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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 29, 1920)
SectionOne Pages 1 to 24 98 Pages Eight Sections vol. xxxix xo. 9 Entered at Portland (Oregon) Potffftce a Second-Class Matter. PORTLAND, OREGON, SUNDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 29, 1920 PRICE TEN CENTS WILSON ORDERS FUEL MEXICO IS ENTERED BY MURDER POSSE EO FAILS BAKER SAYS AMERICA HAS LOST ITS NERVE WORLD LEADERSHIP SAID TO HAVE SLIPPED AWAY. I RAIL LINES REVERT TO OWNERS MONDAY CONTROL MAINTAINED III PARTY'S BOOMS TO E ATTACK GOVERNMENT CONTROL OF 2 6 POWER IS DIVIDED BETWEEN BLOODHOUNDS T7SED IN PUR SUIT OF BANDITS. MONTHS ENDS AT 12:01 A. M HINES AND BOARD OP FOUR. VANDERVE 11 IIS RAIL BILL I iff WILSON PUT I MAYERS SCORE V Measure Signed on Eve of Carriers' Return, HIS' POWER CONTINUES Wilson Transfers Authority Conferred by Bill to the Director-General. LABOR'S REQUEST ANSWERED President Believes That With . Law in Effect Way Is Opened for Wage Settlement. WASHINGTON, Feb. 28. Presi dent Wilson signed the railroad bill tonight on the eve of the return of the roads to their owners and to private control. In a proclamation issued at the time the bill was signed Mr. Wilson vested in Walker D. Hines. director general of railroads, virtually all powers conferred upon the executive by the bill. Jfr. Hines will also con tinue to exercise the duties of di-rector-geYieral which are continued beyond the return of the roads to private control at midnight Sunday. The White House also-made public the text of the president's reply to a recent request of representatives of the railroad brotherhoods that he appoint a commission composed ! equally of employers' and employes' delegates to consider wage demands made by the brotherhoods. It deals wholly with the wage demand settle ment, proposals end does not refer directly to the memorial later pre sented by the brotherhood heads ask ing that he veto the railroad bill. Announcement Is Surprise. Announcement of the signing of the bill came after officials had be come convinced that Mr. Wilson did not intend to act tonight In his letter, Mr. Wilson said the passage of the railroad bill "made it evident that I could not act on your suggestions until it should have been determined whether the bill would become a law or not." "It was manifest," the letter con tinued, "that if the bill should be come a law the negotiations and con sideration of the wage matter ought to proceed in harmony therewith. "The bill having now become a law, the way is open for immediate action on the wage matter in accord ance with the terms of the bill. Sec tion 301 of the bill evidently con templates that the carriers and em ployes should, as suggested by you, j-elect representatives who will thus constitute a bi-partisan board for the purpose of attempting by conference j to agree upon a solution or this wage problem. "In accordance with the assurance I gave last August and repeated in (Concluded on TaK? 11, Column 1.) I I l I . . I - " I '-I I 240, 000 Miles of Main Trunks. Terminal and Equipment Return With $715,500,000 Deficit. WASHINGTON, Feb. 28. At 12:01 A. M., Monday, the government will hand over to their owners 240.000 miles of main line railroad and ter minals and equipment, valued at ap proximately 20,000,000,000, over which Its direct authority has been extended since December 28, 1917. The properties will go back, leaving the government with a deficit of $715,500,000 for its 26 months of op eration. But while the deficit ap peared large, "federal operation has cost the public considerably less un der the conditions, through rates and taxes, than would have been the case under private control," Director-Gen eral Hines declared in .a statement. Hines Cites Benefits. Mr. Hines believed that the na tion. and railroads as well, gained benefits of a lasting character. "It made practicable a war trans portation service which could not otherwise have been obtained," he said. "Its unification oractices have increased ihe utilization of the inade quate supply of equipment so that ex ceptionally large transportation serv ice has been performed in the busy periods of 1919 with a minimum of congestion; it met the unprecedented coal strike in a way which private control could not have done and ab sorbed a heavy financial loss on that account which would have proved highly disturbing to private control; it provided more additions