The Sunday Oregonian., July 13, 1913, Page 15, Image 15

.THE-SUNDAY ' OREGONIAX, PORTLAND, JULY 13, 1913.
15
POWERS OF COMMISSION ABSOLUTE
IN FIXING WORDING CONDITIONS
Honrs, Wages and Surroundings May Be Adjusted by Board of Three Authorized by Last Legislature, and No
Appeal la Provided by Law Minors Also Come Under Jurisdiction of Body.
A COMMISSION clothed by law with
absolute and arbitraty power to
dictate the hours of labor, work
ing conditions " and wages of women
and minor workers within the state of
Oregon such is the Industrial "Welfare
Commission, consisting of Rev. E. V.
O" tiara, Amedee M. Smith and Misa
Bertha Moorta, appointed by Governor
West, pursuant to legislation adopted
at the last session of the Legislature.
These three persons have. In fact, extra-judicial
powers for the reason that
there Is no appeal provided by law
from their orders, rendering It Impos
sible for obstreperous employers or
employes to make their efforts futile
by questioning their acts in the courts.
Further than this, the statute creating
this minimum wage board gives the
board power to enforce Its rulings
through, criminal prosecutions of em
ployers who may choose to Ignore
them.
It was set forth la the act that the
Governor should, appoint to the Com
mission one person to represent the in
terests of the employed, one to repre
sent the employers and the third the
general public. Father O'Hara, chair
man of the board, fills the last-named
position. Miss Bertha Moorej Is there
to protect the Interests of the employed,
women and minors and Mr. Smith those
of employers. None of these draw pay,
the only salaried person being Miss
Caroline J. Gleason, the secretary, a
social worker of long experience and
special training, and a keen student
of economics.
Leeway Is Illustrated.
As an illustration of the leeway giv
en the Commission in its work, sec
tion 6 of the act provides that "Said
Commission shall have full power and
authority to examine and Inspect any
and all books and payrolls and other
records of any employer of women and
minora that in any way appertain or
have a bearing upon the question of
wages or hours of Labor or conditions
of labor and to require from any such
employer full and true statements of
the wawes paid to and the houra of
labor of and the conditions of labor
of all women and minors in his em
ployment." '
It is further provided that the Com
mission may compel the attendance by
subpena of witnesses from any part
of the state and may call conferences
of representatives of employers, em
ployes and the public generally to
reach conclusions on any moot question
and then accept or refuse such findings
as the Commission may seet. Its or
ders go Into effect 60 days after their
publication and, to quote directly from
the act, "After said order becomes ef
fective and while it is effective, it shall
be unlawful for any employer to vio
late or disregard any of the terms or
provisions of said order." The Legis
lature has appropriated expense money
for the Commission up to (3500 a year.
In order to Insure more fully the use-
f!" "1 0t1,':
lature saw Xtt to provide, by section 19
of the act, that "if any woman worker
shall be paid by her employer less than
she is entitled to under or by virtue
of an order of said Commission, she
may recover in a civil action the full
amount of her said minimum wage less
any amount actually paid to her by said
employer, together with such attorney's
fees as may be allowed by the court;
and any agreement for her to work for
less than such minimum wage shall be
no defense in such action."
Investigation Is Extensive.
The minimum wage law . was the out
growth of extensive investigation made
last year of working conditions and
wages of women and minors by- a com
mittee of the Consumers' League of
which Father O'Hara was chairman.
Miss Oleason did a. great deal of the
actual work of investigating. She and
two young women 'assistants secured
employment in box and candy factories,
canneries, laundries, book-binding es
tablishments, tobacco shops, telephone
exchanges, restaurants and other places
where women and minors are employed
and gained first-hand information. The
first bill drafted provided a minimum
wage of $10 a week for all women
workers, but this was abandoned before
presentation to the Legislature and the
act under which the Commission is now
proceeding was substituted.
Miss Gleason's experiences and pre-
vlous lines of endeavor have fitted her
well for the position of secretary. She
graduated from the University of Mln
nesota in 1908 and took up the profes
sion of teaching. She was for two
years an Instructor at St. Mary's Acad.
emy In this city. In June, 1910, she went
to Chicago and took a course in the
School of Clvtcs and Philanthropy con
ducted by Dr. Graham Taylor, living at
Chicago Commons, a famous settlement
house, during her stay in that city.
