Evening star., 1925-08-12

Portland, Greg, is one Of the solid
est cities in America. You can pay
it's people no higher compliment than
to remark upon the air of settled
prosperity which it personifies. 1t is
smaller than Seattle, San Francisco
or Los Angeles, yet none OF these
creates a more vivid impression of
bigness, progress and wealth than the
hustling metropolis Of the Columbia
River country. Portland Is the great
central market and support of the
Pacific Northwest. Last year il ex-
ported more. wheat than any other
port in the United States. No other
city in the world is surrounded by so
dense and extensive stands Of timber.
Five States Of the Pacific Northwest
contain $50, 900 900 900 feet of timber,
which is 40 per cent of the entire
country's standing timber supply, and
600 900 900 900 feet, or 81 per cent,
are in Portland's trade territory. It
is the water grade route from the
mountains that gives Portland its spe-
cial advantages over rival harbors
north and south. Besides, II is the only
fresh water harbor on the Pacific and
considerably nearer that ocean than
either Tacoma or Seattle. Bulwark-
ing and buttressing Portland's eco
nomic advantages is the strongest
of San Francisco. With a metropoli-
tan district of nearly 500 900 inhabit-
ants spread over an area of Sc square
miles, 1t requires only casual obser-
vation of Portland's potentialities to
share her citizens confidence in their
future.
It is admitted on all hands that the
Ku klux Klan has shot it's bolt in
Oregon. The invalidation of the school
law by the United States Supreme
Court was the knockout blow, though
the movement was reeling to its finish
before that. The Portland Telegram is
given the lions share OF the glory for
dispatching the Klan. That journal
conducted a courageous and single
handed fight against the hooded or
ganiZation. facing unfiinchingly an ad-
vertising and circulation boycott that
cost it dearly. The anti-Klan crusade
waged by the two young Wheeler
brothers. proprietors of the Telegram,
is entitled to rank one of the outstand-
ing achievements Of American jour
nalism. Their property is coming into
its own now, a triumphant exemplar
Of the battling traditions Of the news
paper profession.
Oregon school law was officially cham
pioned in 1922 by the Scottish Rite
Masons for the Southern Jurisdiction
of the United States. through the
Grand Lodge of Oregon, rather than
by the Ku I<lux Klan. In the so-called
voters pamphlet issued by the State
on the eve Of a general election the
argument in favor of the compulsory
education bill was sponsored by IL
III Ill, - ttoaM Ia 80
or rganiZations of Oregon. But the Ku
Klux Klan generally received credit
for the measure and for its eventual
enactment by the Legislature. klans-
men. one is told, having had wished
upon them the name Of the authors Of
the law, decided they might as well
have the advantage of the game and
of what they hoped would be its politt-
cal dividend.
President CooIidge's dictum that the
States ought to do more for them
selves and not look so habitually 10
Uncle Sam finds wide, but not gen.
eral, acceptance in the West. oregon
is a case in point. In her eastern
half there is a 50,000-acre irrigation
scheme, known as the Baker project,
which Oregonians want the National
Government to carry out. Almost
every other State in the intermoun-
tain and coast region has an enter
prise of the same sort in the hopper,
for which Federal funds are sought.
In most cases the execution of these
projects is beyond the financial abil-
ity of an individual State, even though
a single State is often destined to be
the sole beneficiary. On these occa-
sions Western Commonwealths are
not jealous of State rights. Wash
ington can go as far as 1t likes in
| invading them, as long as it does the
| work and puts up the cash. In Ore
gon the title to 35 per cent of the