m PORTLAND, OREGON, FRIDAY. FEBRUARY 16, 190G. PRICE FIVE CENTS. VOL. XLVI.- XO. 14,101. 4 E5 WOMEN ON SHIP Rescue Expected by Valencia Victims. ALL STAY ABOARD AMD PERISH Captain Cousins Abandons Them to Terrible-Fate. . SEA WAS NpF-BplSTEROJJS I n Chief Icoolc .,irancock Tells Special Commission Thai Raft and Boat "wire Worked Clear of the Wreck Without Difficulty. BY E. W. "WRIGHT. SEATTLE. Wash., Feb. 15. (Staff Cor respondencesThe trend or the Valencia wreck investigation, now being conducted by a special commission. Indicates that considerable explanation will he demanded of Captain Cousins and his friends of kin dred nerve on the steamer Queen- Boat swain McCarty and Chief Cook Hancock -were the star witnesses at today's session, McCarty's examination being taken up where he left oft yesterday. He was In charge of the first boat to leave the wreck, and Hancock was Jn charge of the last raft to get awayl Second Officer Peterson, who testified yesterday, was In charge of the first raft Each of these prominent actors in the awful sea .tragedy' tells his story In a' dif ferent vein, but standing out clear and distinct In the testimony, of each of these men is the cold, hard fact that rescuing boats or rifts, 'had ' any' a'ttdm'pt been made fo send, them out, could have safely reached the Valencia and saved some of the people. Indifference of Rescuers. Tho alleged sudden change in the weath er does not explain the brutal indifference ofrtJhjtt'ixscueMtorlhc .fajotthifpcrlsb lng "victims, for'irore; 'than v24 hours elapsed after Boal&waln McCarty left the wreck and rriade good weather with his ' boat before Hancock got away with his raft and also made good weather with that craft. These men did not-state voluntarily that conditions were, such .as .to admit of- res cue, but vigorous questioning by the com mission has brought the evidence out quite clearly. Second Officer Peterson admitted yester day that a boat properly handled could have reached "the Valencia. Boatswain McCarty stated under oath today that he could, without much difficulty, have re turned safely to the wreck with the ordi nary ship's boat with which he escaped, and Hancock testified today that they could have pulled the raft on which they escaped back to the Valencia without tak ing a very serious risk. Testimony Is Corroborated. 'These sworn statements, which can 4fardly fail to place the alleged rcscuors in an extremely bad light, arc flanked by a mass or corroborative testimony. "What Captain Cousins and his friends on the comfortable steamer Queen will have to explain Is how ordinary boats and rafts launched from the Valencia under the worst possible circumstances could make good weather on a sea which the men on the Queen contended was too rough for launching a boat or a raft. Boatswain McCarty resumed his test! jiiuiij una intimitis- .mc saia mat as soon as daylight disclosed the impossibil ity of landing on the beach. Cdptaln Johnson asked him to call for volunteers to man the only remaining boat and try to get ashore and end for assistance. Ho had but little iilfficulty in setting live men to accompany him and cleared tho wreck and pulled out into deep water without any trouble. Sea Smooth IS'car Wreck. A remarkable feature of his testimony was the statement that' when only 60 yards past the bow of the Vafencla he found the sea sm.oojth enough .for him to turn north and run parallel with the beach. As the Valencia was lying within 150 or 200 yards of the beach, it Is thus an parent that the sea was not breaking over SCO yards from shore. At the time McCarty left the Valencia he was under the impression that the steamer was on Flattery .rocks, and the volunteers worked with a will In the be lief that they were going to Neah Bay for assistance. As has been related previous ly, they landed at Fachena Bay .and wandered .around the woods until they struck the trail leading to Cape Bcale On reaching that point McCarty sent out a call for assistance. Samuel Hancock, chief cook on the Valencia, has been in many a wreck, and his familiarity with such scenes may be partially responsible for his statement that there was not much excitement. He remained on board for two hours after the Queen camo in sight and then de cided tq leave on a raft, as th condition of the steamer was becoming serious, Deceived by the Queen. Hancock asked the stewardess to try and coax some of the women passengers to go on the raft, but as the Queen was in plain sight they all thought they would bo safer on the Valencia, and rc fused to leave. The chief engineer was of the same opinion, and 10 men were all that could be induced to leave the wreck. Hancock testified that the sea was no -worse when this last raft -was launched N 0 v than when McCarty