THE OREGON DAILY JOURNAL, PORTLAND, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1915.
-THE JOURNAL
- A3 nCDEPiyPEWT wewspapkb .
.C S. JACKSON Publisher
.TBb!lBed tnn day. afternoo and morning
V lexcept Sunday afternoon), at The Journal
- Building, Broadway and X annul eta.,
Port-
la na, or.
t tn poatonte at Portland Or for
- transmission tfirouja Lba mails aa aeeood '
f eia matter. i
TELEPHONES Mala 7173; Horn. A-AOSi. All
- eepanmenta resetted oj uiese numwri. uu
tbe operator wttt department 70a -want.
rOKIJGN ADVKKTISJSO REPRESENT ATI VE)
Benjamin A Kentnor Co., Brsnswle Bide.,
.y 824 rifttL Are.. Sew fork; Ul People's
- Ga Bldg.. Chicago
v Sabacrlptlo terms by mail or ta any ad
dress la the United States or Mexico:
. ; DAILT (MOE.NINO OB AFTERNOON)
One year $5-00 One monUi $ -60
anwn A V
On year 12.30 I One month I .25
DAILY (MOENINQ OR AFTERNOON) AND
-.-" SUNDAY
One year $7.50 I One month S 85
America a&k nothing fop her
self bat what she has a right to
ask for humanity itself.
WOODROW WILSON.
He that cometh to seek after
knowledge with a mind to
scorn and censure shall be sure
to find matter for his humor,
but none for his instruction.
Bacon.
--3 1
XEW RK VENUES
Trit. president s suggestions to
Congress on the subject of
raising new revenue will in-1
tere&t great numbers of peo-;
Die. Hp mpntinns firnt n Inti-orirM
of the income tax exemption so as j The boy oT 17 who won the first
to Include many incomes which ' prize in corn growing produced 153
now escape. With this should go, bushels an acre. At the same rate,
he thinks, a widening of the sweep the corn belt of the United States
of the "sur-tax" on incomes above would produce, not the present
ascertain figure. This "sur-tax" j three billion bushels, but 16 bil
ls a sort of penalty imposed on ' lion bushels a year,
excessive wealth. Persons whose What mightier fact was ever
possessions are abnormally large ' conveyed to the American people:
may justly be required to pay what outlook so dazzling was ever
somewhat more in proportion to-! held before their vision, than is
ward the expenses of government ; contained in the performance of
.than the petty property owner. As this Ohio boy of 17 and his young
a matter of fact, many of the gov- j compatriots?
ernment s heaviest expenses in the
way of courts, militia and legisla
tion are for the almost exclusive i
benefit of millionaires. The sur
i wuicn mey are, ana may ne, i
requires to pay on their incomes
seems to be a very moderate com
pensation for the favors they en
joy.
Z It the income tax should be ex
(tended
ar.cordiug to the president's 1
recommendations it will probahlj The Hocking is at Halifax, where
locirur to Congress that some dis- she was taken by a British warship.
ttnction is desirable between earnel second American ship, the Gen
and unearned incomes. The Brit- j esee, has also been commandeered
Jtah government, which relies heavi- J by the British government, and is
ly upon the income tax Jcr it5 , similarly the subject of protest by
revenues, makes such a distinction ; the Washington administration.
and it naturally appeals to thought- The two vessels were recently
ful men as perfectly fair. A per. ; pnrchased by the American Trans
son who lives without work may j atlantic company, a Delaware co--jjustly
be asked to compensate the poration, from a Danish steamship
, country for supporting him, while , company. A British protest
fincomes procured by toil, either of ; against the transfer was lodged,
iuuu ur uraui, staua oh an en-;
tlrely different footing.
j, The president mentions other
possible soudves of new revenue, ;
sucn as a', stamp
as a " stanin lav nn din
(checks, a tax of 50 cents the
horsepower on automobiles and gas
.engines and a tax of 25 cents a ton
Jon "fabricated iron and steel."
tThese imposts would not touch
'people of small means very sert
joualy, except possibly the farmers
who have of late invested pretty
commonly in gas engines. A tax
'of 50 cents the horsepower might
tfall rather burdensomely on them
and even retard the development of
ne newer agriculture. it can
vuivi "iuu0ui uciiunLidi l j i
he public to make the farmer's j
-life any harder than it already is.
vuo oiiiuiLiuu
power to his tasks. But all !
nese minor questions win doubt-1 seizure of American cargoes des
jess be threshed out in ConaressUi a i .!
iWhen th9 Question rf th revenues!
Z. a. t. rV
3s taken up. The main point to keep
in mind now is that the president
- BTODOSes to make this renpratinn i
" i
:pay its own running expenses with- j
" u-i""& up ouruens lor tne
-future to discharge.
WHAT A BOY DID
, AURYING cornstalk canes and I
wearfftg cornhusk hats more '
than 200 Ohio boys and girls '
winners in enrn-rrnin-
-raisinz. hav-nrod.irir.r a
culture contests, marched down
iBroadwav. New YorV- . cn-o
.. - "
-f Al hronTrfnst in n ttt . I
- naiuuri-as-
, tori a, rode for three hours" In a
iferryboat. found the statue of Lib
erty, Inspected It and left it there.
ate.a meaUat the Hotel Astor. at
tended the Hippodrome, snpnt tho !
