La Grande evening observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1904-1959, August 13, 1912, Image 4

Historic Oregon Newspapers

La Grande evening observer., August 13, 1912, Image 4

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Newspaper Page TextJA UlUUSUJU iU Xu.Ju.U UiiaiUi V Jl.it. .. All . 1UV.AI 14-4.1 iwi' v nii.-:2: - ?AOE FOUB 1 A GRANDE EVENING OBSERVER, TUESDAY, AUGUST 13, 1912. THE OBSERVER WRUCE DENNIS tDirOtt AND OWNEB. Aster at Ui pohtoft'ice at La Grande, Oregon, a second clam matter 1 JTBSrRIITION BATES. Mis, single cof 6c Mr, per wee lie Btgr per month 5c mJMOX BUUEAU HAS WOBK AHEAD. Kitty; war in which the lilted iKatro engages Is followed by Sbaorand of pensions to those who nbagfcCoP were injured In the countrys ssnrvfos: The amount of money raised lay indirect taxation and disbursed to yesnioners reaches many millions an jauOyu And in this view of war, it Is m arpensfve that it makes universal jseacfeslrable. If for no other reason. According to the commissioner of TtaOMioaa, about 418,000 applications (far increase under the new law passed st this session of congress have been fles ta the pension office. These atxtos are being passed upon at the .nee of die hundred a day. tlii rate It will require nearly rer years to roach the last claim so far filed, eliminating Sundays and hoi Mays upon which 00 claims will be 3Jnicated. The claims are taken up tbr emnmtssloner says, In the order In wbteh they are received. That will iemeft the first few thousand claims Slti, but since all of the, more than Snr hundred thousand were filed wTOitn the first month, those who fell ko&ind only a day or two may have to B a year or two beforo receiving fee relief granted by congress In the passage of the bill or the relief that congress Intended that the veterans ahould have. si matter of fact, with the slow jrogrrss being made upon the claims, CTw WlT will not afford the relief to all mt tne old soldiers entitled to it. These veterans are dying at the rate of ebirty or forty thousand a year. So at Ifco end of two years sixty or seventy Otaosand of them will have passed thousand of them will have passed owned a single penny of the nppropra l&an intended, for them by the act of wrgTess. Wo- greater Injustice has been done Cfiw old" soldiers for some years than fitar delay In adjudicating the claims. To wait two years or even six months, nans that tho relief will come too fettf fn thousands of cases. It would mean, therefore, that the bureau ought d arrange some method of disposing f these cases more rapidly. Five wntfred claim. a day may seem like rxiM progress, and ordinarily It would fce, at it must bo understood that this in extraordinary situation, with sna dying every day who are entitled ! the relief that Is theirs as soon as ke department passes upon the cases. THTi KXIMTESS BUSINESS. jf sweeping order made by the Inter nal commerce, commission does away with many of the objectionable methods used in the express business, v proposes a radical reduction In t. to bo made effective after a pub lic kearlng. Tnto don't settle tho problem of l& relation of the public with the ex jrrao companies. Caly an out and out parcels post yjrrem that will do for the people through the postoftlce service tho ex Tnu companies are now doing for the mrdinate profit of their owners, will settle that problem. Btot the report furnishes matter t!mt HI Belp make people think about ths auditions tUst prevail, and that ouirrt e?p toward making the demand for CarceU post system so emphatic thai t lyreRs will no longer dare deny It. ISIs a matter beyond contradiction", the Interstate commerce romniU- In its report, "that beginning six ty years ago. practically with no as srt whatsoever other than favorable wwtract with ono or more railroad, (fta. express companies out of th.