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About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 23, 1919)
THE OnSGOW DAlj,Y JOURNAL, PORTLAND, THURSDAY, JANUARY . 3, 1918' S i- - - . JACKSON. ........ .PnblfrheT X'ubUhd erery day, afternoon sod """''F JiM crpt and sternoon ) . st Tbe Jmlfl inc. Broadway etreet, fortiend. urecon. --.., . : fcatered u tb Portofflee at Portland. Chegoe, for InoniNlM UMiS u nseue letteav - TELEPHONES Mala TITS; Home, A-0"-i AH departments reached by theee aamberj. f Tell tlie operator what department yon want. fcOKJCIUN AOVEBTMtNU BEFHKSKNTATIVE . Benjamin Kantnor -. iireMra . P 22e Fifth erenue. New York; 600 Mailer. subscription tena br mail la Oregon and Vrsah- r miwn i t. mil yurtnwrvn nt A VTWRNOOT 1 Oh aar.....5.00 I On Month v . ' . BTTNDAY On vear. ..... 2.60 i One month t .55 pAJLT (M0BM.VO OR ASTEBNOOX) AND Owe year. .$7.60 I One month . . . . .1 bo T his thoufht mora than any ether pre . fcnU to our mind the impresiireneas and responsibility of American citizenship. The land we lira in seems to be itroni and - acUre. . But how ferae the land that lives in us? ' Are we aura that we are doing 1 ail we ought to keep it in vigor and health T Art we keeping its roots well surrounded by the fertile- aoll of loving allegiance, .and are t furnishing them the inrigor , ating noMan - of unseUiab fidelity I ' Grorcr Cleveland. SOLDIERS' PAY f?HE Irregularities in the payment of soldiers over seas are ex ; ll' plained in! an article from the ' . Army , and Navy Journal, re . jbrinted on this cage. r , "It Is impossible to pay troops in actiop and the troops are not think f ing of pay," says .the article. It continues : ' 7 Whan Imtrlrin tvonna arrived aver. . seas they were hurried to the front 1 cria ' followed them when transporta- livu yh avuauio IIICU tY.,ai4 movements and consequent frequent separations at every point. In some cases organization commanders and their commands had records and beg Safe, - In one or two cases, trains pro ceeding towards the front were de- : troyed by ..aerial bombs, causing the destruction of, bag-gage and records of K, troops. The article goes on to say that In come ' cases the soldier "when going Into actual conflict, as is the Ameri can soldier's custom, stripped him self of everything that did not con tribute directly to the task before him, and left hts papers with the rest of , his abandoned equipment" In the lighting at Argonrie forest the wounded were immediately sent - through the various hospitals and many to the port of debarkation - and on to the United States without at' any time coming within hailing . distance of the records of the regi ment, which -in this case were well ' up to the front, says the article. It "adds: - In the rapid advance made, the regi ment was ignorant of what had hap pened to those who were wounded. They knew that they were wounded and had disappeared from the line. These wounded men were evacu- ated through Belgian, British, French and Italian hospitals, with nobody! within reach of the records able to know into what hospitals they went "or even Into what oountry they had drifted. ! There are many interesting phases In thji Armv and Wow Trtunol'o atl cle which show the near impossibilities- that iia-i often to be con tended" with in paying men while. war 'was in progress. " There may be something in the " suggestion that "evangel'sm" is the r medicine" that will cure unrest among the lumberjacks. It all depends on what evangelism is made to signify. ; If 1t is a gospel of clean beds as well as clean hearts and Is made - to Include decent pay, humane hours and civilized working conditions we should expect to see a goodly har- T vest of converts to. it. Jesus once summed up his evangel in one brief formula which reads, "Whatsoever ye would that others 6hould do unto you do ye even so to them." It is a formula fairly easy to understand but. not quite so easy to apply in practice. iWSE LEGISLATORS WEVS from Salem Indicates that the legislature is determined to so safeguard road legislation as , to make bidding on contracts open and free and give to all con - tractors a chance to Join in the competition. In the big road building program upon which the state seems enter ing, every dollar spent should be made to yield a dollar's worth of good road in return. This means openblddinc 'to a. free field, it means no favorites.. It means no payment , of allowances for royal ties. 'It means no clauses in specifi cations that will throw contracts to this or that paving concern to the exclusion of "other concerns. flbad building money is trust money. ; The legislature is wise in seeing that no little Joker here or ' there In proposed 'laws will permit road funds to go the way the school lands went.' . i " - . The great and pure Senator Pen rose objects" to' seelnjr the food Tund "expended by. an irresponsible non- resident lit Herbert Hoover." ne prefers to see it 5 expended by committee of three who can be held strictly responsible to Mr. Penrose It is Interesting to speculate bow much of the fund under that man agement would -go to feed hungry: Eurcie and how much to nourisn and sustain Mr. Penrose's ward heelers, who, we should remember, are Also hungry. THEIR LUCKY NUMBER t: HE number "13". has no terrors for the 346th field artillery of the Ninety-first division, , made up in part of Oregon men. Added together, the figureshree, four and six total 13. The men are a part of the 166th brigade, the fig ures of which added together total 13. They 6aHed for France. July 13, and in 13 days docked at Brest. They broke camp for the trip home Fri day, December 13. There are 13 hundred men in the regiment. Among them on the way home were just 13 mustaches, and a committee of 13 was designated to remove the mus taches before the ship reached New York. The homeward trip across the At lantic was made in exactly 13 days. They passed the Statue of Liberty at 13 minutes past nine, just as soldiers at Governors Island were firing a salute of 13 guns. The regi ment has 13 mascots. And to cap the climax, on arrival at New York docks, the regiment was interviewed