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About St. Johns review. (Saint Johns, Or.) 1904-current | View Entire Issue (April 2, 1915)
r ojo Published Every l'rldar At 117 West Uurllngton Streot. EHKEEif Tint Rkvikw Is entered nt post office In Saint Johns, Oregon, ne mall matter of tltc second class under the Act of -on grcss of March 3, 1879. Subscription price $1.00 per year. THE ST. JOHNS REVIEW A. W. MARKLE 1 MM . I W. J. Peddicord, a former well known real estnte man of St. Johns, but now located near University I'ark.has an extended article in this issue, wherein he extends a most urgent invita tion to come into Portland and share their misery. St. Johns and University Park started out together upon pretty equal foot ing some ten years ago. Uni versity, however, cast its lot with Portland, while St. Johns decided to become independent and go it alone. Could a better object lesson be obtained any where? St. Johna, loosened from the yoke of Portland, sprang ahead with remarkable rapidity. Today it has miles of hard surfaced streets: Univer sity has little. St. Johns has 12G are lights: University isBaid to have 25. St. Johns has four policemen: University has one or two. St. Johns has a free public library; University has none. St. Johns has a paid tire department and untodate truck: University has a hose cart and volunteer firemen. St. Johns has a high school building and four others: University haa two school buildings. St. Johns has moat of its streets improved; University has two or throe. St. Johns has many industrial plants; University has yet to get hers. Such is the difference between being In Portland and being independent of its domi nating and discriminating influ ences, uutsuie oi a lew cicrKB University furnishes no employ; ment lor its inhabitant! and many of thorn come to St. Johns to earn n livelihood. University is a nice quiet place in which to live, where the sound of the hammer and the saw will not dsturb one's peaceful rest, and where one can spend his declin ing years with no activity to disturb the serenity of his rosy-hued dreams. And yet Mr. Peddicord invites us to come in and naturally receive a like treatment. No, thanks. It smacks too much of the atory of the Spider am! the My; or case of sour grapes. Mr. Pcdd cord, makes canital of the old adage, "In unity there is strength." This is true in some cases, but University has dis covered that rortlanu proper gets the strength and University gets the unity. Tho peoplo thero give all their strength in tho way of taxes and got unity in return. St. Johns would rathor keep what wo have and get both the strength and the unity, Mr. Peddicord assures us that Portland would welcome ua with open arms. Thero is not the slightest doubt in the world of that. It wants ua, needs us - worse than it needs any one thing. It needs our taxes to How into its coifers, it needs our territory so that it can do posit its sewerage at our back door, it needs the licenses it can extort from our citizens, it needs our unrivalled location, it needs us, yea every hour it needs us. an J its rapidly depict ing treasury is yawning for our contributions. Mr. Peddi cord urges that in union thero is reduction of cost of administra tion. Had he read last Friday's Telegram ho would have noted that it cost thu city of Portland $7.30 per capita for salaries alone to conduct its administration. while in St. Johns a less cost per capita paid for running thu whole city government. His proposi tion may be all right in theory, but it certainly is not borne out by facts. Mr. Peddicord in glorified terms praises tho com mission form of government. Ho should read an account in Sunday's Orcgonianof tho meet ing held by 500 citizens in the North Branch Library last Sat tirday night, in which a commit tee was appointed to investigate ways and means of "securing a more competent and efficient administration of municipal affairs." And yet ho wants us to come m and uccopt as our own this discredited administra- tin of Portland. As to tho sen timental reason, if he will look up tho postoflice address of tho peoplo of St. Johns ho will find that it is now St.Johns.Portlnnd, Oregon, tho same as University is now University, Portland, Or egon. Our postoflice address would not in tho least be chang ed by merging. Until this city has a imputation of 10,000, when independent free mail delivery may bo secured, the postoflice address is and shall remain, St. Johns, Portland, Oregon. Hence wo have the name, and also we have the same advantages of your churches, your libraries, your museums and your parks that tho peoplo of your city pos sess. Wo have all this, and yet we aro FREE. You of Uni versity may boast of your city, but does tho city