La Grande evening observer., February 07, 1916, Image 1

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AN INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER PRINTS THE NEWS THE DAY IT HAPPENS
1 VOLUME XV
LA GRANDE, OREGON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1916.
NUMBER 200
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A THOUSAND
CRYING FOR
MORE BREAD
ARKANSAS QITY IN DIRE
STRAITS FROM FLOOD
STAGE OF RIVERS.'
MANY STILL UNFED
SINCE EARLY SATURDAY
Twenty Feet of Water Inundates Town
of Clarendon Great Demand for
Relief Workers on Levies All
not Working Are Deported Total
Dep 1 at Present 23.
Arkansas City, Feb. 7. Six hundred
men are reinforcing the main levee
in protecting the city from destruc
tion y Mississippi. Everyone unable
to help is deported. The river is 16
fee higher than the city's level. The
le'-'. -s are sloughing.
Waters are 23 feet high in the
streets at the result of former breaks
in the Arkansas river. Three drowned
men have been found.
One death occurred at Augusta and
two more at Slarendon, making a to
tal of 23.
A Thousand are crying for bread at
Clarendon, and a majority are "-Unfed
since Saturday, when the levee broke
and flooded the city for the first time
in 26 years.
REMAINS LONG DEAD.
Body of Andy Peterson Once Wal
lowa Farmer, Long E'i Route.
Having died In TurJock' Cal., Jan.
21, the remains of Andy Peterson are
in La Grande for shipment to Wal
lowa, the former home of the de
ceased. Floods, and tieups have
caused the delay in shipment. The re
mains will probably be kept in the
Bohnenkamp chapel here , until the
Wallowa roads open for train service.
He was an I. 0. O. F. member.
! !
BALL POSTPONED.
.J.
I The Charity Ball to have been
I given February 9th and for !
f which invitations have been is- J
4" sued, has been postponed until !
J some date to be announced later.
! This is because of weather con
! ditions.
V
BIG DEAL CLOSED.
Negotiations With Steel Concerns
Ended in Big Sales.
New York, Feb. 7. The Midvale &
Ardnance company has purchased
control in theCambria Steel Co., at $80
per share. The deal whereby the
Cambria merged with the Lackawanna
Steel company of Youngstown, with
the Sheet & Tube company, has been
abandoned. Wall street received the
news as temporarily changing the
:'standard group refused to pay the
ateel merger like the United States
Steel corporation. It is reported the
Standard group refused o pay the
price asked in the Lackwanna-Youngstown
deal.
NO TROUBLE IN SETTLEMENT.
Question of Taxes on Sheep Will Be
Easily Adjusted.
The letter of the county court of
Baker county relative to the payment
of taxes to Union county for transient
livestock grazed in Union county last
year by Baker county residents, which
had been requested by Union county,
was received by the Union county
court late last week and was a very
different sort of a letter than the
Baker newspapers attempted to
ascribed to their own county court.
The relations between the Baker and
Union county courts have always
been pleasant and this fact is referred
to in the letter to Union county. Thar
county stated its perfect willingness
to take up the matter and settle on a
basis of payment by either county
after all similar cases for each coun
ty had been brought forward and a
balance one way or the other deter
mined. It is probable the Union county
court will accept the suggestions of
Baker and settle the matter up at a
later date. The present tax laws re
quire payment by the county where
cattle are owned to pay a proportion
ate share of the tax collected bv it
to another county where the livestock
is grazed for a considerable period
of time.
WAR BULLETINS
Ottawa, Feb. 7. Sensational
rumors of new German plots are in
the air as Parliament assembled to
day to discuss the fire. Guards fired
.on a man in a row boat approaching a
pter or the international bridge be
tween Bridbeburg and Buffalo. He
returned to the American side and
escaped. A battalion has reinforced
,two regiments guarding the well and
canal and munitions plants there, and
sentries were placed at buildings. The
canal, bridges and buildings are guard
ed day and night.
Rome, Feb. 7. Austrian cavalry is
four miles from Dvoazzo, awaiting
arrival of the main body, and expect
to occupy the Albanian capital soon.
London, Feb. 7. It is reported that
Roumania has ignored the Austro
German demand for partial demobili
zation. Newspapers are playing up
the fact Roumania military activities
seem to be leading to siding with the
allies. . -
It is reported Austria has protested
nomination, of two Roumania parlia
ment candidates who are pledged to
acquisition of Transilvania. Concen
tration of troops at ' Bulgarian,
Roumania and Hungarian frontiers
continues.
