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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 17, 1915)
VOL. LA'. NO. 17,103. PORTLAXD, OREGON, FRIDAY, HEPTE3IBEK 17, 1913. PRICE FIVE CENTS. 9 OPINIONS CLASH ON LAND GRANT POLICY Diametric Views Held by Delegates. LITIGATION SEEMS ASSURED Hope of Evolving Plan Suitable to Railroad Waning. ALL AGREE ON ONE THING Sole 101111 of Unanimity Is That Application or Government Jles- crvation Dan AVill Not Jo. 1 .Proposals Mostly Altruistic. BY R. O. CAI.LVBRT. STATU CAPITOL, Salem, Or.. Sept. 16. (Staff correspondence.) It can be safely asserted that after a long: day in listening: to speeches which ranged from discissions of the cold, legal as pects of the case to expressions of the desires, needs and hopes of the several Interests involved, nobody outside or inside the Land Grant Conference, now assembled in Salem, can tell what the conference will do, except as to perhaps one point. If comment of delegates and their applause of what they hear are good guidance, the body is strongly opposed to an application of the Government reservation policy to the railroad grant. Delegate Differ Widely. On several other issues the delegates are as far apart as the poles and on some issues the speakers were in sim ilar positions. As an illustration, the case of P. F. Dunne, attorney for the Southern Pa cific, and ex-Governor West is perhaps the most striking. The position of the railroad company as to the various plans for disposition of the grant has rightfully been considered Important by thoughtful students of the issue. I am rot speaking now of those who are accused of having sympathy with cor poration purposes of whatsoever cliar acter, but of those who realize that a railroad legal department, equipped as it is with learning and money, Is quite able to prolong in the courts the ap plication of any proposition which it deems deleterious to its welfare. The position of the railroad company briefly expressed is that the popular notion that the company's interest in the grant ends with $2.50 an acre is not held by the Southern Pacific. Mr. Dunne argued to the conference today that the Supreme Court had confirmed Its absolute title to the lands subject only to the restriction that when it does sell. It must sell for not more than $2.50 an acre and to actual set lers in quantities hot to exceed 160 acres. That so long as the company retains title to the grant it is entitled to lease it or harvest the valuable stone or minerals therein or sell the timber thereon. That Is, that the rail road is not compelled to make any disposition whatever. Railroad Want Land Developed. Mr.v Dunne presented figures to show that when the net proceeds the com pany had obtained from the grant after paying taxes, costs of administration and other necessary expenses were off set against free transportation it had given to Government troops and prop erty under the terms of the grant, it had paid back to the Government $2 for every one it had received. He asked for a fair consideration of the railroad's claims as thus outlined, admitted that it was to the interests of state and railroad to have the lands devoted to Industrial development and opposed to both their interests to have them remain in any kind of perpetual reserve. Government, state or railroad. Mr. West, on the other hand, rejects the railroads contention that it owns the timber. He concedes that the rail road would have the right to harvest any crop it planted thereon, but sug gested that God Almighty planted the trees even before the day of Ben Hol- laday's first activities in Oregon. Mr. West Sy Taxes Were Too Low The ex-Governor goes much furthei than that, however. He insists that the railroad escaped its just proportion of tax payments for a long period; that its refusal to sell the lands to actual settlers increased its administration costs beyond reasonable bounds; that it has sold much of the grant lands at prices exceeding $2.30 an acre and de rived large illegal profits thereby; that the free transportation provided was part of the terms of the contract and cannot be justly offset against what the company has received. Mr. West did not strike any totals, but his remarks tended to encourage the thought that if the state should acquire the lands at $2.50 an acre from the railroad ajid charge against the purchase price what the railroad ought to refund it might develop that the state would get the land for nothing and the railroad would owe it money in the bargain. But