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About La Grande evening observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1904-1959 | View Entire Issue (March 7, 1914)
;f,.. .- 'Hi' LA GRAKDi; EVENING OBSERVER ' SATURDAY, MARCH 7, r,n-: pom v, THE OBSERVER ' 1,1 J III !J.! XL. 1" 600,000 a year on his personal property we roaa ana unuginB mo n-.u, as well as justifiable. We are draw- developing maerially a great contl- BBUCE DENNIS, Editor and Owner, ing closer to the millennium.' but wenent, and assimilating the greatest have not vet reached it. In the mean- I"-" uu...n. Entered in the post-Uke at La Grande, Oregon, as second claaa matter. Advertising rates on application. All copy for display advertising must reach the ofllce the day before the ad appears. time such step on the part of the T . . nt-llv w hava keDt UD tne tax commi;ion may be justifiable I physical standard, We lead the world but it is not good judgment, NOBLE PRIZES. ' Address all communications to THE OBSERVER, 1710 Sixth Street SUBSCRIPTION RATES. Dally, single copy 5c Daily, per week 15c Daily,' per month .65c Daily, per six months in ad vance ....$3.50 Wly, r yew in ft ially, by mail per year In ad vance $" Weekly Obsirver, per year in advance ....$1.50 RIDING A FREE HORSE TO DEATH We have no sympathy for the tax dodger, whether he is the man of wealth, the corporation or the small tax payer. The nracMce of swearing away thousands of dollars or hundreds of dollars from the tax rolls for' the sake of dodging a fair share of any assessment, is entirely out of date and is just as much a crime as putting one's hands into the community treas ury and extracting a handful of cash. The man who pays taxes on property with a tax valuation under the pro portion of his neighbors, knowing and deliberately is none the less n thief be cause he is not prosecuted for thiev ery.- But the pendulum swings both ways. When it swings too far in one direction it gains impetus to the same extreme in the other direction. That's what it is doing right now in many places throughout the country and the trouble is that the pendulum keeps right on swinging. Undoubtedly that is why it is so often said that history repeats itself in cycles of years. It is the same old pendulum swinging back and forth, back and forth. Just now the man of wealth is get ' ing many bitter raps. The "common people" have the whip hand and the lash is made to sting with a vehe mence that savors of vindictiveness. In matters of taxes as in other things the burden is being shifted to the shoulders of the wealthy class. We hold no brief for them. Many of them may deserve the punishment. We are certain that some of them do. But there is, it must be remembered, such a thing as riding a free horse to death. A Cleveland incident serves to bring this to mind. Down in Cleveland they have as a taxpayer a man who is con sidered the wealthiest individual in the world, John D. Rockefeller. Few people today have any love for him, but he has been an asset to Cleveland in many ways. His fame has helped to bring fame to Cleveland; his money has contributed to the support of the municipality possibly not so much as it might or ought to have done, but still it has contributed largely. The pendulum is swinging to the other extreme in Cleveland. The men of wealth are being assessed to the limit. Mr. Rockefeller's name was placed on the assessment rolls for the payment of taxes on $500,000,000 worth of personal property. This would bring his taxes to $1,500,000 a year. It would be a fine thing for the small property owners if Mr. Rocke feller consented to this arrangement. According to the tax commissioner's own statement the East Cleveland tax rate would fall considerably. It appenrs, however, thnt Mr. Rockefeller docs not propose to con sent to the arrangement. It is re ported that he is moving away from Cleveland. Perhaps ho is not justified in moving away, but this is beside the question. If he moves the tax rato is going to lose all that ho is contribut ing, now as well as several of the other advantages incident to possess ing the world's wealthiest man as a resident. There are times and places when and where good judgment and justi fication are not synonymous. This seems to be one of them. The tax commissioners of Cleveland appear to have ridden a free horse to death. If every municipality hnd the same