Sf
THE "KEW AGE, POBTLAND, OBEQOK
Hrtttljllth 5tfllll A.ll
jp414.44.UUU W
A. O. dRIFTMN, Mnnnitor
Ofllro, Itoom 317, Commonwealth llulldlng
Eniercltthei)otomctI'ottlnd,Oruon,
Miecond-clus matter.
.
SUBSCRIPTION.
One Year, payable In advance.,,.,., $2.00
Our Candidate for President
JOSEPH BENSON FORAKER
Of Ohio
txW
EDITORIAL
MtMIMWMMMIMMMMt
WATER AND LIGHT.
Notwithstanding tho complaints
about tho water system, nnd the de
mands for ItH reorganization, nnd for
better service and cheaper water, no
body proposes to turn the water sys
tem over to a private corporation, and
phico tho city at Its mercy. Such n
proposition would be voted down al
most unanimously. Then why do tho
people continue to allow a private cor
poration to own and operate tho elec
tric light Hystem, giving tho people an
abomlnnhle service at exorbitant
rates? There Is just as much reason
for the city owning Its light Hystem
as Kh water Hystem. Iloth elements
are natural products, or at least elec
tricity Is a natural force and ho Is the
water power, and tho conversion of
the electric force Into light Is a very
simple procosH. The light Is carried
from tho houico of power by wlro con
iIiiHh; the water Is carried by pipe
conduits; the city should own or con
trol the source of onu as much as Jho
other. Iloth light mid water are of
utilvermil use; uverybody must have
them, and It Ih onu of tho very Unit
duties of government to supply the
people with such universal necessities,
their sources or materials being fur
nished freely by nature, as cheaply as
possible. That a great city lllto Port
land would own and operate Kh own
waterworks, as a matter of course, and
yet iimko no movo"to also own and
operate lis light plant, Is curious. If
public ownership Is a good thing In
the one rase, It Ih In the other.
That thu city Ih grosHly overcharged
for the lights It iisch, and that the
people are overcharged also as Indi
vidual couHiimerH, could be easily
shown. When 0110 UiIiiUh that tho
soiiiTo of power Ih practically free,
and that transiiilHslou, once the wires
are up, Ih almost freo also, and that
tho expense of maluteuauco and oper
nt Ion Ih comparatively small, mid then
considers what an enormous number
of customeiH the company Iiiih, every
body paying for Its light, It cnu be
readily perceived that tho prollts must
he very gieat. And these profits ought
to go bach or rather ho Kept In tho
Hist place In the people's pockets,
It would scorn that If tho city gives
tills light and power octopus the priv
ilege of using the streets, without
which It could do no business what
ever, It ought to furnish the city freo
lights, or nt least lights nt about cost,
In recompense for mich a vastly valu
able privilege. Hut tho city not only
has to pay for Its lights after having
given IIiIh monopoly tho use of Us
streets, but must pay an exhorbitaut
price, probably 100 per cent more than
could ho llgured as the cost and a fair
profit. Not only so, but the city pays
a very largo mini annually for lights
that it does not get at nil. Sometimes
a lot of them are nut for a few min
utes only, sometimes for hours, and
this may happen during dark evenings
bo that people have to grope their way
homo as best they canbut tho bill
Is Just tho samo. The company doesn't.
know Its lights are out, or doesn't
eare, when It makes out its bill.
Tho peoplo are taxed entirely too
much for light In their houses and
business places, too. Ah wo have In
dicated, light lu a city as largo aa
Portland ought to bo very cheap, With
tho hundreds of thousands of lights,
costing but little more thnn a very
few, tho cost per light, or per house,
ought to diminish aa thu city grows,
but ns this octopus has a monopoly
of courso It will not reduco tho prlco
until it has to.
Under such circumstances tho city
ought to make a movo for public own-
or8,,lp of tno c,cctr,c "snt system.
condemn tho whole plnnt, have a
court nnd Jury dotermlno its vnluo,
Isauo bonds pnyablo In CO years at a
low rate of Interest, appoint a light
commission composed of citizens of
high character, and so cut off ono claw
of this Intolerable octopus that has
Portland so completely In Its grasp.
MORE TROUBLE BREWING.