-aay in a ceaseless round of activi-
.vico, tui urru jiuu spent, lert the
.Pennsylvania station at midnight
for home.
' "We're rubes and we're proud, of
At," was the air with which the
rpung farmers swung In line down
Una big streets, and as all New
rTork looked on, didn't give a
whoop' whether the curious public
iuiucu vi oucereu.
And right well, they had a right
io tread Aew York's great gilded
'thoroughlares as young sovereigns
And overelgnesses. The group of
rash-faced rural youth gav. the
THEIR GAME STANDS EXPOSED
W
..... v. J.
yesterday's action by Judge Wolverton.
Interpreting the findings of the United States Bupreme
court, Judge Wolverton, in ordering
land ease, held that the railroad is entitled to $2.50 per acre and no
. "
more. He held that the railroad has no ownership of the timber or
of the minerals, or of anything else
The act'on Is the judicial exposition by a federal court of tho
decision of the United States supreme court, and it is In exact line
with what The Journal has insisted upon all along, and a complete re
pudiation of the claims of railroad attorneys, of the claims of news
paper allied of the railroad and of
decoy citizens seek to induce the public to 6ee decisions and other Scotland Neck is the capital of the
things as the railroad wants them seen. . Kitchin country, which comprises
The court's action is an indictment of the so-called grant land rlch agricultural land m the valle
"conference" held at Salem which went through a lot of contortions of tn9 RoanoKe and conforms more or
and adjourned without making a single demand for action by which ,egs cio8eiy to the boundaries of Hali
the state of Oregon would profit from .the supreme court's decision .,., vrt, p.mnn. r.-
forfeiting all but $2.50 an acre in
It is an indictment of Governor Withycombe. who publicly
mands that the railroad be given its $2.50 per acre and that in addi-
tion the surplus from sale of the timber and lands "be divided be-
tween the state and the railroad."
It is an indictment of those newspapers which, to their shame.
the Oregonian among them, assailed and denounced The Journal for
its contention that the railroad is entitled to $2.50 an acre and no
more, "The Oregonian in its ignorant or crooked devotion to the rail-
road's- interests, jeerYngly denounced The Journals contention as to
the $2.50 an acre as an attempt of this newspaper to "reverse the de-
cisien of the United States supreme court."
"- Therer should now h an end of th slnlst ttrt t doi
.and hoodwink the people of this state. There should be.no further
wniingness by men in high places and men in low places to cheat thp
people out of their just and established rights in the grant lands. Th9
scheme to humbug the public and give th railroad a greater share
in' the lands than that to which the courts have declared it entitled,
stands exposed and cannot be further pursued with any chance of success.-
The courts have again sjaoken, the railroad lawyers are repudi
ated, the railroad politicical push is- discredited before the bar of
public Opinion, and the public, by Judicial finding, is entitled to all
the timber, all the minerals and all above $2.50 an acre in the grant
lands.
The Journal, whose position is vindicated by the court's action,
congratulates the people of the state on what has come to pass.
There is yet a chance to get something out of the almost price-
I less grant lands for the sacred irreducible school fund and the school
children of the state.
j country as great a lesson as ever
came out or mighty Mew YorK.
They made records In farm crops
that demonstrated spectacularly the
latent possibilities of American
farm nrnHnptnn
RAIDING AMERICAN TRADE
A
S a result of the protests
from Washington, requisi
tioning of the American
steamer Hocking has been
postponed for three weeks. The
postponement was asked by th
1 British attorney general, at the
request of colonial authorities.
lt aftf.r full hearing of the facts,
tne department of commerce gave
the vpsfcIs American registry.
Notwithstanding the finding, the
British government claimed th-U
there is a German interest in the
company, and seized several 8hip3
of the American company for ex
amination in prize courts, and then
requisitioned them for use in Its
own commerce, even without
awaiting the findings of the prize
courts.
The action is a raid on the
American merchant marine to in
crease British tonnage. If there U
a fragment of international law
,eft the 8eizures are wanton viola-
tion of that law
It lg a means of recruiting the
British merchant marine similar
to methods emploved by London
i v.,!
I 1 11 l. A11..I1UIU(, 111 V,VUiLUCi v c I) T
. -,,.i5 . .
wuicn tne asmngion government
ha3 lodgcd stronR prote8t. Goods
Rhin tn srar.dina.via m
.
oa me assumption mat iney are
destined to Germany. While Amei-
ican shipments are thus held un,
rhuqV. ..rt. of th .m
j to the ame countries are largely
j Increased.
ine requisitioning or tne Hock-
1115 ana Vjeuebee ana ine seizure
of Amer,can cargoes is a process
of increasing BriUsh tonnage and
extending British commerce at the
j expense of the United States and
i under the guise of the necessities
OI war
It is a process that Washington
ehould vigorously and indignantly
oppose.
