i -m
THE OBSERVER
, ' BRUCE DEN N ) S
Editor and Owner.
JpHtni at the postotflc at La Grande
as sewmd-ciuss waiter. ......
SCUSCBJPTION BATES.
mUr, ilnglf copy ...............
Baflii ier week . :,:
Vafly, per month
SO PATKOSAGE.
President Taft in his message to
' nrl nAPfrftlolinV
' tfonxress on economy and efficiency,
The president bas one a long way
In making a suggestion' because pat
image bas become a confirmed insti
tution in connection with the admin
istration of the government; a con
flrmed nuisance In some respects be
cause frequently It sacrifices efficien
cy to political expediency. Certain
ly, the president's idea of placing all
administrative officers of the govern-
anent under civil service would pro
mote efficiency and economy. The
xtension of the merit system would
: fire better results than the extension
of the patronage system although such
change might prove rather unpopu
lar with She politicians. '-, . . .
fatronage is the chain that links
the ward leader to the county leader
And the county leader to the state
leader and so on to the top of the po-
lltlcal tree. It is the main-spring in
political organization and the prime
motive In the political activities of a
Majority of the workers. It la not
that the Individuals are looking for
patronage but they want the plums
controlled and distributed by the or
ganlzation of which they are a part
federal patronage bas more to , do
with the' opinions of the delegates to
the national conventions of the parties
than any other factor. The Judicious
Arcade
theatre
FOUR THOUSAND FEET OF
HIGH CLASS 1'HOTOPLAYS
, ICE FORMATION AT ODESSA,
BDS81A'.,ll.';.'v.V:..i G. C. P. C
Beautiful picture of the glisten
Mountains of ice formed where
he thermometer Is 40 degrees
below zero. , . '
FLASH IX THE SIGHT. Kalem
One of this company's sensa
tional railroad stories, a genu
ine novelty.
LOVE AND HATRED... Edison
A strong draamatic story with
powerfully acted Bcenea. .
INFANCY OF MOSES. . PATHE
Faithfully and beautifully por
trayed IB this magnificent color
ed film. ;' . -
VII E GOSSIP , . . . . VHwroyb
Miss Finch and Mr., Bunny, the
1 dn ub u saopu enoiuu; o)
the minute comedy. One of the
best and funnleat, with .one of
the richest lessons on gossip
and scandal. It .Is convincing
because It is true.
Laura Green Wills will sing
..IN THE OLD ROSE CABIN
A Working Capital of Over
$215,000 00 Inspires Confidence in This Bank
The stability of this instl tution,
The substantial men behind It,
Its reputation for progreBslveness,
It large loaning capacity,
Its Bpirt of accommodation,
have attracted customers whose deposlla aggregate over $100,
000.00. Promote your Interests by allying yourself as a depositor with
this strong and succeesfu 1 Institution.
La Grande National Bank
LA GRANDE, OREGON.
CAPITAL . . . $ 100,000.00
SURPLUS .... 115,000.00
RESOURCES . . . 1,000,000.00
United States Depository
use of patronage has uoraliiated can
didates for the presidency and bas
produced organizations which bave as
sisted materially in the election 01
the candidate. Patronage Is a tre
mendous power. From the political
rtar.dpoint It Is a large asset In the
hands of the presldont or any other
officer. From the . business stand
point well, who ever talks of - busi
ness in connection with the adminis
tration of the government.
-Tim ijeliovers In the patronage sys
tem need have little apprehension as
to the action of congress in regard
to the president's . recommendation.
Th ohniitinn nf natronaee reads well
arnr nil 1111-
I mfnions every year In the admlnistra
I . . mm- 41.a
tion of government affairs ratner
tickles the ear, but there will be con
siderable hesitation before congress
relinquishes the patronage. Efforts
o curtall exnendltures In other ways
will be hailed with manifestations of
nleasure and the people's representa
tives will vote for the continuation of
the economy and efficiency commis
sion so long as the motive power In
political- organization is left in their
bands. There should not be any mis
understanding In respect to the uses
of patronage. It is not peculiar to one
political party but Is a part of all or
them. Personal popularity may build
some 'organizations but patronage
control . raises a dozen others. It Is
likely that the president and members
of congress will continue to "devote
to matters of patronage time which
they should "devoet to questions of
policy and administration."
Ciianonalnn tnr stir mnntha Of the
r
tariff duty of 2 cents a bushel on po
tatoes is proposed in a bill introduced
by Representative Ayers of New York.
The bill stated that "the scarcity of
potatoes in the markets of the United
States has raised he prices to a point
almost prohibitive to the consumers."
A Chicago newspaper devotes near
ly ,a column to the announcement of
matrimonial engagements. Evident
ly the Chicago girls know what.' year
this is.
Dynamite was exploded in a Pueb
lo, Col., laundry recently. Probably
some natron was trying to blast the
bosom of a shirt loose from the back.