A press dispatch this week from 131
Paso, Texas, says: "Negro soldiers of
tho Twenty-fifth infantry stntloned nt
Fort HIIbs have threatened to raid UiIb
city and citizens nro arming them
selves and aro ready for an outbreak.
Between tho Negro troops and whites
saloon fights havo been numerous.
Four of the soldiers assaulted a whlto
man, but wcro overpowered nnd tlrlvon
bnck to the barracks. A notice was
sent to the officers of tho fort thnt
tho soldiers must bo kept at the bar
racks If they wanted to avoid n clash.
Tho citizens also warned tho soldiers
that they would find tho white men of
131 Paso prepared to mcot them any
time. The guardhouso at Fort Miss
Is said to bo filled with fractious Ne
gro soldiers who have had troublo
with the citizens It) the city, nnd thoso
nro threatening to revengo the nllcgcn
Insults to the soldiers. Several sol
diers have been beaten In saloon
brawls and tho officers at tho fort
have cut off penults for more than
four Negro soldiers to be absent from
tho post tit tho same time. All must
be in quarters at 7 p. m."
It Is nt least quite probablo that
behind the account Is a studied and
systematized plot to got the colored
soldiers nt 131 Paso Into trouble, mid
provoke them If possible Into doing
something lllto what It was alleged
some colored soldiers nt llrownsvlllo,
lu the sumo Stato, did, and for which
they were discharged "without honor"
and without u trial. It Is well known
thnt there Ih a rabid antipathy to the
preseuco of colored soldiers lu Texas,
howover well they behave, nnd the
slightest misconduct on their part
would subject them to all sorts of ex
aggerated and Invented accusations on
the pnrt of n portion of tho peoplo
of the town where they nro quartered.
Tho above story has the earmarks of
a fako nnd a canard on. Kh face. It
Ih not nt all probablo that tho soldiers
havo "threatened to raid tho town,"
mid tho statement that ono whlto man
was assaulted by four soldiers, but
were driven back, Is at least unlikely.
The dispatch reads all tho way
through as If It had been concocted
not only to slander tho soldiers mid
prejudice the public against them, but
to lay 11 foundation for future accusa
tions of a more serious nature After
two or three such reports hnvo boon
sent out by tho Negro-haters, wo mny
expect, to hear that tho soldiers havo
"Hhot up" tho town, nnd If anybody
should get killed In a row down there,
which happens not very Infrequently,
doubtless the Negro soldiers will be
charged with the murder, and there
will bo plenty of witnesses to swear
to It; mid then perhaps theso troops
will also bo Incontinently discharged
"without honor."
Wo presume theso colored troops
are not perfect, mid that they do not
always behave like a Sunday School
teachor In a church, but probably thoy
aro no worso behaved, and likely much
better, than many whlto soldiers simi
larly situated. Soino of tho latter
drink more than Ih good for thorn, nnd
get Into brawls, mid 110 long dispatches
aro sent out over tho country about
It. Wo don't bollovcd those colored
troopB havo made any such threats as
are alleged, ami If any of thorn did,
that it was because of indignities In
lllcted upon them by peoplo who nro
determined to make troublo for them
and get rid of them.
PERPETUAL FRANCHISES.
Though pledged to do so, at least
so far as Multnomah county members
nro concerned, tho legislature repealed
no perpetual franchises, not oven tho
gas franchise, which It was particular
ly Us duty to tho peoplo of Portland
to do. What an absurd, unreasonable
thing It Is that this GO-yenr-old fran
chise, granted when Portland was a
little town Of 0,000 or 7,000 people,
should bo held sacred mid binding up
on the city, now and for nil future
time, so that u few men can makoland malm persons occasionally, and
themselves millionaires every few
years nt tho expense of tho peoplo.
Isn't It curious, wonderful, nstonlsh-
lng, that 17G.000 peoplo will allow
a.n,Manlitnfl l..u rk lift Imt.narwl lltintl
illUllinl 1.Q l.lllO IV WJVi .l,,WW- M'
swindled, robbed, and forced to pay
nn cxhorbltant prlco for Inferior gas
year after year and decado after do-
cade, and cannot elect anybody either
to the legislature or the city council
that will do anything to rollevo them;
but on the contrnry elect men who will
go back on their word and sell out to
the gas company and tho rest of the
monopolistic corporations every tlnio?
