4
THE OREGON DAILY JOURNAL, PORTLAND, WEDNESDAY. DECEMBER 29, 1915.
THE JOURNAL
AM INDEPENDENT MW8PAPCI
C B. JAC KSO.N...
.Publisher
fubllu.d r day. a 1 larnoun sad muroluf
(except SudJ afternoon;, at Tbe Journal
bullihnj. tttvadwaj sua V. amain Its., furt-
Uml. Or.
kntered at lu iwalofficc at furtlaaJ. Or., tor
traDamUaloo ibruugb Ihm mail aa etna
Tz.Li.1 UO.L Main 7173; Hum. A-eo4L All
department! reached by tbne iDDbm. XtU
tb operafur whrt ilepartro-nl yog want.
tOUtlCS iUVEKHSI.NU ECPUtStMlTnt
Bcojamto keotoor Co., Brunswick Bide-,
Xii tlftb A tf.. Nr tofk. litis peoiaa
taa Hhtff.. (.'hlrafo
Cobacriptlon tens try mall or to any ad
ore In the United State r Mexico:
DA.1LI (MUBM.NO OB AFTKIWOOS)
Ona xeax 13 OO OH Booib f -SO
BCNDAi'
Dm jear 12.50 On moeta 15
liAILK (ilOKNINO OB AFUCKNOOH) AND
ECNDAY
rn rear 17. SO I One mints .... I S
America ask nothing for her
self but wliat she has a right to
tik for humanity Itself.
WOODKOW WILSON".
The deeds of charity we
have done shall stay with us
forever Only tho wealth we
have so bestowed do we keep;
the other Is r.ot our. Middle
ton. THK COURSE OF HO.VOK
THE railroad ousrht to art more
honorably with the people of
Oregon in the grant land
proceedings.
It claims Judge Wolverton lr
wrong in his Interpretation of the
supreme court decision. In goinj
to tho higher court to pass on the j
Issue, two courses are open to the i
company a short course and a !
long course. The short course Is ;
to go straight to the supreme court!
and have Judge Wolverton man-
damused into acceptance of the
railroad contention as to the de
cision. That would require but a
very short time, and nobody knows
better than does the railroad cor
poration aa to what the necessary
steps are.
That is the course the railroad
should pursue. If it Is in good
faith with the public, if it sincere
ly desires to abide by the findings
of the courts, if it proposes here
after to abide by the law of the
land as other folks have to do,
It will take the short cut to the
supreme court, get a ruling there
as to the correctness or incorrect-j
ness of the decree entered by
Judge Wolverton, and then abid-J
the consequences.
The best course for the railroad
Is henceforth to pursue a cour.v:
of honor. But here it is with a
demand that it be given six weeks
of time to determine whether It
will take the short course to the
supreme court, or pursue the round
about way of going to the court
of appeals and to the higher court.
In honor, the railroad ought not
to take 2 4 hours to deliberate on
such a proposition. It ought not
under the circumstances to pursue
a course that will be full of pro
crastination, delays and postpone
ments. It should pursue the plan
that will bring the Quickest de
cision, to the end that Congress,
now in Bession. can legislate intel
ligently and informedly for the
disposition of the grant lands. Con
gress has but 6ix months after
entry of the supremo court decree,
and the time is now passing swift
ly. Here, however, is the railroad
demanding six weeks In which to
consider whether it will take the
ehort cut or the long cut to tho
upreme court for a decision as to
the terms in which the decree has
been entered.
The Journal repeats that the
railroad ought to pursue a more
honorable course toward the peo
ple In these land grant contro
versies. It should help the court3
facilitate the litigation, not em
barrass them with procrastinations
nd postponements. Its course will
soon make It clear whether the
corporation intends to aid in get
ting the lands settled at the earli
est possible date, or whether It in
tends by a plan of lawlessness and
Quibbling to delay settlement a3
- Kng aa possible.
The decision of the 6tate su
preme court in the highway en
gineer case confirms a preconceived
opinion that Attorney General
Bnywn is a better lawyer than the
governor or state treasurer.
NOTHING THE SLITTER
OF LATE, it has become the
vogue to belittle Portland.
There is nothing the mat
ter with Portland. It has
some pessimists, it is true. And
they knock. And they complain.
Usually, your pessimist is an
Individual who la not a producer.
Mostly, he is rich by inheritance.
He is a:, absorber of the fruits of
other folks' toll. He Likes rent on
a property that other people's en
ergy and presence in Portland
make valuable.
Were. be a producer he would
be an optimist. As an absorber, he
fcowjs calamity because there is
Hot ' more to garner. His mouth
sags down at the corners and he
snarls and Btabs because the other
fellow doesn't produce something
mere for him to get for little or
nothing.
There is nothing the matter
with Portland. As a city it is
fairest among thousands, altogether
lovely. It has multitudes of busy
workers who are producing, build
ing, creating for the comfort and
happiness of the race.
Its producers are its optimists.
They prepare the harvests. Their
honest production Is their reason
for cheerincss of outlook. Their
constructive industry, their em
ployment wyiich gives survival to
others, their struggle in making
two things of value where there
was none before Is hope and buoy
ancy and optimirm itself.
There is nothing the matter
with Portland. Its pessimists with
their sob3 are few and its optimists:
with their note3 of cheer and good
feeling are many. Purpose, progress
and production are In the hearts
cf this people and it makes a city
with which there Is nothing tho
matter.
