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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 21, 1911)
TIIE MORNING OR EG ONI AX- THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21. 1011. 16 OF ALL 3 CHARTERS URGED People's Body Adopts Resolu tion to Retain Essentials of Commission Form. MEETING IS HARMONIOUS IU W. Montague Sees Peril In Sob mltUnir Many Drafts to People. Meeting to Be Held Friday to Check Benbow'a Plan. The reople's Charter CoraroUiioi adopted a resolution last night In fa or of tha City Council taking steps to consolidate the three charter aub mltted to It. before placing the " jn I mi I on form of government or the ballot for vote of the people. The res olution w Introduced by P- W. Mon tague at the beginning of the meeting. -A things stand." ba said, "there la little chance of the people getting a commission form even If they want It wtth three charters In the field. I think that we should not object to any Incera steps that might be taken to reduce that number submitted to a vote, so long aa the essentials of the commission form are preserved." Caaaalldatloa Is Favored. The resolution was adopted without dissent. Its full wording Is: "Resolved. That when tha proposed charter of this committee Is trans mitted to the Council. It ba accom panied with tha assuranca that thla committee will welcome any sincere effort to reduce the number of pro posed chartera to be submitted to the people, provided only that tha essen tials of tha commission form of gov ernment ba preserved In tha draft sub mitted." Following the adoption of Mr. Mon tague'a resolution the commission took up tha task of checking over the old charter to bring It Into harmony with tha amendmenta proposed In their new draft. Many of the old provisions will be recommended to aland as ordinances subject to repeal by the Council, tha remainder being repealed where they do not conform to the new provisions drawn np by the commission. Tha en tire mass of this material will ba turned over to tha secretary of the commission and put In form for tha en grossing committee, which will pre pare tha final draft to be filed with the Council at tha next meeting of that body. Sfeetlaar la Uannlen. Harmony prevailed throughout the meeting and tha commission covered an enormous amount of ground In Ita work. With a few trifling provisions which remain to ba passed upon tha entire document la ready for tha en grossing committee. A meeting will be held Friday night to dlspoee of these points, and to com pare the whole document with the short draft offered by VY. C. Benbow last week. Mr. BenboWa short charter was rejected, aa a whole, when he sub mitted It. but tha commission baa de rided to go over It and adapt to Ita own charter such aectlona aa It deems valuable. RAIL OFFICES TO SHINE w Homes of Canadian Pacific and Soo I.ino to Be Elaborate. It la the ambition of Frank A. John aon and George A. Taylor. Portland representatives of the passenger de partments of tha Canadian Pacific and Foo Line, respectively, to make their new ticket offices In the Multnomah Hotel tha finest In Portland. They hare submitted plana of the room at Third and Pine streets to tha general offlcea and expect aoon to Install the furniture and office fixtures. All the wood work will be In mahogany and tha other fixtures and decorations will be In keeping with that high atandard. The room will have a frontage of IS feet on Third street and ?S feet on Pine street. The freight offices. In charge of E. L Cardie and now In the Corbett building, will be given space In the room. also. Thla Is In keeping with the policy now pursued by many rail roads In Portland, to have both their freight and passenger offices In the same room. SWINE INSPECTOR URGED e rnsanitarjr Feeding of Pigs for Market Declared Menace. Regulation of the practice of feeding garbage to swine Is advocated by the Portland Health Officers, who are now working on an ordinance providing for a. rigid Inspection of ail meat sold with in the city. Danger of Infection from all unin spected meat brought Into Portland from outside points Is declared grave, but that from swlne fed on swill and maintained under unsanitary conditiona Is declared particularly so. The action of the authorltlea In this direction Is