THE ' OREGON DAILY. JOURNAL," , PORTLAND, THURSDAY, DECEMBER; 21, 1818.
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FOREIGN ADTEimSINO KEPEEf ENTATITB
Benjamin Ktotsor Co., Brsnewlck Blag.,
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Amarlra aks nothing for bereel' lint what
' aba baa a right to an for humanity Itself.
A WOODKOW WILSON.
Mllllona (or. defense, but not a fast tor
trlboto CHARLE8 C. PINCKKKT.
1 am of :lnlon that, unless yon eould
bray Christianity la a mortar, and mould
tt Into a new paate, there la no poaal
blllty of a holy war. Bacon.
PEACE?
0'
N ITS face, the Lloyd-George
speech offers little hope of
an early peace.
The "complete restitution.
run reparation ana eiiectuai guar
antees" which he demands of Ger
many are severe terms. Germany
: would resist tbem as impossible
.term- If adhered to by the allies.
It would prolong tbe war to a point
Of exhaustion.
L The speech, . however. Is an ad-
;vodata's speech, it was uttered
more for the people of England
and the people of the world than
for the commons. It Is a masterly
presentation of the issues from the
.allies' viewpelnt. r
y Bargaining between chancelleries
lis "as common as between horse
Uraders. The fixing of terms in
;the settlement of a trillion-dollar
war will begin with the prices
''marked up. "Complete restitution,
full' reparation and effectual guar
antees," tremendous as they are in
terms, are an offer to do business.
There will be a counter orrer from
.Germany and her allies. A confer
ence' Will probably result, to end
possibly ' In agreement, perhaps In
disagreement.
" ' Horrible as is the cost, it Is not
; probable that the allies want the
: war to end right after the blunder
in Roumania. Or right after the
jblunder in Greece. Or with Ger-
man arms so well staged in the
' ,Balkans. Or with German troopB
on the soil of every contiguous
belligerent except Italy end Eng
land. Or with the conflict in a
status where, if It suddenly ended,
Germany would certainly point to
It as a German victory and an al
lied, defeat, a contention to which
an impartial world would almost
assent.
'. Lloyd-George's great speech
roakes It clear that the entente
"Towers have not bad the benefit of
the highly . concentrated organiza-
li. mnjw yiuyuucu w uiyiuy lu
the .prosecution of the war. Con
viction as to that and expectation
of accentuated organization and
: cooperation, will strongly hold the
allied '. governments to demands
that Germany will be slow to con-
cede. .
, .Peace or no peace will rest
largely with the peoples of the en
tente nations. If the governments
can bold their peoples to further
submission to the awful atresa of
h Aftnfllxf h on fan tea wilt rttnr
plete .restitution, :full reparation
and effectual guarantef s." That
U Ilia luitna imAn which neara ar
war now rests.
'! Meanwhile civilization can, If It
will, draw from the peace propos
als and replies the most ominous
lesson "that history can present
July 28. 1914. Just before war was
declared, . Sir Edward Grey, then
British secretary of state for for
eign affairs, proposed to the Ger
man foreign office that representa
lives ' '."of Germany, France, ' Italy
and Great Britain "meet here In
conference Immediately for the pur
pose of discovering an issue which
would prevent complications. " It
was. 4 proposal for k conference
for the peaceful adjustment of, the
trouble between Austria and Russia
over the- Serbian Issue. - i i';--: ,
- ':' After nearly 29 months of ghaat-
luii auii terror, a, coiuerencv
is now suggested to do what It vu
proposed to do in the July confer
, ence of 19 14 which was not held,
v. By the" official testimony of the
fighting nations, these things have
happened in the interim: i'
Germany says in the peace pro
posals handed ;the American repre
sentative for transmission to . the
entente- governments:.; ?
: Tha spiritual and matartal pregreas
which wera.tha prlda of Kuropo at
1 'ttiWH' .'. .
the beginning of- th twentieth cen-1
fury , are threatened with ruin.
Germany says in the peace fcote
sent to tbe -Vatican: r
Europe. which formerly wss devoted
to the ,: propagation of religion and
civilization, which, waa trying to fin
aolutlon for social problem .and was
the horn of aclenee end art and ail
peaceful labor, now resembles an im
mense war camp in, which the achieve
ments and works of many decades
ar doomed to annihilation.
Austria says in the note handed
the American representatlye for de
livery by the United State, to the
entente powers:
Continuation of tbe murderous war
In which th enemy can destroy much
but cannot as the quadruple alliance
la firmly confident alter fate, la ever
more seen to be an act of Inhumanity
justified by no necessity and a crime
against civilization.
If civilization ever had a warn
ing 'against war and an appeal for
agreement by negotiation, it has
it now in the, proposal for a con
ference that waa postponed July
26, 1914, until there could be a
teat of arms.
The forces are said to be gather
ing for an assault in the legisla
ture on the Oregon Workmen's
Compensation law. Do they forget
that on referendum, the measure
carried every county in the state,
some counties by a vote of four to
one? Do they forget that the
Oregon supreme court in an opin
ion - declared it to ' be "twentieth
century legislation"? Will the leg
islators forget?
MYRTLE WHITE
RAGIC Is the story of Myrtle
White. What can not passion
do with human beings when
they submit to its sway?
There were no witnesses to her
deed but tbe dead walla of the
room in a Salem hotel where she
fired the shots that killed her
lover and then herself. But If the
walls could speak they would strike
ne A ii m Vv wrttpt a tola t r nnlnaaa
and despair. Not wisely but too
well the poor girl had loved. "We
liave had our time," she wrote in
her last letter. "There never was
another like it." And then time
ended for her and him.