got away' with his boat 24 hours earlier. Not much trouble was experienced In getting clear of the Valencia! and good headway was made in working out toward the Queen. There was a long rolling swell, bat It was not ; so bad as to prevent the men from walk ing around on the raft at times.. After rowing for 'about two hours, in which they worked four miles off-shore, they saw tho Queen abandon the scene, and they then headed the raft Inshore again, beaching her on Vancouver Island at midnight. Two of the men on board becameinsanc and jumped overboard and a third died of exposure. XiHck or Discipline on Steamer. The burden of the questioning today scented to bo for the purposo of ascer taining whether or not it would have been possible for lives to have .been saved by,, otheri boats had an attempt been made. Incidental to this, more evidence of lack of discipline kept coming to light. Charles Brown, seaman, the only one who has yet admitted that he knew to which boat he was assigned, spoiled the credit thus earned -by .stating, that tit abandoned .bl8 own boat without orders and went to an other. There is a persistent rumor that there was no lookout In the bow when the ves sel struck, or if there was one. he was asleep. Nearly every -witness has testi fied that the noire of the surf could be heard quite plainly as soon as they came on deck As the vessel was proceeding slowly. It Is argued that the lookout, had he been awake, should have heard the breakers before the vessel struck. Like Wreck or St. Paul. Hancock was chlof cook on the steam ship St. Paul when she was wrecked last Fall. After leaving the stand he stated that there was a striking similarity in the .scenes .aboard the two vessels Imme diately after they got on the rocks. Both disasters happened at night. In a fog, and in both cases the water came In so rapidly that the lights were extinguished. In the case of the St. Paul, the excel lent discipline on board prevented the lowering of a single boat until daylight, and no lives were lost. The Valencia, of course, was in a more dangerous locality than the St. Paul, but had discipline been maintained and no boats lowered until daylight, and with passengers and crew under control, the disaster would never have -demanded a. hearing by a special Government commission. TULE LIFE RAFT IS TESTED Twenty-Two Men Sustained ly Craft That' Saved Lives.'' ' SEATTLE, 'Feb. 15. The Tederal Com missioners conducting the rehearing of the Valencia investigation are attempting to find out the manner in which the Valen cia was handled when she struck the rocks. One of the facts brought out is that the Valencia was in the habit of overrunning her course while cn, route gihf ejctri r. awl . thaler jlo Miiy-rtfY sbftut C nor cnt.- .: 'Second Officer Peterson. C Brown and Tirtmswjtin McCarlhv have been .calico. Peterson -was on-the stand' three hours to-- day. His testimony was mostly connnca to the navigation of tho ship. Boatswain McCarthy -testified that several oi me vessel's Iire-prcservers. had been con demned wnen 6he left San Francujco. Captain Burweu, tnira memBcr w wit commission, emphasized the fact that no attempt was made to protect me poais from passengers. This afternoon the members oi tne com mission made a practical test of the tule llferaf t on which Chief Cook Samuel Han cock and nine others left the wreck of the Valencia. Twenty-two sailors bi tne Pacific Coast Steamship Company manned the raft and it bore up their weight. The carrying capacity of the rait is is per sons. The afternoon session of the special In vestigation was taken up with the exam ination of Chicr Cook Hancock. Frank RJchley, fireman's mess boy: George Bela gous, Greok coal-passer, and Mark Stclnz ler. fireman. No new evidence was devel oped. At the Inspectors Investigation a por tion of one of the life lines fired from the Valencia's Lylc gun was submitted as evi dence. The line was found to be perfect ly sound. No night session of the special Investigation was held, owing to the non arrival of an extra stenographer. ATTACK OIL TRUST NEXT G O VERNMEXT WILL INDICT OF FICEUS OF STANDARD. Another Monopoly and Rebating Pros-ccutlon AVI II Follow Case Against Beef Trust. PITTSBURG, Fob. 15. The Post tomor row will say: Indlctmciits or Standard OH and rail road officials by the Federal authorities after the manner in which the beef trust leaders have been dealt with, and action to this end immediately following the termination of the packers' cases now in progress in Chicago, arc the possible re sults of the investigation of railroad rates by the Government, the final .and pne of the most Important steps of which was finished in Pittsburg yesterday. With the completion of the probing by. the Department of Commerce