1
JANUARY 24, 1909.
cessfully only through rationally de
Eskimo Boy to Accompany American
Explorer on North Pole Expedition
Mene Wallace, Boy Brought From North by Peary. Will Accompany Party Sent to Eelef of Dr. Cook.
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NKW York. Jan. 22. I Spwlal ill
iin Bkiino Iinl the North Pole? One
cf thftn la r"lng Poleward this
Summer an l lit sros as the companion
of th" newest Arrilc explorer Chester
Bcreft. Tlif Ksklmo Is .M"ne Wallace.
H is the KrklTno boy brought from
Etah by Teary 1" years apo. Then
Mene was a boy of about 6. I He cannot
tell exactly because time Is not reck
oned by years in the Polar region.)
Not he Is a young man of 19, who
speaks good English and yet coiijd
never conceal from anyone his Kekimo
blood. His breadth of fare and the
prominence of Ms cheek bones mark
him an K.'kimo. and his dark skin
confirms the fact. When Mene came
here, his father wa with him. The
father succumbed to the climate. Mene
has been very near death once or twice.
Several times there has been under
consideration a plan to send him back
to his own people. But Mene has
weathered the weather and stayed on
In civilization, where he prefers to be.
Now Mene returns to Etah, not to live,
again among his people, but to tell
them of his experiences In New Tork
nd to their assistance for Mr.
Beecroft la studying the Eskimo.
Mene was In n-.y office today and
told me something of his plans. He
says that the Eskimo do not tell the
white man all he wants to know and
therefore no explorer has any exact
knowledge about them. Moreover, no
explorer Is a master of the K.-klmo
language. One leader of a Polar ex-
1 Iy - Y r
' " - - "-.V
- 'ae.y't,;,J,.J,.aJ
peditlon told Mene that a certain word . earth is: he does not knw whence the
meant "brother." whan Mene knew It white man comes.
...... .. o j. I He is a little afraid of the white man.
meant "father. So Mene does not because there ,s a traditlon cnccrnlnR
ininn mucn o. in. , some Invaders in ships who klllod many
ruifp vi ilia T-jir-. m . i . ii. i . ......
self was too young to have a very per
fect knowledge of Eskimo when ha
tame away; but he can still talk their
language a little and he believes that
when he Is among his people he will
brush up his knowledge of the tongue
In a few weeks. Then he proposes to
obtain from his own people for Mr.
Beecroft everything that is worth
Knowing about the Eskimo. After
that, will Mr. Beecroft and Mene strike
for the Pole? Who knows? Mene says he
believes that an Eskimo could reach
the Pole. It takes a hardy man to
live on the ice. Mene has seen the
men ot his tribe go out on sledges and
sleep in the open air without a sleeping
bag. They can eat raw meat, at which
a white man's stomach would revolt.
Why have they not discovered the
Pole before? Possibly some one of
them has. But he would not know If
he did. He does not know what the
Pole Is; he does not know what the
of his tribe. Mene remcinbcrahjs father
warning him to run home cfuickly If he
saw a ship landing men at kit art. When
the explorer lands among the Eskimo
and tells the'm about the southland, they
say to one another: "He "!es." When
he tells them he Is going to find the Pple,
they say: "He is crazy." Perhaps Mene
can explain to them all he has learned at
school. Perhaps he cannot. But he
should have more Influence with them
than the white travelers who go to Eta.h.
These small pictures were made at
Mene's old ho...e by John R. Bradley,
who took "Dr. Cook north. When I
showed them to Mene. he was delighted.
In one of them he said he recognised a
man he had known when he was a child.
As to Dr. Cook, Mene says he believes
he is all right that he will be found by
Beecroft and return alive. It Is chiefly
for the purpose of finding Dr. Cook flvat
the Beecroft expedition la toeing organ
ised. Will it find the Pole, too. if Dr.
Cook has not already accomplished It?
PROCEDURE FOR TAX REFORM IN OREGON
Establishment of a High-Grade State Tax Commission Is First Step Obdurate and Crucial Problem to Be Solved.