Tho gas company now has a lenso
of Its monopolistic life for two years
more, at least, and oven then It will
hnvo a few faithful servants nmong
tho hold-over Senntors, but It would
seem Impossible thnt It can prevent
tho revocation of those old franchises,
nnd that without any compensation,
again. To pay them for giving up tho
franchlso nfter having mndo millions
out of It, Is nbout ns cheeky a propo
sition as over was made. It Is aH If
some ono hnd agreed to nllow another
to steal from him, nnd this hnd been
going on for ninny years, and when
tho victim called tho bargain off ho
should be told that ho must pay tho
licensed thclf n Inrge sum In recom
pense for giving up his privilege, and
thin nfter ho hnd become n multi
millionaire. Mr. II. D. Orccn, who died some
years ngo, mndo n largo fortune, even
when tho town was comparatively
small, out of tho gas business, mid wo
believe nobody over henrd of his do
ing anything for tho benefit of tho
town; nnd slnco then other men hnvo
been getting very rich, by charging
thu peoplo mi cxtortlounto price for
poor gns and tho peoplo enn do noth
ing nbout It. Thoy thought they
could, and oxpectod this legislature
would repeal thoso old franchises, ho
thnt the city could nssumo somo con
trol over this monopoly, but they wero
mistaken In tho men they sent up to
Salem. It appears that It was tho
gns company thnt thoy woro Intent on
serving Instead of tho people. And It
soouiH to bo tho snmo with n majority
of tho council.
So It mny bo horeaftor, nnd porpot
tiully, porhnps, but wo think tho peo
plo will begin to wnko up soon to tho
Importance and necessity of being
morn careful about tho men thoy olcci
to theso positions.
MORE VICTIMS.
The street car octopus has two
other victims this week, ono man
killed outright nnd n boy nearly killed.
Tho cars had fonders, but of course
they woro of no uso to protect theso
victims. They nover hnvo been of
any use, and Micro Is apparently no
Intention of over making thorn so.
Wlint does the company enro nbout n
person run over mid killed occasion
ally? It docs care, of courso, If dam
ages enn bo recovorod by tho family
or holrs, to that extent; but It tnkes
the chances on convincing a Jury, or
at least one Juryman, thnt thoro was
"contributory negllgenco," nnd so con
tinues to use tho woreo than worthloss
fenders.
It Is true thnt a porson on gottlng
off a car should not go over ncross tho
other track without looking out for an
approaching car, 'but on tho other
baud a inntormnn on passing n car
that has Just stopped to let off a pas
senger ought to slow down nnd ho on
tho lookout for Just such nn occur
rence, for a great ninny peoplo do not
Btop to think nbout tho other track,
nnd this fact ought to bo taken Into
consideration.
In tho enso of tho Uttlo boy tho
motornim. mny not havo been to
blnmo, but tho public cannot expect
thnt first-class or competent motor-
men will bo employed, for It Is not rea
sonable to Biipposo that ninny such
men would work long for tho starva
tion wages paid them. Thoro Is scarce
ly any occupation, not Involving much
responsibility nnd lntelllgonco, In
which n mnn cannot oam larger
wages and bo far moro Independent,
so It would bo unreasonable to expect
soverul hundred good men to porfoini
thoso exacting services and submit to
humiliation and n sort of serfdom for
scarcely enough to procure only tho
barest necessaries of life.
80 tho company would prefer to kill
Incur the Ill-will of the public gener
ally, taking chances on a damage suit
once In a while, rather than go to tho
oxpenso of paying Its men decent
Tarn trta wlilnll tvmllfl ntnmmt tn n In.
"UfitO, .. 'TWU.U UU.WUl.b lu Ull III- !
crease of ?300 or so n day, and provld-
lng their cars with up-to-dato and, best
approved fenders and other equip-
mont. Its motto la, "Tho public bo
d ", and tho public seems to agree
that It deserves to bo.
MR. LOSS HARD FIGHT.
