Undverslt Eugene, Ore Many take the Courier be cause they like it; many be cause they don't like it, but the P. M's receipts show that many' take it for some reason. The Courier has the largest sworn and undisputed circu lation in the Willamette Val ley it's a paper that's differ ent and a paper that's read. OREGON CITY., OREGON, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1915 Number 47 32d Year OREGON CITY CQURIEFi OFFICE SOD ENTIRE BUSINESS WILL BE TRANSFERED THIS WEEK E, R. BROWN IS NEW OWNER Frost Will Remain as Foreman Brown Will Leave City Probably there are not half a dozen business places in Oregon City for sale, but probably every last one of them could be bought. The Courier has not been for sale but it has been sold the entire prop erty, plant, building and the Roos residence. Possession will be given Saturday of this week. E. R. Brown of this city, for three years business manager of the En '.erprkc, has purchased the proper ty and will hereafter be omer and luaiager. It was simply a case where there was a price which would buy the paper and the. business. Mr. Brown paid the price, and the property is his. This paragraph tells the whole story. For a year Mr. Brown has been looking for a newspaper and job printing plant. He has investigated several properties in this state, but did not find any that suited so well as the Courier. Before coming to Oregon about three years ago, he had considerable experience with several eastern news papers, and he knows the newspaper game. As a business getter few can equal him, and he has held several important positions on. larger news, papers. As to his plans for the Courier's future, he has not completed them. The transfer of the business has been done suddenly and there has not been time to arrange the plans for the future, but doubtless the only change in the office force will be that of the editor. Last summer when the - Courier's handsome new building was complet ed, the owners, A. E. Frost and M, J. Brown, had little idea than in six months it would be the property of others. The new building was built on the substantial growth of the business Every year the business has mater ially increased until today it has a most substantial, dependable, profit able business. And such newspapers are the properties buyers look for. The price was paid, and that is all there is to it. Of the Courier's friends ' and enemies we can certainly state they have been of the positive classes. We have friends who would not wait to pull their coats, if we were in deep water, and we have enemies who would pull a life preserver out of reach, if they saw us swimming for life. They are actors in the newspaper play. Any newspaper that makes anything, makes both kinds and we have made both. But now when' we drop the pencil we believe we have far more friends than last week. By this we mean that the enemies are not personal but rather that they have disagreed with the newspaper, disagreed vigor ously and scrapped us all along the line. And to such we have not the least resentment.- We like 'em. We have run the Courier for three years past dead honestly the right way according to our understanding, No man ever slipped us a dollar Never a line in the paper has been in- influenced by a piece of gold. Friend' ship may have swayed us at times but a piece of money never. Sometimes we have gotten wrong, and when convinced, we have 'fessed up, and righted it. Some times no doubt we have been wrong but couldn't see it, hence stayed with it. But above all we have been honest and both owners feel that people give them credit for this one virtue at least In the past the Courier editor has owned and worked on several news papers in widely scattered states of the country, but he never left a news. paper and newspaper Mends with! the regrets that he will leave those in Oregon City. A. E. Frost, half owner of the Courier, and for over twenty years resident of Oregon City, will remain with the new firm, as foreman of the composing room. M. J. Brown is entirely undecided as to the future. He will leave in few weeks for a recreation trip thru California, into Mexico, taking in the expositions at San Francisco and San Diego on his return. He may locate in southern California or at Hous ton, Texas. Adios. Another Council Mixup One councilman says if the action of the Council that reduced Chief Shaw's salary doesn't hold, neither does the council action that increased it from $60 hold, and that $60 is his salary now. Fishing Bill Next Monday Again the vote on the bill to close the Willamette river to net fishing has been postponed in the senate un til Monday of next week. Both sides claim they are confident. NOT FOR PUBLICATION Criticism of a Local Minister who will be Surprised to eee it in Print We have had quite a deluge of re sponses to our requests lor inu cims on the Courier. The most of them have been direct, some of them flattering, and some of them anything but flattering. We have printed everyone received with out the change of a word. But here is one that didn't come direct. It was a plain enough crit icism, but the preacher who made it will no doubt be very much sur prised to