THE OREGON DAILY-. JOURNAL, PORT LAND SATURDAY, FEBRUARY '22, 1919.
7"
.Publisher
Fubluhed seery day, eftarixra and morning tcm
eepi Bnndsj afternoon ) , at The Jcrarnsi ButtoV
. in, uraad way end luaatu sues, roruanu.
urecon.
Entered at tha Poetoffice at Portland, Oregon,
lor tranontaaloa thrones the maiia aa
class matter. ,
aU.Kl'HO.N.a Malo TITSs Hon. A-S051.
.. All departments rsche" - fey these smashes.
T,D the operator what department yo want.
JTOUJ5MJN ADVERTISING KEPBESKNTATIVE
Bimjamin A; Kantnor Co.. Brunswick BnikHns.
" 225 FUth avenue. ew Tori; 0 hlaUera
Building. Cbicaao.
eTMbaerlption terms by mail ia Oregon and Waab
Ukjtoe: " DAILY (MOHNINO OK AFTERJJOOX)
Om year ta.OO 1 O Montis $ .50
SUNDAY
On, year. . . . .12.80 One month $
DULY (VOHKINO OR AFTEHNOOIO AND
v- STJHDAT -
On year.....8T. I Om nsontn $ .S
Thera ia no truth more thoroughly es
tablished than that there exists. In the
economy and nmm of nature, an indis
soluble union between virtue and happiness,
between duty and adraatage, between the
amiioe mulnn of aa honest and magnanl
ioUa policy and tha solid rewards, of public -prosperity
and fellorty. -George Washington.
ASTORIA AND HATES
FROM recent news items In the
Astoria papers, it would appear
that the complaint of the In
.4 land Empire Shippers' league
filed with the Interstate Commerce
'Commission asking for lower grain
rates to tidewater have not been
carefully read at the mouth of the
' ijlver. "
f The grain shippers simply ask for
lower rates. Their petition is for
lower rates to any and all points
via the Columbia route. They are
not trying to take anything from
Astoria. They are not Interested in,
nor do they propose to take part
In, any fight between Portland and
A$toria. ' -
! They insist that, by reason of
water grade, they are entitled to
lower rail rates to both Portland an-1
Astoria, id that they should not be
required to pay rates based on the cost
of .haul over high mountain ranges.
lf in deciding what Is a reasonable
rate , to Portland, the Interstate Corn
amerce commission sees fit to extend
the, same rate to Astoria, no grain
(Shipper is going to complain. The
imorrj service he can get for his
money, the more he will be pleased.
, The future of the Columbia river
A at A ich Inninir rnnfa HAnanHa Uniralu
sr ,- a-"- - J O aw v v a. p. (tu a 0bC9 vu
tidewater over the water level line
i to Portland or Astoria, or both, and
fchould Astoria oppose any reduction
in rates via the Columbia route, it
might develop that the Interstate
Commerce commission may accede
to Astoria wishes and reduce the
Portland rate only. 1
The fight of the Inland Empire
Shippers' league is just as much in
the interest of Astoria as in the
interest or Portland, and the sooner
the citizens of Astoria awake to that
fact and Join In securing a reduc
tion of existing grain rates the
sooner the Columbia river will come
Into Its own. "
- Mr. EdSon is .12 years old this
month. The Evening Post remarks
that he is still in the vigor of his
life, "Work has kept him young."
Dr. ; Lyman Abbott and Bishop Fal
lows: are. each 83 years old. They
aria, both great workers. "Men with
plenty of work to do stay young,"
cays the Post wisely. Gladstone did
the work of an ordinary lifetime
; after 60. People who begin to call
themselves old at 50 invite death ta
come and capture them.
A SPELLING LESSON
DR, ELIOT, the former president
of .Harvard university, gave his
successor, Dr. Lowell, a sentence
to --Vwrite down, requiring hlra
to spell 'every word correctly. We
do not know why he did it. Indeed
Ate do not vouch for the historicity
of . the incident. It may be fabulous.
ButOwe , quote it from an exchange
and .leave the reader to judge for
himself how probable it is.
i This is the fateful sentence: "U is
agreeable to view the unparalleled
embarrassment ; of a harassed sad
. dler "or peddler sitting on a ceme
tery wall, gauging the symmetry of
, skillfully peeled potato." The ex
change from wh.cn. - we quote the
sentence misspelled "gauging." it
I omitted the "u."
.Why there should be a "u" in
-gauging any more than in paging
jjwe are unable to say. But there Is
xme; ' Suppose ,you were to see in
the paper that Mr. Smith had been
Vpauged" at the hotel. You- would
smile. You would insist that he had
not been ."pauged" but paged. But
when you read that a barrei of
kerosene haa been "gauged" you da
not smile. tTis thus that evil cus
" torn .: blinds us. . There is rno more
sense in "gauging a barrel of kero
sene; than there Is in "pauging" Mr.
.Smith.- But-. tua .nonsense ot. the
latter' spelling strikes us forcibly
because' it '-' Is'" strange,- while 'th-s
nonsense fqt . the- former Is familiar.
" That Is all the difference; .
As a rule we' favor "law and order.
C . JACKSON .......
But In the matter of v saelUnK- W!
have a decided inclination to advisl
people to take the, law into their
own hands. We confess -to .a. secret
longing to see every ; person t in the
United States stand up boldly and
issue an emancipation proclamation
for himself to the effect that hence
forth and f orevermore he is going
to spell words as they sound.
