The Cottage Grove sentinel., July 08, 1910, Image 4

BY LEW. A. CATES.
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OFFICE, FIFTH
ST., SOUTH OF POSTOFFICE
Entered at the Cottage Grove Postoffice
as Second Class Mail Matter.
ies, as to make peolpe sit up and take
notice. Even if a man has “money to
burn,” the squandering of it in ways
that are not productive is an economic
menace to the community. And when
lavish expenditure is indulged in by
those who cannot afford it, in a vain
effort to keep the plutocratic pace, the
results are positively ruinous.
The spendthrift plutocrat is even
more deadly in the bad example he sets
than in his actual waste. Those to
whom providence has given ample
means owe social economy a goo d
example as well as political economy
an accounting.
PROBLEM OF ALASKA.
The problem of Alaska becomes more
acute as knowledge of its natural
wealth attracts the transportation and
industrial trusts as a honey pot draws
flies. The gold discoveries were the
beginning of trouble for Alaska. Be­
fore that the Goths and Vandals of in­
dustry who have ravaged American
forests and gutted American mines un­
der pretext of developing the country
they scourged, left it alone. TJie seals
and salmon were , in progress of exter­
mination, but the other wealth of the
territory remained sealed for posterity.
Now they are ripping at the seals as
polar bears tear open a cache.
The problem of government in Alas­
ka is to keep them within bounds and
save as much of its natural wealth as
possible for national uses and poster­
ity. The history of the West affords
abundant proof that this is impossible
under state or even under territorial
government. Only the strong hand of
the government at Washington can be
trusted, and infinite pains are needful
to save that from being palsied by cor.
ruption. The less government Alaska
has and the more conspicuously that
little is exercised the better. While
the Guggenheims are bleating with an
undertone of tiger snarl for the devel­
opment of this “sleeping empire of
enormous wealth,’’and other interests
are asking federal aid for railroads
“riot controlled by the Morgan-Guggen­
heim trust” the president is feeling his
way towards a comprehensive system
of government aid to Alaska transpor­
tation on condition of continual super­
vision and strict control. This is the
Philippine system and it might be ap­
plied to mining, timber and other de­
velopment in Alaska, as well as rail­
roads.
INTENSIVE TRANSPORTATION.
We protested before against the in­
justice of holding retail dealers alto­
gether responsible for the high cost of
'living. These humble traders are the
only class left that is exposed to the
full forces of natural competition.
They are in immediate contact with
the consumer and exposed to loss
through all his whims and caprices.
They are at the end of the procession
from the producer where all the bur­
dens of traffic can be passed on to
them. They are the last handlers of
goods and must suffer the loss of spoil­
ed articles or unsold stock. The differ­
ence between wholesale and retail
prices does not in the least represent
their profit, when you allow for cost of
salesmanship and delivery, depreciation
of goods and unsalable stock. The
final argument is that they have little
time or money for golf and automo­
biles.
The president of one of the great
railroads directs the crusade against
the retail traders into a new channel by
declaring that they have somehow ab­
sorbed $420,000,000 decrease in freight
rates in the last' twelve years. That
is to say, the railroads might have
taken this sum for transportation, but
did not; prices to consumers have risen
instead of fallen, therefore somebody
else must have taken it and more.
Without asking how much went back
to the worthy producer and how much
stuck to the fingers of commercial
trusts, we may point this railroad to a
field of transportation as important as
his own. When railroad rates were
IE IT COULD BE DONE.
higher and life was simpler, consumers
Eagerly bending over a crucible to
of goods carried them home from the watch the process of transmuting base
retail dealer or waited the conveniene metals to precious, a financièr of con­
of an economical' delivery service. At siderable prominence inhaled fumes
the same time they were content to which led to his speedy death. And this
consume perishable goods in their sea­ was not in the dark ages, but in one of
son without costly fast freight and re­ the centers of modern civilization, in
frigerator service to bring them tender the present year of the twentieth cen­
young flesh and fresh fruit and vege­ tury. Human nature does not change
tables at all seasons.