stimulated by discoveries recently made br Pr. White, of the State Board of Health, when he visited several ranches near Portland and found unclean con ditions there. -Tuberculosis of the human type has been found to exist In aa high aa 1 per rent of hogs fed on garbage." said Ir. White yesterday. "There should ba a rigid Inspection of meat from thla eource as well as of the food given to tha hogs." COUGH PARTIES BARRED Woman Who Entertained Whooping Tots Is Arrested. Pt'RANOO. Colo, Pee, Charged with violation of state health laws In giving a whooping-cough party to five children afflicted with this Infantile malady. Mrs. Carl Coulsen waa arrest ed today on complaint of Health Officer Darta, Mrs. Conlaon la a social leader lo cally and news of the party reached the health officer through tha society columns of a Durango newspaper. MERCY GIVEN DRUGSELLER Jadge Catena Kednces Fine and ;uahr-a Hock pile Sentence. Presiding Judtte Gatrns yesterday, at the request of John F. Logan, at torney for the defendant, cut the fine ef Kmll J. Hawkins from IJOS to lie and relieved him of the necessity of UNION serving six months at hard labor on the rock pile. Hawkins, a clerk in Brlnk'e phar macy, at Thirteenth and Washington streets, sold an ounce of cocaine last Pepember to Juvenile Court Officer Mcintosh, who entered the store dis guised as a drug fiend. Municipal Judge Tazwell Imposed tha maximum sentence, six months on tha rockplle and a 1200 fine. Hawkins appealed. Hawkins entered a plea of guilty yesterday before Judge Gatens and asked tha mercy of the court. Re garding his leniency Judge Gatens said: "Mr. Logan told me that there wera extenuating circumstances and that Dtputy City Attorney Sullivan and he had agreed that a 100 line would be about right. I know nothing of the merits of the case. I did not Inquire into It- If the City Attorney's office was willing to let htm oft easily I could not see that I could object." A few days sgo Hawkins called at the office of the Juvenile Court and begged piteously with Juvenile Officers Mcintosh and Fisher, who arrested him. to Intercede for him. To serve time on the rockplle would ruin him. he said. He now is In the drug busi ness with a relative and is paying for a home. A term on tha rockplle would mean the revocation of his state license and the loss of his home, he said. POLICEMAN HELD GUILTY STILL WELL- TO BE REPIUMAXD ED FOU VISIT ON" DUTY. Neighborhood Row Aired in Hearing. Women Declare Mrs. Clanson Scandalized Them by Action. An airing of a neighborhood row oc cupied almost all the time of John B. Coffey, Waldcmar Seaton and John H. Fitzgerald, police commissioners, who held a meeting last night at the City Hall. Policeman Stillwell was charged with conduct unbecoming an officer and was found guilty after a trial which took about two hours. He waa sentenced to be reprimanded by the Chief of Police. Mrs. A. Clauson, 4IJ7 Sixty-fifth street South East, haa of lata, wit nesses said, found it necessary to In dulge In a little liquid refreshment on account of the dry weather. Thla waa the first and about the strongest charge that the neighbors laid at her door. After due consideration this thirst led them to believe that since "liquor is the curse of man" aha must alao be wicked. A machine belonging to Mrs. Clauson's brother further strengthened this belief. Later Still well visited at the place. This led to the charges against him. His story, corroborated by his doctor and wife, was that he was not feeling well on that day and having failed to reach his doctor by phone from his last call ing station, he had gone to tha Clauaon house to call up bis wife and tell her to arrange a date for him. While Stillwell was In the house, Mrs. Clauaon, who was born and raised on a farm, decided to ride the police man's horse, which she had led Into the yard. This was the climax of the affair. When Stillwell came Qfit of the house she had not succeeded In mounting tha steed. The policeman, true to- his trust aa a gallant officer, proceeded to help her. During the process some three inches of Mrs. Clauson's hose showed. This was the climax which sent all tha neighbors hot foot to police headquarters. Rev. William H. Meyer lodged the com plaint. Stillwell although he bad only been on the