of our posi
tion in candor and kindness as the
; president has expressed it is a
.wise precaution against the harsli j
conseauences that might arise from
misunderstanding. The situation :
that faced us was moct delicate,
bu it has been met in a wav that
wjll tend to cement more deeplv .garnering or news oy correspona
the cordial relations between the ; ents from German sources and the
. i - i . . i t ra n cmittinn of finch nws has VieAn
1 1 inipti ?r.aips Him lilt t 1 1 " f i f'rri-
ments involved.
We sha'l not be drawn into
.the .war by any act of the Wash
ington government. The thoughts.
this nation's chief executive are
squared with peace, that peace
which makes for the safety, hap
piness and prosperity of the Ameri
can people.
A HEAVY TOLL
P
URING the year ending June
30, 1914. deaths from rail
road accidents in the United
States were 602 fewer than
in
the year before. But 5558
trespassers on railroad tracks were I
killed
The Interstate Commerce Com
mission reports that during the
decade ending with 1910 trespass
ing was the cause of 50.025 deaths
and .53,427 injuries. In ten years
103,452 people paid the penalty
of recklessness. In the same per-
. ,
JOd . Casualties tO railroad tres-
passers ,n oreat uriiain ana ire-j tion. The Journal solicits for pub
land amounted to only a little over j itcation all information of the war
a tweniietn 01 tne American total.
The comniissiori says there
should be greater effort to stop
A m e. r I c a n carelessness, often
amounting to recklessness. The
experience of railroads entering
Chicago Is given as illustration, of
the Ametrican'8 tendency to go out
of his, way! to run the risk-of death.
The railroads have spent $70,000,
"000 iln elevating their tracks and
removing grade crossings in Chi
cago, and yet the casualties, though
diminished in number", continue to
occur.
. As a nation, we hold life lightly,
gild tempt the grim reaper every
where and always.
FOOD AND POPULATION
DR. C. Gi HOPKINS, professor
r of agronomy and chemistry
l in the University of Illinois,
" Bays that either . American
methods of food production must
be improved or population must be
limited.
i In the last census., decade, ac-
cording to Dr. Hopkins, thenum
ber, of people in the .United States j
increased 21 per cent, while the I nected. with the election of federal
production : of all : food..' grains in- of ficlartii. J He maintains that a pur
creased less than two per cent. In . pose" t6 corrupt the electoral pro-
the same period the number of
j food producing animals decreased
I tan noi fart r Ua a-. no nra f orf
? our increase of population by re-
' ducing the standards of living and
j by decreasing our exportation of
J foodstuffs.
nized authority on soil fertility.
He warns that the country's safe-
- " .
aeciares, tne crop proaucuon
of
the United
States could
be
dou-
bled.
The figures quoted are startling.
They indicate that the country is
swiftly gravitating toward the time
when consumption will actually
overtake production, and our an
nual export of farm products dis
appear. ONLY FIVE DAYS LEFT
0
NLY five days remain of the
legislative session.
In point of bills to be dis
posed of, nearly as much
remains to be done in the coming
five days as has been done in the
past thirty-five. In spite of the
almost impossible task ahead, sev
enteen new bills were introduced
in the Senate and put, for con
sideration, on the calendar, Thurs
day. Even the prohibition bill is not
dispose! of. It is in the Senate,
where it has been made a special
order for Tuesday.
The millage road bill is in the
House. A road bill of Us kind is
usually a fruitful source of disa-
order that
wise
measures
may be
produced.
Manifestly, the time has come
for the legislature to jettison
cargo. Five legislative days are
the measure of a brief and fleeting
into the proceedings an ambitious
program of half, baked and undi-j
Rested consolidations gravely af- . very extensive business. Seattle
feeting established institutions and distributes fish taken by 300 ves
the administration of laws and af- j sels to all parts of the United
fairs in the state. j States and rolls up a total business
It is a proposal that can easily . of millions,
convert, the session into blunder Why cannot Portland, at least,
and bedlam.
;
!
NEWS,
THE NEED
OF GERMAN
P
RfVATH letters from Germany
or Austria with information !
about the war are desired by j
The Journal for publication, i
Such letters often contain inforr ;
niatiou not obtainable through or-!
dinary news channels. From the :
outbreak of the war, Germany and j
Austria have been so isolated by ;
the severing of cable communica- '
tion and telegraph wires that news j
as to war moves and conditions
from that side have been difficult
to obtain. Both nations are so i
hemmed in by the long lines of j
trenches and soldiers, that the
- -
attenuea witn tne greatest ami-
t-tilty. i'cessories of respectable attire.