he offered the railroad the consoling information that he believed it would be treated quite fairly if it would be reasonable, which perhaps Implies that the state would not be too harsh in demanding a refund of money if it got the land for nothing. Opinions In Contrast. These two addresses have been . briefly reviewed in this article solely to Illustrate the contrast of opinions ICoucluded ou Pago 4. Column l.j CLIFF DWELLERS' DEFENSE REVEALED IXCOMPWiTE TORT SHOWS VIZO 1'LK TIMED TO PKEPAKK. Excavations in Colorado Throw New Light on Mjstery of Prehistoric ' Race on Coutinent. DEXVKR, Sept. 16. Ruins of what are believed to have been the last work of cliff dwellers have been excavated recently in the Mesa Verde National Park in Southwestern Colorado, accord ing to word brought to Denver today by Enos A. Mills, Colorado author and naturalist, who has been inspecting the excavations. The ruins are distinctly different from any previously uncovered in Western America, and, according to Mr. Mills, open the way for new efforts to solve the mystery of the early races of the continent. The excavation work has been done by Government agents under the super vision of Dr. J. W. Fewkes, of the Smithsonian Institution. Government scientists uncovered, a building of cut and polished stone. The structure was in the form of a letter D. with the up right 132 feet long, and curved part 245 feet In circumference. The walls are about seven feet thick and hollow, with rooms inside. Dr. Fewkes believed the ruin was an uncompleted fortress, abandoned when the cliff dwellers disappeared from the Rocky Mountain region. CUT IN OWN PAY ASKED Election Officials Should Suffer as Well as Appointees, Is View. SPOKANE. Wash., Sept. 16. (Spe cial.) Reductions of the salaries of the county elective officials in the same ratio as the pay of deputies and ap pointive county employes, if it is found necessary to trim the county budget In the interest of economy, was advocat ed by the Board of County Commis sioners today by County Auditor An derson. Members of the County Board were noncommittal on the matter, declaring that the state law has fixed the sala ries of county officials and they have no power to reduce their salaries. "I do not believe that we should hide behind the statutory provision fixing our salaries. We can turn part of the money back into the county treasury to be used for some specific purpose, so that there need be no hesitancy on account of the state law making a reduction in our salaries impossible," said Mr. Anderson. RUN ON BANK IS STARTED Police and Fire Departments Dis perse Crowd of 50 00. ANSON IA, Conn., Sept. 16. The en tire police and fire departments of the city were called out tonight to dis perse a crowd of 5000 persons, follow ing the announcement late today that State Bank Commissioner Sturgis had taken charge of the affairs of the Savings Bank of Ansonia. The treasur er of the institution, ex-Mayor Burton, is under arrest charged with embezzle ment of $36,000 on bogus notes during a period of 15 years. A run on the bank started just be fore business closed and the directors Invoked the 60 days' notice rule. Burton has twice been Mayor of the city and once a State Senator. He is prominent in churcti affairs. HOPPICKERS ARE POISONED Child Dies at Independence and Others of Family Stricken. CORVALL1S, Or.. Sept. 16. (Special.) Lester Vidito, 5-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Tom Vidito. of Alsea, died yesterday at the home of his grand father in this 'city from poison. The family went to Independence to pick hops. Shortly after the hop season opened Abbie Vidito, aged 15, sister of the dead child, was stricken with poi son and was dangerously ill for sev eral days. The boy became ill then and the mother is laid up now. The Viditos say they had no canned goods and cannot acccount for it un less the water was poisoned. NO ALIENS NEED APPLY California to Carry Only Citizens on Payroll of State. SACRAMENTO. Sept. 16. Eight em ployes of the Mendocino State Hospital and two at the home for the adult blind at Oakland have been dismissed at the order of the State Board of Con trol because they were not citizens of the United States. The act-ion was taken in accord with the opinion recently given by the Attorney-General that no one. not a citi zen could remain upon the state pay roll. All were attendants, cooks and minor employes. COST OF HUNTING SOARS Fishing- Also More Expensive as Re sult of "War. SEATTLE, Wash., Sept. 16. (Spe cial.) Like the