THE MORNING OREGONIAN, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1914. AI 1. BOOTH Senatorial Candidate Greets Six Hundred and Replies to All Questions. FIRM'S DEALS REVEALED Charges Denied That Candidate for United States Senate Is Million aire World Fought From Early Youth, Story Told. Continued From First Ptej speech was devoted to a clear-cut pres entation of the leading campaign is sues. His address follows in full: 70,000 Express Confidence. I am a candidate tor the United States Senate and the nominee of the Republican party. Nearly 70.000 people in the primary election expressed their confidence in me by their support. A xreator number of votes were cast for me thon for any other candi date on any ticket. The confidence of my fellow men I prize beyond possibility of ex pression and I shall maintain it if It Is with in my power to do so. It is necessary for my peace of mind, for as my past life has been associated with the people and in terests of Oregon, so will bo my future. I am not a candidate for office to gratify a personal ambition. I have 'never been and am not now an office-seeker for personal gain. I am a member of the Oregon fam ily, bound to It by the enduring ties of na T HRONG ALBANY HEARS tivity by ties or. mooa mai eneuu . sire to son; by social environment woven Into a lifetime covering half a century ; by business associations and Industrial en gagements that have extended to nearly every portion of the state. 1 have a rifcht to assert my devotion to the state and its people and to express my desire to serve them acceptably. Called by my neighbors, without dis tinction of party, to serve them as a Rep resentative in the United States Senate, It becomes my bounden duty to put forth every legitimate effort to promote my election and to meet firmly every onslaught that seeks to encompass my defeat. It has been and is my conviction that cer tain policies and their demonstrated and probable results as they affect the welfare of our people as a Nation Is the real matter of concern that is to be considered. Coast Development Uppermost. I believe that the development of the Pacific Coast is of the greatest concern to our Nation and that no physical question is of so much importance, not only to the peo ple of the Pacific oCast, but to all the peo ple who would make the United States their home. And, furthermore, that Pacific Coast development is of International importance and has most Important bearings upon our relation to all people and that no other time can be so propitious as now for constructive, governmental policies affecting the Coast development and that the lack of atten tion to the Coast and the Btate Is Inex cusable and should not be longer patiently borne. It is great principles and their honest ap plication that is at Issue and not the measure of individual wealth of inconsequential acts of local business organizations. It Is alleged that I am "a timber baron, ' a multi-millionaire," "an aristocrat, unsym pathetic with the plain people," and by in sinuations I am made to appear as disreput able In my Individual conduct and dishonest In the methods employed by business con cerns with which I have been connected. The questions directly put to me by the Albany Democrat are: 1 Where did you get your wealth; and (2) How did your company gets its lands? Events, subsequent to the putting of these questions to me, have caused me to doubt their sincerity, but it does not matter. I am here to answer them out of my regard for the newer citizens of our state and those who are not wholly or at all familiar with my general conduct and the events in Ore gon that have pertained to them. I crave the continued regard of all who, in the past. In any way have given me their sup port and I earnestly desire the confidence of every citizen of this state. Campaign Makes Enemies. The conduct of this campaign makes It evident that I have enemies, but I am per suaded that they are mostly, if not wholly, political. It Is useless to deny that I would like to have their respect and If I am elected, I shall do my utmost to compel it. My first utterance in this campaign was a promise to the people of the State of Oregon that I would so conduct it that the men who oppose me for office should not have their lives saddened or their useful ness Impaired by anything that I might say. That promise still holds. I have not made the balances in which I am to be weighed. I have not marked the scale upon any rule that shall measure my conduct. That I am willing to leave to others. I must do so. But I expect that out of fairness; the very mandates of manhood; the requirements of honest citizenship that whatever standard Is set up for me will be applied to others. I have no desire to hide my record. It bears the stamp of "made in Oregon" and Is, therefore, familiar to most of our people. I understand full well and am embarrassed by the fact that what I say will be copious ly punctured by personal pronouns, but It cannot be avoided. It Is my conduct that lias been called In question and It la I who am to reply. Let me emphasize that my address Is to those who are acquainted with me. There r are those In this audience and thousands within the state who know that if my acts to which reference Is made by these Inquires had been illegal, I would not be here answer lug, as I now am. I should have been a more or less permanent boarder of Uncle flam's. Books Open to Inquiry. Representatives of this great Government, supported by its vast treasury and aided and abetted by political enemies as well as citi zens acting in good faith, reviewed my con duct and probed the business with which I have been connected. Every acre of land in which T, or the company, was Interested has been placed upon the map of