Returning to Portland she put in a year
with the Catholio .Women's League as
field secretary, and t:charge of even
ing classes and an employment bureau.
At the same time she was a member of
. the board of directors of the Con
sumers' League. A year ago Miss Glea
son passed three months In visiting
factories in the large Eastern cities
GOLDFIELD, NEV., CELEBRATION JULY 4
IS BIG EVENT NOT SOON FORGOTTEN
Bara Bard Field Ehrgott Writes of Great Red-Blood Programme of Men Accustomed to Explosives in Mining
Region Sleep Is Forgotten, Wine Flows and Spirit of Democracy Is Real Drills Are Impressive.
BT SARA BARD FIELD EHRGOTT.
GOLDFIELD, Nev. July 12. (Spe
cial.) Human nature may be the
same everywhere but different
phases ol It are being constantly devel
oped by the peculiarity of the Immedi
ate environment. '
The celebration of the Fourth of July
In a mining camp such as Goldfleld.
Nev., Is unlike that In any other, place
or town I have ever visited. In the
first place It is unquestionably the
great day of the year. To men and
women accustomed to the rapid riBe of
lurid hope and the quick downfall of
Its empty nonrealizatian, the sky-rocket
characteristics of Independence day
make an Intimate appeal.
The noise and confusion, the wild
excitement of the celebration of revolt
are typical of the spirit of the place.
Men who constantly hear the rever
beration of the explosives that force
the earth to give forth her mineral se
crets, whose ears are deafened by the
Indescribable -din of the machinery as
It grinds the rock to powder in the
mill the loudest tongue of all Indus
try feel more at home In the atmos
phere of torpedoes and firecrackers,
brass bands and masquerade hilarity
than In the soft glow of the Christmas
candles and the calmer accompani
ments of the festival that proclaims
-peace on earth, good will toward men."
Their labor is done to the sound of
noise. "Why not their play?
Town Not Yet Recovered.
Goldfleld has not recovered from the
extravagant trenerosity attendant upon
those days of mao- prosperity in the
middle '90s. At that time fortunes
were made over night. The rising sun.
even as the setting sun beheld the spec
tacle of the roulette wheelstill whirling
wealth Into tha laps of some and pov
erty Into those of others. Rich veins
. . c gv -
and. interviewing people, in . the .line of
work In which she now is engaged.
In her position as secretary of the
Commission, the major part of the in-
cYeHlwork": office TsfallTngt;
her lot.
Tha most important action taken so
far by the Commission is the setting of
August 5 as the date for a hearing on
the proposals to limit the working
hours of women and minors to eight
hours a day and 48 hours a week, to
establish a dollar a day as the mini
mum wage for girls from 16 to 18 years
of age and not to permit girls under
the age of 18 to be employed after 6
o'clock In the evening. Notices have
been sent to the managements of man
ufacturing and mercantile establish
ments, laundries, hotels, restaurants
and telephone and telegraph offices In
all parts -of the state with Invitations
to them to show cause why such rules
should not be adopted and enforced.
The board will, of course, permit
girls to work for less than a. dollar a
day if they are apprentices or learners
or physically defective, but there must
be a special permit In each Individual
case.
Several conferences with employers
and employes in the diferent industries
are being arranged. The question of
closing retail stores at 6 o'clock Sat
urdays has been up three times with
the managers of such places and will
be determined finally also at the hear
ing on August 5.
The Commission is Inquiring Into
the practice of working girls in broken
shifts, partly days and partly nights.
In telephone exchanges. The order of
the Commission fixing a dollar a day
as the minimum wage of the girls on
strike at the Oregon Packing Company
and so adjusting the piecework as to
Increase their earning chances 50 per
cent, is the most direct and definite
action taken to date. At that time the
Commission had-been In existence only
about three weeks, the law creating it
having gone into effect June 3.
Reforms Under Consideration.
Notices have been mailed to the
laundry -owners that the Commission
has under consideration shorter hours,
sanitary and sufficient toilets and
cloakrooms, lengthening of tha lunch
eon period and the possibility of les
sening the heat. Somewhat similar
notices, with variations demanded , by
the particular kinds of work, are being
of ore were constantly being opened
and the stock market bulletin was
more precious than the Bible. . The
spirit of "such discovery and reckless
gambling Is always accompanied by as
equally a reckless spending. Money
flowed like the - recent Middle West
flood tides.