Poor children, may God forgive
them. They set sail without a
compass on the black ocean of pas
sion and their boat was wrecked.
So are all shipwrecked who voyage
without guidance. When we read
stories like' Myrtle ..White's we
shudder and pray. For there
seems to be no full protection from
the demon that tempts and kills
except in superhuman might. So
often does the passion npon which
life depends drag our children
down to death.
And yet there is hope. This
passion, terrible as it appears, fatal
as t may be, is not Inevitably
evil. In that strange book. The
Wandering Jew by Eugene Sue,
there is a wonderful passage bear
ing upon this matter. The author
explains to his readers bow the
Jesvflt potentate who plays a part
in the story built up his power. It
was by storing up tbe passions of
bis body and directing their en
ergy into new channels. It was not
by the "suppression" of passion. ;
bcience nas invented a Detter word
for it. The secret of his master
mind was the "sublimation" of pas
sion. The passion which brought Myr
tle White and her lover down to
despairing graves might have been
"sublimated" Into something rare
and beautiful had the miracle
worker been at hand In time. The
energy that destroyed their youth
was something precious. It should
have been saved
It should have
oeen spent upon long lives for
themselves and happiness for
Others. But it was lost for want
of "sublimating" equipment in the
world. Who will provide ua with
the social machinery that shall
transform these deadly passions
into conservators of life?
The express companies of New
York say their Christmas business
Is the heaviest in history. The. courage by taking a second wife
department 6tores in all the big j to his bosom. His first matrixoo
cltles and the other places where. nlal adventure, as we understand.
Christmas buyers shop, give eimi
lar testimony. What a contrast
with Christmas in Europe! We are
amid tha blessings of a nation at
peace.
MUNICIPAL BOOTBLACKS
e-e-iniu vregoman nas not come
w m r i a
I J?rK mufIclpal bootblack
establishments exactly. Our
wise contemporary merely in
timates that a municipal bootblack
ery Is as needful as a municipal
light and power .plant. It is idle
to dispute Over tastes. And Just
about as Idle to dispute over the
sense of values. If a big newspa-
per ees no difference between the! 5,000,000 men Just now. Later, of
value to the City of a bootblack course, they , will ask for a real
establishment and a great publlo : army, say some ten or fifteen mil
uymy. why it does not see any dlf- j lion troops. But for a makeshift
f erence and there the matter ends. : until they get ' their real plans
If a man la blind he is blind and j formulated three million will do.
Quite frequently there Is ao cure
fqr hira.
The Oregenian's witty article on
this subject reminds one ef the vil
lage cut-up who thought It would
be a great Joke to take his pet
polecat to bis mother's funeral.
It would give the xiourncra such a
pleasant $urprlse. The hardships
of the poor under monopoly grind
ing may look funny to our wealthy
contemporary. We have seen boys
laugh at the antics of a kitten
wMen : they were skinning alive.
But the kitten was not even smil
ing. . c'tH-
For one brief moment the Ore-
gonlan does' seem "to take the nb-
Ject : of public utilities seriously.
This hi when it saya that the city
already enjoys the benefit of three
competing light and power com
panies. And why ask for more?
Nobody would ask for more If the
three companies effectively .com
peted or conld be made to do so.
Their "competition gives Portland
9 cent current while Cleveland,
under municipal ownership gets the
same service for 3 cents.
At this time, The Journal Is not
approving pr disapproving the pro
posal for a municipal lighting sys
tem. But it is worth while to say
that if the Oregonlan really wishes
to, argue this diverting theme,x it
might begin by telling us of some
city where municipal light and
power costs the consumer more
than monopoly light and power.
Does it know of any such city?
No annual gathering. Is given as
much space in the newspapers as
the meetings cf the National Edu
cation association. For nation
wide publicity the convention next
July will be the biggest thing that
ever, happened in. Portland.
STORAGE ABUSES
s
OME day, the manipulation of
cold storage will end in a rev
olution. What is happening to tbe
saloon should be a warning to
those who coin dividends out of
the abuses' of cold storage. The
Chicagoan who boasted that he 'had
72,000.000 eggs in cold storage
and tauntingly queried, "what are
the people going to do about it?",
caused thousands of people to ar
rive at very definite conclusions.
You can stealthily pluck people a
long time, but when you openly
boast to them that you are doing
it, they will not long stand hitched.
Many people of sound minds al
ready believe cold storage plants
fv.
He regulation. Others believe they
should be publicly owned and be
conducted with only enough charge
to cover the expense with the
widest publicity, as to all opera
tions. The latter argue that In no
other way can speculators be pre
vented from manipulating the
prices of fruits, eggs, butter and
other food products.
One abuse of cold storage Is the
practice of selling storage eggs as
fresh eggs. That is a swindle on
the consumer and a swindle on the
producer. It puts eggs six months
old in competition with fresh eggs,
and is, fraud.
The benefits of storage should
be for the Joy and service of the
human atom and not for his op
pression. Its potentialities are
8UC that the storage process
6hould not be a private snap but, a ,
public boon. '
Unless the abuses become less
visible, private storage will go the
way the saloon went.
Under present arrangements', big
profits are coined out of the feed
ing of prisoners in Multnomah
county. The county furnishes the
accommodations, navn all exnenses.
hlre, the BDlff and shoul(i re.
v,a nrnfit. rvn tv.. inmm.ni
Would a private enterprise turn
all Its profits over to a paid em
ploye? BURBANK'S WEDDING
T
HE country showers Luther
Burbank with good wishes.