By F. G. Toons, Professor of Economics aad
sociology. (."Diversity ot Orrgoa.
S STATE system of taxation Is
essentially a means for distribut
ing the burden of public activi
ties among the citizens of the state. Abil
ity to pay la universally recognized as
the Jut basis upon which this distribu
tion should be made. To appreciate how
vital a matter It is that taxes In Oregon
should correspond as nearly an possible
to such an equitable sharing of public
burdens. It la necessary to note only how
large m. portion of the annual income
taxea consume. The weight of the sup
port of state, county, municipality and
school district expenditures shared equit
ably means a contribution of at least 20
per cent of the Individual taxpayer's net
annual Income to the public purse, iln
the city of Portland, with a levy of
mills on a nsrly "cash-value" assess
ment, the taxpayer whose income Is de
rived from S per cent mortgages pays
taxes equal to 33 1-J per cent of his In
come.) When through serious defects In
the nature or working of the system of
taxation some pay less than their right
ful share the load of public expenditure
falls with crushing weight upon those who
then psy not only their own share, but
also t.'io shares of others who escape.
' Tx-dodging by some means confiscation
of the income and capital, too, of others.
Conditions In Oregon Call for Re
form. No one has the hardihood candidly to
claim that taxation In Oregon now re
sults even approximately in an equitable
sharing of public burdens. With alert
and conscientious assessors, there Is
probably a fair degree of equalization of
these burdens as between neighbors pos
sessing the same kinds of tangible prop
erty. But when the payments of tax
payers of different precincts, and espec
ially of different counties, or those pos
sessing different forma of property or en
gaged In different lines of Industry, are
compared, the Iniquitous results of our
defective system of taxation stand out as
monstrous. And. what Is more to the
point, no serious and adequate effort Is
being made to correct the unnecessary
amount of Injustice attending the work
ings of our antequated and weakly ad
ministered methods. No authorized
agency la entrusted with the duty of a
thorough Investigation cf the tacts of
the situation as the essential initial step
toward Improvement.
What has been said Is not to be taken
as condemnation In toto of all the prac
tices and features of the system of tax
ation In Oregon. Matters have no doubt
at limes reached a far worse pass in
other states. Moreover, there are special
features, principles and practices In con
nection with taxation In thla state that
are admirable. But the system In its
main features Is bad. It causes an un
necessary amount of injustice In taxa
tion because of Its bungling crudeness,
and is unworthy of us. Furthermore,
with no adequate effort directed toward
adjusting It to changing economic condi
tions, the results from this system are
bound to grow rapidly worse.
Difficulty of Real Improvement Xot
Appreciated.
There is little evidence at appreciation
of either the difficulty of real improve
ment, or of the blighting influence upon
the public weal that results from con
tinued Inequitable taxation. Nor is this
all. The prerequisites of the maintenance
of a system of taxation skilfully adjust
ed to changing buainea conditions Is a
clear grasp by the people at large of the
essential elements of the problem ' of
equitable taxation. The improvement of
the conditions pertaining to taxation in
Oregon waits upon the enlightenment of
tho people on the fundamental Issues In
volved. The repeated failure of spasmodic
efforts at tax reform in the past in this
state proves this, and the almost in
variable result of like efforts In other
states points to the same conclusion. Even
If a state gets- the services of a tempo
rary commission of tax experts, who de
vise an Improved code of tax laws, the
specious objections of those, who under
the old order of things are escaping part
of their rightful share-of public burdens,
are effective In preventing Its enactment.
There Is no help except as the Individual
citizen, fortified with a knowledge of the
essential facts in the tax situation in hia
stale, is able to Interpret their signifi
cance and thus is in position to pass
judgment on a programme of tax reform.
However, the task of securing the neces
sary data on a system of taxation and
Interpreting than is beyond the power of
the individual taxpayer. A permanent
commission of experts with authority to
investigate closely and report their find
ings, would serve to keep him informed
so that he would bo competent to demand
a system adjusted to existing business
organization.
