6
ALBANY REGISTER.
Mm Utpttt.
r. S Oflicinl Paper lor Oretron.
SATURDAY. MAY 9, 1874.
Independent Ticket.
Elsewhere in this issue of the
Hkcistki: will be found a con
densed report of tlie proceedings of
the Linn County Independent Con
vention, held at Grangers' Hall, in
this city, last Saturday. The Con
vention was largely composed of
the farmers and working men of
the county, and worked much more
harmoniously than we, at least, ex
pected. The ticket selected by the
convention will, we think, after
careful scrutiny, and a fair compari
son with the Democratic ticket
placed in nomination one week be
fore, meet with the general approval
of those who are anxious that the
books shall be overhauled and thet
accounts of the people houestly
tooted up in Lina county. No one
is foolish enough for a moment to
imagine that, so long as the ring
that at present controls county
affairs retains power, any change
for the better will be made. It is
feared, and with reason, too, that
should the old ring that has so long
held control of this county, be
given a new lease of power at the
June election, it will become
more reckless than ever, and mis
management and extravagance
will grow apace, and the burdens
of the people be largely increased.
All know that values have been
increasing year by year, yet the tax
levy has not only not been de
creased, but has actually been in
creased, until the owfier of real
estate is now paying nearly double
the tax that he did a tew years ago.
All know that while the tax rate
has increased from year to year, the
county debt has not been decrepsed,
but is probably being added to from
year to " year. The average tax
payer is restive under this state of
affairs; and believing, from pas;
experience, that no improvement is
to result by the election of the
ticket put forth by the ring on the
25th of April last, anxiously looked
to the ticket put forth by the Inde
pendent Taxpayers Convention as
the only means at hand to correct
an evil wliich was growing too
heavy to be borne. And the people
hare not been disappointed. While
we are free to acknowledge that in
one or two instances men of better
known ability might possibly have
been placed in nomination, rmen
who would have given more general
satisfaction because of their more
extensive acquaintance throughout
the county, yet even these excep
tions, if any exceptions be taken,
are fully the equals, are just as
competent to fill the positions for
which they are nominated, as those
placed iu nomination tor the same
positions on the Democratic ticket.
So far as we are acquainted with
the nominees on the Independent
ticket, they are honest, competent,
earnest and worthy men, possessing
the confidence of their neighbors.
The majority are directly interested
in agriculture horny-handed far
mers, if you choose, and uot ashamed
of their 'occupation of positions in
life. They have been selected from
the different portions of the county
beoaute of their known probity,
their fair reputations, their sobriety
as representative men, in whom
the Peop'e could place their in
terests with perfect safety, relying
upon their honesty and ability to
brijig about the much needed re
trenchment and reform in coiinty
and State affairs. If elected, these
' gentlemen have every inducement
, to carry out the wishes of this
: people cutting down exorbitant
salaries, lopping off unnecessary
I and extravagant county expenses,
' and reducing taxation while there
will be no inducements to prove
i recreant to the People, or make
false their pledges made before the !
election. We lwlieve a large ma-!
jority of the people of Litu county .
will endorse the Indepeiideut ticket,
i and thus render its success certain
, in June.
m.
Who nre the Right Men for Office ?
! The man who is not willing to
aid and encourage every legitimate
scheme for building up his county i
and State, is not fitted, nor was he
calculated by Providence (Uhode
Island), or anyotl.er power, to till
I any office in the gift of the people,
either of honor or profit. And as
the newspaper is the great lever in
American politics, disseminating
useful information broadcast over
; the laud, doing more than all else
j combined iu building up and mak
ing communities prosperous,' the
I man who withholds his patronage
from his comity paper is not worthy
i and should not receive the smallest
crumb from the public table. If he
is too stingy to take and pay for
i his county paper, he is too mean to
serve the people honestly and well ;
1 if he does not acknowledge and
cannot see the great benefits a com
,'munity derives from a well con
; ducted newspaper, he hasn't
i sufficient mental calibre, brains, to
! fill any office respectably and in the
j interests of the community in which
; be resides. The man who does not
take, pay for and read his county
j paper, is not in sympathy with his
, neighbors, has no idea of their
i wants and wishes, is necessarily
j selfish, narrow-minded and bigoted,
j and is therefore unfitted to be en
trusted with the business of the
people. The people want men in
j office of liberal views large
; hearted and large brained, men
I who read and keep themselves
posted in current events ; and by
j thus thoroughly understanding the
j great questions of the day, are in
full sympathy with the people, 8nd
can bring a thorough knowledge
and sound judgment to bear when
acting as their servants. The man
Who can't afford to take his county
paper, must not ask this community
to support him for office this com
munity, don't Want that kind of
hombre. Excuse us, also, if you
please.