"The wolf and the lamb shall
feed together and the lion shall
eat straw like the bullock and
di.et shall be the serpent's meat."
The query 13. did the prophet Isa
iah have the Gary dinneT to Roose
velt in mind when Le wrote the
above.
A RETURN OF LAW
THE JOURNAL gave Governor
Withycombe and Treasurer
Kay sound advice when it
counseled them to be guided
by Attorney General Brown's opin
ion and recognize Mr. Lewis as
state highway engineer.
Had they followed it, that ad
vice would have saved the gover
nor and state treasurer from their
present embarrassment. It is a 1
vlce that the supremo court of the
state has just confirmed by a
formal decision holding that Mr.
Lewis is the duly anil legally con
stituted ttate highway engine. -r
under the law.
Disregarding The Journal's ap
peals, and disregarding tho formal
opinion of the attorney general,
the governor and Mr. Kay to.ik
the law into their own hands, de
posed Mr. Iewis and installed Mr.
t'antine. Their action is thus cii
scribed in a Sa'.er- dispatch, to tho
Oregonian ou June 15th.
John H. Lewis, Lat engineer, was
deposed as state highway engineer
today by h resolution adopted by the
state highway commission, and E. 1.
Cantlne, chief deputy of Mr. Lewis,
was placed in charge of all highway
work initiated after May 2. last.
Stata Treasurer Kay offered the res
olution, and Governor Wlthycombo
voted with him for It.
Secretary of State Olcott opposed
the resolution on the ground that At
torney General Brown had held, under
the highway law passed at the recent
session of the legislature that Mr.
Lewis was the active highway en
gineer. Mr. Kay said:
"The highway commission Is vented
with complete power In highway con
struction, according to my constric
tion of the law. I believe the m.-a-law
intended that the chief d-t ity.
who Is appointed by the governor,
shall have charge of all highway work
and that the highway engineer has n)
authority in road work, except tht
delegated to him by the commission.
I think the law recognizes that th-j
state engineer U not versed in road
construction and never Intended that
he should have charge of it."
"My construction of the law" as
enunciated by Mr. Kay was not
sound law. It was not good law
at all.
The action of the governor and
treasurer in deposing Mr. Lewis
was In utter disregard of law. The
whole operation of tho state high
way office as directed by the gov
ernor and treasurer against the ad
vice of the attorney general and
over the vote of Secretary Olcott
has been in disregard of law.
When Senator Day and the con
tractors in their desire, to get thi
"skid" under Bowlby, led Mr. Kay
and Mr. Withycombe into the de
vious and foolish career that has
been pursued in the state hlghwr.y
business, they brought nothing but
embarrassment and humiliation.
A dlr.patch from Paris says that
the Austrian answer to the Ancona
note will cause a severance of dip
lomatic relations between the
United States and Austria. This is
undoubtedly a case where the wish
is father to the thought. The
French would like to see a rup
ture. PICTURES WITH A PLRPOSE
THE Battle Cry of Peace Is a
picture show which the reader
may 6ee at the Hellig this
week if he is so disposed. Tho
pictures are as pretty as heart
could desire. The views of public
policy which the play advocates
are false and pernicious. Its theme
is a sudden attack on New Yorit
by a hostile fleet. The enemy'j
guns topple the houses down. Air
ships hurl bombs upon tho crowds
In the streets. Destruction reigns
everywhere. No real defense is
made to tho attack. Our fleet Is
scattered here, there, everywhere.
Our guns and equipment are mis
erably deficient. So the city falls
an easy prey to the invader.
What is the purpose of this
false and insanely panicky propa
ganda? Why, to lull public opin
ion into approval of a half billion
dollar bond issue for a big fleet
of dreadnaughta and the like.
Dreadnaughts are all very well In
their plr.ee but the half billion
dollar bond issue ia all very bad.
The millionaire interests prefer
bonds to taxes very naturally, since
bonds would fill their pockets while
taxes would deplete them. The
more bonds the government issuej
the more Interest the millionaire
investors will draw. Taxes are a
very different thing, particularly
income and inheritance taxes.
Now as to the panic. The whole
British fleet is powerless to bom
bard a single Gorman city. It Is
kept at a distance, not by dread
naughts, but by mines and submc
rlnes. How then could a foreign
fleet approach within otrlking dis
tance of New York if we observed
the obvious precautions? The
panicky pictures make much of the
airship peril. The European war
has shown this peril to be almoot
entirely mythical. Airships have
done nothing of any consequence
for either side. Why then should
we fear them 'at the distance of
three or four thousand miles?
This is not written to discourage
preparation for the national de
fense. But in our opinion such
preparation is likely to be made
more adequately and more honestly
if we keep our heads cool and bear
in mind the undistorted facts of
the situation.
The present American tariff Is
higher than that of any other na
tion except Japan.
MIL GRAVES' CHRISTMAS
EDWIN L. GRAVES of Seattle
was given a grave as a
Christmas present.
As reassurance for the
gift, he was informed by the donor
that he was not expected to oc
cupy it right away. Even wltn
that thoughtful and kind assur
ance, a grave is hardly the kind
of thing one is hungering for on
Christmas day.
What If it had miraculously en
tered the head of another loving
friend to have presented Mr.
Graves with a coffin, also with tho
assurance that it was not expected
to be occupied right away?
