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OFFICIAL PAPER OF COLUMBIA COUNTY
PIONEER PAPER OF COLUMBIA COUNTY
VOLUME XXXVIII.
ST. HELENS, OREGON, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1919
NO. 8
J
ti
it
ALLAGH INTRODUCES
MORE LAW MEASURES
SOME ARE GOOD BILLS
On Asks tlutt the Halary of the IHb-
trlrt Attorney Im Incream-d
EdlHon I.- Ballagh, representative
from Columbia county, ha Introduc
ed several bill In the legislature
during the past ten days. Anionic
them wu a bill to Increune the itulary
of the office of district attorney of
Columbia county from $1300 to
$2100 per year. The salary com
mlttee In the legislature cut the
mount to $1800 nnd the bill will
(o to the annate as amended.
It la stated that the siilnVy appor
tioned to the district attorney's of
fice for Columbia county Is much less
than 90 per cent of the countlea In
Oregon, and thnt while the records
submitted to the secretary of state
how that the district attorney'a of
fice In this county had had much
more work than a great number of
the county attorneya In other coun
ties, that the emoluments of the of
fice arc not commensurate with the
work pai formed and far below the
average paid by the state for attor
neys who eerve In the capacity of dis
trict attorney.
i House lllll 148 Amrndod
V Ballagh's bill In which he magna
nimously rained the salurles of cer
tin officials and deputies far above
rhat had been voted at the budget,
was amended to read "The county
court of Columbia County shall fix
ad determine the salary and com
pensation of all deputies In all county
Offices of Columbia county and they
' ball regulate the number. This
mendment was In line with a Mil
ttroduced giving all county courts
, ich authority.
Iterall Resolution Introduced
Mr, Batlugh, on January 31st, In
todueed House Joint Hesolution No.
It, which amends Suction It) of
Article II of the Constitution of the
1 Jkte of Oregon. The meat of the
resolution Is that while every public
'leer In Oregon Is subject to recall
,1 the legal voters, rnd 26 per cent
( the number voting for Justice of
t 1 Supreme Court must sign the pe-
on demanding the recall, that
' 1 25 per cent of legal voters shall
property In the state or elector,
i Jlstrlct. as the ense may be, as
1 . irn by the last regular assessment.
1 i ether words, a mnn or woman who
1 ia a recall petition, must be a
r erty owner. The present law
'ides that such person shall be a
4 voter. It Is understood that
, . resolui'on meets with the ap-
al of mnlorlty of the house
final members and It Is quite
hie that It wilt be passed.
I Monday, which was the last
for Introducing bills, unlesk
were referred to the committee
consideration by unanimous con-
eome 125 bills wore Introduced.
Ig them was House Hill 370,
duced by Ilullugh which pro
I for essessmoMs of minerals
l oils separately from real estate.
' object in this bill, as explained
le Mist by the parties who ad-
;ed It, Is the elimination of the
' rrved rights on tracts of lands.
'. i bill has some merit and should
14 (.used. . .
j,::ik BOUND OVER
TO GRAND JURY
Ciorge A. Link of Goblo, who was
r ited last week and charged with
E' taring cattle not his property,
w. t given a preliminary lion ring bo
fol Judge Huzen Monday. The e vi
de was against the young mnn.
rsRs Iduntifind the hide of the
;htered cow as the property of
r'-
ler party, Link did not admit
the hide, which was Introduced
Idence, was the hide from the
e had butchered and sold, but
'med that It It was not his cow,
1 guilty of making a mistake
a t guilty of stealing cattle.
. A. -t hearing the evidence, Judge
HaiflB stated that he was not satis
fled as to the Innocence of the dt,
f ndant, and would bind him over to
t rrand jury. Bond was given and
'etendant went home to his
His trial will probably be
the May term of court.
T OFFICE IS
v IN NEW QUARTERS
I St. Helena post office la now
id In the bank building In the
,ers formerly occnpled by E. A
. After the mail was dlstrlbU'
VedneBday night, force -of
men made quick Job of mov
he fixtures and supplies from
Id quarters and Thursday morn
he patrons of the office were
d in the new location. The ar
iment of the office Ib far bet
ann in the old quarters and the
has a more "citified" appear-
.' A. Ross, the house' furnisher,
taken the quarters vacated by
ostofflce and In few days will
i position to serve his customers
i same satisfactory manner
I ha did In his former location,
Representative Ballagh on the Job at Salem
j : 1 1
:r22C - UU YOU WANT I
K ALL FV SoMJ .