see it in print, for he hadn't any idea or desire that it would be printed. - But we are more game in prim ing it than he was in saying it. February 2 this local minister was on a Portland bound car, sitting in seat with a lady of this city. Doubtless he did not take particu lar notice of the two ladies sitting in the seat ahead, and from force of habit he may have talked in a louder key than was necessary. In the course of conversation tne matter of a church announcement came up when the lady stated she had not seen it as she did not take either of the city papers, but was going to order one of them. "If you want to read all tne am of the city, you should subscribe for the Courier," advised our friend, the minister. "The editor writes what ever comes into his head without any thought of the consequences." And here we are proving his state ment. It came into the editor's neaa to write what this minister thought of the Courier, along with other criticisms. And the editor has an idea the reverend gentleman will size up the consequences of saying whatever comes into his head, and the next time he will look over the occupants nf the seat ahead and whisper his criticisms. A MIND PICTURE Snap Shot of an Indiana Editor of Man he Never baw Back in little ol' Indiana the Cour ier editor has a friend of several vears' standing who he never saw, Several years ago when the courier editor (then in the newspaper busi ness in New York) was writing de scriptive articles from the southwest, the Daily Republican at Rochester, Ind., printed the letters and later letters were exchanged between the newspaper men. Albert W. Bitters is the editor. The correspondence has always been carried on and out of it grown an acquaintance and sincere friendship between men who never saw each other and who never saw a likeness of each other. But the mind snaps the picture, Editor Bitters has a photo of the writer, and no doubt has it framed- as we have his. And later on we will exchange. In connection with the travel let ters we wrote for the Republican, Editor Bitters made up a pleasing little story and presented the follow ing picture of M. J. Brown. When Mrs. M. J. sees her husband as a "red-headed stout-built man," Albert W. Bitters had better keep away from Oregon. But here is the photo, You judge how close he hit it, with the red hair and beef taken out: "We have never met Brother Brown, nor seen his portrait, but we assume his characteristics in a degree of psychometric observation, and when at night we close our eyes for rest, after "now I lay me," fain can be seen the measure of his identity in a man about five feet seven inches tall, rather stout build, with a rotund ity common to happy-go-lucky jokers, hair dark red. right arm given to shaking with Tom, Dick and Harry. He is a natural follower of the quaint and curious, humorous, ludicrous and ridiculous, despises hypocrisy and adores virtue. We judge him to be an admirer of winsome women, but a lover of his wife and a typical daddy for his kids. Not much given to spiritual fervor, but practices the cardinal principle of nature s relig ion, "Do unto others as ye would that others should do unto you." tie is not prone to taking the ipse dixit of priest or preacher, but is endowed with the mentality of the Missourian who has to be shown. His likes and dislikes are marked to a distinct de gree. He thinks more of a dog and gun than of Shakespeare, but lives in harmony with the beautiful as ex pressed in flowers and plants and animate life in evolution from prim itive to modern form. He is aggres sive and progressive (but detests a Bull Moose) and is a business booster worthy the citizenship of a city of a million population. He is char itable, generous almost to a fault, happy in well doing and has a rest less bug in his bonnet which induces wanderlust. Being a mixer he still likes seclusion, where he can "draw within himself," commune with the silence and draw inspiration for his pen out of the realm of the unbeaten path and this is our mental picture of M. J. Brown, and well bet a cop per coin with a hole in it that his wife will endorse this character read ing at long range. TRIG TO STAND 0 PETITIONS FOR BONDS AND CAMPAIGNS AGAINST THEM A STORY OF INCONSISTENCY Mr. Starkweather's Amusing Contor tions on Matters of Road Building The Bible, Ayar's almanac, or ,. -j it :i. some otner recognized uuuiumy, once defined consistency as a jewel, and the man who carries around these jewels in considered "some chicken." Webster defines consistency as a state of harmony between things can exist in the same system, or of state ments that can be true at the same time. Now the question we want readers to decide is whether or not Harvey G. Starkweather is a jewel or not In last week's Courier he, in a roundabout way, connected the Cour ier editor with Ananias, because ot a statement he made about the taxes of the river road between here and Portland. Now Ananias wasn't the only old scout in Bible times "that got in bad There was another geek named Judas, who wasn't very popular with certain faction of the people along about crucifixion time. Judas was a double-crosser. . He was out for the