Oregon City courier., June 21, 1912, Image 1

OREGON
CITY
COUK
You can't talk too much if you
talk right. Talk and factories have
built up many a city, and will
build many another. '
..If you don't believe in Oregon
City why don't you get out and
make room for the fellow who
does?
30th YEAR.
OREGON
CITY. OREGON. FRIDAY. JUNE 21 1912.
No. 5
SCHUEBEL BIGS
SUIT FOR S2D.00D.
SUITS AGAINST ENTERPRISE
" AND GUS SCHNOERR.
CHARGES DAMAGING LIBELS.
Outcome of Newspaper Statement
Published During Campaign.
The criminal law and the civil
libel law are going to he pretty
thoroughly tried out in Clackamas
county in the next few months,
and wo newspapers and politici
ans will know what we can and
cannot do how far wo can go
and where lo stop. ,
Following the criminal indict
ment for violation of the corrupt
practice law, brought against
Oustave Schnoerr, Attorney Chris
Schuebel has brought two actions
for libel, one against Mr. Schnoerr
ind the other against the Morn
ing Enterprise, each in tho sum of
$10,000.
. The libels are based on the pub
lication in the Enterprise of an
article signed by Mr. Schnoerr
which is as follows:
"To the legal voters of Clack
amas county, Oregon:
" 'Gentlemen A man nn.st )h
judged by his own words and
deed and noi by the word-: of his
enemies and false friends.
"For wees Christ Scheubel has
been attacking mo most shame
fully. Some person or persons
must be supplying him with large
sums of money and his vocation
surely does not keep hi in very
busy since he has so much lime
to roam over the whole country,
telling others how very, very good
he himself is and how dispicahle
his opponents are.. This I could
not do. I have neither time, nor
money nor 'brass' enough to at
tack and slander those who have
always been kind to me Neither
can I understand how a person
can afford to spend hundreds of
dollars for the small compensa
tion he can honestly get if elected
to the legislature.
"Mr. Schuebel tries to make his
audience believe that the 'inter
ests' or certain private parties
have 'bought me.' He not de
ceived. Not I but ho has been
bought, if signs fail not, and be
cause he is used to being bought
and sold, as everybody knows, he
made an effort to buy me in my
own house. This happened March
31, 1912.
"The legal voters must decide
A Coot Kitchen
EVEN IN
MIDSUMMER
With A REAL LIVE BREEZE
blowing away the sultry air and
cooling the whole room
That's Your Kitchen and all others, too-that
HAVE AN
Electee FAN
whether they want honorable, ex
perienced and successful men
chosen from their ranks as repre
sentatives, or whether they want
politicians and demagogues who
seek only iheir owu honor and wel
fare, who trample on, the rights
and honor of their fellowmen and
who are the cause that our polit
ical life is as corrupt as it is.
"I declare and prove by my
daily life that all attacks which
Mr. Schuebel is making on me
are malevolent lies, manufactured
by himself and sown broadcast
contrary to his own better knowl
edge." GUST. SCHNOERR,
(Paid Adv.)
The complaint filed by Mr.
Schuebel charges that the aocu
asions, imputations and charges
made by Mr. Schnoerr and pub
lished in the Enterprise are un
lawful and maliciously intended,
and calculated to injure and de
fame, and the publication of
them did injure anil defame his
reputation and good name in the
city and county and slate, and he
asks for damages to the extent of
$10,000 from both defendants.
George C. Brownell and J.' E.
Hedges will it is said dcfeniP all
three cases for Mr. Schnoerr and
the Enterprise, while V. S. U'Ren
and C. I), and I). C Latourette will
act as council for Mr. Schuebel.
Th.e first case to be tried will be
that of Mr. Schnoerr on the crim
inal indictment, and it is said that
this case will go on early in J,uly,
it is expected. The other two will
probably not reach trial until lat
er in the season, perhaps not be
fore fall.
The criminal action to be tried
next month will t no doubt be
fought to a standstill,, for the
current talk is that the civil cases
will hinge much on the outcome
of the first case. But in view of
the fact that the first case will be
on tho matter of the constitution
ality of the law which forbids the
publication of articles a certain
number of days before an election
it would not seem that it would be
any forerunner of the two civil
suits.
There is much interest in the
coming suits, and the politicjans
are wondering what influence the
matter will have on the coming
campaign and election.
Both Mr. Schuebel and Mr.
Schnoerr are nominees for the
Republican legislature, and both
men have been close friends and
business associates for years.