by 13 reporters. Events grow interesting in the United States senate. The Younger Generation seems to be coming into its own there. The senate has long been ruled by its oldest members. Age and decrepitude were indispens able qualifications for responsible po sitions. But the younger men have stood it as long as they can and now they are in revolt. If we were of the betting fraternity we should stake our money on the Younger Generation. WHY FORD? w IIY all these maledictions upon Henry Ford? It wasn't Ford that spent 1176,000 in the Michigan pri maries. It wasn't Ford that debauched voters, corrupted the ballot box and brought untold shame upon the state of Michigan by a more lavish use of corrupt money in politics than Lorimer ever dreamed of. That was Newberry, senator-elect from Michigan. Ford didn't spend a cent in the campaign, and yet was so well thought of by Michigan voters that he came t within 7000 votes of elec tion In a state with a registered majority against him of more than 100,000. Is it Ford or Is It Newberry that Is the malefactor? Why strafe Ford and not strafe Newberry? Having bought the Michigan sena torship, -what Is Newberry going to use the office for? Having himself practiced corrup tion to get into the senate, how can Newberry, in the senate. legislate for clean government and -a pure ballot? Grant that Ford has made mis takes. To his credit be it said that, he was too good a citizen to buy a seat in Ihe senate, too' much of a man to be a stench on dur political institutions. ' "Political roads" were objected to by State Road Commissioner W. L. Thompson in his address before the legislature. It Is a sound objection. Nor is it likely that the present body at Salem will be, disposed to mix politics with its road or other legis lation. Its-course so far has been straightforward and businesslike. THOMPSON AND TAIT D ID you ever happen to look into Thompson and Talt's great "Treatise on Natural Philos ophy?" It is one of the half dozen leading scientific works in the world. Only such books as Darwin's "Origin of Species," New ton's "Princlpia." and Fourier's "Heat" rank with it. In article 408 of the first volume Thompson and Tait have this to say about our common system of weights and measures: "They are infinitely Inconvenient and wasteful of brain energy and plodding labor. Their contrast with the simple, uniform metrical system of France, Germany and Italy is but little creditable to the English intelligence." We use the same cumbrous system. Is it any more creditable to- our in telligence? Many have wondered why the German so easily forged ahead of. tb? British and Americans in the competition for South American trade. Their success was commonly looked upon as the work of Satan, due . entirely to fiendish machina tions. It would have been more prudent to ask how much of it was due to the use of the- metrio system which prevails both in Germany and South America.. FEDERAL ROAD AID A BILL introduced in congress by Senator; Bankhead amends- the federal i aid road law. The Important feature of this bill is that it would inaugurate a new governmental policy in the mat ter of highway construction. It provides that' the federal govern ment shall ; construct and maintain roads t&ouga forest reserves on its own account, States and : counties are not to be required to cooperate as under the existing. law, : The bill makes immediately avail able the sum of 140,000,000. , Under the existing basis of apportionment this would allot between four and five-millions to Oregon, which next to California, draws heaviest from forest funds. ; The enactment of the , bill would relieve the legislature of making pro vision to 3 mee further cooperation with the federal government on forest roads. In addition it would do much towards popularizing the national forest policy through the re turn of greater benefits to the forest states. It would not be out of place for the legislature to give support to the Bankbead bill' by adopting a memorial to congress endorsing it or some similar measure. Joe Him was run down by an auto at Fifth and Alder Friday. He died 10 'hours later. Samuel Foster, 60, was run down by a street car at East Tenth and Morrison Monday. He died the next morning. Both carried umbrellas when struck. THE FIGHTER'S CHANCE ANY a farmer boy went to the war and bravely did his bit Your farmer boy loves the land. He knows soil, knows what it will do, knows the products it will yield, knows and loves the processes by whicn it gives op fruitage. When he stands on a mountain peak in Eastern Oregon, stands there with his eyes resting on beautiful plains and fertile valleys in the fore ground, stands there and realizes, for example, that 26.000 acres of school lands in oneof these great valleys are owned and operated by a California corporation which ex eludes him and his kind from having a quarter or a half section on which to raise cattle, grow wheat and have a farm and home all his own; When it comes to his remembrance that these inviting lands, rich in virgin fertility, were acquired and monopolized by the corporation as a result of forgeries, dummy entry- men, fictitious signatures and other frauds ; When he learns, as he will, that the courts have decreed that lands so acquired are unlawfully held and that if proper legal 5 proceedings are brought the lands will be returned to the state so that returned fighters can have their chance to obtain a lawfully owned farm and tin It, live on it, enjoy it and rear a family on it; When all these realizations go trooping through his mind, what will his opinion be? Every farm lad who went out and fought for his country would like, to have a piece of land, all his own: It is in his nature and in his soul to crave this sense of . possession, of ownership of .land, and for what he hits done the people of Oregon ought to give him a chance to sat isfy that wish. Recent decisions by the courts have shown that great bodies of these public lands are illegally held, and It is now squarely up to the people of the state to make a choice. And that choice is, whether .the returned fighters shall have a chance