boast of Uni versity Park? Aro its visitors directed to University Park to view tho great advantages se cured .through its union with mm. 1HHI IFthat rainy vM UIVICO WILL. II 111 FIND YOU WITHOUT A DOLLAR IN the BANK ? "Some days must be dark and dreary; into each life some rain must fall." Storms often come up sud denly. "Alas, how easily things go wrong." But it is a protection against most ills to have plenty of money in the bank. To have a bank account you must START one. WHO gets the money you earn? Put it in our Bank and YOU will have it. Make OUR bank YOUR bank We pay 4 per cent interest on Savings Accounts FIRST NATIONAL BANK, ST. JOHNS, OREGON ortland? No. And the same would be true of St. Johns after it merged. Of course it would be nice if our fire truck was tak en to University where it might serve the entire peninsula im partially, but really, Mr. Peddi cord, we cannot accept your kind invitation. You may mean well. but then tho proposition doesn't est fllteror known to mankind. It stands the highest test, and is pure, sweet and pleasant, in the summertime when the street cars stop 'here there is always grand rush from the car to git to the hydrant at the Hank cor ner and get a cool drink of water, Not long ago a party selling screens to place over taps to I look good to us. bo when our catch any sediment in the wa nonu ation has gotten us large iter made the atatement that Port as Brooklyn, we will consider land water contained four times the advisability of allowing your the sediment contained in the iltv in memo with St. Johns. St. Johns water. And it is mit but while we arc too small to 'ural that this should be, because protect our rights and keep from Bull Run water is only surface being separated from our i water and tho rtir is full of sub strength and left with the empty stances that drop into tho water sack of unity, we will just re main plain St. Johns, will fight our own battles and claim our own victories. We have learned to look below the rosebud and find tho thorn ever present. Tho battle is almost over. Ono or two more short days and tho die shall be cast. What the result will bo no man can fore tell. Shall wo mergo or shall wo not merge? Tho Review has kept tho faith, and made a good flght.and if tho result shall show that tho battle haa been lost, we shall always remember that we did our best to avert what we believe to be the most disastrous step its people have ever taken. We have kept as near the facts ns wo could glean them in our limited time. If wo have made misstatements it was only because our source of information was at fault. Wo have borne malice toward none. and have tiad and do now have the kindliest feeling toward all. We have made tho fight becauso we believed it to be right, it wo havo wounded the feelings of any wo deeply regret it, but n a light such as we have nut up, it was a most uitiicuit thing to avert treading on some one's toes. Wo havo tried to keep the columns of the paper clean, and uive rejected much that would uivo caused hard feelings, and it is probable that we havo pub- ished things that wo should not mvo nub shed, uur opinions differ with others, but it is true of all men. And it is well that it is so. because if all were of one mind, the world would grow so monotonous that nono would care to exist. Yet we havo one common purpose in view to do what we belfovo to be best for tho grandest and most beautiful ittlo city that has ever graced God's footstool. Opinions differ ing, each ono is guided by the ight that is given him. There fore, no bitterness should bo en- endered. Wo shall bo neigh bors and friends still, whatever tho result. "Thero is so much ill in tho best of us, and so much rood in tho worst of us, that it II becomes the best of us to speak ill of any of us." So what ever tiie result shall be. let us all be good fellows still. i Much has been said during tho past several weeks concerning tho water question, and how merging would at onco givo us lull Hun water. Supposing that would be possible to get Bui lun water right after merging which we claim is impossible) ould we want it? You house wives, would you want water mt comes down through ten miles of pipe through the hot sands in tho summer time, so mt only by tho use of ice could made palatable I And then with tho dead ends in St. Johns would simply be almost un- rinkable in tho summor time. ho St. Johns water is pump ed from the bowels of tho earth, and is filtered through the sands f the earth, which is the great- bo almost constantly. Wo do not desire to condemn the Bull Hun water, for it is as good as sur face water could be, and healthful enough, but it is not could not be, as free from for eign substances as the St. Johns water. It is