beat for a week, was declared to have been at the house on a num ber of occasions. He denied this. Mrs. Clauson also has a score to answer with Sergeant Wanless. who waa sent out to investigate tha charges. She declares that he told her that her marriage licenae was void because it does not bear a seal. Part of the testimony Introduced went to ahow that Stillwell could not have been at the house aa long aa the witnesses against htm declared Policeman SplveY was fined 25 after pleading guilty to a charge of being under tha Influence of liquor while on duty. HOUSE PASSES PRAY BILL Authorization of Entrvmen'a Sales of Burned Timber Favored. OREOONIAN NEWS BUREAU. Wash ington Dec 20. The House of Repre sentatives today passed the Pray bill authorising homestead entrymen whose lands were burned over by forest fires during the Summer of 1910 to sell tim ber on their homesteada that was killed or seriously injured by fire. SPARKLING SHOW OF OREGON GLEE DELIGHTS University Boys Entertain Audience at HeOig Theater With Programme Fell of Laughter and Music at Sixteenth Annual Appearance. LAUGHABLE Jokes, capped by good choral singing, piano solos, trom bone solos, and that Indefinable quality known as college spirit, all go to spell success In big letters over the bill of entertaining fare offered by the University of Oregon Glee Club, heard In concert last night at tha Helllg Theater. Fifteen annual tours have been made by these Eugene boys, and they have won friends galore. This season's tour, the sweet lth. promises to be the best and most successful of the series. Last night the theater was well filled by an audience that waa distinctly frlendjy to the college men, and encores were quite the fashion. Maale Is Pleasing. The whole show Is creditable to Mel vln P. Ogden. director; James C Cecil, manager, and R. Burns Powell, presi dent and leader, and other college friends who framed the programme. Xhey wisely recognised that tha publlo gets enough of serious muslo sung In a dignified style, and It la perfectly fitting that thla Is so. but the fact re mains that the dear public wants to laugh and not to cry. It looks to col lege glee clubs to turn on the Joke faucet and tell the pleasant, social side of college days, without actually de scending to professional vaudeville, and losing dignity. This publlo demand or more laughter and less tears I recocnixed In this year's bill of tha University of Oregon Glee Club. The Glee Club, which won new hon ors, haa this personnal: First tenors, R. Burns Powell. Ulen E. 6torle. Lee Morrison. Walter L Doble. Vernon T. Motschenbacher, Brook Dickson: second tenors, Walter 8. Fisher. Erwln M. Rolfe. Harold TV. Qulgley. J. Leonard Bratager. Harold It. Grady. Bertrend 8. Jerard: first basses. Raphael Oelsler, Kenneth F. Frasler. W. Homer Marls. Ira A. Manvllle. 0k Earl Fortmlller. Raymond R. Giles: second basses. Ver non H. Vawter. Alexander Martin lit. Harry J. ping. Alfred It. M. SkeL The best sung male voice gleea were: "Oh, BORAH COMPARES VIOLATORS OF LAW Trusts' Justification of Evil Declared Not Unlike Mc Namaras' Plea. DISRESPECT IS TAUGHT Idaho Senator Declares Delay May Involve Tremendous Penalties, When Widespread Sense of Wrong Is Aroused. NEW YORK, Dec 20. Senator Borah, of Idaho, at the Young Republican Club tonight made an address, that breathed fire) In eve-ry word for "lawless big bus iness" and little violators of the law aa welL He drew a significant comparison be tween tha McNamaras, tha confessed dynamiters, and tha old Standard OH and tobacco companies. "To save their worthless lives," be said, referring to the dynamiters, "they entered pleas of .guilty. Insisting that they did It all for principle and expect an astonished world' to accept their whining apologies. B!a7 Business" J cored. "There Is another court record which we will In passing, notice also. Bound up In many volumes you "will find the full record of two of the. late noted de cisions. It Is a tale twice told, of sel fishness and greed, extortion and law lessness. Tha plea of justification Is not unlike the plea of the planters of dynamite, for although the acts are clearly In violation of law and the rights of the public It Is claimed, nev ertheless, that It waa all done In the Interest of business growth and