at these lands or whether the lands shall continue In the unlawful pos session of foreign corporations and land speculators into whose hands they passed as a -result of forgeries and frauds. , The life and death struggle of Po lice Inspector Tackaberry with a desperate criminal is example of the hazards with which guardians of the peace are constantly confronted! Even after the inspector had, by a sudden movement disarmed his an tagonist, the desperado in spite, of the fact that Tackaberry's revolver was pressed against his body, leaped upon the officer and engaged in a furious hand to hand combat Your policeman earns all he gets. SHOWING GOOD RESULTS A SURVEY of " the business dis trict of ; the city shows that the new traffic "ordinance has brought about a great reduction in the congestion and otherwise amel iorated a serious condition. While there are a few cases of Individual inconvenience no doubt the general benefit is quite appreciable. Probably the most notable im provement is the result of parking vehicles parallel to the curb instead of at an angle. There Is a vvider passage way in the middle of the street, and - two vehicles may pass without blocking traffic- ' Pedestrians have taken kindly to the regulations against "Jay walk ing" at street" intersections. Whether the change of habit Is permanent will be disclosed when the traffio officer Is removed. It all goes to show that the princi pal causes of traffio congestion and accident are Inattention, undue haste, carelessness and recklessness. It is to be hoped that the ordi nance will be kept In force long enough for 'the public, to become thoroughly familiar with its ', pro visions. Frequent changes lead to confusion and are productive of worse results than no regulation at alt Dr. Halsey . assures us that the league of peace will .not; have' much of' a chance in the world until all the ' nations - become Christian. : The value of his opinion depends upon . , . , ... . fl, I the sens in wWca he uses this I word jf by "Christians" he means sect it is difficult to see how they are Ukely to promote -International peace. Some of the. most, destruc tive wars In history have ; been fought - between hostile sects," each calling Itself Christian. If, Dr. Hal sey's Christianity means brotherhood his remark is profoundly true. HOW THE ARMY IS PAID From the Army and Navy Journal The finance division of the quarter master corps has issued a statement as to the method of orocedure used In pay ing the officers and men of the United State army. It is a complete answer to the many loose charges made against the army pay system and shows that many officers of the finance division nave cheerfully accented the resDOnsl bility of paying; enlisted men who were In need, although legally they had no occasion to do this. The illustration given mt the way our trobpa threw away "everything- that did not contribute directly to the task before them" shows why personal records were lost In the heat of battle that doubtless caused much of the subsequent trouble over the pay accounts of the men. m- m Since April , 1917, the statement says, there has been paid t the officers and enlisted men of the United States army ll.577.331.S69.70. To this should be added $11,7I2,994.81 paid in family allowances by the treasury department, making a total or S1.694.114.664.S1 paid to officers and soldiers and to soldiers' families up to January 3. 1919. It is estimated that It will require $1,257,941,001.62 to pay officers and soldiers for the balance of the fiscal year ending June 30, 1919. and If the Dent bill, providing an extra montn s pay for discharged officers and men, becomes a law there will -be added $153,000,000 to the grand total, making the sum of $3,105,055,666.03 paid out to officers, soldiers and soldiers families since April 6, 1917, without taking into accounti the amount for family auow ances which will be paid to enlisted men's dependents between now and Juno 30. 1919, This money for the most part has been paid in cash to Individuals, and has been aisDursea in me unitea siaies, r ranee, England, Italy, Porto Rico, the Canal zone, Alaska, Hawaii,- the Philippine islands, China, Siberia, Archangel and ,at the 1 capital of every , country in the world except enemy countries, and we possibly wUl soon be paying troops there. The statement that pay of the army has been disbursed at the capitals of all these countries is due to the fact that every military attache is an acting quartermaster and as such pays all United States army personnel connected with his office, During the Spanish American war, troops were paid every two months. while during the present war payments have been made monthly to forces scat tared around the world. In this country the cantonments, with inexperienced officers and men, made a somewhat trying pay problem that, was Boon solved, however, and during the past year the big camps and cantonments have been paid in full at an average of the fifth of the month. In several of tne cantonments, some of them containing from 40,000 to - 60,000 men, payments were completed on the last day of the month in which the pay accrued, and in many others full settlement has been made on the first day of the succeed ing month. ' ' From December 1 to December 21, 1918, 500,000 enlisted men were discharged from the army and were paid In fuU without delay: This operation compre hended such factors as clothing money due. longevity pay, foreign service pay. allotment to the bureau of war risk in surance and allotments through the war department system, all of which must be prorated, travel allowance, charges against the soldier for lost property, and many other matters requiring considera tion under law and regulations. The final pay roll of a soldier, because of the requirements of law, treasury depart ment decisions and regulations, is an intricate financial problem. The payment of troops overseas pre sented entirely new difficulties, the re strictions of law and regulations being further complicated by war conditions that relegated the matter of pay to the rear. It was impossible to pay the troops in action, and