Beating Us To It?
You Live Wires, are you going
to let the board of trade of one of
tho southern towns get away with
that stove works. They are after
it, and they say they have got it
away from us.
Every hat at a big reduction at
Miss C. Goldsmith's.
Pot tland Railway, Light &
Power Company
MAIN OFFICE SEVENTHJ&ZALDER.
PORTLAND
Phones Main 6G88 and A. 6131
T
Rl THE
GAFF INTO YOU
X
PACIFIC CO.MAKES TWO RATES
FOR SAME SERVICE.
SOAK IT TO THE NEW RENTER
While the Home Owner Pays $3.00
a Year Less for Same Service.
Tho people went after tho meat
trust for violation of tho trust
laws and when it was all over and
the people had lost out. then the
price of meat went up.
The people must pay for their
meddling. Tho dividends must
be kept up.
The people went after the su
gar trust and mangged to make
the octopus come through with a
little of their loot in lines, and
then the price of sugar went up.
Tho people must pay back those
lines and the cost of litigation.
Then perhaps thej would quit
their monkeying.
The Pacillc Telephone com
pany refused to pay its taxes in
Oregon and the people went after
it, compelling them to come thro
just Hie same as a poor man has
to, and now the price of 'phones
go up.
Tho people must help pay their
expense of carrying that test case
to the U. S. supreme court.
There are several ways to skin
a cat and you can bet these big
combines know all of them.
Sometimes they rip up the belly
and skin 'em just as you do a cow.
Sometimes they simply slit them
them down the legs and pull the
hide over the head. That is the
easiest way and the quickest.
And sometimes mey just keep
taking off a little piece of the hide
at a time, persistently staying
with it until they have the whole
skin and the cat hardly knows
they have skinned it.
They use a lot more caution
than they used to, and they make
the operation as painless as pos
sible these days, for some of the
cats are getting tired of being
skinned as fast as the new pelt
begins to show a little fur on it.
They often use a counter-irritant
these days, something to take
the mind off the operation, to
make the cal think of something
else, to keep its mind off the skin
ning, so that perhaps they can get
a part of the pelt and never not
ice it., They put a smart on some
other place to make him forget
the skinning process.
Make a kick to a Bell telephone
ofllcial about tho rates and he will
smiling tell you you are getting
the service less than they are in
Portland or tho Hawaian Islands,
or some other old place.
That's the counter irritant You
are supposed to feel good that it
hurts Portland worse to be skin
ned than it does you, so that you
won't moan when they rip you up
the back.
Today if a man moves into Or
egon City and orders the Pacillc
to put in a 'phone, ho will find
that he must help to pay the ex
penses of the light against tax-i
ation or something else. He
will find that he must pay three
dollars a year more than his
neighbor who gets the service off
tho same line and perhaps, the
same poll, inai is encouraging
people to come here and be
skinned.
Today you are paying $1.25
foV residence service, but if you
should change your location, go
into another house, you would
have to pay $1.50.
Why? Ask the Big Chief who
steers the trust and see what ex
planation he makes But the rea
son is thoy want the money.
You know that the - telephone
company has no right to make one
city man pay one price and one
another for exactly the same
service, and you know they can't
make you, rl the matter is taken
up where it should be taken and
where you would get justice.
What are you going to do about
it? Well here is a goo dplace to
start it and you ought never to
be obliged to, for the city should
lake the initiative.
Turn to page 16 of tho city
charter, section 43, "and you will
find this:
The council has power and
authority within Oregon City
to license, regulate and tax
telephone companies, and to
tlx a maximum rate to be
charged by telephone com
panies for the rental and use
of telephones.
Plain enough, isn't it, and pow
er enough too? '
Now, you city council why don't
you exercise this ountrol? Why
don't you establish a just rate
and compel the Pacific company
to observe it ?
Why don't you make the tele
phone company serve a renter at
just the same price us they do the
owner of a house?
Why do you let this telephone
company make discriminating
rates and compel the workman
who does not own his home pay
three dollars a year more than the
owner who has a contract.
It isn't a squart deal nor within
speaking distance or justice, and
the people of Oregon City should
never tolerate it tor the price of
ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS .A
YEAR, the compensation for the
telephone company's franchise.
A while ago you used to get
your phono for $1 a month, didn't
you? Then it was jumpeu 10
25 wasn t it? JNow it comes up
to $1.50 for the new service (for
the renter who is moving in.)
