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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 25, 1914)
K V V VOL. LIV. S'O. 16,015. PORTLAND. OREGON. WEDNESDAY. FFTUITT ATJV os 1011 . , MEIER 6 FRANK GO. TOSPEND $1,250,000 New Structure to Be 12 Stories High. FIFTH STREET BUILDING GOES Ready for Business in New Home in May, 1915, Is Plan. FAILING BUILDING LEASED JKscalador, or Moving Staircase, Nur sery, Silence 11 00 in and Com plete Hospital Will Be In cluded In Department Store. Decidedly the largest building project in many months, was put forward in Portland yesterday when the Meier & Frank Company leased the 12-story Falling building, on the southeast corner of Fifth and Alder streets, until it can replace its present five-story main building on Fifth street, between Alder and Morrison, with a 12-story class A building costing more than $1,260,000. Two additional stories will be added to the present 10-story annex erected In 1909, on the southeast corner of Sixth and Alder streets. The new half-block building will be similar to the present 10-story annex in height and type of exterior finish. Moving Starts at Once. The process of moving the stock from the main building on Fifth street into the Failing building, hereafter to be known as the Meier & Frank tem porary annex, will be started imme diately. It is expected that business will be transacted in the new annex as early as April 1 and that the old build ing will be entirely vacated by May 15. By July 1 the company hopes to have the old property ready for excavation. Steel construction on the new main building will begin about September 1, and it is declared that the new home will be open and ready tor business by May 1, 1915. , This date will mark the 59th anni versary of the birth of tlvo firm, which waa started on Front street in May. 1857, by Aaron Meier. The company then bad five employes. Today it has 2100. on Its payroll. During the occupancy of the tem porary annex it is possible that an un derground passageway will be in use to facilitate movement between the co ordinated plants of the company. Term of Lease Two Years. The deal which was closed yester day was made directly between Julius L, Meier, vice-president and general manager of the Meier & Frank Com pany, and William C. Alvord, manager of the Failing estate, owners of the Failing building. The term of the lease is two years. The negotiation had been under way for several months. Being built for department store use and without partitions, the building may be occupied by the Meier & Frank Company immediately and without any material alterations in the present construction. It has 12 stories and a full basement and covers a quarter block. This avails a total floor space. In addition to the balconies, of 130,000 square feet, or more than three acres. Mr. Meier Tells of Plana. "It is often said that there is no sen timent in business." said Julius L. Meier, yesterday, "but we cannot agree with that idea. In announcing that a 12 story class A building will be erected on the half block now occupied by our five-story main building, on Fifth street, we wish to say that, while we are proud of our store, we get a higher degree of pleasure in he fact that it means a greater and more prosperous Portland. "The members of our firm are pioneers, or were born and reared in the City of Portland, and for that reason have the greatest pride and interest in the growth and development of the city and state. "We have had the Question as 'to the construction of the new building under constant consideration for more than two years. We erected the 10-story annex as a unit from which we planned the larger building to be of the same height, but we have decided upon its being 12 stories, and if not at the pres ent time, at an early date we anticipate adding two stories to the 10-story annex. "There are many reasons why we are building at this time, one being, from a National standpoint, that our laws governing finances and industries are fixed at least for a term of years. "Another reason Is that at the pres ent time there is a lull in building operations which has thrown a large number of deserving workmen out of employment, -and the construction of the building will alleviate this con dition to some