At the venerable age of 65
he has embarXed once more
on the perilous sea of matrimony.
jMay he have fair sailing Into har-
' bor. Mr. Burbank has always
j shown himself a man of courage.
' His Inveatiscatlons into nlant breed-
ing were begun long before most
of the world conceived such a
thing to be practically possible.
Like a bold pioneer he struck out
on the trail into the unknown and
brought back rare treasures of
knowledge from tho wilds.
Now he shows perhaps still more
was prosperous. If Mr. Burbank
were a timid man he would rest
on his laurels and not tempt for
tune again. But with admirable
fortitude he stakes his life's hap
piness a second time. May the
fates be still propitious and make
his winnings plentiful. He has
don6 mnch to mr.ph thlk ttftrI .
jWe pay him in the coin of happy
hopes.
MODERATE DEMANDS
0
UR war maniacs are surrjris-
Ingly moderate in their de
mands, considering that they
are maniacs. They only want
I They can not raise three million
men without i conscription. But
conscription Is part of the game
as they wish to play it. When
they have the lives and liberties
of the entire population in their
hands they will be' happy and not
before.
Militarism grows with what it
feeds on, . Today three million
men are wanted. Tomorrow they
will want thirty million. No army
is ever big enough to satisfy the
demon , of militarism. They are
shouting- now that the United
States oould be "crushed" by Japan
and ; England,- Yes, ft cduld per-
haps. And tbe sky might fall and
tbe moon turn to - green cheese.
All these events are about equally
likely to : happen. ,
Letters From the People
(Ommntiloatlona aeot to The Joaraal - fnr
publication la thla ttepartmrst ahooid bo writ
tMi oa only ata aide of tb paper, rbootd not
cs.ced 800 worda In les(tU and naat be af
eoaipBaled by tbe name and addreaa at tbe
aDder. If rbe writer duea eot deaire to kae
tki una pabajbed tie afcoeld etf etate.)
"DLaeatitan Is tbe ereataat ef aU refonnere.
It rattoaliea ewytbUv It toochee.' It rob
principle ef all falae aauetlty and throw tbem
back oa their reeaoaabkovea. If ibey bar no
rraaonabletwaa, it ru'.bleaai craahea tbeut oot
of exiatrore and acta BP Its ot voncliuiona la
tLetr atead." Woodrowr Wlleou.
Transportation Comparison.
Portland, Dec, 20. -To tha Editor
of The Journal "Rob not tha poor,
because ha is poor. Prov. 2S:22.
"Ha that oppresseth tht, poor to in
crease his gain, and he that gtveth to
the rich shall come only to want"
Prov. 22:16.
It is Just that tha Portland Rail
way, Light & Power company (in
Philadelphia) receive protection. But
not at the expense of any other legit
imate business. If the whole of
the above be not true, then let ua go
back to tha old "stage coach," for. like
the American Indian, the stage coach
was first on jthe scene. When steam
was utilised and the locomotive real
ized, th stage coach was practically
relegated to the rear. The baby car
riage superseded the arm carriage, the
bicycle the velocipede, the motorcycle
and the automobile the bicycle, and
the electric car the mule car, etc.
We agree that these perfections have
in a great degree added to the com
fort of the general public. In the
first Issue the big business monop
olised transportation at the expense of
the poor man. .This is well and good.
Today automobiles are being built at
prices to fit the average man's purse,
and at that with a speed equal to and
surpassing the speed of the Portland
Railway. Light & Power company's
cars. This is the present day issue:
the poor man Is due to return to
his primitive Job public transporta
tion, and the Jitney due to supersede
the streetcar.
Justice: It would not be Just to
force such regulations and terms, etc.,
upon the streetcar company as would
make it impossible for them to make
a legitimate profit for their labor, as
long as the public good was 'not In
jeopardy. And If this be true with
reference to the streetcar company.
Why not apply the same rule to the
Jitney? We are convinced that the
regulations and terms binding the
Portland Railway, Light & Power com
pany have been liberal enough to al
low them to realize mfNions of dol
lars at the expense of. the public and
pay the rich stockholders (in Philadel
phia) in heavy dividends,,. If the reg
ulations and terms binding the street
car company are such as to allow
them to realise a profit from their
business, then in 'the name of Justice
we ask, have the mayor and city
commissioners a right to bind the Jit
ney men to such regulations and terms
as will force them to quit running?
Moral: If I am not mistaken the
Portland Railway, Light V Power com
pany has been putting out pamphlets
headed "Watta Watt" written for
self-flattery. Just a few nights ago
I was riding in a Williams avenue car,
and If I am to base my esteem upon
the conductor and motorman of that
car by a conversation they Indulged
in at the end of the line, It would
be expressed by the statement that
the virtue of an v mother's srirl would
not be safe alone In their presence.
hls implies that the nature of the
man working- for the streetcar com
pany la tbe same as that of the man
following any other occupation. And
further, if the force of the pamphlet
is intended as a silent rebuke to tbe
character of tha Jitney driver, let them
remember that if public light should
be flashed upon the canvas of their
hearts we might be seeing things.
8. L. MENDEL.
The Negligence of the Railroads.
Portland, Dee. 10. To the EJltor
of The Journal In the Labor Press
of November 25, In a double-column
editorial, Scott Nearing asks many
clear and cutting questions about
the railroads. They should be an
swered, and would be If Americans
lived up to their reputation ef being
''free and independent
But one question whieh he doesn't
ask. will you kindly answer for your
readers?