PERHAPS
A
SIGN of the times which
everybody must have noticed
is the increasing volume and
weight of peace talk. It has
i long been heard in the United
states. Echoes of it now issue
from Germany itself as well as
from England. It almost seems as
if the warring nations had come to
the pass where they need nothing
but a plausible excuse to meet
and set about adjusting their dif
ferences. The British people never
have felt much enthusiasm over
the war. Many men have enlisted
as a matter of duty, of under
... k aM
entry of the decree In the grant
above the $2.50.
the claim of "kept" men, who as
the lands to tbe public. ;
pressure from friends and employ- I
ers, but there has not been any-1
thing like a general rush to the 1
front.
The German people have almost
unanimouely approved the war.
kUu . euuurea its narasnips res-
oiuieiy, but their patience has I
limits and we now begin to hear
mutierings or discontent. Food is
scarce and dear. The German sci
entists have done their best to pro
vide substitutes tfor meat and
bread but the imitations hardlv
equajthe natural products either
in taste or cheapness.
The chances are, too, that the
German people have begun to in
quire rather seriously what tho
reasons are for keeping up the
fight. The kaiser and his entour-
age might find it embarrassing to '
So there is genuine hope that
peace is on the way, though it
may travel slowly. it is a timo
when small accidents and annar- !
ently trifling events may have great ;
consequences. Those who have
ridiculed Mr. Ford's peacemaking
expedition to Europe may 6ee rea
son by and by to wish they had
spoken of it In another tone. His
shipload of determined evangelists
might possibly supply precisely tbe
nucleus that is needed for a gen
eral concentration of pacific In
fluences. It' would be odd if Mr.
Ford should win the next Nobef
prize for peace. In habits and
disposition he is quite unlike the
American who won It a few years
ago.
DROPPING GRAMMAR
E
DVW.N rAKLit,!. one Of the
New York city principals, says
ue unuKb lormai grammar ,
8tudy should be dropped from i
the public schools. His reasons
for it are Impressive if not con
vincing. According to his account,
formal grammar now takes up
about 42 per cent of the children's
school time, at least in the elemen
tary grades. Mr. Farley believes
the time could be spent advantage
ously on other subjects. The force
of his point will be felt if we sup
pose our music teachers were in
the habit of studying the bones
and muscles of the fingers for
some thirty minutes out of every-
hour 8 lesson.
Grammar is the study of the
anatomy of language. Pedagogues
love it because it has beep thor
oughly formalized, reduced to sys
tem and has been taught so long
that no thought is required to con
tinue teaching it. That is also the
main reason why they are so fonJ
of Latin. But Mr. Farley is dis
posed to think that children would
get more good, from "drill in the
accepted forms of correct speech."
A great many other intelligent peo
ple think so too.
Good English is not learned by
studying grammar but by follow
ing the example of people who
speak correctly. Grammar explains
theoretically how to speak proper
ly. Example does not stop to ex
plain how, which is rather futile,
but actually shows how, by doing
It as it should be done. Learning
to speak good English requires a
great deal of "shop practice."
A bo7 might read a dozen big
books on mechanics and thermo
dynamics without learning how to
plane a board, but half an hour'd
showing at the bench is quite like
ly to make an adept of him, "We
learn," as the old" copybook said,
"by doing. "-and young people sel
dom learn much in any other way.
Grammar is nxt "doing." It Is a
singularly abstract and uninterest
ing method of explaining how
to -do.
No doubt it -has its uses among
the advanced studies of the high
school, but hardly in the .-lower
grade. What younger pupil eei
I to perfect them in English, or any
' other language, la practice. If
less bout their Incorrect speech
and general Inability to express
themselves.
CONGRESSMAN
CLAUDE KITCHIN
From the Philadelphia Ledger.
THE majority leader In the houso
of the sixty-fourth congress l
An ln(..Mnl mn hilt Iiam K .
whn R-ttoMn Tmiiv 1. ir,trtin-
scoteh-Ens-iish .took, tha Kitr-hm.
d-iart oli Umily old enoush t0 bo
1 thoroughly southern m politics and
in manners
T Ce a year the Kltchlns hav 11
t;baI dlnner- When tu p to think
'hat the ,mmdIate farally crcl of
: Ctm"reman Clau consists of 16
! person- nlna of whom are his sons
nd daunter. and t h has eight
brothers and two sisters, most of
I wnom also hav lar"e families, you
can imagine a fairly populous town
when the whole tribe holds its semi
annual feast at Scotland Neck.
Congressman Claude Kitchin's fath
er was a lawyer. In the Civil war
he fought for the Confederacy "a
tough old rebel," says his son an4
attained the rank of captain. And
though he was bitter for a while over
losing pretty nearly everything ha
had owned, and never quite forgot It,
he afterward declared he ws glad
as anybody that the Union had been
preserved. He was the first of the
Kitchins to go to congress and left
Washington to become a Judge. When
Claude Kitchin went to Washington
14 years ago his brother, William
Walter Kitchen, was there, repre
senting another North Carolina dis
trict. This brother afterward became
governor of the state. Many of the
Kitchina are farmers, and some are
famous for their achievements in
that progressive occupation. Congress-
man Claude, besides being a lawyer,
l9 a prosperous farmer and puts his
savings Into good Carolina soil.