much in its controlling impulses. The
The only favorable. element in the primal passions still rage. Greed does
situation is the unfavorable attitude of not lessen its grip. Before the birth
federal law makers and state officials of cheimcal’ science lives were sacri­
towards the railway and the spirit ficed in pursuit of the philosopher’s
which would prevent the companies stone, and chemistry, in all its stages
from moderately advancing their of development, has added its victims
charges to offset the increased cost of to those who would get rich quick by
operation. When the manufacturer is improving on natural processes.
obliged to pay higher prices for raw
Alchemy is tabooed by scientists of
material and increased wages he does repute. The possibility of manufactur­
the only possible thing in the circum­ ing gold and silver from cheaper metals
stances and correspondingly raises the is pronounced an iridiseent dream. Yet
charge for his product. The railways the notion that it is possible cannot be
are obliged to pay increased prices for banished from the human mind. Not a
supplies and higher wages, and it is generation passes but some men of in­
only reasonable that they should get telligence are allured to experiment
more for what they sell, namely, trans­ with this purpose in view, and in mul­
portation.
titudes of minds the belief in the trans­
That they are impelled to raise their mutation of metals' persists along with
charges is plain from current traffic the belief in witchcraft. It would be
returns showing increased gross tak­ going too far to say that such transmu­
ings, while costs of operation have in­ tation is absolutely impossible. Unbe­
creased in still greater ratio, with re­ lievers have been too often astonished
sulting decrease in net' earnings. Un­ by modern invention and discovery to
less the greatest of • all industries is make it safe to set bounds to achieve­
permitted to prosper the country can­ ment. It is suspected by some well-
not be prosperous.
known scientists that there have been
transmutations from precious metals to
PLUTOCRAT’S RESPONSIBILITY. base. If this is possible, the reverse
Speaking of the evils that spring might be possible. The first is cer­
from plutocracy, Lecky the historian, tainly not profitable ; nor would the
mentions the enormous growth of lux­ second be for long. The ultimate out­
urious living as one of the worst. But come would be to put all the metals in
in his opinion the most deplorable fea­ common use upon an equality of value.
ture is not the multiplication of pleas­ With gold and silver as cheap as copper
ures. It is the inordinate and ever-in- and lead there would be more loss than
creasing expenditure on things which gain in present value. The actual gain
add nothing to human enjoyment, the would be not in value, but in use. If
mere ostentation of wealth. On his cooking utensils, for instance, could be
dictum one would not need to forgo au­ made of untarnishable metals as cheap­
tomobiles, comfortable homes, pianos, ly as of those that corrode, there might
fine furniture and clothes and a nutri­ be a net gain in health.
tious table, providing one can afford
As was to have been expected The
them, since all these add to human en­
joyment. It would rule out simply Oregonian has declared itself against
things bought to make a show and to the initiative and referendum—mean­
excite the envy of the neighbors. Jew­ ing the people—and all their measures.
elry, along with other ornaments, in That The Oregonian is the organ of the
machine has long been known. If it
good taste, is not to be tabooed.
Goethe showed an understanding of cannot rule it would ruin. But, the
the femine craving for decorations people are familiar with its political
when he pictured the delight of the in­ methods, and hence there is little dan­
nocent Marguerite in the first jewels ger of the publication doing much
she clasped around her neck. Plenty harm.
of instances of male vanity can also be
A. M. Crawford has filed with the
found in fiction and fact. So far as it
secretary
of state his declaration of in­
is limited to a desire to present an
agreeable appearance, it is pardonable tention to become a candidate for re­
in either sex; But when it is carried election to the office of attorney gener­
to the length of vulgar display, it is its al. He has filed as a member of the
own condemnation. And how much of republican party. This move sets at
the ostentation and luxurious living of rest the general opinion that the attor­
this day as well of as the days gone ney general would be a candidate for
.
by, is due to the passion of ostentation governor.
rather than of sybaritism? The great
A vote for the creation of Nesmith
majority who spend lavishly do so not county at the polls next November is a
■o much because they are voluptuar- vote for a Greater Oregon.
SAMPLE ARGUMENT.
