Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-01-04
Oregon History and History
MakerS-=-PaSt and Present

concluded on the subject Of the par
cells post and the cognate problem Of
express rates-and his marshalling OF
the facts in his final report, passed
the bill by sheer force Of thoroughness
and everlasting mastery Of details.
1t is referred to officially in all the
circulars and literature of the depart
ment as the Bourne BILL not the parcels
post bill. 1t will be more far-reaching
in its effects upon human interests
and human uplift than any bill since
Abraham Lincoln's homestead act, And
what did the machine accomplish by
defeating Bourne? Helped turn the
United States senate over to the De-
mocracy of the solid South, which re-
constructs all the committees and has
more rivers and harbors than any 9th
er section Of our country. The pick
ings from the pork barrel for Oregon
will be mighty small for some years
TO come. But we have downed Sena'
tor Bourne. We have retired from
! the service of the people brain of
the temper like the finest Damascus
STEEL talent for analytical publicist
work that has no equal in modern his
tory, and one Of the hardest working
representatives of the people in the
United States. How did we do it? BY
misrepresentation
h#A
State Superintendent Alderman de-
serves credit for his proposed law that
only one-third of the public school
textbooks shall be changed at one
time The textbook commission sits
once in six years to adopt textbooks.
If they are to be allowed to discard
ony one-third of the books now in use,
well and good. But if one-third are to
be changed each year for three years
that is, all may be changed in three
years-God save the king mean the
uncrowned king, called the taxpayer
The burden Of the school book eX-
lpense falls heaviest on those with the
largest families-those contributing
most to rebuild society 1t is astonish-
ing, the loads Of textbooks the chill
dren stagger under, the tablets, blank
books, supplementary readers, keys
and special texts, collections of poet
Try, oratorv and literature, called for
by this special course and that. The
burden makes parents stagger as well
as teachers. Any amelioration will
be appreciated, Mr.. Alderman. 1t
seems now as IL our school laws and
textbook system were gotten up for
the benefit of the eastern publisher.
The Oregon retailers get barely
enough to pay cost Of handling, and he
often gets stung by ordering supplies
that lie dead on his shelves.
&&&
War has been declared by some
remnant of past politics on G. N, Nc
Arthur, who is candidate for speaker.
An effort is being made to render him
unpopular by connecting his name
with the Heney prosecutions. He is
accused Of having had something to
do with selecting Jurors in Polk coun-
ty where he resided at the time What
rever he had to do with that selection
Of Jurors in the land fraud trials, II
should not reflect on his candidacy for
the speakership. Mr.. Macarthur is
, pre-eminently the man for that job. He
served one term as speaker, and can
( do better second time. He is light
ning-quick parllamentarian. He Is
, fair tolerant, kindly and broad-mind'
, ed gentleman. The mistakes he made
- at the former session he will not re-
t peat. If he will study the popular
t vote on the initiative and referendum
= measures, and accept the verdict as
| guide, he will not go far wrong. The
people generally voted down new Of
= fices, boards, commissions and new
| taxes and appropriations. There is
!, chance for a decent business session
Of the legislature. Mr.. Macarthur hai
!. had several warnings himself that HI
=, must not ignore the expressed will o
t the people, and can be trusted to max
d a speaker Of the kind the people woul,
}, select. The speaker is there to rep
4 resent and protect the people just a
= If he were elected by their direc
It vote, and, If he makes that kind of
S record, he can go back to the peopl
and ask almost anything at thei
l. hands. II he stands for the aggre
r gated gratis he will never be heard @