indus trial progress. "This Is the best pica and the only plea that Twentieth Century business ran furnish all that could be said by those so rarely gifted and richly en dowed with this world's goods and Intellectual power, and of whom the Government and humanity have a right to expect so much." Respect and enforcement of the law waa one of the keynotes of Senator Borah's address. Obedience to the law, he said, was the bedrock on which powerful governments are built, and ba believed this a time when a political party could afford to make it a cardi nal tenet of Ita faith. In no other first-rate nation, he said. Is law so dis regarded aa In the United States. "There Is no place where life Is so insecure against bomb or bullet, where criminal laws are so Ineffectually en forced, where corruption Is so little condemned In public opinion and where defiance of law In the highest walks of business life so generally prevails. Xo leave law unenforced, to cultivate a disregard for Its obligations Is but to fallow the ground so that In after years there may be one law for the poor and another for the rich," said Mr. Borah. National Disease Diagnosed. He added that tha McNamara cases and tha trust cases were strong and uncontroverted evidence of what Is fast becoming a National disease. He said he had no sympathy with the prosecu tion of business men who erred un knowingly. "I refer alone." he said, "to that class who sit la their offices with trained lawyers and plan how they may evade tha law and Its penalties. If a man lies In wait for bis adversary and slays him, unwarned, will It be a defense for his lawyer to say to the court that his client haa always had difficulty In distinguishing between voluntary and Involuntary manslaughter? "I sympathise sincerely with the man who In his hunger or bis disappoint ment. In discouragement or despair, thinks be can better conditions by taking the law Into his own hands. In the hour In which order shall be driv en from Its high place In the temple of liberty and in which lawlessness and might shall come In Ita stead. In the fearful struggle to follow, the first man to go to the bottom to remain there will be tha man who tolls. "But how shall we excuse or long sympathise with the man of Influence and position, of wealth and prestige who still by word and deed teaches dis respect for or defiance of the lawT Does he not know that it la useless to long expect law and order In the com mon walks of life when lawlessness reigns supreme In the upper air? "The danger lies In procrastination. We learned once at tremendous cost of Oregon" (Olen). "Days at Oregon" (Nelson). -"De Coppah Moon" (Shelly). "Dixie Kid" (Glebe!), "The Shoogy Shoo" (Ambrose), "The Rosary" (Nev In) and "Winter Song" (Bullard). The singing waa melodious, bright, and the four parts were well sustained. "Birds ef a Featker" Fwxusy. The farce "Birds of a Feather," par ticipated In by Mr. Ogdcn. Mr. Powell and Mr. Vawter, was so amusing and sparkllngly bright that these young men bad better dodge entertaining vaudeville. Kenneth F. Frasler, Is a Portland boy whom It la always a pleasure to hear, and his two songs were much appreciated. Norton R. Cowden Is a very clever female im personator, one of the best we have bad tn amateur circles for years, and his voice is finely managed. His cos tume and wig are quite fetching. Har ry J. Ding, a Chinese bass-baritono, scored a hit with his songs, and he made a picturesque figure In bis Chi nese costume. He haa a fine voice which he uses with skill. David Camp bell showed pleasing ability In two piano soloa The sketch "Mr. , Crane Visits Ore gon." written by Dean Collins and Mel vin P. Ogden. Is a roar of fun from first to last, without a stale Joke In It. Mr. Crane, of Chicago, the rich capitalist who recently "roasted" the college men of the entire country by making unkind remarks about their thirst, etc. Is pictured In the sketch referred to. as visiting Oregon .Uni versity to "muck-rake" college condi tions, and the part of Mr. Crane was Impressively yet amusingly played by Lyman Rice, who at very short notice took the place of Delbert C. Stannard. who Is suffering from cold. Raphael Oelsler. another Portland boy, was Pro. fessor .Bovine: Glen li. storie was a gay' freshman, and