thirty pieces of silver and further than this he wasn t con. sistent. One day he was the hard-working secretary of the national committee that was standing by the Saviour and the next night he was sneaking over to the Bull Moose faction and agree ing to sell out for the coin of the realm, and a job on the side if the killin? went through according to program. This illustration is perhaps a little far fetched to apply to the river road and Harvey G. Starkweather, but it is dragged in to show our friend down the line that Mr. Iscariot would be aitout as envious of his double-crossing, on road matters as would Ananias of the Coruier editor in beating him at the lying game. And then, too, inconsistency is a half brother to treachery, and they both live on the same side of the same street. Harvey G. Starkweather is a pretty good sort of a scout. He's a man of good judgment, a , likeable, polished all-'round good fellow. But before he began to steer the politics and policies of the county Grange and try to make the Grange sav it favored having each road dis trict keep all its money and build its own roads, he should have taken his consistency out of the closet and polished it up a bit. Here are the several positions we believe Mr. Starkweather has taken on road matters. Size them up from the point of consistency and see how many jewels he has. Until the mam roads in his dis trict had been built, there is nothing on file to show but what he consider. ed the present general fund .system was the only real way to buildroads After the river road had been fin ished and the general fund had con tributed to its expense, then he in troduced a resolution to have each district keep its own money and build its own roads, and goes on record as advocating the policy of each district being a community unto itself a sort of a close communion society Now a few months ago there came up a . proposition for Clackamas county to bond itself to' build about 100 miles of hard surfaced road the expense to be paid for by the WHOLE county (not by the districts the roads would traverse.) In view of Mr. Starkweather'! recent action you would naturally think he would have , opposed the bonding scheme right from the jump and that he would have favored that each district pay for its own paved roads by its own taxation, Did he? Well, go to the Court records and see if you don't find his name AT THE HEAD OF THE PETITION for the bonding proposition for paved roads in certain districts to be paid for by GENERAL COUNTY TAXA TION. But this isn't quite all. Let's read another chapter in con. sistency, while we're at it During the bonding campaign. which was voted down. Mr. Stark weather was generally known as be ing opposed to the bonds. In fact he went out with State Grangi Master Spence and campaigned against the proposition AFTER HAVING SIGNED THE PETITION FOR THE BONDS. Now isn't this flip-flopping some Summarized, we have this state ment: Mr. Starkweather passive to the general fund system until his district gets its main roads completed. Mr. Starkweather offering Grange resolution that each district pay for its own roads hereafter, Mr. Starkweather signing a pe- tition calling for a county bond issue for roads. Mr. Starkweather out campaign ing against the bonding scheme he petitioned for. If this record doesn't put tnat gentleman as near Mr. J. Iscariot as the Courier editor is close to Ananias, then we'll buy. Just a Suggestion There is nothing more lonely than the tick of a clock in a store that does not advertise. This observation made as a suggestion to two or three Main street business places to remove their clocks. Starting Off Good We dropped into Treasurer Dunn's office Monday to see if the war panic scare had stopped tax collections en tirely, but the records showed that the receipts of the first week far exceed the first week of 1914, so the chances are Clackamas county will be solvent for 1915. During the first six days of 1914 $4,334.46 were collected. The same period this year gathered in $7,891.07. ... A Lawyer, but Dead Right Senator Dimick has hold of the lght idea in his senate memorial to congress, asking that the postal sav ings deposits, now loaned to private banks at two and one-half per cent, be used as a basis for the formation of a rural credit system for the farmers of the country. There is no good reason why these funds should not be loaned on real estate at the same rate they are loaned to banks, but it is rather un usual to see a lawyer senator advo cating it. The resolution passed the senate Wednesday. Suicide at Gladstone Mrs. Katie Wines, a widow of Gladstone, killed herself at her home Saturday afternoon, by taking car bolic acid. She was unquestionably deranged and had threatened to com mit suicide. Coroner Hempstead made an examination and pronounced death as a result of carbolic acid. Mrs. Wines had lived at Abernethy for many years, moving to Gladstone after the death of her husband. A son was born to Mr. and Mrs. Charles Bollinger Saturday night of last week. Waiting and Hoping Tire Last week it was given out that all that was needed to complete the government deal for the canal kcks here was the