What would we think: of a house
wife who should be informed that
she was to have 11 neop'e at dinner,
but made provision for but six? Would
we be content with her explanation
that there was a "dinner shortage."
The railroad managers, if they were
ordinarily intelligent about their, wn
business, must have known there 'was
to be an' unprecedented call for
freight cars this fall and winter. They
are said to have made a billion in
profits tbe past year. If they were
really fit to manage so great a public
utility as the railroad system of the
United States, wouldn't they 5iave
foreseen this need and provided
against it. instead of cutting so many
melons for themselves?
Don t you think that we, the peo
ple of the United States, should first
squeeze the laat drop of water out of
railroad valuations and then take over
these public highways and run them
for use and not for private profit?
E. F. B.
From a Friend of the Horse,
Portland. Dec. 20. To the Editor of
The Journal After reading J. Corson
Miller's eulogy on "Blind Jim." a faith
ful old truck horse that dropped dead
on his Job, 1 wondered If there were
anybody in Portland who loves the
horse as much.
The honest servant and benefactor
Of the human race, unlike the coveted
auto, will take his master home, drunk
or sober. While life lasts he will help,
without murmur, to feed and clothe
the family. He dies in battle with his
master, seldom if ever shirks a duty,
and often carries him out of 'danger.
And when the last requiem has died
away, majestically draws his remains
to their last resting place.
Think of the colored soldier and his
dying horse in Mexico. And yet we
stand on the corner and listlessly see
the heartless driver go by. Jerking the
iron bit in the mouth of the patient
horse every few seconds In addition
to compelling him to draw a heavy
load. Soon comes the double team with
ton of freight, their beads drawn to
one wide and they, toe, seem! to be
friendless as well. Methinks if they
were allowed one prayer to their mas-'
ter It would be for better treatment.
If there Is no adequate punishment
for each treatment of the test friend
humanity has on earth, civilisation is
not all it should be.
JOHN M. PATNE.
Prohibition and Taxes.
Oregon City. Or., -Dec. 18. To the
Editor ail The Journal Prohibition
has accomplished many things for
which we should be truly thankful. U
nas given us a mend in the Telegram.
That, the entire nation wilt ultimate
ly go dry. aa Representative Fitcger
aid says it will. It would be well for
all Interested to take cognizance of tha
S2T,06fl.Q0 -liquor tax that somebody
will have te pay towards the upkeep
of the nation, since the amount will ba
ao longer forthcoming from -the brew-
era. Fitzgerald la "all rigbt In his
declaration, but he didn't go ' far
enough. He should have said, for the
benefit of Oregon folks, that tbey
would have to pay a goodly portion of
this Immense sum over and above
their present exorbitant - taxes. - The
Telegram should be appointed to de
vise ways and means and make col
lection of the increased taxes within
the state, it might start in first
by, taxing the bachelor. That is, any
man past the age of 25 years would
of necessity consider himself eligible
to bachelorship or some other Institu
tion less respected. 8econd, it might
do worse than tax all the men of
opposite political faith, since anything
freakish is likely to be propounded
as sound logic and connon sense.
Third, it might get permission from
the city counell to use Alder street
in any way it saw fit to attain its
object. It could then invite the "Lady
from the Washington ranch" (with all
due apologies to tbe lady) to come
and talk to these poor creatures who
are so badly in need of enlighten
ment that they must be told when it
is time for them to marry. We, the
people, then would be given the op
portunity of seeing things accom
accomplished that are undertaken by
the paper which "says and does
things." E. W.
The Farmer7 Coat.
Pdrtland, Or., Dec 17. To the
Editor of The Journal We hear so
many city people complaining about
the farmers charging such high prices
for. eggs, potatoes and other farm
produce. Now, I want to say we
farmers do not set the prices on eggs,
potatoes and many other things we
have to sell. Then why should any
one blame us? Consumers are not
paying this price to us farmers. We
are not getting the high prices. They
are not buying eggs, potatoes and
other farm products from us, but
from the markets, stores and com
mission men. If they have any com
plaint to make, let them complain to
the man they buy from. They seem
to think we farmers can get any
price for our goods that we ask, but
if they ever owned a farm they
would soon think differently. When
ever wo ship eggs, or whatever it
may be, w have to abip to a com
mission house and they set the price
on our goods and pay us whatever
they want to. Wo have to take what
they give us, and consumers have to
pay what they ask for goods. We get
a low price and the consumers pay a
high price for the same goods.
But do fhey think It costs no more
to produce eggs this year than it did
three years ago? Three years ago
chicken feed cost less than half as
much as it does this year, and eggs
are selling no higher this year than
they did three years ago. Do they
think that by boycotting the eggs
they will help cut down the price on
eggs? They may cut the price for a
while Because many a poor man is
trying to make a living In the poul
try business and has to sell his eggs
to make a living for himself and
maybe a large family, but he will
have to sell his chickens this spring
and raise something else. Hundreds
of small and large poultry men will
be forced to quit the business this
winter, and next winter consumers
will be lucky if they get a taste of
fresh egg.
When eggs are selling at 60 cents
per dozen to the consumer the farmer
and poultryman are getting only 3jo
per dosen. Let us figure on the cos:
of a. sack of potatoes. If the farm
is away from Portland and the pota
toes have to be hauled about six miles
to the railroad station, without count
ing the cost of land and interest on
the money invested in such land, tno
taxes and the cost of plowing, cult!
vatlng and harvesting the crop, it
will cost 10 cents to dig and -sort
each sack of potatoes. The sack costs
from 12 to 15 centa The hauling
to the depot cost 10 cents. The freiKht
to Portland la 10 cents. The commis
sion 6 cents, making one sack ef
potatoes cost me about 60 cents with
out counting other expenses, as stated
above, and if potatoes are selling for
m i-oruana tn0 rarmer will get
only xu cents at the commission house.