Investigation and our right to It determined with the alngle exception of one Instance to which I shall refer later. In those testing times, our records were opened freely and voluntarily to every hon est Inquiry. They have never since been closed. That I have been shadowed In my home, trailed from coast to coast by de tectives. Indicted and tried In the Federal Courts by a Jury of my peers without the loss of my liberty or of being dispossessed of an acre of land or a dollar's worth of property has become satisfactory evidence, to thousands who know me. that I have had a decent regard In all my business career for the rights of my fellowman. I must not attempt here to characterize any of those who thus lifted hands against me. If there remains any resentment In my heart it Is because It is beyond my power to re move it. I am conscious of none. I am aware of my shortcomings and that my life has not been as fruitful or as per fect as It should have been. Nor have my business undertakings been as successful or as helpful to the state as x would have had them, but I can say with all zood conscience, I have done my best. I take It that every friend knows, and this is notice to every toe, that I am not here to apologize for or even explain past conduct. What I shall say will be a mere recital of facts. Millionaire Charge Denied. I am not a millionaire, and never waa If. In the years of my activity. I could have earned and save more, In justice to my as sociates and the people with whom I have dealt and lived. I certainly would have done so. The bounties of Oregon were open to all her citizens of my generation. It was our duty to develop the state, and In doing so abundant opportunity was given for reasonable accumulation. The man who has not done his best along these lines has not been true to the state nor to himself. "Bow I gained my wealth" la a. long and varied story. It has varied In time from youth until the Dresent and In amount from 23 cents a day to S10.000 a year. The first I earned of necessity, the latter I voluntarily reslcned. The earliest recollection that I have of worklnr for a wage la In raking hay in the Summer of 1S8S in the fields of Douglas County, for which I received 25 cents a day. It Is of no consequence now that the pay was In chickens and that I carried six home each Saturday night. They became a part of the sustaining force for a family of 12 children. Our parents Lad need of all our help. That Summer was the first passed in the harvest fields. In them I have swung the -7 REPUBLICAN NOMINEE FOR SENATOR, WHO MAKES A NOTABLE CAMPAIGN SPEECH AT ALBANY. HON. R. A. scythe, bound the grain, pitched It from the header-wagons and stacks to the thresh lnc machine. I have measured threshed grain at the thresher's spout and have sewed grain sacks and carried them away from the machine, receiving double wages therefor. (Probably this gave me the first vision of riches.) In the same county I have grubbed. Dlowed and planted theields, both for wages and in conducting farming for myself. At the old Umpqua Academy, also In Douelas County. I attended school and did Janitor worjs at $7.50 a term of three months. Durtne this time, I cut cordwood by contract evenings and Saturdays and did such other things as were usual and necessary for other boys similarly situated. Candidate Taught School at 17. At the ase of 17 I taught country school at Civil Bend in Douglas County and for several seasons following taught at other places. My salary was $33.33 a month and I "boarded round." In 1S70 I was taken by my parents with other members of the family to Eastern Oregon, where for two years I herded sheep for my father. During this time I gathered wool from the bushes and pelts from the sheep that did not sur vive the Winter and traded them at The Dalles for my first suit of "store clothes." I have never been as proud of any other suit. (Probably this gave me my first aris tocratic tendencies. ) I have ridden the ranges of Eastern Ore gon from the Blue Mountains to the Cas cades and there slept beneath the snow, pro tected by a sagebrush fire and a saddle blanket. In the same region I have dug in the irrigating ditches and have distributed the water from them over the fields. I have counted the trees In the forests, turned the handscrews In the sawmills, car ried by hand the lumber from the docks to the cars, kept the record at the desk and directed the efforts from an office. Most of the events that I have related took Dlace Drior to my majority and the money compensation receivea was passed to my parents, save such as they directed spent for my own needs, and thus continued until mfter I was 21 years of age. The first engagement entirely on my own account that I can now recall was made with Mr. Henry W. Settlemire, then and now of Tangent in Linn County, for whom I sold fruit trees on commission. It was in the early days of orcharding and the Idea was popular. I sold many trees and my earnings were large as compared with those of my earlier years. The Investments from the earnings were orofitable. (The dreams of wealth multiplied.) Thirty-five years have since passed. Little did I think then that iu Linn County 1 would be called to account for my stewardship. But it is not by Mr. Settlemire. His early kindness has been a lasting fragrance and his wise coun sel a permanent benefit. Ssvwmillinx Work Taken Up. In the early '80s I became interested with others In a country store at Yoncalla and in 1883 retired from the store and engaged in sawmilling. The small mill was purchased from Smith Bros. & Watson, of Portland, the contract for it beinn made with J. Frank Weston, well known in this state. I paid for it with borrowed money from the late Fendle Sutherland, my father and father-in-law signinz