ONTARIO ARGUS
PUBLISHED KVBKY THUK8IMT
Entered in the postoffioe at Ontario
Oregon, for transmissioN thrnngh the
mm 1m km second -class matter.
M. E. BAIN.
Publisher.
Which Ib True ?
The frantic appeal made by the ralo
people to ki'ep tli county Heat at Vale,
lent the town of Vale will lie utterly
ruined and destroyed, In a MMfWMtM
on lh" part of the Valr people tlmt
there Ih nothing to their town hut Mia
coimti Hi'iit The Vale paper Ih full
MCt Issue of matter written In llM
liuhllHher and contrlhtili d by the pub-
lie arKiiliiK against tho removal of the
,tn, ,..., - 'I'l... I.mh,I.... ,.f Ika I
'"""lT n,a ... . ...- m,um
In UMM articles Is that the removal
of the BOWtJ H,'"l from Vale to Ontario
will ' utterl, ruin and destroy Vale.'
While" It will be of but little benefit
to the town of Ontario ." Now, sup
pose we should admit that these state
ments are facts. The question Is why
arc they facts' Why would the re
moval of the count) Heat from Vale to
Ontario "utterli ruin Vale '" nd why
Would the removal of the OOMtf seat
to Ontario help Ontario but llttb '
Tile answer Is plain The Vale peo
ple are willing to admit that the Ih
nothing I" thi' town of Vale except the
county Heat They are willing to ad
mit that people fg not go to that place
nx epi on ciiiintv business They are
willing to admit that If the public
was not ' ompelli'd to go to Vale on
rnuntv business they would not go
then- nt all. Tlmy are willing " ad
mit that the assertions that all those
thousands of acres of land Mint t ln
claim are to be Iriigated tributary to
Vale, Is pure buncombe Ih must
admit all these things In order to
' utterly ruin and iHtfSf Vale'' In
taking the count) seat away If the
public would go to Vale after the
county seat Is removed, and It all (lie
"fertile" acres are to be cultivated
tributary to Vale, after the count) seat
U removed, then how and why will
Vale be 'utterly ruined and destroyed
by a removal of the county seat?"
The Vule advocate also urgues that
tho rumoval of the county seat to
Outarlo "will help outurlo but little"
I bis too, la perhaps a fact Hut why
will the removal of the county neat to
Ontario help Ontario hut little? The
Vala advocate must admit that the
mason that the removal of the county
aeal to Outarlo will help Ontario but
little. Is because practically all tho
people who are compelled to attend to
county business at Vale, visit Ontario,
also, and that Ontario therefore gets
tile trade and patronage of almost all
(lie people who attend to matters at the
OOttBt) seat, hence the Vale advtx ate
has riguicl It out that tin removal
of the ((Hint, seat from Vale to On
ario ulll utterl) ruin and deslioi Vule,
.111,1 will help Ontario but little " The
iitci .111.1 luxpaieis of the ciiiintv
urn) have I lnu red It nut the same way,
I ut the) are not Interested In helping
Ontario or Vale, as much as the, are
Ir'orts'ei In helping themselves Mr
Taxpayer thinks It Is unfair to compcll
htm to go to town lo transact his
county business, unless there is some
thing to thut town oilier Mian the coiin
t seat That Is unjust to him as an
!udl lluul. and as a taxpavcr to bu
compelled lo go to one town to trails
a t Ills counti business and In another
town to trausait hi., other business
Mr. Tu paver lias (inured It out that
the gain thai ale has In reason of
lining the count seat Is his. Mr la
, imis. less lie has concluded dial
since the counti scat belongs to (lie
peopla nl the i, mull ami mil to am
town, that (lie people ot the counti
might to huvc (In ir i mint seat lOMlral
vlntc It is Bjoal lonieniciit. and Mint
ales loss In loosing the count) seat
i the taxpa) !
Tho People's County Seat.