After cutting 0 cents from the price
of 80 cents the farmer will get only
20 cents for a sack of potatoes. anJ
the consumer is paying J1.26 for thes
sam potatoes at the store.
Apples are the same. We get only
40 cents for a box of apple that the
consumer pays a dollar for.
I think if some of these people that
are boycotting the egg business would
live on a farm a year and work for
their living as we farmers do. they
would cut out this boycotting and try
to neip tne iarmera.
FARMER JONES.
Objects to Certain Banners,
Portland, Dec. 16. To the Editor
of The Journal A parade marched
down Thjrd street at noon today car
rylng banners in violation of the city
traffic ordinance No. 32091, section 7,
which reads as follows:
No transparency or sign larger
than 36 Inches shall be borne, carried
or moved in the prohibited district.1
In the parade, were a dozen boys
wearing Boy Scout uniforms, assisted
by men who carried banners three by
four and three by six. respectively.
Why should this be permitted and the
police look on and take no action?
Owing to the fact that these boys
wore the regular military regalia of
the popular Boy Scouts, and owing to
the fact that they were sons of sgl
dlers advertising a certain theatre. Is
no reason they (the theatre people)
should openly ignore the law-
Away with the system of govern
ment that stands for favoritism as
against democracy and fair play. The
writer herewith vplces bis protest
against such high handed partisanship,
and the total indifference on the part
of police officers who are sworn to
enforce the traffic laws without fear
pr favor. R. V. COVENTRY.
The Crossing at Thirty-seventh.
Portland, Dec. 19. To the Editor of
The Journal Tour correspondent. A.
B., uses a column of your space to give
voice to his opposition to the. pro
posed viaduct at the Junction of the
O-W. R. N. tracks with the P. R.
It. A P. company at East Thirty-sev
enth street, urging, first, the great
cost of the Improvement, and, second,
the assumption that it is not really
necessary.
To the first, it is readily admitted
that the cost of any undertaking is an
objection. If it did not coat anything
to do thousands of desirable things,
then those thousands of things would
be done without meeting with any
special objection. But some things
must be done, even with the fact star
ing us in the face that it will take
money. One of these is this very
proposition to secure life against loss
at the crossing of- these two railway
tracks.
"Eaflly obtainable figures demon
strata that thousands of lives have
been lost try Just such neglect as
your correspondent suggests the neg
lect to Insure safety where danger
constantly lurks. This point at East
Thirty-seventh street is just such
nlaoe.
It it a wise undertaking on the part
ef the railway authorities and the city.
That part of the proposition baa al
ready been, settled. The need ef it is
no - longer a debatable question. It
has passed that stage. And it doean'
pay. to postpone a matter of this character.-
I read Just the other day in
an eastern, magazine an Instance of a
farmer , (he wrote the aeeeunt himself
7 : .r
PERTINENT COMMENT
SMALL CHANGE
Dollar- wheat now looks aa low to
the farmer aa Itonce looked high.
Perhaps the egg boyeottera are peo
ple who did their Christmea- shopping
early.
Mr. Bryan's self-imposed task la the
task of leading the nation to water to
make it quit drinking.
It will be mighty tough on our
first con grass woman when she finds
she must be content with "leave to
print,"
For a nation so thoroughly "hated"
as ours, the good old U. S. A. seems to
be4 a good deal In the peace news,
after all.
'Twlxt optimist and pessimist the
difference is that between one man
talking about the money won on elec
tions and another man talking about
the money lost.
The Germans re'po rt that the British
have seized 41,000 bags of mail. Bo
that saves Uncle Sam and the other
neutral the trouble of counting thero;
Well, the world will stand for se
cret, or even ultra-secret, diplomacy,
if it takes that to end the war: but
it wants no more of the secret diplo
macy that starts wars.
If tha minds of Europe's chancel
lors could only be put In escrow It
would hurrv Deace alonr Just as the
related procedure in civil life hurries
along the ordinary form of real, estate
aeai. ,
THE STORAGE
From tbe Rural New Yorker.
Every year since cold storage, ware
houses have been in use for the reser
vation of food products from one sea
son to another, dealers have gone
through the western states from In
diana to Oklahoma, and gathered up
eggs in the spring season and nela
them in storage until the, supply of
fresh laid eggs became scarce in the
fall. The prices paid the producer in
Oklahoma have ranged from five cents
a dozen up to 1G cents and II cents
at different times and different places.
The cost of storage. Including inter
est and insurance, candling and loss,
amounts to less than 4 cents a dosen:
and 3 cents to 4 cents a dozen Is a
good wholesale profit; and 6 cents a
dozen is a liberal profit for .the re
tailer, so that cold storage eggs at re
tail stores would give everybody a
good profit and retail at S cents above
the price to the producer. The custom
Is, however, to sell these eggs as fresh
eggs and under the disguise of fresh
eggs. Cold storage eggs sell at four
to five times the price paid the pro
ducer for them.
a e
Fresh eggs at this time of the year
are produced largely in New York and
ether eastern atates; and In the mar
ket the cold storage eggs are sold In
competition with these fresh state
eggs and sold at a price just a little
under the price of the actual state
eggs, with the result that the fresh
eggs are discriminated sgsinst in the
market. The demand for them Is les
sened because the housewife is made
to believe that the storage eggs are
fresh and, of course, this trickery re
duces the demand for the fresh eggs
and ultimately discourages the pro
duction of fresh state eggs, so that
this swindle of the consumer becomes
a fraud on the producer ea well. Laet
season eggs Were bought from pro
ducers at 15 cents to 18 cents a dosen
and Put in cold storage. They could be
wholesaled at 27 cents to 28 cents a
dozen and retailed at 12 cents to S3
cents a dosen. They have recently been
selling at 38 cents a dozen wholesale
and from 60 cents to 60 cents retail..