the note with me as security. There has been no time since but that 1 have been in some way engaged In the man ufacture or sale of lumber. For three years I taught school with Judge Henry L. Benson and his) late brother. F- W. Benson, at the Drain Acad emy and Normal School. In 1888 I went from Douglas to Jose phine County as bookkeeper for the Sugar Pine Door & Lumber Company, then un der the management of H. B. Miller, who always has ranked high among the real developers of the state and who has be come distinguished lu the country's service. This concern was a manufacturer of lum ber at its own mills and purchased largely from others The greater part of the lum ber was manufactured into boxes, doors, sash and other articles of common use and distributed over the various Pacific Coast States. A few years later I became the secretary of the company and in 1895 its manager. In conjunction with citizens of Grants Pass and eeveral prominent financiers of Portland I was active in organizing the First National Bank of Grants Pass, which commenced business January 2. 1890. For ten years I was ita cashier snd six years Its president During that time I was also actively Interested In the Grants Pass Bank. Ing & Trust Company and the bank that later became the Douglas National of Rose burg. Several years ago I disposed of all my banking Interests and invested the pro ceeds with other funds in the lumbering business. . While in Josephine County I became in terested in a small way as a fruitgrower, and incidentally, in mining. In all these undertakings I made some gain and with the help of an Industrious, frugal and de voted wife constantly added to our belong- mSS "Crime of W Recalled. This takes us up to not the "Crime of '76 " but that of '96 the inception of the organization of the Booth-Kelly Lumber Company. In that year a lease was made with J L Jones, of Saginaw, Lane County, for hla lumber plant. The lessees were John F. Kelly. George H. Kelly, J, H. Booth and myself, acting as a simple part nership. Under the terms of the lease we were to cut a given amount of lumber monthly and to pay at the rate of $1 a thousand for all lumber cut, which was payment for the stumpage and use of the plant. In the contract there was a provision by which we might purchase and this right we later exercised. With this deal were Involved several hundred acres of land which be longed to the plant and under option by Mr. Jonea The real purpose of the organization of the company was to become acquainted with the fir forests of interior Oregon, to ascertain the value of the products and the poseibility of finding markets at profitable prices for them. Encouraged by these early efforts we conferred with the railroad com pany as to rates, with view of extending our markets, and Induced them to publish rates that permitted us to teed our product to the mines of Arizona, the various sec tions of California, to Utah and other Pa BOOTH. cific Coast states and eastward under a 40-cent rate to Missouri River points. Thus we became pioneers in lumbering In In terior Oregon, In interstate shipments and In securing railroad rates that made opera tions on a large scale possible. This srave new value to the Interior forests of Oregon and changed much of Western Oregon from slow, plodding communities to busy centers of activity in manufactur ing and thus to splendid local markets for the products of Its fields and pastures. The rate to San Francisco bay points, commonly known as the "$3.10 rate," was granted upon our petition, as were other Important rates to various sections of the country. Value of Fir Becomes Known. Mainly through our efforts the value of fir from interior Oregon became generally known through the states, and our busi ness was built up upon the credit extended to us after we had demonstrated our ability to manufacture and market at a profit. In 1S9S a few California citizens Joined us in the business, and then we incorpo rated the company for $50,000. In that year we leased a mill at Coburg, the lease containing a provision to purchase. We thus increased our operations, widened our markets and strengthened our credit and later exercised our right to purchase. In Januay, 1899, we Increased our cap ital to ,250,000, and later in the year to $1,000,000. It was that year we made our first con tract made with the Oregon & California Railroad Company of consequence for the purchase of timber lands. The contract cov ered some 17,000 acres of land In a district since known as the Wendllng Basis. These lands were purchased entirely on credit, we paying the interest annually in advance, but having the right to enter upon any section remove the timber there and paying for the same in advance at a figure beyond the average buying price. We then built our first large sawmill, after entering into a contract with the Southern Pacific Company to extend its rails to the town of Wendllng. In consideration of the company building this line, we undertook to give them the right of way, the ties required In the con struction and agreed to put over the line the first year 2500 carloads of timber products. Let It be understood that the Booth-Kelly Lumber Company has been distinctly a manufacturing concern and not a speculator In timber lands. Under the prevailing con ditions it was necessary, therefore, for Its lands to be near transportation lines, which brought them within the scope of the Gov ernment grant to the railroads. Timber Lands' Value Not High. Prior to the Incidents that I have related the railroad timber lands of interior Oregon and all other timber lands, for that matter, were considered of little value and were not marketable. The grant, there, ore, was still held almost entirely by the railroad com pany; that Is to