I'll., pcopli ol Ma I In in muni), after
ll.e iiilllil. KM li. lied Ul IIU7, lo.uled
tin u counti si at at Vule Remember
the) did mil glic Vale their cminl)
I 1 The) I. K ad 4 lint. I'HK I'KO
li.KS COI M SI l at Vale lilt)
people ot Hie count) reserved in ttioin
solves the i Kill In chunge the lo. atiou
i ' the count v "'at lieu, i at iH
per i cut of til,' lot, is ol llic .oiinl)
kliould decide to ,lo so
I uhli per cent n tile votcis ol the
, OUMt) hale si.;,n l , petition to (be
lOUBt) iiiurl uskin , that a wte be
It id at tin NM eiubi I , ',', Hon to ,li ter
n un iih, 'tin i ol mil lilt tr count) Mat
i bull be removed lo OltUII In I laVe" not
f ,1 li I ll'IIIS o. in- ml, i of the
.i.l'ili ' rl-iii t a ml ii. lit. a legal
light A KCLIGIOI d RIGHT io say
iilial shall lone with their own''
It WOttUI x I th. IV are per-
'lis appealing tO th "l,ar Brother
a 1 Sist, i an, I (Hinting I'-
iit,.. It t thai lite
t'-tfde ot tho count ' have not a legal,
moral and RELIGIOUS RK1HT to re
locate TIIKIR COI'NTY 8KAT If they
Hhould see fit to do so.
We do not wish to say anything that
would appear to be a criticism of any
person who tries to use the Scriptures
to prove a point, whether right or
wrong, but we can not refrain from
ftgfUlm the use of the Holy Hook for
such unhnlv purposes
The Reverent Gentleman at Vale Is
not the only person In the world that
has a special stand In with the AN
mighty. We read In the newspapers
that the Czar of Russia has God on
his side, fighting the Kmperor of Ger
many who has God on his side. It
He..niH that the more dlsreptuable and
unrighteous a cause Is, the more an
xious some people are to claim a
partnership wIMi God.
, t Mure -U ufi In'ul Nailing'"
- H rh,irKfl ,nnf tl, majoritv In
congress Ih continuing the session In
order to keep the Republican members
from the northern and western states
from going home to see if their re
spective districts are In good condi
tion to re-elect them. That charge
does not suem unreasonable because
can an one. friend of foe of the pres
ent administration, point to anything
which the present congress has done
or tried to do In the last two months
which If dono would have be, n of
am service to the coiinth) I
In the meantime the ally of thu
administration. Colonel Roosevelt, Is
Htumplng doubtful districts In Hie hope
of disci-ting enough Kupuhllcan vote
from (lie real Issues to draw them to
chasing his Ignliis fatuous as though
It were a real electric light, to elect a
BMJOrity of Democrats again
Ono would think thut u majority
of the present congress would ho
saving This Is tho opitortiinity of a
ccntur. , this In a time when every
factory should be running with full
force, ami we. as the country's repre
sentatives should be hurrying through
effective measures to enable our mer
chants, shipowners and manufacturer
to selxe and hold the trade of all this
continent at least
And. further, we should lie strug
gling to swiftly supply the means to
enable our farmers and planters to
get their i nips to market."
Wo say one would think that If they
did not know the order of mind of the
average Democratic congressman In
reference to two or three national
subjects. The) have made it poaalble
to bill and register foreign ships, hut
that Is all
And how President Wilson keeping
his pre-election promise to fill the seus
with merchant ships, tlmt should he
doing a prosperous business without
tile aid of bounties or subsidies'' la
Mint one of the cases were a theory
looks flawless on paper, hut will not
bear tile utialisls of a Utile common
sense reduced to tile rule Of lllree '
Congress has been drifting for threa
months like a rudderless ship, wait
lug and anxious lo do anything that
the President commands, but lie has
not made one speech from Hie throne
to that august hod) (We refer to
the month more than to the imh I Is
he pursuing a wulchftil waiting ' pol
li i until the elections come off?
We do not lot gel the President's late
great affliction, but we tuku it thut he
has lived long enough to know that
the best in to combat a great sorrow
Is through hard work, and Just now
the tlmig most essential to the welfare
of tile masses of our people is to have
the commerce of three months ago
reinstated and lastly enlarged so fur
us our people are concerned, for it
Is up to us now lo build ami repair the
ships thut were torinerl, built and re
paired In Intel n ports It Is a man el
ous opportunity thai has beeii given
us lo restore nh.it we lost on the seas
betwecu ltl and lv,
runner ( lu a Trust.
V lien (he Deuioi rutlc Tariff bill re
moved the dittv of tt cents a bushel
on wheat Imported into this country,
and provided tor the Importation of
I . el . atllv into tile I lilted States free
of dut). will someone tell us what
liust was .lo -t loi e,l " This talk of
the larifl bolu . responsible for the
Trusts was made only for a purpose hi
Ihe Democratic statesmen. Certainly
no oue can charge the farmers with
being a Trust in the sale ot their
,i heat and (attic 1 lien win was the
prole, Don removed from these agri
cultural products lo the I nderwood
Siminoiis laillf law? This U u ques
llou ihe s.irmers might ask themselves
Judging from the kind of Junk that
is being published lu the Vule paper
ling the removul of the count)
-.,.11. Vale people ccrtuitll) do not
think in ii, h of the Intelligence of the
people ot this count) It the) expect
theiii lo . Invc hall of it.