However difficult th problem of secur
ing approximate justice In taxation, the
American citizen cannot shirk It except
at the cost of hie undoing. The portion
of his Income that the taxpayer must
I hand over to the tax collector Is constant
ly growing and normally so. He wants
not only better roads, but roads of a
higher order of improvement. His chil
dren should have schools not only of a
higher character of efficiency, but also af
fording more advanced and purposeful
Instruction. A higher civilization means
a more complete protection of the Indi
vidual in his rights and of public health
and morals and a higher degree of Justice
realized in business relations. The citizen
of a progressive commonwealth is willing
to do more for the dependent and unfor
tunate. The increasing complexity of
modern Industrial and social conditions
makes the work of control In the interest
of fair dealing correspondingly difficult.
So the absolutely essential and the de
sirable public activities involve a grow
ing public expenditure. The distribution
of these ever-Increasing expenditures
through the faulty and antiquated de
vices of an ill-adjusted system of tax
ation means more and more glaring and
grinding injustice. A system such as Oregon's-
still is in its essential features,
since it was devised when economic condi
tions were primitive, forms of property
few and nearly all tangible and narrowly
localized, and public activities few and
inexpensive, is necessarily becoming every
day more dangerously Inadequate. An
equitable system of taxation la necessary
not only for social health -and mutual
good will, but also for Internal peace and
general prosperity.
Obdurate and Crucial Problem.
Ability to devise and administer a
system' of taxation adjusted to chang
ing economic conditions is a final test
of fitness for democracy.! Social pro
gress calls for constant adjustment.
In an industrial age like ours the eter
nal vigilance that is the price of lib
erty must be largely exercised In the
direction of maintaining a just system
of taxation. In our effort to secure
an ever higher degree of social wel
fare, wa are regularly increasing the
activities entrusted to public officials.
In spite of ourselves, we are led far
into the realm of Socialism. The task
of maintaining an equitable system of
taxation under these conditions be
comes a most obdurate and . crucial
problem, testing the competence of a
self-governing people. A problem af
fecting so fundamentally the social
weal naturally can bo handled suc
vised and consecutive effort and under
the best leadership. Effective help
toward a condition of equitable shar
ing of public burdens will come not
from the inspiration of the 'one or the
few, but from the enlightened loyal
and continued co-operation of the
many. First of ail, therefore, there is
needed in Oregon a competent author
ized agency to ascertain Just how. un
der existing laws and methods of tax
administration, public burdens are dis
tributed the degree of justice or In
justice actually realized being tested
by the true standard of ability to pay.
For this purpose the facts that are
significant must be fully and indubi
tably ascertained, and they must be se
cured through a period of time suffi
cient to serve as a basis for conclu
sions. These data must be organized and
their meaning interpreted. The experi
ence of other states with promising
new departures in tax revision needs
to be examined critically for sugges
tion as to the direction reform should
take for Oregon. The momentous Im
portance of securing as nearly just dis
tribution of public burdens as possible
warrants this care. Only through
such a painstaking and rational course
of procedure is real progress toward
this goal ensured.
Present Reform Activities Inade
quate. Yet there Is no tax reform activity
In Oregon fulfilling these require
ments. Organizations like the State
Grange and the Taxpayera' League
recognize ully what the sitiiatiqn
needs, but have not the means nor the
authority necessary for securing and
publishing the data that may serve
adequately as the guide to revision.
Temporary commissions, like those
created in 1SS5 and in 1905, to investi
gate the problem as a whole, and to
submit their findings along wlth; a
completely revised code came to
naught. The experience of other
states with temporary commissions has
been quite uniformly parallel with that
of Oregon. Such procedure does not
fulfill the conditions necessary for ef
fective reform. In the first "place, the
Investigations of such commissions do
not suffice to establish fully the neces
sary facts upon which to proceed with
revision; and. secondly.- the Import of
their recommendations Is not made so
clear to the people or their repre
sentatives that they will demand the
enactment of them into law. Classes
or Interests, who under existing prac
tices are escaping their rightful share
of the public burdens, see to it that all
the confusion possible is created as
regards the effect of the proposed
code, even If it is calculated to se
cure exactly the adjustment that the
situation requires.