And what if still another had
been curiously possessed to gi va
him a nice embroidered shroud
W ith real old lace On tho bOSOm,
o i t,iv, , v- i,,,
al.-o with the injunction that lm-1
mediate use was not expected?
And what if another had pre
sented him with a bottle of em
balming fluid with full Instructions
for its use, and also with the as
surance that it was not for imme
diate UJ-, but a good thing to have
around handy?
And what if a fifth admiring
friend had presented Mr. Graves
with a tombstone with his name
nicely carved across the face under
a weeping willow tree and with
appropriate sentiment like "an
other good man gone" or somcv
thlng of that kind cut into the
stone?
The possibilities of Christmas
it came this year to Mr. Graves arj
boundless. There is literally no
limit to the preparedness that an
ticipatory and thoughtful giving
might not vouchsafe and there is
really no end to the felicity and
hopeful optimism with which Mr.
Graves might not look forward
f om one Christmas to another.
A canvass of cellars and closets
will disclose a high degree of pre
paredness in Portland for the dry
days beginning next Saturday.
rsox.v
THE United States is the only
country in the world without
a proper name for its people
To be sure we call ourselves
"Americans," but we have no ex
clusive claim to that title. The
Canadians, tho Paraguayans, the
Chileans, are just as much Ameri
cans as we are. The Europeans
distinguish us from our neighbors
by the title "North Americans."
but that is rather awkward to use.
Even the name of our country'
rests under a grammatical cloud. Is
"United States" singular or plu
ral? Englishmen almost alwa3'B
write "the United States are" and
our own countrymen who follow
British fashions do tho same. Those
of us who are more patriotic write
"the United States is." The usagi
is by no means fixed.
The United States should have a
name of its own, free from all
grammatical perplexities and un
ambiguous. It shoi'ld be a name
from which a title for our citi
zens could easily be formed. Such
a name has been proposed by the
Esperantists. It Is "Usona," formed
from the initial letters of United
States of North America. The
word "Usona" is musical. It is
brief and it yields an excellent ad
jective, Usonlan.
A letter in the New York Even
ing Post by the well known scholar,
Christine Ladd Franklin, favors
the adoption of this name. It
would be more convenient than
"United States" and more trn to
fact than "American." It would
also be extremely convenient for
travelers. In a crowd of Frsncn
men. Englishmen. Germans and
Norwegians a citizen of the United
States, having no adequate national
title, feel3 painfully like a fox
without a tail.
The state supreme court has de
cided in efrect that it Is the func
tion of the executive department to
execute and not legislate.
DYNAMITE AND BLUDGEONS
WHILE perusing with our ac
customed pleasure, and
Bomethlng more than our
accustomed edification, tho
December number of "American
Industries," we were 6truck by a
curious observation which the edi
tor makes on socialism. It ran la
this wise: "Socialism threatens the
life of business and of the countrr.
It is insidious. Its arguments ara
plausible and Boon lead to dyna
mite and the bludgeon." This is
very terrifying if true. The story
that any political doctrine is bein,j
taught in the United States that
leads to "dynamite and the
bludgeon" must keep us all awake
of nights if we believe it.
The periodical called "American
Industries" teaches some interest
ing doctrines of its own. Among
them Is the doctrine of a prohib
itive tariff, a big military estab
lishment to conquer and control
foreign markets, tho settlements
of labor troubles by the strong
hend. and the government of the
country by a close oligarchy of
favored interests. That is to say.
"American Industries" advocates
for the United States' the same
policy that has ruled in Europe for
the last fifty years.
There is nothing "insidious"
about this policy. Nor are its ar
guments "plausible." In these re
spects it has perhaps some advan
tage over socialism. But let uJ
think a moment of what it lead.
to. We need no speculative the
ories to tell us. The goal to whica
the doctrines of "American Iuchis
tries" leads lies in plain sight in
Belgium, in northern France, in
Poland and in tho Balkans. It
leads to the slaughter of men by
the million and a waste of econom
ic resources that will take cen
turies to repair. Socialism may
possibly lead to "dynamite and tha
bludgeon." But it would take a
good deal of dynamite and a good
many thousand bludgeons to begin
to do the mischief that high tarifi3
and the fight for markets has
wrought in Europe.
, )
NOTHING THE MATTER
WITH PORTLAND
NOTE The Journal bellt-rea In Portland.
Seuren cf others beilere In Portland. Men
wl..i own facturlej here hellcre in Portland.
Men KhA mannr Mm nil f a ptur 1 n tr idanta ill Port-
Bl i,.:,,iu .dnnmres ot u.u iui-innxiiia a. a
u,ai ur.ctUrinK cent-r Ther ti tb. orpor-
tuultlea of the (treat Ort gva country. ITiey
de-ere to be extolled They ar worthy of
pil'llcltT. ao The JiHimal will ,rlnt, cd IMh
' fr.,m daJ. to ilorJ 0f i-ortunj
manufacturer, largely In their own word.
iouj they will oe lotrhd valuable to mail lo
eaaieru friend
HERK are aorrve, Important fun-
'.4.inentals w rtich it la absolute-
ly necessary to observe In tho
successful management of a I'acifio
co&at majiufaxturing- business. and
these, overlooked, will aurely tpcl
failure. The article produced must be
the equal of that to be had In any
market, and It muat be sold at a price
which will preclude the possibility of
ruinous competition from any source.