true it is more soft A lady told us last week of washerwoman in Portland whoso hands became so badly cracked from using it constantly that she had to come to St. Johns ant work in harder water, and now her hands have become cured Surely we do not want Bull Hun water even if wo could get it Go to University Park in the summer time and try that wa tor, and you will readily decido that you much profor St, Johna woter. r An article by Attorney Perry C. Stroud dealing with tho water situation, appears in this issue, in which ho touches on Severn points. Tito legality part is convincingly answered by Judge Llelnml and 11. U. Hogcrs. Mr. Stroud assumes that tho water plant hero is "wholly inade quate" and tli prices aro exor- I t TP il.J- ! A ...1.-. If , uuuni. ii iiwh ib iruu wny mu not tho Railroad Commission so find, after being in full posses sion of tho actual facts? Ho says it is inconceivable to him how Portland could allow ono portion of its population to pay more lor wator than another. A bma wondored about that also. but nevertheless were compe led to pay a much higher rate for moro than nino long years. In comparing the business houses with tho wator company in re gard to competition ho fails to consider one point, and that is. there would bo no largo business houses either in Portland or St. Johns if it were known that tho city could put in a competing business house, sell below actual cost and make up deficits by bond issue, as is done in Port- laud on wator. No business house could expect to compete with the city under such circum stances, nor can the water com pany That is why this city gave exclusivo franchise that tho company could bo guaranteed of NO competition until it had gotten firmly established and on a paying basis at least, which time was considered fifteen years. The stock-holders have received a share in the plant and in tho business, tho same as the stockholders do in any plant. To say that the water plant was built uu by the proceeds of its patrons is true to a largo ox tent. It is also true of any busi ness. Tho Meier-Frank store was built from the profits of the business, and yet who shall say that tho public should, there fore, be given title to their busi ness? And they had a practical monopoly of the wholesale busi ness of Portland for years. But these stores would undoubtedly never havo been built had it been in tho power of tho city to es tablish municipal stores, run at a loss and make up tho deficit from a tax on its citizens. -'. HPHE present mili tary styles of dress require a special style of corset and brassiere. The military style means, an erect form, and a trim looking figure. You can get all of this, combined with comfort in our new styles of military cor sets and brassieres. Kabo Corset Company Couch & Co. Pioneer Merchants St. Johns, Oregon ' nrriancrle C Ol 1 QVS 2Sor25 1 VtmZtmdt Jacobs OCoTroyNY. S. & H. Green Trading Stamps given on all Cash Purchases, and on Charge Ac counts when Paid in Full at least every 30 days. Premiums now on Display. OIO fg I A ?'s Hi L ' ! BHr I I I lO,JR,,n I r s co ; it" ii? 2 a Ml 2 0sSfmiS I s pi I 4J I W- - J The Water Question Editor Review: During tho past three years and especially during the past few weeks, have heard many arguments rel ative to the exclusivo franchiso held by the St. Johns Water Company. Having tried the St, Johna Water Company's case on lieha f of the City of at. Johns and having boon in this fight for some three years. I believe that I am competent to express an oninion. I do not believe that the St. Johns Water Company has now or over did have, an exclusivo franchise. Our Supreme Court has missed directly upon this question in the case of Parkhurst v. capital Uity uaiiway i,ompa hv. 23 Oregon 471. 32 Pac. 301 In this case the Supremo Court holfl rhnr. nn nxrlnnivo franchise could not be granted by a munic pu corporation unless tho au t hority of tho city to grant an exclusivo franchiso is clear; that no intendments would bo indulg ed in to support an exclusive franchise. At tho time of tho granting of tho original fran chiso to tho St, Johna Water Company, tho City of St. Johns was not given the authority to irrant an excusive. or in fact. 1 m it any franchise in nono oi tno subsequent charters of tho City, either legislative or initiative. can there be found ono word empowering tho City of St. Johns to grant to anybody an exclusivo franchiso for any purpose, l know it is contended thnt the 1905 legislative charter ratifies the exclusive franchise of tho St. Johns Water Company, but this ratification is, to my mind, unconstitut onal for tho reason that tho clause ratifying the same is not expressed in the ti tie to the act, and further I do not believe that any Court