say, they still owned the al ternate odd sections that passed to them by the grant. It followed, therefore, of necessity that practically half of all lands that the Booth-Kelly Company purchased were purchased from the rollroad company. Lands near the railroad were the most val uable and the timber on these was the only timber that was available for milling. This held good with the even sections as well as the odd sections that belonged to the rail road grant and were naturally the first to be taken up under the land laws of the United States. Practically all of these even sections were taken prior to our purchase of the railroad lands. They could be ac quired by us, therefore, only by purchase. As later will be shown, the title to almost the whole of our lands was secured by the rail road company and by settlers years before our company even was organized. The small remaining fraction was honestly ac quired by purchase from owners who, at their own Instance, initiated their title and perfected their rights. We never exploited the public domain by locating people thereon, as has frequently been charged against tim ber concerns. I wish specifically to state that we have never, by any method, wrongfully acquired title to an acre of land. No one knows this better than representatives of the Govern ment, who Investigated us. In 1900 the capital of the company was increased to $1,250,000; In 1902 to $1,500,000; In 1904 to $2,000,000; In 1011 to $2,500,000, of which $2,225,000 has been paid. As our capital was increased our mills were Increased In capacity, others built and our timber purchases extended. We now own a little more than 139,000 acres and the timber on more than 22,000 acres of It has been manufactured into lumber at our mills. All of these lands, with the exception of about 3000 acres, are located tributary to our mills and were purchased with a view to manufacture, not exploitation. When we commenced milling, timber values were low ; quarter sections, taken under the homestead or timber and stone acts, were offered us freely at $5 an acre, and in one instance less. Such of these claims as were Intermingled with our own holdings, that Is, lying between the odd sections that we had purchased from the railroad com pany, we purchased as they were offered to us, as rapidly as we could acquire money by adding to our capital or by borrowing. Much wealth was thus added to Lane County and the people with whom we dealt became our friends. The people who criticise and ac cuse us are not those that are within the Influence of our operations and Immediate acquaintance. Eugene Is Headquarters. Eugene is the central office of our com pany and our mills are located in places not remote therefrom. When we commenced business there the population of the town was about 3000; It is now five times as much. Similar growth has characterized Coburg, Springfield, Cottage Grove and other town that have felt the benefit of the payroll of the sawmills ours and others. There were times when we employed more than 15O0 men and when our payroll was more than SiO.000 a month. We have expended more than a million dollars building and equipping our mills. We have manufactured nearly a billion feet of lumber and have paid out on account thereof approximately $10,000,000. Of the lands now owceo by the company, over 70.000 acres, a trifle more than one-half once belonged to the railroad grant and a considerable por tion of them were purchased directly from the railroad company, notable exceptions be lnr railroad lands purchased from the late Amos Highland, of Lowell; the lacs . . Umpier, of Harrlaburg, and Messrs. Jones ana jooa, oi v.oi uro. It Is a fact to which I call your attention that the average price paid for these rail road lands, purchased under these various conditions. Is almost identical with the aver age price paid individual owners for Tneli even sections. During the growth of the company s capi talization the original partners, the two Booths and the two Kellys, were not able to Increase their holdings in the ratio of its growth. Out of the original $50.0000 capi talization each of the four owned $7500 worth. I Increased mv interest beyond that of any of my original associates, the maxi mum of my holding being a one-tenth In terest when the capitalization was $1,250, 000. This has since been reduced to about 3 per cent of the paid capital (amounting to fl..O00), which I now own. The history of my efforts in carrying my interest in this and other enterprises to wblch I shall refer. Is familiar to several of the bankers of Oregon and San Francisco. X The controlling" Interest in the Booth-Kelly Lumber Company early passed from resi dents of Oregon to residents of California In 1904 the control passed to residents of Michigan. It will thus be seen that the capital Invested in our company waa drawn larcrolv fmm other states and it must be a matter of common knowledge that the money from the sales of tne products ot our mills comes almost entirely from without the state. In 1904 the money becoming due for lands under early contracts was met by funds secured by bonding our lands, which we did for $750,000. I was connected with the company as manager from November, 1SW, until Febru ary. 1907. Its successes and benefits might have been, in fact, should have been greater. Its faults and wrongs, if any. I am willing to bear. I gave to It unstlntlngly the labor of the best years of my life. The confi dence and friendship of my associates in the business I think are imperishable and the material benefit alven the development of our state through our efforts and the bread that has been won by the thousands who have labored with and for us will re main Iu memory the pride of my life. This may and doubtless does appear tedious