signature of some Washington dent in the pan. Haven t heard whether he has had time enough in the past two weeks to sign his name, but the chances are if he has, the matter will have to be taken up in congress and a commis sion appointed to determine if the signature is genuine and to lnvseti- gate whether the t's were all crossed with a uniform slant. Three and a half years ago our people were jubilant over telegrams received " from Washington that the $700,000 deal had gone through. Now the steenth announcement that the final details are about com plete does not even create interest. Which Merchant is Game? A dealer in Oregon City made the statement a few days ago that he did not think the people read the ad vertising. We think they DO read it. Whether reading it is profitable to the advertiser depends entirely on the advertiser and the ad. he prints. Some merchants have paid good money for space in this paper in the last three months that did not make a dollar. Not because the people did not read it, but because they did not believe it. But to prove to doubting mer chants that people DO read the ads., we would like the permission of any skeptic to write an ad. for him, not to exceed an inch in space, set in the smallest type we can find in the of fice, and put it in the most obscure place in the Courier we to furnish our own copy for the ad. Are you game, Mr. Merchant? May we show you? Why This Flip-Flopping? The state senate has had too many changes of mind during the present session to look just right to the fel low in the audience. The Courier has every week dur ing the session related instances of where the senate has stood on its feet one day and on its head the next where they have almost unanimous ly passed a resolution only to recall it a few days later and almost unan imously kill it. January 25 the senate passed the resolution by Senator Kathryn Clarke to put the proposition on the next state ballot giving the governor power to remove sheriffs, district attorneys and other officials who fail to do their sworn duties. Last Monday the senate recalled this resolution and killed it forbade the people to pass on the matter. Such actions lay that body open to strong suspicion by many sus picions that outside influences have brought about these many changes of mind. But take it. You voted for it last November. May you have all you voted for. The Big Railroad Dance At Busch's hall, Saturday night, February 20. Come to tho railroad celebration and finish the day at the dance. WATER FOR MARCH! WEST LINN WILL VOTE ON THE SAME; DATE WHY PROJECT SHOULD CARRY Best Proposition City will Ever Have to Get Mountain Water Oregon City will vote on the ques tion of a gravity mountain system of water March 3rd. West Linn will also vote on the same date. The resolution passed the council Tuesday night with but one dissent ing vote. For about nine months the mem bers of the water commission have been working almost steadily on the project, and no proposition was ever presented to the city in a more com plete way. It is not a matter of guesswork. There are no loose ends. Every minute detail has been figured out. If the proposition carries the appro priation will complete ,the undertak ing to the last detail, and many who have been in the work declare that it will not take the sum asked for; that allowances have been made for al most every possible, but not probable, emergency. Here are some of the men wno have worked out the big problem, and who will next week present to the people 'the actual cost in dollars and cents that consumers will have to pay for the mountain water. There will be figures that may be absolutely banked on and we be lieve they will be a pleasing surprise to the people. William Andresen, Ernest Rands, B. T. McBain, Dr. L. A. Morris, W. S. U'Ren, Dr. Hugh Mount, L. L. Porter, Dr. J. A. van Brakle, L Stipp, M. D. Latourette, W. A. Dimick, C Schuebel, W. A. Long, William Sher han, Don Meldrum and John V Loder. Thflnft men have nut no end of work and considerable personal cash into this water proposition. Every man has ability, and the proposition that will be presented to the people March 3 is the outcome of hard-head, ed work, practical business and s proposition that will stand against any opposition. Now it is up to the people to ren der a verdict of whether we shall continue the present water system and take the chances, or whether we shall put in a gravity system that will furnish the best water that ever came from mountain springs. The proposed pipe line will last for 75 years, and long before its limit the bonds will have been paid and no doubt our people will be get ting a water rate of 50 cents. The system will have a capacity of 9,000,000, water sufficient for 30,000 people. Only one-third of this capacity will be used by Oregon City and West Linn with their present population, and we will have 6,000,000 gallons to sell and for future growth. Estacada stands ready to nego tiate for a supply for that city, and the Courier is in receipt of letters from the Progress and other business men wanting to take the matter up with the commissioners and arrange for a contract if the proposition