Anythig to guarantee that tho
comDanv won t continually ao.
vnnee inn rates ana suck 11 10
vou for all you will stand for?
Do vou want to help pay ine ex
penses of the company fighting
the state of Oregon against pay-
intr its taxes?
The officials will say "Brown is
knocking again" when they read
this.
You think it over and see if you
don't think Brown has cause to
knoek. and bv the way ,if all his
"knocks" aren't in the interests of
justice and a square deal.
The matter is simply this, the
council may protect the people of
Oregon city or the Bell Telephone
Co. It's up to them. The charter
absolutely gives them the power
to regulate and fix the charges.
Now let us see if they will.
And, by the way, you might
prod them a little, if you think the
Courier is right, and help us out
a little.
LAME EXCUSES.
Poor Pay Is a Lame Duck Excuse
for Official Negligence.
It was said in tho Live Wires'
meeting Tuesday that the city re
corder and city treasurer could
not be expected to do the work of
the city in the manner it should be
done for the respective salaries of
$25 and $50 a month? '
Then why do these officials ac
cept the ofllce?
The man wno accepts public of
fice takes it as it is laid out or he
may leave it.
There is no compulsion, no
law to force it onto them, and the
people will not tear their clothes
in dragging them up to it?
The positions are public offices
and public trusts. If a man tack
les one of them he should make
up his mind to get away with it,
whether he gets $25 or $250 for
the work.
If the city doesn't pay enough
to have the work done as it should
be done, then let the men stay out
of it until the city pays what the
job is worth
Insufficient pay is no excuse
whatever for the man who takes
a contract, knowing what the work
is, rid then shortskates on the job.
FOR SALE 3-year-old colt stand
ard bred, sound, well broken
and perfectly safe; also new
buggy, and two sets of harness.
A bargain for a quick buyer.
Willian Gardner, Oregon City.
BUNCH
OF LIVE WIRES.
SESSION WAS MUCH LIKE THE
CHICAuo CONVENTION.
EVERYBODY READY TO ARGUE,
And City Affairs Came in for a
Round or Two.
There were things doing every
blessed minute at tho Live Wires
session Tuesday noon, heated dis
cussions that kept the members
in their chairs until long after the
lime of adjournment, and the on
ly way tho meeting could then be
closed was by President Eby de
claring the discussions - closed
until a further meeting.
Every member had on his light
ing suit, and matters were taken
up, with champions at both ends,
and the discussions were agres
sive all in good spirit, but in
dead earnestness.
ihe matter of the swimming
pool started the discussion. Mr.
ftneahan stated that the pool
would cost about $5,000, exclu
sive of the land; that if the city
would provide the pool the peo
plo would make it self-sustain
ing; that it was the judgment of
lluise hacking the matter that a
small charge should be made for
those over 10 years old, and that
they believed tho charge would
make tho place self-sustainini?:
that memberships would bo sold,
and other means taken to sustain
it. He said the tank would be
45xi5 and the space occupied
ahoul 00x60; that it should be lo
cated on a low level on account of
getting water, and that tho pro
posed public playground, if the
project carried at the special el
ection, would bo a good location
lor the pool.
John Loder followed Mr. Shea
han, and strongly urged that the
L,ive Wires take hold of the mat
ter, as such a publio bath propo
siiion was needed m our city.
J?, J. J. ooze stated stated that
tne matter of future mainten
ance was the most important one
to be considered without burden
ing the taxpayers, or that the
matter should bo put up to the
people plainly as a proposition
the city would have to give aid to
and assist in case-it did not prove
self supporting. That tho matter
was a business proposition and
should be handled in a business
way.
A. Price took issue with Mr.
Tooze, holding that this matter
should not be looked upon in tho
light of dollars and cents alone;
that a humanitarian view should
be taken, and tho children of the
poor should be considered, the
children of those whose homes
did not have bathtubs and the
conveniences of tho more favored
ones.
Mr. Shenhan said there would
be no trouble with the mainten
ance if tho pool could bo pro
cured. J. E. Hedges thought that the
matter of maintenance should be
thoroughly considered; that en
thusiasm did not last; that the
pool was not an absolute neces
sity, and that in tne end the city
would have to take the project
over.
T.W. Sullivan thought the mat
ter should be loosed at entirely
from the matter of dollars and
cents; that it. would cost $200 a
month for the water if valued at
the same rate consumers pay;
that it would cost $75 a month to
maintain, and that if a charge of
ten cents were clirged at the pool
750 people would have to patron
ize it monthly to pny the expense.