to you. but I implore your patience. Do you realize that the circumstance under which I am relatlnsr these things, as I now do. Is the only one thatv could Induce me to do It? Responsibility Is Taken. If what I am to be to Oregon, to my neighbors, to my family and myself depends upon oast acta whether exerted for my self or In the conduct of a business so es sentially a part of the state's growth, I ask that you hear It all. for I have been re sponsible for the direction of a land com pany, other than the Booth-Kelly Lumber Company. I refer to the Oregon Land & Livestock Company. This company was organized In 1902 for the purpose of purchasing the lands when remaining unsold that had been granted by the Government In 1864 to aid in the construction of the Oregon Central Military Wagon Road, which extended from Eugene to the east boundary of the state. This property had been freely and openly offered for sale for many years. Selling agents who offered it as a whole and in part were located in Eugene, Lakeview and in San Francisco. It was owned by a strong com pany, headed by Mr. E. B. Pond, ex-Mayor of San Francisco, and who was at the time of the purchase the head of one of the strong savines banks of that t-ity. So far as the Government was concerned the title had long since passed. Oregon's interest was to have the land opened to settlement and subject to taxation. This was accom plished through the acts of our company. The question as to Individuals was who would have the foresight or the nerve to undertake the handllnz of the vast body of land lylncr dormant in the state. I recom mended to ten men the purchase of the lands. The purchase was made almost wholly on credit. The undertaking caused me many cloudy days and sleepless nights. We paid for it largely from the proceeds of the sale of the land In various sized tracts. Our profits are yet to be determined by the value of the fraction that we have remain ing;. ' i, The purchase involved about 800.000 acres. The Booth-Kelly Lumber Company took over the western portion of it. Most of these lands the company disposed of, keep injrthose immediately tributary to the Springfield plant. The greater part of the tract was wild, unsurveyed lands. We had it surveyed and selected, which caused them to be placed upon the tax rolls, thus becom in a source of revenue to the counties in which they were located. In 1908 we sold about 500,000 acres of these lands for $1 an acre. These lands since have passed through several owner ships, been divided into many tracts of from 10 to 1000 acres each -and all sold, so I am informed. Our company was In no way Interested In them beyond the sale first mentioned. The company now owns about 120.000 acres, mostly timbered, a part of which it has purchased from indi vidual owners. Of the grant land so purchased, over 111.000 acres were within the Klamath Indian Reservation and much of it had beep allotted to the Indians and improved by them. These lands were exchanged for 87 000 acres of unallotted lands within the Indian reservation. This was done upon the recommendation of the Interior Depart ment, after the lands had been examined, classified and appraised and the trade au thorized by act of Congress. The title to all the lands purchased by the Oregon Land & Livestock Company had been adjudicated prior to our ownership. Originally, I owned a one-tenth interest In the company. 1 now own Vt per cent. Court Records Told. Returning now to the affairs of the Booth-Kelly Lumber Company. Three times we have been before the Federal Courts of this district, once when the Government undertook to cancel title to the lands that had been purchased from the railroad com pany. Our company was one of 4a which were thus attacked by the Government. The cause for action was the failure on the part of the railroad company to comply with the supplemental provisions of the grant which provided that the lands should be sold to actual settlers In quantities not to exceed 160 acres at more than $2.50 an acre. When our lands were purchased we had no knowledge of this provision. The lands had been patented by the Govern ment to the railroad company, and there was a perfect record title. During the pen dency of this litigation the "innocent pur chaser's relief bill" was passed by Congress, in which was the provision that parties who had purchased from the railroad com pany in "good faith," in case the decision of the courts was adverse, might repur chase from the Government at $2.60 an acre. The matter of good faith was in vestigated by the Government while the case was at issue. It was decided by the Interior Department that we were pur chasers In good faith and we, therefore, re purchased the lands under the -provisions of the act As before stated, this involved more than half of the lands that the com pany owns. There Is a case on appeal to the Supreme Curt of the United States Involving four claims, aggregating 640 acres of land, to which the Government sought to cancel the title. These claims were taken by Ethel La Raut. Lucy La Raut, Stephen La Raut and Alice La Raut. The two first named are sisters of my wife; Stephen is my wife's brother and Alice his wife. The Government alleged that these claims were taken under an agreement with the com pany that the equitable title should pass to the company for a stipulated considera tion. The testimony of the Government't wit nesses showed that the lands were vacant, subject to entry and in close proximity to the company's lands; that the company's employes had cruised the same ; that we brought them to the attention of the en trymen named; that they were conducted to the premises by the company's cruisers; that all expenses In connection therewith and In entering the land and in payment for the land was made by the company. All of these allegations, except that to pur chase the lands for a stipulated price, or any price, are true, and also was given in testimony by myself and other members of the company. The testimony in the case shows that Ethel La Raut had asked me to aid her In finding and securing a timber claim. That after I had expressed a wil lingness ro do so she spoke also in behalf of her sister, Lucy; her brother, Stephen, and his wife; that I agrred with her for herself and the others that I would pro vide the money to obtain the claims, If any desirable ones could be found, and that I stated to her in case the company sold Its lands that were adjacent to those claims we would sell theirs also, probably cha.