Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1910-03-19
A NEWSY LETTER FROM
TIL NATIONAL CAPITAL

of years Of persecution and misun-
derstanding.
"The value Of many Of our birds
is unfortunately unknown to the
farmers, whom they are striving SO
hard to protect The oriole, for in
stance, is the only bird that will eat
the fuzzy caterpillars which are so
destructive to many varieties of
trees Were it not for the wood
peckers there would be no forests,
for they go after and keep down the
enormous numbers of worms that at
tack the trees.
"The only bird that l would real
ily be glad to see destroyed in this
country is the English sparrow. He
is utterly worthless to the farmer
or the orchard grower; he is dirty,
quarrelsome and drives away the
song birds. Just at present the sur
vey is striving with all its might
and main to keep him out of south
ern California So far we have been
successful in this battle. II the peo-
pie of the cities and villages would
only take up the crusade against this
little pest, they might easily be got
rid of, and the beautiful song birds
would come back. The sparrow is
easily trapped and easily poisoned
but every time an organized effort
is made to rid locality of the nuis-
ance, the crusaders are met with the
mistaken sentimentality of a few
who know nothing about the merits
of the case, and are scared off by the
cry of save the little birds that Is
set up in the papers and from the
pulpit. The English sparrow has no
more right to exist than rats, mice
scorpions, tarantulas or any other
noxious creatures that are recog
nized as enemies of our society"
A sarcastic comment upon the
present economical administration
was received by the secretary of the
treasury today from a person sign
inghimself $500 clerk" as follows:
During the past year, by omit
ting to cross my rs or dotting rs
have saved the government two
cents in ink. viii you please add
this to my salary? l am now using
my lead pencil down to one-halrI
inch. hope in this way TO save an
other cent Long live this econom-
ical administration.
Il am short of paper or I would
write longer letter, We are one
year nearer the poorhouse,"
Once more the lowering yellow
war cloud glooms the country. Once
more the threatening skeletons of
our national helplessness are drag
ged forth from their musty closets
and furblshed UP to be placed before
the trembling public. Once more
I the tales of $4,000 little yellow men
dumped onto our western coast to
ravage and destroy are told in tones
of apprehension and dismay.
War, bloody war, with the disso-
luton of the United States at the
end Of 1t, the entire country impov-
erished, and the now free American
citizen ground beneath the heavy yell
low heel of the little men from the
east, is again foretold with the grave
wagging of heads and much bewail-
ing OF the disappearance of the
good old American spirit"
absolutely defenceless," "at the
mercy of the invader" "our unpro-
tected coasts" "our merchant ma
rlne-the minus quantity" and all
the old stock phrases of the patriotic
prophet OF the dire disaster OF the
nation are again in evidence. Up
and down the corridors in congress
in the ante-room of the White House,
in hotel lobbles, along the spacious
streets of the capital, and most OF
all, In the newspapers are the words
OF warning to be found.
Once more appears the Japan
ese plans for invading the Pacific
coast, found by the ubiquitous "se-
cret agent OF foreign government"
who pursues his Maohiavellian vo-
cation from capital to capital, Halt
of the Mikado's navy is to remain
at home TO guard the BRITAIN of the
east" and the other half, conveying
a feet of transports, is TO dump half
million little yellow men lat n
point OF vantage on the Pacific
coast, aud from thence the rich and
prosperous west is TO be overrun.
Again we are told that the Ameri-
can navy is an antiQuated tea SER
vice; that the navy personnel is too
small and badly ofiioered; that the