extent. "As an additional reason, the firm conviction among those of -us who are responsible for the welfare of this great and growing business, Including owners and employes alike, is that we believe we owe it to the public "Next year will be an era of enormous- travel, the world is coming to visit us. We will be judged for years by the showing we make in 1915. "We intend to do our part as business men and citizens, to build up our city and state, in the future of which we (Concluded on Fag . "BLEACHED FLOUR" CASE IS DECIDED SUPREME COURT RULES IN FAVOR OF MILLERS. Product Cannot Be Condemned Un less Ingredients Added Make It Injurious to Health. WASHINGTON, Feb. 24. Millers and food manufacturers generally through out the country won a decisive victory over the Government today, when the Supreme Court heid that Federal in spectors could not condemn under the pure food law '"bleached flour" unless they proved that the flour contained enough poisonous ingredients added in bleaching to make the flour Injurious to health. Officials of the Department of Agri culture have fought the case bitterly, contending, that the adding of any quantity of poisonous ingredients was in violation of the law. ... The case decided today originated in the District Court of Western Mis souri. The Government sought to con demn 625 sack3 of flour bleached by the Lexington Mills Company by the so-called "Alsop process." The Gov ernment contended that In - bleaching the flour to give it a color to hide its inferiority, certain nitrates, or poison ous Ingredients, were added and that this violated the law, no matter what the quantity. In announcing the decision of the court. Justice Day pointed out that the Government complained only that 1.8 parts to 1,000,000 of a poisonous char acter was added by bleaching. He held that every word of the pure food law prohibiting in . Interstate com merce a food if it contained "any added poisonous or other added dele terious ingredients which may render such article injurious to health," must be interpreted by its true meaning. "If it cannot by any possibility, when the facts are reasonably consid ered, injure the health of any con sumer," said the Justice, "such flour, though having a small addition of pois onous or deleterious ingredients, may not be condemned by the act." MAYOR SEES CHINATOWN Police Commended on Control Over North End District. In order that he might obtain first hand knowledge as to the condition of Chinatown and the North End, Mayor Albee was escorted through the by ways of the district last night by Ser geant Harms and Patrolmen Long and Wise. "I am. able to say that I have found conditions well under control in the North Knd," said the Mayor on his re turn. "I am satisfied that .Chief of Police Clark and the police department are doing t'heir duty in carrying out the 'clean up' . policy of the adminis tration." COMPANY SUEDF0R SMOKE Seattle Lawyer Says Stench in Cars Made "Wire 111. SEATTLE, Wash., Feb. 24. John Mills Day, an attorney, today filed in the Superior Court a suit against the Puget Sound Traction, Light & Power Company for $2500 damages, and a permanent injunction to prevent smok ing of tobacco on the streetcar lines of the company. Mr. Day declares that frequently the stench of tobacco in the cars has made his wife ill. In his complaint he de clares that the company Is responsible because it has posted signs in the cars, reading "Smoking in and behind the three rear seats." REFERENDUM LOSES 1272 Objectors to Carver Line Say Names Secured by Misrepresentation. Declaring that their names were se cured by misrepresentation, 1272 of the persons who signed the referendum petitions against the Portland & Ore gon City Railway Company franchise recently, sent in a petition yesterday withdrawing from the referendum. The withdrawal was filed with City. Audi tor Barbur. The filing has raised a new point in connection with the referendum which may have to be settled by the courts, involving the right of persons signing a referendum petition to withdraw after the petition has been filed. IDLENESS WILL NOT LAST So Says Samuel Gompers in Explain ing Industrial Conditions. WASHINGTON, Feb. 24. Samuel Gompers, president of the American Federation of Labor, asserted at a lo cal labor