-gin g them a reasonable compensation therefor; that If we cut the timber from our adjacent lands we would cut also the timler from theirs and pay them such price per thousand as it might then be worth. I repeat that this la my sworn testimony. It is aiso that of Ethel La Raut, my sister-in-law. In fulfillment of this understanding, It Is In evidence by my own testimony, that our company furnished the money under guaranty by me- This Is corrobo rated by the testimony of H. A. Dunbar, then the company's head bookkeeper and cashier. After final proof deeds were made to me which I hold as security for my guaranty. Book Conceal Nothing. After the lands were patented, these deeds were returned and others taken In favor of our company, the books showing every item of cost in detail without any attempt of concealment. When I was suc ceeded In the management of the company by Oeorge H. Kelly I notified him of the agreement. To this I testified. Mr. Kelly's sworn testimony is the same. Mr. Kelly -n.-eeeded in the management by A. C, Dixon, the present manager. Mr. Kelly testified that he notified Mr. Dixon that the equitable title to the lands belonged ta th ia p.auts Mr. Dixon's sworn testi mony is the same. In addition to all the costs' attending the procurement of the lands the company advanced various sums at different times to the owners. Later and during Mr. Dlzon's management. Ste phen La Raut and his wife desired to move to Canada and urged the company to pur chase their lands. It did so through the management of Mr. Dixon. The equitable title to the other two claims still remains in Ethel La Raut and Lucy La Raut This Is my sworn testimony. It Is the sworn testimony of Mr. Kelly, my successor; Mr, Dixon, his successor, and of Ethel La Raut. The facts could not be known by any other persona The case was t ned before J udge Robert S. Bean, of the Federal Court, and the decision was fsvorable to the company. The case was csrried to the Court of Ap peals and there reversed. The decision was by Judge Gilbert. It was based on his assumption that the testimony given by me and others was not credible. It 1b now on appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States. What the decision may be, of course, I cannot tell, but the facta I do know, and have sworn to. . I here reassert that my statements, whlcn were corroborated by Mr. Kelly, Mr. Dixon and my sister-in-law, were the truth. No other parties could know the facts. If we swore truly the action of the Government was without Justification. If I swore false ly, no statement that I can make to yoo can be depended upon. I submit the case to you for your Judgment, which Is of more consequence to me than that of the court. The companies with which I have been connected have handled approximately a million acres of land and that the title to less than one-tenth of 1 per cent of them should ever be attacked by the Federal Gov ernment, the state or an Individual, I hope will appeal to you as fairly creditable. Like wise, I hope you will believe that 1 am In capable of leading or permitting my wife's sisters and brother Into a criminal practice for petty gains either for them or for my self, or for anyone. If the title to these lands was highly desirable, or desirable at all for me, or for our company, they might have been taken by membra of my own family, none of whom have ever had the benefit of the land laws. There Is one other case that I might bring to your attention. Many of you are familiar with It. It Is the last Item In the recital. In 1905 I was indicted for conspiring to de fraud the Government out of 180 acres of land. I pleaded "not guilty." Believing It not the Intention of the prosecution to try the case, I asked Judge Bellinger not to permit Its dismissal without a trial. I Interposed no dilatory pleading. Over and over and over again, through my attorneys, I pleaded for a trial. Nearly four years passed be fore It was granted. Not a witness was put on the stand in my defense. The verdict on the first ballot was "not guilty." The statements that I have made In re lation to the holdings of the Booth-Kelly Lumber Company as to quantity, method of acquiring and price can be verified from the records of the Interstate Commerce Commis sion, where they were given In defense of the 40-cent and $3.10 rate cases; or they can be verified from the public records or our own records. They are an open book. From the facts thus presented It ma be determined that more than nine-tenths nf nil th. land that has ever come under the control of any organization with which I have been connected was land granted by the Government In my boyhood days and that for a generation had been offered in the open market. Hundreds, yes, thous ands of others have purchased from the same grants In the same way. Cold Facts Given, Furthermore, the title to more than 99 per cent of all the lands ever owned by our company was Initiated by others before our companies were organized. This Is not a guesB, but a cold fact. I repeat that, of