Those days are past now. The town
Is In a comatose state. Whether It will
die or waken to new health and vigor
depends on the deep' mining experi
ments now under way. But memories
live and take .form- In such, a celebra
tion as I witnessed this Fourth of July.
A large appropriation for a general
good time had been made by the citi
zens' committee. Early in the morn
ing any would-be sleepers-were forced
from repose by the tongues of powder
already loudly clamoring. By 10 o'clock
the whole town had turned out to see.
the parade, Which is to these people
what the Rose Festival exhibition is to
the City of Roses. Such a creditable
parade -it was I Secret orders such as
the Elks, the Moose, the. Knights of
Pythias were gayly, even elaborately,
represented. One of the organizations
had an immense van furnished with
rows of seats placed terrace fashion
and filled with little children, who sat
In tiers, but. not in tears, for their ra
diant happiness was the most effective
decoration. -
Women Take Fart. -
Then as the parade, passed sedately
on, something; familiar, recalling a host
of memories of the recent women's
struggle in Oregon, appeared. Two
autos flaunting the gold and white of
the "Votes .for Women" movement
turned the corner. One, white shroud
ed and boarded with a fluffy mass of
yellow chrysanthemums, was filled
with officers and members of the local
suffrage organization. Another with
attractive panels of the same colors
was a-smlle with the prettiest bouquet
sent to retail stores, millinery and
hairdressing shops, factories and ho
tels and restaurants. Lengths of ap
prenticeship and ventilation of work
rooms enter into the scope of the inT
quiry. Every effort Is being made to
work amicably with employers, if pos
sible, as the following extract from
one of the letters will show:
"The Commission is aware that to
make legal determination in regard to
these . matters as provided by the law
establishing the Commission would re
quire some months. The Commission
Is desirous of securing the co-operation
of the various employers In bring
ing about the necessary Improvements
without resorting to legal determina
tion. We shall be glad to hear from
you In regard to this matter and trust
we shall have your friendly co-operation
in our work."
Father O'Hara Keen Student.
. Father O'Hara, chairman of the Com
mission, and, by reason of his being
the representative of the general pub
lic, the man who probably will hold
the balance of power in Its delibera
tions, was born in Minnesota In 1881.
He was educated in Archbishop Ire
land's seminary In St. Paul and came
to Oregon eight years ago, shortly
after being ordained, and has been sta
tioned at St. Mary s uathedral ever
since as assistant pastor. He Is super
intendent i of the Roman Catholio
schools of the Archdiocese of Oregon.
all that part of the state west of the
Cascades. He is author of a volume on
titled "The Pioneer Catholio History of
Oregon, a book of several hundred
pages. Father O'Hara is strongly for
Individualism as opposed to socialism.
He Is recognized as a close and keen
student of political economy.
Miss Bertha Moores, who represents
the Interests of the workers on the
Commission, has-been a self-supporting
woman all her life, knows their
trials and tribulations and la in- thor
ough sympathy with ' them. Miss
MooreB taught scnool for many years,
and later was. employed In a banking
establishment. . For a long time Bhe
lived In Salem, but of late years has
been a resident of Portland.
Ameaee M. Smith, " representative of
the employers, is a capitalist and real
estate operator. He is third vlrt.nri
dent of the Realty Associates. He Is a
son of a pioneer resident of Portland
and has lived In Oregon most of the
lime. ;.
or jirtie girls the town afforded, all
with great butterfly bows of yellow
on xneir nair. ".Nevada Next" and
votes lor Mothers" proclaimed the
banners' they carried. The crowd
cheered. I found mvself annltLudinc
with that forgetfnlneBs of self that
comes from an appeal to one's dear
est nopes. Here in the heart of desnln
tlon, right on the sands of the Nevada
desert ere the footfalls of that woman's
movement which ls sweenlno- the rlnba
As I stood on the judges' stand and
watched the representative of the
Paths Brothers make a moving picture
ul ina paraoe ana realized It would
journey over the earth, I thought of
how eager women In all the European
and many Asiatic lands would see these
signs or lire in our midst asd would
touch hearts and hopes with the women
aweiiing in tMa far-off desert. The
sunrage auto took the first prize, a re
ward of merit and not alone of chiv
alry.