cost of living, the cost of hunting and fishing has soared. Be cause of the war, there has been a gen eral advance in the price of rifles and shotguns of from 5 to 10 per cent and cartridges now cost 11 per cent more than last year. Fish creels, which are made in France, have gone up 50 per cent. The one exception in price is on Eng lish manufactured goods, -which are being Bold at the same rate as last year. DEVELOPMENT OF GRANT LANDS AIM Withdrawal From Entry Generally Opposed. ALL INTERESTS HAVE HEARING Railroad Argues That Sale of Holdings Not Compulsory. FEDERAL RIGHTS REGARDED Southern Pacific Attorney Asserts Arbitrary Price Is Only in Case of Sales and Company May Exploit Resources Itself. PRINCIPAL. DEVELOPMENTS OP LAND GRANT COX FEREXCE. , F. P. Dunne, Southern Pacific attorney, declares railroad owns timber and mineral on lands in addition to equity of $2.50 an acre. Letter from Chief Forester . Graves suggests timbered lands be placed in National forests. Governor Withycombe reminds delegates that they have no offi cial power to make recommenda tion to Congress, but expresses hope lands may be opened to set tlers. Ex-Governor West outlines plans for state acquisition of lands for sale to settlers. Ex-Senator Fulton declares Federal Government has no right to acquire lands for purpose of withdrawal. Representative Hawley takes issue with Mr. Fulton. Clay Tallman, Commissioner of the General Land Office, says agricultural land in grant should be thrown open. Representative Johns' n of Washington, says conference should follow action by work at Washington, D. C. Resolutions committee formed. BT SHAD O. GRANTZ. STATE CAPITOL, Salem, Or., Sept. 16. (Special.) Every element Interested in the Oregon & California land grant case was heard in the first session of the state-wide conference which met here today to recommend tothe Fed eral Congress a plan for the final dis position of those lands. Representatives of the state, the Fed eral and the local governments, as well as delegates from the commercial bodies, the labor unions and the farm ers' organizations, and an attorney for the railroad expressed their views on the subject, either by oral declaration on the floor of the conference or in the form of suggested resolutions. Development Ik Desired. While it is impossible now to deter mine what the final action of the con onrIudd on Page 7. Column 3.) INDEX OF TODAY'S NEWS The Meatber. YESTERDAY'S Maximum temperature, 70 degrees; minimum, 3 rJKrces. TODAY'S Fair; north westerly wind. War. British priz court declares forfait Ameri can .meat cargoes worth 15.tXH,(K0. f'atco 4. An s'o-French commission willing to nego tiate loan of half-billion. I'age 1. Mexico. European governments inquire as to Wash ington's Mexican policy. I'age 2. Iomest!c. Cliff dwellers' preparations for defense re vealed by excavations In Colorado. Page V Oregon college men perform numerous un expected duties at fair. Page 5. Women voters convention favors Anthony plan, disapproves all others. Pago Sport n. Pacific Coast Leas ue results : Vernon II. Portland 1; Shji Francisco 3, Oakland U; I'Os Angeles o. Salt Luke 2. I'age Hi. Phillirs increase lead in National League. Page 12. Boston Red Sox bcaton in crucial game with DetroU Tigers. Page 12. Wrestling match Is headline attraction at Kose City Athletic Club tonight. Page Injury puts Aggie end out of game. Page Six football atars are lost to Oregon Aggies, rage 1J. Pacific Northwest. Frontier days. at Walla Walla, thrills crowd of &O00. Page 5. Montasa.no. Grays Harbor county seat. Is busy, flourishing city. Page S. Washington representative urges Salew Land Orant Conferonce to lay strong case be fore Congress. Page 7. IJelegatej at land-grant hearing want de velopment of property. Page 3. Thirteen plans for land-grant disposition pro posed to committee. Pace 4. Commercial and Marine-. Norwegian steamer titrimla takes out largest wheat cargo ever loaded in Portland. Page 34. All wheat prices raise In Northwestern mar kets, page 37. Chicago wheat higher on foreign buying and credit negotiations. Page 17. Advances in foreign exchange markets. Page 3 7. Portland and Vicinity. Victim, forgetting assault and theft, em braces Leo J. c ameron in court. Page 9. Military training proposal Is considered by School Board. I'age 11. Multnomah Falls becomes part of Portland park system Page 13. Merchants are rallying to IoUar day. Page IS. Weather report, data and forecast. Pago 17. "Portland day" at Multnomah County Fair is one big family