the troops were not think ing of pay. When American troops ar rived overseas they were hurried to the front and their baggage containing their records followed taem when transporta tion was available. Then began rapid movements and consequently frequent separation at every point. In some cases organisation commanders and their com mands had records , and baggage. In one or two cases trains proceeding toward the front were destroyed by aerial bombs, causing the destruction of baggage and records of troops. To meet this condition an, attempt was made to provide enlisted men with pay cards and pay books, so that if wounded or sep arated from their commands they would be able to establish their identity and secure their pay. The pay cards were available in July and the pay books were Issued in November, but few of the casuals, wounded or sick, who have heretofore arrived from overseas, have either pay cards or pay books. In some cases, without doubt., the soldier when going Into actual conflict, as Is the American soldier's custom, stripped Him self of everything that did not contribute directly to the task-before him, and left his papers with- the rest of his aban doned equipment. m Another phase of the situation that affected many of the casuals who hare arrived in this country without records of ana kind was the brigading of Amer ican troops with Belgian, French, Brit ish and Italian organisations. Many hundreds of thousands of troops were moved between darkness and dawn, as it was vitally necessary to have a con centration of men at a given point, and. In the teeth of a furious attack, records ere forgotten. When "a man was wounded he was evacuated through Bel gian, British, French or Italian hospitals, and from there, to the seaboard, and from there, as soon as he could be moved, to a transport and back home, while his records might be back near the front line under control of officers and men who were marching all night and fighting all day. In the Argonne forest one sheU killed a. non-com m I h- sioned officer and wounded 30 men be longing to a field artillery regiment. In the fighting at this point one battalion of this regiment lost five officers in one day's fighting. The wounded were 'im mediately sent through the various hos pital and many to the port of debarka tion and on to the United States with out at any time coming within hailing dis tance or the records of the regiment, which in this case were well up to, the front. Jn the rapid advance Vade,' the regiment was Ignorant of what, bad hap. pened to those who were wounded.- They knew that they were wounded or had disappeared from the line. Orders were Issued oversea that no i wounded or sick soldier should be al lowed to go aboard a transport tot trans portation back to the States unless he was provided with' all bis papers, so that h could be paid on his arrival here.: and if It waa found necessary to. discharge blm that he could te given ' his final pay In full, including his travel allow ance. It evidently was found impossible to noid tnes casuals lor an indefinite "m " embarkation In France when themen themselves were eBStr to reach hoine and military policy dictated that they should be returned to the United States as soon as poesioie. Few soldiers arrive her who have not been given partial pax before leaving France, immediately on their arrival In this country, they ara given a partial payment on he soldier's own statement as to the statu of hi account. Most soldiers have -insurance premiums due and allotments en the treasury depart ment that support family allowance, and in making partial payment without supporting papers great risk I neces sarily run. but the finance officers are making these payment I all over the oountry and cheerfully, shouldering the financial risk and accountability so that the men from over there', who have faced the discomfort of the trenches and the peril of the front, shall nave some money Xor the- us. At Walter Heed hospital. Washington, D. C. for some month past, the casual, nearly 400 in number, have been paid on roll certified to by the director of finance, the only supporting papers be ing the affidavit of the soldiers. The finance officer who pay these casuals correspond to the cashier of a bank. They have no control : of the soldier's papers and are not responsible for their execution and care. The soldier without papers corresponds to the applicant for funda at rh raahistr'a wlmlow Ha Vin i unas at tne caamer winaow. nas no checkbook, no evidence of deposit and no identification -papers. ' Under these conditions the cashier refuse the applicant. The finance office, however, does not refuse the soldier, but accepts hi statement and make him an advance on account, and the finance officer has no protection under the law for pay ment made under these conditions. In the case of soldiers discharged, who are without paper, a graver situa tion la confronted. The final payment marks the. actual separation of the men from the service and for an overpayment there fs no recourse. The soldier has due him accrued pay perhaps for sevr eral prior months, less partial payments made during those prior months. He is entitled to 3 cents per mile to the place of nis induction into the service ; he has, possibly, deposit and Interest due him, while from this total must be deducted his insurance premium, the pro rata share of his allotment on the treasury department to support his family allow-1 .iivc, ine Kiuemem or. nis auounent through the war department for his Lib erty bond subscription or for other pur poses, while there are other allowances and possibly other charges which enter into his complicated account. The offi cer who certifies to the correctness of such an account, trusting to the accur acy of the soldier's memory and his honesty, and the finance -off leer (cash ier) who pays many such account, face early bankruptcy. Tb urgency of the case, however, dictated decisive action and instruction were issued by the di rector of finance, with the approval of the chief of staff, to commanding officer of all hospitals to prepare final state ments from the