would construe this as empowering the G tv to trrant an exclusive Iran- chise where all of tho rest of the body of the act and charter aro drawn to prevent exclusivo fran chises. Much argument has been made unon thoauestion of confiscation of the company's property. The mere fact that the St. Johns Wtaor Company is open to com petition, does not in fact mean that its property is confiscated any more than the property oi any merchant or any other busi ness man, is confiscated by his business rivals. There are hun- reds of businesses in Portland and St. Johns that havte an in- estmcnt many times that of the St. Johns Water Company, and we do not hear them crying that their propqrty is being confiscat ed for the mere reason that there, are competitors fn their i ine or business, i can see no reason why a monopoly, such as ic St. Johns Water Company is t the present time, should be nursed by the public funds and especially since very little of us properly was ever invesiea by stockholders, but is in fact tho accumulated profits of le business derived from an ab solute monopoly. In my judgment, a city of six thousand inhabitants is entitled to the cheapest and the best wa tor service possible, whether it be public or private ownership. Therefore the question of per mitting some particular compa ny, such us tho St. Johns Water Company.to have the field alone, is an injustice to the citizens at large, unless it is not only able to. but in fact does give the best service for the cheapest price. I I do not believe that there can, be any contention but what tho I water supply of St. Johns isj wholly inadequate to tho needs of the City. I am firmly con vinced that if the City were to mergo with Portland, that the Portland Water Board would buy the St. John3 Water plant at fair valuation and rebuild it to suit the needs of our growing community as fast as possible and that the rates would be tho samo as in other portions of tho City of Portlnnd. Should tho City of St. Johna merge wit tho City of Portland, I cannot conceive how the City Commia sioners would for a moment, tol crate a portion of its population to pay several times the price ORDINANCE NO. 653 water that other citizens pay or to havo service wholly made quate to their demanda.Very respectful y yours. Perry C, Stroud. Regarding Trade Schools to the Editor: in your issue of the 26th you deny the correct ness ol my statements that children from St. Johns wil havo to pay $135.00 to attend the Trades schools. My answer is the letter hereto handed you from the Secretary of tho achoo board of rortland: Portland, Oregon, March 16, 1915. Mr. D. C. Lewis. St. Johns, Oregon. Replying to yours of even date in reference to the use by pupils of St.Johns. or the school of Trades, wil state the board has provided that all pupils not resident with in the city limits of Portland. will be permitted to attend the School of Trades upon payment of tuition, which is $185.00 per year. In case St. Johns becomes merged into the city of Portland pupils from St. Johns will be permittted free admission to the School of Trades, upon tho same conditions as other pupils at present resident within the corporate limits of the city of ortland. rupils in the School of Trades, living within the coroo rate limits or Portland, pay no tuition. In reference to your question as to the observance by the school board of Portland, of con ditions imposed upon property accepted by school districts af terwards merged into the city of Portland.will state that in every instance tho school board has faithfully carried out all condi- tions.and observed all contracts made by tho boards of districts afterwards merged into the city of Portland, the same as if made by themselves. Very truly, R. H. Thomas. Clerk. It seems to me that every per son should be willing to aid in granting free tuition to all chil dren who wish to learn a trade be the child a boy or girl and the way to do so is to annex to Portland. D. C. Lewis. By a close reading of the above it will be seen that pupils outside of . Portland will be permitted to attend upon payment of the tuition. The clerk does not say AN ORDINANCE VACATING THAT PORTION OV KEL LOGG STREET LYING BE TWEEN THE NORTHERLY SIDE LINE OF CHARLES TON STREET AND TIIE SOUTHERLY SIDE LINE OF JOHN STREET IN THE CITY OF ST. JOHNS, OREGON. Whereas: the aforesaid por tion of Kellogg street lies be tween blocks seven and ten P. T. Smith's addition to tho city of St. Johns, Oregon which blocks nro tho property of School district Number two and "which blocks together with that por tion of Kellogg street between Charleston street and John street are used fpr public school purposes and in order to provide the children with suitable grounds and