To meet the emergency, the i The 191 5style committee of the
United Press has a well known j international Custom Cutters' As
German - American correspondent, j sociation, recently in session at
Karl H. von Wiegand. constantly : Milwaukee, furnished some informa
within the German lints, and his : tion about the trousers. It was de-
well known interviews and war re-
ports have gone far in reflecting j
the German side iu the great con-j
trovers.v. But even this does not
! make up for the preponderating
volume of news from the allies'
viewpoint, due to the fact that
every cable and every telegraph
line to the allies' camps is open
and full access by correspondents
to the news of the allied army op-
erations always possible.
At all times, the purpose of The
Journal is to present full and fair
news of every happening in world
life. It is the true spirit of real
journalism. The inadequacy of
news from German sources is rec
: ognized, and to supplement such
hnfnrmati on as filters through tht i
- n - - - - ,
rloe-wd avenues of cnmmnnir.o-t
'-eo - " .... .v
that may come through the mails
from private sources in Germany.
It is one means by which to coun
terbalance the larger volume of
information that reaches this coun
try through the usual news chan
nels. AN IMPORTANT RULING
I
NVESTIGATION of the Terre
Haute, Indiana, election fraud
cases has been completed. A
federal grand jury hap indicted
131 persons. Eighty-four of those
arrested have pleaded guilty and
31 not guilty. The charges are,
intimidation of voters, preventing
qualified electors from serving as
election officials, and conspiracy to
defraud the United States in the
election of a congressman and
United States senator.
Judge Anderson of the federal !
district court has overruled the
demurrers of 'some of the defend
ants and set a precedent that may
have far-reaching .effect. He holds
that the 3i indicted men must
stand trial, even .though their al-
leged of tense was not directly con
?ss is in Itself fraudulent and af-.
well
This is probably the most im
portant ruling affecting the ballot
box ever made' by a United States
judge.
If it Is sustained on appeal, it
will mean that in the future the
briber of voters at a joint state
and federal election may be pro
ceeded against either in state or
United States courts. It should
have, the effect of purifying elec
tions in places where they have
been notoriously corrupt.
A PORTLAND OPPORTUNITY
S
EATTLE fishing vessels are
to return to fishing for hali
but off the Oregon coast this
pring and summer. San
Francisco people are also going to
send vessels to fish on the Oregon
banks. There are many varieties
of fish on the Oregon banks that
are to be taken by the San Fran
cisco vessels.
There is a market there such as
couldi be developed In Portland for
sole and different species of salt
rock fishes found In abundance on
the Oregon banks. There is, in
fact, a total of about 33 varieties
of food fishes in the Oregon
waters.
A strange situation is presented
in these announcements. San
Francisco and Seattle are taking
fish on the Oregon banks, but
Portland is not. It is a case of
two rival cities fishing in Port-
I land's front yard. What makes it
the more extraordinary is that
Portland is buying from Seattle
the second grade of the very fish
taken in Oregon waters and car
ried past the mouth of the Colum
bia river, and thence shipped by
rail to Portland dealers. In ad
dition to paying freight on about
350 miles by eea past Portland,,
the Portland consumer pays the
rail haul on the fish from Seattle
back to Portland. In addition, be
cause of the power of the fish
trust, prices are forced up and
often the figures are doable what
they ougttt to be on the retail
market.
Meanwhile, there is opportunity
in Portland for a great fishing in
dustry. This city is nearer than
any other city to the Oregon fish-
ing grounds, and has a home mar-
ket in this city and Oregon for a
launch an industry that will sup-1
ply local needs? j
why not, especially since all i
I the fish caught in the Pacific i
Northwest waters in a year would ,
not feed the population of the
United States one day? i
Yet the known fishing grounds j
of the Pacific Coast are larger
than the entire fishing area of the
Atlantic.
CIXTHES AND TAILORS
1'
ERCHANT tailors in session i
at Chicago say no man can j
be well dressed on less than j
$1500 a year. He must have
eight walking suits, four over
coats, a full dress suit and a cuta
way, six pairs of extra trousers,
ten waistcoats, and a large miscel
laneous assortment of shirts, neck-
ties, handkerchiefs and other
ac-
creed there that they are going to i
have a sort of sitting-room curtain j
effect. "They should hang straight j
from the hins and 1nat tnnfh thai
boot."
All of this is interesting,
and j
iew xorK woria says, riappiiy,
the decrees of men's tailors lack
I
the authority of women's; they are I
not ukases; they are subject to a-j
popular referendum." j
The tailor is an important in- j
dividual, but he should not over-1
estimate his importance. Women j
will tell him that there are lots
of men who are rebellious they
don't like too much bossing. Eight
walking suits, four overcoats and
n rn t n.r ;
X 1 UUUI 1U1I VI 111 li UO
n :U4- k -i i .
lll JICUI, utlt. niicu 1 L CV111C LU
draping the male leg, there will be
danger of a revolt. Evidently the
tailors are not proud of the mas
culine form from the waist down.