School Fund Defaulter.
llobt. J. Ladd, chool clerk of
one of the districts in Multnomah
county, charged with embezzling
$16,200 of the school funds en
trusted to his keeping, was arrested
at Empire City on the 27th of
April, by police officer McUoy and
Deputy U. S. Marshal, William
F. Hill. Only $40 50-two
twenties and a half dollar were
found on his person at the time of
his arrest, which he handed to a
companion in his travels, John C
Workf an attorney of Portland,
saying that "the money will pay
your passage back ; I do not need
it, as the officer will pay my ex
penses," Work took the money,
bat declined to accompany ladd
and the officer back; The officer
and his prisoner started for Portland
immediately, and by pushing along
vigorously reached Scottsbnrg about
3 o'clock Tuesday morning .
While warming by the fire after
the long journey through the
drenching rain, Ladd espied a
bucket of water on a shelf near the
door, and remarking that he was
very thirsty, he went for that pail.
While in the act ot drinking, some
one from the outside opened the
door and came into the room, when,
quick as a Hash, Ladd sprang
through the door out into the pitchy
night, and although the officer
hastened after him, he made good
his escape. Impenatrable darkness
and the terrible storm prevailing at
the time, were opportunities which
Bob Ladd availed himself of to
good purpose. A. reward of $500
is offered for his arrest. When
Hob escaped he had nothing on his
head, and was very thinly clad for
inclement weather. He stands a
good chance to perish from cold
and hunger if not soon caught.
Since the above was set up, Mr.
Arnold informs us that Ladd pass
ed down toward Portland on Wed
nesday's train.
Look at Their Record.
The candidates on the Linn
County Independent Ticket have
the advantage of their Democratic
opponents in being generally better
qualified for the positions to which
they aspire, and their record for so
briety, business capacity and
honesty is much better. They go
before the people asking for office
on their merits. They will not be
called to account tor any derelictions
socially, nor will any of them be
asked to explain the matter ot the
deficincy of three thousand dollars
in the school fund while iu their
hands, as most certainly will one
of the Democratic candidates. This
matter of handling the funds of a
county as an officer, in such manner
that the people lose three thousand
dollars, either through carelessness,
want of capacity, or downright
corruption, will be looked after very
sharply, by the People. They want
no such men as officers, nor can
they trust a party that endorses
such acts by placing such men in
nomination. One such offender on
a ticket is sufficient to taint the
whole ; but when there is more than
one on the ticket whose reputation
is "spotted," it is enough to damn
the whole concern.
HALF FEB.
The Independent candidates for
both Sheriff and Clerk, pledged
themselves to retain but halt the
fees of their offices, and to pay into
the county treasury the othej half.
Thus from $4,000 to $8,000, fees
allowed by law to the Sheriff and
Clerk, will be paid into the county
treasury annually, largely helping
to lighten the burdens ot the people,
should the nominees of the Inde
pendent ticket be successful. Re
member that, fellow citizens, when
you cast your ballot next June
The Independent ticket is pledged
to the strictest economy in-handling
tlfe county finances. Extravagance
and wastefulness of county funds
will be stopped at once ; the county
will at once be released from debt,
and the honest tiller of the soil, or
the hard working mechanic, will
not be compelled to pay, one-third
of his earnings towards keeping up
a ring of political bunmere and
corrupt spoils hontersi
1.1 mi County Independent Pint lorn.
The following platform of prin
cipl was adopted by Linn County
ludeiwiident Convention at its ses-
siou in this on Saturday last :
Rewired, That in our opinion
the issues which have heretofore di
vided the Democratic and Republi
can piirli
have IM.'CH 'IlilY
and
entirety .vii led, ami at tins time
there exists no good reasons for
keeping up the old political parties.
That in our opinion there is no cause
why the laboring and producing
classes should be arrayed against
each other, Imt that the time has
come when they should cease to be j
Ishnnelitcs, and they should unite
for the common good ut all. That
politicians and demagogues strive to j
keep up animosity between such j
classes solely tor the purpose of fos-
tering themselves. That under the
party drill and party lash, many
men of known dishonesty and in
competency, aie Humiliated and
elected to positions of trust. That
to avoid these errors, we are deter-1
mined to select no man for position j
who seeks tor a nomination at our j
hands that the true rule is, the
office should seek the man, and not j
the man the office the only ques-:
tion to be asked in the selection of j
a candidate : Is he honest V Is he
capable ?
Resolved, That the platform
adopted by the Independent State
Convention meets our hearty ap
proval, and that in our opinion it j
contains a full avowal ot the aims,
objects and principles of the hide- j
pendent voters of Oregon.
Resolved, That the tees now al-1
lowed by law to the Sheriff and j
Clerk ought to be reduced one-half,
and the nominees ot this Convention j
for Sheriff and Clerk be required to ;
pledge themselves to perform the
duties ot said offices, if elected, for '
one-hall the fees now allowed by
law for such services.
