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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 19, 1903)
V THE MORNING OREGONIAN, MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 1903. BILL THAT IS Exchange of Lands So As to Consolidate Grants, FORTUNES FOR GRANT HOLDERS "Would Cont Government Heavily nnil TIeld Xo Keturn If Siuull Tracts Of Arid I.nml Are "Worthless, What of the Settlers? OREGONIAN NEWS BUREAU, "Wash ington, Jan. 14. The three members of the House committee on public lands who are opposed to J.he enactment of the so called checkerboard land bill, recently re ported to the House by Representative Moody, of Oregon, have prepared a vigor ous argument, against its enactment, which they have filed with the majority report The minority report, which was written by Representative Jones, of "Washington, reads as follows: "The friends of this measure do not tell us how much land will be affected -by It. The lands granted to railroads and wagon roads probably exceed 100,000,000 acres. "What part of this Is arid or seml-arld not be corrected by., this bill at all. Neither does the man who owns lands within the place limits, but which were not covered by the grant have the right to exchange if those lands are in odd sec tlony, and there are many such cases. "The immediate effect of this bill would bo to enhance the value of the unsold por tions of land grants and other private holdings worth millions of dollars without one dollar's benefit to the Government or the people. " 'Necessity is the mother of Invention' Is a trite saying. Necessity will also make these lands productive, and. If kept sep arate, they will In a few years bo made far more productive and sustain more homes than If made into baronial cow or sheep pastures, as proposed. CAN HE MAKE IT? (Continued .Xrotn First Pec.) In San Francisco, will probably be on hand In time to cast his ballot Tuesday. If all except Adams are present, the num ber will be S9, and 45 Is a majority. If a caucus were to be hold, the problem would be easier for Mr. Fulton. It gen erally is for the leading candidate. That is the reason candidates who are not In the lead and "know It have uniformly op posed a caucus In Oregon. If anybody Is moving for a caucus, he must bo talking In whispers about It, for the scheme -has not made a visible appearance about the C,apitol. No caucus can be effective un less 4G or perhaps 45 In the present emer gencysign agreeing to abide by its de cision. This was the Fulton plan. There are some who would be willing to go In if all the Republican members go, and others say that they will be suited If it cannot be determined, but the acreage j ,s agreed that It shall take 40 to nominate ujusl ue very large, prooaoiy aif.uw.WU or j wmcn wouja De equivalent io noiuing nc 40.000,000 acres. This measure is. there- caucus at all. It looks very much as If 1' f g7llt lmPrtanceA ,a nd lnvites the thing must be fought out In the open the most careful scrutiny. The past ex- T . , . , , , . , pcrlence of the Government with lieu land 1 legislature; and It may be a last-day bills is also a warning against hasty ac- struggle. If It continues for the rcmaln tlon on bills of a similar character. der of the 40 days" session, It may be as- "We cannot give this bill our support, sumod that Mr. Fulton will -In the end If cons,d,e 11 'tle more vIcio,us probably be beaten, or at least that he It appears In principle, and the more in- . , . ' ... Jurious In effect. Manv and small indi- I stands a better cnance lf the conteBt ,s vidual holdings of lands are most deslr- ' short and sharp. The Fulton policy will able in this country. Baronial estates are I doubtless be to press hard for a decision foreign to our institutions and contrary j soon after the opening ballots, and so he lf16, interests i, "r, nenIe- The ' will make his greatest effort quickly aft- trate Individual holdings into large and compact estates. This is to be done, too, solely at the cost and expense of the Gov ernment! "The measure is almost entirely, if not entirely, in the Interest of private hold ers of land. It might woll be entitled 'a bill to increase the value of private hold ings within the place limits of land grants at the expense" of the Government.' The use of the Government property to en hance private holdings without compensa tion to the Government or without some resulting general good to the public is ab solutely and indefensibly wrong. Surrender looret. Select Uo.st. "The bill provides for the surrender of private holdings to the Government, and, in lieu thereof, the selection of a like amount of public land. What lands will be surrendered? The poorest, of course. "What lands will be selected? The best, of course. How such a policy will benefit the Government or the people generally we are unable to see. It Is urged that tho bill