officers,' au thoritative confirmation was obtained last nlc-ht of the intimation that the purpose of the Investigation has been to find out the relations of the railroads and the oil trust In the matter of rebates. Another Standard Man Hiding, NEW YORK, Feb. 13. The Standard Oil Company Inquiry instituted by the State of Missouri went on for a few min utes tonight. Max Palmedo. a subpena scrver from Missouri, said he had been to the townhouse and also to the country estate of Walter Jennings at Cold Spring Harbor, and was unable to serve him. The hearing then was adjourned until to morrow evening. May Grant Old-Age Pensions. LONDON, Feb. 15, While declining to make rash promises. Premier Campbell Banncrman and Chancellor of the Ex chequer Asquith this morning declare themselves In entire sympathy with a deputation which called on them- to advo cate the establishment of "a national sys tem of old-age pensions. jXhctdeputation urges that the scheme should be compre hensive and Include all citizens raent or women, the money being found sy aeans -of Imperial-Usatioa. STftlL OFF VOTE ON BUTE MEASURE Senate Factions'. Not ; Ready for- Preliminary JTest "of1 Strength. ATTITUDE OF -DEMOCRATS President ConsMltcd by Conserva tives on ,Court Review Provision. Cullom May Return to Give Deciding: Vote. AVASHI NGTON, Feb. 15. Agreement to vote on a' railroad rate bill tomorrow In the Senate committee on interstate com merce Is an Issue that neither faction on the question of Judicial review of orders of the Interstate Commerce Commission seems Inclined to force. Neither knows the strength of the other, and unques tionably the Democratic members of the committee are the balance of power. Neither of the Republican factions has' issued a formal statement setting forth their differences, but the Democrats, In an authorized statement from .Bailey, have made It clear that "an adequate bill" must be reported or the minority will have a measure of Its own. In this statement, however. It Is admitted that the Democrats -.arc divided on the ques tion of judicial review. Much Depends on Callom. The members of the committee Insist ing upon an amendment to the House bill Elkins, Aldrlch, Foraker, Kean and Crane do not believe the amendments providing for any change In the court features of the bill can be voted-upon to morrow. Dolliver and Clapp, the cham pions of the House bill In Its present form, are not disposed to Insist upon a vote They desire to have Cullom paired against amendment, but the conserva tive faction will not permit this. If the vote is postponed, as seems -likely, Cul lom may return to Washington before a vote Is taken. Different reports arc circulated con cerning his position, the' conservatives admittinnthe claim that he Is against an Aienmriih1ii5tf0uld suspend an order of the Commission pending a review by the courts, but Insisting that he Is not opposed to a -more moderate amendment. The positions will be outlined clearly tomorrow, even though' a vote is not ob tained. Attitude of President. Late tonight It was stated that, so far. no agreement has been reached on any amendment, despite the fact that numer ous conferences have been held during the day among the President, members of the Cabinet and Senators to prepare a compromise draft. Aldrich and Allison and Secretary Taft conferred with the President today con cerning the alleged necessity of an amendment providing for judicial re view. The Secretary of War has Joined forces with the conservative Senators In declaring that such an amendment is re quired to make the 'bill constitutional. Attorney-General Moody does not agree to this. It is said that the President an nounced today that he would like to sec the amendment to be proposed and submit it to the Attorney-General before he In dorses any proposition to amend the House bill. AVhab Democrats AVHI Do. Bailey, who is the minority floor leader In the absence of -Gorman, today ex plained the attitude of Democratic Sen ators. He said that. If a bill Is presented by the Republicans which. In the opinion of the Democrats, is Inadequate to meet the demands of the situation, the Demo crats both In the Senate and in the com mittee will not support it- In the event of a division of - the Republicans, the Democrats will support the bill presented bythc faction offering. that which comes nearest meeting the demands of the mi nority. The Texas Senator says that If no adequate bill comes from any Repub lican source, then the Democrats will present a bill of their own. Include Express and Sleepers. From the same authority It Is learned that in any bill presented all the Demo crats will unite in supporting a provision that express companies shall be placed under the Interstate Commerce Com ml s- GOVERJOCENT