The sentence that Dr.'. Eliot pro
pounded to Dr. Lowell contains 19
silent letters. ; Its: total" number of
letters Is 116 7 The ; silent letters
are, therefore, - almost exactly - 16
per cent of the . whole. The same
percentage probably runs through
most English print. In terms of
money this means that the manu
facture of our books, and papers
costs at least 16 per cent more than
it need on account of our unscientific
spelling.
A FUTILE -SHOT
T
HE irrationalism of the reds is
evidenced In the attack upon the
life of Premier ClSmenceau.
In effect, it was an attack upon
the peace, conference itself. The
assassin's shot was fired at .a peace
tribunal which is the first con
cerned with the welfare of man
kind. All other peace conferences
have been guided ' by the greed of
powerful governments: for the ag
grandizement of powerful chancel
leries.
This is a peace conference that is
the first to base its settlements
upon the self determination by
races, - the first to listen to
the appeals of subject peoples" in
arriving at its decisions. All other
conferences have used weak peoples
as pawns to be traded off , or
swapped about between chancelleries,
annexing them here or putting them
under dominion - there, accenting to
the wishes and projects of the bar
gain drivers at the peace table.
It is at this new and higher pur
posed tribunal, with its principles of
justice and concern for the rights
of man, that Co tin's revolver was
leveled. It was the presiding officer
of this great council with it3 plan
for permanent peace through a
League of Nations, that his smok
ing pistol struck down.
It was not Clemenceau but a great
idea, not the man but the most
exalted movement of all time on
which the mad anarchist trained his
weapon. It is example of he folly
and futility that are abroad In theso
troublous times.
The state senate has again voted
down the bill to make incurable in
sanity ground for a divorce. We
do not suppose thefbill is of much
consequence. When one spouse
wants a divorce from the other,
ground for it car usually be found,
pr manufactured, law or no -law.
In Jane Eyre there Is an Illuminating
exemplification of how the union
between an insane woman and a
sane man works out in actual life.
MAKING IDLERS
A'
NEWS item on the market' page
of The Journal Thursday says:
Nearly a dozen people are em
ployed by the government in the
bureau of markets in Portland to fur
nish information to the newspapers
and trade that ia already supplied by
newspapers, which only employ a sin
gle man. each for this purpose.
That the bureau of markets has been
wasting huge sums of the people's
money has been reported for some
time in the trade. Complaints are
coming from various parts of the
country that not only are many of
the reports unavailable for general use
because they are not given out promptly,
but that many more employes are util
ized in giving out this information
than is necessary.
One of the besetting sins of gov
ernment is the multiplication of em
ployes. And the strange part of it is
that public men who attempt to cut
out the useless ones encounter op
position. That was what happened
to Congressman Borland of Missouri,
who proposed an eight hour day in
stead of a day of only seven hours
for employes in the departments at
Washington.
A destructive effect of too many
employes in the public service is the
encouragement of idleness. Where
the volume of work is not sufficient
for the number of employes, th
tendency is to create a tribe of idlers.
When the work to be done is fin
ished there is nothing more to do,
and idleness begins. Your ultimate
result is that government depart
ments thereby become schools for
instruction in how to be idle.
It Is destructive to employes In
another way: It lessens the average
wage of government employes. The
government can afford to pay about
la certain total, and the larger the
number of employes, the smaller the
allowance to eacli. The multiplied
employe system is a wage killer.
It is probably absurd to Imagine
that the murderous assault on Clem
enceau was "part of a great plot."
The man who shot him was mani
festly a crack-brained adventurer
who acted on his own responsibility.
In the French revolution Marat
was stabbed by a girl, Charlotte
Corday, who Insisted : that she did
it "for the good of humanity." Such
assassins seldom ;. have ' accomplices.
THE TRANSGRESSOR'S WAY
ICHIGAN like other prohibition
states has been rather diligent
In its quest for contraband
booze. Cellars, trunks
mobiles have 6een invaded-by of
ficials and their Intoxicating de
lights ruthlessly exposed and con
fiscated.. - . j .
Under these conditions the booze
Ites Vtfe ; UT despair. Thera mm
plenty of joy just over the Ohio
line in Toledo, nut bow to bring it
home to Detroit and other Michigan
towns was ; an insoluble, problem
as long -eV the search was so strict.
Happily the state supreme court
came to their rescue. It decided the
other day .that an automobile laden
with booze could not be stopped
and searched at the Ohio line on . its
way to Detroit without a regular
search warrant. The boozeites of
Michigan ' broke . Into frenzjed rap
tures. To celebrate their emancipation,
as it were, they formed" a long pro
cession of booze laden cars" stretching
from Toledo, Ohio, to Monroe, Michi
gan, with every car running at top.
speed In close order. No doubt the
drivers were laden as heavily as their
cars. It was a gay affair. When
Michigan's silk-hat mob set out to
celebrate a' victory, over a law and
order they make a brilliant Job of
it.
It is a pity to have to mention
that an unkind fate turned the
celebration into a tragedy. Some
thing happened to the head auto
mobile. The drunken driver killct
his engine, perhaps. " At any rate
the car suddenly stopped, and the
long line of speeders jammed into
one another like' great logs in a
swollen stream. It was a literal
car Jam.
The wonder is that so few of the
law-defying maniacs were injured.
The automobiles are said to have
strewn the highway with their
wrecks for many a rod, but the
boo addicts escaped harm for the
most part.
The incident is instructive. It
shows how a state prohibition law,
like any other good law, can be as
sassinated by the stroke of a judge's
pen. It is, of course, impossible to
swear out a search warrant for
every automobile crossing the line
between Ohio and Michigan. Hence
it is impossible to enforce the Michi
gan prohibition law. The booze
orgy which the Michigan court has
set going may continue until na
tional prohibition goes into effect.