Alexander Martin III was Harold Rush, while "tha bunch" sang and made fun generally. All the principals deserve especial credit tor good work, well done. Tonight the boys play at Hood River, tomorrow night The Dalles, and tha tour closes at Salem Saturday night. life and blood that yon may have your fugitive slave law. your Missouri com promise, your Dred Scott decision, your flat of government, your compromise with wrong, your barter with Justice, but the hour of reckoning and readjust ment cornea tardy, but Inexorable. It la possible, my friends, to go on until men of great fortunes, whether Justly or unjustly earned, will stand stripped like the slave master of the South not alone of his slaves, but stripped of his wealth, earned through two centuries of 'unrequited toll.' "Let us not trifle too long with that widespread passionate sense of wrong, even among the more conservative, arising out of the belief that large fortunes have been built up at the ex panse of the poor, and that men. women and children go hungry while others revel In waste and luxury- It is pos sible to go on until the soldier, called Into the street to protect property, will fraternize with the mob. "Tou will hear often In theae days that certain men are engaged In ex perimenting with new plans of govern ment and dangerous expedients. "We do not need a new faith; we need the simplicity, the directness and self-surrender of the old. "Choose ye this day whom you will serve, the few. the selfish, the lawless, and see our party continue broken In faction and deserted by thousands of the rank and file, or the Interests of the countless thousands, whose hopes and happiness lie In the direction of equal opportunities, of Just and equal laws, and see our party take on the strength of the days when it defied the arrogant power of slavery and ap pealed to men's common sense of Jus tice now, as then, however, to deal not In malice and revenge, in hatred or destruction, but in equity and Jus tice, in protection and security alike for all, rich and poor." RICHESON MAIMS SELF PREACHER ACCUSED OP MCR DEIt NEAR TO DEATH. Operation Saves Life of Prisoner and no Is Expected to Recover by" Date Set for Trial. BOSTON, Dec. 20. Cries and groans breaking the stillness of the early morning hours at the Charles-street Jail today led to the discovery that Re v. Clarence V. T. Richeson, awaiting trial on the charge of having murdered Miss Avis Linnell. had mutilated him self severely with a piece of tin. So serious was the ' wound that it was found necessary to perform an op eration Immediately. Later In the day surgeons said the operation was en tirely successful and unless blood poisoning developed, the prisoner prob ably would recover within two weeks. District Attorney Pelleter. who will have charge of Rlcheson's trial, set for Tn . c, ... is mnriA a hrlef statement. In which he asserted that the trial would begin on the date assigned, burgeons who attended the prisoner said Riche son would be strong enough to appear In court on that date. It was about 4 A. M. when the Jail attendant heard Richeson crying: 'nA.inr Ah H ni'tnr Anc.tar. aulck." The attendant summoned two other attendants and they round tne prisoner lying on the floor, bleeding and suf fering Intense pain. "I've cut myself I'm bleeding to death." Richeson told them. The prison doctor said an Immediate operation was necessary. When Rich eson came from under the Influence of the anaesthetic he had nothing to say. PORTLAND BESTS OLD HOME T. A. Rochester, Rail Clerk, Back From City Named After Family. Thomas A. Rochester, chief clerk In the Rock Island office in Portland, ye turned yesterday from a visit to his old home at Rochester, N. T. He also visited New York. Chicago, Denver and other cities. Mr. Rochester Is a member of the family that founded the present city of Rochester In 1812. Residents of the city are preparing to celebrate the centennial of that event and have extended the Portland man an Invitation to be one of the honored guests. "Rochester Is a town about the size of Portland," he said yesterday, "but it looks like a village In comparison. Out side of New York and Chicago, I didn't sea a place In the East that was as busy with new buildings and with reg ular business aa - Portland. In spite