banquet - tonight that unem ployment reported from the principal industrial centers of the United States was attributable only to inclement seasons and the transitions from old to new governmental conditions. "The present state of unemployment will be of shorter duration than those which have marked similar transitory periods of the past," said e. WILSON GIRLS TRY ACTING Daughters of President Appear In Amateur Play at New York. NEW YORK, Feb. 24. Miss Margaret Wilson and Miss Eleanor Wilson, daughters of the President, appeared on the amateur stage in a fashionable hotel here tonight in "Sanctuary," a bird masque. Miss Margaret sang in the prologue and Miss Eleanor played the part of Ornis, the bird spirit. Mrs. Wilson sent a letter expressing regret at her Inability to be present. VILLA TEMPORIZES: OVER BENTON'S BODY Exhumation But Not Removal Permitted. WOUNDS MAY SOLYE MYSTERY Surgeons Say Rifle' Bullets Could Not Conceal Murder. FEDERALS HANG AMERICAN News of Death of Clement O. Ver gara Near Keuvo Laredo . Draws Attention to Federals Con gress Is Growing Restive. WASHINGTON, Feb. 24. Just what General '"Villa proposes to do about the request of the United States Govern ment that he deliver the bodv of Wil liam S. Benton, the British subject executed by Villa at Juarez, appar ently was an open question late to night. Secretary Bryan early accepted a message from the Constitutionalist chief to Consular Agent Carothers at Juarez as a - promise that the body would be turned over to American au thorities as soon as the matter could be arranged. This message was trans lated to read that the body would be delivered, "but not at this time." Body May Be Exhumed. Just before midnight State Depart ment officials made public this an nouncement: "American Consul at Chihuahua re ports that Villa declines to deliver Benton's body, but will permit widow or relatives to visit cemetery with American representatives; that for their benefit he will order exhuma tion of the body, which will then be reinterred in grave from which it is removed." General Villa is now at Chihuahua and it Is supposed that Consul Letcher has been- in personal communication with him. The Consul will be asked for further details of the reply tomor row. From the character of the wounds found on Benton's body, physicians will be able to say whether Benton was killed by a pistol shot, as his friends contend, or by a firing squad, as Villa asserts. It is generally admitted in official circles that such an examina tion will be of great value in either af firming or disproving an important point in the general explanation of the affair made by Villa. Development KoIIott Fut. Developments were many in the sit uation that has arisen out of the kill ing of Benton. Secretary Bryan asked American Consular representatives at Nogales to confer with General Car ranza about the affair. The Secretary talked with Acting Chairman Shively, of the Senate foreign relations commit tee, and then with President Wilson. The Incident was discussed at a Cabi net meeting. Sir Cecil Spring-Rice, the British Ambassador, later called on Sec retary Bryan and had arranged for the (Concluded on Page 2.) A MERE BAGATELLE j X " ''water. j V DEPAF?ST ... i ; ; ; 1 " i'ltiujcj 11 v jl; ujejts. . - 1 . r INDEX OF TODAY'S NEWS ' ' ' The Weather. YESTERDAY'S Maximum temperature, 48 degrees; minimum, 41 degrees. TODAY'S Kaln; southwest winds. foreign. Mrs. Leslie-Melville, "The Bleeping Beau ty" deeds divorce. Page 3. - German -Admiral blames British for Hl-feel-lng at Manila. Page 3. National. Secretary Redfleld. says mighty Industrial awakening is In progress. Page 2: Department doorkepeer fails to recognize - President Wilson. Page 1. Millers win bleached-flour case. Page 1- Villa to produce. Benton's body. Page 1. Submarine:: for Pacific Coast ordered. Page 1. Banks representing billion ia new reserve system. Page 2. Domestic. Lieutenant Becker . gets new trial; "gun men" lose appeal. Page 3. Senator declares New Haven security hold ers were robebd o $200,000,001). Page 2. Masked - robber- holds up Southern Pacific trainmen In California. Page a. - Sport. Offer of $700,000 for control of Chicago Cubs not to . be increased. Page 12." Aggies defeat University of Oregon, 15 to 8. Page 12. Cup