-li-ntcat and the profitable Investment of tr proceeds of Iholr operations have a able to pay large dividends npor fares representing no Investment." Trooi a shoestring from practlcal Qr nothing out of the rates they have j fiargea the public the express com- pnln bars built np a tremendous capitalisation, n which they pay ann always bare paid big dividends, and an enormous surplus represented by investments In the securities of rail roads aud industries. Through f.iee holdings the express companies, pow erful already because of the sheet' bulk of their riches, are able to sum mon to their aid the strongest kin I of influence. This explains why the parcels post has been delayed" so long. Last year the thirteen express com panles investigated by the commission had a gross Income of $149,311,485 out of which they paid to the railroads $73,956,435, leaving to themselves $75,355,030. Operating expenses were $67,996,759, and net earnings were $7,358,271. A tidy little sum, this, to earn in one year on a property that represents practically no Investment at all. Another set of figures presented by the commission helps to show why this enterprise Is so richly profitable. The express companies carry about 300,000,000 parcels a year. This Is eight or ten packages a year for the average family of five persons. The average charge Is 50 cents per pack age and the average haul 200 miles. With the profit inordinate on every parcel carried, It is easy to under stand how the express companies have built up such an Immense quantity of wealth on an orlgnal investment of nothing, and why it Is that they have gained outside holdings which give them influence In a wide variety of In dustries, "WHY NOTS." e Edited by S 8 A. Long Mutt. 9 If you do not read these, why not? If there Is a statute regard ing the growth of noxious weeds on vacant lots and parkings, why not enforce it? Why not attend the ball games this week and show your appreciation ol the national game? The Doy Scout movement In this city Is a commendable one. Wby not help It along? It is worthy of the united support of the entire commun ity. Why not keep in touch with the outside world through the columns of the Observer. In passing along the street why not always make it a point to pass to the. right of anyone you meet? This would 1 save confusion and a whole lot of embarrassment on your part. Why not? After the band boys havj rendered a selection on the street give them an applause. Surely you ap preciate the music or you would not stop and listen to It and it would not ".ke very much energy to get your hands In motion and clap them a fw times.- I know the band boys would appreciate It. , Tbe grouse season will soon be on. ro why not get your gun and dog and get into your neighbor's back yard and practice up on his chickens? Surely the neighbor would not object. but If he did a promise of a grouse or two would surelv console him. And l why not? If you have not been for a few days' outing this summer why not? Surely a few days' outing would do you good. It always relieves that grouch which always comes and stays tired feeling and takes away the (luring the hot summer days. There are a thousand and one ways In this world In which you could make life more pleasant for yourself and fellowman. Why not try and do some of these and by so doing If yott-are not a crank, you will surely be well repaid by your act of kindness. Why not? Almost Invariably at noon time at the North Fir street crossing, there Is a .switch engine with SO or 30 cars Mocking tho way, causing working people who live across the track to wait from five to 15 minutes In going to dinner and returning to work. Why not have this remedied? rtlTGOY FOR SALE Light two seat ed buggy, but slightly used. Will sell at real bargain. A. C. Huntnlgton. 1710 Fourth street 8-tS-t FOR SALR Few beds, tables, chairs and a store. Call Black 1011. 8-13 -tf A LITERARY RIDDLE. Wfco Ws It Wrote the Tragedy of Trollus and Crossida?" Andrew Long bus Juxt propounded a puzzle In circumstantial evidence "Who," be ui-i, "wrote 'Trullus aud Cresslda?"" You may answer, -as you please, Shakespeare or Bacon. If you answer Bacon, Andrew Lang comes back with the query, "Would Bacou bare suid that Aristotle lived before the Trojau war?" Bacon was too learned a man to make such a mistake, which would be as bad as placing Abraham Lincoln among the signers, of the Declaration of Independence. If you answer Shakespeare. Andrew Lang shoots another query at you: "The author makes Ulysses and Achilles quote 'an author' and discuss a pretty long and strange passage from that author, who was Plato. How could Shakespeare have read j Plato?" For Shakespeare knew no Greek, and In his day Plato had not yet been translated into English. ' It is quite conceivable that Shake speare might imagine that Plato aud ! Aristotle lived many centuries before Homer, but it is inconceivable that the erudite Bacon should fall into such an j error. . ! Andrew Lang does not