and better ments and equipment than private control could have provided during the difficult financial situation of war-time; it dealt fairly with labor and gave it the benefit of improved working conditions which were clear ly its right; it not only did not cost more than private control would Jiave cost during the same period, but cost considerably less on account of the economies growing out of unifica tions and the total burden on the pub lic through rates and taxes on ac count of railroad costs was sub stantially less than would have been necessary if the railroads had re mained in private control and rates had been raised enough to preserve credit. Imnlmenla Are Protected. "u Protected the investments on the- iirvciucai nnereas wunoui federal control those investments would have, been endangered; and it turns back the roads to private con trol functioning effectively, with a recjrd of exceptional performance in an exceptionally difficult winter, de spite the disruption caused by the coal strike and in a condition to func tion still more effectively with nor mal improvement to be expected in weather and in other conditions." The railroad corporations will start their work with an important psycho logical asset. Air. Hines said, pointing out that the public holds to rigid re sponsibility any agency performing a public service, "without regard for the difficulties of the situation." He declared the company officials resume direction of their properties undei "the most favorable possible condi-' tlons of public sentiment." They also may lay plans for the future, he said, and put into effect permanent or ganizations, things the railroad ad ministration could not because of un certainties of its tenure, and for lack of which the work "has been con- SpicuousIy and progressively embar- rassing.' Work Still to Be Done. The railroad administration still will have a definite worn to do after the roads are returned. In addition to providing transportation service, it has been charged with administra tion of contractual relations between the government and the roads, Mr. Hines explained. The government was obligated to pay $917,000,000 annual rental to the corporate owners. This and the other fiscal relations which involved the purchase of great quan tities of supplies and equipment, will require a continuation "f part of the railroad administration indefinitely. (Concluded on Page It, Column L) -X'V , fcHO HOvH ' ! rV Q 3 hiVARTO?VC .SUAU-VN ,11'' ' l " T?o' r1 vv , I I . LsJ McAdoo and Palmer Wait President's Word. THIRD-TERM HOPE CHERISHED Miracle of Restoration to Complete Health Wanted. BELLICOSE STAND TAKEN Executive on Partial Recovery De termines to Show World He Can and Will Be Dominant. BY MARK SULLIVAN. (Copyright by The New York Evening Post This is an effort to reduce to at least a degree of understandable or der that tangled chaos which is the democrtaic presidential situation. It was tangled enoush at best; it has been made much more chaotic by the signs now coming from the White House every day of extraordinary activity on the part of the president Mr. Wilson's sensational dismissal of Mr: Lansing has been universally Interp-eted by Washington as merely one of many signs of the president's determination to show the world that he has the power both the physical power resulting from Improved health, and the will as well to reassert him self as president and as party leader, with all that the leadership implies; n short, the impression is that the president not only feels that his health is better, but has an angrily bellicose determination to show the world that he is able to be dominant and that he proposes to be so. Illness Hits Third-Term Mope. Inner Washington believes that the only thing that stands between the president and candidacy for a third term is the state of his health, and those consequences which flow from the state of his health. Inner Wash ington pictures the president in his carefully guarded seclusion and the president's intimate entourage as hop ing always for the miracle that would restore him to the health he haT a year or two ago. And no one doubts that if that sin gle qualification were fulfilled, that if the president should, once feel that he had his health fully back again, he would immediately assert the lead ership that goes with his position and determine to lead his party in the coming campaign. Inner Washington believes that this miracle