War News of One Year Ago Today.
. Turkey released the Italian Consul
it had seized and fired a salute to
the Italian flag, avoiding Turco-Ital-
HOUSE MEMBERS'
WIVES HOSTESSES
ANNUAL RECEPTION GIVEN TO
ALL OFFICIALDOM.
Mrs. Champ Clark Heads Receiving
Line Social Affairs at Wash
ington Ii?.,.ming.
' Washington, Feb. ff. Wives? and
daughters of members of the House of
Representatives gave. their annual re
ception this afternoon at; CVi&Cvss
Hall for the wives of all officialdom
in this city.
During the afternoon wives of cari-
net members presided at the tea table,
including Mrs. Garrison, wife of the
secretary of War; Mrs. Daniels, wife
of the Secretary of the Navy: Mrs.
McAdoo, wife of the secretary of
treasury; Mrs. Burleson, wife of the
postmaster general; Mrs. Houston,
wite ot the secretary or agriculture:
Mrs. Redf ield, wife of ,iie secretary
ot commerce, and Miss Agnes Wilson,
daughter of the secretary of labor.
In the receiving line were the fol
lowing: Mrs. Champ Clark of Miss
ouri,, Mrs. J. T. Robinson of Arkansas,
Mrs. D. W. Shackleford of Missouri,
Mrs. E. S. Chandler of Mississippi,
Mrs. ti. T. Kamey ot Illinois, Mrs. J.
T. Heflin of Alabama, Mrs. Lincoln
Dixon of Indiana, Mrs. Lenore Sher
wood of Ohio, Mrs. J. A. M. Aduir of
Indiana, Mrs. W. A. Ashbrook of
Ohio, also: !
Mrs. G. G. Edwaris of Georgia, Mrs.
Scott Ferris of Oklahoma, Mrs. H. L.
Godwin of North Carolina, Mrs. H.
A. Barnhart of Indiana. Mrs. Cyrus
Cline of Indiana, Mrs. W. A. Cullop of
(Continued on Pago Five)
. After being' in session this morn
ing city schools wer ordered closes
this noon to remain closed one week.
The condition of the streets are such
that it is impossible for children to
reach respective buildings with dry
feet, and anticipating that the thaw
will continue for several days, au
thorities decided to keep children in
satety lor another wceK. It is planned
to have the lost time made up by run
ning school an hour later each day
,whcn it does resume, until lost hours
are made up, or continue school a week
.later at the end of the school year.
WAS IX ARIZONA FLOOD.
Former La Grande Residents Escape
Without Damage.
Mrs. Hattie Eckley has received a
letter from her mother, Mrs. L. F.
Proebstel,-who lives in the district in
Arizona recently under flood. The let
ter states that they escaped damage,
although Ike and Win Proebstel, along
with other residents near the Gila
river were almost completely ex
hausted in the efforts to save the head
gate of their irrigating system and
the destruction of the Gila river
bridge. Their land was not injured,
but perhaps benefited by the over
flow. It was the highest water known
in 25 years.
Bible Class Postponed.
There will be no meeting of the
Methodist Bible class tonight on ac
count of the streets.
RECLOSE SCHOOL
ian hostilities. The flying of thj
American flag byv the Lusitaniit to
avoid being torpedoed by the Ger
Miiir.s, became an international in
cident, Ambassad Pt.ge advising
Washington of the Lusiiania's action.
O. B; SUIT DISMISSED.
Federal League Moves to Have 'Case
Dismissed from Docket.
Chicago, Feb. 7. On motion of the
Federal Iieague officials Judge Landis
has dismissed the anti-trust suit
I against organized ball, thus legally
ending tne war. Representatives ot
the Baltimore Federals reserved the
right to institute civil suit for dam
ages or new anti-trust proceedings if
organized baseball didn't adjust dif
ficulties with Baltimore.
HOUSE IN STUDY.
Speaker Clark Leaves Rostrum to
Urge Speed in Preparedness.
Washington, Fob. 7. A bill to in
crease the ' Mare Island battleship
building capacity and increasing the
number of Annapolis cadets, caused
firey debate in the first open skirmish
on preparedness. Mr. Clark left the
speaker's chair to criticize the slow
pokey delay in building battleships.
Uncle Joe Cannon said if declara
tions that an emergency exists are
true, no expense should be spared to
rush preparedness.
I WHITE HOUSE ANNOUNCES ITS
j POLICY.
Rebuke Sent Out to Germans Who
Belittle Seriousness.