CoudUCtlBJ the liariiiun ami) s fall
main iiu is on lieiuh l,iiiloi) slves
;o , , .iipli.atlous.
Pile on the Taxes
Go It, Congress' Pile on the taxes!
You have been extravagant.
Yon have shut up mills.
You have thrown the harpoon of con
fusion Into our business.
You have reduced the Government's
Income so that even without the war
an an excuse you would have had
I to levy direct taxes, anyhow
Go It, Congress! We all understand
the necessity for taxing everybody to
sustain a revenue system as unsound
in principle as it has been dcadiv
to industry-
A Luckv Colonel.
Our friend Col. Stream of Honlta
complains to the public that he had
hard luck In obtaining a bed when
he same to Ontario recentlv to attend
the Malheur County Pair; and hiivh
that he slept on an old broken down
cot out in the hall at an expense of
six lilts Cheer up, Col, the worst
Ih yet to come. You may be called
upon to attend the next term of court
at Vale, and have to sloop on one of
the regular beds In the loading hotels
of that city. If so you will think you
have made a mistake and laid down
on a pile of brick hats and cobble
HtoncH That old cot will then seem
like a genuine luxury, and you wilt
long for It man. a time while moving
lour mutilv frame from one bump to
.iinu iier, and praving for morning to
( Utile.
Cotton and Wind.
Last Friday Congressman Hlnnnti
called tho attention of Congress to
the way I'nderwood had cotton bag
ging and cotton ties placed on the freo
list for the benefit of the south and
how the duty was left on wheat sacks
and wool bagging, even though we
have two Democratic senators In
Washington to look after our Inter
est. The farmers of Oregon surely
I'.ot an awful deal In the free trale
law, and Senators Lane and Chamber
lain rain ! a voice to right their
wronM.
Col. Stream la sore at Ontario he
cause his hat blew off on his way to
tho fair grounds, and the motor man
charged him a dime for stopping the
car and recovering tho missing head
Rear We will gamble that the car
was driven by a Yale man. No car
man lu Ontario would stop under
those circumstances for less than a
quarter.
1
Tha Vale people are Riving the tax
paers fair warning of what they ax
pact to do If Riven a chance and
ihere should be no surprise expressed
If they start a movement for a f 200,
000 court house at Vala and the county
will have to pay for it as Vale could
not aell a bond for fifty cents on the
dollar, because the. urn already over
bonded.
Julian Hurley, of Vale, who has
been admitted to practice law, gave
a very long opinion lu the Vale paper
last week on what constitutes it vio
lation of the corrupt pructtce act
Supremo courts have passed on this
question aud strunge as it mai seam
they do not agree with the opinion
written by llurlev
"The $1500 Exemption Hill makes
Improvements lu laud and personal
property automobiles, stocks, bonds,
inei , handise stock etc , pay less tuxes
It makes land pa more taxes The
farmer has the most land proiMjrllon
ateli and lie will pai the most taxes
proportionate!. Tills is eutirelv un
fair "
Kightv per cent of the people of
Malheur Count) have expressed u de
sire to luii' tlnir i omit, seal located
li Ontario tew court house hungers
oil believe the) can thwart the wishes
tl those people
When the lighting powers unite In
declaring that peace overtures are
unthinkable, a portent of u secret
willingness to find a way to stop the
war it ut bund
It is easy to figure out the author
ship of the cuss urticles lu the Vale
paper us cither of the Johns are ,iiito
proficient, but those Biblical stories
and parodies must have been con
tribute, I
When u town is of so Utile ltti
portaticc that the u Idiug to or taking.
awav of one building will make or
destroy it. is it not about time to stop
trviiiK to make a place of it?
.
When the war Is over the more for
eign goo, Is and loivKu produce that is
sent to this market ihe less goods in
this counti the workers will be paid
for prodii
Ot ritiht aval la HM aatl ball and
regist, i to ion mi, vote at the gen
eral cleUii'ii in Novcii er
s
chool
chool
Four Doors South of
Post Office
WHAT THE SUPREME COURTS
OF MANY STATES AGREE ON
Published at the Request of the On
tario Commercial Club.
The supporters of Vale in the pres
ent county seat contest are continually
making the charge that Ontario and
her citizens are seeking to bribe and
corrupt the voters of the county by of
fering to donate to the county a court
house and grounds aa a consideration
for the removal of the county seat to
Ontario. If this la true, why don't the
Vale adherents seek out those who are
violating the law and prosecute them?