He went to Lake Forest college.
like his brothers, and was graduated
at the age of 19. His father had
helped him with his expenses, but he
himself chipped in with what he
could earn in vacation time working
at farm tasks and in the family saw
mill. Obtaining a clerkship In the
office of the register of deeds, he set
himself to the study of law. But
one of the first things he did, and
that nas before he was admitted to
the bar, was to marry the daughter
of one of hia college professors. Ho
was afraid, he confessed afterward
tnat he mlnt be t0 'ate lf he waited
any 10ner-
In due course he received his li
cense to practice law, and his very
first c&se was the defense of a man
who wm accused of murder and had
no money, or almost none, to spend
on lawyers. The youth was opposed
by his father, who had been employed
by the prosecution. At the prellml
nary heaj-ing the accused was dis
charged on the grounds of insuffi
cient evidence.
e
Claude Kitchins first elective of
fice was member of congress. Sev
eral times his neighbors had urged
him to run for congress, but he had
declined on each occasion. Finally,
in 1901, he consented to be a candl-
rlatn for th nomination on rnnriltlon
that he would not have to contribute
a dollar, lift a finger, write a letter
or make a speech in connection with
the campaign, either for nomination
or election. Hla neighbors agreed
and he stuck to his plan. The title
of congressman was attached to his
name When be was 31 years old.
And now, by virtue of something
called th. "seniority rule," he will be
chairman of the ways and means
committee of the house of represen
tatives, and responsible beyond any
other men except the president for
the Demccratic record for, the next
two year. He possesses marry of the
attributes of that personal power
which is expected of a majority
leader. In the first place, he is an
accomplished orator. He Is a rhetori
cal and argumentative big gun. And
he is loaded with facts and figures
to the oratorical muzzle. Details of
tariff history he knows as familiarly
as most of us know the name of the
Underwood act. He can give you off.
hand a startling amount of detailed
information about the navy aye,
about every ship, her armor, tonnage,
guns, etc., etc. ThLs kno-wledge ex
tends also to the navies of other
countries. Obviously, this la a man
who studle4dil!gently the subjects
with which he has to deal as a leg
islator. The tariff, hitherto, has been
his main specialty. But It seems that
the preparedness question will find
him on the firing line next month
with views which he win not hesi
tate to express and right for with all
his personal Influence and marvel
ous command of facts and figures.
He Is a dangerous antagonist.
A young looking, genial, good
humored six-footer (black haired and
brown eyed, by the way, and al
ways faultlessly dressed), he fights
without bitterness; though often fiery
of speech and skilled in the art of
sarcasm and Invective, he slashes,
but leaves no wound. He has made
s reputation aa one of th best rough
and tumble debaters in the house, and
he never makes a better speech than
whn he la being heckled. Officially
and unofficially he Is as affable sn1
agreeable a person as one would care
to meet. Hla voice, both In conver
sation aaa la vublia . imkIl 1. ,.
pleasant olce. full of little softnesses
yet rssonant and powerful.
We were speaking of speeches. This
accomplished speechmaker has made j
hardly a dozen out and out speeches
la his 14 years as a congressman. He I A report that saJoon, wiII clo(M w,r
confesses that he is not always pre-' New Year's eve may stimulate the
pared to talk on the subjects that j earljr &oppers.
come before the house, in which re-1 Roadroaster Teon having labeled the
spect he differs from a good many 1 onheUbels UP l
of his congressional brethren. For '
not every congressman is content to San Francisco is Proving that a sec-
ond-hand exposition bulletins must be
sit by idly and watch the decline of put on the bargain counter to move lt.
oongressional oratory. Kitchin says I . , . .
. ... It Is natural that such a hustling
a man who is always on his feet lose- town as Medford should be selected
force an! effect and finally fails to , as the home of a moving picture com
pany. attract attention. Wherein he shows
himself a conservationist. L Thlrty-fiye cents a. pound on the
, , - . ncof paid for the stock show s cham-
The country la looking forward very ! pion ,teer makes ones mouth water
interestedly to his leadership of the I
Democratic party on the house floor.
On several occasions in the past his
personal views have been sharply and
rehff111mil v nnnOKAd trt thnfl of t h i i
- I
president, and how he will manage.
with all his personal independence, to
get along with his new Job as ma
jority leader we'll see.
Letters From the People
(Comronolcation tent to Tbe Journal for
publication In tbii department abooid be writ
ten on only on aide ot tbe paper, boold not
exceed iSUO worda In lengtb aud must be ac
companied by tbe name and addreaa of tbe
Bender. If the writer dona not desire to have
tbe name pnbllsbed. be anould o aute.)
"Placowkro la tbe rrcateat of an reformer.
It rationalise eTerytblns It toncbea. It robe
Tlndplea ot alt false aanctlty and throws them
bark on tbelr reasonableness. If tbry he no
reasonableness. It rutulesslj crushes them ont
ot existence and eta up its own conclusions
U tbsir stead." Woodrow Wilson.
t
A Defender of Dr. Boyd.