I ; lit jjffc J..
silf
A f SOME-OF THAT
CITY'S FIRE TRUCK
IS NOW ON JOB
IS A FINEMACHINE
Fire KlKlitlnn Awr.itus Con! Ing
:I750 Has Un a IK Iivcrt-il
I
St. Helens, at last, has a fire
Liifllr f. mmltA Mnnilnw H.A.nlnal
and was the center of attraction.!
The truck Is a Hrockwny truck equip
ped with American LnKrnnco equip
ment and the price delivered In St.
Helens is $3,760. The truck was
ordered last March, while K. I. Tinl
l:gh was mayor nnd was chosen
over numerous other trucks at high
er and losser prices.
The truck has a wnoel base of 144
Inches and the wheels are equip
ped with solid tires. The motor Is
A No. 1, a Continental and develops
35 horsepower and the truck Is
capable of a speed of 30 miles per
hour on good road. Its weight,
without equipment, is 0,000 pounds,
and with hose, fire fighting equip
ment, driver, etc., weight will bn
about 8600, so It Is not thought It
will be possible to get to places not
on well Improved streets.
The truck was ordered by Mayot
E. I. Uallngh, who was at that time
mayor, last March. War condition.
prevented the delivery of the truck,
and .the council extended the time
of delivery. Before the truck was
accepted, the 'mayor and each mem
ber of the council took a little joy
rifle on it, to see how the "million
dollar beauty" acted. Apparently
tney were perfectly satisfied, as an
acceptance was signed and the truck
became the property of the city.
The mayor Is now "endeavoring to
get some one to look after and drive
the truck. He does not think thnt
the city should spend $3760 for a
ploce of machinery without having
some one to look after It. It Is proh-
able that an attempt will be made to i with the work. As the Mist umlor
reorganlze the firo department, so! stands the matter, the estimate ot
In caBe there is a fire, the $3760 i several years ago, amounted to about
truck can be of some service to the! $80,000. This included a concrete
city. The payment of the amount of!
inaenteaness incurred in purchasing i
the truck will take 40 per cent ofj
the entire tax money levied for this
it knknnvm ti,a ;
have some one to look after this ex -
penBlve fixture which la now the
property of the city.
K IS
TO START SOONi
SURVEYORSARE BUSY
state Kntrlnccrs Now Cross Kertlon.
Ing to lYvpurc for lilds
Tlint work on the Columbia High-
between Scoppooso and Deer Is-
lnnd will bo begun at an early date Is
Indicated by the presence of several
engineers from the state highway de
partment who are now engaged In'
crosB sectioning the proposed road.
Their work is for the purpose of fur
nishing data so bids may be asked
for the grading of the road.
The county court states that prac
tically all rinht of way between
Scsppoose und the Mcllrlde fill,
(Just south of Peer Island) Ii03
been obtained, and there is nothlnc.
bo for as the work of the county
court Is concerned, to prevent the
state highway commission from pre
paring estimates and advertising for
bids on this section of the highway.
It is understood that satisfactory sr
rongements hllve 1eon made for the
securing of the right of way through
the Hegele farm near Scappoose and
that the county court has also made
arrangements to move the buildings
In Houlton which are In the right of
way.
Although nt the last meeting of
the highway commission, this road
work was not Included with other
ropd projects In Oregon, It is absolu
tely certain that the commission has
It under consideration. Those In
formed as to the situation say that
the reason the commission did not
take action at thtolr last meeting.
was on account of the fact that alt.
of the right of way had not been
secured and It was not advisable to
ndvertise the matter until tho coni
msslon was n position to go ahead
bridge over Scappoose creek, with.
moor ana supplies now mucn nigner,
it is probable that the work under
contemplation will cost more than
$ifinfinn Tiiia mnnna thnt mnrti
! labor win be employed anu tne ais-
trlbutlon of the money moans much,
I to the community. I
'
t
COUNCIL WORRIES
AT MONTHLY BILLS
THEY ARE TOO MUCH
Wlu'u PayliiK Ullls City Council Ap-
proves of Kconomy
About the main item of excitement
at the meeting of the city council
Monday night was the payment of
bills against the city. In the first
plnce, the mayor's feelings were
ruffled when a bill was presented by
the Independent Automobile com
pnny for gasoline and oil furnished
Walter Bhtkesley (at that time depu
ty marshal) and the mayor wanted
to know why Walter bought the gas
oline. Walter was not there and the
matter could not be explained, so the
bill was held over so Walter could
explain why he bought gasoline and
charged it to the city. It Is quite
probable that the oil was used on the
Ford car which Potter and Blakesley
found out in the city park, but inas
much as the bill didn't state that fact
I, WAB hnlH li n fni furthor ftnnaMoi.
ation and Recorder Quick was in-;
structed to ascertain what Blakesley
did with the gasoline.