Owing to the high price of butter,
It Is all right to look around for a
less aristocratic lubricant, but one
should draw ,the line at axle grease.
"THIS IS MY (58ND BIRTHDAY,"
General Michel.
, Ten. Victor Constant Michel, who
has the reputation of being the ablest
, commander of the French army, was
, born at Autelul. France, January 30.
1850. He was graduated from the
famouB military college of St. Cyr at
the age of 17 and was severely wound
ed at the siege of Paris a few years
later. He won his promotion to the
rank of captain at the early age ot 23,
and was a full-fledged colonel at 34.
One of several Important posts that foe
held In his early career was that of
secretary to Gen. Elliott when the
latter was miniate rof war. A year
ago General Michel was appointed
vice president of the superior coun
cil of war at Paris, which is the high
est military post within the gift of the
republic:, as the presidency of the
council Is always hold by the minister
of war himself.
Congratulations to:
Rose Melville ("Sis Hopkins", well
known American actress, 39 years old
today.
Jacob "M. Dickinson, former secre
tary of war, 61 years old today.
Rov. Dr. Charles W. Smith, bishop
(
Annual Sale Closes
.
Final Cleanup Prices
The
See Our Special Cleanup
j Window of Waists
NET-SILK & LINEN
Values $5.00 toj $7,50
CLEANUP PRICE $2.90
Final Cleanup Prices on Hundreds of Sea
sonable Articles loo Numerous to Mention
WEST'S
of the 'Methodist Episcopal church, 72
years old today. '.
Henri Rochefort, celebrated editor
and one of the best known public men
of France, 81 years old today.
Albert Estoplnal, representative In
congress from the First Louisiana dis'
trlct, 67 years old today. ' 1
Gen. J. Warren Kelfer of Ohio, for
mer speaker of the national house of
representatives, 76 years old today
THIS DATE IN HISTORY.
, January 30. ,
1649 King Charles I' beheaded
at
' Whitehall. .
1790 A lifeboat invented by Henry
Great'head, an Englishman, first
put to sea.
1797 John Fairfield, United States
senator from Maine and twice
governor of that state, born.
Died there Dec. 24, 1847.
1847 Lord Elgin reached Montreal
and took the oath of office as
governor of Canada.
1849 Wisconsin State Historical so
ciety organised at 'Madison.
1SG2 Unite States iron clad ship Mon
itor, the first turreted war ves
sel, launched at Brooklyn.
1S79 Jules Grevy elected president of
France.
188S Asa Grey, celebrated botanist,
died In Cambridge, Mass. Born
In Paris. N. Y., Nov. IS, 1S10. t
1891 Charles Bradlnugh, famous Eng
lish radical, died. Born Sept.
28. 1833.
North German Lloyd liner Elbe
wrecked in the English channel
wiuh loss of 330 Uvea.
1895-
1902 Anglo-Japanese treaty of alli
ance signed In London.
AS AMERICAS ARCADIA.
(J. D. Gillilan, D. D.
1 suppose every country holds its
land Elyslan, famed or unfamed. Shady
slones kissed by the soft zephyrs of
the sunny southland, or the riotous
regions where the stlffer breezes blow
In the rlKorous northlnnd, each and
all make their seductive beck and call
to the tired traveler seeking the tryst-Ing-place
of Rest. Our own never-so-lnverl
nml hoantlfnl America has such
lovo-Bpots by the multiplied thou-!
sands; some are "most exceedingly
fair." It of forest, field or fell; the
sea, the shore or the steeps; the
mountain, the main, or the meadow;
there are enchanting places of com-
The Greatest Sale West Ever Held.
YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS
mandiug beauty compelling the atten
tion of the most careless traveler. : '
Just for an outing and to get away
for the nonce from wires and wireless
I took steamer one fine day at noon at
a Seattle wharf and beaded northward
toward that glint of whate crystal
piercing the perfect blue, Mt. Bnker.
What a land of thrilling enchant
ment! As the placid land-locked wa
terways of Possession Sound and Sar
atoga Inlet carry us onward we are
besieged with the idea that gifted
Dame Nature played prodigal with
the unlimited funds at her command
when -she flung these ambrosial is
lands Into these emerald aeas. The
Isles of Whidby, Fidalgo, San Juaq
and others lie extended like lateral
moraines of ancient, southbound gla
ciers, sullen giants yielding finally to
the warm embraces and the wiles of
the wilful sun. These Titans fought
here with all the vengeance of untam
able monsters. The Irate Ice-king
moving out to sea to meet the mightier
iSun-klng of the south, droppe many
a huge hill Into the waters from be
tween his frozen fingers as evidenced
by the great isolated boulders of gray
granite he had wrenched from, the
sides and the shoulders of the far
away mountain. j
Then Nature peace-loving mother
of things created, gently opened the
doorways of the great deep and let In
the floods to mollify the wounds and
to hide the scars made by the foot-
prints of the northern Invader, thus
making Puget Sound with all Its many
branching arms bathing the sides of
the forest-filled Islands within her
spacious borders.