Drill Feature 1 nlqnr. x
Alter xne parade came the most
unique feature of the day the drilling
contest. What bucking contests and
broncho busting exhiblttona are to a
cattle-raising district like Oregon, that
the drilling match- la to a mining region
line, uoioiieio.
A nuge block of granite- Is placed
in the middle of the main street at the
intersection of four corners. This is
for the double-handed contest. Near it
another smaller one for the sinein-
handed contest. The blocks are mount.
ed . by the contestants, their aids, and
the Judges. Near at hand Is a pile of
drills of all lengths. The man or men,
in the instance of the double-handed
contest, who drill the deepest hole, in
15 minutes wins the first prize, a neat
sum or S500. The second prize is $360
On the large- block one man holds the
drill while the other pounds. At Inter
vals they change labor. A can of water
with a rubber tube attached sends a
constant stream Into the hole to keep
the drill from becoming too hot to
handle. The skll of the exhibition
lies not alone in the force ' of the
straight and terrific blows from the
hammer, bt in the lightning change
of places by the two men and in the
equally swift exchange of the shorter
for ever-longer drills.
The strain upon the men' is almost
inestimable. There is nothing between
their bared heads and the fierce heat of
the. desert sun but some Infinite miles
of heated air. The perspiration pours
out from their sinewy bodies. One can
see the expansion and contraction of
the powerful muscles.
Work Never Halts. '.'
The aids apply cold water to the
backs of their necks and give them
drinks from bottles. These they take
without pausing in the work. Minute
after minute goes by. There would be
something almost terrifying to an on
looker in the contemplation of that bat
tie with heat and granite, were it not
for the neutralizing sensation of pleas
ure that comes from watching the
strong beauty of those well-developed
bodies, - the rhythmical swing of the
arms as the hammer is lifted high and
guided to its swift and sure goal, the
gracious circles described upon the
blue air as the ever-longer drills are
pulled from the growing depth of yield
lng granite and hurled aside, while in
almost the same instant another one is
Inserted. The watcher thinks of Mil
let's "Sower," and rejoices that labor
has Its own reward of strong beauty
and satisfying skill. .
Meanwhile with dogged determlna
tlon the single-handed contestant pur'
sues - his unwearying hammering and
change of drills. Tho crowd presses
closely about the granite blocks and
shouts unceasingly.
No professionals are allowed in th
contests only local miners, well known
to the crowd. They howl words of en
couragement or warning. "Punch her
in, George," "'Dig her deep," "Only five
more minutes." One can feel the In
tense reality of this exhibition to these
people. Here is something within the
range of their full comprehension,
something that belongs to their Inti
mate experience. It is an integral part
of their life. They do not look on with
idle curiosity as they would at some
alien showing of an unknown people.
They feel - It all, sense the hammer
blows with the actuality of those who
live either by the results of such labor
or by its dally performance.
Men Exhausted at Close.
There are three matobes, both double
nd single. At the end of each one the
drilled hole Is measured and the result
shouted to the anxious crowd, who
yelled approval or disappointment. In
this instance the double-handed contest
was won by two men who made 52 3-16
inches, and the single-handed contest
by a man. who went down 37 inches.
The men are' plainly exhausted at the
close. The powerful arms which had
driven the drills through Nature's
sternest rock can scarcely don their
coats. Then their owners depart Into
a saloon and the crowd melts away to
lunch. ' . '
The afternoon Is given over to the
amusement of the children. The larg
est available .hall is turned over to
their Juvenile pranks.. A programme
is attempted. I say "attempted," for
the childish songs and recitations are
drowned in the accompanying din made
by the eternal -boy. He, in every land
I have visited, ever prefers the demon,
stratlon of noise and cataclysmal up
heaval to those' of musical and dramatic
art. The Judge of the District closes
the unheard programme with the usual
small towrr speech about Independence
and Old Glory and the prosperity of the
Nation, to which no one listens except
possibly his daughter and the District
Attorney, who has political aspirations.