COMMISSION TO INVESTIGATE VALENCIA DISASTER Herbert Kner SmHh. Deputy Cen m I doner f Crp9ratles. sJon. Most of the Democrats will Insist that Pullman cars also -shall be Included. Coal Operators DcoHnc6 BUI. WASHINGTON. Feb. 35. A delegation of ?romlacnt coal operators from the West and Southwest waited on Senator Elkins, chairman of- the committee, on Interstate commerce today, and" entered a protest against any rate legislation giv ing to the Interstate Commerce Com mission' no'wer over . rates' except lthi provision for the review of the acts of the commission In 'the courts. The coal, men .also made the statement that, "judgi log the future' by the past record of the Interstate Commerce Commission, thu Hepburn bill as passed by tho 'House means demoralization, retrogression and confiscation." O REG OX IS "OT'.TIIE WORST Hitcltcock Says Louisiana Lends in Land Fraud Cases. WASHINGTON. Feb. 13. Light was thrown on the land-fraud investigation by Secretary Hitchcock at an executive hear ing before a subcommittee of the Houso appropriation committee today. In con nection with his estimates of $30,00) for a continuance of the prosecutions. Mr. Hitchcock explained that GOO indictments and -Kr) convictions already have been ob tained by the interior Department. In 13 states. To the great surprise of the subcom mittee. Mr. Hitchcock said that Loulstena leads In the number of land frauds Uncov ered , by his , depu-Uitcitt, and has more utan urf m. wuwiitnofl or any outric- statcs wMefc arc sagf scd to be the cJ.ef offender. California also MKmen lone list of faufc.. t ' mf WHOLE Mi AAVFUL DEVASTATION BY SOUTH A3LERICAX EARTHQUAKES. Hundreds. Perish, Survivors Flee to Mountains, Tidal Waves Over whelm Ports of Ecuador. GUATAQUIT, Ecuador. Feb. 13. The first shock of the earthquake which caused so much damage and loss of life In the province or Esmcraldas was felt at 13 o'clock on January 31, the disturbance continuing at short inter vals until February 6. The Inhabitants, panic-stricken, abandoned their homes and families and arc still living In the open air, fearing a repetition of the shocks m ... 'in the neighborhood of Pof t I.lmonos, fouf small Islands disappeared. These islands were inhabited by fishermen, who escaped In small boats. In which tliey were at sea for three days until thg ,watcr became sufficiently calm to "tmaW.ttejB ten reach. th"o- mainland. vTh'erclty of Esmeraldas was nearly (undated by a tldaT "wave, whlcUcn yfcrcd. the .port, flooding the principal streets. All the Inhabitants "nm for- the mountains In the neighborhood. All the towns In the Provinces of Esmemldas and Manabi were greatly damaged, especially: Rio ATerde, Cam aroncs. La Tola, Llmpncs, Borbon and Plngaugi, the most of the Inhabitants of -which arc homeless. At the Colombian towns of Mos aucra. San Juan and Domlngortlz more than 300 persons perished. Antloqula and other Colombian departments suf fered heavy'damagc. At Tuquerras five Demons perished under the ruins of falling houses. Manlzalos suffered heavily. FIFTY KILLED IX VILLAGES Steamer Brings Particulars of Ruin Due to Tidal AA'avc. PANAMA, Feb. 13. Confirmation of reports of loss of life by a tidal wave following a submarlric earthquake on January 31 has been brought here by the captain of the steamer Quito, which has arrived here from Guayaquil. . On January 31 several cqast villages In the Department of Cauca were de stroyed and more than 53 persons were killed or drowned. The cable repair ship has not yet succeeded In restor Ing communication with BUena Arcn turn. FIRE RAGES IN. MINE SHAFT 9 Miners at, Ouray Have Narrow Es cape; .Mules AH Perish. OURAY, Colo., Feb. 15. Fire is raging In shaft No. 1 ot the .Revenue tunnel near here. It began shortly before chansc of shifts at 3 o'clock this morn Incr. and smoke quickly filled the portion of the tunnel In which shaft No. "1 is located. A number of minora hud nar row escapes from asphyxiation. Nearly all of the mules at work In that portion of the mine were suffocated. The fire hai been held in the shaft where It started, and It Is not thought that It will spread. It has not been nee cssary to stop work In other sections of the tunnel. No statement ot tne uaraag can be glvven at this time. Lawrence O. Xsmy. Assistant Sec retary et Commerce aad Labor. V Pi CHINESE ATTACK FOREIGN MISSION Viceroys Now Take Lead in Enrhityto;the White " "Barbarians."' ENCOURAGED 7 BY- PEKIN Japan Believed to AATcIcome Trouble as Opportunity to Exact Con cessions Shanghai May En- large Police Force. LONDON. Fb. IS. The correspondent at Shanghai of the Standard telegraphs as follows: News has reached here of another at tack on a foreign mission at Nganklng. Province of Nganhwoi, on the left bank of the Yangtze Klang River. No loss or life Is reported Yesterday an attempt .