When the crUics went to the
length of blaming the American war
department for the mud at Brest,
they raised the question if they are
not somewhat short of material.
Nature, not the war department,
made the soil and provided the al
most incessant rain that converts
Brest soil into mud. If Secretary
Baker can be held responsible for
the rains and mud of Europe there
is no doubt that be will be proven
to be a bad actor.
THE PORT BILL
T
HERE has been no public de
mand for a change in the mem
bership of the Port of Portland
commission.
The Portland Chamber of Com
merce has not proposed it. The
Portland city council has not sug
gested it. No one of the many busi
ness clubs in the c'ty has even
mentioned it. From no public or
private organization of anykind has
there come demand for the change.
Why should the legislature be en
gaged with the active process of
changing the personnel. Especially,
why should a proposition of the
sort be brought at the eleventh hour
into a legislature already over
whelmed with a calendar congested
to 'the breaking point?
Who, if anybody. In Portland is
being represented by the Multnomah
delegation in this enterprise? Are the
legislators acting for the people of
Portland or merely representing
themselves?
Representative government is not
personal government. Representa
tives of the people in a legislature
who are good representatives, arc
mainly guided in their action by the
wishes of their constituents. With
no demand from any source or by
anybody for the proposed change,
the bill at Salem affecting the Port
of Portland is untimely, and out of
place.
If a change was-to have been at
tempted, it should have been pro
posed earlier in the session when
there was yet time for the public
to make its wishes known. In time
for the change, to have been dis
cussed pro and con through the
newspapers, in time for the subject
to have been given the consideration
to which a matter of such vital im
portance as the Port of Portland is
entitled.
In recounting that the National
Dry federation has given Mr. Bryan,
loving cup to celebrate the tri
umph of prohibition The Independ
ent speaks of hhn as "prohibition's
pioneer." One can only hope that
the spirit of Frances E. Willard
dwells where, she can not hear
such things or see them in print.
Mr. Bryan has served valiantly in
the cause, but its' great pioneer was
Miss Willard-
STATE - SCHOOL BOOKS
T
HE sovereign state, of Kansas
publishes its own textbooks for
the . common schools. ; Capper's
Weekly prints some particulars
about-, the working of the C method.
It says, that "state publication has
given Kansas the best textbooks tho
schools ever had."
It also: claims that the cost Is
40 per cent less than it was when
the books were bought of Eastern
publishers.;. Senator' Capper assures
the ' country that state publication
has saved the people enough in the
last year to pay for the entire
printing plant, building and grounds."
This is assurance from nigh au
thority. -Mr. Capper ia now governor
of Kansas. He : was elected Uni ted
States senator - on the Republican
ticket' at; the late election with an
enormous pluralit. His Insistence
that the school books of the - staf
cost 40 'per w cent .less- than when
bought ' of Eastern - publishers ' is a
matter for sober reflection, t
Nor is the Kansas statement an
Isolated instance. The state. of Cali
fornia is publishing its own text
books. Accounts from there - are
very similar in character with those
that come from Kansas. -
The Albany Democrat -remincTs u
all that February 22 has more than
Its usual claim upon the public
this year. It is Washington's birth
day, as usuaL The war has brought
no change in that particular. But
this year it is also the centenary of
the birth of James Russell Lowell,
a, poet and statesman. Lowell won
renown in Civil war times"1 by his
satires on the profiteering patriot
who was as much in evidence then
as he has been lately, though his
spoils were not nearly so imposing.
In New York a great international
celebration ist being planned for
LLowell's centenary.
THE BEGINNING
OF A NEW ORDER
League of Nations Is Good If Human
' Liberty Is Good
From the New York World..
'The impossible will happen tomor
row," said Disraeli, and the impossible
has happened. The constitution of the
League of Nations is a living, organic
fact. It has been drafted, it has been
made pubUc In all its sections and
clauses and submitted to the judgment
of civilization.
What happened in Paris yesterday
could not have happened at any other
time in the history of the world. Even
five years ago such a constitution wpuld
have been received with derision as the
work of amiable and impractical
dreamers. Today it is not only the
most important but the most profoundly
serious political document of the cen
tury, for it marks a new stage in the
political and social progress of mankind.
When Gladstone declared that the
constitution of the United States was
tne most wonaerrui worK ever struck
off at a given time by the brain and
purpose of man," he did not wholly un
derstand the origins of the constitution.
What he said applied only to the work
Of putting it together; but the constitu
tion Itself was not the invention of the
men who framed it. It was a product
of the actual experience of the colonies
with self government and sprang from
the necessities of a successful revolu
tion. e e e
The constitution of the League of Na
tions is a similar achievement. Prac
tically every clause in it proceeds from
International experience of one kind or
anothey. The structure as a whole rep
resents the first intelligent attempt
that has been made to translate this ex
perience into a working code designed
to prevent war in so far as war can be
prevented and to localize the effect f
hostilities should all efforts to maintain
the peace prove futile.
In framing the constitution of the
League of Nations the peace conference
at Paris has had tq meet obstacles that
at any period previous to this war would
have been insurmountable. But after 51
months of the most devastating conflict
that history records, the nations are
not quite so jealous of all their real and
assumed sovereign rights as they once
were. They are in the position of the
American colonies in 1787, when the
danger of not surrendering some of these
powers became immeasurably greater
than the danger of merging part of
them into a central government..