of my associations at my old borne I'd rather live In Portland than any plate else." X-RAY VIEW IS EVIDENCE Exhibits Shown In Injured Man's Suit for $20,000 Balm. X-ray photography plays an Impor tant part in the testimony In the suit now In progress in tne unneo. dii District Court In which William Mc Queen is plaintiff and the Warren Con triM'tifiti Comoanv defendant. It ap pears from the pleadings and testimony th.t the nlalntiff fell November 2, 110. Into an excavation that the defendant had opened while Improving i-ettygrovo Seventeenth. It is alleged that he Hs crippled for life. He aRks for 120,000 damages. The defense takes the position that he was negligent and careless In fall ing into the hole, and that his injuries are much magnified. Views of the back of McQueen taken by the X-ray machine were placed in evidence. A few witnesses testified that an X-ray picture Is not necessarily -a true one. Both sides agreed 'that an X-ray view Is not a photograph. OFFICIAL LEVY TO BE 6.8 Eleven City Departments to Get . Share of 19 12 Fund. The official tax levy for 1912 as ap proved by the ways and means -committee of the City Council and which will be considered by the Council at its meeting next Wednesday Is: Mills. Fire department - police department ;;;;;j;J Llrhtln- fund - Sjj Street repair fund Library fund Park fund VZ Public docks fund V! Sinking fund - 7" Special bridge fund Street cleaning and sprinkling Total .. .4.80 Medford Postoffice Rushed. MEDFORD. Or., Dec. 20. (Special.) The biggest day In the history of the Medford postoffice waa recorded- yes terdav. when In 12 hours 1280 in stamps and J120 In money orders were sold, while 167 registered packages were sent out. The Christmas season of 1911 surpasses all records. Postmaster Woodford is working night and day and his 10 employes are kept at work continually. In prance tbe person who are employed In the culltrauon of the vine number I,- ooo.ooa &y&f ill' Pips ing OUR new piano store, which has just been completed, is the most attractive in the city de voted to the sale of musical instruments. Eut far more important than the attractive sur roundings is the splendid collection of thoroughly dependable pianos which we have ready to present to your notice. A thorough investigation of the piano field in this city enables us to make the statement" and it cannot be truthfully contradicted that dollar for dollar we have the best pianos for the money of any store in the city. In some instances youH find that the difference in price in favor of our pianos when compared with others of the same grade is as much as $100. One feature of all our pianos, which we want to strongly emphasize, is their reliability. Tou can buy any of them with perfect confidence and youll get an instrument which we guaran tee for satisfaction in every particular. Any of them can be bought on easy payment ,erms to suit the convenience of each individual purchaser. Opea Evenings Until Christmas. . New 60 WITKESSES SOUGHT HENEY MAKES MOVE IX UBEI SUIT AGAINST CROCKER. Abe Ruef, ex-Mayor Schmitz and Rudolph Spreckels Among Those AYho May Bo Called. ' NEW YORK, Dec 20. Francis J. Heney, of San Francisco, who Is suing William H. Crocker for $250,000 dam ages for libel, has filed notice of a motion before Supreme Court Justice Bljur for permission to take testimony of about 60 witnesses in California in his behalf. x Among the persons Heney wants to examine are Abe Ruef, ex-Mayor Schmitx, Patrick Calhoun and Tierey U Ford. Heney plans to review the entire graft prosecution In the courts here to prove that Crocker libeled Tlim when he said the defeat of Heney as a candidate for District Attorney would "restore the situation to a legal and normal basis, substitute regularity, le gality and Judicial spirit for the pas sionate, revengeful and criminal meth ods of Francis J. Heney and his back ers." Heney will also call as a witness Rudolph Spreckels, who backed him, but Spreckels Is expected to come here to testify voluntarily, POLICEMAN STABBED TALKS Kllnpel Denies Sleuthing fop Super ior While on Leave. Chester C. Kllngel. patrolman, who was stabbed Tuesday night when ho attempted to place C. W. WiUlams un der arrest at the Anacortes rooming house, at Fifth and Stark streets, for creating a