“Lane and Douglas counties will in­
stitute a vigorous fight against the
formation of the so-called Nesmith
county, believing that the scheme is
simply a ‘nightmare’ launched and fos­
tered by a few Cottage Grove office
seekers who are desirous of pilfering
the coffers of the people.”—Roseburg
Newspaper, March 12, 1910.
The foregoing is a fair sample of the
arguments advanced by the old coun­
ties against the creation of proposed
Nesmith countv. There could be noth­
ing more ridiculous. There are over
8,000 people within the territory which
seeks self government, less than*3,000
of whom are residents of Cottage
Grove, and of the qualified electors
within the boundaries indicated NINE­
TY-TWO per cent signed the petition
praying for the new county. Does not
this disprove the oft repeated assertion
that “a few Cottage Grove office-seek­
ers only are interested in the creation
of the county of Nesmith. ” Look at
the comparatively low salaries of the
county officers, as fixed by the bill now
pending, and judge for yourself if there
is opportunity to “pilfer the coffers of
the people.”
Clerk, per annum, [$1200 ; sheriff,
per annum, $1200 ; treasurer, per an­
num, $100; county judge, per annum,
$600 ; âssessor, per annum, $900 ; school
superintendent, $400; total fixed salar­
ies, $4400.
Two county commissioners $3 per day
each for actual time served. Coroner’s
salary paid by fee.
The salaries of the above county of­
ficers are practically a duplicate of the
Hood River county officers.
The probable cost of officers salaries
per year, including commissioners and
coroner, will not exceeed $5500.
PLENTY OF MONEY.
There never was so much money in
the United States as now, and the per­
centage in the banks is larger and that
in the treasury smaller than it has been
for fifteen years. Yet the rate of in­
terest is rising,'cities cannot borrow at
the old rates and railroads have to go
to France and submit to an 8 per cent
shave on their loans. The per capita
circulation is about $35 and the total is
about three and a half billions, against
two billions ten years ago. It is good
money, too. Gold has been put behind
all the silver and the greenbacks have
not been increased. National bank
notes still havè bond security, though
Senator Aldrich secured power for them
to substitute other in a pinch. A bout
half of the increase has been gold and
the other half national bank notes.
The pet theory of amatuer finance
that you have only to make money
plenty to make it so cheap that all may
borrow does not seem to work. It is
easy to see why that theory should
break down if part or all of the infla­
tion were of doubtful value. But why
should it break down when everybody
believes that all the money in the coun­
try is good? Simply because cheap
money excites unlimited borrowing for
every kind of personal extravagances
and industrial exploitation, the total in­
terest payments on which finally over­
take the income return from them and
exhaust the most abundant supply.
This is a familiar economic theory, but
it is interesting to watch it in prac­
tice.
____
»_______
ABOUT APPENDICITIS.
Some English and American medical
men agree in believing that the in­
creases of appendicitis is largely due
to the use of' preservatives in food.
Next we shall hear that this cause is
responsible for the rapid increase in
cancer.
Both statements are plausible to the
layman, though both are foreboding,
because all the food trusts seem to have
decided that they cannot earn what
they think a fair profit unless they are
permitted to put their food on ’ice in
the morgue or embalm it scientifically
until the public is willing to pay their
price for it. The popular belief has
been that the rapid increase of appen­
dicitis in the last ten years was due
chiefly to the financial necessities of
the surgical guild. Surgeons suffer as
well as meat packers and vegetables
canners from the increased cost of liv­
ing and they must make both ends
meet in some way. But this cause ap­
plies to every kind of surgical opera­
tion except the most obvious, amputa­
tions and bonesetting, while there
seems to have been a special and re­
markable increase in those which in­
volve the intestinal tract.
After all, appendicitis, is simply in­
flammation of a blind alley in that
tract, due to irritating causes that can
enter more easily than they can.leave
it. These causes may be material ob­
jects, like the fabulous grape seed or
chemical conditions, that cause most
irritation in the part of the digestive
canal not flushed and stimulated by ex­
ercise.