Hill for Cull Iaka '
a Mil u-o. roooivo fmn, n-
ton & Wiggins In the amount Of
$125.00. It was for the four cull
logs which Mayor Suxon ordered for
the floating dock. The amount ot
the bill, when it came time to pay,
must have sent cold chills up ana
down the spine of His Honor, for he i ne Pa8t 'ew $f was brought about
ordered the bill held over until th I h the distribution of pamphlets by
logs arrived. Another bill which ??me Ru18.sl'?n J?w wl' came l?.st
.aomari riutnrh ti, nn.ii - Helens Wednesday. The pamphlets
telephone bill of about $9 00 There
woo a hninnca rarriad fnrworH or.,1
the council could not understand
what ' the "balance" represented,
neither could Recorder Quick eluci
date on the matter except to statu
utiit) uii nm umiLor vAiroin iu amiu
that "probably it was something that
wasn't paid." The councl promptly
disposed of this matter by cutting" off
thA "hftlRnce" and navlnir whnt wu
,jue for January
" ,
itllflin p.rmKa Aki n
,!? , T T . t , ,
, Tne Columbia County bank asked
for a permit to make necessary re
va,,a lu mmr:
(Continued on page eight) I
THE SALARY RAISE
. OF COUNTY OFFICERS
TAXPAYERS
PROTEST
The Mist Is Illumed for the
Whole
lilamet HuhIithm
A few of the county officials are
peeved at the Mist. This; the Mist
regrets, but, such peevishness could
not be avoided. It appears that some
of the "high up" officials . are the
least bit sore because the Mist dared
to .criticize the Ballagh salary bill.
The Mist has no excuse to offer, but
It will make this explanation. In the
first place, the county .officials
thought a raise of $200 for each of
ficial and $200 per year for each
-deputy, would, In a measure, meet
the "high cost of living" times. Thlh
was suggested to the county court
and they, being agreeable to the pro
position, prepared the budget, so far
as the salaries of county officials
were concerned, along the lines Bug
gested. The budget was published
and few taxpayers, at the bud
get meeting, opposed the raise In sal
aries. But neither did the county
court or the budget meeting know
the Ideas of Representative Edison I.
Ballagh. Had they, undoubtedly he
would have been invited in for con
sultation. Ballagh's ideas, however,
is that neither the county court nor
the people at the budget meeting
knew their business. The straight
raise of $200 per year for each of
ficer and each deputy did not appeal
to Ballagh. He thought there should
be further raises, so he introduced
his bill No. 148, which added $1000
more to the taxes and disregarded
the wishes of the taxpayers.
But then, that Is not the question.
The Mist is blamed for the scrambled
up conditions of affairs and just be
cause It dared to take issue with Re
presentative Ballagh. The Mist be
lieves It was serving the people when
it dared to comment on Ballagh s
bill which was directly opposed to
the wishes of the taxDayers. Thi.
Mist has no apology to offer to elthei
Ballagh or the office holders who in
velgled him into submitting a bill
directly opposed to the wishes of the
taxpayers and the Mist maintains
that the taxpayer's wishes as expres
sed at the budget meeting should
have some weight with Edison I. Bal
lagh, representative- from Columbia
county to the legislature.
It is possible that Ballagh may
succeed In slipping his bill through
both the house and the senate, for
Senator Banks has said that he will
abide by the wishes of Ballagh.
In the meantime, however, the peo
ple of Columbia county may bring
pressure to bear upon both Ballagh
and Banks and inform them tlia
they were elected to represent the
wishes of the taxpayers of this
county, and not their own personal
wishes, and it Is possible that Banks
might decide that as he is Joint
senator from Clackamas, Columbia
and Multnomah counties, he owes
some consideration to the people of
Columbia county. Should he wak
to the realization that he is supposed
to represent Columbia as well as
Multnomah county and if he has a
conscience, it Is possible that he may
pay some attention to the numerous
letters he has received. If on the
other hand, he does not think he is
duty bound to represent ColumbU
and does not heed the wishes of the
taxpayers of the county, the people,
as a last resort can appeal to Gov
ernor Withycombe and ask that he
veto Ballagh's bill.
llallagli vs. People
So far as the Mist can ascertain, It
Is now a question of who shall be
heard; the people of Columbia coun
ty or Representative Ballagh. It
appears that Ballagh now has the
inside track and unless the people
awaken, he will have hia bill passed
notwithstanding their wishes or
what they voted for at the budget
meeting.