Washington, Feb. 7. Secretary of
State Lansing today declared that
Under Secretary Zimmerman, at Ber
lin made an "Utterly false" statement
if he said that the Uinted States has
increased its Lusitarfia demands.
Lansing declared the administration
hasn't reduced her demands and the
statement is believed to forecast r
compromise attitude.
Preceeding a conference with Pres
ident Wilson, Secretary Lansing said
"there will , be no quibbling over
words."
This is believed to be intended for
a rebuke to' the constant German re
ports that differences are only a mat
ter of phrasing.
The German embassy said it wa3
ignorant of the Zimmerman statement
and said the latest Ambassador
Bernstorff memorandum was to the
effect a complete agreement with
American demands seems certain.
HORSEPOWER SOUGHT.
State Erfgincer Issues Details of Ap
plications Filed.
According to claims filed with Slate
Engineer Lewis for the year 1916,
rights have been initiated for the de
velopment of 456,410 horsepower. In
many instances 111636 claims represent
rights to develop power but which
have not, as yet, been actually de
veloped. Two hundred and nineteen
claims have been tiled covering de
velopment or proposed development
ranging in size from 1 horsepower to
136.363 horsepower, the latter being
the claim of the Portland Railway,
Light and Power company, covering
its rights on the Willamette River at
Oregon City.
Clackamas County leads in the num
ber of horsepower for which claims
are filed having 349,716 horsepower.
The only counties in the atate in
which no claims for power have been
hied, are Clatsop, Gilliam and Wheel
er. The number of horsepower
claimed in each .county is as follows:
Washington, 513: Benton. 186:
Umatilla, 8,862; Marian, 8,237; Wal
lowa, 1,887; Linn, 3,127; Douglas,
7,927; Harney, 219; Baker, 5,685;
Clackamas, 349,716: Hood River. 25,-
737; Wasco, 4,413; Morrow, 123;
Union, 1,529; Polk, 170; Jackson, 14,
498; Yamhill, 503; Klamath, 3,869;
urant, 4,S1; Lane, 992; Sherman, 25:
Lincoln, 20; Crook, 11,719; Curry, 29;
Multnomah, 818; Lake. 236: Josephine.
626; Jefferson, 5,000; Tillamook, 133;
Coob, 10; Columbia, 11; Malheur, 454.
Total 462,540 horsepower.
Cove Patient Recovers.
Cove. Foil ' 5. I'Snncinll Air.
Frank Brcwn of this place, who has
been a sufferer from ulcers of the
stomach and bowels for tho past fif
teen or sixteen years, has completely
recovered his health as a result of an
operation performed in La Grande re
cently and which seems to be entirely
successful in relieving .Mr. Brown of
his ills, although ho is fifty-nine yeais
of age.
NO QUIBBLING
WITH GERMANY
j RESTRAINING
UKUtM DENIED
BY THE COURT
SUNDAY LID INJUNCTION EF
FORTS FAIL IN CIRCUIT
COURT LITIGATION.
COURT CITES DECISIONS
OF HIGHER COURTS
Efforts to Have Sunday Lid Tcinpor
ary Enjoined This County Comes to
Naught When Circuit Judge Know
los Hands Down Decision Denying
; Applications Filed Week Ago.
Appeals from La Grande business
men for a temporary injunction
against District Attorney Eberhard to
restrain his enforcement of the Sun
day lid were denied by Circuit Judge
J. W. Knowles, in a decision handeJ
down today upon the application filed
about one week ago, The decision,
which will be published in the
Observer within a day or two, ,is of
considerable volume, dealing with
many phases and points raised by the
applicants for the injunction. In con
cluding his opinion Judge Knowles
goes on to say that "the supreme court
of this state has declared the law con
stituionnl upon some of he objections
raised by counsel for plaintiffs in
their brief, and three federal judges
sitting en banc have declared the law
constitutional upon all objections as I
understand it, urged by counsel in
their brief; and it seems to me that
under such circumstances it would be
the height of arrogance for this
court to hold the law constitutional.
For the above reasons the application
for a temporary injunction will be
denied."
FORRESTERS FEED BIRDS.
Government Employes Will Preserve
Game.
The District Forester at Portland,
Oregon, has issued a circular letter to
all Forest offcors, urging them to
feed, game and birds in their respec
tive localities during storm periods.