But even here the conference had to
deal warily with the matter of coercion
in respect to recalcitrant countries that
defy the league. It became evident
that no international military forces
could be placed at the disposal of the
league to enforce its decrees and that
nations like Great Britain and the
United States could not constitutionally
bind themselves to employ troops in
discriminately in carrying out the pro
visions of a treaty without waiting for
the consent of the lawmaking authority.
This has been avoided by providing for
the severance of diplomatic relations
and the employment of economic block
ades, leaving to each of the signatory
powers final freedom of action in re
spect to a formal declaratioivof war if
circumstances so require.
There will be criticisms of this consti
tution because it does not go far
enough in this respect, and these criti
cisms will come mainly from opponents
of any League of Nations, who will com
plain that the covenant .Is worthless be
cause it is without teeth. We have to
remember, however, that it was . 76
years after the adoption of the consti
tution of the United ' States before the
principle was established that a sover
eign state could be coerced ; yet in that
period a great and wonderful govern
ment was built up which proved in the
crisis that it could sustain itself. All this
may come about again in respect to the
League of Nations. Coercion is the last
resort, not the first resort, and what the
Declaration of Independence calls "a
decent respect to the opinions of man
kind Is something that cannot safely
be defied, as Imperial Germany learned
to her complete destruction.
0
The great guarantee for the perman
ence and stability of the League of Na
tions rests upon the character of the
executive council which is to be the ad
ministrative body. This council is to
consist of representatives ot the United
States. Great Britain. France, Italy and
Japan and of Jour other state to be
selected from the membership of the
league. This means that the great na
tions which have won. the war are to
eet&bH4hhe league and keep it on a
working basis, and it happens that these
nations control not only most of the
wealth, and the natural resources of
the world out that they represent the
ruling races. ' They know what orderly,
table, progressive government means
and in their new. function they make
themselves trustees for international
law and international, justice. '
No League of Nations can rise hTgher
than Its source, and in this instance its
source is the best that human govern
ment and human experience have been
able to produce. Therein lies the guar
antee of this colossal undertaking, and
however great the difficulties may be.
they are small in comparison . with the .
benefits that, win be realised if this
mighty machinery Is made operative.
It is a colossal experiment, bat .it is en
experiment that ia in harmony with all
the traditions of free government and
with all the traditions of human liberty.
Retufcriing Soldiers Doing Their
V Own Celebrating :
Ftm the New York World.
The returned soldiers who are welcom
ing themselves to New York and doing
their own celebrating seem to be a-eHin-
tv tood deaj of enjoyment out of lu Thus
221 men of Company G, S47th , infantry,
taking $1000 they had saved from their
mess, had dinner at a Fifth avenue ho
tel and went in a body to a musical com
edy. The Eighth mortar battery of the
Eighth' division, 13 strong, used their
mess savings of JU00 for a hotel dinner
and a vaudeville performance, ending the
day with a visit to the movies. These
soldiers were passengers on the Northers
Pacific The audience at the theatre
stood up for them and sang "The Star
Spangled Banner," and some informal
speech making gave an additional touch
of warmth to the extemporised wel
come. ,v
Are not th.e the essentials of home
coming? What need they care who com
poses the reception committee or wheth
er or not they march under triumphal
arches, so long as they can see the sights
of New York and get the glad hands
everywhere from citizens? The boys in
khaki who have Bet. out to entertain
themselves here give another example of
the 'initiative and self reliance which
.have characterized their military serv
ice. Fifth avenue and Broadway are
good sights for American boys to see
under any conditions, and why lose time
waiting to be personally conducted?
Letters From the People
(Communications sent to The Journal for pab
1'cation in this department should be written on
only one side of the paper, should not exceed
800 words in lenffth and atosa be aisncd by tha
writer, whose mail address in full must aecoaa
pany the contribution.)
Opposes "State Medicine"
Portland, Feb. 20.-0 the Editor of
The Journal A number of bills are be
fore the legislature which aim to give
greater power - to the regular allopathic
school of medicine and "supreme con
trol" to the state board of health In
matters pertaining to the public health.
The recent epidemic showed whether
health boards make good use of power
when it is given to them
In a recent bulletin on influenza by
the California state board of heajth.
some of the very measures demanded
with vehement clamor of health boards
all over the country a few weeks ago
to "stamp out" Influenza, made com
pulsory with drastic penalties, and en
forced at a- loss of millions of dollars.
are now rejected as-unavailing. Stock'
ton had a universal masking ordinance,
and enforced it. In Boston masks were
not required. Throughout, Stockton
had a higher death rate than Boston.
In the San Francisco hospital the nurses
all wore masks, yet 78 per cent of them
had influenza. New York is cited as one
of the cities that did not prohibit pubr
lic gatherings andcdid not use masks.
Its death rate was lower than that of
any other large, city. The health com
missioner there (a homeopath) refused
to whoop up a scare by resorting to
alarmist measures.
Charts" showing the death rates in
various large cities lead the writer of the
bulletin to the "obvious conclusion that
closing, "at least i large cities, avails
little or nothing" and that "the case
aeainst the mask as a measure of com
pulsory application for the control of
epidemics appears to be complete."
The bulletin frankly admits that the
cause and mode of dissemination of in
fluenza are unknown to the medical
profession.
As to vaccines, the bulletin says : "The
hygienic laboratory of the California
state board of health, yielding to the
popular clamor for vaccine (who is re
sponsible for the popular clamor?), "pre-
pared and distributed free of charge many
thousand doses of the influenza vaccine.
