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About St. Johns review. (Saint Johns, Or.) 1904-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 2, 1904)
.1 M ST. JOHNS REVIEW Devoted to the Interests of the Peninsula, the Manufacturing Centre of the Northwest. III VOL. I. ST. JOHNS, OREGON, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1904. NO. 4 NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS Many Matters Noted and Comment ed Upon; That mnlter o nllcyways, which wc referred to n couple of weeks ago, j. Wc nrc pleased to note receiving fome nttention. Tho pooplo who nro now or may be hereafter plat building ii !ll hold n. stronc card if thov can advertise nllcyways through their property. Tlio convciucnco 01 tneso little roadways nro worth n wholo lot to ',ho liomcbtiilders. They snvo pil ing wood and other household supplies in front of tho house, and prevents the grocer, the baker, tho laundrymnn, ..,,1 oiiutrv other rcmilar business callers, from tramping over tho lawns, crushing tho life out of flower beds, ulants. clc. Tho lot buyer should in sist on nllcys. No where in tho stnto has grcntor interest been shown in beautifying iilnntinc roses, flowers and all kinds of ornamental and usoful shrubbery, than right hero in St. Johns. Of course, in most instances, the lawns nro new, and tho opjwrtuni tin fiii irrnwth mid maturity has not I yet been afforded by lapse of time, but in a few years St. Johns win no nuio to boast of sotim of tho fluent lawns on the roast. A great deal of tho inter est in beautifying lawns is tho out' L'rnwlli of tlm airitotion of tho mios flun liv tho Ladles' Civic League, nuir mcnted by tho generosity of Harry Powers, of Thompson, Ilnttman PntvnrH. Thin trentlemnit iravo about eighty dollars' worth of flower seeds I n.l n.iil tit.iiitlilni' Ilkn nun linn- Irtrcd mid flflyMoIliii fn cash prizes I for the best results. Tho cash priz les Hero paid in all cases whero tho Irulm uirt ioini)liiil with. Tlio com- lilts: spring it is hoped tho enthusinsiw 1 111 this direction will bo manliest in j the ronlliiiinnrc of tho good work. .lust here, it might be observed, Inimther pii)wsilion comes to the fore, I mill tluint is tho "cow" (UCStion. It lii clnimvd, and with no small degree lof justillcntlon, that tho running at llnrcc of livn stock is 11 grunt impedi incut to tho pniKr cultivation OL lawns. There is no doubt but this is true, and tlio matter resolves itself in ho this question: Shall tho city bo I made 11 row pasture, or n city of benu- lliful lawns? Wo bolievo tho question I should bo derided by 11 vnlo of tho citi zens, without nny int' ncrem. by I the legislative or poiro dopnit- Imeiil. Tho citizens favoring an ordi nnnro prohibiting live stock running int largo might petition tlio city conn ml to submit tho question to the elect Kiniie ai 1110 spring eiecuoii. ro rea- I K imble man can object to such n eoure. u then, n majority is tor such n law, let tho council obey tlio I mandate without interference, from the outside, if u mujorlty vote is poll- led against tho measure, let the matter drop until such time us the majority favor it. This would bo fair, and I either sldo would, wo uro sure sub mit gracefully to tho voice of the ma jority. A suggestion has been made that the council pass an ordinance com pelling all places of business, except drug stores, hotels and restaurauts, to closo on Sunday. Such a law would be wholesome, and, we believe, wel-. corned by a large majority of the bus- ines community. Life is too short to be compelled to toil seven days in the week. Six days is enough for any person to labor, aside from any luicral question which may be in- Ivclved. The reform wave which has struck I'ortland has not come any too soon, he high-handed manner in which a ortlon 01 tho community there has nmiy detied the laws and all rules ' common decency, to snv nnthiiiir of L be morale of tho city, is simply dis raccful nnil nnnnllinc Tho resnon- I 0 unity for the deplorable condition s. nuairs is due to the grafting " tateras which have prevailed there. a recent years many of the men who ave been elected or appointed to po- sitiona of trust have taken tho view that incumbency of olllce meant a licenso to levy blackmail or "graft" at pleasure. This "system" oven be came so engrafted in tho body politic that even the city government rec ognized it ns legitimate, and permitted the laws of the, land to be set asido by the payment of stipulated sums of money, and this, too, from tho very lowest and worst elements of its pop ulation. It is all tho outgrowth of politics in municipal affairs, and tho wclUmcnning people nro cqunlly re sponsible with tho lawless clement for this condition of affairs. As long ns tho political partisan wil1 volo for tho '"yellow dog," if