Notwithstanding these barriers in the
way of salutary tax revision, adherence
to antiquated and Ill-adapted devices is
slavish. A people that bear to have
a large portion of their hard-earned In
comes filched from them (and It is just
such incomes we shall see are exploited
by the primitive general property tax)
nuclei- the name of taxes, because some
classes among them fail to contribute
fair share towards meeting public expen
ditures, are free and democratic In name
only.
Blundering Tax Legislation.
Rash and blind innovation in tax legis
lation, on the other hand, Is freebootery.
The large favorable 'vote for a most
radical initiative tax measure lost June
in Oregon indicates a strong and widely
pervading feeling of dissatisfaction with
our system as it is. It also showed as
clearly the utter lack of appreciation of
the measure of disturbing effect of so
sweeping a change as it contemplated In
the forms of property subject to taxa
tion. Its enactment would have meant
nothing less than a transfer of at least
one-fifth of the property values In the
state by sheer process of confiscation
from one set of owners to another. An
Industrial crisis would almost necessarily
have followed such high-handed proceed
ings. The bull-In-the-china-shop act Is
nowhere else so easy as it is in tax leg
islation. Every change In tax laws causes
hardship. It even Involves confiscation
and is In and of itself an evil. It Is
condoned only by the fact that. If In the
right direction. It relieves others of the
fate of suffering annually recurring rob
bery. Any change in a tax code, there
fore, is to be deprecated unless the neces
sity therefor in the Interest of Justice is
demonstrated as conclusively as investi
gation conducted with scientific method
and thoroughness can. and the direction
that the change should take has been as
clearly determined.
Kxpert Commission a Necessity.
The nature and importance of the work
of keeping a system of taxation ad
justed In a dynamic society like ours
call for the services of a permanent ex
pert Investigating state tax commission.
It will be shown in what follows that
Oregon has an absolute need for the work
of such a commission for two additional
and fundamental lines of service, and fur
thermore, that these several functions
reouired of It would be complemental ac
tivities, each supporting the other. There
is a crying need of supervision of the
assessment In the counties unoer xne
general property tax. It Is high time.
also, that Oregon proceed to aiscara
her "primitive method ot assessment ot
railway corporations. Oregon Is gaining
unenviable notoriety through her reten
tion of this feature of her tax system.
It is a purely hit-or-miss procedure
with which one party or the other is cer
tain to suffer, and in which hundreds
of thousands of dollars are involved each
year. A state tax commission of the
right kind would exactly fill the bill for
thtse three vital services those of secur
ing of data upon which revision could
proceed Intelligently, of supervising local
assessments so as to make them equal
as between all forms of property as well
as between counties, of assessing the
general forms of property like railway
corporations. The whole machinery of
local and state assessment should be co
ordinated and correlated under a nign
grade state commission.
Other phases of reform hardly less Im
portant, like those of the adjustment of
the taxation of timber lands and the ar
ranging and supervision of the accounting
systems of counties and municipalities.
would be best taken care or Dy a state
commission. The experience of other
states with state tax commissions vindi
cates this role for them. In all, the ban
ner of tax reform is being carried by the
state tax commission.
Matters pertaining to taxation nave
alwavs been a most vital issue among
self-governing peoples. They seem des
tined, because of the ever-widening role
assumed bv public agencies, to nave even
greater Importance in the future than
thev have had In tne past, it Denooves
a people, therefore, to bring into requisi
tion the best aids available with which
to master these problems. The advan
tage of the fullest publicity as to the pro
portional sharing oi puonc ouraens, or
the principle of the division of labor in
supplying requisite data, and of expert
service in presenting and interpreting the
facts, are all taken advantage of In the
recourse to the right kind of state tax
commission. With the aid It can give,
honest and intelligent citizenship will
prove competent to meet the responsibil
ity that must be met ii a government
by a free people for the common welfare
Is to be realized under the Increasingly
complex conditions that Industrial prog
ress develops.