provides that the lands selected must be of like character, value, etc., to those surrendered. True, but such a provision is easier written than enforced. "We need only recall the complaints of the Interior Department at the fraudulent disposal of the public lands today to understand how easily this provision can be evaded. "They say that those exchanges must be approved by the President and Secre tary. True, but they are neither omni lacleiA nor omnipresent They must depend j upon subordinates for recommendations entirely. "What the results will be every one knows. "To carry out the provisions of the bill will require a personal examination by some officer -or agent of the Government of every tract to be. surrendered or se lected. The expense must be borne by1 the Government. The examination of 20, 000,000 or 30,000,000 acres will require an Im mense force, and will cost millions of dol lars. All for what? That private hold ings may be concentrated. That men who purchased lands fully aware of their con ditions and surroundings may be placed in a better position, and may have their lands enhanced in value with no expense to themselves. "It Is said, however, that these holdings are so situated that they cannot be ben eficially used. Grant this. "Why should the Government Interfere? Those hold ings were secured with a full knowledge of this condition. The owners cannot complain. Many a settler upon the public domain has worked and expended his all to make a home and been compelled to abandon it by some unforseen circum stances. No proposition is advanced to aid him. He is not even allowed to sur render and select other land. "We hasten to shower blessings upon the blessed. "We flee from Justice to the unfortunate. "It is urged that the public lands would be made more compact and settlement thereby be induced. How the taking of, good land from the public domain and re placing it with poorer 'lands, even though mnldnir It more eomnacL will induce set tlement is a mystery. A honsteaaer - can take only 160 acres now. ,He can take no more after this bill passes. He would have no better use of the public domain than he has now. The larger owner may, it is true, have a better use of his large holdings and the same -use of the public domain because it is open to all. If Small Holding Are Worthless, What of Settlers? "Referring to the land proposed to be affected by this bill, the Secretary says In his report, 'Small holdings of such lands are practically worthless.' If this is true, there is no encouragement for settlement. Before urging this bill some method should be provided by which settlers can utilize the public domain. There might then be some basis for a bill of this char acter. In no logical way can this bill be shown to be of benefit to the Government or the people generally. "By Its terms it applies to arid and seml-arld land. This provision, instead of being a safeguard. Is a danger. "What may be classed as semi-arid, or even arid, land this year may next year be splendid agricultural land. The agent of the Gov ernment may act in perfect good faith and yet make a great mistake In his classification. Lands in "Washington which a few years ago were considered desert today produce 30 and 40 bushels of wheat to the acre. This is also true in other sections of the country. "We consider this bill a great menace to the development of Irrigation under the National irrigation law The owners of this lands are wideawake, energetic men, and far better acquainted with the conditions and possibilities of irrigation in their respective sections than Government agents and inspectors. It will' be a very easy matter for them to select those lands which are likely to be brought under some irrigation project in the future. The result will be that Government lands which might in th4 future be brought under some irrigation project will be owned by the few and disposed of at a great profit "The lands selected need not be con tiguous to the remaining private holdings. They may be selected in any part of the county, while those surrendered may be anywhere else in the county. "The lieu selections are not expressly confined to surveyed lands, and it doubt less would be held that unsurveyed lands may be taken. "This is class legislation pure and sim ple. The right to exchange does not Ac crue to the man outside the place limits of tho grants, no matter how many differ ent tracts he may own nor how advanta geous it might be to him to have his prop erty In a compact form. Many are In this condition; and the evils complained of by the Secretary in his report are largely from men in this condition, and would er the opening gdns are fired. The most showy display of fireworks may, there fore, be scheduled for some time next week. By that time, maybe, something more than is ndw known will transpire In the fight for the