These blue-black gems embossing
the emerald sea are devoted to the
evergreen. Here are the firs ot the
red, white and Bpruce varieties; pines,
yellow and white; the graceful hem
lock, the blushing yew, the madrona.
iUJ-'i -il'-hnT?!! mm Y "I irVllilV
Wednesday Jan. 31
On Every
Store
GENTLEMEN It will pay you to investigate
our Annual Sale Prices on Benjamin and So
ciety clothing before it is too late.
: $30.00 SUITS AND OVERCOATS $22.50 r
$27 50 SUITS AND OVERCOATS $20.50
' $25.00 SUITS AND OVERCOATS $18 J 5 .
522.50 SWTS AND OVERCOATS $16.90
$20.00 SUITS AND OVERCOATS $15.00 '
$15.00 SUITS AND OVERCOATS $11.25
Remember this offer ends promptly Wednes
day Night. ;-V V.V :
the glory-crowned rhododendron ;
while various forms of thlckety chap-
arral shrubbery cause the gay face of
natural decoration to be largely the
same in all the year.
A drive In the month of May
through the northern end of Wbldby
island took me over roads so well
made and so well cared for that they
seem to rival them of Roman days in
England. Accompanied by the pastor
at Oak Harbor we went to the dreaded
Deception Strait where on the return
of the tide from the west fine frightful
bore rushing unchallengable and un
afraid .through that narrow ; gorge
makes it very necessary that the ves
sels that must go in and out at such
times be strong of rounded rib and
back-bone beam, and that the helms
man be no amateur.
k AH along the unwoarisome way
thither the resinous ozone from pina-
ceous woods and ocean adds to the sa
lubrious luxuries on every side. In
some places giant firs as yet uncon
quered by .fire and storm, and un
touched by the more fatal axe of the
woodman, stand limbless a hundred
feet to their tiny fronded tops; about
their strongly rooted toes stand clus
tered dense growths of pine, hemlock,
and other smaller stuff Impenetrable
even to the light of the noon day sun
oftn ; this Is true where the deadly for
est fire his not been. Here Is a towering j
madrona whose red boll proudly car-
j ries its spreading evergreen meaty
leaf of last year's queenly crown now
studded with spikes of white flowers
like Irradiating brilliants in a dia
dem of a bride. Like its cousins the
manzanita and the rhododendron, it '
retains its' leaves but annually sheds
its bark.
This rhododendron (rose-tree) is,
the most beautiful among all the les
ser growth; its sagittate leaves clus
ter about a whorl of petunia-like bios-.
After a Cold Auto Ride i
what could be more comforting or exhllerating than a nice cup of
Hot Chocolate, which you will always find ready at this season of
the year at our Soda counter? We give It to you pure and cheering,
fuM of that goodness and nutriment so peculiar to the best quality
of Chocolate. It la a food, drink and medicine all combined, at low
cost.
Selder's
T kn r4
Article In
WEST'S
soma bursting in bashful beauty. '
As if this were, not enough, sump
tuous nature has carpeted the earth,
and lined the . roadsides with sweet
briar, wild rose, trailing honey-suckle,
salmon berries,, thimble berries, dew
berries, currants and a dew raspberry
.and flowers common and rare. Here
are the clarkia, the columbine, the
lady slipper, the gorse, the cyclamen.
laraspur, ouiiercup, squaw pina uuu
a skunk cabbage and many others.
Occasionally a timid deer peers"
Questlonangly at one from the dense
brake only to disappear noiselessly as
It came. , Few bear now infest these
happy hauntBf not many squirrels aie
seen; while the eagle, the quail and
some species of sparrow account for
most of the feathered tribes ot land
fowl.
A bright young fellow came-up foi'
the cadet engineers' examination ol
Annapolis one day, and the judges
asked him the usual questions, which
he unswered readily enough until one
gruff old fellow frowned at him ant"
demunded: . : ,
"How do you say you proceed to get
up steam?" -
The cadet glibly described the proc
ess of building the fires, testing the wa
ter lu the boilers and all that
"And then?" snapped the examiner.
The young fellow twisted his cap in
his hands and thought up a few more
details. , r .
."And then?" rasped the examiner
once more, pursing bis lips and looking
as if something important bad been
missed.
The cadet did the best he could, slyly
adding such details as that be would
shut the furnai-e doors after putting
the coal in. The moment be stopped
the same old question burst out:
"And then?"
"And then," repeated the cadet slow-4
ly, raising his cap to his breast, ana
gazing at the ceiling, "and then I
should look up to heaven and think l
am ready to go home if the boiler front
comes out" New York Suu.
La Grande