Tho troubles of Mr. Losb In carry
ing out his contract on tho Drnln-Coos
Bay railroad, wero duo In part to the
fact that he was so busy with the
affairs of the United Railways, and
this project, of Immenso vnluo to
Portland nnd tho Wlllnmctto Vnlloy,
has been harrassod nnd blocked or
chocked and Injured In every possible
way by tho octopus that has Portland
and a lot of other townH of this region
In its clutches, nnd wnnts to hnvo no
rivals or opponents. It alms to con
trol nil tho water power of Western
Oregon, furnish nil tho lights, oporato
all the city, suburban nnd Inter.urbnn
railroads, and hold ns great and abso
lute a monopoly ns possible In this
city nnd throughout tho Wlllnmctto
Valley. Thcroforo no Boonor did Mr.
Loss get capitalists Interested In tho
United Hallways project than this
monopoly octopus "queered" tho pro
ject with them, mid ho had to hunt up
new mon. It Is stated now thnt tho
enterprise Is fairly on Its feet nt Inst
and will go nhend, In splto of eory-
thing that the octopus could do to
defeat It, but oven now It Is not safe
to let it bo known Just who nro its
backers or what tliolr program Is, lost
tho malign Influenco of tho tcntnclcd
monopoly should yet bo nblo to defeat
or further delay It.
It Is quite probablo that when tho
business at Drain Is nil sifted out It
will bo found thnt Mr. Loss' troubles
there, costing him $00,000 of his own
money, nro purtly traceable to this
snino source This greedy nnd ro
morscless devil fish will not nllow any
competing enterprise to exist In this
region, If It can help K, nnd It will
crush nnybody If It hns tho power who
seeks to help develop tho country mid
bonoflt Us peoplo, If thorehy ho In
terferes lu tho least degroo with ItH
operations mid doslgns. Tho soonor
Portland clips somo of tho claws of
thlf omnivorous crenturo tho easier It
will bo dono, nnd If It la not done tho
concern will practically own or at
least bo lu dictatorial control of tho
towmboforo many years, It will oloct
councllmcu, mayor, members of tho
legislature, oven Judges, mid tho peo
ple will bo powerless In ItH greedy
nnd blood-sucking grasp.
Tlio Government doesn't booiii to bo
proving much against Dinger Her
mann, but If it gets a fair oxcuso tho
Jury may convict lilm on Ills roputn
tlon nnd on general principles.
Stnto Printer Dunlwny nut In nn ox
pensive new plant, nnd so It would
not havo been fair to put him on a
tint salary nt first, ns tho Governor
well Knows.
Gottlng n nomination Is nn oxpon-
slvo and difficult Job; a poor man has
to keep out of politics undor this won
derful reform law of Mr. U'llon's.
Ex-Senator Gearln hns had enough
of running for office ugnlnst a big re
publican majority. But ho doesn't
wnnt to bo Mayor, anyway.
Tho Govornor has been having somo
fun with tho defunct legl<itiiro this
weok, and It certainly gavo him plenty
of opportunity.
Votora of the Fourth ward will
doubtless nil got a lot of free tickets
to Dakor's Thentor this Spring.
I)ut won't thero be a scramblo for
Chlof of Pollco when Chief Grltz
ninchor quits noxt Summer?
Hecauso ho had to veto or approve
one or two formal school bills, the
Governor waa pretty mad.
Apparently Treasuror Worleln can
stay thero as long as ho lives If ho
wnnts to. v
Next Monday Is tho last day of this
Congress and of Senator Mulkey.
Tito county officers are happy; they
didn't havo to run this year.
And Htlll the Mayor quotes Scrip
ture, and thinks, d It.
It is not likely" that Mr, Devlin will
have a walkover.
- We Cater Specially to the Small Buyer
UNIVERSAL SUPPLY HOUSE
Delicatessen and Groceries
Home Cooking a Specialty. Try Our
I HOmC Made PiCS
' Phont East 592 1 3? E. BurniMt St., Hut Unbn Art.
WILLIAMS & SWANK
STAPLE & FANCY GROCERIES
Fresh Fruit and Vegetables, Teas and Coffees
Telephone Kast 1G02
2.12 I.nraboe Street
1'OItTI.ANI), OltKOON
EUREKA MARKET
HKNHY KAKSIIKNDEIt, Prop.
Choice Fresh and Cured
Meats. Fish and Poultry
riioiieMnlti2r,2l
Co. 14th and Glisan, Portland, Or
J. B. SIMMONS
Choice Staple and Fancy Groceries
CIGARS, TOBACCO AND CONFECTIONERY
Delivered to All Parti of the City.