ho uolougs to "my party," so long will city gov ernments bo administered for tho benefit of tho faw instead of tho wholo iwople. Tho developments in tho Tanner creek sewer scnndnl at I'ortland, while they show a lamentable stato of affairs, especially in tho city engi neer's olllce, nro not without soma good results, and not tho least import nut. onn itt tlm nwakenim? of tho two plo to tho wholcsalo debauchery of soma of their hired servants. Another imml rpNiilt is tho dnmend that thor oiigh investigation bo mndo into nil nubile contractu nnd works. This Int- tnf will lm linllml with dcllaht bv tho overburdened taxpayer of tho "city of roses'," if the shedding oL tho light of day upon tho thieving nnd jobbery wlileli linn no ilnilbt lonir nrovailod. will bavo tho effect of nrovldlng a remedy nnd putting a stop to further dipping into their pockets to sails fv tho lfiocd of tho avaricious con tractors and their cohorts, tho official "grafters." It is to bo hoped so, Good resolutions will no doubt bo made, and n determination expressed to stop the jobbery, but tho pcoplo too often forget. Somebody said "tho mad to hell is paved with resoliltions broken." nnd it is not unllkclv that I'ortland reformers will help lengthen the pavement. We note from our Southern Oregon exchanges that typhoid fever is quite numerous in some localities. Ilcsldes numerous cases of fever, Grants I'nsx has a raso of smnll-pox, nnd tho Ob server of that city has some pretty plniu things to say nbout sanitary conditions. Of roursc, wo nro sorry for our friends of tho South part, but still very thankful that this district has not n single case of typhoid or other contngeous disease. The ponin sum is, wo verily bcliovc, one of tlio healthiest localities in the world. True, wo nro blessed with puro water, excellent natural drainage, being on tide water, and tho purest of atmo sphere, in addition to getting tho bene fit of tho salt water breezes which are wafted up the Columbia river from tho Pacific ocean. Tlio trend of events ns they are transpiring in this district, would in- licata thaat some big transportation scheme is on foot. The fact that a party of surveyors havo recently been at work, and parties nro now at work securing a right of way for a railroad along the northwest boundary of the city to a point on the Columbia slough, is token as a strong indication that some big enterprise will soon be es tablished there. The parties engaged in this work are very reticent nbout tho matter, but it is generally under stood they are working in the interest of tho 0. R. &. N. railway. Whatever it may be, one thing is certain, any railway line or industry established on tho peninsula will bo of great benefit to the whole district, aud should re- reive the hearty endorsement of all concerned. To our brethren of the press throughout the state, we extend our thanks for the many favorable refer ences to The Reviow, as well as to the editor personally. The writer has spent many years in closo business relations with the publishers of Ore gon and Washington, and pleasant re lations they were. too. In tho past, however, our position was always on the opposite side of the desk, and perhaps, we were not so close in sym pathy as our present position will bvzg us. But we're in the harness, now, boys, and will no doubt appreci- ate what the "close of our fiscal year" letters of tho typo founder and paper man mean to tho feelings of tho publisher with a largo list of delin quents, and tho "poor collection month." Wo wcro always full of sympathy, and our story that tho "manager ordered us to do," etc., be came n ki id of second haturo to us. We'll know how it feels, now, boys. Mayor Williams declines to carry out tho expressed wishes of tho Port land city council in regard to tho re moval of City Engineer Elliott, un til ho gets more evidence, just ns though tho odor of tho Tanner creek sewer was not Biifflciout to causa tho wholo town to move. After tho committees aro through investigating tho bridge contracts in Portland, wouldn't it be in order for Chief Hunt to report what ho found out nbout tho "gambling graft?" Wo outsiders nro interested in nil theso smelling committees. By tho way, tho odor now prevail ing in Portland nro scarcely in keop ing with tho nnmo "Tho Rose City," is it? It don't strike ait outsider that wny. The daily Journal, although somc what tinged with tho "yellow" vnr icty of journalistic productions, main tains n fair standard of excellence in its support of moral and roform move monts, and deserves credit for keep ing the "gang" on pins and needles, nnywuy. Tlio Commercial Association. There will ho n regular meeting of the St. Johns Commercial Association next Wednesday evening. Tho last meotlnir wts largely .attended, and "done things" which for real bcncllt In the city amounts to n vast deal. It Is urged thnt more of tho business men turn out and dike part in tho discus siotiH. While tho membership of tho association is open to every wide nwnko citizen of tho community, yet its interests demand thnt the men engaged in active business pursuits should hooomo more prominent in the work. Their personal interests nro ut stake, nnd it will bo tinio well spent participating in tlio business moot ings. The meeting will bo held In Pot einon's hall. Serious Accident Henry Schultz, of Liitourcllo Falls, sou of Mr. nnd Mrs. Clms. Schultz of this city, while rutting wood nt Donaliuo's camp, met with it serious 1 .1 .... 