unsupported affidavit of the soldier, and finance officer are making settlement of such final paper all over the country. There is no authority of law for" either the partial payment nor these final pay ments on the statement of the enlisted men, and congress has been asked by the secretary of war to sanction this procedure by necessary legislation. Many of the casuals now arriving xe provided with pay books which contain in com cases enough of the soldier's military history to enable payment to be made. Whenever report is received in Wash ington that casuals have arrived at a hospital who have pay duo them for any prior period a finance officer Is im mediately ordered there to make a set tlement of the account. At each of the ports of debarkation in '-this country finance officer with - sufficient force await the arrivals of casuals In order to pay them something on account. Oc casionally the condition, of- patient Is such that payment cannot be made, but In- the majority of cases payment Is made, and no casual or other enlisted man from oversea who ha a legitimate claim for pay need go without funds. e Finance officer are available at every port of debarkation, at every canton ment, camp and headquarters and at every hospital, and the Instructions Is sued are explicit and comprehensive that If a soldier ha no papers he Is to be given a partial payment on his own statement,, and final payment on his affidavit, 'in some of the earlier case men without papers were given their traveling allowances on their discharge so that they might reach their homes and were given instructions as to how to proceed to secure what balance of pay was due them. In other cases com manding officers of hospitals have hesl-tated-to certify , a soldier' final state ment without supporting papers, but it Is thought these! cases are rare, but In all cases so far as the record shows all discharged men are given their travel J allowances, which, with the reduction In railroad fares secured by the war de partment. Insure a comfortable Journey to their homes, while In most cases dis charged men receive every penny which tney ciaim is oue mem. Letters From the People ( Communications aent to The Journal tar nnh. ucmuou in un atpsnmrai eaoura De written on only one side of tb paper, aboold not exceed 800 words in lenstb and: must be sicaed bjr toe writer, wbose mail sddrasa in full must ucobmh th. Wilson's Mission Hlllsboro, Jan. 20. To the Editor of The Joornal It seems to me that our president, tne greatest man or tb coun try, has had more than hi share of un becoming, Ignorant backbiting from the small clique of the Penrose and Poin dexters, .end the pro-Germans, who op pose the league of nations. They -want more wars, I think. Their motive ' is pure political Jealousy. They probably thought it their last chance to grind the old axe before the soldiers' return home. They -may have thought they could do many things to their liking after they had such a "great" victory thU fall. It was not-a victoryonly a result of our boys' being away from home. Surely the Lord has chosen Wood row Wilson te lead the people a h chose Moses to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt, where they were slaves. We have no record in history of any man ever com manding the respect and confidence of all nations as President Wilson doe. I would, admonish those who try to hold his hands from the work that he has to perform that God is not mocked. They can't hinder him from his work, though they may delay it- MARY J, TILLMAN. Ballot V. Bolshevism Portland. Jan. 19. To th Editor et The Journal I have come to the con clusion it would be better to quit talk ing Bolshevism and do a our state leg 4slature has tried to do provide work for tbe unemployed. This I the kind of anti-Bolshevism we need. - I have always held it was the fluty of the state and federal governments to pro vide work for the unemployed. We have to defend the government and the government should protect vs. Because there is a lull In business between war activities and reconstruction work Is no -reason why we snouia nouer our am satisfied our social or economic sys- tern is net - absolutely correct, - - now foolish it would be to destroy life .and property trying to- adjust.; this great! problem, we must reams n is going te take brainy men to - accomplish this and It can't be done in a minute.- we. the great producing class of America, don't have to go forth like a bunch of madmen, waving the rea flag of an archy, to get justice. The rirst. thing- to do is to find out what we do really i COMMENT AND r ':. SMALL CHANGE We should worry about the nation go ing dry. We're used to it. .;. , liooka today as though the dark cloud might be turning Inside out. - It ha been suggested as a relief to the monotony of restaurant music that the orchestra be prevailed upon to ren der "Smiles." t . There a fascination about the chev ron on the returning soldier' sleeves, even though we can't keep track of what they .are all about. The hews ltemthat dreece lay. claim before the peace meeting moves a con temporary to remark that Greece also hope that It mav be hatched. An eastern city propose that Janitors be elected by popular vote. Wouldn't be such a bad idea, either, provided there were a recall clause in Ow election law. JOURNAL MAN AT HOME By Fred Lockley (la this article Mr. tackier continues tbe ""T OI aeries ru rfscs: Mtes j rnaem tbe MrgeBt. ,m0n other thinfi, tell- ins bew he almost led a bnneh of Yankees into taa Ueienan treoeoea, bat euaa (. J "After coming from our fiery baptism at Soissons we were sent to the Tout front," said Sergeant Jack Bates, who, while attending Lincoln high was a carrier for The Journal, and has just re turned from France, bringing back with him a shattered elbow as a souvenir of German kultur What German kultur really is is well tllustratett by it chief exponent, William Hohenxollern, one time, king of Prussia and emperor of Germany, who In the early days of the war wrote to his fellow ruler, the em peror of Austria : "My soul Is torn asunder, but every- fthlng must be put to fire and blood. The throats of