party. Page 1. FLOODS COVER OKLAHOMA Life Lost, Ilailroads Demoralized, Much Properly Destroyed. BARTLESVILLE, Okla., Sept. 16. One life has been lost, property dam aged to an extent estimated at $500,000 and train service demoralized on three railroads, the result of the worst flood that has overwhelmed this section In 25 years. Thomas Chrisman, a ranchman, lost his life near Pawhusket River while attempting to ford a creek. Two bridges have been washed out on the Midland Valley railroad, an, two large steel highway bridges were swept away In Osage County. Several hundred feet of track of the Missouri, Kansas & Texas and Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe rail road south and west of here have been washed out and hundreds of passengers are stranded here. The Caney River still was rising to night and the crest of the flood Is ex pected tomorrow. OREGON CATTLE WINNERS D. II. Looncy and W. J. Domes Carry Off Honors at Spokane. SPOKAXK, Wash., Sept. 16. (Spe cial.) D. H. Looney, Jefferson, Or., in the Guernsey class of the dairy cattle, won the championship as exhibitor, one grand championship, one championship, 10 first prizes, six seconds and five thirds at the Interstate Fair. In the Ayrshire class of dairy caltle, W. J. Domes, McCoy, Or., won all the championships and every first prize of fered, as well as eight second prizes. A SPILL JUST ABOUT DUE. f-' PORTLAND DAY AT FAIR FAMILY PARTY Crowd of 2000 in Autos Visits Gresham. POLICE BAND WINS OVATION ijiV Care-Free Crowds Inspect Ex hibits All Day Long." ATTENDANCE RECORD MADE Kaces Are 1 'as tost Yet Held oil Track; Parade of Livestock Kn tries Arouses Enthusiasm of Eager Boosters. Portland day at the Multnoman County Fair was one big joyous family party. From the time that the first electric train slid Into the depot and deposited its load of Portland people until late in the afternoon, the ticket takers at the fair ground gates were the most over-worked employes of the fair association. By noon the grounds were crowded by throngs that had arrived at the grounds by train and automobile and at 2 o'clock the height of the attend ance was reached with the arrival of more than 100 machines that carried the members from every booster clul of Portland. . Last year the biggest crowd that passed through the admission gatsa totaled only 1200 people. Yesterday, before the evening crowd even thought of the fair grounds, approximately 3000 people had been admitted and more than 2000 of the number were from Portland. Knthuxianni of Yloltor High. Perfect weather helped bring suc cess, but the enthusiasm of the crowd indicated that nothing short of disaster could have kept them from Gresham. Ad Club members, Itotaiians, Chamber of. Commerce members. East Side Busi ness Men and most enthusiastic of all, the members of the Progressive Busi ness Men's Club, fraternized with farm ers, etockraisers and dairymen. Interest in the races was hign. but the visitors "fell into line" and aided in the stock parade that followed the conclusion of the racing programme Business worries and conventionalities were cast aside and all Joined in the monster celebration. All day long the grounds, stock barns, exhibition booths, grange hall and machinery hall were thronged to overflowing with admiring "town folk" and at lunch hour all the places within the grounds, where anything was avail able to satisfy the inward gnawing, had to put on extra energy to appease the waiting crowds. Track. Lined With 500 Cam. When the corn-decorated car pre sented itself at the admission gate everyone crowded around to watch the parade of automobiles pass through and arrange itself along the half-mile racecourse. By the time the first heat in the 2:18 i'oucIuled on Pagu 14. Column 5.) Thursday s War Moves STERN battles are being fought all along the eastern front from Riga to the Roumanian borders, and while the Germans continue to advance slowly in the north and center, the Russians in tho south are -cpeating their successes against the Austro Gcrman armies, which are now being driven back across the River Strira in Galicia and have been forced to retire westward, northward of the Galician frontier. While these Russian victories naturally are welo-, In Russia and the allied cou'V'il0 -n evidence that the Rus ..ilea are still abls to lake iii .ensivo when supplied with ammuni tion, mere la no inclination to ex aggerate their Importance. The en gagements, however, keep the Austro Germans busy and make it imperative to send reinforcements southward