One dealer in Chicago, by the name
of Wets, bragged that he had 72.000,-
000 eggs in storage and that he was
going to hold them for (0 cents a
dosen wholesale. When the people com
plained he asked what they were going
to do about it. In response to this de
fiance and monopoly the mayors of the
te Illustrate how a delay may prove
very expensive and foolish) who one
day noticed a strap on his harness had
worn very thin. But he was in a
hurrv and did not stop to mend it at
once. He would do that later, when he
had more time. Bo it was postponed.
A few days afterward, while he was
busy cutting his wheat, that strap
broke In two. He was a mile from
the barn and sought to bore holes In
each end of the strap and temporarily
mend it with a string that he found in
his pocket. But his knife was dull and
It Shut od bis finger and severely cut
it. He was then compelled to go to
the barn, get a piece of leather ana
tools, return and do a place of work
that he could have aone in a iew min
utes during some preceding morning
or evening and without loss of time.
As It was. he lost two nours time ana
had a sore finger to nurse for a week.
The point is that tnis worn at ii-ast
Thirty-seventh street should be done
as soon as the authorities can get st
it. The loss of one life would be
greater than the amount or the en
tire expenditure If the person killed
u member of mv family Or that
of "A. S." And Individual members ef I
other families are equally valuable
to those families.
ROSE CITY PARK.
Wonders of the HeaTenju
Pendleton. Or., Dec. 18. To the
Editor of The Journal In regara to
the strange "celestial phenomenon"
which Eugene O. Brown of Cornelius
writes about, I saw the yery same
kind of flash In the heavens in Colo
rado about 15 or 17 years ago. It was
in the fall of the year, about 8 or t
o'clock p. m. That flash was so
awe-inspiring that I shall remember it
all my life. It was a very clear night.
If I remember right, there was not a
cloud, in sight. The moon also was
shining brightly. This flash of light
was as bright as day and lasted three
or four seconds. Where this flash
came from was very high in tbe sky.
After this flash I looked UP quickly
and saw a srthUe-like streak. It looked
like coals of fire without the flame
quite bright at first and gradually
getting dimmer and smaller. But the
streak held its shape to the last.
WILLIAM BCHMALINO.
The Streetcar Conductors.
By N. 8. Keaaey.
Away where the curtains of sunset
Are woven in crimson and gold.
On the banks of a deep flowing river
There's a city of beauty untold.
The evergreen nllls encompass
The homes in the valley below.
While distant the mountains stand
guard
Ever clothed in their mantles ef
. snow.
it's not the wealth or the beauty. ,
That makes for the city Its praise.
But ever the people we meet
With kmdly and courteous ways.
To the streetcar conductor I cite you
As men truly helpful and kind;
Wherever. you go we are certain
Those fcetter you'll surely not find.
And a "Thank you" is easily spoken
Whenever assistance they give.
And we trust that the ladies will say,
'Long, lopg may these gentlemen
And we wish them a bountiful Christ
mas, With ever a glad New Year.
V Same aa Ever..
" rroza' $be flwHa Tlajea-tnlon.
'Norway 'baS ' put " an - embargo 'on
th'e export of raw copper." , i
"Oh, welL Ireland will continue to
supply tha New York polieejforee."
AND NEWS IN BRIEF:
OREGON SIDELIGHTS
Wheeler county. It is expected, will
be on a cash baai by January 1. 1918,
ail outstanding indebtedness amount
ing to oniy aiHui uuo, wun re
sources in sight to cancel it.
The" American grants that Sumpter
seems to be ' sole to get together to
boost good roaos, ttowever hard It may
b to get together in boosting a
other proposition for the good of t'.in
town."
"The Coos Bay press la repeating
tbe old story ef a railroad from the
Interior of Douglas county over a
mountain to Coos oaf," says the Oar-
diner courier. Whenever there la a
railroad butlt from tha Interior of
Douglas county to the coast. It wi'l
be down the I'mpqua river t Douglas
county's own harbor, which In tlmo
will be the best on the coast. Rail
roads are not being built nowaday
over mountains when they can be built
on nearly a water level grade, and
neither are standard wagon roads"
In Its excellent and most beautiful
Christmas number the Coos Bay Har
bor thus predicts: "When the n
provements which have been made dur
ing the past year are summarised, a
review made of tha advancement
which is planned for the coming year
and the expressions heard from men in
all lines of business, it cannot be
doubted that North Bend and Coos
Bay in general win enter upon the
year 117 with the brightest prospects
the community- has had for a long
time past."