Free ice cream Is served to hundreds
of thirsty little throats. To some of us.
remembering our own childhood, the
ensuing glrgling and sucking and sat
isfied Lsmacking of lips is music, more
sweet than the strains from .the ama
teur performers who have just dis
played their uncertain siciii. ranae
monium reigns and no ene disputes his
claim to the throne. Noise at work!
Noise at play! Why not?
Wine Flow! Freely.-
No one who can afford It cooks his
own dinner on this gala day. The well
equipped Goldfleld Hotel and all the
satellites about it In the way of small
er Inns and restaurants and grills are
filled with boisterous crowds. Wine
flows freely. There is too much con
stant and Insistent thirst from .dust
and excitement in this desert land to
permit any active temperance move
ment.
At 8 o'clock the carnival begins.
Men and women in masquerade cos
tumes swarm the streets. Confetti
lies upon the pathways like the sands
of the seas or the stars of the skies.
There is much rough, unvarnished lan
guage, much- abandoned gaiety, much
grotesque hilarity, but nothing- I Baw
verged on. the Indecent or the disgust
ing. People were uproariously glad.
That was all. The warm, soft air and
the star-sprln'kled heavens that seem
so close In this rarlfied atmosphere In
vite the merrymakers to lengthened
stay out of doors.
Gradually the movement toward the
dance hall begins, the strains from the
orchestra drawing the pleasure-loving
crowd as the pipe of Pied Piper drew
the rats and the children of Hamelln
Town. But this night the muslo draws
them to constructive recreation and
not to destructive extinction.- The hall
is a riot of color from the decorations
and the fantastic costumes. The floor
literally swarms with hundreds of
whirling couples. One is conscious of
the presence of a strange democracy.
My Lady of Fortune is dancing upon
the same floor with the waitress from
the hotel. My Gentleman of Success
brushes shoulder with the man whose
labor made the success possible. This
la an echo of the far-famed "Goldfleld
democracy."
Night Not for Sleep.
The dance lasts until 2 o'clock. Lib
eral prizes for the most beautiful and
the most original costumes are dis
tributed. Encores to each dance are
vociferously demanded. From the win
dows of the hall where one goes to get
a breath of air one can see the trail
of a skyrocket's fire, described on the
night from the summit of the Malapi.
Light, laughter and enjoyment are
everywhere. The heart . has seized a
moment to be wholly glad. The town
does not Bleep .this night. It has long
ago learned, In those old days of in
toxlcated excitement,' Napoleon's art of
living on but a few hours of slumber.
There is too much to be awake for.
Sleep may follow In the wake of the
monotony of toll, but not in that of
play's rapid changes. The mining camp
is working for Joy nuggets now, work
lng with Intensity and noise and the
sound of many tongues, even as it daily
works for the precious gold. The same
undaunted strength and determination
wnicn matte the mountains uncover
their age-held mysteries and separates
the glittering metal from- Its baser
brethren Is making Pleasure yield
abundant return.
When It is all over, some are poorer
than they were the day before, poorer
in pocketbook, but not In memories or
experience. Pleasure, like sorrow.. Is
costly. But what say these children ot
fortune? They say what they have
Bald In days past when success often
snatched her lavish gifts in one quick
irenzy ot denial, "vvnat does it mat
ter? We have had our fun. We have
had our dance and we must cay the
fiddler, and -If we must walk soberly
for awhile to make up, what of that?
It s all a part of lire s uncertain game.
Floral Society to Meet.
The -regular meeting of the Portland
Floral Society will be held at Archi
tectural Hall, 247'A Stark street, 8 F. M,
Monday. Members having new or rare
flowers or specimens of merit are re
quested to bring them for displa yand
stu4r. .
NEZ PERCES, AT RELIGIOUS MEETING,
WORSHIP AND LIVE AS DO WHITES
Idaho Christianized Indians Pass Ten
L'- vsf-?v. .yp-&z-,
11 ' . I
LEWISTON, Idaho. July 12. (Spe
cial.) A remarkable spirit, of sin-:
cerity was evident in the 16th an
nual camp meeting of the Nez Perce
Indians at their camp grounds at Mason
Butte, better known among them
Talmaks, "the lair of the deer." The
Nez Perces, numbering 700 and repre
senting that wing of the tribe which
has accepted Christianity, last week
packed their Rummer outing apparel
and embarked with their families to
their camp allotment in the Craig
Mountains, where they are' away from
all other life. This spot set aside by
the Government covers an area of
three and three-quarters acres, and is
situated on a high plateau overlook
ing thousands of acres of the richest
agricultural and 'timber lands of the
state.