1 ( .....! .. ..!(.... 1 .. iii i'iui'iii. d nii'i'i nPiiiuur j rum a wedge Hew into his right oye. mid al though ho immediately went to Port land una was operated on at tho Good Samaritan Hospital, it was found im possible to save the sight. Ho is get ting along nil right now, but will nuv- cr recover the sight. Ho has the sym pathy of many friends here. THE SCHOOL MEETING. Will Be Held Friday Evening, Dec ember Seventh. In resiMinso to tho iwtitiun of the taxpayers of school district No. 2. the school board has jonted .notices call ing n meeting of tho householders to discuss and vote on the question of providing more room for the accom modation of tho pupils. The meet ing will be held at the school Iioumi next Friday evening, December 7, at 7:45. Finally, the financial interests of tho district are surely not furthered by a condition which discourages many families to move in and help improve our town. Wo nro permit ting six teachers do the best thoy can with moro pupils than our next Aoor neighbor, Portsmouth school, with eight teachers and less pupils. This condition is not to our advantage iu any light in which a reasonable mau would consider it. It is hoped the people will turn out in good numbers, and vote their sentiments on this question. A bit of school law may bo inter esting. 0' , page 39, of Oregon school law is tho following passage: "it authorized by a majority vote of the legal voters present at any legally called meeting, they shall pur chase, lease, or build school houses, buy or lease land for school purposes, lights and apparatus." This pa3sugo makes it evident that 1. A legal meeting of tho taxpay ers of this school district is necessary, before tho school board can tako any steps to relieve tho overcrowded con dition of our school. 2. That n ma jority present must vote for such measure as called for In petition. 3. That it is useless to blamo tho school bonrd when legal voters block the wny ns in the past. Tho Electric Franchise. Considerable Interest lins been man ifested this week over the statement that lite franchise granted the General Electric Company of Portland, had Inpscd by their failure to comply with tho terms of tho contract. Section 2 of tho ordinmico provides that "iu consideration thereof, tho said gran tee shall, within ninety days from the passage of this ordinance, extend its present lino of poles nnd electric wires so ns to connect tho town of St. Johns with tho power plant of itnid company, nnd shall within thirty dnys fllo nccptancc of said terms." From this it would appear that the company is not compelled to furnish light nnd power within any stated time, but only hnvo tho lino erected within tho ninety days which appears to havo been done. If tho council mndo n iioor bargain, which is gen ernlly conceded, thoy will hnvo to nbldo by it. Tho franchise is not ex elusive, and nny other company has tho privilege of supplying light and jHiwcr, nnd the council has tlio right to grant 11 charter therefore. THE JODES' FLOUR MILL. Another Improtant Manufacturing Enterprise in St. Johns Nearly Gompleted. Tho Jobcs' Hour mill, equipped with tho most modern machinery, is nbout ready to begin oHrations. Malinger Jnbc nssures the Itoviow that tho burrs of tho mill will begin to buzz iu about three weeks, nil ade quate force of men being now ready to tako their places ns soon ns tho work of installing the machinery shall have been completed. W. B. Jobcs is tho manager of tho mill. Ho is n thorough mill man nnd has long en joyed the reputation of turning out a quality of Hour unexcelled anywhere in the co'-'itry. Another man with 1111 iinHrtnnt position in the deration of the mill is Superintendent William hniest. Ming experience has run hied him to acquire a degree of ellli ieney in the work equalled by few Hour-mill men 011 the roast. Tho mill building' proper is 11 mod orn structure four stories high. Tho plant will hnvo n capacity of .'100 barrels per day and it is confidently expected by tho management that it will be operated to it full rapacity every day ns soon as the machinery is put into working condition. The plant