PLAYGROUND FOR MEN
F
OLLOWING the example of a
few c,ities, Philadelphia is
soon to have public golf
links. It will be no baby
course, according to newspaper ac
count, but will be 6400 yards in
length and will have hazards that
will satisfy the veterans of the
game.
Golf has always been considered
a rich man's sport. This idea will
be eliminated in the establishment I
of municipal links, and men and
women who cannot afford the dues
of golf clubs will have a chance
to find pleasure and relaxation at
a nominal expense.
Next to baseball golf is the most
popular
American sport. It Is
estimated that there are in this
country 600,000 golf players. As
better facilities are provided this
number will doubtless greatly in
crease. One great feature . of the game
is that it can be played either
leisurely or strenuously, ; with an
opponent or alone and in all kinds
of weather. - Indifferent players
can - get as much pleasure out of
fects the federal interest as
as that of the state.
the game as the most skilled pro-
) fesslonal.
HIS REWARD
NO ONE begrudges the quarter
of a million dollar fortune
that the late Marshall P.
Wilder accumulated as an
entertainer.
He gave full value for it. Al
though his body was dwarfed and
crippled he was not a misanthrope
or recluse of morose outlook and
spiteful temper. He was full of
sunshine and did his best to turn
"the still sad music of humanity
to echoing laughter."
Whatever his private pains and
tribulations he suppressed them in
his public appearances and for
I lucli. i caouu ue was rewaracu.
we always have with us those
who have hard luck stories to tell
but those who Incite to good cheer
are not so plentiful.
The old issue of married women
in the schools has again broken
loose in Portland. Not for the
world would The Journal question
the efficiency of unmarried teach
ers. But there is one query that
the school authorities who make a
wedding certificate a bar to teach
ing can never satisfactorily answer.
And that is, if a married teacher
is of proven efficiency should she
be replaced by a single teacher of
less efficiency?
FAILURE OF YOUNG
JOHN D. AS WITNESS
From the Philadelphia North American.
CONSIDERING its purpose and its
powers, the United States com
mision on industrial relations is
one of the most Important of govern
ment agencies. 'Its function is to in
quire into the fundamental conditions
of industry, especially the relations
between capital and labor; "to dis
cover the underlying causes of dis
satisfaction in the industrial situa
tion;" to gather facts and interpret
them, and also "to get behind the
facts, find the explanation for their
existence and establish their relation
to industrial unrest." Of the nine
members, three represent the public,
three the employing interests and
three organized labor. The commis
sion has held hearings in 12 impor
tant industrial centers, from New York
to San Francisco. There is no doubt
that the mass of evidence in which
the utmost freedom of expression is
encouraged will yield valuable in
formation and suggestions.
A witness of note has been John D.
Rockefeller Jr., who derives his im
portance from the fact that It will
fall to him to administer the largest
of American fortunes. Any views
this young man holds upon social
problems should therefore command
attention.
a
Certain popular notions concerning
him interfere with a just appreciation
of his character. He is neither a
money grubbing machine nor the idle
and pampered son of an indulgent
father. He has ability and courage;
he is keenly conscious of the re
sponsibility resting upon him and he
honestly desires to fulfill his trust
wisely and justly. But he has spent
his life uner a heavy handicap; it is
literally impossible for the son of a
man so rich to get" a clear under
standing of the facts of existence.
The stimulating. educating experi
ences of common life are denied to
blm. That is why he must depend
upon country bred men those who
have won their way to success by
hard work to conduct the great en
terprises under his control. Because
of the tremendous financial power in
his hands, his attitude upon indus
trial and social problems becomes of
public concern. No doubt he acquitted
himself in the recent examination us
well as ho knew how; but to every
fair minded person his testimony, we
think, must be deeply disappointing.
His attitude seemed more like that
of a defendant testifying in his own
behalf, and taking advantage of the
strict rules of evidence, than that of
a material witness anxious to il
luminate the matters at issue. This
unfortunate impression is accentuated
by the fact that much of his testi
mony was in the form of a written
statement. He had known for weeks
that he was to be called; he has at
his command a corps of high priced
expert advisers: and it may be fairly
assumed that his evidence was care
fuly prepared and rehearsed. He rep
resents the Rockefeller interest in the
Colorado Fuel & Iron company 40
per cent-of the $60,000,000 of secure
ties. He said protestingly that this
did not imply Rockefeller control.
Of course, the answer wa.s uncandid.
In any one man's hands 40 per cent
of the stock of a corporation would
carry domination of its policy; for a
Rockefeller, 10 per cent would be
sufficient, and one per cent would be
influential.
He knew nothing of charges that
the company had corrupted politics;
nor of the system of company stores;
nor of the fact that the corporation
leases one of its buildings, next door
to a school, as a saloon; and con
fessed that he had no personal knowl
edge of the labor conditions that led
to the bloody strike.