will not happen. But inner Washington is equally sure that the president himself is led to hope that the miracle will happen. A (sick per- I son is always encouraged to entertain that hope by those who attend him. It is helpful to his recovery and the natural thing to do. About the last thing that is admitted by a sick man or by those who are attending him is any intimation that'he will not re cover fully. Quite properly all of their efforts are locussea on creating (precisely the contrary impression in the patient's mind Aitplrations to -et Shock But whatever the hope of those who are immediately about the president, whatever optimism they may en deavor to incite in the patient as a legitimate aid to his recovery, inner Washington is confident that the president will not be permitted to be a candidate for a third term. If the president should fail to make this de cision for'himself, inner Washington believes the public wil make it for him. The public has an accurate impres sion that the president's illness has (Concluded on Page 6. Column 1.) PICTORIAL COMMENT BY . " I -VUA.U -AtiS?5 VM I L V AVV SAAt HERB. Commission Will Function Through 1 Tidewater Coal Exchange, Re stored for That Purpose. WASHINGTON, Feb. 28. Coincident with the signing of the railroad bill tonight. President Wilson issued ex ecutive orders providing for contin uation of the powers of the fuel ad ministration, but dividing them be tween the director-general of rail roads and a commission of four. Director-General Hines will retain Juris diction over domestic distribution, while the commission will handle bunker and export coal matterB. The commission will be composed of A. W. Howe, Rembrandt Peale, F. M. Whittaker nd J. F. Fisher. It will function through the Tidewater Coai exchange, which is restored for that purpose, having been suspended before the resignation of Dr. Garfield as fuel administrator. The order creating the commission is effective until April 30 next The order said the action was taken "because of the present emergency and in order to insure an adequate supply and equitable distribution, and to facilitate the movement and to prevent, locally or generally, scarcity of coal." The second order, investing Mr. Hines with the powers of fuel ad ministrator, so far as domestic dis tribution is concerned, said doubt had arisen as to whether he could con tinue toexercise those powers after the return of the railroads to private control. A new order was, therefore, executed, extending Mr. Hines' au thority beyond the date of the return. INDEX OF TODAY'S NEWS The Weather. YESTERDAY'S Maximum temperature, 52 degrees; minimum, 4'2 degrees. TODAY'S Fair; moderate winds, mostly northerly. Department. Editorial. Section 3, page S. Dramatic. Section 4, page 2. Moving picture news. Section 4, page 4. Heal estate and building news. Section 4, page 10. Music. Section S, page 11. Churches. Section 5, page 2. Schools. Section 5, page Or Books. Section 5, page 3. Garden chats. Section 4, page 5. Automobile news. Section 6. Women's Feature. Society. Section 3, page 2. Women's activity. Section 4, pago 8. Fashions. Section o. page 4. Miss Tingle's column. Section 5, page 3. Auction bridge- Section 5, page 1 pcla! Features. I Art works carved from Oregon wnod. Magazine section. Page 1. Footprints latest means of identifying ba.ut-8. Magazine section, page J. Coiffure novelties of the season attract. Magazine section, page 3. World news by camera. Magazine section. page 4. Admiral Sims own story. Magazine sec tion, page 3. Divorce courts busy untying war weddings. Magazine section, page b. Czech o-Slovakia, new European republic. Magazine section, page 7. Hill's cartoons, "Among Us Mortals." Mag azine section, pago 8. Community service does big work in city. Section page 10. Reminiscences by Associated Press man ager. Section 3, page 12. Briggs and Darling cartoons. Section 5, page i . Foreign. Japanese factions split on suffrage. Sec tion 1, page 21. Hungary demands allied protection against Roumanians in Transylvania. Section 1. page 5. . National. Decline of farms one big reconstruction problem, declares Hoover. Section 1, page 21. Secretary Baker declares Amerlra has lost . its nerve and with it world leadership. Section 1, page 1. President signs railroad bill on eve of re- I turn of carriers. Section 1, page 1. Bursts of oratory leave treaty in as des perate plight as ever. Section 1 page 2. Bail lines