disturbance, says money matters caused him to remain In the city two and one-half months after he bad been granted leave of absence to prove up on his Montana land claim. Klingel, at the Good Samaritan Hos pital last night denied a rumor that he w-as in the city under instructions from superior officers, doing private detective work. "Any such statement Is absolutely groundless." he said. "In June I went with my family to Montana, and left them there when I returned to Port land. I obtained a leave of absence Sptember 6 to prove up 05 my land claim, near Haber, Mont., fully expect ing to go there. I was unable to get money that waa due me and that I expected to get at that time, and I remained in the city In an endeavor to get it, as without It I was not in a position to go. " expect to get the money within a short time now. I had no home of my own in the city and consequently I rented a room at tbe hotel- It waa my i-tention to apply for an exten sion of leave of absence as -aoon as I was In a financial position to go to Montana, as It would be necessary for me to live on my homestead six months to prove up. "Whether my fellow officers or my superiors' In the department knew of my presence here I cannot say. I did not frequent headquarters, but I made no secret of my presence in the city and ' was on the streets almost daily. Part of the time I stayed with my three sisters at Lents." Kllngel's condition made favorabli progress yesterday and Is not serious. Eugene Spies Full-Grown Deer. EUGENE. Or., Dec 20. (Special.) Two full-grown deer, a buck and a doe, were seen at different tlmea with in the cltv limits of Eugene on Sun day afternoon. Shortly after noon. E. J Crow saw a large buck deer In his pasture near the golf links. The ani mal waa apparently entirely undis turbed, and waa walking around with the cattle In the pasture. A short Uma The Co.'s New Store Filled to Overflow With Christmas Absolutely the lowest prices for the world's best Pianos, Player Pianos and Talking Machines is our Holiday Offering; to you Location Corner Seventh and Morrison Sts. afterward I L. Goodrich saw a large doe come down from the hills to the south of the city, croBs the streetcar tracks, and jump the golf-links fence. The animals were seen by several peo ple, and did not seem to be at all dis turbed by their urban surroundings. Tiring of sightseeing, they jumped the Intervening fences and returned to the hills around Spencer Butte. OREGON COMMISSION HIT Washington's Move to Postpone Rate Order Is Opposed. SALEM. Or, Dec 20. (Special.) The Railroad Commission of Oregon today balked at tha request of the Public Service Commission of Wash ington to postpone the order for the "back haul" rates as set out in the telegram of the 'Public Service Com mission of Washington, sent yesterday to the Interstate Commerce Commis sion. "Please do not understand that wa concur in this. Expect to promulgate order about first of year. Only 20 days' notice required under state law," was the telegram forwarded today by the Oregon Commission. The Oregon Commission Is opposed to the requested delay, feeling that the quest.on under consideration has been postponed long enough and is desirous of Issuing Its order In the distance tariff cases aa early as possible and not to wait until March 1, as proposed In the plan as promulgated by the Washington Commission. SOCIALIST ENJOINS CITY Medford Man Fights 50-Cent Water Rate Act Deemed Political. MEDFORD, Or., Dec 20 (Special.) Believing his water rent of BO cents a family in the Smith apartment-house . ..,.. Tnn.ssM, Smith, a Socialist I here, has obtained a temporary restrevln I lng order against the city, which pre ! vents City Recorder Telfer from shut I . h watAv mnnlT. Aven thousrh Mr. Smith is delinquent to the extent of Hi for the past quarter. The Socialists are waging a hard cam- 1 tha mmlnr cltv election in I January and their opponents say the present aamimstration. vuue cumin erable apathy marks the registration which will close Friday, It Is believed that the Socialists have registered In a body. They have a candidate for every position on the ticket. COAT THIEF IS PENITENT Shoplifter Deaves Note With Stolen , Wearing Apparel. ' "This coat belongs to a working girl. (Signed.) Thief." This note was