The manufacture of the product has now
Been discontinued, as it was conclusively
proved that it has no protective value.'
Reports of committees of the Amer
ican Public Health association, which
met in December, are included in the
bulletin. Those committees reported ad
versely on vaccines for both influenza
and its complicating infections, gave no
preference to disinfectants as against
soap and water, sun and air, and said
that sprays and gargles do not protect
the nose and throat from infection.
Since medical theories are fleeting
fashions, like bustles and stovepipe
skirts, wouldn't it be better that every
school of healing should stand on its
own merits, with favors and state sup
port granted to none? State medicine is
a worse evil than state religion.
HELEN S. GRAY,
Voting As the Wife Says
Portland, Feb. 21. To the Editor of
The Journal I note in report of'legis
lative proceedings that more than . one
member has excused himself for going
against the expressed wish of the peo
ple by saying, "My wife tells me to vote
against this bill." This is particularly
noticeable in the matter of the jury bill,
introduced by Mrs. Thompson at the re
quest of practically every organised
body of women in the state. The need
for this legislation is so apparent that
it seems to me that "the wayfaring man.
even though," etc, could not be blind
to it. Did the honorable member who
made this excuse for voting adversely
think he was representing his wife as
legislator, or the people who elected him?
Or was he, like a coward, nidlng be'
hind his wife in voting his own sen
timents? If the latter, I submit that it
would have been a braver thing to take
the blame.
"I happen to know that a great ma
jority of the thinking women of the
state have come reluctantly to believe
that the path of duty in the direction
of the juryroom ia a very plain one
and one that they can not longer consci
entiously ignore.
I would humbljr suggest that from
this day the women of the state who
contemplate asking for any progres
sive legislation should either elect
women to the state legislature or make
sure what are the sentiments of the
wives of the candidates, even before the
primaries, that the path of progress
may not in future be blocked by such
puerile excuses.
ADAH WALLACE UNRUH.
Hurrying the Soldiers Rome
McEwen. Feb. 16. To the Editor of
The Journal I am interested in getting
my boy home, out of the army, and I
believe there is a cause not concurred
in by the general public for this delay.
And as the president wUI soon be home,
I ask every man or mother-that has a
boy in the service to write him a letter,
asking him to give this matter his ear
liest consideration, and that he see that
their fare is paid home, which is not the
case now. J. Ij. iiUMisiufl.
rRT- inUWi furs "is rja id bone. It ia not
only paid, but the mileage allowance leaaea hist
a balance for incidentals. President Witeom has
done all in his power to hurry pmceedinca at the
peae conference in order that the peace treaty
might be aicned at the earliest moment and the
way .be thereby opened for the quiokeat possible
return of the American army. By nesntiationa
at Paris he secured consent of the allies for
American use of German ships as a further means
of increasing the number of soldiers that can be
transported home.)
Hawaiian Motto
Sherwood, Feb. 14. To the Editor of
The Journal What are the names of all
the republics on the earth today, and
their presidents? What do these words
mean, on the Hawaiian seal : Ua man ke
ea oka. atna lka pono? A READER.
f The Hawaiian inscription is Ta man ke ea o
ka aina i ka pa no." It sicnifiea. "The Kfe of
the land is ta ncbteoueneaa." If tSe inquire
arm send The Journal hi eenplete mail ad
dresa he will be assisted ia obtaining the hats
of names desired,! - .
Discusses Profits r '"' .
Portland. Feb. IS. To the Editor of
The Journal I have read the editorial
in The- Journal of February 15 under
the title. "Owners and Workers. It
seems that a ' lot of you people . with J
COMMENT AND
SMALL CHANGE
Today is the day for the old cherry
tree story.
Just as we feared. The state legisla
ture is going to run overtime.
.-e.ee
The Rotarians have completed their
business sessions. Now for round of
pleasure.
e e
Ex-President Taft brands the Poin
dexter . charges as "atrocious lies."
That's cutting mighty close to the
"short and ugly."
Headline : "President Center of Huge
Fete." The spelling of the last word is
all that prevents us from attempting
some wheeze or another about corns.
If the prince of Wales and Princess
Yolande of Italy are sure enough, in
love, they won't let mere difference of
religious convictions interfere with, their
wedding.
a
We fail to see Just where the Rose
City will get $1000 worth of entertain-,
ment out of an airplane race from Cali
fornia to Portland, a feature being con
sidered by the Rose Festival committee.
Notice that theUlnofs Retail Clothiers'
association announces a reduction in the
price of clothes within the next year.
Now if Oregon clothiers want to make a
hit and put one over oh Illinois .they
need only announce a reduction In price,
effective at once.
JOURNAL MAN AT HOME
By Fred Lockley.
( Reflections upon possibilities inherent ia the
fact merely of beins an American youth are pre
sented by Mr. Lockley today, in connection with
a. review of the career of George Washina-ton.
appropriate to this, the natal day of the Father
of His Country.
Yesterday forenoon I talked about the
Father of His Country to the students
of Lincoln high school. I hope they en
joyed it. I know I did. One cannot
face a thousand students without feel
in sr thrillad. A n von look into their
Tfaces you think ahead for 20 years and
try to pick out the future leaders. Here
before you in embryo are senators and
congressmen, ministers and college pro
fessors, authors and physicians, and, for
all you know, you may be talking to
one who will sit in the presidential chair.