successor of Represent ative Tongue; and that it will more or less affect the Senatorial situation is prob able. President Brownell would not be displeased if the honor were to be tend ered to him, notwithstanding a certain coyness and diffidence he has heretofore displayed when approached on the sub ject. Mr. Hermann has friends, in and out of the Legislature, who think the nomination should hot pass him by. Brownell Is friendly to Fulton, and Her mann's friends are friendly to Fulton. Fulton has many supporters in the First Congressional District enough perhaps, if they are so disposed to swing the nom ination either way. Now It may be that Mr. Brownell will solicit the Fulton sup port, and It may bo that Mr. Hermann will have expectations of a similar na ture. If Mr. Fulton tries to please the one, he will Inevitably displease the other, and lf he pleads that he does not live in the First District and cannot be expected to take part In the contest, he runs the risk of offending both. Then there are numerous other candidates who will bo interested In knowing what Mr. Fulton is going to do about it, if he does anything; and they may be Just as much interested lf he does nothing. The first Senatorial ballot will be taken in separate houses Tuesday, January 20, at noon. If there is no election and there will be none the Legislature will assem ble in Joint convention on each succeeding day until an election is secured, or until there Is an adjournment sine die. It may be assumed that Senator Fulton will not vote for himself at least not Just now. E. B. P. MUST CAXVASS POPULAR VOTE. Each House Will Do Thin Before Pro ceeding to Elect Senator. SALEM, Or., Jan. 18. (Special.) Salem and all the rest of the state Is looking forward with no small degree of Interest to the work of the second week of the piJnlted States Senator will begin Tuesday at noon, when the two houses will hold separate sessions, for that purpose. It Is quite .certain that there will not be an election on that day, and there will be s Joint session In the House of Represents fives at noon on each succeeding day un til an election is had. The election will proceed this session In the usual manner. except that before beginning to ballot In their separate assemblies on the first day the two houses must canvass the popular vote for United States Senator. This will probably be done In each house by a com mittee appointed for that purpose, as was done in the case of canvassing the vote lor Governor. It required over an hour to canvass the vote tor tne lour candidates for Governor. and will probably take at least half that time to count the vote for the two candi dates for Senator. The law under which the vote was taken requires that the vote be certified to the secretary or Mate by the canvassing- ooaras or tne several counties, and that duplicate certificates of the vote be trans mltted by the Secretary of State to the two hpuses. "And it shall be the duty of each house to count the votos nnri an nounce the candidate for Senate having tne nignesc numoer, ana thereupon the House shall proceed to the election of a Senator as required by the act of Congress and tne constitution of the state." In counting the votes all that is necessary is to make a transcript from the total of each county, and add these, thus showing tne toiai ior tne state. The popular vote will not be announced in the joint convention on Wednesday. except that it will be referred to by the member of the Legislature who will nomi nate Geer for the Senatorshlp. The procedure on election of United States Senator is prescribed by the Fed eral statutes as follows: Such election shall be conducted in the fol lowing manner: Bach house shall openly, by viva-voce vote of each, member present, name one person for Senator in Congress from such state, and the name of the person so voted for who receives a majority of the Tvhole number of votes cast In each house shall be catered on the Journal of that house by the xlerk or secretary thereof; or If either houle fails to give such majority to any person on that day, the fact shall be entered on the Journal. At 12 o'clock meridian of the day following that on which proceeding? are required to take place as aforesaid, the members of the two houses shall convene in Joint assembly, and the Jour nal of each house shall then be read, and If the same person hae received a majority of all the votes in each bouse, he shall be declared duly elected Senator. But If the same person has not received a majority of the votes In each house, or lf either house has failed, to take such proceedings as required by this sec tion, the Joint assembly shall then proceed to choose, by a viva-voce vote of each member present, a person for Senator, and the person who receives a majority of all th votes of the Joint assembly, a majority, of .all the members elected to both houses bslns present and rstlntr, shall bo declared duly elected. If no person receives such majority on the first day, the joint Assembly shall meet at 12 o'clock merid ian of each succeeding: day during the session of the Legislature, and shall take at least one voto, -until a Senator Is elected. NINE MEN 'ARE MISSING FOUR CHARRED BODIES TAKEN FROM HOTEL RUIXS. Fire Still "Unaccounted For and May Have Burned Fire in British Co lombia Minliif? Town. SPOKANE. Wash., Jan. IS. (Speclal.)