.6 THE 3IORMXG OREGOXIA5, THXTRSDAT, AFKI1 14, 1910. ROSS RISES F ROM PBQBEUNSM1RCHED Washington Land Commission er, Subject of Inquiry, But Record Vindicates. POST MADE HIM TARGET Though Gross Irregularities Are Vnearthed, They Date Back Before His Incumbency Innn H endo Is Weapon.' OLYMPIA, Wash.. April 13. (Special.) With the report of the legislative In vestigating committee Into the affairs of the fttate Iend Commissioner' the in qul.ltorlal body -has shot its bolt but has missed the target. It has uncovered gross irregularities, as everybody knew.it would, extending through a number of years, but it has not harmed Land Com missioner E. W. Ross. nor. has it brought homo to him in the least degree guilty knowledge of transactions admittedly im proper if not fraudulent. Roes was the object. . lie was recog nized as the big plum -on. the tree. On the continuance of the investigating com mittee, with Sam H. Nichols. Secretary of Btate. quitting his office under fire, and' f John II. Schively, Insurance Com missioner, facing Impeachment, the whispered word wont round, "now they're After Ross." In the tour of the state- by. thecommlttee last Summer,, when its members visited Spokane. Medical Lake, Pullman, Walla Wulla and North Yaki ma.jthe undercurrent of the inquiry bore upon the record of the.- Land Commis sioner. He was brought to the front as en official who had fought many a pit'jhed battle and had won many a poli tical scrap, and whose influence in. the state, particularly on. the. east side, easily made him of Gubernatorial size. ' Ross Ileeord Clean. F.jl't his record is clear. All, that the Investigating committee. could do., was to rak over transactions dating back to 1901u long before Ross went into office. He eannot even be connected with them hy Implication. The only weapon at tempted to be used, on the basis of the report, is innuendo, and that has fallen so short as to make the action of the com,oiittee a vindication. With the failure of the attempt to "get Ross is written the final word of a chapter of state and Senatorial politics. In the Populist year. 1896, Ross, a young attqrney of Castle Rock, was defeated forAttorney-C.eneral. Three years later he Jyid T. P. Flak, now Prosecuting At torney of Mason County, were managers of Jhe Ankeny Senatorial campaign and in jyoo he came to the front as one of therantl-McRrkle combination. Ross con trolled five of the IS delegates from his horfle county of Cowlitz, and thereby aided materially In the victory for his allies. In 184. when a candidate for Laqd Commissioner, he asserts that An key gave him permission to deal with Jolyt I Wilson, Senatorial candidate, and a year later, just after his election as Land Commissioner, he was the real manager of the Wilson campaign. In fact, it was at a gathering of supporters in he office of Ross that Wilson re ceived the news that S. H. Piles had re ceived the caucus vote and would be elected Senator the following day. lioss professed no friendship for Gov ernor Mead during that officials term. andj.lt has been generally understood that lor-toma time past he has been steadily drifting away from the Wilson forces. . 1905 Probe Vindicated. Prior to his election as Land Commis sioner, Ross had been Assistant Attorney CJeneral, and in that capacity was in charge of such land business as was as signed to him. An attempt was made in 1905 to start an investigation of the Land. Commissioner's office. Ross fought it, as did the representatives of the lum bering interests, who served notice on Piles that if the investigation was made at that time they would fight him for the Senate. Two years later, when the Senatorial campaign had been eliminated, such an Investigation was authorized, and remedial measures were passed by the Legislature. As in the present In stances. Ross' record was- found to be clear. The legislators found that the state- had simply outgrown its statutes, and that the land laws could be amended advantageously. At the last Legislature an important step, affecting the success of the Alaska-Yukon-Paclfic Kxijositlon. was taken by Ross. He and State Senator George U. Piper, of King, Inquired Into the question of the state's relation to the Seattle fair, and together they devised the plan 'au thorizing the sale of $1,000,000 Lake Washington shore lands in aid of that project. ) Illfl ueiiee Never Vsed. Financially, Ross is well-to-do, and a part ol his means is Invested in lum bering. He has nevor used his Influence es I.nd Commissioner to effect the sale of timber, lands to the' enterprises in which he Is Interested. The records dis close thai . when any of his associates have applied for lands. Ross himself has had nothing whatever to do with - the transaction. He has uniformly passed such matters to the Land Commission, which. Is an appointive body, and upon which has devolved the duty of approv ing the sale and issuing the deeds. Ross Is now in Washington. D. C, at tempting to secure the restoration to the state of more than $500,000 in school lands wrongfully withheld by the Federal Gov ernment. While the Investigating committee, composed of P. K Allen, H. O. Fishback, Howard IX Taylor and W. C. MeMaster. has not Veen able to connect Ross with irregularities in the office, for the simple reason that they