If thia cajinot be done, then It were
better that the Investment had not
been made and the Impression cre
ated that Paclflo coast manufactur
ing, at a profit, 1 an impossibility. '
The foregoing remarks wore made
by S. M. Mears. manager of the Port
land Cordage company, and were em
phasized by that gentleman. While
not accusing any western manufac
turers of grreed, nor Intimating that
business failures In the manufactur
ing line ever have been Justly at
tributable to such causes, ite most
emphatically asserted that adherence
to these precepts has enlarged the out
put of the Portland Cordage compa
ny from nothing in 1SS7, the date of
the establishment of the works, to
6,u00,000 pounds a year at this time.
MAINTAINS EASTERN PRICES.
'"vVhat territory do you cover?" Mr.
Mears was asked.
"We supply practically all of the
Pacific coast, and our business ex
tends as far east as North Iakota
and northward to Winnipeg. We sell
largely in Alberta and Saskatchewan,
Canada, and the prolific crops of the
past two years have made it neces
Eary, considerable of the time, to
operate doubld shifts. Wo sell to the
government, also. In large quantities.
We hav Just made a shipment of
the first carload on one big contract,
and I am Just now filling out an
other that has been awarded us."
"Then you are able to meet eastern
competition?"
"Our prices to Jobbers are the same
c eastern Jobbers pay eastern fac
tories, 60 we are able to hold the field
I against any and all competition from
that source, though occasionally one
of these eastern concerns. If It hap
pens .to get overstocked, will clip in
a carload of twines and rope, but to
accomplish this it must cell to our
Jobbers at a price as low, or lower,
than H charges for Its product at
home. It is for ths reason that we
are not worried very much by east
ern competition, and seldom give a
thought to it.
A SQUARE DEAL PAYS.
"It always has been my Idea that
it pays to be Bquaxe, and I find the
conclusion growing upon me. When
I assume! charge of this Institution
lr. 1S92, I put the idea Into practice
ana "ave Kef'1 pk "
I 8lnco- AnJ thls buslne!s ha rown
from lnf initesimally small proportions
to a very worthy position among tht
Industries Cf Portland. At that time
our working force comprised a hand
ful of men. while today we have 100
on our pay roll, and the day Is not
distant when others will have to bg
added. We have supplied 2.000.000
pounds of cordage to the government
at Panama, and in securing the con
tract were in competition with the
entire country, bo It is easy to under
stand that our facilities are equal
to any demand likely to be made
upon us, and that we are not going
to stop growing."
BLEPRESENTATIVES IN CHICAGO
AND MANILA.
Tha Portland Cordage works se
cures its material In Manila the
world's hemp depot, Mr. Mears ex
plained. When the First Oregon regi
ment departed for the Philippines In
1898, Captain H, L. Heath was one
of Its members. When the w-r was
J over Captain -feth, at hi own re-
quest, wu discharged In Manila, and
has been the Portland Cordage com
pany's buyer In the Islands ever
Blnce. A representative Is also keot
In Chicago, but Its main sales office,
remains In Portland and always will
be here, Mr. Mears affirms Its
business, however, is not tran4icted
through traveling -Salesmen, as none
are employed. Its sales manager dis
poses of Its product almost wholly
by mall, and If he ever does go out
on the road It is merely for a litt'.e
chat with the Jobbero who handle the
company's output. He does no so
I'cttlng on these pilgrimages, nor 'S
any necessary. Mr. Mears declares.
A MANUFACTURING FIELD HERE.
Mr. Mears Is optimistic In speaking
of Portland as a field for manufac
turing. But here again he emphasizes
the square deal and fair profits. Hi
maintains that local manufacturers
must not i xpect larger profits here
than are obtainable in the eastern
etates, and that the quality of the
manufactures must equal those of
their eastern competitor. Again, in
selecting a field In which to operate,
volume of business must be consid
ered. For example, he Is interested in a J
concern devoted very largely to turn
ing out tools and Implements used by
loggers. A nice business had been
acquired and all at once that fracas
was kicked up between Austria and
Serbia, putting the lumber market
to sleep and the logging business
ditto. The active business, therefor?,
of a year ago Is now exceedingly
quiescent, and no great dividends have
been declared for several months
nor will there be any until "this
cruel war Is over."
MUST PATIENTLY WAIT.
The Portland Cordage company haa
not Buffered from the general depres
sion as have the lumber Interests and
kindred businesses, for the reason
that nature. In the shape of bounti
ful harvests, has made demands upon
It that have kept its management In
good spirits at all timej, yet had Its
output been curtailed as have those
of the mills and factories In many
other lines, Mr. Mears would not be
found complaining. He would have
waited patiently until the clouds were
dispersed, and by keeping "everlast
ingly at It," is confident he would
have emerged from the storm bright
ly burninheil and ready for the ruh
sure to follow this forced depresslon,
And this is his advice to manufac
turers inclined to dlsheartenment:
"Patiently wait: Walt patiently; The
storm la nearly over!"
FACTORIES ARE NEEDED.