men, women and chil dren and the . aged, must be cut and not a trace of a house left standing. "With such methods of terror, which alone can strike so . degenerate a peo ple as the French, the war will be fin ished before two months, while if I us humanitarian methods it may prolong for years. Despite all my repugnance, I have had to choose the first system." "W went by boxcars through the out skirt of Paris," said Sergeant Bates, "and all along the way women and children and old men cheered us. for they knew we had Just come from the hard fought. and victorious drive at Soissons. We were very much disap pointed that we could not have at least 24 hour in Paris, but our train ran through the outskirts without stop ping. We were in France as soldiers, not as sightseers, so we had to make the. best of it, but it did seem hard to see fleeting glimpses at a distance of the beautiful and stately building of Paris and not be able to stop for a brief Inspection of that wonderful and famous city. "We went from Soissons through Paris to the Toul front, which, with its semi-occasional bombing and shelling, seemed a quiet sector, a sort of rest camp, after Soissons. We spent the month of August in the trenches in the Toul sector, going from there to Vaucllers to have the gap in our rank filled with 'replacement men. After we had been reorganised we went to Corni vtelle. From there we could se Mont Sec. here the French lost so heavily. They lost over 20,000 men to take Mont See, and held It less than 20 minutes. They , were fairly blasted out of the want ; then go to the polls like men and cast our ballots for it, and we will get It.- The red flag will never wave over the constitution of this great republic Our constitution is founded on freedom, equality and justice. All we have to do is to-xercise'our rijtht to the ballot to get what we want. We are not bound under a tyrannical monarch, neither will we be bound under savage Bol shevism. E. A. LINBCOTT. Argues for Prohibition Party Newport, Jan. 22. To the Editor of The Journal I turn now to the "Associ ation Opposed to National Prohibition," havi-': headquarter In New Tork city. A - name implies, this association was organized for the express purpose of defeating the national prohibition amendment If possible. A bill to rescind the vote of the Massachusetts legislature ratifying the national prohibition amend ment ha been introduced and similar bill will be introduced in all legislatures that have adopted the amendment. You don't have to be a drinking man. they say, to be against national prohl bition. To substantiate, they refer to ex-President Taft In these words : "For mer President Taft. a total abstainer, a man of deep. moral conviction and sterling American .patriot, is Irrevocably 4 od Dosed to national proiuoition. Mr. Taft a present recora in stanoing firm with the president for ,the estab llahmen of a league of nation and world peace proves him to be a sterling Amer lean patriot. But hi political record as president proves him to be opposed to national prohibition or any restraint of the liquor business whatever. He is In perfect ac cord with hi party that- la solemnly pledged to the liquor interests. But, In his recent letter to me. Mr. Bryan saia : "I have no doubt that all the parties will declare for prohibition." Does anyone believe for a minute that the distillers, brewers, bartender ana boozers and bum generally will Join prohibition parties? They want to kill the law, don't they? They couldn't kin it that way. Maybe Mr. Bryan can get his party to declare for prohibition ana i wouia not be surprised if he aia : nut tne ne publican party, never ! That being the case, would not all opposers of prohibit tlon loin the Republican party v i oe lleve they- would. And. on the other hand, all prohibition Republicans should Join a prohibition party. However, with th prohibitionists divided, the wet party would easily elect everything from presi dent down, and the law would be dead and out of politics, instead of the sa loon. N ; - There is one remedy and only one. When all the people who believe the traf fic to be a national crime cease operat ing with liquor parties and get together in one party (not three or four), stand ing firm on a national platform declar ing eternal death to booze, then we will kill It and bury it below all possibility of resurrection It's coming to that. ... . E. W. PUBKBE. Lan4 for Returned Soldiers Portland. Jan. 21. To the" Editor of The Journal "Whereas, in th state of Oregon we have an abundance of good aarrtcnltural land, now lying In state of unproductiveness ; be it received, that we extend state aid to the returned soldier in an attempt to induce him. to bring a portion of these lands to a pro ductive stag Seemingly this 1 about tbe summed up Intelligence; we glean from the pub licity given to- the idea of land for re turned soWiers. No doubt the soldier I .elated. . now that be win have -the oooortunity of exchanging his rifle for some stump pulling apparatus. Although the work may M more jaDorwu. i less hazardous than the : work he has been doing.: Naturally, he will consider this, leaving tbe oniy possibility t ia-u-ur in the development of this class of lands to inability to - secure the neces sary implements. snouia -ne jreier xo purcbas sagebrush or. dralndi lands, j NEWS IN BRIEF x OREGON SIDELIGHTS I A public reading room ha' been es tablished at Imbler under Bed Cross pat ronage initially. -v "'- ? w i .' "Never in recent year ha the river been so low in January and never has it risen so rapidly." la theCorvallis Gasette Times' report on the Willamette a affected by the recent rain. : Astoria la condncUng a night school to give anyone of foreign birth who doe not ha v a. knowledge of English an opportunity to learn to read and speak the English language. An unex pectedly large attendance i reported. "The high tide which prevailed Tues day." ays last Saturday's Reedsport Courier, "flooded the mill and opera tions had to eeas until the tide sub sided. This shows that some necessary ulaing or inung must om w ""' place. From there we could see through our field