apparatus for their physical development while in attendance in tho school it is necessary that permanent struc tures bo erected on the said grounds and especially on that portion Of Kellogg Street be tween Charleston and John Streets and thut the vacation of the said street is of public nec essity; now therefore, It is ordnined by the City of St. Johns: Section 1. That Kellogg street from the Northerly side line of Charleston street to tho souther ly side line of John street in tho city of St. Johns be and tho same is hereby vacated for the use and benefit of School district No. 2 and shall bo and remnin the property of the said School , uisr.net ino.z so long ns me same shall be used and occupied for public school purposes, but at such time as the said street shall be abandoned for school purposes the same shall revert- to the city of St. Johns and be come a street. Passed by the council 30th day of March, 1915. Approved by the Mayor 30th day of March, 1915. A. W. VINCENT, Mayor. Attest: A. E. DUNSMORE, ( Recorder. Published in the St Johns Re view, April 2, 1915, that none outside of the city imits are permitted to attend the trade schools unless thev pay the tuition. As a matter of fact there has never been any charge for St. Johns nunils. and while the tuition MAY be charged, it never is. Norman Nelson, Robert Carter, lrvin Gro- machey and at least five others that we have knowledge of have been attending the schools with- out even being Asked to pay tuition of any amount. Mr. Lewis is well aware of this, and I we challenge him to produce one person in bt. RESOLUTION this this . It is resolved by the City of St. Johns: That "it deems it expedient and necessary to improve Chi cago street from the Eaat lino of Willamette Blvd. to the West Line of Smith Avenue in the City of St. Johns in the fol lowing manner to wit: By grading said portion of street to grade or subgrade to be established and by laying a 6 foot cement walk and 12 foot curb on both sides of said street, with necessary Cement Cross walk and Iron Gutters. According to the plans and specifications of the city engi neer on file in tho office of the City Recorder relative thereto, which said plans and specifica tions and estimates are satis factory and are hereby approv ed. Said improvements to be made in accordance with the charter and ordinances of the city of St. Joluis, and under the supervision and direction of the city engineer. Thnt tho cost of said improve ment to be ussessed as provided by tho city charter upon the property especially and particu larly benefited thereby, and which is hereby declnred to be all of lots, parts of lots, blocks and parcels of land between the' termini of such improvements abutting upon, adjacent or prox imate to said street, from tho marginal lines of said street back to the center of the block or blocks or tracts of land abut ting thereon or proximate there to. That all the property included in said improvement district aforesaid is hereby declared to beMLocaI Improvement District No. 125." That the city engineer's as sessment of the probable total cost of said improvement of said street is $-1284.10. That the cost of said street' to be assessed against the proper ty in said local assessment dis- trict as provided by the charter ! of the City of St. Johns. Adopted by tho council this 1 30th day of March, 1915. I A. E. DUNSMORE, Recorder. Published in the St. Johns Re- view April 2, and April 9, 1915. NOTICE OF Proposed Assessment Notice is hereby jjiveu that apportion ment of the cost of improvement of Macrum Ave, from the southerly line of The City Limits to the O. W. R. 4c N. fiii ?l Wa-' total COst of Uich is 3.. 539.42 has been apportioned and U on file in th ofuce of the undersigned, subject to examination. Assessment district extends back to file rlltir nf . . TnW PrUCG ne' -"Vns onsaid sum p ded Johns Who Was re- i by the city charter and resolutions. luaeu iJCiimtaiuu m enier me .cuiunrance anaiust saiii nnmrhnn. trade schools of Portland unless ! Vi, may 00 watl,es'" anting and aied the tuition was forthcoming, or one single individual in St. John's who has ever paid $135 tuition, or any part of that sum. He simply cannot do it, even though he brings out an obsolete pro vision of tho rules through the clerk. Anyway if we want trade schools in St. Johns we can certainly secure them- with out merging.- Ed. until 5 o'clock with the undersigned P. M. Anril l!hh. ifliK A. R. DUNSMohfi, ,,. . . . Recorder. Published m the St. Johns Review Mai eh 2C and April 2. 1915. ' NOTICE TO ADVERTISERS; In oNer to Insure a change of ad vertisement the copy fo such change hould reach this office not later than Wedneeday, at 3 o'clock p. m. Please remember thlt and cave th printer