The disappointing and disingenuous
nature of this testimony was em
phasized by the straightforward evi
dence of Mr. Guggenheim, whose pol
icy has maintained peace among the
same elements. Mr. Rockefeller no
where gave signs of having a proper
idea of the functions.-of a director, nor
a clear statement of his philosophy.
For that we must turn back to his
statement regarding the strike. . We
shall try to f down, the facts with
scrupulous fairness. ' He asserts-that
the strike was forced by minority of
the men; but we. never knew1 a. strike
that did not so begin, hence the point
Is Immaterial. Failing to agree with
its employes, the company imported
workers from outside. This led to
violence, to the employment of armed
guards, to worse outbreaks, and fi
nally to anarchy, which developed into
civil war. The struggle got beyond
control of the state, and compelled j
the attention of the president of the ;
United States:' Nationwide discussion (
prystallzed in a demand for arbitra
tion. This was 'based upon the fact
that there were three 'parties in in
terest the company, controlled by
Rockefeller; the workers and the pub
lic. When the conflict reached a .
point where it interfered with the pub- '
lie safety and interest it was neces- !
sary to apply the doctrine that the
. . . ... , .
inal parties must give way to the
rights of the people.
Young Mr. Rockefeller, however,
held otherwise. He said there was a
"great principle" at stake, a '"national
,
were trying to rule a majority; and
he was willing to sacrifice millions
i uU3u bui-u a .nmemfm. ne mu when you see a boy and girl walk
not for a moment concede that the i ing real fast on their way home, it is a
public had rights superior to those j sfS" that 8he'a hi.s "Jster.
of the corporation or its men. It is j Cats certainly have their divinely
m -..i.,o. riinoi io- I appointed use in this world, but as
mands he was within bis rights. But
when the dispute had created a con
dition of anarchy, menacing the pub
lic peace and safety, then, regardless
of who was right or wrong in the be
ginning, the equities of the corpora
tion and those of the men were
swallcNved up in the larger issue.
Indeed, his own logic refutes him. Ma
jority rule, be said, is a fundamental
issue as to labor; necessarily', there
fore, a condition of statewide anarchy
puts a majority against his contention,
for it involves the rights of all citi
zens. I
I
One of th? avowed objects :of the I
present inquiry is to determine J
whether the government should sanc
tion "foundations" to perpetuate huge
fortunes. It is the belief of many
Americans that such accumulations,
even if devoted to benevolent uses.
would be a menace to our institutions
and to the development of democracy.
Some go so far as to predict that
they might become in certain aspects
more powerful than the government
itself.
Young Mr. Rockefeller's testimony
now and on previous occasions shows
that he has not even a proper con
ception Of the duty of a single cor
poration toward labor and the public,
and has yet to reveal capacity to ad
minister justly the
colossal fortune
which in a few years must' come Into
his hands.
Letters From the People
(Communications sent to Th Journal for
publication in Mils department sboulil be writ
ten on only one side of the paper, should not
exceed 300 words in length snd must bp ac
companied by the liame and addresH of the
sender. If the writer does not desire to hay
the name published, be should so. state. )
"Discussion is the greatest of all reformer.
It rationalizes everything it touches. It robs
principles of all false sauctity and throws them
buck on their reasonableness. If they huve
no reasonableness. It ruthlessly crushes them
out of existence anil sets up its own conclusion
li. their stead."' W'oodrow Wllson.
On Candidates' Promises.
Portland, Feb. 10. To thfi Editor
of The Journal During tjie cam
paign Dr. James Withycombd wasted
nearly a ream of perfectly gobd paper
telling the Central Labor Council what
he would do for the working people of
Oregon in case he was elected gov
ernor. He is governor now, and his
first act was to tell us he did not
like our compensation law, which was
approved by a much larger majority
of the voters than chose him for gov
ernor. He said he liked another com
pensation measure better. The law
does not affect him, hence it is al
most immaterUil whether he likes it
or not. The people affected by it, do
like it, as is evidenced by their votes.
Why need he meddle in something
that doesn't concern him? Why riot
keep the implied promises that he
made, unsolicited, before -election?
And those legislators of ours they
fnade some valiant promises, too, dur
ing the ante-election period. Everyone
of them was going to save money and
do business at a great rate, if given
a chance. Well, are they doing it?
A bill was introduced by Senator Day
to put the skids under the initiative
and referendum as effectually .'as any
piece of legislation that has been pro
posed for many a day. Also another
full grown statesman - seeks to fix
things so the unemployed can see box
i n or matche when nnthinc httr of
fers. Likewise- the recall law is put has never been able, to draw any dis
on the toboggan chute. And another j Unction. In the late campaign, it
genius puts a kibosh on the free text ' was claimed among other mendacities,
book law; he also doubtless had me that "Coos county dairy farms would
unemployed in mind." And other hu- T confiscated" and that there was a
manitarian measures are. one regulat- I veiled attack on the state school fund,
ing embalming you after you're dead; Which lands are in character up-
orin to toll nr-oiii hi t ion children th i
harmful effects of liquor; one telling
,,,w menv ei-nhs to natfh in a
one allowing a favored few to fish j
and hunt without a license, and one ,
relieving the people of the burden of,
voting on school levies. j
Isn't that a beautiful day's work for
90 men elected on an efficiency plat- I
our good governor was going to do for
us. Remember, this was only one of
the 40 days. K. E. SOUTHARD.