-r- A special from Morrlssey, B. C, says four men were burned to death In a fire which destroyed the Pioneer Hotel here last night. It Is believed there are other bodies to be found, as five men who wero known to have been In the hotel last night have not been acoounted for today. The names of the dead and missing men ha,ve not been learned. The hotel was a large wooden structure and had about 20 guests In It when fire started In the saloon on the ground floor. through the overturning of a lamp, the flames of which quickly communicated to the wooden partitions and stairway. The proprietor, A. Johnson, seeing that the building was doomed, ran upstairs and hastllv aroused the sleeping men while the flames were rapidly eating up the lower floor woodwork and coming up the stairway. In their night clothes, dazed by smoke and flames, tho guests rushed I from the burning fire-trap. It was Impos sible to reach all the rooms and Johnson finally made his escape after heroic res cue work. He was assisted by his bar tender. There Is practically no flrc-flghtlng ma chinery in the little town and the horror-stricken citizens could only stand Idly by and wait for the flames to sub side. The wind was blowing away from the town and no other buildings were endangered. As soon as the dying fire permitted, a search of the ruins was made. Four charred bodies were, taken out but are so badly burned that Identification Is practically impossible. There Is a large amount of debris to be searched and as five men are still missing grae fears are felt that more bodies will be uncovered. The proprietor's loss Is $4000. half insured. Morrlssey Is a small town with perhaps 800 Inhabitants. It has sprung Into being .since the opening of the coal mines oper ated by the Great Northern Railway Comnanv. It Is about 45 miles north of the" international boundary line. About S00 ! miners work in the coal properties. The guestsxat the hotel were largely miners, tlmbermen and prospectors. most reprehensible practices of the past; and, as there 13 no law to enforce -It. may only be the new broom that Is often set in motion by our street-cleaning depart ments before election. The friends of an Improved system ad mit that It is most difficult; indeed, they will go further and say Impossible to frame any law that will not have Its drawback or Induce some "graft," for the greed and cupidity of some human beings will always exist, and, unfortunately, there will always be some found willing to sell their inheritance of puro and hon orable manhood for a mess of pottage. There Is but one sadder thing on God's beautiful earth than a man or woman from whom the light of reason has van ished, and that is a helpless child in whom It never shone. The state that would refuse the proper support or withhold the means to bring either back to rationality, or In their help lessness care for them with decency and humanity. Is not worthy a place under the flag that the world around stands for progress and civilization, enlightenment and humanity, and the Sheriff, the super intendent or the official who would "graft" the money appropriated for the care of these unfortunates or for dne mo ment weigh his personal gain against their comfort and welfare. Is a poltroon unworthy an audience before any self-respecting body of lawmakers; therefore. It Is up to the present Legislature to either reform a system which is a reproach to our state or give a sympathetic ear to the hosts which are already gathering to defeat the bill. Thnt 1500 women of the state, after thor oughly investigating the matter, stand solidly back of this measure and ask for better transportation for the insane Is proof positive that the reform Is needed. We could not "graft" if we wanted to, neither could we reach the official plum. SARAH A. EVANS. Chairman Legislative Committee, Federa tion of Woman's Clubs. HONEST TAX RATE ASKED PREFERRED DEATH TO JAIL. Dcxpcrate Act of Spokane Junkman Under Arret. SPOKANE, Jan. 18. (Special.) Rather than be held a prisoner for burglary John Lee. a Junkman, 52 years old, hurled himself to his death last night down the cliffs of the Spokane River and Into the maelstrom below the Monroe-street falls. Lee was charged with breaking- Into a Northern Pacific freight car at Marshall to steal some grain sacks. Lee, besides being past middle age, was small of stature and slightly lame. He was out of breath from climbing the hill beside the river and the party was mov ing slowly. Officer Macdonald was In the lead, while Lee followed some six feet behind and Officer Hlndman brought up the rear. Without warning the man hurled himself aside. Hlndman grabbed for him and Just clutched his coat as he went headlong over tho bank, which Is steep and rockj-. About half way down the bank there is a projection.