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0E1SG0M CITY COU
33d Year
OREGON CITY, OREGON, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 1915
Number 34
MORE ABOUT TAXES
County Judge Anderson Sees Breakers
Ahead for School Districts
General county taxes in Clackamas
county will not be any higher this
year than last, according to the latest
estimate of County Judge Anderson,
who has been busy this week with the
budget. While it is true that 1916
will see two elections and a complete
registration, it is believed that the
3.2 mill levy of last year will be suf
ficient to cover this; as there will be
no county census to take this year,
which alone will result in a saving of
$3,000. Other reductions in expenses
will be made, and the budget as pre
pared by the county court will be
ready next week. It will be publish
ed in the Courier.
While the general taxes will be no
higher, County Judge Anderson fore
sees grief for some of the school dis
tricts, however. Under the new law
by which pupils in non-highschool dis
tricts may attend standard high
schools at the expense of the district
in which they reside, there will be
needed about $25,000 to pay these, tu-J
itions. And Judge Anderson thinks
that these non-highschool districts
will have to levy a special tax of about
a mill to make up this fund.
There are about 400 pupils in the
county that will have to be cared for
in this way. Of these 400 pupils, 84
go to highschools in Portland, where
the tuition charged is the highest of
any in the state. Portland demands
of its non-resident highschool stu
dents $77.20 a year and the districts
from which these pupils go will have
to "pay the freight." Just as a con
trast to the sum demanded by Port
land for tuition, it may be said that
the standard highschool at Molalla
only asks $45 a year for its non-resident
pupils of which it has 39.
Judge Anderson says the county
court is also considering a pecial tax
for bridge buifding, and that District
Attorney Hedges has asked for a
special appropriation to take care of
the enforcement of the new prohibi
tion law effective January 1.
LAWSUIT IS GIFT
County Seat Presented with Case in
Supreme Court by Latourette
At a special council meeting Wed
nesday evening Mr. Templeton, speak
ing for C. D. Latourette, offered to
present to the county seat a perfect
ly good lawsuit in the supreme court
of the state of Oregon, and the coun
cil accepted the gift.
"In regard to this jitney ordi
nance," said Mr. Templeton, rising at
the end of the meeting, "I want to
say this. Leading attorneys tell me
that our old ordinance should be ap
pealed from the decision against it
given by Judge Bagley in the recent
case in the circuit court; as they be
lieve that the ordinance is good and
will stand review. Such an appeal
will cost money, but it will not cost
Oregon City one cent, and I move you
therefore, that the-city attorney be
empowered by this council to appeal
the case."
City Attorney Schuebel said that
Mr. Latourette would guarantee all
expenses connected with such an ap
peal, and would handle the case. "I
will not appear personally in the case''
said he, "but my name will appear on
the docket. Mr. Latourette thinks an
appeal will result favorably to the
city; but I have no such confidence in
the proceedings.''
Mr Templeton's motion was second
ed by Mr. Metzner, and the council
voted affirmatively. So the original
Oregon City jitney ordinance will go
before the supreme court and next
Monday Oregon City will start an
other one on its merry way.
ELEVATOR OPEN SOON?
Mayor of County Seat Promises that
Lift Will Run This Month
Mayor Linn E. Jones, of Oregon
City, has issued an official edict to
the effect that the municipal elevator
will be in operation before the end of
November, and that people will be car
ried to the top of the bluff on it free
of charge. The people of the county
seat voted $12,000 bonds for the ele
vator about three years ago.
Since that time the elevator has
been a source of toil and trouble and
some ribaldry; but according to the
mayor its useless days are now draw
ing to a close, and the big tower will
start in active service to the commun
ity in short order. Pipe to furnish
hydraulic power to the lift has been
secured, and under the direction of
City Engineer Miller all valves and
gearing are being installed. It is
said that all legal hitches have also
been untied, and that nothing now re
mains to keep the big lift from operat
ing. Our Own Opinion Is Similar
The Industrial News Bureau and
Manufacturer, 215 Oregonian building,
which is mailed at Salem, seems to
have cut the Herald off its mailing
list, apparently, presumably because
the Herald could not be hoodwinked
into publishing its "ready made" edi
torial corporation fallacies, and giv
- ing its readers a lot of untruthful
rot. The Herald was very glad to
publish its Industrial News Service,
but at the manufactured editorial
truck the Herald drew the line. My
editorial columns are little trinkets I
want to play with myself. No stand
pot Oregonian corporation dope goes
here. See? (Columbia Herald, Coul-ton.)