; The National Forest appropriation
is limited to the care of fish and
game supplied, to stock the forests or
the waters therein and cannot be used
for the purchase of food for game and
birds. However, the matter is a most
worthy one, especially during this
year of exceptional storms, and each
forest officer is urged not only to use
his best efforts to furnish game ani
mals and game and song birds with
something in the way of food, but i3
asked to appeal to ranchers and
stockmen generally in his vicinity to
do their part in aiding the work.
THAW PRESAGES
With overland trains Islowly but
surely getting through, bringing mail
clogged up in the west for five days,
Saturday night and Sunday saw the
break of one of the worst tieups due
entirely to snow that has happened
in years; today rises new provocation
for alarm. A thaw that threatens to
rake the great quantities of snow from
mountain and valley in great haste
broke in most parts of Eastern Oregon
this morning. If continued, it is ex
pected that one of the worst tieups
from floods, and the greatest destruc
tion from high water that the county
has seen in decades, will follow soon.
Rain Starts Water.
Cove is feeling the storm now while
it escaped the wind earlier last week.
The hotel, the postofiice, a number of
stores and several barns collapsed un
der the load of snow on the roofs
last Saturday.
Today it rained hard for a time in
Cove and the territory thereabout is
thoroughly watersoaked and road
going is difficult and hard.
Branch Service Stalled.
The proposed service into WallowM j
cuuiay ujun i iruuei oin.u yesiemiiy
for the reason that the best-laid plan?
miscarry frequently. Today the
branch ran as far as Elgin but didn't
attempt to get through to Wallowa
county.
Gutters Carry Load.
The heavy mist that began yester
day morning and continued without
interruption until this morning when
it suddenly ceased with a shower,
G
THAN
HOOPS CREEPING
, INTO LIMELIGHT
BIG CHICAGO SHOW FEATURES
HOOP SKIRTS.
"Nothing to Wtar but Clothes" Show
. . Begins Tonight Men's Styles '
Unchanged. . . ...
Chicago, Feb. 7. From Chicago to
night messages of hoops and hoops
and more hoops, and short jackets,
and tight .bodices, will be flashed to
New York, London, even to Paris
itself.
Beginning tonight, Chicago gar
ment manufacturers, hatters, millin
ers and jewelers will stage for a
week, "Nothing to Wiear but Clothes,"
the clothes extravaganza around
which Chicago's 1916 spring style
revolves. Pretty girls from the Chi
cago Grand Opera company will wear
the famine 'togs.
A peep behind the scenes today
showed that some of the skirts tend
ed toward hoops and ran down over
the ankles after being worn almost
up to the knees all winter.
The crinoline skirt too, was on the
job. They were worn in fabrics such
as failles, ' taffetas, g.rosgrains, and
even-gabardines and serges for the
promenade; and in ninon, marquisette,
tulle and chiffon combined with flimsy
(Continued on Page Six)
SENATOR STONE
St. Louis, Feb. 7. The arrange
ments committee of the Democratic
National committee meets tomorrow
to prepare for the convention in June.
Senator Stone is being boomed for
j temporary chairman. Thomas Tag
I gart, an early arrival, in commenting
ing on the report that Wilson wants
his preparedness program adopted
within a month, said "It can't be done
too soon." ,
POWDER PLANT WRECKED. "
Tacoma Feels Shock and Nearby
Houses are Wrecked for Milca,
Tacoma, Feb. 7. A terrific explo
sion of a Dupont Powder plant nearby
today partly wrecked houses within
a radius of several miles. Wires are
down, but it is believed casualties oc
currtd. v
MRS MOHR RELIEVED.
Although Weak from Strain flans
Jkr Futuro Course Early.
Providence, Feb. 7. Although weak
from the strain of the trial, Mrs.
Mohr, who was acquitted Saturday
night of the charge of hiring two
negroes to kill her husband, is now
planning to devote her life to her
children and to charity. Brown and
Spellman, the negroes who were con
victed, are waiting an appeal. The
former is broken and downcast while
the latter is defiant.
GREATER
S
caused a settlement of the snow
banks, but until the sun came out with
unusually heated rays, the guttor3
were able to carry the load. The
downtown districts had the gutters
well cleaned and the sowers were able
to carry tho flood off without great
inconvenience to foot traffic. Later on
in the day it was hard to get any
where without rubber boots if dry
feet were desired. Residence streets
are a sea of slush already, and if the
warm weather continues it will be
but a matter of a day or two until
gondnlas will be tho means of traf
fic. Much of the Northside will like
ly be flooded when that times comes.
Cellars Filling Up.