glasses the smoke of the factories at Met. W were soon sent tq. hold the . front at' Seicheprey. The trenches here had been fought over during the early day of the war and were pretty well hammered to pieces. "I took oat apartyof six or eight signal corps men to reView the wire sys tem in preparation for the anticipated drive. We had to repair or renew the wires throughout the trenches and also restore the wires that ran throughout No Man' Land. In many- places these wires "were cut every 10 feet by Ger man patrols. It was thought we might be captured by German raiding parties, or killed and (Air bodies taken into the German lines, and as w were anxious not to let the Germans know we had taken over that sector- my detail and myself removed all identifying marks from our uniforms before we went out into No Man's Land. We were work ing both ways from old -P. C. Halifax, which was about half way between Seicheprey and Rambocourt, p. c. Halifax dugout was knee deep with chocolate colored mud. We slept with our clothe sopping wet, lying in the mud. so dead tired that the roar of the guns lulled u to sleep as heavy surf does when you are at the sea coast The night before we were to go oyer tbe top to mop up the front line trenches of the German we had .to establish the advanced P. C m a trench or dug out as near the German line a pos sible. On account of my having worked all through the forward trenches restoring our communication wires, and also on account of my knowledge of No Man's Land. I was selected as guide to the Jumping- off place, where we were to establish our advanced P. C. The night was intensely dark and in aome way I got out of the main trench and started up a communication trench that led into the German lines. The whole country was a aeries of trenches. The Germans held part of the trench system and It was up to us to drive them out and take the whole line of trenches. I escorted the party, which wa In charge of a lieutenant, almost into the Ger man lines before I realized that some thing was wrong. I made my way back, feeling carefully, till I found where we had left the main line of trenches. I went back arid got the men and . they established the P. C. to be ready for going over the top next morn ing." we know his experience in trench dig ging will make the reclaiming of these lands very simple for him. ut we stop, startled. He ia so young and, generally speaking, single. Family care, as yet, are not hi. Th life we propose is not romantic, and falls far below his standard of dreams. . Admitting the Idea of state ajd for the development of land to be worthy, we still are wondering why these dis cussions should not Include any Ameri can citizen on an equal basin. Why a preference? Many have sacrificed great deal during this past emergency and at present, the future holds nothing but anxiety for them and their families. There are many willing workers, who Have been slackers in no respect, but tl.ey are merely drifting and would gladly- accept an opportunity, making a 'de termined effort to make the reclamation of land on a large scale a possibility. Let us balance the scales of justice. C. E. R Teachers' Intensive Training North Bend. Jan. 22. To the. Editor of the Journal House bill S3, ameQp Ing the law so that college, and. univer sity graduate may teach not only in high schools, but anywhere they may elect to teach, is a big step forward in Oregon education. The present situation in rev-poet to shortage of teachers, however. demands something mora positive than this measure. War necessity taught us there was such a thing a intensive study when quick preparation was de manded. A similar need exists now with regard to teachers. - Teachers are need ed many of them are needed and they are needed at once. The college and the university should meet this need by ol ferlng short intensive courses of train ing for those who may have the desire and ability to follow such courses, so that there may be no delay in providing teachers for th grade chool at once. Since by law a student may teach wbo is directly out of high school, the col lege and the university should have the privilege of granting a certificate to teach on the completion of a one years course. . A two jrears course should bring a . better certificate. A three years' course .should equal In credits at least the normal school course. A four years' course should lead to graduation and a teacher's certificate In either elementary or high school teaching. , The present ' legislature will miss Its biggest opportunity toward reconstruct Ive legislation If it fails to enact this law favoring the training of elementary teacher at the university of Oregon and ' Oregon L Agricultural college.-. Th need of teachers is vital to tha nrsn. ent and to' the future development tf Oregon. - MRS. HERBERT ARMSTRONG. ; Depends on What You nut " rrora the Ktw Bapnbue . -;. The most vital problems of the peace demand one solution if the epoch of war I to be wound up and another, so lution if we are .to look forward to an unending serle of new wars. , If we premise the peace upon new wars, wa shall have them. If we premise it unen stable International order, we have at least a working chance of expellina- war from the conventional scheme of political ariairs. . . . Olden Oregon Fur Trader Simply Had a? Better Chance. That' All. t Som idea Of the Immense profit ct tb fur trade in early Oregon is ob tained from -- th etory or Alexander Bees, who relate that on morning be secured before breaaxast liv beaver skin, for which he traded a single yard of -whit cloth. .? Ross - spent IfcS 6ays to the: Yakima country, t During that time he coiieciea isso peaver skm. beside other pelts, worth In- the Can ton market over $11,000.' They cost biro about 117. " .,-.-..- Ragtag and Bobtail Stories From Everywhere auiernationai runsiers , 2. M . CAPTAIN BE EM AN of the British w "- eeaw U, D who came to America on speaking mis sion during the war. He likes storied wim puns in mem. With these that follow tho Phlladelnhla. T-1 "A Tank and a Tommy, thrown to gether In France, were vvlnr with .irii other In telling tall stories. I saw COO Germans drowned n Champagne.' said the American. Hist's answered. 