As your eye picks out the racial types
Scotch, English. Irish. Italian, Jewish,
and a score of other old world types
you see how they have been poured into
the melting pot stamped with old world
traditions, beliefs, hatreds and preju
dices, and how they come out loyal
Americans. In the -mints at Phil
adelphia and San Francisco I have
watched worn-out gold currency stamped
with the superscription of many an
old world country, go Into the melt
ing pot, and then I have watched this
same metal come from the coining.press
bright and shining, bearing the image of
Liberty, with the motto, "In God We
Trust." You can't help thinking of the
all American stamp that our schools put
upon the children of those who came
from old world lands.
e e e
Professor Davis, principal of the school,
took me to the platform and whispered:
"How shall I introduce you? You are
on a paper, are you not? Is it the Ore
gon lan or The Journal? You write,
don't you?" I told him who I was and
in return he told me he had been teach
ing school In Portland more than 25
years. What a wonderful opportunity
he has had of impressing thousands of
students with ideals of service to their
country and their fellow men. with ideals
of hard work and fair play.- What a
chance to show them that they are
learning for life, not for school. Good
training in the home and in the school
ia the solution of future good citizen
ship. e ' e
When one studies the limitless possi
bilities that are available to the children
of America there Is no room for pessim
ism nor reason' tor social unrest. Wash
ington. Lincoln. Roosevelt, Wilson all
names, that will live in history all of
thera came up from the ranks to the
highest office in the gift of a people.
George Washington was a farmer's
boy, born at Bridges Creek in West
moreland county, Virginia. His mother
wrote in the family Bible that he was
born "about 10 In ye morning of ye 11th
day of February, 1732." (This "11th"
signifies old style.) He had little or
no education except as he picked up his
education from reading and from con
tact with educated men. He never at
tended school after he was 15. His half
brother, Lawrence Washington, who
owned the Mount Vernon estate, beins
the son-in-law of Lord Fairfax, got his
brother George, who then was 18 years
old, a job as surveyor of theiFairfax
properties, and soon thereafter an ap
pointment as public surveyor. George
went west, to the Ohio valley, surveying
the wild western lands. i
TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT PLANS
By E. Percy Noel
Special Correepondenee to The Journal and
The Chicago Daily News.
Parle The official news from Wash'
lngton that the United States navy has
confided to Commander John H. Towers
preparations . for a transatlantic flight
has provoked lively interest In the allied
air services represented at the peace
conference because of the friendly
rivalry thus . aroused between the Brit
ish air force assisted by the navy and
the American naval air service to be the
first to cross the Atlantic in the air.
Neither will compete for any prize but
for the glory.
Should the Italian or French navy
enter the race it would be even more
Interesting, but I am told that there Is
no possibility of either doing so, although
in France and Italy, as - ell as in Eng
land and America, constructors will be
given every assistance by their govern
ment. The general opinion, however, is
that either the British or the American
air service with the collaboration of the
navies will be the first to accomplish a
crossing. Although- the windb are less
favorable for flying toward the west, it
is believed here that Britain's chances
of being first are equal to those of
America.
e e
I am Informed that three types of I
British craft have already been tested
capitalistic ideas cannot do away with
the thought oi proiias. vno geie tne
profits from the public roads? Who
e-ets the Drofits from the public schools?
Who gets the profits from the fire de
partment? . Who gets the profits from
any public-owned utlHtyt If the gov
ernment owned all the raw material
and the machinery of production, who
then would get the profits?
If tome of the leading journals wouia
AvrkAte a system of voting whereby aa
American citizen could vote .without Jiv-
inar in a community a certain tengtn or.
time, and win for them their right to
vote. I think they would find there
would be no Bolshevism. I. W. W.-ism
or A- F. of L.-1-rm. for the government
(meaning the people) would then own
and control, and the industrial disputes
would end. WILLIAM CHADWICK.
Ample Wheat and Sugar Now -Gateway,
Feb. -18. To the Editor
of The Journal I anV a housewife and
don't like to cook with substitutes or eat
war bread any better than anyone else,
but I cant see why it is we are not
mixing them with the good food yet and
comerving on the food, as there are
famines and ' near famines - In . Eurone.
while we can get all the flour lad sugar
NEWS IN pRlEF
OREGON SIDELIGHTS
"With snow piled deep In the rnoun
talns," says the Baker Democrat, f arm
ers have little to fear that there will be
a shortage of water for irrigation the
coming season. It was ever thus and
history will repeat itself n .that 'crops
never fall in Baker county.'
Postmaster Cain reports over J1.000
pounds of parcel post matter in the Crane
office awaiting transportation to outn
Harney county and the Catlow country.
The bulk of it is flour and feed
and two carloads is yet to be sent from
Harper to .interior points in Harney
county, the American says.
There has not been a race meeting at
John Day for several years ana tne peo
nl an now ready for a bis? meeting.
which is to be held during the first four
days of July. "There are a number of
good horses In Grant county tiat' hve
never been tried out on the track, says
the Canyon City Kagle. "and this will
give them the opportunity to show their
speed." , .
"With Umatilla the terminal for pas
unar nt frAiarht traffic with the open'
ing up of new gravel pits and .the re
sumption of those already . installed, there
nin ka itv built uoon the shells of a
passing generation." is the giving pre
jmIak nf ih Psmdleton East Oregoni-
an's Umatilla correspondent, who further
refers to the town as umauiia tuumjr
seaport.