Resolved, That we disapprove of ;
any further Legislative appropria
tions of public money to be used on
the State Capitol building at Salem j
for the present.
Resolved, That we demand the j
rejteal of the law creating an Assist
ant State Treasurer ; also, the law
creating a School Book monopoly,!
and that portion ot the game law
referring to geese, ducks and grouse, j
Resolved, That we favor a law !
creating one Justice of the Peace fir
each precinct, an Assessor of said
precinct, and the repeal ot the law
creating a County Assessor.
Resolved, That the attempt to
wring over sixty thousand dollars
from the Farmers and Taxpayers,
by additional taxation, through the
instrumentality ofthe so-called State
Bo&rd of Equalization, meets with
our hearty condemnation.
Resolved, That we hold our can
didates, if elected, pledged to carry
out the above resolutions.
Unlit-owl JInttcm.
There seems to be the best of
prospects tor the passage of the bill
aiding the Portland, Dalles & Salt
Lake Railroad a work of the most
vital interest to litis State. The
telegraph also brings the report that
Senator Mitchell made an argument
before the Committee on l'ublic
Lands, on the 2d inst., in favor of
his bill in aid of the extension of
the West-side (Oregon Central)
Railroad from St. Jo, its present
terminus, to a wint on the line of
the ( regon & California Railroad
no farther south than Eugene City,
nor farther north than Junction
City.' Tt is confidently believed
that the Committee will maite a
favorable report.
1. o. o. 1,
The Oregon Grand Lodge Inde
pendent Ofdet of Odd Fellows
meets in Portland on the l&th inst.
Delegates will be carried over the
O. & C. Railroad at half-fare' rates.
It will doubtless prove an interest
ing and profitable occasion to those
who are enabled to attendi
At Hla Old Trick.
Nearly four years ago a young
man calling himself A. J. Curtis,
arrived in Portland from the East.
Being possessed of a good address,
well educated, with engaging man
ners, he was soon employed in the
O. & C. Railroad Co.'s office as
telegraph operator. As soon as the
road had progressed as far as
Salem, Curtis was reported for pro
motion, as he was a fine operator
and had proved a diligent employee.
1 le was at once transferred from
Portland to Oregon City as agent
and operator. Soon alter this
transfer, an officer arrived from
Nebraska with a requisition for
Mr. Bear Curtis, it seems, was
only an alias, J. K. Bear being
his true name. He had embezzled
money while employed as a tele
graph operator in Nebraska, and
theu absconded. He was taken
back, but through the influence of
a rich brother, the matter was
settled. According to the Orego
nuw. on last Sunday Dr. O. P. S.
Plummer received a postal card
from A. Mitt-hell, General Super
intendent of the Illinois Central
Railroad, giving a minute descrip
tion of Curtis alias Bear, asking
information ot his whereabouts.
Attached to the card is a photo
grap of the fast young man. It
seems that Bear was agent for the
Illinois Central at Waverly, Iowa,
and ran away, Jan. 28, 1874, steal
ing $1,500. Bear is a bad egg.
More About Mickccn
Statements made by intelligent
gentlemen who have recently re
turned from Stickecn gold mines
fully corroborate all the reports as
to the extent and richness of the
diggings. The weather at last ac
counts was warm and pleasant, and
the grass was two or three inches
high at Buck's Bar. Men are mak
ing from $18 to $25 per day, and
can but work their claims a few
hours at a time. Claims on Dease
Creek are 100 feet in length and
the width of the creek ; land claims
are 100 feet square. It costs $2 50
for recording a claim, and $5 for a
miner's license. From these latter
accounts it would seem that the
half has not been told regarding the
richness of the country ; one rea
son, probably, being that the
country is yet to be prospected and
thoroughly tested. If it be true
that men are making from $150 to
$200 per day, by thmchxj out the
dirt, what can not they realize from
the diggings when the frost is driven
from the ground by the warm snns
of Summer? Men are catching tie
gold fever who were never 'excited
by the most fabulous tales of gold
heretofore, and the cxcitelncnt and
rush is becoming greater day by
day.
Temperance Convention.
The State Temperance Conven
tion convened in Portland on the
6th inst. Rev". Clinton Kelley was
elected Chairman, and Enoch Tur
ner and Rev. M. Judy, Secretaries.
Seven counties were represented.
The following ticket was nomi
nated : For Congress, T. W. Dav
enport; for Governor,.!. C.Tolman;
Secretary, K V. Chadwick ; Treas
urer, D. G. Clark; State Printer,
Ej Turner; Superintendent Pnblic
Instruction, L. L. Rowland. The
Temperance ty'lf was endorsed as
the organ of the party, and the del
egates pledged themselves to in
crease its circulation. '1 his is a very
temperate ticket.'