A grand jury has recently cloeed its
aeasion at Vale and not a complaint of
this kind waa made before it. Another
grand jury will convene in January. In
the meantime the District Attorney's
office ia open for business, and if any
one in Ontario is violating the law we
want them- arrested and proeecuted.
We want tha people to conaidar thia
matter seriously. If the citiiana of On
tario are corrupting the voters of the
county why are they not arrested and
prosecuted for the offense?
There la but one answer to this quae
tion, and that ia that no auch an of
fense is being committed. The Cor
rupt Practice Act cited in tha laat iaaua
of the Enterprise" does not apply to
an offer of thia kind under considera
tion. Among other thinga, it simply
makes it an offense to offer anything to
an ELECTOR to vote for or to refrain
from voting for any measure submitted
to the people. Now Ontario and her
citixena have not offered anything to
any elector in the county to procure
his vote on the county aaat queation, or
for any other purpose, and do not intend
to do so. Our people are law abiding
citixena, and propose to and will re
move tins county seat without breaking
a single law of the land. In the next
place it is not neeeaaary, even if tha
iiisis.siin.il was there. Voters are ral
lying to our standard thick enough and
faat enough to do the work without
having to buy them. In the third place
we have too high a regard for the in
telligence of the voters of Malheur
County to think for a moment that
their support could be purchased.
Ontario and her people offer to and
will donate to Malheur County a court
house at i, I grounds worth $30,000.00 if
the county seat is removed from Vale
to Ontario. We are making this offer
to the entire public and not to any in
dividual elector. If this is corruption
and bribery, then prosecute us for it;
if it ia not, then tell the (teople the
truth ami stop insinuating what you
dure not attempt to prove.
This is not a new question. It has
been before the Supreme Courts of
over a score of states in the United
States, both in civil and criminal pro
ceedings. In practically every case it
was held that offers of lands and build
ings for county purposes in considera
tion of the location of the county seat
do not amount to bribery or corruption.
Such an offer is not contrary to public
policy, and violates no law, eitner civil,
criminal or spiritual.
In this connection we can not do bet
ter than to quote from the opinion of
the court in the case of Wells vs. Taylor,
reported in the third Pacific Reporter,
page 255. This case arose out of a
county seat contest in the State of
Montana wherein it was sought to re
move the county seat from Radersburg
to Boulder City in that state. The
latter city made the same kind of an
offer that Ontario is now making, and
was successful m the removal election.
Thereafter the cituens of Radersburg
brought suit to annul the election on
the grounds, among others, that the j
otTcr f a court house and grounds
l, Houlder City amounted to bribery
and corruption of the electors of the
Supplies
Books
county. The Supreme Court of Mon
tna, in passing upon this branch of the
case, uses the following language, to
wit: "The petitioners rely upon the allega
tions of their application, that prior to
the election there waa presented an
offer to the voters of the county in the
form of a bond, conditioned for the
building of a court-house at Boulder
City, providing a majority of the votes
caat at the election were in favor of
changing the county seat of the county
to that place. This offer was not brib
ery. A proposition ot this kind, look
ing to the public welfare, and for the
benefit of all the people alike, contains
no element of criminality or immorality.
The thing offered is of a public nature.
pertaining to the public and not to in
dividuals, and the party to be influenc
ed ia a whole county, and in a manner
to benefit every inhabitant thereof.
Thia is not a caae of a candidate for
public office, who, in order to secure
votes, promises in caae he ahall be el
ected to donate a portion of hia aalary
or other valuable thinga to the county
or state. Thia would be aimplv a prop
osition to purchaae an office in con
sideration of peraonal aervica or money,
or both. Such a proposition the law
condemns aa against sound policy, and
aa tending to corruption. A man who
ia so infirm in morals aa to be willing
to purchaae an office, would probably
resort to corrupt practicea in order to
extort from the people the price paid.
Public buildings and places to tranaact
the public business of the people are in
every county a neceaaity. They are
provided, and rightfully, by a tax upon
the whole people, for the reason that
all are benefited by their erection. But
if, during the pendency of an election
to change a county aaat, a man or
company of men ahould erect at
a certain place a court-house and county
offices in order to retain the county aaat
at auch place, could auch man or com
pany be charged with bribery, or the
exerciae of an undue influence upon the
election? Reasonable men in casting
their ballots look to the public interest
and general welfare. A aelf-governing
people have the right to do in a legal
way whatever is not forbidden by the
law or public policy, for the public good.