- Here the man gained his footing and again cast himself over the embankment. He struck the shore a-ifew yards frpm the water's edge, quickly rose to his feet, ran to the river and Jumped in. There Is an eddy at this spot and Lee In a moment passed through it and was than in the powerful current. He held his own n the turbulent waters for a few moments and was then lost to view. The body.was not recovered today. Lee has no relatives. RURAL MAIL IX LAXE COUXTY. Xevr Carrier Appointed All Farmers May Soon Be Served. WASHINGTON, Jan. lS-A. W. Ma- chen. General Superintendent of Free De livery systems, has appointed Frank G. McMurry letter-carrier for route No. 2, Eugene, Or.; Glenn Farrow Is named as substitute carrier. From the reports of special agencies of free delivery and from their maps of Eugene and vicinity, the Department of Free Delivery expresses a favorable opinion for the ruralizatlon of the entire upper portion of the Willamette Valley. There are already in operation several rural routes In Lane County. And, lf the people of that county take an Inter est In forming new rural routes to fit into the routes already In operation, It may be possible before the end of an other year to give almost every fanner of Lane County dally delivery of his mall. Rural free delivery is supplemented by Star route daily delivery In Lane County by nine dally star routes.. The people living along these star routes are entitled to dally delivery of mall In pouches or boxes erected at com'enlent places along the stage lines. These star routes are capable of serving daily a large number of the farming class. But reports from the postoflices of Lane County indicate that but comparatively few of the residents are taking advan tage of ttielr right of" dally free delivery of mailt- TREATMENT OF THE INSANE StlnRlnfir Denunciation by Chairman of Woman' Club. PORTLAND, Jan. 12. (To the Editor.) ,When we hear the rattle of the snake It is positive proof of lurking evil and dis turbed contontment, and so we arefain to believe Is the condition of affairs in many of our state Institutions or the system of conducting them, and the public can have no surer warning of existing evil than to hear vociferous protests from them be fore the attack comes. Notably is this the case In the present system of transporting the Insane to the asylum. After reading a communication from a Salem corre spondent, a few days ago, one of two con clusions must be drawn. He is either ut terly ignorant of existing conditions or he is personally interested In retaining the present state of affairs. The matter of it being an added expense to the state to send attendants from the asylum for patients is,, first, a contempt ible argument, if It is a better, a safer and a more humane way, but that It Is more economical has been clearly proven, WThlle the reverse has been so convincing ly contradicted, it has not a leg to stand on, and the most accomplished lobbies! should -be ashamed to advance It any longer to support his employer. If It Is a. graft for the state officials, what, pray, is it for the county officials for the Sher iff, for instance, with all his retinue of parasites, his hack-drivers and other "necessaries" ? Again, In a late communication from Sa lem, it is said: "By the proposed system patients from the far-off counties would have to be kept in poorly arranged Jails," etc. May we ask, would not any self-respecting woman, who was bereft of rea ''son, and so unfortunate as to be without friends in this sorest hour of her need, if she could decide for herself, rather1 be confined in tho most loathsome prison than to be for days and nights in the care of and at the mercy of some brutal ruf fian, who had been deputized to minister to her necessities, and, at the end of sev eral days' Journey arrlvo at the asylum with clothes stripped to a degree of Inde cency before she was drugged or made manageable by Intoxicants? We are told "that since this agitation began women attendants have been sent with female patients." This is an admission of tho False Vnlnationit Arc Doing? Much Harm to the State. SALEM. Or.. Jan. 17. (To the Editor.) I have lately been traveling through parts of California and the coast counties of Oregon, and have had some personal ex perience in methods of assessment In Washington "and hnve been observing the comparative effects of full valuation and low valuations In