-was made here by a trusted Chinese servant to murder the secretary of the French Municipal Council while he was asleep. The attempt was frustrated and the assailant was ar rested. Many of the great provincial viceroys' arc displaying a marked anti-foreign atti tude, which they would hardly dare so openly to assume unless they thought that Pekin approved their conduct. In the foreign settlements of treaty ports efforts are belnc made quietly to recover privileges granted to foreigners. In some quarters Japan Is believed to view the possibility of armed Intervention being necessary with equanimity, since It would provide her with occasion to obtain from China what she failed to exact from Russia. In Shanghai two additional companies of volunteers are being raised. It Is re ported that the Municipal Council-favors strengthening the Sikh police force by SCO men. Unfortunately, It Is at this juncture . that it has been decided to reduce the British China squadron. 3IARCHES AGAIXST BANDITS Yuan Ski Kal Makes Good Use of Xcvv Array. LONDON. Feb. 15,. The" Tribune; Pekin correspondent telegraphs- that Yuan Ski Kal. commander of tho Chinese forces, has moved an expedition of over 300) men. with 21 guns, from Paotunc; to Chichau against Chinese bandits. STANDS Bl" EXCLUSION" LAA Fulton Declares Boycott Cannot Ac complish Its Kcpcal. OREGONIAN NEWS BUREAU. Wash ington. Feb. 15. In response to a request for his views on the Chinese boycott. Sen ator Fulton today made the following: an--swer: ' The real purpose of the. Chinese cn paged in he ooyeott of American soods Is to se cure the repeal of the exclusion law. No doubt the manner in which the law has been executed has In some Instances Riven Just cause of complaint and tended to in tensify and accelerate the "growing resent ment engendered by the law. hut the real animus Is opposition to the law as a whole and the purpose Is to enforce Its repeal. To that we cannot accede. It is of great in terest and concern to us that cordial and friendly relations with China shall be main tained and .our trade and commerce with her Increased, but. if such conditions can only be purchased by sacrificing the rights and Imperiling the welfare of American la bor, the price Is greater than we can afford to pay. We must not repeat or substantially modify the present exclusion law. So to do would work great hardship on and be un pardonable Injustice to oar own wage-earn ers. We of the Pacific Coast have learned In the school of experience how serious menaee te the peace, prosperity and morals of -the- community Is a large Influx ot Chi ncse coolies and we will never consent to legislation making such conditions again possible. PHEDICTS GREAT ATKOC1TIES Evc-AVitness of Shanghai Riots Describes Event. SAN FRANCISCO. Feb. 13. "The hatred of foreigners among; the Chinese Is such that only a leader Is needed to Incite the natives to atrocities worse than those ot thb Boxer uprising. I expect an uprising within the next few months. The for- olenor who visits- Canton does so at tho risk of his life, and In the smaller Interior towns conditions arc much worse. Trade Captain W. T. BurweH. Comma ad ant Poget Sound Navj-Yaril. by Americans is Impossible, and the boy cott Is enforced more rigidly than ever. Such are statements of C M. Young. an eye-witness of the recent not m Shanghai, who arrived here yesterday from the Orient on tho steamer Doric Young says that SCO Chinese were killed in the riot in Shanghai and that only the presence ot the foreign gunboats pre vented the wholesale slaughter of Ameri cans and Englishmen. "The riot In Shanghai." he said, "had its Inception because of the action of the British Consular Court, December 15. For several days all foreigners were com pelled to carry rifles for protection. "A Chinese woman, accused of traf ficking In slave girls, was haled before the Consular Court, and sent to jail. The Chinese protested, and a riot started. "The rioters ran from street to street, searching for foreigners. Revolvers and rifles were used by the Americans, and the Chinese answered with volleys of stones." Many were hurt, but I heard ot no fatalities among the Americans or English. One Englishwoman was attacked and dragged'by the hair. She was rescued by countrymen. "One group of foreigners, driven to bay. was compelled to kill six assailants. "The Chinese Government officials, ot course, were powerless to put an end td the uprising, and it was only the war ships that brought the affair to a speedy termination. "Trade conditions In China at present are frightful. Not one Chinese merchant would look at my goods. It Is absolutely useless to endeavor to sell American manufactured goods to the