revert to owners Monday. Sec tion 1, page 1. Wilson orders fuel control maintained. Section 1. page 1. "Wilson keeps democratic presidential t booms in chaotic state. section i. page 1. Soldier land settlement next big problem to be taken up by congress. Section 1. page 4. Domestic. Secretary Colby declares support of Wilson is "loyal American" duty. Section 1, page 5. CARTOONIST PERRY Santa Cruz Deputy Sheriffs Take Up Trail Troops Sent to Scene of Killing. NOG ALES, Ariz., Feb. 28. Deputy sheriffs from Santa Cruz county and a posse from Tucson with blood hounds crossed the international line into Mexico tonight in pursuit of the bandits who killed Alexander Fraser and shot his brother, J. A. Fraser, In a raid yesterday on their store at Montana camp. General Manuel Diguez, the new military commander of the state of Sonora, Mexico, accompanied by the Mexican consul here and Alberto E. Flgueroa, mayor of Nogales, Sonora,- called this afternoon on Francis J. Dyer, American consul at Nogales, Sonora, and expressed regrets oyer the killing. They promised full co-oper ation with American civil and military officers in hunting down the bandits. The posse is on the trail of a man known as Ezequiel Lara and a com panion, and is headed for a point called Syric in ' Northern Sonora. Troops from Camp Stephen D. Little have been sent to the scene of the killing. The body of Alexander B'raser was brought here this afternoon. He was 58 years old and one of the best known mining engineers in the west ern part of the United States and in Mexico. He was a member of the Institute of Mining Engineers of New York City. He was. born in Canada, a member of the famous family of that name in Toronto and was naturalized in the United States. He was a part (Concluded on Page 5, Column 1.) Pacific Northwest. Two ex-ioldiers confess $20,000 diamond robbery at Seattle. Section 1, page 11. Russian women work while men fight. Ha.' returned nurse. Sectjon 1, pago 7. Attorf -general issues opinion on nomi nating election laws of Oregon. Section 1, fage 13. State and federal officials clash over pos session gf seized whisky at Astoria. Section 1, pago 8. ' Vanderveer fails to Involve Grimm In al leged attack on hall. Section 1, pago 1. Opening of land grant stirs up interest. Section 1, page D. Speculation In Idaho politics ends' in an nouncements. Section 1, page . Sir Oliver Lodge s theorieH on spiritualism attacked by Oregon professor. Section 1. page 19. Sports. Two hundred and fifty-mile auto dash is won by Jimmy Murphy, novice at racing. Section 2, page 2. Ballp7ayer don uniform tomorrow. Sec tion. 2, pagf 2. - - . liultnomah track mon called out for prac tice. Section 2. page 2. Boxing programme finally completed. Section 2, page 2. Busy year ahead for racquet folk. Section 2. page 3. , Work on Shamrock is being rushed. Sec tion 2. page 3. Commercial and Marine. Wilson Shipbuilding ronipany buys un finished wooden hull Meriden. Section 1. page 22. High orange price helps apple pales. Sec tion 1, page 23. . Corn traders expect larger grain move ment. Hectipn 1, pagt 23. Portland and Vicinity. State taxpayers denounce land and labor league and will " organize state-wide fight. Section 1. page 1. , Dr. W. D. Wobd of Hfllsboro announces candidacy for secretary of state. Sec tion 1, page 12. City election far off; yet rumors are rife. Section 1, page 14. Federal grand jury finds plot to rob mails. Section 1, page 15. Screen stars may migrate to Canada. Sec tion 1, page 16. County grand jury -urges consolidation with city for economy. Section 1, page 16. Dean of political science of Reed college criticises legislature before Jackson club. Section 1, page 12. Red Cross canteen band made permanent organization. Section 1, page 14. Zoning measure slated for final action In city council Wednesday. Section 1, pae 17. Harding supporter counts on Oregon. Sec tion 1, page IS. Plan for high court of nations drafted after long deliberation. Section 1, page 1. Oregon delegation completes road mission to Washington. Section 1, page 20. Treaty should be signed, says Ida M. Tar- j bell, here on lecture tour. Section 1, j page 20. Immediate return to pre-war railroad serv ice impossible, says J. N. Teal. Section . 