'At Zeebrugge there were three ucrman suDmannes sunK In port. " "You remember the Englishman who was so proud of English fruit and flow ers? He took a man from California to Covent Garden. 'Humph !' exclaimed the Callfornlan. CalI those peaches? Out our way we have 'era big as cabbages.' He was shown roses, and he. snorted again. "On tho Pacific slope you can smell the roses a mile away, 'How do you account foe your big peaches and fragrant roses?' asked the Briton. VII mate, man, climate t returned the American patriot- They came to the Queen Anne apartments, the tallest In London. 'Why. that building makes me homesick! said the American. 'Just like one of our skyscrapers at home. That building. said the Englishman, solemn ly, 'has neither elevators nor stair ways r 'You don't ayl exclaimed the American, 'How do the tenants man ager 'Climb It. man: climb it!'" My Little Kid Sister When I think of mj lltUa kid aiater ( I never thought much of her then) I don't even remember I kissed ber, I certainly can't think when. I used to tease her atl that I could; I wee glad that I made ber cry, I didn't act inst Ilka a brother should: - we weren i qwie pais, ana ana , 1 . remember she asked me to go to a show A picture, "The Call of ths Wild" . t remember ber look when I told ber Me: 1 sure waa mean to that child. J. remember I aire Dad and Mother kiss As I left them to go off and light. But I narer paid any attention to Sis; I' had cried her te sleep that eight. It waa Over There, at a Blare esQed LiUa. That I got a letter from Ped: It told me the kid waa danaeroosly 111 Tbe shock nearly drove me mad. Like flash I went over the days gona by: How mean I bad bees to that kid I prayed that night that aba wouldn't die; I cried. I admit I did. ' ' Tbe crisis Is over; he'a going to got wen; Cod knowa how much I have missed her. Ood tancht me a lesson. I'll remember it well.. , Kor He gave me my little kid sfster. Sergeant J. T. Berre in Philadelphia Ledger. Uncle Jeff Snow Says: ' I reckon as long as the booze trust tia a billion dollar to fight prohibition It can find lawyers .to sacrifice thelrselvez a-taikln In the court. The News in Paragraphs World Happenings Briefed for Benefit Of Journal Readers GENERAL By a vote of 47 to 4 the Nevada leg islature has ratified th national prohibi tion amendment. Deportation of pro-Germans Is pro posed in a resolution introduced in the California legislature.. The house has aqted favorably en the senate bill granting an annual pension of 16000 to Mrs. Roosevelt. Despite tremendous war burdens. National bajiks grew and prospered last year, their earnings and deposits being the highest on record. Rev. Joshua Sykes. a Berkeley, Oal., evangelist. has been- sentenced to ,.18 month imprisonment at aic.eii a jaiana on a charge of disloyalty. ? , Theodore A. Kytka, one'of the most eminent handwriting and photographic experts line vuumrii uicu suuuwu in San Francisco Tuesday, Dlslovalty charges against five persons were dismissed Tuesday In the federal court at Ht. Louis. Among them wee Edmund W. liracht, a civil engineer of San Francisco. '-Madame Jacques Lebaudy waa- eif bnerated by the grand Jury ef Nasnau county. N. Y.. for the killing or her eccentric husband, the selfityled "Em peror of Sahara." Testimony before the senate . naval committee Tuesday was to th effect that the Eagle boats built at the Ford Detroit plant .were seriously faulty In design and construction. ' NORTHWEST NOTES The Sheridan mill will suspend opera tions . after cutting a email supply of logs on hand. 'Forest Grove reports winter wheat and oat in good condition and prospects are fine for an excellent yield. ' The number of new student register ing st th University of Oregon this year is 48 per cent, greater than last year. . Recognition and reorganization of th National Guard 1 called for In a meas ure introduced in the 'Idaho legislature Tuesday.:- - Three cases of diphtheria hav been reported i by Oswego physicians. Misn Trma Voae. on of the PUbliO SChOOi teachers, is a victim. - Oregon fruit growers see ruin to their Industry by a tax of 10 per cent on rtt tmt rtA herrv 1ulr.ee as proposed In the revenue bill. During the heavy wind on Monday more than four miles of the Sheridan I.i,mHr mmnanv'a flume - was blown down and other damage done. Mr. Grace McKee, wife of H. I He. Kee. mayor of Florence, died Ire that city nunuay. i"i- , - . H. W. Holden, a well known contractor. and was norn in iornc. The Northwest Typographical crm f,rw held its annual meeting at Ta- coma Tuesday. Twenty-one cities were representea. w. w. causmas si -coma wes elected president. t FOREIGN Disorders In Hamburg, In which sev eral person were killed ana,' many wounded, are reported in dispatches by way ol Zsrlcbi' wild rumors about disorders Poland sre denied in a dispatch from Warsaw. The report that Paderewski waa wound ed is also denied. . A strike is threatened In London. that will clOBe down all- the engineering unrls and every class of public service. and will affect at least 260.000 worker. that all Germans shall have the same riant oeiore wiej w, -v.uu nriviiee-ea. advantages of birth or social conditions shall be abolished. , French women have addressed a peti tion to the -member of th peace con ference asking justice for the women and young girls subjected to 111 treat ment at the hands of tb Germans dur ing the war. - Take Tip From Uncl Sam ; Buy W..S. S. ' (Stories of achievement In the aeenanle. latlon ef War Saetnas Stamps eewt to The Joornal and acceptable for publtcatlo will be awarded Tbrit sump. According ' to W. S. S. workers home from th conference -at fan Francisco, the government doez not Intend this year to coax It citizens to buy . War Stamps. , It Is going to explain to them why it is their duty to their government, themselves and their posterity to buy th Vbaby bond," and then if they fail to take advantage ef ; the opportunity they nave only themselves to blame. A word to the wise Is enough. 191 Thrift Stamps and War Cav ing Stamps now on sale at usual agencies. '..