Chinese." In Canton the boycott Is most rigid. Messages from Chinese merchants In San Francisco, urging on the boycott, are past ed on the walls. Beyond the antl-forelgn agitation In Canton there Is an antl-dy-nasttc movement, and Hunan brave3 were drilling for an uprising against the pres ent' dynasty. GUNBOATS SENT TO CANTON British Go to Suppress Hevolt at Sunning City. SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 13. Officers ot the Doric bring news of the dispatch ot two British gunboats to Canton just be fore their departure from the Orient. The gunboats Moorhen and Sandpiper, lying at Samshul, steamed up to Canton under secret orders. When the Doric left Shanghai. It was reported there had been an uprising in Sunning district, near Can ton, and the magistrate and many people- killed. Rebels had gathered In force and were marching on Sunning City. Inhabi tants ot the district were fleeing to Macao AVood May Command in China. SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 15. The United States Army transport Sherman sailed to day for Honolulu, Guam and the Philip pines with 100 cabin passengers, a few troop3 and 4000 tons of military supplies Among the passengers were Major-Gener als 'Brooke and Weston, the latter going to Manila under sealed orders. In Army circles It Is surmised that General Brooke may succeed General Leonard Wood In case the latter should be ordered to China Colonel William S. Patten, who for some time has been Quartermaster ot the De partment of California, also sailed, on the Sherman to assume a similar position In the Department of the Philippines. Bnlfour May Have Fight for Seat. LONDON, Feb. 13. An urgent' meeting of the City Liberal Association has been summoned for tomorrow to consider the situation consequent on ex-Premier Bal four's latest attitude regarding tariff re form. It Is said that he may yet have to fight for his seat. CONTENTS TODAY'S PAPER The Weather. YESTERDAY'S Maximum temperature. 3 deg.; minimum. 40. Precipitation, none. TODAY'S Occasional rain. Southerly winds, roreljm. Attack on mission in China; Shanghai in creases police; British send gunboats. Page 1. Austria will crush Hungarian liberty and rc bclllon will follow. Page 3. Humors of mediation in Morocco dispute. Page 5. Campaign of assassination in Russia. Page 5. Count de Castellane scorns alimony from wife. Page 4. Awfcl results of earthquake in South Amtr lea. Page 1. National. House refuses to abolish useless custom houses. Page 4. Statehood debate begins in Senate. Page 4 Senators will try to stop creation of forest reserves. Page L. Senate committee delays decisive vote on rate bill. Pago 1. Contracts let for Boise-Payette Irrigation work. Page 4. , Government- refuses concessions to Germany to get tariff reduction. Page 5. Standard Oil Company soon to be prosecuted under trust law. Page l. roUtlcs.' Negro bishop makes savage speech against American flag and the whites. Pago Z. Domestic. Anthracite miners and operators hold first conference. Page 3. Prominent Peoria man commits suicide. Tagc 5. Longworth gets marriage license and gives last stag party. Page 2. Former Chicago Judge accused of starting bank for swindling purposes. Page Pacific Coast. Valencia investigation tends to show cow ardice on part of captains of "rescuing fleet. Page 1. Harrlraan's extravagant buying dazzles the eyes of the Seattleltcs. Page d. -Rlptlnger now has no opposition as Ttepub Hcan candidate for Mayor of Seattle. Page 7. Body of young Ifazard. who lost life on Valencia, is Identified. Page 6. Sheepmen Win victory in Idaho court- Page C. Commercial and Marine. Famine in fruit sugar in local market. Page 15. Oregon potatoes sell better at San Francisco. Page lo. Stock prices crumble at the close. Page 13. Free selling causes i-cent break In wheat at Chicago. Page 15. Port of Portland committee returns from bridge-lnraecllne tour In thb East. Page 14. British ship Drumcraig quoted at 80 per cent reinsurance. Page 14. British ship Bardowie arrives at San Fran Cisco a year out from England. Page. 14 Leyland liner Devonian goes ashore on Scltu ate Beach, but Is floated without serious damage. Page 14. Portland and Vicinity. Gas graft at Kansas City compared -With that In Portland: Page 10. Tillamook railway situation. Page 10. Tattoo" Kelly convicted of murder, in the second degree for Killing Thomas Flem mlngs In Centennial bar hold-up. Page 10. Record of a day in the Municipal Court- Page 14. Seventh-Day Advcntut conference begins. Pqge 7. Fire limit wanted for East Side warehouse district- Page 14. Itabbl Wlsa suggests that Oregon send foo ship to succor starving Japanese. Page 11 League delegates tell why travelers should see America first before taking a European tour. Page li. Many