County
VOL. VIII.
PRINEVILLE, CROOK COUNTY, OREGON, DECEMBER 31, 1903.
NO. 3
Crook
WURZWEILER 8 THOMSON
to
Hamilton Fcaed
AM)
Feed Barn
Redby
I.. K. AI.LINtillAM, I'lim-iiiKitiK
Fine Saddle Horses and Livery Turn-Outs
Stock hoarded liy day, week ir month Rates reasonable,
(iood aci-omiiimlulioiui, liinn-inU-r us whmi in Prineville,
and we gimniiiti'B that your patronage will be npirm:iulrtl
Mllll llvuorUi..! I.i In
...
Powell &
-Tonsorial
A Complete anil Choice Liiift of
Reef, Veal, 'Mutton, Pork, Iiiicou,
Lard, and Country Produce.
Main st. ' wwi,
Henderson
-DEAMI1S1N
WINES, LIQUORS,
i: CIGARS.
COUNTRY ORDERS FIRST DOOU SO UTII
SOLICITED. POINDKXTi R HOTEL
PRINEVILLE,' OREGON.
Wa 1 1
CUT RATE PRICES
10c Double Rolls for fie. 15c Double Rwllsfor 7k. .
c Double Rolls for 111 e. Hue Double Klls for 1'.
85c Double Rolls for 17k. 40c'Douhle , Rolls A 20r..
5(Jo Double Rolls for 2.V. INIIRAIX :m; ,
Prescriptions Cut Also P atent Medicines.
REMEMBER THE LOW PRICE STORE
D. P. ADAM SOr iS STORE
f
-1 Thei
Snveniory Sale
Cleaning up for the
9?eiv Spring Stock
Odds and nds
bo closed out at
Clearance Prices
Stable
' . ' I
Cyrus
Artists-
Foster & Lehman
. Proprietors.
7, 'Phone 31.
& !Pottard
Paper
PI mat-
THE OLD RELIABLE
Absolute! Pure
VfrtrTS NO SUBSTITUTE
s.
The JWILLER MEAT MARKET
E M MILLER, Prop
Dealer in
FR13S'H MEATS
Of all kinds
VEGETABLES & FISH
In Season
The Cheapest and Best Place
in Crook County
In the Building formerly occupied
ly P B J)onk
for t'liole
Homestead
Locations
Timber
Desert Lands
ROBT. SMITH,
Prinovillo, Oregon.
WASHINGTON LIFE
'insurance CO.
OP NEW YORK.
OLY . SIMPSON, M'l'r Inurlor Dpt.
Baa the largest percentage ot
cash assets to each dollar of lia
bility ; earns the highest averwe
interest, and issues the most up-
to-date progressive policies) form
vestment or protection.
1 tl:-' '
ulJ
Central Oregon, Crook
STOCKMEN ENCOt'RAOED
Mild Winter Weither and Littli
j . Fending Makes the Prospects
I Good for Next Year.
The mild winter which ho far has
been exiericnced in Crook county
has caused general rejoicing among
the ranks of the stockman. Little
feeding has been done, and as a re
sult prospects are bright for good
nuirkets in the spring. Not only
in Crook county is this the case,
hut generally throughout the in'
terior portions of the state are re
porta coming that the stock inter'
csls arc gaining daily by the pre
vailing fine weather. From differ
ent exchanges the following digests
ha ve In'cn made.
The stock and sheepmen of Bak
er county are jubilant over the
long continued spell of fine weath
er. This is perhaps, one of the
mildest and most pleasant Winter
openings Eastern Oregon has seen
in mitny yearn. When a little
flurry of cold weather comes in No
vender and a few inches of snow
fell, stockmen were depressed over
the prospect of a long feeding
season on top of a small hay crop
and the high prices then prevailing.
During the past two or three weeks
the grans in the pastures has be-!
come green and stock again turn
ed out. utile or no leeuing has
been done and it is now stated
that regardless of wiiat kind of
a winter may follow this there will
lie plenty of feed and no particular
hardships are expected in any
part of Eastern Oregon.
Reprcsentrtive E. II, Test, who
ja also cashier of the First Nation
al Bank of Ontario, in regard to
live stock conditions in Malheur
County says the outlook is encour
aging. The open winter that is
being experienced now is the sal
vation of the ranchers in that part
of the state.
"(irave fears were entertained in
the earlier part of the season by
cattlemen generally," Baid Mr.
Test ''because there was not enough
hay apparently to do through a
moderately severe winter, but the
danger has almost passed. Usual
ly feeding has been carried on for
sometime before Christmas, but as
yet little has been used this winter
The stock on the range is iiv very
good condition, and it seems that
there will lie much hay left over
when spring comes.