happened before "ha as sumed charge. It hns made an Important recommendation. The committee recom mends that the next Legislature provide for a Land Commission to be imposed of one elective Commissioner, and two members with equal authority, to be elected by the Governor the three to select- one of their number, chairman. This is understood to be substantially in line with recommendations already made by Ross. The Board at present is com posed - of an eleeted Commissioner, the State Fire Warden, and the members of the State Tax Commission, the Land commissioner ueing cnairman ana having charge oi me Mate Land Office. liOSS' I'KIEND SCKXTS PLOT "Fair Play" Believes Probe Alms to Quash Gubernatorial .Chances. CASTLE ROOK, Wash.. April 12. (To the Editor.) The legislative com mittee. from newspaper reports, has kindled the political - smoke for the coming campaign and is endeavoring to besmirch, some .of .the citizens of the state by insinuating ' fraud and con piracy perpetrated particularly by our Land Commissioner and his friends. It Is very, easy to see the purpose and intent of the report from the fact'that the report - given in the . Seattle Post Intelllgencer of April 9 purports to' set out in detail the sales made in Cowlitz County particularly and the cruise made by the committee's men. Why was the committee desirous to make public the lands sold in Cowlitz County, that have been acquired by the Silver Lake Railway & Lumber Com pany? For no other reason than that the present Land Commissioner hap pens to own a very small portion of the capital stock of said company and the further reason that the incumbent is mentioned favorably by many of our influential citizens as an available can didate for Governor. Therefore, .the charge ,of conspiracy to defraud the state out of Its valuable lands from the printed report is thrown directly, or indirectly at Mr. Ross, to eliminate his chance for the nomination-ofGovernor. The writer has had a personal inter view with Joseph CNeill, who pur chased from the state a quarter section of school land in section 18, township 9 north, range 2 east, in 1901. Mr O'Neill says that "in 1901 he made ap plication for the said land through G. W. Taylor.- as he knew Taylor was somewhat acquainted with the lands." He further says 'the said Taylor never occupied an . office adjoining bis (O'Neill's) office at the time the-applica tion was made tor the purchase, of said land or at any time prior to or since, and that at no time did O'Neill ever mention the buying of state lands to B. W. Ross to get a minimum cruise, as at said time Mr. Ross had no con nection with the Land Office or had anything to do with the cruising of the same. That as to any conversation held in the office with Israel and Bill ings, the statement Is untrue and false. as O'Neill .did not know either of those gentlemen at the time he made the ap plication, and has never seen Mr. Israel at any time; that all the deal ings and conversations supposed to have taken place at Castle Rock In O'Neill's office with Ross and the cruis ers, Israel and Billings, are -branded as absolutely false and untrue." Mr. O'Neill declares that after he had made the purchase of the land from the state, he offered to sell a half in terest in said land to George Taylor for just what it cost, and had offered it for sale for a year after he had pur chased it to any purchaser for $2000, and found no buyer; and at the time -the purchase was made he paid full value according to what other lands were sold for- in the same vicinity by individual holders. . Mr. O'Neill further asserts that from reports given to the Governor's legis lative committee he fears they have avoided seeking; evidence from reputa ble sources, but on the contrary have sought such from that which would savor of the Harry Orchard element. FAIR PLAT. REPORT VICIOUS IS ALLEGED Assistant Commissioner Morse Says Committee's Inference Deceives OLTMPIA. Wash., April ' 13. (Spe cial.) "The portion of the report of the legislative committee which deals with the State Land Office Is biased, prejudiced and vicious, as presented In the daily papers," said Frank C. -Morse, Assistant Commissioner of '.Public Lands, when asked for an expression of opinion. Mr. Morse ,&ald: "Commissioner Ross is '.now on his way home from the National Capital where, as a culmination of years of the hardest kind of work, .. he has finally Induced changes in depart mental methods by which the State of Washington will secure thousands ' of acres of lands valued at millions of dollars, title to which has been held up by red-tape methods. -. "Air. Ross, on his return, no doubt will answer in his own way, thor oughly and to the satisfaction of every fair-minded person, such veiled charges as there may be against him in the report. "Speaking individually and person ally, I am most surprised at the re port. Its unfairness is evident to any one who has knowledge of the facts. The report, by inference, deceives -the public Into believing that E. W. Ross, Commissioner of Public Lands, solely and individually had the fixing of the value of state timber and lands, the determining to whom it should be sold, at what price and the approving of the sale. "Common decency and justice should have prompted the committee to point