He stated that the reading room
and the Y. M. C. A. were started
on this principle of . public pat
ronage lo support, and that one
was dead and the city had to take
over tho other.
W. S. U'Ren said from what he
understood of tho matter it would
cost in the neighborhood of $300
a month to maintain' the swim
ming pool in tho summer and
more than this in the winter; that
this would mean a mill and a
half tux if the city took it over;
that it was bound to become a
city charge and should be at first
ir at all.
Mr. Loder said if we looked a1
other matters as some of tin? Live
Wires wanted us to look at this,
we would have no libraries, hos
pitals or many other things Inat
the public could get along with
out; that we should not loi at it.
in purely a business way. but
more from a public spirit view
and as a humanitarian under,
taking.
M. J. Lee said in his judgement
if tho city ever got these public
baths and swimming pool public
spirit would have to build hem
and the city would have to i.'iain
lain them. ,
T. J. Oary said he thought that
if the city was to stand bad; of 10
saloons it might be as guixj a
proposition lo stand behind one
swimming pool.
And then Mr. ij Ren started
something along another ,'ine.He
staled the papers reported Mayor
Dimick as stating that chore wan
not one in tho city that could tell
the financial condition of Oregon
City today, and he stated ho would
like to hear from the mayor to
know if Ihe statements were cor
rect.
Mayor Dimick was on his feet in
a minute and reiterated the char
ges he had made in the newspnp.
ers; that no one in the city
could ten tno condition of the
city; that not a report had been
made in two years; that ho and
Councilman Toozc had tried for
two months to get such report;
that thfl-e had been transfers
made from one fund to another
until none but. an expert could tell
how the mutters stood. He slat
ed that at tho end of each year the
treasurer and recorder made out
a report and gave it to the finance
committee whose duty it was lo
examine same and make report,
but that this had not been done.
Asked by Mr. Stipp if this was
the fault of the system he re-,
pueit it was; that no recorder
would do tho work for $25 a
month and no treasurer for $10
per month. He said the city coun
cil should have a balance present
ed every month.
Mr. Stipp said the system was
the same under which the countv
and state was run, and that a re
port could bo had at stated times.
Mr. Toozo said tnat at the next
meeting of the council a report of
tne city s condition would be ask
ed for.
And then President Eby thought
tho lime had arrived to end these
discussions for the time and the
meeting adjourned.
RAILROAD STORIES.
Like Molalla, Oregon City Is
to
Have Others Thrust Upon It.
If any of these railroad stories.
assay anywhere near 14 karet, Or
egon City will have two or three
more railroads coming and going.
The Clackamas Southern is now
an absolute certainly and the con
tracts are let, and before this had
gotten cold they came at us with
the one that the Southern Pacillc
had the survoys made, grades es
tablished and the rights of way
provided for for a line from Os
wego to Now Era, going through
Oregon City on the west side.
And now comes another, this
one from the state capitol, and it
says the Salom & Eugene are busy
buying up rights of way for a new
road from Salem to Oregon City,
and which will later be extended
on to Portland. .. . u-
The Salem story has it, that the
road will be built up tho valley
nearly paralling tho Southern
Pacillc line, and tnat it will eith
er cross tho river at Canby or at
this city, and go into Portland on
tho west side. And further the
report says that this is but the
beginning of railroad develop
ment this company has mapped
out for the Willamette valley
Well, let 'em come. If they
won't ask our permission, bul
just crowd themselves into tho
city well we'll just have to
stand it, that's all.
LETS HUSTLE.
If we Want any of the Public Im
provements, we Must Stir.
There aro a lot of matters be
fore tho Live Wires and before tho
people of Oregon City to be de
cided on in a very short tune,
and unless there la a get-busy
campaign and a lot of effective
work done, and done soon, there
is danger that we may lose the
whole works.
There's Ihe public dock matter,
tho municipal elevator proposi
tion (the expense of wheh the
voters only know as to the first
cost, and nothing about the cost
of maintaining) the public sports
ground or park, the revised ehar
.ter (of which the voters know
practically nothing) and the
swimming pool proposition of
which the people are well in
formed, but which is the one mat
ter the people DO NOT vote on at
the coming election.
The Courier editor believes iu
these public improvements, and
hopes to see them go, but at the
same time if wo could lake them
in' smaller quantities we would
be much more safe with the vot
ers. But that mailer is passed
the issue is now to make a cam
paign with tho best Uiir, is in us
for the four propositions that
aro tied together the docks, the
elevator, the public sports ground
and the commission form of gov
ernment, and remembo' that un
less we get the lust named we can
not get the other three, for ihe
charter must be changed to per
mit the bringing about of the im
provements. There are sixteen more days
before election. H is lime to bus.
tie,
Let's Swing It.