"JIT" SKELETONS
RATTLE MONDAY
COUNCIL TO ATTEMPT SECOND
REGULATORY ORDINANCE
ON FIRST OF WEEK
CHRIS SCHUEBEL WILL HELP
Movement on Foot to Have Session a
Secret Affair, but Mayor Says
Public Must Be Admitted
Oregon City will rattle the jitney
skeletons in the council chamber next
Monday night at half past seven, and
there is every outlook for one of the
most entertaining sessions of the city
fathers that ever has been staged.
This much was settled last Monday
night, when at a special council meet
ing Mr. Meyer got up and spilled the
beans all over the table.
The council had just indulged in
a twenty-minute wrangle over the
proposed improvement of Tenth street
when Councilman Meyer rose and said
he was laboring under some consider
able embarassment.
"I find that I am the chairman of
a committee entrusted with a very
important matter,'' he said, "and I am
placed in a very embarassing position
by the action of the other two mem
bers of my committee, who refuse to
have anything to do with the thing
that is before us. The other members
of the committee will not help me, and-
as I do not feel that I can draw a
jitney ordinance alone, I ask to be
excused from further service in the
matter."
While the council and spectators
were still laughing at this statement,
Councilman Templeton leaped to his
feet.
- "Mr. Mayor," he shouted, "there
seems to. have been a grave misun
derstanding in this matter. The jit
ney ordinance was never intended to
:pme before the council in the form
;t was introduced last meeting. If I
had been here it would never have
appeared in that form, but in my ab
srtce someone slipped. I move you
that the ordinance be taken from the
hands of the finance committee and
be referred back to the city attor
ney." Mr. Metzner seconded the motion;
but the Honorable Christian Schuebel
would not have it so. Arising in his
place he protested violently.
"Gentlemen, there ias been more
or less of what I call buncombe about
this jitney matter,'' he said. "There
had been so much, in fact, that some
people soem to be afraid of all jit
ney legislation just because the pa
pers have said that a corporation was
back of the plan. Now the jitneys
have come to stay, they are a benefit
to the people. But at the same time
they should be regulated, the public
should be safe-guarded, and it is only
fair that a reasonable regulatory or
dinance should be drafted, and that
the city should get a reasonable
amount of revemle from the jitneys.
But I object to framing any ordinance
myself, particularly as regards the li
cense fee that shall be charged. I
think this is a matter that the, coun
cil should do itself, either in commit
tee of the whole or by a special com
mittee appointed for that purpose.
Many of the jitney men are willing to
pay a reasonable fee only the other
day P was talking to the man who
owns the Van Auken jitney, and he
said he would be willing to pay three
dollars a month."
Councilman Albright said that he
saw wisdom in the words of the city
attorney, and said that he believed the
council as a whole should draw up and
sanction any jitney ordinance.
Councilman Cox moved that Mon
day night next be devoted -to fram
ing a jitney ordinance, and Council
man Metzner seconded this motion.
Mr. Templeton withdrew his motion,
and the Cox plan went through unan
imously. "You have a very good skeleton on
which to work in that ordinance," said
Mr. Schuebel and so it was settled
that the jitney skeleton would be rat
tled again on Monday. Councilman
Templeton expressed the hope that the
meeting would be one of executive
session, and also wanted all the copies
of the ordinance turned over to him
at once.
Efforts to have the jitney ordi
nance "framed" in starchamber ses
sion will be supported by some of the
councilmen, who don t want the pub
lie to know how they stand on the
matter; but Mayor Jones says that
the jitney question is one that vitally
effects the citizens and the public in
general, and declares that there will
be no more secret sessions if he can
avoid it.
The jitney ordinance which the Hon.