Portland, Dec. 8. To the Kditor of
The Journal Referring to an article
published in the Sunday Journal, en-,
titled "Dr. Boyd's Rule for Making a :
Cook not Accepted by Those Skilled in ,
r.b-i" t i - v- . m 1 I
v.wvw,b,, A n 1011 Ul 1 C 1 ir nuiUB
of protest as to the manner in which
this subject has been misinterpreted
and lightly treated.
To begin with, I am not a Presby
terian and in defending the principles
propounded by Dr. Boyd I am not act
uated by a sense of loyalty to :ny
creed. However, I am firmly convinced
that the thinklnjr peoole who have
heard these Illuminating and forceful
i i i - o. i. i.,.of congress with apprehension. The
mft,A - M reg 0?' ..6lie 8 apprehension has been based on a fear
will onf 11 (Mrt A n rrA thai In m. r
cerpt quoted his was a broader general
ization than that set forth by Mr.
Dr. Boyd believes in cultivat
ing the beautiful and higher arts, which
the majority of people through ignor-
ance of their own great potentialltls
consider attainments far beyond the
ordinary individual. We have become
so accustomed ti mediocre ability and
are beginning to comprehend that we
must develop our intellects not along
one, but many lines. And the world
of women today are aroused aa they
never have been before to the indis
putable fact that increased mentality
stands for greater efficiency In home
making and notherhood.
Needless to sSea-f trhe keener the In
tellect, the greater our proficiency In
an lines or endeavor: and this, to my
understanding, was the point Dr. Boyd
was aiming to Illustrate. The excerpt
cited In the article mentioned was not
only misquoted but unjust and mislead
ing aa well. The purport was, "Give
me an Intellectual woman; and I will
go with her to Uie kitchen and in two
hours teach her to prepare a better
meal that I could teach an unedwated
woman in the same length of time."
Who can deny that?
It is impossible to conceive of a
man of Dr. Boyd's intellect making the
statement attributed to him, and it
destroys itself In its Inconsistency
Instead of criticising or even "treat
ing In a semi-humorous vein" these
splendid and beneficial sermons, why
not give him the credit due him for
presenting to us the results of his
broad and exhaustive experience, that
we iiiay profit thereby.
MRS. H. If 8CHROEDER.
Some "Whys" as to Shipping.
Portland. Dec. 6. To the Editor of
The Journal A few daiys ago I asked
one of the big business men of Port
land why Portland had iio steams-hip
lines with headquarters at Portland,
and why we have no Alaska line. His
answer was: "It costs more to load
ships at Portland tha-n It does at
either San Fraicleco or Seattle, and
the cost at Seattle for loading AJaska
bound ships Is enough less than the
ships will (not can) be loaded for here,
that the merchants and shippers m,ke
money by sending their goods to Seat
tle by rail, there to be shipped for
Alaskan or Hawaiian points."
Is this true? Do tbe longshoremen
charge less at San Franclscoand Seat
tle than here, and f so, why is this
condition maintained?
Why are not the San Francisco and
Seattle longshoremen induced to raise
their wages bo as to have the same
scale as Portland workers; or. If this
cannot be accomplished, why cannot
some arrangements he made so ships
bound for Alaskan and Hawaiian points
can be loaded at Portland ag cheaply
as at San Francisco or Seattle?
This letter is prompted by the desire
Dot information, due to this business
man's answer to mo and his assigned
reatfone as to the cause for no Alaska
ships from Portland, and Vour edi
torial. "While We Weep."
D. C. LEWIS.
Producers 'and Consumers.
Portland, Dec. 7. To the Editor of
The Journal The owner of a small
fruit orchard on the Columbia river a
few miles from Portland told me he
had a large crop of apples this year,
and -that he could not well them, al
though they were first grade of finest
variety of eating apples. He is feed
ing them to hogs, and many of his
neighbors axe-dolng the same.
The fruit stands in Portland are sell
ing two apples for five cents, and the
dealers are charging; $1.75 per box,
that are no better than those being fed
to th hogs.
The fruit raisers cannot reach the
consumers, but have to take -ny price
dealers are willing to pay. Combina
tions of middlemen exist in every line
of business, particularly the fruit busi
ness. Refrigerator car companies, com
mission kouses, wliolefale and retail
dealers, peddlers, etc., all for the pur
pose of buying cheap and selling high,
frequently destroy good produce to
kep up the price to consumers, and
hogs fatten on the best of the land
while the people go hungry.
The profit system has developed Into
an exact science throughout the busi
ness world. Government is powerless
to remedy the evil, because the ethics
of business are based upon the same
fallacy, that selfish Interest la the
first law of nature. No greater error
was ever taught. V
The federal reserve att Is sole
mentnlitv tint iirrin ui'iinirini, i
- i p.gtuous waters. There has been a
tain prescribed amount of learning we E"lnJ. "ln a word. that President Wil
have ceaaed to strive, satisfied that j ad 'm. cabinet adviser, could do
f7llnUr.rtT Ur Ul thtlr better that the country would be bet-
But in thli day of enlightenment we ter ff: " th'y dld DOt "haVe CngreB3
ly la the Interest of the backing bust-1
PERTINENT COMMENT
SMALL CHANGE
lor even a slice of the hoof.