The ice of the cold storage morgue
prevents stale food from decomposing
and the various chemicals prevent meat
and vegetables from betraying to taste
and smell the fact that they have begun
to decompose. Food in either condi­
tion can hardly be digested without
some strain upon the machinery, and
the strain 'would naturally be felt most
at the weakest point. Therefore if the
morgue and the embalming fluid do not
cause appendicitis, they may easily
serve as a disguise, like the highway­
man’s mask, for things that do.
Whether the theory has any founda­
tion or not, the general belief in it
would encourage abstinence from stale
meats and fish from the morgue, em­
balmed meat and vegetables from pack-
ing«and canning houses.
IMPORTANT IF TRUE. .
The automobile world will perhaps
receive with considerable incredulity
the announcement that the inventor of
the air brake has invented an air spring
that will do away with the pneumatic
tires on the horseless road machine. It
is claimed that this invention will vast­
ly decrease the cost of maintenance of
the autos and that it will ultimately
reduce their original cost one- half.
We will leave the technical description
of the alleged invention to the tech­
nical journals. We may simply remark,
however, that the atmoshpere, if prop­
erly controlled and applied, would un­
doubtedly furnish an elastic cushion
strong enough to take up the concus­
sion of the vehicle as effectually as the
pneumatic tires now take it up. The
air brake offers resistance enough to
stop a railroad train weighing hundreds
of tons within a distance of twice its
own, length,, or even less.
The economic and moral effect of
such an invention would be very im­
portant. The annual expenditure’ for
construction and maintenance of auto­
mobiles now runs into hundreds of mil­
lions of dollars. An invention that
would reduce this cost one-half and at
the same time give just as effective
service would have a marked effect up­
on the cost of living and the national
solvency. The moral effect would lie
in lessening the demand for the exploi­
tation of rubber plantations in the Con­
go and elsewhere.
The natives of regions in which the
raw rubber is secured have been sub­
jected to nameless cruelties. The
greed for rubber is becoming as fierce
as the greed for gold. And still the
supply seems to be on the point’ of ex­
haustion. Chemistry or mechanical in­
vention must be relied on to relieve
the strain. No doubt the relief will
come in time. If it has alrèady ar­
rived, there is cause for universal con­
gratulation,'
UTILITY OF THE PRIMARY.
Value of the state primary lies out­
side of direct nominations as well as
within. The things of importance is to
put primary elections under protection
of the state against fraud and manipu­
lation, whether they nominate candi­
dates for office or choose delegates to
conventions. The evil of the old sys­
tem was that conventions were cor­
rupted by debauching against fraud in
these, because they were voluntary
meetings not authorized or controlled
by law. Corrupt candidates or man­
agers could practice false voting or
counting with impunity. Under the
state primary, it exposes them to loss
of the nomination fraudulently gained
first and shameful punishment for crime
afterwards.
The corrupt and contented state of
Pennsylvania offers the latest example.
It has always been the fashion for po­
litical bosses and organizations there
to pack caucauses for a cut and dried
result and stuff ballot boxes if that did
not serve. A few years ago the legis­
lature passed a direct primary law for
representatives in congress and some
for all of the state offices to satisfy pub­
lic opinion. Some of them thought the
new system was to be worked just like
the old. When Mr. Dalzell had to
make a hard fight for re-nomination his
managers showed a small plurality in
the courts. The opposing candidate
alleged falsification and substitution of
votes by Dalzell judges so open that
witnesses were abundant. Under the
old system this would have been ex­
posed in vain.
Now that the paving of Main street
has been provided fcr the Southern
Pacific company should be again asked
to erect a new passenger station in
Cottage Grove. There is need of a
new depot. The present structure is
wanting in accommodations, having but
one small and inadequate waiting room,
where both sexes of all classes must
huddle together. The officials of the
railway have promised to give this city
a modern depot when the principal
thoroughfare should have been paved,
and they should have a gentle remind­
er that the improvement will soon be
under way.