When he was 19 he was a major in
the militia, and in 1753 Governor Din
widdle sent him on a military mission
to western Pennsylvania. Upon his r
turn he was commissioned lieutenant
colonel of a Virtrinia resiment. In the
spring and summer of 1754, In com
manu of two companies, he carried
on a, vigorous campaign against the
French and Indians. He was but 23 years
old at this time. Early In 1756,
when he was 23, he was appoint
ed a colonel on the Staff of Gen'
eral Braddock. Colonel George Wash
ineton was one of the few officers un
wounded at the disastrous defeat of
Braddock. Rev. Samuel Davis, later
to become a college president. In
a sermon preached shortly after the bat
tie. ::ferred to "that heroic youth. Col
onel Washington, whom I cannot but
hope .Providence has preserved In so
signal a manner for some Important
service to his country.
e
Rev. Davis hunch was right. Wash
ington served throughout the Virginia
war and resigned in 1758. He was 27
when he "married Martha Dandridge
Custis, whose former husband had left
her very wealthy. He inherited the
Mount Vernon estate from his brother
Lawrence, and for the next 15 years
he lived there quietly. He served as a
delegate from Virginia to the Conti
nental congress that met tn Philadelphia
on September 5, 1774.
e e .
When the British soldiers and the col
onlsts came into armed conflict at Lex
ington and Concord, Virginia decided to
appoint Colonel George Washington
commander-in-chief of the forces-from
Virginia, out on June 15, 1775, John
Adams of Massachusetts moved to have
Colonel Washington appointed commander-in-chief
of the armed forces -of
the United Colonies. He accepted the
position with the understanding that
he dould serve, as long as the war lasted
without pay, and on June 17, 1775, he
received the commission that changed
his title from Colonel Washington to
General Washington. He was over
feet tall, weighed 220 pounds, was
splendid horseman, a good shot and
natural leader,, and hence made an Ideal
choice for commander-in-chief.
e e e :
Washington was killed on December
14, 1799, by being bled for a cold. In
addition to being "cupped" and bled, he
had to take molasses, vinegar and but'
ter, gargle with vinegar, drink sage
lea and be blistered with Spanish fly.
These remedies not proving helpful,- he
was lanced and more blood was let from
him. The bleeding and cupping caused
him to grow weaker and he embarked
on his last long journey after less than
one day's sickness.
e e a
John Marshall of Virginia, who later
became . chief justice of the supreme
court. In a resolution adopted by the
house of representatives, quoted from
"Light Horse Harry" Lee's eulogy of
General Washington. In which ho had
said that Washington was first in war,
first tn peace and first in the hearts of
his countrymen."
"Light Horse Harry" Lee. the friend
of Washington, was the father of Gen
eral Robert E. Lee, commander-in-chief
of the Confederate forces.
Lee's characterization of General
Washington will stand for all time as
the verdict of the American people.
and arrangements practically completed
for the attempt, which may be made, ac
cording to weather conditions, within the
next six weeks or three months. All
three of the craft will start, approxi
mately at the same time, so as to utUize
the safeguards which the British navy
win provide, sues destroyers and
crul-ters along the route and kite balloon
buoy with vertical searchlights. One
of the British craft Is a large rigid air
ship which theoretically is capable of
voyaging from London to New York
and return without stopping. Another is
a huge flying boat with two pilots and
two mechanics. The third is the small
est and fastest high motor airplane.
which Is capable of carrying sufficient
ruei xor a, non-stop crossing.
e e
I am told that all three will follow the
shortest and most direct course across
from Cape Mizen, Ireland, to Cape Race,
sewrounaiaaa, wnere, in case of emer
gency, it could land or. else follow the
coast to Halifax or go farther according
to the weather and the amount of fuel
remaining. The distance is about 2000
miles. The Azores route is 2425 miles.
or 1000 miles from Lisbon to the Isle
of St. Miguel in, the Azores, 450 miles
from St. Miguel to the isle of St. Fibres,
and then 975 miles to Newfoundland.
(Copyright, 1919, by Chicaso Dally hears Co.)
w want .All we need is the price. Re
member, I am not criticising at all. Let
Hoover managW this to suit himself. But
this is only my opinion, which we are
all entitled to. ETHEL GEDNEY.
Mrs. Roosevelt's Pension
Portland. Feb. 2L To tie Editor of
The Journal In connection with the let
ter of "A Soldier of Democracy" In re
gard to Mrs. Roosevelt's pension, X
wish to ask; la it a fact that she dees
get this pension?,. I am under the Im
pression that the bill was defeated.
Who i right? J. O. .A.
f The bill sranrlne a pension to Mrs. Booae
velt has beam passed by both bouses of eoneresa.
Final action was taken ea January 28.
Olden Oregon
First State Seal of Oregon Bore the
Device of the Salmon.
The seal of the Oregon provisional
government was : called the "Salmon
seal,' because it contained - the figure
of a salmon. Above the salmon were
three sheaves of grain, symbolic of agri
culture. : In the form oX an arc above
the sheaves "Oregon" was inscribed.
Ragtag and Bobtail
Stories From Everywhere.
Th Real Magna. Charta
TVR. CHARLES R. BROWN, dean ot
the school of religion of - Yale uni
versity, a member of the Congress for
a ieafue or NaUom, told the following
story In an address in Portland ;
"A high school teacher. e-Ivinsr 'an
examination to the first year class."
asked thera to write what they knew
about Magna Charta. and the following :
was : me production of one young
woman: 'Magna Charta was a soldier
In the Revolutionary war ; he was shot
in a battle and his wife went to the
front to take care of him. but when
she found that he was already dead Mrs.
Charta took up his gun and said:
Shoot If you must this old gray head.
but I will fight It out on this line If it
takes all summer," "
9
Caa You Tell?