Christian Schuebel referred to as
very good skeleton" is a little thing
some nine long pages in length. It
was drawn in the offices of Portland
attorneys, and was brought to Oregon
City by a trusted employee of the
Portland Railway, Light & Power
company. As Mr. Templeton so truly
said, "someone slipped,'' and the or
dinance got into open council meet-
(Continued on Page 8)
YEGGS FEEL AT HOME
Clackamas County "Easy Graft," Ac
cording' to Word Passed Along
A cheap yegg wandered down the
Southern Pacific tracks the other
night, and passing through Clackamas
Station, decided he would investigate
the grocery stores for a chance to
"mooch" some eats. Prying at the
lock of W. F. Haberlach's place, he
disturbed the proprietor, who happen
ed to be inside. Mr. Haberlach called
out, asking what the man wanted;
and the yegg drew his "gat" and
plugged a slug through the window.
The 1ullet missed Mr., Haberlach by
but a few inches.
Last week chronicled four robber
ies in Oregon City and Gladstone,
three of which bear unmistakeable
signs of having been the work of pet
ty crooks who follow the railroad
lines. Both Oregon City and Glad
stone are on. the main line of the
Southern Pacific. Within a fort
night depots at Canby, Barlow and
Milwaukie, also on the line of the
Southern Pacific, have been entered
by hobo yeggs, and "cheap robberies"
have been pulled off. Farmers all
along the line report the countryside
infested with "moochers, who drift
up from the railroad routes of travel
and threaten women until they get a
handout.
This is the time of the year when
the yeggs in the north strike out for
the south. Probably the word has
been passed among the ragged broth
erhood that the peace officers of this
c.ounty are not to be feared, and so
the gntlemen of the road are stock
ing up here or attempting to for
their journeyings. A real live sheriff
in the sheriff's office with live and ac
tive deputies, would discourage such
proceedings.
Relative to the robbery of the three
railroad stations in this county, Mr.
Wilson, who works in the sheriff's
office with Mr. Hackett, says he
hasn't heard a word." Relative to
the shooting at the Haberlach store,
Mr. Wilson "investigated the case but
could find no clues."
What did Billy expect? Did he
suppose the yegg was going to leave
his card after taking a shot at a citi
zen that the sheriff was supposed to
protect?
All correspondents kindly send their
full addresses, as we wish to supply
you with new stationery.
YOUNG MAN ADVANCED
Clowe Application to Work Is Reward
ed by Gift of High Position
Lloyd Riches, who formerly gather
ed items of news value for the Port-
and Journal, in Oregon City, has been
placed in complete charge of the lead
ing afternoon Democratic paper in
Oregon. This advancement is prob
ably "due to Mr. Riches' close atten
tion to business during the" hours
when he has not been appearing on
the local stage as the favorite lead
ing man of the younger set.
Formal announcement of the ad
vancement that has been given' Mr.
Riches has not yet been made by those
in charge of the Journal; doubtless
because the powers that be. desire to
let Mr. Jackson get another job be
fore telling the world that he has been
replaced by a younger man. But the
secret got out in Salem last week,
and the Capital Journal gives us the
news. The Capital Jaurnal gives a
list of editors attending the meeting
of the State Editorial Association as
follows, and lets the cat out of the
bag:
The following EDITORS reg
istered to-day at the convention:
Fred C. Baker, Tillamook
Headlight, Tillamook.
Lloyd Riches, Oregon Journal,
Portland.
E. H. .Woodward, Newberg
Graphic, Newberg.
Mr. and Mrs. Phil D. Bates,
Pacific Northwest, Portland.
The Courier is glad to be able to
congratulate Mr. Riches upon his ad
vancement to the editorial chair of
the Journal, and will watch eagerly
for improvement in that paper.
YOUTH IS KILLED
Grays Crossing Boy Shoots Self in
Neck 'While on Rifle Range
Joseph in or burg, wno lives near
Grays Crossing, and whose family has
a ranch between that point and Clack
amas, was killed almost instantly
Wednesday afternoon at the state
rifle range at Clackamas by the dis
charge of a .22 calibre rifle he was
carrying.
Norburg, who was an employee of
the Hazelwood Creamery in Portland
injured his left hand some days ago,
and had been unable to use it. Go
ing to the rifle range with a boy com
panion Wednesday afternoon, he was
searching for unexploded shells, and
was stooping over to pick them up
with his uninjured hand. Over his
shoulder he was carrying a small
rifle. It is believed that while stoop
ing to pick up a shell the weapon ac
cidentally was discharged, causing the
injury from which he died.
The youth was shot in the neck, the
bullet severing his jugular vein. He
ran 20 or 30 feet after the rifle was
discharged, and then dropped dead in
his tracks. The sheriff's office was
notified and deputies went to the
scene.
All correspondents kindly send their
full addresses, as we wish to supply
you, with new stationery.
-AT-HOME
SELL-AT-
CORRESPONDENT FINDS ROOM
FOR MISSIONARY WORK
BY THE LIVE WIRES
METHODS OF STORES RAPPED
Farmers Willing to Patronize County
Seat, Writer Says, if City Folk
Will Help the Countryside
Editor, Courier: In a recent issue
of your paper you published a piece
signed by Mr. Howard. As I believe
the majority of the farmers near
Oregon City, have had much the same
experiences, we should let our Live
Wire "Buy-at-home" friends know
there is a wide field of HOME MIS
SIONARY work for them to do, with
out coming out on our muddy roads.
.When a stranger enters a store,
walks back half way, and then has to
wait several minutes for the clerks to
finish their conversation before they
come to wait on him; or perhaps a
lady drives in front of a grocery store
and stops, the clerks or proprietor
see her, but do not come to wait on
her; or, if a farmer asks a grocery
man if he could use a few potatoes
the next mornin, the groceryman re
plies: "No, I don't engage produce
from the farmer. I just wait till one
comes along and can't sell his pro
duce, then I get it cheap." Or, if you
engage a crate of berries at a store,
the next morning when you take them
the groceryman tells you "he can't
use them, as he had some left over. '
Or, if at eight o'clock one ' morning
you engage two crates of berries at
$1.25 a crate, at 9 o clock you had the
berries at the store, the groceryman
told you that he could only give you
95c a crate, as he could get all he
wanted for that; or, if you had more
produce than you could dispose of to
the groceryman, some one came from
another town, put the price down,
most all the grocerymen took enough
from him to last them seeral days;
or, if you had a.beeve to sell, you
called a local butcher and he set a
time to come, but did not, you call
another butcher, he sets a time but
does not come, and after two weeks
of waiting you call him again, he tells
you that he does not Want it; he just
brought in a lot from Molalla. Now
don't you think you would buy where
you could save a few pennies?
It is amusing to see how interested
the Live Wires are in we bedraggled
farmers. Why didn't they take some
interest in us before they had auto
mobiles ? If we farmers are too
"shiftless" to know what is best for
us, let us alone in our blissful ignor
ance. When we want you to spend
a day along some of our creeks, or
tramping over our fields and gardens
hunting game, if the roads are too
muddy for you to come in your autoes
we will come after you.
Now the most scientific way of con
verting people is to let your light
shine among them, so take some of
your extra cash, come out and buy
some of our farms you can have
plenty to select from at just what is
invested in them live among us and
see if you can raise or sell enough
produce in Oregon City to pay any
taxes for good roads.
Now, Live Wires, you are all right,
and like us farmers a necessary evil;
so please remove the beam from your
own eye before trying to educate the
farmer.
Sincerely, a . "Buy-at-home," if I
could "Sell-at-home,''
G. E. KRUSE.
(Editor's Note: The Courier heart
ily appreciates the points made by the
writer of the above. And this is as
good a place as any other for the
Courier to express its stand in this
"Buy-it-at-home" campaign. The Coa
irer is in favor of HOME TRADE; it
believes every community should sup
port the merchants who have opened
stores therein. But by saying it is
in favor of "home trade," the Courier
does not mean that it is in favor of
buying in Oregon City.
The Courier thinks Oregon City
people should buy in Oregon City if
they Xan get equal service from their
merchants that they could get else
where. But the Courier knows of no
reason why people in Molalla, for in
stance, should buy in Oregon City if
they can get the same goods at the
same prices in Molalla. The Courier
believes that every town and the coun
try immediately around it should look
after its own. The Courier hopes that
Oregon City stores will appeal to the
people living m the Oregon City dis
trict; and it believes that Oregon City
stores should cater to these people
But the Courier also believes that
the same thing should be true of Mo
lalla, Sandy, Canby, Estacada and all
other county towns. This paper be
lieves that every community should
support its home merchants, and it
has always said so. If you live jn
Molalla and want something , go to
your Molalla store first, and see if you
can get it. If the Molalla merchant
doesn't carry what you want, or if
you think he is over-charging you
then come to the county seat and see
Gil!
HOME?
if you can get it, or get the service
CHRIS TELLS SECRET
Depends on Courier Whether He Will
Run for Office or Not
The Honorable Christian Schuebel
has finally come out of the brush and
declared his stand on the matter of
his candidacy for the republican nom
ination for district attorney. A Cour
ier reporter asked Chris Wednesday
whether it was true that he was go
ing to run.
"I don'tc are to say right now
whether I will run or not," answered
the Honorable Christian Schuebel.
"But I will say this: the surest way
to get me to run is for you and the
Courier to keep on roasting me and
attacking me. You'll find out that
I'm the worst kind of a fighting
Dutchman when it comes to a battle,
and if you keep on hammering me I'll
run just to show you that I can run,
and you'll have your hands full in
the fight, too.
"Last time I was elected to the leg
islature I had no more idea of run
ning that you have, but somebody
told me that I couldn't be elected if I
did run, and I made the race just to
show them. Now if the Courier
doesn't want me for prosecuting at
torney, the best thing you can do is
to keep still. If you keep on rapping
me as you have been doing, you'll
find me right in the front of the race,
and you'll know I'm there. I haven't
made up my mind yet whether I will
be a candidate or not; but the Courier
can make me one if it wants to.
The Courier has no particular de
sire to see the Honorable Christian
Schuebel glued to the public for any
further term of years; but in spite of
that fact the Courier will continue to
print the news about Schuebel, when
there is any, and to criticize him when
it believes that he deserves criticism.
COUNCIL LIKES EMERGENCY
Illicit Clause Tacked onto Two Ordi
nances by City Fathers
The county seat's official fathers
met in special session at five o'clock
Wednesday evening, and passed the
ordinance fixing the assessment of
Main street for the new pavement,
which cost $14,154. There is an emer
gency clause tacked to this ordinance.
Then the council passed through
first reading an ordinance fixing the
1916 tax levy at ten mills for general
purposes and half a mill for library
purposes. This will come up lor nnai
passage December 1, and it has an
emergency clause on it, too.
In spite of the fact that local at
torneys say that the supreme court
has ruled that no city council has he
right to place an emergency clause on
any ordinance, City Attorney Schue
bel, who drew the two ordinances,
says that the emergency clause will
not invalidate the ordinances, but
will merely be ineffective, and citizens
will have 30 days in which to file ob
jections to the ordinance so decorated.
The council also started on its way
an ordinance appropriating $300 for
the construction of the Mt. Pleasant
sidewalk; granted William Brother
permission to shift their gasoline tank
to the Elkhorn stables; and ordered
paid a bill of $3232.74 for the pipe
line and valve work for the operation
of the elevator. There has been only
$3150 appropriated for this work, but
the extra $82.74 will be drawn from
the general fund.
Mr. Schuebel also suggested that
the council ought to establish a sys
tem of book-keeping in the recodrer's
office, so that the condition of munici
pal finances could be determined at
the end of each month. This matter
was referred to the finance committee.
GASOLINE BURNS FATAL
Willamette Boy Dies as Result of In
juries Sustained from Flames
Assisted by Royal Poole, Terry
Barnes and Alvin Andrews, Andrew
Linquist, of Willamette, started to
clean his skates on Saturday, and used
gasoline to remove the rust and dirt.
In some manner matches got mixed
up with the gasoline, and in the re
sulting explosion young Lindquist,
who is 11 years old, was fatally burn
ed, dying from his injuries in the home
of neighbors on Monday.
When Lindquist's clothes first
caught fire he ran screaming into the
street, and only with difficulty was
overtaken by George Settje, who
wrapped cloaks and other things about
him to extinguish the flames. Ihis
treatment failed to save the lad, how
evr, and death followed later.
To Talk on Russia
Sunday evening the Rev. George
Nelson Edwards will deliver an illus
trated lecture on Russia, in the Con
gregational church. This lecture will
be another in the series which the pas
tor is giving on the several nations
that are concerned in the present war
in Europe.
you feel you ought to have. And if
you can't get what you want either
at home or in the county seat why go
to Portland, Seattle or the mail-order
house. THAT is the way to do busi
ness. And when the home merchant
finds that he is first being given the
chance to fill home orders, he will
make an effort to fill them.
That is the secret of BUY IT AT
HOME; and that is really what the
Live Wires are trying to say but like
all the rest of us, the Live Wires don't
always get their ideas out in the lan
guage that will convey the meaning
they have in their heads!
T
CANDIDATES
FOR MAYOR'S SEAT
LONG AND HACKETT, WHO ARE
BOTH MEMBERS OF PRES
ENT COUNCIL, IN RACE
BOTH LETTERS READ ALIKE
Courier Is Opposed To Free Ad
vertising, so Does Not Pub
lish Either One
W. L. Long and E. C. Hackett, both
members of the Oregon City council,
are still, at this writing, the only
candidates for mayor of the county
seat at the forthcoming election.
Councilman Long is serving his last
year in the city executive board, of
which he has been a members for
many terms. Councilman Hackett
still has a year to serve, if he does not
resign for the mayoralty fight. Both
candidates are running on a platform
of economy and independence as re
gards their actions, and both say they
favor issuig the refunding bonds to
control the city debt.
The Courier has been favored with
two communications from each of
these gentlemen, the communications
dealing with their candidacy. The
Courier has not printed these because
it believes, as the president of the
State Editorial Association said in
his speech at San Francisco, that it is
not the duty of any newspaper to act
as the pres3 agent of any political
candidate, particularly when there is
no great local question at stake. The
political press agent's day has passed
in the newspaper world, and so has
the day of the political letter writer.
In political affairs the Courier believes
in printing the news, and not much
more than the news. In the matter
of the mayoralty race in the county
seat, if there was some important lo
cal issue at stake, in which each can
didate took an opposite side, the Cour
ier might feel that the views of the
two candidates were "news" but as
they both appear to be running on
similar platforms, and as neither of
them are making at this time an ac
tive campaign, the Courier fails to see
that there is anything about them to
be chronicled beyond the plain state
ment that they are in the race.
'"- Before the campaign draws to a
close the Courier may feel called upon
to express some editorial opinions re
garding the relative merits of the
candidates as mayoralty timber; but
at this time it has nothing to say.
Both of them appear to have been sin
cere and earnest in their work in the
council, and both of them appear to
stand well as citizens of the commun
ity. EVERYTHING'S LOVELY
Fuss and Mutiny are Daily Expected
in County Scat Highschool
Judging from reports circulating
in the county seat there is a perfectly
lovely tempest in a tea-pot brewing in
the Oregon City highschool. During
the past week or ten days the school
directors have been holding frequent
meetings, and so have the pupils at
the highschool. Some of the boys
have threatened a "walk-out," and say
their parents will back them up in
their refusal to attend sessions under
present conditions. The chief difficul
ty appears to center over a wrangle
between two of the pedagogues; and
there is every indication that matters
will come to a head shortly.
If there is any place where perfect
harmony ought to prevail it would ap
pear to be in the school affairs of the
community. And it would further ap
pear that if any one person is re-
sponsible for the lack of harmony, his
duty would be to. step out. But "step
ping out" doesn't seem to be in vogue
in the highschool ruction, so there
may have to be some "throwing out
SCHUEBEL HAULS BEER
City Attorney Violates Jones Anti
Booze Ordinance Sunday Eve
The Honorable Christian Schuebel,
city attorney of Oregon City, noted
politician, friend of the common
people, and ardent prohibitionist, vio
lated the county seat's stringent anti
booze law Sunday night. Mr. Schue
bel put a ten-gallon keg of beer in
his automobile, and hauled it from
high up on the hill down to the heart
of the city. The beer was not duly
labeled or consigned, Mr. Schuebel did
not sign for it, nor is his automobile
a common carrier. He did exactly the
thine that a number of farmers have
done when they hauled beer and other
beverages through Oregon City, and
have been huskily fined for it.
Assisting Mr. Schuebel in the little
criminal excursion was Chief of Police
Shaw. It appears that Mr. Shaw dis
covered the keg of beer at a "party"
on the hill during the Sabbath even
ing, and sought means of transport
ing it to the city jail after he had
seized it. Mr. Schuebel volunteered
his auto, and so assisted in violating
the law. Mr. Schuebel is not a peace
officer, so had no legal right to act,
FIRE, AND SO FORTH
Did You Ever Chase the Red Glare
on the Sky in Kid Days?