assessing property, and have come to the conclusion that the laws of Oregon should be enforced, and property valued by the Assessor as the law directs "at the amount It would sell for at a voluntary sale, made In the ordinary course of business." I had talks with the officials of Del Norte County, California. I- discussed it with Assessor Marsh, of Curry County, Oregon, and with Frank Miser, who lives on the boundary line between Oregon .and California. Assessor Lawrence, at Co quille. In Coos County: Assessor Thrift, just elected, agreed with me on the sub ject of assessment, but said It was impos sible to so assess under present conditions. I also talked this question over with As sessor Fnllon. of Josephine County, at Grant's Pass. Judge Booth there says valuations In that county are to be doubled In this year's assessment. From my personal knowledge of many assess ments I should say the valuations should be quadrupled. But- will the Assessor make these Increased valuations general? "Will not the large property:owncrs take the matter into court rather than submit to an increase In their valuations? The Assossor should be made by law personally responsible to ilie people to give a full and correct assessment", and until he is compelled, or the property owner Is so compelled, present con ditions wlh continue, or else will bo unbearable. The present Oregon. Leg islature should do something relative to the low assessments In Oregon. Money is pouring into the state, by the hundreds of thousands of dollars, and being Invested In mines, in timber and In manufactures; but Oregonlans are being but little bene-' fited by the influx of all this money. Why: Because the people of Oregon have de liberately advertised to the world that their lands and town lots as valued by the several County Assessors, are very. very cheap, and as the wealth of an In dividual Is based on the value of- what he owns it follows that If you cheapen his wealth you cheapen the Individual and consequently In a community or state where values are depreciated the people there are called a cheap people." The law of Oregon on the matter of as sessment reads as follows: "... Said lands or town lota shall be valued at their true cash value. . . The "term cash value shall be held and taken to mean the amount such property would sell for at a voluntary sale, made In the ordinary course of business." Could any law be made plainer than the Oregon law on assessments, and yet the several Assessors of Ocgos, after tak lng an oath to observe the law, value property at from one-half its real value down to, In some cases, one-tenth part of Its true cash value. It Is not the Oregon law that is at fault, but the Assessor. Behind the As sessor is the property-owner, and he forces the Assessor to return these low valuations. Wbat is the result? Every county in Oregon has a tax levy so high as to act as a complete barrier to the retention of money among residents here. A tax levy of 30 and 40 and DO mills will drive money out of any community. In 1SD2 the as sessed value of property In Oregon was over $40,000,000 more than In 1902, 10 years later. Does any one think for a moment that with an Increase pf population of 100. 000 people In 10 years that the value of the property has decreased $40,000,000? Of course not. It is undervaluation. What is the remedy? In my mind the remedy lies in compelling either the As sessor or the property-owner to return the "true values on property. xHow can this be done? In .New Zealand If a property owner gives in the value of his property more than 10 per cent less than its real value, any person may pay the state this arsessed value and the property becomes his, on the ground of fraud against the state by the former owner. Another rem edy would be to Impose a money penalty against the Assessor for placing a value on property less than Its "true cash value, and the courts would soon settle the question of responsibility for under valuation. The short terms of schools In country school districts and the poor roads In Ore gon are not due to lethargy or indif ference on the part of the residents of Oregon, but from the lack of public funds? In the treasuries of the several counties. The tax levies are already too high, and in order to keep them down as much as possible, the children In the country dis tricts are deprived of a nine months' school, and residents and nonresidents alike complain of the poor roads. It prop erty were assessed at Its true value a small levy would produce the same amount of money as at present, and suf ficient money could be raised for abso lute needs of the several counties, and yet the tax levy be within reasonable limits. I have been observing the effect bf full valuations, In other states, and I believe such valuations are very greatly to the advantage of such states In very many