all the lands In which our company or 1 have been In any way connected, the title to less than one-tenth of 1 per cent has ever been attacked or questioned. If I have any wealth It lies almost wholly In my Interest in these lands. Their value and consequently my Individual worth Is problematical. What they may yield me. like what your property may yield you, de pends greatly upon the opportunity given the business of this country by governmental policies. What that is to be I await with anxiety. So do you. The issue of this campaign as based upon what I am worth In dollars, or how the com panies with which I am associated got their lands, is too absurd to nave serious mougm. Why. then, do I answer the Inquiries? Be cause by Implication my integrity Is as sailed ; because the honesty of my acts in private life Is In question. An attempt has been made to force these things Into the campaign. I freely submit the record to you In full faith that a fair citizenry will Judge me Justly and will demand the same account ing of mv oDoonent. I admit the right of the people to Inquire Into the character of candidates tor oirice. The methods employed by a man in his everyday business are a fair Index of his character; his accumulation of property or his failure to accumulate may indicate his business ability. Add to this the way in which he spends his money and the test will be complete. If the time has come in Ore gon when a more searching Investigation is to be made into the character of candidates for office, then we are at the dawn of a better day. The advance may be measured by the sincerity and thoroughness wua which the investigation Is made. If the citizenry of this state la now calling Its representatives to a higher plane of ac tion and living, no call of retreat shall bs sounded by me. My countrymen, this great Government and its institutions belong to you. You can change or abolish them. You can choose your representatives. I am be fore you as one who would serve. I await your verdict with confidence. Treat me as you would be treated under nae circum stances. I ask I am entitled to no more. If I am unworthy or unprepared to repre sent you, then forget the ties of boyhood days; put aside the friendships that have bound us together; forget the associations and struggles of a lifetime and act only for our country's good. Your verdict shall be my verdict and your future shall be brighter and better If I can make it so, wherever I may serve. I have now made reply to the Inquiries put to me. The answers are accurate. They are complete enough to satisfy all fairly disposed persons and to lead them to an honest conclusion. My answer is for the 70.000 people who voted for my nomination and to all others whose faces are not turned unalterably against me. To those who seek only to confuse and oppose, I have no fur ther time. I ask but a few moments more. It Is for the purpose of defining what. In my opinion, are some of the fundamental Is sues of this campaign. Individuals Are Eliminated. It is not a question alone of individuals, but of policies. It Is not the business of the Booth-Kelly Lumber Company, but the business of the general Government. It is not a question of whether stockholders of a lumber com pany have been successful, but whether the people of the United States are to be pros perous. It Is a question of whether the food American people eat shall be raised on American farms and pastures, by American citizens, or by foreigners In Europe and Asia and the Islands of the seal. It Is a question of whether the, clothes worn In America shall be made In Amer ican factories by American workmen or by cheap foreign labor In other lands. And further. If made at home by our own citi zens, shall it be done In competition with the low-priced labor of the world or under conditions and for a wage that makes the American laborer the peer of any citizen on an equality with every other class of our people a husband who cherishes his wife and is honored among men; a father pro tecting and proud of his family. The question directly in hand Is: Shall Oregon be developed and railroads extend ed through her borders. They cannot be unless our farms and our factories are fur nishing the necessary traffic. The opening of Alaska is Important. I do not oppose, hut commend it. Two Admin istrations have recommended It without dis tinction of party. Congress has voted It. out had one-half the money appropriated (or Alaska development been used In Ore gonSdevelopment there would not be an idle man or an empty dinner pail in the state nd thousands of families would have been tdded to our population and our produc ing classes. If the Government is con cerned about homebullders, whether those here or those to come, let It give them aid and encouragement In Oregon and adjoin ing states, where soil, climate and oppor tunity are unsurpassed, rather than attempt to lure them to the land of glaciers and mid night where capitalists and corruptlonists are to be tho principal beneficiaries. ' Oregon needs and deserves help from the General Government. Its growth. In point of time and magnitude, will be measured by the intelligent aid sTjven. In matters of reclamation Oregon has not only been neglected but robbed. She has contributed over $10,000,000 to the fund and received $4,800,000 in return. The Issue Is, shall the balance be restored to our state? In nearly every part of our state are thousands of acres of land awaiting the magic touch of the hand of the enlightened, energetic immigrant. Much of the best u ood of Europe, represented by her people from Italy to Norway, have come to us and millions more will be encouraged to come if they can be assured the high privileges lnat have been accorded them Industrially and socially through