The State's Title to Water Beds.
Portland, Feb. 7. To the Editor of
The Journal Like murdered Banquo's
ghost this question is up again.
A lot of people in possession of near- j
ly all the terminal access to navlg- The Journal i nave reao in, ...,1 i
able waters, to the exclusion of the appropriations approved by the senate,
rightful owners, the public at large. as published in Sunday's Journal. And
are willing now that the state shall j they have the audacity to call Jt
refuse to sell what Is left. Perhaps "economy " They had better refer to
other private exploiters are willing to.h definition of the word. I can't
compromise on a lease irom tne state, !
Instead of an airtight purchase, to
hen off federal control, thrwt.i, '
the Ferris bill. f
The Oregonian. though for the time !
being a partisan of states' rights,
through some peculiar astigmatism,
has never been able to recognize the
public right residing In the sovereign
state. Though not exercised and for
gotten, legally it is there, and la the
the concurrent Jurisdiction over nav
igable waters with the U. S. for com
merce and navigation, the federal
right being paramount. This was clear
iy net forth in the case of Portland
vs. Montgomery.
It is well not to forget that fortu
nately the legislature" does not make
all our -laws, and that there' are even
restrictions upon the organic a '-ate in
PERTINENT COMMENT AND NEWS IN BRIEF
SMALL CHANGE
No man favors expansion of
his
oaia spot. j
But a girl never thinks sh is too
young to marry.
You may learn something by trying
to teach an old dog some new tricks.
A wise votitri nasnos im thn doll And
I marries a girl who can broil a. steak.
a
I Any old thine that goes against the
grain of a porcupine gets the worst
of it.
Although women are great bargain
hunters, a cheap man appeals to none
of them.
Many a man hasn't enough sense to
; become a successful wheelbarrow
chauffeur.
Handsome la as handsome does and
the handsome woman usually does as
she pleases.
Tou should strive to live within your
i Income ana then strive not to be dis-
I appointed when you fail
The woman who says she wouldn't
marry the best man on earth usually
weds one that is no good.
vocalists they are failures.
To hear mother tell it the boys must
have run after her when she was a
girl just as the bill collector now runs
after pa.
What a hoom it will be for the mil
liners when the suffragettes get far
enough into politics, to bet hats on
the elections'
a
It miy be that Solomon didn't have
more than eight or ten. Possibly he
looked at the monthly bills and Just
estimated the number of wives at 700.
COMMENT ON THRIFT CAMPAIGNS
By John M. Oskisbn.
A reader of these articles has sent
me one of his tracts, which he mod
estly entitles "Two Powerful Ser
mons," and has called my particular
attention to some passages of comment
on thrift campaigns and profit shar
ing. .
According to this author, it is doing
the dirty work of the world to try to
estaDiisn a system wnere tne womei
will spend less than he earns. As he
puts it, "it is not the lack of thrift
on the part of the working clas that
is the 'unmitigated curse," but it is Jhe
lack of erettinir 100 ner cent of what
! 1 to InKnr nrAlllfiO .
t K J kl ii t ' vu u v :r .
All thrift teaching, all rrofit sharing
plans, says the preactier of the two
powerful sermons,, are but patching on
outworn industrial garments. He
says:
i "These societies for thrift, welfare
associations and mothers' old age pen-
j sions, profit sharing, good fellow soci-
j eties, charitable organizations and all
f . i , .i . in.. . . ....... ..
iul""r s'"!" ' "f, ,
put me m mina or me story ui me uiu
lady who Invited her women neighbors
in to show them a pair of new t t;s-
its dealing with public rights and
properties. The right of unimpeded
use of navigable waters is one of
these. It is set forth in the enabling
act. The state can not sell it, nor the
legislature grant it. That, through any
contingency, the public should be
forced to buy any portion of the area
of navigable waters is, on the face
of it, proof of an illegal .lbdication of
this sovereign duty of the state. See
the Portland case of Oregon vs. Dab
ney, and the San Pedro, Chicago and
Oakland wAterfront cases. Legislative
grants arfS deed;: by the state were set
at naught in these cases, as being an
attempt on the part of the state to
abdicate a trust.