' The trouble in Malheur County
is 'that people are not raising
enough hay. Hay is the most
profitable crop in that country and
ither things must bo secondary to
it."
WANT THE ROLL PUBLISHED
Movement Is on Foot to Have As
sessment List Published Be
fore Taxes Are Collected.
It is highly probable that the
next regular session of the state
legislature will see a bill introduced
providing for the publication of
the assessment roll in each of the
counties in the state as soon as the
list is completed and ready for col
lection. The steps being taken by
different organizations, especially
in western Oregon, are the out
growth of shrinking tax rolls.
Assessable property as listed by
the assessors apparently is on the
wnue in the face of the fact that
the state is rapidly increasing in
population and wealth and in con
seqiience.should have a greatly in
creased amount of assessable prop
erty. The effort to better these
conditions is general ihroughout
the state, but the most active steps
are Wing taken in Salem.
The Salem Press Club is taking'
an active interest in the movement
in favor of the enactment by the
state legislature of a law similar to
that in force in Illinois making it
obligatory upon the part of assess-
org to have the assessment roll
published before being equalized,
and thus give every tax payer an
ooDortunitv to examine it thor
oughly. The plan works very
successfully in Illinois, and inas
much as only one line is required
for the assessment of the property
of the tax-payer, the burden falls
lightly upon all. The passage of
the law in Illinois has resulted in
largely increasing the amount of
taxable property on the roll, so
that in reality it is an important
source of revenue, rather than of
expense.
COYOTE'S ARE TROUBLESOME
Baker Citv Democrat Thinks Re
peal of the Scalp Bounty Law
Was a Bad Move.
Deputy Stock Inspector for Bak
er, county, William Paiker, was
in the city yesterday and reported
that the first of the year he would
begin a thorough and systematic
inspection of all the livestock in
Baker county, with a view to the
condition of the health of the ani
mals and the general state of the
business. Conversing with a
Democrat representative, Mr.
Parker said: -
'The recal of the scalp bounty
law' lias worked a great hardship
upon the stockraisers of this part
of Oregon. The coyotes have al
ready increased perceptibly and
are becoming very bold. I noticed
the other day 37 of them in one
field, and tliey have killed 19 pigs
and innumerable chickens that I
know of upon one ranch alone. If
something is not done these pests
will soon overrun the whole coun
try. In the opinion of myself and
other stockmen the repeal of
the bounty act was a mistake.
"I start out in- a ftw days to
make a detailed inspection of the
flocks and herds in Baker county.
I expect to find the most of them
in a healthy condition all through
the county. The mild weather up
to the present time has lengthened
out the fall pasturage and I be
lieve there is now a plentiful sup
ply of hay to carry all stock
through the winter in good shape.
WILL LEVY 2 MILL TAX
School Voters Hold Session Mon-
day and Make Arrangements
for Increase of Funds.
A meeting of the school voters
in this district, No. 1, held a meet
ing at the court house Monday
afternoon and voted a 2j mill tax
to meet the interest on the
bonded indebtedness. This was
pratically all of the business trans
acted. The assessable property in the
Prineville school district was figur
ed in at 1270,000 which would
bring the amount received from
the assessment to bi5 which is
somewhat in excess of the amount
needed.
Another striking example of the
necessity of a revision in the pres
ent handling of the assessment
roll, which was commented upon
editorially in The Journal last
week, was brought to light at the
meeting. It was clearly shown
there that the amount of assess
able property in district No. 1, is
far below what it should be. In
stead of levying on $270,000 facts
were displayed showing that there
is practically $.'!25,000 worth of
property which should have fallen
under the levy. In consequence
the levy will be nearly a mill
higher than would have been
necessary had all the property in
the district been assessed. A two
mill tax on f 1125,000 would have
netted $750, or $75 more than will
be derived from the present levy
of 2j mills on $270,000.
County and
HARD ON TIMBER INDUSTRY
Secretary Hitchcock's Recent Or
ders of Suspension Looked
Upon as a Detriment.
"The lumber and timber indus
try of Oregon has been stopped as
a result of the actions of Secretary
Hitchcock," said F. A. Hoberg, of
Portland, who is an extensive deal
er in lands. . Mr. Hoberg has been
making a trip through the eastern
part of the state and into the
timber belts looking after his in
terests.
"Eastern capital, which would
have invested in Oregon timber
have now been withdrawn. It is
the general impression that the
people should be permitted to
make timber locations and sell
their rights rather than to have
large bodies of men use in corrall
ing all ot the choicest timber by
lieu land script.
"There is a well defined under
standing that the present forest
reserves made by the department
of the Interior are being explored!
and thoroughly cruised and platt
ed by syndicate employes and that
afterwards when the reserves are
open before anyone else has a
chance to survey the lands these
syndicates, having their maps al
ready made will scrip thousands
of acres at a time and thus will
secure the cream of the timber
lands of Oregon .