That the phrase "Lo, the poor In
dian," ,is not applicable to the Nez
Perces. Is evident' after a visit to their
camp meeting which closed late this
week. The tribe only 36 years ago was
In Its ancient period, and only 16 years
ago it was an urlprogresslve and rene
gade trl.be, still following a chief, liv
ing under the most penurious condi
tions, tilling little land, having scarce
ly any property, nomadic and subsist
ing on the coarsest-of foods and In the
rudest of huts and tents.
Modern Ways Adopted.
If the general impression is that the
Indians of the Northwest are a retro
grading race, and if It 1b the belief that
they are not receptive of the modern
modes of living, and modern methods of
business, these impressions should be
dispelled.
Secluded for a period of 10 days, be
ginning a few days before the Fourth
of July and extending Into the follow
ing week, the association of church
men of the tribe hold the annual meet
ing. The meeting is carefully planned
bv the leaders, and every Indian who
has accepted their faith, with their
families, take In this pre-harvest fes
tival; which has the combined nature of
religion and patriotism.
"For the 16th annual session, wmcn
was more successful than any previous
meeting, the Indians from all parts of
the reservation laid elaborate plans.
Fashionable Clothing; Worn.
The Indian family Is now far differ
ent than it was even ten years ago.
The buckskin outfits for the boys and
the blanketed and moccasined girls
and the "tecashed" babies upon their
mothers' backs are a few of the typ
ical Indian ' characteristics that have
been almost forgotten and are cast
offs. Instead of the men wearing
blankets and moccasins to the meet
ing, they were attired in civilian
clothes, neatly polished shoes and im
maculate linen, and their hair was
cut according to modern style.
The women of the tribe, for the most
part, have adopted the modern ap
parel in dress and headgear, but there
are some who still retain the varie
gated blanket. While the Indian
woman does not quite measure up to
the white woman in dress, as shown
in this meeting, she Is a good mother.
The Indian family is, for the most
part, small, but at this meeting there
were families of seven members,, all
of them wearing modern attire, and
the babies were not strapped and en
cased in the "tecash," according to the
ancient custom they were wheeled in
modern go-carts. The representatives
of the tribe among the men displayed
that they are good providers for chil
dren who appeared to be well cared
for, well dressed, and well fed.
Stare and Stripes Displayed.
The greatest semblance of a typical
Indian powwow or a war gathering
was the retaining of the tepee. Quite
different. Indeed, were these tepees
from those of the Joseph wars, or the
renegade brothers who were carrying
on their accustomed .gala week fes
tivities In the hot creek valleys with
the antique war dances, denuded fig
ures, painted bodies, variegated blan
kets and warlike tumtums.
The temporary quarters of the
Christianized Indians in this meeting
were clean and securely erected, and
before every one of them was flown
the American flag, and upon the flap
f every tent was draped the Stars
and Stripes instead of a scalp or a
war outfit. Neat linen and modern
mattresses covered springs of iron
beds. They brought with them the
comforts of a home. -
There was no cooking over an open
campfire; there was a menu of choice
meat cuts, potatoes, vegetables and
dessert, and all of it was cooked by
Indian housewives in either standard
stoves or over camp-stove fires. The
meals were not served on a blanket
on the ground They were served upon
long tables In a large tent constructed
to accommodate the entire crowd at
the meeting.
Undr these conditions the Christian
ized Nez Perces lived for a period of
ten days with their tents pitched in a
circle in a wide, open space, sheltered
here and there by huge pine trees.
Many Old Indians Present.