Ex-Governor West is wrong on that
point, that the state Vias power to give
an absolute title in any part of navig
able water beds. The absurdity of
such doctrine is readily seen by re
flecting that the public right in navi
gation is a permanent and perpetual
thing, whereas to subject it to the
discretion of state officials, would be
to Isay, as we see now; in 1874 they
might assert the right to sell. In 1878
deny it, in 1913 assert It again and in
1915 again deny it. Neither a policy
of private or public improvement could
be established. Again it is profitable
to reflect that the era of private ter
minals is passing away, and it is ar
rant waste to burden thene malienabl'5
public properties with speculative
wharf rights. The speculative wharf
right is per se, a private tax upon pub
lic property not subject to taxation.
The prescriptive right of the abut
ting owner to use, where not used by
the state (the remainder use) would
still remain. He has always bad it.
and he could secure more permanent
rights by lease.
Swamp and tide lands' not in ihj
beds of navigable waters are a dif
ferent matter. They are. not useful
for navigation or its improvements and
are the subpect of private exploitation
and reclamation under a different set
of laws, which the state of Oregon
unfortunately has confused with those
concerning river beds. The Oroonian
lanas ana proven., kuujt.. ..
! ownership and reclamation,
rtov-lmoot point, but one easily
is the
decided
when approached with common sense
and fairness. ' ariri
know wn,elLer frhlles of
Abert lakes are swamps b"'1'8.
"gable water If do btft.1 the
: interest should decide the class-
However. Canada holds that similar
bodies of water just north of the boun
dary line and are most useful as rain
precipitators and will not sell them
nor allow their drainage.
J. B. ZEIGLER.
Appropriations ami Taxes.
Portland, Feb. 9. To the Editor of
see where they get It. -A lot of them
are in office for the first time and I
suppose they want to make a showing
r tnemseies
They don't care any-
thing about the poor hardworking tax
payers, as long as some pet,of theirs
is assured of a nice fat salary.
The tax law in this state Is a farce,
a graft, and unfair to the worklngman,
and should be changed. It is the worst.
I believe. In the United States, for the
following reasons: - The big business
man is able to pay his taxes before
interest l added, -but for the working
man, if he happens to be out of a Job
or short of cash when . taxes are due,
the prncipal is soon almost doubled at
the illegal rate of interest', that . is
tacked on, - The state - imposes a rate
Of interest ' that is UK-gal In private
OREGON SIDELIGHTS
A four team bowling league has been
organised at Bend and a schedule ar
ranged which runs to March 22. i' '
i
Voters of Bandon will have an op
portunity to vote on bonding the citv
for extending the water system and
for the purchase of a fire engine at
the coming June election.
Continuing its good reports of. busi
ness, the Baker Iemocrat says: "Trat".
flc, both freight and passenger, has In
creased daily since February 1 and
shows a healthy sign of returning good
business."
"Eastern farmers who f.re here from
Iowa, Minnesota and other hard frozen
sections at this season," the Coquille
Sentinel testifies, "open their eyes
when thev see grass a foot high the
first of February." ,
Woodburn Independent: Glorious
weather! Can you imagine them back
eagt foundering around in deep ,snow;
skipping blizzards or caught in 'great
floods? Yesterday the sun here Was
so warm that one was in danrrr of
getting sunstroke. Surelv this weather
makes all feel good and like Jumping
into doing something worth while.
Bandon Recorder: State Game War
den Overton Dowell Jr., has hlpped
one male and two female beavers to
C. A. Lagerstrom at Marshfield. The
three animals are to be rIaced on
tracts of the C. A. Smith number com
pany s iana wnicn nas been made a,
state game reservation. mev were
captured on the Sulslaw river some
miles above Florence in the state game
reservation.
Cordial Jnvitation in the Drewgey
Pioneer San: "Come to the land of
pr.omise. i It is now called the Drew
sey country. You can get a chunk- of
T'-icle Sam's best soil; help yourself
from Mother Nature's cupboard Of
good things, and God will furnish you
with everlasting sdpshine free of
charee. If you can't r,unoly your
wants from these, we'll . hand you a
ticket of leave for the next stop.
ers she was making for her husband,"
and then exhibited "a pair of bid
patched up pants."
So, the preacher thinks, patching
goes on and on until the new garment
we offer is made wholly of oafches.
He says such patching is dirty work;
and I infer that he includes me in t,he
list of such workers. He would have
me stop patching and
Do,what? I have read his tract with
serious attention, for I know that
many of us are badly served by the
industrial and financial system wo live
under; but I do not find in It any sug
gestion as to how the really new gar
ment ought to be fashioned.
We are urged by this preacher mere
ly to stop doing patchwork. I wish it
were , possible, I wish that every
worker who makes his living were get
ting adequate pay, doing honest work,
and living within his income. If this
preacher or I can; influer.ee a single
worker to stand more firmly than: be
fore he read what either of us writes,
our patching will be justified.