It is easy to see how the scheme
it worked. John Doe has made a
location somewhere in in the hills.
A reserve is made in his neighbor
hood and his land included. The
land may never have been any
good but he gets his lieu scrip for
it and sells it on the market for so
much an acre. This scrip can be
used in any locality in any state
regardless of where it was original
ly issued. A syndicate with a
little money, can easily pick up
many hundreds of acres of this
scrip and the rest is easy.
"The determination of President
Roosevelt to take a hand in this
land business may make a change,
but it is pretty well demonstrated
that for the present very little East
ern money will go into Oregon
timber other than in the tying up
of lieu land scrip in any state
where it can be obtained and held
for future use in the north-west."
WILLIAMSON LOSING HOLD
Eastern Oregon Claims He Has
Betrayed Them an! Broken
His Pi-onuses to the People.
The recent action of Congressman
Williamson in throwing his sup
port to the Portland ring in the
matter of establishing an assay of
fice there, after promising the
people of Baker City and vicinity
that he would use his efforts to se
cure the federal building in the
latter city, is not looked upon very
favorably by Mr. Williamson's
former supporters in that district.
The Baker City Deniorat voices
the sentiments of the people of
that section in the following terms:
It is a deplorable fact that East
ern Oregon has been thrown down
and badly injured in its mining
interests by action in congress of
the representative from the East
ern Oregon congressional district,
J. N. Williamson. It transpired a
few days ago that Mr. Williamson,
forgetting the votes of the people
east of the Cascade mountains that
put him into office, stood pat with
Senator Mitchell in the recommen
dations for the establishment at
Portland of a United States assay
office, when all the facts relative to
j that office showed that its location
should be at Baker City. Here is
where the great producing mines
are and the need of such an office
has been felt for years and the
lack of it has been a great draw
back to the development of the
mining interests in this ramp.
Prineville.
The Oregon delegation in the
last congress was divided as to the
location of an assay office as be
tween Portland and Baker City.
Representative Moody was the only
man who was able to secure from
the house committee on coins,
weights and measures a favorable
report for the location of an assay
office in Eastern Oregon. Even
after this Mr. Moody secured the
passage through congress of a bill
providing or the purchase of a
federal public building in
Baker City. The site has been se
lected and paid for. A bill for the
establishment of an assay office in
Baker City was favorably reported
upon but never reached the stage
of passage. When it comes time
to erect the federal building here it
can be made to cover the United
States sssav office.
Williamson has deserted the peo
ple who are his constituents and has
gone over to Portland ring, pre
sumably for political purposes to
the detriment of the Inland Em
pire.
A few days ago a certain repub
lican organ in Eastern Oregon un-
lertook in a column or more of
editorial matter to excuse William
son's actions, but the mining men
and the.voters of this district can
not see that bis methods were ex
disable by the facte in the case
and his unwritten promises to
those who put him in office. v
It can be safely stated that the
next representative to congress
from Eastern Oregon will be the
man who hag already done more
for this section of the state than
any other representative who sat
in a chair in that august body
during the past decade. M. A.
Moody will stand for the interests
of the people of this section as in the
past. This is the prediction of the
most conservative republicans and
democrats in Eastern Oregon. The
representative under present con
ditions, at least, will undoubtedly
be a republican, but the man will
be one who will stand for the wel
fare of this portion of the state.
COAL NEAR THE DALLES
Anthracite Discovery Along ths -
Columbia Causing Considera
ble Interest in That Section.
Eastern Oregon is constantly
giving out signs that sooner or lat
er it will be the largest coal pro
ducing state in the west. The
Heppner fields, which have passed
the experimental stage, the dis
coveries along the John Day river,
and now the opening up of s vein
near the Columbia in the vicinity
of The Dalles give considerable
foundation to the assertion. -
The Oregon Mining Journal
says: "Much interest is centered in
the prospecting for anthracite coal
now going on at The Dalles. P. L.
Kretzer is driving a hole in search
of the commodity. He has a lease
on 800 acres of land west of The
Dalles, and is using a core drill.
The hole has been sunk 1000 feet
and he has passed through a 11-
foot layer of lignite coal of a good
quality.
"Anthracite has beeh cut at a
depth of 1400 feet in that locality,
but it is not a superior quality, be
ing too heavy in ash.
"Mr. Kretzer reports that a hole
was driven about 500 feet from
where he is at present working, but
on higher ground, and at a depth
of 1400 feet the core showed a very
good grade of coal."
Coal in the above mentioned
district waB first discovered sever
al years ago when a well was be
ing drilled. Considerable excite
ment was caused at that time, but
this gradually died. Now, how
ever, it appears that prospecting
has been carried farther and in
teresting developments may be
expected. '