CITIZENS COMMITTEE
IS ORGANIZED
Combat ' Holsheviki Movement
Movement Wlilch is Started
i
An Assembly of 100 people, Ameri-
can citizens, met at the courthouse
' ury msm iu uistura way uuu
means of combating the baneful in-
fluence ot the Soldiers and Workers
council, which is being attempted in
St. Helens. v
The meeting, while considered for
i'n Question advocated the taking
1 over of all industrial enterprises una
' the down faH of cama and the!
placing of nl industrial and govern-
ment functions in the hands ot the
council. As every shipyard worker
; ----- .... L
came from the dock, one ot these
uiui 1110
, response was that at least 100 of the
workers gathered at the courthouse
n ... 1 .... A 1 1 I ... . t.
actions of the agitator.
At the meeting last night, a com
mittee was appointed to keep In
close touch' with the Bltuatlon and
every man in tne ussemmy signea
the roll to be ready to answer the
call ot .America and do his utmost
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
GAINING MANY MEMBERS
ALL ARE INTERESTED
Regular Meeting Attended by Many
and Muclr Interest Hhown
That the St. Helens Chamber of
Commerce fills a long felt and need
ed want was forcibly emphasized
Wednesday night when 35 men from
all walks of life gathered at - the
rooms of the Chamber to dlscusi
ways and means of furthering the
development and interests of Col
umbia county.
President Morton called the meet
ing to order and asked for the read
ing of the minutes of the previous
meeting. The proceeding was ap
proved. Executive Secretary Storla
made a report on matters of interest.
He reported that the St. Helens Com
mercial club had assigned all the.i
rights and interests to the newly
formed organization. He also read .
reports of the committee cn legisla
tion. The bill introduced by Re
presentative Ballagh as to mineral
and oil rights on lands, was read,
upon motion, the Chamber approved
the action of Mr. Ballagh In intro
ducing and standing for the bill.
Membership Increases
C. L. Wheeler of the membership
committee, read a list of those who
have become members of the Cham
ber of Commerce. Almost 100 names
eppear on the list. He stated that oa
Wednesday, 24 more members had
been added to the rapidly growing
list and he was sure that at least 100
more men who were interested in
Columbia county, would soon hrvu
their applications in. Judge Puller
ton and Commissioner A. E. Harvey
both spoke on the road situation in
the county and gave Interesting In
formation as to the building of the
Columbia highway from Scappoose to
Deer Island. Both of them thought
the construction would soon b
started and would give work to many
men.
School Matters
, Representing H. E. LaBare, chair
man of the St. Helens school boaiM.
Prof. King interestingly outlined the
plans of the school board as to school
work in St. Helens. He stated, also,
that the board had advertised for
bids for the construction of the new
schoolhouse. He asked for the co
operation of all citizens Interested
in the growth and development of
the city and county, to back up the
schools, for these institutions were
essential for any good community.
Social Session Next
After the disposal of several other
matters. President Morton stated
thnt the board of directors had dt.
cided that a "social session" would
be In order after every regular meet
ing. He appointed Charles Wheel
er, J. H. Flynn, Sherman Miles and
A. R. Spearow to act as 'chairmen of
the evening, for each successive
meeting of the Chamber and to pro
vide so me entertainment after the
regular business session was con
cluded. J. W. Day. J. W. Allen and A. E.
Austin were appointed on the re
solution committee and it will be
their duty to properly prepare all
resolutions of the Chamber.
A motion was made and carried
that the St. Helens Chamber of Com
merce take no part in the troubles
which have arisen or might arise be
tween employer and employe.
Many other matters were brought
to the attention of the men present,
and acted upon. On the whole, it
was a very successful meeting and
the interest manifested was very
gratifying to the officers of the body.
The next regular meeting is Wednes
day night, February 19th.
ALBERS FOUND GUILTY
BY FEDERAL JURY
A jury in th9 Federal court in
Portland, returned a verdict of
guilty. against Henry Alber, million
aire miller and a German sympa
thizer. Coming up from California,
Albers became intoxicated and made
"remarks against America and In
favor of Germany. His arrest fol
lowed. He was charged with making
seditious remarks and violation of
the espionage law. The defendant,
who has lived in Portland for the
i iui ia years, pienu uruuncuness a
an excuse, but evidently the jury did
not consider this In arriving at a
verdict.
to combat the influences which are
trying to tear down the principle ot
the United States government.
No trouble is anticipated In St.
Helens, but the red blooded Ameri-
cans seem to be prepared In case
i the Bolshevik! start trouble and it
is the purpose of the organization
just formed to rid the community of
j those who are seeking to hinder the
l government and city work. .
From all reports, those who at-
tended the meeting Thursday night.
are in no mood to stand for any ac
tion which is against the government,
and they are pledged to "carry on",
the work ot aiding the government,'
wliAthai it ha naiM llrnm nr war
times.
Many are of the opinion that the
Workers and Soldiers Council ia but
a return of the I. W. W., disguised
under the new name.