For: this preacher is Just patch'ing,
and it is a mighty useful work in these
times: . i
A FEW SMILES
Restaurant e u r
Anything the ,mat
ter with the chowder,
sir?
"Quest Oh, no. I
was merely wonder
ing how in the world
you ever discovered
so many thlnn
eaper
lams to put in J.
Judge.
"My wife made me
a success," remarked
the man.
"I am glad to hear
you say that," de
clared the pastor.
"Yes, she has al
ways wanted so
many things that
I've- had to hustle."
"Well, Is our ( din
ner party going off
all rigrft tonight?"
"I hope so."
"And what are we
to have?'
"I don't know nn
yet. The cook Is to
give me an audience
at 4:30.
business. Why should this be? it isj
not fair and should be changed with
out delay. " .
There are appropriation bills j for
nearly $5,000,000 pending in the legis
lature. For what? A large amount
purely extravagant, which I suppose,
will pass, as usual, with out many
protests. I hope our governor may
apply the veto axe to a lot of these
and urge some laws that will be of
some benefit to the whole people as
well as the privileged few. ;,
It is time people should pinch them
selves and see if they are awake.
When they are given a chance to vote
they (the majority) don't know how,
and refuse to think for themselves.
"Let George do it," they say, and so
they get stung. i
WILLIAM E. 3MITH.
Tribute to Ex-Governqr West.
Amboy, Wash,, Feb. 8. To the Edi
tor of The Journal I want to say a
few words ; concerning ex-Governor
West. I consider him one off the
grandest mn Oregon has ever pro
duced. He wore the gubernatorial
robe without starch or frills, and stood
for what he believed 'right, though he
stood alone. He declared war on- what
he saw was wrong and stood by his'
guns, and it doesn't take a very wise
man .to see that almost all. he did doss
not need any changing. One of the
best things he did was to demonstrate
to the people that laws could be en
forced, and he made, very plain the
things that Went to hinder Its enforce
ment. As Oregon goes on climbing
the hill of progress, as It will do. and
as difficulties arise too great for the
average man to handle, .Oregon ians
will arise and say, "Let Oswald
do it. C. H. WAYMIRE.
Health Certificates for Marriage.
Portland, Feb. 11. To the Editor of
The Journal I would like to ask! why
was there enacted such a one 'sided
law as the marriage health certifi
cate law? Why should the man be
any more unhealthy than the woman?
Does anyone suppose that all women
are healthy and have better.; consti
tutions than men? If so. how is it
that two-thirds Of the women after
marriage are always ailing, and' for the
matter of that very many are before
marriage. . The very fashions in vogtlo
are conducive to 111 health and yet.
as I understand it, they can pass
muster under th marriage Jaw, and
the healthy, robust male must under
go an examination, and he may . be
even about to, marsy a drug store.
Fair play Is Jewel. , Let It be both
or none. - FAHl PLAY.
than c
"IM A&X.Y DATS"
By rrsd Loeklajr. SpacUi Staff Wrtur of
- - j ". ' -. : - The Journal.
Recently there was sent with the
Oregon exhibit from Portland to the
Panama-Pacific International exposi
tion, a piano with a history. It was
sent by C. Somiuer, whose piano fm
tory. is Just across from the city. hall.
Inside of the case Is the Inscrttition,'
"George Astor. Cornhlll, London, 79."
"This piano Is anr historical Instru
ment," said Mr. Kommer, .'Wait I will
show you Its sounding board and the
strings, - I hud to replace them. Other
wise I left the old piano Just as It
was. You see its original sounding
board was of very thin spruce and
was broken .and mended beyond repair.
Its strings also were so far gone I
had to replace them, it you will look
up the history of the piano you will
find that John Jacob Astor brought
three pianos of this type from London
for sale in New York. One Is now In
Central Park Art museum in New York.
This Is one of them and the other has
disappeared. Possibly it lias been
burned or destroyed.
"About six years ago a Polish Jew
who had a second hand tore. on Flvst
street near Salmon came1 to me to get
an estimate on repairing a piano. I
told him It would cost $250 or f3t0 to
put It in good condition.. He threw
up his hands in despair. lie thought
he could have it fixed for about Jin.
19k asked me tf I ' would buy it from
him and said he would have to get
out of jifto come out even, so I'paid
him He told me be -had traded
some second-hand'. furniture for it to
a farmer who had bought it second
hand many years ago at Astoria. Tin
Jew had tt several years before I.ttot
It. I used it for several years as a
writing desk. It is solid muhogany,
tts turned legs are also of solid ma
hogany. It is inlaid with holly, roue
wood and ebony. , Its length s five
feet six inches and Is 22 inches deep.
Ther la tin Iron whatever 1rt It and it
weighs about 125 pounds. Compared
'wltlithe modern piano It -looks like a
toy.MThe piano of today has seven and
one-third octaves; this has but five. The
body and the legs are separate so thut
the body of the piano can be lifted
from the frame. I kept . account of
my time and material and it cost me
$225 to fix tt up in perfect condition.