carries. With this great reserve supply every home along the right of way could be supplied with water, and we believe this one matter is of far greater importance to the settling up of the county than many realize. When a family can do away with the dug well and the bucket, and have the conveniences of running water and the bath, there will be far more five and ten acre tracts put under cultivation. As to Oregon City, as firmly as we believe that manufactories make cities grow, do we believe that this mountain water will be a dollar and cents investment to the city that we will get back far more in growth and increased property values than we will pay out in increased water rates. We believe the proposition is a busi ness asset, one we will lose out on if we refuse it, and one that will contin ually come back to us until we accept it. In the past three years Oregon City has been advertised throughout Oregon on account of its water supply- City drinking fountains have been closed; the public drinking fountains in the schools have been closed general orders have been given o'-t for the people to boil the water he fore drinking and we have had two serious epidemics of typhoid fever. These matters have gotten into the press dispatches and have been spread over the whole state, and Ore gon City's dangerous water is known far and near. Many people would not come here on this account if given a home, and many a family has moved away on this account. The Courier can give you a list of them. And the same dispatches would announce that Oregon City had shak en off its hoodoo, if the water propo LECTION sition carries, and that the city would have the finest water system in all Oregon, Portland not accepted. From the point of future growth, added values to property, present safety in fact from any angle you may take, it does seem the people would sustain the proposition. West Linn will pay one third of the expense if the proposition carries March 3. Five years from now, three years, two years, she will not, for she will have Bull Run water. And five years from now, three . 1 .. .. - !! years, two years, tnis matter win come up again, keep coming up, until we solve it. We have GOT to have pure water. It's a question of time, and time will be mighty expensive to Oregon City after West Linn has put in its own pure water. We want to drive this fact into your dome. Just as surely as big and little apples grow in Oregon West Linn is going to have a water system, BE CAUSE SHE'S GOT TO HAVE IT. The big car shops are going to be located there; a city is going to be built up over there. Water is the ONE proposition that holds them back. West Linn is Oregon City proper. Only a suspension bridge makes a distinction. What booms one side booms the other, for all is one city. But if West Linn Bhould procure Bull Run water and Oregon City stayed by the Willamette sewer source, then there would be a division that would be more than a distinct ion, that city would then have an as set that would NOT boom both cities, but an advantage that would cost this city of renters mighty dear, for other things considered equal ' the renting people would very soon go to the pure water side of the river. Everything considered, it does not seem possible that the proposition could be turned down. Pocketbook reasoning alone should carry it. All kinds of rumors of excessive cost of water under the gravity sys tem are being circulated in the city. It doesn't cost much for water to run down hill. There does not have to be expensive pumping plants, fil tering plants and chemical plants and pay rolls when the,system is install ed. Next week wa will show you what Che water will cost; will give you figures you can't get away from, and we believe they will make converts 6f many men and women who do not' now thoroughly understand the mat ter. ', BIGGEST THE, E E OREGON CITY WILL ENTERTAIN COUNTY FEBRUARY 20 Saturday of next week, February 20, there will be a county celebration in Oregon City, and the committee proposes to make it a big one. It is a sort of a jollification or celebration of the completion of the W. V. S. railroad, and Oregon City invites the whole county to come here and have all kinds of a good time, as guests of Oregon City, and the good time will be free to all. Plan to take a day off a week from Saturday and come to this city. A splendid program of entertainment has been prepared, which will be add ed to, and you will have an enjoy able time. The first trains over the Willa mette Valley Southern will come in at 10 o'clock and will be met by the Oregon City Moose band and 100 business men. Mayor Jones will de liver a speech of welcome. The par ade at 10:45 o'clock will be the feature of the morning session and the concerts and speeches in the af ternoon. Three bands have been secured: the Oregon City Moose band, tho Mo lalla and the Mt. Angel organizations. The Willamette Navigation company, the -woolen mills and tho Hawley Pulp & Paper company have co-operated with the committee and the visitors will be conducted through the plants and given a ride to the falls. The formal events of the day will end at 4:15 o'clock in tho afternoon when the farewell reception will be given at Fifteenth and Main streets. The complete program follows: 10:00 Arrival trains over Willa mette Valley railway. Address of welcome, by Mayor Jones. 