which could be used to better advan tage in the north, where operations of much greater moment are being di rected by Field Marshal von llinden-burg-. General Biggen. who began his of fensive against the Vilna-Dvinsk rail way a week ago, has not yet estab lished himself on the line. His cav alry, which did reach it, has been driven back. Nevertheless he has driven across the Dvina north of Dvinsk, placing that city in a dangerous posi tion, and also has made some progress north of Vilna. To the south of Vilna, toward Grodno, the Russians are offering a stubborn resistance and have tho Germans firmly held. Something of tho same kind has happened In the center; Prince Leopold has been delayed in his advance. Field Marshal von Mackensen has passed his forces through the Fripet marshes and is in possession of Pinsk. From this points southward the Russians are ad vancing and have occupied several vil lages, but they are not likely to push their advantage much farther, as to do so would make their northern flank vulnerable. A good deal of importance Is at tached to the decision, of Russia to attach to the colors the reserves of the territorial army. Should the age limit be fixed at S5 years, this fresh call would mean the possible ad dition of 8,000.000 men to the Russian armies, including the men who had passed through the first line and the reserves and those who heretofore have been exempt as students, or only sons, or men who are not quite up to the physical standard. Naturally, not all of these could be armed and equipped, but Russia could have the pick of them. With Russia well supplied with munitions, her allies who have been supplying her are now able to turn their attention to their own armies, and, in consequence there is no cessa tion in tho military engagements which have been so marked in the west for several weeks. In the Dardanelles the British losses have totaled 87.660 up to August 21. The British submarine E-7. operating in those waters, which the Turks said they had sunk, is admitted by the British Admiralty to have been, mis-sing since September 4. The E-7 did a great deal of damage to Turkish shipping in the Sea of Marmora, and after blocking the railway line near Kara Burnu by bombarding it from the sea. shelled a troop train and blew up three ammunition cars attached to it. Lieutenant-Commander Archibald D. Cochrane, in command of the E-7, was announced only a few days ago in the awards of the distinguished service order for this exploit. September 17, 1914. Germans continue determined resist ance to allies along the entire battle line. Herr von Rethmann-Hollweg sug gests to Ambassador Gerard that United States ascertain allies' peace terms. Kitchener says constant stream of reinforcements is wanted. Brokers protest proposed special war tax on their business. 500,000 URGE SUFFRAGE Women Start Petition 18.333 I-Vet Long on Way to Washington. SAN FRANCISCO. Sept. 16. A peti tion to Congress for woman suffrage 18.333 feet long, signed by 500,000 wom en, was started to Washington. D. C, tonight. It will be carried by the en voys of the women voters in conven tion here, who will leave tonight by automobile for the transcontinental suffrage advance on the next Congress. The signatures 'were collected at the booth of the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage in the Palace of Edu cation since the opening of the Panama-Pacific Exposition February 20. LAW AFFECTS BASEBALL Itoseburg District Attorney Holds Sunday Games Illegal. ROSE3URG, Or.. Sept. 16. (Special.) Whether baseball games are subject to regulation under the Oregon Sunday closing law, which was recently held to be constitutional by the Oregon Su preme Court, is the question that Is re ceiving attention by District Attorney George Neuner, of this city. Mr. Neuner is of the opinion that baseball, when played fcr revenue, is a commercialized amusement and is a violation of the Sunday law. Clackamas Tax Collectors Calch Up. OREGON CITT. Sept. 16. (Special.) For the first time since tax-collecting began, the force under Sheriff Wilson has caught up with Its work. Tax Col lector George Harrington estimates that $160,000 is still outstanding in taxes. Of that sum. about 1120,000 Is due in small payments. The Portland Railway, Light & Power Company and the Southern Pacific are the only large taxpayers with payments yet to make. ALLIES WILLING TO TAKE HALF BILLION LoanCommissionTrad ing With Bankers. LARGER SUM NOT NEEDED Changed Situation Discounted by American Financiers. TRADE