1, page 10. ON SOME EVENTR Overt Act on Part o Grimm Not Shown. PLOT TESTIMONY BAR STAYS New Attempt at Self-Defense Tactics Rebuffed. PROOF TO BE GATHERED I. W. W. Attorney Declares Incrim inating Testimony Will Be Pro duced Despite Delay. BY BEN HUR LAMPMAN. MONTESAN'O, Wssn., Feb. 2$. (Special.) Complete failure of the defense to show an overt act on the part of Warren O Grimm, victim of the Centralia Armistice day ambus cade, or to link his name with the al leged conspiracy against the radicals. on which the plea of self-defense is based, marked this day in the trial of the ten I. W. W7 defandants who are arraigned in superior court for the crime. According to a previous rul'ng of Judge Johr M. Wilson, the defense must first show that Grimm was a party to the conspiracy, or the at tack, before It proceeds with proof that Centralia business men engaged ill a plct to evict the radicals from their hall and the city. Testimony Fall to Incriminate. George P. Vanderveer, attorney for the accused, had declared that this would be accomplished and had named today as the period in which the in criminating testimony would be pro duced. Witnesses for the defense, who took the stand' today, were questioned in an attempt to show that Grimm was near the 1. W. W. hall when wounded, and not at the head t his platoon as the evidence of the state declares. But the testimony for the defense thus far failed to identify Grimm as bav- I ing been among the legionnaires I whom the I. W. -W counsel declares raided the hall before the shots were fired. State Renews Objection. Having presented the testimony of these witnesses, Vanderveer called Elmer F. Kirkland, ticket agent, Cen tralia, and again took up the line of examination relative to a meeting of Centralia business men on October 20 at which it is alleged the plans were laid to "oust the wobblies." At the first question the state re newed its objection asserting that no evidence had been introduced which linked1 Grimm either with the alleged attack or the alleged conspiracy. Van derveer replied that the line of ex- abination would be the same that he undertook yesterday, when the court ruled. "The objection is sustained," said Judge Wilson. Overt Act Held JVeceaaary. "We have introduced some evidence that Warren Grimm was shot at a very different . point than the etate contends," opposed the I. W. W. at torney. "In orden. to introduce this char acter of evidence," ruled the court, "you must first show an overt act on the part of the deceased. You must show that the deceased was a party t the alleged conspiracy. Such evi dence, in my opinion, you have not yet introduced. The court will not permit this argument in the presence of the jury." ' . Again the attempt rested with the promise of Vanderveer to bring for ward witnesses to prove beyond dis- (Concluded on Page 10, Column 1.) IN THE WEEK'S NEWS Work of John D. Ryan in Charge of Aircraft Production Is Highly Praised. NEW YORK, Feb. 28. The position which America held at the close of the war as moral leader of the world was relinquished when the country "lost Its nerve." said Secretary of War Baker at a luncheon today of the Brooklyn chamber of commerce. "We made reservations until the moral leadership passed." he declared. "Keservatlonists have no sense of pro portions. They forget they are deal ing with the fate of mankind. Our adhesion to the league' of nations is what will save the world." "On March 4. 1921." Mr. Baker con tinued. "I expect to be inaugurated in private life; and what I say is said as one who is leaving public life. The secretary said that, while he had no complaint to make of commit tees investigating war expenses, "It would not be wise to take too seri ously some of the things emanating from that source." "When they assault the reputation of men who have faithfully served the republic I am forced to hope that grateful sense of Americans will pre vent these shafts, aimed by malice, from injuring anyone," he declared. I have in mind John D. Ryan, who worked eo faithfully for the Red Cross, and who later was director of aircraft production, I cannot speak too highly of Mr. Ryan." Mr. Baker said the war department will reclaim by sales of equipment in Europe and this country nearly 13,000,000,000 and that the money will return to the treasury to "ease the terrible burden of taxation." Considerably more than another 11,000,000,000, he added, had been saved by adjustment of 23,701 of the 27.374 contracts existing at the close of the war. LOGGERS GET PAY RISE Companies Respond to request of I'oiir-L Assorlution. BEND, Or., Feb. 28. (Special.) A new wage scale advancing the mini mum of $4.80 hitherto paid to $5 a day, was announced here this after noon by the Brooks Scanlon Lumber company and the Shevlin His on Lum ber company to take effect March 1. Advances for other classes of labor In the pine mills are made which will re establish the differential partially up set last fall when the state board of conciliation ruling brought Into being the $1.80 minimum at the Brooks Scanlon plant. The increase was declared follow ing a request from a conference com mittee of the Loyal Legion of Loggers and Lumbermen, which came as the result of increases recently granted in the coast mills at the instance of Four-L action In that district. SERVANT'S PARADISE HERE Italian Maidens Desire Double Pay, Vacation and 'Smokes. ROME, Feb. 28. The mafd servants held a mass meeting at Ferrara and unanimously adopted, a resolution re garding their claims. These include the demand for a fortnight's vacation so that they may go to the sea baths, at the expense of their employers, who during that time must pay them double wages owing" to the expenses at summer resorts. They also demand two cigarettes daily throughout the year. HOME RULE BILL SCORED Freeman's Journal Calls Measure Plan to Plunder Ireland. DUBLIN, .Feb. 28. The Freeman'' Journal refers to the new Irish home rule bill as "a proposal for the plun der and partition of Ireland." The paper characterizes it as "a thievish measure." . 1 NEMO ME Oregon Body Called Child of Dakota Parentage. STATE-WIDE FIGHT PLANNED Organization Declared to Bo Socialistic in Tendency. MANY BURDENS FORESEEN Programme Would Add to Taxet If Carried Out. .Resolutions De clare; Professor Attacked. Tile Staio Taxpayers Icarus de nounces tho united land and labor league as socialistic, undemocratla and a menace to the state of Oregon.' and urges the people of the Stat, to resist Its efforts for political dom-' inatlon In every possible way. Such was the keynote of the all day session of the taxpayers' league held yesterday at the Imperial hotel and after the league had heard the alms and objects of the newly organ ized land and labor party explained by F. K. Coulter, fit her of the re cently born political party. In a series of resolutions, the Stat Taxpayers' league assumed the lead, ership In a fight to exterminate th. land and labor body In Oregon. Th league views the advent of th new party as the non-partisan league of North Dakota camouflaged. Through the executive commlttoo the, leagu will operate In every county, arrang ing for meetings where speakers will 1 explain the fallacies and dangers f the land and labor league as Inter preted by the taxpayers' league. Kreeal of I.lmlt Op-ieerd. While this action against the land and labor party was the dominant motive back of the meeting at the Imperial, the league went on record as favoring a series of measures which will be submitted to the people at the state election In May, and it vigorously objected to the pending at tempt toropeal the 6 per cent tax limitation statute. Attending the meeting wcro repre bentatlvo men from all sections of Oregon, and there was a considerable sprinkling of members of tho legis lature. Walter M, I'lerce, president -of tho league, painted a somewhat gloomy picture of the immediate fu ture conditions In the nation. lie predicted that the pronperlty and high wages and the high cost of commodi ties has been due to Amerlra selling to the world market, but this market will soon bo decreased. lie advised a man with a Job to' stick to It and save nil the pennies possible agalnat the day, fast approaching, when Job will be scarcer than they are now. President Kerr of the Oregon Agri cultural college, while addressing the gathering regarding the mlllag measure for the Institutions of higher education, was asked where he stands on the land at.d labor parly. Dr. Kerr replied to the effect that he was not Interested In religion or politics but In tho Oregon Agricultural col lege. Ho was asked If Professor Goldman, a member of the faculty, was pleaching the land and labor party propaganda to the students, and replied that the teachers did not discuss such things. I'rofrs.or Held Champion. Then up rose K. E. Coulter, saying that he could explain. Mr. Coulter stated that 1'rofessor Goldman Is a believer in the principles of the land and labor party; Is very much Inter ested "irt It and is a member of the executive committee of tho new or (Conelud.d nn P. 2. Column 1.) ffutV. FftU. SIX