found pinned to a bundle lying on the stairs in the De kum building yesterday. In the bundle was found a gray polo coat, which, upon Investigation, was found to be long to a clerk employed at a depart ment store.. The shoplifter had gone so far as to take a coat belonging to one of the girls, and then, smitten with remorse at the thought of having taken a garment belonging to a hard working clerk, had left it with the note in the hope someone would fins it and return it. Another girl found the bundle while on the way upstairs to secure change for a bill. The coat was found to have been taken from one of the lockers of the store. Ashland Sites Inspected. ASHLAND, Or., Dec 20. (Special.) Tbe committee of the Oregon Agricul tural College to select a site for an ex periment station to be established and operated In Southern Oregon In connec tion with the college work visited the Rogue River Valley early In the week. A personal Inspection of tbe sites of Wiley B. Allen Suggestions fered in and near Ashland was made. The members of this committee are Re gent J. K. Weatherford, of Albany, and Messrs. Wilson and Lewis, of the col lege staff at Corvallls. F. .C. Reimer, who Is to be In charge of the station when it is estabUshed, was with the committee hero looking over the grounds offered. , WOUNDED BOXER IMPROVES Blood-Poisoning Now Only Danger Feared for "Mysterious Billy." ' The possibility of tolood poisoning setting in within the next few days is tbe only danger feared by physicians attending "Mysterious" Billy Smith, the wounded ex-champlon prizefighter. After passing the crisis. Smith ral lied and shows every sign of recover ing from the effects of the injuries inflicted by Aibert E.'Loomia last .Sun day night. Dr. Fred W. Zelgler expresses con fidence that his patient will recover, and marvels at the remarkable consti tution of the former fighter. DAILY METEOROLOGICAL, KEFOKT. PORTLAND, Or., Dec. 20. Maximum tem perature, 42 degrees; minimum, 35 degrees. River reading. 8 A. 8.T feet; change in last 24 hours. 0.2 foot rise. Total rainfall (5 P M. to 5 P. M. ), none; total rainfall since September 1. 1911. H-0 '"cjiB; ?orT mal rainfall since September 1. 16.63 Incnes. deficiency of rainfall since September 1. lftll. 6.23 Inches. Total sunshine, none; possible sunshine. 8 hours. 86 minutes. Ba rometer (reduced to sea level) at S F. 30.36 inches. WEATHER CONDITIONS. The northwestern high-pressure field Is spreading and now overlies the entire Pa cific Northwest. The northwestern hlgn pressnre field Is diminishing In Intensity and is being gradually forced northward. The Southwest and middle portion of the United States is covered with a well-developed dis turbance that has caused snow in the Cen tral Plateau and Plains states, and rain in the lower Mississippi and Ohio Valleys, and In the East Gulf and South Atlantic states. Light rain has also fallen in Southwestern Washington, moderate rains in Southern California and light snow in Northern Ida ho and Western Montana The weather Is generally colder on the Pacific Slope. In the Plains and East Gulf states, and it Is warmer in Rocky Mountain districts. North-. era Saskatchewan. Louisiana, the Ohio gal ley Lake region, Atlantic states (except Florida) and St. Lawrence Valley. Over the western half of the country, on the Atlantic Slope and In the Gulf states tem peratures are below normal. The conditions are favorable for generally fair weather Thursday, except near the Washington coast, where occasional rain Is expected. Temperature changes will In gen eral not be important. FORECASTS. Portland and vicinity Fair; westerly winds. . , . Oregottr-Generallly fair; northwesterly winds. . . Washington Fair, except occasional rsla near the coast; winds mostly westerly. Idaho Generally fair. THEODORE F. DRAKE, Acting District Forecaster. Compasses, field-glasses, barometers, hydrometers, microscopes, scientific ap paratus. Woodard. Clarke & Co. " $275 Player Piano We're selling Player Pianos at the rate of eight to ten a day. There's a reason, too, for such large sales, the prices are right, the terms are right, and the Player Pianos are right. Free Music Library Included with every Player Piano. Auto planos rented, $6 per month. KOHIER A CHASE am Washington St. Opea Evenings Is