There were families ' present repre
senting four generations and families
of three generations were common. In
that band of 700 which now repre
sents about two-thirds of the tribe,
there were old gray-haired men who
have passed the threfe score and ten
year mark and who have fought wars
against the Sioux, the Cheyennes and
the Spokanes, with their leader. Chief
Joseph. There were present those men
who have acted in diplomatic capacities
for the tribe ever since the white man
Invaded their lands. There was Kip
Kip Pa Lib Kin. whose father was one
of the seven men who were delegated
to go to 6t. Louis early in the '80s to
search for the white man's Bible;
Moses Montieth, a big, stalwart Indian
of more than three score years, who
stands as one of the greatest warriors
of the tribe and one of the famous old
gamblers of the pioneer days; Felix
Corbett. old and bent chief of the Nez
Perce tribe during the tribal organl-
t-si r n
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I sSerY ) J
V T&TiZ ; J I
f S -77 J. 'fa I -
Days in Seclusion to Do Homage to
Direction of Civilization.
' X
y72a3j' ?Ze.jy&z xjrce-J
zation. Ministers, merchants and farm
ers; bis stalwart, iron-faced men who
have experienced adversity in the early
days of the Pacific Northwest, were
there with their families.
They were serious.- earnest and intent
upon bringing about what they spoke
of in slow -and sincere tones "the un
derstanding of the white man and the
white man's understanding of us, so
we can live together as one people
under the American flag." It was that
wiping out of race prejudice to which
they referred again and again in their
speeches and sermons.
Time Given to Devotion.
Quite significant was the manner In
which the meetings were conducted.
The Indian leaders assumed entire con
trol, managed the meeting, selected
the speakers and took charge of the
singing. It was purely an Indian un
dertaking with a few well-known men
of the Northwest to tell them of things
going on In the outside world. Indian
ministers, merchants and farmers, with
great fields, gave up their time for
a 10 days' period of devotion and rest
before entering -upon the arduous har
vest duties.
That an Indian cannot sing, that he
does not appreciate the better life con
ditions, is a wrong Impression to en
tertain. The Indians this year pur
chased a large tent with a seating ca
pacity of nearly 500, and at every meet
ing this tent was filled to its capacity.
One of the biggest features of this
camp meeting was the singing. In this
little Indian girls and boys and grown
men and women entered into the spirit
of the services. They rendered the
cantata "Joseph" and it was one of the
biggest features of the meeting.
Devoted Woman Attends.
With 33 years of service as a mis
sionary among the Nez Perces, Miss
Kate McBeth, who Is considered as a
mother to the Christian Indians, for
the 16th consecutive time, at the age
of 70 years made the long trip to again
assist In building up the tribe. She
has assisted in converting a major por
AT 82, MOTHER MEETS
HER SONS DAY OR NIGHT
Not in 37 Tears Since "Babes" Began Railroading Has "Aunt Jane"
Veatch, of Cottage Grove, Missed Trains Bringing Boys Through.
BT NF.LLIE H. HBMENWAT.
COTTAUK GROVE, Or., July 12.
(Special.) Eighty-two years of
age, bent from the labors of a lite
time of activity, but yet as spry as
many of 60, '"Aunt Jane" "Veatch, pio
neer of 1852, and one of the best-known
characters of the Willamette Valley,
can be seen nearly every other day at
the Southern Pacific depot, where she
goes to meet her "babies," Sam and
Elhanan, aged 66 and 43, employes of
the Southern Pacific- Never once In
all the 87 years since Sam first left
home has this gray-haired mother
failed to be on hand when her boys
were to go through on the train. Be
the weather wet or falT, "Aunt Jane"
never forgets, and she never finds fault
with the elements for their interfer
ence. As one of the strapping "babes" steps
from his train, the light that shines
from her face shows that the love that
was theirs when she nursed them a half
a century or more ago has not dimin
ished in the least throught the pass
age of the years.
Wee Sma Honrs No Bar.
"Sam went on the road when he was
19 and he Is 66 now," said "Aunt Jane."
"I've been meeting trains ever since,
every time either of the boys was
coming through. Sam hasn't been on
the road for three years, but Elhanan
went on when he was 19. too, and he is
conductor now on the Rose burg local.
1 saw him this morning when he went
through. He'll lay over in Portland to
morrow and then I'll see him again
Monday on his way back to Roseburg,"
and her blue old eyes shone in the anti
cipation of seeing her "baby" again so
soon.
Imagine If you can, what it'Aieans to
meet , trains in all sorts of wind and
weather, at all times of night or day.
7696 times at the lowest estimate! That
is "Aunt Jane's" record at a miserly
guess.