EGG SWINDLE
different cities of this state and other
states organised a boycott on the stor
age eggs, until the price was reduced
to a reasonable level; and the depart
ment of foods and markets issued an
order compelling the dealers to mark
the cold storage product with the
words "cold storage." This will stop
the fraud and discrimination against
fresh eggs. The housewife that wants
storage eggs will get them at a rea
sonable profit and will use more of
them, and by Increasing the demand
Increase the price at the storage sea
son in the spring. At the same time,
the housewife who wants fresh eggs
will be able to get them. The supply
will be small and the increased de
mand will increase the price of fresh
eggs to a reasonable profit for the
producer and it will stimulate and in
crease production.
e
The speculators in cold storage eggs
have raised a howl about this order,
claiming that It would increase the
cost of handling. On actual test, how
ever, one-tenth of a cent Is the cost of
marking. Ten dozens can be marked
for a cent. The only cause for
the complaint Is that It will stop the
rraud of selling cold storage egga,
which cost the dealer 15 cents a dosen,
in competition with fresh eggs, which
may cost the producer from 60 cents
to 76 eents a dozen.
e
Any boycott Is uneconomlo and dan
gerous. Its ultimate effect is an in
Jury to everyone concerned. Any war
is destructive and a boycott Is war. It
discourages production and makes
eggs subsequently dear to the con
sumer. If effective, It reduces the
profit of the dealer. If Ua effect,
however, is to stop a fraudulent cus
tom, it may be worth aU that it cost,
e e
Angered by the prospect of losing
their monopoly, the dealers are trying
to convince the publlo that the depart
ment of foods and markets organized
the boycott on eggs, and caused a re
ductlon in the. price of fresh eggs. The
truth Is the department had no part
in organizing or promoting the boycott
and does net believe in the boycott aa
a principle. Its order to mark cold
storage eggs will have the effect. If
maintained, of Increasing the price
and consumption of fresh eggs. One
of the complaints first Issued by the
dealers was that such an order, if en-
I forced, would drive the price of fresh
eggs to i. &o a dozen.
.Lloyd-George.
Protn tbe New York World.
Imagine William Jennings Bryan as
the political idol of Wall street.
Ima'gine all the financiers and bank
presidents and corporation managers
and captains of Industry hailing him
as the savior of the republic. Imagine
all the forces of organised property
and reactionary Republicanism rally
ing to his support. Then we should
have a situation, parallel to the situa
tion In Great Britain, where Lloyd
George Is engaged in organising a new
war cabinet
Three years ago David Lloyd -Oeorsre
wss easily the best-hated man in the
British empire. He had been the ben
hated man for half a decade. He was
the ringleader of British rsdlcnllsm.
and while excuses might be found for
other radlcala, he was beyond the pair
Financial England detested lilm bk
enthusiastically as the dukes detest p'l
him. There was hardly a day when
the British empire was not supposed to
be rocking upon Its foundations be
cause of something that this con
temptible little Welsh attorney" was
doing or preventing.
The worst that Wall street said
about Bryan in the campaign or l '
was flattering in comparison with H'p
least that Conservative England .".!
about Lloyd-George for five years, ami
yet he is the man to whom Conserva
tive England has turned as tbe head of
a new government.
It is beyond belief that the Tory
Intrigue against the Asqulth ministry
ever had for Its object the making of
Lloyd-Oeorge prime mlnlaier of Oreat
Britain. Yet that Is its inevitable
consequence, for there are only two
men who can meet the exigencies of
that effiee. One of them Is the prime
minister who has been forced to resign
and the other is the "contemptible lit
tle Welsh attorney" who has been the
great driving force of the govern
ment since the beginning of the war.
No member of the former opposition
measures up to the work, ar Bonar
Law practically admitted when he re.
fused to undertake the formation of a
ministry. What the Unionist leader In
parliament could not do, no ether Tory
can do.
The qualities that make a great
chancellor of the exchequer with revo
lutionary measures of social justice,
or a great minister of munitions pr a
great secretary of state for war, are
not necessarily the qualities that make
a successful prime minister. Lloyd
George has proved that be could use
the Asqulth government te mighty
purposes. He has yet to prove that
be can creafe a government ef hie en
and use it for still mightier purposes.
BuMhere ran be no doubt that with the
Asqulth ministry overthrown Lloyd
George is the one statesman to whom
the average Englishman, regardless of
partisanship or casts, would immedi
ately took for leadership. He baa
proved himself the - most vital ladU
vldual force in the empire. -
That this radical of radical demo
crats should be called upon at this
time to organise a government is one
of the most significant political events
in British history. In a war that has
been prolific in paradoxes, there has
been no other such paradox as this.
- Kut lt Can Be-, pone, i -
,. -: , fren.. Judge. -, V ,: ''.
It takes a let of money te make a
homely poor girl a pretty rich one.
Ra Tag and Boltail
Stories From Everywhere ""
-'.... '!' '. i
IT tUla eiBe all redra ef Tbe Joarnal
are iuriu-U to cuutrlbiit erlcfMl mattrr !
atury, lu Vera ur In .biloaopblcal obaerTatloa
ur atrlklug queUUeua. rrtia any aourre.
Ustribetluna at riraikMial ewrit alii ee patj
fw, at Ui editor a -i,.pralaal. -
Runts Is Runts.
ANTHONY EUWEH, the well known .
rhymer, artist and speaker, whose
book, 'Rhymes. df Our Valley," la be-,
ing read with much Interest, tells m
good story on himself or maybe it
Is on the woman or the third party
in question, this is the story:
Mr. Euwer was giving a drawing
room rnadlng of his rhymes last win
ter in the salon of a prominent New
York women. Mis audience was made
up of typical easterners the big city
variety. They heard the dram alio
story of the orchardlst in "The Blood
in the Apple," and were fanned by
the wind.ff old Mount Ho.rt in the
eloquent recital by the author of "The
Soul of the Average Wan." Then
they were dropped from the sublime
to the ridiculous In the pitiful story
of "The Little Runt," son of "Old
Sophie, our sow."