ways, aside from the fact that the law distinctly says property shall be so as sesscil. Take as an example that I ar rive In the Stato of Oregon with $50,000 cash, and deposit the money In a bank. I am rated "commercially" as being worth $50,000 and yet that money Is bringing me a return of only a small per cent per rnnum. I Invest that $50,000 In land In our state and the assessor makes an assess ment of $50,000 and my commercial credit remains the same or Is even increased, as my investment returns me more per centj per annum tnan it in a Dame, in tnis state the investment I make of $50,000 in lands, etc., is rated by the Assessor at say $10,000 and as a consequence my "com mercial credltll-at once shrinks to $10,000. Through the low assessments the commer- I Olds, Wot tman &' King Om 25th. Great Annual Clearance ale Begins its fourth week today. Here are the extra-special bargain offerings which will continue while they last. KITCHEN FURNISHINGS, many conveniences at small prices. DINNER SETS, French china, 100-piece sets, $19.80; 112 piece sets, $22.85. SILVER TABLEWARE, double plate on white metal, all at sharp reductions. SILVER TABLEWARE, best quality A-l silver,- also at spe cial clearance reduction. HANDKERCHIEFS, initialed, ' hemstitched linen, 25c grade 17c; fine hemstitched and em broidered, 35c, 38c and 40c each, now 25c; plain hem stitched, very fine, 35c and 40c values, special 25c. RIBBONS, plain, and fancy silk, taffeta, satin and grosgrain, values to 25c for 10c yard. SATIN TAFFETA, 40c to 65c a yard, special per yard 29c. LADIES' BELTS, assorted pat terns, 39c each. LADIES' LINEN COLLARS, 15c values for 5c. JEWELRY, handsome belt buck- les, men's watch fobs, chate laine chain purses, beauty pins and brooch pins, all greatly reduced. SILKS, great clearance spe cials, lot 1, plain colors, spe cial per yard, 29c; lot 2, plain and fancy colors, special per yard, 42c; lot 3, plain and fancy colors, special per yard, 58c; lot 4, plain and fancy col ors, special per yard, 77c. BLACK FIGURED GRENA DINES, $1.00 and $1.25 kinds for ,69c; other grades propor tionately reduced. COLORED DRESS GOODS, plain and latest fancy mixtures, .$2.50 grade for $1.49, $1.75 grade for $1.09, $1.50 grade for 94c. CHALLIES, all wool, 39c a yard. BLACK DRESS GOODS, granites and hopsacking, $1.25 and $1.35 values for 98c. LADIES' CAPES, $7.50 and $8.50 values reduced to $5.62; $12.50, $15 and $18 values reduced to $8.95. LADIES' JACKETS, Norfolk, Fuchu, and other stylish ef fects, $15 values now $6.98; $22 values now $11.65. MEN'S WHITE SHIFTS, $1.00 grades lor 77c; $1.25 grades for 87c. MEN'S COLORED SHIRTSi fancy percale and Madras, $1.50 values for 77c. MEN'S TIES, silk string or club ties, 25c values now two for 25c; Ascot ties, French fold, $2.25 kinds for $1.49. MEN'S GLOVES, silk-lined, $1.50, for 79c. MEN'S NIGHTSHIRTS, flannel ette, 50c grade for 38c, 75c grade for 49c, $1.00 grade for 73c. MEN'S SHIRTS- AND DRAW ERS, natural gray wool, $1.00 grade for 69c; fine camel's hair, $1.50 grade -for 99c! FRENCH FLANNELS, plain and striped, only 38c a yard. WOOL WAISTINGS, silk stripes and beautiful colorings, 75c quality special 51c. "COUCH COVERS, $1.50 kind for 95c, $2.00 kind for $1.35. PORTIERES, imported llama printed, $2.75 kind for $1.75, $7.50 kind for $4.75-. COZY-CORNER FURNISHINGS, handsome silk-embroidered, $6.00 kinds for $3.00 each; $13.50 kinds for .$6.75 each; $17.50 kinds for $8.75 each. LACE CURTAINS, Dainty Duch ess patterns, 75c, $1.00 and $1.50 kinds for 30c, 50c and 75c a pair. RUFFLED SWISS AND TAM BOUR CURTAINS, all small lots, at great reductions. Same material by the yard, 35c kind for 19c, 60c kind for 33c. TABLE DAMASK, Richardson make, 2 yds wide, 72c, $1.05 $1.25 and $1.48 per yard. UNBLEACHED TABLE DAM ASK, 63c, 72c and 85c a yard. FINE NAPKINS, satin damask, all linen, $3.49, $4.40 and $6.25 a dozen. BEDSPREADS, fine quality, col ored satin, $3.00 values for $2.35. TOWELS, soft finish, absorbent, size 20x39, each 8c. TURKISH TOWELS, heavy dou ble thread, 12fc. ENGLISH LONG CLOTH, 12-yd piece, extra fine quality, $1.48 FLANNELS AND WAISTINGS, Scotch wool-mixed flannels, 25c and 30c values, 17c. PLAID WAISTINGS, very pret ty, nch plaids, 35c values, only 23c. INFANTS' SACOUES, 50c to $1.50 values for 39c. INFANTS' SHOES reduced from $1.00 per pair to 38c. CHILDREN'S SHOES reduced from $2.00 to 98c. BOYS' AND YOUTHS' SHOES, sizes 11 to 2, $1.28; sizes 24 to 53, $1.38. LADIES' PARTY SLIPPERS, iancy saun, giace ana sueae ir kid, colors black, blue, pink or bronze, sizes 2$ to 4, $5.00 7 and $6.00 kinds, only $1.38. (S LADIES' FELT HOUSE SHOES, brown or red, 98c. LADIES' FELT JULIET SLIP PERS, brown or red, 9Sc. LADIES' COMFORT HOUSE SLIPPERS, fiat heels., broad toes, 98c. CHILDREN'S WORSTED HOSE, sizes 6 to 7iy reduced from 30c to 19c; sizes 8 to 8, reduced from 35c to 