prize -hung up for best Beaver player. Page 12. More players join training camps in South. Page 12. Pacific Northwest. Cove shall be dry town, decides Governor West. Page 1. Walkout closes all shingle mills on Willapa Harbor following open shop edict. Page 7. Nitrate of silver cures cigarette habit at State Training School. Page 7. Astoria boosters plan trade increase on Co lumbia. Page 4. Commercial and Marine. Resumption of export flour trade depends on steamer rates. Page 17. Wheat advances at Chicago on rumors of export sales. Page 17. Bears are unable to depress Wall street stock prices. Page 17. Part of trestle at North jetty goes out In storms. Page 18. Portland and Vicinity. City Commission to bring auditorium Issue to head today. Page U. - Ex'-Civil Service Commissioner Armstrong denies giving confidential information. Page 3. Women brave downpour of rain to register. Page 0. "Lenten season ' begins with today. Ash Wednesday. Page 16. Meier & Frank Co. to build new 12-story building. Page 1. Tomato catsup seizure first contested in United States. Page 4. Taxpayers plan protest today when Daly's water meter scheme comes before Coun cil. Page 11. Weather report, data find forecast. Page 17. NIGHTRIDER EVIDENCE NEW North River Woman Identifies Al leged Member ol Band. SOUTH BEND, Wash, Feb. 24. (Spe cial.) The North River nightridlng case, in which Mrs. 1L M. Boss . and sons, Karl and Frank, are complaining witnesses, besran today before Superior Judge Wright. ...icvcivwltnesses testi fied for the state much as they did in the preliminary bearing. A new feature was the positive iden tification of Mike Hanrahan as one of the nlghtrlders by Mrs. Ross. He is a new defendant and new testimony was given by Professor Watters in an ef fort to prove that J. N. Howard had advance knowledge of the deportation of the woman and her sons. WOMAN PROVES HEROINE Seventeen-Year-OId Boy Swept Off Horse Into River. PENDLETON, Or., Feb. 24. (Spe cial.) George Fanchler, 17 years old, nearly lost his life yesterday and but for the presence of mind of Mrs. George Roberts undoubtedly would have been swept away by the swift current at a crossing a mile below Umatilla Junction. The boy, on horseback, attempted to ford the river, but the horse was swept down the stream. Mrs. Roberts, who saw the accident, summoned some men who rescued the boy. SUBMARINES FOR PACIFIC ORDERED Building on Coast to Be Conditional. "LAID DOWN" MARGIN GIVEN Committee Also Approves Two Battleship Programme. NAVAL BILL IS AGREED ON Measure Carries $140,200,000, Ex clusive of Amounts to Be Ex pended for Armament Great Dreadnoughts Planned. WASHINGTON. Feb. 24. Formal ap proval was given tke Administration's two-battleship programme by the 'House naval affairs committee today after the "small Navy" men had made their final stand against It. Tho Navy Department's construction plans were changed so as to provide for six instead of eight destroyers and for additional submarines. As report ed to the House, the bill carries an ap propriation, of $140,200,000, exclusive of amounts to be spent for armor and armament, and fixes the building pro gramme for the coming fiscal year as follows: Two first-class battleships of the highest speed and largest possible ra dius of action, to rank Among the world's dreadnoughts, $1,800,000 each, exclusive of armor and armament. One powerful 4200-ton 12-knot sea going submarine. $1,100,000. Six torpedo boat destroyers, $925,000 each. Three coast defense submarines of 500 tons each, $62,000, designed for use on the Paciflc Coast Four harbor defense submarines of smaller type, $375,000 each. Intended for use on. the gulf coast and at Pan ama, The bill provides that the defense submarines shall be built and main tained on the Paciflo Coast, provided they can be built there as cheaply as they can be built on the Atlantic Coast and "laid down" on the Pacific Coast. The two-battleship programme was approved, 14 to 4, Representatives Trib ble (Georgia), Hensley (Missouri), Witherspoon (Mississippi), Buchanan (Illinois) voting in the negative. SUNDAY GROCERS TARGET Ordinance Backed by Dealers Comes Up Today Probably. If a proposed ordinance promoted by the Retail Grocers' Association is passed by the City Commission, the closing of grocery