Here we have in abundance the raw
material necessary for the produc
tion of nearly everything made of
wood, yet we find the trade mark of
Michigan manufacturers on so simple
a thii. as children's washboards. Wo
have granite and marblo and coal and
Iron and copper and gold grazing
lands the equal of any In the country
alfalfa meadows suitable for tht
propagation of awine by the tens of
thousands wheat lands as rich as
those of the famous valley of the
Nile Ideal noil for all kinds of vege
tation foundations upon which may
be erected chlckn ranches aa profit
able as their owners by care and at
tention choose to make them, but a
paucity of manufactures, for which
there Is no reason. Those which have
been established for a reasonable
time havo prospered. Distance from
eastern factories has been an advan
tage and still there Is room for
many mora Capital and patience and
the "square deal spirit" are the requi
sites. The field for new Industries
is as broad as the region from the
Roeklea to the Pacific, and the eei.-d
planted now is sure to incubate Into
a plethoric harvest later on.
The Portland Cordage company first
planted a tiny shrub, and at a time
not nearly as propitious as exists
today. It has matured into a healthy
and prosperous institution, and tiu
opportunities for other enterprises
are brighter today than ever before
In the history of Oregon. Wisely
guided and squarely .conducted there
la no reason why success should not
attend the efforts of their manage
ments aa it has attended that of the
factory presided over by Mr. Mears.
Letters From the People
(Oimmunlcatlona aent to The Journal for
publication In this department nhould he writ
ten on only one aide uf the nH-r, should Dt
jceed .' worda lu length and miint he ac
companied by the name und ailtlr"a of tht
lender. If the writer tinea tmj t dealre to bare
U, name published, he should ao date. J
"'DUcnaalon la the greatrat of all reformera.
It ratlouullzra arerything It touchea. It rot
principles of all falat nituctity and throws them
back od their reasonableness. If they bare no
reaaona biei.ess. 11 ru'.blesslv crushes thecD out
of eiUtence aiMl sets up It. iun couclusiona
i-j thtlr stead." Woodrow Wilson.
Criticizing Dr. Lov eland's Sermon.
Portland. Dec. 28. To tho Editor
of The Journal. The Rev. Frank
Loveland's well advertised sermon
on Sunday evening, December 19,
prove,! to be a pitiable attempt to
Justify the stand he had taken for
militarism under the name of pre
paredness for defense. Throughout
his discourse there was a note of fear
that the Socialist would accomplish
what the church has been preaching
for many years, and I am sorry to
say a l umber of Its ministers hav
been insidiously fighting. The re
markable part of the whole affair
ivas the patience with which the con
gregation bore with his weak argu
ments to arouse their fear and there
ty get their acquiescence and sup
port In favor of Increases in our na
val and military forces.
To sum up his address would have
been a success as a farce comedy, but
as a sermon it was no corrtpliment to
the intelligence of the congregation.
fa. KAX WORTHY.
A Correction.
Hood River, Or., Dec. 22. To ths
Editor of The Journal I am Inclosing
a piece cut out of today's paper. Will
you kindly have Mr. Bryan look at
hi Bible again If he has one and see
If he didn't make a mistake, as I
can find no such verse In my Bible
In verse II of Genesis 30.
A SUBSCRIBER.
Through an error very easily made
in teleprophic transmission and trans
cription, the text was Improperly
scribed to Genesis 80:2. The passage
quoted by Mr. Bryan is: "And I'ha-
PERTINENT COMMENT
SMALL CHANGE
It's about time to begin dodging the
bill collectors.
a
Liquor stocks of dealers are fast
dwindling, but prohibition's real test
will come when private stocks run
low.
The man who bought five barrels of
whiskey against the coming of prohi
bition beiieves in prepareuness that
takes full account of .the future.
a'
The Chamber of Commerce having
directed its employes not to r.de in
jiti e s, the hireu help may now bo In
structed on how to get their hair cut.
Judge Stevenson bays gambling Is
so common in i ortland social clubs
thRt H would be unfair to punish a
few who happened lo get caught
at It.
Oregon com carried off seven
prizes at the ft. Paul national corn
Khow. and yet some people keep on In
sisting that corn cannot be grown in
Oregon.
a a
Colonel House, on his way to Europe
as the president's personal represen
tative, reminds one that only a short
time ago the busy politicians Insisted
there was an Irrepressible conflict on
ueiween tho two men.
If. as wag stated by their president
at Medford. Oregon teachers have no
system of ethics among themselves or
toward the pihllc. It Is about time for
the teachers to get down to the basic
principles of teaching.
I
BENNETT OF
Leo L. Redding, In Everybody's.
Undoubtedly Mr. Bennett Is a news
paper genius of the first quality. He
It wa-s who originated the definition
of a great editor as one who knows
where hell is going to break loose next
and how to get a reporter first on the
cene a definition attributed to vari
ous others, but belonging to him and
reflecting some light upon his meth
ods of thought. His genius for three
decades turned him to the big things
of the world, and it Is sad to see it
crippled and distorted by the obstinacy
of his advancing years.
The thousands of readers of the
Herald, once confident that all the news
of all the world would be placed be
fore them, must now accept as news
what the proprietor of that paper
chooses to regard aa such. Instead of
spending tens of thousands to send a
Stanley into Africa and hundreds of
thousands to relieve a famine In Ire
land or some other suffering country,
Mr. Bennett spends similar amounts in
a failure to force the metric system
upon the American public; to prevent
the practice of vivisection upon the
lower form of animals; and to demon
strate that sterilized milk is no better
than the raw material.