are In the scramble for the office of SherlC Pago is. GENERAL ATTflGK ON FOREST POLICY Heyburn Rallies Others to His Support. OPPOSITION TO NEW RESERVES Movement to Take Away Power From President. HE HAS SUSPENDED ACTION Senate Will Decide Whether Con gress Should Exercise Power of Creating' Reserves Both East and West Divided. OREGONIAN NEWS BUREAU, Wash ington, Feb. 15. Before the close of the present session of Congress an effort will be made by a number of "Western Senators to secure the enactment of legislation curtailing" the power of the President and the Forest Service In the matter of the creation and administration of forest re serves. A number of Western men in the Senate are in partial sympathy with Sena tor Heyburn. of Idaho, but none la as radi cal as he, and not one of the number would so to the extreme which Is urged. by him. Nevertheless, there Is a very marked disapproval of the manner m which reserves are being created and con trolled, and it is quite possible that some form of legislation may be enacted which will. In a measure, restrain the Adminis tration In the enforcement of Its present forest policy. No Senator except Mr. Heyburn would abolish the Forest Service or abandon all the existing reserves, but quite a number have come to the conclusion that the re serve area la adequate to meet the de mands of the present as well as the future, and these Senators would put a stop to the extension of the reserve area. except by act of Congress. This Is one of the things for which Mr. Heyburn con tends. Argument Against Reserves. The main argument advanced against the creation of new forest reserves Is the claim that they retard development; that they restrain legitimate settlement: that they materially reduce the taxable area of the "Western States, In some Instances vir tually disabling certain counties, and In this way. It is claimed, do more harm than good. The opponents of the forest policy do not questions the benefits that come from reserves of moderate area, both as a guard against the destruction of the forests and a protection of the water supply, but they believe that such a policy, when carried out as fully as the President and Forest Service have planned, would work Injury, and It is against this extension that they protest. These Senators would enact the Hey burn bill, or some similar measure, tak ing from the President the power to create forest reserves and giving- that power solely to Congress. The enactment of such a law would not put a stop to the creation of reserves, but it would have a restraining effect and would mean that reserves would be created with less frequency and In smaller areas. President Will Suspend Action. The President is not In sympathy with this1 movement, for it is a direct slap at his own policy and his own Administra tion. He would prefer to go ahead with the creation of reserves whenever and wherever it is shown that such reserves would be of benefit to the community gen erally, cither as a protection to sources of water supply or as a protection to tho timber itself. Nevertheless, inasmuch as Congress has already questioned the Pres ident's right to create forest reserves at will, and has questioned his right to make such regulations as are now in force in every reserve In the West, it has been decided to hold back new proclama tions and wait to sec what Congress In tends to do. If Congress shall deny the President the right'to create reserves, the Administration will be bound by that en actment, but if, after due consideration. Congress rejects all bills of this charac ter, the Administration will be jus titled in concluding that Its course has the ap proval of Congress, and the old order of things will be resumed. How Senators Will Line Up. Before any forestry law Is passed upon by Congress, Eastern Senators will be drawn Into the dlscuMion and the subject will be. fully aired. p to this time only thc one side has been heard In the Senate, the side of the opposition. There are Western Senators who approve the exist ing policy just as strongly as Mr. Hey burn denounces It; these Senators will be heard at the proper time. And some East ern Senators will have something to offer, as well. Mr. Beverldge, of Indiana, while he has no forest reserves In his state, has demonstrated his sympathy with tha President's policy, and will come to the aid of the Administration at the proper time. Mr. Lodge, a close friend ot the President, will probably come out in de fense of the existing- policy and practice. So will other Eastern Senators who have heretofore shown not the least Interest in forestry matters. The opposition also counts on the sup port of Eastern Senators, and Mr. Spooner ot Wisconsin Is regarded as (Concluded on Page Four.) A'