stores in Portland on Sundays will be compulsory. The measure, as proposed, was sent yesterday to City Commissioner Blge low and probably will be introduced by him at the meeting of the Council this morning. The grocerymen back of the plan declare that the majority of stores close and the others should be forced to do so. WOODROW'S FACE LOOKS FAMILIAR BUT AGED DOORKEEPER FORCES MR. WILSOJf TO TELL NAME. President Xot Recognized by Interior Department Employe Nor by Others Passed on Street. WASHINGTON, Feb. 24. President Wilson took a long, brisk walk through the snow-covered streets of the capital today. Few recognized him as he swung along ramdly through the crowds on the principal business thor oughfares. On his route to the White House the President decided to take a short cut through the long corridor of the In terior Department. At the entrance he was confronted with a sign: "No vis itors admitted after 2 P. M." When the President opened the door an aged doorkeeper stepped forward and, care fully eyeing the intruder, finally asked: "Well, what do you want?" "I'm Mr. Woodrow Wilson," answered the President with a smile. "Well, well," said the doorkeeper nervously, "I thought your face looked familiar." DISABLED BOAT IN TOW Wireless Tells or Rescue 45 Miles Out From Cape Flattery. TACOMA. Wash.. Feb. 24 A less dispatch to the. weather bureau reports tnat the U. S. S. Snohomish has picked up the disabled schooner Willis A. Holden, 45 miles southwest of Cape Flattery. She is now proceedinir with i.i- nn the Straits. SEATTLE, Wash., Feb. 24. A wire less message from the revenue cuttter Shohomish to Senior Captain F. M. Dunwoody, of the revenue cutter serv ice, announcing the finding of the Holden, made no mention of th i-nnHi. tlon of the Holden, and Captain Dun- woody believes all aboard are well. The Holden was sighted leaking and in distress last Thursday by the Brltsh steamship Messina, which reported the schooner's plight when she arrived at Portland. AUTOMOBILE TAX STANDS Levy on Horsepower In California Upheld on Appeal. SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 24. Owners of automobiles in. California more than 100,000 of them will have to pay a horsepower tax on their cars, ranging from $6 to $30, to the state, and driv ers of machines for hire will have to pay a license fee of $6. . They will have to start In right away, too, for tho law to that effect will be enforced forthwith, the Supreme Court of the state today having decided that the law Is constitutional in all par ticulars. BUDAPEST IDLE JOIN RIOT Shops Looted, Windows Stoned, Fol lowing Demands for Work. BUDAPEST, Feb. 24. Serious dem onstrations by tho unemployed have been held the past week, culminating in a procession of 30,000 to' the Parlia ment House demanding that the gov ernment provide work. Finally the demonstrators began stoning windows and looting shops. The police drew their swords and dis persed the rioters, many of whom were wounded. BOND MONEY IS READY Jackson County Has Cash for Road Improvement Work. MEDFORD. Or.. Feb. 24. (Special.) Letters received Tuesday from County Judge F. L. Touvella state that $466,040.10 road bond money was de posited last week in the Continental National Bank, of Chicago, to the credit of Jack3on County, and the bal ance of the $500,000 will be paid as soon as the county has redeemed $34, 000 in warrants, probably by April 1. WALLACE'S MAN ISNAMED John M. Boyle Appointed Marshal for Western Washington. OREGONIAN NEW BUREAU. Wash ington, Feb. 24. The President on rec ommendation of Hugh Wallace today nominated John M. Boyle, of Tacoma, to be Marshal for Western Washington. State Chairman Todd had recommend ed George E. Ryan, of Seattle, for this office. WILSON AIDS F. W. HARRIS Man Held in Jail for Perjury Gets Two Months Cut Off. ; Frank W. Harris, serving a sentence of one year for perjury, was given his freedom yesterday from the County Jail on receipt of a telegram from Attorney-General McReynolds stating that President Wilson had commuted his sentence, to take Immediate effect. Harris has served 10 months in Jail. CASH REGISTER ROBBED Highwayman Gets Drop on Clerk In Grocery Store. Entering the grocery store of H. W. 'Krupke. 