4G3 Glisan St. Tel. Pacific 199
McGUIRE & TAYLOR
Staple and Fancy Groceries
.35 Grand Avonuo
Phone East 2629 PORTLAND, OR.
A. H. Willett & Co.
Wliolennlu ntiil ltutnlt
GROCERS
Special Prices to Restaurants
Prompt Delivery
Phone East 283
128 Grand Avenue
l'linnu I'iivI lie H.1I
lUTHtiTimllullillliir
H0LBR00K & LEVEEN
Tailors for Men
150 Sixth St., cor Morrison
PORTLAND OREGON
Finest Made
Adams Fire Proof Stove
Blacking. No odor.
More durable. Only
blacking made that will
remain on Air Tight
heaters.
fOR SALE BY ALL DEALERS
.....
A THOUGHT
Thnt llio schsoii MiKKenti l new Spring
Hint
Is a Good Thing
toki'CilninlmIlliRtlt'ft) Indies ell
FOR ANY MAN
Who want urco unit en vnluo for lit
J"""1': " '.Uf i'i0 ""' CHICAGO ClOTII
ING COMPANY. 69-71 Third Street
Frederick A. Kribs
Correspondence Solicited
328-330 chamber of commerce
PORTLAND FUEL COMPANY
Su lion to PIONKR, C R. DAVIS and PMOCNIX rUCl CO.
PHONE CAST 26 287 C. MORRISON ST.
H-. SSSS!''9! Roy". New Cat-
, .,. .uw .,,, lauiMui, wiruon rail, tOKe.
Xr4 F'" -F?i 0ak' ,4Foot A.h, Sawed Oak,
Sawed Fur, Sawed Alc, Sawed KnoU. '
i"-wKljr vlJr ekR3 MB'rlv5IH!E:'L'J
u 0. PICK TRANSFER &
Safes, Pianos Furniture wwt4, stored
Office Pkwve, 596; SUWe, Black 1972
PASTEURIZED DAIRY COMPANY, Inc..
l'RKlcurlzpil Milk, Cream; nutter, Kkih,
Cottage Cheese, Checne,. llutler Milk.
QUALITY ICE CItKAM
Milk -i per cent guaranteed
I'liono Kmt KM12
.100 Iltusell Street I'OUTLAKD, OltEClON
Michigan T"11 Company
II. CItAW, Proprietor
Phone East 2806 154 Grand Avenue.
NOB HILL MARKET
A. SCIIObZ, Proprietor.
Fresh, Cured and Smoked Meats
Sausage and Poultry
Tel. Main 818 Cor. 21st and Irving Streets.
D. BREEDLOVE & SON.
GROCERS
361 East SeventhSt., cor. Stephens
Phone East 768 PORTLAND, OR.
M. E. PUGH
Fancy & Staple Groceries
Phone East 440
447 Union Avenue, North
PORTLAND OREGON
WE ROAST OUR OWN COFFEE-
SULLIVAN & KRUEGER
I'lioliu Miilll lb'.M
Doalors in Staplo and Fancy
GROCERIES
Teas, Coffcon and Spices
Sixteenth and Glisan Sto.
Free Delivery PORTLAND, ORE-
Centennial Market & Grocery
J. J. JJLU.M
Iluiulqiinrtcrfl for
" GOOD THINGS TO EAT
Groceries, Meats, Fish, Poultry
ALWAYS THE BEST
School Supplies, Shoes, Gloves, Notions
l'linnu Mnln 27'JI
522-524 N. Twcnty-fourth Street
1'IIONK MAIN 1K3
Martin-Marks Coffee Co.
HIGH GRADE COFFEES
TEAS, ETC.
Tho excellence of Monto Cricto .Tnvn
anil Moclia Colleo stands in high lavor..
252 Third Street
PORTLAND, OREGON
J. A. EASTES
Staple & Fancy Groceries
Choice Teas, Coffees & Spices
Dry Goods and Notions
ALL THE LEADING BRANDS OF FLOUR
GOODS DELIVERED PROMPTLY
432, 434, 436, Union Avenue North
Corner of Tillamook St. Phone East 66O
i)e.er in Washington, Idaho & Oregon
TIMRER ft MINFRAI llNfTC
Portland, Oregon
STORAGE COMPANY.
w ucked fw sMMia Cnn.
P0ITUND, OREGON