sys tem of assessment and the same de termination to assess everyone on the game plnne it would be good judgment to force Mr. Rockefeller to pay $1,- In 12 years from 1901 to 1912 in clusive, 56 persons ' representing 14 different countries have won Noble prizes. The , Journal des Debats of Paris, give's them as follows: Ger many 18, France 13, England 6, Swed en 4, Holland 3, Italy 3, Spain 2, Nor way, Denmark, Belgium, Russia, Por and and the United States one each. It is explained that this, tabulation does not include the prizes awarded to Roosevelt and Root for services in the cause of peace, but credits us with the one given to Professor Mich elson of Chicago university for phy sics, in 1907. A prominent newspaper says rather whimsically that if the Noble Foun dation had been in existence it could hardly have failed to make awards to Graham Bell and Edison. It might add that if it had existed it could hardly have failed to honor Whitney for the cotton gin and Morse for the telegraph and divers others for var ious original work. At it is we do not come out much if any better in a cal culation according to population. The addition of the Root and Roosevelt prizes for peace promotion would in ' crease our percent a little, but would not alter our relative position. Here is something for us to think about. If we are entering into the world as a power this tabulation shows us the small part that we play in com parison with other nations when it comes to high attainments. Our gen ius seems to have run in other di rections money making for one, in which we have been a world beater. And then we have been busy "making BANK STATEMENT. No. 9214. Report oMhe-'condition of the Unit ed States National bank at La GinndR, State of Orccn, at the close of busi i'ps, March 4, 1911: Resources Loans and discounts $323,918.88 U. S. bonds to secure cir culation 50,000.00 To secure postal ' savings ; ' '.....6,000.00 5,000.00 Expenses and interest paid 1,464.54 Bonds, securities, etc 9,644.39 Banking house, furniture, and fixtures 25,979.35 Other real estate owned ... 7,910.00 Due from National banks (not reserve agents 4,964.31 Due from state and private banks, trust companies and savings banks 6,618.30 Due from approved reserve agents 17,093.69 Checks and other cash items 4,281.31 Notes of other National banks 11,285.00 Fractional paper currency, nickels and cents 354.40 Specie $38,335.26 . Legal tender notes . . 160.00 38,495.25 Redemption fund with U. S. treasurer (5 per cent of circulation) 2,500.00 in Olympian games if not Nobel prizes, and as Germany has imported American athletic trainers to teach her how to compete successfully in this way, perhaps we could import Ger man talent to teach us- how to win Noble prizes. For the present the re sult seems to support Edmund Gos se's theory that small nations are more congenial for the support of gen iuses than large ones. . .; -,: ' , . i MILLION SFOR JUNK. Advocates of universal peace point out the futility of battleship. contruc tion by citing some of the figures in our own naval program. The United States began about 1899 the construction of what is known oa the "new navy." Since that program was begun, the ships of the new, or comparatively new, type have cost ths people of this country for construction alone $477,800,000. And yet the United States ranks only third among the nations in the strength of its navy. The latest fig ures show the following battleships either in commission or building. Great Britain, 72; Germany 39; Unit ed States, 36; France, 29; Japan, 19; Italy, 17; Russia, 15; and Austro-Hun-gary, 10. Of armoured cruisers, Great Britain hns 45; Germany, 16; the United States, 11, and France, 20. These statistics indicate the compara tive strength of the various navies. The people of this country have not complained of the naval program, but they cannot understand why it is nec essary every year to keep on building new battleships. The explanation is that the life of a fighting vessel is very short. Improvements follow one another so quickly that a battleship 20 years old is practically worthless. There is now in the list of American battleships only one vessel built prior to 1900 the Iowa, completed in 1897. The Oregon, the Indiana, the Massa chusetts and others constructed about the same time as the Iowa, and con sidered in those days to be the last word in fighting