After the guests had n dispersed the
hostess frowned slightly on ier artist.
"Your readings," she said, "were most
interesting, sir; so different. But that
one about the pigs 'the runt,' I be
lieve you called him wss that not a
bit Intelegant?"
"Madame," - replied the accused
author, "I hevo yet to meet an 'ele
gant' runt."
The Bpielless Public Market,
W. W. Lunger, a farmer of Lafay
ette, Yamiilll county, who wss re
cently elected a representative in the
legislature, was telling about his ex
periences with tho Portland publlo
market. "It was three years sgn,"
he mused. "My wife raised some
turkeys, fed 'em well and fattened
em, and 1 brought 'em to Portland.
Down on Front street they eaM I
could have II cents a pound, which
didn't suit me, so, srranglng, to stay
a couple of days, I rentod a booth In
the public market. Well, sir, in four
hours I had sold out at 25 rents a
pound. The next year, naturally, I
came back to the ptihlic market, only
I brought more turkeys. As people
went by and looked at the turkeys
I told how my wife had raised ni
and I had brought Vtn to market.
Pretty soon n policeman tnpped me
on the shoulder end told me I couldn't
say anything about my turkeys. I
could put up signs, but I Onubln't
hut I'm going to tell m.' I went
rislit up to the city hall Rrfd talked
to Commissioner lllgelow, and he con
firmed what the policeman said. Then
I went to see Mayor Albee, mid he
said the law forbade using sahHinnn
shlp. By then I had my riumh-r tip.
I said, 'I'm going right buck to my
booth and I'm going to sell my tur
keys. I'm not going to shout. 1 m
law abiding. I never whs Hiresti'd,
but I'm gonlg to tell 'cm.' I went
back and pretty soon who lo Jtoii
think ehowed up7 It was the city at
torney. I had some black walnuts
on the stand snd ho lookd; it Vm.
'There,' 6ald I, 'are black walnuts like
the ones you used to pound out of
their shells when you were a hoy.
They're sound and swjset.'
"What do you think he did? In
stead of making a complaint agafiiHt
rue he went anil bought two pounds
of walnuts."
Tis the Voice of (lie Smoker.
''I don't enjoy smoking a pipe," nairf
a friend of this column. "When f
am using my own tobacco I meditate
constantly on the high cost of living
and the shortness of the smoke. When
1 borrow the tobacco my pipe Is
packed so tight II Jn't draw."
"Aw, Shucks'."
Lou Kennedy, the sport writer. I
an avid reader of detective stories
and he knows all tho best authors
from Dave Hazen to Wllkie Collins
snd Eniile Oaborlau, Some lime hro
Kennedy purchase,) s nicely hound
volume of "The (-Secret I'lny." Inid It
on a shelf at home and In tended to
read It when he got the time, which
was several weeks later.
When Kennedy took down the book
and opened It at the first chapter, he
discovered that It was a football story
written for boys of 13 years.
Making It an Object.
At a certain church It is the In
variable custom of the clergyman te
kUs the bride after the ceremony. A
young woman who wa about to be
married In this church did not relish
the prospect, ssys Titbits, and In
structed her prospective husband to
tell tie clergyman that She did not
wlxh him to Kiss her. The bride
groom olxyod the Instructions given.
Weil, Marry," said the young wo
man when he appeared, "did you tell
th,. minister that I did not wish htm
to kiss me?"
"Yes."
"And what did hs say?"
"He said that, in that case, he
would charge only half the usual fee."
Tom Sawyer la Oregon.
There Is a 12 year old youngster
In Corvallls who should be able to
prosper when he grows older. His
parents had built for him a toboggan
slide In the back yard. In payment
for which he was to put several cords
of wood into the basement. That pile
of sawed wood looked bigger than
the toboggan to the boy. Many wesry
hours of work would be necessary be
fore, he eould enjoy the slide. Ho he
used his bead to hustle things. When
his playmates came he Issued an edlet
that no boy should be permitted to
shine his trousers on the slide until
he had wheeled In one full wheelbar
row load Of wood, and that for each
load be would be permitted five slides.
In one day every stick of wood was
taken to the basement and the con
tractor did nor wheel a load of It
He states that not only did the other
boys , do all the work for him but
they polished the slide so It "works
just dandy."
The Item That Father Handed In.
It Is the little things that cannot
get into the pipers that Instill lit
tle Joy into the lives ef tha reporters,
writes the Emporia Ossette's editor,
ror Instance, it was a father sitting
collarless and in bis sock feet; father
smoking a eofe pipe and scrsplng hla
finger nails with a Jaeknlfe; father,
who works IS hours a day like a horse,
who turned In ths item that his tw
daughters, who had pot done anything
to mike them tired within tha last .
five years, were going sway for a long
rest and expected to tske a maid wltk
them.. . . - ',.,.'
Unci Jeff Hnon fcajsi ;
' Old Henry Miller ence told me that
If he had snowed as much when he
wag 21aa be knowed when he was
tt, he would have owned ail of Cali
fornia and half of Oregon. I see, hie
estate la to stand a tax ef IS per cent,
'cordin' to the lawyers. Henry won't
need the other SO, nohow, and 1' he '
not kep back by some new rule and
regulation he will gradually own all
of where be baa gone to,: no matter
which wav- that is. . I ain't judgln
him, for Henry had ' his good points,
even If be was some land hog.