Philanthropy might erect a public build
ing for the use of the people. Might
the donor not give and the people ac
cept without the people being guilty of
a crime? And if such gift were a
courthouse, and made during the pend
ency of an election to remove or change
the county seal, is it possible that the
people would be guilty of a crime if,
in casting their ballots, they took into
consideration the public benefits to be
derived from such gift'.' The motive
which prompts the gift is not material.
If the donation promotes the public
welfare, the people, in casting their
ballots, have the right to consider it,
whether the motive be good or bad. A
whole people are not bribed by the be
stowal of public benefits for the good
of all alike. The law proceeds upon i
the theory that a self-governing people
are self-respecting, and that whole
communities will not do any act that
reflects upon their honor or integrity." i
Says Woodward, J., speaking for the
Supreme Court of Iowa, (10 Iowa, 220) :
"We do not think the giving facilit
ies for public convenience to the whole
county, such as furnishing a building
for the courts and offices, and thus re
lieving the county from a burden of i
expense, amounts to bribery. Nor
would the giving property, though not
of that specific character, but vet
adapted to reducing the expense of a '
change. If the people of a town desire
a county seat located at such place,
there is no w rmig and no corruption in
their offering and giving facilities to
produce that result. Either in build
ings and offices direct, for the use of
the public, or in property or money to
procure the facilities, they may offer I
to take away or to lessen the pecun
EVERHART
DRUG
COMPANY
iary burden which Would come upon
that public, the county, by the location,
or by the change of location. And this
cannot be bribery. And it may bo
doubted whether such an act can be
come bribery when the offer is to the
whole county, and upon a matter of
county interest only. In a case like
the present there is no duty upon the
county from which it or it citizens
may be induced to swerve. They may
I adopt which place they see fit, and it ia
I offering additional inducements only to
offer aa above mentioned."
Says Lyon, J., for the Supreme Court
of Wisconsin, in the caae of State va.
Purdy, m Wis., 225):
"References should be made to the
caaea which have sustained the validity
of bids or pecuniary offers to aacure
the location of public buildinga at aome
particular place. We have no contro
veray with theae cases here. The dis
tinction between the election of public
"(fleers to whom, for the time being,
the exerciae of the functions of sover
eignty ia intrusted. and the mere chance
of a sit for a public building, ia quite
apparent. The former involves, or may
involve, the integrity of the govern
ment, and the preservation ot the prin
ciples upon which it ia founded; while
the latter ia only a matter of public
convenience or pecuniary interest, in
volving no fundamental principles what
ever. "
From a Granger Viewpoint
Vale, Oregon, September 30, 1914
To The Editor:
I am sending you In this letter aome
opinions that I have formed regard
ing to happenluga of this community
recently. If you think them of In
terest to your readera, you have my
consent to publish them. I am a
rancher, living near Vale, and have
lived here quite a while. I have al
ways felt like 1 would like to be able
to call Vale my home towu, but I have
ot so many knocks from there in re
cent years, and especially lately, that
I am now readi to cut loose from the
place entirely. 1 have a fairly well
Improved ranch with a water right as
rood as any on the Malheur, on which
I have been trying to make a living
I sometimes need credit to help carry
me through until I can sell something
to get some cash. When I go to the
Vale merchant he tells me that he la
on a cash basis. When I go to the
bank to borrow mouey I am told that
the bank has no money to lend. When
I go to some of the retired capital
iata" of Vale they tell me that they
are not lending money now ou account
ot the war, or some other cause. Al
though 1 am a resident here, and own
my property here, 1 am compelled to
go somewhere else to get credit- I
never did like this much, but never
made any kick until the Vale banks,
business men and capitalists hunted
up Mr Hrogan. and according to the
Enterprise suggested to him that they
lend him $-'" nuo.uo or .'o,000.l0, aud
take his company as security. Now I
think 1 have a kick coming. I am
told that the Hull) creek project will
cost Klgbt) Dollars per acre I can't
see why the Vale banks and busiueas
men want to lend money on this $80.00
an acre project. That laud never will
be as good as m land, and they will
not lend me any thing on my land, nor
give me any credit to Improve it or do
farm work, yet they will put in a lot of
money into a proposition like Bully
creek
Now if the Vale banks and business
men want to treat me that way, they
need not count on me tearing my shirt
for them 1 can raise Just as much
grain or hay with the county seal ut
Ontario as I can at Vale, and 1 promise
to vote for the jlace that treats uie
right
A. GRANGER.