pretend to solve the riddle. He frankly says, "I , give it up." New York World. j RISKY POSTAL SERVICE. In Russia the Government Opens All 8uspicious Packages. Our own service of mails is well or ganized. There Is little doubt In the miud of tbe average person that when he pouts a letter it will reach Its desti nation. But in other lands he might well fear for its safety. In Russia, for Instance, any letter or parcel that is regarded with suspicion is immediately opened and its contents noted. A clever ma chine gums it up again, so that the re cipient does not know that it has been tampered with. In Lapluud the malls are carried in sledges drawn by reindeers. In the wlld3 of the Caucasus the postman holds a post of dancer. Ho must be protected against brigands and against the wenther, for he often has to climb mountains more than 12.000 feet high. Asiatic Russia, which Is apt to be marshy, has tbe buffalo post, and, of course, the progress made Is very slow. Buffaloes are more powerful than oxen, and they are also used in Siberia for carrying the mail, j Other postmen .In foreign lands are I the swimming postman of India aud I the skiing letter carrier of the Andes. I For the latter pluce the Argentine gov- ernment specially Imports Norwegians. , Exchange. , Mexico's Smoking Mountain. In 18D7 I climbed two volcanoes In ' Mexico, Popocatepetl, or "the smoking 1 mountain." aloit 17,800 feet, and Orl- I "la. the former tbe most fumous be- """f, wlthlu view from Mexico City , admiration to tbe Inhabitants, who have been loath to believe that any otber of their mountains could be high er. Popo has a really splendid crater, about half a mile across and 1.000 feet deep. The walls are generally verti cal, but in one or two places it is pos sible to descend. When workers are engaged In collecting sulphur machin ery is used to hoist them up and down. From Popo's summit there is a glorious prospect, not alone of the Immense crater, but of tbe beautiful "White I Lady" (Iztacclhuatl) reclining a thou sand feet below, of Orizaba on the far horizon and of the charming valley of Mexico. Annie 8. Peck In Christian Herald. Wellington's Integrity. The Duke of Wellington was noted 'or bis rigid integrity.- Here is an In- stance which occurred in reference to bis large estate. Some farm adjoining his lauds was for sale, and his agent negotiated for him for the purchase. Having concluded tbe business, he went to the duke and told him he bad made a capital bargain. "What do you mean?" asked the duke. "Why, your grace, I have got the farm for so much, and I know it to be worth at least so much more." "Are you quite sure of that?" "Quite sure, your grace, for I have carefully surveyed it," "Very well, then; pay the gentleman from me the balance between what you have already given and the real value of tbe estate." Strong Circumstantial Evidoncs. A young wife was in tears a few mornings ago when ber mother called. When asked what was the matter she replied that her husband was out late the night before and bad been to a drinking party. "What makes you think be had been to a drinking party?" asked tbe mother. "He came home," sobbed the young wife, "wearing a phonograph born for a hat" Kansas City Star. Mors Caroful Now. The young "vlfe had given ber hus band a dance. "You've Improved won derfully, Jack." she said as they sat down. "Don't yoo remember how you need to tear my dress T" "Yes," be replied. "1 wasn't baying them tbea.M-Boston Transcript FARMERS TELEPHONE (Continued from uage 1 1 (but I guess If the truth were known the Bell bought them out, for they wned 51 per cent of the Home Inde ! enrient stock so I have been inform ed) but at any rate the spirit of In dependence still prevailed to such an extent that they turned the Farmers' l.'ulon delegates and committees down vita but slight courtesy; would not grant anything of importance asked end In an Instance or two, said "the farmer be damned." They didn't care If they all cut off for the cost of up keep and service of tbe country lines was more than they got out of it. They cut off a great many of them and be gan to bold meetings and devise ways I and means to get from under the heel : cf oppression, that had become very oppressive. The farmer, you know, Is j a funny animal; he differs from a dog ! the more you kick and cuff the dog, the better he likes you, but the farmer ; responds to considerate treatment al ! most as readily as city folks and re- sents insults by minding his owr bus j Iness, which he commenced to do In Elgin and vicinity by organizing a ! co-operatve company to build and maintain a telephone system. Well, after they had pretty well covered , that country, and Pumpkin Ridge, the Bell people sent their representative ! down to try and effect (what they ; were pleased to term) a compromise; I they offered to let the co-operative bunch have what they already had. If they would only quit. Well, he went ! away, saying they did not use him right because they Just went on mlnd I ing their own business (which I might say was building a telephone line). Everything went along all right. ' Elgin, Summerville, Imbler, Alicel, 1 Cove and Union are all covered by good live committees that have them j well lined up and watching down the road for the new line. Some are over- t !nxious and think it comes slowly, but all large bodies move slowly. It ( goes faster than any other phone line j that has ever been built in the coun try. While there are at the present time only about 500 subscribers to the shares, It is a conservative esti mate to say that in 12 months from the present date tliere will be 90 per cent of the farm homes of the valley connected by this line and the towns are all In favor. I think if a vote was taken In the city of La Grande, the Co-operative company would get 75 per cent of the vote, although the com pany received its first setback at the hands of the city council of La Grande. On Wednesday evening, July 21st, the Co-operative Telephone company peti tioned the city council for a fran chase and there was a motion made to refer it to a special committee. The vote being a tie, the mayor cast the deciding vote in favor of the special, and appointed Jones, Lincoln and Fin ley, and on August 7, the committee reported adverse to granting said franchise. And after considerable discussion as to the advntages and disadvantages of the company being allowed the same rights given their predecessors In the field, a vote was taken. Jones, Lincoln, Lilley and FInley voted for the report against granting the franchise, Campbell, Fitz gerald, Mackey and Davis voting against the report, they favoring the franchise. Being a tie, the mayor cast the deciding vote against tne fran chise. He could hardly do otherwise, being a heavy stockholder and a direc tor In the Home Independent Tele phone monopoly, and farther In view of the fact of a petition numerously signed by the business men and oth ers, we hope through misrepresenta tion or mis apprehension for it does not seem possible that any unbiased man who had the facts laid before I htm could so far forget his duty to the ounty and surrounding country, that he would allow his name to appear against an Institution that would go farther toward establishing a friendly I flD ' Comfort Going Home! I lillllFf llllTW11' ,ppr6cute' ta f "i VEST w. hlvl ?mZUS aad MtUWB tasted." V 57WtS) " cw? mo4eI k,tcheM c Positively grantee th parity of ! "!t!m XbTHkQy m a rscnlar buyer. j mktmt Setter's - La Grande! Do a Big Temit Friday, August 16, 1912 ADAMS AVENUE NEAR HEMLOCK STREET. WEST BROS.' RAILROAD SHOW. A TEXAS RANGER SEE THE Cowboys, Soldiers, Indians, Mexicans, Rangers and Cowboy Girls. Watch For the Cowboy Band ONE PERFORMANCE AT NIGHT ONLY. Friday, August 16 H has been before the people of La Grande for years. E. $. CO-OPERATIVE TEL. ASS'N. By TH08. FLEMING, Mgr. Cripple Creek at Arcade. Tonight is the last chance to see "At Cripple Creek," one of the best feature films ever shown at the Ar cad. Also a Gaumont weekly showing events that have happened all over the world, and a fine comedy that is full of pretty scenes and is one big I laugh from the start. Also Mr. Ray i Tiriil i oiuiiiuit) iu uuw song3. COFFE As far as possible all coffee should be ground just before using. Otherwise it may lose a great deal of its original strength and flavor. If you don't grind the coffee at home why buy coffee that was ground by the roasters and has been out of their hands no telling how long? Let us grind your coffee for you just before you get it. We have CHASE & SAN BORN'S high quality line. It's always freshly roast ed the day shipped to us. 43 PHONE J. G. Snodgrass Sole Agent T.G. WHEELWRIGHT Cement work of all kinds. Sidewalks and curbs a specialty. All work done under my personal supervision. PHONE RED 3952 43