That matter of a public market
day lo lake the surplus stuff that
the city cannot handle would be a
good one lo take up and work out.
The more farmers' and outside
people we can get to come lo our
city, lb t more business will wo !o
aud-th.i better city we will have.
It's not, an expensive proposition,
simply a matter of takinu it up
and organizing it, and gel Unit the
seller and buyer together. Tiiere
are plenls of buyers who will
come here if we will bring1 the
stuff her they want to buy.
W 1 MIT
OR SHE BACK?
HAVE YOU DITCH WATER
RED BLOOD IN YOU?
OR
IS NOW YOUR TURN TO BAT.
And
You Have Waited Thirty
Years for the Chance.
Away back in the far dim days,
somewhere along in that period
between tig leaves and shirt
waists, there was given out a
proverb which in effect admon
ished that if a fellow gave you a
poke on tho cheek bone to turn
the other side of the. face and let
him even up the Job balance up
the face, as it were.
Now no doubt in that day, long
before the meat trust, Teddy
Roosevelt and the Southern Paci
llc, this was good orthodox stuff,
but I can't believe that it should
apply now. It would seem that it
should be given to a charter com
mission, and the revise should
read:
If a geek makes a swing to your
jaw with his right, come back
with an uppercut.
All of which brings us down to
this: ,
Thirty years ago men tried to
build a railroad into the Molalla
country and there is no road
there yet.
Man after man nas tackled the
job, met the Octopus, and had to
quit. .
Eight different surveys have
been made to build as many roads
into that country, and as many
failures are written in the history
of Clackamas county.
Hope has sprung eternal, and
disappointments have followed
each other and the richest part
of Oregon yet lies out there in the t
sunshine, because the Octopus '
saw it first.
But a year and a half ago men
rose up and proposed to find out
if the Southern Pacillc had an ex
clusive privilege to build all the
railroads lh Oregon and forbid
all others to build.
Over 350 men Joined in the
movement farm, rs, b u si n e a s
men, professional , men, school
teachers, laboring men and they
have built a railroad to the Mola
lla country and it will be complet
ed in a few weeks.
The hopes of thirty years are
realized, the road is a certainty, .
but only the officials and the di
rectors of that road know under
what opposition and the obstac
les they have had to meet and ov-,
ercome blockades the Octopus
laid for them.
But this isn't here nor there.
What we are getting at is this:
Now that the road is an accept
ed fact, an absolute certainty,
and it has got. where even the
Southern Pacific can't stop it, we
llnd that now, lo and behold, an
other road will be built into the
Molalla. .1 believe it goes under
some other name than the South
ern Pacific, but that doesn't
change tho breed any.
When the farmers of the Molal
la offered the Southern Paoiflo all
kinds of help and encouragement,
when they offered them the cold
cash in the way of bonuses to
build nothing doing,
Now when the road is a cer
tainty, and the Octopus stands to
lose a part of the business that it
has for years forced the farmers
to bring to it now it is ready to
build railroads, to build them wKh .
out any help or enoouragement,
in fact to force them on tho farm
ers of Molalla.
There's the situation.
What aro you fellows going to
do about it?
Are you going to turn the other
cheek, or are you going to apply
Ihe amended proverb?
Are you going to say "We wel
come you, dear old Octopus. We
have waited 30 years for you. Our
business is yours. Come to it."
Or are you going to feel as the
farmer did, who was disappointed
in the answer to prayer?
'i'h ink it over fellows, and we
will talk of it some more later on.
Be Sandy, Sign Your Name
The Courier is glad to have any
man use its columns on any mat
ter of publio interest, but when it
comes to an article that casts
public or private reflection, and
which does not have the absolute
facts and figures to go with it,
don't ask us to bublish it under an
assumed name or without a sig
nature. You see that under these cir
cumstances you are asking us to
take a chance that you would n-.t
take, and just between you and
the editor, he can breed all the
worry that he cares to stand for
without taking on anv outside
ones.
And beside?, pefple do not go
very heavy on articles that are not
signed by thy writer. They ligore
that if he is honest he should
have the sand to go with it, or he
ntiould keeo in
Great olearanoe sale on all mil
linery. .Mies Cells Goldsmith. . . .