The recent decision or the Supreme
Court of Oregon upholding the validity
of the law making expenditures the basis
of the apportionment of state taxes
among the counties of the state obviates
the necessity of equalization of assess
ments as between counties, but the need
of supervision for the work of county
assessors is still very great.
During this Clearance Sale we will sell our entire mammoth stock of brilliant,
rich Cut Glass at a reduction of one-fourth regular prices, and some articles
at extra special prices.
EXCEPTIONAL CUT GLASS SPECIALS
Nappies, assorted shapes, heart,
club, diamond and spade de
signs; regular $1.50, now $ .89
5- in. Nappies, assorted designs; reg
ular $2.00 and $2.25. now $1.43
6- in. Nappies, beautiful assortment;
regular $3.25 to $4.00, now $2.41
5-in. Nappies, large assortment; regr
ular $2.75. now $1.89
8-in. cut-glass Bowls; regular $4.00,
now $2.87
8-in. cut-glass Bowls ; regular $5.50,
now - ....$3.79
8-in." cut-glass Bowls ; regular $6.50,
now , $4.23
Sugars and Creamers; regular $6.00,
now ..$3.98
Sugars and Creamers; regular $7.90,
now $4.97
3-pint Water Jugs; regular $7,50,
now $4.78
CLEARANCE SALE OF WOOD PANELS FOR BURNING
This includes large shipment of new and exclusive designs that arrived too late for the
Holidays the largest and most varied assortment ever shown at one time. These panels
run in size from 4x6 to 16x20, and are all made of first-quality selected basswood, each
panel being three-ply veneer. Experienced artists always at hand who are willing to start
pane J S WlLXlUUt flUUlUUUai CAruoc.
PANELS
Regular Price
19c 10c
30c I 15c
35c 19c
45c Sale Price I 35c
30c ) 23c
25c 18c
60c 45c
SEE WINDOW DISPLAYS
Our Entire Line of Hand-Painted Skins One-half Price
Vr- Mr Hood (ljx)
All Skins to Burn 25 Per Cent
See the new carving, tinselling and gouging work; also the jeweling. We carry
complete stock of jewels. Fill your wants at this remarkable saving.
Off
the only
WE DO
ARTISTIC
PICTURE
FRAMING
EYES
TESTED,
GLASSES
PITTED
bounties on Predatory Animals
Protection Is Asked From Oregon Legislature Against Coyotes, Cougars
and Wildcats.
. MNAHA. Or.. Jan. 19.-(To the Editor.)
I There Is or will be a bill up before
1 tl) Oreg-on Legislature at this session.
Dlacing a bounty upon the scalps or pre
lotni-v wild animals. Personally I faror
the measure, and will, state frankly that
I am a sheepman having operated In a
small way for aix years on the Upper
Tmnaha River in "Wallowa County close
to the Idaho line. I wish to address some
men from Western Oregon particularly
Multnomah County, who only know of
this subject casually and at second hand,
so that any uninformed, though fair
minded lawmaker may neither under
estimate the need cf state assistance, or
overestimate the cost of maintaining a
small bounty on such animals as the
cougar, coyote and wildcat.
For eraoiple a pair of veteran coyotes,
trap-shy, gun-shy, thoroughly educated
In poison scents and all the acta of man
.mmsiniv Amnlnvpri for their undoinjr.
live in close proximity to my sheep
ranch. They forage their entire living,
by nightly patrolling my premises. Now
a ewe Is taken, now a lamb or a half
dozen If the opportunity offers, for the
coyote will kill Innumerable sheep for
the mere love of slaughter, and any time
and all the time he is ready to snatch a
chicken or a little pig. My neighbor has
his coyotes, and also his neighbor has
them. We buy traps, poison and am
munition but we are not expert and have
neither the time nor talent of the pro
fessional wolf hunter. So, though we
spend much time and money, we only
succeed perhaps In destroying some 75
per cent of the annual Increase of the
coyote family In our neighborhood. The
old ones remain, 25 per cent of the In
crease remains and the loss Is greater
this year than last. Sheepmen usually
give Inducements through local organiza
tions for exqert trappers, but what the
sheep men can afford to give after sus
taining losses and after paying taxes,
is noL enough to attract the services of
expert trappers who otherwise miirht
come here and match their cunning
against that of our friend the enemy.