out -the truth, which is that Mr. Ross is one of a board of five, has one vote in five in approving the cruisers' esti mates and- fixing the value of all lands prior to sale; that all state timber and land Is advertised for six weeks, notice of the sale is posted, the sale takes place at public auction and the property is sold to the highest bidder; and, finally, this board of five not the Commissioner of Public Lands alone must approve the sale before title passes from the state. "Any one familiar with the enor mous increase in real estate values cannot fail to see the absurdity of the charges that a sale, for instance, made in 1901 must, forsooth, have been con ceived in fraud because today the property is of more value. Thomas Cooper, while -Western larrd -agent, of the Northern Pacific, made sale of the timber lands owned by that company to the Weyerhauser syndicate, admit tedly the best timber lands in the Northwest they were select. The pur chasers paid a flat rate of $5 an acre and the Northern Pacific officials, who. were considered the best of business men, were so pleaved with the sale that they have promoted Mr. Cooper to high position in the company, which he still holds. . . , "The state law provides that after sale, if any one offers a one-tenth ad vance over the sale price, the sale shall not be confirmed, but the prop erty shall bo re-offered. Does it not seem rather improbable that if the timber discovered by this committee's cruiser actually existed no one should have taken advantage of this law? "The chairman of the committee gave a public interview, in which he said that university lands were better handled because of the veto power of the regents and that to date no less than 1 per cent of the university lands had been sold. .The facts are, as he should know himself, that nearly the entire university grant was sold by the regents for the money to build the old university at Seattle, recently dismantled. The university today would have practically no granted lands bjt for the fact that after its own grunt from Congress had been dissipated the Legislature was induced to provide by law that one-half. 100, 000 acres, of the lands granted by Congress "for charitable, educational, penal and reformatory institutions should be given to the university. "I believe that the people of this state .will not be misled by so - mani festly an unfair and incorrect report, T'he people of Washington insist upon a square deal from their public offi cials and I believe they are at all times ready to give an official an equally square deal when they know the facts." Seaside I'nearthg Indian Skeleton. SEASIDE. Or., April 13. (Special.) Workmen, employed in making an ex cavation of Bridge street, have un earthed the skull and a part of the skeleton of a Flathead Indian. The skull is now on exhibition here and Is regarded as a valuable, curiosity by tpeuical' men who have examined it. CLARK TANGLE BIG Official Says State May Be in Ore Inspector's Debt. THEFT IS DISCREDITED Accused Man to Remain at Olympla Pending Investigation He De nies Taking Money, Expresses Sorrow "for Mistake. OLTMPIA, Wash.. April 13. (Special.) "The state may owe ex-Oil Inspector Clark hundreds of dollars instead of his being short in his accounts," said one of the Bureau of Inspection tonight. "From start to finish he had not the remotest idea where he stood financially. On .checking up such books as are here it is shown that he paid the state $900 more than he collected. In his innocent way he told me how for many months ho could not find enough money in his of fice to meet what he figured his receipts for the state had been, so he would draw from his personal account to make up the apparent shortage. - "Of course, his books may be and prob ably are. in such shape we can never figure actually what the balance should be. I am satisfied the old man never stole - anything, but since the charges were made he has been so rattled he did not know what he did." Mr. Clark said today; "I am going to stay here in Olympla until- my books are all checked up and it is proved positively I never stole a dollar. I know I made a mistake. I was so worried- I never should have lied to the Governor, nor should I' have tried to i fix up the old checks, -but I know I never took a cent of state money that . did not belong to me and that a thorough investigation will clear my good name." - Yesterday, after Mr. . Clark was re moved from office, he was induced to remain in the office of J. F. Leghorn, at the Capitol, that Clark could send no messages to Seattle until Lieben and Helandar had reached the OH Inspector's office there and had taken charge. This fact gave rise today to a report that Clark was in custody. LA GRANDE BUSY THIS YEAR Vast Amount of Money to Be Spent on Improvements. LA GRANDE, Oir April 13. (Special.) La Grande, always steadily moving on ward, has brighter prospects this year than ever before, and to aggregate the total expenditure here for repairs this year' would mean Juggling with figures that would astonish a city of approxim ately 6000. In accordance with the popu lar wish of the taxpayers, expressed at a special election recently, the city is to build a 975,000 High School this Summer, and bonds are floated and plans are being drawn for such