It has a beautiful tojie sounding 'some
thing like a mandolin. As Jt was madu
by George Astor In lxndon In 1779 you
will readily understand that It Is very
unlike the modern piano. J-'or example.
It hnS no foot pedals. The pedal action
fs controlled from the keyboard, beins
operated by the left hand. The key
board action Is crude. The heaviest
wire on the old Astor plapo Is lighter
than the lightest wire in the modern
piano. Here are the wires 1 took from
the Astor piano. Tou see - some "f
them are as fine as silk threads, while
Jthe heaviest wire is not much thicker
than a good bI zed pin. They ase of bran
and steel. In a modern piano the heav
iest wire has but . 16 vibrations to a
second, while the UpPT 0 wire vi
brates 4 800 times to th second. The
old Ivory keys were ysellow with duo
and were much heavier than the keys
of today, In place of steel sprliiRH
all of the springs on the. old pbino
were of whalebone, I ' have ent it.
to be shown with the Oreeou exhibit
hiiu i ueneve it win ukihii irut .at
tention." A rather odd thing:! lu connection
with this old, piano ls the fact that
when John Jacob Astor, the founder
of Astoria. Oregon's oldest city,
brought them from L.ondoft ha Inserted
an advertisement in a New York new-
r. T nm.r,' in 1T&M TlitI UL 3 M
ori j m u i l. a i ..'i ,''. ..... .... -
the first advertisement ext-r ns,rt',d
tor, the sale of pianos in the I'nited
States. The advertisement 'lead
follows:
"J&hn Jacob Astor. at No. SI fjuecn
street, next door but' one to the
Friend's Meeting! House.,, has for
an assortment o piano fortes of the
newest construction mijde by the best
. . . L. In t Anrf.iil U'liir.V, tic, VL'111 IB.M
,ficti, n li, wii'j y ', .... ..... .....
on reasonable u-rms. M gives tush
on all klnJs of furs and has for ualc
a quantity of . Carrara betiver and
beaver coating 4 as well as raccoon
skins, raccoon blankets and muskret
skins." '
TJie manufacture of piano fortes
j was not begun In England until 1 "tit;.
dote of 177, was made about 13 yeurs
after their manufacture started In
England. How -this old piano carre to
Astoria Is not known, but the suppoil-
. 1 . .'. . la I . , t nuiot lit. 7 n ),.n.. amlt
L Ull 1 -1111 I. IIIHUl ' . . . ..&..-! .J.Ji.i.
there by Astor before Astoria became
Fort George. Crude as is this old
piano and It was considered b wonder
ful Improvement on its predecessors.
Originally the .piano was a harp
having from moTo three strings. An
more strings were added the harp took
the form of a letter P'and was called
the Cithsrs. The standard Clthara
had 10 strings and It-was .'some' cen
turies later . before some inventive
genius discovered that "by . trctrliint
the strings acrosn sn open box a better
musical effect could be produced. I:v
1200 A, t. the Cithara had been Im
proved and was called a Tulclmer,
the strings being struck with liammfiit
held In the hanrisf the player.
A century or so later tin kt-y board
was invented, the hammers being ton
trolled by the keys. This . Instrument
wss -called a Clavicytherlum. Further
Improvement was made and Iti the
time of Queen Elizabeth it -was re
chrlstened the Virginal. A little later
It received - a new name, the Kplnet.
Some time between 1700 and 100 It
was again rechrlste.ned and was c&IU-iI
the Harpsichord. In the early ;art of
the Eighteenth century nartholommeo
Cristofori, an Italian, evolved tin
piano forte. A little later Matlus, a.
Frenchman and Gottlieb Schroeter. '
German, made important Improve
ments. Cristofori completed bis plan-j
forte in 1749 but it wan more than .10
years later before the piano forte
csme into general use -throughout Eu
rope. 1 he Ragtime Muss
, Unrequlte-l Ive.
Miss Roxsmltb takes her oodls out
That he may have the air;
A blanket warm is tied about
"The beast with tender care.
She stuffs him full of dainty food.
His e-oat Is brushed each dav; '
The best for him s not too good -He
gets it anyway.
. '-. . i ' - -
The poodle shows a face of woe,
Perhaps you'll wonder why,
I etfnnot say; I simply know
. lie has a cynic's eye: x
Miss Roxsmlth lavishes her love
On him with hugs and soma!.
While growlingly he gnaws her glove
Or tries to bite her heels.
It's clear to me that poodle glum
Hesents his pampered slate,
And hopes that soon the time will come
When. he can pull his. freight.
Although Miss Uoxsmlth loves tho
beast .
And could not love htm more.
He finds that life, to khv the bit
Is a confounded bore!