FIGURES PREPARED Details Submitted to John D. lx ko feller, Jr., for Consideration, hut i'ormal Kequost to Subscribe . Is 'ot Vet Made. NEW YORK. Sept. 16. The proposed billion-dollar loan to Great Britain and France shrivelled today in the sossip of WpII street to half its previous size. Five hundred million dollars wa-e the sum set as the amount which Ameri can financiers would lend. This rigmro seemed to be uniform in a half dozen or more reports current in the finan cial sections. At least one financier in close touch with the situation was quoted as saying that this sum would be lent. The commission itself and its American financial aides had notrtins to say as to this phase. IUIIIon Dollar Not Needed. In some manner not understood Uo night, tho situation was different frxm that of yesterday. There was an almost unanimous opinion among bankers whose views could be obtained trtat $1,000,000,000 was not needed and thwt in naming this vast sum at the outset the commission sought -to place itsolf in an advantageous trading position. Here is the way some financial authorities regarded th? situation. "The commission asked for $1,000, 000.000. It did not expect to get th full amount. To this request bankers would naturally make a counter-offer say $500,000,000. Serlm of Parley Kxprrtrd. "There would then follow a series of parleys. The commission would reduce the amount by $50,000,000 to $100,000. 000 and the American bankers would add a few handful of millions to their previous offer. "After a period of negotiations they would reach a common figure, say by splitting the difference. This, then, would be agreeable to both fides, and definite terms as to the interest rjte. duration of the loan and other details could be arranged fairly soon. "The men who have come over here from Great Britain and France, in the opinion of Wall street, are master play ers in the game of world finance. Like all good players, they do not betray by their words what their intentions are. nor do they place all their cards on the table at once, as Wall street views it. Consequently, it is expected that there will be many more developments be fore it will be seen what they are really striving for and whether they will win." Formal Statement InmucA. A dozen or more prominent New York bankers talked with the commis sioners today at & meeting place whose whereabouts was not disclosed. J. P. Morgan and two of his partners. Henry P. Davison and Dwight W. Morrow, were among the number. Issuance of formal statements was begun tonight by the commission. It is expected that such statements will bo issued daily so long as negotiations are In progress. Tonight's statement, given out by an under secretary, reads as follows: "The commission has nothing of free-h importance to say. Its members have continued largely in their individual capacities and occasionally as a body the discussions already begun with reference to the exchange markets and kindred subjects. threat Trade Volume Involved. "Figures have been collected going to show the totat exports in recent years of cotton, grain and other food stuffs to Great Britain the totals of such figures having such a direct bear ing on the question of establishing credits in this country. The figures as published today give the total com modity exports of this country last year to Great Britain, Canada and France, as approximately $1,600,000,000, the great part of that being for articles of nor mal export. These figures, if correct, as we assume them to be, indicate the great volume of International trade In volved in this whole situation. "As to any actual negot iatWms cover ing a proposed loan, it is almost too much to say that they are actually un der way as yet. but so much has al ready been accomplished in ascertain ing the exact facts of the situation that it is hoped that tho time for sonm definite statement as to progress will soon arrive." Detail Placed Before John D-, Jr. A representative of John D. Rocke feller, Jr., confirmed late today the re port that Mr. Morgan had placed be fore Mr. Rockefeller tentative details of the proposed loan and had done o with a view to having Mr. Rockefeller subscribe to It. although Mr. Rocke feller had not yet Oecn asked to do so. In Mr. Rockefeller's behalf it was said that he had neither opposed nor espoused the project, but that he had taken it under consideration. Considerable curiosity was attached to a visit made today bv Jacob H. Sohiff. of Kuhn. Loeb fe Co.. to Jamev tConcluued on Paga 2. Column l.