The assembly at Eugene last Satur­
day was a fizzle, the attendance being
small and not representative of the
county, unless we may consider Eu­
gene as being the entire works. Cot­
tage Grove was not represented in the
assembly, both the precinct assemblies
having adjourned without taking any
action regarding the election of dele­
gates to the county assembly. The as­
sembly did not nominate a county tick­
et, but adjourned to September 3, when
this part of the program will be con­
tinued.
Another week of ideal weather has
caused a decided improvement in the
condition of the crops. The plants
have made an abnormally rapid growth ;
the fields were never cleaner at,this
time of the year and the soil is in the
very best physical condition to with­
stand the effects of dry weather. Small
grains are in remarkably fine condition.
The hay crop was a good yield.'
The pride of the kitchen in the olden days
was the shelf on shelf of plates, platters 'and
pans. The belle of the kitchen should be
thrice thankful for the latter day improve­
ments in cooking utensils. ALUMINUM is
the best. We have. Bought so that we can
offer it at bargain prices. See the array of
utensils we are showing. It will do you good
.
Griffin-Veatch Co
A STRONG BANK HELPS
VOU as a business man—especially in the matter of
“ credit. Get the right bank back of you and your
business ..will expand «nore rapidly. Small accounts wel­
comed as well as large ones.
FIRST NATIONAL BANK
Hemenway &.
Lockwood
REAL ESTATE
314 Acres'. 150 acres in cultivation,
100 acres bottom land, 50 acres upland,
balance pasture and wood, 6 acres in
bearing prune orchard, 6 acres apples
and peaches, 10 tons dried prunes on
place this year, good eight room house
large barn, dry house cost $800, water
piped into house, barn and dry house,
an ideal home, 4 miles from railroad
station, price $10,000.
200 Acres, 10 miles .from Cottage. or a “burst” of sparkles, is the
Grove, 40 acres in cultivation, 40 acres only way to freely describe the
seeded to pasture, 40 acres timber, 80 beautiful gems to be seen at this
acres easily cleared, good family or­ store.
chard of 300 choice fruit trees in bear­ Do You Want a Pure Water Diamond?
ing, good, out range for stock, good 8- If that’s your desire, call and see
room farm house and large barn, wood us and we will fit you out.
We
house, milk and fruit house, chicken guarantee each stone sold at this
houses and yards, water at door, creek jewelry store to be a perfect one.
water, on county road. This is one of Our Diamonds are Gems, But They’re
the best places for farming and stock I
Reasonable.
raising in Oregon. Price is $5,000.
Terms on part.
1020 Acres, 200 acres plow land, bal­
THE JEWELER
ance pasture and timber, all fenced, |
spring, 2 barns, good soil, 6 miles from I
railway, $12 per acre.
1 Acre, three-room house, new, $650. ■
2 Lots in Cottage Grove, high and i
sightly, $200.
We make a specialty of farm, timber !
minerrl and fruit lands. We write fire,
life and accident insurance.
A SPARKLE BURST
H. C. MADSEN
Harrell &
Harrington
WILL DO YOUR
Hemenway & Lockwood PRAYING AMOVING
Cottage Grove, Oregon
THIS
is to inform you that
promptly and satis­
factorily. They have
every facility for
handling all classes of
goods, and simply
solicit a trial.
=
BENSON’S
PHARMACY
ALL KINDS OF HAULING AND
PIANO MOVING
is still doing business
at the old stand with
the largest line of
¡Spriggs Bros
DRUGS AND TOILET
ARTICLES
in the city. A word
to the wise is sufficent
BENSON’S
PHARMACY
J. C. MORSS
ELECTRICIAN
All Kinds of Electrical Work, Elec­
tric Door Bells and Fixtures.
House Wiring Done
Promptly.
W. B. Cooper to Ansel Wood. Tract
in sec 33,tp, 20 s. r. w ; $200.
COTTAGE GROVE, OREGON
PROPRIETORS
¡CARRIAGE AND
REPAIR WORKS
Frank Ebby’s old stand on 4th street.
All work guaranteed. Phone Main 321.
WOOD
Dry Mill Wood deliver­
ed on short notice, $2.00
per load of two tiers.
A. L. WOODARD
Phone 975,