10:30 President G. B. Dimick of Willamette Valley Southern railway will pull the golden spike at Fifteenth street, and present the same to the may or of Mt. Angel. 10:45 Headed by Moose band pa rade will march as follows:: 1 Moose band. 2 Autos with distinguish ed visitors. 3 Oregon City business men. 4 Mt. Angel band. 5 Mt. Angel visitors. 6 Molalla band. 7 Molalla visitors. 8 Clackamas county citi zens, etc. (Cntinued on Page 10 VERYBODY 1 m E SCHUEBEL AND TERRIL GO IN TO THE OVEN CAUSTIC REPLY TO LETTERS Says if Schuebel was in Heaven he Would Start Something Editor Courier: I see in last week's Courier the irrepressible Bob Schuebel has broken out again in a new spot. Bob has these bad spells every little while, and I am wondering if we hadn't better try to do something for him before the wheel house at Salem gets him. Robert of Eldorado wants the dis-. trict attorney to be more lady-like in prosecuting his cases. He would have him do the Alphonso and Gas ton stunts, would have him open his examination of witnesses with "How ard's Rules of Etiquette" and close with the Lord's prayer that is Robert's style you know, he is al ways so considerate of his words and grammar. Robert of Eldorado and Farmers' Society of Equity wants his brother to be the next district attonrey hence his letter, and if his brother was nominated and elected I will bet the pair of pants I wear that Brother Bob would start out with a recall be fore he had held office a year. The Lord himself couldn't run the county to suit Bob. Nothing ever did suit him, nothing ever will, not over 15 minutes at a time. No matter which department of the hearafter catches Bob (and there isn't much doubt of which) he will start something. If he SHOULD by any chance get into heaven he won't Btay there over thirty days. He would propose some scheme of lining up the ..' country against the city and he would have to be fired out to prevent' tho over throw of the government. j . If he went to hell he would want to change the furnace system and see if he couldn't line up a corner on the brimstone supply. , If he couldn't put the deal over he would send a wire less down to the Oregon City Courier and raise hell witH things. Robert is not "hooked up right there is emery powder in his gears, the friction irritates him and he irri tates the public. He never could stand unhitched over three minutes at a time and then It would need three to watch him. In the recall election he was one of the boss noise makers up until it was clear the re call was going to carry and then he shifted over to the other side just to argue with himself. He can't even agree with himself but a few days at a time. Robert should be referended. He is becoming very much of a joke. A year or two ago it was announced he was going to Mexico to live, and just as the people of the county had made arrangements for a ratification meet ing he changed his mind and remain ed at home just to spite them and disagree with himself. I am going to write to Senators Chamberlain and Lane and see if there isn't some appointment in Mex ico, full of danger, that he could be appointed to, and then if the people of the county would hold a big protest meeting against the appointment, Bob would take it to spite us. Then if he could only be landed by boat on the extreme southern point of lower California, Clackamas county would have -a rest until he could walk home. I don't know Mr. Terrill. Per haps he knows what he is writing about, but does he think it is the duty of the county attorney to bring every petty matter to trial or every heresay kid antic before the grand jury? If so, how about the expenses to the people of the county? Wonder if he wants to pay any more taxes if he pays any, and I'll wager my shoes he doesn't We would have our courts busy if every little infraction of the law was brought to trial, and the Courier recently stated that it cost $100 a day to run the circuit court. About the Hill murder case, it has been printed and not denied that the county court signed a contract with the detective to pay him a certain amount to investigate the murder. When his bill was presented the dis trict attorney approved it for pay ment. They both say that the detec tive has fulfilled his contract by pro ducing valuable evidence in the case. Now what would Mr. Terrill have the district attorney do ? Would he have him approve the court's action in making the contract and then fight that contract in the courts? Would he have the county attorney do' Robert Schuebel stunts of changing his position every 30 days? No man who wants one of the foulest crimes cleared up could ever object to the action of a district attorney in taking any means to clear it up. Probably Mr. Terrill is peeved because he wasn't selected as the Burns' detec tive to unearth the crime. .' Give us a rest you agitators. Don't try to pile more expenses and trouble on the country give old Clackamas a breathing spell. ' Common Sense Justice. AD ROASTS