1201 Clinton street, shortlv latter 6:30 last night, a highwayman Jheld a gun on the clerk and after rob ' bins the cash register of $4, escaped. COVE IS TO BE DRY, DECIDES GOVERNOR Miss Hobbs "Reports on Her Investigation. ACTION BY UNION COURT ASKED Order of Prohibition, in View of Election of 1910, Requested. GIRL SAYS LAW IS CLEAR Chief Executive, After Conference With Young Woman Emissary, Declares Sale of Liquor in tittle Town Is Illegal. j SALEM, Or.. Feb. 24. (Special.) Governor West today, after a confer ence with Miss 'ern Hobbs. his pri vate secretary, upon her return from Cove, where she went to Investigate saloon conditions, wrote County Judge Henry of Union County, requesting him to issue an order of prohibition in the town. The Governor said he was positive that the sale of intoxicating liquor in the town was illegal and he would see that it was stopped. Supreme Court Decision Cited. His letter to Judge Henry was as follows: - "It appoars that when the local op tion election was held In your county in November, 1910, the municipality of Cove voted 'dry,' and. in accordance with section 4929. Lord's Oregon Laws, the County Court should have issued an order of prohibition as to said pre cinct, but owing to its failure to do so the sale of liquor within Its boun arles has been permitted to go on re gardless of Its having voted 'dry.' "For your information. I wish to call your attention to the case of Bax ter vs. tho state, 49 Oregon. 353. in which the Supreme Court held, refer ring' to said section 4929: The effect of this laneuace la that the vote in each precinct even on a vote cast for the county as a whole shall stand as au independent vote for that precinct for pro hibition therein, as well as a part of the county vote on prohibition In the county as a whole. Prohibition Order Aaked. "In view of the foregoing and with a hope of straightening out the tangle which now exists. I earnestly request that your honorable court Issue the said order of prohibition as provided by law." Miss Hobbs said that her trip was one of business strictly and that she was given the best of treatment by the officials of Union County. "I found," declared the Portia or the Governor's office, "that in 1910 two measures were voted upon in the county that failed to carry, but under the one on county prohibition the pre cinct of. which Cove is a part gave a majority of 10 for prohibition. "The court made an order declaring the whole county 'wet." "The Law and Order League and other organizations declared the or der was wrong as it applied to the Cove precinct and that it should have been declared 'dry.' Election of 1910 Ia Lost. "There has been no vote on the prop osition since the election of 1910. "I found that Justice Eakln, of the Supreme Court, in the case of Baxter against the state, appealed from Coos County, held that the County Court shall issue an order of prohibition for each and every subdivision as a whole voting for prohibition, notwithstand ing tho county as a whole voted against prohibition. "It seems to me that the law is clear on the point, but I don't know yet what the Governor will do." Miss Hobbs graduated from the Wil lamette Law School two years ago and was admitted to the bar after stand ing the examination last Spring. CHARCOAL TREE IS FREAK Immense Red Fir Specimen Shows Growth of 109 Years. ALBANY, Or., Feb. 24. (Special.) An immense red fir tree with a heart of pure charcoal was cut down last week on the farm of E. B. Wallace, about eight miles east of Albany. It is a most peculiar freak in plant life. The tree was about six feet in diam eter and ia the exact center of the tree for a distance of about 15 feet up ward from the ground was a body of charcoal two feet in diameter. It was perfect charcoal and as nice as any manufactured carefully. " The rings outside of this center of charcoal indi cated a growth of 109 years around the charcoal. BIGGER AIR FLEET URGED Florida Representative Would Spend $15,000,000 on Flyers. WASHINGTON. Feb. 24. A $15,000. 000 aeroplane fleet was proposed in a bill today by Representative L'Engle, of Florida. He painted a picture of cities being destroyed by bombs from invading air craft and compared the foreign air fleets with that of the United State6. which, he said, was composed of "12 obsoIEe man-killing aeroplanes."