We are told and I can readily believe
It to be true, that the animal loss from
coyotes Is $1,000,000 to the sheepmen of
Oregon, alone. This- could be stopped.
A fo bounty (which I don't advocate be
cause it would be asking too much)
would bring in 90 per cent of the scalps
of these animals in 12 months; J2.60
bounty would practically exterminate
them "in three years; J1.50 bounty (which
I do advocate, together with the amount
the sheepmen can afford to pay) would
keep down the increase and gradually
kill off the old stock.
It Is not asking too much of the state.
If the sheepmen of Oregon lose tt.000,000
annually, then there Is Jl.000,000 annually
less on the taxrolls of the various coun
ties of the state.
I will now give an estimate of the
number of coyotes In this county. This
estimate is based on the returns, in
scalps, to the Wallowa County Wool
growers' Association, for several years,
together with an intimate knowledge of
what effect the annual killing has upon
the whole number. I should say that
there are upwards of 2000 able-bodied
coyotes In Wallowa County today. The ,
whole number should not exceed 2500.
and these are composed of 200 mature
females, 1000 mature males and upwards
of 800 unkilled increase of the crop of
1908. Of course, from the nature of the
case this can only be a careful nuess
but I feel very sure I do not over esti
mate the number.
On the subject of cougar, returning
hunters tell of the ravages of cougar
among the deer on the Snake ' River
divide. Just east of here. I myself on
two occasions have found the carcass of
a freshly-killed doe, partly covered with
leaves and pine needles, and the tracks
of a great cat leading to and from the
cache. The cougar does not bother
stock in our section to any great extent.
Wild game is as yet too plentiful. All,
however, that keeps this animal from
our calves, colts and even grown stock,
Is the wild game belonging to the state
that Is between us and his hunger. Let
the game fall him, and he preys ruthless
ly on any settlement. If the flesh he
must have be not forthcoming from do
mestic herds, he would most certainly
lie in wait for the settlers' children. It
Is a matter of wonder to me that a state
go rich and populous as Oregon is over
without a bounty on cougar. Just over
the hill on the brakes of Snake River,
along the box canon, there are yet a few
mountain sheep perhaps the only remain
ing wild sheep In the state. They are
as helpless as the deer against the!
common enemy and here I might say
that If Oregon cares to preserve the few
remaining mountain sheep, it is time they
were given some active protection from
hunters as well as from wild animals:
The bounty on cougar should be 80.
This county would return only 25 or SO
annually. There should be no bounty on,
bear. At leaat the conditions here would
not seem to require one. Bear do little
damage and their feed is sufficient In
centive for their destruction.
There should be a small bounty en
wildcats. This need not be large, be
cause they are easily trapped. One dollar
would be sufficient, and there would per
haps be 100 returned from this county.
I should like to hear from others on
my side of the question. Let us agitate
it, presenting facts in a fair way. If
this legislature does not take the matte!
up, let us prepare for the next one.
WALTER G. BLITH.
Take Houses With Them.
Popular Mechanics.
In the Canadian Northwest It la not
unusual to see houses being transported
long distances by train or towed across
the many large lakes on scows, as th
frontier Canadian usualy takes his house
with him when In search of a new place
to locate. If transportation facilities
mak It pnssible! i
Ayers Pills
Ask your doctor what he thinks of this
formula for a liver pill. Do as he says
about using these pills. He knoWS-
Complele Formula
Ayers Pills
Each Fill Represents
Jalap i Grain I Podophyllia . . . .
Ginger . 1 Grain I Gamboge . . ' t
Aloes . . Grain Oil Peppermint ...
Oolooynth Pulp ... i Grain Oil Spearmint . .
' JQxcipient Sufficient quantity.
We have no secrets! We publish
the formulas of all our medicines.
J. C. AYER CO., Manufacturing Chemists, Lowell. Maw.
iV Grain
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