24c; sizes 9i to 10, reduced from 45c to 40c. CHILDREN'S COTTON HOSE, , sizes 6 to 10, values 20c to 35c, special 15c. LADIES' HOSE, black wool, re duced from 25c to 18c. MISSES' VESTS, sizes 3, 4, 5, and 6, reduced from 35c to 23c. MISSES' UNION SUITS, white wool, reduced from $1.00 to 63c each. LADIES' UNION SUITS, $1.50 grade reduced to $109. LADIES' MUSLIN DRAWERS reduced from 40c to 28c. LADIES' NAINSOOK GOWNS, reduced from $1.25 to 98c. LADIES' KNIT UNDERSKIRTS reduced from 75c each to 50c each: LADIES' COTTON UNDER SKIRTS, plain ribbed, each 35c. ill W rappers, Clii Id rein's Coats, Flannel Waists, Eiderdown Dressing vSacques, Rainy-Day SKirts, Separate Dress J e e 9 e cial credit of every resident of Oregon i e o o o e e e e Is much less than It should be. If you place a full valuation on all prop- ! erty In Oregon you reuuee me levy pro- j - gr at j j nortlonately. provuied tne same amount -V . MS0rfT k o of money is to be raised. Take as an ex- j 9 amDle. Josephine County. Oregon. If on ' u n.vnt' vnlnntlnn nf 1 Ftf) fiOrt It rp. t 9 quires a ou-imu w. iu ixiz uu asb' "-h"-1-" i - M 9 of $75,000 for county, state, scnooi. scnooi Q iutrW nnfl rltv nf Grant's Pass exnenses. I if the valuations were to be Increased two times the levy would be one-half and the amount raised would be no more. If tho values were Increased" three times, the levy would be only one-third of 50 mills, or 1G 2-3 mills on the dollar. If a person or corporation In Oregon were to loan to a resident of Josephine County $30,000 and paid taxes of 50 mills, as the law di rects, the legal rate that can be charged being only 10 per cent, the net rate to the lender would be only 5 per cent: and as no borrower would pay 10 per cent In terest on JfO.OOO after paying taxes the net returns would be even less. 'Money lenders and building and loan associations cannot do business In Oregon. Non-residents are buying all kinds of property In Oregon, but as they are non residents they do not want the land or other property assessed any higher than possible, but on account of the extreme Q low valuations Immense areas of our a state cannot support schools or build I roads. Assess all property, whether owned by a resident or non-resident, at I Q the same value and keep the tax levy as i 9 low as possible (not more than 15 mills j on the dollar for all purposes) and the residents of this state will soon be known ; as owners of lands which give them a commercial standing In proportion to their real value. Poor lawd are bad enough, but neglect to enforce good laws Is also a great detri ment to a state and a people. The present Oregon Legislature should find some ade- j Q quatc remedy against the wholesale un- i devaluation of property in Oregon. I ' 9 have given my views on the subject of assessment at this time, as there are : numerous bills Being Introduced In the I a Oregon Legislature amending tho present ', laws, but to my mind the present law is all-sufnclent and Its strict enforcement Is what is urgently needed. With prop erty In Oregon assessed at Its true value I believe residents of Oregon would find themselves more prosperous than ever In I e tho history of this state, and those who own property In the state for which they paid large sums but which Is assessed at very low figures would not be able to defeat Justice by evading the payment of a just share of the taxes. B. C. P. AVnr in Snn Francisco Chinatown. SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 18. Five Chinese were shot, two fatally, tonight in a Tong war in Chinatown. There were three 'suc cessive shooting affrays, the latter two be ing in retaliation st the first, which took place In a gambling den. In the first af fray the intended victim was shot through tho body and two bystanders were struck by the bullets, but not seriously Injured. Four men are in jail and the police say they have strong evidence against two of the prisoners. $1 and $1.25 Foulard 1.50 and 32 Fancy Waisting' SilKs at ... c 59c Death of ConRrcasman Tonjrue. Salem Statesman. Mr. Tongue was an ardent Oregonlan. He was not a native of Oregon, but he spent the whole period of his young man hood and his active life In this state, fie believed In Oregon and his country. He mer chandise in every depart- ?st 'orices ever "1 on nrst-ciass mer- ? ment. Lowe i unown i etiandise. s I All odd lines of 60c, 75c .and $1 Novelty ILi Wash Goods at " e e was far-seeing and vigorous In the ad vocacy of the cause of right as he saw It. His was a loyalty and a friendship worth having. He never deserted a true friend or a just cause. In the ' ordinary course of events Mr. Tongue had long years of usefulness yet before him. He had reason to look for ward to' additional political honors. H was in the vigor of manhood, with sym pathies broadened by contact with thj best and greatest men of his time.