the policies of the Re puollcan party. But why should he come here If he Is to compete with the same con ditions from which he would flee? Ths only psrtlssn measure that has been cham pioned by the present Democratic Admin istration, and over ths protest and votes Gambrinus Main 49 YELLOWSTONE PARK (SEASON 1914 Closes September 15. Better let us help you PLAN YOUR EASTERN TRIP NOW with a side trip through the Park. Through sleeper to Park entrance leaves Union Depot 7 P. M. every day via OREGON WASHINGTON RAILROAD & NAVIGATION CO. Low round-trip rares 10 many umiu "7T effect to September 30; going limit, 15 dayB; return limit, October 31. SUPERIOR SERVICE SOLID THROUGH TRAINS CHOICE OF ROUTES Leads all routes in scenery and cities of importance. Maintains superiority in service, connections, equip ment, roadbed. BLOCK SIGNALS ALL THE WAY TO CHICAGO FARES: .. . . Denver, Colorado springs oo. Kansas City, Omaha 60.00 Saint Louis 70.00 Chicago 72 00 Corresponding rates to other points. Full information, tickets and reservations upon application. CITY TICKET OFFICE, 3d and Washington Streets. Phones: Marshall 4500. k tttTL of Republicans, enacted Into law by a Dem ocratic Congrees. Is the preeent tarlft law. What haa It done for American Industry or the American laborer? By admitting to this country the product of other countries at reduced ratea or free, it haa stifled American factories and reduced the wave or thrown Into Idleness tho American la borer. What Democrats Haw Done Revealed. Last year, according to a British report, the shipments ior June of British woolens Into the United States waa 95.000 yards. In June this year, under the Democratic tariff, the shipments were 948.000 yards, an In crease of nearly 900 per cent. In June. 191S. the shipments of British worsteds were 414.000 yards; this year, for the corresponding month, they were 2.821. 000 yards. Likewise In cotton goods the shipments almust doubled. The report of our Government shows the Import of woolens In May. 1913, to bo lesa than 10,000.000 pounds, and In May. 1914. under the Democratic tariff, to be over 81. 500.000 pounds. From the Congreeslonal Record for August 11, 1914, we may road that for the nine montha ending June 80, 1918. under a Re publican tariff there waa shipped Into the United States from foreign countries 23 Item, all products of the farms and pas turea, lesa than 8SO.000.000 worth. Tor the correapondlng months this year, under the Democratic tariff, the value of the same Items Imported waa over $128,000,000. I will specifically mention a few of th Items that go to make up these totala: Corn lmporta Increased from 8180,000 to $7,500,000. Oats Imports Increased from $8T,000 to $7,800,000. Cattle Imports Increased from $5,700,000 to $16,300,000. Butter Imports Increaeed from fa5S,OO0 to $1,646,000. Wool Imports Increased from $23,000,000 to $48,000,000. These items could be greatly extended. They show conclusively why the percentage nt nnj.mnlnve.1 In Great Britain had de creased ainco the enactment of our Demo cratic taiift to 2.3 per cent from 4.8 per cent, the average of tre paat ten year, and account for the tremendous Increaae of unemployed In thla country. i nese minga refer to the country aa a whole, but the nrMont Democratic tariff. supported by Oregon's Senators, strikes a serious blow Try Chamberlain's Tablets for stomach troubles, biliousness and con stipation. There are many who have been greatly benefited by them. They only cost a quarter. Brewing Co. A1149 to a half dosen of our own stale's Ms' trlea. This Is of eupri-me Importance to ua aa cltlsena of Oregon. Oregon haa fifth of the standing timber of the Lnltei states. About one-eighth of her population are directly Interested in this industry. To day It Is astlmated that nearly 40 par cent of Oregon'a mills are closed. Thousand or laborers who have been dependent upon this Industry are Idle, and wage hava MM re duced In mills In which no reduction na'i been previously made for 20 rear. Under the last Republican tariff law the average annual shipment of ehlngloe oer the line from British Columbia waa 200 car tnads. Under the preeent Democratic tarlft law during the four months ending April a shipment of lanar carload Is reported, en increase from leas then 17 carload a month to orer 370 carloads a month. The rmo--rallc tariff bill, supported by Oregon s Senators. Is responsible for this. Dairy Products Mewed. The dairy product of thl state amount to $20,000,000 annually. Properly encour aged, thl Indust-y easily can be mad to produc at least flv times that amount. Wisconsin, with an area of 87.000 equate miles, haa 1.5O0.000 dairy cow, and her dairy products approximate lloo.000.ooo an nually. Oregon haa M.oofl.ooo acrs sitd only 190.000 cow. . , Tha Damocratlo tariff bill, supported by Oregon's Senatora. has decressed the duties on dairy products and Invited the compe tition of the dairyman or New Zealand. The Oregon poultry Industry la a large and growing on. It Is capable of being so developed as to yield million annually. The poultiy lnduatry of Nebraaka alon for years has exceeded the vaunted gold out put of Alaaka. Properly encouraged that Industry In Oregon can equal the record ot Nebraaka. but the Democratic tariff bill, supported by Oregon's 8enatore. haa opened It to tha competition of the chlcken-raleere of China and our local market ar being flooded with Chinese eggs. From the vice-president of the Multnomah Mohair Mills I have tha fallowing algned statement: "The Multnomah Mohair Mills il organ ised In 1900. atartlng operations early M 1,10 with a capital of $311,000, employing from 80 to 100 operatora, and the mill war kept In operation until. 1912. The produ. t met with ready aale at fair price, and at (Concluded on Page 12.)