Why is it
v a fellow will take such terrible
4'hencesr
Why is it be runs the
, HUk
Of police courts, divorce courts.
Newspaper scandalaf
. Why is It he sallies r
Forth
And gets himself shot '
Throoeh tha left lung
J nst to kiss some, other fellow's -
When all tha Urn 'hie own wife
Hits at home
WaiUuf to be kissed f And
Kissinc her wouldn't coma half '
So higbl
Why ia itf '
Cartoons MacasJne.
" . e
Uncle Jeff 8novr says:
Anybody that wants to bust ua a trust
Is a traitor to his country and wants to
ruin its industries. You can ask any
trust "president if this ain't right. Also
he'll swear he ain't In no trust and his
trust ain't no trust and there ain't no
sich animal in existence nohow.
The News in Paragraphs
World Happenings Briefed for Benefit
' of Journal Readers -
GENERAL
The trsLvellnar rnna-ntaa fn, a T a. mi.
of Nations has moved on to Salt Lake
city. -
The $750,000,000 railroad control ap
propriation bill was passed by the house
Friday. ; ,
It is now said In Paris that the peace
treaty will be an accomplished fact by
May.l at the latest.
Cable censorship between the United
States and the Island possessions was
suspended February 20. ,
Eight Japanese enlisted men In the
United States navy were naturalised
at Philadelphia Wednesday.
Henry N. Schuyler, Republican mayor
of Pana, 111., for 32 years, announces
that he will not again be a candidate.
The annual report of the Pressed!
Steel Car company shows earnings In
1918 of 14,762,030, compared with 12,909,-'
093 In 1917.
During the last year of the war the
San Francisco district produced 12.000
airplanes. 30,000 aviation motors and
700 kite balloons.
Aircraft contracts totaling 1169.000,
000 have been cancelled or suspended
by the war department since the sign
ing of the armistice.
Representative Fees, chairman of the
Republican congressional campaign com
mittee, has announced his withdrawal
from, the speakership contest.
John M. Browning of Ogden, Utah,
who was paid more than $1,000,000 by
the government for his Inventions , of
machine guns, must pay more than
$700,000 as income tax.
NORTHWEST NOTES
The last case of influenza In Kutrfne
was released from quarantine Thursday.
Yakima boosters are asking conarrens
to create a national park Including
Mount Adams. -
The Home Builders Loan company
has been organized at Pendleton with
a capital of $00,000. j.
' Petitions upon closing the theatres
of Yakima on Sunday show 5307 signers
against It and 2999 for It.
The first planting of sugar beets has
been made in the Yakima valley by the
Utah-Idaho Sugar company,
Eugene will build a concrete flume
400 feet long in the hills tn double the
capacity of the municipal electric plant.
For hunting Hungarian pheasants out
of season. Arnold Allachul and Edward
Weetergard were fined $10 each at
Vancouver. -
Patrick Murphy, accused of the mur
der of Joe Cartpr, near Kennewlck. last
Sunday, has been apprehended and is in
Jail at Pasco. .
William M. Grlssom. formerly cashier
of a Chicago savings hank. Is under ar
rest at Seattle, ehnrjred with embezzle
ment of funds of the bank.
It is estimated that the proposed
freight rate advances and oh an ires in
refrigerator tariffs will cost the growers
of Yakima valley $1,260,000 annually.
A trunk fontalnlnir a" 10 rrallon keg of
whiskey was captured at New Era
Thursday night by Sheriff Wilson of
Clackamas county. The owner was not
found.
Mr T TCnrlish of Chehalls has re
ceived a dispatch from Washington an
nouncing the Ot'.in or n on. iiarnia
English, while in the United States
service.
ferencA of cltr officials and
irui rillusv companies will be held
at Tacoma February 28 for the purpose
of readjusting etreeicar lares uirougn
out the state.
Twn itlaharred soldiers. Wllford J.
Jones of Welser and Henry Ballard of
Caldwell, got Into an altercation on
the train at Huntington, when Jones
stabbed Ballard through to the cavity
in fmnt of the rirht shoulder. :
FOR EI ON -nrinoe
Jonrhlm and his wife, arrest
ed In Bavaria, have been- deported to
Prussia.
wtivM tit the Sinn Fein organiza
tion In. Ireland have voted to make "
Easter Monday a holiday.
ttania nt Bulcariftn marauders are
,riv, in dreek territory north of Sa-
loniki. and also In western Thrace.
Communal feeding on a largfl scale
he establishment of 4000 na
tional restaurants tn planned for Lon
don.
Thirty officers and men of the Amer
ican forces in Northern Russia , have
been glyen French war crosses for gal
lant service.
Tha carnivals of dancing, wine drink
ing and expensive night revels In Berlin
and other farsre cities in Germany have
. .3 .. ...... . - S ...
favorable criticism abroad.
George Washington Knew
Value of Thrift. , '
The one hundred and eighty-seventh
anniversary of George ; Wash
ington's birthday Is being celebrated
today. Washington, the successful
builder of a nation, gave voice to
rules for personal and national suc
cess which are as applicable In this
3919 year of necessary thrift as in
his day. Here are some of his words
on the use of money and resources
that might have been written for the"
present situation In America:
I am no more disposed to squander
than to stint.
Economy makes happy homes and
sound nations, d Instill It deep.
ft Is not the lowest priced goodr
that are always the cheapest.
I cannot enjoin too strongly upon
you a due observance of. economy
and frugality,1-
, Thrift Stamps and 191 War Sav
ings Stamps now on sale at usual
agencies. -
: ..5:: sj ,