Especially in West La Grande, cel
lars are beginning to fill up and trou
bles, far more serious than excessive
snow, are beginning. Unless coid
nights come nothing can save the
city from a flood such as it hasn't
seen in years. Even this early the
snow is treacherous and what often
appears sound footing is a lake under
neath, which many pedestrians hav;
discovered. It is not an unusual sight
to see both men and women suddenly
sink to their knees in icy water from
what on the surface appears to be
good snow footing.
The Central Railway of Oregon has
also been blocked on account of tho
storm, but on Sunday tho road was
again open nnd the train made the
round trip between Union nnd Cove.
Bl
GROWS
I
KD
CIRCUIT COURT
BEGINS
G
ON BIG DOCKET
NEW GRAND JURY SELECTED
AND IS NOW AT WORK WITH
MANY MATTERS.
DRY LAW INSTRUCTIONS
GIVEN TO THE JURORS
What Appears to Be Very Important
Term, with Big Damage Cases Set,
Has Trouble Getting Under Way
. Due to Storm Many Jurors Absent
Indicted Plead Not Guilty.
With an unusually heavy docket of
damages cases, a volumnious amount
of routine cases and several trials
growing out of the State Prohibition
law enforcement facing it, the Feb
ruary term of Circuit court opened
this morning. . Jurors, attaches and
witnesses splashed through oodles of
water to reach the court house where
the rains had established motes galore
as if in purposeful contravention of
justice Wlhen Judge Knowles opened
the session . shortly after 10 o clock
this morning what promises to be one
of the longest terms of some time,
got underway. There was no change
in the complexion of court attaches
over the last. District Attorney Col
on R. Eberhard, K. McCormick, as
sistant clerk of the court, H. R. Han-
na, court reporter, John Baker, trial
jury bailiff, and J. M. Hilts, court
bailiff and Sheriff August Hug make
up the personnel of those in charge of
the wheels of justice. C. C. Cates is
grand jury bailiff, v
Teh trial jurors have been either
excused j op failed to answer when
their names were called this morning.
It is presumed that these were unable
to get through the snow and slush.
New Grand Jury Picked.
After having "hanged over" for
some time,-the grand jury which was
in session last week has been super
seded by a new one. W. F. Gekeler
is foreman of the new one and Andrew
Mullenberg, La Grande, W. H. Glen,
Imbler, Frank Wright, Alicel, W.
Holden Perry, George Foster, Union
and B. E. Anderson, Cove, are tho
jurors. These are largely farmers
and laborers, Mr. Anderson being the
only exception.
Now Instructions Given.
Along with other special instruc
tions given to the new grand jury,
went citations to the Oregon Dry law
which the jurors are especially urged
to consider.
Pleas Are Heard.
During the course of the morning
Judge Knowles upheld tho new law
allowing the court to keep grand jur
ies intact from one term to another.
Tho ruling came when counsel for
Marcus Roesch, ten-year-old son of
Mr. and Mrs. Julius Roesch was asked,
to plead on a charge of violating the
prohibition law. The court held that
the jury which returned the indict
ment a regularly constituted one, and
the boy was required to plead. His
answer was not guilty and the case
will not come to trial until his father
returns.
Will Hamilton, charged with violat
ing the local prohibition law, pleaded
not guilty and his case will likely
be tried shortly. In both cases tho
matter at issue pertains more to
handling of liquor after the first of.
tho year, rather than outright sales.
A man named Burke, arrested and
indicted on a charge of having stolen
four mares, pleaded not guilty. At
torney Fuller will defend him at a
later date this term.
Cuspidors Occupy Places.
Copious cuspidors, buckets and cans
decorated the court room during the
morning. You see, the roof leaks,
and the cans are there to conserva
and store surplus wator that perco
lates through tho frieze of the ceiling.
The first-week calendar calls for one
damage case. Tho case is that of
Clarence W. Batterson against J. B.
Fisher, and George Young, owner of
tho Young confectionery building, and
the owner of the store itself, in which
damage to the extent of $16,750.00 "
are asked because Batterson injured
himself on what is said to have been
a defective stairway in the bnsemcnt.
K. J. Martin vs. F. P. Lanius, R. J.
Kitchen and L. Z. Terrall, attroneys,
was called up this afternoon and II.
F. Stevens s-s. Cyrus Williams is
honked for tomorrow morning. The
State cases against Scott Goodall had
been sot for Friday but was set back
to a later dato in the term. The Bat
terson case should come up next
Tuesday.
While a calendar of cases for tha
coming seven days has been set
down, there is some question about
Continued on P.ige Eight) j