With Mr. Ford's peace delegates
divided Into hostile camps over the
president's message, it's about time to
organise another peace mission.
T V. VT. . . 1 1 1)1
i ue .low turn biwk eAUnanK win
send an ambulance to trance as a
Christmas present, but "shorn Iambs"
muni ump aiong as dcsi iney can.
If you are at all particular about
the children, it will be well to memor
ize Fire Marshal Stevens' "don'ts" in
connection with the Christmas tree.
Proposed extensions of the Hawley
Pulp & Paper company's mill at Ore
gon City, giving employment to 200
more men, is another prosperity fact
here in Oregon.
Patrolman Bales lum arrested a man
for carrylnp a revolver. Now that a
precedent has been established, the
police may be willing to obey the law
by enforcing It.
The spectacle of a Southern Pacific
attorney standing up in court and
threatening limitless litigation unless
terms of the Oregon & California grant
lands decree are made to suit him in
npires neither admiration nor confi
dence. THE CONGRESS
From the Omaha World Herald.
Seldom in the history of the repub
lic has a congress assembled charged
with such grave responsibilities, con
fronted with such an Imperative de
mand for patriotism and statesman
ship, as the sixty-fourth, which con
vened yesterday.
The fact may as well be frankly
j Py8ltlon to iook upon the reassembling
! tnat the people's representatives, met
no sit In their legislative capacity dur
ing a most critical period in the
world's history, would be found lack
ing In wisdom. In discretion, in self
control: that the result would be
things said, or done, that would add
! enormously to the difficulties exper
i ienced by the executive department
in the effort to steer this country to
safety and honor through wildly tem-
on their hands
Manifestation of such a feeling does
little honor to the theory of represent
ative government. It Is a confession
of distrust In democracy and demo
cratic institutions. Congress, of the
three branches of our government is
nearest the people. Is most directly re
sponsible to them, presumably will be
quickest to respond to the popular will
and carrv it Into execution. It is in
I l' e congress rather than in the exec-
utive and the courts, that the genius bf
democracy expresses Itself. It is con
press a body of the people's elected
representatives possessing and exercis
ing real power that C.lstingulshes .Telf
governmeit from autocratic govern
ment. It is congress that crystallzes
the popular will Into law, which law
the executive is directed by the funda
mental law to sus'ain and enforce.
In governments that are despoitic in
fact, though as a compliment to the
people a congress or parliament may
exist, one of the first moves of the
autocrat in time of stress is to attest
his contempt for and distrust of the
congPtFS by dissolving it or ignoring
it or limiting Us operations. At a
time when tha people, whose welfare Is
at 6tal:e, are most in need of a real
share in government, their voice is ac
corded the least attention. In the
United States the people themselves
are the autocrat. Theirs is the power
and tiie responsibility. For them to
show a lack of trust In congress, to
show, even, positive disrespect for it.
or fear of it. is to disclose a lack of
trust in themselves, fear of them
selves, or lost faith In the Institutions
they have created to make their po
litical will effective.
The manifestation of such a disposi
tion is in every way deplorable and it
is doubly deplorable if there appears
to be any substantial basis for it.
In a free and representative govern
ment it 1 the supreme duty of the
people to put their faith In the insti
tution that is the popular, lawmaking
body, by whatever name it may be
tailed. And it is equally the supreme
duty of the congress to discharge Its
duty with such single minded patriot
ism, with such courage and wisdom, as
will Justify faith in it and vindicate
that form of government In which the
people really rule. The nearer the
neas, and does not touch tha fatal de-1
feet of a fluctuating money standard
of value fixed in gold
coin, which
gives financiers absolute power to
bankrupt all debtors at vMll. That
invisible power must bs destroyed be
fore It is possible to sustain credit
and prosperity by any law or custom.
The proposed postal express Is de
signed to pick up and deliver all lo
cal as well aa out of town deliveries
for everyon. department stores, retail
stores, and Individuals, in cities and
towns and on rural routes, making
periodic deliveries for all. to all, by
one service, instead of hundreds tf de
livery systems running over the same
routes. The postal express will fix
express charges upon the basis of the
cost of service.
The postal express has been under
consideration by tbe authorities in
Washington for several months,. Sen
ators La Follette and Chambrla!n and
Lane are interested in Us adoption,
and it is very probable that the ex
periment will be tried out between
Vancouver and Salem this year.
It would place all consumers in di
rect contact with producers, and
would rob tha hogs of their diet on
SpUsenberg apples and give the chil
dren a charvoe to satisfy their appetHe
for apples. It would shut out the
trade combinations from all their dia
bolical machlnattona to buy cheap
and sell high save and except only
tha money king, and ha 1' Invincible
as long a the standard of vaUue is
fixed In gold coin for. tha payment of
ail obligations public and private.
CLURCEMAU
A Statement by Mr. Wat-rack.