vessels, are no longer regarded as of real service. They are not even included in.. the list of 36 battleships accredited to the United States navy. The same situation exists in other countries. Peace advocates point out the frightful loss of time and money and energy in carrying out the naval programs of the nations, .when of time all the "latest'n.battleslW will be so much mere junk. Of jscourse, through the incessant construction of battleships the nations maintain . a paper supremacy and give themselves the assurance that they are prepared for war. But that satisfaction of national pride and jingoism is the only real result of the frightful expense to which the people are put year after year. No wonder that the movement to JL A Complete Line of 3 yinnnaiTiiias im ramw i f RVV; AM Total $501,509.42 Liabilities. Capital stock paid in $100,000.00 Surplus fund 13,000.00 National bank notes out- . standing.... 50,000.00 Due to other National banks 2,314.38 Individual deposits suhject to check 256,626.75 Demand certificates of do- ! posit 4,908.77 Time certificates of deposit 67,717.91 Certified checks 548.68 Postal savings deposits .. . 1,332.90 Bills payable, including ob ligations for money bor- I rowed 15,000.00 Total $501,509.4' State of Oregon, County of Union, ss. j I, T. J. Scroggin, cashier of the above named bank, do solemnly swear thnt the above statement is truo to the best of my knowledge and belief. 1 T. J. SCROGGIN, Cashier. CORREST Attest: I WM. MILLER, J. C. HENRY. A. L. RICHARDSON, Directors. Subscribed and sworn to before me this 7th day of March, 1914. F. S. IVANHOE, Notary public. Our Famous FIDELITY $15.00 SUITS JUST ARRIVED IN THE MEN'S DEPT. THESE GARMENTS ARE GUARANTEED ALL WOOL FAB RICS, THOROUGHLY SHRUNK, HAVE SHAPE RETAINING FRONTS, TAILORED UNDER SANITARY CONDITIONS AND GUARANTEED TO GIVE SATISFACTORY WEAR. THE STYLES INCLUDE ALL THE NEW ENGLISH AND NORFOLK MODELS, BESIDES REGULAR BOX-BACK AND REGULATION STYLES FOR BOTH STOUT MEN AND MEN OF REGULAR BUILD. :J I THE PATTERNS ARE VERY ATTRACTIVE. SEE THEM IN OUR WINDOWS. AND THEN COME' IN AND SEE FOR YOURSELF JUST HOW PERFECTLY THEY FIT. YOU WILL BE SURPRISED AT SUCH REAL VALUE IN A SUIT FOR $15.00. , fe. ,. j iJ-o r ik. ,.m 1 1 $15.00 No More $15.00 No Less cease building battleships by interna tional agreement is meeting with such ready response among the common people of the whole world. TROUSERLESS MAN. STOCKHOLDERS IN THEIR OWN CITY. SALTS HNE FOR A lt it,. tiJ We eat too much, meat, whJeii c'.t;; Kidneys, then Back hurts ami Blaudur bothers you. Most folks forget thnt the kvlwyj like the bowels, gvt sluggivh -i-i'l c!t.,.y. and need a flushing occusioni'i.v, cim- v lmve backnche and dull mi-eiy in th, kidney region, severe hcadm-iii-H, il.eu mntio twinges, torpid liver, acid st'immh, sleeplessness and nil sorts of LluiMe- iiia orders. You simply must keep yr.nr Uiiiiieva activo and clean, and tlie no;nfnt you feel an aclio or puia in the kidney rcpion, get alxmt four ounces of Jad BiilU from any pood drug store hero, tuko a tabli'spooiilut in a glius of water before breakfast for a fow days and your kidneys will then act fine. This famous salts is made from the acid of crapes and lemon jmne, combined with lithia, and is hnrmloss to fluli clogged kidneys and stimulate them to normal activity. It also neutralize" the acids in the urina so it no bnipcr irr;titir, thus ending bladder disorders. Jad Salts is hariulvi.; iu?-;-oiiive: makes n delightful edVrvos.cn'. lit!. la water drinlt which everybody ainu'd tairr now and then to keep thir kidneys clenrj, thus avoiding serious complications. A well-known local drti!gii.t dvs he sells lots of Jad Salts to folks who H-li-'. t in overcoming kidney trouble whih it only trouble. Adv. More than 2000 residents of the city of St. Paul, Minn., are possessors of $10 city bonds, bearing interest at 4 per cent. The number of stockholders is increasig and it already includes hundreds of thrifty workmen who hold small blocks of what might be con sidered preferred stock. The plan has been an experiment in St. Paul, but it is being worked out successfully and it is being 'Watched with interest throughout the country. The idea was conceived with a view to interesting as many persons as possible in the city's financial welfare. St. Paul is one of the largest cities in the country that has adopted the com mission form of government and this ; is one of the reforms that the commis- ion form of government has adopted. 