Though he makes his home In Eu
rope and does most of his editing by
cable, Mr. Bennett's presence is felt
In the Herald office every day and all
the time. It is to emphasize this ef
fect that he Insists upon having the
lights kept burning In his private of
fice each night until the presses begin
to turn, and everything there kept In
full readiness for him Pencils, pens,
ink, and stationery are properly ar
ranged upon his desk, upon which, too,
are placed, morning and afternoon,
all editions of the New York dally pa
pers. In the editorial council room his big
arm chair, ever ready for his occu
pancy, stands at the head of the table,
and about it Is all the atmosphere that
is supposed to surround a throne- In
the memory of the present generation
the sacred chair has never been vio
lated by plebian touch.
The Herald today Ls a combination
of a dispUm and a puppet show.
Yor n.tny years there has been no
managing editor In name in the Herald
office, though William C. Reick, now
. . i . . . . . f . l. . V ... , i ,-r din . v n r
I JilOOI.e'OI OA Ilia .,cv. Avn. uuu, ' .
j ( Kill the functions of managing editor
rrnil Mr. Bennett caught mm at u.
Since then the Herald has had an in
terlocking system of committees of
coordinate powers. Those powers are
well represented by the minus sign. It
nuikes no difference whether the com
mittees agree or disagree; no action
Is taken until a final decision Is ob
tained from their owner.
Committees to the number of 16
perhaps It is 1 S composed of the tem
porary heads of tho various depart
ments, sit In solemn daily sessions to
discuss routine affairs In connection
with the publication of the Herald and
Telegram. Their proceedings are care
fully recorded by secretaries, whose re
ports are submitted to the proprietor
of the paper. By this method five men
take five times as long to determine
to recommend that something lie done
as an ordinary managing editor would
taJie to do it.
Perhaps the committee system Is at
lt9 best during one of Mr. Bennett's
periodical visits to New York. If
fates are kind, notice of the impending
visit is received from Paris In time to
permit a general housecleanlng. Walls
are mended; paint and whitewash are
uted without stint; desks are put in
order, and, above everything else, the
fire apparatus Is carefully overhauled.
The morning of the day of the Ben
nett arrival the Herald Is certain to
carry on its first news page two semi
stock stories. One is a dog story; the
other describes a runaway, preferably
In Fifth avenue. Runaways always
Intej-est Mr. Hennett, and if necessary
at least a little one can be arranged
with the connivance of a friendly po
liceman. There Is a hush and an atmosphere
of mystery about Herald Square on
the day of Mr. Bennett's arrival. Men
who for a year have worn baggy trous
ers and shiny coats and who have
slouched at their work, appear at the
office hours earlier than is their cus
tom. Their clothea are new, and their
rcah's cup was In my hand; and I
took the grapes and pressed them In
Pharoah's cup and I gave the cup into
Pharaoh's hand." and It is to be found
at Genesis 40:11.
The Movie Censorship.
Portland. Dec. 74. To the Editor of
The Journal Being a subscriber and
cteady reader of your paper, I notice
quite frequently the subject of our
local board of moving picture Inspect
ors crop3 into print, and as a rule It Is
oilticiied. It would be of Interest to
know for Just what work we pay Mrs.
Caldwell. How many pictures does
she condemn a month? For what rea
sons? It might not be a pertinent
question to ask. If the morals of our
lecal censors are not corrupted by this
time. If the pictures they condemned
would have in any way corrupted the
morals of the theatre going public.
I've seen a great many motion picture
shows during the last few years and
must Bay that I've not been able to
perceive one bit of Improvement since
the city decided to pay Mrs. Caldwell
a salary for looking t-fter the "movie"
morals.
The productions aha passes are all
passed by the national board of cen
AND NEWS IN BRIEF
OREGON SIDELIGHTS
The Herald proclaims that with
only one contagious disease case in
lii 15, and that chickenpox. baker can
hang out its sign as the most health
ful city to be found.
Stockmen on the north side of
Rogue river, the Port Orford Tribune
reports, have offered a reward of 160
for the scalp of a coyote that Is prey
ing on the flocks of ttiat vicinity.
a
With I215 of the necessary Rno
subst i lhed. the proposed gymnasium
f liend, the Bulletin fays, is assured.
The plans as submitted provide tor a
frame or brick structure 7u feet -y
lyj feet.
a a
The directors of the Canhy Coopera
tive t'heese and Produce company are
moving matter rapidly in equipping
their new cheese factory. The old
Canby Canning company building will
be the home of the new Industry.
"One hundred and sixty-five rab
bits." says the Paisley Press, "were
killed in two cven.ugs by EU:s David
son and Cecil Thayer when they ar
ranged a trap aroind some alfulfa
stacks In the Tuvnslte field ln.nl
week."
a
The Coos Ray Harbor predicts for
1910 as follows. "Coos Bay faces an
era of prospentv and wii.'i the coming
of the new jtai will hid goodbye to
dull times, nn off 1 ur.her market and
many idle m:il Thr- Is every rea
son to believe that from now on ..!'.
mills will operate steadily, that addi
tional factories will come in, and that
lni6lnesn in ail lines will move along
profitably."
THE HERALD
trousers are stiffly creased. N thing
less than aMiagnifh cut truck oat is
considered decent. Silk hat a:e ne
cessities. The editorial council, us a
result, has all the solemnity and much
of the n( pearance of a i "mention of
undertakers.
Runners are o :t in 'i nearby streets
t-t give notice of . ( approach." Even
"Big Dan" R'.nn, t.ie policeman who
has been a fixture in Herald Square
for 20 years. Is nervous.