Portland, Dec . To tha Editor of
The Journal Referring to an article
published In your Issue of December
S, 115, under the heading. -Sees No
Good From Chang of Sureavto Paget
v: : . ' :V .1-1
AND NEWS IN BRIEF
OREGON SIDELIGHTS
Ranchers south of Durkee turned out
recently and graded a piece of hill road
after waiting a long time for the coun
ty to do the work.
Medford citizens have made all ar
rangements for a municipal Christmas
tree. A plan for utilizing one of th
trt.es in the city park as a Christmas
tiee met with enthuHlaslic approval.
A minstrel show is to be staged by
the prisoners at the state penitentiary
on Christmas eve for the benefit of the
prisoners. A later performance Is
planned for the public.
Very few people in Medford
and
in Berlous need of charitable helo. The .
number of such persons is less than
usual. Work has been more than or-
dJnartly plentiful during the fall.
I
Weather observation in Hood River I
News: 'IjOcbI ministers did i.ot pray
for rain last Sunday. Twill be n any 1
moons ere such n ttuiiDlicatlon will be
in oroer. ai one point m tne cuiinty
there has been a precipitation f 21
Inches during the past month."
"Fifty-four years aajo," says Tues
day's Albany Democrat, "the water was
U.e nighe.st in the Willamette in Its,
history, though it wan just r.s high ,
the following day. perhaps on the 8tft ,
being slightly higher than on th 7th. j
The total height recorded, as brought
down by the report, was 36 leet, a i
height never since reached at this
city."
From the Palem .T(nirn!'n editorial
column the followinx valued testi
monial is taken: "Portiariil's stock
show requires five tents, each uh big
&h the largest circus tent, to house
the exhibit. Some of the finest stock
of all kinds is tl.ero to be seen, and
It is well worth the time and money
expended in taking a run down to see
them, especially if you ar. Interested
lr. the growing of livestock of any
kind."
OF THE PEOPLE
peril, the more momentous the duties,
to be performed, the graver the crisis,
the greater is the ne.d, as we must
concede If we be indeed democrats,
that the dlr ct representatives of ti e
people be on hand to bear their full
share of the responsibility.
Autocratic cov eminent, at times,
have had men with democratic sym
pathies at their heads, nd free gov
ernments occasionally have had execu
tives who were at heart autocrats,
with :ittle faith in democratic Insti
tutions. The chief executive of the
United States, Woodrow Wilson, is a
democrat, who believes in democracy,
who has faitli in the Deoole. and who
strives unselfishly to serve them ac-
cording to their will. He is too good
a democrat to resent or fear" having
congress on his hands." He believes in
the wisdom of common counsel, and Is
keenly aware of Imperative national
needs that await upon congressional
action for fulfilment. While those who
distrust popular government are in an
internal tremor over the assembling of
congress. President Wilson, we may be
sure, welcomes it for the relief It will
give him and he assistance It will
bring. Through many heart-breaking
months he has stood practically alone
in charge of our government. The
great mass of the people whom he
serves, though their sympathies and
support nave oeen wnu mm. nave nau
poor opportunity to make the fact di
rectly known. They will make it
known now through the congress they
have provided. There may be dis
closed, among their chosen represen
tatives, men disposed to play politics
with problems of the most berious im
port, to exait partisanship above pa
triotism, to embarrass the president
rather than sustain him In the dis
charge of his own particular duties.
The patriotism and good sens of the
American people may be trusted to re
buke such representatives as they de
serve. The people admire independ
ence and courage in their representa
tives, without which there can be no
true representation or honorable ser
vice. But they are quick to discrlml- i
nate between what Is genuine aud
what is sham. They can discriminate
between honest differences due to con
flicting opinions of what constitutes
patriotic duty and real public service,
and differences manufactured for tiie
occasion merely to serve what is be
lieved to be partisan advantage.
And so It Is that this newspaper has
confidence and this wttli the Krentevt
respect for President Wilson and his
cabinet advisers that the government
at Washington will .be benefited and
strengthened by the assembling of con
gress. It has sufficient confidence in
representative government to believe i
that in such critical times as these
the great majority of congressmen ftj)(j ;
senators. Republicans and Progress! vea j
and Democrats alike, will be Inspired
and gu'ded by lova of country more
than by regard for party. It has suf
ficient confidence in the people to be
lieve that the tricksters and dema
gogues and self-seekers will be de
tected and stripped of their influence.
And It has faith In the providence
which rules over this republic to be
lieve that from tiie deliberations and
actions of the congress of the people
in these days wherr civilization Itself
seems tottering on its foundations will
come results of enduring worth to the
nation and to the world.
Sound." I with to state I am credited
! statements which I did not make.
ill mc L, n Hdi ifi ifir:iHcu a.' 111-
terview Is built up from two remarks
made to your rciTesentative on an
article appearing In your issue of De
cember t, under the heading. "Want
Lighthouse Bureau." I stated that I
did not at the time recollect a specific
occasion on which work on aids to
navigation on Puget sound liad been
delayed by the Lenders; being barbound
in the Columbia river. I also remarked
that the relighting of aiils on the j
sound, as well as In other portions of
the district, was at times delayed by
the fact tliat the tenders were engaged I
in buoy1 work In some other locality, I
and might have to finish up the work I
on which they wefe then engaged be- I
fore proceeding to a distant point In j
the district on a single errand, and
further that when a tender was not '
available launches or other means were
ueed for reaching aids which had be
come extinguished.