a structure to be commenced at once. According to assurances from Wash ington, October will see construction of the Government building here, a $65,000 project. A few weeks ago the city voted to float $40,000 bonds for sewerage sys tems, and plans have been drawn for that development. A refuse consumer is to be constructed along modern lines to dis pose of the refuse. Then in conjunction with the sewer system goes the hard sur face paving order that calls for hard surface paving along a distance of nine blocks on Adams avenue and four blocks on Iepot street. In addition to this pro ject, to be let when bids are let, this month some time, there are street im provements to the extent of macadam paving on exactly two miles of streets. This will be commenced immediately, though probably not completed this year. The $400, pOO irrigation scheme is to be commenced this Summer. PLANING MILL IS BURNED. Fire-Alarm Boxes So Rusty That Alarm Doesn' t Sou nd . SPOKANE, Wash., April 13. (Spe cial.) Fire from an unknown cause in the Turner planing mill, east of this city, at midnight last night destroyed the- plant and lumber to the extent of $20,000. The entire plant and stock were valued at $50,000 and $10,000 insurance was carried. The fire department was hampered by a poor force of water and the fact that only two small lines of hose were available. A strong west wind was all that prevented the blaze spreading to other buildings and threatening the en tire city. The two alarm boxes which were rung were so rusty they did nt communicate the alarm. James Under wood, an employe of the mill, slept in a little wooden shack adjoining the building, and narrowly escaped crema tion, as he did not awaken until It was in flames. The planing mill Is owned by Joseph Turner. SHERIFF OFFERS REWARD Anxious to Get Evidence as to Who Fired Into Rhoda Home. VANCOUVER, Wash., April 13. (Spe cial.) A reward of $50 has been offered by Sheriff Sappington for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person who fired a number of shots into the Richard Rhoda home last Mon day night. One of the bullets went between the heads of two little girls as they lay sleeping on a pillow, passed into the next room, struqk a chimney, broke in two, one half going through the roof and the other tearing the cheek of a small boy. Another bullet passed a few Inches above the. body of another child. Fred Miller, who lives nsar the Rhoda home, was accused of firing the bul lets and a chain of circumstantial evi dence was forged, which apparently was conclusive. Sheriff Sappington made a thorough investigation and proved by five witnesses that ililler was sleeping at the time the shots were fired and was absolutely innocent. SPECIAL SESI0N IS HELD Judge Bradshaw Will Hear Oregon Trunk Land Suit. THE DALLES. Or.. April 13. (Special.) This afternoon the Oregon Trunk Line began suit against I. H. Taffe and his wife, Mary Taffe, of Celilo. to enforce the specific performance of a contract to give a right-of-way deed, across the Taffe property. Judge Terry, of Portland, and H. S. Wilson, of The Dalles, are attor neys for the plaintiff, and Bennett & 3in nott for the defendants. A special session of Circuit Court was convened by Judge Bradshaw today in There are two reasons why you have delayed your Piano purchase. First, inability to decide where to get the most "Piano Value" for your money; secondly, the ways and means. As to the first: In every field of business there is always one concern by which the rest are measured in the Western piano world that one has been for years, and is today The House of Eilers Ask any artist where the largest and most expensive display of the world's best pianos is to be found. , I Ask any of the leading families, foremost schools and educational institutions or prom inent musicians where they secured their instruments. Ask anyone who has the slightest knowledge of pianos and their real worth where you can secure the greatest intrinsic piano value for every dollar invested and the answer to each question will be the same Eilers Piano House On our new Easy-Payment Plan there is hardly a home, no matter how modest the in come, but that can afford a good Piano, Organ or Talking Machine. Why be without the refining influences of music any longer? Western Chickering Dealers order to have thecase disposed of as soon as' possible, as the Trunk Lfhe peo ple cannot proceed with their rwork at Celilo until this is settled. The purchase price agreed upon for the right of way was 1600, but the Taffes con tend that .the survey lines take in more land than agreed. It is expected, that the testimony will be concluded and the Judge's decision given tomorrow. CHICK EXPERIMENT NEW Total of 1200 Fowls, One Day Old, Thrive at O. A. C. Hatchery. OREGON AGRICULTURAL COL LEGE, Corvallls. April 13. (Special.' Twelve hundred fluffy little chicks, one day old. encompassed in a circular space 12 feet in diameter and mothered by a single oil stove, represents one of the peculiar features of an experi ment which is .now being carried on by Professor James Dryden, of the Or egon Agricultural College. The experiment is under way for the purpose of testing the feasibility of raising chickens in large flocks. If the new method proves successful It will be a great