By the time Mr. Bennett reaches the
building, there Is not one pf his em
ployes who has not been Xrarned of
his coming. The office is a hive of
Industry, and it remains so as long as
he Is there. He may stay until long
after nightfall, but no one leaves L.
fere him, etn at the urgent call of
hunger there might be a summons to
the Bennett presence. I
Finally a menial pasnea from room
to room with the words of releiue
"lie's gone."
A wild dash is made to the nearest
restaurant; food is hurriedly swal-lcwe-d,
and all are quickly back at
their desk.i. there to remain until a
trusted scout brings word flom his
home that ".Mr. Bennett has retired for
the night."
At 3 o'clock In the afternoon the ex
ecutive committee, composed of seri
ous minded gentlemen, gathers and
waits in silent gluoni for the coming
of Mr. Bennett lo preside. After per
haps an hour of oppressive silence, the
optnlng of a far door brings all mem
bers stiffly to their feet. They remain
standing and in silence until the
"throne" is occupied. Then follows
from Mr. IVnnett a rnp;d fire of
questions and Instructions. The re
cent l.-sitj of the Herald ure torn to
shreds. "y Every r,u connected with the
paper Is declared to bo tiefii i nt.
"Only two stories have appeared In
the last week that have been worth
the sps.ee given to them. m whs
about a runaway In Fifth avenue; the
other about a dog saving a baby's life.
1 hey were both full of h-iiitan in
terest." lina'.ly the one sided debate closes
and the committee session for the day
H at an end. Every one frtands until
the door has closed behind the owiu-r
of the HeralJ. Then there Is a period
of su.-pense, broke ii by the c oming o.'
a cletk to announce that Mr Bennett
will see Mr. Blank in his private of
fice. .Mr Blank's associates know
both relief and Jealousy. Thy are
happy to escape the protab;:;ty of
Immediate and severe personal censure .
but there Is always the possibility that
Blank may come out with a bright
new yellow Jacket and a peacock feath
er to be worn with much ostentat.on
for a very few days.
When the ship carrying Mr Bonnet t
tack to Europe is known to have
passed outsldj Sandy Hook, silk hats
are laid aside, creased troufc3rs and
frock coats are put away in camphor,
and HeraJd Square relaxes- Just a
little. Long breaths are not drawn
until it is certain that no bomb has
been left behind with a slow fuse at
tached. a
Though popularly pictured as living
at ease in Paris or nmlng his way
through 11!. Mr. Bennett most of the
time is the l.urdcst working of men
It Is his habit to rise not later than 5
o'clock In the morning, and more often
than otherwise 4 o'clock tees him at
his labors, If the weather permits
he takes his papers to his garden,
where he works behind a screen of
shrubbery. He first bus?s himself
with the copies of the Herald that
have arrived on the latest rnall phlp.
Theae papers are so nia.rk-d before
they leave the New York offlce that
they tliow the origin of everything
that appears in them, who wrote each
article. and which editorial reader
parsed upon Its quality arid fitness.
This permits Mr. Bennett to weigh
each foature by Itself and then the
paper as a whole, so as to make com
parisons with other New York papers.
That done, he Is ready to use the
cable to convey his conclusions to
those most interested In them. He Is
scant in his praise, tut his criticism is
generous a.s to quantity and of biting
quailty. His punishments are swift,
severe, and as often as not Inflicted
upon the wrong person. Judgment
having once been passed, there is no
appeal.
sors. They represent a vast outlay of
wealth and should not be held up from
being exhibited here, by the mere
whims of Mrs. Caldwell and some
other member of the board. Aleo on
l, rod authority, I've received the in
formation "that after the city procures
tre use of a theatre In which the board
can sit In ease and comfort and view
the pictures, often only one member
of the board Is present, and we, the
public have to suffer for the vagaries
and eccentricities o. that one brain in
the matter of regulating what we can
frnl cannot see. Why riot have a
board to examine the traveling "leit"
shows and make them put on the pro
duction for the board to examine be
fore allowing the public to see It? The
case Is perfectly analogous, excepting
that no board, national or otherwise,
passes on the legitimate show, whereas
the moving picture has already been
viewed and rassed before It arrives
here. To settle this question one and
for all. I suggest that the moving pic
ture managers provide tickets for all
patrons of their ahows for a period of
one week and take a vote on whether
the public desires the board or not,
and If. aa I confidently expect. It will
not, then let'a have our city fathers
abolish It. GERALD W. REED.
Tne0nce0ver
RALPH"" MA IN WARING Is the traf
fic cop at F.fth and MorrUoB
and also plays the slide trombone '
In the police bard.
And toe only th'i-g that I can
that prevents Ralph from being th
handsomest man on the force
is that all the o" ..r policemen
are better looki- than he Is.
And he remind s me of a little
poem that Tom M ' ker ex-swet
singer of the Lumber me.. s building
dashed off one lime - which goes like
Uils:
Behol.t the lordlv ':i,fdf cop.
Who tells the tra't, to stop;
He simply blows h . w u , -. t le. then
The traffic all star-- .;i again
U And all I've got t say about
Tom's i-em
Is that It's no wo, 1, r .
he dashed It off.
51 But the reason I've choSen Ralph
aside from Ills looks at the BUh
Ject of the sermon lor the day la
that his wife at leant fiays she
did it pave him a copy i I the Once
Over book for Christmas.
'Aid Halph says ho llk.-s it.