For many years Sam was conductor
on the midnight overland, but he
gave up that Job three years ago to
become "grievance man" for the rail
way employes. Never, however. In all
the time that he conducted the night
train did his mother fall to get up at
2 o'clock In the morning and go to the
depot, oftentimes having to content
herself with a mere glimpse of his
stalwart form if he was very busy
with his orders or his train business.
Even when the Veatch family lived
near Saginaw, fully two miles from
town she made nightly trips to town
to meet the freight which the boys
were employed on at that time. It
was a local freight which got Into
Cottage Orove about 1 o'clock in the
Their Faith and Show Progress in
.VS-8 i
Hr- Mil
... 8 .....
x .
tion of the Nez Perce tribe, aided Gov
ernment representatives as well as
leaders' of the tribe to gain land own
ership, established homes, rear fami
lies and till the soil.
There is nowhere In the entire United
States a meeting in which TndianB are
the sole participants with the features
of religion combined with industry,
commercialism and patriotism as is
found in the campmeetlnga of the Nes
Perces. These meetings were initiated
16 years ago and in 1897 the fight
against heathenism was actively begun-
The Christianized Indians drew
up their battle line at Lapwat and
those who preferred heathenism to
Christianity were invited to take their
course while those who chose to fol
low the missionaries were asked to
take up their work. This caused bit
ter feeling In the tribe, and went even
so far as to break families. Under the
guidance of Misses Sue and Kate He
Beth, Misses Elizabeth and Mazie
Crawford, and Indian ministers like
Moses Montieth, Kip Kip Pa Lig Kin.
James Hayes, Mark Arthur. the
churches, schools and farms have pros
pered. Equipment In Substantial.
The general status of the Nez Perce
tribe was shown by inspecting their
outfits. They have substantial teams
and wagons, and necessary accessories
to emulate the neighboring white
farmer. Silverware was In evidence
on she tables and chinaware was uni
versally used at all meals. There was
a total absence of the tribal custom,
their .meetings were entirely Ameri
can, speaking in English, singing in
both Indian and English language and
in every action there was shown a
marked sobriety and separation from
the dissipation which characterized
celebrations a few years ago.
This tribe is strongly organized un
der a representative system with James
Stuart as the recognized leader and
mediator. It has been through his
diplomacy and ft is persistence that
secretaries of the Interior, representa
tives in Congress, and even two Presi
dents have given their attention to
him while he laid before them the
needs of the tribe, and gained what
he went for and secured passage of
many bills of great importance to land
owners of the tribe.
Statu of Women Changed.
Probably on$ of the most noticeable
things in the Indian family life, as
shown at this meeting, was the status
of the Indian woman. She is now the
housekeeper and the household man
ager, while the masculine side of tho
house attends to heavier duties, which
she was compelled to assume when
conditions of living were different:
when the "buck" fished all day at the
stream, or hunted all day in the woods,
while the wifewas the worker.
In this tribe there is an insistent
plea for a higher and better civiliza
tion, a desire for higher education for
children and a plea to get away from
tribal selfishness. They want to see
their race vigorous, to end the exist-
ence of the white plague among their
children, to bring them up to a piano
politically and industrially with the
white man, to raise the standard of
virtue and living.
IKS X . ' C.
4 i-
Photo by Armstrong.
"Aunt Jane" Veatch, of Cottage
Grove, Who for 37 Years Has
Met Every Train Carrying Her
Railroading Tiabed."
morning, but "Aunt Jane" and her
daughters were game for anything if
they could only see "the boys."
-"We used to like to meet the
freight," said she, "because sometimes
we would get to talk to the boys for
as much as an hour when they were
loading or unloading and even some
times when the train wag switching.
The weather never was any object to
me in those days, but of late years I
am pretty glad that we live nearer to
the depot. Elhanan has a day train
too, which makes it lots more con
venient. I expect to keep on going
till. I die. though, no matter what
train he is on. and I guess that will
make a good many trains for me yet.
even If I am already $2."
Cottage Grove has literally grown up
with "Aunt Jane," for she rode horse
back across the plains to become the
wife of Harvey Clayburn Veatch and
the second of Cottage Grove's brides
In 1852. Last year she rode in the
Fourth of July parade here on the very
saddle on which she came across the
plains.