boon to the poultry industry. The chicks which are being used in this experiment were hatched in incu bators. Twelve machines were used, the machines producing an average of 100 chicks each. This number of chicks was hatched from a total of 1350 eggs. Each incu bator. containing eggs from several breeds of chickens, was regulated dif ferently from each of the others as to moisture, ventilation and methods of cooling. The chicks taken from each, of the machines have been carefully marked and the strength of the chick ens and the vitality will be accurately observed with a view of determining the relative merits of the different methods of incubator hatching. The chicks seemed perfectly satis fied with their strange mother. They were not long In discovering what dls- ill BMHI In every walk in life discrimination between the true and the false wins and enjoys success. In questions of form, of style and of values, whether financial, commercial or medicinal, the judgement of the men and women who select and appreciate and utilize the true and genuine product, proves most profitable and most satisfactory to themselves and to all who follow them. Therefore, in connection with so important a subject as the physical well-being of the people, the most eminent physicians insist on full information as to the wholesome nature and truly beneficial character of the component parts of the remedies used and prescribed by them, and the wise manufacturer not only supplies them with the knowledge desired, but also combines for them in proper proportions the very substances most approved by them and omits every objectionable substance. The .world-wide acceptance of Syrup of Figs and Elixir of Senna by phy sicians and the well-informed of the world, as the best of family laxatives, is due to the universal satisfaction which it has given for more than a quarter of a century and also to the fact that it is a remedy of known quality and known component parts and to. the further fact that the California Fig Syrup Co. presents it to the world simply as the ideal strengthening personal laxative to cleanse and sweeten the system gently, yet effectually, and to dispel colds and headaches and to assist in overcoming constipation. To get its beneficial effects always buy the original and genuine, for sale by all leading druggists. The full name of. the, company California Fig Syrup Co. is always plainly printed on the front of every package. 353 Washington Street, "at Park Street tance from the stove marked the zone of proper temperature and, having dis covered this, they soon became inter ested in the particles of sand and oaks meal which was there in such abund ance that they started off on a career' of scratching and eating just as nat urally and apparently as happily as if they had been hatched and raised by, a real mother instead of by a machine and an oil stove. PAVING CHARGE REDUCED The Dalles Will Pay $1.90 a Yard . for BltaliUiic. THB DALLES, Or., April 13. (Special.) The City Council last night accepted the modified bid of the Warren Con struction Company to pave Third street with bitullthlc paving at $1.90 a square yard, and. the contract has been signed. An ordinance prohibiting the allowing of minors in pool or billiard rooms or hanging about cigar or tobacco stands, and providing for fines for both the owners of places and minors transgress ing the law was passed. An automobile ordinance was also passed, regulating the speed to 12 miles an hour in the city limits, and requir ing a registered number to be displayed at all times, also three lights at night. two in front and & red one in the rear. O. A. C. Regents to Meet. OREGON AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE, Corvallis. Or.. April 13 (Special.) A special meeting of the board of regents of the Oregon Agricultural College will be held at the Imperial Hotel, In Portland. Saturday, April 16. Follow ing the meeting, the regents will go to Eastern Oregon to visit the experiment stations at Union, Hermlston and Mora Bumper Fruit Crop Predicted. . MEDFORD, Or., April 13. (Special.) Professor O'Gara predicts that the a a a Genuine fruit crop this year will be the largest In the history of Rogue River Valley. The weather conditions this Spring have been most favorable and the . V Piece of Earth INVEST A few dollars now in ECHO, FRUIT AND WHERE There la the finest soil, best transportation, adequate water supply , longest growing season, etc The favored spot of all this grand Northwest and you should lose no time in investigating the WESTERN LAND A IRRIGATION COM. PANY'S project at ECHO. Remember here is the Soil under the best project. The price is right. If you are possessed with energy and little money this Is YOUR OPPORTUNITY. We have gotten out a beautifully illustrated booklet with map, which we shall be glad to hand to you when you call. If you can't call write today. It's an absolute certainty that you can't lose by investigating you might save thousands In the long run. TEEPE & SMITH 414 Henry Building, Portland, Oregon Pianola - Pianos danger from frost Is practically past. All the orchards are In splendid condi tion, being as free from pests and dis ease as it is possible for them to be. o - Peace on Earth I'MATIUA COl'STV, ALFALFA LANDS. IRRIGATED IT'S BEST