was furnished from tho well known Nordyk & Maimon works tho best in tho world. The sito of this mill is 120x100 feet. It was purchased by tho Jobes Brothers soon after thoy camo from SimkaTie nnd extends to tho river. These enterprising gentlemen have expended many thousands uf dollars already in at. Johns, una have not yet finished the work of making ex tensive and expensive improvements. They will employ from twelve to fifteen men. Remember Their Employees. It has been so often reiieated that "corjwrations have no souls," that the phrase has almost become recog nized as a cold fact. However that may be, it is not the case of one corporation, at least, in St. Johns. We rofor to the Peninsula Milling Co., which on Thanksgiving eve presented each of its married employees with a twelve pound turkoy, while the bachel ors all receiveo $2.00, big silver dol lars each. This generous act on the part of the managers of tho company was highly appreciated by the recip ients. It is safe to say where this fcoling exists between employer and employed there is little danger to be apprehended from strikes and labor troubles. The expense of this gener ous act was no mean item, when it is considered thaat the Peninsula Co, employes 175 people. PERSONAL MENTIONINGS About Pcoplo Who Havo Dome aa Oono Last Week. .. Clms. E. Bailey, of Wisconsin, ar rived Wednesday, and has taken a po sition with the St. Johns Land Co. Bob Cnpcls, of Woodburn, Or., spent n few dnys visiting relatives here, returning home Saturday even ing. Mrs. John Shaw and her two young est children, loft Tuesday evening for n visit with friends at Calgary, Al berta, Canada. Mrs. II. C. Stack, of Ashland, Or., is the guest of Dr. niuf his mint Miss Mnrion Hicks, nt their homo, St. Johns Heights. Mrs. W. A. Edgcrtnn returned Sat urday evening from a three month's visit with her children nnd other rclntiveii in White County, Illinois. Mr. nnd MVs. Henry Johnson of Pctnliinm, Cnl., who havo been attend ing the nntional grange session, wcro tho guests of Mr. nnd Mrs. Allen Blackburn on Monday. J. K. Williams, tho father of Mrs. M. L. Holbrook, arrived in St. Johns Wednesdny, from Wisconsin. .Mr. Williams Ih nn old newspaper man. Ho will locate iu this city. Messrs. E. II. Shcpnrd, W. S. Calk Ins, A. S, Shnddiick, of this city, nnd Clms. Glass of Goddnrd station, loft Inst night on n land hunting expedi tion in Knntcrn Oregon, Miss Rosy Schner nnd brother, oF San Francisco, Cnl., spent n week vis iting their sister, Mrs. C. D. Kdwnnls. Thny nil left Monday for Mountain dale to visit their parents, Mr. nnd Mm. M. N. Trout, of Fay ette, Iown, nro visiting Mr. and Mrs. W. S. Calkins. They nil took in tho grange excursion to the beach last Friday, and hnd n flno trip. 0. R. Pcrcivnl, of Vancouver, Wash., was in tho city Monday, look ing nffer his interests here. Mr. Pcr civnl was 0110 of tho first rash sub scribers to Tho Review and takes a lively interest in tho city. Gen. II. B. Compson, of Portland, was in tho city Tuesday. Gen. Comp son hears the proud distinction of having plntted tho first tract into building lots in Onk Park Addition, all of which were sold n year ago, Rev. J. M. Cole, formerly pastor of the Adventist church here, but now in charge of tho Salem, Or., congrega tion, was In the city this week visit ing his mother . Ho preached at tho Adventist church Sabbath last. AI. Southmnyd, of Tillamook, Or., was iu the city visiting relatives for n few dnys on his return from Sheri dan, whero ho attended the funeral of n brother who Vns recontly shot nnd killed. He left for home bntur day evening. Misses Besrie nnd Lillian MoVicker, who are teaching school in Washing ton county, one nt Hillsboro and the other Cornelius, spent Thanksgiving with their parents, Rev. and Mrs. E. K. MoVicker, returning to their school work Monday. Miss Pearl Becbe, from beattle, spent her Thanksgiving nt homo with her parents, Councilman Ueebe, hue left for Seattle Saturday. Mrs. Mat- tie Hatch of Cnstlo Rock, another daughter of Mr. Heche's is very III with typhoid fever. While Mrs. W. C Wnlker has, for personal business reasons of Mr. Walker, moved to I'ortland for tho winter, slto is just ns enthusiastic in behalf of St. Johns ns of yore. She makes frequent visits, being here Tuesday and is heartily greeted by her many friends. ' Rev. W. B, Scott, son of J. C. Scott, of this city, arrived here with his family Sunday morning, having just returned from a three years' stay in Europe. Rov. Scott was in Edin burgh, Scotland, most of the time, where he was working in tho interest of tho Pacific Press, a prominent pub lishing company of Oakland, Cal., run in connection with tho Soveuth Day Adventist Church, no will remain here for awhile, aud his family will reside here. I ! 11 1 "S-M. m-- f --"