1 Last July when the municipal govern ment found is difficult to sell several issues of city securities at par or above, it was decided to cut them up into small pieces and call on the peo- j pie of the city to finance it themselves. Certificates at $10 each, that can be cashed at time for their face value, plus the interest that has accumulated, were issued. The St Paul people took to the plan with a vim. The first three dayR after the sale began more than $220,000 of the certificates were disposed of. By December 1st, the total sales amounted to more than $3,500,000. Last month the sales of certificates were $286,000 in excess of the amount presented for payment and the constantly increas ing sales are now said to average more than $5000 a day, the individual in vestments carrying from $10 to $5000. The city officers now hope to do away with all of the old style bonds end in time to keep at home the $600, 000 interest money which annually is sent away from the city to eastern holders of municipal bonds. The popularity of the certificates among the people is the fact that they may be converted into cash at any time without losing a penny of the in terest nccrued at four per cent. The Skin and Not the Blood. Until recently it has been a genar- , ally accepted theory thnt eczema wis ;a disacase of the blood. Scientists hnve taught us thnt eczema is posi j tively a skin disease and curable I through the skin alone. Meritol I Fc7emn Remedy is applied directly (to the diseased skin. Do not delay ' trying Meritol Eczema Remedy. . I NEWLIN DRUG COMPANY. (Continued Trom Page 1.) ' told the Pullman conductor that' the ! former occupant of the berth was the United States marshal. s Eager to oblige the governmentonl cial, who it was gravely suspected, might be roaming around La GrantJ-j without trousers on, the train wa? de layed at Union while the station .mas ter was directed to rush the garmmt back to La Grande. r Tremendous excitement reigned a few minutes later when the occupant of the upper berth poked his head through the curtains and told the por ter he had lost the lower half of his suit. It was then realized that,, the pants that had been sent back had slipped from the upper berth to, the lower. '"' Obliging passengers dug into their baggage. A pair of possibilities would be thrust through the green curtains, only to come back a moment later with the smothered remark too small. In V'lc next two hours the train scheduled was smashed to smithers. At every sta-, tion the conductor or some member of the crew would rush up to a store in a desperate search for a pair 44 inches, around the waist. " ,' '. Eastern Oregon seemed to be barren.- of that size. At North Powder the conductor reported that he couldn t even see a barrel. Finally at Haines, the station north of Baker, a pair cf the proper dimensions was located ax the conductor paid $12 for them. At Baker a few minutes later tb traveler was dressed and was down n the platform to bid farewell to Is friends of the adventure. He held 5; the trousers with one hand while i shook hands with the other. Ths cm-, ductor had forgotten suspenders Meanwhile the other trousers ws1 back to La Grande where they prob-' ably remain. . ' iv ; FOR RENT Modern five room house. Pavement. Black 1662. iuse. Mf FOR RENT Five room house, fu nished Phone black 1191. 3-7-q WHITE WYANDOTE EGGS-M per seetting (15). J. P. BrennoHJ Adams & Oak. 8-WtJ Five room cottage with full Id ment for sale or for lease of longpe 1 iod, is desired. ! Russell. ' ' Easy terms. JJ i4 FOR SALE A small out house, cW ; Phone black 1102. FOR SALE Assorted lot of cm fruits and jellies. Also nice carriage, cheap. Address F., care i Observer. W FOR SALE Black Minorca 4 White Leghorn setting eggs, frcs selected winter layers. Mrs. G. i Chanman. La Grande. ' 3-2-1 La Grande -National Bank Organized in 1887. " ' nBNrWJtATEH DEPOSITOR Y-MP rMTKI) STATES GOVERMCIST. i'TUTED STATES PONT I, SAVIXJS DEPOSITOEI. Capital ..... ......$100,000.00 Surplu r$140jOO'0.0'S Total Resources' .$1,000,000.00 For twenty-six years, in all kinds of financial weather, we h successfully catered to the monetary wants of the people of U Grande and the Grande Ronde Valley. We respectfully solicit your business La Grande National Bank La Grande, Oregon