--because all he has to ! after a
hard day of traffic corpir.g .s to
take tho book.
and sit down.
and start to read It.
and h goes right to sleep.
51 And a lolof other people say the
same thing.
For Instance there's Boh Duncan
- the well known strati hanger wno
edits tho . Oregon Merchant ' Maga
zine. And Bob says In a recent lsue
that he'd rather read It than any
thing except his own stuff.
51 But of course wo all have our
favorite authors.
5J And another tribute equally -flattering
cajnie from Postmaster Frank
Myers the well known maker of near
national committeeman.
51 And the p. m. told me that there
w-ere only two things that he d rather
read - than my book.
5i And I asked him what they war.
- and he said the Ladies Home
Journal.
--and the Congressional Record,
f And Pvt. yet to hear from such
eminent Ut'erateurs aa Kernel Wood
the wtlst-wiit h anarchist.
- -and I'resident Fosterof Rfted
college.
- who lavs thnt college athletics
should be- purified.
or d.ih.' tun d.
r fumlcnte.i.
-or something.
51 An 1 Of 'nurse all these things
are of deadly interest to rne at
least.
f But whnt I really wsht to knnr
is who s the man -that looks like
M. 1 .. '1 imhei t
i - .and who gac me fifty rents
i for a 1 ojk - in front of the Orpheum
the other cay.
and didn t grt the book.
5T B it I've got his fifty centa.
--that Is - gavf It to me.
"Aid J dc t WHUt to bo curr-ed
w.-n :ii"i''V 1 d n I ei. :n.
- and I'm all foem-d . p
and I don I l.tcw what to do
and
T I.ISTKN Maybe It serves me
rlgtit--for trying to be a book agent.
Helen Indorses at T,east One of Taddy's
PoUdai.
lleien J'.oot Is nine ea i s 'd, and
lives w.rji I r ;.r.nt.- at ll'C'l East
, I I.ir: de: s t , et . Her grsndma Is Mrs.
j.V.ijie . B. -.-, president ot" the I.av
j ei.d-r i Jul), ni a noli i
I 'j'here w.i an iirlnoit. d d ' w . ion
lit I I ! i ' 's I ou -. t i r , r ,(,, i, t to
line ad.: sal . ' , ..f bilk-' f.imiilis
I'-Wco.' ; 1 1 i Helen, att.r everyone
else had be.: 1 i-r .t , ' i ' Mr. large
I families at.- t: If grardma hidn't
j had a hif-e .i - .,) I wo : dn't hake got
s- maji) . i i litmus prc-.-nia."
Send It In Him.
Ynnciojve i . V. i -' , . I : . r I rig a prlia
for the, biS ' -!nii,!U J"t- t e town, nd
! l t -r It .' ' i '. aills la-
. t . T me n, .1.. - .i ..,: d. iit bid for
tne n.oney wuh 'a;uo...cr! Improve
ti'-i
Editorial Repartee.
A
wanted
to orn ni . t s n i ' i J - .
Jumping off the bridg'
t ioi;e!it 1t was the q ,
out .Vl:.iin. Curv.il
Tln.ti.
The rtn w .i - '
valils, am: pre: :
In g fort lii t ' .i
Aiuany Ikh.ui rat.
-tcrdav by
Prooably
; kt way
s Gazttte-
'or Cor
!l to go
. ..-tlot.
StoriGr oT
StreeilT own
(Somebody Wm Fooled.
THIS hour of discontent among the
liquor dealers is not without
Its amusing compensations. Since the
has beerv an almost hourly aciurrence.
Enter olernn vlsaged stranger who
hesitates but finally In a confidential
tone says to the clerk
"I waxit a little llquorJust for
medicinal purposes -how much do yoj
think I should get."
"A small bottle will lat a long while
If used nly a-s rriedl ir.e."
"Well,; I thlr.k we ujtlit to have a
little mre than that, ojr family la
quite a large one."
"You fr. Ight take a quart then."
"I do't know, I p ihh we ought
to put Irj half a dozer: t ig nettles."
'Anything flsc, Mr"
"Do yHi keep a good wine for medi
cinal purP'S-"
Yes. pir."
"Weil you might show m some if
that."
Thus It goes on until the aer'oua
party, better fortified ngalnst the ap
proaching dry spell t i.an the avtrasa
,r .pt.Kumer, departs on M way
rejohingj fully convinced he haa
compltttdy fooled the liquor ri-.in.
The Impossible Happens.
THE grade on College street from
Twtlth to Fourteenth, is 21.1 per
cent. The Oregon Humane so'iety haa
not placed warning slirns at the start
of the Incline, because few wagons us
the hill." and those that do generally
! find It Necessary to t.ie the climb
very easily.
Ho wrjen a bay l.orr-e during Tues
d.i . s Merit! ployed thro jtrt the mud on
tlie two flocks al a iery last walk and
tnen continued on up t'... very narrow
22. f pert cent grade from Fourteenth
to Sixteenth street, without once paus
ing. th;Mll dwellers were astonished.
It wai a runaway.
The lt wa?on that tried to nego
tiate the grade on College street, even
with tha assistance of a driver, cam
to a nn end over the bank, yet this
drlverless horse and buggy cam bed tha
hill, turned around st the aaot where
the last; wagon went over, wXnt down
the hilfj t'i Twelfth street alt sUU
faster gja.lt and was last seen running
as fast u it could go, r.orth on Iwelfta
street- y .
I 9
V I: