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About Oregon City courier. (Oregon City, Or.) 1902-1919 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 23, 1915)
4 OREGON CITY COURIER, OREGON CITY, OREGON, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1915. OREGON CITY COURIER Published Thursdays from the Courier in the Postoffice at Oregon City, E. R. BROWN, EDITOR AND PUBLISHER Subscription Price $1.50. Telephones, Pacific 51; THIS PAPER REPRESENTED FOR FOREIGN ADVERTISING BY THE GENERAL OFFICES NEW YORK AND CHICAGO BRANCHES IN ALL THE PRINCIPAL CITIES THE DIFFERENCE The final measure of all officers of the county must be taken by their promises or by their personal decla rations of their fitness for steward ship. While a large vote at election time may indicate that the people have confidence in this or that man, the size of the vote does not prove the worth of the officer. It is not un til after election that the judgment of the people can be verified; and it is practice, and not promising that show eventually whether or not an official has done his full duty. Seldom does it occur that a single incident will act as a measure of the ability and worth to the county of two officials; but last week something occurred in this county that shows without any vestige of a doubt the rel ative merits of District Attorney Gil bert L. Hedges and Sheriff William J. Wilson. This barometer of ser vice, this indicator of their efficiency, was the pleading guilty of Fritz Boy sen to the charge of selling liquor to minors in his resort at Milwaukie. When Mr. Boysen was indicted by the grand jury and arraigned his first plea was one of "not guilty." He made preparations to fight the charge against him, engaged counsel and probably looked over such witnesses as he might be able to summon in his defense. His counsel, in all proba bility, also looked into the case against his client as far as was possible, and after doing this evidently concluded that District Attorney Hedges had so well prepared the state's case that it would be folly to contest it. So the plea was changed to one of guilty. This change not only reflects much credit upon Mr. Hedges as a success ful and efficient county prosecutor, but it also enables Mr. Hedges to get justice done without the expense of witness fees and court charges that would have been brought on by a trial. It is an indication of the fact that District Attorney Hedges knew' his, business, did it, and did it so well and thoroughly that even Mr. Boysen's skilled attorney decided it would be futile to enter court and try to break down the district attorney's case. The action of defendant counsel shows that the district attorney did his full duty, and did it so thoroughly that ' there was left no loophole through which he defense might hope to crawl. - 'This same case, on the other hand, is a pluin indictment of Sheriff Wil liam J. Wilson. By pleading guilty to the indictment charging him with selling liquor to minors, Mr. Boysen admits that he violated the law. And this admission not only shows that there was law violation going on at a notorious resort in this county; but .hnfc t.fie sheriff failprl t.n di.qrnvpr these violations, that he did not do his sworn duty in seeing that the laws of Oregon were obeyed and fol lowed, and that for some unexplained reason he permitted violations in Mr. Boysen's resort. It might be said in extenuation of this that the sheriff could not be ex pected to be everywhere at once, and that the violations in the Boysen place occurred while he was elsewhere. But even the most staunch supporter of Sheriff Wilson will not attempt to plead such an excuse in his case. The Boysen resort has been freely ad vertised in the papers of this county and of Fortland. It has been known as a rendezvous for night characters. Other county officials have been in the resort front time to time and have seen what they believed to be viola tions of the law, and have told the sheriff about them. Sheriff Wilson has hud a deputy in ulmost constant attendance tit the Boysen resort, and this deputy must have seen things suspiciously like law violations from time to time. And In addition to this, Sheriff William J. Wilson, one of his deputies and a Courier reporter stood outsid the Boysen resort one night when an automobile load of young people drove up and unless the sheriff had unusual reasons for think ing these young people were merely going within to play the piano and to sing, he hud a chance to act at that tune on what was probably a violation of tho law. The attention of Sheriff William J. The Bank of Oregon City Wishes Merry Cliristmas and Happy New Year x x5 Building, Eighth Street, and entered Ore., as 2nd class mail matter Home A-51 Wilson has from time to time been called to the Boysen resort, by people in all walks of life. And when asked if he had investigated the place, the sheriff has dodged the issue by say ing that the Boysen resort was in the incorporated city of Milwaukie, that he had np jurisdiction there; and that if Milwaukie didn't care to act, it wasn't his place to butt in. This was a futile begging1 of the question, for the sheriff is empowered by law to make arrests on his own initiative within the limits of any incorporated city for just such a law violation as Mr. Boysen pleads guilty of. The sheriff can act in any case where he suspects liquor is being sold to minors; or on any occasion when he believes liquor is being sold on Sunday. Sheriff Wilson has been repeatedly told by the Courier that there were many automobile parties within the Boysen resort on Sunday. The sheriff was asked to "guess" what they were there for, and he "guessed they might be getting dinner." It was ap parent every time that Sheriff Wil son didn't want to molest friend Fritz, that he didn't want to investigate, and tha possible violations of the law didn't interest him. And now the sheriff has been hoist by his own petard. The grand jury took action where he didn't; Mr. Boy sen has pleaded guilty to the charge that tho grand jury preferred. The district attorney had such a perfect case against the defendant that his counsel preferred to enter a pea of guilty and take the punishiment of the court. The district attorney did his duty, the grand jury did its duty and what of the sheriff? What of the sheriff? His own an swer shows how he feels about it. He says he will be a candidate for re-, election. He has, the consumate gall to go before the people for another term, after being "shown up" in no unmistakeuble manner by "friend Fritz" entering a plea of guilty. If it wasn't so pitiful it would be funny. MAIL ORDER FRANKING Every now and then there comes along some example of the abuse of the congressional franking system that makes us sit up and take notice. Perhaps it is correct and proper that a member of Congress should be al lowed to use the mails without paying postage, for the average congressman has a lot of letters to answer. When it comes to sending broad cast "leave to print" speeches, there is doubt of the justification; but when the congressional frank and the mail order house get together anr both get busy at once, one must wonder just how far the bounds of propriety may be passed without bringing trouble. Some weeks ago the Courier re ceived, under the frank of Senator Duncan U. Fletcher, a copy of the report of the Hon. David Lubin on rural credits and national marketing organization. The copy of this re port came to the Courier as it did to all newspapers, and after being given an editorial n'u"ce was used to help kindle the office fire as are many other reports so received. And the activity of Mr. Lubin was forgotten, as far as this oflice was concerned. Last week, however, a woman read er of the Courier brought to this of fice two documents she had received through the mail. One was a mail order catalogue from Weinstock-Lubin & Co., of California. On this cata logue was the normal postage. The envelope bearing the catalogue bore on its face a peculiarly characteristic white stamp, on which the woman's name was stencilled. There was noth ing unusual about that. But in the same mail came also an envelope, in the upper righthand cor ner of which was the frank of Senator Duncan U. Fletcher, and in the upper lofthnnd coiner of which was the legend: "United States Senate, Pub lic Document, Free." And on the en velope was a characteristic stamp of white paper, with the Weinstock Lubin stencil on it carrying- the wo man's address. Within the envelope was a copy of the Lubin report which earlier had been sent to the Courier, Lm iso, within the envelope which 'was addressed to a WOMAN, was a you a a form letter that began "Dear Sir," and that ended "Very truly yours, Duncan U. Fletcher." No doubt Senator Fletcher thinks the Lubin report on rural credits ought to receive widec irculation, but it strivkes us as peculiar that this circulation should bes ecured through the United States mails under sena torial frank WITH THE ADDRESS LIST OF A CALIFORNIA MAIL OR DER HOUSE. The government had to pay for transporting this "mail matter," and it seems too bad that so little was thought about the scheme that the form letters sent with it o women should begin "Dear Sir." To say the least, this looks like gross carelessness on the part of the California mail order house that uses the frank of Senator Duncan P. Fletcher. WORTHY OF SUPPORT Included in the scope of his "pre paredness" plans, President Wilson has asked congress to authorize an increase in the United States Marine Corps of 1500 men. This is an in crease that is eminently proper, for probably no other branch of the na tion's military service does such con stantly excellent work as the Ameri can "soldiers of the sea." The Ma rines are Uncle Sam's national police men, and like the policemen of our cities, they not only preserve order when it is necessary, but they fully as oftenc arry first aid to the needy. The .Marine Corps is composed of as fine a lot of men as Uncle Sam can find among all his sons, and to have more of them will greatly benefit national affairs both at home and abroad. A brief summary of the history of the Marine Corps will show only IT'S The Mitchell Six of '16 Is a Man-sized Car room enough for the big fellows which means PLENTY of room- for the ladies IT HAS MAN-SIZED MOTOR-Snap, Life, Speed that moves your blood. A FINE CAR TO OWN because it is Serviceable and at the same time LIGHT in weight 2925 lbs. Call and see it W. J. Wilson & Co. Oregon City, Oregon or MITCHELL, LEWIS & STAVER CO., Portland, Oregon slightly the place its members have honorably held in our history; but it is a history of which every American may bo proud. The United States Marino Corps was authorized by the Continental Congress on November 10, 1775, and therefore has the distinction of being the oldest branch of the service. Lieutenant P. N. O'Bannon, of the United States Marine Corps, hoisted the first American flag ever flown over a fortress of the Old World, when Dome, a stronghold in Tripoli, was taken by assault on April 27, 1805. The first regulars who entered the fortress of t'hapultepee in Mexico City when it was taken by storm on September 1,1, 18-17, were the United States Marines under Major Levi Twigg. Under the command of Robert E. Lee, later the commanding general of the Confederate Army, the United States Marines captured John Brown at Harpers Ferry in 1859. A battalion of Marines under Cap tain John L. Broome occupied New Or leans upon its surrender and hoisted the American flag on thee ustom house on April 29, 1862. A battalion of Marines (G4G of ficers und men) commanded by Lieu tenant Colonel R. W. Huntington, was the first American force that landed in Cuba in 1898, when it established a base for Sampson's fleet at Guanta namo, holding their position against Spanish regulars who were estimated to number 7,000. The United States Marines of the U. S. S. Oregon, Captain John T. Myers commanding, were the first American troops to enter Peking just before the Boxer insurrection broke out in 1900. A battalion of Marines under Major L. W. T. Waller were the first to enter China after the outbreak. Lieutenant Colonel Neville's Ma rines have carried their colors into action in Tripoli, Egypt, West Africa, the Fiji Islands, Sumatro, Hawaii, Mexico, China, Uraguay, Paraguay, Alaska, Panama, Formosa, Korea, Nicaraugua, Cuba, Santo Domingo, and now in Hayti. TIME TO FORGET Unless we are all of us rank hypo crites, this is a good season of the year to forget all about Christmas ex cept as a festival for the children and as an occasion when good friends may remember other good friends with some little token of regard. To drag the religious side . of Christmas into the foreground, to rise and sing "peace on earth and good will towards men," is hardly the suitable behaviour for the Yuletide of 1915; though doubtless many well-meaning and short-sighted ministers will do this as in years heretofore. But what a pitiful burlesque it will be with half of the old world lying shiv ering in gory trenches and hurling high power explosives at itself. Peace on earth and good will towards men is a mockery, the mention of the Son of Man as the lord of peace is hypoc risy of the blackest hue as long as supposedly sane and sensible humans are calling upon Him to give their side victory in this slaughter-fest that is horrifying the world. A REAL So we remark that this is a good time to -forget the religious story that is woven about the Christmas festi val, and to look upon the Glad Holi day as a period sacred to children and to the invs of children. If we do that we can be merry and happy and joy- ous without deceiving ourselves; we ran Vrnn ourselves un in the n-lepful shouts and bright eyes of the little Int. s thpv rather about the Christ- mas tree or as they play and romp with the new toys which Santa Claus has brought them. Like the children we can live only for the prseent, and like the children "we can let the joy of the day blot out all thoughts of the morrow and of yesterday. And there is much in the happiness of children that may do our older hearts good, much that may warm our souls, much that may make us be lieve at least briefly that the world is a very pleasant place and that everybody is happy and contented. Christmas should be a day of happi - ness of pleasant thoughts and I of overflowing kindliness; and the best way we can so make it this year ,s to devote ourselves and the day to the youngsters, and forget the rest of the W01 l" And hoping that its readers will do this, and that by so doing they will find a comfort of spirit that other-! wise might not be obtained, the Cour-; ier wishes each of its friends a most ; merry Christmas and all the joys of the Yuletide season. WHY EXPECT MORE? Commenting on the report of Con gressman W. C. Hawley, who mis represents this part of Oregon in the national legislature, the Woodburn Independent criticises the Hawley plan of rural credits. While the criticism is meritted, we never ex pected Mr. Hawley to be connected with any really serviceable plan to benefit this section of the West, so the Courier is not at all disappoint ed in the farce that Mr. Hawley and his colleagues are planning to put over. In fact our feelings are pret ty much like those of the Independent, which says in part as follows: "This plan does not surprise us after viewing the personnel of the committee, although it will prove a bitter disappointment to the farmers throughout the land. It carries out the prophecy of a prominent national Granger, who informed the people some time ago that a fake rural cred its bill would be presented by this committee, the further program being to pass it next June or Julys when the disastrous effect could not be seen in time to have any material bearing upon either party in the Presidential campaign. "It can readily be seen that this venture is but a makeshift and will prove a fizzle. The farmers will not subscribe and will be told that they do not want rural credits, or the banks will be under the domination of the money power and used to advance its interests. If it does or does not die a-borning, it will be found to be a ser ious obstacle to the enactment of other and just rural credits legisla lation, and this is what the financial interests desire. The regional bank bill was framed in Wall Street, where CAR doubtless this rural credits plan was also conceived.. "How many farmers would trans act business with a regional bank probably 500 miles distant? What a wonderful lot of red tape a farmer would have to go through to get a loan! Even if he succeeded he would be required to put up $50 out of every $1000 he borrowed and pay an interest rate of six per cent. Some of these regional banks will be located in the extreme East, where farm loans can' now be- obtained at four or five per cent. How many farmers there would take advantage of these region al banks with their six per cent offers? It seems to be the intention to use this rural credits measure as a club to establish a general rate of six per cent and raise the present rates in the East. The schemers are liable to do anything." SIGN'S OF PROGRESS ; wuh mQst of E d h ff d civilization, . .g JnteregU to note that at least f h(J countries of the old world . h been mak; new yari f ( hjstory duHnfJ !has not only kept out of the general murder game, but has managed to ' put down incipient insurrections and establish remarkable reforms at home. By royal decree, promulgated in November, the minister of justice was directed to draw and submit to Par liament a bill creating a children's court in appropriate parts of Spain. The bill, submitted to-day is modeled, in a general way, on English statutes. The court will be presided over by a judge, who will be assisted by one or more lay judges, and will have jurisdiction over delinquent children under 15 years of age. It will also have jurisdiction in case of vagrancy and begging on the part of these chil dren. It will have authority to. de prive either the mother or father, or both, in cases where the parent in stigates the offense or does not send the child to school. It will also have jurisdiction to punish master's for vio lation of the apprenticeship laws. The bill is a decided innovation in Spanish jurisprudence, and shows that the spirit of progress is not entirely dead in the old world. Give the hu man race a chance, let it forget war and barbarism, and it will better it self even in Europe. Eight more days, and then you can't get it in Oregon. Hurry up and do that Christmas shopping in your home store: there isn't much time left. "Oregon City Income Will be De ceased" says the Journal, in a head line. Is this a prophecy? Get a red tag for your auto before the first of the year, or you'll have to leave it in the barn till you do. Taft is no optimist: he says La Follette has no more chance of get ting the republican nomination than he has. Farmers' week at the Oregon Ag ricultural College promises to be something worth while. Are you planning to go? Having discovered that they were looking for an innocent man in the trunk murder case, the Portland police will now start over again. With the exception of hay, wheat and potatoes, the Oregon farmer is getting more for his product this year than the average national price. Germany now says England is to blame for continuing the war. As long as England didn't start it, why not accept the blame and quit, for the sake of the world? It is a safe bet that the escaping prisoner who fell over a Salvation Army drum in Portland, and so was caught, doesn't think much of the "soldiers of the Lord." "Uncle Billy" Mattoon now an nounces emphatically in his home pa per, the Estacada Progress, that he will not be a candidate for re-election. "Safety first," maybe? Portland boosters say tourists should give up two or three days to seeing the sights of the Oregon me tropolis. Why so much time when the sightseeing car does it all in two hours? Oregon City's council ought to go to Estacada and -shake the city dads of that community by the hand. Judging from reports, it is just as popular to be a councilman in Esta cada as it is in the county seat. Maybe it will snow by Christmas. The beauty of Oregon weather is that the worst may always be expected, but usually the worst doesn't mater ialize. In any event, Oregon weather is preferable to the Eastern kind. The Carver Line may now feel that it is a real railroad. It has set tled its first claim for a cow. And as nine-tenths of the Carver line operates through precincts where cat tle are permitted to run at large, there may be others. The Enterprise, beins ereatlv de sirous of seeing the filtration plant sold, announces that the "solid five" will railroad the deal through before the new city administration comes in. Threats like this are the best things in the world to defeat the Enter prise's desire. OPPORTUNITY. Don't nurse opportunity too long. Take it into active partnership with you at once, lest it leave you tor other company. Domestic Diplomacy. "Why do you Insist upon having the servant call you at 7 o'clock every morning? You never get out of bed at that hour." "No, but 1 want to nuike sure the servant Is awake' Exchange. f .'.ioa'ti suggestion. Pierrot The only way for n man to understand women Is to get married Pierette And study the ways of his wife, eh? Pierrot-No. Listen to what she tells him about the other women. Office phones: Main 50, A50; nonie tfztn, UZhl WILLIAMS BROS. TRANSFER & STORAGE Office 012 Main Street Safe, Piano, and Furniture Moving a Specialty Sand, Gravel, Cement, Lime, Plaster, Common Brick. Face Brick, Fire Brick Willamette Valley Southern Railway Co. Arrival and Departure Leave Southbound 7:25 A.M. 10:00 A.M. 2:30 P.M. 6:55 P.M. Daily Freis-ht Service fovnont The American Express Co. REMARKS FROM STARK ' A Courier correspondent laments because a statue of Jesus was not per mitted to be placed in a San Francis co park. Why should the quake city want a statue of Him who hud no place to lay His head? He could not buy any town lots if He came there. Could not even buy a railroad ticket to get there. So why bother with poor people they have them with them always a-plenty. Some years ago, when the "noisy patriot" was in the Whitehouse, some body presentedhim or the U. S. with a statue of Fredrick the Great. This statue was promptly placed in tho naval park at Annapolis, but I never heard any remonstrance from the jin gos. A few cranks like "yours truly" talked about it, but the worshippers of the political beast branded us as "undesirables" and fault finders. Per haps you "preparedness patriots" ha,ve forgotten the incident, so here is a reminder. The Oregonian in an able editorial tells us of a noted doctor who gave up his pleasant surroundings to go to the war zone to assist in healing the wounded. This act is regarded as a wonderful touch of humanity. Will some one with a forty-two centimeter squint show us the point? I confess to being too obtuse to get the mental range. The Oregonian has heaped ridicule upon Ford as going on a fool's er rand in his attempt to bring about peace. It requires more optimism than I have on hand to expect success for that undertaking. It is, however, courage devoted to a noble cause. If his junketing party should contribute ever so little toward bringing an end to the terrible slaughter the venture will not have been in vain. Of course that would interfere with "patriot ism," which is the euphonic title giv en to the noble industry of promoting murder. On the other hand the activities of this doctor will at best result in a prolonging of the struggle; providing he should be neutral, that is, should attend to the wounded in both armies. The effect would probably be that the wounded soldier would soon be bale to go to the firing line and be wound ed again, to be cured again and again or be killed. Of course, it is argued that it is according to the ideals of civilized man to relieve suffering. The attitude of this ideal may be con ceded as unmeasured. Yet if we take reckoning of the situation as a whole would it not be a noble act to stop the shooting? Then the learned doctor could turn his talents to affairs of misery, the cause of which we have not yet learned. This is exactly what is proposed by Ford. Stop shooting! Of course that would interfere with dividends, and dividends are the greatest aim of patriots. In fact, all -wars are fought for dividends in some form. There never was a war for national honor, no matter what prostitute historian told us otherwise. Were you to deliberately smash your finger and go to a doctor to have it treated he might attend you once even though he believed it was done intentionally. If you returned again with another finger smashed willfully he certainly would sign commitment papers for the asylum. That is pre cisely what is being done in war. Of what use is antiseptics, bandages, "redcrossness" and wooden legs to wooden-headed persons and people? This learned doctor will accomplish absolutely nothing except perhaps gain knowledge of a technical na ture. If, however, the Ford party will hasten the end of war one day of firing the achievement will be grand. Whatever his digression may be, if he is sincere, he is devoting his courage to the noblest cause. JOHN F. STARK. Did you ever eive the Courier n trial on your stationery? You will find that thev have the most nn.tn. date faces of type and are right there with the Punch in eettinir nr. n anit. J able design that will please you and If you are sick and have tried everything else and did not receive help, try Chiropractic Spinal adjust ments and get well. Hoeye & Stone, Chiropractors. HOW THIS MOTHER Got Strength To Do Her Work Fair Haven, .Vt " I was so nervous and run down that I could not do my housework for my little family of three. I had doctored for nearly two years with out help. One day I read about Vinol, and thanks to it, my health has been re stored so I am doing all my housework once more. I am telling all my friends what Vinol has done for me." Mrs. James H. Eddy. Vinol is a delicious cod liver and iron tonic which creates a healthy appetite, aids digestion and makes pure blood. HUNTLEY BROS. CO. Oregon City Druggists Oregon Res. phones, M. 2524. 17, 5 of Trains at Oregon City Arrive Northbound 8:20 A.M. 10:55 A.M. 2:20 P.M. 5:20 P.M. Snnrlo.. operates over this line.