Did you ever run to a fire in the
night time when you were a kid? Of
course you have and so you may ap
preciate this.
Wednesday night Oregon City's
fire alarm rang out the signal 43 sig
nal while ye scribe was pounding out
copy in the office. We called up the
sweet-voiced siren at the telephone ex
change and asked her where the blaze
was, and she told us it was at Six
teenth and Division. It being the day
before presstime, and we feeling am
bitious, we plunged out in the rain and
the night, and navigated to that point
nearest the hypothetical position of
Sixteenth and Division.
When we reached there we said
things about the aforementioned si
ren in the telephone office, and then
set our course nor'norwest for the red
spot on the sky that indicated the
general spot of the fire. Under forc
ed draft we plowed through the mud
and over the theoretical sidewalks
with which that part of the county
seat is equipped, and finally sliding
down a muddy lane we came to the
fire. In the muddy lane we collided
with Ex-Fire Chief Mike Long, and
Mike said:
"You might as well try to haul a
fire engine to Mt. Hood as to here.''
And so it appeared. On the way
to the fire we were passed by con
siderable of the county seat's aristoc
racy who were busily engaged in try
ing to make their Fords and second
hand Overlands negotiate the grade;
so we guess Mike Long was right.
The fire itself utterly consumed a
two-story dwelling that overhung the
Abernathy canyon, and that we were
told had been erected as an invest
ment by a foreigner lately come to
those parts. There was the usual
sadness about the fire crumbling
floors and walls, blazing heaps of ex
celsior that once had been the proud
stuffing of upholstered furniture, and
here, and there a disconsolate chicken
running around in 'the rain wondering
why daylight had come so soon again.
And there were small boys roasting
apples from a nearby orchard in the
cinders gathered from the house; and
also there were, girls standing about
telling each other how "sad and ter
rible" it was.
"BUY-AT-HOME' STUFF
Rousing Meeting is held in Rooms of
the Commercial Club
Friday night of last week they had
a rousing time in the rooms of the
Commercial club, when it was propos
ed "Buy It At Home" campaign was
given another push. Members of the
Live Wires, the Board of Trade and
just common people were there, and
they all started in their speeches with
demands for harnlony. The general
opinion of those ' present was that
when Oregon City stores offered mer
chandise of equal merit and of equal
price with other stores, it was the
duty of every patriotic citizen of the
county seat to trade at home.
Dr. II. S. Mount was among those
present, and also made a speech. Dr.
Mount said that the principal thing
with Oregon City was that there was
too much "knocking", going on, that
people ought to quit complaining
about their neighbors, and ought to
boost each other instead and also
buy at home. The doctor then paid
his respects to the local newspapers,
whom he charged with having entered
a conspiracy to suppress his name;
and later attacked two candidates for
mayor. One of them, he said, had
sent his son to a Portland hospital for
treatment, instead of sending him to
the Oregon City hospital; and the
other, he averred, had bought an auto
mobile through a Portland house.
Dr. Mount was later told that there
had been no conspiracy between the
local papers to suppress his name, and
was further informed that the candi
date for mayor who bought a benzine
buggy had ordered it in such a way
that a local garage had got a com
mission on it. To further the gener
al harmony, M. D. Latourette "jump
ed" on" the doctor somewhat, and
told him he was too ready to believe
what he heard, without investigating.
Yes, they had quite a harmonious and
boosting' time.
Complaint of a local baker that
two auto loads of Portland bread were
shipped into the county seat every day
brought forth the real response of the
evening; about 90 percent of the mar
ried men present promising to tell
their wives henceforth to buy only
Oregon City bread.
The "buy it at home" problem was
thoroughly discussed, and it is be
lieved that there will be a boom in
local commercial patriotism as a re
sult. Oil Tank Bursts
An oil ear, belonging to the South
ern Pacific, sprang violently aleak
Wednesday afternoon near Fourteenth
street, and a deluge of heavy fuel
oil poured onto the property of Joseph
Lynch and into the sewer at Four
teenth and Washington streets. The
sewer was soon clogged by the flood,
and the oil ran down to Main street,
where it filled the gutters with slimy
pools. Chief of Police Shaw was noti
fied, and sent in an emergency call
to the railroad people to hustle out
a crew to repair the damage.
All correspondents kindly send their
full addresses, as we wisih to supply
you with new stationery.