V Crook CoMety Journal COUNTY OFFICIAL PAPER FOR CROOK COUNTY VOL. XVIII $1.50 YEAR PRINEVILLE, CROOK COUNTY, OREGON, THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 1914. Entered t th pnatiffiM at Prln!!l Unvon, wconil-cluu matter NO. IS The Possibilities of Northern Crook County Northern Crook county people, In. tho dry-farming zone, b,ad an tmthuslastic meeting at Madron recently. As a result they are thinking hard and soberly on the advantage of irrigation for further developing that section of Central Oregon. Joseph T. Hinkle, known as Al falfa Joe," over in Umatilla, was invited to Investigate tho proNMcU and present the benefits that prob ably would accrue. It was the first glimpse the advocate of wuter on waterless lands anil homes on vacant homesteads had of the upland plains lehind tho deep-walled Deschutes and his opinion of the feasibility of Irrigation was most encouraging. After a brief tour of as magnifi cent a sweep of tillable fields as al most any that lay outdoors, he said it was his opinion that the district would make greater progress under diversified crops on irrigated lands than It could hope to make if it were to Indulge In exclusive grain raising on dry-faruiing lands, and as a consequence the region would have more farmers, more schools, more public improvements, more people In the towns, and better and more prosjierous trading points 10 years from now than is the case at the present time. As is frequently found in semi arid sections, the farmer with the desires and qualifications for suc cessful grain raising is seeking to len.se or purchase constantly increas ing areas of land, with the result that his place presents life and ac- interested In the farm unless there is something on it for which they care?" How about this dry farming does it pay? The question was applied to many, and the concensus of answers was assuredly it does pay. Any kind of soiltilling pays, depending on how well you like it. Occasion ally a man would curse the immi gration fever and say it was a crime for any more fanners to come in. Continual on !aat page. tivity only at seed and harvest seasons, and tho homes of the les sors, most of which are In good con dition, with paint on the houses, and orchards which promised well, not being needed In the scheme of things, are neglected.' Remarkable has been the trans formation in 10 years in the terri tory north of the Crooked river since the Agency Plains were homesteaded. Some 36,000 acreB, once covered with sagebrush and bunch grass, are now grid-ironed by fences, with well-tilled fields and splendid roads. While tho country is producing its full share of the world's food supply in the form of flour and beef, it is lacking in community life and in much diversity of crop it quite capably f-ould provide. "A good many things," said the practical 1 tinkle, to many audiences the largest ever assembled in their resitective sections "cannot be measured in dollars and cents. You can ascertain quickly the practicability of watering your splendid lands, but you cannot re alize from what I tell you here of the magnificent possibilities of irri gatlon and what water will do in promoting the comfort, the happi ness and attractiveness of the farm home, Without families reasonably close together, without school houses, churches, neighborhood gatherings, there is no social life, and where women and children are absent it is lonesonw. Is it any wonder that boys and girls are not The Investigator Investigated and . Fired Cost the County $1060.75 The investigator investigated. Result Fired. This all happened yesterday at the afternoon session of the county court. The investigators were prominent citizens from Ik-nd, Red mond, Laidlaw and Prineville who, after going over the work of A. M. McE. Hall, expert, concluded that tho county was squandering a lot of money foolishly for something that was ridiculously farcial. These tax payers did not want the experting of the county books stopped. Not by any means, but they did object to an investigation that did not get anywhere. Already f 1000.75 of the taxpayers' , good . money has been fritted Bway. The gentlemen present at the afternoon session of the court mvle it very plain that the aspersions cast upon some of the county offi cials must be cleared up and the truth made known but that the proper authority to do so must come through the State Insurance Commissioner. This law was passed at the last session of the legislature 'and covers just such cases as the one arising in LrooK county. The following resolutions were passed: At a meeting of taxpayers held in Prineville this fourth day of March, 1914, in the courthouse the Bend Citizens Threaten Sheriff with Damages following resolutions were adopted: Whereas, the examination of county affairs now in progress by alleged experts is chiefly actuated by political malice, is incompetent, is arriving at no beneficial results and is clearly a waste of money, and Whereas, under Chapter 286 of the General Laws of Oregon, 1913, it is specifically specified that the State Insurance Commissioner shall at least once each year make a careful and accurate audit of the books and accounts if each county of the state, and Whereas, the officers whose af fairs are now under investigation have already requested the State Insurance Commissioner to make official investigation of their offices, and Whereas, we unanimously agree that only through such official in vestigation can a fair and impartial Investigation of the affairs of ALL county officers be obtained, there fore, Be it resolved, by these taxpayers of Crook county now assembled that we respectfully request the court that the alleged expert be re lieved lorthwi th irom lurther em ployment at the expense of this county, and official steps be at once taken to secure a proper experting by the Insuran:e Commissioner as provided by statute. Bend citizens &rs threatening Sheriff Elkins with a civil suit for damages as the result of his efforts in closing the pool halls and bowl ing alleys in that city last Sunday. The suit, if it materializes, will be in the nature of an injunction re straining the sheriff from making arrests for violations of the Sunday law. The law in question is Section 2125 of Lord's Oregon Laws, pro hibiting the keeping open of anyj store, grocery, bowling alley or bil liard room for the purpose of labor or traffic, or any place of amuse ment, certain exceptions being made, including livery stables, drug stores, doctor shops, undertakers, butchers, bakers and theatres. It was enacted in 1903. District Attorney Wirtz and Sheriff Elkins recently sent personal notices to all keepers of billiard rooms, bowling alleys and card rooms in the county calling their attention to the law. Notice to the Bend law violalers was sent by per sonal letter by the district attorney himself. . The notice was ignored and prosecutions were authorized which were brought in the justice's court at Bend. After two trials in which no con victions could be had, the violations continued. The facts at both trials were conceded, but the juries would not bring in a verdict of guilty, so last Sunday the sheriff gave his 'deputies at Bend, . J. H, Wenandy and L. L. Fox, instruc tions to lock up the pool halls and if a resistance were made to arrest the violators, bring them to Prine ville and put them in jail. The in structions were followed, except that upon promising to keep closed the offenders were not brought to Prineville. It is for this act that the threat ened suit is to be instituted. City Attorney Forbes of Bend is active in the defense of the Sunday law violators, and claims that the law is ' unconstitutional for the reason that it discriminates between certain classes of business and is therefore class legislation, and also wants damages for arrests made on Sun day, which he claims are not author ized by law, except in the case of felony. However, District Attorney Wirtz has advised the sheriff's office that the law provides that any person. whether an officer or not, is author ized by our law to make arrests where a crime is being committed in his presence, whether Sunday or a week day. As to the constitu tionality of the law, there is some doubt, according to Mr. Wirtz, but he says that the supreme court of this state has upheld legislation closing barber shops on Sunday, which is no less discriminatory. The sheriff further states that if he is to inquire into the validity of every law on the statute books be fore making arrests or enforcing them, many laws would go unen-. forced while he was studying the decisions of the courts. He cl"jms that the legislature, which made law, is a better judge of its valid..,. , and all laws on the statute books will be enforced until a court of competent jurisdiction has declared them to be invalid. 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