You must appreciate that I cannot
publicly discuss ths location of head
quarters of this district or other mat
tor of policy, as my Interest In all
portions is alike and unbiased.
I have, therefore, to request that,
sine you hava given such wide pub
licity to 'the natter, you give my actual
statements equal publicity.
ROBERT WARRACK,
Lighthouse Inspector.
Let Well Enough Alone.
From the Washington Star.
If Europe caa aver get back to "the
verge of war" she will probably make
a sensible and persistent effort not tot
be pressed across it-
Where They Belong.
From the Atlanta Journal.
There Is always room at tha top for
aeroplanes) and - room at tha bottopi
tor submarine.
TneOnce Over
BY RE X lrTPTLAN
YESTERDAY AFTERNOON whea
the esteemed city editor was
listening to a committee that wanted'
a lot of publicity for a Worthy
Cause I availed myself of the op
portunity. and got out.
J There are certain times when all
esteemed city editors for some rea
son as yet unexplained by science
seem to desire that reporters stick
around.
and answer the telephone.
and clean up their desks.
and feet up Sunday copy.
. and do a little useful labor-
oesiaes.
c That's the way it was yesterday,
. . . v. 4
but 1 went out as though I haJ
to go some place.
and was afraid I'd be late.
. . T . . .,. (V, v
TIAnd 1 wa ln Past the TMI
building
trying to remember where I was
going
and I heard a noise.
IT And it sounded like 45 cents a
dozen.
JAnd I went dow" Into the base
ment. and found myself at the Poultry
show.
J And I walked around among tha
cages.
and mused on the futility of a
chicken's existence.
J For behold I said to myself a
he-i layeth eggs.
and keeps it up 200 days a yeai
more or less.
JAnd having done this thera
comes a time In the life of every
conscientious hen
when she desires to found a fam
ily J And very soon she finds bersell
under an apple box with a aton
on It.
JAnd her eggs go into angel food
and Tom and Jerry
and cold storage
and Incubators.
J And the wonder is that under all
these discouragements a hen retains
her maternal Instincts.
J It's almost as bad aa trying to
save money and pay all your bills
at the same time.
And as I mused on the analogy"
between the life of the average man
and that of a chicken I noticed that
a rooster who had taken, no prizes
was watching me.
J First h- would turn his head on
way and look at me out of that aye.
i and then he would turn it tha
i other way and look at me out of tha
1 other eye.
JAnd presently he spoke to me
or so it seemed.
JAnd he said that the feminist
movement is well under way In th
feathered kingdom.
j"And the latest indignity" he
said "is thut the hens say that
roosters are unnecessary."
JAnd he sort of choked and then
went on:
J"And it's only the result of that
modern contrivance the incubator
, mv.a hn fnrr.i their Cornea
and that they should have families."
JAnd he said that was about all us
had to say except
J LISTK.V He asked ma to try ta
start a movement to have all "chick
en" jokes barred from vaudeville.
1
Budapest the Gay
With all other European capi
tals silent and sombre, Budapest,
the beautiful city by the blue
Danube, sings on covering up its
heartaches, recounts an illustrat
ed article in The Sunday Journal
Magazine for'December 12.
Other Magazine feature- for
next Sunday include:
What's in a Name?
The census-taker knows, and
one who has collected informa
tion for Portland's city directory,
relates what a fascinating game
narffe-hunting comes to be and
how it takes one Into strange
places and among unusual people.
Gold Again
Yean ago Eben Pexford wrote
"Silver Threads Among the
Gold," a song that has been sung
the world around. Later be pro
duced a companion song, "When
Silver Threads ate Gold Again,"
which was soon forgotten. Now
it is to be revived," and the song
writer tells why his heart it glad.
The Woman Warrior
Is it patriotism, love or mater
nal instinct that makes her a mar
tial prodigy? A student of wo
man's characteristics discusses
the problem in view of perform
ances of certain women In the
present war.
Shoulders Bare
A discussion of an essentially
feminine subject by Lillian Fus
sell, renowted beauty expert,
whose suggestions also are
weighed with no little common
sense. This is a new page in
The Sunday Journal Magazine
and one that Is bound to please
matron and maid.
For the Housekeeper
A page of practical suggestions
intended to make the day's going
the smoother for the housewife.
Little studies in household econ
omies that are appreciated by 'all
homemakers.
For the Children
The customary back page in
color is devoted to the interests
of the little folks. Georgene
Faulkner, "The Story Lady," tells
about "The Forest Christmas
Tree," and Charles A. Ogden has
drawn another set of brf famous,
cartoonagrams.
The Sunday Journal
Complete in four news Sections,
magazine and comic section.
Next Sunday
"Tne Biggest Five Cents .
j Wortl, la Trp." ': .
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